belevine-blog

[belevine-blog]

Every person had a story, even if he only knew their name.  For every person laid to rest, Brett promised to save someone in their name - it was an endless wish, especially in the world that he had been born in but it wasn't an impossible one.  With his hands shoved into his jacket pockets, he paced silently as he read the names that covered the grave-site.  Many were empty graves, plenty were just the headstones.  The guilt panged on his heart, a constant reminder that he needed to work harder and be better;  guilt, when left unchecked, could be a powerful destroyer and he had already suffered enough losses.  Silence was his only response to all of those losses, but like everything, even the silence was cut short.  He blinked a few moments before he turned to face the owner of the voice.  A friend of Rory's, if his memory served him well.  "It's the type of motivation we need," Brett said as he looked over to the boy.  He gave him a friendly smile and nod before he responded, "It's alright.  The world's a little quieter now, so I'm thankful that we can even have the opportunity for conversation."  He paused and said, "Was I interrupting your visit?"

He wasn’t sure if it was possible for him to dislike a place but also feel at peace in them. If it was possible, then he found solace in the cemetery. Somewhere near New York, he had a headstone with his name on in next to his father’s headstone. He took up the space that his mother was supposed to, but he never visited because he was afraid that he’d see wilted flowers, or worse, his mother’s or his sister’s name. He wasn’t planning to check because the thoughts made him too sad, but now he was standing near to where his mentor had been laid to rest. He didn’t want to approach because he was probably just another kid to her, but she meant something to him. “I guess the people left behind have to work harder to make things fair, huh?” He asked outloud and then looked over at the other person before giving a nervous chuckle. “Sorry, that’s weird. People don’t usually talk to other people in the cemetery.”

[belevine-blog]

Five years go by and although Harper looked older than Brett remembered him, he was still the same person to Brett.  The Director stood up from where he'd been knocked over and dusted himself off as Harper looked ready to attack.  He took a step forward, stood next to Harper as he put his hands on his hips and grinned, "You're still too slow kid."  Brett cast a glance over to Harper, his grin turned into a full smirk before he rose his eyebrows.  Without another second passing by, Brett levitated off the ground as he flew towards the attacker.  Flight was one of the strangest things that Brett could try to describe;  it sounded so farfetched for most people, but for Brett ...it was second nature.  He didn't even think about it.  He could fly as easily as he could walk.  He gave Harper a quick wink before he started off after the person in question.

“Watch where the fuck you’re goin–,” Harper started to curse out the person who knocked him over …but he quickly realized that it was someone trying to avoid being caught. A criminal? A villain? Something? He wasn’t sure but what he did know was that this wasn’t something that he could just easily ignore. Not at all. Harper wanted to be a hero, after all. There was no way he could let someone who obviously did something wrong go. He pushed himself off the ground and yelled at the nearest person, “Yo, call the cops or some shit. I’m going to restrain that son of a bitch.” With that, he turned his attention toward the running perpetrator. It was go-time.

[belevine-blog]

torrcntivl‌:

“At those moments in time, I couldn’t do anything, none of the probabilities that played out in front of me worked. There was nothing I could do. I’ve replayed it to study it to come to the conclusion that from any angle, I was powerless. There isn’t any potential there, Director.” Honor sighed and lowered her gaze. She reached into her bag and pulled out a shard she had recovered from the site of the battle she had with a SHOT agent. “Apollyon and the Elementalists were thwarted and Inner Sanctum won.” The costs were heavy and she knew that most in their organization wouldn’t consider this a win, but the rest of the world didn’t understand the sacrifices made. Honor held out the shard. “I wasn’t fighting for the good of everyone, I just wanted my friends to survive, but all I have now are shards and pieces of that fight. I’m trying to make sense of it, still…”

The hardest people to help were the ones who didn't want to be.  Brett shook his head;  he didn't like the way Honor made excuses to bench herself.  She wasn't the only person who felt as though they could have done more but didn't;  he was The Director of the Inner Sanctum, after all.  His shoulders carried more than just the guilt.  "I'm trying to help you," Brett replied to Honor, "But you don't want help.  You want a reason to be excused from having to redeem yourself."  The Vriv'Amt's brows furrowed as he took his a sharp breath.  A frown came on him even as she held the shard out.  "Take it to the scientists.  They can begin to the analyze what these are,," he instructed her.  "Just leave it with them and after, take time off to figure out what you want to do and how you want to honor the friends you held so dearly."

