The Eye of the Beholder (Tyr)

[ShadowVigilante1]

Bordeaux, France
November 31, 2880
9:30 p.m

As the night life was beginning to quiet down a little, Ryan was sat at a table within an inn’s restaurant. He was paid for the job, but the many mistakes he made earlier, they were certainly not to his liking. What to do with the money though? He could use it to have what’s left of his Bushnell repaired, but he doubted it was worth it now considering he had Zector answering his beck and call. And Zector can repair itself, how handy is that? Still… this whole idea of starting a rebellion, he was starting to have some doubts regarding his ability to do so.

“Ughhh… dammit…”

Ryan laid his forehead right on top of the table, his little celebratory shortcake was sitting there waiting to be eaten. He was at a loss with what to do next. Does he keep going with his plans? He looked like a complete idiot with a death wish back there. Who knows if he’ll even find that Signature and be able to talk him down. Much less find if his father is still alive and is his anonymous supplier. Should he just leave the mercenary life altogether and start fresh?

No… That will not do. That will never do. Vengeance. Power. Justice. He can never be satisfied without them. He needs them, he can’t just chicken out now. Not while they still exist, not while the unjust rule, and not while the accused remain unpunished.

How will they feel his righteousness, his anger, his wrath, his judgement?

Think you fool… THINK!

 

[Tyr]

"Your shortcake is going to dry out if you don't eat it soon you know." A voice spoke to Ryan. A blackhaired woman with obviously expensive custom-made clothes slid on to the chair on the other side of the table Ryan had taken for himself, giving him a friendly smile. A faint, pleasant aroma of a perfume wafted over to Ryan from her.


She placed a designer handbag on the table before placing both her hands on the table, one resting atop the other. She gave him a pointed, knowing look. "I'm sure its cost pales in comparison to the costs of your excursion earlier today but you should still eat up. Sweets have a wonderful ability to soothe the mind when we are busy beating ourselves over for our mistakes, imagined or otherwise. Something that I'm sure you could use right now."

 

[ShadowVigilante1]

Ryan snapped at attention as he heard someone speak to him, well she seemed… rich to put it bluntly. Maybe she’s some Erebonian noble who ran from home? Or maybe she’s just looking for a job. Either way, it would be pretty rude to turn her away. As she smiled at him, he put up a tired smile of his own as he addressed her.

”Can I help you with anything?” he said simply, wondering why she decided to sit next to him. But then came up the mention of an excursion. How did she know that, or was it just a smart guess? This was getting interesting… and also confusing. What did she want with him? He decided to ask another question to find out.

”Do you know I’m a mercenary or are you just assuming I am one?“ Well… the gear made it kind of obvious but he wanted to ask about it either way. And at the mention of his reward sweets, he picked up his fork and slowly began to cut into the cake with an absent mind to the delectable strawberry cake.

 

[Tyr]

The woman chuckled. "While the guess would be easy enough to make, there was no need for such. A mutual acquaintance of ours told me about you." Mirth lifted her voice and tugged at the edges of her mouth, widening her smile unopposed. "I believe his exact words were 'some idiot who wanted to talk but lead off with a hail of bullets.' I don't think he was very impressed with you." She tilted her head. "Sound familiar?"

Her eyes bore into Ryan, intensely studying his every reaction, however small. A member of the staff brought a cup of tea for her. "You piqued my curiosity. It is not every day one has a chance to meet someone brazen enough to openly declare his intentions to go against the Britannian Empire, much less an Awakener. So I came to take a look at you, to see whether you are the right kind of idiot."

She stirred the tea with her spoon whilst humming, looking the very image of grace. Like she was just discussing the weather. "So whether you can help me... well, let's return to that at the end of this conversation, shall we?"

