Player
Fullbringer
I have nothing to say.
Niji
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Rewind
Posted Jan 5, 2023 21:45:09 GMT -5
Post by Niji on Jan 5, 2023 21:45:09 GMT -5
Niji nodded, it wasn’t exactly what she was saying, but the point was valid. Her fiancé's talk of his work on BCIs had taught her just how much there was to know in the field, ”You are right, of course; but I am no philosopher or neuroscientist. If we had been magically switched at birth (and the world as a whole conveniently ignored the swap and went on with their lives) we would naturally end up different. But I would not be you, you would not be me. But I also would not be me. Perhaps when we are born our ‘self’ is merely a foundation, and memories simply built on top of that. A circular foundation will not result in the same structure as a square foundation, even with the same materials to build it.”It was always a strange thought, of course; but it was a metaphor that was easy enough to plow forward with, ”As the material of memories decays, it is replaced with new pieces and parts. Eventually, the structure is built of entirely new pieces, and only resembles the old structure in its foundation.” She considered for a moment, and continued, ”Perhaps the truly ancient Shinigami are mostly foundation, their structure worn down by constant replacements, that they retreat into the part of them that has always been there.”She popped a fry into her mouth, ”You would know the truly older ones better than I. My only interactions with a Shinigami that have lived multiple centuries have not been particularly positive.”Hequita |
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Player
You fool! You fell right for my trap!
Hequita
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Rewind
Posted Jan 7, 2023 6:22:27 GMT -5
Post by Hequita on Jan 7, 2023 6:22:27 GMT -5
Maria Tokareva Location: Las Vegas
Status: Alive Maria chomped on her burger. The bun was a bit more sweet than the fast food she was used to, and it was a lot more dense in various ingredients, considering its size, it probably was meant to be eaten with a fork and knife and not by hand - Maria ate it by hand anyway, even if it forced her to open her jaw really, really wide with each bite. Niji built upon her thoughts, giving an idea of how the memories of a really old Shinigami might dull and decay until all they are left with is a small core of authenticity - then revealed to the Shinigami that her experiences of older Shinigami did not inspire her confidence. This got Maria to pause with her mouth wide open right before her bite. " Why's that?" she asked, then bit and munched onto a large bite of the burger. After downing the gulp with coke, she continued: " I 'unno, from what I've heard, the Captains and other ancients are good people. Most of them, at least," Even she had already heard rumors of horror stories from the Twelfth Division, and it wasn't like the others, even the Captain-Commander, were total paragons anyway. " They can be very old fashioned and not quite understand humanity, but, ya know, that authentic core behind all those layers of complexes and memories is noble, I think." Maria took a small sip. " Did one of 'em do something bad to you, or what?" |
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Player
Fullbringer
I have nothing to say.
Niji
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Rewind
Posted Jan 7, 2023 8:41:08 GMT -5
Post by Niji on Jan 7, 2023 8:41:08 GMT -5
Niji scoffed as she lazily dangled a fry over her plate, ”Yeah, noble in the aristocratic sense.”She shook her head, ”Power comes in many forms; knowledge, experience, strength, money, rank, abilities, et cetera. It is practically always coupled with arrogance. When power comes in the form of practically miraculous abilities, it is even worse. ’Surely, if the gods did not want me to have this power, they would not have given it to me, I was chosen’; ’I was given this power, I have a responsibility to use it for...’ insert personal goal here. The idea that ’might makes right’ is practically law in the spiritual world, as far as I have seen.”The fry ended up in her mouth as she considered her next words, ”It takes a conscious effort to remain humble. I think most of the older Shinigami have stopped giving a shit about making that effort. It might take subtle forms, like not saying a word of thanks to the woman who captured your son’s murderer. It might take more overt forms, like threatening a favorite mangaka when you think he is not respecting his fans enough. Or invading the domain of a stranger and telling them that they should not exist.”The Fullbringer let out a heavy sigh, ”Of course, that is not to say mortals do not have the same problem. I am not immune to this, and I slip sometimes.” While Maria was busy with her burger, Niji reached out to steal one of her fries, ”Like thinking that the best way to protect people is keeping them in the dark.”dyFuGrrl1d100 Fry Theft Roll Hequita 1d100 |
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Player
You fool! You fell right for my trap!
