Disguises

[Alacrán]

It was a peaceful afternoon in the wilderness of the Rukongai, the woods filled with the sounds of its inhabitants as they went on about their normal everyday lives. Yet today would be anything but normal if the dimensional tear in space was to indicate anything, the mouth-like portal, a garganta, opening up to allow a tall and handsome, dark-skinned man with long wavy black hair that was tied into a ponytail to step out, who observed the space around him. The sun, or whatever was the source of light for the Soul Society, was rather bright as it had been some time since Alacrán had been exposed to anything similar. He also found the vibrant greens of the forest rather offensive, doing everything in his power to not just lash out and destroy everything in his immediate vicinity.

Instead he simply begins to stroll through the forest. He wondered how long it would take for the Shinigami to swarm in on him. He knew they had methods of locating Hollows but he wondered if they could tell that he was one while in the gigai. Perhaps they had registered the garganta opening up but not him, in which case that'd be perfect for him as he would be able to stroll around with little worry of being discovered. At least as long as he didn't stick around in the area. While he obviously doesn't appear like a Hollow or an Arrancar, that doesn't mean suspicion wouldn't be cast upon him if he was found right now. So he picked up his pace as he hurried out of the forest, nearing the outermost regions of the Rukongai, his first time being here.

He was surprised to find that these outer districts were rather rural and seemed almost shady considering what this place was supposed to be. He stood out with his stark white coat and tight fitting black pants and dress shoes. The residents of this particular section of the Rukongai seemed rather weary of him, not sure what to make of him. Alacrán glances around, trying to locate which of them would know how to get a hold of the Shinigami. Of course, he could just wait for one to show up in response to his garganta but he'd rather spend as little time here, not wanting to risk giving the Shinigami time to capture him when they figured out what he was.

However it seemed that the residents around here were being a fairly bit uncooperative, whittling away at Alacrán's already small patience. At some point he stopped being civil with the man he'd been talking to and now had him pinned up against a wall with his hands wrapped around his throat, "Aye'll ask one las" time ol'man. How da 'ell do aye git da Shinigami ta come 'ere?" Alacrán was resisting the urge to just kill the man, the only thing holding him back was the likelihood of doing such a thing would lead to a confrontation with whoever shows up.

Of course the scene that was taking place right now wasn't any better but at least no one had been seriously injured yet. After another minute of listening to the old man's pleas, Alacrán finally tossed him to the side with disgust as he turned away from him and headed further into the districts. He'd find the districts get somewhat nicer the further he travels however still somewhat rural. He hoped a Shinigami showed up before he got too close to the center.

[Akira Hinosai]

The rukongai stunk. Akira had almost forgotten how bad it could get the further out one went. Rotted wood and stagnant air assaulted his senses. District 46 was a squalid dump, completely unremarkable in every way except in how unremarkable it was. Yet it held a special place in his memory. The district where everything went wrong. It seemed like a lifetime ago. Hell, it was a lifetime ago, considering how much he changed since then. Luca Castabella got it in his head that if he infiltrated the shinigami he could attain power beyond an ordinary human. He bought a bootleg portaling device from some soul traffickers, a cheap robe and fake katana and set off.

Luca and Raph were making good progress until district 46. That was where it all went wrong. That's where Kaen found them. Luca went at it alone after that. He made it farther than anyone thought he would. He could see inside the gate, but he failed all the same. It was surreal to think Akira was now a full member of the group he'd once hated so much. Well, Luca hated them. Akira wasn't Luca. He was smart enough to realize the utility of such a large organization. It was pointless to reminisces on the past. Luca was dead and buried. There was no point in lingering on him, but being back in district 46, he couldn't help himself.

People looked at him strangely. They acted strangely. He could see their sideways glances and covered mouths as they gossiped about the shinigami. Right. Akira thought. I'm a shinigami now. He couldn't blend in as he once did. He stood forever apart and above from the masses. "Oi, Akira!" A voice called from the listening post, interrupting his introspection. "What?" Akira shouted back. "Come here for a second!" Akira groaned and stood up, making his way down to the little bunker that was the listening post. The last listening post here had been stripped for parts by the locals. It was the job of Akira's team to repair the post and make sure this didn't happen again.

