Morning After, Sickness and Health

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

Something inside of her deflated a bit as Arcadus said there was nothing she could to do help. Shizuka had heard those words before from someone else, and even though it may be true, she also knew that it meant the possibility that he actually might not come back to her. She felt a familiar clench in her stomach and desperately tried to make it go away. I have to trust him. He's strong. He'll succeed. The affirmations helped only slightly since she knew she was trying to convince herself to do the impossible: Leave it to him to figure out. She wouldn't be able to solve the world's problems, or at least not yet. With his help, that may be able to come later.

For now, she listened to his voice as it helped sooth her growing anxiety that she was making a massive effort to choke down. He brought up facts about things she never even thought about before, like how she could potentially follow his footsteps and become an Arrancar. Is that really something that she wanted, though? Well, maybe. She enjoyed being a Fullbringer but that's because it's all she had ever known. She knew some basic things, like how if she died and didn't properly pass on to Soul Society it could mean that she'd become a Hollow, sort of like how ghosts get stuck in the world of the living in TV shows and all due to a grudge or whatever. So if she died and became a Hollow, she could break her mask and turn into an Arrancar like him?

Without even thinking, she followed the man. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even realize she was being led anywhere and simply stuck to him like a lost puppy while she thought about some options. So she had the potential to become an Arrancar... That was fascinating. Despite having these things on her mind, she did take note of Arcadus sitting down and getting somewhat comfortable, so she did the same and leaned her back against his left side. She picked up both legs and crossed them while resting her hands on her stomach. Shizuka knew she probably looked a bit spacey, but she looked up at the ceiling anyway and continued to listen as she tried to refocus her attention away from death and rebirth.

If he was right, she could live forever now. Well, as close to forever as possible. Shizuka didn't know if she felt any different in particular and tried to think back on a time when she might have had a hint at this. The only thing she could remember was how her family always talked about how she looked the same every time she went to visit them. She had a bit of a burst of power hit her a little over three years ago, but outside of that, she always felt like she had the same level of ability since she was sixteen. Interesting... So she really could be like Arcadus or Shinigami or others who were similar. She didn't have to die naturally.

"Hmm... So it's like that, huh..."

Shizuka smirked to herself only for a brief moment as she spoke under her breath, but Arcadus caught her attention once more with some understandable curiosity. She turned only her head to the right so she could rest the side of her face against his arm and thought for a moment. How much am I willing to expose him to? He's already seen the base, so he knows we exist. He knows what we have in our facility. But still... It wasn't that she couldn't trust him, but more so that she was worried about bringing Xcution too far into the eye of the public. Not that Arcadus would do that in particular, but if she could manage to get enough strong people on her side... She had to tell him.

"You may know that there are other organizations that exist within the World of the Living. I want them. Actually, I want to extend that to other worlds, too, but I'm not an idiot. I know I'm too weak for it. But with enough people, with enough strength, I can take them. You saw me sneaking around Uzaki Enterprises because I wish to poach people. I want to break down their defenses as much as possible with the intention to acquire them, even if by force. You seem to have a particularly interesting affinity for creation, and I think your research can help me figure out some best methods.

"I also know about Kouhai. Not much about him, but I do know of him. It's unlikely that you're the only one who's frustrated by his lack of leadership that you've mentioned before, so maybe it would help to have friends in high places... or even other positions of leadership. I, myself, am a successor. I wonder if that can be achieved in other organizations, as well?"

Specific enough to give him hints towards what she was planning, but vague enough to not put too much pressure on him. He had a journey to go through, after all. It would take some time for him to work himself back up to full strength and she knew that. But there were a few things stuck on her mind. If this process could be done for her, then she really had the chance to build up even more power than she has now and that was exactly what she needed. So if she was also going to be gone for an extended period of time, her best option was to build her organization up so much that they would be able to act in her absence and continue on with her plan. She needed allies. Either he'd be with her here, or he'd lead an organization on his own. She could help him reach that level.

"As for your coworkers, we're a bit of a melting pot. You see, Xcution used to be only Fullbringers like me for a really long time, but we went through a restructuring after I took over. That's why I was so willing to make an offer to you, though you're not the only Arrancar I've hired. There is also Col Arana. I have plans to recruit a couple of others, though my sources-" friendships with them "-tell me that they are also very unique individuals who went through some transformative processes to become what they are. Since they aren't on my roster yet, I can't disclose their names. But aside from that, we're still mostly comprised of Fullbringers. I have an Akki, a couple of Mod Souls, and a Quincy. They're the spiritually capable ones, anyway. Everybody else is there to keep the business side running."

She would give him more specifics if he asked for them, but she did at least want to name-drop Col. She was curious what his reaction would be, so as she listed off the names, she turned herself a bit more and looked up at his face. He had been so agreeable this far, leading her to believe he wouldn't have much of a problem, but something inside of her felt knotted up again. Was it because she was giving him this information? Well, no, not exactly. Perhaps she was looking for approval and feared she wouldn't get it. Either way, it made her nervous. But if she wanted to trust him, then she knew she had to return the favor.

[Arcadus]

Arcadus shfited on his seat. This was immesnly uncomfortable, a feeling he really preferred even wounds and broken bones to. The doubt in Shizuka's mind hurt him, not just because she didn't think he couldn't do it. But mainly it was this idea that she wanted to become an arrancar, or at least considered the idea, that intrigued him. She seemed to be working out how exactly to develop this kind of plan, but as well, that note of "solving the world problems." Something to touch on later. 

