Wide-eyed Stowaway (JT, Closed)

[Nadezhda Esterházy]

Training for CTP

Nadezhda skipped merrily through abandoned alleyway. Pacing herself to the rhythm of her humming, she glanced around at the discolored brick siding and discarded garbage flailing in the breeze. As she skipped an item seemed to flop around as her arm swung back and forth. If someone were to look more closely they would recognize it as a human arm, clearly torn from the rotator cuff. It was clear Nadezhda had recently committed a crime against nature in the killing of an innocent. 

Then again, the innocence of anyone could easily be called into question. She was a fine example of this, except her outward appearance was a perfected illusion. Any eyes that settled upon her would see an innocent child, unaware of the horrors which was capable. She continued to skip until reaching her destination. She slowly peered around the corner, the severed arm dangling beside her face. Her eyes widened and lips puckered with curiosity. She glanced around at the nearby people readying themselves before boarding the train. She looked to the side at the severed arm, her eyes connecting with the palm and fingers.

"What do you think?" She asked earnestly. "This one or should we wait?" Clearly she wasn't going to be getting a response from the hand, but that did not prevent her from having this conversation. "You're right. This one is better than waiting for the next, which could be hours." She scrunched her face as her eyes tightly closed. A smile stretched across her lips as she began to laugh through her pursed lips. "You're so funny!" She said as she swung the arm so the hand slapped her own.

"This is called a high-five!" She repeated slapped the hand against her own as she giggled. "I learned that from a couple children I met in the park. They were fun to play with, and they taught me some neat games." Her arm dropped and the severed limb simply hung there. "Well, this train it is, but that means I'll need to leave you behind." She looked at the arm with a saddened expression. "Maybe I can find something to put you in! Yeah...Oh, I know, I know you don't like being stuffed in bags but what other choice do I have?"

Her face took on a tense expression as she pondered her options. "Hmmm..." She said loudly, giving voice to her thought process. She took the severed arm and propped it up against the wall before running off. "You stay there!" She quickly returned to see a feral dog sniffing out the situation. "Don't you dare doggy. Franklin is my one-armed buddy, not your meal." She jumped forward and raised her hands, growling like a bear might to scare off an interloper. The dog whimpered and scampered off. She giggled before grabbing the severed limb and opening the bag she had in her other hand.

She dug through the bag frantically, tossing out random items of clothing and miscellaneous valuables. She placed the hand in the bag and zipped it closed. "We're off!" She ran toward the train and sneakily boarded. She skipped down the aisle, but no one seemed to pay much attention to her. They assumed she was a passenger's child. She found an empty seat and firmly placed herself in it. She held the back close to her as the gentlemen beside her glanced from his periphery. "They'll ask you to place that in storage." 

She looked at him quizzically for a moment. He stared back before gesturing above. "You know, placing it above for safe-keeping. I can do it for you if you'd like." She smiled and before getting up and handing the bag to the kind man. He placed it in the overhead compartment before returning to his seat. "I'll get it down for you once we arrive." She smiled once more looking off into the distance, her eyes peering through the window. If only he knew. She thought as the train began to move.

A couple hours later...

Nadezhda walked through the airport with her hand tightly gripping her bag. "What do you think, Franklin?" She whispered to the bag. "Which one of these 'planes' should we get on?" She contemplated this as she peered around at the numerous gates. "I know, I know. Those gate keepers are gonna stop me. Making a big scene isn't a good option." She wandered around for a while until stumbling upon baggage check. She knew this was her ticket onto a flight, as she was without a real ticket or the proper documents to travel. This century sure was a peculiar one. She looked at the bag somberly.

"I guess this is goodbye Franklin." She reached into the bag and pulled out her stuffed teddy bear before setting the bag down. "Whoever finds you will be surprised, huh, Franklin?" She giggled before slinking off. The one thing she noticed about people of this century is they're much too preoccupied to notice things staring them right in the face. She could get away with pretty much anything. They were far too concerned with their own lives to bother paying attention to their surroundings. 

She crawled under a counter of a nearby baggage check as a woman was having her luggage tagged. She leapt forward and into the darkness of the conveyor belt. The woman's bag slowly slid through the flaps as she stopped it with her foot. She unzipped it and threw out several items of clothing. She quickly placed herself in the suitcase, hugging her bear tightly. She used her fingers to guide the zipper shut, leaving a small opening. This is where she would stay until they landed. Where she was going she was not sure, but it did not matter. She wanted to go somewhere different. Somewhere new. 

She wondered where she would be going and how the person would react when she discovered her in her suitcase. Shock and then horror, I suspect. Shock to see an apparent child in a suitcase of all places and then horror when I tear her to pieces should she react poorly. She snuggled with her bear as the luggage shook. They were not handling it with much care, but this was how she needed to get around for now. She wondered if ever she would stop doing as she did. But then realized, once again, just how enjoyable life was living as she did.

[Vesta Zweig]

OOC: Training for CTP

IC:
Vesta was tired from her latest mission, technically her first official mission with Uzaki Enterprises, and was heading towards the airport. Once the arrived, she pulled out her luggage and followed the superior with them as they walked through the airport. She glanced at everything around her, since this was her first time in a foreign country, with Zorn resting in his locket. Touching it lightly, she took a slight breath, happy to know that they were able to hold their own fairly well in this first mission. Hopefully, she would be able to handle all missions that she received easier than this one, or at the minimum, equally well.

Arriving at the check-in counter, she hefted her luggage to the attendant, grabbing the ticket for the plane and heading off to deal with security and whatnot. She found the gate, and sitting with the other employees, waited for the plane to board, nodding off slightly due to fatigue. Once her ticket was called, she slowly got up and made her way to the gate. After her ticket was checked and she walked into the plane, she tried to find her seat as quickly as possible. She had the window seat, sitting next to other Uzaki Enterprises employees, and immediately started to belt up. Once belted, she nodded off to sleep.

She didn't even notice what plane she was on, she was so tired. Because she was so tired, when she was woken up once they landed, she immediately popped up out of her seat and then hit her head on the panel above her. Rubbing her head where she hit the panel, the other employees told her that they had landed and she needed to leave the plane. It was then that she looked around and noticed that they were the only ones left on the plane. Whoops. She wiped her mouth, to clean it up from the drool she saw on the seat when she got up and slowly made her way out of the plane.

