Visiting The Host Of The Shadows....

The young man approached the barracks slowly, his footsteps making no sound as he walked. His entire body was covered, with his black, heartless eyes seemed to be narrowed at all times. He slowly reached for the door, pushing it open silently. He looked around the room, which seemed to be empty, but he knew something seemed off. He slowly reached into the sleeve of his shihakusho, where he kept one variant of his many hidden weapons, which this one happened to be poisoned tipped needles, which he carefully attached to the inside of shihakusho, while the non-poisoned needles where in his sleeve. He could feel someone's presence in the room. He just couldn't see anyone. He took a step inside, making every step slow and ever more silent. Hell, for all he knew, this place could have a Nightingale Floor, invisible tripwires which let off the trill of a Nightingale when tripped. Although these were very rare in the World of the Living, he assumed that Soul Society would have better things than that. Even a ninja could never get past it without tripping the nightingale alarm, and Shinigami would most definitely have better security than his homeland, considering the year it was, and the advanced technology they had, which was much farther than his home did.

Henrex slowly slipped a set of twin needles from his sleeve, the two needles being bound together by a thin steel beam keeping the needles a few inches apart. He slowly looked around, and continued to walk with caution, his heart pounding. He looked around more and activated his Cyberbrain, scanning for lifeforms, and he found....one. One immensely powerful life-form.......Henrex quickly became much more cautious, whirling around and checking everywhere around him, before turning once more, seeing a guy sitting there, as if he were expecting him, shocking Henrex and causing him to back up a little. He slowly moved a hand towards his sword, biting his lip under the scarf covering his nose and mouth. How long had he been there? Was he the one he was looking for? He scanned the person up and down, with his Cyberbrain ticking off features he was scanning for. Scar...Black hand....and the final feature is what convinced him. The mark on his forehead. Very different from the one Henrex had on his head, which was one of many markings all over his body, which was why he kept himself covered at all times. He could feel their sheer power radiating off this person. This had to be him. Kuro Okami. The captain of the Covert Ops, or the Stealth Force. He had similar powers to Henrex, with both of them having abilities based around darkness. Henrex's came from his own spiritual energy. He had no idea about anything from Kuro. He only knew his name. He quickly straightened up, his hand moving from his sword to his side, the gloves on his hands slightly burning him. He silently walked over to him, until he was a few feet in front of him. He looked him straight in the eyes as he spoke, asking him possibly the most important question that he would be asking in this conversation.

".....Are you Kuro Okami?"

Henrex was taken aback from the barrage of questions that he was asking. Was it rude to ask someone else their name before saying your own? Perhaps....but it depended on the situation, in this one, Henrex was asking to make sure he had the right person. The next sentence confused him. "This is where I monitor....our home?" What did that mean? Home....was he referring to the barracks? The Seireitei? Soul Society? But wait....he said he monitored it....he was making it sound like he was everywhere, seeing everything. It was probably a special skill of his, nothing more. Did he come from the assignment office? No....he simply came to speak with him. Why would he think he came from the assignment office....Henrex looked at him coldly, with Kuro seeming to return the gaze. Although...there was something...off about him. It felt as if someone else was watching him. He waited a few moments before speaking.

"Quite the dramatic entrance there, hm?"

He watched as Kuro walked over to a girdle and cleared out the pan, and Henrex became to get...a creeping feeling. He began to feel...uneasy. His eyes darted around briefly, before returning to Kuro, his gaze not changing from his normal cold, dark expression. He slowly moved a hand to his sword, keeping the needles in his left hand at the ready. Something....was definitely off about him...

"I did not come from the assignment office. I simply came to....discuss things with you."

Henrex felt the uneasiness fade, making him remove his hand from his sword. He took a silent breath and silently made his way towards where Kuro had moved to, his footsteps making no audible sound as they collided with the floor, with the only sound being a slight creak of the floorboards. He sheathed the needles back inside the sleeve of his shihakusho, tucking them safely away, as to make sure the needles didn't jab his skin, or fall out onto the floor. He still did not remove the gloves or scarf he wore, he wasn't sure if he could trust this person with his two "secrets." He allowed his Cyberbrain to deactivate, the light blue tint in his eyes fading, reuturning to black.

