The Road to Redemption is Paved with Cheese

[Luke Clyburn]

This is a Social between Luke Clyburn and Kitai Yoru.

”This can’t be the right place.”

Traffic honked and drifted along the road behind him. Luke simply stood there on the sidewalk. A piece of paper in his hand, shifting in his grip from the breeze. Luke looked confused. Looking at the address written on the paper, checking a street sign, and once again checking his phone, all did nothing to de-confirm the fact that he was right where he needed to be. But this wasn’t at all what he was expecting to see. That obnoxious yellow sign. The black text. The orange awning. This… isn’t what I was expecting…

A waffle house.

Shaking his head in disbelief, Luke frowned. This had to be a mistake. Was he being taken for a fool? While it was already odd seeing a Waffle House somewhere outside of America or on Liveleak, he found it even odder that the VIP he was searching for would be holed up in a place like this. ”Tch.” Luke grumbled as he stepped up to the front door. He was going to get to the bottom of this. Opening the door up and stepping inside… okay, this was different. What should have been the normal interior of a restaurant was instead… an entire forest. Luke blinked. Looked to his left and to his right. A massive forest?

”Okay… what the hell?”

[Kitai Yoru]

"This is a betrayal of the highest order!" Kitai said to a group of forest animals, and two clones of himself. He was wearing bits and pieces of what a military general might have worn at some point in time, with a military hat, an over abundance of medals on his chest, and a riding crop. He was pacing back and forth in front of a table that looked like it was made from a tree stump, with a well laminated surface, and a holographic display, portraying the events of when he was jumped by the arrancar woman.

"We know that she is green, affiliated with Nacho Land, and likes to spam the ever loving fuck out of Ceros. I can only conclude she is in some way related to Marik. This means he has betrayed the Kitai Shop!" He had the riding crop in both hands, bending it as if trying to snap it. "That son of a bitch had three items on layaway, darn it!" As if that were the most important thing that happened. "He blew up the shop, and sent me back to Hell for a few minutes! I need options!" He said, pointing to a rabbit with an army helmet. It tilted its head as it looked at Kitai.

"What- NO! We sell weapons of war and mass destruction, not do that! We have standards, my word." Kitai said, recoiling in horror at the suggestion. The two clones palmed their face at his antics. "Look, we have a few options, but most of them involve kicking down their doors and blasting them until they get the point. They've already proven that you're not invincible once, they could do it again." The unreasonably handsome clone told the Lunatic. "I could find out if they have anything to hack and take over that way, delaying any response to your invasion." Jack, Kitai's mod soul clone, was the most dangerous thing he'd ever made.

Jack was a virus, of the mind and of computers. He was a non combatant most of the time, but he could topple empires if given the chance. That being said, the other clone wasn't that far behind. "Huhehehe. I don't know why you don't just send me to Hueco Hollow to kill them all. They gotta sleep some time, right?" Jill, a female version of himself, suggested with a twisted grin on her face. She could do it too. She was as stealthy as they came, and was faster than a bullet. Deadlier too. He didn't doubt that she could kill a few before they caught on to her antics.

Kitai, however, shook his head. "No no no." He said, shooting down their ideas. "Those are too easy. We need something flashy, something that they'll remember and look back on, questioning why they were ever stupid enough to shoot me in the face! They can't remember that if they're dead! Or if they're all suddenly Jack!" He told the two, plus a few. The animals were very necessary for the conversation. He was going to continue on, when said animals, plus Jack, turned their heads in the same direction. Creepy.

"It seems you have your first customer." Jack said, as the animals began to walk off to serve this new person. Kitai could only palm his face with a sigh. "Fiiine. We're talk about this more later." Kitai started his way towards the kitchen, when he paused. "And Jack, if they turn out to be an enemy, find out where he lives and send Jill there. I'm getting sick of getting jumped in my own place of business." With that said, he made his way towards the Kitchen, leaving the two with twisted smirks on their faces.

