Arc 2: Canon 11: Patricide [PG13, DE, Medium]

[Raion Souretsu]

Raion's attempts to escort the medic out of the party didn't go as well as he had hoped. Even as he started to lead the woman out, he found a hand on his arm and a surprisingly sturdy individual behind it. Granted, Raion wasn't trying to push hard; the last thing he wanted to do was hurt someone by accident. But even so, it was obvious that the man who had stopped him was fairly solid, able to hold him back, and that at least drew the lion's attention. Golden eyes roamed over the stranger, taking in his tall stature and his fine clothes; clearly he was a guest of the wedding, but he was no ordinary person. Interesting enough! Maybe he'd be willing to share a few glasses with Raion; after all, with that strength he had to be quite the manly man, and real men drank! Or so Raion had been told anyway, and firmly believed.

“Hey, hey, it's alright, really!” Raion tried to assure the man. He had to get the medic out of the party, or she'd ruin everyone's night! How could he not see she was a threat to security? “Look, the lady an' I are at a slight disagreement on the drinkin' ability o' races she doesn't know all that well, and she's bound t'make a fuss about it. We wouldn't want t'ruin the good mood o' the party with her sour ways, would we?” Of course, it was a flimsy argument, and the man probably wouldn't buy it, but in the Captain's head, it was solid and well-planned. Clearly such nagging would just put a damper on a good evening, right?

Fortunately, any reply was interrupted by the gathering of the groomsmen and groom, which caused a lot of shifting in the crowd and bumped several people around. Raion, being good four hundred pounds heavier than the average human, managed to keep his footing easily in the tide of humanity around him, though he could see that others were not so lucky, losing their footing thanks to the people jostling and shoving. Raion decided to make his own ripples in the crowd as he practically waded through, his large frame easily bumping people aside as he headed in the same direction, wondering what was going on. Surely, there had to be something that drew everyone's attention; perhaps it was cake? Everyone liked cake, and Raion was no exception. He hoped they had a slice big enough for him...

[Kento Waffles]

OOC: Well, actually, I changed my mind a little on whether or not to post. Here's a small one.

IC:

"Regardless, I suspect that Lord Karakiri would rather keep her on scene, in the event of an accident," the glasses man told Raion, putting his arm around the big goat's shoulder. That he could reach that high was astounding. He wasn't nearly as tall as Raion, but he certainly seemed a lot taller and more impressive then. Actually, of course, he probably had to stretch to get his arm around the goat man's shoulder, and get on tippy toes at least. Well, no one noticed, though. He led Raion over to the bar, even when everyone else was gathering for the wedding to begin or something of the sort. He had kindly eyes as he did this too. "Come," he told Raion. "Let me buy you a drink. I know one which I am certain you must try."

As they reached the bar, the man with the hair (very specific) and the glasses (more specific), or in other words the kind man that had brought Raion to the bar, decided to order. "I would like a Macallan Fine And Rare, 1926. The entire bottle." The bartender brought them the bottle, and the kindly man pulled out a check, wrote it, and handed it to the bartender. It read for over ten thousand Ryo, which was equivalent with ten thousand of any currency in the human world, when transported from Soul Society. The kindly man had just paid a huge sum of money for a single bottle of Bourbon, and this expensive brew he poured into a glass of his own, and again into Raion's glass. These nobles and their expensive stuff...

"I trust that you can enjoy the finer things," the man said. He took a bite of his spaghetti, and then ate a meatball. Wait...spaghetti? When did he get spaghetti? At some point, without Raion even noticing, perhaps because of drunkenness, or perhaps because this man was a secret magician, the kindly guy with the glasses had gotten out a plate of spaghetti and meatballs. It looked very good, still warm, and had a very intoxicating aroma. And somehow he was quietly sitting there, eating it, while having a Bourbon with Raion, straight from the bartender. Okay, this was just weird. Where the hell did he get spaghetti? Well, who was Raion to complain? A man liked to eat what a man liked to eat. bartender asked.

[Himitsu Kasumi'Oji]

The crowd of excited wedding guests began to rapidly gather around a single table, forming enough of a circle in their center for the bride, groom, and the enormous cake seated on a throne like a King. It was as white as the dress of the bride, a color that only highlighted the few strokes of green and red icing on the outline. Frankly it looked delicious, and there was no chance that Himitsu would get even a bite if he waited until the end of the wedding before lining up for a slice. Deciding that there was no harm in taking a couple of bites, he hesitantly stepped towards the energetic mass of people dressed black and white suits or more extravagant dresses. He glanced in both directions just to ensure everything was all in place before letting go of his restrains and heading toward the cake at a fast-paced walk.

The tall Shinigami had an eager expression on his face, and it hardly took much effort to glimpse the desert over the heads of the guests, for he was over a foot taller than the most of them, including the noble women in high heels. And it definitely looked even better up close than it did at a distance. A loud cheer erupted when the groom and bride cut the cake. Karakiri’s hand was placed over his newly wed wife’s fingers as she held the handle. They ceremonially cut the first slice together, and Himitsu’s grin could only widen. His voice soon joined the roars of the other wedding guests. The thought that Himitsu had been getting too distracted had barely emerged in his mind when he felt a force shove him from behind, but it only made him take a single step forward to regain his balance. However, that same person reached his arm up in order to cling to Himitsu’s shoulder, unable to keep his balance. The young Shinigami could barely make out words from the stranger’s moans, but it appeared that something was very wrong. The Fourth seat only found out how true that statement was in just a few seconds.

