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 20, 2022 9:40:30 GMT -5
Nightfall comes quickly in the winter months over the town, and this one finds a certain Soul Reaper slowly loping from rooftop to rooftop, leaping from utility pole to utility pole as he traverses the area in patrol patterns among the upper levels of the buildings and structure. The somewhat burly man moves with a complacency to his motions, having run the patrol at least a dozen times tonight. As something comes to the Soul Reaper's mind, he changes course and finds himself headed for a different section of town ...
Dropping into a rooftop on the other side of the road that criss-crosses through this town, Koshou takes a silent observation of the construction and repair work being done in this sector. The apartment building itself wasn't extremely damaged, but there were still signs of working being done to that apartment. A number of utility poles were being repaired as well, but it looked like the junction boxes and all of the main infrastructure had remained intact despite the commotion.
'Hell, I don't know who did more damage, the dogs or her strange cannon weapon! It looks like they're doing a good job cleaning up the mess, though.' There's a short shake of the Soul Reaper's head, but he just brushes the thoughts aside for now while he reaches into his kimono for his pouch. Collecting and lighting a smoke, the man's tucking it at the corner of his mouth to let it rest there dangerously in between the occasional puff. It'd only been a short amount of time it seemed to him, since he'd stumbled across this incident, but he was dramatically stronger now than he was even a small time ago. Letting the already scant restraint on his Reishi loose, he lets his spiritual energy rush out like a beacon, if only for a heartbeat or two. A little risky, given the recent rise in Hollow activity but it suited his mood to 'knock' on the door this way, since he didn't really have time to get any kind of contact information the last time they'd spoken.
Anastasia Dammerung
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Post by Anastasia Dammerung on Nov 20, 2022 21:34:38 GMT -5
For the first time in what seemed like forever, Anastasia Dammerung stretched out on her bed, most of her belongings already packed in boxes around the inside of the apartment, which she'd spent the past few days on. Anya didn't own much, just her clothes, computer setup, and a couple of household effects like appliances and such. She sighed, and prepared to drift off into sleep, until she was interrupted by a familiar spiritual pressure announcing itself to her.
"Ah, I did promise to help him..." she muttered to herself, groggily putting on a fuzzy pair of white bunny slippers and making her way outside. Since it was winter, she'd traded her shorts for sweatpants while keeping the oversized sweaters she seemed to be quite fond of.
"Ja, what is it, Hattori?" Anya asked in an unusually friendly tone for her. "You here for me to return the favor I owe? I'd invite you in if there was anywhere left for you to sit. I know, how pathetic of me."
"As you can see, while I wasn't charged for repairs 'cause of how regular folk don't know jack 'bout spiritual stuff, this just isn't a good place to stay anymore. It would totally blow my cover, so I decided to move. Where, exactly? No idea." The Quincy shrugged apologetically. "But we're not here to talk about that. Where do you wanna go?"
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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 20, 2022 23:40:35 GMT -5
As the Quincy girl comes around, Koshou grins as he senses her becoming more active, moving about and he nods at her approach when she finally does come out, pajamas and slippers and all. The man takes a moment to give the girl a once over, not lecherously but not without some measure of mild appreciation as he lets the cherry at the end of his smoke glow brightly red; subsiding to a dull orange as his lips part to let loose a soft exhale of smoke-plumed breath.
"Huh. Figured you'd be up this time of night." The Soul Reaper comments on the woman's state of dress, eyes dropping to look at bunny slippers as the words he speaks come out a little bit muffled from the cigarette tucked at the corner of his mouth. "Actually, I suppose I came to check on things since there was so much damage! Besides, I don't exactly think you're dressed for work." His words are accompanied by a smirk that he uses to pause, taking a fresh drag from his smoke before continuing. "But since you mention it I suppose I could think of a thing or two you could that would help me out."
Koshou's hand lifts up to take the smoke, pulling it away as he breathes in with lungful of crisp, cold night air before exhaling another bit of smoke upward with a minimum of politeness that avoids blowing it toward the Quincy instead. "Depending, anyway. Bein' only the second Quincy I've had the occasion to meet, I don't know much about you, do I?" That grin remains, and he tucks that cigarette right back where it goes, a quick twitch letting the built-up ash flick free and get caught by the passing wind.
