The Grace Period [Social]

[Date Maharo]

Maharo was beginning to get used to their new day-to-day as a member of the Thirteenth. Part of their squad's responsibilities as those who maintain the bridge between the world of the living and the Soul Society was to keep a close eye on the town of Karakura. To most of the humans who lived there, it was just a town like many others, but there was more to it. The town had a high density of reiatsu, and, perhaps for that reason, was the most Hollow-infested town in the world, something that Maharo learned first-hand during their first excursion into the world of the living with Hirabayashi as a guide. Since then, Maharo has been patrolling the town on their own. Normally such a fresh-faced Shinigami wouldn't be in Karakura on their own, but with the low headcount of the Thirteenth at the time, it was seen as a necessary risk.

While the threat of finding themselves in an unwinnable battle with a Hollow did hang over Maharo's head, they had found that they honestly enjoyed their time in the world of the living. They were so used to getting odd looks from strangers that to be invisible to the vast majority of humans was something of a relief. There was a certain freedom in going unseen amongst so many living souls, one that they hadn't known until they had begun patrolling.

As the days went by, Maharo grew more comfortable while going along their patrol route. They figured out which buildings had the best vantage points, possible hiding spots for small Hollow, as well as spots that Maharo simply liked. One of which was a street corner in the shopping district that their route took them through in the morning. The time of day that they hit that spot seemed special to the masked Shinigami. There were some customers bustling about, but not too many. Most of the sounds that they could hear were those of people working, getting ready to open up shop for the day. Maharo couldn't really say what they liked about it, but they did.

Today Maharo decided to take a break at that street corner, balancing atop a light pole, with a wonderful view of the rising sun. They stood there for a few minutes before doing something that they very rarely did outside of their personal quarters. They removed their mask, feeling the sunlight on their face for the first time in a very long time. Surely they could risk it just this once, here were they were almost guaranteed not to be seen by anyone.

[Scarlet]

“Damn just how long are these holes going to take to close!”

Hikari woke up about ninety minutes ago at the usual time for her, early in the morning before the sun itself got up for the day. Getting the fire freshly chopped only to then head off on her morning exercise routine. At the moment, she was jogging throughout Karakura. One major difference to the norm though was the fact her right arm was still in a sling. It’d been just over two weeks since Hikari had her first real encounter with a Hollow. One that she fought and managed to survive against despite not being able to kill it.

In the short amount of time between that happening and now Hikari had not only gone through things she would have deemed impossible or just plain stupid, but she’d met certain people as well. People that either turned wheat she believed around completely or those that made themselves and others like them appear as scum to her. Enough had happened that Hikari felt like she was almost a different person leading the life of someone else. She didn’t just have the issues of her normal life anymore, but the problems that came with knowing about the spiritual worlds.

The major issue at the moment was that the wounds she sustained against that first Hollow were taking longer than she would have thought to heal. Five holes in the back of her right shoulder that still caused her enough pain to be a constant menace. Thankfully though after two weeks she didn’t have to have her arm in a sling. She would just have to make sure not to reopen the wounds again or else it was right back to that nuisance of clothing. Just two more days and she’d have to get back to her job at the cafe. Although it wasn’t something she liked doing, it was something to do and although she wouldn’t admit it she missed some of her coworkers.

What she was seeing on the street now though was another instance of her new life. An individual of immense size, much like the demons had been. This one though wasn’t ruining the street nor the buildings near it. She could tell right away based on the black fabric that made of the clothing on it. “A Shinigami huh.” After what Hikari had gone through with the last one she was tempted to take her ax out from behind her back and just attack this one right away. Alas though she couldn’t blame one for the actions of another. Although she had a feeling she was going to regret it she approached from behind only to stop about seven feet away.

“You all really just wait around for something bad to happen. If you stay up there all day it’ll bend.”

[Date Maharo]

For a moment, Maharo believed that someone had said something about Shinigami, but no, they must be hearing things. Knowing that they could be paranoid sometimes, they didn't even bother to react to what they thought they had heard.

However, just a few moments later, Maharo got that odd feeling that they were being talked to, that something had just been said over the rest of the sounds around them, being projected specifically towards them. The towering Shinigami looked back over their shoulder and was shocked to find a human making eye contact with them. Shock gave way to dread, however, as they realized that they were still not wearing their mask. The previously collected Shinigami let out a loud yelp and immediately lost their balance upon the perch, falling to the sidewalk with a loud and painful-sounding thud.

