Dead Man's Kin [Social Thread, R | Takashi and Ajraka]

[Ajraka Kuchiki]

It had been several days since the .....incident. A series of events that, quite frankly, Ajraka was not quite sure she completely understood. As she sat in the Captain's quarters, watching the tiny representation of the ship scuttle across the vastness that was the quartz map of Hueco Mundo, idly itching at the back of her skull, slightly tilting the captain's hat that she had so taken for herself. How it was that she'd so come to command the respect of those on the ship she would never know, and quite frankly it was an enormous responsibility, not to mention one that was supposed to be temporary. She had originally only been here to finish a mission, train, and yet she'd somehow come to command this forty meter wide behemoth that was the ship.

SPOILER: Click to show

{The ship}

The fact that this thing was a means of transportation still boggled the young beastclan, and the sound of rushing sand outside of her quarters caused those ears of hers to flick about back and forth, making her slightly restless. With a soft grumble she drew herself to her feet, those amber eyes briefly checking upon the map before she stepped out of the cabin that was the back of the massive creature's skull. Almost immediately she was met with the deep rumble  of sand rushing past them as she walked out to see her crew, the previous oarslaves forced to power the ship in it's lowest decks at work, going about and swabbing the surfaces, moving and securing cargo, which moved a lot as the beast slithered through the sand, and some simply hunting down the spider-like parasites that riddled the thing.

Once she was spotted activity came to a half-halt, every here and there a crewmember would still make a few more swats to try and end one of those scuttling parasites before they all looked to her. Ajraka simply smiled that simple smile she always so adorned herself with, however slightly dulled by her new responsibilities. She had had some issue until she had noticed how they all looked at her. With respect. With trust. How could she not be happy? Idly, she reached up, brushing some sand from her fur as she then let out a loud, bellowing call. "Alright crew! Surface HO!" she yelled out, and immediately the mood lifted.

Even if the stealth of moving under the sand was quite advantageous, the crew still greatly enjoyed surfacing, when those thin membranes pulled back along either side of the creature's hollowed out spine, allowing Hueco Mundo's pale moon to shine in through those small ports as well as the tumultuous manner in which the ship moved, far more appreciable with vision of the landscape as they moved about it. They were still a safe distance from LAs Noches by a long shot. The decision had been unanimous to ensure that the place stay far enough to not even be visible on the horizon. Of course today's course had brought them a bit closer than usual, and in the distance Ajraka could see just the faintest trace of the wretched place. She must have misjudged the distance on the map. 

Frowning, she shook her head and bellowed out to the crew to change directions, making her way to one of the ports as they ran off to the small nodes along the creature's spine that were used to control it's movements. Truly it was a majestic creature and a reliable ship, that much at least she could respect as she looked out the port to see the beast begin veering off to the side, the body turning on itself, bringing into view the back end of the ship as it slid in and out of the sand  in small dips. For now all was alright, she'd drive the ship a bit away before making a stop and see if they could salvage the area for quartz trees or scraps. At the very least there was one thing about being Captain that she had taken to like a duck to water. She knew how to scrounge, and hopefully that would last her long enough to find out how to get back to the Soul Society. 

[Takashi Kuchiki]

Snow white hair danced back and forth as the winds blew in the vast desert. Small bits of fine white grain brushed against the man's soft peach colored skin. His demeanor was that of a bored young man; eyes half open and a near expressionless face. However, the intensity resided within the man's eyes. They appeared like shining blue diamonds, completely mismatching the dull scenery around him. He was pacing forward, his traditional japanese style geta leaving their impressions behind him in the sand. His long black shinigami attire worn underneath a flowing white robe began fluttering in the wind. It was all but silent in the midst of Hueco Mundo. Takashi allowed the beating wind to ruffle his hair and clothes; seemingly without being phased. He had recently met with Zegram, his Escudo spy. He had trusted the man to give him information regarding detailed matters. It had now been a few weeks since he had left the Shinigami and Soul Society. Here, within the confines of Las Noches, he would reside.

However, it still hung in the back of his mind the hostility of everyone to him. He was as alone in the world as he was in this desert. After abandoning Soul Society, the Shinigami grew to detest him. The Arrancar were equally displeased with his arrival; a treacherous shinigami in their midst. The only time he had was during the times he was conducting his research; either alone or with Kouhai. Aside from Adalo, Kuroi, Guujin, and Kouhai, Takashi didn't seem to possess many friends. These allies too were on edge, still unsure of Takashi's loyalty to them. It would take a greater amount of time to convince them fully of his loyalty. He had given up so many things to come here, even part of his soul had been removed. In any case, the man's mind wandered around. This desert was a perfect place to project his thoughts and walk in silence. It was however, when he felt a rumbling under his feet, did he stop walking. His instinct told him something was readily approaching, though he didn't pay too much attention to it. Instead, he kept where he was, allowing the rumbling to continue. It was only moment later that he saw the vague image of something in the distance. His eyes narrowed, seeing something of a large hollow; or at least what he perceived it to be.

