[Bitp:R] Hueco Mundo 2

[Shades of Gray]

Anita

"I'm sorry. Calling you by that name, as well as many other things that I did earlier, were inappropriate for our professional relationship."

[nothingclever]

"Professional relationship?" said Edward aghast. "I don't care about that, I simply want us to be friends. Don't you feel the same?"

[Shades of Gray]

Anita

"While I am on the clock as Genoveva's fraccion I must act professional. I can feel free to call you "Eddie" during my off-hours... What little time I have." She assured him. "Is that okay... Eddie?"

[nothingclever]

Edward spoke in a mischievous tone. "Sure, but really, isn't part of being professional pleasing those you work with? Y'know, using the right words to create a positive, harmonious atmosphere. In this case I believe it'd be best to deviate from your standard protocol. I know I'd sure feel our work relationship was a lot better if you would refer to me that way all the time. By the way, since you called me Eddie again, is it safe to assume you're off the clock?"

[Shades of Gray]

Anita

"Alright, I will try, Eddie." She said, still struggling with the word. "I have no other pressing work, and Genoveva is occupied... So I am off the clock." She declared, confused about Edward's conspiratorial tone.

[nothingclever]

"Well then, I have a work related request I'd like to make, but I don't want to cut into your leisure time, so I feel a little guilty. Then again, it's also a form of leisure you might enjoy. Why don't you and I get down to business and resume where we left off before to improve our professional and personal relationships?" Edward gave her a comical, suggestive stare.

[Shades of Gray]

Anita

"I'm still a little... shaken up from earlier. I think it would be better if we postpone." She said almost disappointed as she fixed her hair. "S-Sorry."

[nothingclever]

"Oh please, it was rude of me to ask, especially given the circumstances. You're too nice and polite for your own good, but I like that about you." He paused for a moment. Shortly after he had started holding Anita's hand a powerful, bestial, primal urge had come over him that was quickly growing. He couldn't help it, it was useless to try to resist any longer. He had reached his breaking point! "One, two, three, four, I declare a thumb war!" Edward raised the hand holding Anita's. His thumb began to sway from side to side as if taunting hers to strike it. "Don't hold back just because I'm the Segunda!"

[Shades of Gray]

Anita

Anita went through a moment of surprise, confusion, quizzicality, and then determination. Three seconds later, it was over. Anita was surprisingly agile and powerful. She came out of nowhere, slamming Edward's thumb down on her own. "I'm sorry that it's over so soon, I bet this doesn't normally happen to you. Maybe we can try again in thirty minutes?" She suggested.

[nothingclever]

Edward laughed heartily, "Oh-hoho! Quite the thumb fighter you are! I had planned to go easy on you and play around for a bit, but you got me right away. Clearly you can't judge a book by its cover." He was a good sport. He didn't mind losing to someone so attractive. Plus this was another opportunity to show the extent of his noble virtue. "Now that I know you're as strong as you are beautiful, I'm even more eager to peruse your pages."

[Shades of Gray]

Anita

"Right, keep telling yourself that." She said, patting Edward on the back with the hand that just destroyed him in combat. Anita then lay down on her back, yawning.

[nothingclever]

Edward lay on his stomach with his feet kicking back and forth in the air. He rested his head in his hands as he looked dreamily at Anita. "Awww, you're cute when you gloat."

[Shades of Gray]

Anita

"Er, thanks. You're cute when you... Um, do anything." She admits, not having any clue what to say. The fraccion looked away, embarrassed once more.

[nothingclever]

Edward chuckled. "Don't worry, I won't embarrass you anymore. I'll just go see what Genoveva is doing. And don't worry about her thinking you're not doing your job either. Merely say that you kept me busy as long as you could before I had had enough and couldn't wait a second more." With that, Edward strode on over to see what was going on in the throne room.