What small glimpse Hikari got of Maharo's face revealed feminine features and a beauty comparable to Tolkien's elves, accentuated by their long mane of white hair. However, that would be the last look Hikari ever got of their face if Maharo could help it. Before even beginning to stand, the tall Shinigami fumbled to return the mask back to its rightful place. Only once it was tightly secured did they get up off of their back, only to immediately prostrate themselves before the human, bowing down to the ground in a deeply apologetic manner.
"A thousand apologies if you were so unlucky to have glimpsed upon my visage. I assure you I will not remove my mask in your presence ever again." They apologized frantically in their deep, yet androgynous voice.

Only once they took the moment to look back up at who they were talking to did Maharo remember themselves. They quickly scrambled to their feet, taking a wide stance and placing their left hand on the base of their zanpakuto's scabbard, and holding their right hand in front of themselves. It was not so close to the hilt of their blade to suggest they were immediately going to attack, but to make it clear that they were prepared to protect themselves if they had to.
"Identify yourself! Quincy, Fullbringer, or latently sensitive to the existence of spirits?" Though they spoke firmly, there was still a soft quality to their voice, as well as a twinge of anxiety. It seemed like this was the first time that Maharo had been seen by someone other than a fellow Shinigami. Probably because it was exactly that.

[Scarlet]

This definitely wasn’t like the other interactions that Hikari had with Shinigami. The first time she’d seen one he had been battling off a Hollow, the second one that she’d met recently had been horrible and quite frankly poisoned her view of them. She’d already been told that Shinigami weren’t to be trusted, that they are individuals who believe themselves to be above everything else and that the second one had seemed to fit that description perfectly. It hadn’t been long ago so the bitter memory of what he had done and said to her was fresh. Still Hikari fell back on the lessons she’d been taught by her family and didn’t jump to judgments against someone new.

She wasn’t prepared for the giant figure on the light post to fall down to the ground though, a display that she wouldn’t ever have expected and one that caused a bit of a laugh from her. It was like she just turned on a movie and saw the stunt in a comedy, although she was quick to try and stop the reaction and kept going for a couple seconds. A good laugh that she in truth needed with everything that had been going on for her lately. Extending her left hand out Hikari would offer to help the giant back up on his feet although she was certain he didn’t need her aid at all.

What she could see even through the laughter was that this guy wasn’t handsome, but pretty. The type of attractive that a good portion of females clung to believing it to be something above the masculine, muscular sort that she personally found better. The way the shinigami frantically put the mask back over their face though was something that seemed off, almost like someone trying to hide something. Hikari thought about how the abused would wear makeup to cover the remnants of beatings, although how someone could beat this guy was beyond her.

A bit surprised by the bow Hikari returned the sign of respect acknowledging that so far this Shinigami was vastly more kind than the one she’d met only a few days ago. Apologizing for seeing his face was a strange thing, one that Hikari didn’t get since they weren’t ugly nor was that something someone in her view should apologize for to others. She didn’t have any sort of knowledge about how shinigami could view such feminine traits on a male though. Not having the time to respond, the shinigami got up and into a defensive stance that showed he wasn’t sure Hikari could be trusted.

Looking around as they asked what she happened to be Hikari raised her left hand and pointed to an alleyway on her right side only a few feet past him. She’d then walk towards the alley hoping that he’d follow her. Once in the alleyway she would begin answering what he wanted to know. “This’ll be easier, not too keen on everyone just seeing me talking to myself in broad daylight. Little slow on the defense huh? Don’t think you need to be though since you’re a small mountain. Maybe if you ask nicely I’ll tell you what you want to know.”

[Date Maharo]

Maharo kept their distance, shuffling away as this mysterious woman simply walked toward the alleyway near them. They understood not wanting to be seen talking to one's self, but they still hesitated. An alleyway seemed like the perfect place to ambush an unassuming Shinigami, especially one as weak as themselves. Perhaps she only made that mountain comment to try and boost their confidence, make them more likely to accept an invitation to a perfectly laid trap.

Or, it could just be that she didn't want to be seen talking to herself. Once Maharo actually thought about it, she probably could have slain them while they were unaware of her ability to see them. Plus, it'd be weirdly convenient to have this alleyway trapped. The only way that could work would be that someone had been keeping track of Maharo's movements around town and planned out this whole charade. Which, given that Maharo was as close to a nobody as a Shinigami could get, seemed even more far-fetched.

