[BiTPR2] Renewed Revolution: Spirit World V

[Hawkflight]

"I know you didn't, sweetie." Katsurou says as he pats her head. "And it's precisely to avoid you doing things you don't mean to do that we ought to make sure you can control it. That way you'll avoid feeling bad about those things. Do you understand?"

Suguri nodded. "It was really scary...." she added.

[Kuroimaken]

"And we don't want to be scared, right?" Katsurou said as he continued to stroke her fur. "We're probably going to need some different outfits for you. Fur gets awful scratchy if it gets too tied up."

[Ammutseba]

[Hueco Mundo]
(The Hive)

"Hmm, I'll take that as a compliment," Nuala offers back. It probably wasn't meant that way, but it was better to keep up appearances now. What Clovis didn't know wouldn't hurt her, either.

She looks back in the direction they came from. Nielle was different from the others. Escarabajo and Saltamontes responded just how she'd expected to having their masks removed: they tried to die. And without her permission, no less. With her renewed vigor, Nuala had been eager to try the Arrancarification process on another Hollow. She'd already learned lessons from her first two attempts. Reflecting back on them now, she might even call them failures. She was missing something, like a certain material. With that, she was certain she could accomplish more.

"Escarabajo," Nuala said, commanding a sudden stiffening from the arrancar that walked behind them.

"Yes, Lady Byrne?" he answered immediately.

"I want to try the process again." She didn't need to tell him which process she meant. It was only days ago that she'd done it the first time. It was simultaneous to working on his opposite, Saltamontes, and she'd worn herself out in the work. He was clearly confused, as there were no adjuchas around that were "available." "In the absence of any other subjects, I want to perform a few tests and experiments, but I won't command you to put yourself forward--" his eyes widened, "if you don't want to volunteer, don't. You could come out far stronger in the end, or you might die."

As an adjuchas, strength had been everything to him. Not a way of life, but the way to live. Before, it wouldn't even have required asking. Now, he had sworn an oath of fealty to the "Lady Byrne," and his life was to do with as she saw fit. It was his duty to protect her, but if he were dead, he couldn't do any of that. On the other hand, if he couldn't survive a little experimentation, there would be loads of other things that could do him in at any moment. "Promise me that if I die, you'll have learned something good," came his eventual reply.

"Mm, I promise," Nuala answered. She didn't mind him making a demand like this. Their oaths to her were made on the condition that they be more than mere tools to her.

"Esca," Saltamontes said tersely. "If you die, I'll never forgive you. Either of you." He had been Escarabajo's brother since long before either of them could remember. His faith in Escarabajo's ability to survive whatever Nuala could dream up... it didn't even need to be said. But just in case someone forgot, they owed as much to each other as they did to Nuala. She might not have killed them when she had the chance, but they'd kept each other alive.

Nuala didn't answer. It was obvious. But when the behemoth's mask came off, it was another story. Something there wasn't adding up. "What happened to Nielle, Clovis? Hollows don't go to Hell when their masks are removed."

[Draken]

[Hueco Mundo]
(The Hive)

"Give me a moment, the loyalty of those two really brings a tear to my eye."

He pulls out a handkerchief and blows his nose, before throwing it away into the shadows of the tunnel.

There is scurrying. The jester keeps walking.

"There are many types of hollows, many types of souls and many types of unmasking, child. For the most part, if you rip out a hollow's mask, it will bleed, suffer and attempt to regenerate. The usual result for that is a flawed, incomplete arrancar, or soul breakdown in some rare cases. Decent healing can just revert it back to a hollow or finish up the process, of course."

"Now, that is if the hollow in question is your run of the mill mortal. A dime a dozen, ten billion souls from ten billion dead worlds in the tiny leftovers of the multiverse. Love the word by the way, really simplifies the notion. But Nielle and her siblings, and her cousins, and mother and her uncles and aunts, and really her whole family. They, hmm... How do I put it."

Clovis taps his finger on his chin before putting his hand on the wall and illuminating a large fresco.

In between the arches of a monumental gate is a great, skeletal monstrosity, behind it stretch strange vistas, rows of rectangles on a misty plain, a ruined city spiraling on itself, mountains split in the middle. By the arches are many, many horrible things reaching out. And outside the gate are jagged tendrils reaching in, all of which capped by an eye lidded in teeth.

"I miss Gabrielle, she is such a wonderful sculptor. Ahem, anyway. They are different from us, once you shave out the hollow gunk. Not the featureless white, no, no. They are a blazing green."

"And by some long forgotten edict of some long dead whomever, they must stay home. Well, being covered in hollow hides them, it hides you from just about anything. But if you take away the coat, well, you saw it, they gotta go, their siblings are gentler than they are with the damned, of course, you or me in that spot and he would lovingly use the halberd. Ha ha."

He keeps walking while he speaks. And then he starts mumbling something unrelated.

"Hmm, first floor, three left, two right, one deathtrap. Either laboratory seven or hatchery two."

Clovis opens a door, there is a screech and he closes it, followed by a clunk of something impacting on the other side.

"Hatchery two. Three doors down and to the left it is."

Some more walking. He opens another door, there is no screeching, but there are many soft sounds coming from the darkness, whispering winds, wet drips, muffled mumbling and feeble shuffling. Unusual sounds in Hueco Mundo.

"Here we go, your prize, miss Byrne. Journals, samples, prototypes, the mummy of captain...
What was her name now, I forgot. Eh, unimportant, some dead girl.

