Get Serious, Kid [HAYDEN/LYZA]

The ride ended and Lyza suddenly found herself overwhelmed by a massive military base. Or was it something else? What even the fuck was she doing here? A simple scolding seemed out of the question, and Lyza's brows started to burrow in confusion. Why here? In the middle of Somalia of all places too.

There must have been some kind of reception, the woman thought. And so she stepped into the building and was immediately met with said reception, though the room also seemed to branch off into a variety of other places all at once, given how many doors there were. "I'm here to meet Hayden." Lyza said to the woman at the front desk, sliding her ID over to see if her boss had set up a little playdate with her or something.

"He's in the gymnasium. Third door on the left, keep going straight. You'll get there." Was all that Lyza got, not even a look, from the woman behind the counter. Well, at least it was something. She thanked the woman and was off, and sure enough a straight path through some busy hallways lead her straight were she was supposed to go. But Hayden wasn't here just yet, even though Lyza herself was on time for once in her life. A quick wait wouldn't mean much to her, so she simply stood and thought. It all still didn't really add up...

The world had managed to secure it's self a peace built on the corpses of unsung heroes. Some may hope it to last for years to come, but if there was one thing which Hayden was keenly aware of was the shallow foundation this peace had. The total annihilation of Shadowfall was secured in a part, their withdrawl from earth marked a key event. But the shadows of their empire would forever be but a moment away, or the rise of new factions on Earth could cause this peace to be broken. Whatever the outcome, Hayden understood well the world needed new agents. People who where once in his shoes, who would bare the same beliefs he had.

Was Lyza someone special in the grand scheme of things? No. The fact she was but a mere ordinary person looking for some semblance of purpose made her candidate enough for him. She alone would not change the world, but with enough time and pressure she may rise to become something noteworthy. So he picked her, out of all the people he knew, to be the raw material he'd forge.

He would arrive in short order after her, wearing with him that black uniform of his nation. He'd offer a small smile as he closed the door to the gym behind him. "Lyza, thank you for arriving in short notice. But I really should be doing this in person, for the best results." The man would comment turning from the door to look at her, notable wearing his zanpakatou on it's side.

"I'll get to the point, Lyza. How serious about you continuing your career of public service?"

"I've come too far to give up now, and I intend on seeing my goals through." She said, unafraid to look Mr. Vastime himself in the eye. It wasn't a particularly detailed or heartfelt sounding admission, but deep down Lyza did have a passion for growth and... 'public service' inside her, even though it was buried between a few literal tons of 'I'll do it later' and 'hey sleep sounds pretty good right now. In fact outside of the whole Adam thing, she hadn't really done a whole lot for Lux. Oh, so maybe that's why she was here then...?

"And tell, what are those goals exactly?"

The man would inquire as he stopped but a few feet from her, his callous hands going behind his back. His eyes seemingly staring at her with the utmost focus to them, there was not particularly aggression or threat to it but an unnervingness. As if her answer was in this moment the most important thing in creation. Before she would answer however he'd speak again.

"Because the reason, I called you here, was to see if you really want this life."

A thin almost whimsical smile came onto his lips as he mentioned 'The Life'. The type of life which came to those who sought power for their goals, be it protecting the world or changing it. Hayden walked among those who had so firmly engrossed his own fate and the world, that the idea of normalcy had been thrown out. In the brief conversations he had with Lyza remembering those times where he was in her shoes, he had to wonder what changed from now to then. He still felt at his core the same as when he began.

"I look behind me, I see a lot of corpses. A lot of mountains I had to climb. A lot of challenges. That's the nature of this, you measure of who you are isn't in how strong you are but how much shit you shoveled."

Perhaps that was a bit long winded. But those green irises would narrow at her slightly.

"When you look behind you, Lyza, what do you see?"