Himitsu turned and caught the man as his grasp of the giant’s shoulders slipped. He lay limp in Himitsu’s thick arms, his neck and lower back resting on the Shinigami’s forearms while his head hung down loosely. The man’s legs and bottom sat on the ground comfortably. He seemed more tired or ill than anything, and his scent suggested that he had passed out drunk. However, strangely, the man’s eyes never shut all the way. His unfocussed pupils were visible under his half-shut eyelids. That was the first hint that Himitsu received. The second was that the man wasn’t breathing. His chest didn’t rise or fall at all, and when the Fourth Seat checked for a pulse, he wasn’t surprised to find that there was no pulse. What did surprise him, though, was that no body had noticed. Their attention was drawn to the wedding cake in the center of the crowd.

Himitsu knew he couldn’t panic, that would only make the situation worse. And to notify the guests would only spread panic, so that wasn’t an option either. Therefore, Himitsu discreetly dragged the man’s body away from the main attracting at the wedding and sat him against a chair so that he appeared to have merely gotten a little too drunk. The next step would be even more crucial, for it would decide how Himitsu went about this whole disaster. He could of course notify the host about the death of one of his guests. However, it would disrupt the whole ceremony and raise suspicion. He didn’t know any of the other wedding guests in particular, though there was one other man he could rely on present at the wedding.

The only solution is Sozen Kuchiki. Himitsu’s bright hazel eyes looked up and scanned the crowd at the wedding, searching for the crimson eyes of the famous Gotei Thirteen. If he does find them, the grim expression on his face that rarely made a presence should be enough to notify the man that something was very much out of place. In addition, Himitsu would motion for Sozen to join him by the lifeless body seated at the chair next to the six foot eight Fourth Seat. Of course, Himitsu would also try to catch the attention of the remaining guards. He knew one of them to be the prestigious drunkard Captain of Squad 9, Raion. He was aware of the identity of the other guard being the Vice Captain of Squad 3, as well. With such high-ranked officers, Himitsu hoped that they could sort out the catastrophe that is unraveling. He called for them to join him silently and tactically so that no other wedding guests would be alerted.

[Raion Souretsu]

Raion's attempt to reach the cake he so desired was quickly interrupted and redirected as the same man who had interfered with his removal of the medic once more stopped the lion's choice of actions. What was up with this guy? Well, at least he was kind enough to bring the Captain over to the manor's bar; that alone won back all the points that he had lost in both of his interference plays. Raion plus alcohol resulted in a happy feline who was all too eager to change his mind about his course of chaotic action, provided that said drunkenness didn't lead to further mischief. Sometimes, the results were less than fortunate, as the man who was so kind as to buy him a drink would find out. Leaving an open bottle of alcohol out was just asking for trouble.

“Yeah, I can enjoy the finer things o' life!” The lion chuckled, amused at the sudden plate of spaghetti. Clearly he hadn't been paying full attention, but he had also gone through a few jugs of sake already as it was, meaning that he was well and drunk, and sometimes missed details. Clearly the spaghetti was one of them, and the other was the fact that of the two glasses poured, one was for him. Going on the misconception that both glasses were for his companion, leaving the rest of the bottle for himself, Raion simply grabbed the bottle by the neck and drank directly from the container, a heavy swallow that sent his head to spinning for a moment, requiring the lion to grab the table to avoid tipping over. “Whoo-wee! Ya weren't kiddin' about the good stuff!” With that, the lion raised a hand to the bartender to get his attention. “Another bottle o' this stuff fer the road! On m'buddy's tab here, o' course. Ya don't mind much, right pal?”

Without waiting for the answer, Raion pushed himself away from the bar; he'd pick up his alcohol later. Right now, he was feeling nice and pleasantly drunk, filled with that buzz that kept what little cognitive action the lion had in his head away. Golden eyes roamed the room, barely coherent of the situation and completely missing Himitsu's signal to gather. Instead, the lion's gaze locked on a man that he had only met only a handful of times, mostly at the few Captain's meetings he attended to when he didn't send his Vice Captain to represent him: Sozen Kuchiki. Raion grinned and gave a big wave to his fellow Captain, accidentally knocking a guest over with his vigorous arm motion. Whoops? Well, the man was probably okay; clearly being knocked to the ground by a seven-hundred-pound anthropomorphic feline was just something to be expected around Raion. The lion was more interested in Sozen, wading his way through the crowd and clearing a path just with his bulk shoving people away.

“Hey, Sozen! Mr. Red! Mein Kampf!” Okay so maybe he was getting his wires crossed on references, but the lion's irreverent attitude towards even his fellow Captains, with the exception of Captain Haretsu, was to be expected. Besides, the fact that Raion was waving around the arm that was still holding the open bottle of bourbon certainly drew attention to him, splashing some of the nearby guests and ruining an outfit here and there. Whoops? Surely the host could cover such small damages. Quickly the lion closed in on the Captain, shoving his way into the conversation and giving his trademark grin to the head of the Kuchiki household. Or, in Raion's head, Mr. Red, because he liked giving nicknames to people.

