Chapter Text
NIKA:
Sometimes, Nika asked herself if the Universe had it out for her. She knew that the cut on her back were bleeding again, could feel the warmth of it soaking into her shirt and waistcoat.
Even the bandages around her wrists and hands were bloody, but that was really the least of her problems. She had to stay on street level to meet a potential client, and that had her already on edge.
RAFA:
Rafael didn't have much time to settle and get used to Dunwall's grim, urban landscape before he was to be put to work again. He had arrived in Gristol to attend a family member's funeral, which he paid for out of pocket of course. An Overseer's wages were barely enough to keep them from starving.
Somehow amidst the haze of following orders and grief Rafael found himself down in the gutter. The uglier parts of Dunwall which, in comparison, were perhaps worse than what they had back in Serkonos. Maybe it was all the dark blues and grays and the sickly greens. It gave the streets an unflattering look.
His objective was simple. He was to patrol the area and report any findings of suspicious activity to the rest of his brethren. But there hasn't been anything worthy of reporting so far. In fact, Rafael wondered if he'd been sent into this hole because nobody else wanted to. Or because nobody wanted him around.
Those thoughts were momentarily put to rest once Rafael spotted the lonely figure of what appeared to be a young woman. Barely of age if at all. Thin, frail. Scared.
Rafael stopped dead in his tracks and observed her from a distance. Here presence there felt almost unnatural, like she didn't belong. Like there was more to her than just hollowed cheeks and fresh cuts.
He sucked in a breath of the cold, musty air and took several steps forward, cautious yet confident.
"Excuse me miss, are you lost?"
NIKA:
Nika had been somewhat lost in her thoughts, trying to keep her fears, ghosts at bay. To not let paranoia overtake her mind, and, ironically, that was what had made her lose track of her surroundings. That and the fact that she knew she needed rest. Void Magic in her veins or not, her limbs were heavy with exhaustion. Had been for a long time, if she were honest. But work was more important, meant money, which meant elixirs to keep her alive.
Hearing someone speak, a bit of an accent to their voice that she couldn't quite place, snapped her out of it. Had her raise her head and - Find herself face to face with one of her ghosts.
An Overseer mask, the golden sneer that had been haunting her in her nightmares. Nika froze, holding her breath.
RAFA:
Judging by the girl's reaction Rafael only took two small steps in her direction before stopping once again. She was clearly terrified of him, be it his stature or his uniform, so Rafael slightly raised his empty hands. He hoped this gesture will be enough to show her he meant no harm, but a couple of decades donning that mask was enough for him to learn his effort was futile. Nobody ever associated that damned mask with peace.
Nevertheless, Rafael kept his voice calm and his limbs steady, careful not to make any sharp movements that could startle the girl.
"My name is Rafael Imari." He said. The name behind the mask rarely ever mattered. After all, the Abbey wanted obedient puppets devoid of any autonomous identity, and the masks served as yet another method to ensure their erasure as people. But Rafael persisted.
"You look pale, and you must be cold." He spoke softly. "If I can be of any help at all, I'd be more than happy to assist."
NIKA:
Once he moved, Nika stumbled back, something shifting inside her head that abruptly silenced everything. She didn't hear what the overseer said, just- wanted to get away, knew that she had to get away. That no matter what, she didn't want to be captured again.
And, on instinct alone, she reached for the Void, knowing she couldn't run. Had it carry her away from him, up to a dilapidated building. Then, onto a balcony, and through a window.
Once inside, she forced herself to breathe, to think. The Overseer would look towards the rooftops.
Her next skip had her down the stairwell, and then she ran into the basement.
Her steps made too much noise on the wet floor, and she vaguely noticed some whale oil tanks as she hid behind some old shelves filled with... stuff.
RAFA:
The girl instinctively recoiled which didn't exactly surprise Rafa. In fact he had anticipated it. What he wasn't ready for was to see the way she called upon the Void in order to make her escape.
Rafa stood there, stunned, and tried to come up with the best course of action he were to take in such a situation. His instincts led him to give chase, and obvious choice he would make given the girl's nature, but her poor state nagged him at the back of his mind.
The building she'd entered was still somewhat accessible and after clearing himself a path Rafa headed toward the stairs. Sadly for him he didn't have any parlor tricks to rely on so his search was conducted on foot, and with his bare hands.
Knowing that there could've been only two possible routes for her to take from here made it easier though. She could either climb up into the attic or on a nearby rooftop - or crawl into the basement if this building had one.
While attempting to decide which direction he wanted to investigate first Rafa noticed the tracks the girl left on her frantic search for safety. The previously stagnant dust had been disturbed, and the prints led towards what Rafa concluded was indeed a basement. She's walled herself in.
Knowing full well she can hear his every step with just how the rotten floorboards creaked under his weight Rafa followed the same path she took. They were both aware there was only one exit, and they were both aware Rafa will be blocking it.
Once he made it all the way down he stopped, scanning the mess of a room that was before him. Overturned barrels and cabinets, some chests. Lots of good hiding places for someone as small as her. But he couldn't just let her go.
"If you come out now nobody has to get hurt." He finally broke the silence, his once warm tone replaced by one cold as the steel of his sword.
"You're only getting yourself into more trouble than necessary."
NIKA:
Nika heard his approach, the heavy steps letting her know her exit was blocked.
Fuck.
In her panic, she had made the wrong decision, and now it would be her doom.
Sitting beneath an old, overturned barrel that smelled vaguely of fish, she found that she would be fine with dying. Death wasn't scary.
But there were fates worse than death, Nika knew, and Overseers wouldn't just kill her. No. They would torture her, cut away her flesh until there was nothing left. She knew. They had tried already, and at that time, there hadn't even been a mark.
Hearing his cold voice had her almost laugh, even if her heart was in her throat, pain and adrenaline being the only things that kept the panic down.
As if she would believe his lies.
RAFA:
Upon not receiving any form or reply or even hearing anything creak, Rafael sighed deeply. He raised his hands up to his head and unclasped his mask, removing the ivory monstrosity so he could glance down at it. There really was no reason for her to trust him if he looked like that.
"Yes, it is the Abbey's duty to purge the world of heresy and its practitioners. Yes, indeed. Or so they say." Rafael finished that last bit with a somber tone. Almost depressedn
"But I am not speaking with you on behalf of the Abbey." He looked back up at the clutter and the garbage, hoping to catch a glimpse of the girl as he spoke.
"We both know what they will do to a heretic once in their clutches. And for someone like you, I would prefer to avoid that."
NIKA:
Something about his words had her laugh. A hoarse, broken sound. As if she would believe his lies.
Nika knew she had his attention, maybe even caught him by surprise if she was lucky. So she sprang back upright, ignoring the pain as her back hit the barrel, pushing it off of her with one hand while the other drew a throwing knife.
She had aimed at him, at his head, but the moment the knife left her hand, Nika knew - it would miss. Her eyes went wide in panic, and she heard the telltale clink of it hitting glass.
Disturbing something, cracking it. The oil tank she'd seen.
Out of some kind of primitive survival instinct, Nika threw her body away from the explosion, behind some of the things around her. But she wasn't fast enough, the sound ringing in her ears as something hit her head. The floor - something thrown around - it didn't matter.
She hadn't even realized it happened as her world went bright, then black.