Salvation at Sunset [JT,R,Closed]

[Nadezhda Esterházy]

OOC: Training for CTP

Village of Nőtincs


Distant screams echoed across the small village as the large crash of utility poles accented the widespread chaos. The humble village of Nőtincs, with its 1,000 residents, had been transformed. It was no longer a quiet hamlet just outside of Budapest. Its quaint, idyllic hills and sprawling fields had all but melted away as the carnage of the scene painted the area in red. The bone chattering howls of patrolling hollows had gripped the area. Those who had been unable to leave were subject to their hungry, saliva drenched jaws. A hulking hollow, with its brutish frame, stampeded across the village and pierced a defenseless woman in the back. He tossed her in the air, swallowing her whole.

The screams continued as fires broke out across the village and thunderous crashes boomed from every corner. The hollows were not only rampaging, but were successfully catching all residents nearby. To make matters worse, they weren't simply hunting the living, but the dead. The souls of deceased humans had been lingering. The smell of blood and death from nights before had attracted them. It was a powerful lure, but the souls had especially not gone unnoticed. No one was safe as the ravenous creatures relentlessly consumed the residents. 

The picturesque tree lined streets and flower-filled fields could not distract from the hunt. Lodged tightly within a crevice between two buildings, Nadezhda attempted to wait out the carnage. She tightly clutched a young woman, only her eyes and forehead visible from behind her head. Closer examine shows her teeth sinking deeply into the woman's flesh, whose life was slowly waning. In that moment, she slurped up some of the blood as her tongue slid across her exposed neck. She had not only indulged on her blood, its stain on her skin and clothing, but deprived her of her soul. It was necessary. She couldn't have another plus running around attracting hollows. 

Fortunately for Nadezhda, she had recently been freed and was still recovering her strength. She was a far cry from where she once was before her entombment. She was certainly no match for this many hollows. This was quite the predicament. She couldn't recall this many hollows arriving in centuries past. This time was certainly strange to her. There was so much about what she had seen in this brief few days of exposure that had left her confused and shocked. The world had dramatically changed. Now these creatures, for which she only knew as "white faces," were everywhere. She was effectively cornered. 

She began to crawl from the tight, crevice. She inched her way out, her outfit scraping across rocks and dirt. She had regained her normal appearance. She was no longer as emaciated as she was prior to escaping. She had fed enough. Even so, she felt weak. And she couldn't hear Koschei or Libuše. Where were they? Where had they gone? She couldn't remotely sense them. She scowled at the thought as she poked her head out, seeing the fire and demolished structures. She took a couple more glances before sliding out and running  across the dirt street. 

A loud, screeching noise could be heard from behind her. She didn't bother to look. She knew it was a "white face." She ran and took cover behind a building, what was once a church. She remembered the churches from Budapest and surrounding counties. They were always so elaborate and decorative. Not this one. Made of wood and stone with no embellishments. Things certainly had changed. She peered around the corner before making a dash toward a possible hiding spot. The top had been slightly destroyed, but the opening was free. It was the safest place she could find. She leapt forward and dived down into a stone well.

She landed in water, roughly four feet deep. Her feet were able to touch the ground as her head poked out. She could hear them roaring, stomping by the well. Would they find her down here? Certainly they couldn't get her. Now she had to wait until morning and hope they leave. How many hours would that be? She couldn't recall the time. The way people tell time had dramatically changed. She knew there were several, if not 10 or more hours left of night. The water was cold, but not uncomfortable. Better than dealing with the hollows. It seemed she was alone in this world. So soon after awakening from a longer slumber, she is again finding herself hunted. Her head dropped as she dipped into the water. A sorrowful expression crossed her face as her lips drooped. Her circumstances were certainly dire.

[Deleted]

Training for that sweet, sweet, CTP

"This can't be happening...this can't be happening.." Hector cried, tears running down the face of a forty year old man and soaking the thick haired mustache beneath his nose. Rounding a corner into an alleyway between two tightly packed houses, Hector realized how close he was to his home. Once there he would find his wife and kid waiting for him just like he told them to. He would find them hiding where he ordered them to hide. He would find them, huddled together, safe and sound. He would then grab his gun. He would grab his gun and protect them like the man of the household that he was. When all of this started he had told them to get home. He tried to find out what was happening...but what he witnessed was too much. He could not explain what he saw with his eyes. But he saw the door to his home and he was filled with hope as he pushed that doorway open.

