Party With The Devil [Social]

[Celes Castellanos]

[One Hour Ago]

=========================

"Fourty-Nine... Fifty... Fifty-One." Celes murmured quietly as her eyes skimmed the hallway. Today, she'd find herself in the barracks of the Fourth Division. In some ways, it felt like an entirely different world. The Tenth worked tirelessly to train in the art of war to defend Soul Society. They trained hard to kill. The Fourth, on the other hand, was a place of healing. Celes had visited countless times and it was no secret that she had a deep respect for each and every member of the Fourth. That was neither here nor there.

Instead of tending to her own wounds, Celes was here to visit a friend. Vice-Captain of the Thirteenth, Shawn Rabuburēdo. There was always some level of guilt that Celes felt when others got injured, or worse, killed. The hell invasion cost many of her officers their lives.  She wasn't there to protect them. It's why Shawn's condition stung even more. She could've... no. She should've intervened. She wasn't sure how, but she should've been faster. She sighed for a brief moment as she finally came up to the room. "Room Sixty-Three." Taking a deep breath, Celes put on her best smile and opened the door. "Hey Shawn!"

---

The hour she had for visitation almost seemed to be over in a flash. Leaving the barracks, Celes' expression was a little more cheerful than before. Shawn was doing far better all things considered. She had no doubt that the medics of the Fourth had worked on him day and night to ensure his survival. After all, the Cero had torn through a large portion of his abdomen and chest. Nevertheless, Celes shook her head. She continued to blame herself for what happened. Even Venus' rationale did little to console her. It played in her head repeatedly. "We are Shinigami. Risk of death is something we all accept. Not everyone can be saved Celes."

She was right of course. At the end of the day, Celes was ecstatic that Shawn had survived. Besides, there were other things to focus on. "Like paperwork... training exercises... shift rotations... and more paperwork." Celes was less than thrilled to say the least. Being a Captain certainly had begun to take its toll. Much of her life was now spent tending to Soul Society. Meeting invaders head-on, training her troops and securing the well-being of those that walked within Seireitei's walls and beyond. Despite meeting some rather extraordinary people in her position, it was grueling at times.

Perhaps she could just disappear for most of the day? Find a quiet place to relax and reminisce? She thought about it for a moment. It was beginning to sound more and more appealing. "Huh. Perhaps I ought to do just that..."  Breaking into a bit of a jog, Celes felt the cold, soothing air touch her face. She grinned. She missed the feeling of just running. Being free. She slowly began to accelerate. Soon she'd be running at damn near her full speed. Every now and then she'd toss in a Shunpo. She'd be blazing through the walkways of Seireitei, a gale left in her wake. 

It was exhilarating. After what felt like a good half-hour of running, Celes would come across a familiar space. A clearing deep into the brush of the Seireitei. It was a peaceful little place where Celes had once spent much of her time. She had introduced a few people to it. Mainly Wynne and Kimiko. The beauty of the landscape, however, was marred by a few features. Splinters littered the ground. Rocks seemed to be split in half. An entire tree trunk seemed to have been from its roots. Nevertheless, it was her own little private space. Walking forward, Celes hopped onto the boulder and closed her eyes.

She'd enjoy the ambience. The soft chirping of birds, the howl of the wind, the crackling of leaves. It was all so soothing. It reminded her quite a bit of the time she spent relaxing within her Inner World. She hummed softly. It had been a bit since she had visited her Inner World. After all, her Inner Hollow had certainly grown bolder. It pained Celes to leave her alone in there with that... thing. She'd mull it over for a moment. After a few moments, Celes drew one of her Zanpakutō and placed it across her lap. Closing her eyes once more, she'd focus upon the blade. Quite adept at it, Celes had little trouble entering her Inner World as the world around her almost seemed to melt away.

Upon opening her eyes again, Celes found herself in a clearing not unlike the one in Soul Society. In absolutely pristine condition, it was a beautiful sight. Before her, however, was a sore reminder. The stone before her was perfectly cut into a Shogi board. Each of the pieces seemed to be handcrafted. Celes simply shook her head and sighed before rising to her feet. Cupping her hands, she yelled out into the woods, "Yunorashi! Are you here?" No response. She huffed. "Yunorashi!!!" After a few moments, she'd hear rustling in the distance. 

Perking up for a moment, her eyes skittered over to scan her environment. Suddenly a gust of air erupted forth. Celes braced herself, but it was quite tame. The air rushed past Celes and wasn't even strong enough to make her budge. Amidst the adrenaline and the wave of leaves which rushed forward with it, Celes didn't notice a sneaky little form suddenly vanish. Before she knew it, she suddenly felt herself pitch forward she felt something crash into her back. She yelped and fell forward, rolling around a little. Her head was woozy, her vision blurred. Soon, however, she'd know who it was as she heard a giggle. "I see that Captain Celes has been vanquished once more!" The Captain could only roll her eyes and sigh. "Yeah... it's good to see you too, Yunorashi." 

[Brutus]

Today was a fine day. Brutus had managed to trick some idiotic hellions into going into a world of pure fire. Which considering the world they typically lived in, would have made most wonder how they were burnt into nothing. Hellfire WAS a commonplace ability in Hell. As was those who could utilize it. Brutus chuckled as he thought over the moment again. He supposed that's what made them as stupid as they appeared to be. Brutus moved slowly as he moved around on the rock he was sleeping upon. His slice of Shawn's inner world pleasantly dead and quiet. No flowers to speak of just barren soil and rocks. Though his personal section had a few large stones that were layered on top of one another to give the equivalent of a bed. . . just. . . . made of stone.



With a small yawn followed by a groan as he started to move himself off his bed he glanced around the inner world. How long has it been since I began to reside within this world? It feels like it's been an eternity. That's likely just the peace and quiet finally speaking, it's not like Hell will ever give you that. . . unless you didn't want it. In which case its only too happy to give you silence. A few more groans and stretching was how Brutus spent the next several minutes. Enjoying the soft pops in his body that sounded more akin to rock grinding against rock. Eventually he finally decided it was time to get up, likely to leave and go do something. Maybe scour Las Noches again in an attempt to find another individual to work with him.



His peaceful mood was slowly souring the more he thought about his interactions with Arcadus. He was so close. So very VERY close to having Arcadus agree to assist him. Rip Guujin's spine from his body and finally allow him to exist without a leash on him. Alas, he'd left at some point. Even Guujin seemed to have no knowledge of what had occurred to him. One day disappearing like a fire that was untended to during the night with naught but a few coals and ash to show it had existed. Funnily enough, he'd even been replaced which made the prospect even more concerning. Perhaps Brutus had considered incorrectly. Perhaps Arcadus simply was not the person he needed for his plans. So, then who else was he to go after?



Charlotte had left and been replaced with another. Another espada had entered the ranks but was being quiet, concerningly so. And the remainder were too weak for consideration. Ironically enough though the hason that had attacked Shawn so long ago had found its way into the ranks of Las Noches. He'd yet to inform Shawn but he was certain he'd be interested to know down the line. Especially since she was in possession of an object of curious power. One he knew only of in passing. It was definitely an interesting time to be in Las Noches with all the new additions and machinations that were on going. However, he was getting distracted. He needed to refocus on his goals. He needed to find someone who would be willing AND able to kill Guujin.



And that's when it dawned on Brutus. Perhaps, he was looking in the wrong world. Perhaps Las Noches and Hueco Mundo at large were not the realms he needed to look into. Perhaps it was the Soul Society that he needed to direct his attention to. Shawn WAS an option but without his bankai and that aggravating attitude of his, he'd never agree. Even if Guujin was a major public enemy for Soul Society. So, he'd need to find another, at minimum captain level otherwise they'd stand naught a chance in any capacity. That's when he realized something. The universe was actively handing him an opportunity, a golden one at that. Shawn while deep within the hold of Squad 4's barracks was being visited by none other than a captain. His eyes narrowed as he focused his senses, namely his hearing to their utmost limit to attempt to sense her.



To most it would seem incredibly silly for him to even attempt to sense or look for another. Especially while hidden within an inner world but that was the entire point of being within Shawn. His spiritual senses were so well tuned that he could go so far as to sense the world around his host and even a good bit of distance beyond. It just took his full attention. And there was his golden platter, his opportunity it the flesh. One Celes Shindazu and it took naught but a moment to realize that she without a doubt had the power to defeat Guujin. The reason being that he almost immediately picked up on the subtle hints of hollow energy. That meant only one thing, she was a vizard in hiding. He could dive deeper and try to enter her inner world while she was talking with Shawn but that was a dangerous idea. It could not only endanger Shawn but possibly his possible ally. So, he needed to wait.



Fast forward an hour and she was finally leaving. The energy of her soul calmed but still. . . . restless to a degree. If he had to guess, she wasn't going to be in the Seireitei for long. So that meant he'd have an even easier time coming to find her. He simply needed to leave. With a dark smile on his stony face he willed a door to Hell and walked through it. From there he promptly opened another to deep into the Rukongai, completely certain that Celes was going to make herself known again shortly, she just needed to exist outside the Seireitei to follow her.



Nearly an hour later however and Celes's spiritual energy was nowhere to be found. Brutus was beginning to feel his nonexistent blood boiling as his patience was dangerously thin. Where is she?! Was she not about to run out of the Seireitei? Unless. . . . Does she know of a private space within it? The Maggot's nest as well as the Sewers couldn't possibly be a place to hide away at. . . . Unless perhaps the area's around it? I'll have to return to Shawn and leave through him. That's the only way I'll know for certain.[/color] He snapped his claws on his right hand and opened another door, directly to Shawns inner world. Stepping into it his eyes widened almost immediately. He sensed her. Faintly. Not just her residual energy from hanging around Shawn but from somewhere else definitely a good distance away from Shawn.



