PLAYER
Shinigami - 12th Division
Don't kill me please.
Takano Hirai
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Post by Takano Hirai on Jul 11, 2022 20:01:49 GMT -5
It was a typical, slow morning for Takano. With how fruitful his dealings with Asura turned out to be, and his supply of coffee finally dwindling, the young reaper had finally managed a decent night's sleep. Stacks of paperwork filled his tiny desk. If he had waited any longer to look through them, he might have very well lost the office entirely. With a sigh he would begin to sort through various scouting and research reports. All the same nonsense from those scout muscle heads. Most of them couldn't even tell the subtypes apart. One in particular caught his eye with how odd it was. Closer inspection revealed something far more interesting… It seemed a trail of destruction with trace amounts of Hollow Reiryoku had been found. The strange part was its location. A canon filled desert in Afghanistan. No population centers for quite some time. A Hollow would have no reason to waste its energy on anything aside from survival or hunting. Images had revealed a rather contained and almost restrained area of destruction. "Hmph…" Takano muttered as he slipped a cigarette into his mouth and lit it, leaning back to avoid setting his paperwork on fire. "Not a Hollow, likely an Arrancar… I've got the freetime. An Arrancar subject would be interesting." Takano said, setting the paper down and grabbing his things.
The Desert heat was unbearably oppressive to Takano, who was accustomed to the nice temperate weather of Soul Society. He walked along the top of what he pressured to be the highest canyon within the desert basin, yet only sand filled his horizon. The heat grew exponentially as he paused at the cliff of the canyon. Inside, the walls were smooth and charred black. Takano cautiously stepped forward and reached inside with an unlit cigarette. It would like with an impressive flash, causing Takano to fall back in surprise. "By the Soul King…" Takano said, putting the cigarette in his mouth and taking a deep draw. "I suppose I found that 'trail of destruction'. You'd think they'd mention the mountain carving…" He murmured. nezuel |
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Player
Continuing to slaughter, kill, take. Life is to constantly sin. Life is evil itself.
nezuel
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Post by nezuel on Jul 11, 2022 21:11:57 GMT -5
"HADŌ #4: BYAKURAI" the arrancar would say, pointing his fingers at the large amalgamation of souls infront of him. Lightning burst forth from his hand, some of it hitting the sand infront of him as it arcs, glassing the grainy substance, still the vast majority of the power found its target, hitting the bone mask of the giant creature infront of him, skirting along and leaving a black furrow. "Damn it" he would say as a red glare started to shine from above him...apparently the gillian took offense to that little stunt. There was a flash of normal color as the ball condensed and the hollow's enormous mouth began to open. It was followed by a static sound as he used sonido to move away from the blast radius. He was successful...somewhat, the blast still catching him on the furthest point of its radius...the only reason he was alright was his hierro as he held up a hand to ward off the remains of the blast.
Another static sound and the arrancar appeared in the air by the gillian's mask, how zanpaktou out as he fell, not bothering with a platform to push off of. With a yell and a gleeful expression, he sunk the blade into the black line his kido had made, the mask cracking some more and even drawing some blood from the mindless beast before he was flung from the wound and onto the ground. Getting up he laughed. "You're supposed to stay in the forest, you stupid...shit" a giant foot was coming at him and he didn't have time to evade, Taking a defensive stance the next thing the arrancar knew he was embedded in the blacked wall of the cero the gillian had just sent.
"Oh I'm going to enjoy killing you"
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PLAYER
Shinigami - 12th Division
Don't kill me please.
