Post by Astrid Vess on Jun 5, 2023 22:51:32 GMT -5
Astrid breathed heavily as she returned to her senses. Yet again, she couldn't find it within her power to fully control herself. The souls of those she'd consumed were overpowering and utterly overwhelming. And yet it didn't dominate her, no instead it empowered her, egged her on like some kind of fire that was constantly being fueled with explosive material. Astrid simply couldn't help but see nothing but the blood on her hands and the piles of bodies she'd made. It was both immensely satisfying as well as immensely upsetting. For all the big talk Charlotte had given Astrid about how much more powerful the Espada were compared to standard arrancar let alone arrancar compared to hollows, she had to admit she had desired more control over herself. While she got power unimaginable to her previous iteration she had also lost quite a bit of control along with it. Something Charlotte had distinctly not mentioned in her speeches. Astrid couldn't find it in herself to be angry or even frustrated. Instead she was oddly calm and simply found herself unconcerned. Brushing it off as if it were a speck of dust on her shoulder.
Astrid hummed to herself as she looked over her now "normal" form. If nothing else she was immensely pleased. She was perfect, in a way. Distinctly feminine in body yet not weak or dainty. She had musculature that would make most men envious. And it came with an immense amount of power to back it up. Still Astrid had to wonder if it was enough. . . Marik was still around. Technically a higher rank than herself. She growled softly at the thought of him still being better than her. She felt a spark for just a moment within herself before it faded. Speaking of Marik she needed to face him again. Not. . . in a fight per say. They needed to meet. And to Astrid's immense displeasure "Talk". She rolled her eyes as she began to inscribe a sigil onto the ground before her. Grumbling quietly as she did so. "Of course it has to be a "talk". He had one moment of understanding how to BE a hollow and afterwards returned to his spineless self. At least now he'll understand . . . most of what I say. I still don't like talking. . . It's still so . . . foreign. Even if it feels more natural than it ever has."
Astrid humphed to herself as she finished the sigil. A bit more complex than her preferred sigil but unfortunately her older one had stopped working ever since she'd became a hollow. Another annoying trade off. All her powers were shifted and changed dramatically. It was frustrating having to navigate into a new everything. Powers. Self. Capabilities. Envirornment. Her eyes narrowed especially so once she thought about where she was now. An Espada. Just like Charlotte had wanted. Was it worth it though? She was gone now. Had left her within her palace and then disappeared. There was nothing remaining of her. And it made Astrid furious something fierce. She remembered that experience vividly. She'd released almost immediately on accident and was almost at the same time lost in her fury more so than she'd ever been. The souls screamed not at her but with her. Completely in sync and assisted her in letting loose. This of course meant she had run rampant through Las Noches nearly unchecked until she found herself in the wastes. . . again. From there it was day after day of just killing everything before her. Eating what she killed. Stalking around the sands and becoming familiar on an instinctual level with them. Even going down into the forest and attempting to cultivate some level of "territory".
None of it sated her. She continued to feel like she was missing something. Wasn't doing something she needed to be. Something that was made just for her. So here she was, a tool for yet another arrogant fool. Just like the Akki of Hell. The waste of space would certainly go down there when they finally passed. But until then she was bound to the "Castle" he had. Unless of course. . . she just walked away. Charlotte did that. Perhaps Astrid could or rather SHOULD. Tempting as it was to rampage across all the worlds she still had business with Las Noches. Rio needed to be put in his fucking place at some point. The disrespect he'd given Astrid previously never forgotten and absolutely not forgiven. She would grind his bones into paste, then into dust, and finally into the very grains of sand in violence. Perpetually light him on fire if she had her way. There was also Marik, current Primera Espada. He was. . . an enigma to her. Spineless. Yet stronger than anyone she'd ever met. Hell his ranking in this convoluted system proved it. And yet he never realized it himself. Well. . . not completely.
He'd come to terms with it for a brief period on this "misadventure". Astrid felt her right eye twinge and flex in minor phantom pains. While she had regained the eye the scarring over it was never gone. And it immensely bothered her. Marik too had lost an eye if she wasn't mistaken. As she walked through the warped space she had to wonder if her still was down an eye or if he had regained it. As the world around her warped back into place, she found herself among one of the many hallways in this fucking maze of a "castle". She growled to herself again, mildly annoyed that she was going to be lost again. Worse yet, it wasn't like she could sense anyone. THAT had NEVER changed. As much as Astrid had learned and begun to understand reiatsu she could never sense it for shit. If anything she had an instinctual "understanding" of it. Especially whilst it was being utilized around her. But she never could willingly look for it herself. She groaned and let out a loud sound of frustration. She'd have to find Marik the old fashioned way. Walking. In circles. Picking different directions.
Or rather, she would have had she not caught his scent. It was faint, probably a couple weeks old at this point. And yet she knew it had to be him. It smelled of bird. And as far as she knew, there was only one bird that mattered in any world she could go to. She immediately started following the scent, hands in her jacket pockets in tightly wound fists. It would be a long while until she'd find him. Or wherever his end destination was, so she may as well come to terms with the trip. For any looking as Astrid all but prowled the hallways she'd stand out for several reasons. First and foremost being she refused to wear white. The uniform she was given had been torn to shreds almost immediately. Instead, she had stolen her wardrobe from the human world once she'd figured out how to return to it. To make matters worse, most of Astrid's wardrobe was black. So, she stood out even further given all of Las Noches seemed to have this insane need to be white as the sand outside. It only made Astrid more willing to rebel against the stupid rules she could now comprehend.
