Anuality

Posts : 111 Join date : 2012-11-28 Age : 35

** Special Note **
While this thread is open, and anyone may join it, I wish for the events that take place in the following post be completed before people interact with Genpaku. That's all!

The cloak of darkness that the deep hours of night give have been used for many purposes. To conceal nefarious or harmful deeds. To shelter lover's kisses and embraces. For quiet introspection, heated moments of passion, and countless other things. Most commonly though, it was used for sleep. That was what much of Seireitei was doing at this late hour; recuperating with hours of work or play in preparation for the day yet to come. There were those who were awake as well; customary guards posted around Seireitei to watch for anything strange. Hollow attacks, while rare, were not unheard of in Seireitei. Even stranger events had happened in the past.

One such individual, however, was not awake for any of the previously noted reasons. One could make the argument that he was up to something strange however; it isn't often the commanding officer in a military-style organization was planning on sneaking out of his own base after all. Genpaku Arishima finished checking the last of the reports he had been asked to check; nothing had caught his attention to greatly. He had finished right on time; he looked out over the quiet of Seireitei for a few moments before he stood up. He had gone through the trouble of installing actual lights in many area's of Seireitei, but in his own office it was still candles. Mostly, this was done to honor the Captain Commanders that had come before him who would have seen such an act as insulting at worst. He blew out each candle, bringing the office into darkness.

He gently removed the white haiori from his back, taking it over to his desk and folding it neatly. He'd stop back by on his way back to reclaim it he figured; no need to keep the white flashing garment on when he was trying to attract less attention. He just would make sure to steer clear of where Captain Kuchiki should be at this hour; no need for another lecture. Besides, the captain of the Sixth Division would probably see the errand Genpaku was about to undertake as reckless at best. That wasn't going to stop the young silver-haired Shinigami this time, however. Some things one must do regardless of how safe or reckless they were. He was at least moderately sure no one would come looking for him in his darkened office; he didn't make it a point to stay here when the lights weren't on with exception only on nights with full or new moons. A thin crescent moon hung in the sky on this night. He made sure to grab a specific thing.

With no further waiting Genpaku walked out to the balcony and vanished with a flash step. He all but silently glided over Seireitei, his steps quicker than almost any could follow that would be out at this hour. He had timed things well as he slowed at his first destination; the Senkaimon. The only “major” way in or out of Seireitei was heavily monitored typically, and only opened by the Kidō Corps. For the Captain Commander it would be no problem to simply tell them to open it, but that may well lead to questions. Questions that Genpaku didn't feel like answering. So instead, he would sneak out. The Senkaimon lit up as a patrol that had been out in the human world returned. He took another step, and vanished into the white light of the gate.

Minus a Hell Butterfly, Genpaku was shoved into the Dangai, which he had expected. The Cleaner, as it was, wouldn't be along for a few more days. That said, Genpaku wasted no time in loitering and vanished down the long tunnel. He emerged in short order in the Human world, which was his destination. He made a point to, once again, get a Senkaimon placed in his home (since technically he qualified as the last of a noble family and all) to avoid having to take these longer excursions and work arounds. He checked his bearings and headed off. So where was the Captain Commander headed that required all this secrecy and subterfuge?

First, Genpaku activated his Gigai once he had reached the area near where he needed to be. Several days before he had ventured into the human world to make a short patrol of his own, and during that time he had withdrawn a small amount of money he had stored in a bank over the years. Why would a spirit need money for the human world? Was that even legal by Soul Society law? Well, there were no laws specifically AGAINST it persay. It was just strange. The reason he needed it was simple, however; Genpaku needed to buy flowers. There was a small shop that had stayed open (a request made on the previous patrol as well) where he picked up the flowers and paid. He also picked up three things of incense. Then Gepaku left for the real destination.

A graveyard.

He didn't bother with going through the main gate. He simply shunpo'd past the gates and through the maze of graves that had grown up and around what he was familiar with. Genpaku had watched the graves grow outward, like some kind of strange plant, for year. Decades really. He came to a stop before the three that concerned him; those marked with the name 'Arishima'. There were four graves here, but Genpaku only brought flower and incense for three; it's probably not hard to figure out which grave was left out.

He laid the offerings before the graves of his mother, father, and brother. Even at the height of power in Seireitei, Genpaku had been unable to find any of them. They probably wouldn't have known him even if he had managed to; most souls didn't seem to keep many of their memories when they first arrived, let alone retain them past the first decade. It was possible his mother and father were still hollows somewhere as well; a thought Genpaku didn't think of much or at this time. Now, he simply said a small prayer into the silence of the cool night air. Genpaku didn't know it, but he had become a myth at this graveyard; even before ghosts were awknowledged as a true things the graveyard keepers and watchmen had told stories of a young silver-haired man who would come and honor those three graves. Its not hard to wonder why; Genpaku had done this almost every year since his death. He told no one about it though. It was his.

Subject: Re: Anuality Fri Apr 11, 2014 5:13 pm

The night should have been over for Kaminari. She just dropped Captain Koenig off at home and was making her way back to her place. The night had fallen a few hours ago, the Seireitei was lit up, and Kaminari was still slightly under the effects of alcohol. It wasn't too bad, thank god. If she had been a little more liquored up, she might not have caught him. It wasn't strange to see people out at night; they took walks, hung out, relaxed, or anything to unwind from a busy day. But something about this was different enough to cause Kaminari a bit of concern. At first it was just a minor sensation, familiar and coming closer. She stopped in the middle of one of the many paths in the Seireitei and looked in the direction she felt the familiarity coming from. It didn't take long for it to arrive, well, pass her up. "What the hell is he doing?" she thought as she recognized the passing figure as her friend and superior, Captain Commander Genpaku Arishima. It was needless to say that the Captain's curiosity was peaked. He was sneaking around, she could tell that much, but why?

It would be extremely rude to follow her Captain Commander, right? It was his business, not her own, right? Yes, it was his business. She would not follow her Captain Commander as he was sneaking suspiciously through the Gotei at such late hours. She will, however, follow her friend Genpaku through the Seireitei to keep him out of trouble. Yes, that was her decision and logical reasoning behind it. It took only a few moments for her to come to the decision and she began her pursuit. As she followed, she noticed the opening of a Senkaimon and became increasingly confused. Watching him move through and doing her best to keep herself hidden behind him, Kaminari hurried through the Senkaimon only a few seconds after him so it would not close before she got there. She too went through without a hell butterfly and entered the Dangai. She was unaware of the Cleaner's schedule and it wasn't exactly what was on her mind at the moment, she she didn't even think about it. Instead, Kaminari continued her pursuit until she reached the other side.

"What the hell could he be doing here?" she thought and looked around at the World Of The Living. It took only a few moments to assess his current position and her pursuit continued. Shockingly, she followed him to a florist. How he had money to pay for flowers in the human world was beyond her. Even more odd, what did he need them for? Kaminari's curiosity was peaked more, but she waited patiently for him to exit the shop. Once he did, Kaminari once again continued her following; though stalking could also be a perfect way to describe what was happening here. It wasn't long for them to come to a graveyard. "Wait, what?" Kaminari was thoroughly confused. She followed him as he moved along the tombstones and passed grave after grave until he finally stopped. From her current position, a well hidden place in a thick tree a few yards away, Kaminari could not see the names on the graves. She watched him silently, narrowing her eyes in wonder at what he was doing. He lit incense, placed flowers, and said a prayer. There was a part of her that wanted to move forward and ask, but the thought of interrupting him like that bothered her.

She waited for a bit, wanting to give him some time to get through what he was doing. If she wasn't under the minor influences of alcohol, Kaminari might not have moved forward. She would have turned away, stayed silent, and went back to the Seireitei like a good girl, but no. That wasn't happening here. She was going to figure this out, so instead, Kaminari shunpo'd up to ten feet behind him and stood there silently for a moment. "You know... It's a little odd for someone like yourself..." she spoke up softly and stepped forward a couple times, "... to sneak off to this place." Kaminari stopped before she could get close enough to automatically read the graves. This was a secret he'd been keeping, she could tell that much. She had already violated his trust by following him, at least that's how she saw it. She wasn't going to get any further into his business, at least she wouldn't if she weren't semi-drunk. "Did you know them?" she asked in a gentle manner. It could have been a touchy subject and she didn't want to pick at something that would anger him. She knew he'd just tell her to stop asking if it were bad, though her curiosity did have her on "I wanna know" mode.

Subject: Re: Anuality Fri Apr 18, 2014 7:52 pm

People didn't seem to be aware of it, but it was almost completely and totally impossible to just sneak through the Senkaimon, even when it didn't seem that there was anyone watching it. A frustrated sigh and a lightly-manicured finger tapping the temple of a pair of glasses gave away identity, but it was the face that appeared in the mirror that showed who it truly was--the Commander of the Kidō Corps, and the Keeper of the Senkaimon--Solas Foiche. She let out another sigh, watching the screen with a slightly-tired, yet less-tired-than-most eye. It was annoying, to say the least. She had more energy in stock than most people, and didn't tire as easily because of it. However, it also meant that she had pretty much nothing to do on these long, boring nights. So she was always stuck on guard duty. Not that she minded too much, because occasionally nights like this one occurred. She recognized the opening of the Senkaimon as the return of a patrol--"Fifteen minutes late, too."--but then realized that something was off. Not only had a group of Shinigami entered, but something else had left. No, not something. Somethings. She bit her bottom lip, reading both signatures as minimum of Captain-level Shinigami. That was bothersome--why would two Captains need to leave in secret? While trysts were unheard of, it was less suspicious for them to simply say that they had business in the human world.