As Luke walked into the building, he would see that, indeed, there was forest all around. The woods were thick with foliage, and a dirt path was all he could see before him. The door he entered through didn't look like it was attached to anything, as the forest continued on around it. The bushes rustled, shaking. It grew more and more intense, before... A rabbit peeked its head out. It was wearing an army helmet. It hopped up to him, stopping three feet in front of him. Three more critters crawled through the bushes, a raccoon, a fox, and a squirrel. They all looked at him with eyes that betrayed their intelligence. They could think.

But before he could ponder that for too long, a bear popped out of the bushed to his left. A bear with a leather-bound menu, with gold embroidering, and the name of the restaurant written in cursive on the front; 'The Kitai Brand Waffle House'. The bear looked at him with all the deadpan of a well seasoned waiter, gestured for him to take it, and left the moment he did. The forest critters before him gestured for him to follow, leading him to a nearby table. The chairs were all forest themed, with green leather cushions on them, looking like small trees.

The table was the same, looking like part of a massive tree stump. If he bothered to look through the menu, he'd see so many cheese based dishes, you'd swear he made most of them up. Like the cheese smoothie. Then, at the last few pages, were all of the waffle and breakfast options. The prices were higher than normal, but you weren't just paying for the food, you were paying for the atmosphere! Luke could choose something, or he could just stay seated, with an angry rabbit leering at him until he did. Either way, Kitai would show up twenty minutes later with a few plates of food, and the bear carrying a few more.

"Welcome to the Kitai Brand Waffle House! I hope you brought your wallet!~"

[Luke Clyburn]

During the process of looking into who were the current big names in Karakura Town, there was one that kept coming up that Luke continued to dismiss. Having been gone for the last three years, frozen under the earth taking a regenerating dirt nap, Luke was way behind on the times. After accepting the position of Xcution’s Chief Strategist he had immediately gotten to work reading into every bit of gossip around town. Who were the big players on the street, what had gone on over the last three years, what sort of moves had been made. If a Fullbringer farted in the city in the last few years, Luke would have wanted to know about it. Naturally, of course, the names that Luke knew best were the ones that he wanted to know the most about.

What had Kazura Uzaki been up to? What about Yoko Kusanagi? Where had Impossible wound up? There was even that Quincy who wasn’t a part of that lunatic cult, Asmoskon. All these people and more Luke had an interest in getting the dirt on for more reasons than just gossip. His reasons for joining Xcution were simple. It wasn’t to make money or to become a professional killer. Walk in the shadows for a better tomorrow. He had needed allies. Luke Clyburn might have thought of himself as the worlds most powerful Bount, but he recognized
that he alone wouldn’t be able to fight the Vandenreich if they chose to glass Karakura.

He needed allies. A faction that had his back. He had no right to criticize Xcution for their methods with the blood that was on his hands. What’s more, his relationship with the CEO meant that he had substantial pull within the faction. Meaning he could change things. But that came later. Right now his priority was acquiring powerful allies to fill Xcution’s ranks. Stuff the faction full of powerful warriors that could take the fight to the Quincy. Uzaki Enterprise wasn’t able to do what needed to be done. They didn’t have the ruthlessness to slit the Vandenreich’s throat.

But in his quest to find these allies and individuals that could fill Xcution, Luke either came up with dead ends or problems. Yoko Kusanagi was gone, and would have probably beaten Luke’s ass for offering her a position. Taka was long gone. Same with Timor. This Asmoskon character seemed like he had potential, though Luke was confused as to why he had abandoned Xcution in the past. But in his research, there was one name that kept being brought up. One that Luke outright dismissed every time it came up in a report, or if a assistant said it right to his face, because of the outright absurdity of it. Yet the more he looked into it, the more there was validity to the claims he was seeing.

No. It was impossible. It literally wasn’t possible that the dairy slurping goon of UE was still around or had made a name for himself…

”What is this?”

