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Post by Eviscerate on Jun 8, 2009 21:45:02 GMT 1
Metal sang as two raven tinted figures blurred past one another, their instruments of death gripped tightly with iron vices. Expressions of intensity and fatigue lined their faces as they reached the fourth hour of their sparring, yet to the equally matched competitors, only the defeat of another would suffice in ending their prison. Several members of the eleventh division could be seen huddled around a small part of the training field they had called their own, though a few members of different divisions could be seen sporadically throughout the arena, hard at work to refine their skills.
He’s faster…
The inhabitants within the field were far from plentiful, yet the cheers from their comrades would make their presence known throughout the entire battlegrounds – such fervor over battle could only be mustered by the battle hardened warriors of the 11th division. Zou would remain a few feet away from his opponents, their zanpakutou still vibrating from the shocks each other’s steel incurred. Neither advanced due to exasperation, but in a few moments, Shunpo would reign supreme, and one would fall.
Defeat was in the air; it was only a matter of time.
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Post by Mao on Jun 8, 2009 22:57:59 GMT 1
While the Shinigami had considered over and over again the prospect of keeping the Hollow encounter to herself, she knew that holding back such vital information could result in unpleasant consequences. She’d expected a scolding at the very least, but surprisingly enough, her superiors had done nothing of the sort, instead thanking her for the details, and the completion of her assigned task. The youth still wasn’t sure what the salve did exactly – they hadn’t said – but judging by the dire need of Forget-Me-Not’s, it must have been an impressive brew. Though Mao had hoped for a small lapse in Shinigami tasks so that she could study, the completion of one task immediately threw her into another. Thankfully, it had nothing to do with herb gathering. Rather, a trip to the human world.
Unsure as she was about this assigned duty, she couldn’t exactly say ‘no.’ However, there was a reason for such thing. A recent Hollow attack – a rather nasty one at that – had left a few of their own terribly wounded and unable to return. For her safety however, and the safety of the wounded, they didn’t intend on sending her alone. She lacked in combat efficiency, thus, they assigned a partner to her that… pretty much knew nothing besides that. The female frowned, toying with a strand of ivory hair, sandaled feet slowly moving the petite frame forward. Members of the eleventh division typically made her nervous, perhaps due to the ever-present lust for combat they seemed to have. They were a tad too aggressive for her taste.
They’d told her they could find him in this area, doing what all members of that division did best: beating things up. Eachother in this case. A small gathering of various division members was spotted, some cheering as the sound of steel clashing rang from the center point. She was hoping that the search would be easy, but alas, things never worked out that way. It was a shame that not all members wore the appropriate division Kanji. Unless she wanted to interrupt the brawl – not a good idea for one so frail – she’d have to wait it out.
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Post by .devious on Jun 13, 2009 21:00:28 GMT 1
Due to special circumstances involving Eviscerate, Mao has the capability from this point onwards to exist in another thread beyond this one. This one may be picked up at any time, and may continue at whatever pace it needs to, without inhibiting Mao to this thread solely.
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Post by Eviscerate on Jun 16, 2009 23:48:40 GMT 1
The blade of a galvanized opponent came at the raven haired shinigami with daft ferocity, metal slicing rapidly through the air as it intended to leave the newest recruit of the 11th division headless. However, just when desperation seemed to forcedly settle into his frame and leave him a victim of one last strike, his speed prowess came through, one last Shunpo afforded in order for his body to escape imminent danger unscathed. While the opponent followed through with the motion and still tried to comprehend what happened, Zou would reappear to his behind, one arm grabbing at his striking hand, while the other held tightly to his neck in a severe lock. Within a few seconds, the defeated would cede with a tapping arm across the ground.
Finally…whose that!?
Victory began to overwhelm him in the form of many cheers, comrades from all divisions present and appreciative of their winner. He was still new to their circle, but in the small time spent mingling and exposing his skill, his name has already began to become commonplace. While enjoying the accolades would soon begin, the sight of a stranger couldn't help but gather his attention, if just for a moment. The girl midst the cheering males stuck out like a sore thumb, never mind the division identification worn on her as well. She didn’t seem like the fighting type, but intrigue nonetheless lined her expression. Did she want something? Zou wondered, but not too hard. Looking away, he’d trot over to grab a drink, and would let the woman do as she pleased.
He preferred…observation.
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Post by Mao on Jun 17, 2009 0:36:41 GMT 1
’Are they done…?’ It was a bit difficult for her to tell. Height wasn’t something she had on her side, leaving the medical Death God to stand on her toes and hope to catch a glimpse of the action. Further cheering arose from the surrounding group, leading herself to confirm that her assumption had been the correct one. Still finding difficulty seeing, she went so far as to hop a few times, trying to peer over the more physically fit individuals. She’d quickly grown frustrated, and with a light huff, Mao began to consider simply coming back at a later, less busy time. However, the crowd soon began to dwindle, and pulling out individual faces soon became much easier.
