Flaming Iced Coffee [Vee/Alastair]

Heeding Alastair's words, she'd slowly nod, barely peeking above her papers as she'd rub her teary eyes, perking back up with that same smile on her face,

"..Yeah. You're right," She'd chuckle softly, "I would want to look back on this time and smile, not cringe at the fact I completely burned myself up super early. What kinda Quincy would I be if I was all washed up so early on? Besides, i've got great guys like you here."

She seemed to settle down after that, taking time to finish her end of the pile, finishing her (very watery) iced coffee, sighing contently as they finished organizing the papers.

"..Ah thank goodness, that actually feels a lot better," She'd breathe, "Yeaaah! We did it!"

Despite her tired gaze, she was grinning ear to ear, looking off to Alastair, "Well, thank you sir, so much for helping me. That would have not been a fun midnight ahead of me, admittedly. I'll make sure to not let my papers become a total mess next time."

She'd collect her things, grouping up the sizable amount of paper and books she had brought, smiling at him, "Ya saved me again, sir. You must have other stuff going on so... I guess i'll just get going home."

A little awkwardly, she'd move to leave, keeping the pile of learning material steady as she'd move to leave the shop, feeling some warmth in her chest as she did so.

...He noticed.

Giving her plenty of room to regather her composure, Alastair busied himself with sorting out these last few pages of notes. Eager for a distraction, he found himself reading what she had written. Not to detract from the sorting process, as he did not wish to be seen as a snoop, but right now it felt better to be staring at anything other than her. He recognised some of what was being written about, other parts still were a little lost on him. Such was the business of education, you made sure to remember everything that was important and managed to get by with the rest as best you could.

"Pleasure to be of assistance. If it saved you a night of stress then it was well worth it."

Of course, he evaded her compliment. It would be unseemly for him to comment on such a thing after all he had done was straighten out some paperwork. But that pleasant smile she wore was a pleasant change from the sour frown of before, so that was enough. Seeing her turn to leave, he went to grab his own drink and get ready to head out but stopped as he saw the amount that she was carrying.

"Are you sure you will manage with all that? I would hate for all our hard work to be ruined if you could not carry it all back. So we could split the load and then I will leave you in peace."

Vee was awkwardly sauntering off to the door until she heard the voice of Alastair asking if she was able to manage her items, turning to look at him, before looking to and fro, seeming hesitant to say anything. He already helped her get her papers in order despite her insisting otherwise, so...

Oh cut it out, Vee! You can ask for help on this!

She'd shake herself from her thoughts, sighing softly as she'd present the pile to Alastair, her smile a little weaker but still accepting. Exiting the coffee shop alongside him, she'd calmly lead the way home.

"Wow, jeeze, I spent a really long time pent up in there," She was looking at the sky, noticing the change and the brightness of the sun, though it was followed up with a deep yawn, "..Ahh, sorry, i'd cover my mouth but.. Books."

She'd keep pace with Alastair, biting her lip as she went to and fro. Was it.. Really okay to be like this with her superior? What? Yeah, it was fine, he didn't object, so it would be fine... Right?

"...So," She'd begin, "..I'm curious, if you'll let me... What got you to come here? To the Vandenreich, I mean."

"It is easy to lose track of time when you get in the zone."

An easy comment to make, but it sent Alastair back to his own trainee days. Bad habits to be shaken. Still, he knew where most of the recruits were barracked and so led the way as they moved through the streets of the City of Lights. He had a few folders now bundled under one arm, his coffee in the other, else he would have waved off her attempt to apologise.

"Oh, it is quite alright. So, why did I join the Vandenreich?"

They continued to walk and talk, and it was his turn to venture into the past. Perhaps he would have to ramble for a bit, but, hopefully, Vee would forgive him.

"I had trained to be a Quincy since I was a boy, back in Germany, but not every Quincy family has a good relationship with the Vandenreich. Too many Quincy lives had been thrown away on lost causes and poor decisions. That is what I was raised on. But, when I reached adulthood, I wanted to see more of the world than that one little corner that I called home so I headed out on my own."

"War was still looming back then. People knew it was coming, but no one wanted to talk about it. That was when I first met the Grandmaster. A chance encounter, but he encouraged me to put my trust in this organisation. I enlisted shortly after that, joined up with the Jagdarmee. Such is the nature of the Grandmaster, an inspiring figure."

She listened quietly and attentively as he answered her question, appearing rather interested rather than any amount of bothered that he may have expected. Honestly, it made him seem far more relatable, a person under the title and popularity. She could see some similarities between them, though the differences were still numerous for very obvious reasons. She didn't get a chance to really get to know the Grandmaster - by time she had arrived, she had just been told he wasn't available, and instead was set to speak to some strange woman with a lot of books that definitely was something that wasn't a Quincy - something she noted would have her Da absolutely malding if he saw, especially in such a position as she.

