Weight of the World [Florian]

[Brenner Dornkirk]

"Weight of the World"

5th of Glade, 122

A knock preceded Brenner's entrance into the guest suite currently occupied by Florian Albrecht.

"You missed breakfast." He noted, as he stepped through the doorway and then off to the side to make way for the footmen toting covered trays. "On the table by the window." He instructed with a clarifying nod of the head in that general direction, before his gaze returned to Florian.

"So I had them bring some up." Even in the comfort of his own home, there was an air of formality about the Air Commander, though he was in a suit rather than a uniform at the moment. He stepped toward the window in front of which footmen were setting the table and uncovering trays heaped with scrambled eggs, several kinds of sausage, sweet and savoury pastries, as well as sliced meats, cheeses and lox.

"Please." Brenner gestured for Florian to take a seat at the able. One of the servants pulled out a chair for Brenner, and then moved to do the same for Florian when he approached.

"I apologise that we haven't spoken much since our return. Coffee." A servant promptly poured a fresh cup from a silver pitcher and started to place it in front of Brenner, "For our guest, first." And then moved to oblige the command, before pouring another cup for the Air Commander.

"It seems we returned to rather a different Zaichaer than we left, but the good news is this may be to your benefit... I suspect it won't be long before the powers that be become the powers that were. New powers mean new priorities, and your arrest doesn't rate with those focused on the future. Now tell me..." He collected his coffee cup from its saucer and drew it to his lips for a quick sip.

"How do things stand between you and Air Commander Angevin?"

[Florian]

FLORIAN

5th of Glade 121 AoS

Florian had, to his delight, managed to cut his hair shortly after arriving in Zaichaer, and made a solemn vow to never let it grow so long again. He had been sitting on the bed of the guest suite — perhaps the nicest bed he had ever slept on, though it was not difficult to win that award — but he was at the very least dressed in a white button up shirt and black pants, his favored outfit, and he was reading a book. He stood up from the bed at Brenner's arrival and put the book down without marking the page.

"I wasn't very hungry..." He trailed off as breakfast came to him instead. Truth be told, he felt remarkably strange to have been wrapped up in Brenner's machinations and taken back to Zaichaer. He knew that whether he had liked it or not, he had influenced the events leading up to everything that was happening and had happened, no matter how much he wanted to shed responsibility. He walked over to the table and sat, his own stomach betraying him with a grumble when he could smell the food. Hee sipped the coffee before he set down the cup and took a savory pastry.

"I haven't yet seen Commander Angevin since I've arrived, but I can't imagine it's a positive standing. I did disappear rather abruptly, and I'm not sure how much he knows about the circumstances." Florian took a small bite of the pastry and waited until he was finished chewing before he continued. "Are you saying that I may no longer be wanted by the state? Is that your doing?" He put down the pastry and took another sip of the coffee. Despite having only one arm for just over a season now, it was still a frustrating experience to do much of anything, and he found himself looking forward to the prosthetic that Lyra had told him she commissioned more and more as the days passed.

[Brenner Dornkirk]

“We shall have to amend that in haste.” Brenner replied with a firm nod. He’d been so busy working through the clandestine red tape coming off the top secret mission with two unexpected guests in tow. Astrid had seemed more concerned with the arrival of Lyra than the fugitive Lysanrin, and even processing the former was being held up by machinations closer to home.

“I haven’t been able to connect with him, as yet, but I expect to see him in the next few days and I don’t wish for him to be alarmed by the shift in fortunes that placed us together at such a strange moment. I would very much like to help you, Albrecht, but I owe some thought to my oldest friend in all this.” He plucked up a sausage between his index finger and thumb and bit the tip off, twirling what remained idly.

“I have no doubt we’ll come to a favourable arrangement for all parties involved, but… I know your disappearance complicated his life significantly and I expect the two of you will need to have a reckoning of some fashion…” He trailed off and took another two bites to finish the sausage, wiping the residue onto a cloth napkin.