His eyes fell upon it. He couldn't see it clearly, but it looked like it was weaving in and out. It was strange for such a create to be out; especially when Takashi was exerting some of his presence. It seemed many hollow ran from him; perhaps this was the first attempted execution. It was only moment later that he saw it stop in the distance. He turned, making his way forward. He continued to press on for a few more steps until he stopped once more. He turned around, his beautiful eyes looking at the creature once more. It seemed to have stopped out of nowhere; this was quite unusual. He hadn't really seen any other creature around, was it getting devoured? His curiosity was peaked. He was a researcher after all. It was a good chance to collect data on further Adjuchas or hollow evolution process. Turning his body slightly, he let the wind slowly brush against his skin as it blew; only for an instant. At that moment, he disappeared, at 10,000 speed and appeared nearly 8 meters away from the vessel.

His eyes narrowed upon the creature as it opened up; seemingly allowing some strange type of creature to come out of it. Takashi hadn't seen a beast clan before, so to him, it was completely new. It was only a moment before it had gone back in to the creature. Were they...controlling this hollow like creature? Takashi's eyes narrowed as he walked up to the ship. He wanted to see if it would continue moving or not. He wasn't someone who wished to speak much. Rather, he made his way forward to the side of the ship. He placed his hand upon it, seeing if it would continue to move. A good part of him wanted to grasp it or hit it lightly to test its durability. If it moved again, he would push back at quick speeds, putting some distance between it. For now, he was inspecting the creature and the design. He had learned a great deal of architecture from Azumi. He was sure she would find this creature marvelous. For him, he found it quite interesting as well. He had hoped he would be able to get a sample. If nothing else, he was curious as to how that creature inside was controlling it. He felt like he could ask her many questions. He slid his hand down the side of the creature. It definitely felt strange though, he wasn't sure what kind of consistency this machine. He was about ready to test it out by punching it. However, he decided it would be best he to continue inspecting it for now.

[Ajraka Kuchiki]

Ajraka's attention was elsewhere at the moment, her attention briefly focused on some quartz trees nearby. Of course some of the crew had already disembarked to collect it, stealing nervous glances in the direction of Takashi. Of course even Ajraka could sense him, her gaze turning slightly as he would reach out and touch the ship. Almost immediately as he touched it, that massive head suddenly tore up from the sand, curling around and suddenly, Takashi would find himself looking at the massive mouth of the ship itself as it poked him with it's chin in reply, and surprisingly not too forcefully, just enough to knock over any normal arrancar, though more likely than not it would be a simple nudge before the beast simply lowered it's head again, having made it quite clear that it was alive. "She's touchy on the belly."

Ajraka's voice murmured from the man's right as she smiled, casually, calmly, as if she were in her usual perpetual good mood as she walked closer, stopping a good four meters from the male as she dropped onto all fours, sniffing in his direction before dropping to a knee, lightly rubbing her chin. Her eyes briefly shifting to the nobility pin. She found it vaguely familiar, but that was about as much thought as would go into the process as she simply stared at him, continuing to smile with those bright amber eyes focused on him as she pulled a thin strip of sandfish from her pocket and chewed on it, seeming almost alarmingly unconcerned despite the glaring difference in their powers. Of course she had no idea that he was likely leagues faster than her, but even so he didn't seem violent so she was hardly perturbed.

After a few moments, no doubt which would, at some degree, likely include a question of some sort in her direction, which she would, of course, ignore. Not that she'd tune it out, sadly that age-old practice if ignoring the dumb noises that spilled out of soul's mouths had alas been....discarded. It was no longer something she could afford as Captain, so alas she was, now, forced to actually listen and seek out any useful information amongst all the dribble, though that CERTAINLY didn't mean she had to respond right away. In any case she would begin to move in a bit closer, looking him over in an almost childlike manner of curisity that would so exude an extreme simplicity. There was no deception, no hidden motive, no caution, there was not even a polite social mask to hide her surface thoughts, she simply smiled and looked at his clothing, briefly admiring his hair , and if any of it billowed in her direction from the wind she would quite casually reach out and swat it before her attention would return to his seed-shaped face. Not that he wasn't handsome, by human standards he certainly was not ugly, in fact it was one of the rarer shapes for male faces she'd seen. It was pointy at the chin but had a wider berth to it.

