An Invitation Answered [Alastair, Calypso]

The California sun beat down high overhead as Alastair cruised down an abandoned highway on one of the long roads toward the foothills of the Sierra Mountains, kicking up a dust cloud in his wake. Though a helmet covered his head, red hair flowed out from beneath it as the wind rushed past bike and rider.

He had not had the chance to get away from the cities and just ride for a hot minute, but Command had been somewhat accommodating to his request after all that he had been through. So when the opportunity presented itself, he did not refuse it. His motorbike was an import, a birthday gift from his family that spent many a month gathering dust in a storage unit in the City of Lights, but every now and then it was good to take it out for a spin and make sure everything functioned accordingly.

Being a part of the Vandenreich did have its perks, especially for a member of the Sternritter like himself, and among those was a first-rate medical team and support staff. It had taken a little more than a week for his physical wounds from Jefferson to fade into distant memories, broken bones were mended and all but the worst of the scarring had been cleaned away by the organisation's finest physicians. He was a perfect bill of health, they had said, as they ushered him out and brought in the next patients. They would say he was already back at capacity for active duty, not a statement that he wanted to refuse but he was thankful for the chance to be alone with his thoughts.

As he rode onward, Alastair's mind went to how he had even ended up here heading into the mountains alone. The invitation had been a peculiar one, appearing as it did one day in the middle of the afternoon just sitting there on his bedside table. Noone had been inside of his apartment, as far as he could tell, it was as if it had just manifested itself there. A power that he certainly did not put it past this individual to possess. They were not exactly a being that he understood, not that he exactly wanted to understand at this point either, which was what had driven him to accept and venture out into the heart of America. Why did it have to be out here in the middle of nowhere anyway? Was this just an elaborate scheme to catch him off guard? He didn't get the sense that there were bad intentions from the letter. A gut feeling of genuine concern perhaps. But that did not mean he had travelled unarmed, as most of his Quincy gear was never too far from his side.

Seeing the requested meeting spot begin to approach in the distance, Alastair slowed his approach to a more manageable speed and scanned the surrounding area for any company. Perhaps he had already been spotted and the threats were lurking unseen, or maybe Calypso was keeping her word and they truly were alone out here?

He cruised up to the edge of the clearing before the bike came to a halt, the engine being cut, and then Alastair dismounted. In one slick motion, he balanced the bike on its stand and removed his helmet. Setting it down upon the newly vacant seat, he left the protective gear behind and turned to face his summoner. He recalled well the Calypso Asthavon he had met outside of Jefferson and later fought alongside, but this version appeared to be a far cry from that he remembered - bedecked as she was in flora and carrying a bouquet instead of a scythe. It would be easy to get caught off guard by such an image, forgetting perhaps that she was a powerful alien with the means to crush him with little more than an idle thought, so his hand still lingered close to his Quincy bangle.

"It would be most impolite to refuse a lady's summons without reason, and you have not given me one yet." His tone was comparatively cold, a neutral expression that gave little of his true feelings of intrigue away. It was only human nature to wish to explore and understand, he had reasoned, and besides he was a nobody so there was little value to his life compared to many of those he usually surrounded himself with. "I imagine it is easier for you to be here than in the City of Lights, so perhaps you could consider this a show of trust in your good intentions."

A measured gaze studied Caly carefully, reddish-brown eyes picking out several of the different species of flower that decorated her outfit, though it was mainly an attempt to spot any visible wounds that still remained from their altercation with Alvah. She had likely been treated like the rest, but she was rather different to his comrades at a physiological level and had also brawled up close and personal with the demon for a far greater length of time than anyone else.

There was a look about Caly that hinted at a deeper understanding of their situation than the childish front being presented, something that suggested that she was all too aware of both his caution and his interest. Perhaps that was the intuition of such a being, a scion of demonic royalty, or maybe there was something more to it. Still, it only furthered Alastair's aforementioned curiosity and at the mention of getting to know one another the vestiges of a smile danced across his features.