[belevine-blog]

"I don't like it either," Brett admitted with a frown.  Although he wasn't a fan of the Abilities Index Act, he understood why it was put in place ...and even though he understood it, the idea of putting people into a catalog was never something he liked.  It reminded him too much of shameful moments in the world's history.  He frowned and looked over to her, "It'll change.  It can't stay like this forever.  People aren't items to be categorized."

“Does anyone else find it weird that you can google people’s names and see if they have powers or not? It isn’t that they’re open about their power use… It’s that Abilities Index act.” Genny frowned and closed her laptop. Maybe having a ridiculous alter ego name was a good thing. After all, who would link Party Girl to Professor Enderle. “They’re basically keeping an eye out on people… This kind of information is terrifying.”

[belevine-blog]

amcraxwclf‌:

“Whatever you say.” she mused as she held a challenging gaze. Amara wasn’t a fan of this Director, let alone fond as she did with his predecessor. He was what she describes as bland. “Is that a subtle threat?” she inquired with a hint of intrigue and excitement in her tone. “Ah, a New Inner Sanctum. I love the sound of that.” She then circled him briefly before eventually stopping in front to stare him down. “Consider me curious, what makes it new? Is it the staff, seeing as 90% of them were annihilated or plain quitters in the span of 5 years? And here I thought my turnover rate was shit.” With a cheeky smile, she then adds, “What if I rock the boat a bit. Want to make a deal? It’ll be way better than making one with the Antichrist. Consider it a business partnership.”

"No threats, ma'am," Brett said as he let his smile widen, "That's a promise and I don't intend to break it."  The Vriv'Amt had never been one to break his word - this was one of the many life lessons his human parents had instilled in him;  his word was his bond, after all.  He didn't say anything he watched her circle around before he let out a soft chuckle and ended it with a audible sigh.  "Things that are broken are rebuilt to be stronger," Brett replied calmly, "You don't me very well, Amara and that's enough for me to change the Inner Sanctum and its people.  Apollyon's been playing a one-sided game for too long."  Brett let out a soft scoff before he said, "No deal.  I don't do deals with someone who's self-interest always outweighs the greater good."

[belevine-blog]

manning-caldwell‌:

“Excuse me,” Manning began, flashing the press pass from around his neck as he approached the man, “Manning Caldwell with The Ceres World. Mind if I pick your brain a bit?” Lately he’d been getting nowhere with his story revolving around the Dome, the information he did have however, not enough to warrant a front page print. He ended up putting a hold on that project to pursue something less demanding. Which is what brought him to walk up to who he recognized as the Director of The Inner Sanctum. “It shouldn’t take long.” 

"The Ceres World, huh?" Brett asked, more for his own clarification than anything else.  There were plenty of reporters in Ceres Centropolis and as the Director of the Inner Sanctum, he expected to run into them eventually.  Still, it felt strange to be talking one of them.  Brett nodded at the man and said, "Sure, I'd be happy to be of service."  Although he could have guessed what kinds of questions could be asked, he still couldn't prepare his mind for what could come.  He cleared his throat and said, "Anything in particular you're interested in picking at?"

