Re: Have You Seen My Elder?

Tue Feb 18, 2020 12:07 am

Have You Seen My Elder? - Page 3 Hd0GJlj

CYRUS OF THE AFFECTIONATE FLAME

"Ah, handsome and beautiful? Helle, you flatter me, quite truly."

Smiling just a touch wider at the woman's compliments, Cyrus brought his hand up to her cheek, very gently caressing it with no small amount of care. She was rather precious, wasn't she? Such a vastly different outlook on the world from his other Aspects, and yet, he did not mind it. To find such earnest value in the feelings of others was rewarding. As he considered her last point, however, his smile lowered, knowing the graveness of the situation.

"Allow me to be frank with you, Helle. My humanity, my mortality, have been cast away. I have had Shirohime remove them from my soul, and in their place an unimaginably small fragment of the Soul King now rests. My life is no longer that of a mortal, but of a genuine divine. It is not a life I would wish upon others, but for the sake of the world, and of the people of Earth, I have taken this burden upon myself. It is the source of my power, and the reason that it causes me such great harm when used too callously."

After all of that was said, Cyrus removed his hand from her cheek, letting it simply come to rest on the bed. He trusted this woman, in no small part due simply to her earnest nature, and to her heritage. She was not someone he felt would lie to him, and he valued that more than nearly anything.

END POST | HEARTFELT THANKS

Wed Feb 19, 2020 10:58 am

Have You Seen My Elder? - Page 3 ZnehDGG

Helle Armstrong

He’s touching her so gently. Ah. That’s rather uncalled for, but she doesn’t want to come off as rude or unappreciative, so she doesn’t immediately recoil. Yep. Her face is rather warm. She can feel her blush worsening as her fragile emerald eyes, lacking in their normal solidness, close to try to hide her flustered state. If she can’t see him, she’ll calm down, right? Though, Ms. Aubers’s words echo in her mind again. Amenities, huh?

Well, at least the topic is moved on to something a bit more serious, and Helle finds herself thinking more on what Ms. Auber said. She could not help but reopen her eyes and give Cyrus a confused glance as she looked him over. She places both her hands on her cheeks after his hand had left. What does she feel? Warmth. The warmth caused by her emotional distraught. Did she feel anything similar to such when she laid her hand on Cyrus?

“You are very young to be so powerful. Does it ever give you trouble? Interacting with peers and trying to be a person? That is what Ms. Auber asked me."

Helle lowers her own hands seemingly freed from her earlier state of embarrassment as the stoic SubCatpain takes its place once more. She looks at her hand, freed from its binds, and squints to see the small amount of scarring hidden between its elegance.

“Sometimes people are too brash for their own good my Liege. Sometimes we strive for things that we’re not ready for. My answer to Ms. Auber was to compare two people that were worlds apart, but they shared something in common despite all their differences. They were human and nothing would change that. Even if one became Hollow or died and resurrected as a Plus. They would still have that humanity even if overshadowed by something greater. Even demons suffer from such fate. Despite how twisted and inhuman they are or become, they still feel emotion, are driven by it. They understand humanity and are unable to escape it like everything else. That is why I find it humorous to listen to such drivel about throwing away one’s humanity. Do not call yourself divine if your body still bleeds like mine. If wounds still exist on your form. To me, right now, for a godling, this sight before my eyes is rather… plain…”

Helle finds herself blinking before making a weird grunting noise as she rises from her spot on the bed and turns quickly bowing to Cyrus hurriedly. Her face is rather disturbed now in a full blossomed blush like a rose.

“I-I apologize my Liege. I didn't mean to come off so crass and blunt as I did. Such disrespect on my part.”

Thu Feb 20, 2020 10:33 pm

CYRUS OF THE AFFECTIONATE FLAME

It almost surprised Cyrus, the confidence with which Helle spoke. Her obvious embarrassment at the whole thing was rather secondary in his eyes, for far more pertinent was what she had actually chosen to say to him. It did not bother him that she had been what many would call rude, for he admired honesty above politeness. Of course, both was always the ideal, but perhaps in this case both could not be considered feasible. While it was true that Mithra and Mahadeva both had spoken all too similar of ideas to him, they had yet been the words of fellow divines. Yet, here...it was a woman, quite assuredly. There was no divine spark within the Sub Captain, but that did not stop her from saying such a thing. From treating him quite decidedly as a man.

