Hardwire {open}

[Kimiko Fujisaki]

"Let the silence settle in our bones."
dramatis personae: kimiko fujisaki; alaster greyrose; ___________ ;;

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It was rare for Kimiko to be found in the human world, the realm of the living. After all, as a high-ranking seated officer of the Gotei 13, she was mostly on supervisory work or otherwised pushed paper at the 5th Division's headquarters.

But, every so often, their division was spread thin and required extra hands to perform everday work normally assigned to lower ranked Shinigami in the human world. Or, there were the more troubled times, when higher ranking Shinigami were required for their extra clout and experience to handle more difficult or dangerous tasks.

This time, it was the former case. Kimiko sighed quietly as she landed on one of the many lamp posts lining a path through a large park. The light beneath flickered, almost as if in protest, but Kimiko ignored it and scanned the area, shadows lingering in the darkness of the night. The Shinigami assigned to this area had been injured in a battle and was currently being healed in the 4th Division's medical relief station; and so, Kimiko was sent to temporarily replace said Shinigami and, if possible, to find the one responsible and take appropriate action.

She figured it was probably just a rogue Hollow that took the Shinigami off guard. If luck was on her side, she could get this over and done with quickly. Find the target, eliminate it, then return home and write up a simple report. Easy enough.

Except luck was not really cooperating with her so far. The night was already half over and no suspicious activity noted in any of the neighbourhoods she had patrolled through already. At least the weather was nice - a full moon hung like a shining pear surrounded by twlinking stars in a clear night sky. A light breeze blew past, ruffling Kimiko's dark curls and her uniform; it added a slight autumn chill to the air but it didn't bother her much.

Well, the area seemed clear. Kimiko leapt from the post and landed neatly on the path, scanning the area just once more before she would prepare to leave.

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Tag;; open for 2!
Notes;; Bah, so crappy of a post. But, if you're interested, you're free to jump in~
Lyrics;; "Hardwire" by Metric
Music;; "Overture of the Summer Wars"

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[shadowyshinobi]

A slightly abnormal night it was for Alaster Greyrose as he strolled along in the cool night air feeling the gentle breeze play against the skin of his exposed forearms. He was still clad in his usual uniform for the daylight hours even though it was nearing midnight on the clock for one thing. This wouldn't look odd to most people as a lot of school aged children wore their school uniforms all the time, but Alaster was anything but normal. The second thing was perhaps, that he was in search of someone he didn't know. Or rather, the fact that e was searching at all given his resources and mental faculties.

The thing that had brought about this attire was really just a series of annoying events. He had remained after school for kendo team practice which had run 30 minutes longer than it should have. Then of course a minor crisis popped up with "The Company" requiring him to call his driver to pick him up where he spent several hours sorting out the issue and signing a few things.

By the time he left the building it was after 9 and as he stepped back into the real world he felt it. A twinge to his spiritual senses. Something powerful was nearby. Not a hollow however but also no member of the Quincy Order. This left only one option.

Shinigami. And whoever it was possessed at least a modicum of skill because they were masking their reiatsu and flitting from place to place as if searching for something. Alaster didn't like it and not because he didn't like shinigami. Quite the contrary, he enjoyed them far more than other members of the Order. What he didn't like was the fact that someone was doing something in his city and he didn't know why or just what and not knowing was unacceptable. It suggested he had overlooked or failed to realize something. Neither of these were acceptable, especially after the massive barrier over a large portion of the city had been set up that he couldn't see a way past.

Eventually however he had now caught up with the death god in question as he ventured into the park. He watched her from not too far off as she stood upon the blinking lightpost, his hands in his pockets and the sheen of his glasses making them appear starkly white in the dead of night, hiding his eyes until seh leapt with grace to the ground upon which he walked. It was then that he approached from the shadows, shifting his glasses with a single finger, puushing them back up onto the bridge of his nose, revealing his meticulously observant piercing blues.

"Finally decided that the earth was worthy of your steps again, eh Shinigami-san?" he called out to her, his voice quiet but broaching the silence of the night as if he had cut the the air with his voice all the same, "And please tell me you aren't the over-exciteable sort who is going to draw her sword and interrogate me in my own city as if I'm the one who is out of place and in the wrong."

[Kimiko Fujisaki]

"Though we both see it coming, we don't run."

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A dark-haired boy approached.

Kimiko, at first, paid him no mind. A human, after all, was just that. Only a very small minority of them could actually see her or other spiritual beings, as it was an exceedingly rare ability. Kimiko remembered with amusement the time when she found out some humans falsely claimed to be able to communicate with spirits, and that other humans foolishly surrendered money for their "services". In any case, the chances of this human being able to sense her at all were very slim.

