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 Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2022 10:00 am
Alastor shouldn’t be here. He wouldn’t be here, if he’d had any other option.
But, need demanded.
Acrucis wasn’t his only stop, but it was his first–and for right now, it was the most important. Typically, he wouldn’t have arrived powered up, but he couldn’t afford to make mistakes. He needed to be on the defensive, and he needed to be taken seriously. He didn’t have time to waste.
The Eternal Senshi arrived, an imposing amalgamation of beauty and power, of grace and strength. A cloud of anger stormed above him, and he carried himself with pride and purpose. His appearance was as important to him as his presence, and there was no doubt that he must have thought highly of himself.
Maybe he was arrogant. Maybe it was necessity. He had a poisonous legacy, and he walked with long strides, like maybe he could outrun it. Out here, he didn’t know who might recognize him, and he didn’t know who might try to use that against him. He wasn’t opening himself up to expose any weaknesses if he could help it.
Alastor was neither meek nor modest when he approached the nearest official looking figure. He spoke with expectation and command, even if he tried to be polite about it.
“I need to speak to someone in charge, immediately. I’m looking for someone, and I need to find them. Fast.”
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Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2022 10:23 am
One of the guards sat up a bit more straight at the sudden demand. His eyes narrowed as he regarded the man before him with a measure of skeptical curiosity. “There are rules and procedures that must be adhered to.” A woman clad in a full suit of armor spoke up from beside him. Her footsteps practiced and measured as if the plate metal she wore were a second skin. Unhindered by the bulk or weight of it she walked around the young man wearing a mantel of authority but knew she was not the one he wanted to speak with. “Yes,” the man at the table agreed and slid the ledger forward. “You must register yourself, state clearly your reason for being here, and your expected length of stay. If you are bringing trade goods they must be listed and include their intended use if it is not obvious.” There were merchants who traveled here bringing medicinal herbs and other methods of healing to Acrucis for the purpose of helping the refugees they brought in at the boarders. “All of that, however, is unnecessary if what you bring here is war or ruin” Her gloved finger ran along the edge of the book before she slammed it shut effectively denying him the opportunity to access her beloved home. “Nadia-” The paladin’s tone was a sharp warning but the look she shot his way was even more lethal. “Do you truly think nobody here would know who you are? That there would be no victims of your misdeeds and crimes?” There was a layer of anger in her voice but it was unclear if she had been directly affected by him, or a previous generation of world destroyers, or if she had been tasked with bringing in too many affected by his line. “You do not come in the name of peace, do you… Alastor?”
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Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2022 11:03 am
Alastor’s eyes narrowed, guarded and angered, but his face remained remarkably still otherwise. He didn’t allow himself to frown or scowl, and his posture remained the same despite the harshness of her words.
He didn’t allow her to see him angry. He wasn’t going to feed into whatever she thought she knew.
“I come in the name of justice,” he said, in a careful, measured tone. There was something steely about it, like he was already bracing himself for conflict even if he wasn’t actively pursuing it. His eyes followed her, agitated, so he turned to the man, instead.
“With no secrecy. Put my name in your ledger if you already know it. I am Sailor Alastor. Devyn DeLunne. I come alone. I have no goods to trade, and I have no war to rage.” His eyes shifted to the woman briefly, maybe with a bit of deliberate spite, but a look couldn’t cut so he’d done no harm. “I said before, I’m looking for someone. I’d like to stay as briefly as possible. I just need to know if they’re here. Before someone gets hurt.”
He looked at the woman again. “By his hand, not mine.”
He didn’t have time to argue, he was pressed short enough already without having to defend whatever stories she’d heard.
“So I need to speak to someone in charge, now.”
And then, a measure of courtesy, he said, “Please.”
