[Bitp:R] Hueco Mundo 2

[Kuroimaken]

"You mean more than he normally is for calling him Ecchan? Don't worry, Highness. You may be ugly as a painting of pain and sin without a frame, but I am not about to let a little girl come to harm." Rouga, poster boy for subtlety.

Which could be observed in the way he handled whatever happened to be idiotic enough to cross his side on the path to the palacio.

You'd think no Hollow's body, no matter how flexible, could bend quite the ways they ended up...

[strawberryman]

"You mean more than he normally is for calling him Ecchan? Don't worry, Highness. You may be ugly as a painting of pain and sin without a frame, but I am not about to let a little girl come to harm." Rouga, poster boy for subtlety.

Which could be observed in the way he handled whatever happened to be idiotic enough to cross his side on the path to the palacio.

You'd think no Hollow's body, no matter how flexible, could bend quite the ways they ended up...

The princess eyes Rouga.

...Who are you?

She portrays her perplexed feeling through telepathy. It is less a feeling of awe than one of utter confusion.

[Kuroimaken]

"Your old man didn't tell you about me? You'd think even the Ghost Princess would need a boogeyman." Rouga chuckled. "Sougami Rouga, Ecchan's personal rival, and the one Hollow he didn't kill in one-on-one combat."

[Kayne650]

[Talon's Lair]
Talon smirks, satisfied by her prisoner's struggles. In response to her retort, the privaron zeros in on Cashin's face again, hovering just before her lips, and speaking softly...

"If you are so sure of your meaning to the Septima, why did he leave you to me, when for all he knows I could have slain and eaten you? Can you prove your worth?" She chuckles, raking her almost claw-like nails across Cashin's bare navel. Her face is red, drunk with the moment.

As Talon prepares to assault Cashin's body and senses more, she is interrupted. Her smile... almost widens, as she gives the bonded arrancar a look that suggests 'I'll get back to you later'. She turns to the sister on the floor, removing the damp blindfold and lifting her chin upward to look the privaron in the eye.

"He left us because he had faith in us. Faith that we could defeat a being like you." Cashin almost spat the word 'you', full of venom. It was actually pretty sexy. "You'll never break me, Privaron."

"I just explained why to you. Did Sereg ever explain why he forced you and your sister to fight each other in front of him?" She caresses Kaitin's lips softly with a blood-covered finger. "Did you not instead want to be valued and given purpose? There is no purpose in mindless violence." The privaron begins kissing Kaitin's forehead, leaving bloody red lip stains.

"I...I don't understand. Are you trying to help us?" Kaitin said in a wavering voice as she gazed up at Talon. "What are you..."

"But there is in vengeance." A sudden shift occurs as she violently slaps Kaitin to the ground, leaving her cheek sore and red. Talon stands and looms over the bound arrancar, still with that psychotic, disturbingly serene smile on her face.

"How do you feel? Do you feel angry at me for striking you? Or do you feel angry at yourself for not being able to stand up to Sereg?"

Kaitin was interrupted when Talon struck her down. She hit the floor with a stifled cry, desperate to not show weakness. Cashin had no such qualms.

"You leave her alone! If you have a problem, take it out on me! Just please, leave my sister alone..." Cashin begged, going slack in her bindings.

"Cashin, shut up!" Kaitin said, her voice suddenly loud. Had her weakness before been an act? "And my anger is towards both of you. At Sereg for trying to pit us against each other, and at you, who try to put yourself so high above us. You are no better than the Espada whom you despise. I feel rage. And I will have my vengeance against both of you."

The change in Kaitin was striking. Almost as striking was the change in Cashin, who still hung limp from her ropes. It was as if the two had just switched personalities, reversing the aggressive and passive traits. But there was Kaitin, the fire blazing in her eyes evidence enough of the change in her, and she returned Talon's glance, putting her face right in front of Talon's. Her defiant stare despite her near-helpless position was a complete 180-degree turn from two minutes ago, though neither twin reacted to the sudden change.