“I am not saying anything is squared away quite yet… I’m not at liberty to go into much detail here and now, but suffice it to say you remain safe here for now and I am actively working toward your liberation.” He sipped his coffee and glanced out the window to the greater city, where grey clouds mingled with black.

“Have you given any thought to what you might want to do with yourself if I am successful in that endeavour? I don’t expect you’ll want to remain here at Dornkirk Manor indefinitely.”

[Florian]

FLORIAN

"I do want to see him. And apologize, and whatever else he wants from me." Florian sighed. "Did he ever..." he trailed, pausing to adjust the sentence. "I left him a letter before everything happened. Did you ever see it?" The few words on the letter were still true, though it had been nearly as long as he'd known the man since he'd seen him. Love was stupid, and lingered, and even after everything he had gone through he knew none of it was Eitan's fault. His very presence had been stopping Florian from getting snatched up by the doctor even earlier. He took another small bite of the pastry.

"With Lyra here, without her business in Kalzasi, I'll have to find a new job." Another sigh. "I don't think I'll have much luck in my current state, though. Even without being a fugitive, I'm, well," He shrugged and moved what remained of his right arm, his gaze set on Brenner. "I'll need to find a job, a new apartment, and what skills I have aren't even useful in this state. I was gone only a season and a half and I have to start over. And you," He had set down the pastry and took another sip of the coffee while pointing to Brenner, "And Stefan, Lyra, and maybe Eitan are the closest things to friends I have in this city." He stopped pointing and again switched the coffee for the pastry, finishing it up as he contemplated what he said next.

"But thank you for letting me stay here. The least I can do is help you in return somehow. Now that I think about it, I can't imagine the new Grand Marshal would want me running rampant in Zaichaer even if I'm no longer wanted. I can only guess that I know too much."

[Brenner Dornkirk]

Brenner pursed his lips and shook his head, shifting a bit in his seat as if uncomfortable with the subject matter. Perhaps it was the intimacy of it.

“No… We didn’t really speak on the matter, but it’s good that you wish to, um…” His first impulse was to use the word ‘atone’, but he decided he didn’t wish to make it sound as though he was placing his own value judgment on Florian’s actions. Knowing what he now did, the circumstances seemed more mitigating. He hasn’t been cavalier in his retreat from Zaichaer, nor blithe with the lives he put at risk in the doing. Thus he settled instead upon: “…get it all sorted.”

Brenner smile faintly at the notion that Florian regarded him as some semblance of a friend.

“We have been brothers in arms, Albrecht, and you’ve saved my life. You don’t owe me aught in return for room and board. Not with the sacrifices you’ve made for Zaichaer, both willingly and otherwise…” His eyes fell ponderously upon what remained of his arm. After a pregnant pause they rose again to meet the Lysanrin’s strange eyes.

“I may have sounded flippant in the moment back at the reception, Florian, but I meant it. It is time to choose a side.” He lifted the coffee cup to his mouth and finished off what remained, then gestured for a footman to refill it.

“Of course you are correct. You know too much.” He placed the cup down on the saucer as the servant moved to freshen it. “So do I, but I am rewarded and you are at risk of punishment. Do you know what distinguishes our lots?” He didn’t wait for an answer,

“Loyalty.” He waved the servant away.

“I know that Zaichaer has been unkind to you. Gravely so. But we are at the dawn of a new day in the High City. Unity is paramount if we are to face down the tempest looming in the North. All of Zaichaer must stand together- Human and otherwise. If you were to work toward the goal of unifying the hearts of our citizenry toward the common cause of our survival, why I suspect the plight of you and yours might be mitigated significantly.” He sipped his coffee, seeming unfazed by the scalding heat.