So she hadn't left the Seireitei. Perhaps I'm not as knowledgeable of it as I thought I'd been. That or I'm losing my touch with reading others and their souls. He shuddered at the thought. Surely not, but there was no mistaking that he'd been wrong in his prediction. So now the question was how to get there. . . without being the "demon in the Seireitei". He could do a number of things but ultimately, he had only one easily achievable way to do such. He had to open a door directly into her inner world. A bit of a task considering how far she was away but there was no other way around it. He'd have to try. With deep breath and wave of reiatsu throughout his body his form immediately began to shift as his energy exploded outward. His wings merged with his body, his tail shrinking considerably while his form became lankier and humanoid.



Fur covered his lower torso while a light tan of human skin covered his upper body and head. Claws extending further than before while his chains reduced themselves to shackles on each wrist and ankle, black and weighty as ever. With burn marks and rust over them. A simple wooden spear with a bronze tip formed in his hand while a cloak of some monstrous beast skin manifested over his shoulders. And last but not least the snaps, grinding, and setting of bones in his face and skull. Not to mention the sensation of horns growing out of a less than common venue. While it had only taken a few seconds in actuality to Brutus it had felt like it'd taken a minute or more. He smiled malevolently as he enjoyed the feeling of his energy flowing freely through him. Had he not been within Shawn's inner world hiding would have been nearly impossible considering the level of power he was radiating.



"Much as I would enjoy remaining in this form, I need to speak with that captain. Celes Shindazu." Not a moment later did a door manifest with a drastic difference in energy radiating from behind it. He smiled as he inspected the energy sneaking through the crevices. With a small nod he began walking forward, opening the door with naught but a whim. Upon stepping through he was mildly surprised the lands were split and drastically different in this inner world. One half barren and dead. Nothing more than a wasteland. The other half alive to a degree with leafless trees and a far more pleasant energy radiating through it. Brutus had to wonder if this was common for those who had two more spirits within them. A curious thought that he sadly had to put aside for later while he motioned the door out of existence.



From there it took a moment to determine what energies were present. A zanpakuto spirit, a hollow spirit, and Celes herself. Celes was on the half of the world with plant life, which thankfully meant the two were on the same side of this realm. However, he got the distinct feeling that while he may not have intruded upon the inner hollow's domain per say he was still being watched. Celes and her spirit however didn't seem to realize his presence yet. But that would soon change as he willed another door into existence, its subsequent pair willed about 20 feet from Celes and her spirit. The doors were a deep brown with fine craftsmanship and two windows of fogged glass and metal guards on it. Celes and her spirit would be able to see Brutus's shadow getting closer as he walked to his set of doors. A moment later said doors revealed who was behind them and it didn't take a genius to realize what was behind them. Brutus, resident of hell, who had now officially made himself known within Celes's inner world.



Upon stepping through the door, he smiled and willed the doors to cease their existence. Somehow looking her dead in the eyes despite having no eyes to speak of himself given his horns had grown out of his eye sockets. "My apologies about the intrusion however I wanted to speak with you in private. Would now happen to be a good time?" Brutus chuckled to himself as he knew he was not only interrupting but making a bit more of a show of his appearance than he probably should. Especially considering he could almost taste the lingering resentment Celes had to those of Hell. Unironically a sentiment the two of them shared. Regardless he made no motion to be aggressive and instead simply waited to hear her response post the assumed insults about his race, "their" recent attack, and whatever else was bothering her about the Sanctus's idiotic assault.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reference picture of Brutuss Supremus form}

SPOILER: Click to show

{Doors Celes would see before her}

[Celes Castellanos]

It was certainly a nice change of pace to see Yunorashi again. She had summoned the young Spirit during the invasion of Shin'ō Academy to comfort a bleeding Shinigami. Now the white-haired girl would be on top of her, pushing her into the ground. Celes only had one thing on her mind. "Ugh... I can't with this one some times." Nevertheless, she was happy to be with her again. Tilting to the side, tipping Yunorashi over, Celes couldn't help but grin. "Yunorashi. You know you can't scare me like that." 

Yunorashi tilted her head. She pondered it over for a moment. "I've been here this entire time. It's not my fault that you're not able to pick up on that." Celes chuckled and simply patted the head of her Zanpakutō Spirit. "Yeah yeah... whatever." She couldn't help but sigh. Leaning back into the rock, she'd look over at Yunorashi. "How have you been holding up recently? Has he-" The Shinigami did not even have to finish her sentence. A notable pout arose on the Spirit's lip as she shook her head, remembering the last time the Hollow had made a move against her. 

"No. He's been strange complacent as of late. The few times he's perked up, you already know about." It was true. Celes felt the influence of her Inner Hollow attempt to seep through the cracks at times. Strong emotions were a definite trigger. When Shawn almost died at the hands of Serenity, she could hear his call. During her fight with Orobas, feelings of hatred and an impulse to kill had aroused the Hollow from his torpor. The Captain had learnt to suppress these feelings and bind the Inner Hollow within her Inner World. Such a maneuver, however, was risky. The slightest display of power could open cracks for him to wiggle through. It truly took all of her restraint to pull off. 

After a few moments of what felt like staring into nothingness, the Captain briefly shook her head. "Well. I'm just glad that you're okay. That you're safe." It was a heartfelt moment for the Shinigami. She truly cared for her Zanpakutō Spirit. "Ugh. I should've taken this break wayyyy earlier." Yunorashi tilted her head in response to this. "Hm? What do you mean, Celes?" Pushing her hands together, Celes dragged them along her face, top to bottom, in exhaustion. "The paperwork. Then someone's at our doorstep like every fucking week. And then the-" 

The Captain paused for a moment. "Uh... Celes. Is everything okay?" In response, Celes lifted her hand. She could feel a foul presence in the air. Just what exactly was it? She had no idea. The girls' spiritual capabilities left much to be desired. Her ability to sense reiryoku was even worse by a long shot. Moving forward at a slow pace, Celes moved her hand along hilt of her Zanpakutō. She would not draw it. At least not yet? "Is it the Hollow? Just what the hell am I so tense about!?" 

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a pair of doors appeared. The frame was made of wood, expertly handcrafted, with two large translucent windowpanes and ornate metal guards. It was a beautiful set of doors. Yet both Yunorashi and Celes simply wondered the same thing. "What the hell is this doing here...?" Needless to say, there both shocked. The little that it allowed them to see showed only one thing. A shadow... and it was approaching. The two girls braced themselves as every second became longer than the last. Sweat rolled down her brow, her heart beat in her chest.

As the doors swung open, Celes eyes widened almost immediately. Its flesh was a blinding white. It had a beastlike skull for a face. For what appeared to be a living corpse, it certainly had a bit of muscle. Most notable of all, however, were the hell chains that crossed its body. Celes was furious. Yunorashi simply watched from a distance, but she was well aware of Celes' opinions on Hell. The stench of Hell was pungent. It spread through the air and threatened to make her eyes water. She hated it.

Practically frozen with rage, it would give Brutus an opportunity to speak.  "My apologies about the intrusion however I wanted to speak with you in private. Would now happen to be a good time?" Celes wouldn't respond. At least not immediately. Her hair fell forward and covered her eyes for a moment. She'd mutter below her breath, "You reek of Hell." It was then that Celes made her move. She'd close the distance in a flash, moving at her full speed. From there, the Shinigami allowed reiatsu to rush through her arm. She had no desire for tact in this situation.

Her maneuver was brutal to say the least. To the common bystander, it would've appeared as though Celes simply pushed her blade out. In reality, the blonde Shinigami had already made her cut. The technique, Hitotsume: Nadegiri or The Killing Stroke. The force behind it was devastating and its speed would be equally impressive. If Brutus found himself cut by this technique, it would've completely severed his torso from his abdomen. She'd take a quick breath and ease her stance as the filth was hopefully taken care of, his body burning away violently. She'd growl softly. "The fucking nerve of some people." 

[Brutus]

Brutus could feel the anger radiating off of her. There was a part of him that had to admit, he should have considered using Envy to help him hide his presence. Maybe not walk directly into Celes's inner world with his true form revealed. Yet there was nothing that could be done now. Besides, that was entirely too much effort for him to pull off at this current venue. Besides, the woman would likely know whatever form he picked wouldn't make sense all things considered. So here is where they'd be anyway. He sighed as he understood the one thing her soul resonated. "Death". Before Celes even enacted his imminent death he simply sighed, deflating some. Then his world was suddenly finding itself closer to the ground.

He was in agony, but this wasn't anything new. Hell had long since made pain to him something of a common occurrence. His body may not respond well but his mind was ever clear. His body began to turn to ash and break away flying off into the distance. He managed a chuckle as he smiled at her. "Especially those who attack unprovoked." Celes would not be able to further harm his head as by this point, he would have returned to Hell. To his surprise however he nearly immediately reformed from a pile of sand that was nearly melting and yet remained in granular form. Agony was his first breath and his body screamed out however he was still in his Supremus form so he need only open another set of doors to appear, and he would find himself leaving.


Celes would sense the doors presence again in a slightly changed spot. Again 20 feet from her and her inner zanpakuto spirit but now towards her left. The doors were yet again well-crafted wood, this time Mahagony with little glass strips layered from top to bottom. The handles themselves surprisingly glowed red and given the glass themselves were warping just a bit, it wasn't hard to tell that whatever was behind the doors was especially hot. This time Brutus practically fell into the doors and onto the ground in Celes's inner world. Coughing for a moment as he shut the door to prevent yet more burning obsidian sand from entering. He glanced up at Celes, fresh but healing burns from the sand fading away as he stood up. "I hope that satisfied you. Even if it was ineffective. But by all means, try again. I'm sure it'll work better the next time."

Yet again as Brutus looked over at Celes, he made no motion to do anything to her. His spear was not pointed at her and even his body was relaxed despite little twitches from the burning sands. Speaking of Brutus looked over and realized the sand wasn't disappearing. If given a moment to act, he'd create a trap door with a snap of his finger. The ground would open up and the sand would be returned to the surface of that burning black desert. Then it would shut promptly once the pile was gone. If still present in Celes's world he'd simply shrug and explain. "I cannot decide where I reconstitute. This time was the sands of violence. A very particular section of the sands at that."

