O Thou of Little Faith (Helle/Alastair)

Fri 08 Oct 2021, 3:59 pm

Helle Armstrong

Night time did not leave the City of Lights without its splendor. In fact, as the sun sets, the moon rises, bringing with it an ethereal glow to her beloved world. The crystalline buildings did not refract and reflect the moon’s light as intensely as the sun’s, leaving the streets painted with a steady silverish glow. Of course, such did not prove enough to light one’s way, the street lamps providing that necessary extra safety. Watching from afar, one could not help but let themselves be amazed by the crystalline magnificence.

However, Helle is not here to watch what she must protect. She is here for another reason, and he should be arriving soon. The letter left within his home, surely, would bring him here, for it was not an offer but a command that he be here. Tearing her gaze from the city, she let her eyes watch the sea before her, the waves rocking gently back and forth, dancing underneath the night sky. The twinkling stars up above filled her with childlike glee, such that brought her to the very edge of the hardened beach.

Her eyes closed as she began to resonate with the raw Reishi about her, her Reiryoku mixing with it. Like the Northern lights: greens, blues, purples, reds, whites; the atmosphere became a display of brilliance that one could only define as magnificent.

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Sun 10 Oct 2021, 10:11 am

O Thou of Little Faith (Helle/Alastair) 1FgkL6e

ALASTAIR EISFLUCH | STERNRITTER

Director Armstrong was not exactly the type of boss that you would expect to be leaving notes in your private quarters. Equally, she was not the type of boss that you wanted to keep waiting when such notes were left. Not that Alastair was a particularly tardy individual at other times, but there was certainly a sense of haste to him tonight as he walked at a heightened pace through the winding streets of the city. Vibrant red hair trailed behind him whilst the rest of his uniform did its best to merge with the silvery glow of the surrounding buildings against the moonlight, his Sternritter cloak wrapped tightly around his body rather than hung loose.

He had worked under Helle ever since he had transferred from the Jagdarmee after the war, but he would not be foolish enough to consider himself familiar with her. She was a figure of great renown and frightening power, and he had spent much of his time as a faceless grunt amongst the countless horde that could at any time serve as her entourage. It was only now, as Alastair suddenly found himself dragged upwards by the scruff of his collar by the Grandmaster himself, that he had probably touched the edge of her radar.

Arriving on the scene, Alastair was immediately taken aback by the sudden array of colours that danced across the sky around the Director. It was an arresting sight, one that his eyes could not fully comprehend the glory of and yet it compelled him to gaze up at the vibrant radiance. He approached as such, with his eyes dancing between Helle and the world around them, before snapping sharply to a salute when she deigned to pay him any notice.

"Director Armstrong, I hope all is well?"

Twilight kaleidoscope | END POST

Sun 10 Oct 2021, 3:08 pm

Helle Armstrong

“All is well, Eisfluch.”

With a simple hand motion, the Reishi about them dispersed, its presence fading until it was indistinguishable from the environment. His attentiveness brought a small smile to her face, her head tilted as she could not help but find his diligence humorous. However, her slight daze from her own time abiding activity began to fade as her youthful expression hardened. She did not bother addressing his salute, her attention returning to the sea before the two Quincy. Hesitantly, her arms swayed behind her back, her fingers conjoined as she took a stance more familiar with an inquisitive director. She did not speak for a moment, leaving Alastair to wonder what it is she wanted exactly. The only sounds between the two remained the crashing waves and the harmless buzzing of nocturnal creatures.

“Congratulations on your promotion, Coordinator… I am sorry.”

When she did speak, her voice sounded strained, as if those words took an enormous amount of energy to speak. Now, devoid of her youth, her lips twisted with a scowl ruining her visage. She apologized. It is not clear why she has done such, but the tired sigh that escaped from between her lips is proof that there is something wrong. Hesitancy stilled her from elaborating, so the subject between them quickly changed as her head fell.

“Have your duties proven too difficult? Are there any questions that you wish answered? I am available to answer your every curiosity.”

Sun 10 Oct 2021, 11:15 pm

ALASTAIR EISFLUCH | STERNRITTER

Tipping his head, Alastair avoided her eyes for a moment as she offered her praises for his promotion. He had held her gaze until that moment, then he felt his resolve waver before her rigid stare. Was it pity or commiseration? Either way, he did not feel worthy of it, especially not from her. Yet here she was, head bowed along with him.

"Thank you, ma'am. Would that it had come from happier circumstances."

