[Bitp:R] Hueco Mundo 2

[Frozen_Feet]

Lalita flinches back to avoid Pico headbutting him, his eyes wide of surprise... no, not surprise. It's the kind of cold, hateful glare telling Pico that he's just made a mistake - but the message will probably take too long to reach his brain for him to realize what his mistake was before suffering the consequences...

As Pico makes his inquiry, Lalita flicks his wrist slightly - there's a yawning sound as the air opens into a Garganta just behind Pico's back. Lalita's palm slams against his chest as the Fraccion pushes him through the tear with all his might, intend to send him reeling into the swirling blackness. For split of a second, Lalita turn to look at Amada. Their eyes meet for only split of a second, but the message in his cold grey orbs is clear - 'Interupt, and I'll kill you.'

If the shove is succesful, Lalita initiates Sonido and follows Pico into the Void, their spiritual pressures vanishing from the Palacio limits...

[Kuroimaken]

"Okay, I didn't see that one coming. I thought they were done with their lovers' spat." Rouga offered as he scratched his forehead.

[Kayne650]

Cecilia follows her Fraccion up the proper staircase.

"So Caiphus, did you learn anything from the receptionist?

Besides the fact that she's enjoying her job, she likes strawberries, hurt her left foot last week, and has recently gotten laid, of course."

Cecilia is showing the reason people don't play poker with her. It's totally unfair to have that good of a poker face.

"Impressive deductions, Cecilia-sama," Caiphus responded, "Though I have a correction to make. The stains you saw dotting her notebook were not from strawberries, but were in fact from raspberries, a fruit mostly grown in the Septima's sector; this may perhaps be an indicator of a connection between the Septima and this receptionist, who may even be a spy for the Septima. That, or someone being extorted or bribed. Hardly worth looking into. Other than that, no, I noticed little else."

Then Caiphus' still-active Pesquisa picked up something, or rather the absence of a thing.

"Cecilia-sama, we have a problem. Both Pico-sama and another presence just vanished from the entire palacio, following what I believe to be the opening of a Garganta. I can't say for certain that this is the fault of the new Privaron, but it warrants investigation. Shall we?" Caiphus asked, picking up speed. They needed to hurry if they were going to catch them before anything else happened. It might be possible, if they were fast enough, for Caiphus to create a Garganta to follow them.

[Terry576]

Cecilia's half smile vanished.

"Damn. Espada can't just vanish, we don't work that way. Let's go Caiphus."

Cecilia suddenly speeds up rapidly, her legs barely visible, her steps completely unconstrained.

[InyutheBeatIs]

Unfortunately, the shove works. Pico stumbles into the Garganta, backwards. However, he manages to look at Amada for just a moment, almost regretfully...then he just looks completely surprised and completely taken off-guard. "Hey HEEEEEEEEeeeeeyyyyy!!!"

And down the rabbit hole he goes.

[Kayne650]

Caiphus bursts into the room first, using his mastery of Sonido to make it just before Cecilia. He looks around, seeing Rouga standing around and the Garganta just closing. He rushes over to the closing void without a word to Rouga, placing his hands where the void had vanished, concentrating on its destination. After a minute, he places his hands back down.

"We got here just too late, Cecilia-sama. They could have gone anywhere. Give me a little time and I can give you a rough estimate of where they are; Pico-sama's reiatsu is fairly obvious. In the meantime, I will open my own Garganta and try to find them in the void." Still seemingly without noting Rouga's existence, Caiphus gets to work opening his own Garganta, and attempts to find Pico if they were already out of their own.

[Terry576]

Cecilia observes the room, completely unamused. All traces of her sarcastic detective persona were gone. She notices Lalita, and snarls.

"You. You're not in the Decima's cadre."

Her eyes flash, and she cracks her neck before walking straight up to Lalita, and getting all up in his face.

"Nor are you a girl. What the hell did you do, you festering carcass of a Hollow?"

She blinks, and glances at Rouga, and her sarcastic detective hat reappears.

