hisguardian | Tanagura Inbox

[...pictures? Someone had pictures of that? That alone has her looking concerned, frowning--]

[But her expression changes entirely when he mentions Her Bay, eyes growing wide in... fear? Even without saying anything, it's clear she knows what he's talking about.]

You're sure... it was about an Elite?

[ Killua catches sit immediately. He affects a frown, thoughtful. ]

I only caught a glimpse. I think he was trying to hide it from me.

...Why?

[And she... relaxes, a little. Good. If the one after her is an elite, then it can't be that man.]

[But she still has to answer his question, so--]

...because most of the people I killed that day were mongrels. Only a few were elites.

[Which means it narrows down the list of suspects a bit. Normally she might show a bit of restraint when talking about killing people so casually, especially nowadays. But considering Killua got involved with someone like this in the first place, she doesn't think he'd be very judgmental about it. Some worlds are just like that.]

[ Not at all.

...Killua was down there killing people too. ]

Do you happen to remember their names? I think this guy wasn't supposed to be revived, but either he was, or a friend of his is bitter about it and wants revenge.

I never learned their names. Just their faces.

[Which is edging towards a very uncomfortable topic. The topic that explains that picture of her in the cage.]

[...but in a situation like this, she can't exactly dance around that anymore, can she?]

[ Killua watches her, sensing the nervousness. He tries to gentle his voice, leans in a little closer. ]

Tell me what happened.

[ It's phrased like an order, but the tone isn't demanding at all, quiet. ]

[...]

[She might as well start from the beginning, huh.]

It was almost two years ago now. I had just lost someone... someone really, really important to me. But I didn't know how this world worked yet. And it was right after the castes switched, too... so when someone told me that person might be in Ceres, I... didn't know what to expect. And that's where the Black Market caught me.

They... did horrible things to me. I-I still don't... remember it all. But I'll never forget their faces. The way they laughed while they did it. Every day, for two weeks... I-I wasn't myself anymore. At all. Rin told me when he saw me at the auction and saved me, I...

...it was like I forgot I was human. It took over a week before I could even talk again.

[It's only because she's come so far since then that she's able to talk about this at all. But by the end of it, she's shivering like a leaf -- from a mix of both fear, and anger. Even now, she was so angry she was afraid what she'd do if she ever saw any of those people again.]

[Really, it's no wonder she reacted the way she did when she thought Killua might be associated with them.]

[ Killua listens without interrupting, letting her get it out. And he tries to keep his expression neutral, but there's a way his jaw tightens, a subtle coldness that comes into his eyes. If Arietta is sensitive to aura, she'll feel the coldness in the air too, the tension around him.

Without thinking, he reaches out when she's finished, placing his hand on top of hers on the table. His voice is low and vicious, barely more than a growl. ]

Those bastards.

[S-Sorry, Killua. She jerks her hand back quickly when he touches it, eyes wide, afraid-- but then she relaxes, casting her eyes downward and murmuring a soft apology.]

...when I heard about what was going on in Her Bay, I knew then I could get my revenge. It was all I could think about. I thought... even if I died down there, it wouldn't matter, because at least I would have made them pay.

[She wraps her arms around herself, trying to calm the shaking in her limbs.]

I knew that feeling, from before... I-I was like that back home, too. I was sad and angry all the time. I never got my revenge back home, but... even after I killed everyone, it wasn't enough. It still hurt. A-And it still does. If it weren't from Rin and all the friends I've made here, I... I might not be here anymore.

[ Killua lets go, doesn't comment on it. He'd gotten a little carried away. He swallows, tries to calm the anger and fresh wave of grief tightening his chest as he listens to Arietta's words and thinks about his own failed revenge, how useless he is, the mistakes he's made. He draws his hands back into his lap, squeezed into fists so tight his nails draw blood, and forces himself to look calm.

...even after I killed everyone, it wasn't enough.

He hasn't had the chance to go after everyone he wants dead, but still, Killua feels that statement viscerally.

But he doesn't make this about him. He swallows the reminders of his own pain in silence (like he often does), and watches Arietta tremble. ]

...and now they're after your liger friend. You tried the direct method. There's too many of them to just take out all of them.

