Re: An Off Day [Open]

Sun Feb 23, 2014 8:00 pm

The Highwayman eyed his unlikely interrogator cautiously before considering her questions. It was subtle, but she was moving towards him. A base, predatory side of him wanted to show her the mistakes she was making by lunging forward and releasing the rage bottled within him, but he kept control for now. She was an ally and not to be harmed, he told himself. He felt it unwise for his ally to be so close to him in his condition at this moment, but he was by no means the proper authority to tell anyone what they should or should not do. If she wanted to get closer, then the consequences were her's to deal with.

"How long?Hmm..." Bordeaux again went to scratch his chin. His mind raced as best as it could given his current mental state. At any other time, this would have been slightly easier, but anger always had a way of hindering thought. "Let's see... I am a little over 800 years now. I can't remember much of my life before the last 400 or so. Most of it is just a haze of blood and anger." The arrancar made a violent gesture in the air and grinned savagely at the vague thought of bloodshed, but the the fog of memory passed shortly and so too did the smile. His mind refocused on the second half of the girl's question. Details of his survival.

"I don't really remember too much of my Gillian years. But I do remember that my methods for hunting never changed the entirety of my life as a mere hollow. Ambush. I'd bury myself in the sand, and take my prey by surprise. What satisfaction I could not get out of feasting on them while they were alive, I would take out of mutilating their remains. If I am considered out of control now, then I was absolutely berserk back then. My anger was nearly blinding, but I was strong and durable. And most importantly, I was patient." He stopped to bask in nostalgia and to let the strangeness of his words settle in.

"I kind of funny how quickly I could switch between the cool, simmering nature of vengeance and white-hot fury back then, but now I can barely contain it. Maybe removing my mask was a poor move. But then again, my tactics became so much easier when you aren't the size of a skyscraper." He chuckled to himself before sharing what he thought was funny. "Before removing the mask, I was actually much larger than any other adjuchas I consumed. But I bet none of them would ever guess they would eaten by something that they though was half-buried ruins." He laughed louder now as he thought of each of the shouts of surprise and terror of his victims from back then.

"Very soon after I became arrancar, I was found by the Kurikku and brought into the ranks. I think it was around the mid 2200s. I have been actively working with Kurikku for nearly 150 years." Bordeaux was actually a little proud of himself. He'd managed to remember all of this and his anger seemed to be lessening as this questions game kept him distracted from himself. Did that mean he trusted this girl? No, but it meant that whether she knew it or not, she was actually helping him become that much more dangerous. For the first time in a week, he felt he was almost in complete control of his rage. He was nearly the master of his greatest weapon for the moment. Keep the questions coming, girlie. He thought to himself.

Tue Feb 25, 2014 4:09 pm

Himeko smiled. Mr. Highwayman hadn't protested her sudden movement towards him nor did he seem uncomfortable with her advances. Or at least he didn't looked bothered. For all she knew he was good at masking what he felt, the exception being anger. But he didn't look as mad nor as ready to beat the hell out of something then he did at the beginning. So the vizard guessed she was helping a fellow member of Kurikku, or was she grooming him to be a pawn in her deadly game. It was something that she fathomed as she half listened to the man reply. The other half of her attention had been placed within her mind, where she was holding a silent discussion with the spirits that dwelled within the confines of her head.

The topic of the conversation? Highwayman himself, and rather or not he shall be a good asset in the end. Of course any normal person would not have thought so, for that anger could become a liability. But, as Himeko had laid witness to Highwayman reining in his usually uncontrollable rage in order to have a civilize conversation with her, the chances of making him something other than a pawn in her chess game grew. Perhaps she would promote his status in her game from pawn to bishop or knight, but first she needed to see what her mother and off the way crazy hollow thought about it. And the perfect time to do it was now, while the man was busy answering her questions though he wouldn't be able to realized that he had only half of her attention. And she would not be kind enough to tell him of this fact.