“'eyo, Sozen! Enjoyin' the party? I know I am! Nice gentleman really, bought me this nice bottle of alcohol—” He paused to take a long swig of it, nearly reeling and falling over again to the distress of people who moved away from him quickly. Blinking, he realized he was probably being a little bit rude; he had forgotten to offer some to his pal! “Ah, right! I'm sure ya want some o' the good stuff, right?” With that, the lion thrust his arm forward, offering the same bottle he had been drinking directly from for the last few minutes. “Dun be shy, drink up! I got another bottle waitin' fer me when I get back there. M'friend's buyin' for me again.”

[Kento Waffles]

It was then that a woman stopped in front of Himitsu, who was looking for Sozen to try and give him some kind of signal to come over. Though Himitsu towered over her, when she bumped into him, he was knocked a few paces away, and getting Sozen's attention became impossible, as Sozen went out of view. This was strange, because the woman was barely over five feet tall, but she'd possessed sufficient physical power to move Himitsu with a mere bump. The woman was the same as earlier that Raion had encountered, with the black bun and the cold, soulless eyes which possessed endless mirth and amusement. Her lips were curved into a sinister smile, and she was still dressed in the same way as before. Her gaze never left Himitsu's eyes.

"Careful, now," she told Himitsu with an intimidating, unblinking stare and a superficial, evil smile. "You could have knocked me over just now. You should watch where you're walking. You know what they say. The bigger you are, the harder you fall. You could have slipped on a banana peel, fallen, and bashed your head open on this cold, marble floor. Then your brains would have been visible for all of the wedding guests, and no one would be able to stomach their cake." She had very full, red lipstick, and somehow this only made her look all the more intimidating. One couldn't even tell if she was attractive or not, because of how scary she actually looked. She was definitely not the girl that would be asked to dance.

"Forgive me, I am afraid that I will have to refuse," Sozen informed Raion, upon the offer. "As you can see," Sozen said, holding up his only half drained glass, "I have already started on an expensive Cabernet. While yours appears that it will be quite smooth, I fear mixing drinks will not do well for my state of mind." He kept a civil smile the whole time that he was replying to Raion, who had ungraciously left the man purchasing the bottle at the bar. Actually, if Raion looked back, that man was also no longer there, though the bottle that Raion had requested was. The glasses man had disappeared at some point, having never given his name. Then again, Raion had not been particularly polite either, so it probably balanced out a little bit.

Sozen disappeared into the crowd, returning with two slices of wedding cake, one for himself and one for Raion. He was about to dig into his cake, when he abruptly stopped and looked around suspiciously. "Raion..." Sozen murmured. "Does the air feel sinister to you?" Sozen's keen senses of battle seemed to have picked up on something, though it was evident by his searching that he didn't know what. He was looking around, as if looking for someone or something in particular. The entire atmosphere around Sozen had changed, for his demeanor had become more alert, and colder too. The music continued to play, and all continued to be merry. Sozen's eyes were dotting around the room wordlessly after his inquiry to Raion.

Back at Himitsu, the young woman stank of some sort of warm, metallic aroma. It was the kind of smell that might be associated with a blacksmith's shop, or that of a butcher. Her eyes still had not blinked. It was like she just couldn't blink. Or, if she could, she just didn't blink in any of the scenes that she was in, so the illusion was fostered that she didn't blink, even if she did do that offscreen. Her hands were both pocketed, as if concealing something. The fact that she even had pockets at a formal event like this was actually pretty sketchy too. Who had pockets? In fact, her outfit was more masculine than not. She should have been wearing some kind of dress, but wasn't.

[Himitsu Kasumi'Oji]

The world never ceases to surprise the giant of a Shinigami. Fair is foul and foul is fair. The wedding was being flipped on its head and spun like a break-dancer, yet none of the guests were even aware of the disasters taking place around them. Himitsu had been just about to catch the eyes of some of his is fellow guards as well as Sozen Kuchiki when he ran into an invisible wall. It sent him staggering backwards and tripping over his own feet like the klutz he is.

“What in the….” Himitsu blinked, slightly dazed from his unexpected fall. As soon as his sense had returned, he searched for invisible force that had shoved him back and caused him to pull another of his famous clumsy acts. To his surprise, he found a daunting young women looking down on him. It appeared that she couldn’t have been much younger than Himitsu yet her face appeared much older. Maybe it was those cold eyes that glared at him accusingly. Was Himitsu doing something wrong?

"Careful, now. You could have knocked me over just now. You should watch where you're walking. You know what they say. The bigger you are, the harder you fall. You could have slipped on a banana peel, fallen, and bashed your head open on this cold, marble floor. Then your brains would have been visible for all of the wedding guests, and no one would be able to stomach their cake."

Himitsu maintained his smile, though his eyes had turned nearly as cold as her’s. She knew something about the death; it’s the only explanation. She must have witnessed him move the body and realized he was calling for help from not one but two Captain’s as well as a Vice Captain. This are definitely out of place and Himitsu had a feeling swelling in his gut that this was only the start. A sudden death? A strange, random woman that was far too random to be a coincidence? And that threat still echoed in his head. “The bigger you are, the harder you fall.” She was definitely threatening him. The Fourth Seat just didn’t have enough to go on really, and that was the problem.

