Player
You fool! You fell right for my trap!
Hequita
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Playback
Posted Mar 15, 2023 5:34:24 GMT -5
Post by Hequita on Mar 15, 2023 5:34:24 GMT -5
Maria Tokareva Location: Tokyo
Status: Alive After she ran out of Tendo Shoten, past the stalls and the catpanions, Maria stopped outside, taking a deep breath. She wasn't exactly sure what had overtaken her. Niji's words sunk deep into her, nobody really attempted to imply that she was a hero before - yet that couldn't be all, surely. Her stop in the street allowed Niji to catch up to her and place her hand on the Shinigami's shoulder. Yet again, she did not believe Maria's dismissal of herself, and could not allow her to do something she believed to be certain death. The same tune, once more. It's always the same line, that I'm throwing my life away... Why was she so certain that Maria couldn't succeed? Was that possibility even on her mind, or was all she was thinking was how to keep someone so similar to her false sister from danger? Asked whether Niji could transport them both away to a place where they could safely keep talking, Maria merely answered with a slow nod. Once transported, she would break from Niji's grip over her shoulder and ask while glancing towards the Fullbringer: " Niji... were you planning to take revenge on Virgil? By yourself? Or with some other team?" |
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Player
Fullbringer
I have nothing to say.
Niji
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Playback
Posted Mar 15, 2023 16:28:44 GMT -5
Post by Niji on Mar 15, 2023 16:28:44 GMT -5
They ended up on a mountaintop; the sun just peeking over the horizon placing their time zone somewhere in eastern Europe. There was no indication of any nearby people, though it appeared that within the last year numerous trees in a row had all been destroyed, splintered as if something had blasted through them, the ground around them peppered with small craters. She sighed, ”No. I was not planning on taking revenge.” Niji let her fury at the mad scientist melt away as she paced over to one of the destroyed trees, gently placing a hand on it, ”As I told you, your sister was not a friend of mine; she hated me. I do not owe either Virgil or Sadaharu Tendo vengeance.”The stump began to shudder, the blasted remains rapidly growing back into a fully grown tree. ”That being said, I am a protector of this realm. And the Director of the Red Lotus has proven an existential threat to humanity by his actions. He was willing to risk the destruction of everything in order to remove the problem Val posed to him. Willing to burn bridges with an ally as useful as Sadaharu Tendo, who had apparently considered him a friend at one point.”She walked to the next shattered tree, placing a hand on it and spurring new growth, ”The goal would not be vengeance, but I suppose the end result would be the same.”
Hequita |
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Player
You fool! You fell right for my trap!
Hequita
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Playback
Posted Mar 16, 2023 16:32:42 GMT -5
Post by Hequita on Mar 16, 2023 16:32:42 GMT -5
Maria Tokareva Location: Tokyo
Status: Alive Niji's answer was "no, but actually yes". She was not planning to do revenge on Virgil, but she was planning to destroy him for reasons that necessitated protection of Earth, that made her decision to destroy him approach the same orbit as revenge. Maria sat down on the thin mountain grass. It wasn't hard to tell that something unnatural had washed over this mountain quite some time ago, but she barely made any note of the broken trees or the scarred earth. " Right, the protector of this realm..." After a few seconds of thought, staring towards the horizon, Maria suddenly asked: " Who appointed you that?" She turned her head to glare to Niji over her shoulder. The Fullbringer certainly was trying to act the part - she was even healing the trees that had long since been broken on the mountaintop during their silence. " Where did you get this authority to go after individuals who threaten all of Earth and do not deserve to live - and then demand me to not do the same? From that, I'm getting that you see this "protector of this realm" shtick as a lot more exclusionary than it should be." After one more pause, glancing to the thin grass, Maria added a little more: " Is it just because you're stronger than everyone else?" |
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Player
Fullbringer
I have nothing to say.