And then, it hit her. One of the signatures wasn't just Captain level. No, that was the Captain-Commander himself. She bit her lip harder, before taking a look at the date on Earth. Oh. It was that time. She got up from her seat, and pondered taking a trip to the selfsame location. She didn't know what he was doing. Even she wasn't that close to him. All she knew was that every Earth year, around this time, Genpaku almost started to seem pensive. And then, on this date, he'd disappear. She'd never questioned it, out of respect for his privacy. However, he'd been followed. She could almost guarantee it. The time difference between the two was too great for it to be people travelling together, even with Shunpo. She laughed softly and shook her head. "Looks like I need to catch up with an old friend, hmmm?" She contemplated letting someone know that she was leaving, but decided against it. If there was anyone who could get through the Senkaimon with little trouble, it was the woman who ran the fucking thing. She checked her clothing, pulled on a warm cloak and left the Kidō Corps Headquarters (location unknown) with a 'hup'.

It didn't take her very long to reach the Senkaimon, even with her stupidly-weak Shunpo. The Dangai would be easy to traverse, and she'd need to traverse it to be able to track Genpaku. Opening a new pathway through would most likely ruin the traces she already had--and she needed the best possible route to get there. Opening the door to the Dangai with a quick flick of the wrist, she stepped through and started at a sprint. She knew that the Cleaner wouldn't be around any time soon, but there was still the time dilation effect that would mess her up. If she dawdled for too long, she'd had long-missed Genpaku. The occasional Shunpo here or there managed to save her some time, and she effortlessly bounded through a Senkaimon into a house that she'd never thought to see... and onto her ass. Groaning as she got to her feet, she slowly looked around for signs of life, but noticed none. It wasn't that cold, so she ditched the coat with an easy Kidō, wandering out into the street and peering into the distance. She noticed a familiar figure, but didn't immediately chase after it. There was another figure behind it, following its movements down the street. Another Captain, maybe? Who were they, though? She didn't really have the chance to associate with other Divisions and their Captaincy (due to the secrecy of the Kidō Corps), so this was certainly a new experience to her. She began to tail, keeping her Reiatsu down and making her movements deliberate. She kept them both in her line of sight, but only barely.

Their path eventually took them to what seemed to be a graveyard, and Solas' heart dropped. You didn't need to be an expert to figure out why someone would disappear annually, pick up tribute goods and go to some place like this. Not at all. She breathed out, gathered up her courage and followed the follower into the graveyard, until they eventually reached a series of headstones. Even at the distance she was, there was enough light for Solas to make out the 'Arishima' on the stones. The first three names were ones that she didn't recognize, but as she moved around, the fourth made her stop in her tracks. And then, the follower spoke.

"Did you know them?" Solas' body relaxed a little. This presence wasn't malicious. In fact, it seemed slightly inebriated--she noticed a certain slowness to the words that wouldn't be present without either alcohol or a bit of mental inability. She doubted the latter was true, for obvious reasons. Instead, she adjusted her glasses and decided to continue watching the exchange without revealing herself. Her energy was as suppressed as it could possibly be (which wasn't an amazing amount, due to her overabundance of energy in the first place), but there could still be something that would notice the trio of Captain-level energy and potentially attempt to take them on. She bit her bottom lip as she watched, keeping her senses extended in an attempt to watch for anything.. less than savory. She wasn't necessary right now. She could wait.

Posts : 111 Join date : 2012-11-28 Age : 35

Genpaku had just finished his prayer when Kaminari spoke up; he twitched. He'd been startled by people before, others who decided to visit their family in the dark of the night or by the occasional guard. Once he'd even startled a person that may have been a graverobber. However, he recognized the voice; he'd been followed. He mentally kicked himself; he'd been so preoccupied that he had even noticed someone following him all the way from Seireitei. He'd have been an easy target if anything malicious had come bounding along, as far as he was concerned.

He simply shrugged at her first statement; there was a slight slur in her words. Had Kaminari been off drinking? Normally she was more perceptive than this, so he supposed it was likely.
"Did you know them?"
“Yeah,” he said into the night air. His voice wasn't angry, which is what most would probably expect. It wouldn't have been complete unwarranted either; he worked hard to keep this trip more or less a secret, and he had been followed in secret. Yet, he just wasn't.
“They were my family. Father, mother, and brother,” he said, pointing at the respective graves as he spoke.
"What happened?"

He didn't bother to turn around; he simply let the question hang in the air. Had he really never discussed it with her? No, he supposed he hadn't. He didn't discuss this particular event with anyone really. At first, it had been because he was still hung up on it (which isn't to say that he wasn't still, albeit in a different way). Only a handful of Shinigami knew Genpaku's origins at this point he supposed. He let the silence hang around them for maybe half a dozen seconds before he turned and looked at Kaminari in the night light. His face didn't give away much, but his eyes always did. in them rolled a hundred emotions. Then he looked away, out over the graveyard as he reached out with his senses. If he had been followed by one person, it was possible he had been followed by more than one. Sure enough he hit upon another energy signature, another familiar power. It seemed as though he had been worse at sneaking out than he had originally thought; definitely needed to get his own Senkaimon.

“Solas, come on out. I'm sure you'd like to solve this mystery finally,” Genpaku called out as he turned and walked several steps down the line of graves; there may have been a hint of gruffness in his voice. He stopped in front of his own and looked at it a moment before he hoped up and took a seat on it. This may have been disrespectful to the dead, but he supposed he could forgive himself in this case. He took the time while the two moved over towards him to gather his thoughts. As it was stated, he didn't tell this story often. How does one go about telling the story of their own demise? More importantly, how do you tell the tale of your family's death? You begin at the beginning, Genpaku supposed.

“Back in 1888, I was still alive; a boy still at that. This one night, I was heading home late. It was dark, it was foggy, and I was in a rush to get home. I didn't know anything then; not about who I am or where my family came from. My dad probably didn't either. More's the pity. I make it to my house, and I get this sudden chill down my spine. My instincts screamed at me, told me to run. But this was my home, and I didn't know better. So I went inside. To my immense surprise, my family was still awake. Mom was in the kitchen, doing something. Dad was nowhere to be seen, which was good. I expected them both to be mad at me for getting home late. Instead, my mom was perfectly happy, and sent me up the stairs to talk to my dad. I expected to get in trouble then; but I didn't. He told me we were going on an outing the next day. That didn't make sense. Slowly, a bunch of things didn't make sense. Don't get me wrong; my dad never really got angry, per say. He tried very hard to control his temper; he tried to be a pacifist. But I saw anger flash across his face when I didn't head off to bed right away. Then I saw something else behind him; a blur of some kind.” Genpaku stopped and took a breath. Images flashed in his mind; you would think that they were painful ones. They weren't though, not these memories. Genpaku had grappled with the memories from the day of his death a million time; what had once been jagged rocks had now been worn into smooth river stones by years of handling. That said, they still had weight to them.

“I'm sure you can probably figure out what it was. A Hollow; it took its chance and took a shot at me. It missed, that time. Turned out the thing had been stalking me for some time; my guess is about a week. It set a trap in my own home, murdered my family, and used their bodies like puppets. It put up some illusions to make everything seem normal. When it took its shot, that all faded away...my family was gone. I tried to run, because what else could I do. I didn't get far before the thing tripped me up. Then it proceeded to kill me, slowly.”
He reached up and touched his left shoulder, an unconscious habit.
“I still have the scars from that, strangely enough. Not on the faux body...it probably says something about me that wounds I sustained on my living body left wounds on my soul. The Hollow had these big scythe-like appendages. It stabbed me a lot; called it 'seasoning'. I should have died there; truly died. Been made into a Hollow myself. But I was saved. A Shinigami arrived in time to stop it from eating me; I got thrown away as the Hollow engaged in combat. Slowly, I died there in that alley. Just like my family.”

I was angry. So angry that I couldn't do anything about any of this. And someone heard that; someone spoke to me. Raiden. It'd take me so long to learn that name; my Zanpaku-tou spirit spoke to me, asked if I was content to die like that. He gave me a chance then; he unlocked one of my sets of Shinigami power. I died there alright, but I woke up a Shinigami. Raiden explained the basics to me in that short time; the creature was a Hollow. It ate souls. To kill it, you broke its mask. You slew it with a Zanpaku-tou, a sword. Really, in my anger, that was all I needed. I came to, and I killed the thing. I slew it in a flurry of anger and new-found power. Then I ran. I ran from the Shinigami. I ran away from the house, from my death.”

I cried that first night. I was lost for days after that, in a daze of mourning. Raiden showed up again, but I wasn't ready to hear his words let alone his name. I attended my own funeral, which was strange. It was good though; it helped me decide something. I decided that I wouldn't go to the Soul Society; not yet. I wouldn't go anywhere; before I did, I would kill a thousand of these beasts, these monsters that had taken my family and my life from me.”

I did too. It took me time, but I did it. The last several I did under the gaze of Captain Ukitake, who had found me and 'captured me' as it were. After that, I was brought to Seireitei.”

Genpaku's eyes had become unfocused throughout the course of the story, as he remembered. There were a thousand details he left out; things that were important to him and only him. He closed his eyes, and took a breath. When next he opened his eyes they were clear again, focused. He looked back at his two friends.
“Once I was able to start going out on missions and such, I made it a point get back here every year. Sometimes it would come during patrols, sometimes I'd have to request access for some made up reason. It....just feels like the right thing to do."

