The Sound of Silence [Faith and Ghoul] (Graded)

[Qit'ria]

Common Text
Xanthean Text
Kashehino Text
Cylus 10, 719

Qit opened her eyes.

Looking around, she was confused. Where was she? Why was the world gray? She walked a few steps around, not realizing that she couldn't feel the grass beneath her feet. Was she dreaming? She looked up to the sky, seeing the dull, muted, white moons on the blackened sky. She must be dreaming. She was awake, so she must be lucid. She was a dreamwalker after all.

Except.

It felt wrong. This didn't feel like any of the dreams, or even the nightmares, she'd experienced. She continued to walk about, looking at this gray world. It was the land by the lake, the land Faith owned. She could even see Faith's house, way off in the distance. She could make out that wall, the one Qit found silly, but Faith liked. That same wall that she'd climbed over this morning, to go out on a hunt.

Wait.

Hunting. She'd been hunting this morning. She was going to get some nice rabbits or deer for the family. For Faith, Padraig, Blackbird, and Oonah, for Noah and Madison. Did she get them? She could remember hunting... but couldn't remember actually getting anything. Strange. She reached down for domain bag, to grab a spear.

Her hand found nothing. Looking down, Qit'ria was quite confused. Where was her bag, she never traveled without it. Then she realized that she was only wearing her breast cloth and loin cloth. Where were her totems? They were all missing. She began to panic, reaching inward for her spark, just as she always had done, maybe she had assimilated the totems within here.

Nothing.

There was nothing there. Her spark was gone. Gone gone. Panic was setting in. Her chest was rising hard and fast, she felt her throat tightening. Yet if she'd paid attention, she'd notice she was not actually getting short of breath, and that she couldn't feel the air she was sucking in. Something was wrong, so very, very wrong. Is this what the world was like for Yeye? Had her spark been removed like his?

She was pacing, where was she? What was going on? She needed to get home, get to Blackbird. Find Faith. Faith could make it right. She started moving toward Faith's house when she tripped, hitting the ground hard. She sat up, looking down toward her feet. There, in front of her, was her.

She was staring at her own body. Her eyes were open wide. It was her own body, with her mutations still present. It was so unsettling, seeing her dead, empty eyes. There was a gaping hole in her chest as well. An arm was missing, a leg as well, the other bent at an unnatural angle. Her entire body was shattered. Qit'ria began backing away from her corpse, still on the ground.

Backing away, she turned, to stand and run. To run to Faith, to Blackbird, to Oonah. To hug them. To work to make everything right. Then she ran smack first into something. She fell backwards again, groggy from the impact. She looked up and saw nothing. There was nothing there. She stood up, and got closer, feeling a barrier, invisible, but clearly there.

She slapped it with her hand. Harder than stone, perfectly smooth. She ran to the left of the wall, to find a way around it, screaming loudly. She soon quickly discovered that she was in a cage. One that was given to all newly dead people by Ralaith, a place to wait, out of time, in the Beneath. To wait for Judgement.

Qit had never been caged before, but it was always her greatest fear. She ran at the wall toward Faith's house over and over and over and over for what felt like ages, screaming all the while. She needed to get away from her corpse, she needed out of this cage. She needed to run free.

She needed Faith.

Screaming at the top of her lungs, "Faith!"

But it was muffled in the Beneath, as all things were.

She continued to attack the wall, "Faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaith!"

Every fiber of her being was crying out for the woman. She needed her sister. She needed her baby. She needed her family.

"FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAITH!"

And that was when Caz'aria awoke in her crib, in Qit'ria's room where Qit had left her. And the baby began to bawl.

[Faith Augustin]

10th Cylus, 719

Faith opened her eyes.

It was dark, she was warm and comfortable, nestled in Padraig's arms; her head in the crook of his shoulder she didn't need to move to know that he was asleep. His breathing told her. Just for a brief trill, she didn't know what had woken her and she was quiet and content there. But then, there was the sound of a baby crying; Faith was immediately aware that it was Caza, each child cried differently, after all. She slid carefully out from their bed, leaning to place a kiss on Padraig's forehead as he slept there. He mumbled something and she smiled and nodded. "Yes, love. Sleep now," she whispered and then padded softly out of the room.