The job was easy. Keep watch, set up the equipment, the failsafes and the defenses in case of attack. Akira wasn't a tech expert, but he knew enough. Hell, even being a warm body that could carry things was enough in this line of work. Being the third seat of squad 12, Akira had to be the leader. It was the chain of command, after all. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling he had no idea what he was doing. There was only so much faking it you could pull before people realize you're incompetent. When Akira reached his team, he saw the group of nerds huddled around a monitor. "Did we get the sensors online?"

"You could say that...We're not operating at peak efficiency, but I wanted to run a preliminary scan to see where we could focus our efforts. It might be a false positive... but there's a hollow in the outer districts...A strong one."

"Ok?  That's not great, but it's not cause for alarm either. Let the beast clans handle it."

"No, it's not acting like most hollows. It's moving deeper into the rukongai."

"What the hell's it doing that for? The outer wilds are a self sustaining ecosystem! If the hollows out there needed more land to graze, we'd know."

"The readings don't tell us why, only that it is..."

Akira sighed. "Ok, ok, fine, just give me a minute to think." Akira considered his options. On one hand, this wasn't his problem. He had a mission and it said nothing about examining a weird acting hollow or protecting outer district trash. At most he was to investigate who stripped the listening post for parts, and to whom the parts were sold to. Even that was secondary. Akira would be well within his rights to report this to Aramis or order reinforcements to deal with it. Still, those reinforcements would take a while to get here. They probably had limited combat experience. If something was to be done about the hollow, Akira would have to be the one to do it.

"I made up my mind. I'm gonna go investigate. If it's heading towards us, maybe I can meet it half way. I'll see if I can't get the thing to turn around."

"But what about us?

"Yeah, I'm not risking a bunch of eggheads on this. Hunker down and do your jobs. Get this baby online and up to code before I get back. Got it?"

"Yes sir..."

With that, Akira left. He looked in the direction of the outer districts. It was fortunate that most hollows were pretty noisy. If one was rampaging, Akira would know. He ran off ready to kick some hollow butt. Worst case scenario, he'd get in some good cardio from all the running. It seemed like a smart plan.

[Alacrán]

Alacrán noted that the residents of the Rukongai appeared much more clever than what first impressions would suggest as their lack of presence as he made his way through the districts denoted them being able to sense his animosity despite doing what he could to hid his own spiritual presence. Yet every district he entered appeared like the one before it; barren. No trace of those who would inhabit it. This only caused further annoyance and irritation for Alacrán. It meant he'd have to keep going to find some way to draw a Shinigami out.

Or maybe not. He barely sensed them as they entered the sixty-third district at about the same time as him. He could tell their power or anything special like that but he could at least sense that the spiritual presence heading towards him was human which meant it was also likely a Shinigami. He crossed his arms and leaned against a nearby post while he waited. Might as well be comfortable while he does.

He glances around real quick to observe his surroundings. The area right now was mostly open, like a district square of sorts. Not an ideal place to be considering what he was trying to do. Not many places to slip into and disappear in case this got a bit confrontational. He'd just have to hope his social skills are up to par, ironic as that is.

When Akira arrives looking for his Hollow, he'd likely be surprised to find Alacrán who did not appear as such at the moment. No what he'd find is a dark skinned man with golden eyes and long dark hair. At the moment he was simply wearing a long white, sleeveless trench coat that wasn't even button closed and tight black pants. He was staring down the street that led further into the Rukongai.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Alacrán's Gigai}

[Akira Hinosai]

A handsome stranger leaned on a post beam. Akira stared longer than he should have. Even had the district been bustling with life, he still would have stood out. He didn't look like nameless faceless rukongai trash. For starters, he looked like he just wandered off a runway in Paris. The hard living of the outer rukongai had done little to tarnish his beauty. His long silky hair and hypnotic eyes stood out at even a distance. His pristine white top showed off his chest, and his pants did the same for his legs... STOP IT! GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF! Akira forced his eyes shut and exhaled deeply. He had to ground himself. He was here for business, not pleasure. He was the law around these parts. He had to act like it.

"Hey, I haven't seen you around before. Not a local, I take it. We have that in common." It was a neutral enough opening line. He did his best to maintain eye contact and act like a normal person. "So, what brings you to this festering shit hole?" Akira rested his arm on the hilt of his sword. Play it cool, you've got this. Akira was trying to wipe out the hollow incursion, but the official secondary goal was to find who stripped the listening post for parts. Akira didn't really care enough to narc on the person or persons responsible... This guy might know something. He's obviously not from here. He's too damn interesting. He also seems strangely unafraid unlike the other rukongai plebs here.