The colours had been dispersed, but he still wanted to look up at the stars. It did not befit the Sternritter to be so dejected, after all. A sigh came from his own lips, but it was not one of despair. He had spent long enough moping about it now, months even, and, though there was much he might not fully process for years to come, he had to push his head up.

"There has been a period of adaptation to the new role, but I would not say I have reached the stage of difficulty yet. But I appreciate your offer of assistance, there is much that weighs on my mind."

He did not do anything as foolish as to smile, but determination burned brightly behind those amber eyes.

Twilight kaleidoscope | END POST

Mon 11 Oct 2021, 3:21 pm

Helle Armstrong

“Then carry thyself with the edge of a worn blade, a man that none may falter. It does one no good to walk with the air of incompetence. I was not befit for this role at first, but it was one I took with pride.”

That is but a portion of the advice she has for him. The rest shall come at his convenience, whether he asks or requires it. For now, it proves best to strengthen his resolve to continue forward. The push he needs is minimum, but a push, nonetheless, never proves unnecessary. Her head had risen as she spoke, leaving her eyes gazing out towards the ocean once more. She could not see his face, but his eyes radiated a passion that seemed to light the Reishi about them alight. He may not notice the reddening of the world, but her special bond with the world allowed her to make note of a many things.

“Very well. Let us be on our way. You do know how to swim, yes?”

She did not waste time stepping out towards the ocean, her feet stepping onto the air before her. The cliff proved a steady drop downward, but she did not fall. Instead, the air beneath hardened as Reishi gathered at her feet. Each step, secured by her ability to rend matter at a whim, took her down towards the rolling waves beneath them. Surely, Alastair would follow, for the platforms she had created did not disperse when she left them. Instead, they waited for them, leading down to her position right over the darkened waters. Her head turned up towards him, a pleasant smile on her face as if urging him down to her.

“I wish for you to witness something marvelous.”

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Mon 11 Oct 2021, 4:44 pm

ALASTAIR EISFLUCH | STERNRITTER

"I have no desire to be incompetent, nor give that impression to those around me. Though perhaps my sword is not as honed as your own, you will not find me wasting my time standing still. We must strive to keep moving forwards."

Alastair's eyes continued to shine, backlit against the night sky, though he did not seem to pay any attention to Helle as she took notice of such. She looked out into the ocean whilst he was focused on the stars above, but he was rather perplexed when she suddenly told him this was not their final destination. Turning, an eyebrow raised quizzically before he nodded in response. Yes, he could swim, but why was that relevant right now? Surely she did not mean to...

As she just stepped out onto the air, Alastair did not cry out but he simply watched on - stunned. A moment longer of standing there in bewilderment, and his body began to move whilst his mind continued to process. It was a strangely familiar feeling, to step onto the air itself, almost like using a hirenkyaku but subtly different. Her smile was disarming and yet equally alluring, as he continued to step down the platforms, as he chased after her. It only remained to be seen what exactly she had in mind for them.

Twilight kaleidoscope | END POST

Mon 11 Oct 2021, 5:12 pm

Helle Armstrong

“Our world is but a bubble, Alastair.”

As he reached her, the words she spoke barely reached him as the waters softly whined around them. Yet, he did not need to understand those words as they are. Slowly, as they stood next to one another, he would sense the collection of Reishi gathering. She would sigh before an orb began to materialize, forming a dome that distorted the world as one looked out of it. With a bit of fine tuning, soon, neither of them could even see its surface, its lining as smooth as glass, palpable and perfect. Her eyes shined with energy, her efforts at creating such a thing seemingly barely an afterthought.

“You have seen The City of Lights, America, and maybe even parts of the world I have yet to see, but, to truly understand why we exist; why the Vandenreich exist, we must delve deeper into the heart of our home.”

Slowly, the bubble around them began to sink, its surface shimmering as the currents around them began to bat at it in an attempt to fill the space they created. Yet, it held fast as they submerged and sank into the depths of the ocean. Alastair would witness a new world, one of darkness and invisible to mere human sight alone. However, quickly, like a light switch being flipped, he could see it all: the world beneath the sea’s surface. Fish swam all around, different species, shapes, and colors. He could see the coral below, the sand that swayed beneath, the way the city’s shore; crystalline and dulled by the lack of light, was home to a healthy ecosystem. Then, one would notice how it stretched on and on, things that one couldn’t even make out in the distance and below them. One could compare it to the sky in how seemingly infinite it all felt.