Hikari could see the tension begin to ebb from Maharo's stance, their right hand lowering a bit, their shoulders relaxing. With a sigh, they walked, almost defeatedly, into the alleyway, left hand still on their wakizashi's scabbard. When nobody, not even a single thug emerged from the shadows to ambush them, they let out a small sigh, half relieved, half embarrassed by their needless caution. It wouldn't do if Maharo was wound this tightly about everything they came across. They were a Shinigami, they should have the poise of one, even if they didn't have the strength to back that up.

"I... uh..." They started, clenching their right hand into a fist, not in a threatening manner, more like they were trying to figure out what to do with it. "I am going to guess that you are not a Quincy. One would likely attack me on sight." They took a deep breath and gave a short sigh, this one of pure frustration with themselves. Acting as they had could have done nothing but tarnish the reputation of the Gotei 13.

They remembered something that they had learned long ago from the man who gave Maharo their mask. "Treat anybody who isn't currently trying to kill you with respect and courtesy" is what he had said, and Maharo intended to live that creed.
"I seem to have misplaced my manners, apologies." Their right hand finally unclenched, offering it for a handshake. "I am Date Maharo of the Thirteenth Division. Unseated Shinigami. It is my primary duty to patrol this area, so I suppose you could say that I was "waiting around for something bad to happen"."

[Scarlet]

Despite being so large this shinigami really was moving like someone frightened, a little surprising Hikari felt although compared to most of the other shinigami that she’d come across so far it was quite a difference. The last one in particular wouldn’t have acted like this instead being hyper aggressive and more than likely attacked her right away for even suggesting they move where they were speaking. The lack of confidence in one so big was the biggest surprise though yet the unease that seemed to scream from his posture disappeared for the most part very quickly. Hikari could only assume this shinigami was less experienced or didn’t trust anyone perhaps.

There was a word though like the others, one that she hadn’t heard yet. Quincy, Hikari had to make sure to remember it like the others. Based on how the shinigami was speaking they had to be another one of the things that looked like normal humans. Although apparently, they were likely to attack Shinigami on sight. In her short time interacting with the spiritual worlds, Hikari had already met enough Shinigami that she could see why another group wouldn’t have any problem coming to such a drastic choice.

Getting a formal greeting wasn’t something that Hikari had expected, especially one that seemed very modern. Still, she wouldn’t turn away one for the actions of another. Extending her hand out Hikari felt the massive one of the Shinigami named Date encompass her own like a river swallowing up a stone. The size difference between the two was immense, something Hikari had believed she already knew yet this little action proved a little bit more just how big this shinigami is. “Ejiri Hikari. There isn’t any better way to know if a Hollow is coming?”

[Date Maharo]

Maharo tilted their head at Hikari's question concerning how Shinigami detect a Hollow's intrusion into the World of the Living. Were Fullbringers really this unaware of the mechanics of these things? Or maybe this one was just relatively new and hadn't learned everything yet? Either way, Maharo couldn't exactly blame them for their lack of knowledge, could they? It did stand to reason that groups other than Shinigami wouldn't have the firmest grasp on the nature of Hollow. It was the Gotei Thirteen's duty to slay Hollows, and they certainly wanted to know whatever they could about their prey.

"Well, certainly. There are ways to detect Hollow without seeing them. More experienced Shinigami than myself could pick up on one's spiritual presence from across town without any equipment." Maharo explained.
"However, it is impossible to detect one until it has entered the World of the Living. Even if we pick up on one and immediately deploy forces to handle it, the situation may have spiraled out of control before we even have a single pair of feet on the ground." As they spoke, Maharo raised a finger on their right hand, as though they were a teacher speaking to a student.
"One of my mentors always said that every second a Hollow is among the living, the situation becomes exponentially more complicated." Maharo paused and cleared their throat, realizing that they had been rambling for a bit too long.
"That is to say, there are more efficient ways to detect Hollow incursions, but in this case, efficiency is not as important as the immediacy of action. So, having Shinigami patrol Hollow-dense areas is the safest option." The towering Shinigami nodded to themselves, letting out a small sigh as though it was a relief to dump all of this information onto someone else.

It did not occur to Maharo that it was likely not the best idea to freely explain the capabilities and limitations of the Gotei Thirteen to someone whom they had just met. Maharo did well enough not to indulge amongst their peers in Soul Society, but they truly did love to explain things to people. They were quiet most of the time, but once they got started talking about something, it was difficult for them to stop themselves.

[Scarlet]

Based on everything that Maharo said Hikari couldn’t help but make the comparison between Shinigami and the police in the human world. Although they possessed powers that made them seem almost like superheroes, apparently, they were just as limited as normal people when it came to handling the problems they faced. Although it made them seem more relatable in her eyes she couldn’t help, but wondered if there was something obvious everyone was overlooking that could help prevent Hollows from succeeding. Sensing the energy of others was something that she’d been told was possible already although she wasn’t sure if it was something that one was gifted with, like being born able to do or if one could train to develop such a thing.