SPOILER: Click to show

{Door reference}

[Celes Castellanos]

It seemed as though her attack would go off without a hitch. It was a surprisingly easy cut given Brutus' appearance, but Celes did not hold back a single bit in her strike. Her Zanpakutō quietly slid back into its sheath as she turned around and prepared to walk back to Yunorashi. As she made her comment, however, it seemed that a certain unwelcome someone had a retort.  "Especially those who attack unprovoked." Her head whipped as she stared down at his bifurcated body with a fire in her eyes. She was about to strike out in anger once more, but the Hellion would have the last laugh as his body turned to ash. 

Celes groaned and shook her head. In the meantime, the white-haired Spirit walked closer to Celes. "Honestly, damn shame that you killed him." The Captain turned to stare at her with an incredulous look. She barked at Yunorashi, ""What the hell do you mean by damn shame?" She put significant emphasis on it. "Was just a little curious about what he had to say. After all, it's not every day that a denizen of Hell drops by in your Inner World. Besides... he didn't look that threatening." Celes was shocked to say the least. "Do you even hear yourself?" The Zanpakutō Spirit simply shrugged her shoulders in response. 

Yunorashi evidently did not share Celes' same spite for Hell. Did she think that they were all terrible people? Likely had to be. Would that matter to her? Not in the slightest. She kept a rather neutral stance on the matter. Besides, Celes usually sought the good in others. She wasn't cruel. She could offer mercy. Could she not at least wait before pouncing on him. "Well, it matters little now. Made rather short work of him." Yunorashi earnestly yearned for a little more excitement. Celes spoke with a soft growl to her voice. "Yeah, good riddance."

As she turned around though, Celes eyes widened once more. At the same time, Yunorashi hummed softly. "Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me." Before them stood another set of double doors. This time they seemed to be made of Mahogony. Glass panes decorated the door just as before. Unlike the previous door, however, it almost seemed to radiate a searing heat. The glass almost seemed to warp, and the handle had a white-hot glow. The doors suddenly swung open and left the Hellion falling out of it before they shut tight and vanished. Following him, however, were burning hot coals that seemed to practically sear the landscape. Yunorashi chuckled. "Well. That's certainly one way to travel."

She certainly had several questions. The one that rang most prominently in her mind however was rather simple. "How in... well, hell is he still alive?!" She had bifurcated his body. It had turned to literal ash! Once more, he'd have something smart to say.  "I hope that satisfied you. Even if it was ineffective. But by all means, try again. I'm sure it'll work better the next time." Celes' brow furrowed. His mouth was going to get him in a lot of trouble soon. She'd jus mutter under her breath, "Ineffective, huh?" 

Before she made another move, however, she felt an echo of Brutus' reiryoku. For what reason he'd focus it, Celes wasn't sure. She'd have her answer soon enough as the ground tore itself apart and revealed a black desert. The coals fell through, and the fissure would close as quickly as it had opened. The Captain's confusion would at least give him enough time to explain. "I cannot decide where I reconstitute. This time was the sands of violence. A very particular section of the sands at that." Celes sighed and began to allow her spiritual energy to saturate her entire body and expand. She wasn't going to tolerate his presence. He had to be using some technique. There was no way he'd be telling the truth! That Hellions could simply reconstitute themselves.

In response to this, the girls' reiryoku erupted from her body. Having effectively subjugated her Zanpakutō, she could now call upon her Shikai without the need for a Kaigo, a release chant. Surrounding her entire body and even a couple feet past that, the girl would now be shrouded by an eerie ribcage. Without much warning, a skeletal arm suddenly rose above Brutus and threatened to crash down upon him with monsterous strength. Celes had little doubt in her mind that she'd squash this Hason like a bug!

Atop majestic brush of the trees surrounding this clearing would be a familiar face. Able to hide his spiritual presence from all, but Brutus, the Inner Hollow simply watched from a distance as Celes unleashed her Shikai and looked to crush Brutus. He had started watching a minute or so ago and he was certainly intrigued to say the least. This Hellion had a most curious ability. At least he believed it to be one. He spoke, mainly speaking his own thoughts aloud. "Tch. And I thought that I was the murderous psychopath between the two of us. Is she really going to do all she can to try and kill him? Against such a pathetic foe?" He sighed and rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a moment. "I do have to admit though, he's certainly a tenacious one. This should certainly be interesting." He'd at least make himself comfortable while watching the show, kicking his feet up. 

[Brutus]

He was making progress. That much was for certain. This time Celes had seemed to allow him to not only stand within her inner world but to have him even speak. Twice even. Brutus groaned some as he cracked his neck some by forcing it to the left and right. Her anger and willingness, no desire, need even to kill him was still as strong as ever. And beneath it he could tell he was pissing her off. Her soul rippled and radiated that she found him to be a nuisance of at least some noteworthy caliber. Especially with his one-off commentary. I really shouldn't continue to egg her on. . . But it's just too easy. And it's fun. More fun than being cut in half . . . Oh. She's going to release. I guess it's time for a personal demonstration of its abilities.



While Celes was going through several emotions and even going so far as to release her shikai, Brutus's attention would be elsewhere. He frowned some and "narrowed" his eyes. His brows furrowed though obviously his horns couldn't be bent by his facial muscles. The spirit he was most concerned with had not only been watching but was now on this side of the inner world. "So he was watching from the start. I'll need to be more careful from here on out." Looking back at Celes moments before he would find himself crushed into a paste, he could tell an interesting and new addition to Celes's soul. She was confused. Clearly his comment about his return and reformation in Hell had gotten under her skin all on its own.



His eyes narrowed as his last thoughts echoed in his mind. Does she truly not know, even after being assaulted by Hell? The next moment he was crushed beneath her skeletal fist. No form of concern about the attack as he was clearly too focused on other individuals and implications. He had to admit though, this was a far more gruesome and painful way to die, compared to his previous death. Every bone shattered throughout his body. He could feel his organs popping and being punctured by the now shattered portions of bone. Pain was all he felt. His form was compressed, and he could feel any and all form of heat leaving him. Then it was all black as his form yet again, including the blood and viscera that had exploded out from Celes's fist burnt away. This time with actual black flames, leaving only a brief moment of smoke in its wake for that too disappeared.



Brutus could tell he was in a void for a moment. He was somewhere but waking for his reconstitution. He did wonder briefly if he would find himself waking awhile before he could make his way back to Celes. Surely Hell would not be so generous as to allow him to immediately return. Then again, Celes was acting like any shinigami he'd come to know. Attack first, ask questions never, believe you were in the right for him merely existing. Let alone for his race of being. Before he could ponder further, he felt the breath of something in his lungs. And then realized it was blood. Not his own as it was rotten and filled with gunk. Then came his sense of touch letting him feel sticky moisture and a light weight above his body. His mind immediately realized he was yet again in the circle of violence but this time the Suicide Forest.



And he was buried under ground. This time however he wasn't so far down as the burning sands. He could and would easily dig himself out of his "live burial" and be coated in blood. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes to look himself over. Immediately regretting it. "I suppose a quick rinse is only fair. I'm already choosing to aggravate Celes. I should at least look my best." With a wave of his hand he opened a door, a simple white house door and walked to a realm of water. The world was quiet and clear with a multitude of clouds in the sky making the water far colder than he would have preferred. Still, it would remove the gunk and blood so he couldn't complain when he was going for a quick dip. He walked through the door, jumped into the water and then swam for a moment. Once he was certain most of the filth was off, he then opened another door to Celes's inner realm yet again.



This time the door was pure black, perhaps made of Ebony. Though the door itself was plain, compared to the last two there was a few differences, namely in the single knocker on the front as well as a letter entrance. The letter entrance was letting a small stream of water pass through it and fall onto the ground. A moment later a simple knock would be heard from the other side of the door before it opened. Brutus swam through, allowing a decent wave of water enter into Celes's world. He was not before her yet again just dampened this time. Despite the knocking however he immediately turned to close the door and then disperse it. He glanced to the ground and then back at Celes and her skeletal compatriot before speaking.



"It's safe to assume you aren't scared of clean water, yes? If not, even I can't get rid of what has already fallen within your world. Though I can say each side of your inner world looks like it could use a bit of water." He then stretched reaching his arms up and groaned some as he popped his back in several places. He then cast a bored gaze to Celes before speaking again. "Credit where credit is due, at least that was painful enough to be worth acknowledging. Though I'm beginning to think you're a good enough torturer that you could convince Hell to take you on part time. Possibly full time if you decided to commit to punishing sinners. Though. . . The inner hollow may not feel so inclined to do such. Word of advice, take care with how much anger and energy you let loose. You may just give him the control he seeks. Especially when he's so close by watching us."



Brutus then stood still, maybe even leaning on his spear some. Yet again completely lax and unconcerned. His head did tilt towards the inner hollow however making it more than apparent that he was more concerned about it than he was Celes at the moment. For what reason though was only known to him as he had no intention of speaking on the matter. Regardless he let his spiritual sense keep tabs on Celes and her soul to keep an idea of how she was handling his appearance yet again . . . as well as to see how much more he could get under her skin. It was a guilty pleasure after all and if Celes was going to keep killing him, then he would indulge until she finally tired. Given he knew, she'd never leave while he was within her inner world. Or in this case, continued to return to her inner world.

SPOILER: Click to show

{New door reference}

[Celes Castellanos]

Needless to say, Celes' choice of how to kill Brutus was certainly gruesome. Much like her use of Hitotsume: Nadegiri, the girl allowed little room for error. She had, once more, used her full strength against Brutus as she crushed his body. It would be over in a flash as a wall of dust and debris suddenly erupted from Celes' slam. Once it began to clear, Celes would see the fruits of her labor. The mangled and distorted body of the Hellion lay lifelessly on the ground. Much like before, the body suddenly burst into flames once more. 

She sighed. In some ways, it was a bit cathartic erase the stain from her Inner World. With little more than a thought, Celes dismissed the spectral ribcage. Her reiryoku still remained flared as she maintained her Shikai. Perhaps on some deeper level... she felt that she'd need it. After all, it would likely attract the other unwelcome soul within her Inner World. Unlike Brutus, at least on the surface, her Inner Hollow was brutally strong. A single mistake could cost her dearly. For now, however, the threat had at least been cleared.