"Hello Rouga. It appears that you've recently had lunch, and watched a show, and you enjoy your popcorn lightly buttered."

[Frozen_Feet]

Before Cecilia has finished even her first word, Lalita has already ran through the Garganta, not bothering to give Sexta even a glance. She's left to talk to empty walls and a closing Garganta...

[Transdimensional space between worlds]

In the swirling blackness of the Void, Lalita beckons quickly towards the tear behing him, making it slam shut just before Caiphus's nose. Then he looks down and searches for Pico.

There he is, all right - falling down in the swirling blackness, too dumbfounded to have corrected his course yet. Lalita snorts. How pathetic. Under the effeminate Fraccion's feet, a crimson glow supports him and slowly spreads forward, forming a portion of a large arching bridge reaching for the Mortal World - but Lalita is not headed there this time. Instead, he fixes his eyes on Pico's shrinking form, leans over the edge of the bridge - and accompanied with a loud hum, leaps down after the Decima, crimson flame gathering in the palm of his visible hand.

Somewhere far, far above Caiphus's own Garganta might punch a hole in the fabric of space and let some light into the eternal darkness, but it's too distant for Lalita to care about. Red footprints are left in the Fraccion's wake forming from the nothingness and returning to it nearly as quickly as he runs towards Pico - but just before reaching him, he brakes and throws his hand forward, a wide jet of energy shooting towards the Decima to burn him and knock him even deeper to the Void...

[Kuroimaken]

"Right on most accounts. I haven't had lunch. I did watch a pretty funny show though." Rouga replies with a slight perk of his brow.

"I don't think we've been formally introduced, though. Mind if I ask your name? And how do you know mine?"

[Kayne650]

Caiphus barely registers his lady's conversation with Rouga as he opens the Garganta. Opening a Garganta in the same position in the void as an earlier Garganta is a difficult and potentially dangerous business, and it took all of Caiphus' concentration. But open it he did, and he released his Pesquisa within it, finding Lalita and Pico fairly quickly (Lalita releasing his Cero didn't hurt).

"I've found them, Cecilia-sama. They appear to be engaging each other, though they've just started. Shall we pursue?" He said, keeping the Garganta open with seemingly little effort.

[Terry576]

"Right on most accounts. I haven't had lunch. I did watch a pretty funny show though." Rouga replies with a slight perk of his brow.

"I don't think we've been formally introduced, though. Mind if I ask your name? And how do you know mine?"

Cecilia has a small half-smile on her face, and she ignores Rouga's questions.

"Splendid Caiphus. Let's go question the Decima on a variety of topics."

Her detective hat on, a corn cob pipe being smoked, she saunters through the Garganta.

[Kuroimaken]

He looks back at Amada. "Your boss' days always this exciting?"

[Kayne650]

Caiphus walked through the Garganta after Cecilia, looking through the void to see Lalita and Pico still in the midst of whatever they were doing. The two were busy enough and far enough below them that they seemed not to have noticed the intruding pair yet, though that wouldn't last. In fact, Caiphus would ensure that it wouldn't last.

Suddenly a Bala would land by Lalita, exploding into a quickly-dispersing cloud of smoke that was certain to get their attention. "You are in the presence of the Sexta Espada!" Caiphus said loudly, speaking over their battle. He had practiced projecting his voice over the fighting of hundreds of Arrancar. It didn't matter if they were firing Ceros, they would hear him.

[InyutheBeatIs]

[Endless Void]

Pico falls, headfirst, shaking his head the whole way down. "Why in the bloody hell did I ever start drinking this morning again?" Yep, that's all he's thinking of as he plummets into the deep dark abyss of which there is no visible end. Joy of joys.

After a moment, Pico manages a backflip, landing on a newly formed platform of green, crackling reiatsu down so deep that the bridge is beginning to look like a red line on an algebra paper. The green is dark, and has an odd tone to it that makes it almost hard to even look at. As Pico gets out of his crouching stature, he looks up at Lalita just in time to see him throwing a Cero directly at his face. Just in time to make his eyes wide as a deer in the headlights. "Oh crap."

