GLoG XXIV: This Ain't No House of Cards

[horngeek]

Daisuke stands there.

Well, let's see.

He pulls out a black butterfly, and charges it with a small amount of spiritual energy. Enough so that it can relay what it sees, but a small enough amount that it doesn't get noticed. It then flies off Outside.

Daisuke, for his part, starts to play the piano.

[Reinholdt]

The puppy beagle finishes watching the security footage it wanted to watch as well as deleting all the footage of him and replacing it with blank loops of a empty rooms. Once he's all cleaned up he moves on to another part of the base. Where he goes, no one knows!

Well, I do.

[horngeek]

Daisuke does a search for anyone he know.

Like their spirit energy.

[Reinholdt]

He should find some recognizable spirit energy in the laundry room. They've been in the base before.

[horngeek]

Daisuke does, in fact find it.

Not Reinholdt?

He then feels the portal open from Outside.

Hell?

{{That's probably what it would feel like}}

He almost goes and opens a sekaimon gate there himself, but he calms himself.

Instead, he uses Shunpo to appear in front of the person in the laundry.

[AmberVael]

He then feels the portal open from Outside.

Hell?

{{That's probably what it would feel like}}

((Actually, Hell is a completely different place than the Underworld in the setting I'm using. They have very different feels to them- the Underworld is kind of quiet and creepy and involves the dead. Hell is where twisted and warped primordial beings (demons) are trapped).))

[Reinholdt]

Butler is thoroughly startled by this person he's never met before who appeared right in front of him. "Oh hello sir." Recovery. Warm smile. "How are you today sir? Is there anything I can help you with sir?" Clearly this is Reinholdt in disguise!

[horngeek]

{{In the Bleachverse, Hell is where the souls of those who commited henious crimes in life go. Given that a lot of those destined for Hell becom Hollows, Daisuke is quite familiar with the feeling.

But Daisuke probably would be able to navigate there, now he's felt what the portal feels like}}

...
oops.

Daisuke laughs. Oops. Sorry. Wrong person.

... and checks using his spiritual senses to see whether it is anyone in disguise.

[Reinholdt]

Butler is not in disguise. Unless those shorts are hiding some anti-spiritual detection demon! Or his collar is a super defeat the shinigami device!

Or... it's just Butler. "Oh alright sir. A pleasure to meet you sir." He gives a polite bow. "Are you new here sir or are you a vegeteran sir?"

Note vegeteran is probably not what you think it is.

[horngeek]

Right. He isn't in disguise.

I've been around for a bit.

He holds out his hand to shake Butler's

Daisuke Hayashi.

[Reinholdt]

Butler shakes his hand. "Butler B. Butler sir. If you ever need anything sir, I'll be more than happy to get it for you sir." He then looks at the time. "I'm terribly sorry sir. I'm behind schedule sir." Which is a little silly, since he doesn't actually have a schedule. He returns to work.

((deadtime is a must nows))

[horngeek]

{{okay}}

Daisuke smiles. He does need to speak to Pheonix about Irene and Crimson.

But for now... he goes to the swimming pool and gets changed.

Yes, he swims.

He sets his sword on the side of the pool, and does some laps.

[banjo1985]

Jenna undeadtimes in her room bright and early. She considers heading out right there and then, but only for a second...she's impulsive but knows that she isn't ready. In need of more endurance training, she heads down to the pool for a few dozen lengths, towel and quarterstaff in tow.

[horngeek]

When she gets there, she's going to see Daisuke.

His swimming gear is a modern-day pair of boardshorts, leaving his upper body bare.

On his torso can be seen a large number of scars. They are mostly smaller ones, but there are two that really stand out.

The first is a diagonal cut to his back, which is now a pale line.

The second is a massive discolouration on his chest, which almost looks like a bruise.

He's doing laps.

[banjo1985]

Jenna pauses, then shrugs and walks to the edge of the pool. she wasn't expecting anyone else to be around, but what did it matter? She came down from her room in her green swimsuit; she's no showoff but she's never been shy either.

"May I join you? I won't get in the way."

She appraises the scars on the mans torso while she waits for an answer. She has her own network of scars, faint broken white lines across her shoulders, back and thighs. They're clearly old wounds, the broken blurred nature of them suggest they healed while she was still growing.

[horngeek]

Daisuke turns.

That's alright. I'm just passing the time, myself.

