The Disillusioned and the Prideful [Closed Social]

[Ailene Haschiro]

Nighttime was finally upon her. The bell rang loudly as the last few patrons left. Staying till closing hours, Ailene eventually had to tell them that she was closing up. Begrudgingly, they departed, vanishing into the dark of the night. She looked upon the tables that were cluttered with plates and tea pots. Ailene always had the occasional patron who would offer to help with the cleanup, but she typically dismissed it, assuring that she could handle it. This was one of the times that she felt that she would come to regret it. She sighed, getting out a mop and a rag. She'd make sure that this place was clean by the time she left!

Unfortunately, Ailene would find that this would take longer than she imagined. Between Sweeping the floor, focusing beneath the seats as small clutter piled up, cleaning the tables and making sure to remove and clean the dishware, cups and spoons, Ailene would find herself there for yet another hour. Upon finishing, looking upon the clean tea shop, she sighed briefly. "Hmm. I should really consider hiring others to help out. Besides. It would be nice to have someone after closing to talk to.." Ailene lamented before shaking her head. As usual, the Espada returned to the backroom. She'd slip back into her Espada uniform the restore the excess Hollow reiatsu that was bound to her Zanpakutō.

Most days, the Espada chose to simply stay the night at Rēgīna. She owned it after all. She could stick around for as long as she wished. Sometimes she'd even let the Hollow reiatsu dwell within her Zanpakutō. Not only was it more convenient, but it allowed the Arrancar to feel a sense of normalcy. She was always so disappointed when she had to reveal her true self. Not to anyone, but herself. She was forced to look upon the mask fragment and her Hollow hole each and every time she realized the facade she wore. Could she truly be happy once she was no longer an Arrancar? Ailene did not know. Regardless, she was willing to give up everything for the chance to find out though.

Ailene sighed, leaving the room and grabbing her Zanpakutō, sheathing it crudely. Turning off the lights and getting her keys, Ailene closed up for the night. Peeking from side to side, Ailene found nobody within sight. Focusing her reiatsu, she waved a hand in front of her. The space caved inward and tore itself open. Looking into the black of the garganta, Ailene sighed. She had not been to Las Noches in what felt like weeks. Two, perhaps three? She wasn't sure. Ailene had made Rēgīna her home. She did not need Las Noches. She had outgrown the Espada... right? Regardless of her opinions on it, she still had her quarters. Her collection that she had amassed across what felt like decades. She sighed. Deciding it was time to pay a visit once more, Ailene hopped into the Garganta which swiftly shut behind her.

The tread through the Garganta would not take long. Ailene was able to maintain a solid bridge of reiatsu through the seemingly endless void. A minute or two of walking and Ailene would find the light on the other side. Hopping through, the Espada would find herself on her balcony. The rays of the faux sun beat down upon her, contrasting the darkness of night in the World of the Living. She looked over her railing, being greeted with nothing but sand. The Septima Espada shook her head, muttering to herself quietly. "Oh... It certainly leaves much to be desired compared to the view outside Rēgīna." Calmly, Ailene would find herself walking through the arches that led into the main area of her quarters. 

Without thinking, the Arrancar went to heat up some water in her water cooker. Gently flicking the switch on, Ailene listened to the familiar sound of water slowly heating. She'd set out a cup of tea for herself. Jasmine Tea. It had quickly grown to be one of her favorites. While she waited for the water to boil, the Arrancar walked over to one of the chairs that rested idly within the quarters. She gave her surroundings a quick glance. "Well... it seems that nobody has tried to mess with my stuff out here while I was gone..," She hummed softly. Leaning forward, the Arrancar noticed a book that rested on the table. A red and black cover, its spine read clearly, Interview With The Vampire. She mused to herself softly, tapping the bookmark and opening up the the page. It would take a few minutes for the water to boil after all. Might as well get in some reading in the meantime. She began softly muttering to herself, "This was New Orleans, a magical and magnificent..." Her voice trailed off as it softly echoed through the otherwise empty hall.

[Shio "Mod Soul" Kyrou]

Shio "Mod Soul" Kyrou

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Melancholic silence echoed throughout the halls of the Espada quarters, the low crackle of a fireplace someplace else in the hall. Tiny and disillusioned form settled in front of its roaring flame. Her posture was upright, sat almost defeated with her legs folded, lupine tail flat against the rug which made up the surface of the floor. Wordless, and thoughtful.