Thankfully, being plummeted to your doom can make one sober a lot faster than coffee. So, Pico's reflexes managed to save him as he lept off of his platform and onto another one. As a return present, he formed a Bala in his hand and threw it like a baseball, only this time he aimed it more at Lalita's chest.

But then, of course, Caiphus just had to go and announce himeself. The Bala caused Pico to cough a bit, before shooting a glare upwards that would almost hurt someone if the target were closer. His face twists into a visage of pure annoyance, both at this "woman" and at everyone who just thinks and I quote, they can frikkin' walk in on me like they frikkin' own the place. I OWN THE PLACE MORONS!!

Of course, the people above them wouldn't be able to see much of this. All they would see was a sudden set of lights growing around Pico's hands, and all they would here is...well this.

"Not, frikkin', NOOOOOOOOWWW!!!" Followed by two Ceros being shot at both Caiphus and where he guesses Cecilia is. Immediately afterwards, he points to Lalita and mutters under his breath. "Seperate from the Herd." Lalita will soon find himself covered in a field that makes him appear black and white to everyone but him.

[Frozen_Feet]

Lalita stops long enough to give a glance upwards when Caiphus shoots his warning shot. He doesn't look very taken aback by it. "Oh, it seems the cavalry has arrived", he says, smirking to Pico. "Isn't it nice to have friends who look after you? Or maybe they don't think you can handle a little girl li-"

His gloating stops short as two Ceros fly past him, seeking to knock down the two interlopers. Then his smile grows even wider. "That's the spirit, Decima! Rejecting the help of other, to prove how big and manly you are! Way to go!" He gives Pico a thumbs up.

Then Lalita's image blurs - tracing the trail of red-hot footprints, Pico can tell he's running around him in a wide circle, tempting him deeper into the darkness. "Come on! Show that you're worthy of your title, big boy! Or would you rather go back crying to your girlfriend?", comes a distant taunt, Lalita pointing his index finger at Pico. A crimson orb comes to existence before it, and then shoots towards Pico at bullet-like speeds.

Above, Caiphus might realize that with this much of advance for them, he'd be hard-pressed to catch Pico and Lalita anymore. It all boils down to what his whimsical mistress might think of the matter...

[strawberryman]

[And now, for something completely different...]

Deep underneath the city, under a lake of chaotic water, in a lair thick in the fog of blackest hatred...

A crash of a wall announces Talon's daily ritual. The draconic creature rips gashes in the wall as if they were her foes, beastly scales and horns flashing with raging light in the darkness as she implements her 'bloody winds'. As her rage increases, the volume of her screams begins to crack the very foundations of her lair. Distorted energy is exhaled from her mouth as she pawns off all her hostility, all her anger, and all her hatred into her surroundings. With a final roar, she breathes a torrent of the energy, ripping the floor to shreds.

...Panting, Talon looks around at the destruction she wrought on her entry hall. "Tch. I'll have to drag another repairman down here. I'm hungry anyway." She reseals her blade, and sheathes it, heading into her impromptu wardrobe room to change.

...And comes back out in a militaristic black uniform, long hair tied into a ponytail. With that, she makes for her secret tunnel towards the surface...

[Kayne650]

Caiphus' eyes widen as Pico fires Ceros at the two. Had the man lost his mind completely? To attack the lady Cecilia directly; the only possible reason would be insanity, temporary or permanent. He started moving as soon as he saw the blasts approaching.

In a flash, he vanished and reappeared in front of Cecilia, taking the brunt of the blast himself while protecting Cecilia from the blast. When the light from the Cero dissipated, Caiphus still stood, with only a few burns and a torn shirt to show for his troubles. And those were already regenerating, except for the shirt.

"You were a fool to attack the lady Cecilia." Caiphus said in a low voice. They had a significant lead on them, but it wouldn't be impossible to catch them. Just difficult. "Shall we give chase, my lady?"