Anastasia Dammerung
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Post by Anastasia Dammerung on Nov 22, 2022 19:39:29 GMT -5
Koshou's once-over didn't go unnoticed by the Quincy woman, and she smiled knowingly, almost in a teasing manner. "So, even a mighty Shinigami is still a man after all, hehe."
"Eh, I'm used to staying up late," she replied. "And it's not as bad as it looks, okay? But thanks for checking up on me, I guess..."
Anya wondered what sort of things a Shinigami would need help from a Quincy with. Stories of what the Gotei 13 demanded of her kind ranged from "stay put and let yourselves get killed by Hollows" to "stay put and let us kill you". Her memories of the first Shinigami she'd met remained fuzzy, but one of the possible events of that encounter was that he saved her life only so he wouldn't have to mop up her soul after. Part of why she remained alive until now was to spite him, because even if he seemed to be a good person at heart he was thoroughly infuriating.
The Quincy realized she was spacing out, and shook herself to attention. "Sorry, what was that again? I didn't catch you the first time."
"Depending, anyway. Bein' only the second Quincy I've had the occasion to meet, I don't know much about you, do I?"
"Put away the smokes and I'll tell you as much as I'm allowed to. While I doubt regular mortals can smell it, smoking outside is prohibited here. Also, while I'm more or less independent, I'm still technically under the Quincy higher-ups, so I'm restricted on the information I can give, especially to our mortal (immortal?) enemies. But yeah, you're only the second Shinigami I've met, maybe I'll tell you about him later."
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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 23, 2022 4:43:03 GMT -5
There's a simple raise of an eyebrow that comes from the taller Soul Reaper that comes at the sound of the small titter of laughter that comes from the Quincy girl, and he almost punctuates the silent gesture by pursing his lips enough to press against the smoke and cause the cherry to glow brightly for a moment. Then his hand grabs the offending cigarette and gives it a flick with a gesture that sends it flying off into the distance with enough force that it's certain to land somewhere far from this girl's apartment block.
"What else would I be?"
The response if flighty, flippantly delivered with a half smile that's just as perpetual to his expression as it was the last time they'd run into each other. The words come with that last soft exhale of smoke, but his head is turned aside still when he speaks in that friendly, gravelly baritone. Dusting off his hands, he gives Anya a flash of a thumbs up before running a hand through the spikey mess that amounts to the man's hairstyle. "And hey, we're even! You're only the second Quincy I've ever come across in the flesh. Ahh .. heh. You cut right to the point of it, at that huh?"
 
There's a softer kind of grunt from the broad-shouldered man as he seems uncertain how to respond with the easier pleasantries brushed so easily aside! Shifting to stand more in the corner of the covered balcony that doesn't offer much against the cold weather, and less so with the damage and construction still going on.
"I sit on the ground or the grass, as often as a mat or a chair, but if you care I can come back another day or stand here - as it pleases you" comes an eventual response from the Soul Reaper in his own brand of dry, teasing kind of tone of voice. "You're also not wrong. I'm curious to know as much as I can without putting you in a tough spot, and how that measures up to the things I know, and the things I don't know." As he speaks, that tone goes from teasing or even brusquely flirtatious to serious in an instant, switching gears like a flash of lighting as his words reach the heart of the matter.
"Besides, something about catching more flies with honey and all that you know." Koshou's eyes narrow slightly, offering a faint smirk that flashes one of his eye teeth, but there's not real sense of subterfuge or deception about the man. Just like that in the snap of a finger, his mood has returned to that friendly, almost lazy sense of an animal at rest, or waiting.
Anastasia Dammerung
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Post by Anastasia Dammerung on Nov 23, 2022 6:58:59 GMT -5
Anastasia sighed, her breath forming a cloud in the wintry air as if to make a pale mockery of Hattori's now-discarded cigarette. She didn't know whether his reply meant he truly didn't know, or that he very much knew and accepted it as fact without a second thought. It would be improper to pry any further, though.
"I suppose the roof will have to do, then. I might not be here after today." Motioning for the Shinigami to follow, Anya hopped to the top of the apartment building using Hirenkyaku, sitting on the ledge of the roof. Once he'd caught up tor her, she'd continue speaking.