It was endearing, frankly.

"Yes, you are quite correct, Helle. I did indeed strive for something which I perhaps was not ready for. Ah, but you would not have liked to meet me in the life before this divinity. Callous, self-absorbed, vain... Well, I will not go on about it forever. Suffice to say that such grave character flaws were removed to make way for this power. And, indeed, a great many things I think most would call blessings."

There was a bit of quiet in the room, then, as the divine quincy took stock of his thoughts. Of what he wished to say next. After a moment, he simply smiled for her once more, and patted the spot on the bed next to him. Closer than the last time. He appreciated her presence, and wished for her to sit once more.

"My physical form is, indeed, still mortal. But my soul is far from that of a man, Helle. I do not feel as others do, my thoughts and memories are clouded. Even mere emotion is painful for me. Perhaps I was not ready for the power I took upon myself, or perhaps no man ever could be ready for such a thing. But I have taken this responsibility, Helle, out of my love for all mankind, of the people who live upon the Earth. I must be divine, else I have made such a grave sacrifice in vain."

Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes, trying to center himself and prevent the few emotions he now felt from spiraling into the void that was his divine core, and to keep the pain they caused from wracking his whole body. It was difficult, and though it still felt as if his soul might split in two, he managed it for now, as he had with Mithra.

"It is not disrespect to treat me so honestly, Helle. You need not apologize. Please, do not ever be afraid to speak with me in such a way."

END POST | HEARTFELT THANKS

Fri Feb 21, 2020 10:58 am

Helle Armstrong

How absurd. One’s past self is too relevant in this situation. Why, the past is the stepping stones that one must climb to become their present self, and with continued effort, one day, they will reach an even greater future. Cyrus’ claims of having a past that is better left buried to never resurface insults Helle greatly. If not for her past, she would have never become the woman she is today, and the day she forgets who she was and what she is now is the day she has truly lost her way. Surely, out of all the so called divine people Cyrus has spoken with, none would have told him he’s better off now that he destroyed everything that made him Cyrus just for a power that is irrelevant in itself for him to accomplish his dreams. If that is so, then was the power truly worth it? Is this life of emptiness worth it? What is the point of following your dreams if you will never feel accomplished in the very end? Helle finds it hard to keep her mouth from spewing nonsense and furthering her insulting rant with the foolish man. Though, listening further to him, she could feel it building within him, the desire to tell him off, call him wrong, and demand he change his foolish notions for not only the betterment of the world, but for himself as well. It only took him telling her to not hold herself back that she began to speak.

“In all honesty, my Liege, what you are saying is extremely selfish. To think that I would dislike you to such a degree? I was no different in my youth: brass, power-hungry, self-absorbed, and vain. I still am, but I learned to balance my negatives with my positives and grow, not only in power, but as a person in general. I learned, the hard way, that I am no different from everyone else around simply because I was born with high standards placed upon me and blessed with natural gifts that many worked hard for. Even then, my Liege, I had to work hard to grow powerful. Simply because I started off better than most did not mean I could simply relax and rely on such meager gifts. Listening to you say that you threw away what made you Cyrus for power while everyone else suffered to grow as they did, it hurted because I know that you would have ended up just as divine without the outside influence, and it would have been Cyrus’ doing, not some being of power playing God with another.”

She pauses and looks away for a moment placing a hand over her heart feeling it beat rhythmically. The memory of the time she pushed herself so hard just to prove a point to those beneath her that is caused her heart to fail her flows through her mind like a downstream river. That moment is what helped her come to the realization that she had a problem. It is those human errors in life that help one grow to become something more, those mistakes that eventually mold you into something greater. She sighs and returns to the bed taking a seat and reaching with her ungloved hand cupping Cyrus’ cheek gently. With a soft emerald gaze, the SubCaptain vanishes, replaced by Helle Armstrong, a young woman with immense power that she sometimes feels lost on how to use best.

“No matter how much you insist my Liege, you are still the Cyrus from then, and you have simply made yet another mistake, but it’s not too late to grow from it. Do not think that throwing away what you are will help fix the world. Do not bury your past under the pretense of godhood because it is that past that has brought you this far, that desire to be better than what you were is why you have searched so hard for the power to change. But, sometimes… The consequences of one’s actions are not worth it, for without emotions, I fear you will one day become unfeeling to what is truly important to saving the world. Do you not think it a bit vain to become a God when you could simply stay a human instead?”