Walking briskly now, since she realized that she had made people wait for her, she was headed for the baggage claim. Once she got there, she saw that her baggage was already grabbed and other employees were waiting for her. She glanced at them, blushing in embarrassment, apologizing under her breath about making them wait while grabbing her luggage. While leaving the airport, she was told that she needed to go back to UE to be debriefed before she would be driven to her home. Sighing, she agreed.

She heaved her luggage in the back of the car and jumped in the backseat, watching Karakura Town fly by as they drove back to headquarters. Once they arrived, Vesta jumped out and followed the rest of the employees into the building. She did try to grab her things, but they told her that she would be taking the same car to her home, so leaving her luggage in the car was okay. Nodding, she walked in and went to go give her report to Mister Uzaki and tell him what had went down in Russia. Hopefully, he liked the results they were able to get.

After that, which felt like hours but only took about a half hour, she was released for the day. She walked briskly through the building and then ran towards the car that had her luggage in it. It turned out that there was already someone in the car, so she jumped in the back, pointed forward and said, "Home Jeeves!" For that comment, she got a glare from the driver as he slowly started to go. She just couldn't help herself. She was ready to go home and actually relax after this mission. She was ready to shower and sleep in her own bed.

Getting dropped off at her home, as well as thanking the driver and apologizing for the earlier stunt, she quickly walked and wheeled her luggage into her home. Once inside, she drops her luggage near the door and runs to find her father. Once she does, she tackle hugs him, which he was prepared for and hugged her back just as tightly. She started to tell her all that she was allowed to tell him, which wasn't much. He wasn't too happy that she was hiding things from him, but was just glad that she made it home safe.

Saying that she should probably take a shower, she agrees. Hugging him again, she runs back to the front door and grabs her luggage, taking it back to her room. Once there, she immediately gets ready for a shower, taking clean clothes into her bathroom with her while she showers. After her quick shower, she gets dressed and stretches in her room, trying to unwind somewhat. Turning on her stereo to the hits radio station, she hums to herself while walking to her bag. She unzips it and when she opens it, she screams, "WHAT THE FUCK?! WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!" She stood there, surprised to see a little girl in her luggage, hugging a teddy bear. What the heck is wrong with her?! She grabs her locket and feels Death rising, ready to be called on. She waited to see what this girl wanted to say.

[Nadezhda Esterházy]

Nadezhda stared directly at Vesta as she opened her suitcase. She inhaled deeply as the fresh air dismissed the stale air inside the bag. WHAT THE FUCK?! WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON? She leaped from the bag, past Vesta, and onto the floor. Clutching Cestmir in her arms she threw her head back and let out a dramatic sigh of relief. "Finally!" She remarked before falling onto Vesta's bed. "I was in that big old bag for a long long time. I thought me and Cestmir were gonna be in there forever!"

She rolled over on the bed, landing on her stomach. With her legs kicking in the air, she resting her hands on her palms while anchoring her elbows into the bed. "Your room is soooo pretty!" She said as she stared sweetly at Vesta, having already dismissed the fact that she just emerged from a stranger's luggage. She leaned forward a little as her eyes glanced around the room. She resumed focusing on Vesta, paying no mind to her shock. "What's your name?" She asked. "My name is Nadezhda and this is Castmir!" 

She patted her stuffed bear on the head before rolling across the bed. She slid her hands across the covers, enjoying the softness. "Sooooo soft!" She exclaimed excitedly. "You're pretty." She said abruptly as she lie on her back and star at Vesta upside down. She delivered a goofy and disarming smile. "Pretty hair. Pretty stuff. I wish I had some pretty stuff. People stole it!" She rolled around quickly and beat her tiny fist against the bed. She frowned and stared into distance, as if she were imaging those responsible. 

"They took all my stuff. It took me so long to get all that stuff. Shiny. So shiny." She scowled for a moment before loosening her expression. She bounded off the bed and onto the floor. She scurried across the room and stared out the window at the city around her. "Ohhhh!" She uttered. She looked back at Vesta excitedly. "Where is this?! Where am I? It is so pretty!" She pushed herself away from the window and spun around in circles before falling on Vesta's bed. "Did I mention you were pretty?" She asked as she squinted. 

"I was a big bad before coming here." She admitted to Vesta. "I had to make room for myself in your bag. But I had to get away! So many white faces! They were all over the place. Running around and doing the big boom thing. You know? Pew! Pew!" She ended with a number of sound effects as she pointed her finger across the room. "Boom!" She shouted dramatically. "Have you ever met a white face? No? Yes? Maybe?" She giggled as she leaned over the bed, completely unconcerned with Vesta's reaction. 

[Vesta Zweig]

Vesta stood there, mouth hanging open, as she watched a child climb out of her luggage. She was extremely confused as the girl got out of her luggage, stretching before falling on her bed. She heard footsteps coming down the hall, her father obviously concerned about the yelling. She heard a knock and Vesta yelled back. "Sorry dad! One of my friends from school was telling me some juicy gossip about what was happening in school that I must've missed. I'm so busy with my schoolwork, I occasionally miss out on this stuff. He hovered at the door for a minute before he walked away, telling her to keep it down.

She sighed heavily, while watching this girl roll around on her bed. When asked, she would answer, "My name is Vesta...." She was warily watching this girl, having no idea what to do with her. She smiled at her while she was complimenting everything as she was quickly trying to think on how this would've happened. She was in Russia on a mission for UE and checked her luggage in the airport. She didn't see anyone around, but this girl is small enough to fit in a suitcase so maybe she ran by without her noticing.

Since she knew nothing about this girl, she took a quick picture of her while she was flipping on her back to look at her. She glanced at the picture and started to quickly send a text out to Luke. He was one of the strongest people she knows and he was a fellow Bount, which made her trust him. When she ran to the window, she wrote out the girl's name and the teddy bear's name, spelling it to the best of her ability. Luke, it's Vesta. Just got back from Russia and found a girl in my luggage. I'm sending a pic of her and her name is Nadezhda and she has a teddy bear named Castmir. Come to my house ASAP...

