Bleach Hereafter RPG

Niji shook her head at Nezuel, her voice was calm and firm, "No one will scramble your brains, Mister Jaeger.  Everything here is consensual. You are all free to leave in peace.  That was one of the terms I gave Mister Hirai for him to make use of the space."

She turned her gaze on the Quincy with a light smile, "One of my closest friends is a Quincy, and seems to abhor conflict, despite his strength. I would not assign motivations to a race..." The Fullbringer glanced at Nezuel, already making a portal to leave, "Any race, with so broad a brush. The trick is finding the ones that are worthy of time and trust."

The Fulllbringer continued, "The research may have implications for any and all of the factions, but I still think it is worth the time. I am the only one in this facility operating on a wholly human timescale. Shinigami, Arrancar, and even some Quincy operate on plans that may take centuries or even millennia to come to fruition. If Mister Hirai's work finds success, it will likely not be in my lifetime." She briefly inclined her head to the Shinigami scientist, "No offense to your acumen intended, but this is not research that will be completed in the next few decades."

The woman closed her eyes for a moment, recalling her conversation with the Vice Captain of the first squad.   She hoped the man did not actually have anything to do with Tendo's experiment, but she had been unable to talk to him; yet another reason to talk to Yoshinori, "Who knows, maybe leadership might change at some point and lead to cultural shifts in the spirit world."

“You’re acting too sensitive, Nezuel.” Takano said, flicking his burnt cigarette to the side. “Anyone who is tied to this project is my concern right now. They’re risking themselves to assist me. I’m trying to make sure they remain safe the only way I really can, through logical deduction. If I can’t fight, I can make sure the fight doesn’t break out at the very least.”

Takano glanced over at the Quincy who seemed quite concerned at Nezuel’s brash statement on mind erasure. It is something they can do, but Takano had already brought the man into the fold. This was doing nothing but scaring the man and serving to mend whatever perceived wound Nezuel had taken to his pride. It was to be expected, Takano supposed. The Arrancar seemed to genuinely like Irisa. Love had the dangerous effect of overriding logic and accelerating emotions.

“You have nothing to worry about, Lazarus. I’ve already decided you can help, and even if I didn’t, I wouldn’t have erased your memories of it.” Takano crossed his arms and glanced back to Nezuel. “Unlike my Captain, I like to hold myself to a higher standard of morality. You are free to leave if you wish, but take this if you do-” Takano tossed his Phone to Nezuel. “I can contact you through it, and Gaia can likewise send you back here if needed. We should have rooms here soon enough if you need to lie low.”

Takano sighed and rubbed his eyes. Gaia seemed to think this Project would take hundreds of years and it certainly felt that way. But with his pools of allies and resources slowly expanding, he was certain it would be accomplished. This wouldn’t be the first Project he crunched through. Coffee, Cigarettes, and determination were what got him through Irisa’s class after all. He’d look over to Gaia with a smirk. “Want to bet I’ll get it done in one decade?” Takano jokingly remarked.

With the thought of mind erasure out the window and Nezuel not leaving, Lazarus would let out a sigh of relief, his hands dropping to his knee's as he sat on a nearby rock, thankful that not only had he been accepted, but he wouldn't have the threat of lobotomy looming overhead. He'd listen to the conversation for the time being, not wanting to cause any more unneeded stress for the people here. He'd look over at Gaia with intrigue, he was curious as to what Quincy she knew and how that friendship formed, let alone what kind of power she held. The idea of someone being strong enough to wipe someone out with a mere thought was terrifying, but it also meant that if he made good connections here he might have a layer of protection in this realm, wherever it was. Come to think of it he still wasn't sure where here was, and the scientist had just said he wouldn't disclose that information, at least to Nezuel, though that probably applied to himself as well.



Lazarus had seen phones before in his time in the human realm, though he wasn't sure what would allow for communication across realms, if that's how that specific one worked. He was beginning to understand that there was a metric shit ton of things about the realms, and more so the people in those realms, that he wasn't familiar with. It bothered him on some level, not knowing about these things, more so because it meant he would have to spend even more time figuring those things out. Time would tell how much he'd be able to uncover, thankfully he was low on the totem pole of Quincy of relevance, if not at the bottom. It afforded him the ability to come and do things like find this ground and do a bit of investigative work into the inner workings of other races, plus he wasn't much of a fan of most Quincy and their ideologies. Sensing a bit of tension between the hollow and shinigami, he'd opt to keep his mouth shut and watch, one leg crossed over the other.

Niji frowned at the Shinigami as he flicked yet another cigarette onto the foliage, and just had the earth swallow the rubbish without much disturbance. She would have to talk about him littering some other day.  Takano was confident despite...being Takano.  If he could complete the research that rapidly, it would be nothing short of a miracle, she gave a slight smile at his challenge and confidence, "You would have to have something I want to make a bet worthwhile."

She could not really fault Nezuel for his caution, but this was a discussion Takano had to have with him.  Serving as a third party negotiator was, on occasion, her day job.  The woman had no interest in pursuing that role for Takano and his test subjects.

