[Bleachitp:Reborn] Mortal World IV

[Draken]

[Venti Buon, Last Night

Donovan looks up from a notebook.

"Sure, what is it that you wanted to talk about, Rosa?"

[KnightDisciple]

[Venti Buon]

As the entrances of the students dry up, Nakahiro sits up a bit in his chair and looks around at the others.

"Are we missing anyone else? I...don't think that Sora and Valeria will be joining us."

(OOC: I say we move forward, and say that everyone minus Sora and Val are there now. People can do short backtracks to show themselves entering if they so wish and haven't done so yet.)

Kaito nodded at Nakahiro's words.

"This looks like everyone. Val and Sora likely won't join us, yes. We can fill them in later."

[InyutheBeatIs]

[Venti Buon, Last Night

Donovan looks up from a notebook.

"Sure, what is it that you wanted to talk about, Rosa?"

At that moment, Rosa seems to go blank. She looses her smile for perhaps only the second time that day. "I actually wanted to talk about a couple of things. However, perhaps they may actually be one thing in the end."

Her tone suddenly becomes that of one reading off an unseen list. "Firstly, I noticed that a lot of our customers seemed to be sitting at tables near the windows or the door. They did not seem like themselves either. Quite a few of them were more alert, as if they were agitated by something. Perhaps they feel the same strange feeling that has been in the air for the past few days."

"Secondly, there was a particularly notable customer today. His name was Bishop Angelo Damiano. Apparantly, he has just recently arrived in this town, possibly as recently as this week. However, there were a few strange things that I could not help but notice. One, he seemed extremely physically fit, moreso than a man of his occupation would normally be. Two, he had a cross that seemed to have a strange glow about it, unlike anything I have ever seen. Three, he asked some rather strange questions about the town. To quote him, 'were there many cases of sudden disappearances, or people having abrupt personality shifts or people getting mugged without any visual confirmation of assailants? Were some of these victims who ended up in the hospital display a sort of acid burn that bruises their skin?'."

Having said all that, she seemed to drop her mechanical tone, and revert to a much more inquisitive tone. "What do you think of this, Donovan-sama?"

[Dorizzit]

Nakahiro leans forward, resting his elbows on the table.

"Alright, there's two paths we can go, here. Do people want to discuss what happened yesterday? Or discuss the general situation we find ourselves in?"

[Draken]

[Venti Buon, Last Night]

Donovan scratches his head.

"This bishop was probably a templar of some sort, a warrior-priest, his questions were aimed at finding hints of delinquent mediums and hollow victims."

"And yes, everything is fairly connected. The strange feeling in the air that you mention is that of lingering threat from a few days ago, when there was an incident that involved two of the most powerful beings in the spiritual world as well as the two most powerful beings in the spiritual world."

Donovan pulls a cup of cooffe for himself.

"I am not exactly sure what is happening and I have learned not to bother a long, long time ago."

"But if you are that interested, I've rented one of them rooms upstairs to a guest who can probably give you better answers."

Oscar snores on his table.

-----

Present

Gabi and Helena return to the front, and Helena slaps Oscar awake and points to the door, following him out shortly afterwards.

[Kuroimaken]

[Venti Buon]

Waaaaaaaay in the back, someone seems to be scarfing down sweets like nobody's business. At least it sounds like that. Whoever it is seems to be reading a newspaper, but it's hard to see more than his hands at present.

[strawberryman]

Spoiler

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Sora stops in front of an old, decrepit house. The wind makes a creaking sound as it runs through the doors, and when he steps on the porch, a torrent of dust cascades from the steps.

"I grew up here, once. I remember these steps. Kaa-san would always read to us before bed here, in the dimming sunlight."

He's back there now, not here. Just speaking, remembering.

"Tou-san would be away on musical trips with Kaa-san a lot, but whenever they came back, we would wait for them on the steps, and he would pick us up, and hug as he carried us inside." A small laugh emits from the boy's lips. "He would always bring us a present of some sort, and pretend that he lost it on the flight, just to mess with us."