[Callos_DeTerran]

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[Genoveva's Tower]

The snakes prove about as tough as a fraccion's hierro-protected appendages could be, wrapping and biting at the vines defensively. However, two of the snakes' heads are removed as the acid eats away at them, recovering Genny's knowledge of Cero and Garganta.

However, Ruwa's eyes widen and her face reddens as Genoveva lets loose the wave of, well, amorous energy. The entire scene slows to her as her heart beats...

Ba-bump...

Her slender figure...

Ba-bump...

Her attractive, perky rear...

Ba-bump...

Her powerful stance...

Ba-bump...

Ruwa's tail aims for Yaago's legs, going for a powerful trip even as she slowly advances for Genoveva, resealing (releasing Anita's vines in the process, and restoring Genoveva's memories) and kneeling to the ground, crawling to the Primera slowly.

Assuming no interruption, she clings onto one of Genoveva's legs, rubbing against it sensually, any sentient thought blocked out by physical fervor.

"Geeeenny-sssaaaamaaaa..."

Genoveva's Room

There's no other look on Genoveva's face but one of amused disdain as the effects of her aura sweep over those in the room, prompting Anita to flee, while Yaago and Ruwa succumb to their...baser natures. As Ruwa re-seals and Yaago goes for a skull-splitting strike though, the Primera raises a single hand to stay her fraccion's hand and gives him a subtle shake of the head. It wasn't like she needed his help to deal with the lustful creature currently rubbing up against one of Genoveva's legs as if she couldn't help it. Chances were that Ruwa couldn't, not with that debilitating aura of pink light coming off of the Primera's body to fill the room with such amorous energy. Nor does she move to push Ruwa away either, sitting stock still in her chair as if waiting for something to happen.

When Ruwa speaks though, the waiting stops. Eyes open wide at what Ruwa says, exposing the hellish red and yellow pupils of the Primera as her lips curls up into a sneer of unfathomably raw, seething HATE. One dainty hand reaches down to snarl itself in Ruwa's thick black hair, viciously yanking the arrancar's head back to face the ceiling as the glow flickers and disappears.

"What the **** did you call me?" Genoveva says in deadly soft voice, yanking on Ruwa's hair hard enough to force the other arrancar's back into a painful arch as the Primera rises from her seat. Pointed teeth grind against one another as the short arrancar girl balls her hand into a fist, pupils shrinking inward.

WHAM!

All of the Primera's terrifying strength is brought down in an overhand blow unto Ruwa's face, causing the tiled floor below to buckle and crack as Genoveva releases her victim long enough to snap the leg Ruwa had been rubbing against so amorously a moment ago into her side with a bone-snapping crack in the air. The force of the blow sends Ruwa flying through the air to impact into the wall of the chamber, cratering it even as Genoveva stalks after her, each step sinking into the solid stone as if the Primera weighed far far more then she did. Crimson light begins to seep from Genoveva's eyes as her rage flares and builds like a bonfire, hardly bothering to restrain her reiryoku now as her left hand flickers out to strike Ruwa in the throat and stealing the breath from her. Long enough for it to close about her throat anyway, holding her still for the jab from Genoveva's right hand.

"My name is Genoveva." the Primera hisses out as her right flicks out again and again, always to impact with a meaty thud into Ruwa's face to send her head rebounding off the stone wall behind her. Blackening the comely arrancar's eyes, shattering her nose, breaking bones, and opening cuts with her hand that turns increasingly crimson. There's no hidden smugness in Genoveva's voice, no mocking, just pure incandescent rage as she pummels and hammers the serpentine fraccion, ignoring any call to stop or for mercy, "Not Genny or Jenny!"