Luke asked himself, standing in the entrance way, staring straight ahead into what was a forest. Inside the Waffle House. The bushed near him began to rustle, drawing his attention, as something made its way through the underbrush towards him. The underbrush inside of a Waffle House. A rabbit, a god damn rabbit, leapt out three feet in front of him and just looked at him. Is that a fucking army helmet? Luke was not hiding his look of dumbfounded disbelief, jaw hanging open as he stared at the rabbit and the rest of the Over the Hedge cast that came crawling out of the woodwork. Inside of a Waffle House.

But before Luke could say anything, something heavy moved to his left causing him to look and jump a little. Is that a fucking bear?? Luke asked himself before looking at what it was holding. Is that a menu? The Kitai Brand WHAT? the longer this fiasco went on the more confused Luke became. Why did he take the menu like it was a normal thing. Why was he letting these animals lead him to a table that he was now sitting at? Why was the rabbit glaring at him? What in the fuck was a cheese truffle??

”Uh… waffle…’s. Plural. With a coffee? Black?” Luke asked the rabbit. He’d already lost. The insanity of all of this had completely and utterly rattled him. Was he having a fever dream?

”This is ridiculous.”

Waiting around twenty minutes, sitting at that table, for his food to arrive. Then something clicked. Luke always described the sensation of sensing reiatsu as finding fires in an endless darkness. Luke blinked. He could only describe what he suddenly felt as a dense mass. Denser than a water tank. And wrong. Luke didn’t have the vocabulary to properly describe what he suddenly felt. Something thick, and rotten, suddenly made itself apparent to him in the restaurant. And before he knew it, the man he was looking for was standing before him. A bead of sweat made its way down the side of Luke’s face.

He was a Bount. Consuming souls was a part of who he, regrettably, was. During a bad period of his life he’d resorted to feeding on Hollows, sort of a self inflicted punishment. An experience so bad it forever stained Luke’s bangs a white color. He had described the taste of Hollow souls as akin to swallowing a ball of cotton used to soak up vomit. But this was worse. What was standing before him would taste so much worse. It made his mouth dry and almost nauseous. But it was him. Just looking at him, Luke could tell. And for some reason this made him angry.

Eyeing the plates of food and scowling a little, Luke collected himself. ”Well you’ve gone and made a name for yourself. Didn’t like being Kazura’s pitbull anymore, Kitai?” Luke asked. Why was he so irritated all of a sudden?

[Kitai Yoru]

The bunny saluted the man, after he found his voice, and went to relay the order to the creator. Kitai received the order, as he was in the middle of cooking up his famous cheese truffles, and could only ask, "He wants waffles and coffee? Who comes to a waffle house for just waffles!?" He said angerly, throwing the batter into a waffle maker. Well, the customer is always right. Except when they're not, but that isn't a topic up for debate yet. As if he'd only bring waffles. That's stupid. Bacon, eggs, cheese bread, cheese crisps, garlic cheese. WHY DOES HE ONLY WANT WAFFLES!?

Either way, he showed up with the customer's order. For some reason the man looked familiar, and not just because the look of sickened disgust plastered on his face. Something he was used to by now, but that wasn't the reason this guy looked familiar. He couldn't place his finger on it. The plates went on the table, the bear was quite good at setting them, and then the man opened his mouth. Kitai's smile strained, thinning at the mention of Kazura. "Whelp. There goes the pleasant conversation. I need more root beer for this talk." He placed his two plates on the table, before walking over to a tree.

He pulled out two spigots from his jacket pocket, and slammed them into seemingly random parts of the tree. He scooped up some dirt, rubbed it against the palms of his hands, and two mugs were made. He held one mug under the one spigot, and root beer flowed from it, with the other got coffee from the other. He returned, slammed both against the table, and slid the coffee to the man he vaguely recognized. "First of all, I was a founding member of UE, and not some attack dog!" He said, taking a seat across from the man.

"Second, there's nothing wrong with Pitbulls, even though I don't understand his music!" He took a swing of his root beer. His sweet, sweet root beer. "Third, yeah, I made a name for myself after Kazura." Kitai squinted at the man, failing to recognize him. "I don't know quite who you are, but I'm guessing you worked for Kazura. What, have you been living under a rock for the past four years? HA!" He said with a laugh, wondering just where this guy had been hiding since he left UE.