"MARIA! SOFIA!!" He screamed when he saw their bodies piled up atop one another's. Both of the women's bodies had been torn open as if they were nothing more than bags containing meat. He fell backwards, landing against the wall, whimpering and whining as shock and grief filled the middle aged man. It was then he noticed the corpses moving ever so slight, as if something was rocking them, and then saw the same shimmering air that he saw at the front of the village. He gasped, and suddenly the shimmering mass shifted, and Hector let out one last scream as the unseen entity lunged at him.

It was chaos all across Nőtincs. It was like the village had suddenly become a warzone. Yet such a thing was impossible. There was no way war had come to such a sleepy village in Hungary could be swallowed up in war. Yet an invading force had attacked the village. The villagers were being slaughtered. They were being eaten by monsters that none of them could see. Not a single one of them could do a thing to stop the monsters. Gunfire mixed with the screams as villagers tried to fight. Keyword there being tried. All they did was make things more entertaining for the Hollows. Unheard by the populace were the howls and laughter from the monsters taking such joy in their easy meals. Two such Hollows were near where the initial outbreak started. Both were preoccupied feasting on the fleshy remains of the villagers, devouring the souls still hidden away within the bodies. Neither of them noticed the one who approached.

Through the veil of smoke from the burning grocery store, the man wearing a coat approached. Fur lined the hood he had pulled up over his head. The dirt crunched when his boot stepped on the ground, causing the pair of lupine like Hollows to stop eating and raise their heads to look at the mysterious stranger standing in front of them. Masks pulled back to reveal rows of teeth as they began to growl at him. A stream of white mist escaped from the shade of the hood as he exhaled into the cold, winter night air. As if on cue one of the Hollows began to make its move, when something emerged from the cloud of smoke behind the man and slammed into the Hollow at high speeds. Whatever it was possessed enough force behind it, coupled with the mass, to cause the Hollow to be crushed and split open.

Closure inspection revealed that the Hollow had been hit by...another Hollow? The remaining hound like Hollow turned its attention back to the man, before it just happened to notice what was behind him. From that cloud of smoke the Hollow noticed five green lights approaching. Four on the left and one on the right. From that cloud of smoke the behemoth revealed itself, standing behind the coat wearing man. Those eyes shifted downwards, noticing the other Hollow, and before the masked fiend could flee the twenty five foot amphibious humanoid monster's fist came crashing down onto the Hollow turning it into an explosive display of gore. Water poured endlessly off of the monster, and as it moved echoes of its form made of water were left behind in the space its body once occupied before collapsing downwards.

"Are you okay to move? Your injuries aren't bothering you, are they?" The coated man asked, turning his attention to the giant monsters torso. He could see the scars left behind by the Sternritter, and the marks left behind after his last meeting with Aevus. "Shut the hell up." the mouthless monster replied, its large foot crushing the ground beneath it as it began towards the heart of Nőtincs. He created a trail of footprints behind him as he walked, quickly washed away by the rush of water that followed behind him. "I don't need your concern. I only need you to get out of my way so I can fight!" It barked at the man walked on the air alongside the monster. Hands resting in the coats pockets, the man was silent aside from a sigh.

"Okay then. Kill the Hollows but hold back your strength. Be careful about the people still alive. We're here to help them." the man commanded, prompting an irritated groan from the monster. But he didn't snap back. Instead he picked up his pace. As he did so, a Hollow came lunging out from behind a pair of houses. It lunged through the air aiming to take a piece out of the monsters head. But once it was in range there was an explosive "BAM". The giant monsters fist had suddenly collided with the underside of the Hollows jaw, causing the very air to explode and a intense wind to burst out away from them before the Hollows head exploded and its body somersaulted backwards through the air. "Hmph." It grunted, before continuing forward.

