Who That Was [Lukas/Cyrus]

THE CITY OF LIGHT
"Nacht der Langen Messer." the words tumbled out, well worn. Practiced. Lukas looked up to Cyrus, continuing. "Or that's what my old man called it. Fancy way of saying 'Trial by Fire', I think. Apparently it's based on something he did when he was younger, had ties to some political movement."

Lukas paused, his frown unceasing.

"Survival of the fittest, corral a group of prospective Quincy and effectively isolate them. Later, you come back and pick up the lone survivor. " a hand drew across his throat, thumb jagged as the man mimicked a corpse. "Messy. Resource intensive. Usually bad for morale. But," his hand dropped back down, brushing down his front as he sat back.

"It pushes people to their limits. The survivors are ones who can break those limits. Surpass themselves." His next words were sour, although truthful enough. "And if they're going to die against these forces anyway, we're already counting them as lost."

Cyrus' expression had begun as curious, but his fist tightened, and the thin line across his face grew into a stark scowl of disgust.

"Let me make myself abundantly clear to you, Mr. Atherisch. I will not simply expend lives as if they were mere resources. If you wish for your own life to go to waste, then by all means, I will see it done."

His voice, which had previously carried with it a calm, respectful tone, now conveyed only irritation, malice even. Cyrus had long since abandoned such foolish notions as absolute pragmatism, and he knew that he had seen its consequences more gravely than anyone else still in the Vandenreich. He would not dare act in such a way again.

"If that is your only suggestion, you may leave."

THE CITY OF LIGHT
As to be expected.

Lukas held no particular gall or ire for violence, but that did not make him unaware. Repulsion and disgust were tantamount to default, come to face him time and time again. Cyrus' response was in the cards, so to say.

The echo of Lukas' life.

The man's hand would tilt upwards, waving off the grandmaster's open disdain. Silver eyes remained still, locked with the man opposite. "It's extreme. Outdated. I know, that's why I said it was a bad idea." Lukas lifted a leg, bridging it across his knee.

"The principal of it though, it works." his voice attempting to be reassuring, "So you take that and change the scenario. Say there's a hollow excursion that springs up, low level stuff. Instead of killing them, you capture them. Round up a dozen small issues to create a big one, something you can monitor and control."

The words felt alien as he spoke them, considerations he never would've taken before. Frankly, the idea of anything less that sheer genocide for hollows was vomit inducing, but anything was better than being scorned directly by the Vandenreich director. A compromise of ideals, with the face of desperation.

"Then you introduce trainees. They won't know the situation is artificial, meaning they'll think it's more dangerous than it is. Best part is, if things get too hairy, pull'em out."