Characters: Carlors Ramirez and Leah When/Where: Some time after this conversation/Barracks Rating/Warnings: Medium (Talk of Possession, mentions of Canon typical violence, mentions of death and murder)
Carlos’ introduction to Knowhere had gone about as smoothly as it probably could, honestly. He’d gone up against three giants--a wizard and two soldiers--and came out alive. Which said a lot, all around. The wizard, of course, had been his friend, whose funeral Carlos had attended less than a year ago. The presence of a man wearing Harry Dresden’s skin had (and if he were honest still did) bother the younger man. He’d confronted him and things had spiraled down into chaos then evened out. Everyone came out alive though.
And that was how Ramirez had found himself in the very breathable position of meeting Leah to hear her story. He didn’t know why he’d offered outside of the automatic desire to give the girl some peace. Something about his discussion of the Archive had troubled her and he’d felt like an asshole for bringing it up, even though it wasn’t his fault. How could he have known, after all?
But Carlos didn’t blame himself too much. It wasn’t in his nature to. He was good at accepting his mistakes and moving on. He was only human after all.
So anyway, he’d gone out and collected a bottle of cheap alcohol (he hadn’t been around Knowhere long enough to learn what the good stuff was) and was on his way back to the barracks. Harry had warned him about a skinwalker that lived there, but Carlos hadn’t wanted to get between the woman Texas and Harry, so he’d sucked it up and gone back out. He’d find a better place later. For now, it would do.
He moved slowly but confidently despite the fact he was limping. He’d been injured and his day’s events with the three giants of Knowhere had done nothing to help his back.
*** Leah, for her part, had grabbed the essentials. Her Uncle's book, which had all the lore and drawings, and then she'd made one stop at the inn to get some of the alcohol before doubling back to meet the new guy. In all honesty, she wasn't looking forward to this. Only few knew really. Queenie, before she'd left, who'd read her mind and just offered her a hug. Addy, who'd she'd told, and The Nephalem, who'd been there. And Scott, who'd swapped bodies with her. She didn't want to give Adria any justifications, didn't want to feel the sadness and anger that came with sharing her tale because that would prove...something. She wasn't sure what that something was. Maybe that it had happened. Maybe that she felt justified in her anger.
Maybe that somewhere, despite The Nephalem's words on the matter, she was broken somehow.
But the conversation with the new one had brought up all the memories she had, and all the feelings. And she couldn't keep this to herself. Addy, Scott and The Nephalem were all keeping her secret but how long before her cursed power lashed out because she was frightened or threatened? She had more control now, but not enough where it wouldn't one day cause problems. She had to tell her tale.
Even if it was one she hated sharing.
She hugged the book closer to her chest, trying to take comfort out of the piece of her Uncle she had left. Too soon, the Barracks were back in sight. She took a breath before pushing forward before she could talk herself out of it. Knowledge wasn't good or evil, not inherently. It was. What you did with it was what mattered. So when she spotted Carlos she smiled, but gave a worried look at the limp. "You should sit down," she gave automatically and kindly. "Here," she set the book on one of the empty beds before offering her hand.
Leah defied her blood with every kind move she made, and sometimes that made her oddly pleased. "I'll warn you now, it's a long story, but Uncle taught me if you tell a story and people don't understand where it comes from you need to start at the beginning." ---
“Hey there,” Carlos greeted cheerfully, his expression bright. He was just glad that York’s painkillers had worn off and the wizard had full control of his faculties again. Man hadn’t been kidding when he said they’d relax him. Carlos hadn’t slept that well in forever. But he followed Leah back into the barracks, limping all the while, and finally settled down onto the bed beside her.
“I’m cool, it’s cool. Don’t worry about it, it just feels a lot worse than it is.” He winked.
A chupacabra had kicked him in the back a little more than a month ago. He hadn’t been able to move at all at that point, but since he’d regained his feet it didn’t feel like that big of a deal. Who cared if his spine was bruised and he’d broken a couple of ribs in the back? He’d dealt with much worse injuries before. And being injured didn’t mean he could stop doing his job; there wasn’t exactly a surplus of Wardens ready to take over the positions.