"I'm surprised you aren't more informed about us," she mused. "Though I wouldn't put it past the Emperor include that in his plans, while we have extensive knowledge of both the Shinigami and the Hollows. Heck, if not for my brain fog I'd probably know as much as that prodigy Di Angelo. If anything, losing an arm only made her stronger."
Anya would take a pause before continuing. "If you truly don't know anything about us... well, you surely seem far too much of a muscle-brain to lie, then you probably weren't around for the war, much less took part in it. I have nothing against people who don't even know what their ancestors, predecessors, whatever, did a long time before I was even born. If anything, staying in this country helped reinforce that belief.
A long time ago, there was also a war here, and unspeakable atrocities were committed, not only between the nations involved but even to innocent citizens. Eventually, those responsible for them were tried and punished, their descendants moving forward and learning from the past. Now, if you ask most anyone here, they wish never to repeat that part of their history.
And that's why I'll tell you what you need to know, to make you aware. Are you ready?"
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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 23, 2022 9:04:57 GMT -5
Having moved up toward the rooftop of the building instead, it's a short journey for the Soul Reaper to follow Anya up toward the loftier perch, before continuing to listen to her. It might seem a small thing, but it's notable the way that Koshou takes a moment as his sandals step onto the rooftop itself to close his eyes and take in a breath. That touch of cleaner air that can still be found at certain layers within the city's infrastructure. As the girl's words start to trail off a bit, Koshou turns his attention back toward Anya with a subtle but sharp turn of just his head.
"Well, I know what Quincy are, I'm not a total dolt you know."
Casual words come from the taller man, as he shoots Anya an easy smile. His head tilts askew somewhat, as he watches the way she moves and uses her energy. 'She's a cool one, alright. But she sounded kind of pleasant when I got here even though I showed up in the middle of the night .. geh. I guess I'd be wary too.' This is a different kind of scrutiny, one that would hardly benefit from any assessment of the woman's appearance.* He nods at her last words though, the broad smirk he's got written all over his features fading somewhat as it's clear the man focuses his attention. Even in only such a short time since their last meeting, this man seems to have grown quite a bit. Isolated, and away from everything else it's easy to feel the spiritual pressure loosely being reigned in by the man as it carelessly leaks out of him in small doses here and there; small wisps of of that purple-black Reishi that occasionally flake off of the man. A new growth, perhaps a little faster than he's yet learned to deal with or control.
"I am always ready. Speak what you will, and I'll listen. But I guess what I'm looking for .. it's not something they teach in a lesson or take notes on in books."
Koshou doesn't hesitate to flash that smile again, lifting a hand to point at Anya. 'Maybe I'm just putting my foot in my mouth, I should probably let her say what she's gonna before she freezes to death. Not like I would've waited to be invited inside if I was going to attack.' If the cold affects him, he does a good job of trying to keep his 'cool' factor by shrugging it off or doing his best to ignore it even as his words create little bursts of steam from his breath alone.
"History texts and lectures can't tell me who you are, or what drives your power. The only other Quincy I've met seems to be like you, though and maybe like me! Seems like we could be doing a lot better job all around if we learned to stop keeping the past alive, at least in some respects."
Anastasia Dammerung |
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Post by Anastasia Dammerung on Dec 4, 2022 21:09:49 GMT -5
"I am always ready. Speak what you will, and I'll listen. But I guess what I'm looking for .. it's not something they teach in a lesson or take notes on in books."
Anya gazed back at the Shinigami next to her, exhaled a plume of condensed vapor once more, and began to speak.
"You were probably taught at your Academy that we Quincy maliciously disrupt the cycle of souls by obliterating Hollows; I have even heard that certain of your number refer to us as 'cancer cells', fit only to be controlled or purged from this world."
"Yet that could not be further from the truth." The Quincy woman shook her head lightly, her silver locks tossing subtly in the air. "Even six hundred years removed from that original generation, I have no doubt that there was nothing malicious whatsoever about them or their actions. It was a cruel world back then, and my ancestors were only doing what they could to survive. From what I can piece together, either they did not know about the cycle of souls, or such abstract things were of little concern when one is simply trying to live to see the next day."
