GAME MASTER
Wandenreich - Soldat
Memories broken, the truth goes unspoken...
Hibano
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Post by Hibano on Apr 24, 2023 7:56:15 GMT -5
Maria Tokareva Location: Tokyo
Status: Alive From her shoulders to her knees, Maria's body was covered with a dark cloak which fluttered against the wind. Standing on a platform of Reishi, she floated mere centimeters above the very top of the Tokyo Tower, giving the impression of standing on its nose and observing the city skyline from above. Her eyes constantly diverted towards the silhouettes of the mountains right behind the sprawling metropolis. She knew what was there, installed into the depths of the mountainside, away from the prying eyes of mankind, and even after so much time - years, from her perspective - her blood still boiled at the thought of what awaited her there. By now, the interest of the rest of the Gotei 13 in Virgil and the Red Lotus was fading. While there was a plan to take him down, Shinigami generally worked on far longer timescales than petty revenge for the death of a sister. The ongoing war against demonkind and the impending struggle against Akira diverted all of their immediate attention - as the Red Lotus were not aiming for an immediate overthrow of the spiritual order, they were naturally of lower priority to the Captains and Vice-Captains. Yet, as frustrated as she felt, Maria did not go alone. Distracted by this thought, she looked down, staring at her palm, wrapped in white bandage from the elbow to the fingernails. She has gotten... so much stronger. Yet, Niji's words still rang across her mind. The woman's fear, anger at the mere thought of her fighting Virgil. She was certain that the Shinigami would die, even she didn't believe that she could take Virgil on. And even if she did, she would much rather do it from a distance, perhaps even simply let someone else die for her. So, Maria had nothing to do but grapple with her own thoughts, her uncertainty, and her tearing apart heart. Maybe it really would be better if she just put her fears aside and charged forth? Leave it all to hope and the power of will? Several times, she considered it seriously. But she could not lie to herself. A hero would be able to defeat their fear and challenge Virgil, and she was no hero. She's always been adrift in the stream, born a nobody, perhaps dying a nobody. A pop at the back of her mind drew Maria's attention - a familiar Reiatsu signature in the city below. For months, Niji had been completely absent from the spiritual world - perhaps, she was hiding herself from the Red Lotus, Tendo, or Maria herself. Yet, this evening, she suddenly let her presence loose. What is this..?Niji told her that accepting any help from Tendo would turn her into a person non grata for her. Yet, it's been many months. Times have changed. She has changed... hopefully, at least. Perhaps there is still hope for something. Maria leapt down from the tower, gliding down to the city, then joined the crowds, keeping up her intangible, invisible form, as she made her way closer to the source. A stream of people were making their way towards a charity event. Knowing that she was as much of a presence in mortal life as she was in the spiritual one... perhaps that's where she had to look. |
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Player
Fullbringer
I have nothing to say.
Niji
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Post by Niji on Apr 24, 2023 21:50:14 GMT -5
Kibo no Hikari was having a charity gala in Tokyo this evening, and it was Niji’s first major appearance since becoming a mother. Pregnancy had not slowed her down as much as her husband would have preferred, though it did limit her interactions with the spiritual world. Much of her spiritual networking had been drawn down significantly, and she would only meet with those that agreed to fully suppress for the duration of their meeting. Ikazuya had done a lot of the heavy lifting on the spiritual side of things, not to mention all the time he had devoted to the charity. Limiting her access to the spiritual world had been difficult, but both the charity and the Hikari Ranches had benefited from it. Only having to focus on one aspect of her life made it clear she had made the right decision. She, hopefully, had ensured that Tomoi would only had to live in the world of the living. Perhaps somewhere down the line he would be upset to find out that she had done all she could to ensure he would not become a Fullbringer; but even now, she wouldn’t know if she had been successful for at least a decade. Nonetheless, it was nice to finally be rid of the bracers, to feel her power flowing through her again. To feel that connection to the world and the spirits around her again. Her voice rang with confidence and quiet power as she gave the keynote address at the start of the gala. The audience listened in rapt attention as she spoke. Maria would arrive just in time to hear the last of it. “...but we will make this a better world. Our children deserve it.”The room exploded with applause as Niji finished the speech, and she turned to a sharply dressed European man holding a baby that couldn’t be older than a few months. She kissed them both, and the trio disappeared backstage as the MC came back to announce the rest of the evening’s entertainment. Hibano
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GAME MASTER
Wandenreich - Soldat
Memories broken, the truth goes unspoken...
