Rabid Outbreak [JT, R, Ask to join]

[Nadezhda Esterházy]

Nadezhda gleefully bounced around the apartment gathering materials to stuff into her backpack. She paused for a moment and her expression took on a ruminative quality. "Eh." She said dismissively with a shoulder shrug. "She'll be fine!" She added just before she ran across the couch and grabbed Cestmir. "Right?" Nadezhda looked down at Cestmir, his big, round lacquered eyes staring back at her. "She'll be fine..." She said again with a touch more hesitancy. "She'll be fine." Said again but now with a forced conviction. "Alright Cesty. Get in there!" Sticking her tongue out and pressing down on her plush teddy, she attempted to fit him in an already full backpack. "There we go. Snug as a bug!"

Zip. Zip.

Nadezhda swung her backpack onto her back with just Cestmir's head sticking out. "Ready or not, here we come!" She skipped to the door, but hesitated once more before closing it. Her face went blank as she fell into deep thought. It lasted but a moment before she bared her teeth with a wide smile. "She'll be fiiinnne." She giggled playfully as she slammed the door, leaving a woman tied up and frightened in the bathroom closet. One could never be quite certain who she was more concerned about, the women's well-being until she returned or Timor's thoughts about keeping hostages in various closets within the home. She figured Timor would shrug it off as the playful spirit of a child, but she might scold her too. She better return with something sweet to properly butter her up so to weather whatever storm is ahead. 

Honestly, Nadezhda couldn't fathom why it would be such a big deal. She's not in the bathtub like last time. She told her never to put body parts in the bathtub and so she stopped. The closet was not in the aforementioned lecture and should therefore be fair game. Maybe, just maybe she didn't want her to put bodies of any kind in any part of the apartment. Nadezhda thought about it. It was possible, but that'd be so boring and neither of them were boring. Was Timor a boring old lady? No, that wouldn't make any sense. She just liked things clean, but that is precisely why Nadezhda didn't leave the women a bloody mess. Sure there were bite marks here and there, but the mess was kept to a minimum. 

A few hours later, Nadezhda was casually returning home. Unsurprisingly, she became distracted by a man who passed by. Something about him smelled different. Like that one person she had smelled a while back. "Oh! Was he a fullbringer?!" She wondered aloud just before the window of Timor's apartment burst outward, sending shards of glass everywhere. Nadezhda's neck melted into her shoulders as her face became peaked. Shrieks echoed through the street as a bizarre creature landed on a car just below the window. With mouth agape and eyes wide, she stared curiously at the creature. That's odd. That monster has pretty blonde hair just like... She thought. "Ohhhhhh..." She said with a flash of insight. 

Monster's appearance

She watched with morbid curiosity as the creature shook and screeched before hopping off the vehicle. It then ran off into the streets and down an ally, the distant screams of citizens echoing from every direction. "Wait a minute." She demanded. "Ladies don't become monsters." Her cheeks ballooned as she defiantly made her way up to the apartment. Upon opening the door she saw the damage it had caused on its way out the window. The bathroom door had been crushed and the closet door was now in the bathtub. "I mean...she still can't say..." Suddenly Koschei interrupted. You're responsible for this. 

Nadezhda let out a half-hearted chuckle as she contemplated her part in this disaster. "How was I..." Again, Koschei interrupted. This was your fault, Naze. She said sternly, but lovingly. "Fine! But how was I supposed to know she was going to grow claws and mouth parts and jump out the window. Humans don't do that normally." She said before pausing to think. "Do you think maybe my powers are growing?" Her mind was silent for a moment. It's possible, but neither myself nor Libuse are responsible. We had not been summoned. You do seem to have abilities that exist beyond just us. If the others are any indication, all Bounts are different. She noted from within Nadezhda's mind. 

"Oh-hohoho! Hehehe!" She chuckled. "I have the power to make beasties! Weeeeee." Nadezhda began spinning around, delighted by her talents. What about Timor's apartment? Koschei stressed. Nadezhda's eyes widened as she looked around the room befuddled. Panic and uncertainty dominated her expression before she slowly began backing out of the apartment. "I wasn't here....I wasn't here." She repeated as she slowly closed the door and bolted down the hall. But instead of going down the stairs she jumped through yet another window and onto the pavement below. She then bolted in the direction of the monster. 

Nadezhda quickly followed the trail of screams as the creature continued to make quite the disturbance. "This is kind of exciting, Koschei! Just think, we could have our own little group of loyal beasties. And all it'll take is a little bit of creativity, a dash of energy, and a solid bite." Nadezhda swiftly climbed a tree so she could properly spy on her nearby creation. She looked upon it with unrestrained enthusiasm. Sure the creature had transformed into a howling monstrosity with no apparent control over its actions, but she couldn't deny the possibilities. She'd worry about the ramifications later. After all, who would ever connect her with such a crime. 

The creature stumbled around in a near incoherent state as it attempted to gauge its surroundings. "It seems confused. Or she seems confused, I guess....Oh! I almost forgot! Ukaž se." She added slowly, allowing Koschei to materialize beside her. "It was wise to summon me. Shall I terminate it?" Koschei asked as her hands became jagged knives. "No, Koschei. I want to see more of what will happen. She's just...ugh...drinking from the fountain. She's done nothing wrong so far." Suddenly the monster leaped from the fountain and pinned a man to the ground, tearing into his body with its many teeth.  "See, she's just hungry." The monster abruptly howled before running off and leaving the meal behind. "I guess we better hide the body." 

"What should I do with this body?" Koschei asked as she leaned over it, her hollow eyes peering down at the corpse. "I don't know. We have to keep up with it. Uhm...just toss it some where. Give yourself a good twirl and just let go. As long as it isn't in the middle of the street." And while the body did leave the area it conveniently crashed through the window of a nearby hospital, attracting the attention of numerous medical staff. Despite Nadezhda willingness to dispose of the body in a quick and unorthodox manner, she and Koschei couldn't seem to find the monster. "This is unfortunate, Naze." Nadezhda shook her head while making a popping noise with her mouth. "Yep. My beautiful creation has escaped and will likely be slaughtered by some goofy hollow or wandering soul reaper. Such a waste..." She lamented. 

"And what about Timor?" Koschei said while patting her on the back. Nadezhda's face lost its color before falling over. "She's gonna be so upset that she might not let paint the walls purple like I asked! Oh...no. Koschei!" Nadezhda exclaimed with dread in her voice as she gripped Koschei's arm. "Pizza and ice cream!! She wouldn't. She couldn't! We need to make it look pretty again. We must go! We must fix this!" Nadezhda began flailing her arms back and forth as she frantically ran down the sidewalk toward Timor's apartment. 

In the meantime, the creature created from Nadezhda's growing powers and experimentation with bount abilities was roaming the city. It would attack 15 more people in the next two hours and 10 more over the course of the early morning hours. The original victim who had been surprisingly throwing into a nearby hospital was lying comfortably on a cold slab in the coroners lab. In the floors above patients were resting in their 10 of which had been tended to by the same nurse who had found the bloodied body. Eerily, all 10 patients opened their eyes at the same time, their pupils dilated and sclera darkened. One of the patients began to tremor uncontrollably as his fingers bore into the bed. His body was beginning to take on a new, distorted appearance and shape. He let out a piercing scream as he arched his back, the sounds of boning breaking and flesh tearing. 

The sound of hurried footsteps could be heard in the distance as a team of nurses quickly traversed the hallway. They opened the patients door to see the room was in total disarray. The light flickered in the distance, revealing a beast in the corner of the room, its body still wearing the remnants of his hospital gown. He snarled as he turned to face the nurses who screamed and slammed the door shut. The beast burst through the door and slammed into the wall before collecting itself and swiftly pursuing the shrieking nurses. 

Second beast's appearance

[Luke Clyburn]

It had been sometime since he had last been home. Six months at the very least. But those months had proven to be a lot longer than initially realized with everything he had gone through. There was a certain feeling of smug satisfaction when he thought about how wise it was to hire a house sitter for that time to keep things clean and his cat fed. Though, the bill sure wouldn’t be a pleasure. But it was better than coming home to a dirty house or, god forbid, a dead cat. If something had happened to Gracie while he’d been gone he’d be devastated. But thankfully she was fine and was rather happy to see her owner return before, immediately, begging for more food.

Speaking of food, that was what was on the Bount’s agenda. Standing in his apartment's kitchen, the dark haired hero worked away preparing for breakfast. Beating the eggs together, slicing apart some ham and green pepper, slapping the bacon onto the skillet, and downing a cup of coffee, Luke moved with the rhythm of a man who had a routine. But as he worked he kept himself inside his own head, thinking about what had occured over these last six months and how he was going to move forward. There was a reason that he had been out of the city and away from Karakura for the last half a year, but it was something to go over at another time.

Finished with cooking his breakfast, the Bount took his plate and a cup of coffee to the table and sat down. His apartment was totally silent, as he normally left the TV on while he was at home. Kept on the news channel as it always was, just in case something was said that caught his attention, Luke half listened as he placed a slice of bacon in his mouth and munched away. The fatty flavor washed over his tongue, delighting his taste buds as he chewed at the piece of meat. But as he ate, something he heard from the TV caught his attention.

”-ce have gathered here at the Mashiba District hospital, barring anyone from entering. We can see officers in riot gear as they seemingly prepare to enter.”

Luke’s cold, amber, eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the scene on the television screen. ”What do you think it is?” a familiar voice inside Luke’s head asked, interrupting the silence inside Luke. But to answer the question, Luke wasn’t sure. I’m not sure if it’s something we need to handle. Could just be a junkie trying to score. Luke answered, mentally, as he inserted a spoonful of scrambled eggs into his mouth. ”Ah but where’s that hero spirit? Don’t you want to dash into danger, save the maiden, inseminate the milkmaids?” Another, far more annoying, voice asked as well.

”It’s not my responsibility to do the cop’s job for them.” Luke answered, and he was right. It was his responsibility, and job, to fight things of the supernatural variety. Not stop petty crimes. Though, sometimes Luke would help if the situation warranted it. But not every little thing. Not seeing anything else of interest, he returned to his breakfast and resumed thinking about the rest of his day. But before he could enjoy himself again the black screen of his touch phone suddenly lit up as someone started to call him. The words “WORK (DON’T ANSWER” flashed across his screen, catching Luke with an open mouth and spoon almost inside his mouth. With a dramatic sigh, and obvious irritation at having his morning interrupted, Luke grabbed his phone and hit the green answer button.

”Clyburn..” After a few moments, Luke’s frown deepened before he put the phone down. ”Yeah. It’s an us thing.”

--------

Quite the crowd had gathered outside the police barricade. Despite it being so early in the morning there were quite a number of people who were already up and about. Maybe they were locals who wanted to see what was going on. Luke couldn’t imagine people outside the district showing up just to grab some social media photos of this. Inconspicuously standing in the back of the ground, Luke had dressed himself up in his typical civilian garb. Dark grey shirt, similarly colored jacket, jeans, and sneakers. No more helmets. No more hero garbs. Looking past the back of people's heads and raised cellphones, Luke stared at the hospital entrance and let his gaze drift around to the various windows he could see.