[strawberryman]

[Talon's Lair]

Talon looks between the two twins. For a moment, she is silent. Then, a chuckle breaks the calm. "Very interesting..." However, she could not admire this interesting trait for long, she had to combat this insubordination. She quickly grabs down, picking Kaitin up by the neck with one hand, and tearing her clothes off in a manner not unlike what she was subjected to earlier, leaving her in naught but what undergarments she might possess. The draconic Privaron licks her lips lustfully.

"Examine what you are saying for a moment. I do not try to put myself above you. I simply am. And you should know this to be fact." Talon's grip around Kaitin's neck is enough to make her uncomfortable, but not enough to restrict her breathing. Talon's free hand ventures between the arrancar's legs, massaging them teasingly. "Sereg is an Espada... for now... even he holds position vastly superior to your own." She turns back to Cashin. "It would have taken naught but a few words to swear you in as Fraccion, but Sereg chose not to." Perhaps these words wouldn't mean much to them now, but all she had to do is keep it up, and their resolve could be worn away... with that, her attention is back on Kaitin.

"There are only 10 Espada. And each of them may have as many fraccion as they so choose... but even then, they are but a fraction of this immense city. Many arrancar will never hold a position of power within this city. There is no shame in this. You live a peasant's life, you die a peasant's death. You can act indignant, but it is the truth. I am attempting to give you a purpose... Why would you not find solace in this?" She releases her grip, allowing Kaitin to fall to the ground. She makes her way out of the room, stopping at the door. "I will return momentarily... steel your mind, I would not want this to be too... easy." With that, she is gone.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Genoveva

The Primera sits silently through the monologue, gazing at the iron maiden in the center of the chamber as she waits for Vincente to finish his thoughts.

"Ah don't believe ya understand da gravity of dis prison Vincente. No un comes in widout mah permission and no un leaves unless Ah say so, and ta insure dat kind of security der's only one point of entry and it'll stay dat way. Ya'll work down here, in dis chamber, or Ah'll find someone else who can." Genoveva says bluntly, blond-haired head swiveling to survey her two 'guests, "An' dat coffin es barely holdin' as is, Ah ain't openin' it. Ya can open da spike hatches to insert yer instruments through dem ta gather samples an' introduce stimuli through de pipes currently pumping industrial waste into der, but dis prison is never ta open. Doin' so will trigger da safety mechanisms Ah installed dat'll purge the Pits of every sign of life an' Ah'll be very unhappy ta lose mah prisoners."

"As fer you Sereg, yer going ta run distribution. Ah don't care how ya go about it, but yer job is to make sure our product reaches as many arrancar an' hollows as it can. Pico was goin' ta run security, both her' in de Pits so de work could be run in piece an ta make sure distribution centers don't get hit, but now 'e'll be lucky if Ah don't cave 'is head in an' murder his Fraccion da next time Ah see'm. Loser is probably sleepin' off a hangover dat wretch couldn't wake'm from."

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

Genoveva's Palace

Like always, the doors to Genoveva's palace sit open to expose the dark hallways leading into the interior of the maze-like building. No noise, natural or otherwise, can be heard from outside where the Sexta, Privaron 00, Fraccion, and princess stands...but there is, nevertheless, a crouched anticipation in the air as if the palace itself was waiting to pounce upon them.

[Kuroimaken]

"I'm taking point here, sis."

With that said, Rouga did what came naturally. He cracked his knuckles, popped a few kinks off his neck... and screamed into the palace.

"HEY CHUMPS! IF YOU WANT BLOOD, YOU GOT IT!"

[KnightDisciple]

Genoveva

The Primera sits silently through the monologue, gazing at the iron maiden in the center of the chamber as she waits for Vincente to finish his thoughts.

"Ah don't believe ya understand da gravity of dis prison Vincente. No un comes in widout mah permission and no un leaves unless Ah say so, and ta insure dat kind of security der's only one point of entry and it'll stay dat way. Ya'll work down here, in dis chamber, or Ah'll find someone else who can." Genoveva says bluntly, blond-haired head swiveling to survey her two 'guests, "An' dat coffin es barely holdin' as is, Ah ain't openin' it. Ya can open da spike hatches to insert yer instruments through dem ta gather samples an' introduce stimuli through de pipes currently pumping industrial waste into der, but dis prison is never ta open. Doin' so will trigger da safety mechanisms Ah installed dat'll purge the Pits of every sign of life an' Ah'll be very unhappy ta lose mah prisoners."