Subject: Re: Anuality Mon May 26, 2014 10:05 pm

Note: Sorry for how short the post is. I was completely stuck on it.

Solas, you fucking cock blocker, or whatever the female version of that actually is. Kaminari had no idea who Solas actually was. Before now, they had never met. She only heard minor rumors about her, but nothing significant. As Genpaku turned his attention outward, so did Kaminari. She too picked up on a Shinigami's energy, but it was completely unfamiliar to her. She waited as Genpaku called out to the person hiding in the shadows and watched for them when/if they appeared. The woman that appeared was not what Kaminari was expecting. She expected some hard-ass like Soi Fong, but instead got a woman who looked like she's way too into her work at the library. In fact, she was kind of scary. And if this was the Solas that Kaminari heard about, she wasn't something to be shoved off, unfortunately. Kaminari was finally going to get a few answers out of Genpaku and someone else had to show up and ruin the entire thing. Now she she was going to have to share the information with this freaky librarian lady. How disappointing.

When she came out, Kaminari would say nothing to her unless she was spoke to first. She was more interested in what Genpaku had to say anyway. She turned her attention back toward him as he began to speak of his family. As he started, she almost regretted asking him. This was his story, a secret he had kept for a long time for a reason and she just pried into it in a very disrespectful way. She turned her head away, listening to him, but not without the instant guilt. She too had her own secret that she always kept to herself. No matter the people who asked, she'd sooner blow a Kidō up in their face than tell them her story, so why was she listening to this? It was simple really: she was curious, she liked him, and she wasn't in the right state of mind. Yay alcohol! “It set a trap in my own home, murdered my family, and used their bodies like puppets.” Okay, no more yay. That hit home a lot more than either of them would be able to tell. Years of practicing the ability to keep shit to herself was paying off, even if she was a little drunk at the time.

What the hell was Kaminari supposed to say about this?! She was hearing one hell of a heart breaking story from someone she cared for, but had no idea how to react. She wanted to comfort, but that just felt unprofessional and a little awkward with the scary librarian right there. Sure, she would have done it if Solas hadn't shown up, but now she felt like she had a reputation to keep up. At that, she felt the usual ways of comforting were a little overdone. “I could give the cliché 'oh, I'm so sorry' speech, but I doubt that'd help anything.” Kaminari crossed her arms along her chest and glanced away. She felt like a bitch saying that, even if her tone of voice practically screamed that she felt bad for what happened to him. “It is nice that you honor their memory and love by returning here every year.” she told him. Kaminari stepped over to the graves and read each of them. She stayed silent after that, mentally speaking her own prayer out of respect. Though she'd never admit it, she muttered a quick thank you to them. What do you expect? She admires their son.

Subject: Re: Anuality Mon May 26, 2014 11:25 pm

Well, it looked like she wasn't completely out of the sight of any people here, was she? “Solas, come on out. I'm sure you'd like to solve this mystery finally,” A slight pout crossed her lips, and she stepped out of the shadows with a soft sigh, placing her hands on her hips. "I'm sure there's no real mystery here." Her voice was cool and contained, but her mind and heart were anything but. She was worried about having being caught. She was scared that Genpaku was going to be angry. She was a little iffy about the woman she now recognized as Kaminari--in fact, that was a good idea. "Ah, Captain Hatakeyama. To think I was worried~" She giggled, gave her a knowing wink and then turned her attention back to Genpaku. The wink was just a teasing thing on her part--though she did most certainly find Kaminari attractive. If she weren't taken? Maybe, maybe.

And then the story began. Solas wasn't sure how she felt, listening to his tale with held breath and a worried expression. She knew that he'd gone through strife before he'd died--anyone who had gone through something similar would see it--but she didn't realize that it was this bad. She swallowed back her own cockiness and pride for a few moments to listen to him, watching with eyes that were already beginning to brim over with tears at the thought. She reached up and adjusted her glasses on her face, pushing them up the bridge of her nose and sighing quietly. "...huh. More alike than I'd thought." She tapped the temple of her glasses and then put her hand back on her hip. She'd wait until he finished his story, and then would allow Kaminari to speak first--it was only fair, since Kaminari was the first to appear. “I could give the cliché 'oh, I'm so sorry' speech, but I doubt that'd help anything. It is nice that you honor their memory and love by returning here every year.” She smiled softly, finally stepping into the light and fully revealing her features.

"I... didn't know that. Even though I call you my best friend; I really didn't know any of that," she laughed dryly, "But I understand why I didn't, so it's okay. You don't know my story either; but maybe I'll tell you one of these days." She turned her dry laugh into a soft giggle, before turning to Kaminari and giving her what she felt was her kindest smile--though that smile could also remind one of a certain braided Captain at times, "Captain Hatakeyama--is it okay if I call you Kaminari? I don't think it's fair that I know who you are, when you seem to have no idea who I am. I am Solas Foiche, Grand Kidō Chief--ergo: the Commander of the Kidō Corps. I've known that one," she motioned her head in Genpaku's direction, "Since our first week in the Academy, so you could say I know him pretty well. Gave him his first taste of defeat, too~!" She winked and turned back to Gen, letting him control the story. This was his tale to tell, after all.

Subject: Re: Anuality Tue May 27, 2014 12:27 am

"So you're the reason Ukitake was out so much all those years ago. I had grown curious about that." A voice came from behind a row of gravestones, beyond what either three could see. If he hadn't taught two of them, they might just have picked up on him. But this voice was doing everything he can to stay hidden in the shadows of an old graveyard. He had no intentions of being in the shadows forever. He had no intentions of silently listening to their conversations—such an act is simply rude. Neither did he have intentions of listening and then darting away. But most importantly, he had no intentions of even being here among them.

To understand why he got here, we need to rewind. He had only been back in the World of the Living a few hours. The time difference between his home and Japan of all places was about ten hours. This meant that essentially, it was night in one of them and day in the other. He had forgotten why he had chosen Japan of all places. Ah, that's right. The swords of Masamune, Muramasa, and the like were going to be in an exhibit this week. Being a connoisseur old enough to know some of the swordsmiths whose names were being used as advertising, he had to go. He wanted to see exactly what people thought of the men they didn't know. Not that he knew any of them.

The problem was, no matter how strong this man was or how smart he was... he always seemed to be a little off when transferring from one dimension to the next. Even if he had used a Senkaimon (not that it's possible nowadays), he would have still been off-target. This could be by just a mile or two or by entire continents. Thankfully, it only happens when going somewhere other than home. Somehow, he always knew how to correct for getting home. But this was not home. He had found himself outside of the city of Karakura, a place he really didn't care for. Sure, the city had its charms, but every step in that place only reminded him of how many valiant Shinigami had given their lives for this... nearly a century ago. It was a bleak reminder, especially for someone who was there.

But he had to tread through the memories just like he was treading through the underbrush in the forest. Because this area wasn't one he frequented, he wouldn't be able to Shunpo out. He might just wind up slamming into a tree he didn't notice. He'd have to wait until he could get to open ground. As not to alert the patrolling Shinigami of his presence—as doing such to people that wouldn't remember him would just cause problems—he was concentrating hard on not letting a single bit of his Reiatsu out. It was a hard thing to do, of course. However, he was confident in himself. He knew he could do it, as he's done it before. But he had used it inadvertently to sneak up on old friends. After stepping out of the forest's thicker underbrush, he found himself at a graveyard. It was sacred ground, so he would tread lightly while trying to get through there as quickly as possible.

But voices made him stop. Normally, people talking didn't catch his attention. However, he knew one of the voices instinctively. "Did you know them?" That sweet voice that he recognized immediately was replied to another voice he'd recognize any day as well. "Yeah. They were my family." Both of them had worked under him and both of them were capable of being called his friends. But he wouldn't interrupt either of them. Not yet... Why? Because there was another. He couldn't make out if it were male or female, but they didn't seem to be acting maliciously. Frankly, whoever they are seemed to be doing the same thing he was.

The male voice he heard was Genpaku Arishima, his former Vice-Captain. And the woman was Kaminari Hatakeyama, also his former Vice-Captain. Both of them took positions he once had after he left each one, although not immediately after for the latter. He had visited Kaminari recently—completely on accident—but it was Genpaku he was most surprised to see. They hadn't seen one another in nearly thirty years... and it was about damn time for a reunion. He was about to speak up and walk up to them. He was also going to drag the shadowy figure with him, but he stopped before he could. Genpaku called out the other shadowy figure, whom he also knew. Solas Foiche was someone he had only known briefly, but her name was famous even to him.

But that wasn't why he stopped entirely. No, he listened. He listened to every bit of the story Genpaku told. He hadn't been through something similar, but he could relate to losing one's family. He had known Genpaku many, many years but never once did he know this about him. It was a little shocking—he didn't seem the type to have kept something like that buried so deep inside. I mean he did, but at the same time... he should have let something slip out. It only goes to prove how well-earned the only remaining shadowy figure's faith in Genpaku was.

All three seemed to be getting along when he decided to speak up. All three should have immediately recognized his voice as well. Even Solas, whom he had only met briefly, should be able to recognize that she knew the voice. But it wouldn't be until he rounded a corner from one of the taller gravestones into the moonlight for him to be fully identified. His piercing crimson gaze was enough to jog the memory of any who had forgotten him. "I don't think any of us know each others' stories. Well, now we know one." His tone was not cheerful, but it was not depressing either. It showed confidence while still being respectful. He wasn't going to steal the show or the spotlight. He too only wanted to listen to Genpaku... except now, it would be face-to-face.