Nothing looked… too out of place. He noticed some more doctors, patients, and nurses get shuffled out from the entranceway by police and hurriedly escorted behind the barricade. ”What do you think is going on?” he heard, in various forms, throughout the crowd. ”A gas leak? Don’t be silly, you don’t have the police show up with guns like this for a gas leak. Terrorist attack? No way. It’s the reptoids, they’ve made their move. I’m gonna be late for class.” Luke heard, eavesdropping without really meaning too. ”Ain’t no way we’re gettin’ through the front door without makin a scene.” Jager commented, actually saying something smart for once. Though it was a rhetorical statement. Was obvious they weren’t getting in that way.

Pulling his hood up and himself away from the crowd, Luke began to traverse the circumference of the hospital at a counter clockwise rate. He was sure he’d happen to notice a break in the barricade. He doubted they’d be watching parts of the building that didn’t have typical entrance ways. In fact, after only walking a few dozen yards, Luke spotted a potential way inside rather quickly. A broken window. Looking around for a split second to make sure nobody saw him, the young adult suddenly vanished before reappearing before the window. A simple use of Movement. Peering inside, Luke noticed that the glass was all on the inside of the empty patient room. That meant the window was broken from the outside.

Stretching his hand outward, a quick blast of reiatsu strength blew away the remainder of the windows glass and its frame. He didn’t want to cut himself. Entering the hospital after checking that nobody saw him, Luke began his investigation. ”Breaking and entering is a big no-no, Lukeykins.” his Doll teased. UE doesn’t just have the authority to go snooping around without the right paperwork. Luke retorted, peering out into the hallway from the room. God he hated hospitals. They were like massive mazes.

Right, left, straight, left, left, fuck a wall, Luke quickly realized he might actually be lost. But that was fine too, in a way. It was letting him look around. What was peculiar, though, was the fact nobody was here. What could it have been that warranted a police presence as strong as the one outside? After entering another section of the hospital, Luke noticed something. A streak of red leading from the hall and into a darkened room. He blinked before narrowing his eyes and hurriedly approaching the room. Looking inside he saw the source. The body of a nurse, torn open and left there in the center of the room. The patient bed had been smashed, everything torn apart, like a wild animal had been through here.

”Hollow?” Windstarke asked. ”Yeah, probably. We should find it, quickly, before someone else gets hurt.” Luke remarked, stepping back from the room. ”Freeze!” Someone suddenly shouted, alongside the signature sound of guns being readied. Luke blinked, turning to his left to see three, fully armed, police officers with submachine guns trained on him. Ah shit. Luke thought to himself, before breaking into a full on sprint before the police could say another thing. ”Stop! We’ll shoot!” the officer shouted before Luke turned a corner. The Bount got a few more steps before he suddenly heard the three men scream and their guns open fire. Bullets ricochet off the surfaces they hit as the men fired widely, the sound of inhuman growls and tears were heard.

Luke, having stopped running now, had begun to turn back and return to the cops to see what had happened. But once the gunfire stopped and Luke re-rounded the corner, it was already over. Two officers lay on the floor, their bodies torn open, and another had half his torso dragged into the air duct over head. How did… I not sense anything? Luke wondered to himself, before looking up at the airduct and standing to the side to make sure it wasn’t directly over his head. The hell was going on?

[Jacqueline ACK]

CTP Training:


It's so dark.....Helllloooooo.. Black was good and all but it was boring. Finding herself floating in the void meant a few things. So she had to check them out one by one to see if any of the following was what was going on. First off, could she move? A simple wiggle of the big toe did wonders, but the rest of her did hurt a bit. So, she did have movement though it stung to move the various other parts. Not that she couldn't move them, just the fact of her body twitching from trying to sit up was like someone pinching a nerve in her shoulders. So there was that. Hmmm. With what she got already, movement and pain, she could definitely tell that she was still alive to some degree. Limbo? Nope. Couldn't have been that considering she wasn't dreaming or anything of the sort.

Definitely not dead or I would at least be a lot more toastier than this or hear Hallalueah or something along the lines... There was that too. No pearly gates or the BLAZING FIRES OF HELL nope. There was that fact too. If the case were being that she was going to die or something then this was certainly the longest time it took to die or something. Too many dead trying to pass through? That would be a first. She never heard stories of Heaven or Hell having a drag time of being sent to their living quarters. This sucked. Hmmmm.

Floating around in the dark was just as much fun as watching grass grow. Which is why she doesn't watch grass grow nor float around either. UUugghhhh, this was frustrating. Can someone just slap her awake and just be done with all --WHACK "CUNT" She growled rubbing her forehead from where the throbbing was sprouting from. Come on, not literally did she want to be slapped but at least something to really get her going to come out of the void. The scenery around her was a bit fuzzy, so she had to take a moment or two to really get a clear image of it all. A bed. Rails. A plain looking room with marble floor. Window to her left side with a few flowers in a bland ceramic vase for decoration. And she was practically naked if not for the light white robe that she found herself tuckered into.

An office feel lingered around the room with a curtain and railing off to her right side. Shadows beyond that narrowing further to the right suggested a small hall before leading to a door. And what else beyond that? Well, there was a rolling pack stand that had her nutrient fluids that was laying on the floor. Must have tipped over or something to hit her head before it fell down. Immediate lawsuit if there ever was one, but how funny would that be for a murderer to file for a lawsuit against a place that helped people recover. Yup, she knew the place all too well to mistaken it for another. "A Hospital huh? It certainly had the feel about it considering she was practically raised in one all her life, so there was no mistaking it. And quite possibly one place that she didn't want to be in.

"Eeetai." Her shoulder throbbed a little with some warmth coming from her belly. Her heterochromic eyes trained on her stomach for a moment to focus on the pain to figure how she got it, and how she got to the Hospital in the first place. "That's right." Last night or so. When she was out in the night killing she ran into a man who was using a shovel as a weapon. He got her in the Hospital. Not literally. But he was a bit responsible for her being here. Some of her injuries were given to her by him so as to why she was placed in the Hospital to begin with was all based on what occurred after the fight. She was about lose consciousness at the scene, so she had to place herself into a position that seemed as though she was attacked as well.

A small stab into her stomach with her scapel, with another cut with the larger knife to her abdomen to make it look legit. The larger knife was then placed into the dead man's hand, throwing the scapel away, and lastly taking a fountain pen she found in his briefcase to push into the open wound in the man's head. First appearances it will look like an attempted rape with her trying to defend herself. Seeing that she wasn't handcuffed to the bed made it seem that was the case at least for now. Any ways, she had to find a way to get out and *CRASH* A loud crash rung out throughout her room which even made the bed quiver a bit that forcibly captured her attention. Something was going on. "Well, at least that explains why the damn thing fell over." she said rubbing her forehead again.

If there was something going on in the Hospital, then it would make getting out a bit simpler with everyone running around. At least, if that was the case. Still, it would hopefully better her chances than sticking around to be questioned. She had to get her stuff and get going. IV lines and other syringes were pulled out, including those that they stuck into her nose, which was just disgusting to get ride of. That took a good few moments to do before she could put her own feet on the cold marble floor. "Fuck that is cold." The Fullbringer complained with every step to look around to see if any of her belongings were in the room. Well, she at least hoped that two things were there. And yeah, they were.

The notebook that she made sure that was kept close to her before she lost consciousness, along with the chain that she kept around her neck, both she kept close to her to make it seem that they were both precious to her. And yeah, they were the most precious things to her. It was heavily stained with blood, but when dried, it was legible. She would have to make sure she waited until she was out of the hospital to peel the pages carefully away from each other. She didn't want to rip her Mom's notebook. Tucking the book into her robe, and fastening the collar around her neck once more, she made her move to the door. She shuffled slowly to listen as to what was going on outside and she could already hear people running and panicking. Not outside the door at the very least but somewhere outside. "Huh, I guess they are trying to evacuate the people still. This was good.

There was no better time to get out then now. Her door opened partially with a single eye to look out into the hallway. Alarms were ringing with the sounds of people running amok all over the place, but as to her vicinity, she was in the clear to move from what she saw. A foot came out to meet the sunshine on the other side of the door before another stepped out in front of it. She had to get going. Her sights were set on the Nurses Station. Why? She had to make sure she was armed first before getting out. Based on all the commotion that she was hearing, something was definitely going on inside the Hospital to warrant everyone to run around like headless Chickens. Hell, there were even Press and other Media outlets outside behind Law Enforcement tapes she saw out of the windows in the hall. Something big was going on. She felt in it in her gut.

She ran carefully, checking her corners before proceeding further. People were running. Patients and Nurses alike both in a panic as they were rushing people in a single direction. Wheelchairs were rolled out for the sick and physically incapable, forced to get out of their beds to avoid whatever crisis was going on. A few Police Officers were spotted to direct the crowd to the lower levels as the Hospital Staff were abandoning their stations to help all those around them. "Miss what are you doing? You need to come with us. We need to evacuate the building now. said a single Nurse who turned and approached Jacqueline. She was still bandaged and in her patient's garments, so obviously she didn't really stand out from among the dozens of others who were staying. However, she was able to walk on her own which led the Nurse to tend to another patient who was in desperate need in being transferred to a wheelchair. Everyone was running, rushing without a single thought as to stopping.

The station itself was empty with all Staff on call. She only had this opportunity. An Officer rushed from the other side of the counter, "MISS WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU NEED TO GET OUT NO- A bloody explosion came forth to cut off the man's statement to the Fullbringer. Something came and crushed his body into a slender stick, then vanishing before their very eyes. That was what everyone else saw. But in the eyes of the Fullbringer, she saw something else entirely different. A single hulking black figure had erupted from the vent over their heads and took a single mouth full as to where the man was standing. A white mask that closed around the upper half of the Human and took a single bite to feed itself before taking a single look at Jacq. A...A Hollow? Why was there a Hollow here? SHIT. She dove down behind the counters to shroud it's sights of her as a single hand shot out from the vent.

A single Hollow was here and was tearing up the place. It did explain what the commotion was and why everyone was in mass hysteria. None of them could see it. So people dying left and right without being able to see what was causing their deaths would be something that would cause mass panic among the people. They did not know that Hollows exist, and so they would refer to it as a terrorist attack or something along the lines. But for Jacqueline, she knew the only way to stop it all was to destroy it. "Yeah right." Not like how she was now. She was unarmed. The sole reason for her being there in the first place was to find a weapon. Papers and documents littered the floor with a few cases of emergency packs were left open along the walls. Beside them, a single door that led to the supply area.

Another dive, Jacqueline kept herself out of sight and as low as possible to avoid the Hollow. She didn't know what it was doing, but better to keep moving than staying in a single place to be lunch. Within the new office she spotted many particular items that she could make use of, but more importantly some things that can be used as weapons. A few knives, scapels, syringes, chemicals, etc. She had what she needed. The next step was to get out and - *Crash* "FUCK" she cursed as she took into her hand a single scapel and a small bottle of Pure alcohol. Rubble and debris flew from behind her, pinning her beneath the shelves and falling items. A bit of pressure is what she could feel before being pulled back by something rather large. A single look she saw a black hand taking her, and with it a white mask. She was fucked.

[Celes Shindazu]

Under the glow of the sun, the ambient sounds of chirping and the clashing of blades, Celes would be able to be seen beginning to wake up. Her hair frazzled from just waking up, Celes calmly sighed as she blew a strand of her hair past her face. Being overly annoyed by it, she just rolls with it and begins to get ready as she gets her shihakusho as well as her Zanpakutou. Being that food was not a priority as of the moment or really any time given her now being a soul, Celes left her quarters and began heading out to see what the commotion was about. 