 

[ShadowVigilante1]

Ryan sighed as he heard what the woman had to say. In well this already seemed a bit like a bad start. “Filibert… maybe someday I’ll get his attention.“ That sentiment was very much reflective of his state of mind, which became a clear indication of what his action was to be as soon as she mentioned her own interest in him. A look mixed with confusion and relief was on his face, he was somewhat shocked. “But it looks like I have yours.“

He waited for the server to leave before continuing, attempting stare back at her piercing gaze but faltered slightly as he watched her stir her tea instead. “So, what do you have against Britannia? And why me? Surely there’s someone else more worth your time, and with more experience. Because I clearly don’t have enough of it yet to know how to lead or much less negotiate with people.” Really this was strange, why all of a sudden? What did he have that she wanted? It could never possibly be Zector, she doesn’t even have the privilege to pilot him.

 

[Tyr]

The stirring paused, and she sighed heavily in disappointment. "Do you truly know this little about the Divine Knights when you pilot one of them?" She demanded, her voice sharp, harsh even. But not necessarily aimed at Ryan himself. "Surely you did not just accidentally stumble on one of them? Surely your guide was not incompetent enough to leave you this much in the dark!?" One of her arms half twitched, half waved to the side before jabbing a pointed finger towards Ryan. "To those that know about Divine Knights you are a person of interest already simply by being an Awakener."

The woman paused, before sighing deeply, the fire and agitation leaving her body with it. She gave Ryan a wan smile. "You are questioning things, that is good, for people will always want to make use of an Awakener. But you aim them poorly, and make assumptions too easily, without enough supporting evidence. I have not mentioned having anything against Britannia." She raised the teacup to her face, drawing the aroma in to her nostrils and letting out a pleased noise, giving him a pointed look all the while.

"Try again." She suggested, though the suggestion sounded more like a command. Waiting patiently for a reply, she calmly sipped her tea, eyes brightening minutely. The brew was hardly the best she had tasted, but still surprisingly good for the quality of the place they were in. It would do while waiting for Ryan to come to the obvious conclusion.

 

[ShadowVigilante1]

Well as he thought, bad start. But it’s alright, it at least seemed like she had a bit more patience than the others he’s met. Well, it was probably best to ask more questions that the Hexen were not able to for him later. For now, it was best he asked the proper question that the woman was looking for from him. One now made a bit more obvious by her interest in his status as Awakener.

”So you want to make use of my abilities as an Awakener then? Ok, but what’s the catch? The word use is completely different from being allies, and I do not enjoy being used. So I want to know exactly what it is you are getting out of this, or if you are considering some form of proper partnership.” If Davina was not going to tell him what possible ulterior motives they had in resurrecting the Great One, perhaps he can gleam it from whatever this woman wanted from him. He was honestly quite curious as to the outcome of this conversation.

 

[Tyr]

She smiled in approval. "Finally you are asking the correct questions. Crudely so, certainly, but still the correct ones at their core. That is something you should always keep in mind when others entreat to you, for as long as you are an Awakener - or are thinking about planning a revolution."

She lowered the teacup, placing it on the table and clasped her hands together. "An alliance and a... 'proper form of partnership' are both still two sides making use of one another. A credible argument can be made for all interactions being people seeking to make use of the other." She shook her head. "But it is true enough that I'm not here to discuss semantics or philosophy with you." There was a chuckle, like the very notion was laughable.

But then that levity was gone. She leaned forwards slightly, propping more of her body on her arms, eyeing Ryan in a rather unsettling, vaguely threatening and almost predatory manner. "What I want is not for you to know, for now. While I could give you trite and clichéd explanations about how you are better off not knowing - and they would even hold some truth to them - that would be needless grandstanding. You do not have the cards, the means with which to get concessions out of people. You've no information, no power base, no monetary pull nor brute force."

She gave him a grin, though without any humor in it it looked more like a mix of a grin and a grimace. "Another thing you'll need to keep in mind if you raise your banners in rebellion. People will rarely do anything for you, much less give you anything if you've nothing to force them with or to give in return. Something you already came face to face with earlier today."

