Only Two Minutes [Mikhail, Victoria]

The City of Lights had proven a wonderful locale thus far, particularly for a foreign knight such as Mikhail. Kind citizenry, and such helpful denizens! He had asked many about where he might learn more regarding the Knights of the Stars, and while some had elucidated him in no small way as to their workings, most had directed him to their headquarters, a great kindness that he was now taking advantage of.

Naturally, if he were meeting with one of the Knights themselves, then he would dress appropriately, his formal attire rather fitting for the cooling breeze of the South Pacific at this time of year. Of course, Mikhail did not wear such fine clothing simply to impress; it would be a mark of poor courtesy to wear anything else when meeting fellow knights, would it not?

Ah, but he had found himself somewhat lost, it seemed. Such grand cities were not his forte, after all, and so he glanced around for only a moment, before approaching a raven-haired woman nearby.

"Begging your pardon, kind maiden! I am Sir Mikhail, wandering knight of Nartia, and I have come seeking the lodge of the Knights of the Stars, that I may speak with them regarding their duties and training. Might you know the way?"

It was sensible, the wandering knight reasoned, that any citizen would know the headquarters of such a prestigious institution within their own city.

With today being the rare day off from her duties in the Vandenreich, Victoria had chosen to spend the day catching up on some errands. Dressed in a pair of high waisted skinny jeans, black turtleneck, and white tennis shoes, she was able to walk the streets of the City of Light without drawing attention to herself. As a Sternritter officer, while on official business or in her uniform, eyes would often follow her every movement, typically because onlookers were either supportive or distrustful of her. According to reports she had read, before she joined there was an incident that caused a loss of faith in the Sternritter, at least for some people. She knew there was nothing she could do about that now, and just needed to focus on herself and doing the best job she could.

Having started her morning with a hot cup of coffee and croissant, Victoria was feeling good and ready to hunt down some fluffy towels and a new post-bath robe. That is, until she was suddenly addressed by a stranger with an odd accent and an even odder idiolect. He was tall, dashing, and spoke with all the direct formality of a Medieval Knight. Victoria's steel blue eyes, partially hidden behind round sunglasses, scanned the stranger, self-identified as Sir Mikhail, up and down, curious and cautious about his presence here and interest in the Sternritter.

"Wow, I don't think I've ever been called a 'maiden' before. It's nice to meet you Sir Mikhail, my name's Victoria." she spoke with a calmness honed through years of operating in precipitous situations, belying the wariness she felt in the moment. "I do know where the Knights of the Stars' lodge is, can I ask what made you decide to seek them out? Are you interested in signing up?"

"That is surely the failing of all ill-mannered men who have spoken to you previously, then!"

Though Mikhail's attention was quite squarely on Victoria, there was undeniably a profound earnestness to his gaze, a lack of untoward intention that bordered on childlike. Even so, he had purpose in his presence here, and hardly wished to be distracted by offering appropriately kind words to the comely lady before him.

"I am currently on extended campaign on behalf of the Princess Natalya, and on my long quest I met a fine Knight of the Stars, one Dame Natasha of the Star Most Eremitic, who spoke highly of her order. Based on both her words and her undeniably chivalrous character, I have come to learn more of the order from its other members."

A brightness seemed to shine in Mikhail's eyes as he gave his explanation, a clear genuine respect for the knight of which he had spoken so highly.

This stranger was no easy read even for a woman as experienced and well-trained as Victoria Masters. Outwardly, his sincerity was above reproach, unquestionable; but something she had learned over the years was to not trust people who appeared to be trying too hard. Then again, perhaps she was allowing her past to influence her judgment of this man. Victoria was well aware of her biases, and hadn't always found it easy to live regularly in society.

Victoria analyzed Mikhail's features as intently as she did his speech, searching for any slip-up. So far he remained consistent. What she didn't expect was for her friend Natasha to be name dropped, and was happy to hear his glowing review of her. Victoria herself had only positive things to say about that country gal, having become her friend and bonded recently over some training and food.

"I'm glad you think so highly of her, Dame Natasha really is a wonderful woman and coworker. I'd be glad to show you more about us, Sir Mikhail." she said, giving away the game. Victoria figured deceit, even if borne from caution, wasn't the best way forward with this knightly man.

For the briefest of moments, there was some degree of pause in Mikhail's otherwise rapid speech, but just as quickly his expression seemed only to further brighten, and he offered a deep bow to Victoria as he continued on.

"Thank you kindly, Dame Victoria! I would be most honored to learn of the order from another of its prestigious knights! Please, lead on, and I shall follow with all appropriate diligence!"

Of course, any knight who longed to improve would be overjoyed to learn from a member of a proper knightly order, and the whole of Mikhail's demeanor seemed to have shifted alongside the manner in which he addressed Victoria. Where there had before been proper gentlemanly courtesy, the sort that any maiden was due, there was now the more measured respect that one showed to a fellow knight. He had hardly even commented on such a change in perception; it was as if she had simply always been Dame Victoria.

Oh? He's nothing if not consistent. observed Victoria as Mikhail immediately referred to her as a Dame as well. It appeared so far his chivalrous persona, real or not, was standing up to scrutiny. Whether it was all for show at this point didn't really matter to Victoria, he was beginning to grow on her; talking and acting like a knight, and a respectable one at that, not some jerk noble, was endearing to her.