Niji
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Playback
Posted Mar 17, 2023 9:37:42 GMT -5
Post by Niji on Mar 17, 2023 9:37:42 GMT -5
Niji sighed, ”A protector, not the protector. And I am not foolish enough to assume that I am stronger than everyone.”She shook her head, ”And I am not demanding you do anything; I have no right to tell you how to live, or how to die. We both know how hot-headed you can be, but if you go running after Virgil right now with nothing but revenge in mind, you will not survive.The woman moved to the next tree, pushing her power into it and causing it to grow as well, ”But I have been working on an approach since the Battle of Broken Skies, and I am not sure yet if today was a setback in the plan. My biggest advantage right now is that the Red Lotus has no idea I exist, much less that I am aware of their organization and some of Virgil’s capabilities. But as far as I know, Sadaharu Tendo might be sharing information with his Red Lotus contacts right now.”She turned from the fully grown tree, looking back to Maria with a frown, ”If you want to be involved in my plan, it would likely not involve combat. Ideally, even I will not engage the man directly, I like my blood just where it is, thank you very much. However, the number of Shinigami in the Gotei 13 that I trust is extremely limited; but if you can establish that there is actually some strike planned, I can provide intelligence to ensure it would be decapitating.”The Fullbringer wasn't a huge fan of handing the responsibility of actually taking out Virgil to someone else, but if the Shinigami could actually pull their weight in defending the world against threats she wasn't going to down the opportunity to avoid a personal and dangerous fight while strengthening alliances. Hequita |
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Player
You fool! You fell right for my trap!
Hequita
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Playback
Posted Mar 18, 2023 12:56:59 GMT -5
Post by Hequita on Mar 18, 2023 12:56:59 GMT -5
Maria Tokareva Location: Tokyo
Status: Alive Niji hopped over Maria's question by focusing on the specifics of Maria's questions. It did not matter to her at all whether Niji viewed herself as the sole protector or whether she saw herself sharing the position with someone else - either way, she was clearly thinking of something exclusionary. She assured the Shinigami that she wasn't demanding her to do anything - and while, sure, she was not pulling the trigger on her for even considering challenging Virgil, all those moments trying to convince Maria that she's worth a lot more than dying at Virgil's hands made it clear what she preferred, too. Meanwhile, what she wanted to know was left unanswered. Listening to Niji's introduction to her plan against Virgil - not a detailed one, thus far, though she assumed that the Fullbringer had a more specific idea that she wasn't telling - Maria stared off into the distance. Of course, a rational person would find no faults with the idea of distant assassination. Certainly, it's a lot more efficient and tactical, and would cause less problems if pulled off right. But that wasn't revenge. Getting a letter from Niji a day after the fact does not mean anything as long as it wasn't you who pulled the trigger on the bastard. So, she asked about something else. " This... idea, that Tendo mentioned," she muttered. " ...if it were safe, and wouldn't carry the risk of... anything that Tendo might do - would you take it? A chance to... train for months, maybe even years, in what's only a few days to someone in the outside world?" |
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Player
Fullbringer
I have nothing to say.
Niji
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Playback
Posted Mar 19, 2023 7:55:59 GMT -5
Post by Niji on Mar 19, 2023 7:55:59 GMT -5
The Fullbringer answered almost instantly, as if she had been anticipating the question, ”No. Even if Sadaharu Tendo was not involved, I would not. I have no interest in sacrifice years of my mortal life to solo training. But I do not think it would work for me anyway, my abilities do not work that way.”
Niji gave Maria a look that, in any other context, would have been parental disapproval, ”But your question is fundamentally flawed in the first place. That man is the risk. Let us assume he is telling the truth and he has managed to turn the dangai, or some part of it, into a training facility. That he can truly grant you the power you seek.”
The woman shook her head, ”If you let him get his hooks into you he will tie you up in his schemes and plots. That man's currency is favors, and if he can give you a shortcut to your heart's desire, you will be indebted forever, and never be able to pay that back. The man was officially kicked out of the Gotei 13 for a reason.”
The disapproval melted into genuine concern as another thought crossed her mind, ”Unless, of course, you are hoping to end your existence while killing Virgil.”
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Player
You fool! You fell right for my trap!