She leaned backwards, to the recliner of her seat, and delicately raised her cup again. "But suffice to say my ultimate goal is on the way to your desire to topple Britannia. Tonight I am here only to evaluate you. To see whether you are worth backing if you do decide to start a rebellion."

There was a brief moment of silence where she merely did small circles in the air with her cup. "And to give you a few pointers so you don't stumble on the very first steps." She added drily, emphasizing the point by drinking her tea.

 

[ShadowVigilante1]

Ryan sighed and simply nodded his head in loathsome agreement to what the woman had to say. She was right on all accounts, no resources, barely any intel or money, and not to mention a severe lack of power to give his claims the extra oomph they need at times. Neither can he rally the troops so to speak when most don’t have the courage or incentive to do so. Well, clearly she wants to hammer home a point of providing for him most likely, but at the cost of his Awakener powers, likely speeding up the Rivalries and increases the chances of losing Zector altogether in his current state.

As he took another bite out of his cake, he raised his eyebrow at the prospect of her coming here to observe him. She clearly had all the cards as she says, what does she have to gain by observing him now?

”Evaluate me? What exactly do you plan to evaluate me on? Like you said, you’re the one holding the cards. Surely you have enough information to deem a different Awakener as more worthy of whatever it is you intend. What makes a Number like me so interesting? My intentions? My spirit? What is it that you get out of me?”

Somewhere in the back of his mind he was also starting to realize… he never caught her name just yet. Better add that to the pile of questions accumulating in his mind. Though hopefully once she makes her purpose clear, he could make up for his impoliteness.

 

[Tyr]

The woman silently listened to Ryan, disapproval all but radiating off of her and the pointed glare she gave to him. She sighed. The boy was too fragile. "You are not listening. Listening is not simply passively absorbing the words someone is saying but to also actively think about its implications. You are only doing the former. Stop it." She said sharply.

She frowned. Perhaps a softer touch was in order, with how fragile the boy was. "Certainly it is true that the other Awakeners would be more 'worthy' if we're looking at sheer prowess, and indeed, they would remain so even if we were to compare your spirits with one another. But do you see any of them here, around us right now?" Her frown moved to the teacup in her hands. It was half-empty already, a pity. "They are not here Mr. Ryan. They have their own designs, their own goals in life. You are the one that wants to tackle on this great devouring beast we call Britannia. Just because you've no powerbase of any kind right now, does not mean that it will always be so."

She rubbed her forehead with her fingers. "It is tiresome to go over this Mr. Ryan, but clearly it is necessary. More than anything else, leading is an act of convincing. If you can not even convince yourself about your competence, much less your chances at success, how are you ever going to convince anyone to follow you? If your ego is so fragile as for that flame to be snuffed out by a stranger stating the truth of your situation, look to your Divine Knight. You are an Awakener. You are not an average person. A Divine Knight has recognized you as worthy of being its pilot, its Awakener. That alone marks you as exceptional."

 

[ShadowVigilante1]

”Ok ok I get it!” He said after the woman had finished making her point. Now he knew why he was chosen, made a lot more sense when she put it that way. If she had just started with that, there might have been no problems. Why do some people always insist on being cryptic like her? It hurt his head enough that he felt the need to rub his temples in order to calm down, he did so while staring down at the table for a moment.

”So just to be sure I’m thinking of the implications like you stated. You chose me because of my potential and how my goals somehow align with yours. And because of that and my mark of excellence as an Awakener… you want me as an ally… or mentee or something along those lines of having a mutually beneficial relationship.“

He paused for a moment, waiting for a reaction from the woman. Any at all. But his body simply was not able to take it, so he spoke out once again. “Did I get everything right so far?” As he said that, he realized that he had completely forgotten to ask for her name. Perhaps when she’s done being cryptic she’ll deign to introduce herself, he thought. He really did not like this, it felt like being scolded by a teacher or mother figure in all honesty. Then again, most of his life was devoid of such a figure as well. So it might not have been an entirely uncomfortable situation for him, at the very least he got to experience something he thought he never really needed to.