The pseudo-giant pulled himself to his feet slowly, flashing a false sheepish smile at the woman. “My bad, I didn’t see you there.” And now that he realized how he was taller than her by not much less than two feet, he could tell why she had seemed invisible to notice. She didn’t seem to even blink at his apology. In fact, she didn’t seem to blink at all. Now, Himitsu’s not the type to beat around the bush. And his straight-forwardness can be seen as rude despite his alternate intentions. To be clear, Himitsu’s intentions in this case were most definitely to be rude.

“Did you kill this man?” It was more of a statement than a question. He nudged his head in the direction of the cushioned chair on which the dead body was laying. Straight to the point, like a good sword. He wasn’t going to play any games with her, those just wasted time. However, despite his deliberate malice, his tone came off friendly and his smile never wavered. He had to at least keep the guests from panicking if they glanced at him. After all, that’s his job. He was on guard duty, but things aren’t off too a good start.

[Kento Waffles]

Come the time for the question to be asked, the young woman's face turned mockingly sour. It remained playfully amused, but puffed out as if pouting. This effect only lasted for a moment, but it was clear that she had taken some sort of offense from Himitsu's comment. She still laughed it off with a sinister chuckle, but the offense was there, and the hurt was easily visible on her face. "You think that I killed this man?" she asked Himitsu, her voice filled with that same hurt which showed on her face. "Why, I am absolutely offended by that statement, Soul Reaper..." Her words trailed off. Her voice sounded choked, as if near tears, though her calm, calculating eyes showed nothing like that was going on in her mind.

The woman pulled both hands out of her pockets. They were slender hands. Thin, skeletal, and pristine white. Smooth, delicate, and beautiful. The type of hands that someone would want to kiss, rather than not. The types of hands which belonged to women who knew how to play with their food, and toy with men's souls. The woman standing before Himitsu was very dangerous. Her eyes reflected this too. Everything about her came with a sinister undertone, though it had been her words and style of speaking which were most shocking. No, there was one more shocking thing. As she withdrew her hands from her pockets, there was a silver shine inside of her sleeve. She had something in there.

"If I had killed him, dear Soul Reaper, I would have done so out in the open, for all to see, so that I could watch the faces in the crowd twist into horror and pain..." These were her words, trailing off into the sinister nethers of her mind, wherein doubtless worse horrors reigned all the more supreme. "Though, you aren't incorrect that I can kill. In fact, I'm considering killing you right now. It would be easy, you know." The woman was very sure of herself, and carried herself with a haughty manner. If she was an enemy, the fact that she had been put in a room with so many officers of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads was proof of her capabilities, since no enemy would be foolish enough to send a weak operative into there.

"I could go all out right now and snuff you out," the woman said. "And in doing so, I would cause mass chaos in this wedding. The crowd would panic, fights would break out, and dozens, if not hundreds would die from the resulting anarchy. Instead, I'm going to offer you a bit of a choice. It's a game, really." She reached into her pockets once more, and produced a vial of blood red liquid. It was no more than a shot of any hard liquor, and looked almost like wine as much as it resembled blood. It had a thick cork in it. The woman extended out her left arm, holding the vial out for Himitsu to see, and handing it toward him so that it was within his reach.

With her other hand, the woman pulled out another one, and handed that in Himitsu's direction too. This one was identical to the first. "One of these is filled with a deadly poison which will kill you within about fifteen minutes," the young woman explained to the Soul Reaper. "The other one is regular liquid. You're going to choose one of them and drink. I'm going to drink the one that you don't choose. If you play my game, I won't fight you or cause a panic. I won't attack or kill anyone here. And hey, if you choose right, I'll die on top of that. If you choose wrong, though, you'd better be sprinting at your top speed to get to the Squad 4 barracks before you die."

Himitsu had just been given a choice. Right hand or left? Would he choose another option, or stick with this woman's game?

[Raion Souretsu]

Sozen's polite refusal might have been offensive without the logic behind it, but Raion understand all too well the price of mixing drinks, and had experienced a bad night or five when he had tried to do so, or else forgotten and had a repeat performance. So rather than being upset or offended, instead the lion let himself be distracted by the sweet temptation of cake, which Mr. Red had been so kind as to bring him a slice of. Taking the plate—though mentally noting the slice was a bit small for a lion of his size, he would have gotten one at least twice as big—Raion forewent the fork and just grabbed the slice between his large fingers, finishing it off in two bites. The Captain of Squad Nine was a large fellow, after all; food in such small portions was nothing to him.

And then Sozen asked his question. “Sinister?” The lion wasn't exactly quiet about it, as he wasn't sure what Sozen was talking about, and wasn't quite aware that it was quiet time just yet. Instead, Raion just looked around, since he stood a fair amount over the others in the crowd, to see what could be causing the problem. Not immediately spotting anything out of the ordinary, though his slightly blurry vision might have had to do something with it, the lion instead concluded that Sozen was trying to be polite again, but this time about his cake. Naturally, a sinister air or trouble would be an excuse to stall on eating the cake. Perhaps Sozen didn't like the flavor? Raion had loved it, it had been red velvet. Surprising that Mr. Red himself didn't like red cake, but the Captain figured he could do his buddy a favor and help him dispose of it. With a friendly smile, Raion reached over and simply snatched the plate from Sozen's hand. “Don't worry bud, if ya don' like yer cake, I'll take it off of yer hands!” Two bites, and it was gone.