Clovis snaps his fingers and illuminates... A massive stone chamber, somewhere between a laboratory, a temple, a dungeon and an abattoir.

[Hawkflight]

"And we don't want to be scared, right?" Katsurou said as he continued to stroke her fur. "We're probably going to need some different outfits for you. Fur gets awful scratchy if it gets too tied up."

Suguri closed her eyes, leaning into the pets. She simply nodded at the mention of new outfits, then asked, "Can we visit the tiger cubs after?"

[Kuroimaken]

"Sure we can. I'm sure that little one you said was sick will be all better too! Or at least a little better." Katsurou said with a smile.

[Ammutseba]

[Hueco Mundo]
(The Hive, Laboratory Seven)

She had seen worse. She had also seen better, but she had seen quite a bit, too. "Thank you, Clovis," she half-mumbles. It is clear that she is in awe. No, perhaps not quite awe, but reverence. The amount of history in the room is both evident and staggering.

Nuala walks around the chamber for several minutes, not really aiming herself anywhere in particular. At last, she takes a deep breath, finds a desk, takes a full-sized chair out of her bag, and seats herself.

She places a palm on the surface of the desk, sending a flat wave of lime green light out along the desk, the floor, and every other object in the room. It is a technique not unlike pesquisa, but which calls on the souls of the objects nearby to make themselves known to her. If you want to be heard, speak to me now, she tells them. Several things retain that light; she gives them cursory glances, and snaps her fingers loudly.

Escarabajo and Saltamontes leap into action, gathering up books, loose papers, samples and any other baubles that continue to glow for Nuala's attention.

One by one, she examines them. She quickly indexes the journals and papers, drawing on the memories invested in them to learn their natures. She stacks them off to the right, and then sets about addressing each greenish thing and dismissing the light that clings to it. Several of them she sends back. Once, she even tsks at an implement of some kind, shaking her head with disappointment over some inaudible conversation with it.

Some things continue to glow that cannot be brought to her. She produces notebooks and pens from her inexhaustible bag and puts her assistants to the task of recording everything there is to note about them-- a task that Saltamontes takes well to, and that Escarabajo performs with a discomforted expression.

Nuala takes notes in her personal journal, using not a pen, but evoking the words onto the page directly with her precision fullbring. All the while, she speaks with Clovis, peppering him with questions great and small to gain a better, and fast, understanding of the laboratory and all it contains. If she had been quiet before, she is more than talkative now, her vigor renewed by the prospect of new knowledge to consume.



Some time passes this way: Nuala drinks from the firehose, an ardent flame that somehow thrives on the inundation, but every flame must gutter with time. Under the moonlit, eternal night of Hueco Mundo, she eventually falters. Her eyes skim over the same passage six times, and she still doesn't understand what she's just read. It is time to take a break.

She stands up from the desk, stretches, yawns and considers sleeping. Something catches her eye, though. It is the mummy in the room, still glowing, drawn up and hanging in a corner as just another article of interest.

Nuala walks over to it, then looks back at Clovis, then at the mummy again.

The captain hung in such a way that her feet almost touched the ground, but not quite, missing it by fractions of an inch. The woman is still dressed. A black hakama and white haori, and a sheathed katana clutched in her withered, twisted hands. Long black hair still flowed down from her head in a long hime cut. This was a shinigami.

The fullbringer holds out her hand, close to the other woman's chest. The shinigami must be old; she is shorter than Nuala by close to a foot. Her face is withered, but her dry eyes still had a certain shine about them. Curious, as most mummies in Nuala's experience had either been given masks, bandages, or at the very least, their eyes closed before the mummification process began. A fire burns beneath the surface. Nuala pulls on the soul within, but it will not obey her. Still a wild thing, as fire is wont to be. Changing tactics, she wields it as she would a soul, such as when she crafted her arrancar, and it comes forth to her.

A new yet ancient memory. She stares at an emerald eye, ensconced in a ring of too-sharp teeth. Light without color bathes her. Pain. Fear. Her flesh withers, but she is still trapped inside. The memory repeats, and then a third time. Nuala withdraws, breathless.

"Clovis... you said you couldn't remember her name. What can you tell me about her?" Nuala asks, narrowing her eyes at the jester, peering sidelong at him. "You also said she was dead," she adds.

[Hawkflight]

"Sure we can. I'm sure that little one you said was sick will be all better too! Or at least a little better." Katsurou said with a smile.

Suguri cheered up at that. "Okay! Let's go, then!" she said, eager to get picking out clothes over with so she could visit the tiger cubs.

[Kuroimaken]

Katsurou smiled. "Who wants to ride on Grandpa's shoulders?"

[Ammutseba]

[Soul Society]
(Seireitei, in transit)

Smiling, Kazuki shakes his head. "Not at all, Kusuma-sama," he replies. "It's mostly the shoes." For emphasis, he turns one of his feet and taps the side of his sole on the ground, showing off one of the nine-inch platforms he stands on.

Kazuki leads Kusuma out of the division headquarters and toward the East Gate Hospital, a devious glint playing in his eye. Once they're out of easy earshot of the Commander and the Black Tortoise King, he looks down at Kusuma and begins to assess the man. He wasn't what Kazuki had expected from a Royal Guard. Too casual and too guarded at the same time, but Kazuki supposes that hundreds of years in near-isolation could do that to a person.