He grabbed a cheesy bun, and sunk his teeth into the gooey confection, before making a hand gesture to one of the raccoons. It scaled a tree, before a metal pot labeled 'syrup' slammed onto the table. "After I left Kazura, and UE as a whole, I died trying to kickstart magical World War Three. I died, and got sent to Hell. After spending a year down there, I managed to break out, my power turned from lighthearted fun, into a tool to survive, and stay out of Hell for as long as inhumanly possible." He downed three more cheese buns during this impromptu speech, with a far-off look in his eye.

He froze up. He could still feel the teeth of the Guardians, as they devoured him, day after day. His body shook hard for a minute, before he regained his composure. "So, what about you... you? I have no idea who you are. How about you enlighten me to who you are and why you're here? I'm guessing it isn't to pay me, since you look like your apartment gets blown up on a weekly basis." He started working on the garlic cheese. Not garlic cheese bread. Raw cheese, with garlic in it. He looked Luke in the eye, as he took a bite out of it.

[Luke Clyburn]

God it really was him. Despite the abhorrently repugnant reiatsu that was radiating off this man, still detectable like a bad smell even after Luke retracted his sixth sense, it was abundantly clear that this was Kitai based on the way he was speaking. The white haired schizo took a seat across from Luke, seemingly offended by the other mans comment, and began to cope about the reality of his time at UE. Luke just blinked. Founding member when you were essentially just his muscle. The Bount thought to himself as he lifted the coffee to his lips. He needed something else in his mouth. He could still taste Kitai’s reiatsu. His appetite for waffles were certainly fucking gone at this point.

Half of what Kitai yapped about didn’t matter at all. Luke just stared at him with disbelief. Is this really the guy? He just couldn’t believe it. One of the biggest players in Karakura Town, not just in terms of power but with more finances than some countries in the world, was this absolute buffoon in front of him? No, it was real. Luke had to accept it. Insanity and genius were two sides of the same coin. If it were entirely up to him, Luke would have just written Kitai off. But with all the evidence presented in front of him, there was no denying that Xcution would benefit by having this guy in their ranks.

"So, what about you... you? I have no idea who you are.”

Luke blinked. What did he just say? Luke stared at Kitai, wide eyed and lips pursed, as he went over that sentence again in his head. ”What did you just say?” Luke asked, shaking his head in disbelief quickly, before slamming both his hands down on the table. ”What do you mean you don’t know who I am?? We worked together you root beer obsessed goon! Luke Clyburn! L-U-K-E Clyburn! I was a Manager at UE too! What do you mean you don’t remember me??” Luke almost shouted in an offended tone. How could Kitai not remember him? Or recognize him??

Yes, Luke had been gone for a few years but this guy should have remembered one of his coworkers. Throwing his back against the table seat, Luke just looked at Kitai with an exhausted look. He wasn’t good at dealing with people like this. Luke was normally a rather serious person. He had his moments where he could be a dork, but he wasn’t silly. Except when he was around Shizuka, but that was a thing both of them did. But this guy was like a overdose of silly. The worst kind of person for Luke to be up against. He needed to get this discussion back on track.

”Pay you? No, that’s actually why I’m here.” Luke said with a sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose and eyes. He was getting a headache. Kitai’s attitude and god awful reiatsu were a horrible combination. ”Here’s the deal and I’m gonna get straight to the point. I don’t work for Uzaki anymore and neither do you. I’m here with an offer from another party.” Reaching into the pocket of his suit, Luke pulled out a solid black business card and, with a clack, placed it on the table and slide it to Kitai. Shizuka was very firm that this was supposed to be how it was done.

”I’m here as a representative of Xcution, and I would like to extend an employment opportunity to you.” god he was bad at this. ”But not as an assassin. No. I want to have you placed as our Chief of Research. You’d be in charge of Xcutions research and development department. Your engineering and… marketplace additions… are enough of a demonstration of your capabilities.”