[Florian]

FLORIAN

Florian nodded as Brenner went on one of his notable tangents. The man had the uncanny ability to turn anything into a speech, and he could even be convincing — a notable compliment from Florian if he would ever think to admit it aloud. He knew he was relentlessly stubborn when he had his mind set to something, but even he could be swayed on occasion. If he had to choose a side at that very moment, it would always be with himself. And for the time being, that meant he had to play nice with Zaichaer. No matter his goals of vengeance, he could do nothing now. But later...

Florian did not mention that loyalty to the state was not the only difference in their lots. Wealth and race held a great deal of power in Zaichaer, moreso than Kalzasi that he had seen. Perhaps Brenner already knew, considering what followed. It took Florian a moment to understand what he was suggesting with his sentiments.

"What is it that you're suggesting? I help you salvage the years of damage done to the nonhuman population of Zaichaer? Do you need more fodder for the military?" He held his chin in his hand, elbow resting on the table. He took on a more thoughtful expression, though his eyes remained their neutral blue. Wheels were turning. "But it's not just the rest of us that need convincing. So too do many of the humans. The issues run deep."

Florian sat up and rested his hand in his lap. "I will. In fact, I will publicly pledge my loyalty to this city if you think it will help the plight of me and mine. But if you want to truly unify the city, you may want to take suggestion from someone who has been crushed by the heel of it." Florian smiled, though the memories of Zaichaer were painful. "What are you thinking of doing to remedy the rift?"

[Brenner Dornkirk]

Brenner let out a good-natured chortle at the blustery candour he was growing to expect from Albrecht.

"Well, fodder for the military never hurts but, more than that, I wish to curb unrest." His fingertip traced the rim of the saucer on which his coffee cup was set. "War seems passing likely. This is not a time when we can afford to brook a storm within as we await the coming of the maelstrom without. For the good of all who inhabit the lands of Zaichaer, we must stand together as one or be cleaved to ruin by those who seek our undoing as a people." He lifted the hand that had been fidgeting with the saucer and waved it toward the window.

"Leave the humans to me. I have a direct line to them and I understand their concerns." He glanced out the window beyond the gates of the manor where strangers strolled by, going about their daily routines.

"Fears were stoked by the previous regime that do not serve the goals of the present. I will do what is in my power to shift that focus toward our true enemy, lest we conjure new foes from those who ought to be friends..." His eyes darted back to meet Florian's, "...brothers." A smile spread as a novel notion crossed his mind.

"Another thing you and I have in common, beyond 'knowing too much', is that we are both symbols to the people of Zaichaer. I am a symbol of upward mobility... a shifting of the Zaichaeri zeitgeist toward a new meritocracy wherein a lad from outside the old establishment can stand nigh of the summit of the State. And you? You represent the backward thinking of the Old Guard. A victim of their regressive agenda that harmed its own people. I would see this reconciled and together, we might symbolise a glorious future: A unified Zaichaer." He closed his fist as the flames of fervour danced in his eyes. "Ascendant." His smile broadened, "Invictus."

[Florian]

FLORIAN

"If avoiding war were a concern, I think you would be in a different position now." Florian laughed. He had seen how the new Grand Marshal Kelgarde had spun the story, and he was one of the very few in Zaichaer who knew what had actually happened. And by chance, no less. He met Brenner's flowery sentiments with more straightfoward language. While charismatic, he was a master at saying near nothing in a stirring sort of way, and if he was understanding what Brenner was trying to say, it seemed to be getting in the way.

"And I understand the concerns of the other side as well as any." Florian replied. "So you would like to use me as a token of your goodwill. Plucked from the damages of the old regime, saved from the clutches of Kalzasi. But saved by the magnanimous Brenner Dornkirk and given a new chance at the life that was so nearly stolen from him." Florian took the coffee cup and finished it. "Mm. I'm sure you could spin any part of my past season to your favor without much effort."

He placed the cup back in the saucer and his eyes lingered on the shiny rim of the cup. "If you want it to work, you have to show everyone that you trust me. That you trust someone like me with responsibility, and that you're privy to the concerns of people hold. A sign that Zaichaer is not just for the humans, but that even a Lysanrin can find acceptance."

