Post by Ailene Haschiro on Aug 9, 2022 13:11:50 GMT -5
BEEP BEEP BEEP! The alarm roared loudly and repetitively. A hand rose up just like every day, gently tapping the top of the digital clock repeatedly. Finally, she'd reach the button to silence the alarm. Sitting up groggily. She stretched and yawned loudly, not being able to help herself. Every day that passed, it felt as though she was able to turn off the alarm with less attempts. She would feel less lethargic from just waking up. After composing herself, Ailene rose to her feet with a little hop. Just that like every other day, she had a routine to tend to. The pattern had grown to be second nature after a few weeks of repetition.
Basic hygiene. Rēgīna had come equipped with a simple washroom in the back. The washroom was notably smaller than the other rooms that were present in Rēgīna. After all, it only possessed a sink, a toilet, a small horizontal metal bar affixed to the wall and a rectangular wooden protrusion that came out from the wall intended for sitting. It was not cramped by any means, but it certainly made Ailene realize something. Rēgīna wasn't truly intended to be a place of residence. Several rooms had beds and a window so it could serve as a place of residence, but it was not its primary function. Regardless, she got to work on her routine.
It would take very long. Ailen had recently equipped her washroom with basic hygienic needs such as mouthwash and floss. She had tended to only do the bare minimum such as brushing her teeth. Naturally it was not something she was used to. Having lived as an Arrancar for a good chunk of her life poorly prepared the woman for the maintenance that a human body required. Turns out that when your body consists mainly of spiritual particles that many bodily functions don't occur as they do in Humans. The only parallel that she could draw was hunger, but she felt like souls rarely had to eat as much. It simply depended on their level of exertion. Now, however, it was a basic need.
Finishing with her flossing and gargling of mouthwash, the woman tended to her hair. Yet another hardship for her existence. She could not explain it but losing all of her Hollow Reiryoku changed Ailene. Her hair had grown notably longer, wilder. Her body had become shapelier. Her skin grew just a tint paler. She didn't entirely mind it. After all, it would keep others who knew her as the Septima Espada off of her back. Having the same name was a little suspicious, but plenty of people shared names. She just hoped few would catch on. Besides, there would be a far more obvious tell. Despite all the changes imposed unto her body, there was one part that went noticeably unchanged.
As she gently lowered the towel that clung to her waist, Ailene saw the imprint of a 7 on her waist. It was clear as day, seemingly tattooed in elegant black ink. Ailene often did her best to keep it covered. She was thankful that it was on her waist, a place she could easily cover up. She remembered that Kazuna once had a massive imprint of a 9 on his back. Such a marking would likely be far more obvious. Lifting her towel again, Ailene decided to finish brushing her hair. She was no expert in styling it, but she found that she simply had to learn the hard way. Through practice. After finishing, the woman returned to her room to put on a fresh set of clothes.
Normally, Ailene wore her Rēgīna uniform even outside of the Tea House. After all, it was an elegant white kimono with a lovely decal of several black flowers. She had some spare uniforms of a similar design, but perhaps it was time to diversify. Today, Ailene would go with something different. She'd pull out a beige skirt and a patterned white blouse. Grabbing a pair of sandals, she gingerly slipped into the outfit and gave herself a look in the mirror. For a moment, Ailene would blush. It was certainly a different style and it modest enough to appeal to her tastes. She had to admit that she liked it alot. Grabbing her brown satchel and a small bag, she'd prepare to head out.
She'd be sure to make herself a cup of tea when she got back. Taking the key and locking the door, Ailene began to head towards the Karakura Shopping District. There she'd find the Sentō that she had started visiting. Rēgīna lacked the proper facilities to wash herself and so she was forced to resort to communal bathhouses. It was a custom that Ailene knew to be on the decline, but until she found an apartment that she could call her own, it had to suffice. Ailene had grown to not mind it as much as time went on. After all, even if she was in opposition to it, she did not have much of a choice. Upon arriving, she paid her entry and did her thing.
Ailene would spend about half an hour in the bathhouse before leaving. A towel was wrapped around her head, covering her hair. So far her day had seemed rather normal. This routine had become a way of life for her after all. Wake up... do her morning routine... return to Rēgīna and work... Sleep. Rinse and repeat. Day in and day out. Ailene had willingly chosen a mundane life over the bloodstained existence of a Hollow. She did not regret that. However, there were a few things that she missed. Her Espada quarters for one. She had been forced to leave her entire collection of books behind. Not to mention her impressive collection of old trinkets and artifacts.
She also, admittedly, missed the traveling opportunities. Even when not on missions for Las Noches, which were rare, Ailene had access to Garganta. A portal that allowed her to travel just about anywhere she pleased. One day she could visit the ancient pyramids. Another she could look upon the majesty of the Zugspitze. She could then cap it off with a visit to the Northern Lights when they manifested during the year. Being an Arrancar surprisingly gave her much freedom until Shinigami or Quincy attempted to police her existence. It was the one thing that Ailene hated about the spiritual realms. The arrogance of others to declare who deserves to exist and who doesn't.
Before she went on though, Ailene felt a soft rumbling. The ground shook ever so slightly. She looked around confused. Suddenly a blackened hand crossed the corner. A large hand with sharpened claws that dug into the glass pane of the building. The glass suddenly cracked and split, falling. Those who simply went about their day would simply try to run once they heard the cracking of glass, trying to move out of the way. To them, this was a freak accident. To Ailene and others like her, however, it would become clear very quickly as a white mask came into view, shaped like a V with eyes meeting at the top. It somewhat resembled the mandibles of an insect.