When she turned around, she sent the quick message and hid the phone behind her back, putting her phone in her back pocket. "We're in Karakura Town, which is located in Japan. You did and thank you for the compliment. Also sorry about the people that stole your stuff." Then the girl started to talk about how she was a 'big bad' before coming here. Big bad could mean a lot of different things. This girl couldn't be capable of doing the 'bad bad' stuff.....could she?

Then, she mentioned white faces and that made her stand up straight. She had never been outside this area and when she did, she had fought Bount. She never really thought about Hollows appearing anywhere else, but it would make the most sense. "Yes, I've fought the white faces before. They're called Hollows and they are bad news. You should stay away from them, because they are very mean. Do you want to go outside? We can jump out this window and explore outside?" It was only a two story house and she could easily make the jump holding this little girl. She yelled to her dad that one of her friends was coming by and to let them in to the house.

[Deleted]

Gimme the TTP, boss

Tonight was quiet. The city was quiet, for once, and this allowed him some time to himself. The police scanner sat quietly on its own personal little table, the instruction manual for the contraption resting atop it, though it occasionally broke the silence with generic police chatter. Nothing that was worth giving his attention to. Resting on the living room table were the dishes that had the remnants of his dinner. Aluminum foil cooked salmon with potatoes, a empty rice bowl alongside a similarly empty miso soup bowl. He was able to make his own miso soup now. Luke was satisfied with his culinary growth, enjoying trying to make and try new Eastern Asia dishes.

Gracie was quiet as she slept. The tv was off. Really, the entire small apartment was quiet. Luke sat with his back to a wall, legs crossed and arms resting on his legs, eyes closed in concentration as he meditated. Well, in truth, Luke had difficulty with meditation. The Bount’s mind was hard to keep calm and quiet, what with the three chucklefucks that liked to say things in his headspace and his own wandering mind thinking about the things that weighed heavily on his shoulders.

As he breathed in he allowed his reiatsu to flow through his bodies pathways. As he breathed out he brought the reiatsu back to his core. It wasn’t really meditation in the sense that Luke was trying to calm his mind to focus on some mental conundrum, it was how he “worked out” his reiatsu aside from training and spell slinging. It was a method taught to him by Yoko, a coworker at Uzaki’s that he owed a great debt to for taking time out of her own life to help him when he had a problem going on. Thanks to her, Luke’s spiritual powers had returned after they’d been suppressed by the Artificial Zanpakuto he once possessed.

His concentration and focused was shattered though when his phone suddenly started buzzing. Raising his head, his brown eyes locked onto the touch screened device. Luke had turned all notifications on his phone off so that he wouldn’t be bothered, except from a few specific people. Anyone from UE would be able to reach him at any time, for instance. Leaning forward on his stomach, in a practically lazy bastard fashion Luke grabbed his phone off the table. ”Vesta?” he blinked, surprised to see her name and number on the center of the screen. What did she want?

”Probably help with her homework. Japanese women think American men are smart for some reason.” Jager replied, reminding Luke that Vesta actually was a schoolgirl. They hadn’t had much interaction aside form how they’d first met and a short, brief, training session they had together. Luke had told her that if she ever needed help with something to let him know. Was she following up on that? What was strange, though, was that the text sent was a picture message. ”Ooooh my.” Jager’s mind went immediately to the gutter. ”Do you really need to make it weird?”

However, none of them expected what Luke saw when he unlocked his phone after selecting the message. The actual message that Vesta had typed out wasn’t important to him at all. His eyes and shocked, stunned, expression was because of the picture that she had sent him. Immediately he began breathing harder. His heart beat quickened and he almost felt sick. His door slammed shut not a moment later as, at the fullest speed he could go, Luke rushed like a mad man for Vesta’s home.

Everything hurt. Everything was blurry. But he could tell it was hot. Smoke was choking his lungs. When he managed to open a eye, with the difficulty of lifting a steel garage door, Luke saw the hood of Jeep on fire. It was laying on its side, the passenger side, most likely because of the impact that had happened from the drivers side of the car. The world was spinning for him as blood dripped from the wound on his head. He wasn’t sure how he managed to get out of the car. He could see, from his spot on the side of the road, where the inattentive truck had smashed into his side of the Jeep.

Next thing Luke knew he was in a hospital room, laying on a bed. His left arm and right leg had been put into casts. ”Ah, you’re awake.” the nurse delivering some food had said to him. ”..girl..” Luke mumbled, but the nurse looked at him confused. ”what about...the girl...that was with me?” he asked, prompting the nurse to look even more confused. ”Do you mean your accident? You were the only one...found at the scene. There wasn’t any girl there.” the nurse seemed confused, before she rushed off to get the doctor.

He had spent only a few days in that hospital. His Bount healing factor kicked in quickly enough, healing his injuries to the utter disbelief of the staff. He’d returned to that town, to the scene, to try and find Nadezhda, but couldn’t find hide or hair of her. He had no choice but to return to Karakura, unsure of the fate of the Bount child. Life went on from there.

Luke stood there, panting, in Vesta’s bedroom doorway simple staring at Nadezhda. Sweat was dripping from him as he still couldn’t believe what he was seeing. How was she here? Where did she go? Why was she in Vesta’s luggage? ”Nadez...hda.” Luke murmured, showing that he still remembered the child’s name. Entering into the room, Luke approached the child without having much reaction to Vesta. He had so many questions for her, but they would wait. Because without warning, Luke suddenly had the child in his arms and embraced her tightly. ”You’re okay...you’re okay...” he wasn’t saying that to comfort her, he was saying that out of joy at the fact that she was alive. He didn’t know what had happened to her after that accident, so seeing her alive and well made him so happy.

”What’re you...how did you get here? How did she get here?” Luke asked Nadezhda before asking Vesta as well.

[Nadezhda Esterházy]

Nadezhda rolled across Vesta's bed, showing nothing but pure joy from the simplest luxury. Clutching mounds of Vesta's bedding, she pulled them toward her face and began rubbing them against her cheek. "So soft!." He rolled across the bed, wrapping herself in the bedding like a cocoon. "This bedding is some of the softest I've ever felt. Me and Cestmir slept where we could and sometimes I found a nice and cozy place with some really, really nice people. They would say, 'Come in! Eat! Sleep. Enjoy!" She chuckled as she hung from the side of the bed, her body tightly ensnared in the bedding. She kicked her feet playfully from the other side as smiled goofily in Vesta's direction. 