Posts : 111 Join date : 2012-11-28 Age : 35

Genpaku sat and watched for a few moments as he finished telling the tale; these were some of the few people who he had ever told this to. In many ways, this story laid at the heart of who he was, and had set the path to what he had become.

Maybe you'd expect him to be put off by Kaminari's reaction, but he wasn't. If Solas hadn't been around, she may well have reacted differently. Kaminari had always had a hard time being open when others were around; she was worried about appearances, but not in that bad way that most either were or assumed others to be. Solas, on the other hand, reacted more or less as he had expected. He gave a small smile to the both of them.
“Maybe I'll take you up on that one of these days,” he responded/half threatened with another small smile to Solas, who then turned her attentions to Kaminari; this didn't surprise Genpaku in the slightest. Truth be told, he was surprised it took her this long. However, at a certain comment he had to speak up.
“Hey now, you just caught me by surprise with your crazy ogre-stength,” [i]he said, but there was another smile in his eyes at that. Gods, it had been so long since he had thought about that sparring session all those years back.

In the small lapse of conversation, a new voice jumped in; a voice Genpaku (for one) hadn't heard in nearly three decades. It wasn't a voice that you could forget, though in his introspection Genpaku had managed to miss when he had spoken earlier. Tsubine von Zarkonheinz III, as his full name read, had been the former Captain Commander who had taken over in the wake of the Old Man. He had also been Genpaku's Captain, and one of the people who had worked hard to break him out of his shell of isolation that had lingered on in the decades after he had joined the Gotei. Then he had all but vanished within an hour of making his decision on who would lead the Gotei after him, leading to much to-do and nearly costing Kaminari more than piece of her pride.

At his appearance, a whirlwind of emotions rolled through Genpaku; anger at the fact that he had apparently hidden for the length of the story, joy at seeing someone who he had seen as a friend still alive and well, annoyance for so many years of absence, and several others. On the outside though, Genpaku's expression was more easily read. He raised an eyebrow at seeing his old Captain.
“You have the strangest sense of timing to go with your poor directional skills, von Zarkonheinz-sama” he said. He inclined his head respectfully as well, though there was an amount of friendly annoyance on the young Shinigami's face. Due to Tsubine's absence Genpaku had never been able to get into the habit of calling him anything other than Captain, and even if Tsubine had urged towards a more informal arrangement it would have only been in more private settings. As such some habits die hard, hence the honorific.
“Thirty years of silence, and you walk out of the shadows on today of all days. Its a regular reunion around here,” he said, casting a glance at all of those hear. He half wondered if anyone else he knew was going to step out from behind a gravestone at this point.

“I'm kinda surprised actually though; I would have thought you'd have picked up most of those details back when you were still in the Gotei,”

Subject: Re: Anuality Thu Jun 12, 2014 6:48 pm

A strange tingle shivered up the back of Kaminari's neck. As she finished her prayer, she placed her hand on her neck, brushing the odd feeling off as nothing but an itch. Her attention was once again grabbed a moment later by her name being spoken. She shifted her eyes toward Solas, though her body and head did not face the woman. "Captain Hatakeyama--is it okay if I call you Kaminari?" Kaminari's eyes narrowed at the woman as she spoke, “I don't think it's fair that I know who you are, when you seem to have no idea who I am. I am Solas Foiche, Grand Kidō Chief--ergo: the Commander of the Kidō Corps. I've known that one," Kaminari glanced toward Genpaku as Solas referred to him and then turned back toward Solas, "Since our first week in the Academy, so you could say I know him pretty well. Gave him his first taste of defeat, too~!" How the hell was she supposed to react to this? Kaminari's serious inferiority complex was kicking in quite strongly. All she heard was “I already know who you are, so you're going to know that I am better than you in both title and the fact that I have done something you currently have no ability to do: defeat Genpaku.” Which was true; Kaminari felt she had no chance fighting against Genpaku. If she did feel she had the chance, she likely would have challenged him for the Captain Commander position quite some time ago.

From Kaminari's point of view, she was once again surrounded by people who she felt better than her in every way. And not just in power, rank or ability. She hated looking at Solas. She glanced the woman up and down a single time and then looked away a short moment after the woman had stopped speaking. She had a larger bust, fuck her. Kaminari fought the urges to mumble vulgarities under her breath. Solas was not deserving of insults just because Kaminari felt the need to express a serious amount of jealousy. And should she allow this woman to speak to her so casually? Yes, she should. Did she want to allow it? Nope. She had to feel some sort of superiority at the moment, but how to word it? “... I prefer to keep it formal with those I know nothing about, so Captain Hatakeyama is preferred, Commander.” she replied sternly, but with respect, making sure to note that she would also speak to Solas by her title, whether she liked it or not. “It is a shame, but I have never heard of you.” Kaminari continued, twisting words and tones to imply that Solas knowing of Kaminari, but not the other way around, proved that Kaminari was superior in that sense. It made Kaminari feel better, so she turned fully toward the other two again.

"So you're the reason Ukitake was out so much all those years ago. I had grown curious about that." Kaminari's previous tingle turned into a sort of spasm as every single hair on her body stood on end. That voice; god damn that voice. Out of everyone else that could have suddenly showed up to this little reunion, why did it have to be him. It was hard, Kaminari was able to keep a straight face, which was an achievement in itself, as she turned around to face a certain crimson eyed man. “What the hell are you doing here?” she spoke up rather quickly, not exactly thinking before she let those words spill out of her mouth. "I don't think any of us know each others' stories. Well, now we know one." Unlike the others that were around, Kaminari had seen him a few times recently and one of these encounters was not like the other! A few flashes of that day repeated a few times in her mind and she glanced away from him to help fight the embarrassment that threatened her expression. She knew that Tsubine would catch that if she gave him the chance, so a quick glance away from everyone was the easiest and most nonchalant way of hiding it she could think of.

“You have the strangest sense of timing to go with your poor directional skills, von Zarkonheinz-sama” Kaminari inched her way back a bit, actually moving to position herself behind Genpaku as he spoke to Tsubine, hoping no one would notice her movements, “Thirty years of silence, and you walk out of the shadows on today of all days. Its a regular reunion around here. I'm kinda surprised actually though; I would have thought you'd have picked up most of those details back when you were still in the Gotei.” Kaminari chuckled slightly and shook her head. The embarrassment faded and Kaminari turned toward Tsubine. She spoke knowingly to everyone, but decided to keep perfect eye contact with Tsubine, as if she were sort of... challenging him, “Tsubine has never really been one to pay close attention to the more... intimate details regarding his subordinates. He prefers to think of them as warriors first, as men and women last.” Kaminari soon realized it was probably not the best idea to challenge Tsubine of all people, but she didn't exactly retract or regret. Instead, she chose to use it as a test: How far could she push him in front of others?

Subject: Re: Anuality Fri Jun 13, 2014 7:16 am

Bah, it was becoming a regular party, wasn't it~? First Genpaku, then Kaminari, and then a face she had not gazed upon in years--the man who had given her back her Kidō Corps, Tsubine von Zarkonheinz. She let out a long breath and folded her arms underneath her breasts, still watching Kaminari with an inquisitive expression. “... I prefer to keep it formal with those I know nothing about, so Captain Hatakeyama is preferred, Commander. It is a shame, but I have never heard of you.” Her face twisted up in a slight curl. Bah. She almost wanted to reach forwards and punch her in the face. Already taking such a tone with another Captain?! Why she oughta... "I guess I just haven't made myself known to you. Don't worry--we'll get to know each other well~" She grinned, winked and then turned her attention back to Tsubine, her glasses shining slightly under the moonlight. “What the hell are you doing here?” Well, impertinent little girl, weren't we? Solas chuckled softly and closed her eyes for a moment, letting out a long breath and sighing. "He's obviously lurking, isn't he?" She giggled quietly and opened her eyes again. “You have the strangest sense of timing to go with your poor directional skills, von Zarkonheinz-sama Thirty years of silence, and you walk out of the shadows on today of all days. Its a regular reunion around here. I'm kinda surprised actually though; I would have thought you'd have picked up most of those details back when you were still in the Gotei.” Kaminari thought that nobody would see her movements, but Solas definitely could. She watched Kaminari move behind Genpaku, putting him between her and Tsubine. Solas, on the other hand, was watching Tsubine from the side, and standing a slight distance away from the rest of them.

The light of the moon illuminated Solas' face, the girl having a slightly difficult expression in this situation. What was she to do? Tensions were going to flare, and it was possible that things could get even worse. She placed a hand on one of her hips, while the other one held itself ready with soft sparks flickering between the tips of her fingers. If it got to a fight, she would be the first to defend herself. She had no idea what Tsubine had been up to recently, therefore she had her suspicions. Sure, he was basically her benefactor. Sure, he was a power that she couldn't really comprehend. But he was still suspicious. She narrowed her eyes and took a single step back, having herself prepped and at the ready. “Tsubine has never really been one to pay close attention to the more... intimate details regarding his subordinates. He prefers to think of them as warriors first, as men and women last.” She bit her bottom lip. "This is something of a reunion, isn't it? I have to wonder exactly what goes on in times like this." She let out another sigh and continued to ready herself, more sparks flickering between her fingers. She wasn't going to show any aggression. But she was going to be the first to react if there was. Her eyes moved back to Kaminari, and met with them for a moment. If that girl was a friend to Genpaku, then she would happily lay down her life to keep her alive as well. And she was cute--there were too many cute girls dying in this world.