"I imagine quite a bit about our Seireitei has changed since you ascended into the Royal Realm, Kusuma-sama," he comments. It's clear he's planning something left-handed, and making no effort to hide it. Instead, he sounds somewhat playful about the matter, while still maintaining a professional level of respect for the other man. "The East Gate Hospital, naturally, is not so far from the Blue Stream Gate... once you're satisfied with the esteemed Kuzonoha-shi representative, perhaps you would care to explore some of those changes with me? My Aphrodite is not so far from the Blue Stream Gate, itself."

Nearby, a criminal conscript in glasses accompanies them, efficiently taking notes about the conversation as they walk. However, she stays well out of their way, practically blending into the background.

[Draken]

[Hueco Mundo]
(The Hive - Laboratory Seven)

Clovis hops up from a chair at Nuala's call, walking over to her and the mummy.

"Well, yes, she is dead. Aren't we all? We are spirits. We are all dead, if you kill us we will be made to live again."

"Now, I don't remember her name, but I do recall the end of her story. It was before bankai was developed, but after the shinigami wrested kidõ from Ranza. Ranza was one of us, by the way, if it matters. She was good at Bakudõ, by the standards of the time, managed to get up to the 40s I think. Plenty enough to make just about any common hollow helpless, up to a menos grande. So she came at us, brimming with confidence."

Clovis puts his hand on the mummy's forehead and stretches the other one to the ceiling, there is a flash, and Nuala sees a woman at her prime, in the forest of menos, surrounded by the corpses of shinigami and hollows. Clovis is next to her, ephemeral, staring up behind Nuala.

And there is a nightmare given flesh.

Six-fingered skeletal hands, large as oxen, gouge the ground and the petrified trees, playing at sustaining an enormous body, but they are limbless stumps oozing ichor, even as they move with cumbrous method. A mass of tentacles stretches out around the battlefield, a jellyfish in the dry air of Hueco Mundo, and at its top is a great maw opening four ways and lined with fangs going down a bottomless throat. Three glowing lobes connect inside the mouth, forming an eye of sickly green.

And then the world is bathed in gray scale tones, and the illusion shatters.

"The Ghost King does not like ending people. Given the option, he gifts them with a cycle of eternity, such as we have accepted. But those who fight him personally must be content with sadder fates."

"Plus, he can control the mummies, so they are more useful to boot. Also really hurts enemy morale."

[Ammutseba]

[Hueco Mundo]
(The Hive, Laboratory Seven)

Nuala descends into a pool of thought, examining and dissecting exactly what Clovis tells her, at the same time as digesting her previous reading. By this time, she was becoming accustomed to a bit of double talk from him. Something about it must have amused him.

She holds her left hand in front of her face, contemplating Priska's bangle. When she puts it down, she gazes at Clovis. "Ya said 'fates,'" she says, accusatory in the same way she was before. "How many fates we talkin here, in this Hive? An' is it possible to recover her? I could use a shinigami, even one older than bankai."

[Draken]

[Hueco Mundo]
(The Hive, Laboratory Seven)

"Uh... I am not sure? Maybe a hundred, if nothing happened to them in the while? But they would be scattered all over, decorating the rooms. Could take awhile to gather them. As for curing them, I don't know. Not my expertise or interest, I find it unlikely, however. I suppose you could, at best, subvert them."

"Ah... I will hide behind something before you give it any tries, however."

[Ammutseba]

[Hueco Mundo]
(The Hive, Laboratory Seven)

"Escarabajo, I have a new task for ya," she announced. The arrancar looked both relieved and worried at this new proclamation. "Gather these 'mummies' from around the Hive fa me, and secure two rooms. One fa storing them, an' one fa testing." He bowed to her, expression unreadable, and conferred with Saltamontes, before standing beside the door. "Clovis," she began, batting her eyelashes at the jester. "Would ya accompany him fa me? An' I put 'im at ya disposal in the mean while. I'm going t' be dread borin fa bit. Unlike ya 'immortal' beins, we humans need our beauty rest."

She waits only for an answer before she crosses the room to her desk chair, one way or the other, and reclines with a journal in her hands.

[strawberryman]

[East Gate Hospital]

Setsurou arrives shortly thereafter. With a bottle of water for his best girl.

Shinji looks up to Momoka with a slightly more relieved expression. "Momoka-san! I'm glad to see you're alright." The young Kuzunoha almost stumbles towards her. "Katsuo's aunt was kidnapped by Von Geister's daughter. We managed to beat her, but... she did something to Katsuo, we don't really know what. He's been in critical condition ever since. Doc Tobioka, our Master of the healing arts, said that you Shinigami might know what to do. So we brought him here."

Momoka frowns, taking the water and downing a sip from the water bottle offered by Setsurou as she thinks this over.

"...this may well have been what I was called for."

(Outside Command HQ)

Kusuma laughs a bit at the heels, following Kazuki with a bit of whistling, snapping to attention when the man speaks up. "Hmmmm? Aphrodite? Well, I should not linger too long in any case. I'm afraid I'm here for business, not pleasure. Though I admit I do find what pleasure I can manage in my work, grim as it may be."

[Kuroimaken]

[East Gate Hospital]

"I can breathe a little easier knowing you're on the case, Momoka-san." Shinji admits with a breath of relief.

"It looks like Katsuo's bleeding Reiatsu - which is weird on more than one level since I've never even seen him flare his. Any attempts to restore it have apparently backfired.