She turned to Yunorashi who would simply look at her with a bit of a shocked expression. "Pretty... pretty gruesome way to go. Are you sure this is necessary Celes? You know how expending yourself attra-" Celes waved her hand dismissively. "We'll tackle that if and when we get to that point." Neither party was quite aware that Yukito had already chosen to watch. Regardless, Celes shook her head. "Ugh. I thought Hell was supposed to be inescapable! Or at least difficult to get out of!"

There was clear frustration in Celes' voice. If someone like Brutus could just escape Hell so easily, what did that mean for the security of the realm of the damned. Yunorashi tilted her head and tapped her chin thoughtfully. She'd mull it over for a few moments. "Well, it could be an ability of his. Not unlike a Shikai or Bankai." Celes turned to Yunorashi and stared at her with incredulity. Yunorashi simply rose her hand in response to stop the Captain from speaking. It was her turn to speak.

"Think about it. Every time he shows up, we can feel his reiryoku quite strongly. We recognize it as that of Hell." She'd pause for a moment. "Now I don't know about you, but if I wanted to talk to an enemy, I'd do so in a discreet manner. No reiryoku outflow. No way for them to concretely know what I am. Could be like the Sasei Oni of Akki." Celes blinked as she listened. She had to admit. She knew very little of the powers of Hell. Yunorashi by comparison, as a Zanpakutō Spirit, was far more reflective on the way others were affected by their powers. "Whatever the case may be, I think we'll be seeing him soon enough since he clearly has little trouble coming here."

Celes narrowed her eyes. "Yunorashi. I literally just crushed him into paste. I can understand being able cheat death once... but twice? Laug-" Once more, the Captain would turn around only to bear witness to another door. If she weren't so outright shocked, she would've face-palmed. This one was jet-black in appearance. No mirror to decorate it, it still seemed to be nicely crafted. That seemed to be a theme with all these doors. More strangely though, water seemed to pool from the door. First dripping... then more gushing. Celes braced herself as the door opened and a wave of water suddenly erupted from the door with the Hellion swimming out.

The water crashed against Celes, it's force almost knocking her off her feet, but the Captain stood her ground. She couldn't believe it. "He's back again. Seriously?!" Brutus was like a cockroach. Tenacious and with a burning refusal to die.  "It's safe to assume you aren't scared of clean water, yes? If not, even I can't get rid of what has already fallen within your world. Though I can say each side of your inner world looks like it could use a bit of water." Unlike Celes' stoic attitude, the Hellion would at least get a chuckle out of Yunorashi. 

Celes eyes narrowed. Was there actual credence to his words? Could the denizens of Hell simply reconstitute themselves? "If so..." It was then that the realization hit her. "Oh shit..." Brutus words blurred into incoherent gibberish as Celes came to the shocking and harsh truth. Everything they had done to drive Hell out. It was only temporary. The forces they killed would simply form back in Hell again. Suddenly, the realm of the damned seemed to become an even bigger threat than even Celes realized.

As she turned to reality, or at least as close as was possible to reality, Celes tuned back into Brutus' conversation. "Though. . . The inner hollow may not feel so inclined to do such. Word of advice, take care with how much anger and energy you let loose. You may just give him the control he seeks. Especially when he's so close by watching us." A wave of panic ran through Celes. Not only was Yukito nearby... but Brutus also knew of him? Yunorashi suddenly hopped into the air. The ground beneath her cracked ever so slightly as she tried to get a birds' eye view. As she looked atop the crowns of the trees, her eyes met those of the Inner Hollow. A slight grin crossed his lips as he put his finger in front of his mouth as if to tell her to keep quiet. 

As the Zanpakutō Spirit dropped to the ground, Celes' eyes were fixated on Brutus. His body posture was lax. Unconcerned. It grinded Celes' gears. He still did not understand the sanctity of the Inner World. However, with his ability to easily infiltrate and the realization that he'd keep coming back, Celes was resolved to find a way to kill him. There had to be some way. There would be a silence that filled the air. After a few moments, Yunorashi sighed. "Okay. Now we're all fr-" 

Much like before, Brutus would likely feel her reiryoku flare. The spectral ribcage formed around her body once more and this time the skeletal arm threatened to crash into his side, splattering his broken body on a tree. This is where the entire encounter would change to much more of a rapid-fire killing spree. Celes would do whatever she could to get rid of this pest. Each time he dared to come back into the Inner World, Brutus would maybe get in a few words or a sentence before Celes inevitably tried to kill him again.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Let the Madness Begin!}

It was almost comical in a way. Celes would kill Brutus in almost any conceivable way she had at her disposal. Crushing him with the spectral hand. Slapping him away. Forming a massive broadsword and splitting him down the middle. Bashing him with her massive 12 ft shield. Eventually, if these didn't work, she'd get more creative. Condensing the armor and layering it across her skin, Celes would get up close and personal with her techniques. She'd slam him with shockwaves that threatened to tear skin from bone. Using Final Crescendo to send him flying with monstrous strength. Even going so far as to use Daikotsu to phase through his body and practically crush his heart directly in her own hand. Each attempt started to feel more futile, more desperate than the last until she was finally exhausted. Her breathing was labored, and she groaned softly. Could she even keep this up? 

[Brutus]

Brutus couldn't help but smile at Celes. She was growing only that much more frustrated. Angry. Aggressive. Confused. It's like his entire existence was just an affront to her and yet like a red wine stain, was impossible to remove. He had to restrain himself from showing his fangs as he died, came back and died again. It was just so delicious feeling all of her negative emotions directed to him. Had he not been dying with every glance, breath, or otherwise instance of contact from Celes he would have been immensely satisfied. Maybe even forget his real purpose in visiting Celes to begin with. But alas, he was too mentally capable to do that, even if he really wanted to just continue the games with Celes. Still until she finally tired herself out, he was subject to dying in any and every way that she could conceive. Some of which he actually would actually be fairly unique.



His initial death had him explode into a red mist. Only his blood hitting the tree and coating the skeletal hand. Then they turned to ash and blew away. He then found himself crawling out the stomach of a Venus fly trap monster which had recently died. Thus, ensuring he had burns all over his lower body. Knowing he'd just die again he opened a door, this one dark wood with a central glass panel. The joke for this door was that the star was inverted just to aggravate Celes further and let her know who was walking through. As he walked through, he noticed that she was stunned he came back again and too the opportunity to comment. "I'll give you a 6 out of 10 for that one. Certainly not your best."



Brutus almost immediately after found himself within her skeletal grip. He could guess what would happen next. If he had a moment to sigh, he would have. Sadly, Celes wasn't willing to let him be playfully dramatic. So, he crushed his entire being and made his topmost of his body and the lowermost sections that weren't held in the grip pop off like a balloon. Pain was instant, immense, and then gone as he was yet again in a black void. His body simply faded away this time without theatrics, maybe even giving Celes the idea that she'd killed him for real that time. Sadly, it wasn't the case as he just found himself in the boiling blood river of Styx. He groaned as his body was fighting him to move but eventually pulled himself out, namely by proxy of grav pressuring the souls around him.



He then opened another door, this one pure wood. Lovely squares were carved into it. Each of which had what was either an angel or a sword as its central design. The door had no handles, but it opened all the same for Brutus who simply walked through and gave Celes his next determination. "Much better. You get a 7 for that one. Too quick though but that may be my fault." His next death came in the form of two skeletal hands clapping him from either side. This time his body produced into a fine paste. No pain this time, simply just existence and then non-existence. He then found himself growing out of a crystal in Greed, thankfully a non-poisonous one given his body was reforming from it. He stood next to the crystal when he finally pulled himself out from it and thought about the situation at hand.



Hell is being rather lenient with my reconstitution time. Perhaps Celes really is an assistant torture of Hell if I'm allowed to keep returning to her so quickly. I'll be certain to ask later. He then snapped his fingers and produced yet another door, he decided that this time he wanted an old fashion door. Semi-circle at the top with a rectangular form beneath. A simple hand and key lock, a small pane of glass, and a lovely dark brown paint coating it. He walked through it and nodded to both the zanpakuto spirit and even waved towards the inner hollow. If he was going to be entertainment for them both he may as well formally acknowledge their presence. He then looked at Celes again. "5. You're starting to get dull in your choice of my execution."



He didn't have much time to speak as she'd prepared her newest weapon, a lovely and utterly massive broadsword. Considering the flat wasn't coming at him, he figured she must have taken his advice. He managed a shrug before his world was split vertically. Each side of him fell to the ground. The ground would then warp into a darker version of itself and produce a mouth that ate him. The ground then returned to its previous iteration. He then "awoke" being thrown around in the storms of Lust. Unpleasant but certainly not something he was utterly concerned about. He opened a door that would find him be literally flung through it by the winds. This one was completely metal, painted black and had a lovely accent of sterling silver or possibly stainless steel. It had fogged up glass and a metal design over the glass.



Brutus landed face first on the ground before the two and slowly picked himself up. All the while speaking to her with a bit of amusement in his voice. "6. Simple, effective, and already done. Still nice job compensating by making the sword bigger. Every man I know would be proud." Celes did not take well to that comment as he was killed in record time. This time producing a shield bigger than his body and pummeling him with it. He found his body torn apart as it was thrown through tree after tree. Ultimately finding his head impaled by a random branch. His scattered form and blood shattered like glass and faded away. This time he when he reformed, he found himself in the middle of a blizzard. So finally, he was sent to the bottom most layer of Hell.



He rolled his eyes in aggravation and immediately opened a door. This one underneath him so he could fall into it. He then would have a section of earth form into a trap door and find himself being flung into the air with a great burst of cold air following him. The door then closed itself and he landed on the ground, shivering, but otherwise unharmed. "8. Good use of the environment and weapon choice. Still physical harm is getting boring, I must admit." Celes had acquiesced by using a shockwave this time and rended skin from flesh and flesh from bone. He didn't even realize he'd died until he found himself being trampled by those outside the bounds of purgatory. Fucking. . . white flag. . . bullshit. . . Ugh. I practically asked for this place with that last comment.