Hequita
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Rewind
Posted Jan 8, 2023 9:46:36 GMT -5
Post by Hequita on Jan 8, 2023 9:46:36 GMT -5
Maria Tokareva Location: Las Vegas
Status: Alive Maria did not expect this kind of response from Niji. Perhaps she suspected it a little, given that Niji had already mentioned that her experiences with older Shinigami were not positive, but it never quite crossed her mind that there could be people on Earth who... hate people like her. Well, she did know about the Wandenreich and Arrancar, but those two groups were evil. Evil has a reason to despise the good. Good being despised by... good people, though? That was something else. At least, Maria assumed that she could treat Niji as a good person. She hasn't given her a reason to think otherwise, thus far. In the middle of her speech, Niji used the distraction of her scathing words about the older Shinigami to try to snatch a fry from Maria's plate. The Shinigami noticed this nefarious move almost immediately and lightly slapped her fingers away as soon as she put down the burger from her hands. After a brief disappointed glare for the attempted theft, Maria asked: " You... don't like the Shinigami, do you?" Niji was, at least, conscious enough of her own failings that she noted that she herself was not perfect. Had she not brought up her desire to protect Maria against her will, the Shinigami would have brought that moment of arrogance up herself. After her question, she ate the fry that had been under threat of theft a moment ago and continued: " You don't have to hide how you feel about people like me, I'm... not going to attack you for it." |
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Player
Fullbringer
I have nothing to say.
Niji
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Rewind
Posted Jan 8, 2023 14:45:38 GMT -5
Post by Niji on Jan 8, 2023 14:45:38 GMT -5
Niji gave a light laugh at Maria’s defense of her fries, ”I mean, you already did attack me.”The smile faded while she considered the question for a moment; she knew much of her feelings towards Shinigami were tainted by the war in her memory that never happened. The war that had started when the Shinigami had attempted to kill all of them, but had only managed to slay Masha while Niji and Val fled. But even without that, her impressions of the Shinigami had been negative. Her first encounter, a squad of Shinigami chasing a psychopathic Quincy had attacked her without hesitation as soon as she arrived. All it had taken was a transparent diversion attempt from the woman they had been pursuing. Her latter encounters had done little to improve her impression of the Shinigami, and even though she had her suspicions about Vice Captain Muimina, he had admitted that the Shinigami leadership did not want peace with the other spiritual races. Hell, the only Shinigami that had her respect and trust was the one she was helping to defy the Gotei Thirteen as a whole and seek other paths towards peace. Niji shook her head, ”As an organization? No; I think the arrogance and sense of superiority is too deeply ingrained in the culture of the Gotei Thirteen. However, I am not seeking a violent, or even peaceful, overthrow of the regime. I have enough problems to deal with. For now, as I always attempt to do, I will judge those I meet as individuals.”The Fullbringer returned to her own fries with a shrug, her voice a touch colder than it had been a moment ago, ”But, more Shinigami have attacked or threatened me without cause than those that came in peace. A woman can only tolerate so much before she has to send a message.”
Hequita |
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Player
You fool! You fell right for my trap!
Hequita
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Rewind
Posted Jan 9, 2023 3:55:45 GMT -5
Post by Hequita on Jan 9, 2023 3:55:45 GMT -5
Maria Tokareva Location: Las Vegas
Status: Alive Just as she expected when she asked that question, Maria was told by Niji that the Gotei 13 are too inherently arrogant and overbearing for her to ever see positively. She's seen Shinigami threaten her and attack her, and rarely, if ever, seen them actually mean well for her. Maria placed her unfinished burger down on its plate, then leaned back and sighed. " Jeez..." she muttered, her voice more disheartened than before. " That's... really unlucky." At least Niji wasn't against the Shinigami for evil reasons, she just has had poor luck in which Shinigami she's met so far. Maria could not deny that there were many in their ranks who were... arrogant. Partial or complete asses. Ignorant. Hell, the Eleventh Division was probably one of the worst in that regard. After all, even if they were dead, they were all still human, and Maria knew very well that the absolute majority of humans were selfish assholes. It did not discourage her from fighting for them too, but it explained to her why Niji would get such an impression after a particularly toxic bunch of Shinigami in her life. " I'm... sorry to have added to the statistic, then," Maria continued, trying to lighten up the mood a little with a joke. Granted, she believed that her attack on Niji was not entirely unjustified, but still. " You can probably imagine that I wasn't in the right mood after bashing my head against your metaphorical wall in the conversation, and you suddenly throwing me away... but I promise I won't do that again." She flashed a faint smile. " But now that that's settled, we can kiss and make up, right? And maybe I can be one of the good examples of Shinigami for you, then?" |
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Player
Fullbringer
I have nothing to say.