That same, wistful smile covers Sora's mouth, as he brushes some of his red hair out of his eyes. "That's why I dyed my hair, actually. All my family had some silly shade of hair. Kaa-san's was silver, Tou-san's was auburn. My sister was a darker shade of blue. I had a lighter shade of blue, but all it did was remind me of them. So I changed it, to get away from them. But... I met you." He looks at her, that damn smile still on his face.

"Valeria-san... You've been through so much more than I have, and you can still stand up tall and move forward. You can continue with your life. I've just been... hiding. I don't want to hide anymore. It's not right, you know?"

He gives her a smile, a real smile this time, before he turns away again. A trail of tears runs down his face, but the smile remains.

Valeria listens to Sora silently, looking at her surroundings with a wistful air. This was Sora's life? She truly had no idea...

She blinks as the boy shows her the first genuine smile she had seen him wear. It was heartening. But then, he hid himself again. Frowning, Valeria does the only thing she could think of...

She suddenly turns, wrapping her arms around Sora and resting her head on his chest, the beginnings of tears on her own face. "...You can start by not hiding your smiles, dummy." She chuckles, though it's weak. Her voice wavers, too.

[Terry576]

Valeria listens to Sora silently, looking at her surroundings with a wistful air. This was Sora's life? She truly had no idea...

She blinks as the boy shows her the first genuine smile she had seen him wear. It was heartening. But then, he hid himself again. Frowning, Valeria does the only thing she could think of...

She suddenly turns, wrapping her arms around Sora and resting her head on his chest, the beginnings of tears on her own face. "...You can start by not hiding your smiles, dummy." She chuckles, though it's weak. Her voice wavers, too.

"Hm...?" He's holding his arms up, confused. Why did she still care? She shouldn't care. He didn't deserve someone caring about what happened to him, not when he couldn't even save one little girl. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair at all. Then he hears her speak, and a little part of him breaks.

"Hey... Hey, don't cry. There's nothing to cry about, right Valeria-san?" He brushed some hair out of his right eye - the uncovered one. His other eye, the left one, remained covered. Just like always.

"Come on... It's not right if you're crying." He put his arms around her, pulling her closer. "Just... relax, alright?"

[nothingclever]

Nakahiro leans forward, resting his elbows on the table.

"Alright, there's two paths we can go, here. Do people want to discuss what happened yesterday? Or discuss the general situation we find ourselves in?"

"Discussing the general situation suits me just fine."

"Same here."

[KnightDisciple]

Nakahiro leans forward, resting his elbows on the table.

"Alright, there's two paths we can go, here. Do people want to discuss what happened yesterday? Or discuss the general situation we find ourselves in?"

"Not much to say about what happened yesterday. Except inasmuch as it relates to the future. We need to figure out where we're going from here."

[Kuroimaken]

"I think you actually know the answer to that question already."

The voice came from the person wolfing down sweets in the corner. The voice sounded... familiar somehow, but so much more... acute. Like that of someone much younger than they were supposed to be.

[Kasanip]

Sayaka

Sayaka looked troubled, but spoke.

"What is it that you want to do in the future?" She asked cautiously.

[Dorizzit]

Nakahiro looks over at the figure in the corner.

"Maybe we do, maybe we don't. You, however, are not a part of this conversation. I apologize."

He presses a coin down on the table and engages his conversation shield around the kids. He then turns to Sayaka.

"I want to get more control of my abilities, and I want to be stronger. Beyond that, I'm not sure."

[Kuroimaken]

"If you still haven't figured out who I am, you clearly need more training."

At this point, a tiny figure leaps out from behind the newspaper, revealing that the hands holding it up are, in fact, props. Said figure lands graciously in the middle of the table, without making a sound. And by tiny I mean toddler-sized.

Holy crap, it's Rebornaga!

"Ciaossu."

He munches down on a tiny bonbon in the palm of his hand.

Spoiler

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It's basically Hasunaga cosplaying as Reborn, sans pacifier.

Or, you know, this.

[KnightDisciple]

"Nakahiro's statement stands true despite your identity, and your thoroughly creepy body."