It's almost like whatever Felicia did to him in her death throes has a will of its own. I feel like that's the only thing that would explain such resistance to these healing attempts."

[Draken]

[Hueco Mundo]
(The Hive, Laboratory Seven)

"Escarabajo, I have a new task for ya," she announced. The arrancar looked both relieved and worried at this new proclamation. "Gather these 'mummies' from around the Hive fa me, and secure two rooms. One fa storing them, an' one fa testing." He bowed to her, expression unreadable, and conferred with Saltamontes, before standing beside the door. "Clovis," she began, batting her eyelashes at the jester. "Would ya accompany him fa me? An' I put 'im at ya disposal in the mean while. I'm going t' be dread borin fa bit. Unlike ya 'immortal' beins, we humans need our beauty rest."

She waits only for an answer before she crosses the room to her desk chair, one way or the other, and reclines with a journal in her hands.

Clovis hugs Escarabajo.

"Escarabajo, lovely fellow you are, I am going to give you a map of the places you want to go,
now this is very important. Don't go anywhere else. If you do, you will die, or worse, stumble on a toilet that hasn't been cleaned for three thousand years."

This place has only been empty for one and a half thousand years.

"Ready?"

Before an answer is given, Clovis headbutts Escarabajo on the forehead.

"Ow. Who thought this was a decent mechanism of thought transmission? No matter, I have things to do in this old haunt, back in a few. Don't open any doors I didn't tell you to. Or we will all have to run."

At some point mid-sentence, Clovis left.

[KnightDisciple]

[Seireitei, Soul Society]
[Eastern Gate Hospital]

"Relax. I'm not going to break anything. I checked."

More accurately, the window being open is what attracted Naito's attention in the first place.

"...Yeah. Need to move."

Assuming Chuck is coming along for the ride, Naito sets off at a fast but sustainable pace.

Chuck sighs and shrugs.

"Fine, fine. No worries."

He rolls his shoulders and gets ready to-

[Soul Society]
(East End Hospital - Courtyard)

...there's a flutter in front of Naito and Chuck as a woman appears in a flash of shunpo, leaves kicking up at her appearance. She... seems a bit winded. Oh, hey. It's Momoka. Is she all right? She kind of vanished after the last time they met. She furrows her own brow as she leans against a wall to catch her breath.

"...aren't you friends of Kuzunoha? What are you doing here?"

((I almost forgot they'd met in the middle of those barrier shenanigans.))

He blinks, seeing how she's breathing hard, and takes a half-step forward.

"Ma'am, are you alr-"

[East Gate Hospital]

Setsurou arrives shortly thereafter. With a bottle of water for his best girl.

Shinji looks up to Momoka with a slightly more relieved expression. "Momoka-san! I'm glad to see you're alright." The young Kuzunoha almost stumbles towards her. "Katsuo's aunt was kidnapped by Von Geister's daughter. We managed to beat her, but... she did something to Katsuo, we don't really know what. He's been in critical condition ever since. Doc Tobioka, our Master of the healing arts, said that you Shinigami might know what to do. So we brought him here."

Momoka frowns, taking the water and downing a sip from the water bottle offered by Setsurou as she thinks this over.

"...this may well have been what I was called for."

[East Gate Hospital]

"I can breathe a little easier knowing you're on the case, Momoka-san." Shinji admits with a breath of relief.

"It looks like Katsuo's bleeding Reiatsu - which is weird on more than one level since I've never even seen him flare his. Any attempts to restore it have apparently backfired.

It's almost like whatever Felicia did to him in her death throes has a will of its own. I feel like that's the only thing that would explain such resistance to these healing attempts."

Chuck's head bounces back and forth a little bit, then he sighs.

"Okay, well, Naito and I are going for a run. I've got my phone. Let us know if something changes. We'll stay out of everyone's way."

Without waiting for much of a response Chuck turns and waves for Naito to start running, at which point he follows quickly and smoothly, for now letting his friend take the lead and have just a bit of space as they do.
__________________________________________________ _____________________________________________

[Seireitei, Soul Society]
[Commander-General's Office, Command Division HQ]

"There is also video and photographic evidence you may wish to review, Masamune-sama." Koutarou replied. "Kazuki-kun. Would you kindly show Kusuma-sama the path to the East Gate Hospital?"

[Soul Society]
(Command HQ)

Kusuma stands, bowing very slightly to Koutarou and Kazuki in turn. "Of course, my old friend. Don't stay cooped up too long, you should not strain your eyes." Then he actually takes stock of Kazuki. "My, you are a man built from solid foundation, aren't you?" He lets out a chuckle. "Lead on, o hopefully gentle giant."

Masamune snorts at the jab at his age and just waves Kusuma along, still sipping his tea. His eyes are skimming the documents in front of him, no real expression reaching his face. Once the door is closed and Kazuki and Kusuma are gone, he sets both tablet and cup down, before placing his hands on his knees and looking Koutarou right in the eye.

"Give me one reason I shouldn't have your powers sealed and destroyed within 24 hours. And then another three reasons, in no particular order, I should allow you to be anything but a common criminal conscript in this Penal Division of yours, with no chance of reprieve or promotion ever again."

Direct, but not angry. Perhaps he's willing to listen. Given good enough reasons to.

[Kuroimaken]

"I can provide you with the first, but probably not the second." Koutarou replied simply.

"Masamune-sama. I honestly care not for my own well-being so long as the people of Soul Society are all rightfully sound of heart, body and mind. To that end no effort is too great, no task too insurmountable. Erscheinung Von Geister would corrupt all that.