Vicente shrugged.

"Very well. I believe I could build the necessary equipment around it. In fact..."

He tapped his chin for a moment in thought.

"I could perhaps even reinforce the cage a bit with it at the same time."

His gaze levelly met the Primera's.

"But you're going to have to accept it will take time. I cannot snap my fingers and summon science from thin air. Just the experimentation will take time, let alone building the machine and making sure it works. And again, unless I have help, I will have trouble getting the pieces here in a short-term fashion. I'll have to make them off-site at my lab due to the precision required by the machining process.

So I certainly agree to those terms, so long as you understand how they affect the reality of my work."

His tone was not defiant; it merely stated facts, facts that Vicente believed in utterly.

[nothingclever]

Edward
What had Edward been doing during the past week while Lalita trained with Canguro and fought Pico? Training of his own of course! He spent the entire time within a single massive solid white room of his palacio, in complete seclusion and without rest, trying to further improve his speed and grace as well as his durability. Sure, he knew he was truly the strongest of all Hueco Mundo and therefore had no need to gain further strength, but that didn't matter. He had no worthy opponents, except himself. The only person Edward had to prove himself to was himself. One might think this fact would lessen his desire for personal improvement, but it did not. Instead, it greatly encouraged him to seek it. External battles were meaningless so he looked inward for a challenge and found an endless fight with infinite rewards. Within oneself there was always room for improvement. Edward trained to surpass his current limitations rather than those of others. Perfection was impossible to achieve yet that was the very reason he chose to seek it. By doing so he would always have an everlasting source of new satisfaction to draw upon and would never grow bored. In addition to his pride, Edward naturally sought perfection of his skills because they enhanced his beauty. His agility was pleasing to the eye and it along with his great fortitude would ensure his glorious image would never be harmed. Naturally, within perfection itself, he also found beauty and thus chose to pursue it.

[Callos_DeTerran]

[On the way to infirmary]

Lalita hears Amada coming before she jumps towards her. For what it's worth, getting suckerpunched thrice was more than enough for him - so he makes sure there isn't a fourth time.

Lalita slides off of Paramonos's shoulder to dodge the claw, hanging still from Pico's arm - there's a disgusting crunch as his body pulls it to an unnatural position. Then there's a crimson flash as Lalita presses palm of his wounded arm against Pico's shoulder - and shoots a Cero right through it towards Amada's head.

That's just a side-effect, though - his actual goal is to incinerate flesh and bone still attaching Pico's arm to his body.

Considering Decima's left arm is torn off from the shoulder as Lalita pushes away from Paramonos's body, it's succesful.

"Bye now, Parry-kun! Think I have everything I need right here!", Lalita chimes as he lands on the ground some distance away - and blurs as he then leaps high in the air, intent to run over Amada and Paramonos fast.

Lalita's had more than enough fighting for the day. Amada can have rest of the Decima if she wants. Carrying Pico's severed arm, Lalita speeds towards the Ghost King's palace.

Amada

Amada doesn't waste a moment when the knobby claw misses on the upswing, lunging forward to try and bring down the clutching limb down upon Lalita's body before he can scamper too far out of reach. She never gets the chance, not when Lalita fires a cero to sever Pico's arm to continue on right towards her.

Rather then try to power through the blast towards her target, and she so very much wanted to, she does the prudent thing and bends forward to take the blast on her very-well armored shell. In the aftermath of the cero, it's blackened and cracked in places, but Lalita had hardly been able to put his all into the blast and it was relatively unharmed by the assault. A benefit of all the milk Amada drank probably. Did she even drink anything?

BAKA!!! Now's not the time to think about things like that!!

Amada spins to glower after the fleeing Fraccion before good sense halts her pursuit. Pico was still injured and needed her protection, there was no gurantee this man-mountain would stop anyone if they did anything less then try to kill Pico!

"Just you wait Lalita..I'll see your heart from your chest yet..." she growls under her breath, following Paramonos towards the medical area.

[Frozen_Feet]

[Entrance to the King's throne room]

Some time later, battered form of Lalita Tandon arrives at the royal palace, holding his wounded arm against his chest while his left hand still clings to crumbling remnants of Pico's severed arm.

