Re: I Am The Lizard King![Yaksha/Kyoraku]

Wed Nov 22, 2017 4:09 pm

"I want nothing more than to know I can reap the fruits of my own labors. I want only to sit outside your cycle of reincarnation, and to live on my own terms. Peace is the simplest method of reaching that goal. Make no mistake, Kyoraku, I would be happy living in a world without a single shinigami. But I hold you no ill will. You're simply doing what you think best for yourself and those you hold close. I'm no different."

He lifted the sake cup given to him by the shinigami, looking at its contents, swirling them slowly, and then looking up at the sky. He blinked a few times, as if he were searching for words, as if he were trying to find the right way to express a certain ideal...but in the end, he simply took a long, slow drag on the cup in front of him. His hair could be seen squirming and writhing even now, but far slower, as if it were a snake waking after it had been bathing in the sun for some time, and had only just realized shade had descended. Or perhaps like a creature feeling doubt and fear once more.

"Strength is important, I suppose. But the days of champions are behind us. Ever onward the march goes, to empower each and every man to take fate into their own hands. To be the one who clenches defeat or victory in their hands. The people don't need a champion to lead the charge. Nor do they need a man leading from the back, carrying the banner. The people simply need a cause to fight for. I'm a hollow, a being of quintessential negativity, and even I can approach this topic rationally enough to realize that too much has changed. The balance of souls can't be maintained permanently, and the cycle of vengeance can't be stopped so long as hollows remain as they are. For now, I just need...a weapon. Something to arm the people with."

As he spoke these words, Yaksha reached to a pouch attached to a strand of hair, pulling out a pair of small, whitish orbs. One he placed gingerly in his sake glass, as if he were presenting a burnt offering to a god. The other, he placed between two teeth, crunching it in half instantly. As he did, there was an ever so faint sense of weight in the air, as if something were exhaling ever so slightly.

"Made to die. Born to serve. A life with no weight whatsoever. Fitting that it be the ultimate peace-keeper with the creatures that consume until there's nothing left, isn't it? They hardly even fill one up, but...well, one -can- live on bread and water."

Sun Nov 26, 2017 6:22 pm

I Am The Lizard King![Yaksha/Kyoraku] - Page 2 3tGGwcz

Shunsui

Artist: Bleach OST - Song: Mysterious - Word Count: 576

Shunsui looked on curiously at the small white spheres the hollow had produced from his bag. For a moment he was unsure of what they were. Gikon, after all, hadn't been in the public eye as much recently, and they'd never been something he was interested in himself. Watching the hollow though, he found a use for them that the Shinigami had never though of.

"Ahh, artificial souls... interesting. I'm surprised we've never considered it."

He shifted his gaze towards the reiatsu infused soul pill furiously bubbling away at the bottom of the hollow's cup of sake. It almost looked appetizing.

"I see what you mean. Maybe you're even right, the balance of souls has become more and more unstable as time goes on, but the Shinigami won't allow the hollow to go uncontested if they continue to act as they have in the past. If you could somehow convince them to live off of these artificial souls I don't see any reason why our races shouldn't be able to get along though."

Shunsui paused for a moment, mulling over a few things in his head. This plan didn't seem too shabby to him, even if at the moment it still needed fine tuning. He couldn't think of a way the hollow would be able to use gikon effectively in combat, so with that in mind he doubted it would be a problem if he directed the hollow in the correct direction. The idea of peace was tempting to him, he'd been alive for all of their great wars, and it was time for it to come to a stop. One way or another. The hollow were becoming more and more bold in their attacks of soul society, and that wasn't something that Shunsui could accept. If this encounter was some kind of ploy for an attack the hollow would be playing right into his hand. That was exactly what he wanted, for all of them to gather again like they had in the past. To march to their culling. If Yaksha could control them though. If somehow he got through to them and that wasn't necessary it would be for the best, but reflecting on the history Shunsui doubted that would be the case. Time and time again their races had clashed, he wasn't sure if it was possible to change at this point. He wasn't completely pessimistic though, or he'd have simply laughed the idea of. As it was, he'd test the hollow's ability to get results. It would be essential for this kind of task, and Shunsui didn't want an incompetent ally in this of all things.

"I assume you're familiar with Karakura city?. I know a man there who wears a green and white striped hat. Find him and you'll find a way to get many Gikon. That's everything I can tell you."

Shunsui lifted his cup, draining the rest of his sake in one long drink. He studied Yaksha as he did so, looking for any clues the hollow may give based on his reiatsu and attitude. He never relied on this information completely though. One could always make mistakes, and it was best to be cautious in these kinds of scenarios.