Again and again, a merciless rampage against Ruwa's body that doesn't seem like it'd ever end while it destroyed the serpentine arrancar's body from without, but it never once even has the hint that it'd kill Ruwa and spare her the pain from her injuries. As Genoveva's right hand begins to ache, she switches to her left, then to kicking and kneeing Ruwa on her torso and limbs, always to inflict the maximum amount of pain on the impertinent fraccion. Finally Genoveva pauses, panting, arms soaked in red up to the elbow as she surveys the damage she's caused with the eye of a true sadist. The Primera lets Ruwa slump to the ground, only for a moment, as she glances around before snaring her fingers in the woman's hair and dragging her along the floor to the hole in the wall, tugging her up into the air to face the white city of Las Noches.

"My. Name. IS. GENOVEVA!" the Primera roars, rearing back her free hand for a devastating blow to Ruwa's lower back that launches her at terrific speeds through the air and away from Genoveva's palace.

Battered, bleeding, and wounded...Ruwa still somehow lived...

And after the beating at the enraged Primera's hands, crashing through the wall of a building in the Octava's district to skid across the floor was probably a welcome release.

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[Primera Sector]

The princess does not seem too pleased, the effects of her aura inflicted upon her surroundings.

Do you have any idea who I am, you imbecile!? I am the Princess of Las Noches, daughter of the Ghost King! Are you suicidal!?

Primera Sector

The black tendrils thrash and squirm around the princess' bound body as she is dragged along the floor and some are destroyed with cero, but doggedly cling to the princess' body and, if anything, pull even faster!

...Until the princess' words seem to register with the unseen assasilant anyway.

"...This one does not understand. The Princess should not be moving unescorted through Sector Uno, and her ceros would undoubtedly destroy this one's tendrils." On cue, the tendrils slacken their grip some, a couple rearing up to carefully drag over She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's skin, "Yours did not and this one does not sense that the...guest is hiding an unforeseen amount of strength. Is the guest sure she is Von Geister-hime?"

Doubtfully the black tendrils withdraw from the princess, though they continue to hover nearby as if waiting for some sign that Carina was lying about her identity.

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Caiphus stood before the wall of Hollows, staring impassively at them. "If you mean to intimidate me, then you aren't doing it very well. You are the dregs of our society, the lowest of the low. Not one of you can face me alone, so you hope for the safety in numbers. But you make one terrible mistake. Even thousands of zeros can never equal one."

Caiphus could still feel the princess, being dragged ever deeper into depths of Sector Uno. Caiphus would be damned if he let them take the Princess on his watch.

Caiphus released his ceros at the base of the wall, hopefully obliterating the Hollows at the bottom which would cause an avalanche of Hollows that, while still somewhat dangerous, would be far less so than the wall attacking as one. As they fell in a heap, Caiphus vanished in a crackle of Sonido, bursting straight through the wall of Hollows, his Hierro protecting him from the impact through the Hollows even as it made the collision all the more painful for them.

"I don't have the time for your bedtime stories, Tick-Tock."

"Tenha Rensouga!" With that cry, Rouga threw both his arms forward, crossing them before his chest. A pair of his characteristic blade-like Bala shot forward, but they were a mere distraction. His Hierro blazed forth shortly thereafter in the same blade-like formation he'd used moments before to go Isaac Clarke on Hatter's poor form. These were far more numerous, aimed at several different spots of "Tick-Tock"'s body.

Kayne

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I meant a figurative wall, not a literal one.

"Hah! Always in such a rush to be on time, was your father a rabbit?" 'Tick-Tock' taunts as Rouga crosses his arms forward sending out the blade-like bala that cut across the arrancar's arms and legs but don't sever them like they had to Hatter. Instead, Tick-Tock finishes grabbing the haft of some weapon from within his gullet and pulls out...a clock?!

Swiftly the arrancar crosses his arms and hunkers down protectively as the hierro blast slams into him, rocking the arrancar back...until the clock suddenly rings.

"Timbre, hora de la muerte!" A flash of light...but something's wrong...everything's stopped moving!