[Kitai Yoru]

Kitai could only laugh at the indignant outrage of the man who claimed to have been a former coworker. He wiped a tear from his eye, as he placed his mug down. "There were lots of managers back at UE. Too many to remember, and the ones that I interacted with didn't leave enough of an impression on me to matter! And those that did were the ones who were trying to kill me. You don't sound like you had the spine for that." The madman told him with a grin. Those were good times. "Besides, the only important person at that company was Kazura. He was the best and worst part of that place."

Fond memories. He enjoyed his interactions with the CEO, but they were few and far between. His fellow employees only interacted with him when they were forced, only on missions assigned by Kazura himself. Then there was that mod soul, and her Nakabaki mod soul friend who challenged him, and ended up collapsing a building or three. Come to think of it, he was probably responsible for a lot of the collateral damage in his fights. Between that and the plane crashes, he blamed a lot of the things he did on his opponents and got paid for it. 'Huh. I'm surprised Kazura didn't fire me before I quit. Weird guy.'

Still, he listened to this 'Luke, L-U-K-E' character, strange guy, when he pulled out something that made Kitai's hair stand on end. A black card, one that he well recognized. He couldn't help the twitch he made as he eyed the card like a long forgotten memory. He reached out, almost hesitant, as if it would disappear the moment he touched it. But it was real. For the first time since he showed up, Kitai's smile fell from his face, a frown where his usual manic grin was.

He barely heard Luke's sales pitch as he stared at the card. He had one once. So long ago. They were similar, so very similar. Kitai's hand glowed, and the card did the same. It was a special card, one infused with reiatsu. There wasn't enough to be dangerous, but it was enough to make it special. To make it unique. Frustration overtook Kitai. There was something wrong here. He twisted in his seat, cupping a hand to his mouth. "JEN!" He yelled out to the silent forest. It was maybe two seconds before he got his response.

"What?" A person walked out from behind a tree. A person that could only be described as Kitai's sister strolled up to the table, looking none too impressed at being called here. "Give this to Jay. I want to know if this matches." He handed her the card. She snatched it, and vanished without another word. It wasn't teleportation, it wasn't invisibility, it was just pure raw speed. If Luke got up, or protested this in any way, the animals around them would react. A bear, standing on its hind legs was leering at the man from behind a tree. Half its body was obscured by the tree, but the whites of its eyes could be seen, its eyes were so wide.

Kitai returned his attention back to Luke. "So, L-U-K-E. You want me to join the guild of calamitous intent? The den of thieves, murderers, and manipulators?" The Lunatic was visibly angry. "You want me to join your failing group because of my financial status and my weapons. Fine. I get that." He said, calming down, grabbing his mug for another sip of the precious liquid. "You've hyped me up, but you've forgot the most important part of your pitch." He told the Xcution spokesman. "The hook. You want someone like me to join you? What's my incentive? As far as I'm aware, I'm more well off than you. Why should I join you and your crew?"

[Luke Clyburn]

What the hell just happened? Not even Luke was dense enough to not recognize the immediate vibe shift in the room when he presented his Xcution business card. Kitai’s body language shifted and, based on the look in his eyes, something had riled him up. This caused Luke to frown. Did he do something wrong? Or had the faction that he was now supporting possibly do something wrong to Kitai? If it was the former, then he’d be able to apologize and they could move on. But if it was the latter, then the situation just got sticky. Luke wouldn’t have had any idea what could have possibly happened between Kitai and Xcution, as he hadn’t wanted to go combing through any files related to Kitai’s past.

However, there was something he knew. Picking up his coffee cup and bringing the black brew to his lips, the Bount took a drink and let a few moments of silence persist between himself and the Sinner. Bitter taste but it smelled oddly good. Probably laced with cheese or some shit knowing Kitai. Placing the cup back down on the table, Luke would finally attempt to hook Kitai in. ”I’m aware of what happened to you. That you ran into that Quincy.” His tone had become rather serious. Now that the clown show had stopped and the conversation had taken a more serious turn, Luke was back in his element.

