[BitP:R] Mortal World 2

[InyutheBeatIs]

"Shouldn't be a problem if you want me to teach you." He replied simply. "Maybe I'll offer one up to you too while I'm at it."

Carmelia looks at him for a second, before responding. "If you wish, you can do both."

She just simply looks at the grave, but floats down to earth, her feet flat on the floor. They're covered by her billowing dress, but they're there. "...How did you know this...human?" The word "human" comes out like she spat it out.

[Kuroimaken]

"We used to work at the same school. He made sure the place was clean and organized... I made sure the children learned. As it happens, we became friends because we were the two oldest people on staff - so it's not like I had a lot in common with the others."

[InyutheBeatIs]

"We used to work at the same school. He made sure the place was clean and organized... I made sure the children learned. As it happens, we became friends because we were the two oldest people on staff - so it's not like I had a lot in common with the others."

"Interesting. And does he have the same inclination to attacking threats to the school and its students as you do?"

[Kuroimaken]

"He didn't have anything similar to powers like mine. I doubt he could even see spirits. I'm just making sure the kids don't get hurt."

[InyutheBeatIs]

"He didn't have anything similar to powers like mine. I doubt he could even see spirits. I'm just making sure the kids don't get hurt."

"...Understandable, I suppose."

"I wanted to ask you a question, human, if I'm allowed." She's still not used to talking so freely about this.

[Kuroimaken]

"You can ask all you want. It's my prerogative to answer."

[InyutheBeatIs]

"You can ask all you want. It's my prerogative to answer."

Carmelia looks at Hasunaga. "...You're rather accepting..."

"Why did you spare me? I've tried to understand it, but from every angle I can see, you have absolutely no reason to. I am a threat to you and your entire species. Why?"

[Kuroimaken]

"Just because you have the power to end something doesn't mean you should exercise it. Threats are based on intent. I had your promise that you wouldn't bother any of the students, and I know you've kept it. That's good enough for me." Hasunaga replied with a shrug.

There is, also, the unspoken bit that by not attacking humans, Carmelia would be restricted to eating other Hollows. So in the end, he made her a force for good without her realizing it.

[strawberryman]

[Secret Facility]

Nero

Nero adjusts his glasses, shaking his head at Josiah. "I sent Mr. Beaton to check on Professor Tsukino." A momentary twitch of revulsion breaks the man's composure after mentioning the name. "It wouldn't do to leave my own family waiting."

Nero nods in acknowledgment to Nathan. "Greetings, Father Sunan. How goes your rapport with the Shinigami?"

The Laboratory of Professor Tsukino

No door knocking necessary. The door slides open, to reveal...

A laboratory devoid of people, save for one. Roger may recognize the manic whisperings and disheveled look of one Professor Tsukino Hiroto, head of the Hollow research arm of SWORD. At the moment, he is mumbling to himself in a fervor of hardly comprehensible words that sounds like Latin, and pacing in front of four Hollows, the rumored "pets" of the mad doctor.

After Roger approaches close enough, Hiroto spins on his heels to face the engineer. "...Ah, Roger. Come to sate your curiousity, or is this a business meeting?"

[Joint Ops Site]

Hibiki thinks. "Perhaps 12 at the most, two of which were 3rd seat proficiency at least. No Captains." He taps his foot. "13th members primarily, so people that would have been present anyway. It was likely a routine event. I'd be more worried about the presences of one or more Arrancar."

[Houheiden Shrine]

Val blinks. "...Ah." She looks around. "...who wants to go first?"

[InyutheBeatIs]

"Just because you have the power to end something doesn't mean you should exercise it. Threats are based on intent. I had your promise that you wouldn't bother any of the students, and I know you've kept it. That's good enough for me." Hasunaga replied with a shrug.

There is, also, the unspoken bit that by not attacking humans, Carmelia would be restricted to eating other Hollows. So in the end, he made her a force for good without her realizing it.

"I don't understand. I am a Hollow. Anyone who's capable of seeing me, Shinigami or Human, wants to kill me just by my very nature. What gives you the confidence to trust me enough to leave me alive?"

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Cemetery]

At the entrance to Sora's underground lair, Silva stands. She saw Hasunaga go to a grave to pay his respects to someone, and she thought on that for a few moments. How long has it been since she's done that?