[belevine-blog]

torrcntivl‌:

“Because it didn’t work, Director. I didn’t work.” She still felt responsible for their deaths. They were human and she was something more, so she should have been able to do more. “Why are you so insistent on putting me back on the field?” When she looked at him, she wondered if he put the hope he had for the Inner Sanctum in each of the organizations’ agents too. “Isn’t this enough evidence that I shouldn’t be?” She looked away from him and then back at the man. She wanted to get better, but she didn’t want to fight on the field again. Carrying the lives of others and losing them so suddenly were heavy burdens that she wasn’t ready to lift again. “If I don’t keep how angry I am inside, Director, people will get hurt and I don’t think I can live with that. I’ve already done enough.”

"Because you're wasting your potential if you don't," Brett said flatly.  He stared at her and sighed before he said, "But it's like you've completely given up."  His lips tugged into a soft smile before it disappeared as he explained, "I don't mind if you give up on the Inner Sanctum.  That's fine.  This organization is my burden to carry but the thing that worries me the most is that you've given up on yourself."  Anger was a double-edged sword;  it can be destructive but if channeled correctly, it could be a strong weapon.  He looked over at Honor and said, "You think you're the only person who carries this failure?  You're not the only person who lost, Honor."  Optimism in times like this were one of the most challenging things to continue to carry;  the weight of his emotions could drag the world down, if he even let it loose.

[belevine-blog]

torrcntivl‌:

“I can’t control what you choose to do.” She was afraid to depend on others again. She had a complicated relationship with wanting to belong and stay away. She didn’t feel like she was enough for the team and she also felt like asking others for help was dangerous. Honor neither trusted herself nor others very much. She closed her hands around what she was looking for and then lowered her bag, relieved. She was lucky that the thief didn’t know just how volatile some of the materials in her bag were. Sometimes, she made weapons with dangerous materials. “Director, I wouldn’t mind it if we didn’t. Field work isn’t my forté.”

"You can't control what I choose to do but you can open to communication," he said sternly, "You know how to work on a team.  Why are you acting like you forgot?"  Brett's gaze stayed on Honor as she spoke.  He frowned at her as she decided to bench herself.  He shook his head at her as he said, "We can temporarily do that, but you're not someone who stays on the sidelines."  Brett sighed.  Part of being a hero was saving people, but those who worked in that field often forgot how to save themselves.  He looked over at Honor and said, "I know you're still going through a lot of things, but you'll never be able to get better if you're keeping everything inside."

[belevine-blog]

amcraxwclf‌:

The Director of Apollyon knew when to be a team player. Staying civil and playing fair was all in her nature since her organization had to do good in order to keep running. Therefore, it was always an amusing time joining many meetings and functions with government officials and prominent figures as she would have to contribute in well…trying to stop the likes of her. She owned a multi-billion conglomerate after all and she has provided generous funding to projects and causes that helped the world. It was never a dull moment for Amara when it came to playing both sides. Stepping out of the building, she knew it was long overdue to meet the new Director of Inner Sanctum and so with her arms crossed, the hybrid joined his side and greeted him with a cheery smile. “Can’t keep up Mr. Levine?” Her tone held amusement as she looked off into the City. “It’s never too late to step down.” 

Brett cast a glance over to the Director of Apollyon.  He didn't like her and the deciet that she spun with her funding.  "Just because I don't like meetings doesn't mean I can't keep up," Brett replied as he turned to face her, "You're going to have to get used to seeing me around and the changes I'm going to bring about."  Elvira had already started to bring the changes to the Inner Sanctum but now the baton was back in Brett's hands.  Working under pressure wasn't new to Brett, if anything he excelled at it.  "The new Inner Sanctum won't be anything like you know," Brett decided.

[belevine-blog]

Technically, Brett inherited this position twice.  He had still been in the middle of understanding the first time he inherited the job but with the business of the Dome at hand, he’d had to inherit the job again.  This time was a much harder time.  The Inner Sanctum had been pushed out of the shadows and pushed into the light.  Unfortunately, that required constant meetings and functions with the government and public awareness and safety campaigns.  When the last meeting ended, he stepped out of the building and let out a sigh as he stretched his arms upward, a yawn came out of him.  “Man,” Brett said, “Thank God, it’s the weekend right now.  I need a break.”