As it continued to head to the center of town more and more Hollows convened on it. Each tried to attack the monster in their own way, and each met the same fate as the one before it. Crushed under foot, slashed apart by claws, broken by a slam of the tail, punched into nothingness, nothing the Hollows could do could stop the monster fro marching its way to the center of town. Along the way, the coated man did what he could. He managed to find a family hiding from the monsters and advised them to stay in their house. He helped a man whose leg had been gnawed to shelter. He creatively used the monsters endless water to put out a fire. He walked behind the monsters march of destruction ensuring that he was able to protect and help anyone he could find.

Crushing a struggling Hollow between his fingers, the monster stopped in the center of town. As it did so it came to notice the horde taking to the streets and rooftops around it. Snarling and growling the Hollows surrounded him. "What a meal" they surely though. The Dolls five eyes drifted, almost boredly, at them all. "Hmph." it grunted, leaning itself forward a tad and lowering its head. "All of you worthless trash get one chance. You'd all better make it count." It said, with an unmistakable amount of pride and arrogance. The way he spoke must have upset the Hollows, because shortly after they all made their move. Screaming and roaring they threw themselves en mass at the monsters, swarming like locusts and covering the flood producing behemoth head to toe.

He seemed to stumble, as if the weight of so many other monsters might tip him over, but he never went down. The man wearing the coat let out a irritated "Tch." when he saw what was happening. "Quickly, get inside!" he commanded a couple he found, pushing the injured man inside and shutting the door. "Springflut you damn bastard!" he growled, beginning to run towards the villages center. Suddenly the mass rose and with it came a earth shattering roar. The very air around the Hollow covered mass shimmered and shook. Winds pushed away from the center. The roar would be heard for miles. Then, like that, it ended. And, within a matter of moments, one by one those Hollows began falling off. Blood leaked from their masks and ears as they became unhinged from their target and plummeted to the flooded earth below. The behemoths roar had either stunned or killed them outright, the strength behind his voice too much for them to handle.

"Heh. Like I said...one chance, scum." It snorted to itself, before turning to look at its approaching Master. "Good job, dumbass. You might have deafened everyone who is left!" He shouted. "Save it you piece of shit. You told me to hold back, so I did. The village is fine and the Hollows are dead. We both got what we wanted." it snapped back as it turned to face its Master, crushing Hollows beneath its feet, to argue with him. Frowning, the man in the coat pulled his hood down to fully glare at his Doll. "Well...whatever. We got here in time to save as many as we could...regardless." Luke said with a sigh, turning away from his Doll to look what was left of the village. "What the hell drew them here in the first place?" Luke heard asked in his head. No idea. Luke replied. "The answer is here somewhere. You should ask around before writing this off as a freak accident." Another voice offered, prompting Luke to simply nod.

[Nadezhda Esterházy]

Nadezhda's eyes rose from the surface of the water as she lifted her head. Was that the faint presence of a conversation? Was she really hearing things other than horror filled screams? She gently moved closer to the wall and leaned against the cold, moist stone. She attempted to listen more closely. She heard nothing. Her head dropped as she stared at her reflection in the water as the flames from a nearby structure provided some illumination. 

Normally she was satisfied with darkness. In fact, it was prime hunting conditions. In this moment she had wished for more light and to be in a completely different location. She wanted to be doing all the killing, not those hollows. She sighed and tapped her reflection with her finger, watching the ripples pass across the water's surface. Suddenly her reflection dissipated as the source of light vanished. The vanquishing of her only source of light was followed by a loud boom, which echoed throughout the village.

She peered upward as another loud boom reverberated within the well she resided in. Her eyes widened as she heard murmured just before several hollows roared. "Be careful about the people still alive. We're here to help them" A man's voice could clearly be heard, and she was excited by the prospect. She could sense something, but wasn't sure what it was. She certainly didn't recognize the voice, but she could discern its confident quality. "To help." She said softly as she dug her hands into the stone and began to climb.

The sound of splashing could be heard as the ground vibrated. As she inched closer to the base of the well, she wondered what she would find. She needed to remain cautious. People were untrustworthy in the past and she had no reason to believe otherwise even after a few hundred years. In fact, she had to be more cautious. This was a different time. A much different time. So many things were unrecognizable to her. Things had certainly changed in her absence. There were so many new things. Like cars. Those were weird, but fun to ride on.