[Callos_DeTerran]

Genoveva

Something dark and ominous hurtles through the void separating Hueco Mundo from the rest of everything, something that blurs towards the glowing portal that opened up over the Primera's palace. And through it hurtles Genoveva, straight through the roof of her own chambers, scattering debris and dirt across the floor as she finally comes to a halt. Her chest rises and falls from the exertion of the trip back and the hard-fought (well...she'd fought at the end anyway) battle against the various shinigami and captains. Despite it all, the body count had still been distressingly low, but things still weren't over in the Seireitei yet.

So Genoveva grinned, tilting her head back as mocking laughter bubbles forth from the petite arrancar.

"Haha..hahahahah! Hah...HahahaHahahahahahaaha!" It goes on and on, for several minutes to echo through the halls of her palace, until finally it sputters out. Genoveva crosses her room slowly, pulling Michiko's tattered haori off and draping it over the back of her chair, almost like a bizarre seat cover before plopping down in her throne. Slowly her eyes drift shut and her breathing slows, falling into a slumber atop the chair with her hands folded over her lap along with her sword...

==================================================

Amada

The small arrancar whirls on Rouga and stomps up to him, jabbing a finger in his face. "No. And I blame you for getting him drunk, just so you and I have an understanding!"

[InyutheBeatIs]

[The Endless Void]

Pico pretty much had only one response to Lalita's thumbs-up. "Oh screw you buddy!"

At that point, Lalita starts dancing circles around him, Pico spinning around to keep up. Then, Lalita points towards Pico and shoots at him with a glowing red orb that Pico would much rather not have anything to do with. So, he did the thing that most people would do, and that is jump out of the way.

Of course, he doesn't get out of the way in time, and ends up grazed slightly on his back. "AAGH!" He cries out in pain and frustration, eventually rolling on reiatsu formed ground. However, he soon gets up, his hand on the handle of a khopesh that appears completely wrapped in a white bandages. The bandages unfurl from the blade, revealing a suprisingly smooth and circular arch of obsidian and tying itself around Pico's wrist, the khopesh and him now connected to each other.

He doesn't elaborate on philosophy, however, and instead whips the blade around by the bandage and lashes out at Lalita from the side, the bandage strangely stiffening and almost gleaming as it whips around, eager for flesh.

[strawberryman]

[Ciudad Baja - Surface]

Talon's serpentine slits that pass for her pupils contract instantly as she reaches the surface. Cracking her knuckles, she smells the air for interesting scents.

...And one in particular stands out to her. She backs up her nose with pesquisa and reiatsu-sense, picking up an Espada apparently appearing from nowhere within the Primera district.

"What the hell is that Genoveva up to...", the draconic Privaron wonders aloud. But, of course, she would discover nothing standing around, so she begins a quick gait towards the Primera sector...

[Palacio Primera]

Looking up to the main door of the massive Palacio Primera, Talon growls as she feels the presence of Genoveva, and the smell of blood. She had no interest in exploiting the Primera in a possible time of weakness, such a thing would be suicide if it turned out to be a ruse. But, finding out what she was up to would be a start. With a confident thrust, she knocks on the door in an assertive manner.

...Some few seconds pass.

...Then another few.

Talon's patience finally snaps at the 21 second mark as she lets out a feral yowl, and kicks the door with enough force to send it tumbling down in front of her. "I expected better service, you selfish bitch!" She stands in the door, waiting for any potential threats.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Palacio Primera

A long dark hallway stretches forth before Talon, devoid of sight or sound of another being. Of course, that's how it always seemed at first. Presences lurk nearby though, not many, but the reiatsu coming off of them were impressive for non-well known entities in Hueco Mundo.

That's when the hail of three foot long spines launches down the corridor from some cackling hollow, hooting and hollering wildly as if to goad Talon further in...

[strawberryman]

[Palacio Primera]

Talon growls ferally again, throwing a bala with a wild punch to deflect the spines as she darts into the darkness. "Bring it on you spineless buffoons! I have much more important business than cleaning up swine like you!" She fires another bala... however, instantly after letting it go, she grabs it with her hand, aiming it at the poor soul that would dare to challenge her.

[...Some time later...]