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Kuroimaken, 'Tick-Tock's' ability is like a mind-affecting 'slow' effect. As long as the clock is ringing, Rouga's perception is going to be fixed on that single moment even though time continues on normally. Course, Rouga can still move and act as he wants, he just won't see notice the effects of anything unless it's something hitting him. It's tricky to work around, but not particularly powerful.

Caiphus seems to be fairing better, bursting into the crowd of hollows with two ceros before crashing into them physically, relying on his hierro to protect him from the attacks of the hollows. Some are destroyed instantly, but others (worryingly enough) seem capable of scurrying out of the blast only moderately harmed! Not regular hollows then, probably Adjuchas if they could take attacks like that! Nor where the likely Adjuchas the only one's moving to attack Caiphus once more, he can see a sprinkling of arrancar as well raising various weapons that glow...

Oh wait, those were ceros! It seemed concerned for one's fellow citizens wasn't a high priority to the denizens of Sector Uno!

[InyutheBeatIs]

[...?]

Unconsciousness. It was more horrible than consciousness for a Hollow. All of the memories, all of the feelings of those poor unfortunate souls they've consumed rise up to swallow them whole in turn, completely unbridled by any ego the being had in the realm of awakening.

This was no different.

He was a Crusader of old, a proud, righteous Frenchman of great moral conviction. And yet, there were bits and pieces of him that...weren't his. They were someone else's; an arm reaching out to fling a diamond ring here, a leg running away from some source of pain there, eyes crying without tears, chest bleeding from deep, cutting wounds. The form of the Frenchman was ever-shifting, ever-changing, and yet they all played the same sad tune, each form singing it in their own twisted form-tongues. All of them had the same beat; a sharp, ethereal pain in their chest, numbness, a feeling of abandonment and theft, as if someone reached into you and pulled out something you hardly even knew was there.

The stage was just as mercurial as the man. Houses standing defiant over mountains, trees jutting out of the ground like twisted teeth, with lakes acting as violent and restless as rivers and as grand as oceans, sand spewing out into grass. Every piece of architecture was different from the last; houses of simple brick standing next to baroque fixtures of grandiose form, led by a tiny house barely capable of supporting one human, let alone two. All of these pieces of these distant vignettes blended into each other with the ragged edges of a torn page and the grace of a hammer.

This was the thousand and first time the Frenchman walked down this piecemeal road, and it was the thousand and first time he was to experience what it had to offer. He could see her in the distance, his love, his sweet and beautiful lady. She was the love of his life, and now, after spending all those painful years on the beaches of Normandy...wait, that wasn't right. Or was it? It didn't matter. What did, was that he was going to profess his love to her and...

What? What was that shadow doing in there? No...no not again. This couldn't be happening again!

Once again, in an instant, the Frenchman felt it. The feeling of being as hollow as a crystal bell, the ringing inside his head and his chest, the searing blow that his love had dealt him. It was more than he could bear. He had to make it stop. But before he could, he was back in this brutal cycle. This time, being denied by a prestigious college, this time being mocked by his fellow man. Each and every time, he could see everything cracking, as if the very earth was about to give way in his newborn insanity.

"Ma...stop...make it stop...make it stop, make it stop, make iT STOP!!"

[Paramonos's Shoulder]

Whatever jostled him out of his stupor, Pico was now wide awake, hissing in pain. For a second, he felt hollow, disturbed, and more than a bit dazed. After a while, he managed to at least get enough of his wits together to realize what had happened. He still found himself laying on his stomach, slumped over the guard's shoulder with Amada following him, but now he was in his more human, albeit horribly scarred and half-naked form. That is, what was left of it. He looked over to find that one of his arms was missing. "Ugh, sonuva*****."

He managed to open one of his eyes, looking down at Amada questioningly. "Remind me what happened again?" He croaked out.

[strawberryman]

[Cuarta Sector]

Talon might sense a shift in Vicente's scent before long. Almost like...

And suddenly, he steps out from around a corner, not too far ahead of the Privaron Espada. His stance is cautious, but not hostile.