Hibano
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Post by Hibano on Apr 25, 2023 3:28:46 GMT -5
Maria Tokareva Location: Tokyo
Status: Alive In the large crowd listening to Niji's speech on the podium, Maria stood at the back, using a spiritual platform to stand a head higher than the people around her and so watch the speech without anyone getting in the way - still, as there were hundreds of people in the conference hall, her presence would be really easy to miss unless she directly focused on the Shinigami. Silently, Maria thanked herself that she arrived at the very end. Listening to an entire conference of heartless moneygrubbers who bandage social ills by handing out a percent of their wealth to charity... she wouldn't have been able to stand it. Maybe Niji was a bit different from the rest. But it's an exception that proves the rule. After finishing her speech, Niji kissed the man next to her, and then the baby in his hand, before departing. There's no reason to be completely certain about it - kissing babies, not necessarily your babies, was the tactic of any politician - but Maria quickly guessed that it was Niji's child. While it was a very long time for her, it was quite a long time for the Fullbringer, too. Well, at least he'll have a better life than us.His "aunts", perhaps, in a way. After Niji, the man and the baby departed to the backstage. Maria quickly followed, walking past the gathered crowd like air and floating up the stage. Before she barged past the curtains, however, she stopped for a thought, a moment of pragmatic clarity that was unlike her. Since the Fullbringer had told her that she would never be able to trust someone who accepted anything from Tendo, suddenly visiting her when she is with a family and children would send the entirely wrong message. Niji had made it clear that she would freely wipe someone she deems a threat off the face of the earth with hardly a second thought. Instead, Maria went for another option. Moving to the side, she picked up a pen and piece of paper previously used for autographs by a table now surrounded with chatting, discussing attendees. On the paper, she wrote a simple " Meet me outside", with the usual messy handwriting that would probably be familiar to someone who lived years with a version of her - then, she tossed it to the air and gave it a light push with a small burst of Reiatsu to send it flying towards the backstage. For an ordinary person, it'd simply seem as if a gust of air blew the note into the room. |
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Player
Fullbringer
I have nothing to say.
Niji
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Post by Niji on Apr 25, 2023 20:32:32 GMT -5
As she went deeper into the building, her husband and son rippled and shifted, the two of them congealing into a muscular bald man with flawless skin and gray eyes, ”Can I get an extra kiss for that stellar performance?”Niji rolled her eyes at Zach, not dignifying the quip with a response. "Head to your position. Hopefully it will not come to it, but be there nonetheless.”The man laughed, gave a slight shrug and jogged off down a hallway, ”Worth a try!”Of course, the real Leon hadn’t liked it, but leaving him and Tomoi with the Tadashi family tonight was the best option. Neither of them were particularly happy with it, but Ryoga and the sensui couldn’t pass up an opportunity to see the little one; and even Leon had to acknowledge that if things went badly, he couldn’t do much himself. Both had made their contributions to the plan, but keeping them away kept all three of them away from the danger. She hadn’t gotten much farther when Ikazuya appeared behind her in a small burst of reishi, ”Did you send it?”Her cousin shook his head, handing her a piece of paper, ”Not yet, there’s a complication. A Shinigami is snooping around.”Niji took the at the piece of paper with a slight growl, ”Why are the Shinigam–”She recognized the handwriting, of course. Maria. ”Gods dammit. It is Valentina’s sister. Do you remember what I told you about her?”
He nodded, ”Yeah…I don’t know how long it will take them to get here once I send it to the group chat, should we wait until she’s gone?”Niji pinched the bridge of her nose, why now? Why today? No one involved in tonight’s planning would have told anything to the Shinigami. Was this just bad luck? Or had the woman been trying to find her by reiatsu for the better part of a year, and now that she was no longer suppressed she jumped at the opportunity. ”Give me five minutes, if I can not get rid of her, maybe she could be useful if more of the Zodiac arrive than we are expecting.”With that, Niji took a side entrance out to the street as the fifth Zodiac of the Red Lotus anxiously watched his phone. Hibano |
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GAME MASTER
Wandenreich - Soldat
Memories broken, the truth goes unspoken...