At first the Hollow merely stood there. Its eyes scanned across the street. Ailene instinctively took a step back before holding her ground. She gulped and tried to steel herself. She was once a Hollow. She did not need to fear them. As she saw its eyes focus onto her, Ailene acted instinctively. She attempted to collect her reiatsu in an attempt to fire the familiar burning orb of reiatsu. A Cero. However, after a few moments, Ailene snapped out of it. Nothing had formed. No reaitsu had collected in front of her. Unfortunately for her, she flexed her spirit ever so slightly. Just enough for the Hollow to focus in her on her. Ailene took another step back.
The Hollow, not more than perhaps 12 ft in height, stalked forward. It had no interest in the mundane. Ailene's spirit had shown itself and it acted like a beacon. Its movements were slow at first much like a predator. As it drew closer, Ailene gulped. She was confused. Why was it picking her out of the crowd? Why were its alien eyes so fixated on her? For once in a long time, Ailene truly felt fear in that moment. She was no longer an Arrancar. She had no reiatsu to defend herself with. She was an ordinary human! Soon the Hollow picked up its pace, now moving with intent towards Ailene. The woman's mind yelled out to her. "Run..."
Whether it was her instinct or not, Ailene did not question it. She quickly turned on her heel and began to run forward, trying to make her way through a crowd of people. As she began to run, the Hollow picked up its pace once more, striding towards her. The woman was not impressive in the slightest. She was not very strong at all. Despite that, she certainly a bit of a hop in her step. She ran at an average pace, hearing the heavy footsteps behind her. Her brow began to sweat. It was in these moments that Ailene wished that she could at least still use Sonido. Once more she instinctively attempted to collect reiatsu around her feet. However just as before, nothing would form.
She panted at the realization. Thankfully she was just a tad bit faster than the Hollow. It was no herculean sprint, but she would not be that slow either. She pushed her way through countless people as she was still chased by the Hollow. She was not a runner by any means. She felt herself grow tired after a few minutes. She was not well-conditioned like Kimiko and couldn't push herself to supernatural speeds with a Shunpo or a Sonido anymore. However, she was not going to give up. She was not going to become just another soul for this Hollow to devour. She had sacrificed far too much to end up as part of such another twisted soul again.
After several more minutes of running, she'd find herself running through a familiar, nearby park. The Hollow was still hot on her tail. There was a fire burning in her heart and despite that, no amount of sheer willpower could force her to continue going. She slowed down more and more until she felt something touch her leg. She tripped and fell onto the ground. Looking back, Ailene saw that her leg had been covered in a thick, viscous sap-like coating. Looking back at the Hollow, she noticed that the same coating dripped from its mandibles. Ailene's expression grew grim. She was at this Hollows' mercy. She looked for anything that could help her out of this predicament, but it seemed bleak. She closed her eyes, trying to tug her leg out of the sap.
For as much she tried to tug her leg free, it would not budge. She wondered what would happen. Would this be the end? How would it feel be consumed by a Hollow? She screamed loudly, "HELP!" As the Hollow prepared to enclose its mandibles around Ailene, a shadow appeared above the two of them. Ailene had closed her eyes, but she heard movement. Struggling. The ending of flesh with steel and then suddenly... CRACK. Ailene slowly opened her eyes as she saw it. A figure wielding a blade, dressed in all black. The Hollow fell over, its mask split in two as the spiritual body of the twisted Soul began to disappear.
As the body of the Hollow began to vanish, Ailene noticed that the sap that covered her leg did so as well. She looked up in surprise though as her vision focused, she'd notice the figure for what it was. A Shinigami. Ailene quickly moved backward instinctively again. The Shinigami noticed the movements and began to approach Ailene. The woman froze. She had taught herself to run away from Shinigami. They were the mortal enemies of Hollows next to Quincy. If not run, then she had to fight. However, she was utterly frozen. The Shinigami stood before, the sun shrouding his body in an ominous ambience. Suddenly he knelt down and offered Ailene a hand.
The woman blinked for a moment as his voice lit up. "No worries. You're safe now." He smiled, still offering her a hand. Ailene looked at his hand and gently gripped his hand. Helping her up, Ailene rose to her feet. She looked at the Shinigami with confusion before it clicked. She was human now. She was under the charge of these Shinigami now. They were protectors of the Human World. The man simply smiled before going on. "You think you'll be okay on your own?" Ailene just nodded for a moment, speaking up shyly. "I.. I believe so. Umm.. thank you." The Shinigami continued smiling and nodded. Turning his back, he disappeared with a Shunpo.
Ailene cleared her throat for a moment as the Shinigami disappeared. She straightened out her skirt and sighed somewhat. She would have to get used to that. Not freezing anymore or finding herself in conflict with the spiritual realm. It was a breath of fresh air and yet, Ailene had a lingering question in her mind. "Just why did that Hollow chase after me? I'm not unique anymore... I'm just like everyone else... right?" She couldn't dwell on it anymore. The Saigo had erased her remaining Reiryoku. The only special ability she now had was that she could see spirits. While this placed her just slightly above the stock of a regular human, it was nothing truly incredible.
Regardless, Ailene decided to move on. She had to head back to Rēgīna. As she moved, her body shook a little. It was a genuine fear. A fear of death. A fear of becoming food for a wretched soul like a Hollow. For the first time, Ailene felt that which victims of Hollow attacks felt for millenia. She tried to shake it off. She did not it at all. Thankfully, her trek to Rēgīna was fairly uneventful. There would be no other Hollows to come after her. Occasionally, she saw a Plus. Some with their Chain of Fate severed, others with it attached. Soon she'd find herself before her Tea House. With an urgency, she opened the door and locked it behind her. Rēgīna would not be opening today. Not after that little event...
