Second Meeting of Curiosity (Social, NDE, R)

[Itami Shokutabi]

The world is engulfed by night as the city lights dulls the stars from view. It irritated Itami, mainly because he loved to see the stars here. Thankfully though, the moon is full and out casting it's eerie yet beautiful light into the night. It was rather quiet too, and peaceful. Its not that Itami enjoys solitude, its just the silence brings peace to the man's soul. Or rather the soul of an Arrancar that's basically on his own for the past few months now.

Itami has only recently to finally reveal himself to the world, even if it's just a small piece. Along the way he met an interesting Shinigami of Hotaru Kuchiki who surprisingly didn't try to strike him down as so many others tried and failed with their lives. He hasn't really devoured a soul since he became an Arrancar, and that was approximately around 97 years ago. He's killed both Hollow and Shinigami alike, but he's never devoured their souls since then. Which that would be considered rather odd for an Arrancar to do that, he just fails to see the point on devouring anymore souls than necessary.

Now here he is, sitting on top of a building that's about four stories tall with his legs dangling over the edge. His crimson red cloak that looks like its been soaked in blood before and is shredded at the ends as it is wrapped around his shoulders and is laying it's lower half on the roof. His crimson red eyes seems to glow like a pair of rubies under the moonlight as he scans the streets down below for any suspicious activity. His dress attire is a silky, black short sleeved shirt that's a v neck exposing his collarbone with a pair of black, slightly baggy cargo pants snugged on his legs. Weighing on his feet are a pair of steel toed black boots. His skin is slightly tan as his long, jet black, spiky hair that covers most of his forehead and partially his right eye.

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

The spirit gate between the human world and Soul Society opened and Hotaru Kuchiki walked out onto the rooftop. It was one of her fairly regular patrols of this small city. She actually volunteered for more patrols lately to hopefully catch Asmoskon while he was in this town. Sadly, she never did seem to find him around, but she was thankful that they were still able to keep in touch with their phones.

She walked towards the middle of the roof and did a quick scan of the area. She didn't feel any hollow in the vicinity, so she sent him one more message. Then, she walked a little bit farther forward on the roof and that's when she noticed there was someone else on the roof with her. She wanted to hit herself for not noticing. She really needed to get better at just assuming she walks into a safe place when she leaves the gates.

She looked at the man and noticed the crimson jacket laying next to him. It looked really familiar, but she didn't want to assume again. Then, she took the man in. It looked like the same black, spiky hair that Itami has. She walked up next to him and sat down. When she looked over, she could definitely tell that it was Itami again. "Hello again Itami. What has you up on the roof?"

[Itami Shokutabi]

He felt the presence of a Shinigami through that spiritual gate as he had a gloomy look about him. 'I seriously don't feel like dealing with these people today.' That is until he heard a familiar voice that made him turn his head to look over his shoulder. He was a bit surprised that it was Hotaru, but he doesn't show it as his crimson red eyes that looked like a pair of rubies under the moonlight stares straight into her eyes. She looked like Hotaru, and had the same signature in her Reiatsu. So everything seems to check out clean that this was actually her and not just some trap that the other organizations have set up for his death or capture.

It's just one of the precautions Itami has to take in order to survive out here on his own. "I'm just keeping an eye out on Hollows. Nothing special other than that." He answered her question as he glances back down to the streets from the corner of his eye as he can indeed sense Hollows in a mile radius from him. Which is fine by him, as long as those Hollows keep to themselves and don't cause trouble then he's fine with it. Then he looks back at Hotaru just looking into her eyes mainly. "What about you Hotaru? I didn't think you take night patrols here."

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Hotaru watched as he kept an eye out on the streets. She wasn't surprised that he was keeping his eyes out for hollows, especially since he left her company the last time to go after a hollow. It was still amazing to her that he just left Las Noches, and everything that was going on there, to come to the Human World to keep hollows in check, especially with other shinigami that patrol around this town. She wondered if he ran into any of her fellow shinigami.