Licking his fingers, Raion continued to scope out the room, bleary vision roaming over each individual for only a few moments before continuing onto the next. In the background, there were two men, one hanging onto the other's shoulder—probably had one too many drinks, it happened often enough—that held the Captain's attention for a few moments, but only a moment later, another figure was the focus of Raion's gaze. It was her, the woman from before! The medic! She couldn't notice him, she just couldn't! Panicking, as he did stand out in a crowd, Raion looked around for a distraction, some way to make himself less noticeable. Unfortunately, his alcohol-addled mind went to a solution he had seen on one of the moving picture boxes in the human world, but it was one that always worked on their showings; why wouldn't it work now?

“Ah... Sozen, quick, kiss me!” Without waiting for a reply, the lion grabbed his fellow Captain by the sleeve of his robes and tugged him close. If Sozen was too surprised or stunned to reply, or else didn't resist, he'd find Raion bent over—being tall was a curse sometimes!—and a feline muzzle pressed against his lips, likely to his embarrassment in front of the group of nobles around him. Then there was the fact that it was Raion, and his breath probably smelled of a heavy concentration of alcohol, enough to be inebriating in its own right. It was a desperate gambit, but for whatever reason, a kissing couple always went unnoticed when you were looking for someone. Of course, it was normally a human man and woman, not two males, one of which was an enormous lion, but it would work anyway... right?

[Kento Waffles]

With fluidity and grace unrivaled by any, Sozen could be seen materializing at Raion's side. Materializing, because the actual movement to the side had not even been seen. Raion had gone in for something which many women had done before him. The lion Captain was not the first to attempt to sneak one on Sozen either by surprise or distraction, among other tactics, and Sozen had evaded them all. Being happily married, Sozen had no intention of dishonoring his marriage, or staining the title Kuchiki Head, by participating in any activity which might serve to dampen or dirty his vows at all. Dodging was both easy and effortless. Sozen did not even think about it, for it had been performed so many times, that his body moved on its own simply from a peripheral glimpse of the motions.

Sozen's index finger found its way to Raion's muzzle as the Squad 6 Captain easily, gracefully, and flawlessly evaded the lion's wet kiss. The finger was placed on Raion's lips in a shushing motion, and a smug, yet heaven-defying smile lit Sozen's lips. "I am afraid that I cannot oblige you. My heart belongs with another, whom I have sworn all my love and affections to. Fear not. I am certain that one as charming as yourself will one day locate true love." Sozen was smooth, elegant, and a sweet talker. Not only was he extremely charismatic and charming, but he was still, even in rejecting someone, exceptionally good looking. As expected of the Esteemed Head of the Noble Kuchiki Family.

"I must excuse myself, now," Sozen informed Raion, looking around. Though his courteous smile remained on his face, his eyes darted suspiciously around the room. Suddenly, Sozen's eyes narrowed onto the wine, and he cut himself off before completing his thought. The bottle in Raion's hand was expensive. Very expensive. "Raion..." Sozen asked very seriously, his face taking on a look of both stern and calm, but with flat lips which suddenly extinguished his smile. "Where did you get that wine?" Perhaps Sozen was extremely jealous of the wine! Perhaps he coveted it for himself. No, but the Kuchiki Head would never be so greedy, and he already had his own wine, which might potentially be more expensive anyway.

Sozen's eyes locked on something behind Raion, and an understanding passed through him. Were Raion to look back, he would see that Sozen's eyes had locked with those of the glasses man, Raion's benefactor that had provided the wine. Sozen's eyes widened, and then narrowed once again. He kept calm, and spoke to Raion in the most even voice one could imagine given the circumstances of what he informed the lion Captain of. "Raion...." Sozen said. "I have reason to believe that you have been poisoned or drugged. Do not panic, but do not leave my side. We are going to call for medics, and you need to keep still and quiet. I suspect that if you do not comply, you may die. Something here is amiss."

[Himitsu Kasumi'Oji]

Things were getting bad, very very bad. First of all, Himitsu was all on his own, isolated from the wedding guests as well as the guards he was on duty with. Over the woman’s low head, he could glimpse the confusing scene of Raion closing the increasingly small gap between his face and Sozen’s, though the Fourth Seat was not to get distracted. His hazel eyes immediately lowered his gaze back to the woman’s face, which honestly was far less appealing than watching Sozen evade the undoubtedly drunk Raion’s lion lips. She spoke malicious words that only unsettled the seated officer further. Now, this new enemy is not to be taken lightly at all. He didn’t even have any gauge on her individual strength yet, but she definitely had a powerful confidence in her voice that could not possibly be even remotely false. Whoever she was, she was definitely not bluffing with any of her threats. And she was definitely not lying about her preferred methods of killing.

Speaking of killing, she had no problem with sharing her intentions with Himitsu. “In fact, I’m considering killing you right now. It would be easy, you know.” No, Himitsu didn’t know, nor did he want to. Her words unsettled her so greatly that he took an involuntary step back, a sign of retreat. And that mistake completely reversed his mentality. I’m running back like some coward? No! I’m an officer of the Gotei 13, a Shinigami that would be unworthy of the name in retreat. I can’t let any more of these guests die under my watch. Himitsu regained the distance he had lost as well as his courage. It didn’t appear that they had caught anyone’s eye from the crowd, which only confirmed that Himitsu would be on his own for this one.