Hibano
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Post by Hibano on Apr 26, 2023 6:37:18 GMT -5
Maria Tokareva Location: Tokyo
Status: Alive Following Niji's Reiatsu signature at the back of her mind, Maria stepped off the podium and then passed through one of the walls of the hall, immediately reemerging in the street out to the side. It's just one of many things about being a spirit she had to get used to, but, by now, it was natural for her to bypass the simple human boundaries. After a few minutes, Niji finally reemerged from the building - sensing her approach, Maria stood right in front of the exit - and though the cloak around her appeared to flow with the wind, requiring her to clutch the fabric with her hand, in fact, she was still invisible and intangible to people. Passengers walking past them in the sidewalk bypassed her as if she was nothing but air. " I just saw that I'm an aunt now," Maria opened, opting to start with something a little light-hearted - they hadn't seen each other for... years, in her case, and they did not leave one another on a good note. Whether or not that was the right way to start, she'd quickly drop that tone and strike a serious frown. " So, you haven't killed him yet." The tone was not accusative or judgmental, even if the words could have been interpreted that way. For now, Maria chose to withhold her reason for being here, even if she assumed Niji would make the guess anyway. |
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Player
Fullbringer
I have nothing to say.
Niji
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Post by Niji on Apr 26, 2023 20:57:32 GMT -5
There was a vague surprise at seeing the Shinigami again; she looked different, more than just a year should have done. Obviously she had taken the shopkeeper’s offer. While a part of her was happy to see the woman again, she crushed that emotion down. There was no space for distractions today. Her face became a neutral mask at Maria’s opening salvo. It was a cruel joke, and Niji just filed it away to be considered later. And, of course, she then asked about her real reason for attempting contact; Virgil. Part of her mind was already working ways to incorporate Maria into the plan, in case the woman would not let herself be sent away. But it was worth a try; even if they did not part on good terms, any use for Maria (that the woman would agree to) would be as a potential sacrifice, and right now the only people that were truly at risk in her plan was her and her cousin. Niji pulled out her phone, pretending to answer a call; this close to the gala, she was bound to be recognized, and talking to empty air wasn’t an image she wanted to project. She shook her head at Maria, ”Nor have you, clearly.”She turned to walk back into the building, expecting the Shinigami to follow her no matter what she said; she continued speaking into her phone, ”What do you want, Miss Tokareva? I thought I made myself perfectly clear last time we spoke.”
Hibano |
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GAME MASTER
Wandenreich - Soldat
Memories broken, the truth goes unspoken...
Hibano
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Post by Hibano on Apr 28, 2023 10:14:29 GMT -5
Maria Tokareva Location: Tokyo
Status: Alive In spite of the time gap, Niji still vividly recalled on what terms they departed from one another last time, and she immediately reminded Maria of them. Neither of them had killed Virgil, and neither of them wanted to see each other again the last time they met, so the ball was in the Shinigami's court to explain why she decided to reach out regardless. " Yeah, I remember it all," Maria answered. Largely, she stood by what she said. She still wished to gain revenge against Virgil, and so she would not be satisfied with just hearing about it on the news. She wanted to be there, do something. And she still held her suspicions about Niji, and how merely a choice to be "Earth's protector" stopped her from being no more than just a heartless murderer. How she held no qualms about wiping a Shinigami off the face of the Earth, and Maria only did not receive that fate because of a once in a lifetime coincidence. " But it's been a while since then. I have had time to think, and consider my options," she continued. There wasn't any reason to delve into concerns regarding the Gotei 13's stance and whatnot. A conversation with Niji about it was not likely to be very productive either way. So, Maria stopped short of listing off her frustrations. From underneath her long cloak, she once again reached out with her arm, in a gesture similar to the end of their previous conversation. " Do you need any help?" |
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Player
Fullbringer
I have nothing to say.
Niji
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Post by Niji on Apr 28, 2023 23:33:42 GMT -5
Niji made a show of sighing as she hung up her phone, then let the the door close behind them. This close, Maria would notice that her reiatsu felt different than before, more wild and erratic, as if she didn’t have control over it. The woman was putting out a tremendous amount of energy, and maybe before her enhanced training sessions it would have brought her to her knees. Unlike the last time they had met, there was no emotion leaking into the waves of reiatsu, and she turned to regard Maria. When they had last met, Niji had worn her heart on her sleeve. Today, she wore a gentle smile that appeared genuine, assuming Maria had abandoned logic. She had her professional face on, and it was near impossible to tell what was going on behind that mask. Niji looked closer at the Shinigami in the well lit hallway; she had changed her appearance substantially. Enough that made it a little bit easier to separate from the woman she had considered a sister. The conflict remained in her mind, and the part that saw herself as an older sister to this woman won out. Using her as a sacrificial pawn was not acceptable. But she had to be cruel to be kind; send her away. She looked down at the extended hand, cocked her head slightly, then looked back at the Shinigami’s face without taking it. Her voice was kind and mildly questioning, ”I appreciate that you have had time to reconsider, Miss Tokareva, but why do you think your options with me have changed?”Hibano |
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GAME MASTER
Wandenreich - Soldat
Memories broken, the truth goes unspoken...