He looked back up at Brenner. "What I'm saying is that you should hire me. Make me your assistant or some other nonsense. Show the rest of us in Zaichaer that we have a direct line to voice our concerns." Florian smiled again. "And, with war coming, it may help to have someone nearby who can both detect and protect you from errant magic. Foreign or otherwise. You know what they say — keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer, and keep the man who can pluck the aether from a cast spell the closest."

[Brenner Dornkirk]

Brenner joined in when Florian laughed.

"I meant internal unrest." He clarified, "A foreign war, as I said, seems unavoidable. An inconvenient civil war coinciding with that foreign conflict is what I would like your help in avoiding." Brenner's biggest complaint with the prior regime had been the inner turmoil it had allowed to foment in Zaichaer. There were so many loose ends... so many chinks in their armour that he'd seen in the past year- Ranging from uppity reconciliators whose personal goals countered those of their position to the horrors of Glade the 8th. He had held his tongue, as a good servant of the State, but now that a superior alternative had presented itself, he was passing pleased.

"Oh, Florian..." Brenner tilted his head and tsked. "I am sorry to hear you think me so self-centred as to seek to use your plight for my personal benefit. You may not believe this, but my personal renown doesn't come into it." He canted his head, then, in the other direction. "At least not for now." A crooked smile supplanted the symmetrical one he'd worn through their shared chuckle.

"It is looking as though I'll be in as prime a position as I could possibly hope for at my age and level of experience when all this dust settles. My first ambition is to see that our new Grand Marshal is made popular enough to keep me there for a good, long time. She is the saviour, and I? A mere facilitator." He listened to Florian's musings and considered them.

"Interesting." He lifted a hand to stroke his chin in contemplation. "More coffee for our guest." He instructed without glancing away from Albrecht.

"You say I shall have to show everyone that I trust you for this to work. I don't disagree with that, but... Should I trust you?" He leaned across the table, one elbow resting on its edge as he stared inquisitively into Albrecht's eyes.

"I know you have your doubts, but I very much want you to believe in our cause. I want to win your heart for Zaichaer. Not the perversion of it that harmed you, but the one we might build together. Tell me, Florian..." He paused a ponderous beat,

"If all the biases, grudges and conflicts were erased from this world, what would you want your life to look like?"

[Florian]

FLORIAN

Florian nodded. Either way, he could be used as a prop for the new regime. He was not too prideful for such a thing, especially when it meant a matter of survival. And attempting to survive had been his entire life. But even the hint of a chance that he could change that, for now, was appealing. If Brenner believed what he was saying, if the newly-promoted man truly wanted to cool the simmering unrest, then he could only hope to influence it. His hatred, anger, and his deep, deep dislike of Zaichaer had formed from his lack of control. Killian, Lyra, and now Brenner had and could all offer him what he had lacked for so long. Control.

"I'd have a house." He started. "With a gate, and a courtyard. Maybe I'd be married, or maybe not. Perhaps I would still be in the Air Defense Corps, doing something I had joined to do and not what I ended up doing. I did join because I had hope for a more normal life, even if my mother always said I was..." Florian paused his rambling. "What is the point of this question, again?" It had thrown him a bit for a loop. He had fantasies of a life that could-have-been, but a solid thought of how he wished his life to look as compared to how it looked now wasn't something that he had much time to think of. He closed his eyes for a second and frowned, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Zaichaer has failed me, and it failed my mother. I have spent my life failed by this state if not actively harmed by it. I don't give a shit about anyone's words or," his hand moved from his bridge to wave in Brenner's direction, "little speeches. I want to know that you will listen to me. You will have every reason to trust me if I can trust you." He looked back at up at Brenner. "So if you believe what you're telling me, then I will believe you. You are nothing if not dedicated to your cause."