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Post by Lazarus Jeager on Oct 30, 2022 0:44:59 GMT -5
It was quieter at night, something Lazarus enjoyed about the human realm, a comfortable difference from his previous home in Wandenreich. He sat atop a tall building overlooking the town below, a couple bottles of soda by his side, each one a different flavor, a rather large takeout container of some kind of stir fry in his hands as he broke the chopsticks apart in his hands. There were two more containers on the other side of him, a healthy appetite for someone who was trained as a soldier, though some might argue it was a bit much with the sugary carbonated beverages on top of it.
He would start making a dent in the noddle's and beef concoction on his lap, enjoying the flavors and how they mingled with one another. Amber eyes watched the people down below, much like worker ants going to and from their destinations in an organized fashion, the cars and lights painting the city various colors of neon. While it had been not too long since his departure from the Quincy organization as a whole, he was growing used to the reality of it all, and thankfully they hadn't sent anyone after him, why would they when he was an unknown low rank officer. He made no actions to suppress his reiatsu, leaving it to dance on the winds as he ate his meal, cracking open one of the other boxes to partake in a dumpling or two, washing it down with a cherry soda.
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PLAYER
This is what it's like being the biggest and the strongest. I don't even exercise.
Koshou
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Post by Koshou on Oct 30, 2022 1:20:19 GMT -5
Recent events and actions had found Hattori Koshou on something of a short leash, right now. Between slipping through the Senkaimon when other patrols go through to take on missions he shouldn't be pursuing and some recent battles that have left his name on some lips throughout his division for better or worse, that's for sure. Out on patrol this night, he's moving himself through the upper reaches of the town, leaping from utility pole to utility pole as he moves himself through the area as he watches out for anything that stands out as unusual. A less exciting assignment, but one that he was happy to take without complaint. 'Considering, I suppose the report was worth cutting me a tiny bit of slack. Just take the easy runs for a little while until they calm down ..'
Pushing himself further up he's moving higher and higher now to hit the rooftops up above and that's when he notes it - the feel of a somewhat familiar reiatsu that he can catch a bead on even from here. With a short smirk that crosses his face, the Soul Reaper gives himself a brief nod before he shifts his direction to head that way instead. It doesn't take him too long to travel the distance and even from some ways off yet, he can tell that the other man isn't out here for 'work' tonight. Slowing down enough that he can take smaller hops, he lets himself drop into an easy line of sight from the far end of the rooftop that Lazarus has ended up parking himself on top of for his little bit of relaxation and mealtime.
"It seems we meet again, Quincy ..." For a moment he lets that gravelly tone carry with that not quite ominous sense that he might be ready to follow up on something he'd said the last time they'd met but, only for the moment as it passes before he lets that friendly smirk creep into his voice. "Things seem quiet enough, tonight at any rate. How does the Living World find you, tonight?" Crouched form his perch, the man is dressed in uniform as it were, Zanpakuto at his side (when would it ever not be?) and in his Shihakusho but his demeanor is casual, like a cat perched on a fence, side-eyeing the steam coming from food boxes.
Lazarus Jeager
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Post by Lazarus Jeager on Oct 30, 2022 2:43:18 GMT -5
He had felt the presence even before seeing the man, having grown used to keeping his senses for the spiritual up at all times outside of sleep, he was practicing with that in his spare time though. Amber eyes peered through crimson lashes as he looked up to set his sight on the Shinigami in question, pausing mid chew with a mouth full of noodles and sauce. It was a moment or so before he had assessed there was no threat and finished chewing, picking up the soda to wash it down, letting out a content sigh as the bottle 'clinked' when he set it back down. "Hattori Koshou if I recall correctly, it finds me well, albeit hungry. Out on a routine patrol I presume?"After their last encounter he had thrown himself into research on the Shinigami as a whole, their practices, what they normally investigate and what they'll ignore until it poses a greater threat, so on and so forth. He knew about the patrols they made for hollows, something that could be done by the spiritually aware humans and then relegated to shinigami later on, though that would require them to work with someone else and from the information he had on them that wasn't likely. This thought would be interrupted by the look his acquaintance was giving the steaming containers of food next to him, raising a brow before setting down his container to rummage through a bag tucked under his leg. After a quick search he'd pull out a second pair of chopsticks, moving the containers in front of him and opening them while holding out the chopsticks. The second container held pork dumplings, a runner for favorite meal since he entered the world of the living. In the third box was a heaping helping of string bean chicken letting off steady steam streaks, placing the soda's beside the food as well. "They thought I was ordering for a family of four, help yourself to some, I grabbed a couple different soda's as well, I like variety in a meal."