At the end of the day I care neither for my seat nor the power it holds. What I care for are the people who got me this far. If you imprison or punish me as you describe, I know you will have an insurgency on your hands. I have no doubt you'd be able to suppress it; you certainly do not lack for the strength to do it. In the process, however, you would definitely lose the support and strength of valuable officers, possibly even their lives. That is not something I can in good conscience allow either.

To fight you or the rest of the Royal Guard, however, would mean to make an enemy of the Soul King. We could certainly persevere, but the energy spent in such a conflict would best serve us in seeking an end to the threat of the Ghost King."

In Koutarou's eyes, Masamune sees a fire he has never seen before (which, for the master of so many forges, is definitely saying something).

"I know that you can see what makes me so certain, Masamune-sama. Especially once you see this."

Koutarou plays back the video of his fight against Wan Li Lin. It's easy to see he's pulling his punches, especially at the beginning.

But there's something positively terrifying about watching him stand up to Wan's punishment as he grinds away at Koutarou's heart with his blades and the Commander-General barely even flinches.

"You knew my Zanpakutou's name without me having ever mentioned it to you, and no doubt its name is not on record either.
So I'm guessing you know what its ultimate power is - and why it would not harm you."

[KnightDisciple]

[Seireitei, Soul Society]
[Commander-General's Office, Command Division HQ]

"I can provide you with the first, but probably not the second." Koutarou replied simply.

"Masamune-sama. I honestly care not for my own well-being so long as the people of Soul Society are all rightfully sound of heart, body and mind. To that end no effort is too great, no task too insurmountable. Erscheinung Von Geister would corrupt all that.

At the end of the day I care neither for my seat nor the power it holds. What I care for are the people who got me this far. If you imprison or punish me as you describe, I know you will have an insurgency on your hands. I have no doubt you'd be able to suppress it; you certainly do not lack for the strength to do it. In the process, however, you would definitely lose the support and strength of valuable officers, possibly even their lives. That is not something I can in good conscience allow either.

To fight you or the rest of the Royal Guard, however, would mean to make an enemy of the Soul King. We could certainly persevere, but the energy spent in such a conflict would best serve us in seeking an end to the threat of the Ghost King."

In Koutarou's eyes, Masamune sees a fire he has never seen before (which, for the master of so many forges, is definitely saying something).

"I know that you can see what makes me so certain, Masamune-sama. Especially once you see this."

Koutarou plays back the video of his fight against Wan Li Lin. It's easy to see he's pulling his punches, especially at the beginning.

But there's something positively terrifying about watching him stand up to Wan's punishment as he grinds away at Koutarou's heart with his blades and the Commander-General barely even flinches.

"You knew my Zanpakutou's name without me having ever mentioned it to you, and no doubt its name is not on record either.
So I'm guessing you know what its ultimate power is - and why it would not harm you."

Masamune strokes his beard thoughtfully.

"Many would seek to simply side-step such issues. After all, in one light, admitting that your subordinates might rise up in violent rebellion against their lawful superiors is...not comforting. That you are not actually the first choice as Commander-General, yet cling so loosely to that power, does speak of your character.

Our goal here is not to fight and kill Shinigami. It is to restore order and ensure the endurance of our society, as well as the preservation of the balance. Our concerns over a treaty with a city of Hollows is predicated upon the latter goal, primarily.
Our concern for your fight with Wan Li Lin is predicated upon the former."

He falls silent, except for taking a few sips of tea, for a few moments.

"I do not feel we should allow this incident to slide by un-punished, but you present compelling proof for why simply killing, disabling, or imprisoning you is...unwise. So. If you were in my position, and this was an issue a subordinate had created. How would you handle it?"

[Kuroimaken]

"I understand. Discipline is a matter of boundaries, after all. If they're not respected, the structure crumbles. But at the same time,
if they're too rigid, they constrain growth.

Similarly, punishment is a matter of perspective. One man's harsh sentence is another's painful but light cross to bear. I'm a strict adherent to the idea of rehabilitation through deed - to allow redemption to criminals through acts that would benefit their fellow men. In any case, I digress.

I feel it is paramount now to eliminate the sentiment of disgust and high-handedness that Wan Li Lin unwittingly invited upon the Royal Guard. My abilities to lead have been called into question repeatedly throughout this incident. Punishing me would be simple and could have already been done, but it doesn't solve that underlying problem.

So my suggestion is to make me work for my pardon."

Koutarou smiled at this.

"Trial by combat would be the simplest solution, but it risks our morale either way - if I win, the Royal Guard could end up ashamed, and if you win, we end up right back where we started.

What I'd like to propose are war games of a sort. As it stands now, our criminal conscripts division has very few in their number whom have been fully pardoned. They would be your troops, whereas mine would be composed of my current staff. If you win, the convicts get fully reinstated into Gotei and pardoned for their crimes. If I win, I get pardoned for mine. Either way, you will have a chance to assess my leadership skills in the process and make me work for my pardon. Even if I lose, if you deem my skills worthy of recognition, it will still be your purview to assess them as such."

Somewhere out there, Kazuki is probably sneezing.

[strawberryman]

[Soul Society]
(East Gate Hospital - Courtyard)

Momoka gives a slight nod of thanks to Chuck before catching her breath and beginning to walk for the hospital gates, thinking to herself. "...then I suppose with traditional medicine and healing arts expended they are attempting more esoteric routes, and want for my expertise."