She took a large gulp, the lump residing in her throat due to anxiety. She lifted herself slowly, and quietly, poking her head just above the edge of the well's base. She peered forward, noticing that many of the flames had been extinguished. Her eyes widened as she attempted to fully view the large creature standing in the distance. Despite its distance it was large enough to be imposing even from here. He looked odd. But it was familiar somehow.

Her eyes eventually stumbled upon the man behind the beast. There he stood in modest clothing with mussed brown hair. He didn't seem hardly as imposing as the water beast disposing of the hollows, but he had to be something to control such a thing. She knew it was his. The way they talked. The way he commanded the situation. This man was in charge, though she caught herself giggling at Springflute's comments. 

She began to crawl out of the well. She leaned over the edge, her hands hanging over. Sounds of struggle could be heard as she slowly made her way out like an infant learning to walk. It was cute to watch, like a small child learning something new. Her clumsy exit had her land on the ground, but it was merely followed by a small, childish giggle. She lifted her head and peered in their direction, her big, orchid-colored eyes glistened under the last remnants of fire in the background. 

She delivered an adorably childish smile. "Hi." She added quickly as she lifted herself from the ground without much care being paid to her surrounding. She had quickly recovered and was no longer worried. The situation had passed. She had been saved. Helped, just like he said. Her demeanor had returned to its cute, quirky normal. She didn't bother to dust herself off, spending no time caring about her appearance. "You have one, too!" She said suddenly.

She pointed to springflute without any fear as she giggled. "You call a special friend like me. I don't know where my friends went." She said in a brief moment of dismay before she stumbled forward, water dripping from her body. "Pretty." She said as she admired Springflute. "Pretty! PRETTY!" She said more excitedly.  She walked closer to Springflute before suddenly stopping. "Oh..." Placing her finger on her mouth and donning a quizzical expression, she glanced in the distance. 

"Everyone is gone. No one to play with anymore." She kicked the ground with her barefoot like a stubborn child would, showing her irritation with the situation. She blew a puff of air from her mouth, lifting strand of hair that had fallen in front of her face. "Will you play with me? I was playing and the white faces showed up and eating my friends. I was hiding with a friend, but she got eaten, too." She frowned. "White faces are scary. They were always around. Even then. Not so many, though." She added.

"You aren't the black cloaked ones. They were scary, too. They were mean, but they got those white faces for me sometimes. Are you like me. You call special friends and play with them? LIKE ME!" She shouted cheerfully with a playful yell. She began running toward Luke, passing right by Springflute. She had no fear. What would either of them think of her? Her petite, childish frame so boldly approaching something that had just wiped out all the hollows. If she was afraid, she wasn't showing it the least bit. How would he process that?

Was her fearlessness naivete or something else? She reached out for Luke and tugged on his coat. "What is it?" She said. "You squishy friend!" She glanced over at Springflute and smiled, bearing her teeth. "Your special friend...mr. puddle!" She said delighted that she could name him. "Mr. Puddle," she said before pausing, "do you like games? Want to play with me and..." She went silent and looked up at Luke. "Mr..." She trailed off as she contemplated, donning a goofy face. She squinted and her brows furrowed and forehead crinkled. "Hmm.. Mr something. Something. Something. Something." She kept repeating as she examined Luke, hoping to find an answer. 

[Deleted]

What could have drawn the Hollows to such a out of the way place? Just from standing in the village Luke could tell Nőtincs was nothing like Karakura Town. The air felt so spiritually thin here, even with all the reiatsu caused by the appearance of the Hollows and himself. Nőtincs wasn't a spiritual hotspot. There had to be a reason. Something had to have lured the Hollows here. Perhaps there had been an abudance of wandering spirits? Luke wasn't really sure how thorough Shinigami were when it came to doing their job. He had heard from Aevus, once before, that nearly every major settlement in the human world had at least one or two Shinigami constantly looking over it, even if they weren't major spiritual hubs. Large populations meant more deaths and that meant more Hollows. But Luke wasn't even sure if Nőtincs HAD a residential Shinigami...or maybe they'd been eaten.