Niji
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Rewind
Posted Jan 10, 2023 7:46:49 GMT -5
Post by Niji on Jan 10, 2023 7:46:49 GMT -5
Niji waved dismissively, ”I am not going to hold it against you, I did say without cause. You were seeking answers about someone you love, and I was being blatantly evasive. Perhaps if I had been more sober I would have given you a proper reaction and you would not have launched us skyward.”
The Fullbringer distinctly did not clarify what ‘proper reaction’ was, but gave a warm smile in response to Maria’s own, ”And apologies were already exchanged, there is no need to dwell on it. If you are as caring a person as you appear to be, then I am sure you will have no problem being a good example.”Good Shinigami or not, Niji still did not want to drag the woman into her personal concerns; apologizing for keeping her in the dark did not intrinsically mean Niji was going to turn on the floodlights. Some questions that she wanted to ask would almost inevitably lead back to uncomfortable topics. She considered for a brief moment, and her lips quirked into a mischievous smirk, ”That being said, I will not necessarily hold you to that promise. The woman I knew was always looking to push herself, and I see some of that drive in you. Holding that promise over your head when you inevitably come looking to test yourself would be mean.”
Hequita
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Player
You fool! You fell right for my trap!
Hequita
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Rewind
Posted Jan 10, 2023 15:37:52 GMT -5
Post by Hequita on Jan 10, 2023 15:37:52 GMT -5
Maria Tokareva Location: Las Vegas
Status: Alive " Wait, what? That doesn't make sense," Maria exclaimed immediately after Niji finished her answer. " Asking you for a spar is a whole another thing from attacking you out of the blue, I was never even thinking that. Why did you think that?" For a second, it genuinely baffled her. You don't force someone to spar with you, do you? Both sides have to agree to testing their skills against one another, otherwise it's not a test at all, more of an... attack. " But hey, if you're offering, I wouldn't mind taking a swing against you some time. You haven't shown me anything you're able to do, after all," she continued, this time with a smirk. She hasn't shown everything she is capable of herself, either, though presumably it would still pale in comparison to all of the abilities that Niji presumably held, and hasn't shown. Maria returned to her burger - there wasn't much left of it at this point, so she shoved the remaining burger into her mouth, tapping it with her finger a bit then chewing and swallowing. " Whooh... that's a lot," she stated, in an almost congratulatory tone, then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. " I 'unno what to ask you... Something that you would actually answer me, of course. Uhh... So... favorite movie? Book? Sport? Anime? Please tell me you have an answer for the last one, you didn't give me hope with your response when we sat down at this table." |
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Player
Fullbringer
I have nothing to say.
Niji
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Rewind
Posted Jan 10, 2023 16:03:45 GMT -5
Post by Niji on Jan 10, 2023 16:03:45 GMT -5
The Fullbringer chuckled at Maria’s surprise, ”You would think so, would you not?”For another moment, Niji considered telling Maria more about the encounter on Mount Rysy; Valentina had been frustrated by Niji’s unwillingness to spar. So frustrated, in fact, that she and her boyfriend had launched attacks at Janus and commanded Niji to defend her friend. A look of slight disgust flashed across her face as she shook her head, ”Not everyone thinks to ask before deciding it is time to spar.”She frowned at the woman’s question about her hobbies or interests, ”Gods of the Fall, but it does not actually exist.” Niji glanced down at her plate again, shaking her head slightly, ”I watched a lot with you and your sister in that false life. But none of them are real; creations of that alternate reality, I guess. Just another thing that exists only in my memory...”The woman shrugged, ”In reality, I never had that much time growing up for cartoons. But my fiancé was kind of into them before we met in grad school; after seeing how impor–” She shook her head, ”Anyway, we are watching Quadshot, it was one of his favorites growing up. It is no GotF, but I have been enjoying it.”"What about you?"Hequita |
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Player
You fool! You fell right for my trap!