On her way, looking up at the sky, Celes just loses herself in her thoughts. Little questions she constantly asks herself. "

How did I ever get to where I am now? Will my Zanpakutou ever even reveal itself to me? Is this really something I can keep doing? Most of all, what will..", continuing to wonder she didn't realize that somebody was sprinting, zoning in and out as well. Only a couple seconds until the two would collide and inevitable end up on the ground, rubbing their heads.

Clang! Boom!

As expected both hit the ground pretty damn hard. With an annoyed expression Celes exclaimed, "Can't you watch out where the hell you are going?! Clutz!" As she begins rubbing her head, the other one is already on her feet, offering her a hand. "Now now Celes. Is that any way to treat a friend?" With a troubled look, Celes recognized that voice. It was someone who she had connected with, Venus. A lovely Soul Reaper with red hair, blue eyes and a fiery temper to match the former, but at her core she was one of the nicest people Celes had met. She didn't look down upon her for originally a human who had lost her life unlike some of the others.

As Celes rose to her feet with the help of Venus, she hugged her friend and quickly scurried along with her. Making eye contact as they walked through the dirt paths of the soul society, Venus inquired. "So. How have you been recently Celes? It's been a while since we last talked." Nodding in agreement, Celes could not help, but see eye to her with her on that one. It certainly was too long. Venus was her elder. Someone to motivate her to get stronger no matter what the cost. As they continued on and the dirt path began to appear more modern, they realized that they were beginning to get into proximity of the Siretei. 

As they begin to tread deeper and deeper into area, idle conversation keeping their minds occupied, Venus not too long after looks down at a device as she gives a weird look. Celes picking up on this pretty quickly turns to her. "Is something wrong Venus?" as the Shinigami looks up. "Just an odd report. Seems that something has arisen in the human realm. I'm most likely just going to send out another Shinigami to check it out. Maybe even a substitute Soul Reaper" yet as she says this, Celes' eyes brighten with excitement as she grabs Venus' arm and quickly exclaims, "Noooo. Send me! I've been wanting to go and prove myself and this seems ideal." Naturally, Venus gives her a look of worry followed by a chuckle. "Celes. You know I can't just do that. But..." She almost appears to be mulling it over in her head. "I will make an exception this time and send you. However! If there is immediate danger, I want you to come back immediately. Am I clear?" she says very sternly. Almost giddy with excitement, Celes just nods her head.

They begin to head to the Senkaimon and via a lengthy process of being cleared to go, Celes is soon on her way. Remembering Venus' words she soon arrives in the human world. Immediately beginning to scan the area from the air, Celes admires all to see. Buildings as far as the eye can see, cars and the beautiful sky which Celes looks up at. Before she really has time to take it all in, she drops to the ground and begins walking around, knowing that regular humans would be for the most part oblivious to hder presence. She admittedly used that to her advantage by letting her eyes wander as she walked, trying to discover all she could. 

Yet as she turns the corner, Celes even with her meager energy sensing ability stops in her place as she now knows why Venus descrined the report as odd. She was standing near a hospital from which she was seeing crowds upon crowds of people gather. It seemed to be a big commotion over what was going on. She could feel something, but it was off. It certainly didn't feel like a Hollow, but she felt that maybe she would have to see it to be able to put her finger on what exactly it was. For an instant she dissapeared, appearing on the outside of one of the windows. Using the hilt of her Zanpakutou, she simply knows the glass in and hops in. Just as she does so she sees something horrific.

Scattered around her location are torn open bodies, blood and over just people or...things that she can't describe due to being unrecognizable. She softly mutters to herself. "W..who or what would even be capable of such a thing...much less wish to partake in it." Suddenly it seems she got an answer to that question as she heard a roar, several shots being fired and screams galore. Determined she decided to investigate, activity defying Venus' wishes. As she ran through the hospital and turning the corner, all she was three police offers who seems to have been torn apart, shredded to bits. As she prepared herself and saw only Luke who she did not know, but had to assume was responsible for all this. 

Celes simply stared him down, daggers in her eyes as she began to think to herself. "Could an ordindary human even do this? Is he ordinary? Can he see me or better question...can he attack me?". With a scowl she quickly drew out her Zanpakutou and took a stance. It was a clumsy stance to where any ordinary fighter could even tell that she was less inept at the blade than she would like to show. Regardless she needed to try and defend herself incase Luke was responsible for all this as she simply did not know. She exclaimed at him to test the waters, to see if he could even hear her. "Hey! Are you responsible for these deaths? Answer carefully." With that, she would wait for an answer, prepared to lunge out if something went wrong.

[Eve Timor]

"Cmon, wait till we're inside~" Timor was in a good mood as she strolled toward her apartment. She had been planning for WEEKS. Nade had been, at least lately, reliably absent during the evenings. And so Timor had thought that perhaps she could start bringing clients to her apartment again. The current crop of sleaze-bag wasn't that bad. Relatively good-looking, and a nice guy were it not for the meandering ways of his hands. More than thrice she'd felt his hand wandering down her back to grab a handful of her behind while they were walking. Which she playfully swatted him for now and again. What an absolute creep... but at the very least the guy was loaded. Paying for the whole Night and then some extra for a few of her specialty price tags. The guy had an ego for sure, and she'd made a good show of saying that those were only for 'those with a strong constitution'. The guy had immediately more than doubled his tab so to speak. What a fucking chump.

In a night when she should have been making bank, as she rounded the corner to look toward her apartment, she, instead, was treated to an absolute massacre of what was once her apartment. She found herself rooted on the spot and she couldn't help but stare in shock. No she fucking didn't..... She could not BELIEVE THAT OF ALL NIGHTS! God DAMMIT NA- the feeling of a hand peeling her top down was enough to interrupt her internal rage and she turned to see that pretty mouth of his going for her neck. She grabbed him by the throat and pushed him back, as gently as her rage could manage, and then pushed him up against the wall. "Sorry sweetie. I have some....things that I gotta deal with. Looks like my Neighbor-" no fucking way was she gonna say that was HER place that was trashed to hell. "- had a bit of an accident. Musta been a gas leak. So what say we do this tomorrow? I'll throw in a little discount for your trouble~" She reasoned, roughly grabbing him by the cheek and slapping him playfully on the cheek.

She could literally FEEL that grab his interest, as that interest grew against her thigh. Huh, well it seemed this one liked being manhandled. The guy nodded eagerly enough and promptly peeled his hands out of her top, giving her a wink and a roguish smile as he promptly fucked off. She kept her smile up until he was around the corner, before that look of absolute rage came crashing back to her features as she began striding up to her house at full speed. As she came up to the door, and shook her head, taking just a moment to suddenly start to worry. Was.... was Nade Okay? She rushed inside and started to look around. Her eyes darting about for any blood, any trails of reiatsu that might indicate a struggle. And she could FEEL Affen growing worried in her head as well. But then she sensed something else. The little devil herself. The destroyed house was suddenly forgotten and Timor turned to see the little psycho walking right back into the apartment.

In an instant, Timor was suddenly upon the girl, sweeping her up into a hug and clutching the girl to her chest as she let out a sigh of relief. "Ffffffucking Hell Nadezhda! Don't SCARE me like this!" She shouted at the girl, suddenly pulling back and furrowing her brows. She took a moment to look the girl over, checking her for any signs of having been hurt, her attention immediately fixating on a few cuts.. "What happened?! Are you hurt? Why is the apartment trashed?!" She demanded despite not REALLY listening to what the girl was saying. She was officially in worry mode and promptly, she stood up and dragged Nade to a portion of the apartment that was not damaged. "Nade I just...... WHY do you have to be so reckless?! I don't understand. I don't care if you do all this crazy stuff, but you have to be CAREFUL!" She could tell that she was ranting, and she growled, viciously SWIPING her hand, those claws of hers ripping clean through the door frame that connected the kitchen with the rest of the apartment, gouging the shape of her claws a good two inches deep.

She took several deep breaths and calmed herself. She grabbed Nade by the wrist and marched her into the bathroom, making the girl sit on the toilet seat as she looked through the cabinet. She wasn't the best at this sort of shit, she usually could just heal from this nonsense. But Nade was still developing. Even if she was alarmingly strong for her age, Timor didn't feel comfortable just letting those cuts sit. With a bit of warm water and soap she wetted a washcloth, and soon was wiping the girl's cheek carefully, keeping an eye out for any glass stuck in the wound, before she held out a handful of bandages to the girl. A plain one, one with ponies on it, and of course rug rats and barbie bandaids. Once Nade had selected one, it would be applied to the girl's cheek. With that out of the way Timor...sighed......trying to figure this out.

"I'm not gonna ask you to explain yourself. I'm very angry with you right now Nade. For tonight we'll both sleep down in the living room. No excuses. No Buts. We can talk about it in the morning." She informed her, and promptly marched the girl back out to the living room where the couch was. In truth she wasn't that angry. Not mostly. What took up most of her mind was worry. As well as coming to terms with how worried she'd been when she'd seen the state of the apartment. She had her share of enemies, and she wouldn't put it past any of those fuckers to suddenly decide to attack where she lived. But no. She decided she was just....tired, and cranky from losing out on business. She'd feel better in the morning. Some rest, and maybe something to eat for breakfast, and she'd be right as rain, and in a proper frame of mind to think up some sort of punishment.




But it turned out, that that wouldn't be the case. Exhausted from worry, it would be the distant sirens that caught Timor's attention when she was waking up. One click of the Television later, and her suspicions were confirmed. and some......curiously close-by shenanigans had been going on. A hospital with a blown-out window suspiciously similar to the state of one of her own windows had some sort of ....situation that was going down. And slowly, Timor found herself leering at Nade. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the girl was probably responsible. As worried as she was, she had to put on her angry face on. "I have no idea what you did Nade. But clearly it looks like you didn't clean up whatever it was." She sighed, tired, EXHAUSTED.... but getting up all the same, slipping her jacket on and tying up her hair. "Get up Nade. Get your stuff together. We're going to go clean up your mess. And when we get back, I'm going to decide on your punishment for all of this." She muttered firmly, her tone making it clear that there was not going to be any negotiation as to her fate. No, she'd make sure that Nade remembered this little stunt and was more careful in the future.

For both their Sakes.

[Nadezhda Esterházy]

Nadezhda sank into Timor’s frantic embrace, her hands tightly wrapped around her adoptive caregiver. She welcomed the affection despite the irritation simmering just below the surface. As quickly as it arrived, Timor’s worry became an undercurrent to her more palpable fear, confusion, and outrage. She had every right to be upset and it was only sensible for her to be expressing a range of emotions after arriving home to such a mess. Nadezhda was shocked by her concern. She figured Timor would immediately find herself overcome with anger and frustration. Her initial response shocked the naive Bount.

WHY do you have to be so reckless?! I don't understand. I don't care if you do all this crazy stuff, but you have to be CAREFUL! Nadezhda lowered her head and relied on Timor’s voice to size-up her general disbelief and displeasure. She slowly lifted her gaze as her posture became more subdued, her shoulders dropped and back slightly hunched. With a downcast gaze and despondent tone, Nadezhda attempted to explain her actions. “Everything was fine when I left. She…” Nadezhda was interrupted when Timor firmly gripped her wrist and lead her into the bathroom.

