Re: Hope You've Guessed My Name. [Yaksha/Rukia]

Thu Mar 09, 2017 12:12 am

"It must have taken so much out of you, admitting that. I thank you, Rukia. I know it's difficult, having to face your reality like this. It's painful, and it's scary. And I've been doing it, without end, for centuries. I've stared at every ugly nauseating aspect of myself, and torn it away, to be replaced and reconstructed. And I'm happy with the man I've dragged out from the depths of my soul, Rukia. I may be soiled, but I can face my world with pride."

He folded out the cards once more, flicking a few more towards Rukia, then meeting her gaze once more.

"I think it's time we stop fucking around, Rukia. Tell me what you truly want. Don't hesitate, simply say the first thing that pops into your head. You must know yourself if you want to get anywhere in the world, and that means it's now or never, all or nothing. I'm all in. Whatever you ask, without exception, I will agree to. I really can't begin to stress how valuable this blank check is. I've been far more active than your soul society knows, in the last year alone. And if you leave this place empty-handed...believe me when I say you will kick yourself for writing me off as another egotistical asshole."

Thu Mar 09, 2017 2:18 am

The Shinigami's eyes glistened sinisterly; searching his face.

"Where did you get your gigai?" She started, her teeth grit, and her lips curled into a snarl as her sadness was eclipsed by aggression. Rukia's thin raven eyebrows had furrowed together so tightly that wrinkles appeared, etched into the youthful flesh of her forehead — her Reiatsu steadily pulsing around her in ripples of chilling air, like that of a whirlwind.

"Moreover, who supplied it to you? Are they linked to the outbreak in Chicago?" She questioned sternly, her tone clipped, as she was growing tired of Yaksha's mind-game. Her Reiatsu had begun to howl as she extended her fingertips, drawing the cards he had set before her into her hand. The Kuchiki woman's icy fury began to resurface, like a wound whose scab kept getting torn off.

Rukia's mind's eye flitted to an array of faces — the potential faces that could have supplied Yaksha with his putrid gigai — checking off invisible boxes as she pondered over each one. She shook herself from her thoughts, now was not the time to deduce the culprit, she did have a game of poker to finish, after all. Forgoing their prior pattern, Rukia's gaze studied her cards intently, deciding that she would be the one to deal her hand first.

In one swift movement, Rukia splayed her five cards face up, on the table's surface, determined that she would resume her winning streak once more; her cards falling in the following sequence upon the cold lycra: an ace of spades, a king of spades, a queen of spades, a jack of spades, and a ten of spades — a royal flush. Though Rukia made no motion to boast, for the game had only just begun.

A Modified 'S_E' Made Template ©

Thu Mar 09, 2017 1:24 pm

"You ask dangerous questions. Finally, we reach the crux of the matter. And you begin to fathom just what it is you're dealing with. I'm not some babbling lunatic, Rukia. I've spent a long time working towards this, and I won't be defeated so idly."

Yaksha's tone now had actually warmed a bit, finding a medium somewhere between the cold, unexpressive pit and the smug, self-certain cocky drawl of a few minutes before. It seemed now that he quite desperately wanted to impress Rukia, that he was trying his damndest to impress some scope or scale upon her. He drew his own cards, staring at them jealously for a few moments; his smile grew wider, more smug and triumphant as he set down two cards, drawing from the deck, and tilting his head to the side.

"I will do you the justice of asking an equivalency. And in giving you a very valuable lesson to take home with you. In my world, the impossible is merely unlikely. In my home, in my abode, things that you could scarcely fathom are routine. You've stepped into a world unrestrained by logic and reason. At first, this will scare and demean you. And in time, it will fascinate and allure you. You're free to stop by any time. I relish having a witness to my accolades."

Yaksha tapped a hand on the deck, intoning slowly, softly.

"I will raise, as one calls it in the poker world. I will not only tell you the source of my gigai, I will tell you the time and place at which I plan to meet you. I will not only tell you the source of my newfound power, I will cooperate fully in whatever studies and experiments you would wish to engage in. In exchange, you will provide me with the detailed files the Gotei holds on each and every Vasto Lorde hollow and arrancar known to them. Their names, powers, personalities, and hunting grounds."

His eyes suddenly glittered with a weird, unpleasant inner light; as Rukia watched faint, flickering shadows dipped across the sclera, as if she were witnessing tiny fish swimming just beneath the surface of a lake.

"You should have nothing to worry about, Rukia. You've made leaps and bounds in the last few hands. You know full well that yours is an insurmountable hand. And yet...is that a tremble in your hand I detect? A lump in your throat? A heaviness in your breast? This is despair, Rukia. This is hope, turned inside out. It's not quite the opposite, because that would imply one can't feel both at the same time. You know that there's not a single thing I can do to defeat your perfect spear. So you should have no issue accepting this wager."

Thu Mar 09, 2017 2:27 pm

"I can't give you that information, Yaksha." She hissed venomously, her pupils narrowing to cat-like slits. Her metaphorical fangs were still beared, her snarl firmly in place upon her mauve hued lips.