”The same one I ran into years ago. My reason for joining Xcution wasn’t because I thought killing people would be a more lucrative career, Kitai, it’s because Uzaki’s isn’t capable of doing what needs to be done about them. There’s more than just the one. An entire army's worth. I’m not approaching you today because I want you to become an assassin or just make equipment for them, but because I need your talent and intelligence in the fight against the Quincy. We don’t know where they are. We don’t know how to find them. They come and go as they please like ghosts. They destroy and kill at their leisure.” Luke explained, his eyes drifting downwards to the brew in his cup, watching it rock back and forth.

”I’m not good at this Kitai, so I’ll lay it flat. I’m not asking you for a lifetime commitment. I’m only here requesting your employment until the Vandenreich is dealt with and gone. You’ve had first hand experience with them.” Luke would look up at Kitai now before looking out at the forest that making up the entirety of the Waffle House. ”I guess I’m approaching you for moral reasons. I realized I couldn’t fight the Vandenreich by myself, so I signed up with Xcution even if I don’t agree with everything they do. Because I want us to live in a world free of their threat. You’d be paid, don’t worry, there’s a small fortune waiting for you on the other side of this deal. And, like I said, there’s no lifetime commitment. Xcution’s resources are an open door for you, we’d even be able to get you a nuclear bomb if you wanted.” Luke went on, leaning back in his seat and throwing his arms back over the edge of the seat. There was something he was curious about though.

”That look you had a moment ago though. Is there some history between you and Xcution?”

[Kitai Yoru]

Oh this man. He seemed insistent on dredging up old memories. First reminding him of his failed quest of destroying Xcution, then he brings up the harlot who was basically the herald to his demise. One touchy subject after the next had Kitai's grin dimmed down to a narrow line across his face, with a rather unamused look in his eye. That fight was the beginning of the downward spiral that led him to a death at the hands of his own student. Another person whom he owed a visit that he had been putting off. Now that he thought about it, he had been procrastinating a lot, huh? It was easy to forget the things he needed to do when he had been so active in Hueco Mundo for the past year.

Apparently that same worthless whore was the reason that Luke joined the murder squad. Because Ka~zu~ra was weak? What utter nonsense. The man was powerful through more than just raw power. He was the diplomat, the unifier, and the leader of an organization that he had crafted through hard work. He respected Kazura. But the seed of doubt was there. While the man had many connections, and many friends, he couldn't really remember a time when he actually solved any problems. The hollow problem was ever present, and not something that could actually be solved. The Shinigami were the only ones that could kill the hollows without destroying the soul.

But instead of Kazura, Kitai was the one to have solved that problem through the creation of the Purification Blade. He didn't fix the problem, but he made it easier to kill hollows. Something that Kazura should have been able to make. Kitai would concede the point for now. Luke switched to his patch again, still lacking a hook, but it was still decent information. An army of that ginger whore? That... was unsettling, to say the least. He could feel his real body throb at the thought of it. The scars on his real body burned at the memory of that battle. He had the power to match her, but he was too slow. He hadn't been able to dodge that one arrow... His smile dropped, and was replaced with a scowl.

He listened to the rest of his spiel in silence, before rubbing his temples with one hand. "Yeah. Yeah you could say there's some history." He glared at the man, but there was little heat to it. "I don't know who or what the fuck the Vandenrich is, but I have fought a few Quincy since the ginger whore blew off the left half of my body." It was only two, but the one Quincy was rather persistent. "All I know about the Quincy is the fact that Asmoskon has tried to kill me three times, and a paper girl named Priscilla who I blew up a mountain to kill. Then revive." Kitai made a waving motion with his hand. "Not the point. You say that these guys kill people, but Xcution doesn't exactly have any room to throw stones.[/color]"

Kitai leaned forward, resting his head on his hands, fingers locked together. "As far as I can see, you two don't exactly seem so different. So, the question is, how are these guys any worse than your group? And more over, why should I join the group of murders who killed my father?" The glare burned hot now. It was a cold memory finding out he died. Burned into his mind, he'd never forget seeing him dead in the morgue. The crime scene had a card, unseen by the police. Still, he was procrastinating again. He knew he didn't have to take revenge against them. He was just too afraid to confront his past. And this guy was making him confront it! This guy sucks, that's for certain.

