[Video]

[secondborn]

[Alastair is sitting on a roof, looking out at the city. He has a couple of blades next to him. It looks like he might have been in the process of sharpening them when he took a break.]

The change of seasons here is pretty dramatic, isn't it? One moment we still have green, the next...

[He nods out to the suddenly awe-inspiring fall colors of the trees.]

Did it happen like this before? I'm ashamed to say I didn't notice if it did, I was... [He wets his lips and ducks his head a moment,] ...preoccupied. [Preoccupied with being corrupted. Oops.

He lifts his head and smiles.]

Regardless, it's lovely, even if it's a bit sudden. Back home... [A distant sort of look comes over his face as he remembers.] Back home it was always very slow. There was never any one day you could say "now is the end of summer," because when things were Balanced, or at least close to it, it was a slow transition from one season to the next. Maybe our seasons were longer, it's hard to tell.

[He sighs deeply and is quiet for a long moment, then smiles again.]

There's beauty in the world, everywhere. Sometimes it's hard to find it, but every now and then you have to stop and look around and remind yourself why you're fighting.

[His grin turns sheepish and he shakes his head.]

It may seem silly, and believe me, I sound a little ridiculous to myself sometimes, but do me a favor and take a moment out of your day to just appreciate the beauty around you, and remember the beauty of home.

Comments

[secondborn]

[His smile is one of relief.]

Well that's good to hear.

[pushesgently]

In my homeland, I think it was somewhere between the seasons here and those you knew—a slower transition, but eventually a great difference. It was harder to appreciate the beauty of the height of summer.

[secondborn]

It can be, sometimes.

[He lets out a sigh and smiles slightly.]

Tell me more?

[The question is almost childlike in its simple curiosity.]

[pushesgently]

[He's happy enough to answer, as any father would be.]

The summers are long and hot, and a hood is necessary for any man who doesn't wish to fry his brains. [It's not just a stealth thing.] Winter brings the rainy season to the coast, but Masyaf is deep in mountainous territory. The coldest days brought sweeping snowstorms; I remember once when I was a boy and looked out to see nothing but white. Walking down the steep path to the village was a challenge afterward.

[secondborn]

[He listens, imagining it, a wistful sort of look on his face.]

Snow is difficult to travel in, and it's hard to be nomadic when it's cold, but I've always liked the winter anyway.

[pushesgently]

It brings its hardships, but a silence as well, once the storm has passed. I find it peaceful.

[secondborn]

Yes, it's lovely.

[He's quiet for a moment.]

Is there spring and fall as well, or is it mostly the extremes of summer and winter?

[pushesgently]

We have those as well, though they are not as memorable. I suspect most people here would find them more tolerable. It was spring when I found myself here.

[But it feels like so long ago.]

[secondborn]

...and you haven't returned, have you.

[He's realizing this suddenly. Ezio's returned home several times, and so has Desmond, and so has Alastair, but not Altaïr. Not that he can recall.]

[pushesgently]

Not that I can remember.

[And he wonders why that is, sometimes. Why does he remain here when others do not? Is there a reason at all?]

There were the times I was here before that you, Ezio and others have told me about. But I do not recall those days.

[secondborn]

[His brow furrows in thought.]

It's strange, how it works. They really don't have control over it.

[pushesgently]

It's tempting to search for some meaning in who comes and goes, and when. But I think any meaning that exists is the meaning we give it. If there is something to the magic that decides—if it is beyond the gods to say so, it is certainly beyond my skill.

[secondborn]

I agree. They've told us many times that they can't control who comes and goes and for how long and when, and I believe them.

[He sighs.]

Still, you're right, it's hard not to try to put meaning to it.

idk private now or something

[pushesgently]

It's a human trait. I once killed a man in front of his master with nothing but my blade and my will, and he still called it the work of God when it was done.

yaaay private

[secondborn]

[Well that surprises Alastair a little, but not that much.]

I'm not really one to judge. I'm sure my world's dedication to the Balance can seem very similar.

it's good to avoid 'you did WHAT now' from nosy peanut gallery members

[pushesgently]

I would say that the difference is that you know for a fact that such a thing exists in your world.

tru dat

[secondborn]

That didn't stop certain parties from regarding it as some kind of archaic religion. But I digress.

[pushesgently]

Perhaps it was more convenient for them to disbelieve in that case.

[secondborn]

I don't doubt that it was. It made things more difficult, but I suspect that was their intention.

[pushesgently]

I would not be at all surprised if that were the case.

[secondborn]

It's something of a story, but they were rather despicable.