"My family, is one thing — The Gotei is another; and I refuse to break my vow to Yamamoto-sama," She spat. The sinew and muscles throughout the Kuchiki's form were tense, as her anger continued to rise, boiling and pressurizing her blood until she felt as if she were going to explode. If Yaksha was trying to impress her, he was doing a piss-poor job of it.

"I entirely have issue accepting this wager. Are you mad? What makes you think that I would even begin to consider giving you such information? If this is what's at stake, then I rescind my offer."

A Modified 'S_E' Made Template ©

Thu Mar 09, 2017 2:44 pm

"You ask me to betray my vows, to provoke the animosity of people who not only have the ability to kill me, but whose mere disapproval would be akin to death for me, and accuse me of madness when I ask for reciprocity. As I said at the beginning of this wager, if you feel the scales are unduly weighted are you within your rights to demand more. But the questions you ask risk my life, my future, and my dignity. If you wish to return to your Gotei triumphant, then you must entrust yourself to fate."

He folded his hands over the cards, gaze meeting Rukia's once more, his expression almost...sympathetic now. He examined her slowly, even rising from his chair, to circle around her. He let out a low, soft humming sound deep in his throat, and walked off to the kitchen once more, returning with the entire glass of wine this time. He poured another measure for her, then downed several long gulps himself, finishing off the bottle, and setting it on top of his cards.

"You doubt my good intentions. Beyond that, you fear even that succumbing to my advances will somehow leave you further stained. You know that a single acquiescence will make each subsequent one easier. You would sooner die than betray your Gotei."

He leaned forward, fingers drumming on the counter. He sucked on his lower lip, and then glanced at Rukia's cards, before looking back at his own.

"Do I strike you as an especially unreasonable man, Rukia? Do my demands seem somehow noxious to you? Do you think I am simply pretending to be a good host, to lull you into a false sense of security? I have explained the rules of this game to you, and I am perfectly happy to put to rest any further questions you have. But at a certain point, I must see...resolve, Rukia. You came here seeking something, and you may have it. But I must know how important this is to you, Rukia. You came here hoping to find out the plans of a simple hollow, and here you are, with a chance to be the hero of the Soul Society. And still you waver...because of your vows? Do you think Yamamoto, the man who sacrificed his left arm to destroy one of the greatest threats to this world, would sympathize with your refusal to pay the price for the good of countless people?"

Yaksha turned once more, this time towards the window. His hands folded behind his back, his stance ramrod straight as he nodded his head in silence a few times, clearly lost in thought.

"I want to help you, Rukia. I want you to thrive in that place you call your home. But I cannot trust your word and your word alone that our relationship will not sour. I cannot allow myself to be compromised after so many centuries of being careful. I don't want to see this world fall to the demons...or to hollowkind. And I will do my part, to make sure you're armed for whatever may come. But I can hardly ask for amnesty, or a new identity. Your comrades will hunt me down as soon as they hear of this conversation. And that blood will be on your hands. Because you felt your vow towards another held a heavier weight than the life of an innocent."

He turned to Rukia, ever so slightly, and spoke in a soft, pained tone.

"I don't think you have to worry about Byakuya tossing you aside, when you're this cold."

Thu Mar 09, 2017 3:03 pm

Why are you concerned about me being cold?" She snapped, her eyes of jeweled amethyst wide in a mixture of horror and confusion.

"While I cannot, and will not give you the information you seek; perhaps I can point you in the right direction as to where to find it, in a manner that doesn't concern my position within the Gotei, or the Gotei itself. Consider it a tip, if you will," she said, her tone softening considerably; remorse flooding her being for her sudden, disrespectful outbursts.

The Royal Kuchiki rested against the back of her chair, her posture still perfect; her muscles were beginning to gradually unwind from their previously tense state, though her mind was still reeling from Yaksha's words. Just what did it mean to him that she was cold? What did he, a strange, humanoid Hollow, care?

A Modified 'S_E' Made Template ©

Thu Mar 09, 2017 3:25 pm

"Rukia...that's all I wanted. I don't need you to put yourself at needless risk for me. It would be foolish and callous. You needn't walk me right into the archives and place them in my hands. With this gigai, making my way into the Rukongai is easy enough. After that...I could hardly ask you to render them into my own hands. But so long as you make my goals your own...then I will consider our debt settled." He turned towards Rukia once more, his smile almost wistful now, eyes faroff.

He approached Rukia once more, his hands raised into the air. He spoke slowly, in tones that were as precise as a ruler, words that hung painfully in the air. "I don't want to rule the world, Rukia. I don't want to see this place fall into the same pitfalls that Hueco Mundo did. I don't want to make a new Las Noches. I simply want to find those who I could align myself with, and feel confident. I have no interest in these big political games. I just want to...live. And that means that I need to make sure at a moment's notice, I can always find access to the individual with the ideal power, the man with the right connections, and the right trail of breadcrumbs. Rukia...I want nothing more than to be so damned indispensable that Urahara himself would tip his hat to me. And there are things only I can do."