He turns to look behind himself, panting and with sweat dripping down his scarred body. He listens and feels the air for some moments, but he can't feel anyone else coming at the moment. It seems Amada and Paramonos decided to call it quits. Good.

All things considered, Lalita isn't in a very representable condition, lacking a shirt as well as sock and sandal from his other foot. Oh well. He moves to knock on the door frame.

"Your majesty? A measly Fraccion requests audience. It has come to my attention Master Kurazume has had a slight mishap..."

[Draken]

Throne Room

Von Geister is still in a pretty good mood from earlier, Lalita's arrival was timely.

"Two in one day, how unusual. Do you have proof of your achievment, Tandon?"

Truth be told, he's been feeling the reiatsu surges all day.

[Kayne650]

Spoiler

Show

[Talon's Lair]

Talon looks between the two twins. For a moment, she is silent. Then, a chuckle breaks the calm. "Very interesting..." However, she could not admire this interesting trait for long, she had to combat this insubordination. She quickly grabs down, picking Kaitin up by the neck with one hand, and tearing her clothes off in a manner not unlike what she was subjected to earlier, leaving her in naught but what undergarments she might possess. The draconic Privaron licks her lips lustfully.

"Examine what you are saying for a moment. I do not try to put myself above you. I simply am. And you should know this to be fact." Talon's grip around Kaitin's neck is enough to make her uncomfortable, but not enough to restrict her breathing. Talon's free hand ventures between the arrancar's legs, massaging them teasingly. "Sereg is an Espada... for now... even he holds position vastly superior to your own." She turns back to Cashin. "It would have taken naught but a few words to swear you in as Fraccion, but Sereg chose not to." Perhaps these words wouldn't mean much to them now, but all she had to do is keep it up, and their resolve could be worn away... with that, her attention is back on Kaitin.

"There are only 10 Espada. And each of them may have as many fraccion as they so choose... but even then, they are but a fraction of this immense city. Many arrancar will never hold a position of power within this city. There is no shame in this. You live a peasant's life, you die a peasant's death. You can act indignant, but it is the truth. I am attempting to give you a purpose... Why would you not find solace in this?" She releases her grip, allowing Kaitin to fall to the ground. She makes her way out of the room, stopping at the door. "I will return momentarily... steel your mind, I would not want this to be too... easy." With that, she is gone.

Kaitin glares at the Privaron as she is lifted into the air, and makes muffled moans as the taller woman's hand starts wandering. Cashin's head is still bowed, the fight seeming to have retreated completely from her. Talon's words beat themselves into the twin's heads, their meaning a deep insult to the two of them. They knew that the words were true, and had known them before; it was hearing someone else say them that was so painful. Even Kaitin's suddenly harsh glare turned downwards as Talon spoke the horrible truth to them.

But once she left, the minds of the two turned back to one thing: escape. They had to get this time; the Privaron wouldn't be so lenient next time. Who knew what she was going to retrieve?

"No fair, Kaitin. I needed the Aggression, you shouldn't have taken it like that. Why did you take it?" Cashin's voice was sad and pleading as if Kaitin had stolen her security blanket. Well, to be fair, she basically had done just that.

Kaitin rolled her eyes. She hated how sister acted without the Aggression almost more than she hated being without it. "I took it because there was a Privaron staring me in the face. I didn't enjoy facing that while being Passive. Do you need it back?"

"Well, since I'm the one who's closer to escaping, it'd be better for me to have it..." Cashin trailed off, still dithering. She would be impossible to deal with until she got it back.

"Fine, take it." Like last time, there was no flash of light, no sign that anything changed.

Unless you were looking in their eyes.

Suddenly Kaitin's eyes lost their fire, their drive. She seemed to wilt a little in her ropes, and her eyes went to the floor. In direct contrast, Cashin started fighting against her ropes with redoubled effort, scratching and clawing at them with renewed vigor.

"There we go, that's much better! I'll be out of here in no time..." She said, pulling at the bindings around her other arm. If she could get both hands free, they'd be safe and sound in no time.