He flung his spear around him and cut himself an opening as the souls around him fell and then melted down into a white liquid and then evaporated away. Seeing how the crowd of aimless souls were still running around him he decided another floor door was in order. And thus made a circular door made of glass and metal framework. He opened it and hopped back into Celes's world, giving her a quick view of the rocky abyss outside the first layer before it faded away. " Mmmmm. . . 7. Different but ultimately still physically harming. Keep this up and I'll have to give you a bad rating." Brutus then found himself combo'd out of existence and back to Hell. Taking a deep breath as he found himself forming under a gold waterfall. Hot, boiling, gold. He screamed for a moment as he crawled away from it and let the remaining liquid gold puddle beneath him. Looking over his body though revealed no burns present. He shook his head in frustration.



He created a safe door given he literally was birthed from molten gold. The metal was heavy and completely made of iron. Dark grey with only a tumbler on the front and backside of the door. He walked through it and back into Celes's world with a bit of a disgruntled look but only for a moment as her disbelief brought him joy again. "6. Credit where credit is due, you spawned me in molten gold. I guess you could say that was the "money shot". This time when he died, even he could admit to himself that he earned it for that pun. But he frustration and bloodlust were absolutely worth the life he wasted. And credit to her, she managed to do a simple but greatly efficient death. Phasing through his body and grabbing his heart. She crushed it with ease. Brutus simply smiled and whispered. "First my body and now my heart? And we haven't even gone out to dinner yet."



His form melted into sludge though it didn't pool or collect on Celes. Instead, it all fell to the ground, was soaked up by it and disappeared without a trace. His return was effectively immediate as he found himself amongst those who were literally on fire perpetually. He'd thankfully just appeared there as opposed to being birthed from fire himself, but he had to admit this whole dying and returning to Hell only to return to her inner world was losing its amusement. If only just a bit due to how frequently he was repeating the endeavor. With a few stretches, cracks, and pops he waved a final door into existence and opened it. This was nothing short of an actual gate. Heavy metal but beautifully worked on with stainless steel outlines and designs over every part of the gate.



He never even touched the doors himself as he walked through and simply yawned as he was growing a bit tired from his several deaths. With a glance to Celes, he spoke again. "8. Congratulations, that's the highest grading yet. However, even a blind man would see the exhaustion building up in your body. Perhaps now we could have our talk? If not, by all means continue to kill me. I've got all day. And I booked it all just for you Celes Shindazu." The gate behind him faded as he stood still waiting for her or her spirit's next action. Maybe the inner hollow would kill him this time. Maybe the inner zanpakuto would try. Each seemed content to watch but who knew? Perhaps they each wanted a chance to try their hand at "Felling the beast from Hell". Regardless he stood patiently, calmly, and without any care for what Celes's decision would be. Death or her deciding to talk to him was fine by him. And it showed with how casual he was becoming since he yawned again before her.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Every door hes spawned in this post}







Right side

[Celes Castellanos]

It was brutal to say the least. Each time Celes would murder Brutus in any number of ways. Crushing, blunt force trauma, skinning to name a few. Not even the Hellions vital organs would be safe from the Captain's grasp. Each time she'd kill Brutus and each time he'd come back with another retort. He had begun grading Celes' methods of execution. How many doors had resurfaced in her Inner World? Celes had lost count. She had already exerted herself quite a bit. She had offered him no quarter after all. 

Finally, Brutus would show up as usual. Twin gates made of iron were his gateway of choice. The Captain couldn't help, but sigh. Not of annoyance, but of pure exhaustion. The caliber of techniques she had used in combination with her Shikai took its toll on her body. Her heartbeat was practically racing. Her lungs were overworked. Her muscles screamed out at her. She'd need a good hour or so to rest until she was back in peak shape. This time, she'd only watch Brutus for a little as he stepped out of the door.

As usual, the door vanished and he had another rating in mind.  "8. Congratulations, that's the highest grading yet. However, even a blind man would see the exhaustion building up in your body. Perhaps now we could have our talk? If not, by all means continue to kill me. I've got all day. And I booked it all just for you Celes Shindazu." She huffed softly and groaned. Brutus was a pest. He could be easily killed quite obviously. Sure, he wasn't putting up much of a fight, but he was certainly killable. The pest kept coming back though. Annoying Celes in any number of ways. Getting under her skin.

Yunorashi looked up from her stupor and the Inner Hollow woke back up. He stretched and looked towards the clearing. He had gotten a nice little powernap in. Watching some get crushed within any effort was only interesting for so long. He stood from his sleeping spot and got a little closer. He smirked idly. "Well, it seems like this little show of theirs has come to a close. I was almost worried it was never going to end. So, Celes, what are you going to do?" He asked himself inquisitively. 

Celes, of course, had already made up her mind. She would push herself to the brink if necessary. Using her existing spectral arms, Celes would strike at Brutus again. This one would be slower, but deadly, nonetheless. Yukito rolled his eyes and disappeared in a Shunpo. If Brutus was expecting himself to be slaughtered again then he'd be in for quite a surprise. Celes' spectral fist would be less than a foot away from the Hellion. It had, however, been completely stopped in its tracts by a most unlikely ally. 

Yunorashi felt the burst of energy from their clash and groaned. "Ugh... at least one of us decided to intervene..." Brutus would find himself enveloped in a spiritual ribcage not unlike Celes as the Inner Hollow stood a few inches before him. Celes' eyes lit up with fire as she stared her Inner Hollow down. "Why in the hell is getting involved now!?" He couldn't help, but smirk and cracked his neck. "Careful. Someone could get hurt." Suddenly, a fist arose from the side of the ribcage and slapped Celes' away. Before the Captain could even react, Yukito dashed towards her at blinding speeds and struck the ribcage with his elbow. With a single strike, he completely obliterated the Captain's Shikai. Celes fell back with a thud as Yukito dismissed his own.

Looming over the Captain, the Inner Hollow would command her full attention. "What the hell was that for?" Yukito laughed in response and shook his head. "To focus your attention. One would think that after your failed attempts to kill him, you'd finally realize how futile it is." He stared over at Brutus for a moment and sighed. "He came all this way for something, and he clearly wants to make a point to say it. Just sit down, shut up and pay attention." It was brutal, short and honest. 

Celes, however, was defiant. She rose to her feet and barked angrily, "Get the hell out of my way, Hollow!" He turned back to her and raised an eyebrow. Stepping closer, he growled. "Yeah? What the hell are you gonna do if I don't?" Celes stepped in as well, closing the distance further. "I'll kick your ass, you bastard!" Oh... now it'd be heating up. He was practically inches away from Celes. "I'd like to see you fucking try, you little bitch!" They were practically at each other's throats. In fact, it almost seemed as if the two would throw down right here and now. At least they would've, if someone hadn't intervened once more.

Both of them focusing their attention to one another, Yunorashi stepped between them and push both of them back. "Can you two cut this out! The last thing we need is an incident in Soul Society of all damn places. Can we at least agree on that?" Yukito stared at Celes and she stared back. They both turned around and crossed their arms as they spoke in unison. "Well... I guess not. But they fucking started it." They both glared daggers at one another before Yukito took his seat at the Shogi boulder and Celes stood beside Yunorashi. 

Now that the air had been cleared, at least it seemed that a forum could be held between all involved parties. Celes stared at Brutus for a moment and raised an eyebrow. She had noticed that he had a spear before, but he never seemed threatened enough to use it. Naturally, it seemed as though he really didn't care to fight Celes. The previous deaths had all made that clear. Nevertheless... Celes was curious. Refocusing her attention, however, she'd speak up. "Well... I clearly can't get rid of you. You've made that obvious. So then.." She paused, allowing her Shikai to die down. Her reiryoku became stable again and her two Zanpakutō rested within their sheaths. "You said you wanted to meet? I wonder what a Hellion could want of a Captain.." Her previous anger aside, Celes really had no idea what the hell Brutus wanted. Perhaps it was time to find out. The ball was in his court after all.

[Brutus]

Brutus had been thinking about what door he would summon next. He had several in mind as he could tell that even exhausted Celes would continue to attack him. Kill him. Banish him to Hell like he deserved. He groaned mentally as he just waited, willing to go through the motion again. However, the spirit he was most concerned about had decided to step in. And it was no surprise to all present that even Brutus was incredibly surprised. His brows flew to his bald skull, his mouth agape only a few inches as he watched Yukito not only step between him and Celes. But then produce his own skeletal being and disperse Celes's within a single strike. Had Brutus been able to blink, he would have most assuredly blinked several times over. However, he could not, and he knew his ability to sense reiatsu and energy weren't so bad as to be failing him now.

While Yukito and Celes were arguing and about to start a fight between themselves Brutus collected himself and stayed quiet. The tides are turning it seems. I'll need to be more respectful from here on out. Especially if I hope to even get a deal regarding hiding my presence. Let alone a deal that has her assist me in Guujin's downfall. When Yukito looked back at Brutus he was back to his senses and simply bowed to him speaking just loud enough to be heard. "Thank you for your intervention." He was likely to say something until he returned to arguing with Celes again. Brutus could tell the zanpakuto spirit was starting to get riled up by the fighting Celes and Yukito were about to start.

Thus, it came as no surprise that she'd intervened between them and got them to think about the situation. After a couple minutes it seemed that everything had calmed, or at least calmed enough that no further fighting would occur. That would be most notable with Celes sealing her release. Brutus would have done the same, had he not needed it incase Celes had the idea of killing him again. Perhaps if they're conversation went well, he could place his own release on hold. Until then however he'd remain cautious but peaceful with her. Just as he had been, so he would continue to be. Once Celes was done speaking Brutus began walking forward some, so he would not have to speak loudly. Conversations were always better had within a couple arms reach instead of over 10-15 feet away.