“I could go all out right now and snuff you out.” So the threats continued, and they did not seem remotely empty. But she was right that a fight breaking out would start a massive riot. More lives would be lost if her power was uncontainable, and a fight with potential collateral damage is not a fight Himitsu would be willing to participate in. But, she left him with another choice. Well, two choices really. In exchange for a chaotic battle with would undoubtedly cause casualties, she offered him a childish game with higher stakes. As much as he would have liked to take the fight and get backed up by his fellow guards, he had a feeling that she wouldn’t be so kind to allow them to join the battle. Also, she seemed to be working with one or more partners if it was true that she didn’t kill the man. Sighing, Himitsu took a deep breath before opening his mouth to speak.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Play Me}

“I pick your left hand.” He held out his open palm to receive the vial she would give him. Himitsu locked his cold, dead serious eyes with her’s, raising the vial to his lips. “We drink at the same time.” He would wait for her to lift her own vial to her mouth before counting down. “Three.” The celebration of the crowds continued obliviously in the background. “Two.” Himitsu could feel his heart-pressure rising and took another deep breath. “One.” The Shinigami could almost see the vague figure of a red-headed woman running toward him on a white horizon. “Go.” And he would time his hand with the woman’s, tipping the vial into his open mouth in unison with her. And after finding a swallowing motion in her throat, he would drink the liquid.

[Kento Waffles]

The woman drank with Himitsu, downing hers in one gulp. She was fearless, and her eyes betrayed nothing. No hint of remorse or guilt, and no hint of glee and triumph. Himitsu wouldn't be able to judge by her expression if he had judged correctly or not. Instead, he was left with the woman standing there, coldly smiling at him. She had been smiling as she drank the vial, but had been smiling from the beginning. The look on her face on its own was vile. She had the sort of eyes that foretold her intentions of mass murder and inflicting of pain. With those eyes watching him, Himitsu would not know if he had selected the correct vial or not. If he stuck around, he might find out, but she did not tell him. Then again, if he found out here, it would be through dying.

"I suppose that I should tell you my name now..." the woman said to Himitsu. "Don't bother me with yours. I already know who you are. Himitsu Misute, Fourth Seat of Squad 10. Only a fool would enter enemy territory without first researching into the identities of the ranked officers." She was speaking a strategic truth, which showed that despite appearing insane, she was tactical. This much made her a dangerous opponent already, especially since she had come prepared to play a game with Himitsu. Those vials could not just be coincidence. She had entered this party with the intention of playing something lethal with someone here. Himitsu had become the unfortunate victim.

"My name," the woman introduced herself. "Is Talia. T, The Trickster, Talia." The name was special in the way that it was presented, both with a formal letter and a title to accompany the singular name that was provided. The title alone told who she was. She was an officer, not of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, but of their enemy, with whom they were at war. The invisible empire, the Vandenreich. The woman was a malicious Quincy, and one who had come as part of the war effort to see the Soul Society burned and all of the Soul Reapers slaughtered and killed. Just that name alone was important information for Himitsu, who would now know that he was speaking to an enemy, and a member of the Vandenreich forces.

"Now," Talia said. "You've got a few options. One of them is to try to arrest me or kill me right now. If you do that, you'll cause a panic, and dozens of people will die, including you. Another is to attempt to negotiate with me. Good luck with that. You're free also to run away, or to warn someone, but I don't think either of those will help. If you run away, we're still going to carry out our plan. If you warn someone, then you'll be taking a risk, won't you? Depending of course on who you warn. However, if you try to warn Sozen Kuchiki, he will die. Considering that he arrived at this party after defeating one of our Generals, I wouldn't consider him in any condition to actually fight. So, what will you do?" [OOC: Context reference: This thread takes place roughly an hour and a half after the events of For Whom The Bell Tolls.]

[Raion Souretsu]

He avoided it. Of course he avoided it. Raion probably knew better than to kiss the Captain of Squad 6, the married head of the Kuchiki household who was famous for his speed in both body and mind, yet he had gone for it anyway in his moment of panic, only to find that there was no longer a man there. The result had him nearly falling over from leaning forward, causing him to dip beneath the horizon of the crowd's head level for a few brief moments before he pushed himself back up, brushing the dust off of his uniform from the near collision with the floor. Fortunately, being drunk as he often was, such stumbles and losses of balance weren't very crippling at all; he was used to it. Instead, Raion just knelt slightly, bending at the knees so that he was at head-height with everyone else—and probably drawing a fair bit of attention with his lack of ability to be stealthy—following Sozen as he was directed.

“Poisoned? Me? Nahhh.” Raion's words might have caused others in the crowd to turn and look, or become uncomfortable; his whispers were still fairly loud. “See, I'm gonna be polite this time 'cause I'm sure ya dunno, but it's like I've told those medics repeatedly; after nearly six hundred years o' drinkin' as much as I do, I dun think I can get alcohol poisonin', y'see? Them medics always be sayin' that my liver should be rotted clean out and that I should have died centuries ago, but clearly they dun know nothin'. 'tis why I don't like medics; they act like they know everything but dun have a clue.” Clearly Raion wasn't worried, and there was no risk of him panicking; when Sozen had claimed that he might be poisoned, the lion had simply assumed that his fellow Captain had meant alcohol poisoning.

“Ah... speakin' o' medics... is it possible to leave them out o' this? They might lock me in a hospital room again, and it's gotten harder to break out o' it of late...”

