A Meeting In The Woods [Diana/Reida]

"You are certainly right about that, stranger." Diana calmly commented on the accuracy of the stranger's remark about how making one's home in the woods was far from the most comfortable way to live one could choose. Some types of media romanticized life in the woods as an idyllic routine of living off the land, indulging in natural beauty that city dwellers only got to see in old movies, in social media posts, or on postcards, and living in a self-reliant manner that went back to a simpler time. Diana thought that was all a bunch of nonsense, to put it lightly.

There was something to be said for having plenty of space to oneself and being able to walk in pristine woods that looked like something out of a nature painting, but there were also dangers and shortcomings that took the luster off of the rustic lifestyle. For one thing living off the land was dependent on the season and the availability of fruit and game animals to form the basis of one's diet and it went without saying that winter was a particularly tough time of year. Another problem was that the isolation meant that if there was an emergency medical services, law enforcement, or firefighters would not be able to get to one's residence for quite some time. A third problem was that sometimes being alone in the woods was not good for one's mental health... going too long without seeing another building or anyone outside the family made Diana feel like the trees were closing in on her.

"I have fought Hollows several times in the past. I fought them in Central Georgia as part of the local militia of the town I was staying in at the time." Diana informed the other woman that she had some experience fighting those creatures but did not fight them alone. She was far too weak to fight them by herself, so she gladly answered the call to arms whenever they tried to attack the town she was living in after fleeing from Columbus. Fighting to protect people helped Diana get over the worst of what had happened on the Remington property, but there were still twinges of regret that she could not save her family and home from the Hollows.

"Why do you ask?" Diana calmly asked the other person a question of her own. They were free to answer it or ignore it if they wished. Although she did not show any emotion on her face or voice the stranger's presence was a welcome one because having someone to talk to distracted her from the memories of this place.

"I have heard of the Vandenreich, but I know only its name. I know nothing of its purpose, the extent of its reach, or anything else of importance." Diana informed the stranger that she had heard of the organization but did not know very much about it other than the name. She had heard bits and pieces of information as she had traveled across Georgia, but none of it was solid enough to go on. Perhaps this stranger could give her some actual good information that would help the blonde get a better idea of what the Vandenreich was and what it did. That remained to be seen, but for now the other person had Diana's undivided attention.

When asked if she planned to continue fighting Hollows the blonde did not have to take long to think about her response.

"At some point I plan to get strong enough so that I can become more proactive when it comes to dealing with Hollows. Always waiting for them to attack where I live might lead to another tragedy and I want to prevent that if I can." Diana stated that she did not plan to always be on the defensive. She wanted to one day take the fight to her hated enemy so that she could possibly stop more people from losing homes and family members like she had. However, she knew better than to think she could go from a novice Quincy to a capable huntress just by wanting it... Diana would need to put in the effort to learn the skills she needed to fight Hollows and survive the experience. Finding where she could learn those skills and someone who could teach them to her was probably not going to be easy, but she had plenty of reason to make the effort. Diana had learned as much as she could on her own and the novice Quincy needed help from someone else to get her modest skills to the next level.

Perhaps the Vandenreich had what Diana needed.

Or maybe the stranger could point her towards another potential source of training.

The stranger's explanation of what the Vandenreich did was simple and to-the-point, something that Diana liked. She appreciated the other woman not inflating the organization's mission from something mundane but altruistic into something grandiose like "imposing order upon chaos" or "pulling the world back from the edge of the abyss" or anything of that nature. While Diana was capable of understanding such turns of phrase, she liked it when people did not waste time trying to show off their intelligence of importance by thinking of the most elaborate way to say something. That was just Diana's preference, though.

When the subject of her enlisting in the Vandenreich was brought up Diana did not take long to come up with a question that she felt was important and needed asking. It concerned how long her service to the group would be if she ended up joining. Hopefully the stranger would not mind answering the question truthfully because that answer would play a role in helping Diana decide whether or not to enlist.

"Should I decide to join, how long would I be expected to serve? Do I serve for a set period with the option of re-enlisting if I choose or is it a lifetime commitment?" Diana inquired of the stranger. The question might make the blonde sound like she was averse to commitment, but if the stranger truly thought that Diana would just have to live with it. Joining the Vandenreich did not sound like something that should be done on a whim and the novice Quincy wanted to have all the facts so that she could make an informed decision before putting her name on the dotted line.

Hearing that the Vandenreich did not expect an irrevocable lifetime commitment from its members made Diana feel more at ease with the possibility of enlisting if she found the benefits of membership to be too good to pass up. The flexibility that the organization was said to offer members was another source of comfort for the blonde. While part of her was still a little skeptical that the Vandenreich would be that generous, she kept that skepticism to herself because the other woman was telling her everything that she wanted to know, so the conversation would remain civil.

"Thank you for answering that question for me." Diana calmly thanked the stranger for being so willing to answer her questions no matter how selfish or poorly worded they sounded. While the blonde was not going to sprint to the first recruiting office and join up the moment the two parted ways, she could not dismiss the possibility of joining the Vandenreich to start something that could become an actual career. While being a hunting guide put food on the table and kept the lights on, it was far from the most lucrative job around. Diana did not have a university education and she did not know the "right" people who could help her land a high-paying job in any industry, so her prospects were limited. She wanted a steady job, something that might give her a future that was not dependent on factors such as the time of year and the population of game animals.

Deciding to ask another question of the stranger, Diana decided to ask where to go if she decided that the Vandenreich was right for her.

"If I were interested in joining the Vandenreich, where would I go? Do they have enlistment offices in major cities or is there only one place where all recruiting is handled?" Diana inquired.

The stranger had given Diana a name and a location to go should she decide that the Vandenreich was right for her and wanted to join. She had also learned the name of the stranger, who was "Reida Ray Copeland." Upon receiving a name to put to a face the blonde maintained eye contact but did not say anything yet because she was thinking about what she had just been told. She suspected that the other person might have once been an ally of the organization because judging from the request that had been made Reida's name might carry some weight within its halls, but there was no solid evidence to prove that suspicion, so the blonde Quincy remained silent until she could think of something to say that was not on that particular topic.

"I will pay a visit to the City of Lights one day, Reida." Diana assured the other person that this conversation was not going to be a waste of time. The blonde truly intended to visit the city, but it would take awhile for her to get to that point. Diana needed to find the physical location of her destination and she needed the funds to make the journey to begin with. Without both of those necessities any trip to the "City of Lights" would not get off the ground.

"And if I decide that my future is with the Vandenreich I will be sure to mention your name in the recruiting office." Diana offered another assurance that was was not a false one. Should the blonde think everything through and conclude that enlisting was her best choice she would certainly tell the recruiter who had pointed her in their direction.