Hibano
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Post by Hibano on Apr 29, 2023 8:55:11 GMT -5
Maria Tokareva Location: Tokyo
Status: Alive Niji did not answer Maria's offered hand in kind, which, at this point, the Shinigami anticipated. She was colder than normal. Flashing a smile and speaking politely, of course, but Maria already knew that this did not preclude her from any other emotion. She knew how to hide them well, it seems. Unfortunately, it also meant that the Shinigami could not assess exactly how Niji felt about the offer. Was she, in any way, receptive to Maria's change of position, or was she merely putting on the usual show of politeness while searching for ways to drive the unwanted guest away? Maria lowered her hand and pushed it back behind her cloak. " I... don't know," she answered simply, and genuinely. Niji may or may not be faking her emotions, but at least Maria did not bother hiding them. " Well, I'm not going to charge headfirst at Virgil. If you're still plotting a plan that will require to stand back and wait before the coup de grace is activated, then I can live with that. It won't soothe my heart entirely, but I've waited for so long that I can wait some more." Briefly, she glanced away, then turned her eye back to Niji and finished: " If terms like these are what you want for you to accept me into your plan, then I can accept them." |
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Player
Fullbringer
I have nothing to say.
Niji
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Post by Niji on Apr 30, 2023 7:21:26 GMT -5
Hrm. If she had spent so long in the dangai that it had given time for the shopkeeper to change her mind against something she had been so stubborn about, then the two must have become quite close. Sadaharu Tendo had given her no particular cause to reassess him in the last year. Maria was now willing to wait, it must have meant the man had been lying about the shinigami plan, or the plan was going to take long enough that it could be summed up as “wait for natural causes.” Despite the lack of a golden nimbus around her, her reiatsu still flowed freely, wild and uncontrolled, as she regarded Maria. Her expression didn’t change, still remaining placid and pleasant, ”And if I would not accept you into any sort of plan? Perhaps the shopkeeper is not in league with them, but I do not trust your chosen mentor.”Niji glanced back towards the rest of the building, not waiting for a response before she continued, ”Either way, this is not a discussion I have time for right now. It is a very busy night for me. Come find me on Thursday; after I have had time to think about it.”Of course, by then it would be moot, one way or another, but Maria didn’t need to know that. Hibano |
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GAME MASTER
Wandenreich - Soldat
Memories broken, the truth goes unspoken...
Hibano
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Post by Hibano on May 1, 2023 11:51:38 GMT -5
Maria Tokareva Location: Tokyo
Status: Alive Same result. Niji still wasn't convinced - in fact, she immediately assumed that this had to be Tendo's doing. Maybe Maria wasn't the most agreeable or willing to compromise, but the paranoia that if she was here to turn a new leaf, it had to be because she was in cahoots or led by the shopkeeper was getting on her nerves. But she tried her best to keep her cool, merely showing a more dissatisfied frown. " If that's what is concerning you, I can assure you that I came here solely on my own accord," Maria answered. " He wasn't there, inside of the Dangai, while I was training to prepare myself for the fight. He didn't brainwash me, he's not controlling me, I can make my own decisions." Niji already wanted to leave, but Maria still thought she could pressure the Fullbringer a little bit more. Before she could say anything to stop her from walking away, however, Niji's phone would suddenly ring, a call coming from Morgan. Since he knew that his cousin was busy dealing with a Shinigami intervention, he chose to communicate from distance, and avoid any unnecessary reveals to someone who's currently still uninvolved in the plan. " Niji, we don't have much time. If I don't send the Lotus the message now, we might miss our opportunity. Can't you do something about her, quickly?" |
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Player
Fullbringer
I have nothing to say.