"Do you live here with your mommy and daddy?" She asked innocently. "I remember my mommy and daddy so clearly. My mommy used to sing to me and make me pretty dresses." Her eyes widened just before Luke burst through the door. ”Nadez...hda. You're okay...you're okay." Nadezhda stared quizzically at Luke as she hung upside down from the side of the best. Several seconds of silence passed before she abruptly slid from the cocoon of bedding and onto the floor. Like a comical cartoon parody her head made a thud as it hit the floor. She rolled across the floor, almost for dramatic effect, before sitting up and rubbing her head.

"Ouch." She declared by continuing to massage the base of her head. "Where is Mr. Puddle?" She immediately asked without addressing his initial question. His concern had not even registered. Her attention seemed easily swayed by the prospect of seeing his doll, Springflut. If only she knew the affection was not mutually felt. She jumped to her feet and tapped her tiny foot into the ground. "Where is he, Mr. clockburn" She pasued for a moment. "Something's wrong." She narrowed her eyes as she stared at Luke. Had she noticed she was completely incorrect regarding Luke's name? "You didn't bring me anything!" She announced suddenly. Evidently she wasn't the least bit aware she had said his name wrong.

She quickly darted toward Luke, circling his body as she examined his clothes. "Where is it?" She asked. "My gift." She looked up at him as her face scrunched-up. She puckered her lips and exhaled through the side of her mouth. She pouted for a moment before glancing over at Vesta. "Well, I guess Mr. Puddles will have to do! Come out and PLAY!" She shouted and she tugged on Luke's jacket. She giggled and pranced toward the bed, flinging herself on top before rolled on her stomach and propping her chin on her hands. "Did you come here to kiss her? Are you her boyfriend?"

Glancing in Vesta's direction, she delivered a goofy smile as she made a kissing sound. "Kiss 'em but don't drive with 'em." She said. "That thing went boom and he went PSHEWWWW" She paired her sound effects with hand motions, indicating he had been thrown from a vehicle. "You're like me, right? You hear 'em? And so you can fill fill your tummy with air and be okay again? Right?" She rolled over and patted her stomach as she made noises with her mouth. "Yep. I know you can." She began to explore the bedding once again, tracing the pattern on the sheets with her finger. She abruptly looked up at Luke. "Yeah, I'm okay." She said with a giggle. 

[Vesta Zweig]

Vesta smiled at the child, still unsure of what to do with her. She had never really been around children this age for this long, so she just stood there smiling at her and nodding along with what she said. Watching her roll around on her bed, she didn't realize how soft her sheets was. Based on what she was saying, they were the softest sheets ever. She made a note to actually figure out the thread count of those. When Nadezhda cocooned herself in the sheets, she chuckled to herself.

"Yes, I live with my father. My mother was.....never in the picture. She died giving birth to me." Before she could dwell on it long, she heard steps on the stairs and turned to see Luke arriving at her doorway. He looked completely out of breath, assuming that he ran all the way here. Was he worried about her being with this girl or does he know this girl from something before? He then said her name and said she was okay. Okay? Of course she was okay! Why would he ask about that? While he walked forward, she pulled out her phone to text her dad quickly.

Sorry about that dad. I will try to get this moved out of the house in case something happens. When I leave with Luke (the guy that ran in) and the girl (will explain later), please take my sheets off the bed and put them in laundry. I'll get to them later when I get back. She only had to wait about ten seconds before she got a response from her father. Okay, but be careful. She looked up to see the girl falling off the bed and rubbing her head.

Before she could answer Luke's question, she asked about a Mr. Puddle. Mr. Puddle? Was that Luke's Doll. She had never seen it before, so maybe that was it. Though, when she said clockburn, she put her hand over her mouth to fight back laughing hard. She would have to call him that from now on, it was great. But then she complained that he didn't bring her anything? What? While she was looking for her gift by walking all around Luke, Vesta would answer his question.

It's as I said in my message, if you bothered to read it. I went to Russia on a mission and when I came back today, I opened my luggage and she was there. After demanding for this Mr. Puddle thing, she jumped back on her bed and asked if Luke came here to kiss her and if they're together. Vesta blushed slightly, which was just a natural reaction, and quickly answered her. "I actually like a shinigami, but he came because I sent him a message. He's a friend."

Don't drive with him. She then explained something that sounds like a car accident. She glared at Luke, wondering why he didn't drive better with a child in the car, and then she was describing something that she had no idea what she was saying, but she answered herself thankfully. They couldn't stay in here, it would be too weird otherwise, especially with her dad here. She would walk up to her and hold her hand out to her, hoping she would take it.

Well Ned...Nazd....Nessie, would you like to go outside? Sorry for the nickname, but your name is a little hard to pronounce. Outside we would have more space to run around and not worry my dad about what's going on up here. I can also explain shinigami to you, in case you got confused with what I was saying earlier. Once the child grabbed her hand, she would slowly walk out, jerking her head to the door so Luke would follow her. While walking out, she would see her dad walking towards the living room from the dining room and mouthed the words 'Sorry' and 'Explain Later.'

Once they were outside of her house, she would start to lead them towards one of her favorite spots near her house. The walk would be easy and she just hoped that she was doing the right thing. Then again, Luke was with them and he knew this girl already. How did he meet her though? Maybe he had a mission in Russia as well and ran into her there. All Vesta knew was that this was going to be a very interesting day.

[Deleted]

You know, even just seeing her hadn’t been enough to really convince Luke that he was having some sort of fever dream. After all, what exactly were the chances that Nadezhda would not only survive the car crash, but get out of her country, meet with a Uzaki Enterprise employee, stowaway in her luggage and arrive in the very same city that Luke lived. Astronomical borderlining impossible. So, a part of Luke ended up doubting this entire thing as if it were some sick joke played by a reality warper. But now, having heard Nadezhda speak, all of those doubts were gone. Watching the little idiot fall out of the bed and hit her head on the floor made the man chuckle, just before he blinked with surprise when she asked him where Mr. Puddle was.

