[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

[blackhand]

Other than temperature, not really. It rains a lot in both cases. Summer is humid to the point of leaving windows open at night and having parties that last into the early morning. Winter usually has rain, though sometimes it gets cold enough to snow.

It's not my favorite season.

[secondborn]

So it rains a lot in general?

[blackhand]

More often than not, yes.

[secondborn]

That's interesting. Is there a problem with flooding, or is that compensated for?

[blackhand]

There's sewers, but I wouldn't exactly call it taken care of. Home isn't what I would label as "peachy."

[secondborn]

It does sound like there are a lot of difficulties.

[blackhand]

It usually happens when you live in a tyranny.

[secondborn]

Ah. I see.

I've experienced something of that, myself.

[blackhand]

A lot of people are familiar with it, I've found.

[secondborn]

I've noticed that too.

If there is light, there must be darkness. Humanity is certainly no exception.

[blackhand]

There's more darkness than light back home, honestly. Not that it matters- I prefer the dark, anyway.

[secondborn]

There's nothing wrong with that.

[blackhand]

You'd be one of the few who thinks so.

[secondborn]

The darkness is just as important as the light. The balance of the two is necessary.