Almost there, at Caza's door, Faith glanced to the left as Luna, the woman who had been a slave when Padraig rescued her, appeared from her room. With a smile, Faith was about to whisper something to Luna, telling her to not worry, go back to bed, but right in that second PB appeared. Luna was still quite jittery about people, but the chalk bunny was always very gentle and calm with her, when she could see him. Faith's eyebrows lifted and then she had a look of dawning horror as she listened to him.

"Faith! Faith, it's Qit'ria. She's callin' for you love. You should go, they're comin' for her, she's gettin' judged soon."

Faith looked at him and the young woman started to shiver. She didn't feel cold ~ thanks to Famula's mark on her, Faith never felt cold ~ yet her shivering intensified. That was odd, she thought, because the sudden ball of lead in her stomach was hot and molten and it burned her. On the inside, where no one could see. If PB meant what she thought ~ what she knew ~ he meant, then her friend was dead. Faith's first, overwhelming thought left her mouth in a low groan ground out from pain. "No... not again... please, not again." She had watched Aeon die and that scene still haunted her. For a moment, just a half a thought, Faith wanted to go back to bed; to run back there where it was warm and safe and Padraig would stroke her hair and tell her that it was alright, it was all alright.

Except, of course, it wasn't alright.

If Qit'ria was dead, then it was the very opposite of alright.

Arcs upon arcs of her life, Faith had been trained. Trained to put her emotions down and not feel them. How strange, she thought, because she didn't have any right now. She couldn't remember what she was supposed to do then. PB looked at her as she stood there, dry eyed and white as a sheet and he spoke, again, loudly. "FAITH!"

It was what she needed. It snapped her out of the internal reverie and she turned to Luna. "Take care of Blackbird. Wake up Cylus and Katie, then Padraig." And with that the young woman turned and followed her bunny to where the death was.

So, there ran up Faith. Bare footed in a short white night gown, her feet crunching in the snow and ice, unconcerned with the cold or the stones which cut into her feet as she ran to her friend. "Qit!!" As she ran, she saw things in her peripheral vision, things which had once been alive and were now dead ~ but there had been a state in between and Faith knew that in some part of her mind. Until, that was, she saw what she was looking for.

At the sight of her friend, the sound which Faith made was pure pain.

Qit was dead, she had been killed without a doubt and, judging by the surrounding area, she had fought. But this was their land. This was their home. Who would hurt Qit on their land? Faith skidded to a halt and fell to her knees at the corpse of her friend. "Qit?" Faith whispered, a shaking hand reaching out to touch her. Somehow, Faith couldn't quite bring herself to and she returned her trembling arm to her side where it dropped, uselessly. Useless. Like her.

Useless.

Tears poured down her cheeks as she looked up and there, right in front of her, was ....

... "Qit?"

[Qit'ria]

Date

Qit didn't know how long she had been screaming, how many times she beat against that damn wall of her prison. It felt endless and yet felt like no time had passed at all. She cried and cried and cried for so long. Her voice was gone, and her mind was telling her that her throat was sore and closed off, even though nothing had changed. She was dead after all. She knew that much now.

She was dead.

So what was she waiting here for? Shouldn't she be going to whatever happened next? To the after life? She had never really learned much about that sort of thing. She never went to Moseke's temple in Desnind. And after she'd left, she never bothered with anything like that. She grew up a huntress, doing whatever it took to survive, as a scared young girl who became a scared woman.

What came next?

If she was trapped in this box forever, she knew she'd go insane. She hit the back of her head against the invisible wall, over and over. She was stuck here. Faith wasn't coming. There was no way out. She was alone, with her corpse, for eternity. If this was because of the Immortals, some sick game they played one mortals who died she'd... what? What would she do? She was a ghost, as far as she could tell.

She wasn't even sure.