I don't believe we've met before. I'm Daisuke Hayashi.

[banjo1985]

"Thanks. I'm Jenna, Jenna Church. Nice to meet you Daisuke."

She smiles and dives into the pool in one graceful movement and begins to swim, lengths rather than laps to keep out of Daisuke's way. If she's ever going to start travelling again her endurance needs to ratchet up a bit. Fifty lengths followed by a workout in the gym should do for starters.

"That's an interesting name Daisuke, from where do you hail?"

[horngeek]

From Soul Society. But if you mean my country of origin, I was born in Japan.

It's... complicated.

[banjo1985]

"Isn't it always?"

Jenna laughs and continues her swim. She's a strong swimmer, childhood summers spent in the lakes and rivers of Bluewater have seen to that.

"I'm from Bluewater myself, a little town a thousand miles or so south of here. Don't really have a home now though..."

The sentence trails off. Best not to think about it. Endurance to build up. A child to find. A child to save.

[horngeek]

Well, given that I'm technically dead in Japan, and have been for two hundered years...

What happened to you?

[banjo1985]

"Definitely complicated then."

Jenna continues to swim as she talks, not meeting daisuke's eye. It's easier if it seems like she's talking to herself, the words come easier and the eyes stay dry...most of the time.

"I'm on a journey Daisuke. I have no home, both my parents are dead. My son was kidnapped over a year ago now...I've been looking for him ever since. Three friends came with me, now two are dead and I have no idea where the other is. Other than that the last year's been a damn cakewalk."

She smiles ruefully and continues to swim, upping her pace if anything.

[horngeek]

Do you have any idea where your son is?

[banjo1985]

Jenna stops swimming for a moment, breathing hard from the effort. She clamps a hand around a smooth black stone that hangs around her neck.

"I know he's okay, that's the most important thing. He's somewhere north of here, I can feel that too."

She looks down into the water.

"I miss him. He'd be three now...with no-one to look after him..."

Three years old? This girl barely looks like she's eighteen.

[horngeek]

You can feel him?

Daisuke looks at her.

When I was alive, I gave my all to serving my lord. When I came to Soul Society, I gave that same effort into protecting souls and ushering them on. I've never... actually had a real family of my own, especially not in Soul Society.

You don't look that old anyway. Of course, given that I look about twenty five and in reality about two hundered years old, I'm not one to talk.

[banjo1985]

Jenna points to the black stone hanging round her neck.

"Cal has one of these too. When I hold it I get an idea of how he's bearing up...it's almost as if I'm with him..."

She pulls herself out of the pool, not really up for swimming anymore.

"Wow...that's pretty rough. You usher souls...where? Down the River Styx, off to Valhalla, Heaven even?"

"I'm not very old, nearly nineteen. I had Cal young...didn't really have a lot of choice in the matter."

[horngeek]

Soul Society. Different universe. The problem comes when we Shinigami don't manage to send a soul on in time. Then it becomes what is known as a Hollow, and will eat other souls. Then our job is to purify it, and let it pass on.

What do you mean, you didn't have a choice...
oh.

[banjo1985]

Jenna turns away, her face reddening.

"Yeah..."

She picks up her towel and wraps it round her waist, maybe taking some small comfort from it. Time to change the subject, as far as she's concerned.

"So some souls don't pass on themselves? These Hollows stop others from finding their final rest then...sounds like you do a worthwile job. Must be a pretty heavy burden though."

[horngeek]

No. The Hollows are what souls that don't find their way into Soul Society become.

They don't eat other souls because they are hungry. They do it to ease their own pain. There is a reason I said 'purify' and not 'kill'.

[banjo1985]

"Obviously, if they were just hungry they'd eat some pasta or something..."

Jenna giggles a little, her mood considerably lighter now the conversation has moved away from her own woes.

"So...are you actually dead, in the true sense of the word? Do you have to be to find these Hollows, and to purify them?"

[horngeek]

In my universe, 'dead' is kind of a relative term. Souls actually cycle between Soul Society and the World of the Lining.

But in most cases, you do have to be residing in Soul Society to become a Shinigami. I believe there is one currently living exception, Ichigo Kurosaki. There are also the Quincy, but they have nearly died out, and they didn't purify. They destroyed Hollow, which lead to their devestation.

But anyone with high spiritual energy can see souls that have yet to pass on, both those that haven't become Hollow yet, or those who have.