Description: Her resolve bolstered by Vega's assault on Bao, Athena comes to visit Rose once again. Although their goals are the same, their brief debate reveals some particularly sharp differences in method.
The House of Mysteries.
The images such a place can conjure up vary from person to person, but ask the average individual and what you are likely to hear is a description of a crumbling, 'Fall of the House of Usher' Victorian mansion on a hill somewhere, housing only a hook-nosed crone with dermatological issues.
Rose is not that crone.
And her 'House of Mysteries' defies traditional definitions as well. Finding the brownstone of before not to her liking, the psychic purchased a rather spacious renovated second-floor warehouse space in one of the more affluent suburban neighborhoods, turning it into a vast, airy studio that doubles as residence and place of business. It is here that she is currently, sitting at the prominent, round center table of the reception area and studying a crystal ball intently, wearing a rather extravagant ballgown rather than her typical coat/shawl combo. Alright, so maybe some buy-in to stereotypes is okay.
Athena's polite enough to knock away at the door, humming lightly as she does so. Doorbells are just so... intrusive, after all. Folding her hands behind herself, she waits patiently for the door to be answered - or to be called in, whichever comes first.
Meanwhile, heavy things weigh on her mind. Between Vega, NESTS, and other ne'er-do-wells, it's hard for even the pop singer to put her worries aside. Smiling, though, she relaxes, feeling for the moment, at least, that things are relatively safe.
The door just... opens.
Clearly, people with doors like that have to have some sort of button or whatever that releases it. That's the logical explanation anyway. Whatever the reason, the door opens and reveals Rose, crystal-gazing. In fact, Athena's peace of mind might be *disturbed* by that, because to those who can pick up the signals, Rose is giving off that I Am Using Psycho Power vibe... a vibe with a core wave very similar to Vega's.
However, it all crashes to a halt when Rose's eyes snap open, and the dull glow that had been building in the center of the crystal fades away. "Good evening, Miss Asamiya," Rose says smoothly, not standing to greet her guest but indicating a chair at the table in front of her. "A pleasant but not unexpected surprise."
Walking in, Athena glances to the door, and then looks to Rose, blinking. Was that?... nah, couldn't be. She heads towards Rose with graceful steps, and bows before settling in. "Good evening, Miss Rose.", she says politely. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything... but I thought we should talk further.", she adds, folding her hands in her lap. While not quite as dramatic, there is a determined undercurrent to her words.
"I hope you will forgive the cliche," the stately Italian woman begins, folding her hands in her lap for now. Curiously, the tarot are nowhere to be seen. Perhaps it's their day off? "but I had hoped to see you again. The strings of Destiny tie all of us together..." And now she closes her eyes again, letting her hands rest aside the crystal as well, as they were before Athena entered. "But rather than self-aggrandize my own meager abilities," she says, with a slight chuckle, "I shall rely on the old-fashioned method of asking. What is it that brings you here with such a dreadful mien?"
"Well," Athena starts, taking a deep breath. "I wasn't sure if you can... but... I'm trying to find somebody. I wasn't sure if it's something I could ask of you... but it's very important, and I have few others to turn to." She opens her eyes. "And I know you wanted to speak with me anyway, so if you have questions for me..." She smiles a little embarrassedly, finishing with, "Well, I'm here."
Interestingly enough, Rose doesn't open her eyes; instead, she starts curling and uncurling her fingers around the crystal ball a bit, which begins to recover the warm, white internal glow it had been sporting when Athena entered. And then she actually chuckles, though only a little bit, trying not to offend the young girl... despite herself, Rose is not used to dealing with youth and isn't particularly good at it either.
"I do have... questions," the psychic says slowly, as if puzzling out her words very carefully. "However, I think there will be time for that when you tell me who it is you're looking for." And then a pause, and again, a flicker of Psycho Power, almost like a radar blip. The white light in the crystal pulses softly. "An old friend, perhaps? Or are you interested in romance?" Although she doesn't open her eyes, Rose does tilt her head more toward Athena's, an almost grim smile crossing her ruby-red lips. "I have a feeling it is perhaps something more dire than those."
"Actually... I need to find a man named Vega.", Athena says, not immediately offering up any more details. Letting out a deep breath, her indigo eyes meet Rose's. "Your feeling is right, though. I wish I had something more cheerful to bring up for our second meeting, but... it's become more urgent than it's been." She looks down, as if a bit ashamed to dump this on a near-stranger. But desperation does strange things. And intution... does stranger things.
There's a spike. Just for a moment, practically a nanosecond, but there it is. Of course, beyond the metaphysical Rose really does suck in a breath at that statement. Psychic powers aside, there's only so much you can do to protect yourself from terrible situations you know must transpire... and it pains Rose to know that she is about to embroil not just Athena, but many young people in a conflict that will take from them things they can never regain.
"Ah, of all the people in the world..." Rose begins, her tone sad; she opens her dark violet eyes and trains them on Athena. The crystal goes dark. "...you ask for the one I cannot find. I do not know where Vega is." After a pause, Rose puts up a finger, as if to elaborate. "Rather, that is incorrect. Were I so inclined I might able to draw him out. But... I am not." And here her normally stern features soften, sympathetic. Perhaps even motherly. "I will only offer this one piece of advice. You are free to do with it as you wish... but do not become involved with Vega."