Thus, Astrid had on a grey V-neck undershirt with a black leather jacket on, black ripped jeans, and military boots on. The undershirt given how far the V-neck went showed off her collection of skulls that was her mask fragment as well as the tattoo of her rank. However. . . it was fucked up. While Astrid WAS the third espada she had almost immediately decided to disregard the ranking tattoo and had forced the hollow making it on her body to add a "1" to the front. This way she could be the Thirteenth Espada. She knew that it technically meant she was weaker than the others, but she figured if someone wanted to push their luck, she could just kill them for trying to prove her wrong. Besides, if she was going to have ANY number on her body, it would be a number she fucking liked. So, 13 would be on the base of her throat and in between her collar bones in full gothic glory. Sitting just above her fragment. Astrid took another deep breath, focusing on the scents at play. She found Rio's almost immediately and just about turned on her heel to go after him. But she knew that there would be time later. He could and WOULD wait for her.
Marik could not wait. If nothing else Astrid NEEDED to know why the fuck he was here. How he took Charlotte's position. And most importantly, what the fuck he was doing. This place wasn't something Astrid would have ever considered Marik being a part of. So, the fact he had deeply concerned her. Especially since she was also present. The frown on her face grew as she immediately let her right-hand punch into the wall and start dragging deep cracks on it as she made her way down another series of hallways, twists, and turns. His scent was growing stronger. She was starting to find it overwhelming in some respects, considering that there were other scents mingling and trying to fight for supremacy. One being something that was already mixed with cologne or some other disgusting smell. She couldn't imagine who would douse themself in another scent. It was disgusting and whoever had done it, had wasted their time even attempting to hide their scent.
After what felt like an eternity, she found just what she was looking for. The entrance to Marik's domain. His "slice of the castle". Well, his now. It used to be Charlotte's but given her absence, it had been readily consumed by Marik. Faint smells of Charlotte and Serenity were present, however. Very very faint. And it made Astrid. . . uncertain how to feel. Anger and frustration were the go to's but this new feeling wasn't. Instead of thinking on it any further though Astrid decided to simply enter as she did all the rooms now. She kicked the door open. Or at least attempted to. It wasn't like Charlotte, nor any Espada reinforced or otherwise changed their doors. It would be stupid to do so given half the time they were destroyed by people like Astrid or by the Espada in question. Assuming the door wasn't reinforced and fell off the hinges she'd walk into Marik's domain and promptly yell out to him. "MAAAAAARRRRRIIIIIIK! I KNOW YOU'RE FUCKING IN HERE! IF I HAVE TO FIND YOU, I'M GOING TO CRUSH YOU'RE SKULL INTO SHRAPNEL! GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE!"
Astrid hummed to herself as she looked over her now "normal" form. If nothing else she was immensely pleased. She was perfect, in a way. Distinctly feminine in body yet not weak or dainty. She had musculature that would make most men envious. And it came with an immense amount of power to back it up. Still Astrid had to wonder if it was enough. . . Marik was still around. Technically a higher rank than herself. She growled softly at the thought of him still being better than her. She felt a spark for just a moment within herself before it faded. Speaking of Marik she needed to face him again. Not. . . in a fight per say. They needed to meet. And to Astrid's immense displeasure "Talk". She rolled her eyes as she began to inscribe a sigil onto the ground before her. Grumbling quietly as she did so. "Of course it has to be a "talk". He had one moment of understanding how to BE a hollow and afterwards returned to his spineless self. At least now he'll understand . . . most of what I say. I still don't like talking. . . It's still so . . . foreign. Even if it feels more natural than it ever has."
Astrid humphed to herself as she finished the sigil. A bit more complex than her preferred sigil but unfortunately her older one had stopped working ever since she'd became a hollow. Another annoying trade off. All her powers were shifted and changed dramatically. It was frustrating having to navigate into a new everything. Powers. Self. Capabilities. Envirornment. Her eyes narrowed especially so once she thought about where she was now. An Espada. Just like Charlotte had wanted. Was it worth it though? She was gone now. Had left her within her palace and then disappeared. There was nothing remaining of her. And it made Astrid furious something fierce. She remembered that experience vividly. She'd released almost immediately on accident and was almost at the same time lost in her fury more so than she'd ever been. The souls screamed not at her but with her. Completely in sync and assisted her in letting loose. This of course meant she had run rampant through Las Noches nearly unchecked until she found herself in the wastes. . . again. From there it was day after day of just killing everything before her. Eating what she killed. Stalking around the sands and becoming familiar on an instinctual level with them. Even going down into the forest and attempting to cultivate some level of "territory".
