Bleach Hereafter RPG

The platform would shift slightly, his stance changing so that he was standing with one foot behind the other, hips lowered to the platform as it angled forward. While he could use hirenkyaku to get around he felt it was tiresome, consuming energy he didn't need to use right now. The platform would start moving forward, slower at first, but steadily gaining speed. A much quicker form of travel than hopping from rooftop to rooftop like some people did, though definitely not the fastest form of travel. How he wished he could open a garganta like the arrancar did, so much easier to travel and with less chance of being spotted. Luckily for him the moonlight was mostly subdued by a large mass of clouds, little air currents keeping them from floating away any time soon.



As he got close to the coordinates he would slow down, sensing two distinct energies at the same time. About a hundred or so meters ahead he could sense the hollows below, it seemed they were stationary at the moment. What concerned him was the Shinigami reiatsu that he felt in the area as well, a potential issue for him as his shoulders sagged a bit. While he didn't want to get too close to the Shinigami, if the hollows were killed immediately it could cause problems for him, against his better judgement he would make his way towards the reiatsu he felt. the hollows hadn't moved yet, and from what he gathered they either didn't feel his presence or simply didn't care to engage. It begged the question, what were they doing here and why were they so docile.

'Strange ... low-level Hollows like this don't nest .. '

The thoughts come quickly to Koshou, as drops onto the corner of a building that looms above. Crouching with one hand at the hilt of his blade, he turns his head aside closing his eyes as he lets his inner senses reach out and become more familiar with his surroundings and the foreign sense of Reishi coming from another high-spec soul in the area. The cloth headband covering his forehead wasn't only there for the protective metal plate bearing the symbol of his Division, though. Reaching up to drop the visor into place a moment , the readout switches to something akin to night-vision goggles with readouts tracking the Reiatsu that he didn't expect to come across here. "Well .. you don't seem to be going anywhere, do you? Let's see what you're doing here." Koshou says to himself quietly, his hand pushing the visor back up to its resting place as he zeros in on the spirit ribbon he's looking for.

Turning his attention toward the other person on site, the Shinigami gathers his energy and he's off moving again. Flickering in and out of sight, the almost casual practice of shunpo helping him to cross the distance quickly. With the faint shimmer, Koshou lands on another roof-top no so far away from the Quincy that he can detect now that he's closer. He doesn't attempt to take the young man by surprise, or even make it seem so he just brings himself close enough to be heard, slowing down so as not to give the impression of preparing to blitz the man with a rush or an assault. The man's voice that carries out into the night is quiet by nature, reserved with a sense of mellow 'cool' to his baritone. Against the dark of the night sky it's not that hard for the Quincy to spot him, either. The faint plume of smoke can be seen trailing from the dull-red glow that rests at the end of his cigarette. 

"You weren't part of the Spec on this run. That makes you interesting .. " 

 The voice comes calling out, announcing his presence without trying to disturb the Hollows that lie below.


Lazarus Jeager

This would be his first real encounter with a Shinigami that wasn't Takano, what he dreaded more than anything was that this one might be a fight on sight type, and he didn't want it to come to blows if it was avoidable. He could feel the individual closing in, his platform slowly gliding towards the entity at a measured pace. As the Shinigami appeared in view, he would be looked upon by a set of amber eyes, stark against the near obsidian sky behind Lazarus, his black suit blending into the inky landscape behind him. He would begin to step as though he were going to walk off the platform into open air, but just as his foot would carry his full weight downward a smaller platform would manifest under his foot. This would happen with each step, the original platform fading away as he pulled reishi from around him to walk down to the buildings roof top to be on the same level as this man. from this range his reiatsu could be felt, like a static creeping about his form, any who felt it might get the impression of having someone staring at from somewhere you cant quite see, unsettling in nature, everyone reacted to it differently.



"I should have known they would send someone to come investigate this little group of hollows, I ask that you not do anything to them just yet."



In opposition to the mans baritone, Lazarus' was almost hollow, a colder, more monotone voice carrying his words as he crept closer. there were no obvious signs of weapons on his person, but anyone who knew anything about the Quincy would know that where there was reishi, there was the potential for weaponry. His crimson hair was held in a haphazard bun, held together just enough to keep it from cascading down his back, but unkempt enough to give it some style. his hand would raise to point toward the direction of the hollows in question, his steps silent as he walked to the edge of the rooftop to get closer to the group.

It's a silent moment that passes between the Quincy and the Shinigami. As with all moments like it, it lasts only the span of a few heartbeats but seems to stretch on forever before the man stands up to his full height at the approach of the man wearing the black suit. A cigarette dangles lazily from the corner of the Soul Reaper's mouth, and he purses his lips enough to bring it up taut as he takes a drag from it. Slow trails of smoke wreath about his face as he makes a gesture with his free hand, the one that doesn't rest on the hilt of his Zanpakuto.

"Hollows don't nest" Hattori replies eventually toward this man. "Fact they ain't moved since I started tracking them here, it gives me the itch." American? Japanese? A little of both, perhaps. His baritone is rough to place with his lazy kind of accent that seems remarkably unphased in spite of his verbal admission of concern or curiosity. The Shinigami's eyes narrow a little, as they take in the man and study him. His own reishi is erratic, like the pulse of electricity in its most natural form, leashed by the barest sense of control. With a slight gesture of the hand that presses down on the hilt of his sword, just enough to shift the position of the scabbard as it rests attached to his hip.