"You could very well wipe us out for real if you tried again," Anya stated. "But we have made every possible effort to make sure you won't. And while it would be foolish of me to reveal all our plans, I might as well tell you why I might not be here when you next come."
"You see, we have found a powerful new recruit, able to rival a Shinigami Vice-Captain or even a Captain. My parents say he has been given my old house in the interim, and should I seek a new residence, it will be under the condition that I assist this new recruit."
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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 Dec 5, 2022 7:32:04 GMT -5
There's a moment or two of silence from the tall man, as he listens to the words of the smaller woman in the cold, night air. While she speaks, Koshou can't help but watch and listen, with a sharper stare that studies the facial expressions of Anya more clearly than he has before now. That stare is direct, a rarity among people in this day and age it stands out some the way he watches her when she speaks, and gives her a sense of undivided attention that's so often unachievable by the youth these days. He watches for the small things, wrinkles in the brow and the subtle shift of her eyes one way or the other - all in the hopes of searching for truth or untruth in the things she says all the while comparing them to those very same lessons she's seeking now to correct in some fashion, or undermine perhaps. Still, of the things she says, there's one that stands out above the others.
"Vice-captain or Captain huh?" Koshou lets a hand come up to scratch again the mess of hair that's left mostly unkempt and free to spike and spread its away across the front of his features. His expression grows into something that's a mixture of curiosity and amusement or something more secretive. That smaller smile of knowing something they don't know. "I never understood this kind of thinking, to try and .. measure and weigh a person's strength or power." The taller man gives a shake of his head, crossing his arms over the span of his broad chest in the meantime. The posture doesn't seem defensive, and more likely it helps against the cold of the air up here. "Because really? You could just as easily be talking about me, with small differences in circumstance."
Koshou's tone of voice doesn't sound boastful, but there IS a measure of some sense of ferality that threads through the timbre of his tone and the gravel in that baritone as he speaks to the woman. His comments bring that sharper focus back onto the man's own recent sense of spiritual growth! "Food for thought. Those rankings measure a lot more than power. Practical experience, understanding, wisdom .. sometimes." The man gives a chuckle, unable to keep himself too serious despite the brevity of the conversation. "Which is why someone like me doesn't hold a seat at all." With a shrug of his shoulders, the man takes a small shift of topic leading the conversation back toward the matter at hand.
"Well, I won't go stalking you down for your new digs or nothin', no worries there. And if it makes you feel better? I don't really see the point in carrying on about the past. What's done is done and there ain't no going back. The lessons in history are to bear on the importance of what we do, Konso and the maintenance of that balance and all that trash, sure!" There's a brief flash of that half-crazed grin, "But ultimately, there's nothing says I gotta dislike someone for being what they are. At the end of the day, Quincy are humans, right? That means, past or no past - our own law says we should protect you when we can." There's a split moment before Koshou is holding up a hand, and offering Anya another flash of that grin. "That you can protect yourselves makes that an easy job, in my eye. One of the things I wanted to make sure you knew, coming tonight. That at least, me personally, I don't gotta be an enemy."
Anastasia Dammerung
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Post by Anastasia Dammerung on Dec 11, 2022 21:25:02 GMT -5
"Vice-Captain or Captain huh? I never understood this kind of thinking, to try and .. measure and weigh a person's strength or power."
"And why the hell not?" Anya asked in return. Despite her words, her tone was calm, jovial even. "Sure beats the mortal systems where people climb the ranks through wealth and privilege rather than their own merit. The spirit realms run by karma, you get what you deserve. And while there are so called noble houses among both Shinigami and Quincy, there's no doubt they're rich and influential due to their spiritual power and not the other way around."
"Because really? You could just as easily be talking about me, with small differences in circumstance."
At this, Anya simply threw her head back and laughed out loud, repeatedly slapping her legs in mirth. "You? Captain-level? You've gotta be kidding me. Look at you, you're cold!"
But Koshou suddenly became thoughtful, contemplating the meaning of such rankings and his own lack of one. Anya noticed, her laughter dying down as she waved her hands apologetically. "Oof, didn't mean to get you down. If anything, the recruit I'm supposed to assist is a total noob from what I've heard, and before we found him was fighting with an Asauchi he picked up somewhere. So much for Quincy style!"