Takano Hirai
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Post by Takano Hirai on Jul 12, 2022 11:51:00 GMT -5
What Takano had assumed to be the oppressive desert heat had, in fact, turned out to be the spiritual pressure of two dueling titans. Well… titans when compared to Takano's own power. The young reaper quickly ducked behind a nearby pile of rock. Just over the horizon, a colossal Gillian rose. The creature seemed almost like a moving mountain more than a Hollow. This was not the first time Takano had seen one, but it was certainly the closest he had been to one. The creature let out a massive roar as the entire Canyon shook. Some kind of projectile had struck it. Further investigation revealed a humanoid shape embedded in the wall of the Canyon. It seemed Takano was correct about his Arrancar assumption. The Arrancar was surprisingly weak compared to the Gillian, but still fought with quite a bit of ferocity. Almost like a small dog taking bites at its owner's ankles. "Better a weaker one than another Vasto Lorde" Takano said to himself, reaching into his pocket and removing a small disk. He'd check it over with a worried glance. "Hard to believe the Quincy use these tiny things to draw out Hollows. Hopefully I got the recipe right…" Thanks to the Shinigami's miniscule Reiryoku, he would be nothing more than a fly to the Gillian. With some strained Hoho techniques, Takano managed to slip just behind the Gillian and snap the wafer in two. Another burst of amateurish Hoho later, and Takano would be back atop the canyon. The Gillian slowly trudged around as a massive spike of Reiryoku emanated from behind it. Hopefully the distraction would be enough for the Arrancar to deal a killing blow. nezuel |
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Player
Continuing to slaughter, kill, take. Life is to constantly sin. Life is evil itself.
nezuel
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Post by nezuel on Jul 12, 2022 15:30:53 GMT -5
Small little pieces of rock hit the ground as he pried himself out of the canyon wall. He turned slightly, seeing the impression that would no doubt baffle someone someday and result in some crazy theory. With a smile he turned back to the Gillian, eyes momentarily looking to the side as he saw a flash of...something on the other side of the Gillian. His thoughts were a a bit scrambled but he could have sworn he saw...something. He took a step without thinking as a large amount of Reiryoku, for the human world, was released. His stomach made a noise and he snapped out of the small trance it had put him in before he saw that the skyscraper sized hollow was still distracted. Someone...or something was interfering but he wasn't going to complain...yet.
With a static sound, he appeared directly in front of Gillian, taking his sword and using the momentum of it as the beast turned to plunge the sword into the thing's enormous eye. Its scream sent him flying but he made an x with both of his arms as the pain it took seemed to knock it out of its hunger filled delusion. "Bakudo" The arrancar would say, throwing a hand towards the creature's last remaining eye. "#22: HAKUFUKU" Its red glare went vacant for a moment as Nezuel pushed off the platform he had made, fingers wrapping around his hilt as he pulled the blade out. With a grin on his face he drew his other hand back, moving his fingers into a blade like pattern as he plunged it into the eye wound his blade had made.
"HADŌ #4: BYAKURAI" He'd yell, electricity pouring into the Gillian's head. It screamed...not quite dead before he repeated the kido's name and number. There was a momment when he didn't think it would be enough but then sparks began to form on the Gillian's other eye and it was overcome with the energy, popping and sending a torrent of blood onto the ground. Meanwhile...Nezuel was sent to the ground as the eye he was on also popped.
When all was said and done, he got up...dusting off the dirt attached to his blood soaked clothing. He turned to see the beast falling away from him...atleast he had a little luck. He took a moment to breathe deeply before he suddenly looked around...he wasn't alone.
"I know you're there, come out"
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PLAYER
Shinigami - 12th Division
Don't kill me please.