 "But whatever your interest is, make it quick. That itch is tellin' me this is best dealt with quickly. Besides ... quicker it's done the quicker I don't gotta work anymore, eh?" The grin from the Soul Reaper is broad, friendly, and a hair off-kilter. At least this one wears a little bit of his crazy right out there on his sleeve. His attention turns toward the sense of spirit energy that still sits below, lurking or waiting or who knows what?


Lazarus Jeager

It would appear luck would be on his side this night, for the moment at least, as the cigarette smoking Shinigami had listened and likely understood that there was no threat to be had from Lazarus. there was one thing they had in common at least, that they both wanted this over with and be done with their work for the evening, a respectable trait to have in common with another. Just as the man had studied him, Lazarus took in details from the silence and communication in unison, making mental notes of the man for if they happened across each other in the future. He would pull his reiatsu within as they got close, having it so low that one might mistake him for a normal human, crouching on the edge to peer over at the hollows.


His neutral expression would change slightly at the sight of them, the immediate realization coming across his face in mild shock and surprise. There were subtle differences to them, but for the most part these hollows had similar appearances, and they appeared to be chittering to themselves. He counted five among them, two appearing larger and more aware of their surroundings, the three others smaller and more distracted. A chill ran down his spine at the display before him, as the cluster of hollows appeared to be communicating to each other, much like a family would when going out for the day. The two larger hollows were more so corralling the smaller ones than anything else, the image of parents trying to maintain their children's attention came to mind. Lazarus stood back up slowly as to not alert the group below, watching as they gathered around an overturned dumpster, pulling the trash out and combing over it like some sort of scavengers. He stood a handful of inches shorter than the smoking acquaintance beside him, turning to look at him in a mixture of confusion and concern as he spoke softly.


"Please tell me you've seen this before, because as far as I'm concerned this is to be some kind of sick joke. I couldn't even begin to go through how many levels of wrong this is if that group of hollows is what I think it is..."

The expression that crosses Hattori's face is one of equal parts surprise and equal parts concern. There's a pause as the pair of them look below them to study the behaviors of the base creatures beneath them. He shakes his head slowly at the question that gets posed to him. 

"Hollows don't nest. They should be eating each other, or at least the larger ones should be exerting much more direct control over the smaller ones .." the words kind of trail off as Koshou lets himself grow silent. It's harder for him to suppress his reiatsu, small bits of pressure rising and falling even as they delay their own attack against these creatures in favor of a little recon instead. 

"This kind of intelligence ... we should put a stop to this" Koshou says, his grasp tightening even more against the hilt of his sword. He seems poised on the edge, ready and impatient even at the need for the delay, even if he can see the reason for it. Luck might be in with Lazarus tonight, but everything about the Shinigami screams the desire to get down there and be done with it. Another soft purse of the lips brings a faint rise to the glow at the end of his cigarette before his next breath offers slight escape for some of the blue-tinged smoke. "One-time, super-special, on-sale offer. We follow the big leader, there .." he points with his hand even as it grab the last of that smoke from his lips. "See if it does anything more concerning than it already has, and then put it down. Then we both go home, no fuss no muss." His grin turns a bit predatory, that sense of off-kilter coming into his expression. "Next time, maybe ... next time we might just have to introduce ourselves proper."


Lazarus Jeager

It would take Lazarus a handful of moments to respond to the Shinigami's offer, his mind still digesting the display before them and it's implications. It was unprecedented, more so than that it was so far beyond unlikely that it had to be caused by outside forces. There was no way a family would meet a demise all around the same time, nor would their souls be around each other long enough to go through hollowfication at the same time. His mind expanded as he tried to sense any other unique signatures of reiatsu in the area, but nothing was coming to him, just the feeling of those hollows below.



"They shouldn't even be able to be aware of their previous connections in life, let alone band together in death as hollows that understand what a family is. I'll take you up on that offer, though I will not take part in killing them if that's fine with you, I'd be erasing them from existence entirely. At least you can give them another chance in another afterlife..."



By now the hollows had formed a makeshift home from the contents of the dumpster, the smaller ones crawling into it while one of the larger ones kept them occupied. More chittering between the two bigger ones, and the leader would start to make it's way back towards the street proper. Lazarus wasted no time in following it on the rooftop's edge, looking back every so often to make sure the unnamed Shinigami was following. This one was bigger than the other, likely the father of the family, and it was searching for something. He watched with dread as it made it's way across the street, one of the lights flickering in and out overhead, the hollow had made it's way to a bakery. It had been closed some few hours at this point, the doors locked and shades drawn for the evening. He could tell no one was in it, but what he witnessed next almost floored him from the gravity of what it implied. The hollow went and broke through the glass on the door to reach in and unlock it before vanishing into the building, moments later it would come out with an arm full of sweets and breads, looking both ways before crossing the street and heading back into the alley.