[Kento Waffles]

"Ah, but he was not referring to alcohol poisoning, my friend," a voice suddenly said next to Raion. It was a voice which Raion would recognize as well as Sozen would, for both had met this man before. For Raion, the man had been encountered only minutes before, when he had purchased the lion an expensive drink. The man with glasses, who stood tall and proud for someone who was no officer of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, was the speaker. "Baal..." Sozen said in anticipation, his face serious. The Squad 6 Captain obviously recognized the speaker differently from how Raion might, though this did not change the atmosphere of their conversation, which had taken a sudden shift toward the sinister.

"Indeed, in rank I am B, The Boss, Baal," the man with glasses replied. "I am pleased that you remember, Lord Kuchiki the 29th. However, while I show you great respect, I would have you refer to me by a more humble name." He turned to look at Raion, who might be a little bit confused by this situation. It was then that Himitsu, from where he was, would detect a powerful reiatsu which was not being released, but was simply no longer being hidden. It was a tremendous reiatsu force which even those with no ability to sense reiatsu could detect, as Raion would be able to. It was not the reiatsu of an Arrancar or of a Soul Reaper, however. It was the reiatsu of a Quincy.

"My name is Wilhelm Kohler," the glasses man said, addressing only Raion, as it was an introduction that he had already made with Sozen. Continuing to speak, Wilhelm Kohler further established to the lion who he was. "I am a General in the army of the Vandenreich, under his majesty Der Kaiser. And I am afraid that the wine which I had you drink was drugged in advance with a potent chemical which will ignite into flames within your very body if any further intoxication occurs within your body for the next 72 hours." Wilhelm Kohler. If Raion had read reports, he would know the man to be stronger than any previous opponents that had previously been encountered.

A smug smile lit Sozen's face. "It's good to see you again, Wilhelm," Sozen admitted. "I had a meeting with one of yours, Caesar, earlier today." Kohler smiled back, though his was smaller, and more forced. He was not as gifted as Sozen was when it came to smiling. "Ah, indeed," Kohler replied. "I ascertained as much when I stumbled upon Gerold's body in the wreckage of the district that you allowed him to burn. Do not worry. He will be revived by Der Kaiser soon enough. But before that, do you have a plan for removing us from the premises? Your security was insufficient, and getting into this wedding was easy. I greatly suspect that removing myself and my allies will be far more difficult."

[Himitsu Kasumi'Oji]

The woman didn’t flinch. Not good in Himitsu’s eyes, not good at all. Had he selected incorrectly, boosting her confidence when she downed her vial? Did she also not know about the contents in each vial? No, that seemed unlikely. She had the air of a person that wouldn’t leave her life up to fate. Is it possible that they were both poisoned she was either immune to the venom or had an antidote? That was a possibility Himitsu must consider as well. However, there was one final option that popped into his head immediately after he swallowed the potentially toxic solution. Is there any chance that neither of the flasks was poisoned and she was just playing him? As slim as that alternative might appear, she has been treating everything like a game in which she plays the bad guy and butts head with Himitsu. She gave him a choice, which was definitely some sort of trick or illusion. She must know what’s going on and intentionally leave Himitsu clueless. However, based on the fact that he couldn’t feel any immediate reaction with the drink, he had a muffled hope that maybe he chose right. His answer would have been clearer if the woman didn’t seem so unharmed either.

So she knew who he was. The Fourth Seat couldn’t exactly count that as good news either, especially because she put him into what she considers to be a nice, big category labeled “enemy.” More bad news. So she was some sort of enemy of Soul Society, but that doesn’t narrow her identity down much. In fact, there are an abundance of souls opposed to Soul Society and the Gotei Thirteen, but at least he can assume who or what she might be. Luckily, she didn’t give him the chance to narrow his choices down before she gave him a response. “T, The Trickster, Talia.” She was definitely an officer of the Vandereich, only Quincy give themselves such titles in the same manner. However, her heading also tipped Himitsu off about her habits. There is no denying that the Quincy was toying with him, especially not after her little game with the poison.

And now she is messing with the young giant again. She listed his options clearly, almost like he would in his own mind. However, from there, she directed his train of thought, attempting to eliminate from his point of view different directions he could take in the situation. Although Himitsu was not looking forward to being manipulated again, he couldn’t help but acknowledge that she reflected his thoughts completely. Arresting her could result in a full-blown fight, in which Himitsu would have to go all out and put the wedding guests at risk, not to mention that they would be in panic and the Quincy would not mind a little collateral damage. She also hinted to him that she had no intentions to negotiate. In addition, she completely vaporized his hopes for seeking help from the one person he was remotely familiar with at the wedding: Sozen Kuchiki.

If the Squad Six Captain was truly out of energy, there was one other guard left Himitsu could rely on for assistance; the famous drunken lion, Raion Souretsu. Before backing away toward where he could remember the Captain of Squad 9 to be, Himitsu spoke a few words to the Vandereich officer. “There is no need to endanger the lives of these innocent people, Talia.” The giant’s voice was surprisingly soft and almost pleading, an emotion that only peaked out through his eyes but couldn’t get past his serious experession on his face. “If you seek a battle, seek it privately with me or other Shinigami, but do not include civilians. I do hope that you consider these words.”