None of it sated her. She continued to feel like she was missing something. Wasn't doing something she needed to be. Something that was made just for her. So here she was, a tool for yet another arrogant fool. Just like the Akki of Hell. The waste of space would certainly go down there when they finally passed. But until then she was bound to the "Castle" he had. Unless of course. . . she just walked away. Charlotte did that. Perhaps Astrid could or rather SHOULD. Tempting as it was to rampage across all the worlds she still had business with Las Noches. Rio needed to be put in his fucking place at some point. The disrespect he'd given Astrid previously never forgotten and absolutely not forgiven. She would grind his bones into paste, then into dust, and finally into the very grains of sand in violence. Perpetually light him on fire if she had her way. There was also Marik, current Primera Espada. He was. . . an enigma to her. Spineless. Yet stronger than anyone she'd ever met. Hell his ranking in this convoluted system proved it. And yet he never realized it himself. Well. . . not completely.
He'd come to terms with it for a brief period on this "misadventure". Astrid felt her right eye twinge and flex in minor phantom pains. While she had regained the eye the scarring over it was never gone. And it immensely bothered her. Marik too had lost an eye if she wasn't mistaken. As she walked through the warped space she had to wonder if her still was down an eye or if he had regained it. As the world around her warped back into place, she found herself among one of the many hallways in this fucking maze of a "castle". She growled to herself again, mildly annoyed that she was going to be lost again. Worse yet, it wasn't like she could sense anyone. THAT had NEVER changed. As much as Astrid had learned and begun to understand reiatsu she could never sense it for shit. If anything she had an instinctual "understanding" of it. Especially whilst it was being utilized around her. But she never could willingly look for it herself. She groaned and let out a loud sound of frustration. She'd have to find Marik the old fashioned way. Walking. In circles. Picking different directions.
Or rather, she would have had she not caught his scent. It was faint, probably a couple weeks old at this point. And yet she knew it had to be him. It smelled of bird. And as far as she knew, there was only one bird that mattered in any world she could go to. She immediately started following the scent, hands in her jacket pockets in tightly wound fists. It would be a long while until she'd find him. Or wherever his end destination was, so she may as well come to terms with the trip. For any looking as Astrid all but prowled the hallways she'd stand out for several reasons. First and foremost being she refused to wear white. The uniform she was given had been torn to shreds almost immediately. Instead, she had stolen her wardrobe from the human world once she'd figured out how to return to it. To make matters worse, most of Astrid's wardrobe was black. So, she stood out even further given all of Las Noches seemed to have this insane need to be white as the sand outside. It only made Astrid more willing to rebel against the stupid rules she could now comprehend.
Thus, Astrid had on a grey V-neck undershirt with a black leather jacket on, black ripped jeans, and military boots on. The undershirt given how far the V-neck went showed off her collection of skulls that was her mask fragment as well as the tattoo of her rank. However. . . it was fucked up. While Astrid WAS the third espada she had almost immediately decided to disregard the ranking tattoo and had forced the hollow making it on her body to add a "1" to the front. This way she could be the Thirteenth Espada. She knew that it technically meant she was weaker than the others, but she figured if someone wanted to push their luck, she could just kill them for trying to prove her wrong. Besides, if she was going to have ANY number on her body, it would be a number she fucking liked. So, 13 would be on the base of her throat and in between her collar bones in full gothic glory. Sitting just above her fragment. Astrid took another deep breath, focusing on the scents at play. She found Rio's almost immediately and just about turned on her heel to go after him. But she knew that there would be time later. He could and WOULD wait for her.
Marik could not wait. If nothing else Astrid NEEDED to know why the fuck he was here. How he took Charlotte's position. And most importantly, what the fuck he was doing. This place wasn't something Astrid would have ever considered Marik being a part of. So, the fact he had deeply concerned her. Especially since she was also present. The frown on her face grew as she immediately let her right-hand punch into the wall and start dragging deep cracks on it as she made her way down another series of hallways, twists, and turns. His scent was growing stronger. She was starting to find it overwhelming in some respects, considering that there were other scents mingling and trying to fight for supremacy. One being something that was already mixed with cologne or some other disgusting smell. She couldn't imagine who would douse themself in another scent. It was disgusting and whoever had done it, had wasted their time even attempting to hide their scent.
After what felt like an eternity, she found just what she was looking for. The entrance to Marik's domain. His "slice of the castle". Well, his now. It used to be Charlotte's but given her absence, it had been readily consumed by Marik. Faint smells of Charlotte and Serenity were present, however. Very very faint. And it made Astrid. . . uncertain how to feel. Anger and frustration were the go to's but this new feeling wasn't. Instead of thinking on it any further though Astrid decided to simply enter as she did all the rooms now. She kicked the door open. Or at least attempted to. It wasn't like Charlotte, nor any Espada reinforced or otherwise changed their doors. It would be stupid to do so given half the time they were destroyed by people like Astrid or by the Espada in question. Assuming the door wasn't reinforced and fell off the hinges she'd walk into Marik's domain and promptly yell out to him. "MAAAAAARRRRRIIIIIIK! I KNOW YOU'RE FUCKING IN HERE! IF I HAVE TO FIND YOU, I'M GOING TO CRUSH YOU'RE SKULL INTO SHRAPNEL! GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE!"