[Luke Clyburn]

Luke blinked. It was all he could do when confronted with the revelation that Kitai just dropped on him. Kitai didn’t know who the Vandenreich was? Luke was confused. Perplexed. Puzzled. There was no way in Hell that Kitai, with all the connections and headway he had made, wouldn’t know what the Vandenreich was. He had been attacked by one member after all. Did this man not do any digging into finding out who it was that assaulted him and turned him into burnt fondeau? Resting both of his elbows on the counter and hiding his mouth behind folded together hands, Luke pulled a partial Gendo pose. Just without the glasses, and the child abuse. He was contemplating something. Wondering how much he should share.

No. This wasn’t about Xcution anymore. Luke’s devotion to making sure Karakura Town was a safe and free city for those like himself mattered more than Xcution’s personal goals in this moment. Luke closed his amber eyes and let out a sigh. ”You’re ridiculous. You’ve been around longer than me at this point but don’t even know about the biggest threat to the city. But then again… maybe that’s a good thing. Guess it shows they haven’t turned their attention to our side of things in awhile.” Luke would explain, rubbing the bridge of his nose. ”I shouldn’t complain about that.” Luke would express as he leaned back in his seat and decided to exposition dump.

”To make it clear, there is a difference between us and the Vandenreich. Really big ones. The Vandenreich murder and kill for their amusement, enjoyment, and because they genuinely enjoy harming others. Their goals are to take over Soul Society, hence their constant war with them, and rewrite the world with their rules and goals in mind. One of which being the eradication of people like you and me. Xcution doesn’t want to change the world. Maintain the status quo. Let you run your shop and do your thing. It’s true. Xcution kills people. I won’t deny that or try to apologize for them. But it’s a business for us. We have rules, conduct of engagement, and order. If someone started to become a problem, we handle it in house.”

”The Vandenreich are religious sociopaths. We’re professionals. But, to catch you up, I’ll exlain a few things. The Vandenreich is an army of Quincy that aims to topple Soul Society and take control of all the worlds. The living and spiritual. They follow a figure they call the ‘Emperor’ who, based on what we do know, grants them their overwhelming power. That whore that you and I have the displeasure of both knowing is one of twenty-six super elite class soldiers called the Sternritter. Each, more than likely, being as strong as she is. For whatever reason, they haven’t turned their attention to the Living World in sometime but have continued their attacks on Soul Society. But you know first hand what happens when they do decide to pay us a visit.”

The name drop of Asmoskon was interesting though. He was on the list of individuals that Luke was also aiming to try and bring into Xcution. But that one was going to be a bit more complicated. ”I don’t know what’s going on between you and Asmoskon Masurao though. I know for a fact he’s not a part of the Vandenreich. So whatever is going on between ya’ll sounds like it’s entirely personal.” Lifting the coffee cup to his lips, Luke finished off his brew before asking the animal waiter for another glass. What Kitai had to say gave him pause, and made him realize how touchy this conversation was. And how much he messed up. Luke should have looked into anything surrounding Kitai’s history with Xcution. But it was also possible that there wasn’t anything at all. Luke could feel the Sinners hot glare on him, so he reinforced himself with his will to remain as cool as a cucumber.

”You shouldn’t.” Luke would suddenly reply with an unexpected answer. ”I didn’t look into you at all, respecting your privacy, before I came here. So I was… unaware of this. If I were in your shoes I would not join the Xcution that killed my father either. But the Xcution that I am representing, sitting across from you, is not the same as the one from years ago. We are under new leadership. Things are changing.” Luke explained, crossing his arms across his chest and frowning at the Sinner.

”The level of authority you would be given, though, would let you find the answer to the ‘why’.”