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Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2022 11:17 am
Nadia took his challenge for what was, matching him ire for ire, and rose to her full height which was comparable to their guests. The hand at her side fisted and before she could voice her objection the man at the table quite calmly placed his hands on the table and rose as well. For a moment she thought that her Commander was going to support her rage but instead he spoke to her directly. “Nadia- stand down or I will have to ask you to leave.” Her head snapped to the side in utter disbelief but that look of initial surprise was replaced once more by a heated hatred fueled by her own embarrassment. She did, however, take a step back and then another until she was more like a solder in the backdrop of an important conversation. There to guard and nothing more. “You must forgive her. Nadia’s anger comes from a place of passion. She has sacrificed much to devote her life to protecting Acrucis and its citizens; be they born here or from circumstance with no other place to call home.” There was a kindness in his voice, one that was almost fatherly even though he didn’t appear to be much older than his comrade. He reached across the table for the ledger and opened it to the last entry, “Devyn DeLunne, correct?” He ignored the official title as it would only bring panic and uprising if it were written and anyone else learn of his arrival.
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Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2022 12:07 pm
Alastor seemed to take Nadia’s posturing as a challenge, and if the man hadn’t intervened he might have been ready to see how much of a fight she wanted to make this. He wouldn’t say it, but he was glad for the disruption. This wasn’t about picking a fight, or about ego. He watched her as she took a step back, but he seemed more willing to work with her associate.
“Correct,” Alastor clarified, and did his best not to get frustrated at the slow pace. Realistically, he knew there was protocol to follow, and he was doing his best not to be a disruptive guest. Especially since he was asking for them to do something for him.
Except, it was for their own good, too.
Briefly, his eyes flicked back to Nadia, but he focused his eyes on the ledger as he waited for his name to be logged.
“Then I hope she will be relieved to know that we currently share the same goal.” He offered no forgiveness, nor asked for any in return. It wasn't something to swap for conventional comfort. He understood an angry passion, he found no fault in that. He couldn’t be upset with her for that without being a hypocrite, himself.
So, it was irrelevant. Feelings meant nothing, not as long as there was a job at hand.
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Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2022 12:10 pm
“Currently-” Nadia repeated under her breath, laughed at the irony of it and Jareth leveled an unamused look in her direction. She rolled her eyes and looked away, finding something else to focus on while still listening to their conversation.
“Mr. DeLunne,” perhaps not the proper way to address the Senshi of another world, but to use any other honorifics, such as Lord, would only raise suspicion. The ledger was then turned for him to inspect and beside his name, an explanation of stay read To speak with the protector of this world to form a peace agreement. It was no lie, but a simple matter of fact since all he requested was to speak to someone in charge regarding a threat to Acrucis. “If this is acceptable to you then I will have Nadia retrieve Aleyah and bring her here. In the meanti-”
Nadia took a step forward in protest, “You would go behind-”
“This is not their decision.” Jareth held a hand up to stop further argument but Nadia wasn’t done.
“She-”
“Is the only one that can make such an agreement as this is her burden to bare because they share a similar responsibility to their worlds. Aleyah will choose wisely, even if it means a temporary truce.” Their own Senshi was still young but her father was a man of high rank and taught his daughter well. “In the meantime,” he continued, leveling a steady gaze towards Alastor while handing the quill over to him. “You are welcome to wait here with me and go over the details of the person you are looking to find, or you may return to the vessel you arrived in. Here you will be protected under our laws. However, if you choose to leave, our protection will not extend beyond our borders until an alliance is solidified.”
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Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2022 12:14 pm
Alastor seemed to take no offense at whatever name was being recorded. Mr. DeLunne meant as much to him as ‘Devyn’ would have; the only thing that mattered was that he got to speak to someone.
He exhaled, closed his eyes to find some inner peace, and then nodded. “Yeah, sure. I’ll wait here.”
It wasn't about a truce; he didn't know if he had time to work out the specific details, but he was willing to do whatever it took to just get to whoever he needed to. He wanted to avoid any catastrophic consequences, wanted to avoid anyone being hurt.
He wasn’t particularly optimistic but he was going to give it his best effort.
He shifted positions where he stood; his eyes opened and he held himself with as much composure as he could manage–which, to be fair, was a surprising amount given the legacy he brought with him. “Just don’t take long, please. I’ll tell you whatever you need to know about him.”
Alastor didn’t need protection, not for himself. And, even if he did, he certainly wouldn’t ask for it somewhere that had his name.
If someone was looking for him, he didn't want to drag anyone down with him.
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