She remembered the ghosts she'd met in that graveyard that foggy evening in Almund. So much had happened because she'd thrown a spear at a ghost. She'd met so many people because of it. Noth. She'd met Mack, that same night as Noth. There were others there. That angry redhead and the man with the strange hat. Veggie and Earlo. Caza had been made that night.

That led to her meeting Enlick. To deciding to return to Desnind to give birth. They'd met that bird woman. Elnwin. She returned to her dad. She gave birth, having met Rose and Noah. She met Oonah. She met the forest spirits. Those were some of her best moments.

Then her father was taken.

Everything had gone bad since then. But still, she'd made it out of Rynmere, alive. She'd made it back to Faith, just as she'd promised. And while her heart was broken, her soul shattered, she came back to Faith. Her sister. The woman who'd given Qit her first bed. The woman who gave Qit her first bath. She didn't ask questions when Qit didn't want to talk. She helped take care of Caza. She listened to QIt's silence.

Faith was everything to Qit, just as much as Caza was.

Qit opened her eyes, only to see the strangest thing. There was a woman in whites and greys, hair jet black, kneeling in front of her body. Qit couldn't see details clearly, it was like the woman was underwater. But she was there. Qit could see the woman shaking, she saw her pick up the lifeless arm. And Qit knew. She just knew.

Faith had come.

QIt'ria was quick to scramble over to the woman, kneeling close. Faith was looking in her direction, but Qit couldn't see the details of her face. There was a muffled sound, a single syllable. Qit couldn't make out what she'd said, and yet she knew.

Qit.

She'd said her name! Faith could see her! Qit yelled as loud as she could, to somehow break through this water that was muffling the sound, "Faith!"

"I in cage! I see you!"

Qit felt hope welling up in here. Faith had never once let her down. Every single time Qit had needed her, Faith had come. When that guard in Scalvoris threatened to beat Qit, Faith was there. When that merchant tried to swindle Qit, Faith was there. When Qit was bloodied by the nightmare, Faith was there. When Qit was scared of her pregnancy, Faith was there. When Qit was going after her father, Faith was there. When Qit called for help from Rynmere, Faith was there. When Qit was broken after Rynmere, Faith was there. Faith was always there.

And she was here now.

"Faith!!!"

[Ghoul]

The Beneath

Two voices would be heard floating up to Qit, already in the midst of some sort of discussion.

“..this really shouldn’t take too long. We both know which of us will be winning this round, Sister.”

“False. There is far more to this than just the very simple argument you have in mind.”

“And how do you know what I have in mind?”

“You were just explaining it - “

“Oh, look, there she is.”

Whatever argument might have been going on came to an abrupt end as one voice pointed out the soul. The room behind Qit would be different than the one she had previously been in. Pews would fill the back of it, separating a congregation of faceless apparitions that murmured incomprehensible things in a myriad of languages. Some Qit might understand, but most other would be nothing but noise to the sev’ryn.

“If you could go ahead and have your seat, Qit'ria.” It was one of the twins that said this, though almost indiscernible as to which one, moving to stand before a large chair at the front of the room. The other occupied another at was presumably the back until it would be noted that Qit’s seat placed her in the center of the room with all eyes on her.

A small table was placed before her chair, barren of any materials. Another chair was beside her, but empty - for now. There might have been a name inscribed on it, but it was unclear at this point. Two pairs of brilliant blue eyes stared her down from either side of the room.

“I’m sure you’re aware of this already, but you’ve died. And this is your judgement.”

Pre | Pier

[Qit'ria]

Date

Qit's ears twitched, a habit leftover from her many days spent in various feline forms, now hearing the voices coming from behind her. She looked at Faith, seeing her but unable to reach her, then looked over her shoulder. Two women, seemingly identical to Qit, arguing. And Qit was confused. They seemed to be speaking Common, yet she had no issue at all understanding them. Every single word of theirs seemed to carry a weight that transcended language, even if said while bickering.

And then, Qit was no longer in the fields behind Faith's house. Her body was gone. She couldn't see Faith anymore. She was in... some strange house. Or room. One she'd never seen before. There were... people. Sort of. She could hear them speaking but didn't understand them. And they were lacking in faces. Were these... ghosts? She'd met ghosts before. They'd had faces.