Subject: Re: Anuality Fri Jun 13, 2014 8:01 am

___________________________________
Tsubine Zanifir von Zarkonheinz III
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"What the hell are you doing here?" Turning to face him with that same straight and plain face, Kaminari was the first to react to him. Soon after, it was Solas's turn. "He's obviously lurking, isn't he?" Tsubine closed his eyes briefly and smiled. "You make me sound so stalker-like..." Kaminari then shuffled behind Genpaku while his eyes were closed. When he opened them back up, Genpaku, the life of this party, spoke up. "You have the strangest sense of timing to go with your poor directional skills, von Zarkonheinz-sama" It seemed like there was no one here particularly happy to see him. Solas was probably smiling at other things rather than this dashing, handsome, and smashingly-interesting man. Kaminari was not going to let her guard down again and was keeping up the most intense poker face Tsubine had seen in a long time. And Genpaku just seemed confused.

"Thirty years of silence, and you walk out of the shadows on today of all days. Its a regular reunion around here." "It's fate or a coincidence or the meddling of some outside force, take your pick." Tsubine wasn't going to correct Genpaku's earlier -sama suffix. There wasn't a way to compare the structure of the Northern Sugiura to the Gotei 13, so calling him that on that basis would be wrong. However, Genpaku respected Tsubine still, so calling him that on that basis was correct. "It is good to see you again, Genpaku Arishima." And Tsubine turned to a face he didn't fully recognize at first, but it hit him soon after. "And you as well, Solas... Foiche, right?" Tsubine was either on a full-name or last-name basis with someone. The only people he would ever be on a first-name basis with would be his wife/lover and his family. No one else. Not even the last person to get his recognition. "And you're looking much better than last time we met, Hatakeyama. I take it your cold is gone?" He smiled, trying to pry her into remembering what she did.

Although he didn't know what Genpaku was thinking, he shared the same thought. Who else was here? This was a graveyard. But Tsubine was honestly hoping no one else would show up. Although he was glad to see Genpaku, Kaminari, and even Solas to an extent—she was beautiful, but the two never really were acquainted much—the fact was he felt like he was intruding. He didn't like mass-reunions. Instead, he'd much rather just do it one-on-one... which is how it happened with Kaminari, although the it was something much different than a simply reunion. But this was mainly referring to Genpaku, whom Tsubine had as much respect for as he did Kaminari. No more, and no less. The two were equal in eyes, which is why his decision all those years ago was the hardest decision in his life.

"I'm kinda surprised actually though; I would have thought you'd have picked up most of those details back when you were still in the Gotei," Kaminari spoke up again, staring hard at her former Captain. "Tsubine has never really been one to pay close attention to the more... intimate details regarding his subordinates. He prefers to think of them as warriors first, as men and women last." And unfortunately... "What Hatakeyama said there is correct. And besides, the two of you," he eyed Genpaku and Kaminari, "should know the level of paperwork I've had to deal with." She was right. "But you youngins' don't have a much more skewed view of what a warrior is compared to what old folks like me do." The former Captain-Commander could laugh at himself, talking about the "good ole days." He was much, much older than anyone else here. Hell, some of those rocks that made the gravestones were probably younger than he was. "So don't just go around thinking I'm calling you all bloodthirsty maniacs... that belongs to the former, current, and future Captains of the 11th Division." He could also prod fun at his former underlings.

"This is something of a reunion, isn't it? I have to wonder exactly what goes on in times like this." With a sigh, Solas reminded him as well as the others that this was a reunion... not some debate on the philosophy of what a warrior is or isn't. "If only I had known beforehand, I would have brought you all souvenirs..." he laughed slightly, turning towards Kaminari at the end. "...well, Hatakeyama has a special souvenir already so she wouldn't have gotten one." She knew what he meant, but the others didn't. Not yet, at least...

Posts : 111 Join date : 2012-11-28 Age : 35

Genpaku was put in an interesting position at this point; two of his closest friends who had managed to not meet yet(which was not as surprising as you'd think given Solas' position) were seeming to get off to a slightly rocky start. Kaminari's behavior didn't slip past Genpaku; she was acting quite strange indeed. Her behavior only got more erratic and strange as Tsubine had appeared.

When Tsubine spoke, Genpaku gave him a smile. Genpaku may have been more than a little confused as to how all of these people had managed to track him down and come out of the woodwork on this day, of all days. That didn't stop him from feeling happy to see an old comrade, and someone whom Genpaku may have well considered a friend if Tsubine was...well, Tsubine really. Considering how he had vanished and then given no contact, it was at least comforting to know that he was alive. Sure, it was hard to imagine something that would have actually been able to take down Tsubine, but time has a way of playing on those kinds of thoughts.

Tsubine mentioned the paperwork, and Genpaku gave an eye roll. “Most certainly.” This got followed up by the imminent danger of one of Tsubine's discussion of what a warrior was, before it was conveniently waylayed both by a comment concerning the Eleventh Division and Solas mentioning the fact that this had happened to be something resembling a reunion.

That was when things started to get strange for the young captain. He hadn't particularly caught the dead-gaze that Kaminari was giving Tsubine, mainly because Kaminari was standing right behind him and all, but he did catch the comments from Tsubine directed at her. He shot a glance back at Kaminari, who had taken a small step back. Kaminari seemed to be blushing, which in and of itself was a rarity. She never seemed to blush. She looked at him, then away at Tsubine, then back to him. Then she just turned away. Genpaku looked back at Tsubine, back to Kaminari, then back to Tsubine. Suffice it to say, it probably wasn't hard to tell that Genpaku was a little confused as well at this point.
“Something I missed?”

Subject: Re: Anuality Tue Jun 17, 2014 8:46 pm

Kaminari and Solas were not going to get along and Kaminari had zero plans to keep this woman in her life, so the event of them getting to know one another was low. "I doubt that." was Kaminari's reply to Solas before things began to turn awkward for her. Tsubine had shown up. Seriously!? This was just not her night. At least all of this was making it much easier to sober up. Her snide remarks made the conversation turn. Kaminari was reminded of a few things, like that night and his age. "Uuuugghhh." she groaned mentally. He was roughly... eight times older than her? The helped nothing. "This is something of a reunion, isn't it? I have to wonder exactly what goes on in times like this." Kaminari glanced to Solas and then away again. She didn't exactly know what to do when friends reunited like this either. Damn it Genpaku, this was your fault. How dare you let Kaminari see you while you're sneaking out.

"If only I had known beforehand, I would have brought you all souvenirs..." Tsubine laughed slightly and then turned towards Kaminari and she toward him, "...well, Hatakeyama has a special souvenir already so she wouldn't have gotten one." Kaminari was taken completely aback by that. Her upper body moved back a bit like people do when they're shocked over something, her eyes widened, and she had a tint of red come to her cheeks that she just could not hold back. Yes, Kaminari was blushing. And of course, Genpaku looked toward her, so she glanced back toward him and then to Tsubine once more, repeating the process once before turning fully away from every one of them. "I cannot believe he just said that." she thought, "What the hell am I talkin about, of course I believe it! I should have realized he'd do it the moment he stepped into the area." Kaminari wanted nothing more than to hit herself a few times, but resisted the urge.

“Something I missed?” Genpaku asked and Kaminari turned back toward him. Noticing he was facing Tsubine at this time, she looked over his shoulde-... around him and toward Tsubine. She mouthed the words "shut up" and placed a finger in front of her lips to signal for him to be quiet. "Nope, nothing at all." she said, hoping that Tsubine would actually do as she told him. Of course, ordering Tsubine around wasn't exactly something that worked for anyone. "Since this is sort of a reunion for us, does anyone mind taking it elsewhere?" Kaminari brought up to try to change the subject, IF Tsubine complied with her and said nothing about that, "No offense to anyone, but I'd rather not catch up or get to know... anyone in the middle of a graveyard." Kaminari would glance around then, waiting to see everyone else's opinion on the matter. And frankly, at this point, Kaminari could use a couple more drinks...

Subject: Re: Anuality Wed Jun 18, 2014 4:48 am

At this point, she actually felt kind of worried. She felt like she'd already gotten off on the wrong foot with Kaminari, and she didn't know why. Was it something she said? Was it something in her demeanor? Did she make a bad call in introducing herself? She watched Kaminari while this entire debacle was unfolding, and then made a slight noise when she reacted to Tsubine's 'souvenir' comment. She stood there for a second, propping her breasts on her arms, holding them close. She felt her cheeks warm up and twisted a little on the spot. She. Was. SO. ADORABLE. She felt the need to squee, but at the same time she was feeling exceptionally suspicious of these goings-on. She bit her bottom lip and growled quietly, still watching Kaminari's expression with a face that actually gave off some kind of worry. Kaminari and Genpaku spoke for a moment, and she tilted her head and let her gaze carry over to Tsubine. His reasons for being here, what were they? He could have shown himself at any other time, yet he chose to show himself here and now. There must have been a reason for him to show himself now, and she would find out. She adjusted her glasses and let out a long breath, trying her best to keep vigilant while this continued to go on. If Tsubine slipped up, she would catch him. You don't get to the top of something like the Kidō Corps without learning a trick or three. And then Kaminari spoke again, and Solas immediately turned her gaze back to the other woman.

