[BitP:R] Mortal World 2

[Draken]

[Elsewhere...]

Deep underground, underneath a mysterious shop on the edge of town...

Viatrix jumps to and fro in an underground cavern, which she built some time ago for her... exercise. On her back, a silver fox hangs onto the red tracksuit the Bount wears. After a few jumping drills, she crashes into the ground, mass modified by her doll.

Careful...

"Shush."

Breaking through the rock, Vi starts a furious variation of kata, shaking the ground with every punch and kick. After a few minutes, she stops, breathing heavily, and contemplating...

"More weight."

...what? Viatrix... you know that it's dangerous for me to increase your mass by too great a...

"Did I ask for your opinion? More weight."

...very well...

Viatrix feels her pressure on the ground increase even as she begins another barrage of punches and kicks that go so far as to create minor quakes in the area immediately around the shop...

Donovan climbs down the stairs, bracing himself each time the earth rumbles and worrying about dropping a tray currently held by an animated rope.

"Vi? Eirene asked me to bring you a snack."

"This training with heavy gravity has to be the reason you are so short, lady Klossner."

[strawberryman]

[Underneath Furousha Shop]

Viatrix stops her training regimen to glare at Donovan and Jammerlich. "I could crush you with a boulder if I felt like it."

Schwerkraftfuchs hops off Vi's back, following her as she moves to inspect the tray.

[Draken]

Donovan, now out of the stair, raises his open palms in front of himself.

"Now, now, let is not be precipitated."

On the other hand...

"Woe is me, against a rock, defenseless against its inexorable movement in a straight line. I will drop your brownies on the floor if you try."

[nothingclever]

[Houheiden Shrine]

Ken sat eagerly awaiting Sayaka's picture and faced her. "I'd like to know what happened to that hollow we fought in the gymnasium. There wasn't a shinigami around when it disappeared but as it vanished it appeared to be happily moving on. Are you able to put hollows to rest similarly to shinigami? Can anyone with spiritual power learn to do so?"

[strawberryman]

[Underneath Furousha Shop]

Viatrix growls a bit at Jammerlich as she procures a brownie. Between bites, she looks to Donovan with a slightly wary look. "Was some storm yesterday. Any news on that? Felt like some party..."

"I might have to get out my uniform."

Fuchs shakes its head, featureless face incapable of expression to truly convey its disapproval. Must you be so meddlesome?

"Yep." Vi responds with deadpan delivery.

[Houheiden Shrine]

After having her spirits lifted... Valeria still felt a little uncomfortable in the shrine. She stands with a bow to the hosts. "No disrespect... I'd just like some air. Continue without me, I'll ask someone what I miss." She quickly leaves the interior of the shrine, sighing a breath of relief as she steps outside.

[Draken]

[Underneath Furousha Shop]

"Not much. Several hollows showed up during it, at least two in the school."

"There was also an arrancar signature in the nearby woods, came after a bunch of normal hollows and it was soon met by a shinigami patrol, a second arrancar... And one bount. My guess is that the lot just intruded on someone's lunch."

"A storm in a glass of water, followed shortly by a true storm, strange events abound, indeed."

Donovan coughs.

"Is it right for a woman your age to dress up like a highschooler and pretend to be a student?"

--------

[Outside Houheiden]

A small white bird flies down from a nearby tree, landing by Valeria's feet and looking up with small black eyes.

[strawberryman]

[Underground]

Viatrix glares at Donovan. If glares could kill, Donovan would be a pile of dust and discarded clothes right then. "Woman my age? Just what is that supposed to mean?"

You really are oversensitive at times.

[Outside Houheiden]

Valeria looks down to the bird with a smile, and kneels. "Hello, little bird. What brings you here?"

[Draken]

[Under Furousha]

Donovan gives Viatrix a pretty deadpan stare.

"Viatrix, one century ago you were an adult woman well beyond the age of a highschooler."

----

[Outside Houheiden]

The bird turns in a small circle, making a small hole in its torso visible for a brief moment, it then opens its beak, and a low, musical voice comes out.

"I felt your spiritual power, and found it odd that you could enter that shrine, you have the same powers as we do."

[Steilos]

Henry saw a gap in the conversation and decided to interrupt.