Those hollow eyes reflective, gazing upon the flame in front of her. What exactly was the petite plushie contemplating in her ruminative state? Whatever it was, it was far from the norm; her usual rowdy puff and tuff persona, not an ounce of it to be seen upon her expression. If anything, she appeared deflated - somehow defeated.

In her pensive stupor, she had neglected to recognize another individual enter the quarters. Not quite alerted by this in her posture, yet indentifying as such with a light flick of her left ear. Was it an intruder? - this was the initial thought that came to her mind. All until the faint utterances of a familiar voice fell upon her ear, and her mouth fell open ajar.

It was not a celebratory kind of shock, neither was it an angry one; at first, it was purely surprise on its own that had encouraged the plushie to rise to her feet. That signature voice of another Espada had its origins within a different room, the room that she was in dark - lit scarcely by the flame, and the entry door that had been left open, beaming in light from the outside.

It is this illuminated ray of light that Shio approaches, placing her mitten upon the door beside her but taking care not to make a sound. Peering through that gap once, and adjusting the light in her eyes, in a manner of pensive hope that her suspicions were correct. Once she is met with the sight of Ailene, bespoke reading that book aloud, her heart trembles.

"Ailene-?" Is the first word that comes to her mind, and also the first to be spoken. It was almost subconscious, though, mumbled with just enough volume that the Septima might be able to hear it. As Shio stumbled through the doorframe... she was a mess. The hair on her head was ruffled, she had various cuts and tears across her body. Obviously, she had been in a fight.

It was all light damage, and this would be made apparent as the mod soul paced herself forward. Her face contained a mixed bag of expression. Astonishment, glazed over some grief and disbelief. Above all else, it appeared as though she could not believe the person who was in front of her. It appeared as though she had many questions upon her tiny felt lips, but not yet having the strength to ask.

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[Ailene Haschiro]

Resting in her chair, Ailene continued to read aloud to herself. It was a bit of a habit that she had picked up while roaming the streets of Kakura at night. Being an Arrancar was a lonely business, and it was a trait that only seemed to carry into her newfound activities when she was doing closing up Rēgīna for the night. Her soft voice would continue to echo throughout the empty halls until she heard a familiar sound. The jovial ring of her water cooker. She smiled brightly, sliding her bookmark back between the pages and closing it with a soft thud. Gingerly placing it back onto the table before her, Ailene rose to her feet to check on the tea.

Approaching the table where her water cooker stood, Ailene took the pot, slowly pouring the boiling hot liquid into the cup. Weeks of working at Rēgīna had trained her to be careful of the hot water. Lack a Hierro while working to eradicate all traces of her reiatsu, Ailene had to be far more careful. Slowly, the Arrancar would proceed to take a sip of her tea. It would burn lightly against her lip, but she was always eager to drink her Jasmin tea. It would seem however that her presence would not go unnoticed. Ailene suddenly heard a meager and weak tone. It was filled with what sounded like shock and Suprise. "Ailene-?" 

At first, the Arrancar did not notice it as Shio's voice. It was not as boisterous as usual. Before turning her head, Ailene spoke clearly. "Well, I did not expect to be hosting today, but I-" As Ailene turned her head to welcome her guest, she nearly dropped the cup of tea that she was holding. Her hand twitched lightly as within the doorway to the innermost sanctum of her quarters, there stood Shio. Something was wrong though! She had cuts and tears all over her. Her hair was frizzy. Clothing torn. Practically everything was unorderly about the small form of the Mod Soul. Ailene couldn't help, but quiver for a moment as she looked upon Shio. 

Without a second thought, Ailene set her tea down. She would approach Shio at a quickened pace. Her expression was marred with concern. She'd kneel down before the Mod Soul, gently grabbing and inspecting bits and pieces of her body. She tried assessing the kind of damage she had sustained. Overall, it seemed rather light. Regardless, Ailene's eyes would narrow. "Shio... I'm glad to see you, but what the hell happened? Who did this to you?!" Her voice was rife with not only concern, but with anger. This anger was clearly not directed at Shio, but at whatever culprit was behind the damages to her friend. Her heart blazed with anger, but right now there were bigger concerns.

Her gaze would drift upward as she patted Shio's arm. "Sit down over there.. I'll do my best to get you fixed up!" Ailene quickly pointed at the table where she was reading her book as there was a sense of urgency in Ailene's voice. She stood up and quickly went into the room that Shio sat in not more than a few moments ago. Walking to her desk, she'd kneel before a set of numerous plastic bins. From there, she'd search each and every one of them for some items. Most notably, a needle, thread and a book. The book was easy enough to find. The cover read, The Handbook to Doll Repair and Restoration, in big boldened letters. The needle and thread, however, were much more annoying to track down.