But, making himself comfortable, Carlos smiled at the woman and held out his hand. “Hi, I’m Carlos Ramirez, you can call me Carlos. I’ve got nothing but time to listen to your story, Leah, I hope you don’t mind if I intervene and ask questions. I find that’s the best way for me to learn. Or you know, just to clarify things. No hablo ingles bien so I understand words better in Spanish than I do English… I’m sorry if I interrupt too much.”
*** "You're as bad as The Nephalem," she added thoughtfully. Her friend hardly slept, hardly stopped. The Nephalem didn't need to as often, but even in those cases she knew her friend pushed herself. She didn't know how not to. She'd give Carlos the same tea she'd given the Nephalem, but she didn't have any of it. There were other ways of helping of course, she just had to find them.
She smiled and took his hand. "Leah, but you knew that. And no of course. Ask questions." She blinked as she retrieved her hand. So not just one language barrier, but several. Well, thank the High Heavens she didn't mind explaining. "Alright. I don't know what you said, so I'm hoping it's nice. I'm pretending it is either way." She added with a smile. "And there is no interrupting too much." She took the book and sat down next to him, flipping through the pages. The script, she knew, few understood. The writings of her home were different to many. Still, the difference where she began, and her uncle stopped were clear. She gave a thoughtful hum before reaching where she needed to be "Ha, there we are."
She shifted the book so they could both see it. Smiling she said, "In the beginning, there was only Anu." She traced the drawing of the creature. "Little is known about this being, but what knowledge we do have is that he was once the only being in Creation. Legend has it that he sought a state of total purity and so sought to cast out all evil from itself. However, these elements could not exist in a state of separation so they coalesced until they formed Tathamet." There was a pause as she tapped the drawing of it. "The Prime Evil." She paused to let him ask questions before continuing. "It is also said that these two creatures existed in a single perfect pearl, bound there. And they fought. Eons might have passed, perhaps longer. No one is sure, no one was there. We only know that eventually, they spend their energies and delivered the final blow. This, it is said, was so violent and bright it birthed the very universe itself."
"Anu left this plane, or so legend has it, while his spine became what is known as the Crystal Arch, where all Angels come from, and his eye became known as the Worldstone. Legend has it he split himself into five Aspects and Archangels. These are called Imperius; who is Valor, Tyrael; who is Justice, Auriel; who is Hope, Itherael; who is Fate, and Malthael; who was Wisdom. Tathamet on the other hand, her body became what is known as the Burning Hells. She also split into different parts, it's maws becoming the Prime and Lesser Evils. The strongest maws became the Prime evils who consist of Baal; who was the Lord of Destruction, Mephisto; who was the Lord of Hatred, and..." here she paused, an obvious thing. Still, she soldiered on. She had to tell this. "Diablo; who was the Lord of Fear." Her voice had quieted. She paused again before sighing.
"The Lesser Evils were made up of Tathamet's lesser maws. These were Andarial who was the only female Evil and Maiden of Anguish, Azmodan; who was Lord of Sin, Belial; who was Lord of Lies, and Duriel; who was Lord Of Pain. All the Evils Lesser and Prime were defeated at various time although my story begins with Diablo's defeat. Or apparent one." She flipped forward a few pages, to one of the images of Aidan. oddly, the only one she had of the man before his fall. She wished she had more of the man she considered her father. "It starts with him. In a way. Him and his father, King Leoric who later became known as the Skeleton King." She tried for a smile, "questions so far?" --
She wasn't kidding when she said her story was long. Carlos wasn't expecting her to have a whole storybook to go with the tale, but there it was, looking like some kind of version of the Brother's Grimm and the bible all at once. Fortunately, religion and fairytales were well within Carlos' understanding, so he accepted both notions and listened to Leah tell him about evil and angels.
"So Prime Evil versus the rest of these guys." He spoke English and had been speaking it for almost two decades now, but occasionally he mixed up the words or his understanding of them, so listening to Leah speak of things for which he had no reference was particularly confusing. But he could get down the important bits. Evil, good, angels, demons. Sounded like a biblical story. He was familiar with the bible so that was alright, as long as he didn't apply his own notions of what good and evil meant. Fine.