Until something is done about the whole network-- [ which is extremely unlikely, but Killua won't state the obvious ] --consider taking measures to protect yourself. And Liger.

I... I have tried. But something always happens. Even when I'm really trying.

[Ah, she's going to start crying at this rate. She does sniffle, but no tears fall.]

I-I've never been able to protect the things that are important to me... I can't even protect myself. I don't know what else I can do. If something ever happened to him... I-I don't know what I'd do. It's scary to think about.

[--because she's scared of what she would do. She knows all too well what sort of person she's capable of becoming given the proper motivation. She was willing to let the world be destroyed for Ion's sake...]

[ It hurts, hearing her say things like that, and it's shitty but it hurts mostly for selfish reasons. It hits too close to home. Killua's heart squeezes, his shoulders tense. He doesn't know what to say. He never knows what the right thing to say is, especially in a situation like this.

How do people comfort each other? Does Arietta want him to even try at all? She'd pulled away a moment ago... Killua sits still with his hands in his lap, watching. ]

Help me fake his death. If we can get close to the guy who ordered it and kill him, maybe...

[ Fuck. He shouldn't have done any of this. He shouldn't have gotten involved. What is he saying? There's nothing he can actually do-- But right now, despite how stupid it is, Killua really wants to kill that man. ]

[...]

What do you know about him... the man who hired you?

[She still didn't like the idea of faking Liger's death, but... if it would only be until that man was was taken care of, maybe it wouldn't be so bad.]

Not much. He wore a mask.

[ So had Killua, of course... But he describes the man as well as he can, height and build and any other things that might make an impression, watching Arietta's face for any signs she might have recognized something. ]

...that's about it. I'm meeting with one of his underlings tonight. Maybe I can follow afterward, see if I can track him.

[She listens to his description, though the only thing that seems to catch her attention is the mask. It wasn't exactly out of the ordinary for someone to hide their identity around here, but wouldn't an elite have easier methods for doing so?]

...if you find out anything else, let me know. [But unfortunately for Killua, that won't be likely -- the person who was meant to meet with Killua and provide the funds will be leaving the thumbdrive of bytes with the waitress, directing her to give it to him in his place.]

Uhm. But the man with the mask... [She looks uneasy again, lifting up a hand and holding it up over half her face.] Did it cover his whole face? Or did it look like... it was hiding something?

[There were really only three elites she remembered well. One of them was buried in the collapse without her even trying, another was eaten by Liger, and the third... well, he was a hard man to forget.]

It did not cover his whole face... [ Killua hedges uncomfortably, thinking about it. It is possible he was hiding something in particular, though Killua couldn't say exactly what. ]

...why?

[She keeps her eyes low and takes a deep breath. She keeps her arms wrapped tightly around herself, almost as it trying to appear smaller so she could just disappear from this conversation. For as hard as it was to talk about, remembering it was even worse.]

...one of the men who-- who tortured me... he had really bad scars all over one side of his face. H-He was... one of the worst of them.

[ Killua nods encouragingly, uncomfortable with the way she shrinks back but not knowing what to do. So he pretends he doesn't notice, just keeps talking. ]

It's possible the mask was hiding something. It must have been for effect... I mean, why wouldn't someone use a digital skin?

[It's the best course of action, really. She'd feel self-conscious about it if he pointed out how obviously uncomfortable she is.]

I-I dunno, but... the man with the scars... I know that was his real face. He... wanted me to remember it.

[Which, ironically, made him an easy one to hunt down and kill in the tunnels.]

It's possible he had a living will, after all.

[ That's the trouble with Elites. Like fuckin cockroaches, man. ]

Do you know anything else about him? Was he somebody in charge of the operation?

...no. I killed the man who was in charge of it. He didn't come back.

[There's a dark edge to her voice when she says that -- that particular kill had been perhaps more personal than even the others, given when he did to her left a mark that still comes up to this day. He was one of the few she made sure stayed dead.]

[She closes her eyes, thinking and trying to remember, as much as she doesn't want to. After a few moments, she shakes her head.]

I-I think-- his name? He told me it. Once. Before he died.

[It's a name Killua should already find familiar.]

...something Clay, maybe? Or maybe it was Kray. I didn't want to hear what he had to say, so I don't remember anything else.

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cw: sexual abuse, torture, underage, holy shit

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