At the very least, now he had a bit more of that confidence he had from earlier. Eager to get down to business and learn. “If I did get everything right, then how exactly are you planning to evaluate me then? Aside from us talking like this of course, I’m sure there’s something else you had in mind.”

 

[Tyr]

The woman hummed noncommittally, drinking the rest of her tea in silence - though there was a satisfied air to her. "Something like that." She eventually replied, smiling over the rim of the teacup, the smile small but no less genuine in its amusement. "At last you considered what you had heard and made your own conclusions, conclusions that are close enough to truth to not matter, for now. Well done."

The now empty teacup was placed on the table, the distinct sound of porcelain hitting porcelain ringing like a bell ringing for the final judgement. "Why, the evaluation will be simple!" She began with exaggerated cheer in her voice. Then the smile morphed, twisting into a grin. "Get a rebellion going. A form of resistance force that goes against Britannia, whatever you think is most appropriate or best suited for yourself. You have all that you need in order to do so, doubly so with the lessons you have received today. Once you have accomplished something of note that the world is forced to take note - that is when you will have passed. That is when I will support you, and grant you boons only I can give. Boons that you need to have hope for success."

She grabbed her handbag, making it clear she was about to leave. "Any last questions?" She asked with a tilt of her head.

 

[ShadowVigilante1]

As he managed to get affirmation on his correct evaluations, Ryan sighed with relief. Looks like now he’d get the help he’d need. He smiled in return as she mentioned how the evaluations will be simple, but that faked tone in her voice told him that was not exactly what she had in mind. Slowly, as the woman elaborated, Ryan’s expression was filled more and more with shock and a crestfallen look. After the blunders he had earlier today, it was a wonder she even considered him capable of… well, all that.

”But… Wha-… I just... Gah…”

Well… guess he was gonna have to work for it hard. Better get to it then. Maybe he can start with defectors this time, or perhaps a higher cost job? Well… this was just becoming more and more difficult. Maybe finding more opportunities abroad is in order.

”Alright then. I accept those conditions. And yes, I do have one last question.“

His voice shifted into a more serious tone, as if someone else was speaking entirely. Though it was still distinctly Ryan’s, something seemed a bit different about it. It sounded more formal in a crude manner of speaking.

”I assume you know who I am… But I don’t know who you are. So for future’s sake, what is your name?”

He said as he stared at the woman with a scrutinizing expression on his face.

 

[Tyr]

Soft, melodic laughter filled the air as she laughed, hand in front of her mouth and creases at the corners of her eyes from her mirth, clearly entertained by Ryan's shocked flailing. She nodded along after the moment of levity had passed, like she had expected him to ask that all along. "I suppose that is only fair." She conceded.

And rose from her seat without answering. She stayed there for a beat, considering something, and shook her head. Advice that heavy handed would make any success prove little. "But for now, my name is too important a secret to reveal. It too will be revealed if you pass the test." She took a slip of paper from her bag, and placed it down on the table, facing Ryan. On it was a phone number. "Call me when you have done what I ask."

"But it is true that you need something to call me with. Erika will do. Good luck." And with that Erika turned around and walked away.

 

[ShadowVigilante1]

“Erika, huh?” He said as he pulled the piece of paper closer to himself. Still not her true name, but it was a start at the very least. He wondered where her help will lead him once he earns it. For now, he wrote down her name on the piece of paper, accompanied by quotation marks to indicate the name as not being her true one.

”Good luck to me indeed… what am I supposed to do now?”

He felt his phone buzz, new alerts from SIGNS and from his other contacts. Just what he was looking for, or rather the thing any merc hopes for in a stint of boredom. Jobs.

”So who’s got a job for this Awakener now?”