"My schedule was clear enough. As for my condition; there were plenty of people who got off worse than I did, just a few cuts and a bout of exhaustion to my name." Whilst it was not a lie per se, it was a stretch of the truth. He had still fractured an arm and several ribs, but the guilt still lingered that that was all that he had suffered whilst so many of his colleagues had lost their lives. "I am glad to see that you are also well recovered, it was a trying day for us all."

He glanced back to his motorbike, taking one more long look at their peaceful surroundings, before pressing forwards. Hopefully this was such a reclusive area that none would think to come here and try to take his ride home, it would be an annoying inconvenience to arrange a pickup from all the way out here.

His stride was precise, assertive even, as Alastair began to match pace with her. A measured stare studying both the environment and his new companion, though his expression remained guarded and secretive.

"There was a lot of paperwork to do, reports and debriefings and such. But, if I were to be honest, I feel relieved. It is a shame that so many were hurt or worse during the mission, but we were successful and the creature pulling the strings has been slain." It was a natural lie, so seamless that his mask of nonchalance did not even shift, but truthfully there was a pain that lingered behind his cold eyes. Something he had no desire to share, for it made him feel weak and diminished from the calm and collected image that he took every effort to cultivate. "What about yourself? I assume you have been kept busy too?"

Alastair wondered, as he listened to Caly's response, if that was how he had sounded when he talked of his own feelings. It was unconvincing, to be blunt about it, but her seemingly innocent desire to make this a pleasant experience also overshined those idle comments.

"I suppose I was fortunate enough to surround myself with capable people, even if I did not quite understand them." His thoughts went for a moment to Saisei, Yaksha, that strange Shinigami, even Caly herself, and how they had all helped him in their own ways. Each was far stronger than he, and yet they had somehow come to put their trust in him during the heat of the moment. "Stranger phenomenons have happened, but it was an exhilarating experience to be sure."

That was all genuine, certainly, it was thoughts of the strange allies that had been made that helped to keep him going. He had grown from the experience, he could feel it already, his body was tougher and his abilities more honed. All because he had been in the right place at the right time, though that train of thought soon wrapped back around to those that had not been so lucky.

"As for my vigilance, could you truly claim to be so carefree if our roles were reversed? Summoned out to the middle of nowhere by someone you had never spoken a word to prior, possessing of powers a far cry beyond your own. It does not instil confidence."

Conversely to his words, Alastair's stance softened as they continued to walk uphill. It was a subtle shift, enough to suggest that he was often this tightly wound and the fact that he was even cutting slightly loose was a big deal. Noting the shift of Caly's hand into a claw and back with a respectful nod, his hand did move away from the cross that hung at his wrist and let it dangle loosely,

"Still, you are correct. I should enjoy the company and the scenery, it is not something I have all too often. There are not many views like this within the City of Lights, I must admit."

He nodded along with Caly as she spoke at length about their situation, about why she had singled him out from his peers for such a meeting, and let his gaze wander to the scenes of nature that surrounded them. Even for all the destruction that the Earth had suffered in the world wars, it was still a wondrous place when one ventured beyond the cities and out into the wilds. There was some comfort to be had in the knowledge that the natural world did not repel her, or him for that matter. Instead, it just continued on without paying them any heed.

”I did not think to consider myself an ant until right now, a rather stark comparison of our differences but one I shall bear in mind.”

It was, no doubt, a fairer comparison given by one that had an idea of the full scope of both party’s abilities. But Alastair was still a proud man, and such a brutal put down did sufficiently flatten what little ego he had into the ground.

“Is it not narrow minded to judge a book by it’s cover, though? In the past, my people have suffered greatly just for the crime of existing. It is because our mindset changed that we were eventually able to change the minds of others, and now our presence is tolerated if not welcomed by most.”

His was in that moment the heart of an idealist, surprisingly naive in the sense that he wanted first to believe that people could be better, but he was not always beholden to this worldview. Those that embodies the traits of the monsters that they were made out to be held little stock in his eyes, whether a demon or a Quincy or anything else.

“I will not claim to know your past, though I would like to imagine that you did not play as much of a part in what happened to the world than others that bear your name. But you came to help without it being asked of you. Put your body in the demon’s path when others could not do so. If you even saved one life by doing so then what would that make me if I branded you a monster?”