"You seem to be seeking me, Lady Talon. Is there something I can do for you?"

Talon stops, keeping her composure. "Indeed, I wish to speak with you. But it would be best if we speak in private, if you can manage." Her expression is neutral.

[Octava Sector]

Ruwa crashes into a building, bloodied and beaten and clothes ripped to shreds. A couple of arrancar who seemingly were in the process of coupling make a run for it, startled. The former fraccions' consciousness holds on for a few more moments, pain overrided only by the aphrodisiac of Genoveva's aura... and just as it wears, she lets out a scream, or she would, if she weren't in too much pain. She can only manage a moan before darkness overtakes her.

[Primera Sector]

The princess unleashes a mental scream of rage as Boabone carries on, charging another crackling yellow cero in her hand.

"I said. Let. Me. GO!"

The energy released from Carina's hand blasts through the webs, a fair bit of wall, and, with all luck for her, her captor's body.

[Frozen_Feet]

[Segunda's Palacio]

The two girls nonchalantly unfasten some clasps and let their clothes hit the floor. Their undergarments are removed effortlessly and soon join them.

Lalita watches the servants disrobe, marking where their Hollow holes are. He doesn't seem to get any enjoyment out of it, however; he smiles all the while, but it seems tacked on and cold. The glint in his eyes remains, like an ember smoldering in ashes, but one could hardly call it lustful.

He listens the purl of water as Canguro bathes in the room behind, standing quietly for a long while before calling out to her again. " *ahem*Just so you know, we are waiting for you, Miss", he shouts over his shoulder. "No need to hurry though. Please take your time if you wish."

[nothingclever]

Genoveva's Room: Edward and Genoveva

Edward had obviously heard the ruckus, but he didn't let it bother him. He waltzed right in and up to the Primera as if nothing had happened, smiling happy as a clam. "Hello there Genoveva. You're as gorgeous as ever. I've come to deliver a letter from Lalita and bask in your radiance. In addition, I've come to gawk at your marvelous mammaries and bodacious bottom." He spoke plainly and presented the envelope to her.

[KnightDisciple]

[Cuarta Sector]

Talon stops, keeping her composure. "Indeed, I wish to speak with you. But it would be best if we speak in private, if you can manage." Her expression is neutral.

Vicente inclines his head.

"Just so."

He gestured for her to follow him. They went down a few sharp turns, until they arrived at a building at the edge of the Palace itself. Vicente silently led Talon to the top floor, where a comfortable conference room was waiting. A few Numeros servants got them some glasses and a small assortment of drinks, then walked out, closing the door behind them.

Vicente poured himself some water, sat in one chair, and gestured for Talon to take a seat.

"Our privacy here is ensured by measures of my own making. So. What do you wish to discuss?"

He calmly sipped from his cup, his eyes carefully watching the draconic Privaron.

[Kuroimaken]

Rouga didn't really expect this. Hollow abilities seemed to take the most varied shapes and sizes, but time manipulation? This was something new.

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And for his own part, his player didn't expect the Peter Pan reference be caught on so readily, much less adopted; bravo.

But it felt weird. While Rouga didn't exactly have much experience with time manipulation, what he could tell was that if his foe really had stopped time... Then Rouga would be seeing his decapitated body right about now. And then there was the fact everything seemed to remain in place, with his opponent not moving. From his standpoint... the enemy should have already struck.

He couldn't readily tell what was really going on. But he knew he couldn't just stand where he was, unless...

...unless his moving was exactly what his opponent expected.

In so thinking, Rouga closed his eyes, and waited.

[Draken]

Ivaz flashes a toothy grin.

I'll take that as a compliment. Although, you do that again without permission, and I'll have to beat ya.

She turns to face him fully, placing her left hand, in a fist, right on the side of her hip.

So, interin Tercera, huh? How'd you get that job?