"Since this is sort of a reunion for us, does anyone mind taking it elsewhere? No offense to anyone, but I'd rather not catch up or get to know... anyone in the middle of a graveyard." She stretched and relaxed, taking a few steps forwards and nodding to Kaminari with a smile. "I... agree! However, Genpaku knows this area better than any of us~" She laughed and sidled up to Genpaku with a grin, "Ey, Gen~ You wouldn't happen to know anywhere we could get a few drinks in us, would yooooou~?" She smiled brightly at him, winked and then backed off so that she was standing next to Kaminari now, and breathed out, holding out her hand. "I wanted to start this off by apologizing. I was suspicious of you, so I introduced myself in a way that I shouldn't have. Can we start again? I'm Solas, and I think that you're really cute." She smiled softly and tilted her head to her side, trying to mend whatever fuckup she may have made. She had been noticing Kaminari's hostility towards her, even if it was only in small glances, and felt the need to make a proper friend here. She was, however, feeling pretty superior on one thing. Kaminari... was shorter than her. She wanted to giggle gleefully, but decided against it for sake of not looking like a bitch.

Posts : 111 Join date : 2012-11-28 Age : 35

Genpaku was a pretty observant person for the most part, but there were a few too many things flying by just under the surface at this point. He wasn't even sure what exactly was being discussed anymore, and he looked between those assembled as he tried to piece it together in his head. However, it seemed that Kaminari was eager to not only change the subject of the conversation but the location as well. Considering how strange she was already acting he wasn't sure if giving her MORE alcohol was a good idea or not. On that note, he had to stop and think; where the heck would there even be around here to get spirits drunk!? Who would actually know something like that?

There were certainly a few in Soul Society that would know, and there were more bars in Rukongai than was entirely necessary. However, given the nature of their company such a locale didn't seemed quite feasible. While he was in a gigai he wasn't sure if the other two had brought along theirs, or what exactly was to be done about Tsubine. He thought back to his previous ramblings about the area, and recalled a bar that wasn't too far away from here really. It would just require a gigai on everyone's part to get service, since he wasn't sure if the bartender there could even see spirits.

So why would Genpaku even agree to something as outlandish as taking these people drinking? Simple; Genpaku was also a curious person, and there was something going on that he had missed. Something specifically between Kaminari and Tsubine; Solas just seemed along for the ride for the time being.
“I think there is a place back this way,” he said, pointing off in the direction he remembered. He gave a motion for them to start that way before hopped off the headstone and turned back to the three of his family. He closed his eyes, and mentally said his goodbyes.

“You'll all need a gigai or something similar,” he said as he caught up to them, then led the way on through the city. To be sure, it was one of the strangest things to see if you know who these people were; it'd be like seeing world leaders just out for a stroll or something. The streets were quiet at this hour, and in no time they made it to the bar. Genpaku went in, expecting the others would follow in more eagerly then himself since they were the ones who had suggested this. For the most part it was empty at this hour; Genpaku took a seat at the bar. He didn't order anything right away; he let the others start on that. It wasn't that he was in a bad mood or anything; he simply wanted to see where the conversation was going to go now that they had relocated.

Subject: Re: Anuality Tue Jun 24, 2014 7:25 pm

Oh, yes! Couldn't you see it now? The Captain Commander, the Grand Kidō Chief, the Captain of the Fifth Division, and the former Captain Commander all strolling through the Zaraki District all dressed up and happily destroying the dreams of the criminals in that area? Talk about awe inspiring for the innocent souls that unfortunately lived in that area. You could just see the criminals hiding away in fear of what was about to happen to them. Anyways... Kaminari was stuck. Why was this purple colored female stepping back toward her. Kaminari watched her closely. She eyed the woman's hand suspiciously as Solas held her hand out. Kaminari repeatedly looked from Solas' eyes back to her hand. There was an obvious look of “I don't trust you” on her face. Even as Solas began speaking, Kaminari's eyes only narrowed more. It took her a second, but she gave in and took the woman's hand. She quickly shook it and then pulled her hand back. Sure, she'll call a truce for now, but Kaminari still doesn't like her, at least not yet. She obviously wasn't a bad person.

And then she realized something and froze. “I'm not cute!” she said narrowing her eyes, trying to push off the blush that now invaded her face. Didn't she know that denying cuteness was only going to make her look cuter? Apparently not. It didn't matter to her at this point; she just didn't want to be called cute by some woman she felt inferior towards. “I think there is a place back this way.” Yes! The subject change was once again in effect and Kaminari could happily move away from Solas, but in doing so only ended up closer to Tsubine. She felt sandwiched at this point. “Aye...” she thought and placed both hands over her face, “I'm trapped.” Luckily they were motioned to start moving, so she did as she was told and began moving. Of course, she couldn't help but glance back to see why Genpaku hadn't immediately come along. Seeing him at his family's graves again, she turned away and let him have his privacy. It was nice to see a different side of Gen; she was a little too used to the training side at this point.

“You'll all need a gigai or something similar.” Kaminari thought for a moment and reached into the pocket inside her uniform. “Comin' right up...” she mumbled as she pulled out a orange pill, “This better work.” Kaminari narrowed her eyes and popped the pill in her mouth. A moment later, she was in a Gigai, but that wasn't it. Her hair wasn't in it's normal ponytail. It was down and came around the side of her neck. Her clothes changed as well; she was now wearing dark blue jeans, black sneakers, and a black t-shirt. “Okay, so this isn't bad at all.” she sighed in relief, “I half thought it was going to put me in a stupid school girl outfit.” She looked back to the rest and held up a few more, “I need them back, but if you don't have your own, you can use one of these. They were sent to me by a good friend, so... I trust them, obviously, I'm in one, but yeah. It's better than carrying an extra body around with you.” Kaminari'd give anyone who wanted one one of these portable Gigai and then continue on her way to the bar with them.

Finally they were able to make it to the damn bar! Kaminari felt way too awkward at the moment and the only thing that was going to ease that, without her running away like a coward, was alcohol. She hoped it would help at least. As they walked in, Kaminari took her seat next to Gen at the bar. “What can I get for you?” the bartender came up and Kaminari didn't exactly have to think. She only knew of one drink. “A White Gummy Bear, Raspberry, not the peach shit. Also, sprite. It's not right with that other stuff.” Kaminari told him. “Haha. You seem to know your stuff.” the bartender said. “Only that one. Usually I just copy what someone else gets, but I actually like that one.” Kaminari shook her head at his assumption and then politely explained herself. The bartender began making her drink and then looked to the rest in the room to see what they wanted. Kaminari waited at the bar with her head laying down on the counter. She wanted to bring up some sort of conversation between everyone, but didn't exactly know what to say without incriminating herself.

Subject: Re: Anuality Tue Jun 24, 2014 8:50 pm

“I'm not cute!” She giggled softly, placing her fingers over her lips and smiling brightly at the woman. Denying cuteness only made the person being called cute even cuter, that was for sure. However, it seemed that her hand was at least accepted--even if it was obvious from Kaminari's eyes that she wasn't being trusted right now. The fact that Solas was taller (by two inches), higher in rank (they were equals), more voluptuous (so what?), and a lot more attractive (beauty is in the eye of the beholder), meant that Solas understood why Kaminari felt so suspicious of her. She had offered the hand of acceptance, but apparently that wasn't enough. She'd let that occur for now, it would be soon enough that Kaminari would be in her lap, happy to be cuddled and loved on by her! She hoped that Ren wouldn't get jealous. Pouting a little, she looked back at Genpaku who had chosen to speak up now, breaking the possible silent stare-down that had occurred.

“I think there is a place back this way.” She turned and looked over at him, while Kaminari seemed to move away from her towards Tsubine, but realize that she was trapped. Solas kept her eyes slightly on Kaminari, watching her but not putting her full attention on her. She wanted to tackle her and hug her tightly, just squeeing about how cute she was. However, that was far from professional, and she knew it. Also, Kaminari would likely hate her for it. Therefore, she held back and instead watched the show go on. “You'll all need a gigai or something similar.” Looking around, she wondered for a second exactly how she was going to get access to a Gigai around here. She didn't have one normally; let alone right here and now. She blinked a couple of times, before noticing that Kaminari was offering some pills that apparently 'gave you a body'. With a sigh of defeat, she accepted one, popped it into her mouth, and felt the body materialize around her rather swiftly. Well, then. "Isn't that something?" By the time she looked to see them, however, they were already gone.

She said this, while watching them disappear into the distance. Realizing that she'd gotten completely off-track and only just heard Genpaku speak, she quickly started to run after them, holding out a hand with a worried expression. "Waaaaaait!" Eventually catching up to them (and kinda puffed already) Solas eased into step with them and let out a long breath, eventually reaching the bar. While Kaminari took her seat on one side of Genpaku, Solas took her seat on the other side. She didn't exactly want to be separated from Kaminari--but she also wanted to be next to Gen. Therefore, this was better for her. “A White Gummy Bear, Raspberry, not the peach shit. Also, sprite. It's not right with that other stuff. Solas looked over towards Kaminari with a slightly bemused expression, before looking back at the bartender and nodding, "Hmm, I'll get a Gin and Tonic, thanks. On the rocks." The bartender nodded, waiting for the rest of them to order as well. Solas shuffled on her seat--she wasn't used to wearing a Gigai.