Koshou |
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PLAYER
This is what it's like being the biggest and the strongest. I don't even exercise.
Koshou
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Post by Koshou on Oct 30, 2022 16:42:21 GMT -5
Koshou moves so quickly, he all but vanishes from sight as he moves with nearly the speed of a shunpo as he flickers off of his perch to re-appear close to Lazarus already in a seated position. Leaning back his weight on one hand, one leg rests on the ground easily while the other props itself up with bent knee. He reaches out for the chopsticks that have been offered with his free hand and offers an equally appreciative grin as he takes them and gives them a quick whirl about in his hand before setting them easily into place. " That's me .." he replies to Lazarus before he turns about to sit up a bit and grab some of the noodles and dumplings. He doesn't hesitate to take the food when it's been offered but he doesn't try to greedily slurp it all up either! " And you are ... Lazarus Jeagar?" The Soul Reaper doesn't sound as confident about the last name as he does the first name but he nods as if he's already been confirmed to be correct while setting down a box, and reaching for one of the available sodas instead. The soft clatter of his sword being set on the ground next to him but easily within reach is barely hears over the PFFSSSST! of the opening of the soda bottle as Koshou takes a slow, refreshing taste of the crisp cold flavour. " I am, but things seem quiet enough tonight which is a blessing. Not that I'd let my guard down too much!" He pauses, taking another sip of the soda before setting it down quietly. " I admit .. I was somewhat curious about you after what we saw, but it also seems like letting things lie turned out to be the right choice .. I was told to leave my report vague" he says mildly. His tone doesn't sound like that's his focus for conversation though, his smile doing the same. " Things have been quiet for you too?" Lazarus Jeager |
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Post by Lazarus Jeager on Oct 30, 2022 20:53:46 GMT -5
A smile graced his lips at how quickly the shinigami responded to food, letting him take as he wanted before digging back in himself, a practiced patience as he took a few bites and stopped to have a sip of his drink.
"Correct, though the pronunciations a bit rough, no fault of yours though, I'd sooner blame the parents who named me. I appreciate your willingness to obscure any details involving me in such a report, wouldn't want anyone coming to look for me, one way or the other."
He paused to take another sip, holding the glass bottle up to stare at the fizzle liquid inside with a mild curiosity, setting it down beside him without so much as a sound.
"If you're referring to my unwillingness to kill the hollows that's a conversation topic if you'd like to go down that rabbit hole, it's part of the reason I am not working with others of my kind, though that's a much larger topic to get into. For the time being the nights have been calm, most of my day is spent filing paperwork or investigating would be leads, most of which turn out to be false or just not worth following up on. Feel free to ask me anything you like, if it's within my power to answer it I've no issue doing so, after all you granted me the courtesy of not killing me on site, which I am grateful for."
None of it was said with any contempt, more so a matter of fact kind of tone as he took to eating more of the food, not wanting it to go cold. His eyes briefly sat on the sword Koshou had set down, taking note of any distinct features or designs to add to the mental file of the Shinigami in front of him. He had managed to get through maybe half the noodles and dumplings before setting the chopsticks down, pushing the containers closer to Koshou to offer him the rest as he had gotten his fill of it.
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PLAYER
This is what it's like being the biggest and the strongest. I don't even exercise.
Koshou
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Post by Koshou on Oct 30, 2022 21:31:05 GMT -5
Koshou found it easy enough to find himself passing the silence for a little while, each of them taking their turn to eat of the food and wash down the offerings with sugary soda that helps to cleanse the palate. With a nod, the Soul Reaper listens to Lazarus with a sharp ear despite his visual attention being mostly focused on the food.
"Well, I admit it's been a curiosity on the mind. They don't teach the deeper points of their history at the Academy .. but if the interest lies there, then information will always find its way into the light of day. I found myself interested in the why of what we do, as much as the fact of it on its own. Why you do something ... is important" Koshou offers, in between bites of food here and sips of his drink, there. "That you make that choice is interesting by itself but more-so considering." There's a soft grunt for a moment and then he goes silent for a time again.
"But you know? Mostly I stopped by because it seemed like a good way to pass the time on such a quiet night .. tell me, if it suits you to do so. Tell me to mind my own business, if it suits you." The Soul Reaper grins quietly and gives a brief nod of his chin to Lazarus with an easy gesture offering a simple, neutral camaraderie out here in the night.
"With you guys being so rare ... and you taking such an atypical view .. I figured fudging your involvement wouldn't be so bad. Just know that if that changes, I won't hesitate to bring myself down with a report." That grin never changes, though. It seems to be the man's way of offering him an understanding. As long as he continues the path he's chosen, he's alright as far as this Shinigami is concerned.