Himeko liked to play with her cards close to her chest, only allowing herself to give away small pieces of information away. Information that would not effect her in the slightest, even if it pertained to her. An example would be her telling Highwayman that she too was part of the Kurikku, information that would help her in the long run rather than come back to bite her in the behind. For with them being allies due to their association to the same organization, killing her would be out of the question. Or at least there was a lesser chance of her dying by his hands, though she was not very worry about it. There was no reason for her to be. And Naishin'no had assured her of such a thing, but Kisaki advised her to pay close attention to him before promptly telling her that he had finished replying to her inquiry.

Her mind turned away from her conversation, thus giving the man her full attention once again. She pursed her lips as the part of her that was listening relayed what had been said by Highwayman. And with a soft voice Himeko said, "such an interesting life you have led up to this point. Much more interesting than my own by far." She grinned before sighing deeply, wondering what else she may ask. With an infinite amount of questions to be asked, she found it quite difficult to pick the ones important enough.

She tapped her fingers rhythmically upon the rubble as she stared at Highwayman. Not a word spilled from her mouth for quite a while, instead she decided to take the chance to relish in the silence. Her eyes drifted upwards as she briefly stared at the sky. "Isn't the moon beautiful? It's perhaps the most beautiful thing Hueco Mundo has to offer, second only to the grand building that most of your race dwell in. But within this world we currently live in, so few people take time out of their day to stop and admire the beauty of their world." Her eyes drifted back to Highwayman, "tell me, are you the kind of person to admire the beauty of your world or are you the one who believe it to be dull?"

Tue Feb 25, 2014 10:16 pm

The moon. Bordeaux thought for a minute before breaking eye contact with Himeko to stare up at the celestial body. The pearly orb above them reflected light onto the forever night of Hueco Mundo's sands.

"I... never actually took the time to gaze at it." He confessed, his eyes still refusing to look away. "I have hunted for so long under it, but never once have I taken my eyes skyward. I only looked at the eternal darkness under it." He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "It looks down upon we smaller things with an arbitrary light. It... makes me angry."

His eyes once more started to fill with hatred and, now, with jealousy. "This is Hueco Mundo! Where nothing is free. Everything must be earned here. I have slaughtered for centuries and earned my power. Why should lesser hollow be allowed the privilege of this wondrous light." His voice started carrying a low growl along with it. "I want it. All of its beauty and luster. It should not shine for any but those who deserve it. Just like everything else here, it should only belong to the strong."

After a long silence, the arrancar turned back to his questioner. Instead of the anger that was there just moments ago, his face was twisted into a wide and fiendish grin. His eyes were almost glowing with the energy he emitted. Small lizard-like hollows that had been buried in the sand nearby, suddenly emerged from their hiding spots and fled the area.

"But that is the purpose of our Kurikku, isn't it?" The question was obviously rhetorical as he continued on. "To shift the balance into what it should be? Where the strong - the ones who scrape and crawl to the top by any means- are the rulers and true Darwinism is the law. If you want it, you take it. You earn it by destroying the previous possessor." He gestured wildly, throwing his arms wide. "My existence is a template for the future! My bloodstained paths shall be the crimson light they will follow to their ultimate destiny!"

The Highwayman looked back at the moon in all of its radiance. He envisioned his ideal future. All of the world set ablaze with glorious battles between every creature. But only the elite and strongest are the ones who win. Those like him.

After his little rant, the excited energy began to dissipate and Bordeaux started to truly calm down. His anger either spent or placated by just talking to such a fair and petite thing as Himeko. Though that started new lines of thought within his head. He turned and sat back down facing his ally.

"Forgive my outburst there. I was..." He searched for a good phrase to use. "Overwhelmed, I suppose. I never actually took the time to view the moon for so long, I forgot how beautiful it was. I am quite fond of beauty. But I believe that it is something reserved for the powerful and privileged exclusively." He might have been repeating himself, but to Bordeaux felt that he had revised his words into something much less crass-sounding.