Subject: Re: Anuality Wed Jun 25, 2014 12:14 am

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Tsubine Zanifir von Zarkonheinz III
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Tsubine's smirk grew as Kaminari got... flustered about his comment. Oh this was definitely going to be brought up. Definitely. However, before he could, someone suggested they go to a bar. That was actually a good thing. A graveyard is fine and all, but not for a reunion. Especially not a reunion like this. Tsubine didn't visit Karakura much, so he wouldn't know anywhere to drink or eat, so he turned to Genpaku to see what his recommendation was. And of course, he knew somewhere. Tsubine only nodded along, agreeing. It's not like there was a better choice, as they all began to set off to this bar.

"You'll all need a Gigai or something similar." Tsubine chuckled slightly at the the thought. "A Gigai?" It's been years since he's needed one, thanks to the Sugiura having this ultra-awesome spiritual make-up that made them both spiritual and physical. This meant that he didn't need to use a Gigai. But... Kaminari was the only one that knew that he was no longer a Shinigami "That's right, none of you know." He spoke up as the others began to Gigai-fy themselves. "Well, being a Sugiura now, and no longer a Shinigami, means I don't need a Gigai. If anyone else was here, they'd probably see this handsome guy in a kimono talking to himself." He was confident in himself for that, and it showed. He was, frankly, more efficient than a Shinigami in some ways. "It's the way Sugiura are... however, I do think my clothing may be a bit too out of place, so I will meet up with you all there."

The group went on without him, but he turned around and walked back to the graveyard. He found the three stones Genpaku had been speaking to. He didn't know who was who, really, but he spoke to them, telling them they had raised a good man. Kneeling, He then disappeared into golden particles. It looked honestly like he was dissolving into glitter. But he was no longer there, so he wouldn't hear their comments. He was actually back in his own room, changing already. Kimono were simple to get out of, and this was no exception. If nothing else, Tsubine was a master of getting out of clothes. He immediately changed into a more... business-like attire, one that was a double-breasted dark violet trenchcoat with a white ascot/scarf thingy and black pants. He also changed shoes, as geta with this outfit just made him look odd. All-in-all, it took him just a few minutes. He was good at this, although the maids helped him with the scarf... or ascot... or whatever the white thing was. Once again, he faded into golden glitter.

It's not that he knew where they were going, but he could probably detect their Reiatsu, even if it were just a bit. And thankfully, he wasn't too off this time. He wanted to be a little farther behind them, but he ended up right behind Kaminari as the trio was about ten feet from the door. Being such a master at concealing himself, she wouldn't notice him until he'd lean down and whisper into her ear. "Don't think this counts as our date." He smirked, backing away before she (or anyone) could retaliate. He seemed to be the most well-dressed out of the bunch, but that didn't matter to him. It's not like he had anything casual like they were wearing besides Kimono.

Three Shinigami and a Sugiura walk into a bar. One Shinigami sits in the middle, two sit on either side of him, and then the Sugiura sits beside the shortest of them all. This wasn't a way of picking on Kaminari, although it may seem to be so. Frankly, Tsubine didn't know Solas that well, so he'd rather not get on her possible bad side while the others were drinking. Not they. No, Tsubine would not be joining Kaminari and her White Gummy Bear that sounded disgusting or Solas's simple gin and tonic. And then there was Genpaku, who was waiting for everyone else to order. "Just a water." People would think he's the designated driver, but no one wanted to be near when Tsubine was behind the while even when he was sober. He had his reasons, but it wasn't because he was driving. "I'd rather not dampen the mood any by drinking, so don't try to talk me into it."

Posts : 111 Join date : 2012-11-28 Age : 35

Genpaku sat quietly as people ordered their drinks, not surprised by any of the selections. Why? Because Genpaku didn't understand one of them, the other was rather simple, and Tsubine's answer wasn't out of keeping with the former Captain-Commander. The barkeep turned to look at the youngest looking member of the crew.
“Sake,” he said simply enough, but a small smile crossed his features. Genpaku wasn't one to drink much, but he had been in the Eighth Division for a while. There wasn't a member of that Division that DIDN'T know alcohol in some respect. Beyond that though, sake had been his father's drink of choice. Very traditional and all that. Given the day though, it felt appropriate.

The barkeep didn't question the choices, and given a few minutes and some quick work with a shaker the drinks were put out before everyone. Gen was given a bottle of the sake, which he poured into a glass. He held it up, and looked around at the group assembled.
“To strange reunions, to friends, and all that,” he said with a smile before he downed his drink. It had been one of the smoother varieties apparently, which he didn't mind so much. He let out a small breath before he looked around at the gathering once more.

This...wasn't something he expected to be doing. Heck, this wasn't something anyone would really expect to happen. He wouldn't have been surprised if someone from the Gotei would have dropped dead from shock if they walked into this bar. When you're a lower member of the Gotei most of the captains seemed like implacable figures, beyond such normal things as relaxing with their friends. And some of them very well might have been. You couldn't see Byakuya going out with most people. Zaraki...actually...

“So, what have you been doing for the past three decades?” he asked, looking over at Tsubine. He was, in fact, genuinely curious; Tsubine had vanished almost immediately upon making his decision all those years ago, and there had been no contact between Tsubine and most of the Gotei for that length of time. At least, that's what Genpaku had been led to believe. Apparently Tsubine and Kaminari had been in contact recently, and it make him wonder who else Tsubine may have spoken with in the intervening years.

Subject: Re: Anuality Tue Jul 01, 2014 9:09 am

"Don't think this counts as our date." Shiver. Kaminari was not expecting a certain crimson eyed male to sneak right up behind her and whisper in her ear. She felt a chill slither down her spine and turned around toward him, rubbing the back of her neck. She glared at him, not sure of how to react since she wouldn't dare hint at what he had just told her. She was already having enough problems fighting the blush that once against threatened to creep it's way onto her face. Luckily, her battle was won and not a single bit of red reappeared. Glaring one last time, she turned back and stepped into the building, up to the bar, and sat down next to Genpaku. She wasn't sure which one it was, but she had either hoped or assumed that Solas would be the one sitting next to her, but saw that she sat down on the opposite side of Genpaku. Seeing that Tsubine did not appear on the other side of Solas, Kaminari turned to her left to see Tsubine.

"Hm." she blinked once before smiling at him. The smile faded when he just ordered water. Seriously? Why the hell? This could have been her night for seeing him out of his element! "I'd rather not dampen the mood any by drinking, so don't try to talk me into it." Oh, right. She nodded to him to show she understood. She turned back to the bar as her drink was handed to her and lifted it. She was going to immediately drink, but Genpaku spoke up and stopped her. “To strange reunions, to friends, and all that,” Kaminari nodded toward Genpaku, her smile growing slightly and then raised her glass. "To my second time tonight." she sighed and then brought the drink to her lips, referring to the fact that she had just come off of drinking with a certain Captain when all of this happened. This actually was pretty odd for her; Kaminari was not someone who went around drinking very often. It's just been very stressful for her recently.

In fact, Kaminari was a fucking lightweight. Even though she knew this all too well, she downed that drink and asked for another just thirty seconds later. This was fine for her since the two people who seemed to be talking at the moment were Genpaku and Tsubine. Which... wait a minute. “So, what have you been doing for the past three decades?” Kaminari looked over to Genpaku and narrowed her eyes at him. Yeah, he was six inches taller than her. She then looked to Tsubine; he was fourteen inches taller than her. Kaminari's head sunk a little, her left eye twitching a bit. Were they literally talking over her? It's not like one had to lean forward or backward to talk to each other. They only had to glance over Kaminari's head to see each other. This was planned. This entire seating arrangement was planned, there was no doubt about it. The bartender brought her another and she leaned forward, laying her chin on the bar as she drank.

At least then she was able to use that as an excuse to not seem and feel so damn short!!!

Subject: Re: Anuality Sat Jul 05, 2014 5:11 am

"Sake." Solas laughed softly, raising her fingers to her mouth and closing her eyes. "I'd call you boring, but I ordered a Gin and Tonic myself, so I can't really talk." Tsubine didn't seem to order anything particularly alcoholic, citing that he didn't want to ruin the mood with his own drinking. She understood his reasoning, and wasn't exactly the best with alcohol herself. Closing both of her eyes, Solas heard the sound of a glass clinking against the bar, reaching forward and picking up the cold object, swilling it with a simple wrist motion and bringing it up to her lips, stopping the moment that she heard Genpaku speak again. "To strange reunions, to friends, and all that." "To my second time tonight." She smiled softly, reaching up with her free hand to adjust her glasses. "To a good night, and good drinks." Accepting the toast, she tilted her head back and took a long drink from the gin. Letting the liquid slide down her throat, she let out a long breath and placed the glass back onto the table, her face already reddening slightly from the effects of the alcohol. Solas wasn't a lightweight--at least that was what she tended to say--but for some reason, Gin hit her harder than most. With a quiet sigh, Solas quickly downed the last of her drink.

“So, what have you been doing for the past three decades?” The fact that those two were now reminiscing meant that Solas was effectively stuck on her own. She wasn't able to really be in between the two--that was where Kaminari was--and she couldn't just go around doing other things. She was left here, alone and bored out of her mind. Therefore, she decided to find something to do. Climbing down off of the bar-stool, Solas stretched and brushed herself off, checking her clothes. Her outfit was, to say the least, rather revealing around the chest area. Solas didn't mind, though--this was her favorite outfit to wear around the Material World, whenever she decided to come around here. Stretching a bit, she stepped behind the group of three to notice that Kaminari was basically just being talked over. With a sigh, she reached out and tapped Kaminari on the shoulder. "Hey. Wanna talk at all?" If Kaminari turned around, she'd see that Solas was wearing a rather genuine and matronly smile.