"Yeah, I left home for similar reasons," She'd begin, hoping it was a que for her to speak on her own, "I was just some french girl living off in the country with my parents and, hmmmm..." She'd scrunch up her nose as if trying to recall the exact number, "Twenty-two siblings in my family home. I wasn't being trained up to be a Quincy, though. Neh, just some lady crap, I hardly went anywhere else, but you know, wanted more than that."

She'd shrug, "But yknow, family, wasn't a big fan of what the Vandenreich of now was doing. Soooo, I just scooted off in the middle of the night and made my way all the way here as soon as my weapon formed. Was weird, too - all my life I could barely even gather reishi, then all of a sudden I could do some at sixteen, and then spontaneously, pop, could form a weapon after my nineteenth birthday."

She shrugged, "Life's funny that way, I guess. I tried looking into if similar cases had happened recently and, nope. None that I know of so far, so I have no idea why that happened. But who cares, i'm here and actually doing what I want."

"Sorry, did you say 'twenty-two siblings'?"

Alastair had been listening to Vee as she explained her own reasons for joining up with the Vandenreich, but that single comment stuck with him until it grew into something that could not go without mentioning. What kind of crazy family was that? More than twenty children in this day and age were just like asking for trouble, and yet he supposed that she probably did not know any different. It would certainly have driven him mad to have any more sisters than the two he had left back home.

Perhaps there was more that he would have liked to comment on, all that business with her spirit weapon, but this was the most important thing right now. He needed an answer, a confirmation, anything.

Vee blinked, visibly taken aback by his reaction, a wide awkward smile on her face as she just realized what exactly she just said.

Mon dieu, most people don't have a literal village for siblings, MERDE.

Why did I spit that figure so casually?!

Vivyan looked visibly flustered, quietly knocking herself for just casually dropping such a shocking idea, before she'd sigh and nod, laughing, "YEP. Twenty-two. Well, now it's knocked down to eighteen, but by some miracle more were on the way by time I left."

She honestly looked a bit sad for a moment, but sighed, "Lots of twins, got that very much strong from Da. Also, first few of my older siblings were from another mum, but I dunno anything about her. Also had the occasional loose Quincy kid with nobody to care for them stay. Didn't really matter, I was around so many damn kids for so long they practically were my sibling regardless of blood."

She'd shrug, her expression darkening somewhat as she had remembered that day that Da had come back with several siblings short, and half of who the remaining were,

"..But yeah, me? Middle child."

Ah, adoptions and different mothers. That explained it to some extent, he supposed, though it was still needlessly excessive. It was impressive that her parents could even support a family of that size, though it would be impressive that anyone could.

“So were you all taught the ways of the Quincy? It might explain why your history knowledge was lacking, I do not imagine there were many opportunities for learning from texts in a household that turbulent.”

A jape perhaps, though his delivery was rather dry and a laugh did not follow only the slightest curling of his lips. Still, that was as much of a further reaction as Alastair would afford her before he turned back to that soberingly deadpan state.

“I am sorry, for the ones you have lost. Our profession has its dangers, that is why we must be diligent in our training but even then there is no way to be totally safe at any one time. So we carry the memories of the fallen along with us, and hope to do good in their name.”

Vee would slightly shrug her shoulders, holding her papers close to her,

"Not all of us. Me? Nope. Older siblings? Yup. Younger siblings? Bit delayed - Mum was a proper pureblood as well but she wasn't allowed to do any of the actual teaching, so when Da left off with most of my older siblings to the previous Vandenreich's organizing under... Some H guy he was way too enthusiastic about, there was a few year's gap. Of course when he came back he started training them again but... He wasn't really the same. A lot angrier and way less patient mostly, like he was hastily trying to replace what he lost."

She looked irritated for a moment, "Me though? I picked up whatever I could from whatever relics and bits we had lying around, but you know Fayes - word of mouth and whatnot. So annoying... Why wouldn't you write everything down, or at least have a generalized book lying around somewhere! People forget stuff! Though I technically wasn't supposed to be learning anything but childrearing and dinner cooking..."

She'd snort, but then look back his way, "...So, what about you? What was your household like sir?"

"How archaic, such behaviour. Division based on gender is a concept that should have passed into the history books long ago. At least you will find no traces of such nonsense here."

Irritation now lined his voice too, even behind a carefully guarded mask of expression it was not truly hidden. He did not mean it for Vee, though he hoped that was apparent enough, but the circumstances of her upbringing did appear most frustrating. Especially that her father had been so committed to a cause as doomed as Hulderic. No doubt she would learn of him eventually, his folly and the price he paid for it all - though she was more intimate with the latter certainly.

"You ask of my own household, though? It was quieter than yours, though that is far from informative. A family of pureblood Quincy like your own, but that is where the similarity ends. They had sworn off the Vandenreich long ago, after the great catastrophes of ages past, and I was the rogue that broke such a trend. Left my parents and my sisters behind to pursue a dream they could not yet perceive, but maybe one day we shall truly see eye to eye again."