When he spoke, he actually remained even in tone. No looking down upon Celes. No resentment. And certainly, no more attitude or snarky remarks. He was speaking to her as an individual. "I did. My apologies that it had to be within your inner world. However, seeing as the Sanctus had recently attacked the Soul Society, I could not imagine it being wise to hide in plain sight and speak to you. Nor to reveal myself outside your inner world. Especially knowing that you've something of a collection of spirits within. Given I had no other means of speaking to you however my hand was forced to enter within this realm. I would like to make this clear, I am unaffiliated with the Sanctus, so I am not here to harm you or Soul Society. Believe it or not I'm here on a personal matter."

"What I would like, is your assistance in killing a common enemy. Last I checked the Soul Society has blacklisted them with a kill on sight order. This individual is Guujin. Brutus was about to speak further however his brows rose again when Celes's soul almost immediately lashed out with a memory one that had Brutus shown just how intimately familiar, she was with Guujin. Because of all people Celes could have been connected with it was Albin. The inner hollow turned shinigami that he'd saved. What a small world indeed that Brutus would find someone who harbored not only vehement hatred for the same individual that he did but also that he had saved an individual Celes had known. This would certainly aid him if she still refused to believe him. For now, he'd immediately collect himself and continue. He wasn't certain that Celes wouldn't kill him on the spot for mentioning the others name especially with her harbored feelings of Camilla.

"Sorry I had to collect my thoughts for a moment. But yes, I wanted to talk with you about coming to an agreement to kill Guujin. The reason for this is simple, I'm bound to serve him, and I seek to be free of this binding. Obviously, he does not have complete control over me as he has no idea that I'm here presently or where I am when I'm out of sight. However, I cannot kill him. Simply put, I'm unable to even attempt such a task given my bindings. You, on the other hand are more than capable of doing so. You've already demonstrated your capability to do such with the various means you've killed me. And that was only with your Shikai. I've no doubt that if you used your Bankai, the task would only be that much easier. And I say that knowing everything Guujin is capable of doing."

"I would also like to make something clear. I'm not asking you do fight him alone. I can, and will happily, assist you from the sidelines. Think of this as a loophole in the bindings. I cannot directly go against him, but there is nothing stopping me from aiding another. So, if you are willing to do this, I will assist you in several ways. Informing you of Guujin's abilities, weaponry, and overall capabilities. I will even assist in having you find him. And if necessary, I have the power to assist you in a more direct way if push comes to shove. In addition, I'm willing to offer you a reward of your choosing. You need only name it and if it is within my power, I will acquire it for you. This is the broad strokes of why I've come to talk. However, know there are a couple conditions I would like if you agreed to this. We can speak more on that if you are willing to take on this request for me. If not, then I will leave you be after we speak about another matter."

Having said his piece and being now 5 feet away Brutus stood still and just watched Celes. Keeping distinct note of her spiritual energy in case she lashed out yet again. Her release may be sealed but she was in no way incapable. And he wasn't about to bet that her spirits, Zanpakuto or Inner hollow, would assist him again if she truly were against his request. Well, perhaps the inner hollow would. But he wasn't about to be so blatant as to attempt creating a deal with them that likely only had one request. And certainly not while he was within earshot and sight of the other. That could be a backup plan if things here didn't pan out. Assuming the inner hollow was even interested enough. Brutus hoped that things wouldn't come to that, however. He had died enough times that he was hopeful the other would give it some serious though. Especially with how invested she seemingly already was. But that was her decision. For now, all he could was wait and see what she decided to do. Let alone, if she trusted him enough to humor the idea.

[Celes Castellanos]

Celes stared at Brutus for a moment as he drew nearer. She smirked with a hint of amusement. Even after all she had done to him, the Hellion still decided to step into her range. Granted, Celes had calmed down, but she could easily strike at him once more. Nevertheless, she had some level of respect for his gusto. Confidence is something she could understand. Use it to understand others better. She'd decide to humor Brutus at the moment. Listening carefully and thoughtfully, she picked out the most important pieces of information she could.

"However, seeing as the Sanctus had recently attacked the Soul Society..." She raised an eyebrow for a moment. "Ah. So they were known as the Sanctus. Interesting." "...Given I had no other means of speaking to you however my hand was forced to enter within this realm..." Celes simply nodded her head. She had to admit, it made enough sense given the circumstances. She didn't like it, but she could at least see reason within his rationale. "I would like to make this clear, I am unaffiliated with the Sanctus, so I am not here to harm you or Soul Society."

She chuckled and rolled her eyes, promptly interrupting him for a moment. "Well, we've already seen that no matter what I do, I can't seem to kill you. Even if you meant harm to me or Soul Society... There's little I could do about you." Her point made; she allowed the Hellion to continue. "What I would like, is your assistance in killing a common enemy. Last I checked the Soul Society has blacklisted them with a kill on sight order. This individual is Guujin."

As expected, Celes' energy suddenly changed. There was anger in her soul again. Unlike before, however, none of it was directed at Brutus. Quite the opposite. She was entirely focused on the name that just crossed the Hellion's lips. Yunorashi stared at Celes with concern while Yukito simply chuckled. It seemed as though a ghost of Camila's past would come to haunt her once more. She had first heard about the bastard who murdered Camila from Albin. She hummed softly. "Guujin, huh...?" Suddenly, Celes would seem far more invested.

Once again, she'd listen to the Hellion and pick out the parts that mattered. "I cannot kill him. Simply put, I'm unable to even attempt such a task given my bindings. You, on the other hand are more than capable of doing so..." So, there it was. He wanted to be free of his "master". Motivation had been determined. What else did he have to say? "...I'm not asking you do fight him alone. I can, and will happily, assist you from the sidelines." For a moment, Celes' very core had recoiled. "Help from him, huh?" It made her stomach turn and yet... she continued to listen. After all, this suddenly became very personal to her.

"I will assist you in several ways. Informing you of Guujin's abilities, weaponry, and overall capabilities..." Her eyes widened. Now that! That was invaluable information. It even shook the Inner Hollow for a moment. Part of fighting was to feel out anothers' weaknesses. To play around them and utilize one's own strengths. These weaknesses were often difficult to tease out though. To have such knowledge at her fingertips... it was almost to good to pass up just on that alone. She continued to listen, practically enthralled.

"I will even assist in having you find him." Celes quietly nodded. "Good, good." "And if necessary, I have the power to assist you in a more direct way if push comes to shove." Unlike before when her soul literally recoiled in disgust, Celes continued to listen. "In addition, I'm willing to offer you a reward of your choosing. You need only name it and if it is within my power, I will acquire it for you." Celes hummed softly. Thus far, this seemed to be a rather wonderful agreement. The Hellion seemed to only feed the positives of the deal more and more. However... Celes knew better. Deals were about give and take. Mutual understanding and terms. She wondered when he would finally get into the specifics of the cost. 

"However, know there are a couple conditions I would like if you agreed to this. We can speak more on that if you are willing to take on this request for me. If not, then I will leave you be after we speak about another matter." There it was! Celes stared at him with intent. She had a truly vibrant soul. Brutus didn't need any special sensory skills to detect that. She stared at his skull. She was very good about picking out deceit. Lies and misdirection. At least the malevolent kind. Thus far? She felt no malice. It was as if he was completely telling the truth. "Could it really be...?" 

It seemed as though Brutus was finally finished with his offer. Celes puffed up her cheeks for a moment and sighed, tapping her finger. "So.. as I understand it, you want me to kill Guujin for you. You are offering resources in helping me wipe him off the face of the three Realms. You're also offering assistance to take that piece of shit down should my own power not suffice. Finally, I have my choice of any reward as long as it is within your power." She summarized all of the details that she was at least made aware of. She looked for any change in expression. Any shift in body language. Did she entirely trust the Hellion? No. Was he a liar though? From all she's seen thus far... Celes would also have to answer that with no. 

Celes looked over at Yunorashi. She raised a single eyebrow. The white-haired Zanpakutō Spirit spoke calmly, "Well... it's risky. Perhaps it would give you some closure if we eliminated him." Celes' eyes then drifted to Yukito. The Inner Hollow was practically taken aback. "My thoughts? Quite the change of heart for you, Celes." He chuckled for a moment. "I don't really give a shit about any of this. I don't really care about Guujin and I don't owe anyone any favors." It seemed as though he'd be neutral towards it at least until... "However. The opportunity to prove myself better than Camila's Inner Hollow. To succeed where he failed? Well, that's quite the juicy offer." 

It was very much like Yukito to answer in this way. He liked Kimiko's Inner Hollow after all. She was cunning, calculating and bold. Albin had proven himself weak enough that it got Camila killed. Or perhaps he didn't have confidence to take down Guujin? Laughable! Celes turned to Brutus and chuckled. "Well, we are still here and I'll admit one thing... we do share a common enemy." She'd pause for a moment. "What kind of additional conditions would we have to agree to? I'm listening." 

[Brutus]

Brutus was always thankful for one thing with regards to his Supremus form. Namely that certain actions just weren't possible anymore. Such as his eyes expressing any thoughts he was currently bouncing around in his mind. He was pretty good at hiding them anyway but better safe than sorry. Especially when he was all but certain that Celes could not read his soul as he could hers. Though from the look on her face, it wasn't for a lack of trying on her part. Still, he could tell when there were points of interest. Her soul would simply ripple before returning to a calm state. Such as when she learned of the Sanctus by name. Which showed just how little the Soul Society as a whole understood what happened in the recent months.

Surprisingly though she did decide to interrupt him and call him out on his "immortality". By the end of it even he had to admit that she was correct. Celes specifically, could not kill him in any meaningful way. Though. . . that wasn't to say that others amongst her allies couldn't but that was information he'd keep to himself. Still, he did chuckle at her comment before deciding to continue regardless. Everything changed however from the point of naming Guujin. Her soul raging and yet retrained enough to try and find a lie in his words. A tell that he was playing with her emotions. Something that the hellion was "evil and manipulative". He decided not to look into her soul for that reasoning but was certain she'd had some sort of past dealings, Orobas and Alastor aside, that likely gave her a more visceral reaction than he'd initially expected.