"So Diablo's a giant asshole, he's got a couple of evil brothers and sisters but they can be defeated." Good news, everyone. "Everyone can be defeated, sometimes you just have to shoot them a couple extra times until they stop moving. Go on though, I'm listening."
He did also reach for the shitty alcohol, popping the bottle open before he gathered the two plastic cups he'd come across on his venture out, pouring them each a good draft before he sat back and nodded to her. Full attention acquired.
***
She smiled and took a glass and sipped it, making a face. "Alright. Here goes." She flipped to the description of Leoric. "Understand Leoric wasn't always evil. Like many, he had flaws, but once he was a good King. He was just mortal. You see Lazarus, his Bishop, was under the influence of Mephisto. Lazarus was directed to take Leoric and his family to Tristram. And beneath that city, Diablo rested." She sighed. "Leoric brought his family, and his two sons. Albrecht and Aidan. And over time, Leoric became corrupt. He grew evil, often ordering the execution of anyone who questioned him and began pummeling his servants with his scepter. This was when Leoric began to be called The Black King." She took another sip of the drink before continuing. "Diablo wanted him for a host, but he had to defeat his soul. Even for one of the Lords of Hell, that was no easy task." She smiled at that much. "Leoric tried, but his failing was he told no one. Only Lazarus knew, and only influences Leoric to terrible crimes. He even convinced Leoric to kill his own wife."
"His sons may have seen how their father was slipping, but could do little to aid him. When Lazarus eventually convinced Leoric that Westmarch was plotting against him and so he convinced Leoric to send all the Knights that had suspicions to their deaths. Aidan went with them. The battle was a massacre. Dozens died, for Westmarch had more forces. Aidan lived, along with a knight called Lachdanan. Lachdanan returned to Tristram first, and killed Leoric for his crimes. Sadly, he was too late." She sighed. "Diablo had picked a new host. Even though Leoric was now raving mad, with such cruelty and evil in his heart, he was unable to take Leoric for a host. Diablo chose a much easier target."
She flipped a few pages and set her finger on the portrait of Albrecht. "A young child. Lazarus, before Leoric's first death, had kidnapped the boy and driven Diablo's fractured soulstone, a way of imprisoning Lords of Hell, into the boy's forehead. This had the effect of turning the boy into an approximation of Diablo's true form. Aidan, his brother, came back to Tristram to find his city in ruins and plagued by demons. Alongside companions he fought his way to Lazarus, who he killed, and then to Albrecht."
She paused to brush a stubborn tear from her eye. Albrecht had just been a boy. Just like her, the child had been a pawn. Worse still. The boy had died for it, like she had. "Aidan had to kill his little brother." She shook her head. "But the cruelty didn't end there. And while there is a way to destroy soulstones and to destroy then the evil inside it but Aidan didn't think of that. My Uncle suspected that seeing his little brother dead, knowing he'd killed him had broken Aidan's mind. So Aiden did the only thing that seemed rational to him. He took the soulstone and plunged it into his forehead."
She waved her hand, "who could say they would do different? Either way, Aiden returned to Tristram now a hero. But what he'd done, it didn't contain Diablo." She looked at Carlos. "He'd taken Diablo into himself yes, but now Diablo had Aidan. Diablo didn't have the power to assume his form, but he had a vessel." She looked back to her book. "I suspect Aidan knew this." And here was the hardest part of the story. Of her story. "Aidan became more and more distant from others, shunning their company. It seemed that the only one he let close was a witch named Adria." Her voice turned harsher, laced with pain. "It seemed she was the only one who could offer him comfort. She lied of course. It's what she does."
Hurt and anger filled her and she took a breath. Or tried to. She set her hand over her eyes before removing it after a moment. "They shared long nights, and one of those nights made her pregnant. It wasn't Aidan's design. But Adria's and Diablo's. She was his follower, his most devoted. She would carry Diablo's child."