Ailene did her best to search tirelessly for the two missing items. As she rummaged through bin after bin, she was getting increasingly more annoyed. "Needle... Needle. Where's that damn needle!" Finally, she'd come across it, looking as though she had struck gold. Keeping the book close to her chest and holding the thread and needle, went back to the table and chair where Shio was hopefully waiting. If not, Ailene would set down the items and look around feverishly for the Mod Soul. She hadn't seen her in what felt like months and now Shio appeared to her, effectively battered and bruised. Someone had to answer for that! Probably after she was finished trying to patch up Shio!

[Shio "Mod Soul" Kyrou]

Shio "Mod Soul" Kyrou

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Reminiscent silence was what fell upon the Mod Soul as Ailene rushed over to her in a hurry, unable to muster an immediate response in solidarity. Whilst Ailene was all-too-quick to handle Shio, taking it upon herself to inspect the various places in which she was torn up; all that the petite plushie could do was remain fixated on Ailene as a whole, with a thousand-yard stare that seemed to look right through her, rather than at the Septima.

It was disbelief that struck the soul greater than anything. Gradually in turn, and as Ailene continued her brief inspection, the brows of Shio began to crease. It was not into the usual furrow that occupied her proud expression on most occasion, however, but a look of genuine concern; those brows that hinged upward, a hint of sorrow mixed within, that spoke of a bittersweet reunion. One that she, herself, had least expected.

It was such that, even as Ailene pressed Shio for answers, the plushie did not respond. Only watched, as the gesture was made for her to sit. Stood in place, as Ailene went to go fetch one of her books. Whilst the gaze of Shio followed her, it was calmed and peace-of-mind that sunk into the countenance of the Mod Soul after Ailene had left her immediate presence. It was true that her once previously shook face turned neutral.

Not only did Shio refuse to move for a few prolonged moments, but her keen azure gaze remained fixated on Ailene. Given that Ailene was in a state of panic, she might fail to notice the manner in which Shio was observing her person. It was not what one might call friendly, neither was it outwardly aggressive; it was eerily contemplative. To the situation at hand that Ailene had no way of yet knowing until they had a chance to speak.

Whilst Ailene was taking the time to search through the various instruments of her quarters, even in her hurry, would she notice that various items were misplaced. Within the shelves that contained her various tomes collected over the centuries, they were misaligned; out of order. In another section of the shelf, a small collection of plastic cases were stuffed into a section between some history books; they were cases for human world media.

In fact, given Ailene's familiarity with the human world, similar to Shio, it would be easy for her to recognize them even at a glance as video game titles. Along those same lines, if Ailene took the time to inspect her quarters further, she would notice that a few games consoles, both retro and not, had snuck their way into the collection of her room; an almost jarring contrast to the antiques and historical books, to be sure.

It was not without order, however, because whilst a few things had become rearranged in a way that was less than convenient; the truth of the matter was that her quarters was practically spotless. It was odd just how in-place everything was even just as Ailene had left it, one might even call it suspicious. If a closer inspection was made, Ailene with her analysis capabilities woul be able to make further deductions from another key detail.

Those ancient tomes Ailene liked to keep, they ended up quite worn over the passage of time; that was how they should've been. Old, upkept, but not in perfect condition. That was what struck Ailene as suspicious, had she had noticed; quite a few of the tomes on those shelves looked like they were in new condition. It was not only the books, but if upon noticing that key detail, then the entire room they occupied would look out-of-place.

Tiles on the floor, and some of the furniture, bits of new-condition items mixed in with what seemed just a little more worn than others. If Ailene had made this observation by now, then the Septima may just be attempting to infer an answer of her own. In the meantime, Shio the plushie, with a neutral and almost stoic expression, made her way over to the table that Ailene had gestured toward earlier; to sit not on the chair, but upon the table itself.

It became apparent over the course of Shio obediently moving; the way that she paced without her usual persona to it, the state of the room that they were in. What stood as unusual above all else, even than all of that. Shio had not spoken a single word. Not a single one to Ailene this whole time. That, above all else, was what was most unusual. There was a certain tension in the air that, in her care-fueled panic, Ailene had failed to notice.

It was not combative, but upon noticing it; Ailene might just feel insensitive for her actions. Above all else, there was a clear disconnect between the emotions of the plushie, who gazed upon the Septima with eyes that were pretending not to care, and Ailene.

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