Takano Hirai
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Post by Takano Hirai on Jul 12, 2022 17:01:28 GMT -5
"Alright, alright." Takano would state, holding his hands up. To gain the trust of his last Hollow acquaintance, he was required to be disarmed. This one spoke before attacking him. A good sign already. Takano shook his left hand and slowly reached into his robe. He hoped the Arrancar wouldn't take it as a threat, as he removed a cigarette pack. "I hope you can see from that little distraction I caused, I don't intend to cause you harm. My current Reiryoku is all there is, so even if I was you'd be able to kill me. I simply want to speak." Takano lowered his hands and went to take a seat on a fairly sizable boulder. "My name is Takano Hirai. I'm a Shinigami from the 12th Division. We're scientists. I saw a scout report and found it a bit too suspicious to pass on to a meathead." Takano popped a cigarette out of the case and placed it in his mouth. But before I get to what I really want to talk about, I have one burning question…" Takano took a deep draw and exhaled smoke. "How does an Arrancar come to learn Kido? Are you friends with a Shinigami?" Best not to insinuate him capturing and torturing the Kido Arts out of a poor Shinigami, though the thought did cross his mind. He took a moment to look the Arrancar over. They didn't seem to have a sadistic streak, though their ferocity in combat led him to believe they enjoyed a good fight. They had a standard white uniform with a fairly large white cloak. If not for the mask, he could easily mistake the Arrancar for a Quincy. "You can take a seat if you want. I'm not planning to get up for a while. Those techniques took a lot out of me." He said whilst wiping his brow. nezuel |
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Player
Continuing to slaughter, kill, take. Life is to constantly sin. Life is evil itself.
nezuel
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Post by nezuel on Jul 12, 2022 20:21:52 GMT -5
The mysterious figure was a...shinigami. Nezuel's eyes immediately went shut as he looked around the area using his other sense...they were in the clear. When he opened his eyes he tilted his head to the side as he looked at the soul reaper. A hand moved to his face as he started to wipe the gore from his form, the other moving across his body as he put away his zanpaktou. By all accounts the shinigami was weak, pitiful really. He wasn't a threat and that meant dialogue was possible...though it was possible he was hiding his true strength. "Hmmm" he would say, he was honestly curious if he could crush the man simply with his riatsu. A sound of static filled the air as he stepped to the side quickly, a small puddle of blood forming as he appeared again, less dirty but still not as pristine as he would have liked. He had to admit that, while he liked looking like a human, with having to wear clothes, cleanup was certainly easier when he had been a hollow.
"You may call me Nezuel...I'm not sure if we're friends...acquaintance perhaps and while I've asked them to teach me in kido they hadn't yet....more or less I figured out how to do it by trial and error." He looked down at the shinigami as he sat, moving over near him before crossing his legs and taking his own sitting position. "A scientist of the shinigami...you deal with their technology? Is that how you got a hold of Quincy bait?"
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PLAYER
Shinigami - 12th Division
Don't kill me please.
Takano Hirai
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Post by Takano Hirai on Jul 13, 2022 10:02:20 GMT -5
"Hm, so it was another Shinigami. I'm glad to hear others are willing to help those we usually view as enemies. Especially in such a delicate art." Takano leaned back and looked out over the evaporating remains of the Gillian. Left uneaten or purified, the Souls would be left to total obliteration. The Gillians truly were the worst subtype of Hollow… "I've had a bit of experience with Technology, yes. I worked on the Hollow bait myself. One of our Seated Officers fought a rather homicidal Quincy and gave a wonderful report of his equipment." Takano reached into his pocket and produced another disc of Hollow bait. He'd offer the Arrancar to take it. "But my main field is Hollow research. Having a device to lure them to me is invaluable. This is a lower powered one. It should only lure Hollows below the Gillian class. I'm sure it could help given your kind's diet." Takano said before taking the remainder of his burnt cigarette and flicking it to the side. "I'm currently working on something big. Very big. A means to broker peace between Hollows and Shinigami once and for all. I have one Hollow who I'm already working with. We've made strides in the field of Hollow Physiology and Hollowfication. Would you be interested in helping us? I've never studied the Arrancar before, but I believe they are a step in the right direction." Takano produced another cigarette and lit it. "Something about the synergy between a Hollow and Zanpakuto… it produces something balanced. Very interesting and could be the answer to stabilizing a Hollow's condition without killing them. But that's enough of my ramblings. Do you remember the name or perhaps appearance of the Shinigami who helped you? I'd like to see if they're someone I could trust with helping me." nezuel |
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Player
Continuing to slaughter, kill, take. Life is to constantly sin. Life is evil itself.
