I hardly slept at all that night, visions of a young woman corrupted by false promises and incredible power kept creeping their way into my dreams. Once even waking me from my slumber in a cold sweat, staring at my hands expecting to see fresh blood.
The experience at La Roseraie should not have affected me in this way, Guardians were inoculated against empathy and the revulsion that people often feel when committing acts of violence. The circumstances were such that self defence was the only option, yet I kept thinking that there had to be another way the situation could have been resolved.
As I pondered this after a particularly violent awakening the sun began to rise. Luckily for me I had work to do and could push the conflicting thoughts away for the time being.
My morning routine passed by in a blur and before long I had eaten, changed, and packed my tool bag. The sentinel had not provided any detail on exactly what kinds of customizations were going to be requested and my knowledge of what the Ethereal visors capabilities were limited to my general understanding of advanced circuitry. Thinking it best to be prepared I put a few extra lenses and other items in the tool bag and set out for the Library.
Even though it was early the majority of the straight backed reading chairs were filled with guardians of various purposes. From members of the Ecclesiast studying the scriptures of technology to Scholars intent on their myriad subjects of scrutiny, the other Guardians faded out of my vision as I identified one Scholar in particular.
With her back turned to me as I entered the vast reading room of the Library I couldn’t help but notice that the energy flickering in her mind was more vivid than any of the other guardians. Not only that but the energy was concentrated in the area I had associated with pride, and she was in possession of a grade 3 Halo. That was interesting.
Seeing the frame of her Ethereal visor as she turned her head slightly to look at a book on the edge of the collection of tomes she had laid out on the table. I knew she was the Guardian that I was on my way to see.
I walked around the table and leaned my tool bag against the leg of the chair opposite to her. Introducing myself as Guardian # 51 I asked her if we could speak with regard to her visor.
She looked up from her readings and a small smile played at the corner of her mouth. Waving away my introduction she asked me the name that the Overseers had given me and seemed amused seeing my puzzled look at the unorthodox request. Within the Citadel Guardians were referred to by their assigned number as a part of the indoctrination, stripping them of their individuality and forming a cold yet cohesive community where the tasks assigned were of premier importance. She explained that a part of her ability was tied to the knowledge of names and intimate details of an individual.
Offering her own name as a trade of sorts she informed me that her name was Allegra Creatio and that she would prefer to be referred to by that name during the discussion.
The way she spoke and her mannerisms were very different from the other guardians. A short while ago I would not have appreciated or understood the break from formality, before the interaction with the merchant in the Foundry District or the experiences at La Roseraie.
Alexander Motus, Guardian # 51
