Post by Alister Dante on Dec 31, 2018 23:29:47 GMT -8
Alister Dante, also sometimes known as Templar - Master of the Light and Dark Arts, stood at the edge of the rooftop, where when last we saw him, he had taken on cowboys and a giant, green, glowing horse. Nearby, the woman that he rescued; only moments ago, collected her thoughts. He gave her this allowance, out of kindness; however, he did not fully trust her yet, so he kept his identity hidden. Hood up and bandanna firmly in place, across the lower portion of his face. It was a silly concept, what with him being involved in televised wrestling but you'd be surprised how easily people would disassociate the characteristics and mannerisms of Alister Dante with Templar. While they were the same man and strictly adhered to the lord, when the time came and he was navigating and patrolling the city as the avenger of light, he took on a more cold, distant, somewhat stern personality. He had to do this, for his own safety and protection.
Being well trained in several styles of combat and knowing spells and incantations were one thing, but a body had to rest sometimes. He was very mortal himself, despite his skill set and experience. He knew that keeping your guard up and staying at a distance, maintained your survival. Stupidity and mistakes, in this line of work were killers and while Jesus was his savior, that didn't mean that he blindly believed that he was immune from harm. So along with having an immensely strong belief system, he adhered to all the methods that kept him alive and able to continue on his path of being the defender that was sorely needed in these dark days.
Turning his attention towards the woman that he saved, he sighed. The night was wearing thin and he would have to rest soon, for at least the few hours that he would manage to get, before he had to take on his other persona, the mild mannered, priest in training. "Dawn is approaching. You need to tell me what you know. I have things to do. Places to be. Those cowboys and that... horse. The hunt for them would be best made at dusk and during peak hours of the night. I doubt I'd find them otherwise. Not without traveling to whatever realm they came from first. Which is something that can't obviously be done. Not that willingly walking into another dimension, blindly would be something that I'd ever suggest, that's a real good way to get possessed or worse. Anyway, you said that you could explain. Then explain." His tone was a tad harsher than he meant for it to come out but he was tired and couldn't help it. He wasn't perfect, he knew this and while he prayed daily for strength to understand and have patience, there were times when he slipped. The prayers for atonement and forgiveness could come later, he needed answers and if they were to be given, the time was now.
"You. Have somewhere to be? Aren't masked vigilantes, really secretly billionaires and playboys? What do you have an early share holders meeting that you have to show up for?" She laughed and it only made his declining mood worsen.
"If you have it in you to be sarcastic, you have it in you to explain."
"Alright, alright. I was only attempting to lighten the mood after such a crazy night. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bruise your ego."
"You didn't bruise a thing. Talk." She huffed and blew a bit of hair out of her face, before lighting up a cigarette. By all accounts, she was very attractive and perhaps in a different life or dimension, Alister would have attempted to pursue her but he lived here in this reality and his path was already chosen. Adjusting his tone a tad, he tried to make himself sound less like an asshole though. "Look. It's just late and I've had a long night. I apologize if I come off as harsh, the evening has simply taken a toll. Lets start with something simple. You have a name, what is it?"
"Trinity."
"Okay, Trinity. I'm..."
"You're Templar. Yeah I know who you are. It's not like there's a lot of masked superheroes in the city. People talk. There's newspapers, radio and television and you've been brought up via all of them. Folks see you, even if you try to hide in the shadows, they still know you're there, watching and protecting the city. Most think you're straight up nuts, trying to be a real life Batman or Daredevil."
"And you, what do you think?" He was curious. Genuinely.
"I think you're brave and if someone can't see that, they're stupid." Her words caused him to laugh. She was blunt and honest, he liked that. "Finally, something other than serious eyes and a gruff, commanding tone. Now we can talk. Those things that nabbed me, they're not simply cowboys. They're not even human. They can't be, not from what I've observed."
"What have you observed?"
"You seen how that one tried to jump off this building that we're standing on, well I've witnessed them jump from great heights and splat onto the ground like putty. They would become these things. Shapeless masses, that look exactly like putty or clay as soon as they hit the ground and then, they would reform back into a cowboy and walk away. Anyway, I've taken to calling them 'Equestrians' because they maintain control of the huge, glowing horses, like the one from the briefcase."
"Fantastic. There's more of them. Do you have a clever name for them as well?"
"Um... 'Hellion Stallions'"
"Alright. You obviously know where to find these 'Equestrians' and 'Hellion stallions', correct?"
"Yes. That's why they had me. You see, I first encountered them outside my apartment and after that, I began to actively seek them out. I couldn't help it, they were so strange, it was like I was drawn to them, I needed to know more. Anyway, eventually they caught me, observing their activities. I ran and I thought I lost them but then, I woke up one night to find them inside my home. All around my bed. Just looking down at me. The 'Equestrians' pulled me out of my bed and forced me to go with them. The rest you know."
"We're standing on top of your apartment building, right now, aren't we?"
"Yes."
"Do you have someplace to stay that's safe, that isn't here? Just in case they return."
"They only travel at night. You were right when you assumed tracking them couldn't be done during the day. I should be fine if I stay here. Besides, even if I thought otherwise, I don't really have anywhere else to go. Nowhere that I'd trust or feel safe at. For reasons that I'd rather not get into, it's just me, on my own these days."
"Too risky. You would need someone here. Hey Trinity, how do you feel about letting masked vigilantes, crash for a couple of hours in your place?"
"You're not a millionaire, playboy, are you?"
"Not even remotely close."
