Post by Deleted on Feb 13, 2023 18:08:01 GMT -5
It was strange, to be out in the light. Being a Hollow that had first appeared in Hueco Mundo and with no memories to their name, it was safe to say that Caballero had never had to walk under the sun before. Their first venture into the human world had taken them to Karakura Town, but they had arrived at the sprawling town during the dark of night. As such, to say the moment the sun had first risen over the horizon had taken Caballero by surprise would be an understatement. At first, the tiny yet brave Hollow had stared at the sun, and waved their little sword to the side as if to challenge that radiance to a battle. However, Caballero had quickly discovered that, whatever that blazing ball up in the sky was, it was not interested in them or their wish to battle. As such, their excitement and eagerness to battle had quickly translated into a desire to get out of that light, even if only by pure instinct. Despite this, Caballero's void-black body seemed mostly unaffected by it; the warmth even felt nice. The human world was not as cold as Hueco Mundo, but winter in Karakura Town was a close match.
In the end, the little Hollow had opted to leave the shade and venture out into the concrete wilderness, although they would prefer to keep to the shadow as they walked about. Caballero's perhaps-oversized head turned around and around, absorbing the landscape around it. So different from the world it had been born in. Sights to see beyond an endless ocean of sand, sounds to hear other than Hollows preying on one another, or threatening to consume them. Smells, physical sensations, everything was completely different. Taking all that information in distracted Caballero from the humans that could not see them and from the occasional Pluses that hid in fear of the Hollow, only to come out moments later once the 'threat' had passed without any harm to anybody.
Soon enough, Caballero paused right in their tracks. Their young mind was capable of deducing that they had walked enough to be lost. Unlike the vast emptiness of their home world, the almost labyrinthian composition of those streets confused the tiny Hollow. What turns had they taken? Where had they gone straight? Although they did not have anywhere precise to go, Caballero still wanted to have a grasp on their exact location. As such, they sheer instinct drove them to jerk their stubby little hand forward, out of the rags that formed their 'Shihakusho'. In a moment, black tendrils blossommed forth, twisting themselves to the ledges of a window. The little Hollow hoisted itself up by retracting their Tendon, with enough strength to lift their very light body up into the air. They repeated that all the way until they reached the top and soared above the roof for a moment. Then, it thrust the other arm forward and repeated the maneuver, tying Tendon to a nearby antenna. Landing smoothly, the little creature glanced over Karakura Town.
Caballero's senses were far from hyper-developed, but they were still enough to let them take in the nearby parts of town and at least get a sense of where they stood in comparison. The bustling city marveled the little creature, who just stared ahead, lost in a daze. Caballero decided that it wanted to continued heading straight ahead. Not for any particular reason, it just felt right to do so there was one big square, and the open space, plenty of people and colorful signs all appealed to the Hollow. Thus, Caballero jumped from the roof, using Tendon to land safely on the ground and resume their wandering a few moments later, still enjoying the city.
They were in no rush or hurry, so about half an hour passed until their tiny steps took them to the Shopping District. Mesmerized, the Hollow watched from a vantage position near a few trash cans, larger than they were. Humans walked about, busy as bees, some in a rush, some enjoying their day. Caballero was satisfied with what they had seen, and seeking the next wonder, turned to go someplace else.
Screams echoed in the shopping square. Due to their dismal Energy Sensory abilities, Caballero had been unable to perceive the Hollow stalking around the area, and had only been clued in to their presence once it had launched their attack on some humans, immediately bringing out their souls. The confused and horrified Pluses screamed once again in sheer terror and panic, understanding not one thing that was happening to them--and if the first had made Caballero turn to the scenery of a hunt, the second had made them freeze for a moment.
Two natures conflicted: it had nothing to do with them. The Hollow didn't seem to have noticed their presence. Caballero could have just ignored all that, go on with their day, wander to another part of town and remain safe. However, the moment they heard the Pluses beg for help, their conscious mind became fully focused on the conflict. It was not the instinct of a Hollow, driving them to prey on innocent souls to sate the endless hunger--that was still in check, if growing a little stronger by the hour. No, what prompted Caballero to rush toward the scene as fast as their tiny legs allowed them to was something completely different. An old dream, perhaps.