An explosion rocks the bottom of Genoveva's tower as Talon bursts through a wall, bala-punching an unfortunate hollow (?) through the solid structure. The privaron growls, looking a bit scratched up, her gloves utterly destroyed (along with the ends of her sleeves), and her hand smoking and moderately burnt from her application of bala-punches.

As no threats immediately present themselves again, Talon looks upward. Sniffing, she recognizes the Primera's scent, as well as that stench of blood. Taking a deep breath, she begins her slow ascent up the stairs, adjusting herself to look more presentable.

After all, it wouldn't do to look like trash in presenting herself to the Primera.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Genoveva

The Primera's quarters (well, quarter really, there's only the single room) is quite a sight...and scent for that matter. Up this high the scent of burned meat and blood fills the air to one with as refined senses as Talon has. The source of it comes from the comfy looking chair close to the center of the room, turned to face the doorway. Genoveva definitely looks to have seen better days, with both her arms lacerated with burn marks and one long slash along her arm. Something flutters along the back of her chair, from the gaping hole in her wall that was only partially fixed from Sereg's visit a while back.

The smell of blood though...comes from Genoveva's sword and the reason is obvious. One can barely even see the metal of the blade with how much blood was on it! There's a constant dripping noise as a small puddle of crimson gathers beneath the tip. Crimson also covers Genoveva's one hand, all the way up to the elbow.

However, the Primera herself...gives no reaction to Talon's presence, her chest slowly rising and falling as if napping. Then again...it's kinda hard to tell considering Genoveva's usual slit-eyed appearance. She could very well be awake and staring at Talon even now!

[strawberryman]

[Genoveva's Tower]

Talon puts on her best innocent face as she enters the room, despite the audible chaos she'd been causing below. Her nerves barely register the threat of Genoveva's possible possum-like defense. For a few moments, she ponders. Assuming the Primera were awake would likely be the best tactical decision she could take. And as such, some tact would likely be necessary. She... reluctantly offers a bowing nod to the Primera before her throne, and looks back up, straight into the "eyes" of the beast.

"Greetings, Genoveva-san. I am ever so sorry that the inhabitants of your palace opted to get in my way. But I noticed your temporary absence, and reappearance just now, and I was ever so curious as to your previous whereabouts." She manages to only have about half of her usual arrogant tone as she looks upon Genoveva, waiting for a response.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Genoveva

Silence hangs heavily in the air, dragging on for a couple of moments in the wake of Talon's question. The Primera doesn't make a move to acknowledge the bowing nod or polite tone...as a matter of fact she doesn't move at all beyond the steady rise and fall of her chest that's the only sign that she's breathing.

Then a small bubble slowly grows from her nose, inflating and deflating with the same perfect timing as her breathing. At least the question of if the Primera was sleeping was answered!

[strawberryman]

[Genoveva's Tower]

Talon's eye twitches. She had wasted her effort to be polite on a sleeping Espada?

This was unforgivable.

The crack of Talon's knuckles echoes through the room as she inhales and widens her stance to make her diminutive frame look larger, and prepare for possibly the most stupid rage-inspired thing she could do.

"GENOVEVA, YOU STUPID WHORE, WAKE UP AND TELL ME WHAT THE HELL YOU'VE BEEN UP TO!"

The rage of her exclamation likely echoes through most of the Palace, even if the meaning doesn't carry. The air visibly distorts around Talon as her red face announces just how utterly furious and embarrassed she is.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Genoveva

The Primera's hair blows back from her face, the loosely reconstructed wall topples, and various windows down the tower either crack or break outright in the face of that amazingly loud shout. And as the dust settles...silence falls.

Thunk.

That's the noise a six-foot long falchion makes when it's thrown across a room and embeds itself into solid stone, as Talon discovers when a bloody blur whips past her head and Genoveva's zanpakuto does exactly that. All the way up to the skull-shaped crossguards and the handle was still quivering from the force of the throw. A red line across the floor marks the sword's passage, a line that runs right over Talon's shoulder before terminating in the wall behind her.