Kaito's eyes are cold, and he twitches a single finger. A great force shoves against Hasunaga, somewhat like an NFL linebacker slamming into him.

"Even if we end up coming to you for help, this is not your conversation, and you have no right to intervene. Begone."

[Kuroimaken]

Hasunaga raises one finger. The backlash of the impact between Kaito's TK and Hasunaga's gauntlet causes a mild breeze to blow about.

"Oi kid. Don't you know the rules? No using offensive powers inside the bar." Rebornaga replies. "I'm not here to weigh in on your decision, anyway. I've got something ready for you guys. Or do you think I go around like this for kicks?"

[KnightDisciple]

Kaito frowns.

"What I am is sick of people interjecting like this, dictating what we're going to do. Couldn't you just show us later? And how should I know what you do for "kicks"?"

[Kuroimaken]

"I AM going to show you later, but gathering you all up would be a pain. Not to mention some of you might not come." Rebornaga replied. "If I'm gonna show up, better sooner than later. This conversation is probably going to get heavy anyway."

It wasn't that he couldn't understand why Kaito was pissed. He'd been pretty harsh on the kid earlier.

[Draken]

Donovan returns with the buns and drinks.

"This is not a bar, but the rule is right, fights and combat abilities are strictly forbidden here in the Venti Buon."

Donovan passes around what was asked.

"On a similar note, you are harassing my customers. So stop before I break your legs and dump you out in the gutter."

This is not an empty threat, Donovan will, in fact, break his legs and throw him out at the dump behind the building.

[horngeek]

Izumi smiles serenely at Kaito, Nakahiro and Hasanuga.

"Kaito-san, Nakahiro-san, why don't we at least see what he has to say?

After that, Hasanuga-sensei, I'd appreciate it if you'd leave us to our private conversation."

She doesn't raise her voice once, but Chiyoko edges away slightly.

[strawberryman]

Spoiler

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"Hm...?" He's holding his arms up, confused. Why did she still care? She shouldn't care. He didn't deserve someone caring about what happened to him, not when he couldn't even save one little girl. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair at all. Then he hears her speak, and a little part of him breaks.

"Hey... Hey, don't cry. There's nothing to cry about, right Valeria-san?" He brushed some hair out of his right eye - the uncovered one. His other eye, the left one, remained covered. Just like always.

"Come on... It's not right if you're crying." He put his arms around her, pulling her closer. "Just... relax, alright?"

Valeria laughs weakly. "Crying isn't always bad. In fact, it's healthy." After that, though, she's quiet, just crying, with a smile on her face. She's silent for some time...

But eventually, she lets go, wiping the tears away... but still smiling. "Tell me more... please? Show me more..."

[Terry576]

He looks confused. "Tell you more...? About what? This was my life. This was the reason my hair's the color of blood." He looks despondent. "That was my story. That was my life. But I guess..."

He smiles again, a small soft smile, one reserved for close friends or a crush. "This is my story now, right? It's different from before. Better, in some ways. Worse in others." He looks thoughtful. "You still want to know more...? The rest of my story isn't as interesting."

"You're late Namikaze."

He'd heard that so many times in the orphanage. So many damn times. It had lost its touch. He stared blankly at the teacher, blue hair falling a bit short of his still grey eyes.

The teacher sighed. "You've been late far too often lately Namikaze. I'll have to tell your guardians."

Damn. That wouldn't go well. The twelve year old shrugged, uncaring. And then he went home later, to his guardians. Yay.

"Kid, you killed the Namikazes." It was a rich man looking down at him, wearing a suit. Apparently he was Sora's 'father'. Sora never considered the man his father. Sure, he was never beaten, but being constantly told you murdered your family hurt.

"And then you mess this up too? You're a walking disaster brat." It was never physical. Physical harm could be easily tracked. Mental harm to a boy whose family died? Simple misdirect to "He still doesn't understand what happens around him."

God, he hated his family.

He shakes his head. "Not interesting at all."

[Dorizzit]

Spoiler

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Izumi smiles serenely at Kaito, Nakahiro and Hasanuga.

"Kaito-san, Nakahiro-san, why don't we at least see what he has to say?