"Oh, it is a compliment, very much so. I would dare say you are the finest girl in thiss ector as we speak. But that is only because Arcelia is out of the area, the woman was without equal."

Clovis sonidos back up the steps, produces a third and fourth sticks, juggling them, and at some point of the juggling, throws the first two at Ivaz's chest once more.

"As for why I got the job... Lets keep it only between you and me, but it is the same reason I always, always get the job of filling in for a lack of espada."

Odd claim, since interin espada have a distinct tendency to die.

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Distrito Tres]

Ivaz's right arm moves quickly to catch the pair of sticks thrown at her chest. She'll idly examine them for a moment, then toss them aside.

Always? Her tone goes up a little. That's interesting. Espada aren't known to simply hand over their position. Usually have to kill one to take it.

So, that leaves me wondering why you aren't dead.

[Draken]

[Distrito Tres]

Ivaz's right arm moves quickly to catch the pair of sticks thrown at her chest. She'll idly examine them for a moment, then toss them aside.

Always? Her tone goes up a little. That's interesting. Espada aren't known to simply hand over their position. Usually have to kill one to take it.

So, that leaves me wondering why you aren't dead.

Each stick is a piece of hollow bone, blunt, with rounded points. Not really dangerous in the least.

"Interin, sweetheart. I come in when the espada come out. Maybe they got the short end of the zanpakuto of a shinigami, maybe they got in over their heads and decided they could be king or queen. Maybe they just bothered or failed Von Geister enough to earn their new rank in the kitchen, participating in ol' cookaracha's 'Les Poisons' act. Either way, they get out, I get in, I entertain idiots, scum, conartists and all sorts of mishappen wretches until someone worth a flippin' damn shows up... Then I hop my merry way back to the undercity to my own little court, full of games and whores, until the big G needs me again."

"Who ever said there ain't no paradise?"

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Distrito Tres]

Ivaz nods a little, reaching an understanding.

So, unlike actual Espada, you won't hold on to the spot till you die. Just when somebody's better than you. Makes sense, I guess. A lot more Espada would be alive if they followed that route.

Course, there'd be a lot more revenge attacks, too.

She eyes him for a moment.

So...how many come to take this spot so far?

[Zerkai]

[Segunda's Palacio]

Canguro raised a brow as she listened to Lalita talk and tell the girls to strip. She shrugged to herself as she continued to relax in the bath, it was okay with her as long as he wasn't eating them, so she closed her eyes and continued to soak in the hot water.

At least until she head Lalita speak up again, turning her head to look at the bath curtain quizzically. She shook her head with a sigh as she got up from the bathtub, picking up the towel and drying herself off quickly. Once she was finished Canguro wrapped the towel around her waist and pushed away the curtains, raising an eyebrow at Lalita and folding her arms across her chest.

"And what exactly do you need me for?"

[Frozen_Feet]

Lalita nods at the naked maids. "Carefully crafted, aren't they?", he chimes. "Whoever made them sure went through a lot of trouble. There's hardly a sign of what material he used. They look almost like humans!"

[nothingclever]

Dolls he says. I wonder if he wants to play dress up, the two girls jokingly thought.
"We appreciate you calling us dolls, but we assure you we are not artificial beings. We are arrancar created like any others.
However, if you'd like, I suppose we can pretend to be so."
They paused. "Like what you see?"
The servants felt absolutely fine being scrutinized despite their nudity. In fact, they seemed to enjoy it. They had an air of confidence about them that said Lalita could look and talk all he wanted. They were sure of themselves and their beauty. This was merely a chance to flaunt it.

[Frozen_Feet]

The glint in Lalita's eyes brightens. "Arrancars. Created like any other", he repeats, amused. He starts walking slowly in a circle around the maids. "Pray tell me, what were you created from?"

[nothingclever]

"The same basic process you underwent, though our experiences may be very different."
The maids remain standing still. Their voices carry no disdain, they simply state things flatly.