Too bad she still didn’t know who she was looking for.
A handful of shinigami had already left the scene. Knowing her luck, one of them was exactly the individual she needed. Fidgeting nervously, she finally managed to work up the confidence to at least ask around a small bit. Her first few queries had failed miserably, for the people she asked hadn’t even been part of the eleventh division. The third time proved to be the charm however, and after briefly explaining her situation to the shinigami, the well-muscles individual gave a casual nod to a retreating figure, saying that he was fairly sure that man was the one to be sent off with her. Her eyes followed the path his nod had created, and upon spotting him, her face paled.
He looked like he could snap her in half just by thinking about it. Though her knees shook beneath her hakama, etiquette didn’t let her leave the other shinigami’s side without bowing and giving her thanks. Taking a deep breath, she slowly followed the trail he’d gone, silently wondering what exactly she’d gotten herself into. He hadn’t ventured too far thankfully, more occupied with wetting his lips than getting himself off the grounds. Her voice was shaky and hardly existent, but she needed to ay something or risk being ignored completely. “U-um… excuse me….”
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Post by Eviscerate on Jun 17, 2009 2:25:12 GMT 1
Watching her closely from behind the raised cup would prove to be easy for the seasoned shinigami, having made ‘people watching’ a skill rated somewhat high in his opinion. She seemed to want to inquire about something, but her timid and over polite ways would be the ones responsible for her failure. Still, a kind soul existed amongst the ruffians to finally point her in the right direction, and when his last gulp of refreshing cold spirit water was enjoyed, he’d quickly take note he was the one she sought for. Though definitely not a sight for sore eyes, Zou had trained himself to be a lone wolf, preferring to work without help due to his extreme and unconventional methods. Slice first, ask questions later; her appearance screamed of the exact opposite.
“…what!?”
Cold and dry were his words, but thus was the defense mechanism of the brute. His marriage was with his sword and his sword alone, and anything else was trivial pursuit. As such, he’d commence a steady trot in the girl’s opposite direction, insinuating his presence lie elsewhere, and coincidentally, where more importance was attributed. She’d give her but a passing glance, and simply hummed upon waiting for her response. Then, he’d distract himself with thoughts of battle. What would he train next? A wry smile formed as a result of his pleased after thoughts, and for the moment, he got lost in his own transition…
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Post by Mao on Jun 17, 2009 2:41:08 GMT 1
Saying that she jumped at the harsh tone would be an understatement. She nearly shot out of her skin, but managed to hold enough composure to not yelp. A mental admonishing was quick to follow. She’d only be making things that much more difficult for herself if she kept this up. Her words needed to come out swiftly, and with clarity. Any more hesitance, and they may not come out at all… or she’d lose her target completely and be forced to trail him like a lost puppy until he paid attention to her. ’Get it together Mao…’ The male seemed to have quickly lost interest due to her unwillingness to reply that moment, and proceeded to move elsewhere.
It seemed to be just the motivation she needed. “I-I was recently assigned a mission from my Captain,” the female finally managed to spit out. “To be the backup in a recent dispatch to the real world... but they said the task alone was too much.” Talking was a bit easier, once she finally managed to get the words out. Her new problem lay in that she wasn’t entirely sure if the male was listening. His eyes seemed to have acquired that unusual fog one gets when their mind is in another place than their body is. “… So,” she continued, “they assigned an eleventh division member to work with me.”
Concerned that too much distance may be created between them for easy conversation, she followed. “Would… that happen to be you?”
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Post by Eviscerate on Jun 17, 2009 6:44:45 GMT 1
Her words would slowly be dispelled with increased confidence, allowing Zou to look past her ‘unsteady’ attitude for one moment in order to afford her a bit of honest attention. Being a member of the 11th division, he had long been indoctrinated in the way of the blade in battle, and the importance of it over everything else. Then again, his brawler mentality always seemed to leave him walking the path of the relentless fighter; perhaps he was doing Soul Society and the division a favor instead? It was an odd perspective, but he’d think little more of it, for her words suddenly piqued his interest.
“Probably…they seem to like calling on me to clean up their messes as of late. That includes whomever they hire on their little jobs that can’t seem to help themselves.”
“No offense, y’know – fun and games aside, we’re basically Seireitei’s most valued and underrated grunts. Wouldn’t you agree…doc?”
Although he had not been informed of any missions as he had just finished some himself recently and requested a short break, traveling to the real world was never an opportunity to be missed. He’d answer back in a casual tone, swagger ever-present as he tossed the cup in its bin. His challenge was by no means hateful, but instead a friendly barrier placed in order for the ronin to understand his newest employer. Her answers would give the shinigami a preview of what was to come, and how much trouble to expect in the real world.