She is currently watching Hasunaga and Carmelia, mostly out of curiosity. She's out of earshot, so she can't hear them.

Is that his girlfriend, maybe?

Jealous?

You wish.

[Draken]

Secret Facility

Now Nathan's smile turns to a frown.

"Communication lines have been closed the entire week due to an upheaval a few days ago, I was informed they needed the communication lines focused among the thirteen divisions and to look out for signs of arrancar activity. It sounded fairly dire."

[Frozen_Feet]

[From Cemetery to Venti Buon]

Silva might feel a chill running down her spine as Yui comes out of the hideout with sora. She shoots a murderous glance at Carmelia, but doesn't do anything. Starting a fight now would be too much of a fuss.

"Well, if he doesn't want coffee, it's just less money from my pocket. Off we go!", Yui snaps, ushering Sora and Silva away before herself. If they don't resist, after ten minutes of walking, they come close to Venti Buon Cafe. That place better be open this time!

Another figure, a tall man with a large backpack, is also approaching the cafeteria from the opposite direction. Calm, unblinking green eyes survey the building with mild befuddlement.

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Venti Buon]

Silva feels the cold. And with all that's been revealed recently, it makes her a little more cautious of her surroundings. Which means she does see the tall man.

So, Yui...you didn't really react much when we started talking about Hollows and Shinigami and all that. I take it you can see them?

[Kayne650]

[Joint Ops Site]

Hibiki thinks. "Perhaps 12 at the most, two of which were 3rd seat proficiency at least. No Captains." He taps his foot. "13th members primarily, so people that would have been present anyway. It was likely a routine event. I'd be more worried about the presences of one or more Arrancar."

"Very impressive, Hamasaki-san." Mayumi responded, sounded honestly impressed. Just then, she felt the presence of a Hollow suddenly appearing in the town, but it was near to where she had felt Hasunaga-san earlier, so it probably wasn't a problem; he could handle himself.

"I doubt that the Arrancar is nearby anymore, if I couldn't sense it. I have a piece of it's reiraku, and an Arrancar is easy to spot at the worst of times. If it was here, I would have noticed it."

She checked again, and she could sense none of the rapid fluctuations in Reiatsu that usually accompanied a battle. Was Hasunaga not fighting the Hollow? What on earth could possibly possess him to do that? As she searched for Hasunaga's reiatsu, she lost track of the conversation at hand, and Hibiki would be able to notice her distraction.

[Kuroimaken]

"I don't understand. I am a Hollow. Anyone who's capable of seeing me, Shinigami or Human, wants to kill me just by my very nature. What gives you the confidence to trust me enough to leave me alive?"

"We've crossed paths once already. At the time, your intent was clear, and I couldn't let you do what you planned. Now, there is no intent to attack - or you would have done so already, answer or no answer, even if I've defeated you once. The fact you haven't attacked me when I am, theoretically, at my most vulnerable point, means you have no intention of attacking me at all."

With that, Hasunaga reached up to cover his patched eye.

"There was a time once when I might have done something like you describe. But it hasn't been the case for a while now. I used to have a friend who had Hollow powers, but I didn't want to kill her - so I suppose that helps."

[Dorizzit]

[Houheiden Shrine]

Val blinks. "...Ah." She looks around. "...who wants to go first?"

Nakahiro looks around at the others for a moment.

"Well, Kaito was the first to manifest, and his powers are pretty dramatic, so..."

He fixes his gaze on Kaito

"Do you want to start?"

[tgva8889]

Kina Yoshimoto - Houheiden Shrine

Kina, following behind, looks at Kaito as the others do. This will be interesting.

[Kasanip]

Haruaki and Sayaka
[Houheiden]

Behind the house, Haruaki crossed his arms over his chest.
"Please a volunteer?" He asked with a polite smile.

Sayaka watched from the side. She remembered a little of before, but she did not remember very much because there was a fight.
"If they don't want to, they don't have to like this father. Maybe it is too embarrassing." She said.

Haruaki shook his head.
"No no, it cannot be embarrassing if they want to learn more. Pride is not so important to training, you know."

Sayaka didn't respond, but turned to the classmates.

[Frozen_Feet]

[Venti Buon]

Silva feels the cold. And with all that's been revealed recently, it makes her a little more cautious of her surroundings. Which means she does see the tall man.