I'm not gonna ask you to explain yourself. I'm very angry with you right now Nade. “Okay.” She responded in a low, nearly inaudible volume. Nadezhda sluggishly reached out and pointed to the barbie bandaid without her typical exuberance. Her languid affectation would signal to Timor just how seriously she took the situation. Mayhem aside, Nadezhda felt sincere regret for disappointing Timor and causing such notable disruption. This was nothing like her usual antics involving buckets of rats or random body parts in the refrigerator.

What’s more troubling is Timor doesn’t yet know of the additional consequences resulting from an irresponsible approach to power exploration, unknowingly dabbling in potentially dangerous technique creation. Even Nadezhda wasn’t quite certain what behavior had resulted in the woman’s transformation, but she was certain something she did contributed to whatever she became. And just before Nadezhda could relax and dispel some of the shame she was feeling, Timor managed to spot something on the news. Damn those talking picture boxes. She thought as the reporter described the scene.

Nadezhda slowly rose from her spot and began to slowly creep out of the room as Timor’s eyes slowly panned in her direction. Nadezhda could feel the intensity of her gaze and the scrutiny of her expression. Well, the jig is up. She was now privy to a bulk of new information, much of which Nadezhda would be hardpressed to explain away as coincidence. Timor was too clever and no amount of lies would be able to redirect the blame. It was a shame she didn’t have someone to use as a scapegoat, but there was still time. Don’t smile. Do nothing. Say nothing. She thought in an effort to coach herself through this difficult situation.

Nervousness gripped her unexpectedly, allowing a smile to break through her steely facade. Stop! She demanded to herself. But she couldn’t. Her panicked smile and energy intensified as her eyes wandered the room. She let out a shaky chuckle as Timor’s gaze pulled in her own reluctant gaze. I have no idea what you did Nade. That phrase signaled the flood gates to open. Nadezhda’s energy surged as she nervously rambled to explain her side of the events. “You don’t get it. I was minding my own business. I was walking down the street. All I wanted was some frozen yogurt. I wanted to put gummy worms and chocolate and strawberries all over it. I had thought it all out. I was skipping and BAM!” She explained as she frantically babbled at high speeds. “She ran into me. She ran into ME! I looked up and there she was. Pretty hair and pretty eyes. SHE LOOKED LIKE A BARBIE!” She stated emphatically while pointing to her bandaid with her finger.

“A life-size barbie and I wanted to play with her so I followed her, and followed her, and followed her. First the bushes and then behind the car and then in the tree. She dropped her groceries and I ate her sandwich. I brought her back here and did as you said and there was never anything there. Not in the fridge or the bathtub….in the closet! So she was in the closet and I gave her food and water and nibbled here and there. Cestmir wanted to go and then I said okay and then the glass and the car and screeching and the apartment and another window. That’s what I told Koschei. How was I supposed to know? It was like magic. Bite and then Bam. Monster lady is flying down the street eating people.”

Nadezhda inhaled deeply in an effort to catch her breath. “So you see…” Get up Nade. Get your stuff together. We're going to go clean up your mess. And when we get back, I'm going to decide on your punishment for all of this. “Oh! A field trip" she said abruptly with excitement before catching herself. “I mean...FINE! She added with a dose of childish attitude. “Take away my new toys. As long as I get my ice cream and pizza.” She said in an effort to negotiate despite Timor’s tone. It didn’t take long for them to arrive at the scene, Nadezhda explaining the situation on their way. “Sooooo I followed the pretty lady and attacked a guy by this fountain. I needed to follow her quick so we just tossed the body in any direction. I didn’t think it’d crash into this place. The pretty lady did manage to escape. I couldn’t really feel like anywhere. I did as you told me and I concentrated, but her energy already felt really funky. It wasn’t really like me or you or anyone else. It was...funky. But I’d know it again if I felt it.”

Nadezhda expression flattened. “Oh, there it is. Hear that?” A loud, but distant screeching echoed throughout the hospital and into the streets. “She made that same terrible sound. Eek.” She said while covering her ears. “Do we have to kill her? My little beastie” She asked with a sense of grief and reluctance in her voice. Nadezhda then pulled a giant pair of scissors from her backpack and brandished them unabashedly. “I suppose if we must, we must.” A grin stretching into her lips as she began marching toward the hospital with scissors in hand. “Come on!” She said. “Things are happening!
Weeee" She said as she leaped through a broken window and skipped to the elevator. She entered the elevator with the door remaining open long enough for Timor to enter should she desire. The doors would close just as a police officer shouted "who's in that elevator?!" When the door opened Nadezhda pranced out and immediately spotted Luke and Celes in the distance. Who was the young woman standing in front of him? Nadezhda noted her very slender frame, almost sickly in its thinness. Not much meat to eat. That'd be no fun. Who is she? Something about her looks familiar, but she couldn't quite identify it. 

Nadezhda peered past the woman to Luke, prompting her to flail her hand enthusiastically. "Hiiiii!" She said sweetly before acknowledging the katana in Celes was wielding. Something seems familiar about her, but again the pieces weren't quite fitting together. She decided to disregard it for the moment and focus on the bodies and Luke. "Oh no...." She said as she ran up toward the bodies. "This is an icky, ooey, gooey mess." She said with a childish scowl. "Mr Clockburn whatcha doin'? Why you makin' messes like this? I thought you said you were a good guy not a bad guy." She poked one of the bodies with her foot. "Eeeee" She squealed with feigned fear. She would then run back and clutch Timor's arm if she were standing there.  "This place is scary. Where are the big candles?" She said aloud as she peered around the room. She looked at the woman again and pursed her lips. "Who's the pretty lady?" She asked cutely while tugging gently on Timor's arm. 

[Luke Clyburn]

The situation was certainly turning from problematic to frustrating at the drop of a hat. Before Luke could have even left the scene of the butchered police officers, he became aware that someone else was in the room with him. He turned his head to look at the woman was now sharing the space with him, blinking, and then realizing that she was a Shinigami. Luke’s amber eyes narrowed into sharp daggers as he stared ahead at the woman who had, by this point, drawn her sword and taken a flimsy combative stance. ”Hey! Are you responsible for these deaths? Answer carefully.” Luke was asked. ”Today just isn’t our day, is it?”

Luke was quiet for a few moments more as he contemplated how to handle this situation. ”Seems you need to get yourself some situational awareness.” Luke finally answered, closing his eyes as he answered before looking back at the bodies of the unfortunate police officers. ”If I were vicious enough to do something like this do you really think I’d have given you time to draw your sword?” Luke asked, bluntly and coldly, before resuming his staring contest with the woman. ”Oh my god you’re so fucking cool.” Jäger started to literally scream. ”My wrists are being sliced open by all that edge and angst! I’m so WET right now!!” the Doll resumed screaming, causing Luke’s lips to twitch into an embarrassed and frustrated scowl.

But before Jäger could resume ruining the situation the unexpected ding of an elevator chime caught the Bounts attention. Turning his gaze from the Shinigami and to the sliding metal doors, Luke watched with building anxiety and anticipation for whatever was going to be coming out of that door. But who he saw come out were not people he was expecting to see. In fact, it was such a surprise that it completely deflated his cool guy act as his mouth dropped in disbelief. ”Nadezhda??” Luke questioned as the small child ran over to him. ”What ...what are you doing here?” Luke asked before finally noticing the person that Nadezhda had come with, Timor.

Luke was quiet, looking at Timor rather blankly, before frowning a little as he started putting the pieces together. ”You’re here too, huh?” Luke asked, pretty much completely ignoring the Shinigami’s presence. When Nadezhda made a quick comment about the bodies though, Luke snapped back to her. ”What are you two doing here? You shouldn’t be here. How did you even get in here?” the Bount quickly asked and said, completely confused as to why they were here. Like, that was actually a very good question. The only reason Luke knew what was going on was because he had gotten a call from work. Last time he checked, neither Timor or Nadezhda worked at UE. So, why were they here? How did they know something was going on? Luke doubted they just decided to pop in just because they saw the commotion outside.

But before Luke could get answers out of them, the sound of some loud banging coming from somewhere on their floor caught his attention. If he was a normal person he might not have even heard it. That, or, it wouldn’t have been heard very clearly. But thanks to his super human senses he was able to make it out. Things didn’t just clank and bang on their own. What’s more, Luke was finally sensing that someone else was in the hospital with them. He’d been so preoccupied with Timor, Nadezhda, and the still nameless Shinigami that he hadn’t even felt the other source of reiatsu in the hospital with them. When he did feel out that little flame in the darkness, what he felt caused a reaction in him. A reiatsu that felt familiar. One that filled him with a sense of dread, anxiety, and cold sweat. ”Oy! Shinigami, come with me! It might be a Hollow doing this!” Luke suddenly barked, before his sneakers squeaked against the laminate floors as he took off into a sprint.

But before he got too far he made sure to look back at the two female Bounts so he could shout ”Both of you go home!” at them before slamming open one of those double push open doors and vanishing deeper into the hallways. He didn’t need them here. He really didn’t want them here, either. Sure, Timor could take care of herself and Nadezhda if need be ...but he didn’t want either of them getting hurt. He’d pursue questioning them later. Maybe. If he felt there was a need too. Screeching to a stop at a four hall intersection and check in station, Luke looked back and forth, letting his Energy Sensory direct him. ”What’s going on with you? What’s got you so anxious?” Winstärke asked from within, sensing the bubbling emotions inside his master. Luke ignored his question, before zeroing in on the reiatsu he was sensing.

It’s not her. It can’t be. Luke thought to himself before kicking the door to a room open. Some supply office or something. But before Luke could look for the source of reiatsu, he was instead greeted with the sight of something he had never seen before. The creature he was looking at had its back hunched forward, walking on the knuckles of elongated fingers like a gorilla, with torn doctor's clothes. It had longer than a normal human’s arms, with a thin membrane stretching its hands to its armpits. Hearing the commotion it turned to face Luke, and its face made the Bount jump. Completely deformed was a good way of describing what he was looking at. Half of its face still looked relatively human like, in proportion at least, with leathery skin, hairless head, and an enlarged but still deformed ear. The other side was what was arguably worse. The other side of its face didn’t look human. The nose had completely sunken in. The eye was black and beady. The ear had grown larger and elongated. Thick black fur grew atop its head and its teeth were narrow and sharp.

”The fuck is that thing?” Jäger asked, taking the words right out of Luke’s mouth as the monstrosity turned towards Luke. A stethoscope hung around its neck, alongside the remains of a red tie, adding to the whole doctor's clothes thing going on. One thing was for sure though; this was no Hollow. Despite standing face to face with whatever this thing was, Luke still couldn’t sense any reiatsu coming from it. Letting out a growl that sounded at first like the pained moans of a man it quickly rose to that of a squealy roar before lunging at the Bount. Despite his surprise, Luke remained ready. Extending his hand outward he focused the reiatsu inside him to collect and gather in the palm of his hand. Blue light materialized into existence before an orb of reiatsu appeared just before bursting outwards into a beam of pure energy. Luke let out a grunt of effort as his blast slammed against the monster, hurtling it backwards with enough force to send it clear through the thin, hospital, walls and into the next room.