One of the women pointed to a chair, and Qit was looking around, immediately slipping into a defensive posture. Another cage. People telling her what to do. Faith wasn't here. This was an attack. Qit'ria's hands flexed, her weight lowering, her knees bending. She was in the center of the room, one woman on either side of her. She would most certainly not be sitting in a chair because these two said so.

The twins confirmed what she already suspected, already knew. She was dead. She still couldn't remember exactly how it was she'd died. She remembered all the fighting of the undead, but not how she'd died. But this was her judgement? No. She was not accepting that. She needed out of here. And she knew Faith was close. She'd seen her sister, her dearest friend.

She looked at her wrist, not seeing the Vines of Lori there. But she could still feel the connection to the Induk, to her spirit friend in Desnind's forest. She sent wave after wave of emotion through that connection, asking for the Induk to come to her air, just as she'd come to it. She asked it to help Faith to come here, for itself to come here. Faith had made sure Qit had learned an important lesson before she died.

Qit'ria was not alone. She was never alone.

She hoped the spirit could hear her, would respond. She hoped that Faith would be able to arrive. Because Qit was going to do what Qit always did when put in a trap, put in a corner. She was going to fight. She stared at the woman standing before the chair they wanted her to sit in, "You sit there, cunt." She looked back at the other, letting loose her best bear's roar, growling defensively. "I no sit. You no judge. Go away. Set free. Or I kill you."

Qit'ria couldn't feel her magic, didn't have her weapons, but she had confidence in her ability. She had fought to the death many times before, one of which had clearly killed her. She was not afraid of it. She was not afraid of these women. Judge her? No. She would not stand for that. Not one bit.

[Faith Augustin]

10th Cylus, 719

Qit'ria called to her, Faith heard her, muffled and unsure. "You.. Wait.. I'll be right there, Qit!" Faith lifted glowing red eyes to look at her friend ~ her sister~ and, not for the first time in her life, Faith's arcs of being a slave kicked in. Pushing her emotions down, away until she felt nothing but a cold boiling rage, Faith pulled herself together. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she looked around and saw... Qit had died defending her. Them. This place. This place where Faith had told her she would be safe. And now, Qit'ria would face the twins and their judgement. And Faith, in that moment, made a decision.

"You're not alone! I'm coming to you!!!" She was wearing a nightgown, she had nothing on her feet and so, she had no means to cut herself. Without thought or hesitation, Faith moved. One of the corpses had a knife at his belt and so, Famula's Champion knelt next to him. It had been a thrall, she knew. As Faith reached for the knife, something about that hit her and she moved. Grabbing his knife, she used the Zuuda ability Sever the Imposter making sure that any remaining traces of necromancy were gone from these bodies. She would deal with them, give them the correct burial rights and find out what had happened here. Glancing back to the house, she saw that people were moving, things were happening and so, Faith lifted up the dagger from the corpse in her garden and she sliced across the palm of her hand without pause or hesitation.

"You just wait there, Qit," Faith's eyes were glowing a deep crimson by this point. "I'm on my way."

Turning, she went to the small shed there, near the back of the house, and she used the blood running from her hand to mark it. With a prayer to Famula, Faith then stepped into the Beneath.

It was cold, oh so very cold and she felt her blood turn to icy sludge in her veins.

But it did not stop her, because she needed to find "Qit! I'm here." And there, indeed, was her friend. And the twins. They were in a cathedral-like room, one which Faith recognised as where she had laid Aeon to rest before finding parents for the baby he had saved. It was this place.

Faith moved. Unmindful of the people there, genuinely unconcerned, she arrived and skidded to a halt just in time for her to hear Qit'ria call the Immortals of Judgement a Very Bad Word. "Qit! Qit!" Faith moved forward and the young Zuuda rushed to her friend. "Qit... oh, I am so sorry." Her hand grasped at Qit'ria's arm, but then Faith turned her attention to the twins. "It is a pleasure to meet you again," she said, genuinely. After all, when she had met them previously, she had heard some rather unkind things from one of them. But, she was marked by Ymiden and, as far as Faith was concerned, she forgave them. But there were also some non-negotiables to the young woman and this was one of them.