"Wouldn't it be faster if we just used our Resurreccion?" Kaitin asked, starting to wiggle her way towards Cashin. "then we could break out of here easy, I'm sure."

"Don't be stupid, Kaitin. She'd sense our reiatsu flaring a mile away, and she's right here. We wouldn't get anywhere without her sensing us." Then she suddenly had a thought. Why would it matter if the Privaron noticed them? "But she's weak now. I could tell from the way she walked, she's been fighting. Maybe we can take her! Come on, Kaitin, just a little more! You just need to reach my hand!"

Kaitin kept moving, worming her way to Cashin. All she needed to do was touch her outstretched hand. Just a little more...

[Frozen_Feet]

Throne Room

Von Geister is still in a pretty good mood from earlier, Lalita's arrival was timely.

"Two in one day, how unusual. Do you have proof of your achievment, Tandon?"

Truth be told, he's been feeling the reiatsu surges all day.

"Ah, I'm afraid the event saw Master Kurazume disarmed", Lalita says smiling as he steps in, waving Pico's arm around as it's a bucket of flowers. The mangled limb doesn't look like much, it's just pieces of bone, charred flesh and scales rapidly eroding in absense of a body to sustain it. However, from the Reiatsu still lingering in it as well as its physical composition, Von Geister should be able to tell fairly easily who it belonged to. Lalita kneels and hands it towards the King.

"He was quite shocked by this, as I'm sure you understand, and needed a bit of rest which is why he deemed it improper to stop by himself. Our dear friend Numero 24 Paramonos took him to the infirmary outside Ciudad Baja gates. If any of the royal family have time, I could escort them to him - I'm sure get-wells from you would serve to heighten his spirits after this depressing incident."

[Draken]

Throne Room

Von Geister picks up the arm, looks it over for a moment, and then drops it inside a gaping maw on the floor.

"I will see him later. But for now."

"Rise, Decima Espada, Lalita Tandon."

[strawberryman]

[Primera District]

Carina sighs at Rouga's display, readying herself for anything that might come out.

[Talon's Lair]

A sick chuckling comes from the hall as Talon returns. Holding a black bag. She's not naked... but whether that's a good thing is entirely up to perspective. She dons tight black leather basque, as well as black undergarments and stockings, and finally, as if she were intentionally trying to look like a dominatrix, high heels.

It's a wonder where she obtained these things. However, of more concern should be the sinister, if lascivious smile on her face. "Ignoring the fact that I could hear you from the other room -- after all, my palace is rather empty, and has this charming echo about it -- where would you go to? There is only one entrance to my lair, and it is through that lake." She points up. "A lake with ravenous hollow sharks that would be all too eager to attack and kill those who do not wear a special pheromone that I possess. And then, you would have to navigate caverns connected to the Gillian forest. And even then, I would notice your scent had disappeared, and would follow you, assuming you weren't lost or killed. What a shame that would be, wouldn't it?" She grins toothily, setting her magic mystery bag down, and kneeling to it, pulling out two collars. One that looks rather... normal, and another that seems to be comprised partly of some kind of stone. As she approaches the girls, she pushes Kaitin away from her sister with a firm but not overly forceful kick, then snaps the stone collar around Cashin.

Talon watches Cashin's reaction as she might feel all her strength sap away, leaving her as weak as a mortal might feel. "That... is a collar composed of seki-seki. It has this trait of completely neutralizing reiatsu; and in our war with the shinigami, we amassed no small amount of it. Unfortunately..." She walks over to Kaitin, now, snapping the other collar around her neck. "I only have one. So you'll need to behave." She caresses Kaitin lustfully, before turning to her throne... which, apparently, amongst the many, many masks, is hidden a long and solid-looking chain. In a matter of minutes, with a couple of handy locks, she has the two solidly connected to the throne.

It is by then that she begins to unbind Cashin. "You see...? That wasn't so horrid, now, was it." She alternates undoing the remaining bindings with gentle kisses all across her body. It was probably getting fairly confusing by now... Then, Cashin is (relatively) freed. In short order, so is Kaitin. Talon looks upon the two with interest. "You now have the freedom to move, as long as it is within the throne room. Am I really so horrid as Sereg?" She is blushing again... is she getting some kind of sick pleasure out of this?

