In Knowing That the Sun is There [Cyrus, Alastair]

"Mm. I am no god, Alastair. Bear that in mind."

Cyrus' visage hardened a touch at the mention of her "divine self," if only because such a topic was one still profoundly near to her. She could no longer pretend that she was such a thing, and she would not allow the notion to spread further. Regardless, she carried on, doing her best to soften her expression once more.

"You are right, of course. It will be difficult to established such a rapport, of that I am all too certain. But perhaps we will begin reassessing what can be dedicated to Vastime specifically, whether some of our more specialized Todgestalten might begin to work there... Ah, but I will not get ahead of myself."

No matter how much she wished to do so, it was not practical for Cyrus to formulate any plan of how she might prevent a catastrophe on her own. It had been her undoing to take all difficulties upon herself, and she would not allow that hubris to consume her again.

"I did not intend to ask so much of you on this outing, Alastair dear. You deserve to relax after a mission of such difficulty. How do you spend your leisure hours, if you do not mind my asking? Do you have any hobbies about which you are especially passionate?"

“Forgive me, Grandmaster, I.. spoke out of turn.”

Given her reaction to the comment, now was most definitely not the time to mention that he had been referring to Mazda - the divine representation of her aspects. The nature of their relationship had not quite been illuminated for him yet, so it had been a poor assumption on his part. His cheeks did flush with colour at the admonishment, a brief fluster that - though he would quickly suppress it - was as clear as day to the woman burrowing into his soul with her gaze.

A terse silence settled upon him as he listened to Cyrus once more, his mood sufficiently dampened for having caused her such visible discomfort. There was more to say on the Vastimian question, because there would always be more to say on matters so wide reaching yet unpredictable, but she steered the conversation away. Perhaps this was her way of sidelining him from the discussion, he had voiced his opinion but no doubt she had her own and it was far from his place to correct her. The alternative was that she was actually interested in his off-duty business, which was still rather hard to believe.

“My leisure hours? I suppose I have a few different hobbies, though some of them are less than appropriate for the City of Lights. It is not exactly the environment for falconry or motorcycling, but there is plenty more to occupy my time. Outside of physical training, I do spend time reading or exploring the further reaches of the city. Nothing too exciting, I dare say, but I like to keep things simple.”

"Ah, falconry? A noble art, one I pursued quite passionately myself when I was a young boy. I cannot say the same about motorcycling, but I understand it is a relatively common pastime."

Whether or not Alastair believed that Cyrus was genuinely interested in his off-duty business, the fact of the matter was that she was, and the passion in her voice made it rather transparent. Of course, she had noted his apology, but she did not wish to remain on that topic, for both her sake and his. Better to move on to brighter things, yes?

"What sort of reading do you enjoy? I was a great fan of literature when I did not yet have the responsibilities of serving as the Grandmaster, and I still have much of my library here at the City of Lights. I would be quite willing to lend you some of my books if you wish."

A fellow falconer, a rare thing to find in the wild but less so amongst the Quincy aristocracy. Still, there was a warmth to the comment. That camaraderie they shared in their pursuits of similar pastimes giving them both a chance to push past previous awkwardness.

“Then we were both young huntsmen. Perhaps there will be time, one day, where we can rekindle that lost passion. I have not practiced myself for several years, but it is something to return to perhaps when the opportunity presents itself.”

At the mention of a chance to peruse the Grandmaster’s library, his mind did race at the thoughts of what ancient and priceless tomes no doubt hid deep within. It was a tantalising process to any learned man, and Alastair was no exception.

“I have a fondness for the histories, if I were to name one broad genre in particular. Both spiritual and material. Not that I am above a good work of fiction from time to time, but there is a great joy in reading the stories of centuries past. Ancient or contemporary, there is always an interesting subject to discover and research if given the time to read and understand. I would be most honoured to borrow any book from your personal collection, for I am sure you have many recommendations.”

"Oh, a historian, hm? I do admit that I did not tend to collect quite so many histories as other texts, but I do nevertheless have a few here and there, particularly of the kingdoms of my homeland. I will be certain to lend you the assorted records of the Persian Empire, if that is to your fancy."

Of course, that wasn't necessarily Cyrus' own passion, but she hardly would have kept such books if they weren't to her liking either. At the mention of recommendations from herself, however, her demeanor seemed to lighten ever more, and there was something of a sparkle in her eye as she took the opportunity to bestow a bit of her knowledge onto one of the younger generations.