Akira didn't care enough to narc on some enterprising thieves. Still, it would be useful to know the who, the how, and the why. Not for the mission, no. This was an extracurricular activity. Thieves, fences, and those with ties to the black market seemed like useful people to know. If he was lucky, he could blackmail them into working for him... It was a pipe dream to be sure, but it was a lead worth following up on, anyway. Certainly more important than the task that got him out of the bunker. Sure, stopping the hollow was cool and all. Talking to this guy? Well that couldn't hurt anyone. So what if a few more people got chomped? The hollow would probably fight better on a full stomach anyway...

[Alacrán]

Alacrán glances at the smaller Shinigami, taking a moment to take in his appearance from head to toe, with his eyes lingering on the arm that rested at the sword for a moment before he pushes himself off the beam and places his hands in his pocket, stepping closer to the Shinigami as he does before nodding in what appears to be approval, "Came 'ere looking fer ya." Of course he didn't mean he was looking for Akira specifically, however the Shinigami could interpret this however he wanted for all Alacrán could care for.

He then moves to step past the man as he continues speaking, "Aye 'ad a question 'bout yer lil' Soul Society an' it's stance on good ol' Hueco Mundo. An' aye mean what da public don' know 'bout it. Like 'ow come some bastard is sittin' on da throne o' Las Noches?" He turns around on his heels and faces the Shinigami, watching his face to see what his reaction would be. Judging from the way he spoke earlier, he might not care for what happens in Hueco Mundo or isn't privy to that kind of information but it was better than trying to break into the Soul Society. Besides, this person seemed to be on the lower end of the ranks to have been sent all the way out here to investigate the "Hollow disturbance".

[Akira Hinosai]

"That's an odd thing to say..." Akira kept his composure as best he could. The more the suspiciously beautiful man spoke, the more suspicious he became. Is this...am I...am I being punked? Is this some kind of hidden test of my operational security, or is this guy the worst spy to ever live? Akira flexed the fingers of his sword hand and laughed a bit in spite of himself. "Well if you put a bunch of unstable ravenous monsters in a realm together, it only makes sense one's gonna rise to the top." Akira shrugged. "If we had the ability or the inclination, we'd kill him, but then some other douchebag would take his place. There's no profit to fixing Huecco Mundo, any more than there's profit in building a city on the sun. Trying to fight the base nature of things is a fool's errand."

Akira knew this was no curious rukongai citizen. This was a clever but ignorant outsider asking very, very odd questions. "What's your endgame here? Those are some odd questions to ask. Normally, I'd assume you weren't playing with a full deck, but...No...no, you're playing an angle here. Care to elaborate?"

[Alacrán]

Alacrán's golden eyes held a glint of determination as he continued to assess Akira's reactions. "Endgame? Ain't got one, really. Jus' tryna make sense o' dis world, Shinigami. Ya see, if yer 'igh an' mighty society won't do nothin' 'bout Las Noches, aye gotta take it upon meself, don' aye?" He took another casual step forward, his posture conveying a sense of straightforward honesty. "Figured maybe cooperation could save both our worlds some trouble. But if yer not feelin' it, we can jus' part ways. No 'ard feelin's, aye?" 

His gaze remained steady on Akira's face, the mischief replaced by a more earnest expression. "Las Noches ain't doin' anyone favors, especially not the good ol' Soul Society. It ain't just some Hollow on a throne—it's a former Shinigami, and that makes it everyone's problem. So, why not join forces? You scratch our back, we scratch yours. No need for fancy words or tricks—just a straightforward pact."

Alacrán stood his ground, the circling ceasing, as he spoke plainly. "I ain't expectin' you to march into Hueco Mundo with a welcome banner, but a little intel exchange, maybe a strategic alliance? It could save a lot of headaches down the line. You must see the potential benefits, right?" The straightforward proposition hung in the air, and Alacrán awaited Akira's response with a steady resolve. There was a raw sincerity in Alacrán's approach, a departure from the intricate web of deceit usually woven in such matters. It resonated with the Hollow's preference for directness and action.

The atmosphere crackled with tension as the two beings from different realms faced each other. Alacrán's gaze never wavered, and he resisted the urge to fidget. This moment held the potential to shape the course of events in both Hueco Mundo and Soul Society. The winds of change whispered through the Rukongai, carrying the weight of a decision that could echo across dimensions.