It didn’t matter anyway – he was dying to try some fast food!
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Post by Mao on Jun 17, 2009 9:58:06 GMT 1
’Messes?’ If she’d had a temper worth writing home about, signs of agitation may have been much more obvious upon the porcelain features. Mao, however, managed to take the words with a grain of salt, and all that displayed itself was a small frown. If anyone was doing any kind of clean-up duty, it was her division patching up the evidence of another’s sloppy work. Ironically enough, it wasn’t uncommon to have multiple members of the Eleventh Division in the medical establishment, hospitalized due to recklessness on the field. But, she’d held her tongue, lest she create any unneeded tension.
A soft hum came from the female, eyes temporarily shifting away. Was that a trick question? “Well,” she began, pausing at just the right moment for the cup to clatter about in its new holding place, “Underrated isn’t a word I would use... after all, most of you do live up to the divisions expectations – quite well, I might add… which is probably why you continue to be entrusted with certain tasks.” For a moment, the girl was silent. Her expression soon shifted into an awkward and blatantly uncomfortable smile. “Intimidation may have to do with lack of recognition.”
She cleared her throat, placing her vision on the other once more. Perhaps he wasn’t as aggressive as she’d first assumed, but he still made her dreadfully nervous. With a small bow, introductions followed. After all, it would be odd working with someone and having nothing to refer to them as. “Jinku Mao. I look forward to working with you.”
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Post by Eviscerate on Jun 17, 2009 15:40:05 GMT 1
Her opinions were…different, but she seemed to make sense. Memories of just last week were filled with arduous combat, a fight against a training Hollow resulting in several of his comrades finding a lengthy stay within the fourth’s medical center. While he was fortunate enough to avoid any real damage to his spirit self, he could vividly remember the environment, including the gossiping division members enjoying a good laugh at the ‘meat heads from 11th’ always finding a bed within. His head shook as the memory ended, and while spitting a poison laced retort would seem like a favorable response, he'd be armed with no such wit. The best he could do was sigh and follow along; thus was the curse of the grunt.
“Zoumotsu…though my friends call me ‘Eviscerate’ – I’ll let your medical expertise figure out why.”
“…what kind of shit are you planning on getting me into, hm?”
Though he’d appear to give her a hard time, the girl’s tactful response had long tamed the wild horse and prevented it from storming off without a master to ride it. Zou was a tool of war indeed, but as wild and powerful as he was, a lack of steering would leave him to struggle aimlessly forever. In this case, it appeared his direction would be sourced through this stranger girl. His upper lip lifted as he emitted an expression of disgust and annoyance, but as she continued her timid dossier, he would undoubtedly listen.
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Post by Mao on Jun 17, 2009 22:01:19 GMT 1
Nicknames were good and well, but given the two options, she was fairly sure she’d just call him by his name. Besides, the other option wasn’t really a term she enjoyed using when referring to a person. The medic would have been all too happy to continue with small pleasantries, but the other seemed to be the ‘strictly business’ type, jumping right to their assigned mission, even if his request for information was a bit on the vulgar side. On the bright side, it was good to know that he was willing to work with her. “I can’t say exactly what’s waiting for us over there,” Her posture straightened, though the hair upon her head wished to do everything in its power to hinder her vision. With the quick swipe of her hand, the problem was no more. “Or even if there is anything still there.”
That probably wasn’t the best way to introduce the mission, but it was the truth. “They told me that there was some sort of Hollow attack recently. They’d sent a group to take care of the thing, but it was either much stronger than expected, or there was more than one.” A hand was waved in the air, pushing the ‘this or that’ issue aside to be discussed later. “Whichever it is, the group that was assigned has yet to return. It’s possible that the reason for this is that they can’t due to a lack of reiatsu to transport them.” It was also possible, she supposed, that the Hollow had gotten the better of them, and that the dispatched Shinigami now resided within the beasts stomach… but that was a possibility she’d rather not think too hard on.
“But,” she continued, “if they didn’t manage to get rid of the threat, sending a lone member of the fourth division to patch them up may just cause the Hollows to come wandering back, and then there’d be more casualties. Thus, the eleventh division was requested as well.” Mao shrugged. Hopefully what little information she knew was enough to keep him interested.
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Post by Eviscerate on Jun 18, 2009 1:33:22 GMT 1
By now he had lead the girl down the exit path from the training grounds, leaving the cheering fanfare to bounce off the walls and create a small, fainting chorus; soon, it was all fading out. Their words resounded along the halls, and for a moment in the corridor, a small absence of light would shrouded the duo in a deep darkness. Zoumotsu relished such moments; would the girl as well? His creeping eye showed nothing, and when shafts of bright light turned their path friendly once more, he’d resume with his act, a straight face and a grimace worn as they strode down. For effect, his hand would be left over his scabbard, and his fingers patted the hilt.