He settled back into his chair, lifting the wine bottle and flipping his cards over, one at a time. They were crisp and clean, one of them even clinging to the bottom of the wine bottle ever so slightly. He plucked at it slowly and absentmindedly, as he glanced back down at the cards.

The two of clubs; the two of diamonds; the two of spades; the two of hearts. A powerful hand in its own right, something that could leave most people to tremble. But as Yaksha flicked a hand downwards, the last card drifting down, it would've become far more gut-wrenching to behold. On this card there was no number to be found, no profile; instead there was simply a man, garbed in so many colors as to be absurd to behold. He wore a hat of patchwork cloth, and tiny bells could be seen attached to each end. At the very top left, and the bottom right, one word could be seen, clearly emblazoned for everyone to see.

"Jokers wild, Rukia. We'll call it the two of fates. Your hand is improbable, Rukia. While mine is...impossible. Everyone should have a trump card set aside, don't you think Rukia? Something that comes completely out of left field, and leaves all your opponents baffled? And, most importantly...something that always leaves your comrades wondering, for just a second, if they know just what you're capable of. And should you ever find this information is being leaked a little too idly...well, you certainly know who is to blame. And I don't doubt for a second you could set right the damage, before anyone was harmed."

He placed a hand on the table, head tilting to the side, and sighing slowly, lazily.

"On this matter...I couldn't dare force you, Rukia. It's simply too important, and you know as well as I do that this could be one of the greatest or worst days in the history of this world. But...know that I will go forward with my plans. With or without your aid. And I think the humans say it best when they tell you to keep your enemies closest. Perhaps, Rukia, your good-natured spirit will rub off on me. We'll never know, if you don't try. And that, Rukia...is hope. That's gambling at its finest."

"So what do you say, Rukia. Ready to help me plan the heist of the millennium? All proceeds go towards a good cause."

Thu Mar 09, 2017 3:50 pm

"I believe you misunderstood me, Yaksha. Why attempt to break into the Seireitei, when I can merely direct you to the organization in which those you seek hide behind? I'm certain they have an open door policy," Rukia pondered aloud, her cool fingertips dancing against the surface of her wine glass, before they clasped around it, raising it to Rukia's lips, where she took a meager pull of the burgundy liquid — the burn travelling down her throat as she swallowed.

She released the glass, and her hands retreated, resuming their prior position upon the shihakusho clad Shinigami's lap. Rukia's amethyst gaze flitted to Yaksha's cards, which he had placed atop the table as he dealt his hand; but there were two other cards — Was it a mistake?

Thu Mar 09, 2017 4:29 pm

"Neutrality, Rukia. The point is to be of them without being from them. I've no interest in bargaining off the rights to my life to the Gotei, or the Espada, or Shadow Fall, or anyone else. Think of me as...a freelancer. To tie myself down with contracts could only possibly end with bridges being burned, and people coming to blame me for...business."

Yaksha folded his hand over his chest, staring at the woman before him, and then sucking at his lower lip slowly, noisily. It was clear he was sizing her up, trying his very hardest to make sense of what he was seeing; clearly her promise to the Soul Society meant a great amount, and her fear of returning to the Rukongai was great.

"Or bargaining power, let's call it. I'm a nobody, Rukia. That affords me a certain immunity, don't you think? Who would bother accusing a nobody like me of being the one who coordinated an attack on Las Noches, one involving agents from both Shadow Fall and the Gotei, working in tandem? Who could ever imagine that a hollow that isn't even a Vasto Lorde could be such a thorn in the side of so many mighty organizations? I'm not asking for much, Rukia...I merely wish for the freedom to live my life on my own terms. I give you my word that I will use none of the information you provide me to the detriment of the Gotei, or your friends. But I need that information, if I'm going to continue to be your comrade-in-arms. I cannot stand up to the world alone, Rukia. And to limit myself to the aid of hollows alone...would be pure folly. I'm proposing something far greater, Rukia. And I want you to be the first partner in this endeavor."

Thu Mar 09, 2017 10:45 pm

Rukia did not waver under Yaksha's scrutiny. Her amaranthine irises rose from his cards in order to meet his own gaze, and penetrated it. Her expression had been wiped clean, leaving her blank, youthful face in its wake. The thin, raven brows of the Shinigami rose upon the man's admission, wanting her — wanting Rukia, to be his first partner in his new enterprise.''

Truthfully, Rukia didn't know what to think; but, nonetheless, she spoke, "I will only be your informant as long as the purpose remains for the greater good of all kinds," she said softly, her voice caressing his eardrums like a woodwind's song. She faced a moral dilemma, now. She did not want to jeopardize her career within the Gotei divisions, nor did she want the Espada running amok — not to mention what her brother would do, if he ever caught wind of it. A sigh escaped her, and her gaze fell from Yaksha's as she was encapsulated by her thoughts; her mulberry orbs hiding behind her half-lowered eyelids.