She remembered him. He ended up crouching down to be at her eye level, blinking sheepishly when she asked where Mister Puddle was, but getting his own last name wrong. ”He’s sleeping right now. It’s late for him and he gets tired before the rest of us.” Luke answered, playfully holding a finger up to his mouth to signal for her to be quiet. But his gesture stopped when he blinked with surprise when Nadezhda suddenly glared at him and said something was wrong.

The man’s facial expression turned goofy when she suddenly had a small tantrum over him not having a gift for her. ”Bah! Greedy little brat. I swear I hate kids sometimes. SO demanding.” Jäger suddenly said, though completely unaware of the irony that he was just as annoying as a kid sometimes. Chuckling, Luke awkwardly smiled at Nadezhda. ”Sorry sorry, you’re right. I forgot to get you a gift. I promise to buy you something that’ll make you go wow. I promise.” Luke tried to bargain as the child went back over to the bed.

Luke didn’t really comment on the kissing comment. He wouldn’t consider or think about doing such a thing with Vesta. Professionally, he was her superior. Outside work, they were merely friends. Vesta explained that she had sent Luke a message and that was why he was here, but then she offered the idea of going outside. That wasn’t a bad idea. ”Yeah, you have to be bubbling with energy after riding in that suitcase for so long. Come on, let’s go for a walk and stretch your legs.” Luke added, following Vesta and leading Nadezhda outside.

In her luggage though...how the hell did she wind up in there…

Walking with Vesta to wherever her favorite spot was, Luke decided to ask the question that was on his mind. ”Nadezhda...you remember when we got hit by the big truck? What happened after I, uh, fell asleep? Where did you go?” He distinctly remembered asking the nurse and doctor about the child that had been with him, but neither knew what he was talking about. He couldn’t find a trace of her either when he had gone back to look for her. What had happened to her?

[Nadezhda Esterházy]

"Ohhhh..." She uttered as she stared at Vesta intently. "You have a boyfriend! Kissy, kissy, kissy!" She said as she rolled off the bed and onto her feet. "Well Ned...Nazd....Nessie, would you like to go outside? Sorry for the nickname, but your name is a little hard to pronounce. Outside we would have more space to run around and not worry my dad about what's going on up here. I can also explain shinigami to you, in case you got confused with what I was saying earlier." Nadezhda clapped her hands together with joyful agreement as she pranced toward Vesta. "ADVENTURE!!!!!" She shouted cheerfully as she pointed her finger toward the sky.

She glanced over at Vesta, maintaining her posture and facial expression. Like a statue she stood, waiting for Vesta to react. It was apparent Vesta did not share in her lighthearted exuberance. She swung her hand and clutched Vesta's hand tightly. Vesta tugged on her to follow, but Nadezhda had other plans in mind. ”Yeah, you have to be bubbling with energy after riding in that suitcase for so long. Come on, let’s go for a walk and stretch your legs.” Staring at Luke and delivering a toothy smile, she began bolting toward the door. While she possessed the frame of a child, her strength far surpassed anything a normal child could accomplish. With nearly 600 strength she practically dragged Vesta behind her.

She clumsily and enthusiastically skipped through Vesta's home and out the door. Once they had ventured outside, she  released Vesta and began twirling in the cool night's air. She spun into the sidewalk and near the street. BEEP BEEEEEP. A car signaled as it drove by, the driver angrily glaring at Vesta and Luke for their negligence. Another drive shouted, "Don't let your kid run in the street you morons!" Nadezhda's eyes widened as she turned and stared at Luke and Vesta. She giggled before her attention was diverted elsewhere.

”Nadezhda...you remember when we got hit by the big truck? What happened after I, uh, fell asleep? Where did you go?” Nadezhda skipped down the side-walk as she glanced back at Luke. "Who me?" She pointed to herself before striking a nearby bench and tumbling over it onto the sidewalk. She lifted herself from the ground, patting her clothes slightly. She didn't skip a beat despite her terrible luck. "Wellllllll...." She said with great exaggeration. "I guess you could say I was saved by by a mr puddles." She pointed at Luke. "You see? I'm like you. You're like me. You have mr puddles and I have one too. Before the boom I was here and then I was here." She said as she narrated with hand gestures, placing her hands from one place in the air to the other. 

She repeated the same gesture, emphasizing her location and where she ended up after her doll's intervention. "Get it, mr clockburn?" Before Luke could respond, Nadezhda frowned suddenly as she processed what Vesta had revealed earlier about her mother's tragic end. She walked toward her, patting her on the arm affectionately. "My mommy and daddy died. Something terrible killed them. I don't know what..." She said softly while staring up at Vesta. She placed her hand on Vesta's and squeezed. As quickly as she showed affection for Vesta she was onto something else.

She skipped off before halting abruptly. She placed her hands on her stomach. "I'm hungry..." She looked back at Luke. "What do you do when you get really hungry?" Nadezhda glanced over at Vesta. "I bet your suitor and you indulge yourselves. Fine spirits and food. Are these, ehm, Shini wealthy?" Nadezhda placed her hand on her chin and narrowed her eyes. She pursed her lips and developed a deeply contemplative expression. Her face became stressed just before she inhaled deeply, having held her breath while she thought. "I just remembered somethin'." She said, staring at the two bount. "What's a Shini?" She glanced at Luke earnestly. From their previous encounter he knew she had met them, but did not know their true name. Much like hollows, or white faces, she knew them by another name.

White and black coats. She had encountered a number of them during her lifetime. Each of those encounters ended with her being attacked and chased into seclusion. Thankfully, she was skilled in stealth and evasion. She had multiple places to take refuge in centuries past, and knew the streets with such meticulous detail she could circumvent their efforts. She never could decide who was worse: white coats or white faces. They both possessed the deviltry, only one was better at concealing it. 

[Vesta Zweig]

Vesta smiles at her comment, blushing slightly, thinking on Tsukiyomi. They haven't talked in what felt like years and even though they weren't technically boyfriend and girlfriend, it was a nice thought for sure. When the child screamed out adventure to her suggestion and grabbed her hand, she was ready to take the girl outside at a normal pace for normal people. She definitely wasn't really expecting what was going to happen with her next. After smiling at Luke, she started to run.