“If YOURE going in, then they definitely think those troops are dead.”
“…and since I’m going in after you, then its DEFINITELY a problem to them!”
An onnoxious snort followed, and soon, Zou’s aggressive and uncaring persona surfaced and came to light. The act had gone on as planned, though the brute wondered why he always had to keep away the kind ones. Oh well; he came from a generation of grunting barbarians, so he’d live out his young days as the best one around. Their walk would reach the end of the path, before a few choices as to where to travel were presented in the form of small, colorful signs. Zou’s towering crimson self pauses in the middle of the walk way, using his heel to pivot as he quickly turned around towards the girl for a swift inquisition.
“You…are you ready?”
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Post by Mao on Jun 18, 2009 2:52:41 GMT 1
With the briefing complete, she simply followed in silence. The group that remained on the field was much noisier than she first thought they were, the sounds of their hooting and hollering still audible as they walked further along. It sounded... almost as if they were following them. Made curious by the queer possibility, Mao glanced over her shoulder. While it should have been obvious that no crowd would be trailing them down the darkening corridor, she found an odd sense of relief in the empty space. Bringing her field of vision back to the front only resulted in temporary blindness, the veil of ebony in the unlit hall suddenly becoming too thick for her eyes to pierce.
There was plenty of peace to be found in darkness, but she preferred it in more familiar areas. The designated training grounds didn’t happen to be a place she visited on a day to day basis. Thus, she was quite thrilled when light found its way inside once again. However, she wasn’t nearly as exuberant over the cold tone once more present in the others voice. “You don’t know that,” She retorted, her words holding their own bit of stern enforcement. “Have a bit of faith…” Yes, the thought had crossed her mind only minutes ago, but for a whole party of trained Shinigami to be slain just seemed… unlikely to her.
As he came to a stop, she did a few feet back. She’d expected to follow him around a bit longer, thus, when he suddenly turned, the smaller of the two staggered back a small bit. The medic frowned at such an impersonal ‘nickname,’ but didn’t allow it to sit and fester in her mind. There wasn’t a ton of preparation to be done, thus, only one answer was appropriate. “Yes.”
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Post by Eviscerate on Jun 19, 2009 18:41:32 GMT 1
OOC: Crap, but it moves the plot I guess...
Intriguing indeed would be her response, though as much as he prepared a witty retort, he knew all too well there was a fraction of truth in her words. After all, if it indeed was as bad as he pretended it to be, then why would they send a mere medic and a twentieth seat member? Holding himself in high esteem was an activity the shinigami often indulged in, but his poor past and select few gems of experience which had him spitting blood when he grew too rich for himself intervened and brought him back to reality. His combat prowess was called impressive by many, and many more fell by his blade – but there were so many like him, and so many whose sandals could overshadow Zoumotsu just as well as he liked to step on any unsuspecting opponents. It was a vicious cycle in the end, and unfortunately, he barely started the game on the shit end.
Pretty much ready then…
A low hum and a grumble followed. This time his equipment would be double checked for truth, not show, prompting the shinigami to temporarily turn his back to the girl. His zanpakutou would be unsheathed and swung a few times, and once murderous metal returned to its prison, he’d move on to his spiritual equipment. The most important of them all would be his communicator, which had been damaged heavily during his last stint in the real world. A rather colossal hollow thought it funny to smash his head between its oversized hands, and although Zou’s reiatsu kept him from being completely flattened, some of his items didn’t share the same, half fortunate fate. Despite its recent history, clear channels and some radio chatter confirmed the item worked properly. It was now time to go.
“Lead the way, doc…"
Exit!
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Post by Mao on Jun 21, 2009 11:22:40 GMT 1
[Short >:]Another lapse in conversation left the medic staring awkwardly for a moment, until her vision finally decided something on the far wall was a bit more interesting than this hovering silence. Part of her had been expecting another poorly thought out comment, but it never came. Instead, Zoumotsu had decided to speak his … mind? … through incoherent, neanderthalic grumbles. A passing mental image portrayed the more experienced warrior slamming his fists against his chest and hooting. She’d only been seconds away from bursting out in a fit of hysterical laughter, but a sharp bite to her bottom lip successfully suppressed the outburst. She cleared her throat, pretending nothing was out of the norm, and occupying herself for a brief moment by toying with her right sleeve. It took a moment for the medic to register that she’d been spoken too, and after staring blankly for three or four seconds, Mao spoke. “What; you don’t know how to get there?” She spoke in jest, though she truthfully was a bit surprised that he hadn’t tried to take charge and lead her around. Perhaps his refusal to call her by her name had something to do with that view. Humming and tapping her toes against the hardened ground, she dismissed the thought without a word, walking past her partner and towards the departure point. Getting to the otherworld was easy. Finding the people they needed was the hard part. {Exit.}
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