Her bag still looks pretty full...

[Frozen_Feet]

[Throne Room]

Lalita stands up wordlessly and looks Von Geister in the eyes. In contrast to his cheerful demeanor a moment ago, his face is utterly blank. He waits to see if the King has anything to add.

[Draken]

Throne Room

"You have something else to add, Tandon? If not, go to your district and seek out Athos to help you with the area."

[Frozen_Feet]

[From the throne room to the roof of Edward's palace]

A tired smirk spreads back on Lalita's face. "No, your majesty. I'll take my leave", he says, bowing. He skids backwards to the doors, facing Von Geister the whole time. "Send my regards to your queen. Master Kurazume, as well - tell him I'll keep good care of his district until he gets back on his feet again." Then he's gone.

Lalita's expression becomes stoic again as he runs towards the surface. His course is not towards the Decima Sector - he has zero intention of returning to the crime scene this fast. It would just attract unwanted attention, which is the last thing he desires. Let the word spread on its own, he'd use the head start to find a sanctuary to rest in.

For that, he heads towards Segunda's Palacio. He forgoes using Sonido, letting his Reiatsu fade until it's just a drop in the ocean, one unassuming blip among countless of others. He glances over his shoulder a few times and feels the air as he runs past Ciudad Baja garrison - General Apolinar Rodriguez might be present, and he's close to the top of the list of people who Lalita would rather avoid.

Eventually, he arrives at Segunda's sector - he climbs a bunch of decorative grape vines on the top of a building, the continues his journey by hopping from roof to roof. until descending on top of the Palacio. He walks past his old lookout where he used to spy on Ruwa and Mei and scans ahead to see what condition the throne room and his old quarters are in. He and Lady Primera caused quite a mess before he left to the desert - has anyone cleaned it up during the week he's been gone?

[nothingclever]

The damaged areas had been more than repaired in Lalita's absence. They were completely rebuilt in an entirely different style by a new group of architects that saw the destruction as an opportunity to demonstrate their skills. Edward didn't even need to say anything to get the job done. There were always people looking to rebuild parts of the palacio with their own supposedly superior designs. Currently Edward was in the throne room seated at the place of honor enjoying the fragrance of some flowers grown in one of his many gardens.

[Zerkai]

[Segunda's Palace]

On top of what would be Lalita's new bed slept Canguro, the tattered remains of her button up shirt lay on the bed next to her and her zanpakuto on the floor, still wearing her shorts tanktop, and boots in the bed. She had come back some time after Lalita returned, choosing to spend a little more time training by herself in the white sands.

But now she rested in Lalita's bed, not having actually checked in with Edward at all when she came back to the city, just went to Lalita's room and she was out like a light, never actually being shown to her own room due to extenuating circumstances. Canguro slept on her back and did so fairly quietly, barely moving while she slept.

[nothingclever]

While Lalita surveys the area from above he is discovered by one of the inhabitants. "Hello there!" bellows a burly tradesman off in the distance, putting down his tools for a moment to accentuate his greeting with a wave. He was the most well dressed and groomed construction worker Lalita had ever seen and he sported a terrific mustache. "Edward's been looking for you lad! You might want to go see him!" With that, the paragon of manliness returned to working on the roof. A gopher suddenly jumped out of his pocket and scampered off.

Canguro didn't get to sleep long. At least not without a visitor. A distinguished looking gentleman in a suit quietly and ever so slightly opened the door and peered inside Lalita's room. As soon as he saw Canguro he mentally exclaimed "Cuuute!" whipped out a silent camera and started snapping pictures. He then further opened the door just enough to get through and circled the bed to take more shots. A moment later he was on his way out. Before leaving he telepathically beamed a message into her head. "I'm terribly sorry to disturb you madam, but when you feel up to it Edward would like to see you."

[Frozen_Feet]

Lalita gives a dull stare after the handyman, then walks away without a word. For some reason, the thought that his old master had missed him doesn't sway him one way or another. How strange, he wonders apathetically as he looks for a way to his apartment.

It turns out to be harder than he thought. Whoever had rebuild it had not implemented any of the secret passages or shortcuts he'd used before. Whatever beauty the new architechture might possess is lost on Lalita, causing only annoyance and alienation.