She went back to the page about Aidan, not wanting to see horror or fear in anyone's eyes. She suspected Carlos might run, or have her leave. "I don't consider Diablo my father. He isn't. He may have had a hand in it, but he isn't." Anger laced her voice. "Aidan is. He was just as much of a pawn as I would later become. We both were fooled by Adria and Diablo. Neither of us knew that the line of Leoric is a cursed one." ---
Carlos was silent, listening to Leah tell her story. It wasn’t at all what he’d expected to hear. She was the child of the devil, born through deceit and corruption of a long line of.. Of bullshit. Carlos stared, she looked so upset and he wasn’t sure what to do for a moment. Then he exhaled a breath and offered a cheerful little smile.
“Well, you don’t look like the devil, so I think we can call that a wash.” Because everyone had some evil inside them and how could you judge thought instead of action? Had she done anything but be born?
“Hey,” he said and reached out to touch her shoulder, “Hey… You haven’t done anything wrong, right? You didn’t choose any of this, okay? And everyone’s got choice. Everyone gets to decide what to do with themselves. I don’t believe in prophecy or fate or any of that bullshit. Right? God,” he crossed himself In the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and then kissed his fingers, “gave us Free Will, and with that we can choose whatever. So this,” he touched the book. “Fuck that. You seem legit to me.”
And maybe he’d be proven wrong, who knew? But they’d cross that bridge when it came to it. Right now, she was just a sad girl telling a terrible story. “Can I hug you?” he asked a second later, “Not to be a creep, but you look like you can use a hug.”
*** He was being kind, and that was fairly nice. Smiling she nodded, "Yeah. Okay." Smiling she let him hug her and returned it. He might change his mind later about that. She'd take comfort where she could. She knew later, The Nephalem would offer comfort as well, and she had Addy. None of them would judge her. After a moment she withdrew and brushed tears from her eyes. Then she toyed with the large book. She hadn't been too sure what he'd been referencing and was curious which god he was asking for aid, but she knew she had to finish it. "Do we though. Have choice? Aren't I tained either way?"
Sighing she looked down, tracing the familiar patterns of her Uncle's life's work. "Looks are deceiving," she gave quietly. "I have power, terrible power. My friend tells me I could learn to channel it but...it's evil. Demonic. A curse of my blood." She paused for a long time, "And there's more. You see like the other Lords of Hell Diablo had a desire to become the Prime Evil, to become Tathamet incarnate. This was his ultimate goal. He used Adria to build him a coven, and she marked the souls of other demons and Lords of Hell. A Wizard named Zoltun Kulle had crafted what he called the Black Soulstone, an imperfect way of holding not just one demon in it, but multiple ones. Unbeknown to him, to anyone, Adria knew this, and so when the marked demons died, their souls went into that."
"We only found this out in Caldeum, after my friend defeated Leoric a final time. In Caldeum there was Belial, who hid there. We had to reform Zoltun Kulle and only knew that through Adria." Sighing she shook her head. "I was such a fool. She found me in Caldeum, and told me all these stories. How she regretted leaving me behind, how she had always looked after me from a distance, but because she was marking these demons she could not risk my life. And I believed her. My Uncle was so dear to me, but I wanted family and knew my mother lived. And after my Uncle passed, she was all I had. I thought..."she trailed off and stared into the distance. "I thought so many things."
"She betrayed me of course. She betrayed us all. We thought that after defeating Belial, then Azmodan that would be it. All the Prime Evils would be in the Black Soulstone, unable to continue influencing the world. We were wrong. You see part of me is Diablo." She set her hand over her chest. "My blood ties me there. In me, he has a trace of himself. A foothold. He doesn't need a soulstone to take me over." She dropped her hand. "I don't remember how it happened, but through me Diablo became the Prime Evil. Adria funneled all the Demon's into me, and he...well I don't understand how. The Nephalem can tell you that part. I died then, became Diablo in truth."
She picked up the glass, decided she might throw up the contents and just toyed with it. "According to The Nephalem Imperius destroyed my body. She said she feared Diablo might have destroyed my spirit too. I don't really remember much of it, but I do remember waking back up. Both the Nephalem and the Necromancer said I should keep low, keep my life a secret. I would forever be a tool, they warned. I'm told Auriel helped in my return. I don't know why. It shouldn't have happened. I should have stayed dead."