Those Amber eyes would flit briefly from he man's face before scanning his form, every now and then pausing to look at his clips as she so considered reaching for it. However in this sole situation her knowledge probably saved her life. She remembered very little about the last time she'd seen the thing, perhaps on her adoptive father Kyomei? But in any case she DID remember a LOT of ruckus when she'd snagged one. She knew from Old Man Mentor that she would one way receive one when she had 'proven' herself as a Kuchiki, but for now she simply admired this man's pin, wondering where he had gotten one, not that she cared, who wanted such a stupid pin anyway? even if she wasn't allowed to have one. It was stupid.....stupid pin.

[Takashi Kuchiki]

As Takashi began to rub the strange creature's hyde, it began to grow uneasy. The shinigami looked up towards it, his eyes as uninterested as ever. A part of him wanted to reach for his sword and cut the entire thing in half. One must understand, Takashi had no friends in Soul Society nor Hueco Mundo. However, he saw the creature approaching slowly; its demeanor wasn't aggressive. It came down towards him and bopped him a few times over the head. Takashi closed his eyes as it did so. He didn't pay it any attention; it was very soft for him. Instead, he removed his hand from the creature; most likely what was agitating it. He had planted himself firmly upon the ground; sliding only due to the loose sand beneath his feet. Suddenly, there came a voice from his right. Takashi's hand lowered as he looked to his right. Characteristically, his expression was rather lack luster once more. He watched the strange beast like creature. "I see. My apologies.. He said in a rather formal tone as he bowed slightly towards this new person. He was sure he had seen her a moment before, but he didn't speak much of it.

As he rose his head, he looked down towards her. The woman seemed to be sniffing the ground, on all fours now; she was definitely animal like; much like her appearance. He watched her simply as she looked up smiling. Takashi's facial expression didn't shift, he was as bored as ever; even through her smiling. He waited as she smiled towards him; just watching her for a moment. "What is this creature. It bares no hollows mask". Takashi questioned. He kept quiet, not saying anything as she looked rather confused; or perhaps intrigued. He didn't say anything more after that, he kept quiet. His expression hadn't changed as his beautiful blue eyes fell upon her. The eyes said to have made the soul king jealous and of the most beautiful in all of Soul Society gazed upon her. She seemed analytical in an animal like way. She was engaging him with her senses. He blinked, allowing her to do so without much movement or protest. He looked at her strange animal like appearance; though he didn't comment on it. It was also not apparent due to his facial expression not shifting. He wasn't sure just what kind of animal she was, perhaps a bear or mouse..or something. He inspected her having brown hair and goggles on; she was certainly strange.

However, the former shinigami encountered a lot of strange things out in the white desert. He allowed her to keep scanning her. Obviously, she wasn't from around here and did not know who he was. She seemed to fixate upon his clip that was in his hair. The black clip was significant of his nobility status; something he kept for fashion. Plus, it seemed to piss off all the others, which he didn't care much about. She was really fixating upon it. Takashi's hand slowly rose up, grasping the pin in his thumb and index finger. He lightly pressed on it so it snapped out of place; letting some of his hair fall; though it was not very noticeable. From there, he extended his hand and opened his palm. "You seem to be quite fond of this." He extended it out towards her, seeing if she would take it or what she would do. Technically, he hadn't offered it to her, or at least it seemed so. "I haven't seen your kind, neither in Soul Society nor Hueco Mundo. As such, I haven't seen something as this creature either". He said turning to the large worm like creature. "It is my inclination that you do not belong in this vicinity. Am I correct?" He asked her; his hand still extended with the pin.

[Ajraka Kuchiki]

Ajraka paused, those ears perking slightly in response to his reaction as, of all things, he reached up and did so delicately take that clip from his hair, resulting in a smooth cascade of those silver locks of his that did so fall to frame those prismatic eyes of his that did so draw her own to them briefly, as they had quite the shine to them. Alas her eyes then were redirected to his hand as he held that clip out. Memories flashing to the forefront to her mind, to the soft smile of her adoptive father Kyomei, as he had so allowed her to take such an item from him once. It was the exact same. Her eyes moved from the pins up to his eyes, and then back again as she leaned in, those big eyes focusing upon the clips in his palm, a soft smile slowly slipping across her lips as she reached out, but instead of reaching for the clips specifically, she simply placed her hand in his, recalling the manners that Grampa Kuchiki had instilled, or attempted to instil, within her. She then gave a very small bow of her head as was courtesy among the meeting of nobles, her ears drinking in the male's flat tones as he so asked of her those questions.