Thu Feb 27, 2014 1:58 pm

Most would had not known what to have thought of Highwayman’s outburst, but the young vizard was sure that most would either find the behavior repulsive or concerning. Not her, no, she found his sudden outburst to be quite the amusing display of his emotions. It showed her what could possibly send the man over the brink of rage, and the moon was one of those things. Or at least that was what she believed, good thing that would later be clarified. The man’s outburst had also given Himeko a brief glimpse into his psyche as well as his personality, and lastly the most important thing of all, the fact his mood could change at the drop of a hat. It meant that if one were to become friends with the Arrancar, they would have to watch out for his mood swings. Which brought out the question that the vizard had to ask herself. Was it truly worth using this man?

The answer for many would had been no, but Himeko was never the kind of person to think the same as the majority. No. She still saw the potential the young man had. He may be a slave to his rage, but once he got control over that anger he held within him, well he could become a formidable opponent. And it was better that she made connections now rather than later, on top of it all she had a desire to help him gain control over that emotion. It was not only to benefit himself, but herself as well. That and it would make sure she was not bored for quite sometime. And though it would be a challenge, she knew she was more than prepared to tackle it head on. Of course she would exercise caution when dealing with the man. But for now she would continue to have her fun.

“No need to apologize Mr. Highwayman. I understand that your anger is not something you can control well and very small things tend to trigger it,” Himeko softly said, “I must disagree with you.” Her eyes closed for a moment as she pulled herself up so that she was now standing. Upon taking a deep breath, she reopened her eyes. “Those born into the world and fortunate enough to bask in its glory despite its faults have the rights to see its beauty. Its not something reserved for the powerful nor the privileged,” she grinned as she said those words. She quickly twirled, raising her arms as she said, “the world is everyone carnival. And they may play as they please. It’s not our job to tell them they can not, for if we truly wish for them to not enjoy the world than we would kill them off, as we have been doing.”

She waited for her words to sink in, though she guessed her words could be taken as idle chatter from a youngling. Himeko cocked her head to the side, jumping off the rock she had sat on though she made no move in getting closer to Highwayman. “You have managed to intrigue me Mr. Highwayman, as does the origins of your power. It’s a power that has the potential to be quite the problem, but a power that you seem to have little control over. Thus I have a proposal for you. Are you willing to listen?”

Thu Feb 27, 2014 11:07 pm

Bordeaux shifted his weight, leaning off to the left and supporting his upper body with a hand placed onto the sandy ground. He grunted in acknowledgment of Himeko's opinion. She was strong and therefore was allowed to make her opinion of the world. But the Highwayman knew that no matter the race, whether it was human, arrancar, or shinigami, or something beyond, someone made the rules and decided who got to see and know what.

"Maybe it should be our job." He muttered to himself. From what he had seen of the world, he was a vile place where the strong were often shackled by the weak and, worse yet to him, were led to believe that they like it! Like what they were doing was somehow making this world better. He despised it all.

For a moment, Highwayman Bordeaux stared daggers at the young girl. Yes, they were allies and she was more than likely equal -if not superior- to him in terms of power gauging on how she held herself around him even while he was still in a manic state, but he had never taken criticism of the nature of his strength well. He could feel red creep into the corners of his vision, but, he managed to choke it back down. It sounded more like she wanted to help him rather than just ridicule him for being a slave to his emotions.

"You have my undivided attention, Himeko." Bordeaux confirmed as he stood up. The height difference between the two was now very apparent to the arrancar as he was a good two feet taller than this girl. He almost wanted to laugh at their contrasting forms.

Sat Mar 01, 2014 12:14 pm

Himeko happily grinned for the man would allow her to make her case. It would be something that would interest her greatly, but getting Highwayman on board was gonna be quite the task. Unless he desired very much to gain control over his anger so that he would gain better control over his power, than the convincing would be a walk in the park. But not all entities desired help when it came to their power, and thus she was hoping that the man was the former rather than the latter.