Something had to have drawn them here...and he was going to find out what. "Hi!" Luke suddenly heard, causing his distracted thoughts to drift away as he turned his head towards the source of the child-like voice that had said something to him. He blinked when his eyes caught sight of the child who had walked up to them, a wide smile on her face and orchid eyes glimmering with color. She was soaked to the bone and rather filthy, almost as if Springflut's never ending water had drenched her. But something about her was different, Luke could already tell. There was a uniqueness to her that made her stand out immediately to Luke, something that made his instincts flare up. She was different and yet she felt familiar to him. "What do you want, runt?" The Doll suddenly said before Luke could say anything, drawing a sharp glare from the Bount to his Doll.

"Well...hi there." Luke awkwardly greeted the small child, before taken completely by surprise with what she did next. It already would have been shocking that the child was able to see Springflut, given that he was a spiritual entity and only those with spiritual awareness could see him which was something pretty rare even inside Karakura Town, but what made matters surprising was that the child said that Luke "had one, too." This made Luke's eyes widen after blinking with surprise.

She showed no fear of Springflut. She seemed to recognize him for what he was. Approaching him as if he were a puppy wanting to play, while Springflut himself uncomfortably edged away from her. Once again...Springflut did something that made Luke curious. This hadn't been the first time Luke had seen Springflut act funny when it came to being touched by a girl. Regardless, Luke kept most of his attention focused on the child. As she continued to ramble on the picture began to become clear and make sense. A small frown painted itself on Luke's lips as, bit by bit, he put everything together. He began to realize just what the kid was and why he felt such a strange feeling towards her. It was the same exact feeling he'd had when he met Timor, Eris and Aura.

She was a Bount. Luke confirmed it by taking a good look at her reiatsu with his Energy Sensory. His eye's softened as he mentally sighed not having expected find a Bount child way out here. "Mr...Puddle?" Springflut suddenly asked, his eye twitching with irritation at that name. "Don't you even think ab-" and like that Luke sent him away in a show of raining green light. "Hehe, you're supposed to be nice to kids Mr. Puddle." Jäger snickered, causing a rather loud mental growl to be let out from Springflut.

What was Luke going to do about this? Lowering himself down to his level by getting on one knee, Luke smiled at her. "What's your name, squirt?" he asked, immediately using the pet name he gave just about every kid he ever interacted with. From what she said, Luke could picture what had happened. Her friends and been eaten by the Hollows. But what's more was that she mentioned Shinigami being mean to her. What sort of run-ins did she have with them? Despite her age she even mentioned having Dolls at one point. "And yes, I am like you. I have special friends I call on when I need help." Luke replied, decided to confirm it for her, with a warm smile on his face. "Where are your parents? Are they here in this town? And you can just call me Mr. Clyburn." What was he going to do about this? "Eat her." Fuck off.

[Nadezhda Esterházy]

"Oh!" Nadezhda exclaimed as her mouth rounded and she reached out toward Springflute. "Mr. Puddle left to take a nap." She remarked somberly as the giant vanished from sight. "What's your name, squirt?" Her eyes slowly turned to connect with Luke. "Who me?" She said quizzically while pointing to herself. "My name is Nadezhda." She said cutely. She leaned in and examined Luke closely. "You like your special friends?" She asked. Nadezhda's demeanor was playful and curious despite their surroundings. She didn't seem fazed by the carnage and destruction. Or, at least, she was hiding it well. 

"And yes I am like you. I have special friends I call on when I need help. Where are your parents? Are they here in this town? And you can just call me Mr. Clyburn." Her eyes widened suddenly before frantically looking around. "Cestmir!" She shouted rather worriedly. Grabbing Luke's hand she tugged on him to follow her. She began running across the town toward a partially destroyed home. Again, she stumbled across the dirt covered street like a infant taking its first steps. Her body wobbled from side to side before she reached the house. She began to crawl through a tiny space debris and the home. The area fell silent for a moment, but was soon broken by her muffled excitement. 