"I'm here for her." She said, clutching on to her friend. "For her, with her, and on her behalf. I humbly submit that I am here as Qit'ria's advocate, friend and sister."

And frankly, they could like it or not because she wasn't going anywhere. But she didn't mention that.

[Ghoul]

Modbomb

“That is no way to spea-”

“Settle down. She’s clearly distressed. No one is ever compliant their first go-around.” There was a long sigh that followed. The twins were not strangers to the woman that had forced her way into the judgment. Oh, they knew Faith well enough. Well enough that her presence was as close to unwelcome as it could come. They could recall a few things that were less than kind being imparted to her, but when she continuously interrupted judgments - it was hard to have kind words to spare toward the human woman.

“You are as dead as dead can be. You’ve lived an interesting life, but now it ends as all things do.” They’d overlook her threats as products of her confusion. Just this once. Faith, on the other hand, was a different matter.

“Yes, yes, it is great and commendable that you are here but dead is dead and she is dead.” There was an air of finality to those words. The Twins regarded the pair not coldly but not warmly either. “Now, if both of you would find your appropriate seats, we can continue with the proceedings.” They allowed a moment for the pair to do just that before speaking.

“Now, Miss Advocate, time to do your job in an official capacity for once.”

“That sounded strange.”

“It felt strange to say.”

The two shared a look. It was almost something like an agreement, a shudder going through the two. A foreign thing, agreeing on something.

“Make your case.”

Pre | Pier

[Faith Augustin]

Time to do her job in an official capacity, for once?

for once?

Faith lifted her head and she looked at the two women. Immortals both, but in this moment she frankly didn't care. "It is said that you know all souls. You look at someone and see their truth? Know their lives?" She tilted her head, curiously. "The arguing and posturing is for the sake of the newly dead, isn't it? You know your judgement before the first word comes from your mouth." It was the only thing which made sense, of course. This was to help the mortal realise that they were dead. And that was a good thing, a necessary thing. But it also wasn't.

"It makes them focus on being dead, forces them to recognise it. But also to accept. To accept and move on. To be pliant and compliant, maybe even to be so outraged at your words that they do not recognise that they have a choice." Because, of course, they did. "That is what Vri gives them. Famula, too. They are all about choice. And I would expect you to be." Her hand moved, holding on to Qit's and she shook her head. No. No, she would not be sitting down. Her hand in Qit's squeezed. "Judgement, of course. But what about Justice? There is no justice being served here. None. Nor is there equality. Treating everyone the same, bombastically talking over them and directing their movements is not equality." It had to be said, Faith was passionate, and she stood forward, just a step. Putting herself between Qit and the twins.

"My name is Faith Augustin. You know full well that I am no "Miss" anything. And this is not an official capacity. This is my sister in all the ways which matter. Resurrection. That is Famula's Domain, and it can be done. This is not justice and what you are not telling her is that she does not have to do as you say. So I will not be an advocate for Qit'ria. No." Red eyes turned to look at Qit and Faith smiled. She was furious. "I will be an advocate for the two of you. This is Pier and Pre. They want to judge you and then give you their answer on how well you have lived your life. But there are things they are not telling you, so I will."

She wasn't sitting, because Faith had never stood taller, her back straight and her chin lifted. "You do not have to accept their judgement, you do not have to go anywhere. In a moment, Vri will come. He is the Immortal of Death, and Love. Memory and Sorrow, too. He will hold out his hand and offer to take you to where the dead go. But you do not have to take it. If you do not, you will become a soul, without a body. A ghost. I will be able to see you. Padraig will. Famula will come to you, and she will offer you again, at some time in the future. But you do not have to go. Souls remain on Idalos and I swear to you, Qit'ria, I will do everything I can to bring you back. Back to fully alive, because you are my sister and I love you and because there is no justice to this." Her hand waved around, gesturing to show the area they were in. She didn't point, specifically, at the Immortals.

