10 - Lost

"What. The. Fuck," Petra said while glaring at the both of them, quickly closing the door. "Seriously. What the fuck?" She waved a second triangular key in the air. "Mister pub-man lent me the second key." She eyed the sight of Danann's hands on Noemi's shoulders and the shock still on her face. Petra pointed the key at Danann.

"You! You did something to me before I went downstairs! I was upset before you came to our door, and I don't know why nor how I found myself downstairs at the bar! What did you do? What's your Kinetic?"

Danann opened his mouth to speak, but Petra cut him off before he could even answer one of them. "Are you with the Order? A scout? Sent to hunt us down and bring us in? What did you do to Noemi?!"

Noemi closed her eyes and tuned out Petra's voice, still swirling in the blurred scenes, none becoming clear. She felt a rough brush and herself being pulled backwards, then heard muffled voices beginning to argue.

"I didn't do anything to her! And no, I'm not a Scout! Nor a Tracker! But if you keep raising your voice, they'll find you for sure!" Danann hissed, brushing some of his locks back.

"So then why does she look so shocked? How do you even know her? Why are you here? I've never even seen you before!" Petra hissed back, standing between Noemi and Danann.

Another image flashed to the forefront of her mind, the only image clearest: a crumbling temple, thick billows of smoke, and a woman keening over a pale limp body in the bright moonlight. The keening woman had long silver hair that hid her face and the face of the body she clutched tightly to her. Fires still burned sporadically around them. A feeling of deep loss and pain spread throughout her body.

What…what is all this? Why am I seeing these? Why...? Tears bubbled up on their own from the woman's pain in the vision, falling freely from her own eyes. Wh-who is that woman? Outside of her, voices fell silent. Absently she reached her fist to her chest and rubbed it lightly over her heart, still feeling the emotion.

A finger wiped a few tears from her cheek, the sensation pulling her back more fully to her present. Slowly she opened her eyes and saw both Petra and Danann showing concern and on either side of her, Danann more soft and Petra more worried.

Danann wiped a few more tears from her other cheek, his eyes silently knowing. Then, as quickly as it had came, Noemi felt the ghost feelings being lessened until they disappeared completely. Confused, she looked up at Danann, who gently tapped her cheek before rising to his feet.

"Noe? Are you okay? Are you hurt? Why were you crying?" Petra asked quietly, her concern rising.

But Noemi wasn't listening.

"Balmorne. Whatever happened in Balmorne to cause it to collapse into ruin all those years ago is linked to the Order… And, for some reason, linked to me…" She rose to her feet. "Or, at least that woman with the silver hair is. I felt her pain and her sorrow, the hurt and anguish she was in…" She closed her eyes, briefly feeling those emotions all over again before the lull of calm erased it once more. Noemi opened her amber eyes, immediately finding Danann's deeper ones.