"Well, with that out of the way, is there anything else I can help you with?"

Wed Nov 29, 2017 6:56 pm

Yaksha, The Anthropophagus

Yaksha

"Kyoraku! Come on now. I came a long way here, and I'm in the presence of a brilliant man. Why would I walk out the door just because you've already agreed to cooperate with me? I knew exactly what I was getting into when I came in here, and now I'd just appreciate a chance to catch up, and speak with someone who can remember the old days, just as I can. Who can remember...when things weren't. And when they were."

His hands folded in his lap, expression one of surprisingly zen peacefulness as he lifted the sake glass he'd been given by the captain, downing it slowly...and as he did, his eyes seemed to flash a deeper shade of green for a split second, and he now seemed to be slouching just a bit more, as if most of his propriety had gone out the door. He didn't look drunk in the slightest, but something about the sake had instituted a change, all the same.

"I'm familiar with Karakura town, and with the gentleman you're alluding to. I've been an observer for a long time, after all. You shinigami have been preparing for war since before I was born...and I have been preparing for peace. You don't find a way to end a millenia-long race war by being lazy. I know my brethren; what motivates them, what they loathe, what excites them. And I...like to believe I know what motivates shinigami, if not the Gotei. I must confess, persons are always so much harder to fathom than people. But I'm getting there, one step at a time! Please, Kyoraku. Let me just...bask in it, for a little bit."

He rose one hand, weaving it slowly through the air, as if he were listening to a song, and then pointing it at the shinigami, his teeth baring in a manner that brought to mind a predator making a particularly funny promise.

"Tell me, Captain. Do you enjoy games of chance?"

Coding Altered From: [The Frost]

Thu Dec 14, 2017 7:30 pm

Yaksha, The Anthropophagus

Yaksha

Yaksha's eyes had that same lidded aspect to them the entire time as he watched Kyoraku's motions, leaning back in his chair and examining the room around him as if taking it in for the first time. Teeth were made visible time and time again as he smiled in delight, like a child who was seeing the ocean for the first time, or someone else who had finally gotten to see with their own two eyes something they'd only heard spoken of before then. He was even slow to react to Kyoraku's comments, his smile turning wickedly delighted as he nodded towards the shinigami, just a bit deeper than was really needed. It almost looked like he was nodding off for a moment, then waking up.

"I'm versed in a great many games of chance. Pick whatever suits your fancy. It's mostly just a way to get a feel for the illustrious captain Kyoraku. I've always wondered if the stories are true. About how much you really could do if you put your mind to it. But if we're going to play these games, then let us play them properly. A game of chance must have stakes."

He remained where he was, one clawed hand slowly swirling through the air now, as if he were causing a small current in a body of water, or otherwise luxuriating, rather than sitting across from a man who could probably blow him to bits without even rising from the table, or speaking a single word. He let the silence reign for a few more moments, before speaking slowly, in the tone of one savoring every single word.

"Stakes. I will wager the names of those sympathetic to my cause, within your Gotei. It may help when you present your case to your Captain Commander...or perhaps when you need to turn the thumbscrews. And you will wager...let us say the nature of your zanpakuto? I must confess to some academic curiosity, even if it never becomes relevant. What sort of power must a man like you possess...I can but wonder."

Coding Altered From: [The Frost]

Fri Dec 15, 2017 8:47 pm

Yaksha, The Anthropophagus

Yaksha

Yaksha's eyes remained firmly glued to the container of dice, following every movement on the part of the captain, his clawed fingers resting still in his lap, and his hair ever so slowly making its way back across his shoulders, to neatly tuck itself up into a ponytail once more. It moved almost without his conscious notice, his thoughts utterly absorbed by the game in front of him. The rules, remarkably simple, and the stakes undoubtedly more of a symbol than anything. He had to make his point to Kyoraku effectively, and ensure he didn't doubt for one moment Yaksha had the capacity to do as he promised.

"There won't be any draws. Six."

His voice was devoid of any of the previous flippancy, any of the smugness or pride or self-satisfaction. He simply looked at the dice with the expression of a man trying to determine if the chamber on a gun in front of him was loaded with blanks, or gunpowder. He knew all too well that he was dealing with an expert in games of chance and luck this time around; there was no outmaneuvering him here, no way to bluff him or convince him he'd lost when victory was so easy to determine. This game was, amongst all of the gambling he'd dealt with to date, one of the most random; no better than playing roulette, or a slot machine.

And to think some people preferred games where skill never played a role.

"I do hope you don't plan to be the one in control of the dice every time. I may just have to call the game null and void in that case, and leave now."

Coding Altered From: [The Frost]