"Well, I won't go stalking you down for your new digs or nothin', no worries there. And if it makes you feel better? I don't really see the point in carrying on about the past. What's done is done and there ain't no going back. The lessons in history are to bear on the importance of what we do, Konso and the maintenance of that balance and all that trash, sure! But ultimately, there's nothing says I gotta dislike someone for being what they are. At the end of the day, Quincy are humans, right? That means, past or no past - our own law says we should protect you when we can. That you can protect yourselves makes that an easy job, in my eye. One of the things I wanted to make sure you knew, coming tonight. That at least, me personally, I don't gotta be an enemy."
Anya returned the feral smile, and gave the Shinigami a high-five.
"Looks like we understand each other perfectly, Shinigami, though that's the most words I ever got out of you. Well, if the Emperor does decide to go to war, I'll make sure to kill you last."
"Just kidding lol. I don't think that'll happen. Anyway, is that all you want me to do? I feel like you came here for me to fight something."
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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 Dec 12, 2022 16:46:59 GMT -5
"'Course I'm cold, you didn't think I'd leave you up here lookin' like you're talking to yourself did you?"
Koshou gives a smirk, drawing that subtle attention to the fact that he's using his energy to manifest into his physical form here, rather than choosing to remain as a spirit. To the onlookers (all none of them up here!) at least it won't look like she's up here having conversation with the air or herself. The taller man then shakes his head at the mention of something else he hears, though as his attention returns to Anya for a moment as his posture shifts a little bit. Maybe her comment has made him more self-conscious but now he seems to be trying to visibly ignore the cold air despite being dressed in just a kimono for the purposes of cutting the cold of the wind. When the high-five comes, Koshou just reacts as anyone might, his hand reaching out almost without thought to clap together with a sharp sound that only sounds louder for lack of anything and anyone else up here this late. 'Kill me last? Your machines ain't killing me period.'
"I won't lie, Hyozanryu wouldn't mind taking a run at those machines pretending to be dragons I saw before, but really .. I just came to check in. Patrol gets boring, you know! But as much fun as that'd be win OR lose, it'd probably be the last time I ever saw an assignment in the Living World for a good hundred years and there are things here I rather enjoy from time to time." With a glance upward, the Soul Reaper takes a moment to study the sky, kind of taking that beat to assess what time it was. There's a hint of smirk still on his face as he seems to be preparing himself to make his way onward. "A Quincy with an asauchi? That is strange, I admit. Was he trying to learn Kendo?" It's a small thing, but the mild confusion or skepticism in the man's voice suggests a lack of first-hand knowledge or experience with the subject which is probably strange enough for the average Soul Reaper as well.
"Next time, if I run into you again, eh? Since I'm always filling in for extra assignments with other squads you never know where I might pop up!" Koshou makes a pause, offering Anya a chance to reply but there's a subtle sense of his gathering of himself, his reishi, in preparation for a leap upward and outward for his pending exit.
Anastasia Dammerung
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Post by Anastasia Dammerung on Dec 14, 2022 21:47:15 GMT -5
"Heh." A smirk formed on the Quincy woman's face. "You'd be cold whether you manifested or not, now people are gonna stare at the guy dressed up as a samurai in Germany of all places. What is this, the Great Axis Reunion?"
Koshou responded to her high-five in kind, saying his Zanpakuto was raring to go a few rounds with her dragon turrets, but he was just here to check up on her.
"How sweet of you," Anya teased, though she was being mostly genuine. "I wasn't really asking to fight you though, more of fighting something together. We do make a great team after all, if I do say so myself. And as for the Quincy with the Asauchi, I can't really say. We have next to no information on him, even after the Emperor himself read his past. I do hope he'll be a good roommate though..."
"Eh? Rooming with guys? I don't find it particularly weird."
"Next time, if I run into you again, eh? Since I'm always filling in for extra assignments with other squads you never know where I might pop up!"
Quincy were said to be the best of the spiritually aware races at sensing and controlling Reishi, and Anastasia Dammerung was no different. She could feel her Shinigami companion gathering his power as if preparing for something - no, he was preparing to leave.
"Looks like it's goodbye for now." Anya closed her eyes and smiled faintly. "We'll certainly meet again."
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