"I was rather fond of the Russian classics when I was young. I have had a copy of Lermontov's A Hero of Our Time with me for as long as I can remember, and it was one of the only books that I carried with me personally when I first moved here to the City of Lights. I would be delighted to let you borrow it, Alastair dear."

The Persian Empire was not one that he had studied at much length, though it might prove amusing to learn of the ancient histories of the Grandmaster's homeland. But he saw that flicker in her eyes as Cyrus came to the matter of his request for a recommendation. That did set his own heart alight in response, for her passion did reflect off him like peering into a mirror. That desire to drink from the chalice of shared knowledge, and to spread it to one's peers.

"Such a work so close to your heart, Grandmaster, I would be doing you a disservice to deprive you of it. Perhaps I should scour the Vandenreich archives to see if they have a copy so that I need not steal it from you for even a moment? For, truly, I do not feel worthy of an item so dear to you."

At that, Alastair stopped walking for a moment, trusting that Cyrus could stop alongside him. Bowing his head low, he thought to even drop to one knee in reverence but perhaps the sincerity of his gesture had already been stressed enough.

"Oh, no no, not at all, Alastair dear. It would mean the world to me to know that the very same pages which I held so dear were the same you read. It adds something special to the book itself, would you not agree?"

As Alastair lowered his head in a bow, Cyrus simply reached out and brought her hand under his chin, raising his face up so their gazes could meet once more. She of course understood the meaning of such a gesture, but it was not one that she wished for him to express at present. The two were simply walking as comrades, rather than as superior and subordinate.

"I have a small favor to ask of you, if you truly feel you need repay me. I have no doubt that you are aware that I am still far from the mighty protector of the Quincy that I was. If you would be willing to assist me in training when you are available, it would be tremendously appreciated."

Of course, Cyrus hardly thought that Alastair was the best choice for such a thing, but the meaning of the question was not so much a matter of learning as it was a matter of reaching a hand out to one of her Vandenreich. If she was to achieve her aims with the help of her people, she would certainly need to grow close to them, would she not?

"Of course I do. To read from the pages that you have treasured so much would bring about a whole new meaning to each of them, but I cannot help but feel--"

His rebuttal was cut short by the feeling of a hand cupping his chin, pushing it upward once more. It took only a moment to recognise that it was Cyrus' hand, but there was a shock to it all that stopped him dead in his tracks. Of all the responses he might have expected, this was not one of those. He did not resist in the slightest though, her gentle lift raising his head so that they might gaze at another once more. It was symbolic enough that he might have wept were there any weakness to his conviction.

"Anything that is in my power to give, it is yours. Training, tutelage, of whatever I am able to teach you to help you return to your former strength. I will not ask why you would honour me again, of all the thousands of Quincy at your beck and call, for at this point I simply must accept that I am just luckier than most."

Despite her gentle demeanor, her motherly affections, there was an intensity to Cyrus' presence that almost seemed to forget that she had lost so much of her power. She was, for the first time in many months now, truly able to lead, to inspire, and the difference compared to what she had been not even one week ago was nothing short of miraculous.

"I honor you so because of your dedication to all that the Vandenreich is, all that I have worked to build. Perhaps you only see yourself as one of thousands, but I hold every one of you dear to my heart as individuals. Please always remember that, Alastair dear."

Removing her hand from his chin, Cyrus turned and continued to walk once more, a cheerful spring to her step that could only ever have seemed natural in the aspect of the Blissful Flame. As she turned back to face Alastair once more, she spoke in an almost songlike tone, and her whole presence seemed nearly radiant.

"I will rely on you, and on the Vandenreich, for as long as you honor me with your service."

"I... I do not know what to say, Grandmaster."

It was an unexpected occurrence for Alastair to find his composure so shaken, yet, as she continued to hold him, it was as if he could simply speak no more. The sensation was not a menacing one by any means, he did not feel like there was anything he particularly should have said, but it still felt like there was an obligation to offer more thanks simply for being in her presence.

Eventually, though, she released him from that tender embrace and began to move ahead. It was likely only when she realised that he was still stunned that Cyrus turned back to address him again, and thus he slowly came out of his stupor. Rushing to catch up with her, he was soon by her side once more.

"Then I will not fail you, nor the Vandenreich by extension. You have my service for as long as you honour us with your leadership."