"Eh?" comes the disgruntled noise from the figure in the chair, Genoveva's head tilted so that her cheek rests in the palm of her free hand. The other is extended outward from where it had thrown the falchion. Disinterested, squinted-shut eyes look right at Talon as the Primera gives a long stretch and satisfied groan.

"Whadda ya wan' half-pint?" she drawls lazily, resting her hand back in her lap, "Why ya wanna know?"

[strawberryman]

[Genoveva's Tower]

Talon just barely flinches as the falchion flies over her shoulder, far too far-gone in anger as of yet to give in to fear. She glares directly at Genoveva, matching her "gaze".

"Why the hell wouldn't I? You're covered in blood, burnt, and have some kind of trophy around your shoulders. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you'd been in Soul Society, but not even a flat-chested bimbo like you aren't stupid enough to go in there alone. So, I will ask again; What. The. Hell. Were. You. Doing?"

[Callos_DeTerran]

Genoveva

With a sigh, Genoveva pushes herself up from her chair, stretching once more to the accompanying noises of various joints cracking and sets her gaze on Talon. In just a sliver of a moment, she's crossed the room to stand in front of Talon, who'd suddenly find herself breathless. It'd take a moment to realize why, but the pain of five fingers gripping her throat in a vise-like grip that cuts off precious, precious air would register soon enough. Movement against as Genoveva briskly walks towards the hole in her wall, dragging Talon by her throat with strength not even hinted at by her side.

Once she gets there, Genoveva slams Talon's back against the edge of the hole and forcibly bends her back over it as her grip tightens. Nails dig into skin, despite hierro, to draw blood as the smaller arrancar's face begins to turn blue. Now that the Primera was moving, Talon could get a clear look at the blood-spattered captain's haori that Genoveva had brought back with her.

"Dat's Primera to you Dull Blade." Genoveva whispers in a menacing tone, "An Ah don't haf ta explain meself to a two-bit arrancar like yerself who couldn't even manage ta hold da fourth position, not when ders almost a dozen citizens in mah sector who're just as powerful as ya but apparently much smarter."

Again Genoveva's grip tightens, tight enough that the Privaron's windpipe threatens to collapse under the strain of that grip and still Genoveva denies Talon air as a faint frown comes to her face as the blue tone of Talon's turns darker. Nor did her arm budge either, as solid as steel despite the hands slapping at it.

"An', fer yer infermation, Ah was in da Soul Societah, by mahself, ta see de make of the shinigami. A pair of Cap'ns, one Commander General, and de fodder of deuce divisions tried ta put meh down and failed. Does dat give you a 'int about da flat-chested bimbo yer dealin' with?" she asks sweetly, abruptly pulling Talon back and slamming her against the rim painfully, "Don't ferget yer place loser. Ah may be injured, but Ah'd have ta be dumb, deaf, and blind with mah legs cut off for ya would be at mah level."

It was only when stars would begin to dance in front of Talon's eyes with blackness creeping in around the edges when Genoveva finally loosens her grip. Not let go, but lets through a precious trickle of air to stave off unconsciousness and allow speech.

"Now ya ready to be civil? Cause if Ah hear un more rude comment pass yer lips den Ah swear by mah pretty little haori dat Ah will end you."

[strawberryman]

[Genoveva's Tower]

A trickle of fear pierces Talon's expression. She does a damn good job of hiding it, though, as she manages a just barely arrogant push of speech. "Y-you... w-wouldn't d-dare..."

She grits her teeth painfully, trying to think. If she didn't word this carefully, the Primera could crush her throat like a grapefruit. The draconic privaron's ego comes crashing down as she realizes the gravity of the situation she's in, and just how outclassed she was. Her anger abates, placed by a summarily paradoxical calculating panic. After a few moments, she speaks again. "W-why... would y-you... k-kill... a p-p-potential ally? I w-wanted... t-to see... if... t-t-the rumors were... t-true. W-what... could you... g-gain from k-killing me, t-that... you c-couldn't gain... m-more from l-letting me... g-go...?"