"I knew I'd find you. You didn't think I would leave you behind, did you? Silly, Cestmir." She replied as if she were having a conversation with someone. "Mr!" She said as she slowly crawled out of the small opening. Her exit was narrated by soft grunts and subtle noises indicating her efforts. Finally she inched her way out and lifted herself from the ground and ran forward, her hands extended. In her hands was a medium-sized stuffed bear. Before she could make it to Luke she tripped and fell forward. She simply hopped back to her feet and delivered a goofy grin. "This is Cestmir. He and I are best friends. We do everything together, but it seems as though I left him behind before hiding in the well." 

She adopted a puzzled expression as she inhaled and stored the air in her cheeks. "Hmm." She said. She let the air out dramatically and stared directly at Luke. "Mr. Clyburn doesn't sound right." She paused before bringing the stuffed bear toward her chest. She squeezed it tightly. "They died a long time ago. I was, uhm, more little then. You know?" She asked. She put her hand beside her to illustrate height. "I was this small and now I am here. I think. Or maybe here." She stared at her hand as she kept adjusting the height, forgetting the question she was attempting to answer. She squinted her eyes as she raised and lowered her hand. "Seems wrong..." She said.

She abruptly turned her head and widened her eyes. "Oh, no, they aren't" As she said that she began to skin past Luke. "I'm from Bohemia, not here. I made my way here, though. Then those mean black coats were after me and then I got stuck under rocks. Those rocks were too heavy. Big rocks. Very big rocks. And then I just woke up. And here I am." She said giggling. "White faces aren't the only ones around here. Black coats are too! Have you seen a black coat? They have big knives that they swing around!" She made a whooshing noise with her mouth as she swung her bear from side-to-side, narrating her past experiences. 

"Oh, and lightning!" She took her finger and aimed it at Luke. "Pew! Bam! One had lighting go from his finger toward me and white faces. And then I slept and woke up and now I can't hear anything. She had a pretty voice. She did." She looked over at Luke with tears collecting in her eyes. "I wanna hear again, but can't." She turned and wiped her face before kicking the dirt with her foot. "And someone stole my toys, too. All of 'em. Sparkly. Shiny. All of 'em." She mumbled before hugging her bear for comfort. "Can I come with you now?" She asked Luke. "

[Deleted]

"If it refers to me as Mr. Puddle one more time I will crush it beneath my feet." Springflut complained once more as the child referred to him by her chosen nickname once more. It was actually kind of a cute name, and one that nobody was going to let Springflut live down. "I will murder you." So her name was Nadezhda? That was certainly a much different name than Luke was expecting. He was expecting Lily or Hope or something generic like that. Soon enough though Luke found himself following after the small child, curious, as she took off after saying something he figured was a name. Was it a friend or someone else? Luke happened to notice, though, how much difficulty she seemed to have walking despite her age.

Leading him to a ruined house Nadezhda wasted no time suddenly crawling into the wreckage, despite Luke's quick protest on the matter, and soon enough emerged a few minutes later with something in hand. It was a toy bear. Nadezhda tripped once again as she approached him, holding her bear out and introducing it as Cestmir. "The well?" Luke asked when she mentioned it. Did she hide in a well when the Hollows were attacking? It would explain why she was all wet. Well, at least she found her friend.

She continued to talk though, and finally revealed to him that her parents were dead. They had died a long time ago, meaning they weren't involved in this mess. Luke frowned, immediately feeling sorry for the child, as she rambled on about her height. Being so young and without parents wasn't something Luke would wish on any child. Luke felt a bubble of pity welling up inside him for her, his gaze on her softening as a sad frown began to paint itself across his face. "Because you lost your own parents, right?" Windstarke decided to ask, though Luke didn't respond. He simply pushed the thought aside as Nadezhda continued to talk more about herself.

So she was from Bohemia. That might explain the name. But how did she get here? Luke had trouble believing she just walked here. And black coats? Rocks? She must have meant Shinigami. But what did the rocks mean? Did she mean she was stuck in a cave in or something? It was cute watching her play around, but Luke figured out that she was a little bundle of mystery. But what caught his attention the most was how she suddenly mentioned she couldn't hear a voice anymore. He blinked. She described the voice as being female, pretty, and how after waking up she couldn't hear it anymore. "Does she mean her Doll? Is that bear her Doll?" Jäger decided to ask the thing Luke was thinking. But wait, didn't she refer to Cestmir as a he?