She gives Setsurou a look that implies she'd like him to keep an eye on Chuck and Naito before stepping into the hospital and checking in with reception, who send the same frazzled nurse to retrieve her. She gives Shinji a sympathetic look, he pretty much just ran off during their conversation. Not that it wasn't unexpected...

As they're walking, Momoka considers this further. "...is there anything else you can tell me?"

[Kuroimaken]

[Soul Society]
(East Gate Hospital - Courtyard)

Momoka gives a slight nod of thanks to Chuck before catching her breath and beginning to walk for the hospital gates, thinking to herself. "...then I suppose with traditional medicine and healing arts expended they are attempting more esoteric routes, and want for my expertise."

She gives Setsurou a look that implies she'd like him to keep an eye on Chuck and Naito before stepping into the hospital and checking in with reception, who send the same frazzled nurse to retrieve her. She gives Shinji a sympathetic look, he pretty much just ran off during their conversation. Not that it wasn't unexpected...

As they're walking, Momoka considers this further. "...is there anything else you can tell me?"

Shinji thinks really hard. But he comes up empty, a frown evident on his expression.

"Not really. Felicia's powers seemed to center on disease, the manipulation of viruses and bacteria. She went out of her way to murder Katsuo's aunt in front of him, to plunge him as deep into despair as she could. He actually went berserk for a while there, and if Chuck hadn't soul-dived into him, I don't think he would've stopped.

Which reminds me, I still have to undo what Felicia did on that other front, too."

[KnightDisciple]

[Seireitei, Soul Society]
[Commander-General's Office, Command Division HQ]

"I understand. Discipline is a matter of boundaries, after all. If they're not respected, the structure crumbles. But at the same time, if they're too rigid, they constrain growth.

Similarly, punishment is a matter of perspective. One man's harsh sentence is another's painful but light cross to bear. I'm a strict adherent to the idea of rehabilitation through deed - to allow redemption to criminals through acts that would benefit their fellow men. In any case, I digress.

I feel it is paramount now to eliminate the sentiment of disgust and high-handedness that Wan Li Lin unwittingly invited upon the Royal Guard. My abilities to lead have been called into question repeatedly throughout this incident. Punishing me would be simple and could have already been done, but it doesn't solve that underlying problem.

So my suggestion is to make me work for my pardon."

Koutarou smiled at this.

"Trial by combat would be the simplest solution, but it risks our morale either way - if I win, the Royal Guard could end up ashamed, and if you win, we end up right back where we started.

What I'd like to propose are war games of a sort. As it stands now, our criminal conscripts division has very few in their number whom have been fully pardoned. They would be your troops, whereas mine would be composed of my current staff. If you win, the convicts get fully reinstated into Gotei and pardoned for their crimes. If I win, I get pardoned for mine. Either way, you will have a chance to assess my leadership skills in the process and make me work for my pardon. Even if I lose, if you deem my skills worthy of recognition, it will still be your purview to assess them as such."

Somewhere out there, Kazuki is probably sneezing.

Masamune is quiet as Koutarou speaks, calmly listening to and considering his words.

"Of course, this is only the ideal solution if the only major problem you think there is is a perception that the Royal Guard are 'high-handed'. While I do understand what you are trying to convey with that statement, it carries with it a sentiment that the office is not respectable or sacred unless we adhere to a particular way of behaving.

The Royal Guard, as a group, are not on trial here. Wan Li Lin's actions were sufficiently...erratic, and sufficiently unilateral,
that I will maintain his current state until we return, at which point he and I will have discussions.

But the idea of these wargames...I am not rejecting the proposal out of hand, but it does not sit quite right. What if instead we had you and these troops do something that actually created a net gain, instead of a number of Shinigami causing injury to one another? What if your trial and punishment is to lead the Criminal Conscripts in an effort to destroy a segment of the Ghost King's forces and holdings? This allows us to give them a chance at completing their sentences, one way or another,
it allows you to demonstrate your leadership and also undergo...harsher conditions, and it allows us to strike at a foe that we cannot afford to ignore."

[Kuroimaken]

"It's not difficult to see how that part of what I spoke of got to you the most, Masamune-sama. Unfortunately, it only further illustrates my point.

No one has any real idea what the Royal Guard is like. They are not seen in the same light as their immediate superiors. Most of the people who were in Soul Society at the time Wan Li Lin was here was torn between loyalty to their office and loyalty to me when I confronted them. And the manner in which the Royal Guard interrupted Senkaimon activities shortly before your arrival did not help.

In so many words, you have the authority, but thanks to Wan Li Lin, not the respect that comes with it." Koutarou states gravely.

"The Shinigami as a whole ill abide being seen as stepping stones to someone else's objective, and that is exactly the impression they got of how the Royal Guard sees them from recent events. My suggestion takes in consideration both that and the opportunity for them to vent some of the pressure. While your suggestion is certainly fit for the situation, it reinforces that impression, particularly where the conscripts are concerned.

And if I may add, the conscript division was not chosen for their status, but rather their qualities as Shinigami. Your task does not pose the additional challenge you think it does.

Mind, these are merely my considerations, and as someone under scrutiny myself, they are clearly biased. I thought only that the viewpoint of the Shinigami themselves may be of benefit."

It's funny. For all his honesty and assumed lack of preparedness for his rank, Koutarou does seem to have quite the insight.