At least, not at the moment; she had enough on her plate.

The Fullbringer offered a shrug in response to Nezuel's concerns, there was nothing to be done if the man was nervous about her strength; but that was a concern that was mostly irrelevant.  Takano spent more time in the underground facility than Niji did, she shook her head at him, "I am a merely a benefactor to your research because I believe it will be helpful to all beings.  I am not here to police those you ask to assist in your it, Mister Hirai."

The implication was clear, Takano had offended Nezuel; it was on Takano to deal with it.

“I’ve not once said I don’t trust you. I simply believe Irisa will outsmart and manipulate you. She’s a high ranking, powerful kido master with a knack for socializing. You don’t strike me as someone who has much experience with working your way gracefully through a conversation. Nor am I. Hence why I opted to stay out of them entirely with her once I figured out her stance on my work.” Takano said, catching a side eyed glance from Gaia who seemed peeved at his discarded cigarette bud. It was odd, the plants seemed to take care of it, what was there to be annoyed about?

“As I said,” Takano continued. “You are acting sensitive and taking things too personally. If we wanted you gone, you’d have already been asked to leave. I’m not someone who minces words. As for whether the phone tracks you or not, I don’t know. Most likely not.” Takano remarked, leaning against the wall. “I also hope you’ve not taken this little altercation as a cry for assistance, Gaia. I don’t expect you to help me with policing my acquaintances. I have been and will continue to deal with these issues myself. You’ve done enough by granting me a space to work in.”

Takano scratched at his chin, going over all the new information and allies he had just received. Quite a lot to take in with so little time to organize it. Lazarus would be useful in defending the base. If Nezuel stuck around, he’d serve as an excellent liaison for the Hollows and a direct means to Hueco Mundo. Knowing his luck, Irisa would likely be an issue he’d have to deal with in the future. She was a kind teacher but she was old and stuck in the Shinigami Tradition. She’d believe Takano was leading himself into danger. Her idea of “Help” would be to stop this entire thing. Takano could not let that happen under any circumstance, not when they’re so close.

He made no move to swat away the arrancar's hand, not being someone that cared much about personal space to begin with, so it wasn't a bother to him. It seemed the worst of the tension had subsided, something he was more than happy to see, though considering the way it came on he had doubts about it not happening again. That aside, he'd let his ears focus on the conversation while his eyes wandered, scanning the landscape and everything it had to offer, curious as to how all this came to be made in the first place. From what he gathered this area was created, or at least procured, by Gaia, and her reishi helps keep things growing and expanding to some extent. The fact that there could be something that took in reishi to mimic a day night cycle was beyond his comprehension, but that was the case for anyone not familiar with whatever field allowed for the creation of such moss.



From the sound of things this Irisa person was a kido expert, he wondered if they had anyone else who knew spell slinging that was actually allowed here. Lazarus, being cut from similar cloth in that aspect, wanted to get his hands on more powerful spells. He had already been trying to reverse engineer the spells Nezuel used in their spar, though that was easier said than done, and with the level of power he had now it wasn't enough to hold his ground against a powerful enemy. Lazarus wanted power, and he'd find the fight connections to get it, though he'd have to withhold certain bits of information about himself in the process as to avoid unnecessary conflict. His eyes landed back on the scientist, putting a name to the face, Hirai.



"So what do you have as far as progress goes, I might not understand it but I know that somethings epiphanies come from tossing what you have at a wall and seeing what bounces back..."

The Fullbringer shook her head, ”Organization inertia is a hell of a thing to overcome even in mortal organizations; I hate to think how hard it would be for those that have run things the same way for centuries. Even if Mister Hirai’s research is everything we hope it to be, there will be detractors and resistance; just because it is different than how they are used to operating.”

Niji tapped a finger on her chin at Nezuel’s comment, giving the side eye to Takano, ”Oh, did he now?” She shook her head at the Arrancar, ”Unfortunately, I do not think that is a viable option. My abilities do not exactly work that way, I can bolster the powers of a spiritual being only temporarily. Unless there is a pact in place, it would do nothing to sustain you long term, and my schedule would not permit me to make daily visits to this place.”

That being said, the other part of his request was easy enough, ”I can make you a desert, particularly if you want it as barren as my understanding of your home realm. No plants, no animals; just sand and darkness. It would be trivial, really.”

With a nod, she began reading the notes that Takano had provided to her, if he was going to tell the Quincy his research, she was going to make damn sure she understood it.

“It’s a long and complicated series of experiments and theories, Lazarus” Takano would remark, pondering the best way to explain it. “When I had begun testing with Asura, our resident Hollow, I had believed there to be three ways to achieve a cure. None of which panned out in any meaningful way, of course. First was the artificial and crude method of implanting a Hollow soul within a body. Assuming the soul inhabiting it was powerful and comatose, it’d allow for the Hollow to sustain itself for quite some time. The process for doing this is unreliable at best and requires a very specific set of circumstances, however. A poor idea to begin with.” Takano crossed his arms and chuckled a bit. “I never really did realize how much I was shooting in the dark with some of these ideas. Hey Gaia, I’m going to make some coffee, do you want any?”