The leader would place the food on the ground in front of the rest of them, and in the saddest act he had seen in some time, the hollows tried eating like any normal family would. It didn't take them long to realize that this wasn't food they could eat, that the hunger they felt was for something more than what they used to consume as humans. Lazarus let out a heavy sigh, his voice barely a whisper on the winds around them as he spoke, his hands clenched into fists so tight his knuckles were turning white.



"...Do what needs to be done."

'I .. impossible ...' 

Come the thoughts inside Hattori's mind as he watches the almost heart-breaking display. He shakes his head quietly, the normally friendly expression of his face turning to one more crestfallen and morose. He follows along the strange Quincy, quickly covering up a flash of surprise across his expression as the other man chooses to default from the impending duty. 'Self-awareness ... rare from a Quincy, I'm told. Best to keep an eye on this one, after all ..' 

As they watch, it does seem almost too sad to bear, watching these fallen creatures somehow clinging to the vestiges of their human minds and habits while already truly wearing the Hollow mask that hides the emptiness of their hearts to the world. The words come from Lazarus, and the swift change of the Shinigami's presence and demeanor change once more. His face grows serious and there's a small shift of his shoulders beneath the fabric of his Shihakusho.

"Very well, Quincy." The words come quietly, carrying a steely undertone as there's nothing left of that affable and lazy persona now. After a moment's time longer, the man's spiky-haired head gives a more official nod toward the man as his hand comes up to grab at that cigarette. A last drag, and his hand is flicking the butt off into the dark of the night to let the soft dull glow of the cherry disappear into the black. "Hattori Koshou, Division Eleven." There's not quite a two-fingered salute along with the introduction of sorts ... but then the Shinigami is moving forward to let himself drop down through the air.

The air and wind whistles past his face and his ears as he drops through the air from the rooftops above, his hand's grasp on his Zanpakuto's hilt ready, eager even. He releases the blade from its sheath as he falls, letting the Quincy catch glimpse of it for the first time. Even in the dark of night, it's easy to see the blade doesn't appear to be made of steel. It shines even with the dull light of the hidden moon,  the yellowish color of beaten gold or brass like the color of an after-image of lightning behind the lids of the eyes. "HHYAAAA!" The battle cry comes from him as he nears the ground and his weight slams into the ground and into the largest of the hollows that have gathered. Surprise is only going to give him one free shot, and he intends to make the most use of it. Cleaving through the white bone of the mask, Hattori's sword sparks and strikes against the asphalt and concrete of the street and there's a RUMBLE and a thud from the Soul Reaper's landing. Subtlety is definitely NOT in this guy's bag of tricks!

The screech that's known to all Shinigami ears comes howling aloud, even as the "Father" Hollow of this group begins to disintegrate and fade away before the very eye. From above, Lazarus has an easy view of the man, his mannerisms and the way he fights as it becomes on full display. From above, the bird's eye view is almost comical, but for the strength and speed in which the Soul Reaper moves. It's clear he doesn't have as much experience as he might otherwise choose to admit, but there's no questioning the man's skill with a blade. Shifting this way and that, it's a blur of motion and movement below. Watching the smaller form of Koshou dart around is like watching a streak of energy or lightning - ebbing as one Hollow goes down, only to surge with fresh vigor and eagerness as the next swing of the sword comes, the next bite of pain that reminds him of his purpose and his life.

When it's all done .. Koshou stands amid the street, blade bared as his widened eyes and a feverish face whip about and look for more enemies to cut down before him, more screams to add to the song his blade sings. It takes seconds, perhaps minutes for that savage, primal kind of energy to slowly drain from the body of the Soul Reaper, as he finally looks upward - the motion of sheathing his sword slow and deliberate. 


Lazarus Jeager

For whatever it was worth, he never took his eyes off the scene even once, opting to know these creatures and what became of them as the larger man went down to relieve them of what Lazarus would consider a hellish afterlife. Had he been the one going down there those souls would have spent their last moments in pain and seemingly endless hunger before being erased from existence, this was a better alternative for them. There were no obvious clues as to how this event came to pass, but it was something he would record in his mind and bring back to the office for further investigation later. Something about all of this felt off, almost staged in a way, like someone showing off their hard work or research to the world. Regardless of the reasons or motives, it had created a spot in the back of his mind as to how and why this could have happened, and if it was preventable in the future.



Amber eyes bounced around as they followed the movements of the Shinigami now known as Hattori Koshou, analyzing the style he used to fight with, making mental notes of the footwork and range of motion the man had. they had struck a peaceful agreement tonight but that might not be so easy in the future, if the man ever came for his head Lazarus would need all the information he could gather to keep from death's door if the time came. It was clear the man had an affinity for combat, but it was also clear that he was one to get lost in it, another stark contrast between the two of them. He'd wait for the other to calm down before walking off the roof into open air, slowing his descent by holding a hand out and producing resistance with the reishi in the air. Landing with a soft tap of his shoes to the cool concrete below, his voice echoing in the alleyway as he watched the last vestiges of the hollows fade into the night sky.


"Lazarus Jeager, I thank you for making quick work of them, I'm sure there might have been other Shinigami who would have made them suffer..."