"Whatever happened in the school last night, it is not an isolated incident. We've been having reports of buildings destroyed, disturbances, even explosions over the last few weeks. And there's more to it than that. These... "Hollows" are not all semi-mindless monsters like what you may have encountered. There are those who are capable of reason. I know, I've met one - although she or it was probably also a horrible pitiless monster. If you think what you've been through is bad... Well, there's worse out there.

Imagine a creature that is not just enraged and destructive, but rather consciously evil in a way no beast could manage. We need to be prepared, a hell of a lot more prepared than we are now."

[Frozen_Feet]

[Cemetery, Sora's hideout]

"Oh, that reminds me. Who are you two?" He points towards Silva and Yui.

"Ah, my apologies. I'm Õta Yui, and this is Silva Rai. Pleased to meet you", Yui says, beckoning towards Silva and giving Hasunaga a slight bow. "As for this young man...", she continues, putting her hands on her hips and turning to look at Sora, pouting. "Well, I don't know him, but I must wonder what his parents think of his irresponsible behaviour!"

[strawberryman]

[Underground]

Viatrix's eye twitches. "And three centuries ago you should have been walking around with a cane and using hair dye to keep people from seeing the gray on your head." Growl.

Fuchs shakes its head... Age is irrelevant for you two anyway...

[Outside Houheiden]

Valeria stumbles backward in shock. "W-what? You're a hollow!?" She moves to summon her mask... then stops.

And thinks. If it wanted to attack her, it probably would have already...

"...What do you want?"

[Draken]

[Underground]

"Technically, three hundred years ago I had gone through three identities already. Most people didn't live up to their sixties and not many reached their forties without looking like they had gone through a blender."

------

[Outside Houheiden]

The bird stretches its wings and flaps it twice.

"I felt your reiatsu, and was curious about how a hollow managed to get into this shrine. There are many feral ones in the city, it would be nice to know how to get in there, it is safer."

[strawberryman]

[Underground]

Vi sticks her tongue out. "I've gone through identities, too. It's not like I've always lived here. I keep a low profile otherwise. Unlike you, Mr. I Can't Keep My Tie From Talking."

Fuchs turns its head to Jammerlich. Would you ever consider trading owners?

[Outside Houheiden]

Valeria frowns instantly. "I'm not a Hollow. I'm not one of you, or one of them. I... just..." She hesitates.

Spoiler

Show

Do you really know what you are?

...No. Don't you?

You have to figure it out on your own. I can only tell you what will help you survive.

...but how am I supposed to figure it out?

Perhaps you should try and talk to this 'Hollow'. It doesn't seem as hostile as the last.

...I guess...

The girl pulls herself up, looking to the hollow bird. Mustering up her courage, she speaks up again. "...Reiatsu? What do you mean? I'm a human... sort of."

[Terry576]

[Cemetery, Sora's hideout]


"Ah, my apologies. I'm Õta Yui, and this is Silva Rai. Pleased to meet you", Yui says, beckoning towards Silva and giving Hasunaga a slight bow. "As for this young man...", she continues, putting her hands on her hips and turning to look at Sora, pouting. "Well, I don't know him, but I must wonder what his parents think of his irresponsible behaviour!"

Sora's eye twitches. Okay, there was such a thing as "too far". She'd gone way past it.

"Well Miss, I'd direct them to you but they're kind of dead. Perhaps you can still meet them? I can help you do it."

He grins evilly.

[Draken]

[Underground]

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

"I would not, ol' Donovan and I go way, way back. And who knows, maybe the day will come when he will go back to his old job and I will have my fun again."

That is, snaping necks.

------

[Outside the Shrine]

The bird tilts its head to the side.

"I know you are a human now, but not before I saw you."

It then takes wing and starts flying around Valeria.

"Reiatsu is the spirit power that emanates from those who have it, it is also called spiritual pressure, yours is like that of a hollow, and so is mine."

In spite of it being minimal, in the bird's case.

"And you sound wary of hollows, did you have a bad meeting with a feral one recently?"

[horngeek]

[Next Day]

Izumi is walking towards school.

[Wahrheit]

[Next Day]

Rex was jogging rather faster than usual, having slept through his first alarm and awoken only when his second, OHGODYOUHAVETOLEAVENOW alarm went off. He rounded a corner rather fast and almost ran right into the cute Shinigami girl from last night. He skidded to a halt, luckily not actually hitting Izumi.