Turning back to them, then, she stood and her gaze was unwavering. "Dead is not dead, not until they pass. You know that, and if you recall the last time we met, and the time before, you would know that I know it too. In Famula's name, in Vri's service, I will stand here for Truth. Something she deserves to know. So please, make your judgement on her, I will offer no argument, nor suggest any leniency on your part in it. It is only important if Qit decides.. if she chooses to accept it. It is already decided and so all that is left is for us to wait for Vri, when Qit'ria can decide if she wants to go or not. In the meantime, please, both of you. I will not interrupt again. Please, feel free to do your job."

....and it took all of her self control not to add for once...

[Qit'ria]

Date

Faith said she was coming, so Qit knew it to be true. She continued to hold her defensive posture, continued making her best mean faces at these two women. She'd never listened to strangers before, she sure wasn't about to start now. They didn't look so tough. Then again, neither did Faith, but Qit just knew she was. She waited. She may have died alone, but she no longer wished to fight alone.

She had family.

And that was when Faith arrived, in her nightgown. She grasped at Qit's arm briefly, and Qit squeezed back in the smallest of instances. To let Faith know she was here, and with her. As Faith turned to face the twins, so did Qit. She was not alone. Waves of love and bonding emanated from the soul, despite the ugly look on her face. That would not change.

Faith and the twins exchanged words, and while Qit was struggling to follow, for this was Common, and not her favored language, she could feel the intent behind them. They were being insulting. And Faith was mad. Not upset, she was mad. Qit had never seen Faith mad before. It was... intimidating. But Qit thrived under intimidation. She wore it like a cloak, standing proud of her sister.

Then Faith was talking to her, directly. She was suggesting Qit could become a ghost. That she would remain here, not have to go to... somewhere else. Her mind went to Caza, who was still in her crib at this very moment. Her everything. Ever since that beautiful little girl was born, Qit had changed. She was not merely an animal, surviving. Caza made her into a person. A real and true to gods person.

And Faith gave Qit hope. There was a chance she could come back to life. Her eyes widened at that. Qit had genuinely never even considered that to be a possibility. For anyone. But Faith seemed to think it was, and Qit trusted her with everything she had. Her mind was already clinging to the thought of her child, of returning to life.

And it was that desire for life that summoned an old friend.

The court room changed, slowly at first. First the walls shifted, becoming towering trees. The floor changed, becoming the spongy, plant covered earth. The sounds changed, birds and other animals could be heard chittering and squawking. Slowly but surely, the forest of Desnind grew around them, replacing the court room. Qit immediately relaxed, seeing the tables were gone, the pews were gone. They were in a small clearing, with a spot of sunlight beaming down on Qit and Faith. It was gentle and warming. There were large mushrooms for the two to sit upon if they wished, and Qit did, taking in all this information Faith had shared. Everything about this place was natural, was normal, and more importantly, was here for Qit.

There was no seating for the twins.

Qit knew the Induk of Desnind Forest was no friend to the Immortals, and yet it was here anyways. She closed her eyes, "Thank you."

Her eyes opened, staring fierce daggers at the two women that dared to judge her. She spoke in her native Xanthean, not caring if they would understand. She wanted her words said in a clear way, for herself. "You two are like children, lost in the forest. You fight like children. You insult like children. You judge like children."

Qit'ria's hand dropped to her stomach, where she'd carried Caza for so many tough and dangerous trials. "Children do not know better. You two are not children. You know not of family. You know not what it means to be a mother." Qit reached out, grabbing Faith's hands. "We are sisters. We are family."

Qit stood up, her glare hardening, "But more importantly, we are mothers. You do not get to judge us. We create life. We create family. You think you know me, yet you bring me to some... room. In some house. Some place I do not know. You give me orders. You give my sister orders. You insult. You claim to know me."

Qit's other hand formed a fist, and thumped hard against her heart. "I know me. My child knows me. My sister knows me. The great spirit of the forest knows me." She dropped her fist away. "You know nothing."