Lowering his hand, a bead of sweat found itself crawling down the side of his face as he looked to where the hole in the wall was. Just what the fuck is that thing? Luke asked himself, foolishly expecting an answer before he leapt forward and crawled through the hole himself. Might have been stupid had he not been a super powered vampire. Finding a break room on the other side, Luke spotted the ugly monster buried beneath a table and some chairs. Approaching with hand raised, Luke stood by and waited to see if it was going to get back up. Seemed like it was dead. Maybe. Hopefully. He wasn’t going to get close enough to check for a pulse.

[Jacqueline ACK]

WHAT THE FUCKKK?! Something roared over her head and made her ears ring like no tomorrow. That same something that made the black creature behind her fly back out of her vision. The sheer force behind the blazing gust of wind was released so suddenly that the Fullbringer didn't even notice the door opening across from her before it happened. Its mass and weight and strength left her being entirely behind as a sudden crash came about after the gust went over her head. Jacqueline was groggy still from being towed a bit back from the monster a moment ago. After that, just someone passing by over her debris covered body to check on the situation. "Damn it, what the Hell is going on?" she barked again from down below, wrestling around to climb up from the ground.

She couldn't stop her head from ringing from before. The noise still echoed a little bit, just as the dust was starting to clear. Her eyes wandered, straightening itself out from the blur vision she was experiencing. Speaking of blurred vision, the one that was standing past her was also out of focus. He stood tall in front of her. White male. Much taller than her. Black hair? Brown? Not entirely sure until everything stopped being fuzzy. She padded herself down to feel the crisp layers of paper under her patient's garment. She sighed with a bit of relief. It was still there and intact. Her heterochromia eyes bounced from that of herself to the man and then to the hole that was made to the far side. People still panicking a bit from the distance with alarms still flaring from outside of the building as much it was ringing inside.

Her feet ached a bit from walking bare footed, damn thing made her come out of her slippers. No use in trying to find them beneath all the waste that was now made from the little assault. Another sigh came out from her pale lips as she approached from behind to put everything into a better perspective. She had to play it cool. "Thanks a lot. The fucker came out of no where and nabbed me. Though, just what the Hell is that thing? And better yet, who the Hell are you?" she asked without even looking to the man beside her. She wanted to keep an eye on the creature before anything else. Everything started to come together as the moments went on. Fading away with the settling dust her sight came back to her to help her regain a bit of her surroundings. And now that she can see better, she can get a better look at the creature that grabbed her. What did she notice that she needed to fix was the white that she saw before wasn't a mask, but something else entirely.

Shreds of what use to be a white coat and some other gadgets that made up the necessary utensils for a Doctor or practitioner of some sort. Was this thing a Doctor? It surely wasn't a Hollow, but she couldn't say anything like that out loud. Hollows, as far as the public knew, didn't exist. Well, not as Hollows anyhow, just as some angry spirit or demons that haunted places. Often used as an explanation when something out of the ordinary happened in the day to day life of the regular person. But for people like her, they knew the truth of it. What laid in front of them wasn't a Hollow but something else entirely different. It matched nothing in her mom's notebook. "What the Hell is this thing, and where the Hell did it come from?" she squeezed out before a grunt took hold. She was still recovering a bit. The stitches that were holding her wounds closed were opening up.

Retreating back for a bit she rummaged around for some new bandages. Little spots of red along her belly were spreading into the garment, staining it. She had to apply more. Some rubbing alcohol that she had with her was quickly applied followed with another layer of bandages. Another layer was added around her head for her concussion. Jacqueline winced again. The damage done to her when she was knocked out by the guy she had to take care of, meaning that she had to be careful. She couldn't let herself be knocked out again in this place. Her main goal was to escape after all. The sounds of more people approaching her area despite the possible danger that lurked around. She couldn't place her finger on it, but it didn't matter. All she could do for right now was take a breather and wait until she settled in a bit. After that, it would just be a thought to consider what would be next on the list.

[Celes Shindazu]

Celes was a little caught off guard by all that was happening before her. While still maintaining her relatively weak stance, her feet too close together and leaving plenty of spots wide open, she kept it up. She began to note little features of this mystery man. He was actually a rather attractive looking guy. Appeared to be in his early twenties. This was of course not to say that Celes felt an attraction for him, she just began notes of him and what he seemed capable of doing. It was then as his eyes narrowed that she heard him say, "”Seems you need to get yourself some situational awareness.” A quickly blink came over her eyes. Was she being mocked? She exclaimed with an insulted expression. "Now hold on a mome-". She found herself being quickly cut off by the Bount.

”If I were vicious enough to do something like this do you really think I’d have given you time to draw your sword?” In hindsight, he had a good point. He had simply eyed her stance without taking any aggressive actions of his own. Her eyes narrowed to an expression that only be described as confusion. With a quick, but careful motion, she with withdraw her Zanpakutou back to its sheath, officially showing no more hostile reactions. This situation was rather unique to her. She could sense something about him, but it was off. He didn't feel nor appear like a Shinigami. Nor did he appear as whatever Shizuka was back when she had met her. It was certainly different and something that Celes would not have minded asking about, if it weren't for an interesting scowl that Luke was showing. She wondered why he seemed so annoyed.

Before she could ask any more questions, as fate would have it, more members of this little ragtag group of misfits would begin to show up. Among them was a young girl who was clutching for what seemed for dear life onto the arm of the woman next to her. Celes began to wonder to herself, "What the hell did I walk into...?" Shaking her head and leaving her doubts somewhere in the back of her mind, the young Shinigami could not help, but eye Nadhezda. She was adorable beyond a shred of a doubt. She too, however, had this odd feeling about her. This is something that Celes would have to explore after this little reunion was over as Luke suddenly exclaimed the name, "”Nadezhda??” Celes tilted her head and just assumed it to be the name of the little girl. 

As Luke began to have his little fit, Celes sighed and shook her head. Then suddenly with an almost remarkable twist, she noticed Luke pick up on something. Was it a sound? Did he hear something? Celes sure didn't hear a thing, but then again her senses were not honed to the point where she could make out sounds that were too far away or too quite for someone of her level to hear. All this seemed to be interrupted as Celes saw Nedezhda look at all the corpses. She even seemed to tap them and recoil. Celes couldn't help, but chuckle at the supposed innocence of this child. Her chuckle became a little blush that became even redder on her pale skin as she heard Nadezhda ask, "Who's the pretty lady?" The Shinigami was at a loss for words.

This cute little scene was interrupted as she heard Luke begin to charge down the halls after he called out to Celes. ”Oy! Shinigami, come with me! It might be a Hollow doing this!” Celes assumed with certainty that he was referring to her. With a sigh, she turned to the two bounts and quickly spoke. "I'll explain who I am after this little issue is over..." In a sprint, she then began to follow Luke who clearly seemed to be in a rush. As they ran, she began to wonder, "Who the hell are these people...what connection do they have to all of this..?" Celes would make sure to have her questions answered after this was over, but for now, she had a job to do and Luke seemed to understand the situation far better than she did. After all, Celes was essentially a bystander who just happened to see the aftermath.

Seeing Luke stop to look into a room, she slid behind him a few seconds after he had arrived and looked in horror upon what could only be described as some kind of abomination. The former human looked animalistic, but not like a Hollow. It did not seem to have a mask nor did it appear to resemble the spiritual pressure of a Hollow. The gorilla like figure looked at the two of them and with a vicious longing, launched itself at the two. Before Celes even had time to draw her Zanpakutou, she watched as Luke materialized some orb of reiatsu in his hand and as he stretched it out, a beam of energy burst out and slammed into the monstrous form. It certainly had the power to match its appearance as the creature was launched throughout the hospital walls.

This little display told Celes one two things. One was that he was certainly not ordinary which was confirmed by the little display earlier that seemed to back up her suspicions. Additionally, he did not seem to wish harm Celes and may actually be on her side given the situation. Celes watched as Luke began to run and leapt through the hole that was left over from the creature being blown through the wall. Celes sighed and growled gently. "Seems I will never be able to get a hold of you.." With her little scowl she proceeded to follow him. She saw as the bount kept his distance from the monster as it was burried underneath plenty of tables of chairs. Celes on the other hand was not so careful as she quickly jumped up on the side of the tables and poked the seemingly unconscious figure. 

It did appear to finally be knocked out and Celes jumped off of the side and stood before Luke. "Well that was certainly an interesting display. I do not believe that what we are dealing with here is a Hollow, however. It does not match the appearance nor the general feel I normally get from them." She once again sheathed her Zanpakutou and sighed. "One thing is for sure. I was wrong to accuse you of the slaughter I saw when I first arrived. I humbly ask for your forgiveness." Celes even did her traditional little bow to show that she was genuinely asking and hoping for some semblance of forgiveness from the Bount. This entire situation was one big mess after all, but it did beg the question. If these creatures were not Hollows then what were they. Celes mulled it over in her head before looking back at Luke.

Almost as if one queue, Celes began to ask the Bount. "Well..I guess if we are not enemies in this, then allow me to introduce myself." Celes assumed a more friendly stance and smiled as she closed her eyes and spoke. "My name is Celes Shindazu. Unseated Shinigami of Squad 11. Pleased to make your acquaintance~" The shift in attitude was almost frightening as the serious and tense Celes suddenly became rather friendly in both attitude and voice. She opened her eyes again, her amber-colored eyes making contact with his own. "I do have a few questions, however if you could answer them." Celes resumed usual order of business. "Who are you and what are you? What do you think could have formed these creatures and who are the other two we encountered? Friends of yours?"

As Celes was about to bombard him with more questions, the creature that was formerly knocked out seemed to regain consciousness and appeared to be weakened due to the blast from Luke no doubt. Attempted one more attack on the two, Celes was close and quick enough to react as she grabbed the hilt of her Zanpakutou and disappeared for a moment. The flash step being executed by her and appeared behind the creature, a gash across its eyes formed blinding it as it reeled in agony. It still appeared humanoid for the most part so with an outstretched finger, Celes unleashed a streak of what appeared to be lightning through where she supposed the creatures lung was. With one more screech, it fell backwards which Celes also just sidestep, its breath uneven and short. It most likely was not going to be moving anytime soon. Walking back to Luke, she smiled at him hoping her question could be answered.

[Eve Timor]

Timor was.... glad to see that Nade was complying. If nothing else....she was glad that Nade seemed to at the very least understand that she'd been a bit reckless, and the girl's compliance was something she admittedly never seen in such a somber state. Which was good. It showed that the girl recognized the seriousness of the situation. And that was good, especially given the ....state and severity of what was going on. So it was good that they made it to the scene without issue. She....kept her mouth shut on just what Nadezdha's punishment was going to be. Truth be told she didn't even know what it would be. But thankfully NAde already gave her a good idea. whoda thunk pizza and ice cream would be what she cared most about.

Still the scene they wound up walking into was...... hectic was an understatement. She furrowed her brows, and was briefly a little overloaded with all the shit that was going on. Luke? Some shinigami with her sword out? And of course Nade promptly transitioned into her usual act, which honestly Timor didn't get too bothered by. It was better this way, she was easier to manage when she was doing that. Even though Nade wound up gently tugging on her hand, she was glad that the shinigami......like all shinigami....seemed pretty unobservant. The woman completely oblivious to Timor's demonic bladed hands. Which honestly was just more convenient for her.