Hequita
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Playback
Posted Mar 20, 2023 5:39:39 GMT -5
Post by Hequita on Mar 20, 2023 5:39:39 GMT -5
Maria Tokareva Location: Tokyo
Status: Alive Hearing Niji's sudden concerned implication that she was wishing to die against Virgil, Maria did not answer, merely rolled her eyes. Though she had to concede that she was sounding... really dramatic in this whole conversation, she didn't think of herself going so far as to become a kamikaze. The Fullbringer was, of course, very negative towards the prospect - even without the Tendo factor, she didn't want to lock herself training for a prolonged period of time, and the Tendo factor ruined it even further. Maria could tell that her emotions towards the shopkeeper were high, and trying to argue against her was pointless - especially as she only barely knew Tendo in the first place. At least, the concept of trading favors was not an immediate turn-off for her. Whether they like it or not, Tendo was nowhere near the only person in the world who operated that way - few people were actually good moral paragons who would do something for someone else without expecting something in exchange. As long as Tendo wouldn't force her to... kill or torture people, it was negotiable. Of course, there's no point in trying to ask her whether he would.After a short silence, the Shinigami finally answered: " Then, do you know someone who can help me get better?" |
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Player
Fullbringer
I have nothing to say.
Niji
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Playback
Posted Mar 21, 2023 16:29:37 GMT -5
Post by Niji on Mar 21, 2023 16:29:37 GMT -5
She put a hand on her hip and considered Maria, she wasn't going to be swayed easily; but there had to be ways for her to get what she wanted without putting herself into Tendo's web. ”I have to assume by better you mean stronger; and you are not looking for someone to help you process what you must be feeling.” The Fullbringer shook her head, ”To that end, though…”She gestured towards the sheathed zanpakuto, ”Clearly, you have a deep enough bond with Yonaka to already have your shikai. That alone shows you are more advanced than some shinigami many years your senior. Unfortunately, Virgil’s abilities would make any close range combat extremely dangerous without some way to nullify them. Have you put any time into kidō?”Niji thought for a moment, ”I suppose we could see about getting you a sensui…” She had no doubt Ryoga would be thrilled to make another one, and he had already made one for a Shinigami before, so it wouldn’t even be a particularly novel problem. Though it was unclear how much of what a sensui did was a power enhancement versus just redirecting energy you already had in another form. Either way, potentially useful if it gave some way to get the drop on the blood-manipulator. Hequita |
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Player
You fool! You fell right for my trap!
Hequita
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Playback
Posted Mar 22, 2023 5:54:49 GMT -5
Post by Hequita on Mar 22, 2023 5:54:49 GMT -5
Maria Tokareva Location: Tokyo
Status: Alive It was almost as if Niji shifted to a new tactic - confusing Maria. At least, once she moved on to actually offering ideas for how she could improve. " I'm fine, I don't need that kind of help," the Shinigami briefly blurbed in response to Niji's comment about processing her feelings. Shinigami didn't really have psychologists, to her knowledge, anyway. Out of nowhere, the Fullbringer dropped the name of her Zanpakuto - not only that, but her tone was as if it was nothing important, something that everyone would know. Like it was written on her forehead, or something. Maria looked down at her weapon, then stared at Niji, asking: " How... how do you know that name?" She never told that, hell, she never even did an incantation to activate her Shikai. If it was something normal to Niji, it definitely was not to Maria. The Fullbringer quickly moved on to idle thinking, considering a sensui and whether it would help. Maria had never heard of the term before, and Niji obviously did not offer any explanation what that was either - again, as if the Shinigami was supposed to just... instinctively know what she was talking about. Or she wasn't supposed to know, and she should just sit there like a dumbfounded child while the adult does the thinking for her. That one wasn't going to cut it. " ...what's a sensui?" |
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Player
Fullbringer
I have nothing to say.