She turned to Faith, ignoring both of the twins now. She was done with them. Faith had already told her that their words do not matter. And, in support of that decision, the great spirit grew a barrier of flowering vines, separating Qit and Faith from those abominable pair. She took both of Faith's hands now, looked her in the eyes, the eyes that were so crimson.

Switching back to the tongue her and Faith shared, "I become ghost. For Blackbird. For you. For family. For me. I want life. I no leave. I stay." She gave an extra squeeze to Faith's hands. "We family. We fight this, together."

She looked over at the vines that were blocking out those dreadful women. She smiled and the vines parted to form a natural archway. "I wait Vri. You two no matter."

[Maltruism]

The silence was deafening as twin pairs of eyes bugged further by the trill, the only sounds being the increase in twin heart rates as fury manifested on mirrored faces. "How DARE you!" echoed both twins, their hands clawed and clutching sporadically at empty air. "You...you..." Pier stammered, as Pre filled in toward Faith in a scathing tone, "Who do you think you are? By what right do you presume to turn the parameters of OUR domain to YOUR liking? You think you may simply unseat us at your behest, and we are obliged to let you play at our divine calling? You think this some game to be given to taking turns? Who are you to sit in JUDGEMENT of the world's judges? This is our cosmic task and purpose, yet you speak as if we only dabble in it when convenient."

Pier now whirled upon Qit'ria, "And you! You throw filthy insults at us for the same reason? That reason being that we do not immediately defer to HER assessment of our performance? NO!! SILENCE!! Your "advocate" has already stated being finished and sworn not to say another word. So, you feel snubbed because we made a point of this being the only time among MANY that she has had the courtesy and respect for our proceedings to observe the necessary protocol before barging in and demanding to be heard? It is no less than she has deserved many times over! Yet we have put up with it. Until now! She treats herself as our peer, in a domain she has nothing to do with. NOW perhaps she will finally realize the profound status that advocacy bears. You and her...you speak as one voice now. Whatever you have said is as if it was upon her instruction, and likewise the reverse."

Pre shook off her own anger long enough to reacquire her opposing frame of mind, "Wait sister. You can not say that their status here is in identical capacities. Qit'ria is here to be judged. Whereas-..."

Pier waved her off with no more than a nod, her arms swinging from one mortal to the other as the focus of her accusations alternated between them. "Yes, sister. I know. The judged is here between stages and her behavior HERE can not be held in evidence. Yet Faith is under no such protection! She lives, and has made a life choice to be here. She endorses Qit'ria's words."

She leaned within inches of Qit'ria, her face red, "Such words as Cunt!...Children!...Know-nothing!...Unimportant! I have never been so insulted in all my existence! So, you think we 'don't know you?', eh? Well, what do YOU know of US that you should be granted some special exemption? How many lives do you monitor in a single trial? Three? Ten? An hundred?...Ten Thousand?! That is a blink of an eye for us! Am I wrong sister?"

Pre said nothing, her eyes wandering as she assessed the veracity of her sister's words. "That is somewhat rhetorical, but I suppose it could be said that-..."

Feeling corroborated, the pessimist twin spun back accusingly at Faith, "Or you! Do you monitor the hundred million lives that WE do every trial? And do you monitor those you even can every waking and sleeping break? Or do you leave your patients for others, to go home? Do you watch your children as best you can, but still feel relief when they can be put down for their nap and you can relax? Tell me I'm wrong!! NO?? Well we GET NO SUCH RESPITE! EVER!! How do you suppose my sister and I catch up on the overseeing of lives when duty takes us from that task? How many of your lifetimes do you suppose we must spend in chambers like this, out of time, where we can bring ourselves up to date with the countless souls relying on our devotion to our domain? Am I wrong, sister?"

Pre said nothing, her head hanging slightly in despair, as Pier stepped back to enfold both mortals in her angry gaze. "You think we take that chore too lightly, do you? We are not performing it to your satisfaction, eh? Well, let's see how well YOU can do it then!" She began a furious gesture, but was quickly interrupted by Pre, who rushed to wrap her sister in a hug, to limit her movement.