[Kitai Yoru]

Kitai cracked a twisted smirk at being called ridiculous. This guy was quite comfortable insulting the man he was trying to hire. Still, he wasn't wrong, and it helped that this guy was pretty funny at times. Then he continued to prattle on and on about this Vandenrich, or whatever their name was. It sounded German. Were Japan and Germany enemies? Were they trying to get Ludwig back? No, that doesn't make sense. Why would the Germans want to kill Shinigami? Was it because of their ghost katanas? Why would the Germans want that? Why wouldn't the Germans want that? Kitai himself wanted that. Were the Ghost Samurai behind everything all along!?

He zoned out for a minute, his one eye glazing over, before he snapped back to attention. He made to rub his temples a second time, but stopped, remembering he already did that. So instead, he took off his hat, and palmed his face, rubbing his eyes. "You know, a sick part of me always wondered what would happen to a Fullbringer if he got his powers from something other than a hollow." He sighed, and tied to take another drink. Only once he raised the mug to his lips did he notice it was empty. He let out a bigger sigh, and tossed it into the forest behind him. Something caught it, he was sure, but that wasn't important at the moment. "So the Germans decided to make Quincy that hate everything that isn't another Quincy, and gave them the sadism that rivals actual demons. Terrific. Wonderful! Where have I heard that plot before!"

He knew that too much power turned men into monsters, but come on! "So you're telling me that Germany made an 'Emperor', that bestows powers upon people in order to kill and purge those deemed 'unclean', and there are twenty-six of them?" He accused, more than asked. "What, did they think they could do a better job than the Ghost Samurai, and just decided to torture ghost puppies because 'hey, that seems fun'!" The idea of a group to rival the Soul Society wasn't impossible. Improbable, most certainly. He was living proof that they weren't invincible. Well, technically living. But for one man to be able to wrangle up a group of people as strong as that vile whore meant one of two things; the first, was that he was an excellent con man, and that they genuinely believed his cause. The second... Was something Kitai didn't want to think about.

And Asmoskon wasn't a part of this group? With his track record? With his weird blood powers? With his 'holeyer than thou' way of shooting arrows at a person from two miles away!? That almost had Kitai more upset than the thought of this Emperor guy. But the most surprising thing of all was the answer this guy gave to his revelation about his father. Kitai couldn't help but to be shocked at the audacity of this man, and it showed on his face. It undermined a good bit of his speech, but the man had a good follow-up pitch. This one was pretty good at thinking on the fly. Maybe he should hire him as a salesman. No, then Jack would be jealous, and that didn't end well for anyone involved. So, rather than make a counter offer, Kitai stared for a few seconds.

Then he laughed, cackling at the man. After laughing for a few seconds, he had to wipe a tear from his eye. "HAHAHahaha, ohhh, you crack me up." He told the man. "I never knew how the old Xcution operated, and the same goes for this new one." He snapped his fingers, and a zebra appeared out of the brush, holding a metal platter with a full mug on it. "Thank you." He dismissed the animal, who leered at Luke, as it vanished back into the foliage. "But, I gotta say, you are a convincing messenger." He took a deep swig, before placing it on the table. "I enjoy an ordered society. It's more fun to cause chaos in an orderly place than it is a warzone, though both have their perks." He rolled his hand. "Even still, if the Germans really are letting their Quincy run about, killing souls and all that crap, then I think it would be worth combining resources until the Wonderwaffle is destroyed."

"That being said..." Kitai glared at the Bount once again. "If you're lying to me about any of this, I can find you. You'll never see it coming." He said with a calm and certainty unbefitting of the man. He didn't look angry, or upset. Neutral. And then a hand reached past Luke's head, the Xcution card between two fingers. The card was flicked to Kitai, and the limb vanished before the Bount could react. Kitai caught it, as the woman was now behind the saika. "Well?" He asked, no longer looking at Luke. "Nada. It isn't the same one. It's close, but the reiatsu is different. This one has the scent of Fullbringer to it." Jill said, leaning over the bench headrest. Kitai's face was unreadable, before he turned to Luke with a smile. "Alright. I'll join your little club for now. But no tattoos."

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

Kitai: 32 paragraphs = 30% bonus to any non-social with Luke

Luke: 27 paragraphs = 20% bonus to any non-social with Kitai