nezuel
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Post by nezuel on Jul 13, 2022 15:46:55 GMT -5
The man had a lot to say, which was quite alright, he had a lot to think about. "You seem surprised that I learned from a shinigami, although you're the one that asked if it was true, why was it your first assumption?" he tilted his head at the shinigami, eyes narrowing. "Is it odd for an arrancar to learn such spells by their own methods, someone, sometime, figured out the right combination and flow of riatsu to come to the conclusion that is Kido...how would I doing the same be any different?" He reached out and grabbed the Quincy bait. "Did that Quincy have spikey yellow hair and a gun?" he would ask, a small description of Vance. Homicidal was one of the words he could associate with the man. He looked at the bait and was suddenly stricken with the desire to put it in his mouth like a hard candy.
He shook the thought away before looking at the man, the shinigami. "Everlasting peace is impossible, disregarding the Queen's agenda and desires Hollows are, by nature, too bestial. You would have to find a way to control every new hollow that was made or somehow eliminate the conversion of new and lost spirits into hollows." he saw no way that it could happen. "And while I can certainly offer myself as a subject of experimentation, I do worry about my freedom in such an event or the fallout that such a partnership would entail if another hollow found out and reported it to the other arrancar."
He shrugged. "But besides that I wouldn't be comfortable telling you the name of someone who has helped me. I don't know Soul Society's stance on consorting with hollows so the possibility of you harming his standing still remains. The best I can offer you is for you to give me your name and I can relate your desire and name to them...or if you prefer I can act as a middle man, perhaps arrange a meeting?"
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PLAYER
Shinigami - 12th Division
Don't kill me please.
Takano Hirai
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Post by Takano Hirai on Jul 13, 2022 19:02:31 GMT -5
Takano let out a sharp but short laugh at the Arrancar's defense of his Shinigami acquaintance. "Oh, if only you knew the half of it… Nezuel, I've broken every rule there is regarding interactions with Hollows. I am literally, well, friends with one. Not an Arrancar, but a true to Soul King Hollow. I'll be at a greater risk meeting with that friend of yours than he is of me snitching on him. I'm not even working within the confines of Soul Society. This is my own venture." Takano let out a puff of smoke. "But I'm not completely naive. I know how cruel both Hollows and Arrancars could be. I like to assume the best until proven otherwise, but it was completely viable that you tortured the Kido Arts out of some poor sap." Takano said with a soft smirk. "Kido is a very specific form of magic which requires years of practice to master. There is more to it than simply shouting and pointing. I suppose it would be possible to reverse engineer, but highly improbable. Yet here you are, being the probable." Takano scratched at his chin for a moment, considering who this acquaintance could be. It didn't take long for him to relent. Male and Kido User was a solid 65% of the Gotei 13. "You said something about the Hollow Queen?" Takano remarked out of the blue. "Would you be willing to tell me what she is like? Or perhaps what this agenda of hers is? I understand that a large portion of Hollows are forced to hunt by instinct, but a solid figure head may allow me to get one step closer." Takano said with a shrug. "Or strike an option from my list." Takano awaited an answer before jumping up quickly, as if remembering something. "Oh! And that Quincy did have a gun if I recall correctly. Though his hair was black and wavy." nezuel |
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Player
Continuing to slaughter, kill, take. Life is to constantly sin. Life is evil itself.
nezuel
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Post by nezuel on Jul 13, 2022 20:06:00 GMT -5
The arrancar's features distorted a little in worry. "What in the world is a 'Soul King Hollow?'" he would ask, slightly concerned that there was a new type of hollow he didn't know about. The man before him desired to become an expert on his own people...perhaps to the point that he knew more than a native. Would it be possible to learn about his own people from a shinigami of all people...even if it was possible, would it be worth the ridicule if the truth was ever found out?