Itami stared at her before he talked like she wasn't real. But, if he's as hunted as he said, it made sense he would be that way. He then asked her why she was here. "Well Itami, shinigami have a fairly wide range of patrol options. Since this route hadn't been patrolled in awhile, I was told to come here. Good thing I did and not someone else. Though, I wish we had those eclairs right now, they would be delicious."

[Itami Shokutabi]

"Hm..." Itami's deep yet smooth voice as usual spoke to no one in particular. 'Figured as much, though I suppose it would've been bad if someone else had taken this patrol.' The reason why he thought that is because generally the Shinigami that encounters him strike on sight. And those Shinigami fails to do so every time. It's not that he enjoys killing Shinigami; it's because he has to survive. And the only way to do that is either hide or worse case scenario kill them.

Thankfully he doesn't need to do either with Hotaru. Simply because he considers her as an ally. Last time they met was in a café and they ate pastries while talking. That is until a Hollow had started to cause havoc. That was when Itami had to cut their talk short and took care of the problem. "It would definitely be good especially under these weather conditions."

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Hotaru listened to what he would say. It definitely would've been bad if someone else had taken the patrol. Even though she had been taught at the Academy to strike Arrancars on sight and to report when you see one, her own morals stopped her. This Arrancar wasn't hurting anyone. He was actually helping them do their job by defeating hollows. She didn't understand why some people blindly followed orders like that. She did respect authority, but there were some cases that were exceptions. He was one of them.

She then heard him say that he would love some pastries again, especially with the weather right now. She had to agree with him. So, she did one thing she never thought she would do. She had already been to this spot and hid a Gigai here. Since this was a new patrol route, they wanted her to check it out first before she actually patrolled, giving them some details. When she did that, she stashed a Gigai, just in case she would need it. "Then I will be right back."

She then jumped off the roof and slowly made her way down to an alley via air grounds. Once she made it down, she got into her Gigai. It still felt funny for her, but hey, it's what she had to do. She then quickly ran off to the cafe they were at before. She had noticed it during her quick go-through that the cafe was close by. She ran in, ordered two iced coffees, lemon doughnuts and some eclairs.

Once she got them, she quickly made it back to the building where Itami was. Since she didn't just want to leave the Gigai here, especially since the humans would find it and think it a dead body, she had to go the long way around. She was carrying things, so it was easier with the long way around. She got in the building and ran up the stairs. Once she got to the roof, she walked over to Itami and laid the food down near him.

She then walked out of her Gigai. The Gigai just fell to the ground. She hid it back over in her spot and walked back to where Itami was. Once she was settled and sat down next to him, she divided the food. She had gotten four of each pastry. So, Itami got an iced coffee, three doughnuts and an eclair. She gave herself an ice coffee, three eclairs and a doughnut. "Since you had an iced coffee last time, I figured you would like another one. I'm pretty sure that these are what we had last time." She started nibbling on an eclair and drink her coffee.

[Itami Shokutabi]

Itami was amused by Hotaru's sudden rush in her gigai. At least that's what he assumes whatever that is. He's seen it used by other Shinigami once or twice before to go undercover. It was one of the things that he had to learn about in order to update a list on what to look out for and to know who has access to these bodies. So far he's only seen Shinigami use them, but he's heard rumors that Arrancars can use these gigai as well. Which he's certainly curious if its true or not, but he'll just find out himself by trying to get a gigai himself somehow.

Itami resumed to keeping an eye out for Hollows down below. His ruby eyes scans through the thin crowds of humans and checks to make sure their Reiatsu matches normally. Some of the humans have a slightly stronger Reiatsu than the others, but they're still unaware of the world around them. Though if the Hollows were to even think about consuming those humans, they'll just be drugged into consuming more and more. And that's when Itami usually steps in and deals with them. Itami knows what it's like to be drugged in that situation for there were times when he was a Hollow himself. Of course he was always being hunted left and right even then so he didn't have time to do anything like that.