[belevine-blog]

jvonr‌:

She liked to believe that she operated creatively within the rules and boundaries that affected her. Julienne could work through the loop holes and make new rules as she went, but it was hard to do that with Brett. He had a set way of thinking, it seemed. They both did when it came to moments like this. “Ok. That’s fair. Don’t let me keep you.” It wouldn’t be long until someone from Apollyon came looking for her anyways. She was high ranking enough for them to care about her whereabouts and whether or not she survived the dome. “Goodbye, Brett.” She hated goodbyes. “You don’t need to promise me anything. The door automatically locks, so don’t worry about that on your way out.”

"Yeah," Brett said as he looked over at Julienne once more.  His glance swept over her as he let out a sigh.  Brett ran his tongue along his bottom lip as he tried to figure out what else he could say to her.  Unfortunately, this was one of those moments that words couldn't fill.  He pressed his lips together, then nodded slowly. as he started to head out.  "Goodbye, Julienne," he said as he knew there wasn't anything he could say that would change this situation.  Nothing that could sway her.  He nodded as he said, "The promise wasn't just for you.  Take care of yourself though."  Their paths would cross again, it was impossible not to but the next time they met, it wouldn't be as kind as this.

[belevine-blog]

torrcntivl‌:

She didn’t have any appropriate responses to his questions, or rather, responses that could absolve her, but she knew that she needed to say something. “It was the most efficient.” She said, though she wasn’t sure if she meant that it was the most efficient way to stop them or to go for a kill. “At that point in time, most of the relevant variables are within my control. Any more may have contributed to negative outcomes.” She paused and furrowed her brows as she tilted her head in thought while she stared at the ground. “In short…” Honor grabbed her bag and frantically searched through it. “I both wanted my stuff back and didn’t want to die.”

"Because it was the most efficient," Brett repeated the words Honor spoke slowly, as if he was trying to understand the thoughts she had behind her reasoning.  When Honor took her bag back, Brett folded his arms over his chest and let the frown continue on his expression.  Brett took a breath as he scanned Honor, "You claim that it was because most of the relevant variables were within in your control, but you forget that you weren't the only one present.  I was right here and you didn't take that into consideration - I was a variable you wrote off."  Brett looked at Honor and said, "This was a low-priority situation and you treated it like a life or death situation.  We need to work on your judgement calls."

[belevine-blog]

torrcntivl‌:

Honor wasn’t sure how Brett could fly, but she was thankful for the fact that she didn’t have to run very far. The thief stopped in his tracks when Brett touched down and he quickly turned to escape the other way. Honor, not wanting him to get away, continued to run and when she close enough, she threw her opened palm straight into the man’s throat. With her other hand, she tried to pull her bag away from him, but when he wouldn’t let go, she decided to hit him again. The bag flew away from both of them. She raised her fist, but stopped before looking over at Brett. “I-I- I think I hit him too hard…” The initial strike she made might have been too hard. She lowered her fist and stepped away. She had forgotten about her bag. Concern was clear on her face. 

Although, Brett was ready to fend of the current perpetrator, all he could do was stand back and watch as things unfolded.  Honor reacted before Brett could take control of the situation.  He landed on the ground with a soft thud as he looked at Honor.  The crease on his forehead came as his eyes shifted from the woman and then over to the man that she struck.  Brett didn't have to say anything, he gave the man a glance to drop the bag and rose his eyebrows at him - there wasn't anything else to say but the man dropped the bag.  "Try to this again and she won't be the one who hits you," Brett said to the man and then he walked over to pick up Honor's bag.  With the bag in hand, he he held out to her, "Why did you strike right away, Honor?  Why was that your immediate reaction?"