[Ammutseba]

[Soul Society]
(In Transit)

Kazuki grins, the cat who stole off with the catch of the day, eyes shining bright. "Ah, Aphrodite!" he exclaims. "Our single most beautiful gem in all of Soul Society! A private little club just off to the side of the East road. The girls and the tea you've already enjoyed are both from there. It's the perfect spot to relax, to have a drink, and to catch up on the latest in mortal world sports. And let's not forget the girls. So gracious! As long as you're with me, they'll let you inside. We can get you a membership card on your first visit, if you like." He watches Kusuma closely as they walk, gauging his reactions to each thing the taller man mentions.

[KnightDisciple]

"It's not difficult to see how that part of what I spoke of got to you the most, Masamune-sama. Unfortunately, it only further illustrates my point.

No one has any real idea what the Royal Guard is like. They are not seen in the same light as their immediate superiors. Most of the people who were in Soul Society at the time Wan Li Lin was here was torn between loyalty to their office and loyalty to me when I confronted them. And the manner in which the Royal Guard interrupted Senkaimon activities shortly before your arrival did not help.

In so many words, you have the authority, but thanks to Wan Li Lin, not the respect that comes with it." Koutarou states gravely.

"The Shinigami as a whole ill abide being seen as stepping stones to someone else's objective, and that is exactly the impression they got of how the Royal Guard sees them from recent events. My suggestion takes in consideration both that and the opportunity for them to vent some of the pressure. While your suggestion is certainly fit for the situation, it reinforces that impression, particularly where the conscripts are concerned.

And if I may add, the conscript division was not chosen for their status, but rather their qualities as Shinigami. Your task does not pose the additional challenge you think it does.

Mind, these are merely my considerations, and as someone under scrutiny myself, they are clearly biased. I thought only that the viewpoint of the Shinigami themselves may be of benefit."

It's funny. For all his honesty and assumed lack of preparedness for his rank, Koutarou does seem to have quite the insight.

"The Royal Guard's fundamental purpose is twofold. First, to guard the King, and enable the workings of his Realm. Second, to rebuild Soul Society should disaster befall it. The second is why we strive to have exemplars of the various skill-sets of Shinigami among us. It is why each of us still carries out duties that impact the lot of you, however remotely. And it is that motivation, I think, that drove Wan Li Lin's actions.

We must work to ensure the entire Gotei, all of Soul Society, understands this. Because while Wan Li Lin went too far too fast, fundamentally, we are a last hope. I would not classify Soul Society as destroyed and in need of rebuilding. But it teeters on the brink. Now, we of the Guard find ourselves embroiled in petty disputes and what seems to be a deep-seated political disagreement.

This whole matter is not a game. The Guard will not abide a Soul Society that thinks it can shake off the sacred duties given to us by the Soul King. These treaties, your new attitudes...they do not cross the line of shirking these duties. But they come close. You say we do not have respect because of Wan Li Lin's actions. Well, what if we partook in your little exercise,
and my 'army' lost? Would the Royal Guard have respect then? Or would we be a laughing stock, a collection of doddering old fools and insane weapons in human form, best forgotten and exiled?

What do you see Soul Society, the Gotei, the Noble Houses, and all the rest becoming, should your army win, should you retain your position, and should we, the Guard, withdraw with Wan Li Lin and never bother you again, save to draw upon the appropriate recruits to fill empty seats in the King's Realm? Paint me a picture, Commander-General, of this place you dream of. Help convince me that the future you seek is better."

[Kuroimaken]

"Believe me when I say it was not easy to embrace the treaty with Las Noches. Not at first. Many still hold a significant grudge,
and there are incidents of willful and purposeful perversion of duty here and there that I've had the displeasure of undoing on that matter alone. It was not until Jehoel's intents proved if not genuine then at least not treacherous on their face that I decided to give this a chance.

I will repeat to you something I've said to Wan Li Lin once before. The Arrancar of Las Noches have chosen us to model themselves after. They have sought to make peace with us. While we do not owe them anything, they have been working hard, and in doing so, I feel they are trying to earn the privilege of standing with us, rather than against us.

But you ask me what would happen in the event of my winning this game. There are three aspects I want to emphasize in this.

One, I doubt it will be an easy victory, unless you actually CHOOSE to go easy on us. Morale will definitely be on your side, as the conscripts face scrutiny and discrimination often, and the opportunity to wipe the slate clean will be welcomed. The Shinigami under my command have seen me fight countless times. They know exactly the odds I present, but you are an unknown quantity.

Two, the effect you describe is no more or less likely than the damage Wan Li Lin has already inflicted, morale-wise. You should already know the reason I was able to stand up to them. And just as Wan Li Lin is not representative of the whole of Royal Guard's behavior, neither should they be representative of the whole of its power and wisdom. There is essentially no more damage that can be done. And as the judges of the contest yourselves, to admit defeat - or rather my skill, the evaluation of which would be the whole point - would be an act of grace and wisdom in itself should it be necessary. But if it isn't, then Gotei would be reminded that the Guard is not to be trifled with.

Third. I have reminded you I hold no desire or feeling for my rank. The reason I present this possibility - and why I placed the convicts as your troops, rather than my staff - would be to prevent undermining your efforts. I intend to give it my all, but I do not see my possibility of victory as anything but slim. And if necessary, I would admit defeat myself in order to spare my subordinates a needless effort."