Takano quickly made his way past the Arrancar and Quincy, beckoning them to follow him into his lab. “The second,” Takano said as he began the pot. “Was to turn Hollows into Arrancar. This helps alleviate the hunger to an extent, and makes them less instinctual, but is still not reliable. My final was based on the legends of those Visored Shinigami. Implanting a Hollow within a Shinigami to act as a secondary spirit, not too dissimilar to a Zanpakuto. Too dangerous.”

Reaching into his pocket and producing a key, Takano turned to a cabinet with several locks. The first would be removed with the key, but the subsequent eight or nine would require various complicated incantations and Kido magics to unlock. Once it was finally open, rows of what appeared to be vials of crimson red blood lined the shelfs. Takano grabbed one and showed it to his compatriots.

“Thanks to Asura, I was given a fourth option. Asura is a very unique Hollow with the ability to bond with a body for survival. While it was not until recently he found a long term host, it seems his entire physiology was designed around it. This vial is filled with his blood cells, which I have painstakingly cultured and refined to be Reiryoku Agnostic.” Takano placed the vial back. “Initially it would have assisted Asura in adapting to his host’s physiology. Transforming their cells into his, practically turning him into an organ of sorts before finally fully integrating himself within. I have removed ‘Asura’ from the equation, as it were. These vials can be adapted to just about any Hollow.”

Takano smirked, locking the cabinets back up. “This means, simply, I can implant a Hollow within ANY body and use these vials to assist with the adaptation. They remain who they are without their insatiable hunger.” With a final clink, the cabinet was once again sealed shut. “It will still take quite a lot of time, effort, and details to get this anywhere near working, but I believe it can be achieved,” Takano glanced over at Gaia with a smug smirk. “Within your lifetime. It’s a good thing you didn’t bet anything.”

Thankfully the explanation so far wasn't going into specifics as much as he thought it would, so it was easier to digest for him, he could only imagine what this conversation would be like if the man spoke in purely scientific terms. He'd follow suit towards the lab, looking over many a things, but keeping his hands in his pockets as to not damage anything accidently. there was a moment of pause at the mention of the being known as Asura, and the fact that he was more a parasite like creature than an actual full bodied hollow like Nezuel. Interesting to consider, his mind wanted to wander down the rabbit hole of how that kind of hollow gained power, but alas he kept focus on the conversation at hand, nodding every so often in understanding. He'd shake his head at Nezuel, speaking up with his own bit of expertise on the topic, though it was only through experience and witnessing of it happen in real time that he even knew the consequences of seeing a Quincy befall hollow reiryoku.



"It would result in soul suicide for both parties involved more than likely, the Quincy body has no defenses against hollow reishi or reiryoku, so even small punctures can cause devastating effects to us unless dealt with immediately and properly. The idea of attempting to 'inject' a hollows being into a Quincy would be akin to injecting acid in ones veins, though I'm not sure how the hollows soul would react to the Quincy reiryoku, it might survive, might not. But as someone who's had to witness soul suicide via the result of an untrained and over confident Quincy, I can tell you it would be excruciatingly painful if it isn't instant death."



He spoke more matter of factly than anything else, he held no personal attachment to the Quincy in question, nor was there any hint of sadness in his tone. Spoken more so on the educational spectrum, but also just to avoid the idea running amuck in the shinigami's mind and causing unneeded Quincy death. Though as he thought about it, a previous conversation came to mind from another Quincy he had met not too long ago.



"I do recall talking to someone from some human organization and he mentions 'flesh suits', any idea what that might mean? he specifically referenced shinigami and arrancar when talking about it so it'd beyond my knowledge, but it sounds like you just need a potential recipient for the hollow and blood..."

At Takano's little comment about within her lifetime, Niji looked up from the notes with a warm smile.  He had honestly made a shocking amount of progress in so short a time, it was surprising, "I do try to invest in the right people, Mister Hirai." She continued reading the reports, he was somewhat dumbing it down for them, but the notes were fairly comprehensive.

The Fullbringer gave a small shrug to Nezuel's question, how exactly her pacts worked was straightforward, but she did not even know if she could make a true one with a fully intact spiritual being like an Arrancar or a Shinigami. She had been able to bestow tremendous power onto her allies when they fought Tendo's experiment, but that was temporary. The pact she had made when the Shinigami returned her power...well, that one was still in place, though unpredictable.

Niji inclined her head at the Quincy, though she didn't look up as she continued reading over the more detailed notes that Takano had written, "You are referring to Gigai, I believe.  According to what I know of the Shinigami, they determined a way to materialize and make themselves visible to the spiritually unaware not too terribly long ago. For all I know there may be a warehouse with thousands of the things sitting somewhere in Seireitei; I assume no one would particularly notice if they went missing."