She was a little spaced out, but that was hardly something to worry about. She was processing a lot of information. Gods, having to break to her that he could read her thoughts was going to be tricky. Technically it wasn't invading her privacy, but it was like having cameras in someone's hotel room. The expectation is that such a space would be private and it wasn't. But he'd cross that bridge when they got there. Regardless, right now he was going to leverage it to make this go easier. 

Listnening to her explenation of her goals, to assimilate other oganizations of spiritual power and forces, Arcadus had to admire the ambition. "Well, I'm glad my talents in things other than turning swaths of land to ash will be put to work in Xcution. I think I mentioned that before, but thats part of what I'm looking forward with this oppurtunity. And I've got no doubt theres some skills as a negotiator that could be put to use as well." Arcadus laced his fingers together on his knee, and thought about how he'd fenced words with two of Hell's best. 

"And if you're looking to effectively have allies elsewhere, I'd reccomend working with them first. Deposing Kouhai is something that people have tried to do. People whose plans lasted longer than either of us have been alive. If you were going to go after him, you would need some of the most powerful people in all the worlds to fight besides you. Not to mention the greatest armor and weapons forged. His powers are unreal. But I think there are good options in the human world and in the Soul Society even. Certainly Captains of squads could be bargained with, though not the Gotei."

Arcadus thought on his advice. It was all true, if a bit exaggerated. Though he was sure that some squads of reapers would appreciate human informants and spies. Certainly, this was the work he wanted to be doing. Not sitting over seeing a vast expanse of utterly tamed floors, but working and fighting to control active players in the three worlds. As well, as Shizuka mentioned Ser Arcana, Arcadus's eyes flicked with recognition. 

"Oh, Col, I've heard of him. I've seen him in the bounty book a couple of times, quite the interesting case of a person. I'd be quite happy to meet them. And as wel, it seems like you have quite the menagerie going on here Shizu, I'm surprised you've arrayed this many people of different breeds. Normally, people tend to stick to their own kind, at least that's how the reapers would have it. In any case, it will be nice working with a more close knit enviorment. The Espada rarely saw or met each other." 

"Well, I'm sorry to have brought down the mood, but I'm quite excited about all this." Smiling down at Shizuka as he held her shoulder: "You've got a wonderful sense of ambition Shizuka. I'd be happy to be a part of this group and of your plans. Now, lets get moving on anywhere else interesting. Or, if you want we can see about an early dinner. We can tell Felicia its a "Work Recruitment Function" and keep you out of the office for the rest of the day." 

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

"Gotta keep your friends close and your enemies closer, right?" Shizuka laughed a bit at her own recollection of that statement before continuing. "Or something like that. I don't remember the last time anyone declared themselves my enemy. Maybe they're just afraid of a little challenge."

Feigned confidence expertly masked Shizuka's unusual doubt in herself and her abilities. After this whole conversation, she realized the world was beginning to out-pace her. If there was even a chance she could develop herself a little more, she would do what she could to get there. She'd heard about people's powers evolving over time and wondered if that was even possible for her these days. She knew Fullbringers had a Secondary ability to compliment their Primary but she'd never actually used her own. It left her wondering what she was truly capable of and if she'd accomplish that goal one day, too.

Aside from that, the fact that Arcadus had heard of Col shouldn't have come as much of a surprise as it did. Shizuka felt like Col kept himself relatively private almost all the time. If this guy was also good at gathering information, then he was going to be a huge benefit for both her and Xcution as a whole. He was smart and clearly very talented in several ways, making him a truly multi-faceted man. And to top it off, he had the brawn. This was literally the rarest combination in the entire world, but here Arcadus sat, right next to her as if everything had fallen into place on purpose. I'm really going to love having him around, she thought happily to herself, giving him a chance to offer some ideas for next steps without interrupting.

A smile crept up quickly at the mention of dinner. "Well, let's bail. The tour, though sorta abbreviated, took longer than even I thought and it's already later than I figured it would be by the time we got done. I guess time flies when you're having fun... and I have a lot of fun with you."

She grabbed his arm, standing him up with her, admiring the towering difference in height. Even with her heels on, he made her feel so small and delicate; a feeling she hadn't been used to in years. This time spent with Arcadus had made her unexpectedly happy, but also very anxious. It had been such a short amount of time, but he dumped quite a bomb on her with his announcement of disappearance. While the reasoning was understood and made her consider the same for herself - if it were even possible - she couldn't stop the sinking feeling she got when she thought about the potential of him leaving her forever. Still, he made a promise to come back. She couldn't let herself have separation anxieties like this so easily. If this was going to be the last night they'd have together for a while, then she wanted the two of them to enjoy it.

"There's a steakhouse a few blocks away that's pretty nice, and I think you would enjoy it. Let's make a quick stop back at my place, and maybe you can help me pick out a dress? Perhaps you can also help me get changed...?" The smile on her face and the inflection behind it would be more than enough to give him a hint if he so wanted one, but she certainly needed to look a bit more formal. This was a date, after all.

[Ludwig Verrlicht]

Afternoon, I'll be grading ya'lls thread.

Arcadus: I counted 50 before the thread even hit the second page so, full 50% bonus voucher when threading with Shizuka for you.

Shizuka: Same for you. I counted 50 paragraphs (with the addition of fusing one-two liners) before the first page even got finished. You also have a 50% bonus voucher when threading with Arcadus.