But the question she asked him caused him to throw those thoughts aside. With big, tear-filled eyes, she looked at him and asked if she could come with him. Luke blinked, wondering if he had heard her right. His Dolls were kind enough to inform him he did hear her right. Scratching the back of his head and sighing a little, Luke wondered how he should answer this. "You want to come with me?" he repeated the question for his own sake. "I don't know if that's a good idea, Nadezhda. Where I'm going there'll be more of those white faces and black coats. It might not be safe for you, y'know." Luke explained, trying to let her down easy despite the face she was making at him. "What's happened to your village happens a lot around me. You might get hurt if you come with me." Luke continued, not really sure how to just tell her no without her getting upset.

[Nadezhda Esterházy]

Nadezhda stared quizzically at Luke before averting her gaze and focusing on Cestmir. He brushed the sides of his face with her soiled hand. Despite her ragged appearance, she was gentle with him and seemed to care about his appearance. Her finger circled his eye before trailing down his snout to its nose. Her eyes continued to fixate on her Cestmir as her fingers caressed his fur. Her mind appeared elsewhere, but for a moment. She lifted her head and looked up at Luke with wide, orchid-colored eyes. Her innocent gaze attempted to appeal to Luke’s sympathies. She remained silent as distant light flickered within her eyes. There was a tiredness that remained visible in her face and eyes. It seemed to project outward, as if her body were attempting to communicate something to Luke.

She inhaled, filling her lungs with air before sighing and turning around. She was a lone bount and had recently been freed into a land that was unfamiliar to her. She remembered everything of her past, but recognized nothing of her present. She felt lost in a world that only distantly reminded her of the one that resided in her memory. Where was an undeniable mystique about the world and the ways in which it had changed in her absence. There was something new in every direction and something she could undoubtedly explore. Despite these curiosities, she couldn’t help but feel some degree of consternation. She recognized very few things of this new world, and those were things that were unchanging since the very beginning.

This didn’t change the realization that she was alone in an unfamiliar world and vulnerable to its many dangers. She needed asylum, but those who might have provided her this were missing or long dead. She didn’t know what had happened to those she had met in her travels. Her absence likely left them wondering and they had migrated elsewhere. There was a desperation welling inside her, but she didn’t quite know how to convince this stranger to rehabilitate and orient her to these new and foreign times. He certainly needed convincing. She knew he had some admirable qualities, or those she could exploit, otherwise he would not have bothered saving her. He would have left her for dead and inquired very little. Or, perhaps, he would have dealt with her himself.

Either way, she had studied his face and behaviors for long enough to know he was trustworthy. Someone of character who aided those in need. She would need to rely on his penchant for benevolent actions and hope it secured her the care she needed. She knew those who had imprisoned her were long dead, the exception being Shinigami, or black coats. She figured, much like her, they possessed some degree of longevity. It was merely a hypothesis as she had little evidence to support it other than their abilities. They, too, possessed something normal humans did not. She wondered how old Luke was, but didn’t dare ask outright. She needed to be more coy and unassuming. Truthfully, she didn’t quite trust him yet and was unwilling to share the specific details of her life. Her age being one of them.

Unfortunately, she knew he’d have to be completely incompetent not to recognize her surprise and utter ignorance around modern technology. There was so much of this world she did not recognize, which would be a clue. Then again, there were ways around it. A small part of her felt guilty lying to him, but the scheming felt rather familiar and comforting. It reminded her so much of the fun she had earlier in her life, before she was imprisoned. She needed to know more of this world and more of those that threatened her very existence. She knew so little of hollows and shinigami. This was evident in the names she had created for them, which were nothing like their true names. She knew one of three things, she had to be careful. She had to be cunning.

She began to walk away from Luke, allowing her arms to drop dramatically, as if they could no longer hold the bear to her chest. Cestmir hung from her hand, nearly dragging across the ground as she walked away. Her head was slumped slightly and her gaze focused on the ground. She sniffled slightly before tears began streaming down her face. She walk a dozen or so feet in silence, before sitting beside a burned, dilapidated home. She tugged on Cestmir and held him closely as she nuzzled her face into the top of his head. She continued to remain silent as she sat there, not bothering to respond to Luke. She glanced over at him, her eyes now flooded with tears and others having wet her cheeks.