So, Yui...you didn't really react much when we started talking about Hollows and Shinigami and all that. I take it you can see them?

"See what and the what now?", Yui says absent-mindedly as she shoves Silva and Sora forward. Unfortunately, the tall stranger still manages to get in before them, giving the odd trio a questioning glare before walking to the service counter.

"Hey! Do you think he's a foreigner too? I mean, he's quite t-", Yui whispers to Silva as they wait behind him. The stranger, obviously hearing them, turns stiffly to regard the older woman, who promptly stops mid sentence. "I said nothing! Absolutely nothing!", Yui hurries to exclaim, waving her hands nervously. The man stares at her for a few long seconds, before turning back to look for the cafeteria staff.

Since they all seem to be absent, possibly in the kitchen, he abruptly slams his palm down with so much force, it's a miracle nothing breaks. The sound makes Yui cover her ears with her hands. "Good grief. No manners at-", she begins, before the stranger shoots her another, presumably angry, glare to shut her up. It's not like you can tell, the man's face seems to be hewn of stone.

[InyutheBeatIs]

"See what and the what now?", Yui says absent-mindedly as she shoves Silva and Sora forward. Unfortunately, the tall stranger still manages to get in before them, giving the odd trio a questioning glare before walking to the service counter.

"Hey! Do you think he's a foreigner too? I mean, he's quite t-", Yui whispers to Silva as they wait behind him. The stranger, obviously hearing them, turns stiffly to regard the older woman, who promptly stops mid sentence. "I said nothing! Absolutely nothing!", Yui hurries to exclaim, waving her hands nervously. The man stares at her for a few long seconds, before turning back to look for the cafeteria staff.

Since they all seem to be absent, possibly in the kitchen, he abruptly slams his palm down with so much force, it's a miracle nothing breaks. The sound makes Yui cover her ears with her hands. "Good grief. No manners at-", she begins, before the stranger shoots her another, presumably angry, glare to shut her up. It's not like you can tell, the man's face seems to be hewn of stone.

The sheer force of the blow was like a summoning for Rosa, who popped up from the counter almost immediately. "Hello sir! How can I help you?"

[KnightDisciple]

[Houheiden Shrine]
Kaito shrugs at being volunteered.

"I'll go first, just give me a moment."

He takes a few steps forward, trying to keep everyone else behind himself. He cast his eyes about for several moments, picking a few targets, before his hands slowly rose to about shoulder height, palms forward, a look of concentration on his face.

Withing moments, a half-dozen rocks the size of a baseball rose from the ground and smoothly flew over to Kaito, taking up an orbit around his waist. His arms barely moved, and his concentration didn't waver.

For almost a minute, he was silent, and nothing seemed to move. Then, it happened. Slowly, surely, a small boulder that must have weight about 100 pounds rose into the air. Unlike the pebbles, this rock wobbled a bit in the air, but still rose to a height of 4 feet. A single drop of sweat rolled down Kaito's face as the only sign of strain.

"This is the biggest I can hold up right now, and I doubt I could throw it very far. The ones at my waist, I could probably send off like a professional pitcher."

Secret Facility

Now Nathan's smile turns to a frown.

"Communication lines have been closed the entire week due to an upheaval a few days ago, I was informed they needed the communication lines focused among the thirteen divisions and to look out for signs of arrancar activity. It sounded fairly dire."

[Secret Underground Facility]

Josiah had gone into the changing room to get back into normal clothes as Nero and Nathan talked. When he emerged, he was frowning.

"An arrancar? That's worrisome. I did notice more hits than usual on the detectors recently. This worries me. That they can't control such things..."

He gives a shake of his head, the weight lifting slightly from his expression.

"At any rate. Mr. Abel, do you need a ride, or do you have your own transport you're going to take?"

A question he likely knew the answer to already, but he felt it polite to ask, one family man to another.

[strawberryman]

[Secret Facility]

"I see. If you have the chance, tell them they have our full support, and we'll keep our ears to the ground." Nero sighs. The positive relations between them and the Shinigami were an important thing to uphold; if things were in a negative light, they may be more prone to scrutiny...

He gives a slight smile to Josiah. "It's quite all right, Dr. Kane. My driver is still waiting." With that, he departs.