But everything finally clicked into place when he spoke about telling her everything. Her soul and by extension Celes herself were grabbed almost immediately. The look in her eye and the way her soul started expressing a deep desire for this information told him everything. He'd gotten Celes hook, line, and sinker on that alone. Everything else he'd say, sans the conditions he had were icing on a surprisingly good cake. At the mention of his conditions however her soul reeled itself back. And there they were again at this staring contest. Her trying to find holes in his speech. Going over what he said. Maybe even trying to find the more specific "evil" behind the allure and glittering gold words he'd spoken. Her commentary after this pause however made it evidently clear that she didn't find it as she was simplifying his offer. Most of it anyway.

In response Brutus simply nodded and remained silent. Her zanpakuto spirit seemed to have something to say. And surprisingly Celes had even decided her inner hollow got to make its commentary about the exchange. It was no surprise that it sought the glory of beating an individual who killed another vizard. More specifically the inner hollow within Camilla. This did make Brutus wonder just how Albin was. He'd yet to contact the other due to simply not finding a genuine desire or need. He'd gotten enough amusement from Shawn and his idiocy. He chuckled without thinking about his current circumstance and then realized where he was. He likely looked suspicious as it was obvious, he'd found something funny. He may have to answer for that later but for now it seemed that Celes and even her spirits were willing to go along with this deal.

Brutus took a moment to think over at least one of the conditions for his assistance. Once certain he had the correct phrasing, he began speaking his terms. "I have 3 conditions I'd like met. The first condition is simple. You will tell no one of me. This includes but is not limited to: My name. My race. My location, previous, future, or present, to your best knowledge. Absolutely nothing about my powers or capabilities. As well as no mention that I have helped you in any shape or manner. Let alone have ever interacted with you. In essence by agreeing to my deal you cannot relay anything regarding myself, in any capacity, in any way, about me to another. My second term is that upon killing Guujin you will do two things for me. 1. You will allow me to search his corpse, or whatever remains, and take any objects on his person. No questions asked. 2. You will assist me in my escape as well as my search of his body. This is specific to if there is another who would try to stop me from searching for the items I desire and/or if I am to be interrupted while leaving. If no one else is present, then this stipulation does not apply. How you assist me is determined by what you feel is most useful in that moment. I suspect that will likely entail holding another down for a short period."

"My last condition revolves around your choice of reward. Specifically, if you desire something that will be given or determined at a later period, I would like access to enter your inner world. Preferably, without the need to be killed several times before we speak. Are these terms agreeable? Also are there any other questions you have about the deal between us? In case you are wondering, if there is a signed contract, there is. The process is short but ultimately requires a bit of your energy and blood as it will mine. This is simply to assure that both of us will get the rewards and services specified in our dealing. I will only need both from you specifically as your spirits are tied to you and thus tied to the deal so long as you agree and sign." Brutus then went quiet and looked at all present. His questions specifically geared towards Celes but given the other two were involved by proxy, he was willing to listen and answer any questions they may have also.

[Celes Castellanos]

"I have 3 conditions I'd like met." Celes nodded her head. Unlike before where she picked out the most important parts of the conversation, she'd listen in full this time. After all, Brutus was laying down the additional terms of the agreement. The first condition wasn't too bad. All that Brutus wanted was that Celes effectively swear secrecy. No mention of the Hellion could be made by her to anyone else. Her thoughts were largely echoed by Yukito who spoke shortly after, "A sensible precaution." Celes nodded her head in agreement. Actually, it even covered her own ass to an extent. She wouldn't have to affiliate with Brutus in any specific way.

The second condition was a little more peculiar. The short of it? Brutus wanted to effectively loot the Right Hands' corpse. She narrowed her eyes for a brief moment. She had to admit she was a little curious. "What is it that he wants from Guujin?.." Alas, she wouldn't pry. Turns out, however, that it had a two-parter. Not only would Celes have to allow him to loot Guujin, but she'd have to actively protect him during it. Her eyes narrowed for a moment as she hummed. It was not difficult to tell that she found it less than ideal. After all, this is the point where she would be implicated. 

She'd pause for a moment, concentrating on the last of Brutus' requests. If the former was less than ideal... than this last one was out of the question! Brutus desired access to her Inner World. It was conditional, but the prospect of allowing a Hellion to freely frolic through her Inner World made her soul recoil again. Then again, she thought about it briefly. There was nothing she truly wanted. Nothing material at least. It was then that one thing came to mind. One thing that could benefit her. She'd sigh briefly.

Her eyes drifted upward to meet Brutus skull as she spoke, "Between you and me, Guujin's death is all that matters to me. I don't know what it is that you want off his body and I don't really care. You can grab what you wish." She'd make that clear immediately. "As for protecting you... I can do that. It may cast a bad light on my reputation, but what the hell. He..." Celes briefly pointed at her Inner Hollow. "Is damning enough as is. Though... I suppose that is a good segue into what I want out of this."

Yunorashi and Yukito both stared at Celes. They were practically linked to the Shinigami. They knew that she wasn't materialistic. Yet not even they knew what she could ask of the Hellion. What it was that she wanted. "You want access to this place? Fine. You may need it after all." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she collected her thoughts. Once she made up her mind in earnest, she spoke, "You've shown your ability to get just about anywhere you pleased. I'll assume that means you can create doors to and from anywhere. With that in mind... I need a way out." 

Yukito raised an eyebrow for a moment. Yunorashi tilted her head in confusion. "A way out, Celes?" The Shinigami nodded. "My Inner Hollow is an engine of destruction." The blond-haired Shinigami would be briefly interrupted by Yukito as he spoke, mockingly, "My... that has to be the nicest thing you've ever said about me, Celes!" He grinned as he could start to see where this was going. "If I were to have problems holding him back, I fear that there would be no place for me in the Gotei anymore. So, my request is simple. Whether it's after killing Guujin or whether it's sometime after, I'd like you to pull me out. Take me anywhere that isn't Soul Society, preferably XCution." 

Yunorashi hummed softly as Celes got up. The Zanpakutō Spirit grabbed her arm for a moment. "Celes. Are you sure about this? Having an Inner Hollow is bad enough, but to be rescued by Hell..." She paused for a moment. "Don't you remember what they did to Camila, Celes? Not only did they send you, but they even sent another Captain to execute her. They'd never leave you alone..." The Captain's eyes widened for a moment. Memories flashed through her mind. Painful ones. Being ordered to kill Camila was cruel. It only served to fracture their bond even further.

Celes winced for a moment and lightly tore her arm away from Yunorashi. "They'd never leave us alone as is, Yunorashi. Face it. We have to avenge Camila. How could I forgive myself for all of this if I didn't at least honor her that way? There's even an opportunity to get out with our lives. Isn't that what you want...?" Yunorashi sighed and let go of her friends' arm. Giving her Zanpakutō Spirit a smile, Celes turned to Brutus. "Sound good to you?" Assuming that all was well and good, Celes drew her Zanpakutō. There would be no malice towards Brutus with the motion. Instead, Celes gently drew the blade across the palm of her hand. At the same time, she infused it with a bit of her reiryoku or spiritual energy. "So... where do we sign?" For all intents and purposes, it seems that Brutus, a Hellion, had done the impossible. Celes was actually in on the deal! 

[Brutus]

Brutus stayed quiet as he waited for the others to convene. He made no expression and simply occasionally "glanced" around at all involved. He was however glad that there was a silent approval of his first condition. An easily acquired one at that. Well that went exceptionally well all things considered. Understood by all. And even desired in some regard by Celes. And given the tied-up nature of their souls this means even if the inner hollow takes over there will be none to speak of me. I will continue to operate as I see fit. Even if the latter conditions are unacceptable, I'd consider this a well fought victory given Guujin will die in the process regardless. His appreciation dwindled some as he realized his second condition didn't settle nearly as well with the group.

Namely Celes. It made sense, however. She was a captain of Soul Society and this condition effectively meant that if she didn't actively assist him in his true goal, she'd get nothing from him. And if she did, she'd be found out for conspiring with Hell. It was a double standard one that Brutus sadly had to make a necessity. He was certain whatever her choice in reward was would likely outweigh it. And if worse comes to worse, perhaps the matter could be discussed. He was not at a direct advantage in this dealing. The idea of either him or Celes really controlling the terms was dubious at best. Thus, it was in both of their favors, more so Brutus's if things remained civil and calm. Eventually though she wasn't fond of it, she seemed to have made up her mind over that condition.

However, the way her soul reviled the last condition did not go unnoticed. In a way it almost looked like his words had stabbed Celes at her core with the notion alone. Brutus remained impassive however as there was a simple truth to the matter that even Celes had to know. How could he fulfill his end of the deal, especially if Celes required a task or otherwise longstanding reward, if he wasn't able to get in contact with her? They'd already agreed that this was by far the simplest and safest way to get in contact with one another. Another route only served to spread rumors or worse, out both of them those around. . . and possibly to any spies around. He'd stay silent until Celes had told him directly that she would not allow him to make the final stipulation as that would inevitably require a conversation between them if it came up.

Incredibly it never did. For any of his terms. Instead, she was more than willing to comply with them. Even going so far as to be dismissive of his condition for a specific item. He chuckled some but nodded all the same, showing he was listening. Her thoughts about his second condition effectively mirrored his own. And she even went so far as to acknowledge the fact that her life and way of life was already on the table as far as things were concerned. Her inner hollow had made that apparent. Thus came the nature of her reward and Brutus had to admit it was well within his capabilities. And admittedly a surprisingly reasonable decision of a reward. She wanted the means to leave and go anywhere within any of the realms. Safely. Easily. With the unspoken understanding that when Celes was leaving, he'd had to assist her in that. She may not have needed defending but there is no doubt that her powers were combative more so than versatile and encompassing.