Her attention however was briefly distracted when she noticed Luke....and that apparently Nade and Luke knew eachother. Not the greatest. When he started asking questions she just frowned, considering her words until, well, thankfully, it seemed fate was kind. Before demanding any answers, Luke simply bolted off, along with the Shinigami woman, leaving Nade and Timor to their own devices. Timor quirked a brow, glancing back to Nade and shaking her head. "Fucking same old Luke..." She murmured so that only the tiny Bount would hear. Still, it sounded like the others were going to be dealing with some of these monsters, which was good for her.

"This is......hm...." She thought about Nade's story. Recalling the mention of Nibbling. Is that what had done it? She thought about how Nade described the body. It wasn't the woman, but it was the guy she'd attacked that wound up being thrown in here. Which meant it could be contagious. .....She definitely needed to make sure Luke didn't find out the origin of this little problem. He'd probably want to take Nade away. Now that it was just Timor and Nade in the area, with the others having run off, timor spoke very quietly. "Nade, i need you to be tightlipped about all this. Don't tell anyone shit. Least of all Luke." She murmured, thinking.

She rolled her shoulders, sighing. This was getting to be a bigass clusterfuck if she ever saw one. After a moment, her jacket burned away, vanishing from sight before promptly it reappeared, wrapped around Affenkonig, Timor's Doll, promptly blazing into existence with a big ol grin on her face, spinning about before throwing a salute. "Heeeaeelll yea! Finally let out! Hey Nade~" She greeted the little bounc, crouching down to give the girl a Fistbump as Timor glanced at Nade. "We'ree going to start looking for more victims. If Luke wants to play hero and deal with some hollow that's his deal. We gotta find all the monster people and put them out of our misery. Any questions?" She asked, glancing down at Nade to make sure she understood, as Affen promptly began stretching and doing a happy little dance, the scantily clad monkey gal clearly happy to finally be let out.

[Nadezhda Esterházy]

What are you two doing here? Nadezhda raised her finger in the air and began to speak. "Well..."  You shouldn’t be here. Luke interrupted. Nadezhda attempted to speak again. "I..." How did you even get in here? Luke then scurried off, but not before requesting Celes to accompany him. Nadezhda's expression soured as her cheeks puffed up from irritation. I'll explain who I am after this little issue is over. Nadezhda's eyes widened as she watched Celes' quick pursuit of Luke. "How rude!" She said with a pouty face and crossed arms.  

Nadezhda sprinted toward the bodies as Timor advised on the importance of secrecy. She nodded her head in agreement just before pulling a large pair of black framed glasses from her pockets. She slid them on and placed her hand on her chin, staring at the bodies contemplatively. "Mmhm." She muttered as Timor spoke. Despite the severity of the situation, Nadezhda's childish quirks remained abundant. She smiled and fist bumped Timor's doll before jumping up and down and clapping her hands in excitement. If Luke wants to play hero and deal with some hollow that's his deal. We gotta find all the monster people and put them out of our misery. 

Nadezhda's looked over at Timor, allowing the frames of her glasses to slide down the bridge of her nose. She then peered in the direction Luke and Celes had ran. "There are no hollows. Just beasties. Little beasties. Big beasties. Medium beasties. Can't you hear 'em? Sense 'em? I can feel 'em. Light a match and burn it." She said with a giggle before she turned abruptly and bolted down the hallway toward Luke. "Tight lips. Glued shut. Got it!" She assured her before turning the corner. Nadezhda's silently moved through the hallway before peeking through the doorway, her eyes locking on Luke and Celes. She quickly noticed Jacqueline, her condition seeming bleak. Look at all those injuries, Koschei. My beasties are gonna eat her up for sure. She mused. Luke and a Shinigami. We should be concerned, I think. Koschei said, her voice placing emphasis on Shinigami. Yeah, I knew there was something familiar about her. I should have known she was one of them. She doesn't seem as aggressive as those we've met in the past. Actually, she seems rather meek. We'll deal with her after all this has settled down. We can use the commotion of the situation to our advantage. 

It sounds like you have big plans for her. Mind sharing? Nadezhda smiled. Use your imagination. I'm sure you'll land close to what I'm thinking. You know me too well not to, Koschei. Who are you and what are you? Nadezhda's loudly popped her head into the room to answer Celes' questions. "This here is Mr. Clockburn. He's a rough 'n tough beant." Nadezhda stepped into the room, pushing her large, black framed glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Beants are special.  To be a Beant you must know how to speak to spirits. Talk to them. Play with them. Give them head pats. Beants have special friends like Mr. Puddles." She said with exaggerated gestures and tone as if she were lecturing a classroom. "Mr. Clockburn do you have anything else to add?" She said before aburptly tripping and falling flat on her face. 

She remained silent for a moment before leaping to her feet and posing with her hands in the air. "Ha-ha!" She declared before breaking character and rubbing her forehead. "Oooouch." She groaned. She seemed distracted for a moment by her injury, only to be swept away once more by the moment. Her eyes slowly paced toward Luke and Celes. She immediately regained her composure as if she hadn't just fallen face first like a goofball. She cutely tip-toed over toward Jacqueline, poking her with her finger. "You have so many boo boos. Wait a minute! I know!" She swung her backpack around to her front and began rummaging through it. 

"I know they're in here somewhere." Nadezhda's face easily narrated her intent on finding something that might be helpful. She tossed out a banana peel, a hot wheels car,  a syringe, a half-eaten donut, and a small English to Spanish dictionary. "AH-HA!" She announced loudly. She fussed with something in her hands before placing a pink, barbie band aid on Jacqueline's torso. "There we go. All better. Timor makes me carry some around with me at all times!" Shock came over Nadezhda's face as she glanced at the ground. "Oh! Not that!" She quickly grabbed the syringe and threw it in her bag. "I need that." She added with innocent laughter. "What happened to the lady? Why is she so sick?"

Nadezhda's inquiry was interrupted by the creature recovering from Luke's attack. Nadezhda screamed loudly. "TIMOR!!!!" Her voice echoed throughout the halls as she backed away. Surprisingly, Celes ended the beast with a series of swift strikes. Nadezhda's expression flattened as Celes was reflected in her eyes. Her attention was now solely on the Shinigami. I guess she's stronger than I thought. When this is all over, just break her legs, Koschei. No more swish-swish then. Nadezhda's eyes panned over to Luke. What was he doing here? She couldn't quite remember what he did. Was he a police officer of sorts? A shinigami made sense, but then there was the other girl. It seemed things were much more complicated than Timor had either wanted or anticipated. 

Timor would likely be upset with Nadezhda's behavior, but she figured she'd get over it. You couldn't cage Nadezhda. She was much to wild to be controlled, but perhaps Timor already knew that which explained the patience. She wasn't entirely sure. What she could be sure of was this condition she manifested was spreading quickly. That wasn't the body she tossed into the building several hours ago. That was someone entirely different. Above all else she'd need to keep this a secret from the others. The last thing she needed were Shinigami sniffing around and Luke behaving suspiciously. 

Nadezhda broke the silence of the scene. "Is this your girlfriend?" She asked while pointing to Celes. "Or maybe her?" Directing her attention to Jacqueline. She'd run up to Luke and tug on his arm. "Why don't you ever visit me? Why don't you ever call? Don't you like me? Did I do something wrong?" She said tearfully as she pulled out a cellphone. "I know how to use it now. And nothing." Nadezhda's expression went flat before a burst of excitement took over. "Where is Mr. Puddles? BRING HIM OUT! BRING HIM OUT! BRING HIM OUT!" She shouted while dancing around the room. She leaned toward Celes and Jacqueline. "Mr. Puddles is soooooo fun! Has he showed you?" Nadezhda's expression shifted dramatically once more. Something had snapped.

"I mean...look at this place! It's a mess!" She said sternly as she walked around mimicking a stressed adult. "Look at this mess. Do you know how much this will cost to fix?!" She broke character and giggled before looking back. "You're bleeding. Do you need more band aids?" She asked of Jacqueline. "Did that big beastie attack you?" She nonchalantly skipped  toward the creature, tapping it on the head. "Its dead. Yep. Dead. Dead, dead, dead. Deader than a door nail. Get the shovel, it's dead. And you're the one who killed it!" She exclaimed while pointing at Celes. "I know of you. You're a monster killer. Where'd you come from again? You said you're...a shigooey and like the number 11." She leaned in real close, standing on her toes so she could look into eyes. "A shigooey, eh? Why the number 11? Why not 3?!" She walked away, her hands folded behind her back. "Answer me this!" She said excitedly while twirling around to point her finger at Celes. "Where were you on the evening of March 5th?" She demanded in an accusatory tone.

[Luke Clyburn]

”I think it’s dead.” Either way, Luke wasn’t dropping his guard. With a frown he lowered his arm, deciding that the beast was finally stopped, and that he would check on the thing that had actually caught his attention. Well thing. That thing was actually a person. Too many people started talking at once though. The unknown woman that Luke had saved, the Shinigami adding her own commentary to the situation, the voice in his head singing a Linkin Park song, all combined into a garbled soup of noise that made Luke close his eyes in frustration. Shutting Jäger out as he hit the line “these wounds they” Luke focused his attention on Celes first. ”Don’t worry about it. Used to that sort of thing at this point.” Luke remarked in response to her apology.

Introducing herself as Celes, Luke took note that she mentioned that she was an Unseated Officer. Didn’t that make her a faceless mook? As rude a comparison that was, Luke at least had a general understanding of the Soul Societies military structure. One of the benefits of having been friends with Yetsuna and Aevus. The Unseated Officers made up the bulk of the Gotei military force, being the grunts, while the Seated Officers, the Vice Captains, and finally the Captains themselves above all else. Celes was just a grunt. Still not having answered any questions that the two women threw at him, Luke opened his mouth to speak before the voice of a child cut him off.

"This here is Mr. Clockburn. He's a rough 'n tough beant."

Why didn’t anyone ever listen to him? Luke adopted an exhausted expression as Nadezhda presented herself as a expert on the subject and explained in her own little way her answer to Celes. When given the opportunity to speak Luke intended to apologize for Nadezhda, only for the little kid to fall over flat onto her face. ”Ah! Hey be careful. Watch where you’re going!” Luke said with concern, finding himself crouching down by Nadezhda and helping her back up without even realizing what he was doing. Dad mode. ”I’d almost forgotten how full of energy she was.” Luke heard Windstärke comment as Nadezhda went over to the innocent civilian in the group.

As the small child did her little thing with the woman, Luke stared at her. His gaze was harsh, judgemental, and investigative. He looked at her as if he was looking at someone who was an enemy. But then he sighed and closed his eyes. It’s not her. It wouldn’t have been her. She’s dead. Luke thought to himself, having mistaken the feeling of this girls reiatsu with someone elses. But she had reiatsu, that much was certain, although she felt rather weak. Maybe he’d see if she wanted to join Uzaki Enterprises after this, somewhere to help her calm down and further develop her abilities. Maybe later. Maybe.