Subject: Re: Anuality Sat Jul 05, 2014 12:48 pm

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Tsubine Zanifir von Zarkonheinz III
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Of course a toast is proper in this situation. But what to? Genpaku's glass raised first. "To strange reunions, to friends, and all that." Kaminari's followed. "To my second time tonight." Solas's, whose drink sounded the most appealing out of the three, raised third. "To a good night, and good drinks." And so now it was Tsubine's turn. But what would he toast to? The warriors of future and present? No, that wouldn't work. They don't understand what it meant to be a warrior in Tsubine's eyes. However, most warriors are fighting for one thing in the end, and that's a future they can enjoy. "And to a strong and prosperous tomorrow." And with that, the clinking commenced.

As mentioned before, Tsubine had a more classical view on what a warrior was. Simply put, a warrior was someone who would fight to protect an idea or a person. Not because of orders or a risk of their own life if they did not succeed, but of their own free will. If someone was putting their lives on the line to do nothing but protect that idea or person, then they should be shown respect. And so, Tsubine didn't care what side they'd fight on, Tsubine would respect them. Truth be told, he even respected Kaname Tousen until he rebelled, as Tsubine felt that the former Captain's sense of justice was then too far awry to be something to protect. But before a rant is started again, Genpaku spoke up. "So, what have you been doing for the past three decades?"

"I don't even know where to begin, honestly." Tsubine sighed and let out a soft chuckle as he exhaled. He really didn't know. So, he'd start with the biggest. That should work, right? "As mentioned before, I'm no longer of... your kind." He was trying to keep it low-key. "There's not too much of a difference between what I am now and what I was. I mean, I still can't use Kidō or the Sugiura's equivalent to save my life." Kidō was not something the bartender would have heard of, but the term "Shinigami" definitely was. "But I'm one of the leaders of the four... 'sections' of the Sugiura's kingdom. My mother was apparently the matriarch of the entire people, found that out. But enough of me..." He finally noticed Kaminari's chin was resting on the bar. He resisted the urge to pat her on the back to tell her that he'll be done talking soon and would talk to her, but he felt it'd be best if he limited the physical interaction between the two. "How have things been with you and the Gotei since I left?"

Posts : 111 Join date : 2012-11-28 Age : 35

One thing could be said it seemed; Tsubine certainly didn't live a boring life, or afterlife as the case may be. Genpaku nodded along with the story; he was certainly somewhat surprised by the knowledge that Tsubine had literally changed his race(or had it changed) but it didn't seem to have changed much. “Why do I get the feeling it hasn't helped your sense of direction either,” Genpaku said with a small smile as Tsubine explained the difficulties with the Suguira equivalent to Kidō. The knowledge that he was a leader in the Suguira hierarchy was a little more surprising; something like that should have made it to him you'd think, but apparently it hadn't been discovered or not deemed important information for the Captain Commander to know.

Then Tsubine changed the topic, and Genpaku leaned back slightly as he thought.
“Not too much has changed, really. Truth be told, things have been exceptionally quiet. There's been some work on modernizing some of the systems within the Gotei, though only a few. Trying to change too much to quickly would cause too much of an uproar, ya know?” he said as he took another drink, letting the quiet of the bar fill the space once more. He set his glass down.
“With nothing major making waves the Gotei had settled back into a calm routine the likes of which haven't been seen since Aizen's defection. Training has largely resumed as it was, though some divisions have started training their members to more capably take down things other than Hollows. People have stepped up to fill in the spots that were left from that battle,” Genpaku continued, rambling now.

His attention was grabbed by the voice behind him as Solas addressed Kaminari. Genpaku shot a glance down to the slouching Captain, raising an eyebrow.
“What's gotten into you? You've been off ever since Solas and Tsubine showed up...” Genpaku comment, trailing off. A small smile crossed his features. “Something happen between you and one of them?”

Of course he had meant it as a joke. After all, Kaminari had just met Solas; Solas was good, but she wasn't that good. Couldn't say that out loud though; she'd take it as a challenge, and it was typically not a smart decision to challenge this one. As for Tsubine...come on, it's Tsubine.

Subject: Re: Anuality Sun Aug 17, 2014 7:53 am

Thought out the entire conversation before Solas spoke up, Kaminari chose to sit in silence and enjoy the drink, though with every word talked over her head, she wanted something with higher alcohol content. She was glad that Tsubine and Genpaku were able to catch up, but the choice of seating still bothered her. She cursed her height. No matter how many times she had been called cute or some other variation of the word, Kaminari could never be happy with looking so weak and inferior. The only time she felt it was nice was when someone was stupid enough to underestimate her and she annihilated them for it. This was her thought process through out the entire time that Tsubine and Genpaku spoke to one another. Unfortunately, her thought process was already getting a bit clouded. Curse being a lightweight; that was probably about to get her into more trouble than she really wanted to deal with. And with the words of one woman, it happened."Hey. Wanna talk at all?" Solas caught Kaminari off guard. The moment her shoulder watch touched, she jumped slightly as she was pulled from her thoughts.

"Huh?" she turned around and looked to Solas. It took a minute for the question to register in her slowed mind. "Oh, uh... Sure?" she was speaking with slightly slurred words already. Honestly, her ability to tolerate alcohol was probably the most pathetic of anyone that either of these people had ever met. “Something happen between you and one of them?” Genpaku spoke up. "Yep." Kaminari said casually, without really thinking. The moment she did, her eyes narrowed and she looked off. Her expression became confused and she turned to Genpaku again, "Wait, what was the question?" She knew exactly what the question was. She just couldn't believe she answered it so quickly. At that, she needed some sort of way to pull them all away from the idea of something happening. "Nothing has gotten into me... besides this stuff..." she said while raising her glass. She took in another drink, thought a bit larger this time. She was feeling a lot warmer and a little light headed. She didn't like getting drunk, but it was whatever right now.

"Is there something you wanted to talk ab-about...?" she said to Solas, but was caught slightly off guard by the light-headedness. Kaminari shook her head and blinked her eyes a bit. As usual the alcohol was hitting and hitting hard. Instead of slowing down, she downed the last bit of her drink and set the glass on the table. "But yeah... No. I was all... something and kissed that one..." Kaminari said with a reddened face and pointed back over to Tsubine, "Don't get me wrong, it was a rather enjoyable kiss, which shouldn't be shocking to any woman, but it was just... I don't know... unexpected? ... ... ... What were we talkin' about?" Kaminari blinked a few times, looking seriously at Genpaku... When Kaminari is influenced by alcohol... she doesn't know how to shut up...

Subject: Re: Anuality Sun Aug 17, 2014 8:19 am

The conversation had begun, and Solas was already feeling kind of bored by the old men reminiscing over past times--even if she'd been involved in such things, she had no real desire to keep listening. Instead, she simply slid a bit closer to Kaminari, giving her a trademark wink and a soft smile, waiting for her to respond to her offers of conversation. Hopefully Kaminari accepted them, since she felt like there'd been a bit of bad blood between them at the beginning of this encounter. It wasn't right of her to show herself as bad to another Captain; especially the Captain of the Fifth Division, who would be reaching her level of strength in Kidō. She sighed softly as she waited for this response, but then Genpaku felt it right to finally leave that boring old conversation and butt into something else. “What's gotten into you? You've been off ever since Solas and Tsubine showed up... Something happen between you and one of them?” Well, it certainly wasn't her. She was good, but not that good, and rightly so. Though she'd have to prove herself if he mentioned it, which he didn't.

"Yep. Wait, what was the question?" Solas hid a laugh behind her fingers, giggling lightly at Kaminari's reaction. She knew what the question was--there was no doubt about it. She'd been too quick to dismiss her own answer. Solas quickly skipped around the table, finished her Gin and Tonic, felt it hit her a bit harder and then returned to the drama that was unfolding. "Is there something you wanted to talk ab-about...?" She giggled softly, winking and replying, "Ohohohoho. Actually, I would like to talk about something. What went on, hmmm~?" She didn't expect a reply.

"But yeah... No. I was all... something and kissed that one... Don't get me wrong, it was a rather enjoyable kiss, which shouldn't be shocking to any woman, but it was just... I don't know... unexpected? ... ... ... What were we talkin' about?" Oh. Ohohoho. Solas looked at Kaminari for a second, with a mischievous glint appearing in her eyes. If Genpaku was looking at her, he'd probably mouth 'no' to her. It was a look that he'd recognize all-too-well. Solas stepped back for a second and looked over at Tsubine, and then back to Kaminari, and then at Genpaku. Her head tilted to the side for a second, and she tapped her chin lightly. "Okay, I think I get it. Kaaaaami-chan. You feel awkward, because Tsubine got a kiss and you didn't want people to knoooow about it. I have an idea." The drink was finally getting to Solas' head, "Let's even the score."

With a speed that most drunk people would envy, Solas quickly closed the gap between herself and Kaminari, pressing her lips up against hers and holding her face in both of her hands. Now, there are a few things that people didn't understand about a Solas-level kiss. They weren't just good kisses. Some reported them to be the best kiss they'd had in their life so far. Solas, having pleased women through her life, knew just which buttons to press when kissing someone. Her hands didn't move away from Kaminari's face, and she held the kiss for about six seconds before pulling away with a smug smirk on her face. "It may not have done anything, but my my, you tasted good." She raised a hand to her lips and chuckled, winking at Kaminari before adjusting the glasses that had tilted on her face.

That... probably made things worse, she realized, about two-and-a-quarter seconds later.

{Solas is nothing if not impulsive, hue.}