"Whoa! Sorry!"

[horngeek]

"It's okay! ...Rex?"

She smiles. "How are you?"

[Kuroimaken]

"Sora, no death threats while I'm watching, if you'd please?" Hasunaga offered with the typical one-eyed death glare that had earned him the fear of many a student.

[strawberryman]

[Underground]

"...Besides. Things are way too boring here. If there are mediums in the school, maybe I can get them to buy something." Viatrix shrugs, grabbing another brownie. "I look like I'm 16, can dress like I'm 16... So, naturally, it could be easy to think I'm 16."

[Outside Houheiden]

Val nods warily. "The Shrine Maiden says they're dangerous, and we were attacked by a hollow, yes... so how or why are you so friendly?"

[Draken]

[Underground]

"Quite a few mediums, a couple of quincy, and there is that Substitute shinigami from the pool party, the blue-haired girl. There is also one with hollow powers."

----

Out of the Shrine

"Well, you can't generalize like that! There are dangerous humans too after all. In Hueco Mundo, we have a great nation, and most serve the King of Hollows, but some don't, and those brigands who don't, as well as many mindless animals, are what you mortals deal with here, the ones who evade our justice!"

The bird tries to land on Valeria's shoulder.

[KerfuffleMach2]

"Sora, no death threats while I'm watching, if you'd please?" Hasunaga offered with the typical one-eyed death glare that had earned him the fear of many a student.

So, you two know each other, then?

Can we see his dead parent? Please?

Shut up, Medric.

[Kuroimaken]

"Kid's my student. What I want to know better is who the two of you are. ESPECIALLY you." He turned to Silva. She could probably recognize his Reiatsu from the battle from a while before. And he definitely recognized her face.

[Frozen_Feet]

[Cemetery]

Yui's face falls flat when Sora reveals his parents are dead. Awww, that's so sad.

However, she's really thrown off by his grin.

She stares at Sora, bloodshot eyes wide open. "... you didn't kill them, did you?" She then turns towards Hasunaga, pointing a finger at Sora. "He didn't kill them, right?"

[strawberryman]

[Underground]

Vi blinks. "That many, huh?" Then, a sly smile creeps up her face. "Sounds like the perfect environment for me to make some cash.~"

...Is that all you think about? Fuchs would roll its eyes if it had any.

"Yep."

[Outside Houheiden]

Valeria allows the bird to rest on her shoulders, having a seat on the steps leading up to the shrine (assuming there are any).

"...I'm not sure what to think. This is all new to me... Well, in a way... I've always seen things that were probably hollows and... um... 'Shinigami', but I always thought they were just figments of my imagination..." She sighs.

[Kuroimaken]

"If I knew he had, I'd have seen personally to it that he stopped breathing."

[Frozen_Feet]

[Cemetery]

"Uh..."

Yui's eyes dart between Hasunaga, who's talking like a vigilante, at Sora, who's giving her a manic and much too toothy grin, and Silva, who looks like she was narrowly stopped from murdering someone.

"Pardon me for asking, but are you sure you are all okay, people?"

[Kuroimaken]

"He's my student, so I should make sure he behaves." Hasunaga explains with a shrug.

[KerfuffleMach2]

"Kid's my student. What I want to know better is who the two of you are. ESPECIALLY you." He turned to Silva. She could probably recognize his Reiatsu from the battle from a while before. And he definitely recognized her face.

She does vaguely remember his reiatsu. At least, it's familiar. But, as she wasn't paying attention to him during that, she just doesn't place it.

She does, however, raise an eyebrow at him singling her out.

What, are you trying to hit on me or something?

[Cemetery]

"Uh..."

Yui's eyes dart between Hasunaga, who's talking like a vigilante, at Sora, who's giving her a manic and much too toothy grin, and Silva, who looks like she was narrowly stopped from murdering someone.

"Pardon me for asking, but are you sure you are all okay, people?"

She turns to Yui. I'm fine. I just get a little jumpy when people pop out of nowhere. She puts her dagger away as she says this.

And when you know there's a Hollow here. Don't forget that.

Yeah, yeah. Shush.

And yeah, that guy is totally hitting on you.

...

[Kuroimaken]

"You're not my type. But more importantly, you're the only other person I vaguely recognize in this room. You're something amiss."