Eventually he slips in from a new and, in his opinion, horribly misplaced window. I'll have it masoned shut, he muses, before remembering he probably won't be here for long anyway. It shouldn't matter his old home is gone. Not this much, anyway.

Sighing, he walks from one odd room to another. Though he isn't putting any special effort to being quiet, there's hardly a sound as he wanders to the bedroom - at least it is roughly in the same place. He stops when he sees Canguro, a slight smile rising to his lips.

[Zerkai]

Canguro seemed oblivious to the person sneaking in and snapping pictures of her, mumbling something in a sleep and rolling onto her side. An eye shot open upon hearing a telepathic message, which looking around the now empty room. "Grr.... grable... blah..." She grumbled incoherently, buring her head under the pillow.

This time she was awake enough to notice someone entering the room, quickly sitting up to look to the door, the pillow stuck between the ear ornaments of her circlet. She opened her mouth to say something but was silenced by a yawn, stretching out her arms and arching her back.

"Ugh... sorry about that. With all the stuff that went down the day I became a Fraccion, I never found out where my room is." she explained once her yawn subsided, reaching up to remove the pillow from her circlet.

[Frozen_Feet]

Lalita just smiles at her. He doesn't look much better for the wear than last time she met him - the blood-soaked rags he'd had tied around his waist have just been switched to a bright red Hakama. Indeed, it seems he's managed to get a few wounds more during his stay in the city - especially notable is a deep, cauterized gash in his right forearm.

"Awww, I was hoping I could wake you up in a more.. pleasant fashion", he teases as Canguro gets up. "Don't worry about the bed. I don't mind sharing it with you, it's not really mine in the first place."

Lalita walks to the bed and sits next to Canguro, his eyes scanning over her in search of fresh injuries. "So, how are you, Miss? Been here long?", he asks. He reaches to grab Canguro's leg that was injured back in the arena fight and lift it closer. "Your leg's fine, I take it?"

[Zerkai]

"Was already awake,mostly... Someone popped in to wake me just before you got here." Aside from her freshly bandaged leg, she had some gauze wrapped around her left shoulder and some bandages on her good leg and right forearm, but nothing serious.

Canguro let Lalita grab and lift her leg, taking the time to examine Lalita's injuries, her head slowly tilting to the side as she looked at the deep gash. on his arm. "Looks like you've still been training... you should probably get bandaged up up. I knew enough first aid to keep you from falling to pieces in the white sands, but maybe someone with a bit more medical knowledge." She suggested with a smirk

[HirokatsuGoto]

Spoiler

Show

Genoveva

The Primera sits silently through the monologue, gazing at the iron maiden in the center of the chamber as she waits for Vincente to finish his thoughts.

"Ah don't believe ya understand da gravity of dis prison Vincente. No un comes in widout mah permission and no un leaves unless Ah say so, and ta insure dat kind of security der's only one point of entry and it'll stay dat way. Ya'll work down here, in dis chamber, or Ah'll find someone else who can." Genoveva says bluntly, blond-haired head swiveling to survey her two 'guests, "An' dat coffin es barely holdin' as is, Ah ain't openin' it. Ya can open da spike hatches to insert yer instruments through dem ta gather samples an' introduce stimuli through de pipes currently pumping industrial waste into der, but dis prison is never ta open. Doin' so will trigger da safety mechanisms Ah installed dat'll purge the Pits of every sign of life an' Ah'll be very unhappy ta lose mah prisoners."

"As fer you Sereg, yer going ta run distribution. Ah don't care how ya go about it, but yer job is to make sure our product reaches as many arrancar an' hollows as it can. Pico was goin' ta run security, both her' in de Pits so de work could be run in piece an ta make sure distribution centers don't get hit, but now 'e'll be lucky if Ah don't cave 'is head in an' murder his Fraccion da next time Ah see'm. Loser is probably sleepin' off a hangover dat wretch couldn't wake'm from."

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Genoveva's Palace

Like always, the doors to Genoveva's palace sit open to expose the dark hallways leading into the interior of the maze-like building. No noise, natural or otherwise, can be heard from outside where the Sexta, Privaron 00, Fraccion, and princess stands...but there is, nevertheless, a crouched anticipation in the air as if the palace itself was waiting to pounce upon them.