And that was the truth. Lyza had never felt energetic or any amount of enthusiasm in the past few years. She had always just felt tired and empty, like a rotting husk waiting to wither and die. "I don't want to look at the world and feel tired anymore. I want to feel warmth and happiness and... anything that isn't this. I'm sure you can understand, at least a little."

Lyza met Hayden's focused gaze and held eye contact without faltering, her expression tired but meaningful. Hayden wouldn't intimidate her so easily. She might not have been the most motivated, nor was she approaching her goals at any reasonable rate, but she was set in her ways. Her path was set, she just needed to start moving. But that was the hardest part, and it was on her record that she was definitely having trouble accomplishing things. One day though...

"And if you never feel that warmth, are you fine with chasing it?"

The man would question his head tilting back slightly, his face betraying no real emotion other than intrigue. The hardened features and thin scars which laced his face wrinkling under such a motion. A slow breath left his mouth as she spoke about how he could understand, if only a little. And he did. Maybe for different reasons but he had an inkling of what she meant.

His eyes would shift from her over to the gym, the equipment weighted for those of supernatural strength or more human standards. He wondered if they would actively begin to use it, before shaking his head focusing back on her.

"There's no happy endings, really. For us. There's no retirement. Really think about that, Lyza. You've lost a lot, no one would fault you for stopping here. Now. "

It was true. Just like with himself, no one would fault him if he put down his titles. If he sought to content himself with the mundane nature of fatherhood. She could quit this life and give herself to a more natural pursuit, charity even if she felt the need to help. But there was a key reason he did not, he could not. He wanted to see her reason. There was a millions ways to paint this world warm.

"If you commit, truly, utterly to this shit. To this slog. That's it. You're stuck, forever." He'd pause for a moment, his head tilting up to stare at the ceiling. A brief look of displeasure on his face as he removed his hands from behind his back, a deep breath drawn, before placing them in his pockets. He looked, tired.

"If you want that, then I'll treat you seriously."

"Besides. I have a mess to clean up." Lyza reluctantly tacked on that last little bit as she remembered Aries and Adam. What her other spirit was getting up to, she didn't know, and she might never. But Lyza had a responsibility to at least check in to make sure Aries wasn't causing some shit. Never did figure out what happened to her after the whole Adam thing... "Yeah... I'll just call it a mess for now." The tired brunette couldn't help but sigh out as she looked down at the floor and started to space out in brief thought.

"Alright."

Uncharacteristically, he kept that rather short. He could take her seriously with that, and even if he didn't wasn't like he was gonna stop her. There was so much to unpack, so much to deal with he let out a sigh shaking his head. While he didn't fully trust in her judgement yet, she now had the potential to at least be someone he could devout some time to. So with that he'd remove his hands from his pockets as he approached her, his hand coming to rest on his belt.

"What's your mess? By the way, get ready to fight."

Straight to the point, in that same oldschool fashion he was trained with. He wouldn't call this an impromptu training session, but considering he did call her to a gym she probably already knew he was going to do this. But at the very least he hadn't just attacked her, he wanted to find out about this mess. Hopefully, she wouldn't put up to much protests.

He'd remove his hand from his belt, bringing his hands together as the sound of his knuckles cracking could be heard. A small shake of the head followed as he loosened up. Nothing like a good fisticuffs session while talking about your failures and goals.

"It's a start."

The man would comment as he shifted his weight forward, moving forward with a small 'zzip' noise. He wasn't moving at a speed she wouldn't be able to react to, in fact it was well within the binds of someone on her spiritual level. He was clearly holding back, as he arrived within her space. His left hand would twitch as he spoke. "Make me use something other than my jab." The man would instruct her, as a thin smile played on his features.

When he lift hand shot out within superb speed, if it struck her it would be enough to send a shockwave through her body. Nothing lethal, but certainly enough force to shake her bell. He wanted to see how she handle a simple task, as he committed to using only his raw physique and power. His hand would begin to withdraw as he pivoted to the left, preparing to throw another strike at the lazy speed he was moving.

"Training should be done, whenever you get the freetime."