Niji
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Post by Niji on May 1, 2023 20:40:38 GMT -5
While she heard Maria’s objections she wasn’t convinced, and was about to respond when her phone rang, with Ikazuya’s number clearly coming up. It wasn’t her spiritual phone, naturally; all evidence that she was particularly aware of the spiritual world was nowhere to be found. The Fullbringer turned her back to Maria as she lifted the phone to her ear. If she didn’t get rid of the Shinigami right now, she might ruin everything, and get all of them killed in the process. They couldn’t pull this off another night, the venue, the timing, the construction. It was all set up specifically to happen tonight. She glanced over at the Shinigami, her voice was all business on the phone, ”Just ran into someone that I used to know. I will get back to the agenda momentarily, but we should proceed as planned.”As she pretended to hang up and lowered the phone to her side (actually putting the phone on speaker so her cousin could listen in) and turned back to Maria, her voice once again easily slipping into the calm and soothing voice, ”Miss Tokareva; I am on a strict timetable tonight, and I do not have time to debate this. We can discuss this on Thursday. Meet me at 10 PM JST, the same place we talked about this last time.”
Hibano |
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GAME MASTER
Wandenreich - Soldat
Memories broken, the truth goes unspoken...
Hibano
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Post by Hibano on May 2, 2023 14:49:21 GMT -5
Maria Tokareva Location: Tokyo
Status: Alive Before they left the street, Niji used her phone to pretend to be having a call, a way to not rouse suspicion - now, however, her phone actually rang, and she interrupted the conversation to answer. Briefly, but hinting at what was taking place. Maria was not entirely unaware to the other Reiatsu signatures who were running around here and there when she was writing the message for Niji. After the call concluded, the Fullbringer returned to the same demand - to meet later. On Thursday. Offering no assurances that she will actually change her mind on keeping Maria out of the fight. The most she could offer is "thinking about it", while keeping the Shinigami out of her hair for tonight. Maria did not answer at first, merely staring Niji in the eyes, with an emotionless expression. After a few seconds, she finally opened her mouth and spoke: " You are going to try to kill Virgil tonight." |
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Player
Fullbringer
I have nothing to say.
Niji
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Post by Niji on May 3, 2023 8:24:40 GMT -5
What was she pausing about, she had given the woman a time where they could discuss it further. She was stubborn, sure, but the woman knew she was in the middle of mortal business tonight, and…and then she spoke. Well, so much for getting the woman to leave, even if she had been wrong, which she wasn’t, now that the idea was in her head it would be impossible to banish her. ”Fuck.” came a male voice from the phone at her side. Well, that answered her question of if unmanifested spirits could actually be heard over mundane electronic devices, she supposed. The woman’s pleasant demeanor vanished, and with a voice of command she spoke to the open air, clearly addressing whoever she was talking to on the phone, ”This is why we remain flexible. Tell Vrykola to bring me the bracers; he will help you with your side of things instead.”Then she addressed Maria, her expression hardening even further, and her tone left no room for debate. ”Miss Tokareva, manifest and suppress your reiatsu. Fully. Now. I can not guarantee your safety tonight. But if they sense a Shinigami running around, it might spook them.”Hibano |
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GAME MASTER
Wandenreich - Soldat
Memories broken, the truth goes unspoken...
Hibano
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Post by Hibano on May 4, 2023 15:19:10 GMT -5
Maria Tokareva Location: Tokyo
Status: Alive After Maria's guessing statement, Niji completely shifted her stance. She really was about to kill Virgil. That's why she constantly kept dragging the conversation from any decisive statement and then offered to meet another time, her goal was to present a fait accompli and so get an annoying Shinigami out of her hair. But that was not going to be the case anymore. She'd feel sad about forcing Niji's hand like this, but one part of her mind knew that she deserved it, and another mind, the same one which guided her to a path towards her sister on instinct, guessed that she might need the help more than she thought. " Uh, right-"
It took a surprising amount of time for the Red Lotus to make a move on after Morgan's initial message - at least, from the perspective of Niji and Maria, who would be entirely clueless of everything that would or would not be taking place in the Fullbringer organization as they waited. After half an hour, however, a confirmation arrived from the swordsman. Using one of Niji's allies as bait to pretend that there was a second Fullbringer to follow, he managed to split Virgil away from the rest of the party, which meant that he was now heading towards their location. Maria was fitting the bracers on her wrists - the experience was... not the most comfortable, to feel not just suppressed, but entirely locked out of abilities which had basically become her life by now. " Thank god I won't have to get used to this..." she muttered under her breath. What she was told about these bracers, though... it was quite important, and that's why Maria chose to endure their suppression. " Alright, so do I wait for any signal from you, or...?" |
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