Assuming the child had strength equal to that of a child's, she was expecting light pulling. The pulling that she received, however, was freaking insane for a child. She was half dragged along with her, even though Vesta herself isn't weak, at least by her own standards. While getting pulled out of the house, her father glanced at her with a weird look on his face. She mouthed the words sorry and put her hand up to her ear to mime a 'I'll call you late with an update' motion.

Once outside and released, Vesta just stared at her while looking at her hand. This child was extremely different than what she was expecting. Before Vesta could act about Nessie's bad behavior around roads, cars beeped and they got yelled at. "JUST FOR YOU INFORMATION ASSHOLE SHE'S NOT MY CHILD!" She screamed that at the asshole that yelled at them and said fucker lightly under her breath. How dare he assume at her age she has a kid this old! That's disgusting! Especially with Luke!

Talk went to the car accident again and when she said she got saved by a Mister Puddles, she looked at Luke. Was she talking about a Doll that he has or her? Was she a Bount as well? If so, that's an insane coincidence for a Bount child to hitch a ride in the luggage of a fellow Bount. "Is she talking about your doll or...?" She leaves the question in the air, hoping that Luke might be able to fill in the blanks for this weird question.

Still thinking about this, she didn't even notice that Nessie had moved until she patted her on the arm and said that her parents were dead. Vesta had almost forgotten about her saying that her mother had passed away. So, they at least had one thing kind of in common, the only difference is that she was an orphan and she still had her parent. But, the terrible thing that killed them made her wonder if it was Hollows, Shinigami or something else that might've gotten to them.

Once she asked what Shini were, Vesta smiled towards her. "Well, first off, not all Shini are wealthy. I also am not old enough to drink so I don't do that. I actually haven't seen him in a fairly long time and I know I can't go where he is, or if I can, I don't know how. He lives in a place called Soul Society, where the other shini live. Second, Shini is short for Shinigami, who are men and women who help here by killing Hollows, monsters with white faces.

You can tell Shinigami the easiest by what they wear. Black robes with a white undercoat, if that's the word of whatever it is the white thing is that they wear under the black robes. They also have swords on their person. The ones I've met wore theirs on their hip like you see samurai do in those samurai movies. Do you have anymore information on Shinigami Luke?"

[Deleted]

Sorry for the wait, was researching food

What Nadezhda replied to him with made Luke pause, just mentally not physically, as she did her best to explain just what had happened during the car crash. While Vesta might not have understood it, Luke knew what Nadezhda meant when she said she had a Mister Puddles as well. Was she saying that, in that moment, she had been saved by her Doll? It made sense. Even if Nadezhda wasn’t strong enough to consciously call out her Doll yet, it was still entirely possible that the Doll emerged to save her, unconsciously, in that moment. A life threatening situation like that was the perfect scenario for that to happen. Luke knew that from experience.

As Luke thought this over, he got to listen to Nadezhda and Vesta share condolences with each other. Luke didn’t reply to this. He felt bad for Nadezhda that she had no parents. It was something he could relate with her on. But he decided to keep quiet about it, seeing no reason to inject his own personal problems into their moment or onto either of them. ”Don’t worry about it.” Luke would reply, to Vesta, when she asked about if Nadezhda had been referring to his Doll. When Nadezhda mentioned something about being hungry, Luke perked up a little. If the kid was hungry then he could at least help out with that.

As he thought over what would probably be best to get her to eat, Nadezhda and Vesta got to talking. Luke wasn’t really paying attention to what Nadezhda was saying. "I bet your suitor and you indulge yourselves. Fine spirits and food.” Nadezhda would say to Vesta. ”Huh?” Luke suddenly heard Windstarke say, taking his mind off of food for a moment. What’s up? Something wrong? ”No. No, nothing it was just...no it’s nothing. Go back to thinking about food.” Windstarke quickly rambled, seemingly confused about something but unwilling to press whatever issue he had further.

Luke let Vesta give the smaller Bount a explanation about what Shinigami were. Though, when she mentioned that Shinigami “help here by killing Hollows” Vesta would notice Luke sneer and go ”Pft.” rather quietly. Was a bit obvious that Luke disagreed with that statement. He rarely saw Shinigami anymore and it wasn’t even because he was actively avoiding them. What’s more, they never saw fit to help UE out with anything. Ah well. When Vesta asked Luke if he had anymore information about them he wanted to share with Nadezhda, his vision aimed downwards to the child below them. After a few moments he closed his eyes and rolled his shoulder. ”Don’t tell them you’re a Bount. Shinigami...don’t tend to like us very much.” he would reply.

”You’re hungry though, right? Come on. Let’s get something to eat.” Luke would say to, hopefully, change the subject quickly enough. Leading their weird little pack Luke would spot what he was looking for. A sliding door store whose sign read “Lawson” was where Luke lead them. A convenience store? In America, convenience store were essentially bare minimum requirements for their food to be edible and sellable. One of the things that blew Luke away when he moved to Japan was just how...amazing...convenience stores were here. Aside from the shelves being lined like a small grocery store and with other various life helping knick knacks, Luke took Nadezhda over to the prepackaged food.

”You see anything you like?” Luke asked, before turning his attention to Vesta. ”Feel free to grab something too. My treat.” He told her, before looking back at the various foods. His eyes looked at the kara-age, which was essentially japanese fried chicken, but he would quickly realize that all of this was probably really new to Nadezhda. She’d probably never had food like this where she was from. He looked at the custard pudding for a moment before looking at the breads. Ah fuck. Now he was getting confused too. Unless Nadezhda picked something, Luke would grab a pre-made bento box and a water for the kid to give her something good to eat.

The bento was pretty simple. Some rice, some pickled vegetables, a sliced hard boiled egg, and two or three dumplings. ”Here.” Luke would say, handing it to Nadezhda after leaving the store and finding a bench to sit down at.

[Nadezhda Esterházy]

"Shini is short for Shinigami, who are men and women who help here by killing Hollows, monsters with white faces." Nadezhda stared intently at Vesta as she spoke. One word seemed to drown out the others and echo in her mind. Hollow. Nadezhda made certain to regulate her expression, refusing to let either Luke or Vesta into her thoughts. This entire time white faces were known by spiritual beings as Hollows. She thought as Vesta continued to explain details that had eluded her for centuries. 