Bits of gravel crunched under her feet as Kimiko turned on her heel to move on from this area and to the next, the sleeves of her uniform and her dark curls billowing around her as she went. She didn't like wasting time, and frankly, this park was a little creepy at nighttime.

"Finally decided that the earth was worthy of your steps again, eh Shinigami-san? And please tell me you aren't the over-exciteable sort who is going to draw her sword and interrogate me in my own city as if I'm the one who is out of place and in the wrong." came the cool words from behind her.

Kimiko came to a halt, a faint wrinkle forming between her brows for just a moment of perplexity before smoothing over with the calm serenity most nobles were taught to wear like a mask. Automatically, her left hand came to rest over the scabbard of her Zanpakutou at her hip. It wasn't so much that she thought he was a genuine threat to her, but he was suspicious, nonetheless. If she had heard correctly - and she assumed she had, as her hearing was just fine, thank you very much - he had (correctly) identified her as a Shinigami. And clearly, there was no one else around. He had talked directly to her.

The Third Seat officer turned around, smiling faintly. "Oh my, I didn't expect you to be able to see me, least of all know what I am. For the record, I do not intend to draw my sword lest I have reason to; there is no sense in spilling unnecessary blood," she said, her voice steady and clear but non-aggressive. She decided it was probably best to ignore his taunts. Kimiko did not, however, remove her hand from her Zanpakutou's scabbard.

"Nonetheless, you must admit you are a little bit of a suspicious figure right now. A young boy out this late at night by himself, talking without hesitation to a Shinigami? I don't wish to call it 'interrogating' but I would be most grateful if you would answer a few questions for me."

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Notes;; Ahhh, I'm tired ;A;
Lyrics;; "Hardwire" by Metric
Music;; "I Giorni" by Ludovico Einaudi

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[shadowyshinobi]

"Consider your statement noted then," Alaster replied as his hand receded from his face. his eyes of course noticed that despite her statement, her hand had fallen directly onto the handle of that all too dangerous katana. The teen couldn't help but wonder if she was lying or not but also decided he didn't care.

"I'll agree that unnecessary bloodshed is unwanted here. It belittles us and there are of course so many better options than simple violence even though it is generally the first conclusion people jump to. 'Might makes right' and all that idiotic base human thinking," he continued shifting his weight to his other leg, refusing to close the distance between them any further, lest his action be taken as a threat.

He took a moment to study her with his eyes and spiritual senses. her fce was smooth and unmarred suggesting she frequently held this serene and regal expression, not unlike his own really. Her hair lustrous and drawn tight, lending to her appearance of perfection. literally not a hair out of place. She wore her shiahkusho standardly, No visible frills suggesting she was very into her work. in fact even the white ribbons that tied her hair into those pigtails matched with this outfit even if they were made of silk and of finer look than the rest of it. Her power was also tightly reigned in and compressed. Controlled, again similar to his own but she was also not hiding it too much. Disciplined...

"Exemplary... But Fine. Question away...I have little to hide. My presence is normal. my motives pure and my reasons logical. The only abnormality is simply that I don't hesitate to approach you in all honesty. The time of day irrelevant truly as we both know spiritual activities of true note occur in the midst of night around here. But again i digress and reiterate, ask your questions so that we may progress."

[Kimiko Fujisaki]

"You are everything; you are nothing at all."

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The human boy's shoulders seemed to relax slightly as soon as Kimiko had spoken, although he was cautious and maintained physical distance. Foolish, really. She could cover the gap between them in a fraction of a second if she wanted to...but, it wouldn't do to scare him. Not until she had questioned him thoroughly.

Kimiko bowed, hands folded neatly in front of her as she was taught when she was just a little girl. "I'm glad we agree. First, shall we introduce ourselves? I am Fujisaki Kimiko, 3rd seat officer of the Gotei 13's 5th Division."

She straightened and as she did so, she examined the boy before her properly. Something was off about him - the way he held himself, the way he spoke. It was merely a hunch, but Kimiko was certain he was no simple human able to see spirits and Shinigami.

No, he had an unusual amount of knowledge of the spiritual world, even for a spiritually-aware human. She peered at him closely through the shadows. Physically, he didn't appear abnormal for a human boy his age (she supposed; she had such limited experience with humans in general) and he wasn't very imposing. Then again, neither was she and she was a seated officer of the 5th Division, though she took care to hide and suppress her reiatsu while on missions to the living world.

It wasn't obvious, but this boy had spiritual power and not just a little bit of it. No, he must have been hiding most of it as she was, but it was certainly there, like running water running hidden beneath the earth. She had heard of humans gaining Hollow-like powers after rigorous training, but thus far, she had never seen one for herself and she needed to see to believe. Then maybe....