Without waiting for a response, Himitsu spun and began walking at a fast rate around the crowd of people. He was far too clumsy and large, not to mention claustrophobic, to squeeze between them to get to the Lion. However, on his way to the general area that the Division Nine Captain was, Himitsu swiped a bottle of red wine, lifting it high above his head, and called to the Lion, “Uh, Lion Captain Raion Souretsu. I was hoping we could have a short drinking competition here in the side! Hurry and join me before I start without you!” The Fourth Seat’s false carefree attitude was present, though his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. However, he had hoped to lure the Lion out of the unsettling crowd without having Sozen follow by appealing to his reputation as a professional drunkard. If he succeeded to pull the Lion towards him, he would whisper to Raion in a hushed tone, maintaining a fake smile. “Listen. There is at least one Vandereich officer present at this party, and they seem to have something in plan for the wedding. Whatever happens, we have to stay alert and protect these people.” Although Himitsu spoke the truth as confidentally as he could, he felt awkward giving orders to a superior ranked Shinigami, a Captain in fact. Just so he didn’t offend the Lion by not acknowledging his authority, Himitsu made sure to add, “What should we do, Captain Raion?” He was hoping that the Lion would propose solid solutions to their issue, solutions Himitsu was in dire need of.

[Kento Waffles]

OOC: Because Z is getting overwhelmed by life things, and has to drop the thread, we'll find an IC way of retiring Raion from the thread.

IC:

Play this

Before Raion could intervene in the exchange between Sozen and Kohler, and before Himitsu could reach the lion, the Vandenreich General placed his hand on Raion's shoulder, and continued to smile coldly. The moment was brief, and Raion would again notice the power of Kohler's grip. Despite being a human, and far smaller than Raion, his physical strength was enough to cause actual discomfort. Even with Kohler being so much shorter than Raion, and having to stretch a little to reach the lion's shoulder with his hand, it did not diminish the physical strength of Raion's alcohol provider, now identified as a Quincy, and as an enemy of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.

"It is not Der Kaiser's goal to kill this lion as of this moment," Kohler admitted. "We are not yet ready to see Raion Souretsu die. Captain Souretsu, it is likely you and I will meet again. I bid you goodbye until next we encounter one another." Suddenly, dim blue light consumed Raion, and next thing he knew he would find himself encased in a huge block of ice on the outskirts of the Seireitei. While later he would escape as it melted, the ice was solid, and held him for hours, much like a very powerful Bakudo. It was there that he would remain for the remainder of all the events which transpired that night, which would later become known as the Messy Feast.

A boy had started to sing a solo to give music to the guests, who were enthralled by it. It was this boy's singing which was the introduction and opening to the wedding ceremony to begin in a few moments. Guests were starting to file out and take their seats, and Himitsu arrived at Sozen and Kohler at just this time, after Raion had seemingly disappeared into thin air. Himitsu would also arrive just in time to see Raion disappear completely at the hands of Kohler. Even so, no one seemed yet to have picked up on the reiatsu of the Quincy that had infiltrated the wedding, nor did they seem to notice the disappearance of a Captain's reiatsu from the party itself.

"What did you do with him?" Sozen asked after he had recovered from his initial, wide-eyed and genuine shock. Kohler had stopped smiling, though he remained cordial, polite, and also continued to speak in a very pleasant voice. He still betrayed amusement, but he was a reserved man. "I sent him to the outskirts of the Seireitei," Kohler replied. "He will be fine, though it is unlikely that you will ever see him again. You will probably die tonight." Kohler was very straight to the point with Sozen, who did not reply to this comment. It was just then, in time to catch that dialogue, that Himitsu would have reached Sozen and Kohler and come into speaking distance, and realized the situation.

"It is best that we take our seats now," Kohler advised. "We do not wish to draw attention to the situation at hand, do we?" A few moments later, Kohler went to take a seat, and Sozen followed after him. The Squad 6 Captain motioned to Himitsu to join him, and seated the two of them on either side of the Vandenreich General, Wilhelm Kohler, or B, The Boss, Baal. When they at last had taken their seats before Kohler, he looked at both Sozen and Himitsu, and then he returned his gaze to the singing boy and the groom standing silently at the altar awaiting the arrival of his bride, and the groomsmen and bride's maids all arranged and ready, a bit early, and helpers laying out the red carpets.

"All other guards here are already dead," Kohler said, nodding in the direction of all basic guards that had been instilled. The regular guards in the corners, at the entrance, and in other places were either seated in chairs, or leaned against walls, all with heads down, but otherwise appearing alert, alive, and inconspicuous. However, anyone with a warrior's instinct would see that there was some red stain around their neck areas, showing that their throats had been slit, and all were dead, but were positioned to appear alive. With the removal of Raion, this left Sozen and Himitsu as the only Soul Reapers remaining at the wedding.

Kohler then nodded around the room to indicate all of those who wore white or had some sort of cross embroidered onto their outfits. In total, there were sixteen of these. "Those are my subordinates," Kohler said. "My allies. Fellow Quincy of the Vandenreich. You see, you are outnumbered. In particular, you both learned last time we arrived in Seireitei that you are also outmatched. It is best that you resign yourselves quietly to your fate, before things spiral out of control." Sozen continued to observe the situation, and then looked at Himitsu. He lowered his head, and turned his face from Kohler. "Perhaps you are correct," Sozen said. "In that event, I must say, it would be best to enjoy these final celebrations and the coming meal." But only Himitsu would have seen Sozen's own cold smile.