When Hotaru comes back with the two drinks and the pastries, he had a hint of a smile on his face. However when Hotaru comes up on the roof, his face turns back to the same blank expression. "Welcome back..." He tells her, though his eyes aren't looking at her direction, his attention is. His eyes has a sense of amusement when she sets the stuff down and then she said that he got the iced coffee last time. "Aye that is, it's... I can't really explain it, but it's just something about this coffee that I like and I can't wrap my finger around." Itami admitted to her as he nods to her as thanks and picks up his drink that she brought him and takes a sip of it. It was one of the few times that he spoke more than just two to five words. Especially when he sounded so casual about it like he wasn't worried much. Granted he was more aware of his surroundings to make sure nothing sneaks up on them.

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Once the food got separated and they both started eating, it was nice to get into the rhythm that they had at the cafe. She turned and heard him say something about the iced coffee. He said that there something about the drink that he likes and can't wrap his finger around it exactly. She felt the same way about it. "I hear you. This drink is fantastic. I want to learn how they make it so I can make my own. That way, I can have the drink whenever I want."

They ate in a little bit of silence. She didn't want to pry too much into what he's going through, but she needed something to talk about. "Well, Itami, if you don't mind me asking, can I learn a little bit about you? You're the first Arrancar I've ever come across and I'm curious as to how you and the rest of your race are. I promise you that I won't tell anyone in Soul Society about this. It will stay between the two of us."

[Zegram]

Zegram ran from roof tip to roof top enjoying the night. It was his favorite time of the day. He chuckled at the logic, but that was how it was. The cool air pushed though his green hair, his fedora kept in place by a gentle hand. He was not on business with the Escudo at the moment, so he thought he would kick bavk and enjoy the world that he once called home for a brief time. He stopped on top of a high building closing his eyes. He let his senses take in the sounds, smells, and feeling of the area around him. His eyes snapped open as he jumped letting gravity take hold of him letting himself feel the rush of falling before recovering and running once again. He decided to take get something to eat. After lifting some spicy wings from a nearby bar and scaring some patrons while he was at it, he returned to his stroll. 

He stopped seeing another Arrancar across the street. Not only that, but he was with a Shinigami. Now that wasn't as surprising to Zegram, he had met a Shinigami himself and even became quick friends maybe those two had a similar experience. "Well you can never have too many friends...or contacts." He said to himself as he started to make his way to the odd couple. He approached casually so they wouldn't get too surprised by him. "Well hello there," He said with a friendly wave of his hand. "It is a lovely night don't you think?"

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

While Hotaru was talking to Itami, she felt another presence near them. It had a feel like Itami's but still different. Because of this, she knew that this person had to be Arrancar. She almost froze immediately, but she knew she had to play it off. She didn't want this new Arrancar to see her fear. She knew she couldn't show fear to enemies. Once an enemy knew they scared you, they would always use that against you.

She kept breathing normally and finished her first eclair. She hoped that this person wasn't after Itami. She also didn't want to attack, since the person hadn't done anything yet. And, her back was to him, which was a lot of people's weak spots. Once an enemy got to your back, they could do almost anything against you. She slowly got up, putting her coffee down and put her plate aside as she did so.

Next, she turned around slowly to make sure she didn't anger this Arrancar. Though, honestly, if the Arrancar wanted to fight, he probably would have done so by now. As of right now, she wouldn't attack him because he was peaceful. But, if that changed, she would be ready. Once she got around, she took a good look. This Arrancar was a man, around her age. The green hair and fedora were interesting accessories for him. But, she had purple hair, so she couldn't really judge his hair color.

Now, she took a deep breath. She looked him in the eye to try to see if he was an enemy or a friend. But, sadly, she couldn't read people as well as she would like. Also, he could change in an instant, so she tried not to stare at his face for too long. He had said hello there and said that it was a lovely night. "It is a lovely night Arrancar. Hello back to you. Are you doing some kind of patrol or are you here for something else?" Her arms were at the ready, in case he did anything.