"A Quincy, then?" Kimiko asked, an inquisitive brow raised.

They were a relatively rare breed of humans but their kind were renowned Hollow hunters, though their methods more barbaric than those of Shinigami. She had read plenty about them and even met one once, though it was not a very amicable encounter. Kimiko kept her one hand on her scabbard at her side.

"Well, it matters little so long as we maintain our truce," she continued, shaking her head a little. "Let us move on with purpose, then. First, I've been receiving reports of an increase in unusual activity in this city. Can you confirm?"

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Notes;; i is ded.
Lyrics;; "Hardwire" by Metric
Music;; "Kusou Mesorogiwi" by Yousei Teikoku

[shadowyshinobi]

Adam waited patiently for the questions to begin and counted the seconds calmly. Having lived here for nigh on 3 years, he had become accustomed to the japanese society's methods of respect, greeting and decorum. His english sensibilities however still found the entire process a bit slow rather than endearingly polite.

First she introduced herself which he was glad for. It wouldn't do to continuously refer to her as 'shinigami'. It simply felt rude. He noticed however that as she bowed her eyes passed over him as her head came back up. She was studying him as he had her. smart. Analytical as well. If it ever came down to it, this Kimiko Fujisaki, would make a worthy opponent.



"Good deduction. Yes, I am a quincy. Alaster Malcolm Greyrose, Vanguard of the Quincy Order.That aside, It is pleasant to meet you." Alaster replied with a slight bow of his own matching her degree of incline. The words 'Quincy order'was practically said with disdain, as if it were a dirty word.

He decided to take another step forward, emerging fully from the shadows casually attempting to reveal his face. If she knew he was a quincy, she knew that distance was irrelevant to him and the farther away he was, the more advantageous to him so getting closer was to further show he was attempting to be genuinely peaceful.

"Of course I can confirm it. Something about a giant explosion of crippling reiatsu and a horde like army of hollows inside that waste zone's barrier seems to have drawn them closer. Then your people erected that barrier that seems to be a twist in the continuum of time and they've been flocking around it ever since. Now of course Kyoto has always been a center of spiritual activity but yes, recently the numbers of hollows has increased to near triple I'd say. Besides that, you people seem to be coming in and out more often in varying degrees of power."

[Kimiko Fujisaki]

"We walk a broken line, a line of signs."

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Kimiko hid a grin as the boy introduce himself and matched her bow, mirroring her almost perfectly. Perhaps he was a foreigner? He was obviously not totally accustomed to bowing and Japanese politeness, and now that he spoke and she listened carefully, she detected an accent. Still, she at least had to acknowledge he was trying to be polite to her, at least, and that meant something.

The second thing she noted was the word Vanguard in his introduction. So, his youth belied his skill and power. It was unexpected, but it explained why he seemed so confident and relatively relaxed around her. At least he wasn't as foolish as she initially thought he was. The distance between them could be covered in a split second by either of them, which put both of them in range of an attack.

And, as if reading her mind, he stepped forward, closing the distance between them just slightly and also allowing her to get a better look at him. It was not an aggressive advancement, but seemed to be one of signalling further peace between them. So, as if to answer him, Kimiko finally allowed the hand over her scabbard to relax and drop to her side.

"A pleasure, Greyrose-san," Kimiko said with a nod. "Not all encounters with Shinigami and Quincy are peaceful, but I'm glad that for now, at least, we can avoid violence."

Had she imagined it? Kimiko thought she heard a shade of disdain in his voice as he mentioned the Quincy Order...but she had been too busy processing other information to take much notice. Well, it mattered little to her. Whatever personal problems he had with the other Quincy was his business. She had far more important matters to get to before the night was over.

As for his report, Kimiko's mind began to race. He knew a lot - that much was obvious. He was either very observant and analytical or he was close to the higher-ups in the Order of the Quincy. She knew that the 10th Division was the division responsible for maintaining ties with the Order but as she was in a different division, she had no idea .just how much information was passed between them.

"You seem to know quite a lot, Greyrose-san. I assume, then, that the Quincy have been just as active to counter the increasing occurrences in this area?" she asked. "And more importantly, have there been...ah...stronger Hollows in this area recently? Or any that look unusual?" She paused just slightly here before continuing, "The shinigami who was injured yesterday was a competent warrior - this I know from personal experience. Whoever or whatever hurt him was obviously powerful or sneaky. I mean to find the one responsible and take care of them."

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Notes;; sorry for the suckage. i wrote this after work orz
Lyrics;; "Hardwire" by Metric
Music;; "Youthful" by 99radioservice