But Luke’s thoughts were violently interrupted when the creature that he had once thought dead was suddenly active again. Nadezhda screamed, the creature squealed, and the sound of metal scrapping scabbard was heard as Celes moved into action. Luke had had his back to the beast, leaving him unguarded, only for Celes to finish it off in one fell swoop. ”It’s dead now right, courener?” Luke heard Jäger ask in a mocking tone. ”Thanks.” he said to Celes, looking at the body of the creature before mentally chastising himself for not finishing it off. A quick blast to the head could have done it. Nadezhda tugging on his arm pulled his attention away again. She began pelting him with questions regarding why he hadn’t checked up on her in so long. ”No, no you didn’t. I’m sorry. I just work all the time. I’m kept very busy. I hardly even have time to eat some days.” he explained, forgetting how exhausting Nadezhda could be. Though her words did sting a little. She was right, Luke had not been keeping in touch with her. Or anyone. Zaluu, Aura, Marcus, Timor, Yoko. He’d been neglecting his own girlfriend as well. He was so single mindedly focused on work that he’d practically walled off everyone he knew. The only exception was Kazura and that was only because he was his boss.

”I’ll call you, alright? I’ll talk to you.” Luke capitulated, petting Nadezhda on the head. ”Uh...uuh..” Luke suddenly heard, interrupting Nadezhda’s play acting as catching his, and probably everyones, attention. Looking back at the body of the creature, the entire room would get to watch as someone, a man wearing a doctor's gown, appeared beside the body. He looked confused. Almost as though he had just woken up. Protruding from his chest was an obnoxiously long chain. Luke blinked in surprise. It was the ghost of the doctor, of the monster that they had just killed. But he was fine now. Back to normal ...but as a ghost. It was a bittersweet victory.

”Where… am I? This is ...wait who are you all?” the spirit of the doctor asked, focusing his attention on the group of characters in the fucked up break room. ”You work at this hospital, right?” Luke quickly asked, getting a “uh” and a “hmm” from the spirit. ”Yes ...yes I do. My name is Doctor Kintoki. I’m an orthopedist and..” Kintoki explained before seeming confused about something for a second. He looked down, noticing the chain extending from his body and yanking on it. ”What is...what is this?” he asked, panic beginning to fill his voice. Luke moved quick. He crouched down to a knee and put a hand on the doctors shoulder to get his attention. Verteiten!

Luke’s amber eyes illuminated slightly just as the doctor rocked a little limply in under Luke’s grip. He seemed, suddenly, almost as if he was in a hazey daze. ”Tell me, what’s the last thing you remember?” Luke asked, focusing the charming abilities of his power onto the doctor. ”Uuh… I uuh…right. There was something weird going on. There was talk about a body that had gotten tossed through a window, I think. It wasn’t my department so I… didn’t really care. I heard loud noises when I was on break. A lot of yelling from above. I was ...on break, eating the lunch my wife made me then… then…” Suddenly Luke’s technique broke as remembering what had happened to him and the sudden fear forced out Luke’s seduction.

He suddenly looked to his right and saw the monstrosity that was lying beside him. ”A-a-a-a m-m-monster attacked...oh my god...oh my god no no what’s going on...what’s going on??” Kintoki said in panic, hyperventilating and crawling away from his own corpse. He kept asking whys and whats, prompting Luke to stand back up and look over at Celes for her to do her thing. ”Come over here.” Luke said to Nadezhda, putting his hand on her head to steer her away from the Shinigami and spirit so that Celes could work and Konso the panicking ghost. Once the ritual was complete, Luke took charge once again. ”Miss Shindazu, can you do me one more favor? Do you mind taking these two outside?” Luke asked, referencing Nadezhda and the still nameless other woman. The one that was hurt.

Predicting Nadezhda was going to have a tantrum, Luke got on a knee again and put his hands on the kids shoulders. ”Hey squirt, listen okay. It’s not safe in here. I want you to get yourself out of here and somewhere safe. The nice lady here is gonna take you back outside, and I know you’ll be fine because you’re a big, strong, girl who can handle anything. Once this is over I’ll find you, and we can go get pizza and ice cream alright? I’m gonna look around this place a little more to see if I can find Timor and anyone else alright?” Luke explained, giving Nadezhda a smile before rubbing the top of her head again. Looking at Celes again, Luke nodded to her before departing out of that room rather hurriedly.

”Where’re you going?” Jäger asked as Luke spotted a stairwell. The bottom Luke replied. ”Why?” the Doll asked back. Because if whatever these things are are using the air ducts, then they have to be coming out somewhere. And basements are generally where the AC starts, right? Sounded like a good idea as Luke pushed open the stairwell door and peered down the spiraling staircase. ”But that’s not all you’re thinking.” Windstärke pointed out. I also need to find Timor. Luke confessed. ”Huh? Timor? Why? You gonna finally ask her out?”

No. But I might need to bring her in to answer some questions. Luke replied. Think about it. Why is she and Nadezhda here? I’m here because UE called me. A Shinigami is here because Shinigami stick their nose into every mess. That other girl looked to be a patient. That leaves those two. Nadezhda most likely got dragged here and she’s just a kid. But what is Timor doing here? What reason does she have knowing what’s going on? Luke explained, filling his Dolls in on his thoughts. ”I can see that going very well.” Jäger commented as Luke descended the staircase, heading for the basement. He hoped that Nadezhda would be fine.

[Jacqueline ACK]

Things were getting a bit out of hand considering the amount of people gathering around. Each one of them different as a black garbed woman came and nearly pushed the Fullbringer off to the side. Bitch. Jacqueline thought to herself as she slowly slide the small scapel from out of her sleeve. She wanted to slash through Cele's neck so much. Just a quick slash would put an end to the bitch right away and make it easier to think considering as some strange creature attacked her out of the blue. After that, a weird guy came to knock the damn thing on its ass. Then the bitch came in without so much as a second thought having Jacqueline stepping back from the guy. Just a quick slash and she would be done with the girl. Just one little slash from shoulder to shoulder at the back of her neck and she would shut her up completely.

"This here is Mr. Clockburn. He's a rough 'n tough beant." Huh? The girl turned to see a little girl popping in from the hall at the end of the room. What the fuck is a little girl doing in a place like this? Well obviously she would be asking this since she didn't look like a patient. She was too well dressed and didn't seem to be panicking like all the others that left in a hurry to get out of here. No, she was surprisingly...calm. Jacqueline hid the scapel back into her sleeve to keep it out of sight and for later use. But, she still wondered by a little girl here? Who the fuck were all these people? She couldn't piece it together. She bounced and fell, recovering almost immediately but still unfazed as to what the situation was. Like, she was use to this sort of thing. The energetic little monkey gilr galloped like there was no tomorrow, and came over to her own side, poking and nudging with her small body. You have so many boo boos. Wait a minute! I know! I know they're in here somewhere. AH-HA!" She announced loudly. She fussed with something in her hands before placing a pink, barbie band aid on Jacqueline's torso. Who the fuck is this kid, and the rest of these people.

"There we go. All better. Timor makes me carry some around with me at all times! "Oh! Not that!" She quickly grabbed the syringe and threw it in her bag. "I need that. What happened to the lady? Why is she so sick?" She was annoying. That was the first thought that came to mind when really looking over the little girl. Just whimsical and cartoony. Like as if the girl herself was fake. Jack didn't know really how to answer Nade as she just looked down at her through the neapolitan-colored hair of hers. Kids. She could hear it. The sounds of children screaming. The alarm bells kept on ringing and blocked out a lot of the audio but seeing the little girl in front of her chatting with the other two, just something. It kept going. More screaming. Babies and children screaming with their blood splurt crying. Jack's teeth came to grind against each other as she wanted to block out the noise.

Jack stepped back as the small group was mingling among themselves, eyeing them closely as she stepped back out of the area. She couldn't allow herself to be taken in by any one of them. Being escorted by them to the outside, people will start asking questions in regards to the incident she was involved in that brought her to the hospital. That she couldn't allow to happen. Plus, there were a few things that she needed to find out. What the group appeared to be seemed familiar. Into the shadows she stepped and trodded away from the area. She needed to check. Into the adjacent room from the hallway, the blood stained notebook came out. Something about them was familiar, as though she'd read about it before. What was it? "Come on now, where was it again?" she whispered to herself. A lot of the pages were still glued together by the blood. Bits were flaking off at this time but still, she didn't want to risk of ripping pages. She just couldn't.

She flipped through the bent corners until she recognized two pages that matched her search preferences. A sword. A black yukata design. A description that match to those belonging to the Shinigami. Like really, who dressed like that now in days. Must be a cosplay fanatic or something dorky like that to be dressed like that on a day to day basis. Still, what that other woman was wearing matched. And, one other thing. A long list of names on a separate page. She saw it there. "Cly...burn.." Fingers crumbling the sensitive sheets of paper. The notebook coming to be wadded nearly into a newpaper role. That name....was mentioned three times. One regarding a supermarket. Another time when coming to hunt down a small group of a supposed traitors. Quincies. And humans that can bring out monsters to obey them. Clyburn. Luke Clyburn. A name that was taken from their first encounter from what was left of the supermarket. A name that her mother wrote down. A time of fainting intimacy with him. And, the day of.......her birth.

This was him.

Something she felt dropped. Her mom, who wanted to bring the truth to the world. Her mom, that died for her. She died protecting her. It was here in the notebook. Words that were almost scribbled from birth pains. She wrote down the descriptions of several individuals that were there that day.....the day that she died. And the man, the man that the little girl called out by last name, it matched everything that her mother described it. An exact match. Something did drop. She felt it sink deeper and deeper. One of the people that was responsible for her murder. One of the three monsters that took her mom from her. She wanted........ She had to........

"...they are all fucking dead."

She heard footsteps going down the hallway. Heavy footsteps unlike that of a woman. A sudden image flashed before the opening to the dark room. Clyburn She only got a glimpse of his body running past the opening to the room, and down the series of stairs that awaited him at the end. This was her chance. This was it. This was the perfect opportunity. Jacqueline couldn't leave just yet. Not yet. Materials left behind in the office she was in. She kept a firm hold on the rubbing alcohol and tucked her notebook back into her patient's garb. She rummaged a bit through the desks looking for anything else that she could use. Anything that could cause a fir- "A lighter." A grin came across her face. A maddening smile that she couldn't help but express. Cabinets full of files and other papers were all that she needed to start a fire. A fire that would come to set the entire building a blaze.

Jack didn't care about the monsters that were still rampaging around the building. She didn't care how many there are of them. A target was here. This was the best chance. She would only need to wait for the best moment to strike. At least for now, she would have to set the stage. "Welcome...to Hell." she stated softly to herself as she would watch the Office be set a blaze, then began with the other offices, a room apart from the other before coming to run down the staircase.

[Celes Shindazu]

This was turning out to be such a crazy day. Monsters attacking this place, appearing out of nowhere and now to add to this, Celes had encountered a number of spiritual beings that were rather new to her. She did not know who these people are, what they were capable of except for Luke who just overall seemed to be able to hold his own in combat. All she realized is that there were threats that needed to be taken out. Perhaps they could all work together no matter how different each of them seemed. Well...atleast Celes. She appeared to be the only Shinigami involved the Gotei may not even be sending more, but that is something that Celes could contend with. If there were monsters, it'd mean more combat for her and she was always ready to do so.