Hequita
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Rewind
Posted Jan 11, 2023 6:11:04 GMT -5
Post by Hequita on Jan 11, 2023 6:11:04 GMT -5
Maria Tokareva Location: Las Vegas
Status: Alive Well that statement definitely was not ominous as hell. Maria did not press on it and let Niji continue by talking about her favorite shows. First, she dropped a name for an anime that she immediately explained as a non-existent show she grew to love in that false reality. Apparently, that's all it was, yet the name got Maria to briefly tap her head. " Sounds a little familiar from somewhere..." she muttered, briefly lost in thought, yet coming up with no explanation for this odd familiarity. " Must be mixing it up with something else." Currently, Niji was watching Quadshot with her fiancé - the mention got Maria to briefly raise her eyebrow. " Quadshot? That's an old one. I don't think I even got the chance to watch it," she answered. " But hey, that's pretty nice." As for herself? Maria folded her arms behind her back and rested on the back of her seat, giving a look to the ceiling above, then finally answered: " Well, the most recent show that I picked up for more than a few episodes is Orchestra Gadgets. It picked up a lot of attention some years ago and it's gone through several seasons by now - it ain't the most thought provoking or philosophical show out there, but it's a lotta fun," Briefly, the woman flashed a sheepish smile and glanced to the side. " ...Got me to sketch my own Orchestra Gadget once, that was... embarrassing." To hide away from that embarrassment, Maria suddenly leaned forward, her smile turning from shy to confident. " So, when's your wedding?" |
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Player
Fullbringer
I have nothing to say.
Niji
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Rewind
Posted Jan 11, 2023 21:45:02 GMT -5
Post by Niji on Jan 11, 2023 21:45:02 GMT -5
Niji couldn’t help but let out a laugh lightly at Maria’s shyness about anime fanart; ”There is no shame in that. It will not make you feel any better, but I have memories of my Masha doing far more embarrassing things.”As to the wedding question; she smiled warmly, ”Fairly soon, actually. We are going to have two events; a standard traditional one; you know, friends and distant family; on the bigger side though, a little over two-hundred people have confirmed their attendance.”She leaned in to match the other woman, but lowered her voice into a conspiratorial tone, ”But my soon-to-be-husband is not spiritually aware, though he is informed about it and my nature. But as such, we will be having a separate, smaller gathering to celebrate our union with some of my more unique friends.”The second ceremony was for a few reasons, but chief among them was there was no way she would have been able to keep the sensui gang from her actual wedding if they weren’t going to get another chance to celebrate with her. Besides, it would be nice to have a relaxing meal with some of her spiritual allies before the honeymoon. Hequita |
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Player
You fool! You fell right for my trap!
Hequita
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Rewind
Posted Jan 12, 2023 16:15:35 GMT -5
Post by Hequita on Jan 12, 2023 16:15:35 GMT -5
Maria Tokareva Location: Las Vegas
Status: Alive Niji explained that her wedding was actually coming soon, and that she had already planned out how she was going to organize it - her friends from the spiritual side of the spectrum were going to have their own wedding ceremony, a smaller one which could, presumably thus be safe while hosting all of these massive powers just walking around. So much Reiatsu being concentrated into one small place would act as one huge Hollow bait, at least as far as Maria imagined - though she assumed someone as strong as Niji would be able to handle most things thrown at her. " That's really sweet," Maria commented, with a smile of her own. " Weeell, then, you know, if if turns out you can fit a few more people into the spiritually aware gathering..." She let the words hang there for a second, though she assumed that Niji could tell where the offer was going already. " I'm just kidding, of course. I mean, unless you actually do wanna invite me." Got to keep your options open, after all. Maria leaned back to her chair. " I don't think I've actually been to a wedding in my life before... kinda just never had the opportunity. Not that I imagine this is particularly exceptional at my age," she commented. " Since Shinigami live so long they get married much later than people, too. I assume I didn't miss any marriage from my sister, right? Would be odd for her to get hitched so soon." |
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Player
Fullbringer
I have nothing to say.