Lazarus Jeager
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Post by Lazarus Jeager on Oct 31, 2022 14:18:48 GMT -5
Silence sat between them for a time, Lazarus staring out past the Shinigami to the night sky, subconsciously trying to count all the stars in the night sky as he mulled over how best to explain his reasoning in not killing those hollows. He would life his soda and down the rest of it, the slight burn of the carbonation almost comforting as he sighed deeply, once again making eye contact with the man before him.
"I don't think of Quincy as the executioners of hollows, though that thought would be lost on almost all of my kin back home. I believe that they, like all other forms of life cycles, have a place in this realm and the next. They are a natural predator for Quincy as a whole, and shinigami are the ones who can make an active choice to render the hollows back to a normal soul via your zanpakuto. We were born of a necessity to defend ourselves from the hollows and their evolutions, but that shouldn't give us any right or claim to be the ones who eradicate them from existence. If I can help it I try not to kill them, simply wound them to the point they retreat back to Hueco Mundo to either die naturally as is the hollow food chain, or for them to come back and be found by one of your kind.
In a perfect world we would merely be sent out to immobilize the hollows until the Shinigami could show up and cleanse them properly, but we're far from a perfect world if you ask me..."
He would let Hattori process the given information, looking over the two remaining soda's to pop open the one labeled 'cola', giving it a small sniff before tipping it back and taking a sip of the sweet and almost herbal substance.
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PLAYER
This is what it's like being the biggest and the strongest. I don't even exercise.
Koshou
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Post by Koshou on Oct 31, 2022 16:17:25 GMT -5
"Wise and risky, both."
For the most part for now, Koshou listens and remains quiet while he speaks. Likewise does he turns his attention to those stars up above as he hears out the Quincy's reasonings for setting himself apart from the pack and his brethren alike. The soft twinkle of that far-off light catches the eye of the Soul Reaper for a time as his thoughts turn introspective and critical. With a faint shaking of his own head to throw off the more morose sense of atmosphere from his head before it infects the relaxing mealtime that they're sharing.
"There's no telling what will come in the future, but to me you seem an alright sort, Lazarus Jeagar. I feel fortunate to have met someone like you, who perhaps may be the best representation of your people that I can think of. Until I'm forced to be otherwise, you can consider me an ally." The Soul Reaper speaks this with the manner of decision making, with a nod of his head that adds to the entire thing. Perhaps he only meant it as a verbal confirmation of something underlying that their cooperation before and this meal now signifies, or perhaps he's only really truly just now decided to consider the Quincy a friend or an ally in full - either way his tone is entirely serious in that manner it takes on in short moments before that too is fading away right back into his lazy, friendly demeanor.
"And that seems just fine to me! It means I can - " There's a sudden pause from Koshou, and he lets his words trail off for a moment. "Well, I suppose I should ask you just how much sentiment you keep for those you chose to leave behind. Can't very well ask you all about your abilities, if you feel like you'll be betraying those close to you."
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Post by Lazarus Jeager on Oct 31, 2022 21:45:19 GMT -5
Lazarus' face grew gloomy at the mention of those he might have left behind, thinking about the fact that nobody would miss him even if he had so much as a single friend back home. His eyes cast themselves to the ground between the two of them, his shoulders sagging a bit as he thought once again about what he gave up. He looked up with a sadder smile this time, his words more or less drifting on the wind that carried them to the others ears.
"Unfortunately my opinions got me into more trouble than you'd think, I've no friends or family to return too who would have me. While I don't regret my decision, there is a loneliness that comes with abandoning everything you grew up with. I am more alone now than when I was an outcast of my people, which somehow hurts worse than it is comforting. Too answer your question, no, there is nobody I'd be betraying, as there is no one left to betray..."
He lifted the bottle to his lips once more, but it merely sat on his bottom lip for a moment before he set it back down, staring the other down with that same sad smile. This was the most he had shared with anyone since his run in with Nezuel some time ago, but that didn't end well either, he did hope the arrancar had survived. It was strange every time he thought about it, how he had been closer to the arrancar than anyone of his own people, and just how defeated one could feel at the realization of such a thing.
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PLAYER
This is what it's like being the biggest and the strongest. I don't even exercise.