Niji
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Playback
Posted Mar 22, 2023 7:32:11 GMT -5
Post by Niji on Mar 22, 2023 7:32:11 GMT -5
Niji smiled sadly and shook her head. In her estimation, most people needed that kind of help, they just saw it as a sign of weakness. The Russian upbringing of the woman in front of her was almost certainly no exception to that line of thinking. Did the Shinigami even have therapists or counselors of some variety? The entire organization seemed mentally stuck centuries ago, so maybe that was just something they ignored. It would certainly explain quite a bit about them. She gave a helpless little shrug as Maria asked about knowing her zanpakuto name; she briefly considered a non-answer, but there was no real harm in letting her know, ”My Fullbring allows me to talk to various spirits that are invisible to normal…well, not humans, but even spiritual beings. Recently, this also includes those of zanpakuto; there is a bit more to it, but it is nothing malicious.”Laughing slightly, Niji continued, ”Sensui is a portmanteau of sentient and suit. A good friend of mine makes outfits with an artificial soul installed; they have their own personalities, and can act on their own. But they can temporarily merge with their owner to provide or enhance various abilities.”She waved a hand dismissively, she didn’t want to get the young man involved. Ryoga would ask questions, demand to be part of whatever plan was happening. ”But that probably is not a good idea. He is not involved with this, and I was just thinking out loud.”Hequita |
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Player
You fool! You fell right for my trap!
Hequita
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Playback
Posted Mar 22, 2023 16:03:11 GMT -5
Post by Hequita on Mar 22, 2023 16:03:11 GMT -5
Maria Tokareva Location: Tokyo
Status: Alive Maria briefly gripped onto the sheath of her Zanpakuto and faintly pulled it closer to herself, while staring at Niji. " Ya know, nobody gave you permission to be talking to my Zanpakuto." It was her weapon, after all, and she had spent a lot of time trying to communicate with it - having Niji talk to it against her knowledge and extract secrets about her didn't rub her the right way. A sensui, apparently, was a sentient suit, created by a friend of hers which merge with its wearer to create a new being with enhanced powers. Immediately, that got Maria to raise her eyebrow. The concept was not entirely unfamiliar, it reminded her of Symbiotes and other similar stuff from comics... but even ignoring the fact that they were generally presented as a bad thing, giving up a part of herself in order to merge with another being didn't fancy her that much either. Before Maria could even say anything, however, Niji suddenly pulled the plug on the idea. Apparently, he should not be pulled into this. It wasn't hard to assume that this was because he, like Maria, was under Niji's... protection. " Good lord, he's not gonna die just because he builds a suit," the Shinigami answered, sighing. " Not gonna get hunted down by a whole troupe of Red Lotus agents either. I wasn't even gonna take that option, anyway." |
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Player
Fullbringer
I have nothing to say.
Niji
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Playback
Posted Mar 22, 2023 17:26:04 GMT -5
Post by Niji on Mar 22, 2023 17:26:04 GMT -5
Niji smirked at Maria’s defensiveness over her blade’s spirit; it wasn’t exactly like that, but it was kind of cute. Distantly, she wondered if Valentina and Maria had some unfortunate boy they might have fought over in their mortal lives. ”He talked to me first, it would have been rude to ignore him. And do not worry, I am not going to steal him away from you. Even if I had the desire to, my abilities do not work like that.”That being said, Niji wasn’t a fan of the accusation in Maria’s tone, ”His kind are not exactly allies to the Shinigami, and if the Gotei 13 are planning any sort of assault, I do not want them asking questions that may put him in danger. Besides, he is not involved with this, and I see no reason to drag him into a fight that is not his.”She shook her head, there was little reason to bring up Ryoga further. While the boy had made a sensui for Rekka, that man was hardly a normal shinigami. Hell, if she understood things right, he was also working for the OGA at the same time. Who knew where his actual loyalties lay. Was the OGA an option here? M had seemed willing to provide some assistance in eliminating Virgil, but she wanted to get into that creature’s debt only slightly less than the shopkeepers. The Fullbringer sighed, trying to shift the subject slightly, to make the woman see the benefits of a different approach, ”Is there anyone in the Gotei 13 you would trust to pass information I could provide, or that might know if a raid on the Red Lotus is actually being planned?”Hequita |
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Player
You fool! You fell right for my trap!