Niji
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Rewind
Posted Jan 12, 2023 21:38:51 GMT -5
Post by Niji on Jan 12, 2023 21:38:51 GMT -5
Niji smiled at Maria and patted her hand lightly, ”While I would consider it, I would rather not put you in a position where you would have to lie to the rest of the Shinigami. They would not find all of my friends entirely agreeable.”She gave a slight shrug, she had no idea what encounters Janus might have had with the Shinigami, but that woman was no fan of the ‘pajama samurai.’ Similarly, Ryoga was a Quincy, and she would rather not give the Shinigami knowledge of any Quincy, much less one she cared about. And, obviously, Mister Hirai and his allies were in Haven to avoid the Shinigami learning about their efforts towards peace (and, of course, some were literally hollows or arrancar). Her smile died on her lips when Maria mentioned Valentina, ”No, not married. But she had a boyfriend, a spiritually aware one. He was there, at the end. He tried to talk her down from her desire to destroy everything. But it seemed that when she stabbed him in the heart, he decided she was a lost cause. I am not sure if he survived past the fight, I lost track of him at the end. I have tried to get in touch with him; his phone has been disconnected and my other channels have been unable to locate him.”
Hequita |
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Player
You fool! You fell right for my trap!
Hequita
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Rewind
Posted Jan 13, 2023 14:13:42 GMT -5
Post by Hequita on Jan 13, 2023 14:13:42 GMT -5
Maria Tokareva Location: Las Vegas
Status: Alive " Oh come on, it's just a wedding. We're not so controlled as to not be allowed to attend to those," Maria answered Niji's concern about inviting the Shinigami to her wedding. The mention of "friends the rest of the Shinigami would not find entirely agreeable" was concerning, however. Yet again, Niji was hiding something, and combined with her previous comments about the Gotei 13, it was starting to turn outright nefarious. Full of mysteries, unbelievably powerful and vaguely concerning, just like Virgil. Maria was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt regardless, but that statement was not a very good look either way. Thankfully, the conversation moved back to Val - Niji explained that while she was not married, she had a boyfriend who was there, in the Battle of Broken Skies. He tried to convince her to stop, and was stabbed in the heart in response. Maria stared at the Fullbringer, then glanced away with a more somber expression. " Jesus..." her voice was heavy. " That's... that's tragic." Niji calmly explained that he disappeared without a trace, and she was not sure why, or if he was still alive - but Maria could imagine that such a heartbreaking ending to someone's relationship could break their spirit entirely. Though she was unable to guess anything about this person's personality, she couldn't discount that even if that man survived, he may have... taken his own life. But that was merely speculation. " Did you... catch his name, by any chance?" Maria asked. " He might have to be my next target, after you." |
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Player
Fullbringer
I have nothing to say.
Niji
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Rewind
Posted Jan 13, 2023 17:24:19 GMT -5
Post by Niji on Jan 13, 2023 17:24:19 GMT -5
Niji shook her head, the frown from the discussion about Valentina had not yet faded, ”I did, but I will not share it with you." She held up a hand before Maria could object, "This is not about protecting you. I made him a promise, and that does not change if he happens to be dead. After all…” The Fullbringer gestured at the other woman, emphasizing that she was, in fact, dead as well, ”...obligations do not end just because someone has died.”SThe Shingami had given no indication that she knew of the Quincy, and given the checkered past between the two races, the promise she had made to Yael to not tell anyone that didn’t already know about him or his organization was valid. She sighed, ”But, even if I was at liberty to tell you, if the boy does not want anything to do with his past, you should respect that. I assume that she told him about you; if he wanted to seek you out, he would.”Niji wanted to change the subject, Maria was stubborn, but she could be diverted; turning the relationship questions back on her might do it, ”What about you? You mentioned you were not married, but that does not mean you do not have your own special someone waiting for your return.”
Hequita |
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