After that, Hasanuga-sensei, I'd appreciate it if you'd leave us to our private conversation."

She doesn't raise her voice once, but Chiyoko edges away slightly.

Nakahiro nods.

"We will. Another time. At the moment, there is absolutely no reason for him to be part of this conversation. At all."

[Kasanip]

Sayaka
[Venti Buon]

Sayaka sighs.

"So you want to become stronger. Ok. I don't know what we gathered here for. It's a restaurant. I agree with Ms. Hayashi. Let's listen and then decide what to do. Since it seems like there are no ideas."

Kazari
[Venti Buon]

The ice cream of Venti Buon is the best. Though Kazari looks at the strange child with misunderstanding.
"You shouldn't stand on a table. It's bad manners." She says with irritation.

[Kuroimaken]

Nakahiro nods.

"We will. Another time. At the moment, there is absolutely no reason for him to be part of this conversation. At all."

"What a bullheaded stance. Meh, suit yourselves. Oi, Ken."

Rebornaga tossed a ring of keys to the boy. They all seemed identical, but each one was labeled for one of the kids.

"Here you go. I'll get Namikaze and Abel their own copies myself. Send you the address for those keys later. You guys can use that place however you want. It's shielded from prying eyes so you can train your powers however you want, and there's probably enough room for all of ya.

I trust you to deliver each key properly. See you kids around."

With that, he turned to Kazari and smiled.

"Sorry sweetie. Just didn't want you all getting your necks in a knot looking down at me."

With that, he leaped off the table.

"Donny-chan, my bill money is on the table."

With that, the infant-looking Hasunaga set out to find Valeria and Sora. Unless one of the kids wants to stop him on the way out...

[tgva8889]

Kina watches everything unfold, not really interjecting at all. She seems surprised at Hasunaga's appearance, but otherwise doesn't show any signs of caring about the situation itself much at all.

Even as he leaves, Kina has little to nothing to add to the discussion. She silently eats her cheese bun and drinks her soda.

[Draken]

A vein pops on Donovan's forehead, and he gives Hasunaga a gelid attempt at a polite farewell.

"We hope to see you back soon."

It is a rather stranglinged soon.

-------

Streets

An oversized man, an excessively well-dressed woman and a canary stride down the walkway towards... Well, we all know where they are going.

[KnightDisciple]

[Venti Buon]

Kaito waits until Hasunaga is gone, before turning to face Sayaka, sipping his Orange Cheerio and nibbling his cheese biscuit.

"I didn't come here just to say I want to get better at using my powers. I came here because I thought we were going to talk about...I dunno. Where we go from here? And we're in the cafe because it has nice food and drink, and an interesting atmosphere."

He takes a swig of his drink before continuing.

"Honestly...I don't feel like playing superhero out there. It sounds like there are more folk out there, like Izumi, who can take care of roaming Hollows. But...we're all kind of in this together. I think we should stick together. Watch out for each other, and our families. Basically, a...pact of self-defense? Sort of a Teenage NATO?"

He turns to Nakahiro.

"What about you?"

[strawberryman]

[SWORD HQ]

An unexpected guest arrives in Josiah's lab... One of the Mediums, wearing an almost neon-bright green 'uniform' hoody. He holds a rather hefty-looking briefcase in hand.

Silent as usual, the curious being looks around for Josiah.

[KnightDisciple]

[SWORD HQ]

An unexpected guest arrives in Josiah's lab... One of the Mediums, wearing an almost neon-bright green 'uniform' hoody. He holds a rather hefty-looking briefcase in hand.

Silent as usual, the curious being looks around for Josiah.

[SWORD HQ]

At the very first glance, he wasn't visible. However, this was a large lab. After a moment, bright flickers of light were visible on the other side of what looked like an elevated operating table. The flickers stopped, and Josiah stepped around the table, wearing a rugged protective jumpsuit, and a streamlined helmet that seemed designed to protect his vision while welding. He slipped the helmet off and set it on a handy workbench, his face growing serious as he stepped over to speak with the Medium (as much as one ever spoke with one).

"Yes? How may I help you?"