Koshou
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Post by Koshou on Nov 1, 2022 3:41:59 GMT -5
"I see" Koshou offers toward Lazarus with a note of understanding that's crept into his voice. A nod of the head follows, but there's a sharp exhale of breath through flared nostrils as the Soul Reaper seems to take a personal bit of close to home with the sentiment that the Quincy expresses. "It gets easier, with time. It never passes of course, quite ... but it does get easier" he finally adds with a note of something else hidden behind his words. His features grow guarded, uncertain as to whether he should be sharing his own foibles and past but eventually he raises his voice to speak up again. When he does, it's mildly muffled as the Shinigami has reached into his robes to grab his pouch. Slipping a smoke into the corner of his mouth (one furthest from Lazarus) he strikes a match and takes a quiet puff which muffles his words.
"I spent ... twenty years? Wandering aimlessly among the Rukongai. North, South, East and West ... I walked, and I slept wherever I found shade and shelter. I kept my sword, the only thing I had to me except my name. No friends, always waiting for the next attempt to take what was mine. I don't know the exact flavour you're feeling .. but I know something of being alone. You have conviction in your reasons, though. This will carry you." With that, Koshou gives a more firm nod of affirmation and he lifts his soda to drink the rest of the bubbly beverage down the hatch with a quick guzzle followed by a silent 'ahhhh' of satisfaction. He gives an easy-going wink of his eye toward the other man, before setting the empty glass bottle down faintly.
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Post by Lazarus Jeager on Nov 1, 2022 14:50:13 GMT -5
There was comfort in knowing he wasn't the only one who had gone through turmoil, though he wouldn't wish this feelings on anyone, even his worst enemies. He considered the possibilities of what it might cost him in the long run for divulging any more personal information, he had no pride to speak of anymore, and there was nothing of consequence if he spoke freely in this moment. He thought to his upbringing and sighed deeply, fiddling with the bottle of soda in front of him while battling internally for what he should or shouldn't say. In the end he decided it didn't change anything if he kept it to himself, it would only bring him more pain in the end if he tried to shove it down and keep it there.
"I've no specific powers outside of spell slinging, and even that is bare minimum at best. I grew up in a household where my father wished to push his failed dreams onto me, probably wanted to live his dreams of success through his only child. In the end all he ended up doing was abusing his son and causing him to resent everything about the Quincy as a whole, his self hatred for his own weakness being his downfall..."
He pulled his sleeves up to show a multitude of scars running up his arms, loosening his tie and unbuttoning the top two buttons of his dress shirt to reveal even more on his clavicle and chest. The scars ranged from large to small, the largest of them faded the most with time, though the smaller ones looked only a handful of years old.
"I had trouble with my reishi manipulation in the beginning so I was punished for it, after I could properly make and use the weapons he decided it was time I learned how to fight. As you can see he was not the type who believed in starting off basic, I eventually learned how to defend myself, even got good enough to keep him on the defensive. sometimes I wonder what the point of it all was, now I'm a nobody in a foreign realm, still trying to find a purpose for myself outside of simply surviving..."
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PLAYER
This is what it's like being the biggest and the strongest. I don't even exercise.
Koshou
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Post by Koshou on Nov 1, 2022 16:10:19 GMT -5
The reaction that comes from Koshou might or might not take Lazarus by surprise. Rather than wince or offer some expression of concern or commiseration, the Soul Reaper nods his head in some sense of acknowledgement. He listens quietly, head tilting quietly almost in an animalistic fashion. The food that's left begins to grow cold, forgotten by the pair as their conversation turns more serious as the quiet of the night continues to pass on around them. " First off .. don't knock surviving, eh?" That ever-present grin might just become annoying as the man seems to have an unflappable knack for taking what comes from the world and riding the waves of that turmoil with relaxed, nearly worry-free ease. " You choose to survive in a world that you do not belong in, to adhere to beliefs the world does not share. We are not that different, You and I" he says, with the clear sense that he means more than simply just him and Lazarus individually. " I suppose I am curious though, about how your power works. To manipulate Reishi in the manner you do is .. well. My pride refuses to let me say stronger but it IS different, and I would seek to understand it." Koshou admits this, but he doesn't ask Lazarus to speak of it outright, rather turning his attention back toward the scarring and the upbringing offered by the Quincy. " Suffering is part of Life's promise. But .. while this is a lessoned I learned at the edge of my sword ... remember this. Pain is Life's promise that you are still alive. That you still matter. As long as you take breath, as long as your soul strives to LIVE - then it will find a way." Lazarus Jeager |
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Post by Lazarus Jeager on Nov 2, 2022 14:26:36 GMT -5
He would button the shirt up again, pulling the sleeves back down to then button the cuffs of the dress shirt once more. It was not done in any hurried manner, nor did he show any signs of shame or embarrassment by the scars, they were simply a fact of his life, a permanent reminder of what had happened. Koshou's words sunk into his mind slowly, an ideology that he had toyed with before but never had the courage to acknowledge fully, strangely comforting in the moment. His eyes drifted down to his palms, opened to the night sky above, his mind holding onto the words for a while longer.