“Go on then.” She said in an injured tone. She turned her head and pulled her bear in closer to her face, as if to use this to shield others from witnessing her sorrow. “Take Mr. Puddle and go.” She said sadly as she gestured for him to leave before covering her face with Cestmir. Her muffled voice could be heard from behind Cestmir’s body. “I be alone and stay alone. The black coat's will get me soon.” She began to mumble further as she remained still, her head buried. “Dummy. Big dummy. Should have stayed buried. No one wants you. Big dummy. Got no one and neve’ will.” She dug her heels into the dirty just before her body fell to the side, and she curled into the fetal position.

[Deleted]

”Oh good job you made her cry.” Jager commented when Luke realized that the small child had suddenly started crying. Upon hearing his rejection of her request her mood had begun to go downhill. Luke felt himself frowning as he watched Nadez take the news, walking away from him and slowly becoming a sobbing mess. When she hit the ground and curled up into a fetal position, Luke had to close his eyes. Thinking about it, he really couldn’t take her with him. Where he was going was dangerous. It wouldn’t be responsible of him to take a child like her to that city. Especially with her being a Bount.

Being one meant that she would inevitably be sucked into the spiritual worlds drama. She’d be attacked and hunted by all manner of foes from Shinigami, Hollows, and even Quincy. For her safety it was best that he leave her here. Opening his eyes back up and looking at Nadezhda, Luke failed to keep the guilt in check. The child would suddenly feel fabric draped over her as Luke removed his jacket and covered her in it. He crouched on the ground beside her, grabbing her and sitting her up and working to pat some dirt off of her.

”Don’t cry, kid. I take back what I said.” Luke gave in with a sigh, offering Nadezhda a smile as he worked his jacket on her a little better. ”Are you kidding?” Mr. Puddle asked incredulously. ”You actually think you’re capable of taking care of a kid? Are you this fucking stupid? Get a fucking mangy mutt if you want a pet that badly you piece of cockroach shit!” Springflut really was not happy about this decision. Regardless, Luke was certain this was the right thing to do.

Selflessly inconveniencing himself for another was something a hero did. Nadezhda needed his help. While this was certainly not how he ever saw himself helping someone...it wasn’t something he could just turn away from in good conscious. He had tried to get her to rethink her choice but...well she was a kid. Luke would sweat the details later. ”There’s more we’ll need to talk about, but for now you can stay with me...okay?” Luke said to her, unsure of how Taka was going to react to him bringing a kid home. A bridge he’d need to cross when he got home.

But as Luke worked to calm Nadezhda down, he suddenly detected something with his Energy Sensory. Blinking, Luke looked away from the girl and off into the sky. He would spot it quickly enough. A Japanese style doorway suddenly appearing in the sky and sliding open to reveal a void of light. That was a Sekkimon. And that mean’t, ”Shinigami.” he said softly, frowning when he finished that sentence. Without warning he scooped Nadezhda up in his arms and began to sprint out of the village the way he came in, away from the sky gate. Lately Luke had been trying to avoid Shinigami. He had no idea how each one would react if they ever learned he was a Bount. With as much reiatsu and power Luke had it meant the Shinigami would come sniffing him out for questions.

With how Nadezhda explained her last run in with Shinigami it would be best that she didn’t get spotted by them either. Exiting the village and running into the plains, Luke spotted his ride. A topless Jeep Wrangler that he had rented while here. Putting Nadezhda in the passengers seat, Luke quickly got on the drivers side and put his seatbelt on. ”Buckle up.” he told her as he felt around his pockets for the keys, starting the car and putting his foot on the peddle. Checking back, Luke noticed shapes descending from the portal into the city below. No doubt all the Hollows had tipped Soul Society off. They’d begin looking for souls to purify and any other Hollows to put down. Hopefully they wouldn’t come looking for the pair of Bount speeding away from town.

[Himitsu Kasumi'Oji]

310 CTP to both participants.