She pauses again unsure on how to exactly word herself at this moment. Cyrus has thrown himself away for everyone in this world. She has only told him he has made a mistake in doing so. She huffs and moves her hand from his cheek putting it on the back of his head and pulls him into an embrace pressing the side of his cheek into her bosom and sighs as her cheeks turn a soft shade of red from the sudden intimacy. Though, she simply felt he needed to hear words of encouragement along with her harsh lecture. What better way to apologize for such antagonistic ideals than to allow him to embrace something soft yet powerful?

“Do not fret, my liege, for all you have done will never be in vain. You have saved this island from whatever threat had befell it, and I know you will continue to protect the worlds even if you can no longer feel anything from it. I should not have voiced my fear that you may one day become something this world will never need. We are protectors, not dictators. Always remember that, and do not worry if you forget from time to time. I, as your SubCaptain and… friend…, will always stay by your side to help you stay on the right path. I know one day you will feel again, for you feel now. The power wishes to take you over, mold you into something different, but I know that that vain, self-absorbed, and calloused man inside that you tried to destroy would never allow such to occur. I can sense, even now, that you fight against it. You’re not alone in your fight, not within and in this world. You have the Vandenreich, Ms. Kishar, and even myself by your side. I’m an Armstong, you know? I’m rather strong despite my looks.”

Fri Feb 21, 2020 6:48 pm

CYRUS OF THE AFFECTIONATE FLAME

There were a great many responses that Cyrus contemplated as he listened to Helle's words, but in truth, even he had not been entirely ready for the sheer gravity of what the woman actually said to him. He had considered her quite intelligent, and headstrong, but even he now suspected that he had underestimated her. Not, it should be said, in a way that disappointed him. Far from it. Closing his eyes as he leaned into her embrace, he thought carefully about his reply.

"Yes. I do think that I have indeed made quite a mistake, and I suspect few would disagree with your assessment. But I will not allow the sacrifices made for this mistake to go to waste."

He was quiet again, trying to think on the words he wished to speak to her. On what he might ask of her, on if she was truly willing to stay at his side to such a degree. He knew that she was capable, but that was not the question here.

"When this is over, Helle, I have a place I wish to bring you. A gift I wish to give you. Not as your Grandmaster, simply...as a friend. It is so very much to ask that you do this for me, Helle, more than I would ask of most. But I know that you are more than capable of keeping me from walking that path should I find myself straying too closely toward it. Desmond Hayden and Ulv Auber... They, too, have made that promise. I love them dearly and truly, and they are in so many ways my equals, if not even more. But it is precisely because they share that same realm as I that it is not the same. That much as they watch me, I must watch them."

Cyrus leaned just a touch more onto Helle's chest. He was tired. She was...pleasant to lay against. He ignored the searing, unspeakable pain of that thought.

"But you, Helle, I need not watch. You are someone I can place my deepest faith in, that I know will not lose sight of your humanity. If you indeed desire to stay at my side, then I welcome such a thing. I think none other could do the job so well."

Smiling a little bit more, Cyrus gripped his bedsheets tightly with one hand at the sheer degree of pain currently coursing through his very being, at the outright vacuum that his divinity seemed to make within his chest. He would not allow it to win, not yet.

"Call me Azmi, if you would, when it is just the two of us."

END POST | HEARTFELT THANKS

Fri Feb 21, 2020 10:12 pm

Helle Armstrong

“As if I would allow anything you do from now on to go to waste my Lie-Cyr-”

“...Azmi…”

Helle was unsure of how to conclude everything that occured in the last few seconds. Despite her monologue, this situation had escalated and deescalated far too quickly. Though, she understands that this is only one of many acts that is sure to occur revolving around this issue. The fact that Azmi seemed rather comfortable laying on her chest made this much harder to actually deal with as teenage thoughts flowed through her mind breaking through her mental barriers like a wild wrecking ball. The blonde Quincy found it a bit difficult to get her mind to move in a coherent matter without focusing herself with basic breathing techniques that Azmi will no doubt feel from his vantage point. Still, she must carry out this conversation. If her thoughts did not betray her, she could have sworn that she was asked to be Cyrus’ right hand woman. Though, that sounds simple like a bodyguard even with the looming complex future before them.