Forcefully she set the cup back down. "I'm still a pawn. I still have this power. And before I came here I heard him. He kept telling me to come home." She set her hands in front of her face, sounding scared and frightened. "You don't know what it is, to hear that. To know I'm tainted. I don't want this, I don't want any of this. But you're wrong. I don't have a choice at all." ---
"No," Carlos said evenly, "You ain't tainted. Like I said, everyone's got a choice and most people have the potential to do ugly shit, inside them. Right? Ain't just you. It's all of us." He shrugged and offered her a small smile.
"No offense, your mother sounds like a bitch. That's her, right?" He asked, had he messed up the references? "Adria? Your mom?" He shook his head and fell silent, listening to Leah finish her explanation. If he'd heard right, if he understood it... she was the child of the Diablo (devil, he translated) then she'd died and been brought back. Carlos winced a little, but he didn't run away.
"Hey," he said after a moment, "I'm sorry you had to go through that. I couldn't imagine what that must feel like, or the kind of burden you have to carry. It sounds awful, and you've got to be a strong person to carry that around." He meant it, he didn't think he'd have the fortitude to do it. "But I don't think you're evil. You didn't choose the people you were born to or the legacy you inherited, right? None of this is your doing."
He meant that, too. He didn't know how serious she was being when she said she had no choice. He wasn't from her world, but it seemed to him that, well, she was aware of her potential to be a disaster. She could fight it.
Carlos reached out and squeezed her shoulder lightly, "It's okay, Leah, ain't nothing gonna happen to you here. You aren't gonna murder us all in our sleep. I ain't afraid of you."
***
It took her a minute to collect herself. Mostly, because she hadn't really dealt with any of this. She didn't want to find herself at the bottom of that hole, and more and more she felt herself slipping. She sniffled, and brushed her tears away. "She isn't my mother," she gave angrily. Once, she'd thought that and hoped for it. What orphaned girl wouldn't want her mother back? Adria had played her role well. "She's the woman who gave birth to me. That doesn't make her my mother." If anything, Gillian counted more, and the poor woman had been so tormented she often forgot her own name, let alone the young girl she was looking after.
"I'm not really strong. To give in would prove their point," she added and took a long drink from the glass she'd been holding. She set it down and shrugged. "The Other Lords of Hell, Azmodan in particular, knew what I was. I have had visions my entire life, but that one..." she shuddered. "It wasn't as much of a vision as Azmodan taunting his sibling. It was terrible." She gave a small smile, but still looked down. "Sometimes I'm not so sure. He can't get to me here, but if he could? I don't think he's the sort to kill people in their sleep. More the fire and death part. I don't know if I could fight him. I would try, but I don't know."
"I'm glad I'm here. No whispers," she gave idly. "No visions. I still have the power, the magic, but it's all. I can be at peace here. Start my inn." She gave with half a smile. "Have something of a life. I wish I had known Aidan though. He was as much of a pawn as I am. Oddly, I have his sword. It isn't much, but it's a little piece. I'd like to think that being everything Diablo doesn't want me to be is a good enough memory to Aidan. And Leoric too." she gave a soft laugh, "I'm part royalty, at least a little being an illegitimate one, how funny is that?" ---
He raised his hands in surrender when she insisted Adria wasn’t her mother. He could understand that sentiment, the woman had used and abused her by the sounds of it. Betrayed her trust. Carlos would feel the same if his mother had ever hurt him.
“Yeah, maybe,” Carlos agreed, “Maybe you’ll give into it, but Leah? That’s out of everyone’s control, you know. That’s a future ‘what if’. It’s all theoretical and if you’re gonna get down on yourself for something that might happen, then what’s the point of living? There comes a point where you just have to act and see what happens, you know? We can’t control the future, we can only make choices now. And you know you have this power inside you, this legacy. But it don’t define you. Not anymore than mine does me.” He paused and looked at her closely without meeting her eyes.