"Well then, right this way Sir Mikhail." Though she still had some errands to run, Victoria wasn't too disappointed by this turn of events. After all, it wouldn't reflect well on her as a Sternritter to ignore this knight's purpose here. As she led the way down the sidewalk they were on, walking at a leisurely pace, Victoria turned her sunglasses-hidden steel eyes back to Mikhail and spoke loud enough to hear on the busy street.

"So mister gentlemanly knight, do you have any questions about the Knights of the Stars I can answer for you? Or about the Vandenreich as a whole?"

"Ah, yes, most certainly, Dame Victoria! There are several questions that I might ask, but first I would ask who among the Vandenreich I might ask regarding alchemical curatives and the like."

Despite his chipper tone, there was an undeniable gravity surrounding Mikhail as he brought up that particular topic of conversation. After all, that was the purpose of his quest beyond anything else. Though he was all too curious as to the rest of the members of this order, he was not one to ever diverge from that path.

"But, beyond that question, I would naturally wish to know more regarding the Knights of the Stars in particular. It is my understanding that those of the order hail from lands far and wide, yes? The order's actions and authority then would surely be similarly far-reaching, but it would appear it comes from deeds rather than standing. If such is indeed the case, then similarly, many of the order would assuredly be those Quincy who have learned their traditions of their own accord, rather than inheriting them through lineage, yes?"

There was no apparent judgement one way or another with regard to the idea that the Quincy of the Sternritter might have been descended from other lines; it was simply the curiosity of a man from quite different a world.

There was a subtle air of seriousness to Mikhail as he inquired about the Vandenreich's medical experts. Perhaps, Victoria surmised, he was here seeking a cure to some ailment of his; or, just as likely, he was asking on behalf of another. She couldn't tell, but such a reason was far less threatening than other possibilities she had considered.

Not wanting to lead the dashing knight astray, Victoria gave his question serious thought before answering "For medicine, your best bet is the Albedochiffren. More specifically, the Steingruft develops new technologies, including medical. If I remember correctly Sir Mikhail, Ehefra Kleinmund is its Administrator. I've never met her personally, but I'm sure she can help you."

As for the rest of his questions, Victoria wasn't entirely sure how to answer. She didn't have all the statistics on Quincies that would let her answer accurately. "We do come from across the globe, yes. Natasha and I are both from America, and I've met other Sternritter from Europe, Asia, and Africa as well. While our actions are far-reaching, in that we can be deployed almost anywhere, I wouldn't say our authority is...all-encompassing." Had this been true of the Vandenreich, Victoria considered how she may even be fighting against it instead as part of it. The authoritative and power hungry reviled her, after all.

"There are plenty of both, Sir Mikhail. Some can trace their Quincy lineage back hundreds, maybe even a thousand, years and are a part of families who've always known what they are. Unfortunately many have no idea as to their ancestry, the consequence of multiple genocides committed against Quincies." Knowing she was neither at times made Victoria feel alone in the world, but she wouldn't allow more than a second or two of solemn silence to pass before continuing. "Even now there are thousands of Quincies across the world who have no idea what they are, or have had to learn about themselves and their ancestry without any help."

"Ah, Dame Ehefra! I am familiar with such a woman, yes, though I did not realize her position was one of such prestige! Wonderful, thank you very kindly for the information."

On the matter of the Quincy who made up the Vandenreich, Mikhail brought a hand to his chin, seemingly deep in thought for a few moments. Closing his eyes, there was a certain pressure around him that made it clear he was earnestly thinking. About what, however, was anyone's guess, given such behavior.

"Very good. The Quincy traditions are a rich lineage, one that I would not wish to be lost on account of such cruel circumstance. I believe that those ancient bloodlines are vital to be preserved, but of course, we ought to cultivate those younger Quincy lines as well. I believe such an order as this, which would bring in our people to give them a home, is something to be commended."

His eyes opened again, the omnipresent cheer still undeniable in the Knight of the Dance, a shine to his smile as he returned his attention fully to Victoria herself.

"And as for your work in particular, might I ask as to that? I would naturally wish to know what a respectable knight such as yourself does within your order."

Victoria was surprised to hear Mikhail already knew of or had met Ehefra, a Vandenreich officer she herself had yet to come face to face with. Either they met in the field or this wasn't Mikhail's first trip to the Vandenreich, though she very much doubted the latter; based on everything he had said, and how he reacted to the shallowest of information regarding the organization, she was certain this was his first trip here.

Having worked as a librarian for years, Victoria often found herself spending hours getting lost reading in the City of Light's great library. She got along great with the employees there, many of whom had grown rather fond of the Vandenreich's resident bookworm. As for the library, it featured all the most commonly known and famous literary works throughout history, but also included an entire section on Quincy history. In her previous line of work she had no interest in these things, or rather, she considered, she had no time or freedom to dedicate any interest in them. As a free woman she learned what she could, but it wasn't until she came here and joined the Vandenreich did Victoria get the chance to really dive deep into the history of her blood.

It's for this reason she happily agreed with Mikhail, at least generally. "I believe the best way to preserve history is to protect people. And protecting people is why I came here." she said with a gentle smile. "As for my work..." though she believed this kindly knight to be trustworthy, Victoria also didn't plan on sharing any classified information, not that he asked for those particulars "My official titles are Sternritter and Coordinator of the Spezialkräfte, a division that specializes in...well, dangerous missions. What about you Sir Mikhail, what sort of work do you do?"