"It's funny, I've only ever gotten pity or disregard for the scars, you're the first person to put any real value to them. Perhaps one day we might meet again and I can show you how to manipulate reishi the way we do, I'm sure some of your scientists could find a way to replicate it, but there's nothing like knowing how to do it for real."
His hands came close to one another, an inch or so from touching, as his focus shifted from the shinigami to his fingertips. After a moment of silence there came a change, the ambient reishi around his palms slowly coming together and accumulating on his fingertips. Like small lines of neon light the small beads would come together, then spreading thin to intertwine with one another, making threads of reishi. A little bit of finger adjusting and the use of his thumb to pluck and nudge the reishi around, Lazarus held his hands up to show a dream catcher design between his fingers.
"Depending on your aptitude for it, this could take weeks, months, or even years to do. The simpler the weapon the less advanced the users reishi manipulation is, however that doesn't necessarily equate to strength in terms of raw power."
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PLAYER
This is what it's like being the biggest and the strongest. I don't even exercise.
Koshou
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Post by Koshou on Nov 3, 2022 16:00:04 GMT -5
The Soul Reaper can't help but watch with a bit of fascination, eyes following the bit of Reishi as it's moved about and tugged at and manipulated in ways that the Shinigami don't really articulate. His head cocking to the side, he doesn't deny the potential advantage or boon that such information might provide him in the long run, and he's not about to lose the chance to learn something about it now.
"It's funny ... the only thing I can really think of that comes close to being able to really shape and manipulate Reishi to such a fine degree ... is a Zanpakuto" the Soul Reaper reveals. "For as much as we know about the souls and spirits that embody our weapons ... we don't truly understand them at all. Are they the second half of our own soul? A soul so like ours as to find some intrinsic sense of pairing and compatibility?" There's a sudden quiet chuckle and laugh from Koshou as his free hand comes up to rub at the back of his head and scratch fingers through his hair.
"Ha .. I guess most people in my squad don't really care about the deeper stuff of it, you know? The communion, and the battle is enough. I can't help but be a LITTLE more curious!" With that, he does nod at Lazarus in a silent acceptance of his offer. "I would learn this" he admits, "or at least learn of it. And. As for value? Each one of those marks is a lesson, a piece of knowledge, of POWER, bought and paid for with the most base of currencies. Pain, suffering ... experience."
As the hour continues to grow later, Hattori gives a quiet grumble but he seems to be becoming more aware of the hour as it shifts, and it's likely his patrol schedule is soon to be over or close to it. "So as far as I'm concerned, you wear each one with pride you hear me?" He grins his usual grin, before glancing once more toward the stars, and the town and city skyline beyond them from the rooftop. "This has been an insightful, and pleasant evening Lazarus Jeagar." The Shinigami slowly lumbers himself to his feet.
Lazarus Jeager
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Post by Lazarus Jeager on Nov 4, 2022 17:13:50 GMT -5
With a smile that conveyed more amusement than anything else, he allowed the reishi to disperse back to it's natural state, the small particles fading into the night sky around them to eventually disappear from sight. He thought about the zanpakuto and pondered how they worked, the thought of something so solid and unique felt so foreign to him, most Quincy abilities were shared or even copied by one of more of the groups that witnessed them. The only true uniqueness about a quincy was their Heilg Bogen, which took whatever form fit their fighting style best, and their Vollstandig which was more so appearance based than anything else. Lazarus hadn't even unlocked the first of the two powers, his aimless wondering of self purpose leaving him to question what it was he even wanted to do. though as they sat in silence and contemplation, his eyes drifted down to his palms once more, and how he wanted to use them, their conversation this night sparking something in him that he had yet to recognize.
"Power comes in many forms, knowledge, brute strength, strategy, natural talent, the list goes on. Even the most talented individuals can fall in combat if they don't put in the proper time and effort into mastering their abilities and combat skill. There is even power in knowing when not to come to blows with someone, though depending who you ask they might disagree."
Lazarus stood slowly, the vestiges of sadness falling away as he plucked the last soda from the group, unopened and still cold. He held it between them, a friendly smile drawn across his face as he offered it to the Koshou, a new sense of self respect and pride found from their meeting this night.
"Last ones yours, for the travel back home. I frequent this area after work hours so if you're ever out on patrol you can probably find me some where in the city. not sure if the shinigami have stumbled across the invention of spirit phones yet or not, but if they have, get one some time, they're great for communication."
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