Either way now though she had to question what Maharo was going to do if he couldn’t sense a Hollow. Did a Shinigami have to wait and listen like a normal human? The sounds of shrieking and destruction was how Hikari had managed to find some of the few Hollows she’d encountered so far. She was so new to all this though that it just seemed impossible that others with extensive knowledge and practice were limited to the same degree as herself. “Alright makes sense enough, why the streetlamp though? Aren’t you tall enough to see over everybody already?” Hikari knew that her question didn’t really matter but didn’t really have another one to ask beyond whether or not a Hollow had already appeared today, but she wasn’t so sure Maharo would tell her that.

[Date Maharo]

Maharo tilted their head at Hikari's last question. It seemed like such an obvious answer that they bristled at the question at first, but giving it a moment's thought, the Shinigami could see a few reasons that they may have chosen that spot. "Well, I didn't exactly give it the most thought before taking my perch, yes? I suppose it is for a few factors that I chose the spot." Maharo raised a finger before continuing. "While I am indeed tall, the higher the position, the wider the area that can be observed."

They raised another finger, apparently signaling that they were moving on to their second point. "The streetlamp hangs over the road, which gives me the best view of this area. See, standing on a building only really lets you see the opposite side of the road unless you took the time to crook your head over the ledge and check directly below you, meaning it would be easier to miss subtle things."

A third finger raised as Maharo began on a third point of their rambling explanation. "And; Of course, most of you cannot see me. You humans, I mean. Those more aware of the spiritual world can see me quite well. My point being, that trying to walk amongst those who cannot see you would be something of a challenge, yes?" They shrugged, as though asking if what they had said was answer enough for her curiosity.

The tall Shinigami abruptly turned their masked face toward the sky, taking a moment to consider the location of the sun. "Hrm." They grunted softly. "It appears I am behind schedule." Maharo turned their mask's furious stare back to the human. "I must be going. I would say that I hope to meet again, but given our differing affiliations, there's no telling whether that would be as acquaintances or as enemies. Either way, I do wish you a good day." With their piece said, Maharo vanished, using shunpo to disappear in a way that they hoped seemed sufficiently mysterious when really, they had just leaped onto one of the lower rooftops amongst them.

While they seemed quite well-composed as they left, Maharo was panicking internally. Surely they hadn't said too much about how the Gotei operates, did they? To be fair, they didn't really have much of a complex understanding of how such things as Hollow detection worked. Most of what they said had been conjecture, assumptions made on what little information that they did have. Perhaps that was something approaching lying, but it's not like the human would be able to fact-check them, right? Yes, so surely it was fine. At least, that's what Maharo told themselves as they continued on their patrol.

[Scarlet]

Scarlet stood listening to the Shinigami give her the explanation as to why he was actually perched up on top of the streetlamp. Although this wasn't something important in the grand scene of things it was still something that had thrown her off a little bit. Whether it be the fact she had actually seen someone really doing that instead of just viewing it from a movie or the fact that this Shinigami was massive in size. She almost found it humorous now thinking about it while he spoke, she'd essentially just gotten to see a giant acting like a bird. Every reason that he gave her though made sense when she thought about it so there wasn't really any further point to address.

There was that point again though, most humans couldn't see the spiritual. She'd been told this quite a bit by others now and really had to contemplate just how few could see everything going on in the world. Were all religions that went over the afterlife based on something that someone had actually seen at some point? Just how few could actually see everything? Scarlet usually wasn't interested in such things, but this was something that really turned the perception of the world around. Suddenly not just the problems in the human world, but the scope of things seemed small in scale. Like aliens from multiple different planets had arrived at the same time.

Scarlet didn't really get much of a chance when it came to saying anything regarding what this Shinigami had just told her though as he looked away, Scarlet could tell something had changed. Something was likely going on whether it be a Hollow appearing, or he simply had to get back to Soul Society she couldn't tell. All she knew was one moment he was there standing in front of her and the next he vanished in the blink of her eyes. She'd seen a few others accomplish this feat and knew that she'd have to figure out how soon otherwise her luck was going to run out soon.

[Camila Adaronde]

22 paragraphs from Maharo, meaning a 20% increase to your next thread with Scarlet!
17 paragraphs from Scarlet, meaning a 10% increase to your next thread with Maharo!