Brutus slowly began to nod as he thought about it. This was her terms for his unrestricted use and entrance to her inner world. And it could be called in at any time of her choosing. Very useful. Were Brutus not a hellion, and thus inherently disposed to giving the minimum of the terms described, he'd have likely given her more times to use him as transport. All things considered; he was still tempted to sneak that into her deal anyway as she WAS helping release him from being bound to an insufferable pain in the ass. Perhaps this was less a "Doing good by one another" and more simply "Fair payment." Regardless he continues to watch as this was the moment that the zanpakuto spirit decided to try and sway Celes away. Perhaps his conditions had pushed her too far into the realm of uncomfortable. He was a hellion after all, that did unfortunately make him "uncomfortable" to deal with.

Perhaps now was when he should mention he could give her more times to use his capabilities? He stayed quiet as Celes decided to speak of her own accord, but Brutus also came to realize it probably wouldn't have swayed the other anyway. Get out of jail free cards were not eternal. And relying on Brutus, who was a hellion, was her entire argument in the first place. Thankfully Celes had convinced her spirit to follow through meanwhile the inner hollow didn't seem concerned in the slightest. It was at this point that Brutus knew the deal was all but sealed he only needed to hear Celes speak to him to confirm it. Brutus smiled some as he nodded at her and spoke. "This is agreeable. I will need a moment to write down our deal in my contract book. Once done I will give it to you to review. One moment."

The next few minutes were sluggish, at least from Brutus's end. He ripped reality apart and reached into the hole pulling out a thick tome. It looked about as old as Brutus himself with its frayed and torn pages. The leather that bound it looked strange as it was stitched together haphazardly. After the tome came a small quill and ink vial. He began writing out the terms they'd agreed upon in simple and plain speech to ensure that Celes wouldn't have a change of heart due to "hidden agenda's" within. However, if Celes was curious enough to look at the other page, she would see what gave Brutus a small smile. Shawn's name written in his blood and radiating a very weak amount of pure energy. This, if found, would be the condemning nail in the coffin for how Brutus found out about Celes in the first place.

Upon completing the terms, conditions, and agreed upon rewards Brutus walked over to her, with his floating ensemble. The book held open to her with the ink quill floating next to her. Brutus then pointed at one of the two bottom lines on the page. "My signature will be on the left side, while your signature will be on the right side. Just so you can be certain there are no hidden clauses, I will tell you how to verify a hidden text within a contract with a hellion. Typically, reiatsu is used to hide these clauses and assuming, like most individuals, you are not gifted with potent spiritual sight to see it directly there is one way to force it out. Or at least reveal its presence. You would need to flood the contract itself with your reiatsu. Even if you could not see the clause itself you will see where the writing or the page is distorted and can know for certain that something is hidden. Feel free to do so with our contract, though there is no hidden clauses within. When you are ready to sign, simply dip the quill in your blood. I will finish the rest from there. This includes placing your reiatsu within as I must personally handle that."

Upon Celes taking the tome, Brutus would stand a few steps away again. Giving her ample space to read and, hopefully, sign the contract in question. Brutus remained patient and calm though it did take a decent amount of his mental energy to not show some approval of the situation. His life, Celes's, and especially Guujin's life was about to change with a simple signature. He'd never be able to claim he was happier than now, especially in his last couple thousands of years of existence. But that moment needed to wait, he could be more open with Celes once she'd signed, and the contract would begin to take effect.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Grimoire}

SPOILER: Click to show

{Cinematic Deal Making Tech}Technique Name: Broker's Sigils

Technique Class: 4

Technique Type: Cinematic

Usable By: Hason

Technique Element: Sigils

Description:

This technique is what almost anyone that's heard of Hell expects. It's a sigil that binds two individuals together in a contract. Typically, everyone would expect that the requirement is to sign one's soul away on a dotted line and bam whatever your heart desires is yours. This technique operates in a similar fashion but not with that specific consequence. Instead, how it operates is that it puts a physical reminder of a promise made between two individuals. Upon looking at the marking, the viewer will be reminded immediately of their side of the agreement as well as what was promised to them. The marking is noticeable to anyone and can be placed anywhere on the body of the individuals involved. The marking is unique to the Hason and must be selected upon learning this technique.

Mechanically what this technique does is fairly simple. When the technique is used there are only a few things that can be given to a beneficiary. An item, the promise of knowledge, assistance in a task, or a task that an individual does alone. In the case of a task that a character agrees to do, it must be within the power of the character to give. I.E. No hason can just give raw stats to another, as no hason has that power. However, the hason can assist a character in achieving a task in an alternate thread. This is because being present and acting as an ally is within any hason's power. Items that are used as a bargaining chip must be usable by both members of the deal. When the item is given to the other member is decided upon in the thread this technique is used in.

As far as knowledge is concerned it can be a request for any type of knowledge. Be it how a technique operates, information on an organization, a character's release, etc. The key point is that the character must know the information or be willing to find out the information. In either case, the character when giving the information to requester is unable to lie about the information and will explain everything they know about the topic.

More than anything this technique is an in-character way of solidifying an agreement between hason and another individual. Namely due to the fact that Hasons, as a hellion race, are not trusted inherently for being related to Hell. Thus, this technique will ensure that, in character, the hason and the other individual both get what is agreed upon in thread. Effectively an insurance policy for non-hellions or other hellions that are distrustful of the hason in question. Once the thread this technique is used in, is graded, the information of the deal is then added to one's point bank for all members involved. Once a deal is completed, the marking is removed from the body and in each member's point bank a note is made about the deal being completed.


How to Use:

Talk with an individual about the desires of each person. Then when terms are found agreeable to both, each member will shake on it. The hason then channels reiatsu into the individual and a marking will appear on both beings' bodies where they desire.

Drawbacks:

Can only be used in a social. Items must be usable by both parties to be offered. A task must be within the capabilities of a character to give. Information given must be truthful and as complete as possible, to the extent the individual in question knows.

The character cannot back out of their agreement alone. Both parties must agree to back out of the deal. (This would be done in thread.) However as this is strictly a plot device it can easily be nullified so long as the RP'ers decide to do away with it. (This can be done out of thread.) In either case this would be listed in the point bank of those involved.

Made By: Astrid (Ryouzen)

Reserved?: No

SPOILER: Click to show

{Background Music}

[Celes Castellanos]

The Captain patiently awaited to see if there was any issue on Brutus' end with the terms of the deal. Thankfully, it seems as though all parties involved would be satisfied. "This is agreeable. I will need a moment to write down our deal in my contract book. Once done I will give it to you to review. One moment." Celes raised an eyebrow. In the Hellions' typical fashion, he ripped open yet another portal and seemed to pull some kind of book out. Large and hefty, it seemed to be bound in a horrifying combination bones and... was that leather? Or flesh...? Celes winced a little while Yukito simply hummed with amusement. 

As Brutus wrote out the terms of the contract, Celes would be surprised to find it not written in any ancient arcane language or eldritch runes, but instead plain English. The Shinigami could tell that this way no accident. This was by design. The Hellion wanted her to be able to read it. Once more, her soul reached out briefly as he wrote. She could feel no deception. No lies. No malice. She was... surprised to say the least. For a moment, Celes' eyes drifted. Among the names that had been written out, one in particular stood out. A name she recognized and the reiryoku to match it. It was Shawn! Celes' eyes widened for a little. "Son of a bitch..."

Her attention returned to Brutus as he explained where she'd sign. As the book turned to her, ink and quill included, the Hellion explained how hidden clauses could be unveiled. At least among Hellions. She'd narrow her eyes. Once more, she got a good feeling from him. Well... less good and more bound by his word. This is something that Celes could understand. Honor was deeply important to her. Her word was binding, even when not written in a contract. She thought about it for a moment as Brutus confirmed that there were no hidden clauses or strings attached.

She just shook her head and looked over at Brutus. "You should know, I've made it a point not to trust Hellions. They tend to be conniving, treacherous and practically incapable of anything that is good and just." She paused for a moment as the tone in her voice softened. "Call it empathy, but I am pretty good at sensing deceit and treachery. At least if its malicious. You seem... honorable in your own way." She could hardly believe that she was saying that. She who had condemned all of Hell since meeting Orobas actually trusted one of its denizens.

"That being said, would you be willing to hear out a slight change to the rules?" Waiting for some confirmation, Celes continued. "It seems you've been busy and came across a Shawn Rabuburēdo. Our conditions stipulate that I can't reveal your existence, but what about to people who already know of you or have gone into business with you? Is this acceptable to you?" Celes wouldn't try to convince him to acquiesce if there were any concerns over the matter. It wasn't that serious to her, but she'd certainly be lying if she wasn't at least curious about Shawn's situation.

After the amendment was made, or not, Celes would carefully dip her hand into her own blood. It was strange and felt archaic. To sign in her own blood. Nevertheless, she'd do so if required. Before the quill even touched the paper, though, Celes felt her arm be grabbed. She looked over at the assailant. It wasn't Yunorashi nor even Brutus. It was Yukito, her Inner Hollow. He smirked. "It never hurts to make sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are being faithful and honest." 

Celes tilted her head as Yukito touched the bottom of the page and allowed his reiryoku to flow through it. He wouldn't do anything to damage the page. As the Hollow reiryoku touched every inch of it, nothing changed. Celes simply gave him a smug grin. Letting go of her arm, he snarled. "Listen here. I just didn't want to enter a deal like the one Orobas made us some time ago." Celes remembered that day well. How could she forget. "Offering to drag us down to Hell to train us. Seriously? Who would take that deal? I swear, what a fucking idiot." He paused for a moment and turned back, grinning at Celes. "Oh, and just remember Celes. If you fight Guujin and prove too weak... I won't hesitate to steal the spotlight. I'll wring his fucking neck if needed, but don't expect me to idly stand by and talk if someone else happens to be with you at the time." 

A shiver rose up Celes' spine as she gulped. It didn't matter. This needed to be done. Without a moments' hesitation, Celes renewed the blood on the quill and wrote her name in an elegant signature. If she was going to enter a deal with the devil... might as well, make it look nice. After writing her name down, she'd hand it to Brutus so he could sign as well. Assuming he did so, Celes sighed. "Well. I suppose our fates are now sealed, aren't they?" It seemed that they would each get what they wanted. Brutus would get his freedom and Celes would have Guujins' head.