Spoiler: KD ONLY

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In case it wasn't clear, Koutarou's last point is that he intends to give it his best effort,
but he ultimately plans on forfeiting in order to afford the convicts their freedom.

[KnightDisciple]

[Seireitei, Soul Society]
[Commander-General's Office, Command Division HQ]

"Believe me when I say it was not easy to embrace the treaty with Las Noches. Not at first. Many still hold a significant grudge, and there are incidents of willful and purposeful perversion of duty here and there that I've had the displeasure of undoing on that matter alone. It was not until Jehoel's intents proved if not genuine then at least not treacherous on their face that I decided to give this a chance.

I will repeat to you something I've said to Wan Li Lin once before. The Arrancar of Las Noches have chosen us to model themselves after. They have sought to make peace with us. While we do not owe them anything, they have been working hard, and in doing so, I feel they are trying to earn the privilege of standing with us, rather than against us.

But you ask me what would happen in the event of my winning this game. There are three aspects I want to emphasize in this.

One, I doubt it will be an easy victory, unless you actually CHOOSE to go easy on us. Morale will definitely be on your side, as the conscripts face scrutiny and discrimination often, and the opportunity to wipe the slate clean will be welcomed. The Shinigami under my command have seen me fight countless times. They know exactly the odds I present, but you are an unknown quantity.

Two, the effect you describe is no more or less likely than the damage Wan Li Lin has already inflicted, morale-wise. You should already know the reason I was able to stand up to them. And just as Wan Li Lin is not representative of the whole of Royal Guard's behavior, neither should they be representative of the whole of its power and wisdom. There is essentially no more damage that can be done. And as the judges of the contest yourselves, to admit defeat - or rather my skill, the evaluation of which would be the whole point - would be an act of grace and wisdom in itself should it be necessary. But if it isn't, then Gotei would be reminded that the Guard is not to be trifled with.

Third. I have reminded you I hold no desire or feeling for my rank. The reason I present this possibility - and why I placed the convicts as your troops, rather than my staff - would be to prevent undermining your efforts. I intend to give it my all, but I do not see my possibility of victory as anything but slim. And if necessary, I would admit defeat myself in order to spare my subordinates a needless effort."

Spoiler: KD ONLY

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Spoiler: Are you sure you're KD?

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In case it wasn't clear, Koutarou's last point is that he intends to give it his best effort,
but he ultimately plans on forfeiting in order to afford the convicts their freedom.

"The flip side is that each of those Arrancar is the condensed result of many, many souls existing in a state of pain and fear, to the point their own hearts tore themselves out and plastered on their face as a mask. I worry that this treaty, and this peace you speak of, will see Soul Society sit back and do nothing to help those souls. This treaty comes dangerously close to preventing literally any purification of Hollows! Even these Unseelie Accords are better; at least those Quincy in Australia have, to a one, changed to purification methods. Las Noches seeks to perpetuate the existence of Hollows, while one of the fundamental goals of Shinigami is to eliminate them."

Somewhere in getting a bit worked up about this, Masamune is visibly taller and bulkier. His hair is still gray, his skin at least somewhat wrinkled, but he's suddenly not quite a shriveled old man any more.

"If not watched with caution, Las Noches may well become the friendly knife in the dark. I would hate for myself, or my theoretical successor, to have to truly rebuild Soul Society and the Gotei from full disaster. It almost happened not long ago, and it was bare luck that you all avoided it then."

He paused to drink some tea, and was suddenly just an old man.

"However."

He paused, sighing deeply as his eyes closed.

"You are here, have been here, for the recent years. I have not. I cannot force all of the Gotei to simply bend to my will, and I will not try. For all my reservations, I cannot find fault with your intent; you wish to see the balance preserved, monsters like Von Geister put down, and Soul Society prospering. You've done well to lead with inadequate preparation and incomplete information, through multiple disasters. Further, though I do not actually know the full breadth of your power, I know and understand enough I am loathe to simply kill you. No matter what, you have use for Soul Society and the Soul King.
The loyalty you speak of is probably even stronger; you seem to sell yourself short as a leader. And you're willing to admit shortcomings. That's a dangerously rare trait in Shinigami, methinks."

His eyes opened, and he smiled at Koutarou. It's not really a pleasant expression.

"I will, of course, need to confer with the others. This matter is too large for just one of us to make all the decisions. But I will not reject it in this moment."

[Kuroimaken]

"Your words are much too kind, Masamune-sama. To be honest, if it were a choice, I would rather sell myself short. That way I would strive to overcome my shortcomings that much more. There is a thin line between complacency and realism."

He sighed.

"The issue with Las Noches is one I cannot readily think of a solution for, or I would have proposed it already. It... might well be a problem for future generations to solve. For the moment, I am willing to take them at their word, as their actions have spoken volumes of their ways.

But if the mortals have taught us anything in their dealings among nations, it is that the status of ally can shift."

Koutarou can't help but remember World Wars I and II. Japan was wrecked by the US only to become one of its greatest allies afterwards. To speak nothing of Russia and Germany.

"Nonetheless, I thank you for keeping an open mind in face of such dire circumstances as we have met... to speak nothing of the precedent set for the interaction of Gotei and the Royal Guard.

If... there is nothing more for the moment, I would ask to be excused. I still need to see to the restitution of the Chamber of Forty-Six... not to mention our mortal guests."

That last one had admittedly been on the back of his mind a lot more, but Koutarou couldn't really point to the reason behind it.