"And while you seem trustworthy all I have to prove such a thing is your word...likewise all you have to know I didn't torture a Kido Corps member is my word...and that I could easily capture and kill you right now if I so desired...assuming you are a spiritually weak as you say." He smiled "But that won't happen, so don't worry"
He thought for a moment as the shinigami before him asked him about his fellow hollows. It made sense that the shinigami didn't know much about Hueco Mundo, it was likely that he'd never been there. "I've never met her myself" he would say, quietly. "But from what I heard, she's almost childlike...more entertained with having her subjects battle one another than anything else. Perhaps she seeks to weed out the weak...or perhaps her intelligence is stunted by something?" He shook his head. "As for the number...it isn't as simple as with the other races...while you are all your separate being Hollows, Menos, are multiple entities within one body. I would assume that the number of souls in each realm is roughly the same...but Giallians could be something like 100...Adjuchas 10,000, and Vasto Lordes....something more?"
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PLAYER
Shinigami - 12th Division
Don't kill me please.
Takano Hirai
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Post by Takano Hirai on Jul 14, 2022 19:27:23 GMT -5
"If you had captured a Kido Corp specialist…" A slight smirk crossed Takano's face. "You wouldn't be casting such weak Kido. And you certainly wouldn't be struggling against a Gillian. Though it is interesting that you mention them. I didn't expect an Arrancar to know of their existence" Takano said, rubbing his chin. "I take it this acquaintance is from there? Or closely related to them?" Takano wouldn't press any further on the matter. Even if Nezuel named the Shinigami, he'd still require the time and effort to study them himself. Ensure they wouldn't rat him out or worse… Takano's smirk vanished as he tossed the realization of the Hollow Queen's true demeanor around his head. It would be hard to deal with someone like that. At the same time, it may be easy to manipulate them. For the greater good. After all, if he succeeded there would be no need for violence. They could sort their own issues out. Besides… He did manage to turn Asura to his side. They don't get much more angry and childlike than that. "Sorry for the pause. Just a bit saddened to hear how this 'Hollow Queen' truly is. I suppose I'll cross that bridge when I get there. In any case, have you considered working with us? We can offer you a safe home to reside in and plenty of interesting people to meet. Aside from the occasional non-invasive examinations or vial of drawn blood, you have no real obligations. Except not killing us. That's the only one." nezuel |
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Player
Continuing to slaughter, kill, take. Life is to constantly sin. Life is evil itself.
nezuel
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Post by nezuel on Jul 15, 2022 7:01:09 GMT -5
It was a mistake to mention the kido corp, he didn't know much about them besides the name and implication of their skillset. Some shinigami had to have mentioned them in one form or another for him to know their name and mention them subconsciously. "Gillians are serious opponents...and the method of Hollow evolution means that their power could vary wildly." He smiled at the shinigami, perhaps he was just teasing him, but he honestly didn't like how long it was taking him to get used to his new body...it was rather annoying. "I can neither confirm or deny of their membership in that organization." He still had to be careful there...still didn't know the man.
"It could be understandable...with ultimate power in a system, so too comes ultimate boredom. If you were to somehow manage to live forever then eventually everything will happen to you, regressing to a child like nature could be a way of coping with that weight in order to gain wonder again." he looked slightly to the side and grimaced. "Well...that does assume a couple of things, though, mainly information I don't know about the Queen."
He thought for a few seconds. "I'm not against your offer, but....I need to think about it, its quite a commitment after all. Even if you were to provide a safe space, a home, Its likely I would still have to return to Hueco Mundo on occasion..although if you still work for Soul Society I figure a workaround exists for you."
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PLAYER
Shinigami - 12th Division
Don't kill me please.