First things first, however. Celes was still waiting for Luke to answer her questions and it seems like he was about to. She saw him open his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a different voice. A child-like voice that simply exclaimed, ""This here is Mr. Clockburn. He's a rough 'n tough beant." Celes could not help, but chuckle a little as for one, the child unbeknowst to Celes butched not only his name, but also the race that most of the members of this little rag tag group were a part of. All that Celes was concerned with though is what this little kid was doing here. She seemed to know more about the people here than Celes did. 

Yet before the Shinigami could collect her thoughts, it seems that Nadezhda was now assaulting her with questions. "Is this your girlfriend?" Celes blushed from emberassment. "Wait..I-" being interrupted by Nadezhda's seemingly endless questions, she seemed to point at someone else out of view. Perhaps this was the same woman that Nadezhda was playing nurse with and placed a bandaid on her. This girl was just becoming more random by the second, but it also kinda made her endearing. Celes had a soft-spot for children. 

Despite her soft-spot though, nothing could prepare her for her own racial name to be butchered by this kid. "I know of you. You're a monster killer. Where'd you come from again? You said you're...a shigooey and like the number 11." Celes just blinked to herself and sighed. "A Shinigami...and yes I am part of-" Seems that Nadezhda was not going to let up and continued with her little spiel. "A shigooey, eh? Why the number 11? Why not 3?!" The Shinigami tilted her head. Squad 3 was the Expidition Squad and not really anything that Celes was interested in. This little girl would most likely not understand that so Celes just shrugged. Yet the assault continued. "Where were you on the evening of March 5th?" Celes was becoming overwhelmed. What was this an interrogation.

This was put on hold, however as the Shinigami heard groaning which had Luke already walking over. All Celes saw was a man with a chain hanging from his chest. Celes nodded and recognized it for what it was. A chain of fate. It was a clear indicator of a plus. A recently diseased soul seperated from its body and just waiting to be sent on to the Soul Society. That did not even get into the topic of encroachment, a vile process that created Hollows. Celes did not want to deal with the Hollow issue too right now, but she knew that there was still time to perform. Luke seemed to do something in the meantime though as he knelt and said something that Celes was not familiar with.

The Shinigami continued to watch, weary of what she only knew as a "beant" from Nadezhda. Funny...sounded like a vegetable. Anyhow, she just heard Luke speak. ”Tell me, what’s the last thing you remember?” Celes watched as the Plus just told him without hesitation what he remembered. Was this his natural charisma or was this tied to whatever he had said prior that Celes did not understand. She would have to look into it later as the Plus went into what seemed to be a shock, the fear of his past experiences overtaking Luke's charms and charisma. After his little breakdown, Celes just heard Luke speak. ”Come over here.”

The Shinigami was already way ahead of him and halfway into albeit short sentence, was already on her way. She had done this a number of times before and it always was a joy to see someone's suffering end. As Celes unsheated one of her Zanpakutou, the spirit just looked at her with fear. He exclaimed, ”P...p..please don't hurt me! I did nothing wrong!!!" It seemed as though he was cowering, but Celes put a hand on his shoulder and spoke softly and reassuringly. "Don't worry. I am about to do send you over to a place called the Soul Society. I promise. I will not harm you.." She smiled warmly which seemed to put the man at ease. 

As the hilt of Celes Zanpakutou made contact with the man's head she was preparing for a Shinigami practice that only went by the name of Konsō. Also known as Soul Burial, it was the way that Soul Reapers sent the formerly living plus off to the Soul Society so they must not suffer the hate and sorrow that came with becoming the twisted abominations simply known as Hollows. When the hilt made contact, there was a bright light as the Plus seemed to be sinking into the ground, but he did not struggle. By the time that only his head was visible, he finally smiled and passed onto the Soul Society. Celes nodded and just stood. 

Once business as usual was taken care of, it seemed that the Beant had a request for her. ”Miss Shindazu, can you do me one more favor? Do you mind taking these two outside?” With that, it seemed that Luke would go over to Nadezhda and attempt to console before heading off. Celes did note that he was looking for someone else before he ran off, leaving Celes with no chance to answer Luke and alone with Nadezhda. Celes sighed and just walked out of the room and looked at Nadezhda.

This gave her a good chance to appreciate just how much of a child she really was. Celes leaned down and smiled at her. "I don't think I really caught your name little one. Would you mind telling me?" Celes just smiled at her and whether she answered or not, Celes would pat her head and sigh. "So do you want to get out of here with-" Celes just processed the problem. Where was the other girl....the one that Luke had also requested her to escort out of here. The Shinigami just sighed and huffed. She mumbled to herself. "Damnit.." It seems that the other girl had just suddnely dissapeared. Celes had no name to go off of and was not sure if it was the girl whom she had maybe only caught a glimpse of.

Either way, Celes just shook her head and looked down at Nadezhda. "Do you know who else that Mr...Clockburn had meant for us to go outside with? I'm afraid I never really got a good glimpse at her..." Celes had hoped that Nadezhda's memory was better than hers or hell her willingness to cooperate. For all that Celes knew this was just a child and they always tended to be rebelious. It was something that she had gotten used to, but that sure did not make it anything, but annoying. Either way, she realized that she had to get this kid to safety. Then again, she seemed to be affiliated with these people. As such, Celes ruminated on that a bit.

After being taken out of her thoughts, Celes once again knelt down and smiled warmly at the girl before her. "So um...are you one of these..."beants" as well, little one?" Celes had to take a shot at this to see. This girl seemed spiritually inclined enough to see her. Perhaps she was affiliated with this group well enough to be one of them. Whatever a beant is was admittedly a mystery to Celes and having only rarely heard of the bounts left her with litle knowledge on them and apparently she could not just cross reference the two names in her head. Even if she did, she wouldn't even really know what a bount is. Either way, she just hoped that Nadezhda could be cooperative.

[Eve Timor]

Affen and Timor glanced at eachother as Nade ran off after the rest of the group. It took Timor a couple seconds, sighing to herself as she watched Nade confirm that she would be keeping her mouth shut. Which she supposed was progress. All the same, she nodded after her. "Affen. Go with her. You need to make sure that she's alright Ok? I'm gonna take care of the bodies." She murmured softly, to which Affen grinned wide and nodded, giving Timor a salute before running off after the smaller bount.

Timor herself furrowed her brows, trying to think things over. "Right. Cleanup time." She whispered softly, the weapon at her hip slowly dissolved from existence, as that black glass on her hand slowly began spreading up her arm, engulfing her entire right arm as a few scales formed under her eye, sweeping back as she unleashed her sasei Oni. Her demonic spiritual pressure rippling outward, though she did hold back the cold from her release. She didn't want to accidentally kill any of the others.

Her bow formed in her hand as she crouched down , narrowing her eyes at the body and then gently pushing her bow against it, that black glass cutting into the body before it's form was contorted, crushed, and frozen, the ice twisting before finally being compressed into a thing, gleaming black-ice arrow. She plucked it from the air and kept it in her off-hand, and began to continue with each of the bodies in the hallway. Thankfully corpses weren't people.

Now....where would I be if I was mauled by a bat... She looked around, and then looked to the stairwell, thinking about the basement. Where the mourge would be. She sighed, rubbing her face. Well it was better than nothing. With a quick glance around, she started to head downstairs. Hopefully with her release active, she'd draw the attention of these things..... well if they could sense reiatsu. If not then...well she'd worry about that later.

---

Affen in the meantime had followed Nadezdha, offering Luke a thumb's up as they....well....all seemed to be kinda yapping at eachother. The Monkey girl was a little out of her league in all this nonsense. Listening to the Shinigami go nuts, seeing Luke being all Inspector Gadget. The only one making sense around here was Nade. The Monkey nodding along, wandering over to a vending machine and gently punching out the glass, slowly taking an armful of gummy snacks before returning to the group, just kinda watching and mucnhing down fruities.

"Heheh, Beant..." She chuckled, amused at the conversation going on as ...well they all kinda seemed focused on hashing shit out. However, when that beast suddenly lunged up, she tensed. There would be a sudden WOOSH of flames as promptly, a set of bright hot gauntlets would suddenly form, fitting over Nade's hands as a similar mantle formed around her shoulders, armoring the girl as the beast lunged. Though ultimately it was made a bit moot when the Shinigami dispatched the monster. All the same, Affen was a bit on edge now as she made her way over to Nade.

Crouching down, she took a moment to inspect the girl, to make sure that she wasn't hurt. All the same, she let the girl go so that she could head off and interrogate the shinigami. but she kept that molten armor on Nade, knowing that Timor would kill her if anything happened to the kiddo. She however turned her attention to the beast that was still on the ground. Breathing heavily, but downed for the time being. "Sorry kiddo. No loose ends." She whispered to the beast before holding out her hand.

There was a RUSH of hot air as a massive molten hand formed over the body, fingers curling in before gently picking it up and then CLENCH. There was a hot, steaming pop and a crunch as the body was reduced to burning mush, and then dropped back onto the floor, nothing but charred flesh as Affen dismissed that massive molten hand, glancing back at the rest of the group. Luke running off with his little shini posse behind him. She sighed, shaking her head and glancing at Nade.

"What's the plan homeslice? Timmy wants these beasties iced before any more can pop up. Got any leads? Luke looks like he's got his own hizzap goin down. And that crazy girl looks like she's gonna be riding his coattails, or that D HAHA! Oh shit wait,forget I said that." She quickly corrected herself as she folded her arms, frowning as she tried to think. What would Timor do..... She glanced at Celes.... and reached out to honk her nose. "Sup Shiniweenie."

---

"FUCK!" Timor hissed when she FINALLY made it to the goddamn Morgue, after a slew of blood smears along the wall, she had hoped to at least find a bunch of bodies. But when she actually entered the place, she saw nothing but the freezers stretched open in big gaping maws. As if something had burst its way out of the lot of them. FUCK. They must have gotten bitten and then presumed dead. Then they turned in the damn freezers. She looked around, seeing the lack of any corpses.

There had to be......eight.....twelve....fifteen of these fucking things? Just based on the blood splatters on the floor and the open drawers. She sighed, shaking her head as she tapped her foot, and then paused. Was that NAde shouting? She looked over her shoulder in the direction the others were in. "Right. So a bunch of these fucking things. I really should just ice this fucking place." She murmured softly, shaking her head.

She was about to leave when she noticed something off to the side. Something....spiritual. She recognized the smell of a plus and STRODE over to where it was hiding. Grabbing it by the chest and SLAMMING it up against the wall, the ....guy? Whatever it was, let out an effeminate wail and cringed, covering it's face as Timor laid into em. "FUCKFACE! Where did all the fuckin bodies go?! What happened?!" She demanded as those arms waived worriedly.

"Ahhh! I dunno! I uhm.I....I'm not gonna lie! I was just in here waiting for Edward! IT's been forever since we had time alone together, he was gonna give me a ride! He said nobody would come in here!" The ghost whimpered, sobbing. Something was a little odd and familiar about how he talked, but she ignored it for now. She released him, letting him drop as he sobbed and covered his head, shaking a bit as she surveyed the room. Seemed this one probably didn't know jack. Tch.

"Back to square one I guess. body icing." She murmured, turning her attention elsewhere and heading out of the room. Unaware of the eyes that glowed from the busted tables and overturned desks. Three pairs of eyes watched the plus from the corner.