"....I came to discuss....joining the Stealth Force...upon other subjects.

He knew nothing about Kuro, so all he could do was stand and wait for his answer, whatever it may be....

Henrex's eye twitched as Kuro insisted that he was from the assignment office. He was here of his own free will, he had decided to come here to talk with him. He continued to look at what Kuro was doing. Making....a pancake. This guy seemed to get distracted a lot....he went from making eye contact with him, to staring off into space, and now....pancakes. Henrex had to admit....Kuro was a decent cook. At least with pancakes. Eh, who knew how much he could make. Henrex began to draw his sword and glared at him.

"I will tell you once more, and I swear on my life, this is the 100% truth. I did not come from the assignment office, I came here of my own free will so I may talk with you."

He had to make...a pancake from scratch to enter the Covert Ops?! He was working on his nerves, and most certainly near his last one. This was getting annoying. There was no way in hell he was being serious about this. Kuro was just...too..odd to tell. He couldn't figure it out, no matter how much he looked at him. He seemed serious, but he wasn't sure...

".....You're joking, right? No way in hell that can be the real test. This is the Stealth Force. I honestly expected the test to be when I walked into this room, and be ambushed by members, and I would have to fight my way through! You can't be serious about this, are you?!"

Henrex glared at Kuro with immense fury, not even caring if he had lost his temper. He simply needed to hear either a confirmation about the pancake test, or if he would just admit it was a joke.....

Henrex's gaze softened as Kuro lowered his head. He....used to joke? This...was real? He started to feel bad for losing his temper....Henrex's eyes lowered, his expression darkening. He actually...was feeling...sorry for him. It wouldn't have proven he could kill, but prove that he could survive. Henrex noticed that two hilts had appeared at his sides, and watched as the shadowy image take place. He stepped back, unnerved by this scene. As the image faded, he carefully listened. Lots of what Kuro was saying was right....if he approached a situation with that attitude he had before....it could lead to an undesired outcome.

"...You're right....Sorry, Kuro. I..I guess I'm just not used to things yet."

He watched in slight amusement as Kuro was trying to pronounce theoretical. A little funny. He listened careful as he continued to speak. He wanted him....to show him his...true skills? There was more...to the Stealth Squad than drawing blood in the shadows. That was true...but it didn't mean that he had to act...the way he did. Well, sure, there was more to the Stealth Force than assassination, but....Henrex had assumed that the Stealth Force would be serious, but...assuming is never a good thing to do. Kuro was right....he needed to start trusting him....

Henrex watched carefully as Kuro, once again, made the pancake. It did look good....ok, getting off topic Henrex, keep paying attention. Why did it feel...like someone else...other than Kuro...was watching him? Oh well. He saw Kuro complete the pancake, and now...it was his turn. He got the eggs first, then the flour, then butter, and then a little yeast. He figured he would try and make it the same way that Kuro did, mixing everything with little complication. He slowly and carefully poured the mixture on the pan, biting his lip, unsure of how the outcome of this section would be. He closed his eyes, expecting the worst. But, what he heard instead...was the satisfying sizzle of the mixture forming into the pancake shape. He allowed himself to smile at that, since he was a novice at cooking, never able to create something...edible. The result would either be burned, or cooked wrong. He didn't hate cooking, but he simply...couldn't do it. He just didn't have the talent.

"Finally....something I cook going right for once...."

He waited a short while longer before flipping it. He struggled to catch it, but got the pancake, with a tiny bit of it breaking and falling off. He took a breath of relief, then slid the now finished pancake on a plate, and smiled sheepishly. Finally, something went right, Ever since he died, not much had gone right. He still hadn't found his sister, even though he could feel that she was still alive. He just...knew it. He shook his head, stopping the thoughts in his head before they distracted him anymore. He set the plate down on the counter, and got a fork. He turned toward Kuro, who looked like he was contemplating on what to say. He held his breath, not wanting to say anything, but simply waited for what he would say....