[Yaago Duarte, Fraccion to the Primera] (to the rear of the other Arrancar whom had followed the Primera's private prison for the old Primera)

On the Primera's mentioning of going down into the pits, Yaago immediately got to his feet and grabbed his sword from the ground and flopped it on his shoulder. He sighed heavily as the Primera again called attention to his cat, she had known he hated the cat being brought up and knew it stuck in his craw that he obviously cared for something, even if he tried to hide it so very bluntly.

Yaago waited for all the others to go down the hidden grate before he followed jumping in without looking back. The little Arrancar cat of his followed him to the edge of the pit and peered out over the edge and down into the darkness, it looked on curiously before yawning and arching its back before scampering off out the front door. It obviously knew when to make itself scarce.

Yaago followed the group silently, peering on into the darkness around them flippantly with an almost maniacal grin. They were in no danger to the worthless creatures down here, and if any of them tried anything, it would only be fun watching them all scream and bleed. Yaago almost WANTED the wretched prisoners to try something. Still he followed the group as they went further and further into the depths, awaiting any orders from the Primera.

They entered the private prison for the old Primera, it hummed with electronics and computers, all thing Yaago could not stand. He grimaced in disgust when he entered the chambers, both for the electronics as well as the pitiful ex-Primera who was held there. His grimace turned to a manic upturn of his lisp at their edges as he so loved the torture the Primera was inflicting on the old Primera. There were few things Yaago loved even somewhat close to blood, and torture was one of them...and ohhh how the Primera was good at it...she knew that too....

Yaago silently stood in between the door and the group, looking on to the tortured ex-Espada. He brought his large horrid sword off of his shoulder in a large sweeping motion and banged it on its point in front of him forcing some dried blood to flake off from the blade. He then put his hands on the pommel of the upside down claymore resting his body forward on it slightly, his feet wide apart.

Yaago knew he wasnt brought down here to talk about anything, he was not kept around for his words or savvy. She either wanted him to do something, or watch something, and regardless, it wasnt his place to care either way. She had yet to not fulfill her promises to him, and therefore neither had he failed her

Yaago stood silent and stoic. His heavy eyes were on the Primera with the occasional glance and devious grin at the torture devices and the ex-Primera's pain.

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Octava District]

Ivaz walks the streets of her district, a smirk on her face. Now, it's hard to catch her without a smirk. But today, her smirk had some meaning behind it.

She had been hearing many rumors lately. Ones that caught her interest fairly quickly.

And she saw this as a great opportunity for her. Her Espada seemed to have taken a trip somewhere. Sure, some might say she was killed. But, if that were true, then surely somebody would have claimed the prize by now.

But this...this was info she could act on. Info that could work in her favor. The first step would be to confirm the rumors. And that would involve a trip to the Tercera's district.

So that is where she is headed. Walking the whole way. She liked walking. Gave her more time to think of ways to act, if the rumors turned out to be true.

She felt today was going to be a good day.

[Frozen_Feet]

[Segunda's Palacio, Lalita's apartment]

Lalita puts Canguro's leg down and looks in her eyes, smiling wearily. "Certainly, Miss. Indeed, I'm about to ask Master Edward about it. I think I'll be retreating to rest for quite some time", he says and stands up. He holds his healthy hand towards Canguro in offer to pull her up. "I would be pleased if you come along again. I know it's bit of a selfish request, Miss, but I have to say I quite enjoyed your company out in the sands. I have some interesting things to tell you, too."

[Zerkai]

[Segunda's Palacio, Lalita's apartment]

Canguro smiled back, taking his hand and standing up from the bed with his help. "Sure... I didn't exactly see Edward after coming back, I just crashed on the bed. And I had a good time out in the sands too, always having to chase after you... It's been a while since I've really rushed like that."

She grinned as she grabbed her tattered shirt and pulled it on before picking up her serrated gauntlets, carefully donning her half of her zanpakuto, then started doing the same for her greaves. Once Canguro was ready, she looked back up at him with a wide grin "Alright, lead the way."