[Itami Shokutabi]

When Hotaru basically asked more about him, he grew quiet for a minute. Just when it seemed like he wouldn't respond, he opened his mouth to speak until he heard someone else talking. It made his cautious mind clicked in place as the first thing that hit his mind was enemy. His mind alert and cautious about this Arrancar that showed up, he turned his head to look at the Arrancar from the corner of his left eye over his shoulder. "It is indeed a lovely night... Mind if I ask just who you are?" He asked in a rather friendly manner for if it turns out that this Arrancar is not after Itami's head then the least he can do is try to make more friends and not more enemies.

[Zegram]

Zegram's eyes met the female Shinigami's and a smile spread across his face. The well dressed Arrancar bowed at the waist taking off his Fedora and placing it over his chest. "But where are my manners, I am Zegram Hebi at your service." He approuched the female Shinigami and took her hand gently in his kissing the back of it. "Especially yours my lady." He added with a quick wink as he straightened, and replaced his fedora on his head. 

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Hotaru stared at him while Itami was talking to him. It seemed that he too was cautious, but he had every right to be. If both sides were hunting for him, there weren't many people that he could trust and this man could be one of those people. She had asked him a question and so did Itami. She was still on alert, even though he didn't make a move for any weapon. Then, once his eyes met hers, he started to smile.

Next, he bowed at the waist, took off his hat, which he then placed over his chest. He then started to introduce himself as Zegram Hebi. He started to approach her. She kept her guard up, tense and ready to move. Once he got close enough, he reached out to her. She was curious why he was doing this until he reached for her hand. She also struck out, but he was being gentle with her. She stared at him while he brought this hand to his lips, kissing it and saying that he was especially at her service and called her my lady.

It seemed to her like he was flirting with her. She has some experience with that. Though, he was being polite about it. He winked at her and replaced his hat. She looked back at Itami and he was still on guard. She looked back to Zegram. "So, like I asked before. Are you out on some patrol or do you have other business being here? I haven't seen too many Arrancar out on their own that didn't have a reason to do so."

[Itami Shokutabi]

'A ladies man hm...?' Itami concluded to himself as he watched Zegram do as he did with Hotaru. Of course Itami didn't let his alertness fade either as he has both bottoms of his feet placed against the wall of the building as he legs still dangled over the ledge. It was a precaution in case he needed a fast escape from any sort of ambush. Of course it's not that he is blaming anything on anybody, he just can't lower his guard or else one slip up and he might wind up dead. Another thing, Itami was never all that popular to begin with for he kept to himself and not talk to anybody while he was in the Espada. But now that he's not part of any group, and be considered as a traitor to the Espada, he's a target from all sides. Save for Hotaru and possibly this Arrancar if things goes well.

He casually picks up one of the lemon filled doughnuts as he listened to both of them. To Itami, Hotaru sounds to be on her guard and sincere. While Zegram seems to be flirting with Hotaru. Itami could care less about flirting for he has no interest in it whatsoever. His main focus is survival, and he can't afford to be attached like that to anyone or to anything. Otherwise his pursuers would see it as his weakness and would quickly abuse it. "The name's Itami Shokutabi." That was his former last name. He was given a new last name to Synderfell while he was Fraccion to the Septima. Using his former last name, he's hoping that if Zegram is indeed after his head then perhaps the name would throw him off.

OOC: It's nothing against any of you I promise. Just Role Playing my character.

[Zegram]

Zegram noted the way that the other Arrancar, the one that introduced himself as Itami. He didn't reconize the name, but he did't care. What interested him was the way he was sitting. It looked like he was expecting a fight at any moment and trying to minimize the time to escape. Several reasons popped into Zegram's head, but he ignored them for the moment catching the pastry tossed to him. He wasn't one for sweets or anything like that, but he thought it rude not to accept it. He nodded his thanks before returning his attention to the Shinigami.

"Both of you can be assured, that I am here on no orders but my own. I figured I might as well see how the world of the living has changed since the last time I visited." He motioned to the edge of the roof where Itami was sitting. "Shall we sit? I think it would be more comfertable than standing if you ask me." He smiled a charming smile as he walked around the Shinigami to sit next to Itami. He left room for the Shinigami to sit between them since Itami was still on edge about his presance. "By the way, I dind't catch the lovely lady's name."