“So how about you just be Leah and not the daughter of the devil. Yeah, she’s part of you, but she isn’t all you are. Okay? And besides, if you start going crazy and think you’re gonna hurt a bunch of people, you tell me and Harry and we’ll come down and make things right.”
Or they’d die trying. But the point was, she wouldn’t be given free reign if she lost control. They’d do something to stop her. A small comfort.
“What would you call your inn if you made it here?” he asked, finally taking a drink from the glass. “I used to want to open a diner when I was younger, cause I love cooking.”
*** He was being kind, and she was glad for it. She'd never had many friends, perhaps the inherent demonic influence made people turn from her. Or drive them mad, like she feared she'd done to Gillian. But Carlos wasn't running. He was skeptical and a little hesitant, but he wasn't telling her to leave, or trying to hurt her in any way. He was being a friend, and she appreciated that more then she could say.
So she smiled and nodded to his words. "I will," she gave with a nod, "but what's the devil?" She didn't quite understand that reference. She suspected it was something he knew from his world, and she felt better to at least ask questions. That was always a good sign. She laughed gently, "The King's Rest." she said with a smile. "Like I said, Leoric was a good person once upon a time, and Aidan might not have been crowned after his Father's death but he was still a King. Sort of. I want to honor my grandfather and father both, and this is a good way of doing it. I'm saving up the credits. I'm still not too sure how those work but my friend Addy will let me know when I have enough."
She smiled again. "I'll keep a position open for you." She'd offered something similar to her friend Li Ming, who had laughed about it wit her. Li Ming would never settle down, seeing The Nephalem had a duty and responsibility. ---
She seemed to calm down somewhat, or at least to put her concerns in stride, and that was all Carlos could really hope for. She’d told her story and he hadn’t run. True enough, he didn’t really understand all of it due to the language barrier and the cultural references she had made, but he’d gotten enough to make some inferences and try to be comforting afterwards. It would have to be enough.
“The Devil?” Carlos asked, raising a brow, “He’s a fallen angel. Someone most religions associate with evil and being .. sort of anti-truth,” He shook his head, “I can’t explain it in English very good. But ‘Diablo’ translates in Spanish as ‘devil.’ Spanish is the language I spoke before I learned English. So I guess I just put them in the same role, though it’s not really… “ He spread his hands when he failed to come up with the word, shrugging.
“But I think that’s a good name. And thanks! I don’t mind working, I work hard though! I ain’t a slacker, even if it feels like it while I’m here. I don’t really understand the credits either, to be honest, so don’t worry. But I’m sure it’s easy enough. Besides, it’s a goal to work toward.” He didn’t have much of a plan himself, other than staunchly refusing to do what he’d done before he’d arrived. Back home he’d been a Warden, but none of these people were his to police. So he was taking it easy.
Still, it felt strange.
“Anyway,” he said, “thank you for sharing your story with me. It ain’t easy to talk about things all the time.” But she’d gone out on a limb and trusted him with it and that was something Carlos would hold close.
***
She nodded, "Oh," she didn't follow all of it of course and she had her doubts that he'd followed her exactly but he'd gotten enough to know the truth. There was more to the story, but that would mean going into Sanctuary's histories, and she only had a few pages of that. Nothing like the libraries of Caldeum, who had tomes devoted to such matters. "I didn't know that. The one I know, he's no angel. I don't really understand the devil reference, but I knew an angel who'd fallen. He wasn't anything like this devil creature you speak of. If anything Tyreal is kind. Just. Wise. He made himself mortal to help us mortals. I think that says a lot."
Smiling she nodded. "I'll keep your name as reference for whenever I get the King's Rest open. I'm sure I can be willing to be talked to for a position." She added teasingly. That she was was a good sign. Or that she was conveniently pushing everything away again. She wasn't dealing with everything as good as she probably should.
"Thank you for listening," she offered with a smile. "and if it comes down to it. If blood gives in," she took a long breath. "Find my friend Li Ming. She's a Wizard. And she's a little..much sometimes. But she has the power to stop me. I know you said to find you or this Harry so I'll tell you that. Find her. She's stopped Diablo before. She can do it again." ---