There was a level of irritation and absurdity that came with this realization. Countless centuries of living and interacting with these creatures and it was not until now that someone revealed their true name. Soul devouring monsters, though sometimes Nadezhda wondered what separated her from them. They both ravaged the innocent and deprived them of their souls. And yet, she was never quite as mindless as they were, even in hungry rages. There was always a deliberateness to her actions, especially when preying upon specific types of people.

Her eyes widened with interest as she cuffed her mouth with her hand. She wanted to convey intrigue and shock to an unsuspecting Vesta and Luke. "You can tell Shinigami the easiest by what they wear." Her entire person perked-up as she focused on Vesta, her gaze landing upon Luke. "...black robes and white coats." Those words pierced through Nadezhda's core, sending her mind racing back centuries. Like a scene from a movie, the reels of memories placed her on that fateful rooftop, her eyes locking with a white coat. No! A Shinigami! 

"He's dangerous." A voice nervously narrated as the Shinigami began to draw his katana. "Koschei." Nadezhda said softly, her memory continuing to replay that moment. In the present, her expression went blank as she recalled her doll leaping forth to save her. She could see it lunge at the Shinigami, its claws digging into his arm just before she kicked him from the roof. "Let's go!" She recalled Koschei demanding. Nadezhda blinked in the present and turned to look at Luke.  She had not fully returned to the present. 

"...Bount?" Nadezhda was learning so much. Fortunately, she was able to piece together the information on her own, but need to keep up appearances. "I'm a Bount?" She asked Luke. She innocently stared at him just before she began ravenously pouring the food into her mouth. Sauce covered to the area around her lips, with pieces of rice firmly stuck in the sauce. She purposely calmed herself, delivering a wide-grin like any child would had they been treated to such a bountiful meal. Then again, a delicate soul would have been nice, too. It couldn't be helped.

With her cheeks bulging from pickled vegetables, she began to talk through chunks of half-chewed food. "A Bount has friends, right? Like Mr. Puddles?" She said with a slight giggle, a piece of food dropping on her lap. She immediately flicked it off her lap and pretended as though it never happened and neither saw it happen. "Bounts aren't Shinigami. Shinigami hunt Hollows. Hollows eats things." She said in a confusing stream of consciousness. "That means....ugh." She piled another spoon full of rice in her mouth as she adopted a contemplative expression. She humorously chewed her food loudly and with great animation as she attempted to piece together what was being discussed. 

"Yeah...." She randomly said as scooped another mound of rice and placed it in her mouth. "If its here. And that's there. And he's him." She muttered through a food-filled mouth, waving her spoon in the air to narrate her thought process. "Ah-ha!" She shouted, spraying food into the air as she triumphantly raised her spoon in the air. "I'm a Bount. Yous a Bount. And white and black coats are Shinigami." She clearly outlined as though she figured this out on her own. She exaggerated the complexity of the news, but internally she was genuinely piecing together so much information. 

"But there are black coats and white coats. Is one better than the other?" She asked quizzically, her gaze switching between Vesta and Luke. "And you are married to a black or white coat?" She asked. She stuffed more food in her mouth before quickly adding, "A Shinigami." In her mind, though, she was already relegating Vesta to a most unkind category. These so-called Shinigami hunt us, trying to kill me every chance they got and she chooses one as a mate? Nadezhda thought to herself. Nadezhda looked Vesta up and down, her adorable gaze disarming and concealing of her true nature. I should cut him into pieces and feed him to her without her knowledge Yes, that is exactly what I will do! She thought deviously. She turned and smiled at Luke. "I wanna talk to mine, too! Show me!"

[Vesta Zweig]

The 'Don't worry about it' from Luke made Vesta slightly irritated. He knew what her Doll looked like, so it was only fair. She slightly pouted at this, but once outside, it seemed that Nessie was a Bount. Vesta looked at her, trying to figure out anything about her. But, because she can't sense anything, she just stared at her. This child was a Bount?! She knew that some Bounts ate souls so maybe she did? I guess that would be normal but she couldn't picture her doing something like that, though she barely knew her.

While staring at her, they had made it to a convenience store, where Nessie just started to stuff her face with food while she realized what she was. Since Luke said that she could also grab something, his treat, she found the two most expensive items there and started to dig in. She never got that much for an allowance, so she was making him pay for the nicer stuff. You know, maybe you should stay around him more so he can pay for this nice stuff more often. You haven't seen what's his face in forever! Maybe Luke would be a good replacement..... She internally glared at Death while her eating slowed slightly.

When Nessie mentioned that Bounts have friends, it was true, since they're Dolls were with them always. Vesta still wanted to see this 'Mr. Puddles' character, but she might have to bother the ever living crap out of Luke before she got to see it. She smiled as Nessie was putting together everything she told him. Death kept telling her to look up new prospects for boyfriends and honestly, while she would NEVER consider Luke for something like that, it was a possibility. There was that one boy in science class.....

Then, the weirdest statement she ever heard came out of Nessie. "And you are married to a black or white coat?" Vesta literally did a spit take, shooting her food out of her mouth and, hopefully, on the floor. WTF?! She took a big swig of her drink and took a deep breath before she answered that one. WHAT?!?! I AM NOT MARRIED TO ONE OF THEM! I'M ONLY FREAKING 16 YEARS OLD! I'M EVEN THINKING ABOUT DUMPING THAT LOSER FOR A CUTE GUY IN MY SCIENCE CLASS!!!

She was breathing quickly after that, not realizing that she screamed it to the entire store. Death was scream laughing in her head while Zorn was patting her. She finished off her drink after that, trying to catch her breath while she was blushing profusely. I can't believe I actually screamed that in this store. But, I've been thinking about relationship stuff for awhile... Death and Zorn, at that point, started to talk to her. Death told her to drop that loser and get with the cutest guy in her school, and Zorn was telling her to do what she felt was right.

After scrubbing her face slightly, she stood up straight and tall, looking to the both of them. "Death and Zorn are right! I'm going to move on from Tsuki and go with the cute guy in my science class! Since everyone's done eating, I think Death wanted to go walk around town to see what was going on. Do you guys care to see what's going on?" One of her eyes would change then, going completely white and a new type of voice would come out.