But she was not one to drop a plan just because the person involved was a challenge. With the grin still on her face, she stared at Highwayman, who was surprisingly taller than she had initially thought, but that would not intimidate her. She had faced hollows far bigger than him, though they were mindless creatures bent on evolving. Himeko had to remind herself that Highwayman was not a hollow, but an Arrancar.

"How bout we do an exchange. I shall assist you in getting control of that anger so that you can become a stronger Arrancar. In return, you must maintain my interest in you. I should add that it's not hard for my attention to wander elsewhere, but I don't think that would be much of a challenge for you. Don't you think?" Himeko said. "So, how does this arrangement sound to you? You wanna tweak anything? Or do you not wish to take part? If you agree, shall we shake on it?"

Sun Mar 09, 2014 3:55 pm

Bordeaux gritted his teeth. She was just using him for entertainment. He wasn't even a threat to her? Was that it? But at the same time... This deal was pretty enticing. She found him amusing, so all he had to do was to keep doing whatever it was he was doing, right? And compared to some of the other members of Kurikku, like Himeko, he was just a small fry, but if she could help him reach the control he needed to fulfill the goals of Kurikku...

"Il me paraît bien. I accept your proposal, Himeko. I do not know how I amuse you, but I shall try to maintain your attentions." The arrancar stuck out his hand and, after realizing again the difference in height, stooped down slightly so the act of agreement wasn't as awkward to reach.

Mon Mar 10, 2014 11:17 pm

Himeko grinned widely as she quickly closed the distance between herself and Highwayman, which hadn't taken longer than a couple seconds for they were not far from one another. She grasp the man's much larger hand with her smaller one, appreciating the fact that he had decided to stoop to her level so that such a handshake was not overly awkward. Such a nice thing for him to do. It made her happier, but not happy enough to drop her guard. No. For when she had went to grasp his hand, she activated a vector plate beneath her feet, just for safety measures. The plate was directed in the opposite direction of Highwayman, so that if need be, the plate would activate and launch her backwards, but it would only be activated if she sensed danger. Until than, the plate would glow the fuchsia color it was known for when in stasis.

That anger was not something she would not chance. "I am so happy you have agreed," she chimed. She glanced down at the plate beneath her feet before glancing back at Highwayman, "do not worry about the plate beneath my feet. It's merely a caution." Himeko continued to smile. She had decided it best to tell the man what was beneath her feet so that he did not take it as some form of hostility and react violently. It would be bad for the both of them. "I believe we should get back. We have been out here long enough. Don't you agree?"

Tue Mar 11, 2014 9:45 am

The arrancar grew tense for a moment as the vector appeared, but he was willing to believe his ally was telling truth about its purpose. The rage inside him had subsided for the moment and he was feeling legitimately amused at the events surrounding him at the moment. It was a strange and foreign feeling to him, but he liked it. He was excited to grow in power and become the greatest arrancar he could be.

"Ah... Oui." He agreed as he stood up straight once more. He went over to his things he'd left on the ground a few feet away. First picking up and donning his large coat and then affixing his sabre to his belt. After making sure it was properly secure, he gestured politely to his small ally. "After you."

As the girl would take off towards the Kurikku fortress, Bordeaux would follow quietly thinking about the carnage he would sow once he was truly able to master himself. He grinned while at his fantasized slaughter. This century would prove to be the most entertaining one yet!

Thu Mar 13, 2014 8:27 am

Himeko twirled around, activating the plate that launched her towards the location of Kurriku. Of course she bid her farewells before leading, it would had been rude to do otherwise, and Kisaki had taught her manners. As she made her way to Kurikku, she decided that the day had gone from boring to interesting. And upon making it to her destination, she immediately headed for her room. A place where she would think about the many ways to help her new pawn.

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