Takano Hirai
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Post by Takano Hirai on Jul 16, 2022 9:34:15 GMT -5
Nezuel was not only cooperative, but seemed to have a fairly well developed sense of empathy. From many of the rumors he had heard regarding the Arrancar, Takano had assumed they were prone to violence and utterly despised the Shinigami. Yet this one disproved it. Or at least shook up the status quo. If this is what Hollows were capable of evolving into, it only lent more credence to Takano's goal. Takano leaned forward with an embarrassed grin. "Ah, sorry for making assumptions on this acquaintance. It was just a force of habit. My brain moves faster than my social senses sometimes" He said, tapping the side of his head. "I do hope that I could figure out some means to convince the Hollow Queen to join our side. If she is bored with life, perhaps she'd like having her memory wiped. Experience life again from a new perspective. Just a thought." Takano stood and walked over to Nezuel, hands behind his head. "As for your hang ups on my proposal… Well, I may have a solution. The proprietor of the land which hosts my lab is a powerful Fullbringer. She used the land to expel excess Reiryoku initially, but after saving my life, allowed me to use it for my research. She seemed equally interested in it and had no real ill intentions. That reiryoku could be used to sustain you. I'm sure she'd appreciate using it for something other than destruction." Takano let out a puff of smoke, considering something for a moment. "Listen… I understand my kind is… disliked, by your kind. But in this case, I am not working for Gotei 13. They refuse to compromise and only seek war." Takano held out his hand. "This is my own faction, I guess. Working for peace between the Realms. If you don't wish to join, I'll leave you alone. Otherwise, I can show you the location right now. If my Landlord is there, we could even get you a room formed. What do you say?" nezuel |
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Player
Continuing to slaughter, kill, take. Life is to constantly sin. Life is evil itself.
nezuel
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Post by nezuel on Jul 16, 2022 14:11:01 GMT -5
Nezuel's eyes widened a bit. What kind of coincidence that he should learn what a fullbringer is just before this shinigami mentioning one....a powerful one apparently. His mind turned to the woman he had met inside of the parking garage, she had been powerful but it would have to be some sort of design by God to make the connection so perfectly. Still...a fullbringer was made by the survival of a being from hollow attack..their power felt similar to a hollow and...perhaps he could eat it...he hadn't attempted the feat when he had met Gaia, the only fullbringer her knew, but perhaps it was possible. Of course, if that was the case then why didn't many of the other stronger hollows simply expel their energy to feed others..and why did this full bringer have to do it at all as it seemed to be the case.
"If I'm being honest," he would say, crossing his arms "I have some interest in working with the Gotei 13 over the hollows of Hueco Mundo." odd as it might be that was somewhat true...they seemed to have more order, something he valued. "But your organization could also be seen as a foot in the door for that outcome...with two shinigami friends being more able to convince someone higher up in soul society to hear me out." He would shrug before looking away, thinking.
"I have two conditions, the first being that, while I might go with you to your base now, you will not stop me from leaving if I don't plan to stay within your group. Wiping memory of its location is fine, but not of your existence as a whole." He looked at the man, eyes becoming more serious. "Secondly...the person who taught me has been on my mind somewhat often as of late...I want to learn from you about the ways shinigami court each other...and for help in figuring out if their feelings might be reciprocated...or if I am being manipulated by them. Agree to these...and we can leave right now."
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PLAYER
Shinigami - 12th Division
Don't kill me please.
Takano Hirai
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Post by Takano Hirai on Jul 17, 2022 15:43:48 GMT -5
"Uh…" Takano muttered awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. The young Shinigami was used to working in hazardous situations at this point. He's had his life threatened by incomprehensibly powerful beings. Yet this was the first time in a while he felt genuinely nervous. "Well… uh… I mean it really varies from person to person. There isn't just one tradition… at least I don't think so…" Takano flicked his cigarette away and quickly lit a new one. Takano was a scientist, not a match maker. If Irisa knew, she'd never let him hear the end of it. He could already hear the sarcastic jabs from Asura and Yoshi… "I'll do my best to help… No promises. But if you wish to leave, you are more than welcome to!" Takano said, trying to quickly change the subject. "I don't think Gaia will mind one way or another. And I'd personally prefer letting you leave of your own will. I've never been fond of working with unwilling subjects. It's cruel and usually affects the results more than I'd deem acceptable." Takano finished his cigarette in one, deep inhale and flicked it off the side as well. "We're located in the Artic. I've not yet mastered my Hoho so I'll just text Gaia and see if she can pick us up. It'd let you get to know her as well…" Takano leaned forward and whispered "Honestly you might be better off getting love advice from her. Don't tell her I said that." nezuel |
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