Autumn Memories

Appreciate of her kind words, Victoria smiled as Natasha spoke to her. Her offer to help explore her Spirit Weapon was polite, but it was made out of ignorance, something she could not blame the blond beauty for. After all, her...background...as an assassin, one of the world's deadliest and most effective, was hardly public knowledge. The adversity in which she had refined her abilities was not something, even these decades later, Victoria was particularly proud of or interested in sharing with anybody. It was all better off left in the past where it belongs.

"That sounds lovely, Natasha" said Victoria as she vanished her Spirit Weapon and came back over to sit down. "I've heard strange things about some of the people here in the Vandenreich, so it's always good to have a friend nearby." As her silvery blue eyes met Natasha's, she considered how books could never be judged by their covers; she herself was evidence of this. Still, Victoria had a good feeling about this woman.

Any large organization was bound to have some bad apples, she knew that firsthand, but the Vandenreich's new recruits mostly seemed like optimistic, kind people looking to make a difference in the world. Victoria didn't know if the same could be said for the higher ups, having had limited interactions with only a handful of people her rank or higher. Perhaps Natasha could be a good source of information on this front, she considered.

"So I've been here for a little bit less than a year now, but I haven't met many of the higher ups. If you've been here much longer Natasha, what's the sense you get from them? From the Vandenreich as a whole? You think we're in good hands, workin' towards something good?"

"That's a good question, sugar. Let me marinate on that one for a lil' bit."

Natasha reflected on the question in contemplative silence. There was no doubt in her mind that she held a sincere belief in the Vandenreich, but that didn't entirely mean she was aware of their grander plans. The only higher-up she was familiar with was the man who presented himself to the public as Grandmaster---Cyrus Ast-Auramazda. Anyone else was an unknown. Hell, she barely knew who her Director was in her own division. That last fact definitely didn't sit right with her, but it was neither the time nor the place for reflecting on it. Not right now, at least. Turning back to the woman with a grin, she offered her honest answer.

"Guess it depends on what we define as good. I've met and interacted with the Grandmaster, and I genuinely believe he has good intentions for the Vandenreich. He's been nothin' short of a gentlemen, and his door is always open to almost anyone. As far as the other higher-ups? That's a lil' difficult to say. I hardly even know my direct superior that much. All in all, though, I think the Vandenreich are movin' in the right direction. We're just findin' the right pieces day by day, and that's the best ya can ask for, right?"

Without access to that wretched scum that was her original employer's files, Victoria didn't have a ton to go off of when it came to these Vandenreich officials. Cyrus was still a bit of an enigma as she hadn't even set eyes upon the man yet. Leading such a large organization meant he was almost certainly a narcissist of some kind, but that didn't mean he wasn't striving to do the right thing. Much of the strange rumors she heard of her superiors and others in the Vandenreich had to do with their pasts, not so much their present.

Yum thought Victoria as she chewed in silence, her mind split between the delicious food and her lovely companion's answer to the question she'd posed. So someone who'd been here for a while, and didn't appear to have any ulterior motives, was optimistic about the Vandenreich's direction. Natasha's response filled Victoria with confidence that she had made the correct choice in coming here.

After wiping her mouth with a napkin, Victoria took a quick swig of water and spoke again to Natasha [color=#ff3366]"Thanks for your insight, Natasha. It's nice to hear we're working for the good guys, I've had plenty of the other way around for one lifetime. I hope we're able to do something about those Hollows that attacked Vastime...such a tragedy what happened there. The one silver lining in it all has been coming here, working with recruits, and now meeting you."]/color]

"Aw shucks, sweetheart. I'm glad ya hold me in such high esteem. I reckon the feelin' is plenty mutual."

Natasha offered a warm smile in response to her words. She prided herself on being a source of good morale to her fellow soldiers in the Vandenreich, after all. To receive genuine praise based on the first meeting alone was nothing short of heartwarming. Hell, she was excited to fight side by side with Victoria, maintaining balance across the realm of the living as they continued to develop their friendship. Was she thinking too far ahead of herself?

Perhaps, but, then, this life was a short one. Fundamentally speaking, leading a life like this inevitably welcomed conflict. Conflict always throws one's survival into a realm of uncertainty. She hated it, but such was reality. It was better to foster whatever bond one could reasonably gain out of this life, and Natasha gladly welcomed forming a bond with Victoria. Finishing the remnants of her meal, Natasha washed down her food with the remaining drops of soda pop, rising from her spot at the table. Extending her hand forward, maintaining that welcoming expression, Natasha grinned.

"Vastime's in mighty dire straits right now, I admit, but I'm confident we can put our best foot forward and rescue the rest of them from annihilation's door. Considerin' what small sample I saw out of ya today, we're gon' make a great team, sugar. Kickin' ass and savin' lives. Like a pair of proud soldiers. I'm glad I met ya, Victoria. Let's achieve great things together, shall we?"