Hequita
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Playback
Posted Mar 23, 2023 7:17:14 GMT -5
Post by Hequita on Mar 23, 2023 7:17:14 GMT -5
Maria Tokareva Location: Tokyo
Status: Alive Niji's answer did not make Maria any more at ease. " What? That's... not what got me concerned." With that tone, it sounded more like the Fullbringer was talking about boyfriends than about a Zanpakuto spirit. She didn't know if one could actually leave its weapon and start living among normal people, but it sounded rather far fetched and Maria didn't worry about it that much. Niji learning about her personal life through someone she has to talk to every day, though... that was something else. " I'm sorry ya got to experience him, by the way." Niji was determined to not involve this sensui-builder into their quest - Maria just sighed and moved on. Maybe she'll ask about who he is later on, in more peaceful terms. Perhaps he too is annoyed by being kept out of trouble by Niji just like she was. The Fullbringer moved on to ask about Maria's contacts among the Gotei 13, whether there was anyone she could trust with the information. Presumably, that didn't mean just friends and fight buddies in the Eleventh Division, but people who would actually be able to keep her word secret. " ...yeah, there's a few," she answered after a few seconds of thought. " I know a few people relatively high up in the hierarchy, so they'd be able to help out with that. Or, worst comes to worst, I can try asking Cap about it." |
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Player
Fullbringer
I have nothing to say.
Niji
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Playback
Posted Mar 25, 2023 15:14:23 GMT -5
Post by Niji on Mar 25, 2023 15:14:23 GMT -5
Niji gave a small shrug, he was far from the worst spiritual entity that she had talked to; snark and smacktalk were par for the course. And, of course; talk of eating one another was common enough among immaterial entities. ”It is fine.”She considered Maria's response with a frown, then shook her head slightly, ”That is not what I asked, Masha. I asked if you trust them. Not that if you just knew them.”The Fullbringer sighed, knowing that this line of thought would inevitably lead to another line of questioning that Maria would bite onto like a bulldog. But she had been unable to shake the thoughts, and while it might have been a shocking coincidence, the level of specificity seemed unlikely to be random. She plowed forward, watching closely to see what sort of reaction the woman would have to what she said, perhaps she might have had some inkling already. There was a reason she came to find Niji, rather than just asking the people in Seireitei that knew almost as much, ”I have reason to believe that at least one higher ranking Shinigami might have known what Virgil or Sadaharu Tendo were planning. It is even possible he was somehow involved. I do not know if he was the only one. It is not sufficient to just give this type of information to an acquaintance."Hequita |
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GAME MASTER
Wandenreich - Soldat
Memories broken, the truth goes unspoken...
Hibano
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Playback
Posted Mar 25, 2023 15:39:52 GMT -5
Post by Hibano on Mar 25, 2023 15:39:52 GMT -5
Maria Tokareva Location: Tokyo
Status: Alive Just knowing a few Shinigami and being friends with them was not enough, it seems. Niji suddenly pressed Maria on whether she trusted them, truly trusted them. For a second, she blinked, staring back at the Fullbringer. Would she trust Hyakuji, Yoshinori or Tensai, even with her safety and life? Well, yeah, she has done so several times already. They fought against threats that aimed to bring harm to thousands of people or even destroy the world itself, side by side, there was no reason for her to not do that a second time. Before she could specify that, Niji added one more tidbit that instantly drew her attention. The Fullbringer revealed her suspicions of a traitor among the upper ranks of the Shinigami. Someone who, according to her, worked with Virgil and Tendo - well, bringing up Tendo didn't matter, but Virgil specifically - and who may have played a role in what happened to Val. " Who-" Maria yelped out, but before she even finished her question, she glanced down, retreating to her thoughts. In introspection... the who was quite obvious. There was one Shinigami who everyone even vaguely aware of the rumors that float around Seireitei knew was doing secret illegal experiments deep in his laboratory. Who had unmentioned ties to Tendo, and was, on some level, familiar with the shopkeeper - some say he was even Tendo's previous Vice-Captain. They say he built a whole army of artificial Shinigami, or kidnapped unsuspecting Rukongai citizens to turn them to superweapons. If there was one Shinigami who would jump headfirst to such a plot with Virgil and Tendo, it would have to be him. " ...I think I suspect who you're referring to," she answered after a brief pause. " Don't worry, he's not a part of my circle at all. The Shinigami I was referring to have fought by my side to save the world, more than once in the past - they've saved me and I've saved them. They all have a shared vision, of reforming Soul Society to something... inclusive and truly heroic. If I couldn't trust them with information from you, there's nobody in any of the dimensions I could trust, so your question would be moot anyway." |
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