“There is more to life than simply protecting it, Alastair. Do you really understand what you are fighting for? Do you appreciate why you exist in this world? Tell me, are our lives more important than those that were lost that we still breathe?”

Her expression grew solemn as she allowed for a fish to penetrate their bubble, its body falling to the bottom unceremoniously. It sat there, slowly dying, flopping for a way to return back into the sea. Helle seemed unconcerned by its struggles, her eyes suddenly directly on Alastair as the power in her eyes spoke volumes of the weight she bears on her shoulders, of the lives around her that would die for her, of the ones that have died for her.

“Touch the fish, and you will sink.”

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Mon 11 Oct 2021, 7:17 pm

ALASTAIR EISFLUCH | STERNRITTER

Alastair did not talk as their descent continued, both because he did not wish to interrupt her monologue and because he found himself once more overwhelmed by the sheer assault on his optical nerves that Helle was masterfully orchestrating. He had known roughly what the Director was capable of ever since he had joined the Sternritter, her powers talked about with a healthy mix of fear and reverence, but witnessing it first hand was something he had not prepared himself to comprehend.

Trapped now inside of the bubble, but standing at her side, Alastair's eyes absorbed the incredible sights of the nautical world that now surrounded them. There was a dauntless beauty to it, the infinite void that spread out before them and vanished far beyond their vision range. This was marvellous enough for his liking, but it was clear that Helle had more in store for him than a mere view of the ocean from below.

"I fight for a better world. Protecting what we have is noble, but accepting it as all we deserve is to admit that this is our limit, and to that, I do not abide. Comparing my life to those that came before me seems foolish though, rather I would weigh it against the lives of those to come."

He would have continued had the fish not flopped ever so slowly into the bubble, watching as it just lay there on the base of the platform and began to struggle. A test, perhaps, of his quality or his resolve. That certainly seemed to be the most obvious reason for this course of action. He was not above being able to watch something die before his eyes, it would not be the first time that such had happened, and this single fish was so incredibly insignificant to the grand scheme of things. But it was so pitiful, watching it struggle against Helle's power, and it could be spared so easily.

He knelt down, glancing from Helle to the fish before them and back, that fire in his eyes still unfaltering. A hand reached forward, not close enough to touch the fish yet but within close proximity.

"If we view ourselves as gods, and play with the lives of the innocent, are we truly fighting for the side of righteousness? There is death and loss upon this path, but to cause it wantonly is not the type of man I wish to become. Were I to be the one sinking, would you save me?"

Twilight kaleidoscope | END POST

Mon 11 Oct 2021, 7:48 pm

Helle Armstrong

“Shall we bury the bodies of those yesterday and today for those tomorrow to climb over? You reach for the stars, yet, what do you believe is needed to touch them? Are the innocent so innocent? Is their ignorance to our pain and suffering all but willful? You watched comrades die, whether they wished for it or not. You hesitate wondering if you are worth saving, but what if you are as lowly as this fish to me. If I am revered and seen as a God, why should my life be risked for thee? Is every innocent person worth saving, Alastair? Is every life capable of being saved?”

Her gaze only hardened as she watched him stop and ask her such a silly thing. That hesitation should be his death, but he has yet to commit himself. He is at a crossroads, whether he is trying to preserve himself or pick her words apart. Such moments are not always available, and one must make their decision. Will he continue to pester her and allow the fish’s life to be extinguished, or will he be a hero that values the life of the future over his own? She will not budge to his silly notions if he does not have the resolve to carry them through.

As if he shall have the time to ponder if someone will come for him when millions ride on his immediate action. He must be one who knows his next action at all times, no matter what may come his way. If Jefferson haunts him, stills his actions, she shall show him a world that he must either steel himself for or become like paper and crumple before.

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Mon 11 Oct 2021, 8:15 pm

ALASTAIR EISFLUCH | STERNRITTER

"Why should anyone risk their lives for another then? No one is insignificant to me, as long as I can move I will try to save anyone in front of me."

His hand reached forwards again, taking up the fish, as he made to move it through the boundaries of the bubble. Perhaps Helle would simply expel him from the sanctuary along with it, perhaps he would have to struggle against her power. If it was the former then at least he would be able to try to overcome the plight he would no doubt find himself in, the latter was a harder mountain to climb. Regardless, he braced himself for whatever impact was to come.

Twilight kaleidoscope | END POST

O Thou of Little Faith (Helle/Alastair)

O Thou of Little Faith (Helle/Alastair)

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