“I cannot wait to be brought to this place you wish to bring me to, but please focus on remedying your body. I will be accompanying you for the entirety of your stay here…, for security reasons of course. I will send a message to Ms. Kishar to make sure she understands the situation. There is little doubt in my mind that she will handle all business while we are away.”

Her emerald eyes flick down, and that simply broke her a bit. Seeing someone on her chest adds another level of nervousness that a simple touch does not. She hopes Azmi does not become addicted to contact such as this. He doesn’t seem the type to desire this form of contact anyway. However, the more she keeps her eyes on him, the less she feels subconscious about this. Of course, she would deny everything with a fiery passion if any were to catch them cuddling as so, but when it’s just Azmi and her… maybe, just maybe… NO, no, no, no… Nngh…

With a defeated sigh, she simply begins to run her fingers through his hair. She’s an Armstrong, one of the strongest families known for their strength, courage, and unwavering sense of duty. Yet, here she sits, her heart so frail and fragile for a man who does not even feel the same as others. She will help him, even if his growth is slow and agonizing. If she can be a supporting pillar for him, one that he can lean on when everything is going wrong and there is nothing but pain, then she shall be so. It is her duty as his SubCaptain of the Sternritters, a member of the Vandenreich, as his friend, and as his humanity.

Sat Feb 22, 2020 4:36 pm

CYRUS OF THE AFFECTIONATE FLAME

"Ah, will you now? Well, Helle, I will not deny your assistance if you wish to offer it in such a way. Your presence is most welcomed, for my security of course."

To make a faint little joke like that caused such an unspeakable level of pain, even in one so toughened both physically and mentally, that Cyrus' breath caught in his throat as he struggled to deal with it. Yet, in this embrace, he found it at least marginally more tolerable, just as he had with Mithra. For so long had he shunned this sort of contact, this intimacy. He wondered now if he might have ever walked this path, had he simply met these people sooner in his life.

"I have asked much of you in this, Helle. A responsibility I would trust very few with, perhaps no others than yourself. But I have every confidence in you. I think, if anyone is to serve as my humanity, then you will do wonderfully. Knowing this, I must ask if I may let my divinity once more overtake my emotions. I will weather any pain that I must, but for now I rather desperately wish to rest."

Closing his eyes, Cyrus could no longer quite help but simply accept Helle's embrace in its entirety. It struck him that he had not been held so warmly in a great many years, not solely for the sake of showing affection. The feeling of her fingers through his hair, of simply her being there, was something that he wondered if he could even appreciate when his divinity once more took hold.

He did not like that thought.

END POST | HEARTFELT THANKS

Sun Feb 23, 2020 12:01 am

Helle Armstrong

“I do not fancy repeating myself Azmi. I wonder how many times you will force me to reminisce on my own decisions.”

She could do nothing but chuckle noting his severity and seriousness. Ah. Must their time of being two simple human beings end so soon? She was rather enjoying watching the Elder act more akin to an infant than to the wise man all pertain to him as. Though, she does not wish to experience him in pain any longer and hold no grudges against him returning to his cold fake manner. It is her duty to be that bridge between his divinity and his humanity now. She held no desire to fail.

“Rest Azmi. It is well deserved. One day, you will no longer have to sacrifice anything to wield this power, for you will have made it yours. I know you will.”

What has she gotten herself into? Divinity? What a bizarre opponent for her to face. Still, she has accepted the task for him. Heh. Guess this is how it feels to crush on an individual. Maybe it’s simply that, a crush. Maybe it’s just the beginning of something more, something beyond a SubCaptain and her Elder. Ah… She’s blushing again. It seems her childish wiles are going to be a major issue for her later down the line when it comes to this man. Fascinating… Well, anyway, she shall sit and wait for Azmi to fall asleep before leaving him on his bed. She is as restless as she is caring, and there is little doubt in her mind that she’ll require food and something soothing to drink for later. Ms. Auber probably has refreshments somewhere on this island, something for her and Azmi if he even requires food. Maybe she’ll ask to speak to his more feminine form again. Helle rather liked the motherly feeling that radiated during that time. It causes her to wonder about if she grew up with parents.