[belevine-blog]

jvonr‌:

For what it was worth, she liked him without his clothes on too and even though she knew that it was selfish to think this way, she didn’t want anyone else to see what was underneath that Inner Sanctum logo that he liked to wear. Julienne was the Archdaemon of Envy and even though she was to punish those who suffered from the sin, she was weak to it. If he ended up with someone else, she would feel the pain of those what if’s. “They aren’t meant to last though… That’s why ranchers raise them, right?” She wasn’t happy. She was going to miss him, but she didn’t want to make this harder than it already was. “Or I feel things too late, so it doesn’t matter anymore. You’re welcome to stay until duty calls you, Brett.” She was frowning. She didn’t want him to leave. 

In reality, that's just how all things worked out - nothing ever lasted forever, not in this world.  Brett shook his head as he looked over to Julienne and took a slow breath before he smiled at her.  There were words that he should say to her, things that he should tell her but of course, that wasn't how it worked.  Not for people lik him, not in this world where duty placed above one's self.  He took a deep breath as he pushed up, getting up from where they sat.  "The longer it stays the more difficult it is for me to leave," Brett admitted as he straightened himself out.  He cast Julienne a look and said, "Unfortunately, duty never stops.  As much as I would like it to it but ...," he looked at Julienne with a sad smile.  "I don't give up, even if the circumstances are impossible.  It's why I'm where I am."  He look at Julienne, "I'm going to change things.  You'll see.  That's a promise."

[belevine-blog]

jvonr‌:

“Nope, of course not, because I look best without clothes on.” She teased. Julienne had a lot to catch up with later. “I don’t have the patience to pay attention to them. They don’t live for very long and it’s sad.” She thought it was strange how people could befriend their food, and she still didn’t understand her protective nature over the body she used. The human was hers and yet, when she came to, the Leviathan just wanted the best for her. She decided that she felt this way because they were the same people. “I don’t know, maybe. It’s a little too early to tell. Isn’t it?”

“I can’t deny that,” Brett agreed with her.  The man might have been an alien but his species were closer to humans than most realized;  he knew the feelings of lust that came with it very well.  The smallest smile came to him for a moment before he shook his head, “Even if it doesn’t last too long, it’s no reason to  just give up on it.”  Although, they were speaking of something else but there were underlying words in that comment.  He shook his head.for a moment, letting the silence come as he waited for her to speak.  He sighed and said, “Nah.  I think, you can figure out if you’re happy.  You can tell when you are, but especially when you’re not.”

[belevine-blog]

Lil Nas X (Feat. Billy Ray Cyrus) - Old Town Road (Remix)

[belevine-blog]

“Honor, what are yo--,” Brett stopped his question entirely.  His eyes moved from Honor, the thief and then to Bruiser.  He reached down to pet Bruiser’s head as he said, “I’m going to help your mom, real quick.  Stay, boy.”  After he gave the dog the instruction, he looked over to where Honor had followed the man after.  First, he rolled his head back for a moment, then drew his shoulders back.  A simple grin came up to his lips before the Vriv’Amt launched himself through the air.  Flying was just as easy as walking for Brett;  it was something he just naturally did, he couldn’t imagine not being able to fly.  He flew past Honor and headed right in front of the thief.  “Excuse me,” Brett grinned as he floated down in front of the thief.  His hands were on his hips as he looked at the thief, “You picked the wrong person to try steal from, bub.”

“I can’t believe it.” Selling wooden children’s toys that she made on the street had become a part of a calming process for her. Honor used her weapons making talents on making less lethal replicas while the dome was up. Now that the dome was down and she had amassed a collection, she needed to get rid of them. But of course, on her first day of setting up shop, a thief was running off with her bag. She would be leaving merchandise with her gigantic wolf-dog hybrid, Bruiser, but with the distance increasing between her and the thief, she had no other choice. Annoyed, she started to sprint after the hoodlum.