With a deep sigh, Athena shakes her head slowly. "I am already involved. He has attacked those I care for before, and I'm sure he'll try again. Him, or his ninja." She opens her eyes. "But... I've faced him before, and won. If anybody can stop him..." She looks down again and away. She's not certain she'd be victorious again, but she knows she's one of the few with a fighting chance. "I'm sorry. This was already decided long before I met you. I have a responsibility that goes with my power, to see that Psycho Power is turned to good. I can't stand by while he hurts innocents... even children." Rubbing a shoulder, her eyes narrow a little. She doesn't ask how Rose knows of Vega just yet. Besides, the madman seems to be getting quite the reputation entirely on his own.
Athena isn't the only person who gets to sigh, those Rose's is not so deep, nor is it a sigh of annoyance, but rather almost of resignation. "Would you be surprised to hear me say I have also faced Vega, and 'won'?" The fingerquotes -- which she doesn't make -- are still audible in the emphasis. "Young Miss Asamiya, you are a person of good intentions. It does you credit. However..." And here Rose closes her eyes again, though she doesn't fire up the lightshow with the crystal a second time. "Vega's power is greater than you understand. It is not completely the ability to fight. There are more terrifying, more insidious powers at his command that are beyond the realm of mere fighting."
Athena stares for a moment, and then closes her eyes as she says, "I have trained for many years to fight Vega, Miss Rose. I am aware of that." She opens her eyes, looking down at the table. "I already came to terms with it all long ago. But caution... and justice... are often different paths." Sitting up straight, she repeats, "I'm sorry. If I do nothing, he will corrupt or hurt friends of mine. And not even because of me... but because they, too, have a similar power." She flicks some of her hair with a sudden motion. "But there are others that feel the same as I do, and some of them are powerful fighters. I'm not alone in this... and you don't need to be, either."
"Then you must learn the value of continued patience," Rose says, simply, matter of fact. Not that this is likely to make Athena take it any better; indeed, it may in fact simply make the situation worse, and the partially frustrated expression on her face reflects that. She opens her eyes once again. "I can assure you, Athena..." the psychic begins, making a point of using the younger psion's first name, "...however long you feel you have been training to defeat Vega, I have been training infinitely longer. This is not a statement on any difference between our abilities; rather, it is simply a fact. The entire purpose of my existence is to end Vega's. So despite your rather flattering inclusive wording, in this I shall always be alone. Allies come and go... purpose, the mission... those are forever."
Stopping for a moment to catch her breath, the violet-haired psychic continues, as if she wants to get all the words out of her mouth before she changes her mind. "I am not in the process of telling people details, even when it is what they most want. Life does not work that way. And I am... disinclined to send you headlong into Vega's maw, for all of your victories against him cannot destroy him... they will simply make him angrier, and with anger he gains power every day." A brief pause, and then the psychic closes her eyes again. "I will give you a clue. He seeks his 'Bee'. When you find the person called 'Killer Bee', Vega cannot be far behind. What you do with that information..." She trails off, making her reading of that sentence perfectly clear.
Athena stands up, stepping away for a moment as she collects herself. "Alone...", she breathes, and then looks over towards Rose sadly. "... tell me. Do you really think that helps?" She looks back away, walking away. "Just like Ryu. Well, I see how well that's..." She quiets, cutting her words short, and closes her eyes tightly. "I'm sorry. I didn't..." She looks to the door, her hands at her sides. "That's part of his strength, too. Loneliness. Fear." She looks over to Rose. "Thank you for the tip.", she says softly, her hands closing into fists. "But... I can't accept your words. Nobody should have to face a man like him alone." Her eyes wetten with a touch of tears. "It's too cruel..." Putting a hand on her chest, she takes a deep breath. "... you're not going to be alone.", she continues, her gaze hardening a little. "I'm going to help you someday... whether you want it or not!", she declares, leaning forward with the proclamation.
The first part of Athena's proclamation actually draws a bit of a chuckle from Rose; good-natured, perhaps, but still amusement. She does not get up. Instead Rose remains seated, coaxing whatever she can out of the crystal. One might wonder, is it really a fortunetelling tool? Or perhaps, simply a bit of glass...
"For me, it is simply a matter of perspective. Vega can only be destroyed -- truly destroyed, not merely weakened -- by my hand. This is not figurative; it is simple fact." And now a sly grin works its way across the Italian's features. "I am certain my reticence on the details is not earning your trust. You shall simply have to take my word for it. All the steps leading to that end I gladly walk with others who understand the risks. But in the end..." And here, a pause, a resigned sigh. However, it is not a sigh of guilt or burden, but rather, of clearing one's mind. "In the end, I am by design, alone."
Perhaps it's a bit of typical teenage contrariness, but Athena shakes her head again. "You're only as alone as you choose to be..." She rubs her eyes for a moment. "... there are others that will support you, help you. I thought I had to defeat him alone once, too, but... that's just too painful." Looking down again, she turns away. "I wish you luck, but... I have to do something. There are others that depend on me, and I can't let them down." She looks over, and smiles. "That's all that matters. More than justice, or law, or fate. The strength I get from others is all I need. Goodbye, Miss Rose."
"Do not mistake my resolve for a desire to see you proven wrong," the psychic warns, in a soft and even tone. "Much the opposite. I should be glad to consider myself proven wrong." The once again she removes her hands from about the crystal, eyes opening and fixing on Athena, the violet gaze almost totally neutral despite her tone of voice. "My role here is not to dissuade you from fighting, but rather to offer perspective. There is much about Vega hidden even from me. And while righteous fury can drive us to great things, it is also merely inches away from the same anger that drives him to destroy. Be wary of it. Keep your distance, emotionally... otherwise, he has already won." A brief pause, before she finally adds, in an earnest tone: "Good luck."
Log created by Rose, and last modified on 11:07:37 11/27/2005.