"You're suggesting that you stay and protect me? If need be the case. In exchange for a place to crash for a couple of hours?"
"Yeah." He paused. "Oh wait, I have a home, its not like that, there would just be quite a few turned heads if I brought you there. Questions that are better left avoided." Templar sighed. "If it makes it easier to trust me." He pulled his hood and bandanna away. Revealing his identity. "My name is Alister Dante. And I'm basically a priest in training by day." Trinity's gasp and awe struck expression, said it all.
Being well trained in several styles of combat and knowing spells and incantations were one thing, but a body had to rest sometimes. He was very mortal himself, despite his skill set and experience. He knew that keeping your guard up and staying at a distance, maintained your survival. Stupidity and mistakes, in this line of work were killers and while Jesus was his savior, that didn't mean that he blindly believed that he was immune from harm. So along with having an immensely strong belief system, he adhered to all the methods that kept him alive and able to continue on his path of being the defender that was sorely needed in these dark days.
Turning his attention towards the woman that he saved, he sighed. The night was wearing thin and he would have to rest soon, for at least the few hours that he would manage to get, before he had to take on his other persona, the mild mannered, priest in training. "Dawn is approaching. You need to tell me what you know. I have things to do. Places to be. Those cowboys and that... horse. The hunt for them would be best made at dusk and during peak hours of the night. I doubt I'd find them otherwise. Not without traveling to whatever realm they came from first. Which is something that can't obviously be done. Not that willingly walking into another dimension, blindly would be something that I'd ever suggest, that's a real good way to get possessed or worse. Anyway, you said that you could explain. Then explain." His tone was a tad harsher than he meant for it to come out but he was tired and couldn't help it. He wasn't perfect, he knew this and while he prayed daily for strength to understand and have patience, there were times when he slipped. The prayers for atonement and forgiveness could come later, he needed answers and if they were to be given, the time was now.
"You. Have somewhere to be? Aren't masked vigilantes, really secretly billionaires and playboys? What do you have an early share holders meeting that you have to show up for?" She laughed and it only made his declining mood worsen.
"If you have it in you to be sarcastic, you have it in you to explain."
"Alright, alright. I was only attempting to lighten the mood after such a crazy night. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bruise your ego."
"You didn't bruise a thing. Talk." She huffed and blew a bit of hair out of her face, before lighting up a cigarette. By all accounts, she was very attractive and perhaps in a different life or dimension, Alister would have attempted to pursue her but he lived here in this reality and his path was already chosen. Adjusting his tone a tad, he tried to make himself sound less like an asshole though. "Look. It's just late and I've had a long night. I apologize if I come off as harsh, the evening has simply taken a toll. Lets start with something simple. You have a name, what is it?"
"Trinity."
"Okay, Trinity. I'm..."
"You're Templar. Yeah I know who you are. It's not like there's a lot of masked superheroes in the city. People talk. There's newspapers, radio and television and you've been brought up via all of them. Folks see you, even if you try to hide in the shadows, they still know you're there, watching and protecting the city. Most think you're straight up nuts, trying to be a real life Batman or Daredevil."
"And you, what do you think?" He was curious. Genuinely.
"I think you're brave and if someone can't see that, they're stupid." Her words caused him to laugh. She was blunt and honest, he liked that. "Finally, something other than serious eyes and a gruff, commanding tone. Now we can talk. Those things that nabbed me, they're not simply cowboys. They're not even human. They can't be, not from what I've observed."
"What have you observed?"
"You seen how that one tried to jump off this building that we're standing on, well I've witnessed them jump from great heights and splat onto the ground like putty. They would become these things. Shapeless masses, that look exactly like putty or clay as soon as they hit the ground and then, they would reform back into a cowboy and walk away. Anyway, I've taken to calling them 'Equestrians' because they maintain control of the huge, glowing horses, like the one from the briefcase."
"Fantastic. There's more of them. Do you have a clever name for them as well?"
"Um... 'Hellion Stallions'"
"Alright. You obviously know where to find these 'Equestrians' and 'Hellion stallions', correct?"
"Yes. That's why they had me. You see, I first encountered them outside my apartment and after that, I began to actively seek them out. I couldn't help it, they were so strange, it was like I was drawn to them, I needed to know more. Anyway, eventually they caught me, observing their activities. I ran and I thought I lost them but then, I woke up one night to find them inside my home. All around my bed. Just looking down at me. The 'Equestrians' pulled me out of my bed and forced me to go with them. The rest you know."
"We're standing on top of your apartment building, right now, aren't we?"
"Yes."
"Do you have someplace to stay that's safe, that isn't here? Just in case they return."
"They only travel at night. You were right when you assumed tracking them couldn't be done during the day. I should be fine if I stay here. Besides, even if I thought otherwise, I don't really have anywhere else to go. Nowhere that I'd trust or feel safe at. For reasons that I'd rather not get into, it's just me, on my own these days."
"Too risky. You would need someone here. Hey Trinity, how do you feel about letting masked vigilantes, crash for a couple of hours in your place?"
"You're not a millionaire, playboy, are you?"
"Not even remotely close."
"You're suggesting that you stay and protect me? If need be the case. In exchange for a place to crash for a couple of hours?"
"Yeah." He paused. "Oh wait, I have a home, its not like that, there would just be quite a few turned heads if I brought you there. Questions that are better left avoided." Templar sighed. "If it makes it easier to trust me." He pulled his hood and bandanna away. Revealing his identity. "My name is Alister Dante. And I'm basically a priest in training by day." Trinity's gasp and awe struck expression, said it all.