"Yeah! We can go and see if we can find any hollows and if we do, WE'LL CRUSH THEM INTO SUBMISSION LIKE THE STUPID BUGS THEY ARE!!!" The eye would go back to her normal color and Vesta would slightly blush again, run outside and start chastising Death for embarrassing her like that in public. She would wait outside for her little group and when they would come up to her, they would hear both voices coming from Vesta, arguing over what just happened in the store.

[Deleted]

Luke definitely took notice of Vesta picking out the most expensive meal she could find, but he didn’t let her taking advantage of his generosity bother him. He just let it slide. He also grabbed himself something to eat. Some melon bread was all it was. He rested on the bench, chewing away at the roll, and keeping an eye on Nadez as she ate her meal. Seems she was enjoying it. That was good to see, at least. She didn’t seem too picky either. She had no problems gorging herself on rice and pickled vegetables. ”Yup. You, me, and Vesta are Bount. That’s what they call people like us. Though Vesta is...a special case..” He’d answer before returning to his bread.

He’d nod his head when Nadez asked that Bount had friends like Mister Puddles. She was a smart kid. She was piecing together the fake names with the real names rather well. He couldn’t help but smile a little at her child like innocence and excitement upon figuring things out for herself. But when she would ask about the difference between the ones with black coats and white coats, he blinked a little. Something about her knowing that some Shinigami wore white coats was strange to him, but he just pushed the wandering thought from his head as he thought best how to explain it.

”The Shinigami that wear white coats are the ones that lead the black coats. They’re the bosses. There are thirteen of them.” Luke explained. When Nadezhda said something about marriage to Vesta it caused the teenager to have what looked like a full blown panic attack. She started muttering and rambling about some guy in her class and her dumping someone else. It certainly made Luke pause, his mouth frozen open as he was about to bite what was left of his bread, as he simply watched her stunned. ”You...you go, Vesta.” Luke replied a little sheepishly, not really sure what to say to Vesta’s outburst and declaration.

”Teenagers are hella weird.”

And you’re not?

A small outburst from Death would catch Luke’s attention. Seemed both personalities wanted to go fight Hollows, but Luke wasn’t too sure about doing that. Not with Nadezhda around anyways. ”Let her finish eating.” Luke would say to Vesta, before catching Nadez’s request. She was smiling up at him, saying how she wanted to see her own personal Mister Puddles. Luke would simply look at her for a moment before, with a sigh and the close of his eyes, he’d answer with a solid, ”No.” well, that was certainly going to hurt some feelings.

”It’s true that each of us has our own, personal, Mister Puddles but you need to know a few things first. Firstly, Mister Puddles is what is called a Doll. Yours, Vesta’s, mine, they’re Dolls. That’s the real name for them but not their personal names.” Luke would explain to clear that bit up. Now, hopefully, she’d stop referring to everyones Dolls as Mister Puddles. ”Secondly, I don’t think it’s a good idea to show you, or tell you, how to make yours appear. You have to know, Nadezhda, that Dolls are dangerous. If you-”, he’d poke her chest a little when he said that, ”-aren’t strong enough then the Doll might not like you and turn on you like a Hollow. Dolls want strong Bount masters and won’t obey one weaker than them.” Luke would explain to try and not hurt Nadezhda’s feelings that much, but he knew there was probably a volcanic explosion inbound.

[Nadezhda Esterházy]

Nadezhda stared quizzically at Vesta as she piled more food into her mouth. She's so high-strung. She thought as she observed Vesta's apparent outrage. "You, me, and Vesta are all bount. Though Vesta is a special case." Nadezhda licked her spoon as her eyes glanced over at Luke. "Special..." She said curiously. "Special..." She continued to repeat before her mind wandered for a moment. Nadezhda went quiet and stared off into the distance with a vacant expression. She abruptly blinked and turned her head slowly, her eyes focusing on Luke.

She grabbed an rice ball with her left hand and rubbed her chin with her right. "Bosses." She repeated before biting into the rice ball. She began to talk with her mouth full, verbally walking through what Luke was saying. "Bosses are the ones at the top. Bosses are the big ones. The white coats. They do this. And they do that. They have those big shiny swords. They say go there and go there. Yeah..." She stuffed the remainder of the rice ball in her mouth and seemingly swallowed it with a single gulp. 

She waved wagged her finger in the air as she narrowed her eyes as though she was mentally putting pieces together. "Shinigami in the white coats are stronger than black coats, but they all go after white faces or hollows." Despite how quickly she was piecing together what she was being told, Luke was hesitant to go further. "No...aren't strong strong enough..." Nadezhda's pouty expression quickly overtook her face. Her lips drooped toward her chin as a defiant quality colored her gaze.  

"Dolls." She said plainly as she nearly scowled in protest at Luke. "My doll saved me." She noted defiantly. "She loves me." She stubbornly turned away from Luke and began walking away from him and Vesta. She stopped and sat at a distant bench, outwardly sulking in response to Luke's refusal to help her regain her dolls. What he didn't know was how many she had and the relationship she shared with them before she could no longer hear them. She remembered every second of the silence before her body entered a dormant state.

She wondered if her dolls forced her into this state to protect her, but she could no longer hear them, not like before. Lying dormant without a proper soul to feed on not only weakened her spirit, but made it impossible to sense or speak with her dolls. She had no difficulty summoning them before that fateful day, but not they don't answer her. It is like they have forgotten the sound of her voice or they exist in a distance space of her soul. Whatever it was she was becoming inpatient. She wanted to see Koschei and Libuse.

Even her childlike appeal would not persuade someone to teach her. Luke was more cautious, which was she knew came from a source of compassion and caring. She was only interested in progress and wanted nothing to do with his fears. He thinks I am weak, but I am strong. I can feel my power beneath the surface, trapped and unreachable. She said to herself. She wondered if she could manipulate this compassion and have it benefit her. He wouldn't leave her defenseless in a world where bount were hunted, would he? 

"Why does she get to know her doll and not me?" Nadezhda muttered with a child-like defiance. "I wanna learn. I wanna be okay when the white coats come after me again. I almost didn't get away from the blue stuff from his fingers that made stuff go BOOM!" She loudly emphasized. She turned around and looked at Luke and Vesta. She pointed at Vesta while directing her statement at Luke. "Festa lose control, too!" She took notice of Vesta and made a calculated risk to reveal her observation. "My belly says she is more than you and me, right?!"