The tiny Hollow plunged into battle, moving deceptively fast for their slow size. Their right arm formed broke into tendrils that rejoined around their small katana, gripping it tightly. Before the monster could devour any of their prey, Caballero jumped forward and . The hit hadn't been deep enough for the Hollow to be defeated, far from it, but it caused enough damage to confuse it and make it thrash about a few times, in search of a large opponent that just wasn't there. With the inertia from their own jump and downward strike, Caballero flew far enough to land in front of the Pluses, who screamed again. However, the tiny Hollow only looked at them for a moment before they turned to face the real sword. Thus, standing in the way of the big, bad Hollow, Caballero pointed their sword at the enemy and swung it to the side, adopting a ready stance. The Pluses behind took fearful steps backwards, almost frozen in place.
This was no issued challenge. This was a Hollow, fighting their own kind.
In the end, the little Hollow had opted to leave the shade and venture out into the concrete wilderness, although they would prefer to keep to the shadow as they walked about. Caballero's perhaps-oversized head turned around and around, absorbing the landscape around it. So different from the world it had been born in. Sights to see beyond an endless ocean of sand, sounds to hear other than Hollows preying on one another, or threatening to consume them. Smells, physical sensations, everything was completely different. Taking all that information in distracted Caballero from the humans that could not see them and from the occasional Pluses that hid in fear of the Hollow, only to come out moments later once the 'threat' had passed without any harm to anybody.
Soon enough, Caballero paused right in their tracks. Their young mind was capable of deducing that they had walked enough to be lost. Unlike the vast emptiness of their home world, the almost labyrinthian composition of those streets confused the tiny Hollow. What turns had they taken? Where had they gone straight? Although they did not have anywhere precise to go, Caballero still wanted to have a grasp on their exact location. As such, they sheer instinct drove them to jerk their stubby little hand forward, out of the rags that formed their 'Shihakusho'. In a moment, black tendrils blossommed forth, twisting themselves to the ledges of a window. The little Hollow hoisted itself up by retracting their Tendon, with enough strength to lift their very light body up into the air. They repeated that all the way until they reached the top and soared above the roof for a moment. Then, it thrust the other arm forward and repeated the maneuver, tying Tendon to a nearby antenna. Landing smoothly, the little creature glanced over Karakura Town.
Caballero's senses were far from hyper-developed, but they were still enough to let them take in the nearby parts of town and at least get a sense of where they stood in comparison. The bustling city marveled the little creature, who just stared ahead, lost in a daze. Caballero decided that it wanted to continued heading straight ahead. Not for any particular reason, it just felt right to do so there was one big square, and the open space, plenty of people and colorful signs all appealed to the Hollow. Thus, Caballero jumped from the roof, using Tendon to land safely on the ground and resume their wandering a few moments later, still enjoying the city.
They were in no rush or hurry, so about half an hour passed until their tiny steps took them to the Shopping District. Mesmerized, the Hollow watched from a vantage position near a few trash cans, larger than they were. Humans walked about, busy as bees, some in a rush, some enjoying their day. Caballero was satisfied with what they had seen, and seeking the next wonder, turned to go someplace else.
Screams echoed in the shopping square. Due to their dismal Energy Sensory abilities, Caballero had been unable to perceive the Hollow stalking around the area, and had only been clued in to their presence once it had launched their attack on some humans, immediately bringing out their souls. The confused and horrified Pluses screamed once again in sheer terror and panic, understanding not one thing that was happening to them--and if the first had made Caballero turn to the scenery of a hunt, the second had made them freeze for a moment.
Two natures conflicted: it had nothing to do with them. The Hollow didn't seem to have noticed their presence. Caballero could have just ignored all that, go on with their day, wander to another part of town and remain safe. However, the moment they heard the Pluses beg for help, their conscious mind became fully focused on the conflict. It was not the instinct of a Hollow, driving them to prey on innocent souls to sate the endless hunger--that was still in check, if growing a little stronger by the hour. No, what prompted Caballero to rush toward the scene as fast as their tiny legs allowed them to was something completely different. An old dream, perhaps.
The tiny Hollow plunged into battle, moving deceptively fast for their slow size. Their right arm formed broke into tendrils that rejoined around their small katana, gripping it tightly. Before the monster could devour any of their prey, Caballero jumped forward and . The hit hadn't been deep enough for the Hollow to be defeated, far from it, but it caused enough damage to confuse it and make it thrash about a few times, in search of a large opponent that just wasn't there. With the inertia from their own jump and downward strike, Caballero flew far enough to land in front of the Pluses, who screamed again. However, the tiny Hollow only looked at them for a moment before they turned to face the real sword. Thus, standing in the way of the big, bad Hollow, Caballero pointed their sword at the enemy and swung it to the side, adopting a ready stance. The Pluses behind took fearful steps backwards, almost frozen in place.
This was no issued challenge. This was a Hollow, fighting their own kind.