[Houheiden Shrine]

Valeria looks to the large boulder in slight surprise. She had seen Kaito lift things with his mind already, but something that big was new...

[Furousha Shop]

Viatrix comes back up some time later, with... a body bag. "Well, it's got arms, and a little extra. I trust the funds have already been sent, or will be soon?" After handing the bag over, she'll pull out a fancy-looking smart phone to check on her bank statements.

[KnightDisciple]

[Secret Underground Facility]

Josiah nods to Nero.

"Fair enough, sir. Have a good evening. My wife is planning something this weekend for her and I to do. She was talking faster than normal, but I think skydiving was involved."

He gave a rueful shake of his head as he also walked towards the door.

"Have a good evening, Father Nathan."

Several minutes of walking later, Mr. Kane arrives in one of the underground garages. He stops and admires his car for a moment. The sweet rewards of industry, and all that.

It wasn't long before he was roaring down the road, heading for home.

[Dorizzit]

[Houheiden Shrine]
Exterior

Although he had already seen Kaito's powers in action, Nakahiro can't help but be impressed by the rapid improvement has friend has shown power. His eyebrows raise as the boulder rises, but he doesn't say anything.

[Moon Wolf]

Lilianna Kane had already gotten home, having been let out of work a little early. Currently, she was keeping a balance between making dinner and ravenously devouring the latest Stephen King novel.

[Steilos]

Roger didn't really mind the Professor's mannerisms. He didn't really care about them either. Agent 03 was the kind of person who would hire a psychopath if he could do decent work as a janitor. Casting a critical eye over the proceedings, he begins to speak.

"Dr. Tsukino, it's most definitely business.
"Apologies for interruptin' your studies, but I'm here to check up on your status and progress. We want to know how you're gettin' on down here."

[KerfuffleMach2]

"See what and the what now?", Yui says absent-mindedly as she shoves Silva and Sora forward. Unfortunately, the tall stranger still manages to get in before them, giving the odd trio a questioning glare before walking to the service counter.

"Hey! Do you think he's a foreigner too? I mean, he's quite t-", Yui whispers to Silva as they wait behind him. The stranger, obviously hearing them, turns stiffly to regard the older woman, who promptly stops mid sentence. "I said nothing! Absolutely nothing!", Yui hurries to exclaim, waving her hands nervously. The man stares at her for a few long seconds, before turning back to look for the cafeteria staff.

Since they all seem to be absent, possibly in the kitchen, he abruptly slams his palm down with so much force, it's a miracle nothing breaks. The sound makes Yui cover her ears with her hands. "Good grief. No manners at-", she begins, before the stranger shoots her another, presumably angry, glare to shut her up. It's not like you can tell, the man's face seems to be hewn of stone.

When Yui pushes her and Sora, Silva gets a little confused. But she doesn't get the chance to question it further.

When Yui responds to the man staring at her the first time, Silva facepalms and shakes her head a little.

With the second stare, Silva glares back at the man. Almost as if daring him to do something.

Oo...are we picking a fight?

Shut up.

[KnightDisciple]

Lilianna Kane had already gotten home, having been let out of work a little early. Currently, she was keeping a balance between making dinner and ravenously devouring the latest Stephen King novel.

It's not long before she hears the roar of a high-performance car engine pull up and part in their garage. Perhaps a minute later, the door opens, and in steps Josiah, a huge smile on his face.

<Honey, I'm home!>

He crosses the kitchen to give her a hug, then peer over her shoulder to see what she was cooking. And possibly try to sneak a taste.

<How was your day?>

[InyutheBeatIs]

"We've crossed paths once already. At the time, your intent was clear, and I couldn't let you do what you planned. Now, there is no intent to attack - or you would have done so already, answer or no answer, even if I've defeated you once. The fact you haven't attacked me when I am, theoretically, at my most vulnerable point, means you have no intention of attacking me at all."

With that, Hasunaga reached up to cover his patched eye.

"There was a time once when I might have done something like you describe. But it hasn't been the case for a while now. I used to have a friend who had Hollow powers, but I didn't want to kill her - so I suppose that helps."

Carmelia gives a small, mirthless chuckle. "Perhaps I haven't asked the right questions." That...came across as a bit cold.

"How can you be this way? What force, what event, motivates you to act as you have now? Why are you so different than all of the other humans I've ever known?!"