"No, sister, you can not do this! It would teach her nothing to have that inflicted on her!" But despite the swift negation of the act, Faith still spent an agonizing trill, that felt like a lifetime, her brain taxed to bursting by a million thoughts, emotions and words of every intent and severity imaginable. It felt like a lifetime, and it was. A lifetime's worth of individual trills overlaid upon one another, the din unbearable, the pain absolute.

Pier's breathing began to calm, her anger largely sated by the punishment she knew she had inflicted upon the trembling mortal. "Oh, I think a lesson has been taught well enough." Her voice was directed to her sister, but her gaze still drilled into Faith. "Now do you understand? Even our many cousins, our own siblings, can not begin to undertake the duty that is our calling. We are uniquely suited to it. In truth, there is little else that we are good for."

She took a few steps back toward Qit'ria , halting to turn and face Faith again over her shoulder. "But I am still angry at what you have suggested. All your claims of "justice". Let's examine just how just you have been by comparison, why don't we. You state our 'failure' to reveal the possibility of rejecting rebirth, as though we are too lazy to do our duty properly. But it is not our call to make that case. That is our brother's obligation, and we are busy enough without it being assumed that we must take up his chores on your command. Am I wrong sister?"

Pre looked slightly more relieved than before, but her voice lacked conviction as she tentatively cited some probable distortions of Faith's intent, as well as imprecise quotes of her words. But Pier did not abate, giving no more than a shrug to the relevancy of Pre's remarks as she continued her tirade, "You would have us do this special service? Is that the 'justice' you are so keen on? Should we be playing favorites by doing more for your friend than we do for all others? By going out of our way for her, doing our brother's job, when we do not do so for others? Is that your idea of 'justice'? That what applies to others does not apply to her? Or you? And does it not also suggest that we have cheated every other soul that we have judged by NOT recommending this path? Am I wrong, sister?"

There was no answer.

Continuing on, Pier recalled Faith's statement that she had no more to say and would remain silent. "As advocate, this statement is tantamount to an admission that there is no more to be said, either in the interest of justice, or specifically on your Qit'ria's behalf...beyond your insults." Pre started to object, and Pier scoffed an acknowledged of it with an impatient nod and flick of a wave. "Having had your say, you essentially claim that nothing pertinent remains to be said. But where you judge US for this omission about ghosts, and call it injustice, think of what you have also omitted."

She set her palm up in the classic preparatory position to begin counting off points. "Before you 'rested your case', citing only the sweet poetry of her life as a homey ghost in your family setting and berating us for not mentioning it, did you then take it upon yourself to mention the many hazards? Those that can strip her of her essence to leave her in that most wretched of existences, the 'whisper'? Did you tell her how easily an echo can become a whisper? No? Did you tell her of salt and copper? No? Do you keep that in your home? Of course you do! Are there spirits nearby? Did you tell her of that hazard? No? Did you tell her of the impact of the coming arcs upon her obsession? No? And when her child goes to live her own life, did you mention the effect of this living anchor trying to take its leave of its steadily emptying mother? No? Well, well, it seems that for all our failure to do something that is not even our job, you have failed even more so. Am I wrong, sister?"

She waited in vindictive patience. "No." was all the response Pre could give.

"And what of your status with your Matron, our cousin, Famula? Her Champion, are you not? She takes interest in ghosts above all others. But why? Is it not that she especially desires to aid them in crossing over? Are her adherents not charged with this same goal? Yet here you are, her Champion, encouraging the very opposite of this duty. How very odd. Should I decide that it is my duty to advocate for this person, and judge YOU for not properly doing your duty to your Matron? Well, let me stress again my pure devotion to MY duty. It is not part of my calling to 'tattle' on Famula's servants. I leave that to your own choosing."

Pier was calm now, but offered an opportunity to look in upon some of the lifetimes of other ghosts. It could be assumed they would be from among the most horrible of them. "Would it not be fair to let her see them, Faith? Even though you were prepared to close your argument and let her be guided by your influence without first doing so?" She turned one last time to Qit'ria, "It was never our duty to make your choice for you. Yet Faith seems to feel it is hers. By all means, BE a ghost then!"