With hand in his she simply tilted her head to the side, and she used that wit of hers to experiment, those smiling lips parting to let her own voice slip forth.
"Your inclination is correct. We do not." she responded in as smooth and practiced a voice one would think her born a noble. Of course it was simply a complex form of parroting, that annoying tone had been so easy to emulate, of course she had modified it, flattening and dulling it to match his own version of the mannerism a bit more, but not so close as to be a mocking impression. In any case that hand, if he so allowed, would slip from his and then place itself over her chest. "Came with Shinigami. Ship Find us. Captain make us row." she noted, returning to that more simpliistic manner of speaking, of course it would be clear now that this was not because f her intelect, but simply out of her own lack of care to change her voice. Speaking was a chore for her, so it was rare that she put in effort. "Shinigami died. Captain died. My ship now." she noted, that smile then widening, bursting with pride, but not with the cocky pride of one who took pleasure in stealing a ship, it was a much more base enjoyment. She did not relish the demise of the arrancar captain, she was simply proud of her accomplishments.

With a soft clearing of her throat, she then shifted her eyes to his clip, then back up to him again as she tilted her head to the other side. "You're lost too. Like me. Like Ajraka." She pointed out. Of course she did not speak of the word 'lost', and that simple utterance held with it a meaning much deeper than simply being stranded in the desert. She was referring to the fact that neither of them felt at home. Though as to wether she was referring to bfeeling at home here, or at the soul society was not clear. But in Any case she would then hop onto her hind legs, standing up straight as she clapped her hands together before clapping them over her chest. "Ajraka Kuchiki. Adopted. " She introduced herself before gesturing toward the ship itself, patting it a bit higher, away from the belly and near that wicked curling plated armor it had, causing a light rumble. It almost seemed pleased. "Hungry?"

[Takashi Kuchiki]

He watched as she seemed to raise her hand and place it in his own; this creature was rather gentle it seemed. His eyes looked up at her, seemingly disinterested in what was going on. She on the other hand, seemed to give him a bow; he would return the bow with a slight one. He picked up upon the way she spoke, it seemed mirror his own. In addition, it was quite interesting how she seemed to be so gentle and polite; he hadn't expected it. It was almost as though someone had taught her how to do all of this, though he wouldn't question it. He felt her hand leave, still not taking the pin. It was an unusual custom which she knew, but at least it was interesting enough. He allowed her to do so. While she did, he moved the pin back to his head and snapped it back on utilizing only one of his hands. He listened closely as she spoke, it seemed he was right about her not being from here. What was interesting is what she said next. IT seemed she came here with shinigami. He pieced together that they took this creature from someone else. Given her next sentence with the shinigami dying and the captain as well; it seemed she was the commander of it now. It beckoned the question of how long she was actually here for, it was quite interesting.

For now, he would assume that she had taken this vessel for herself. She introduced herself as Ajraka, an interesting name. She seemed to think that he was lost, though this wasn't the case. He let her continue to speak. She stood up and introduced herself fully...it was quite a surprise. His eyes narrowed upon the surname she gave...Kuchiki. She said adopted afterwards, it probably was one of Sozen's doings. However, the adopted part made it seem like she could have been introduced by anyone. He didn't speak, still not saying anything as she patted the creature. She seemed to have a sort of soft side to her. Still, being out in this area wasn't good by any means. For now, he felt it best he not tell her who he was. Instead, he spoke to her in a more 'matter of fact' type of way. "Ajraka, you should leave this place. It is rather dangerous here. I do not know your current strength, but I do know the direction you are headed is that of Las Noches. I do not know if you know what that is, but you should be heading back to the Kuchiki manor". He spoke, rather stern. He let his hands hang to his sides, covered by his longer robe. "I imagine you are unable to open spiritual gates nor Garganta". He said to her. "Are you perhaps seeking a way off this area?". He questioned.

[Ajraka Kuchiki]

Ajraka tilted her head slightly as she noticed the subtle shift in tone that so enshrouded the man's words, though she could not help but smirk a little at his mention of Las Noches, a soft nod of her head as she began to make her way to the ramp up and into the beast, crooking a finger for him to follow as she headed up and into the inner expanse of the ship itself, speaking over her shoulder as she did so, that smooth tail of hers curling this way and that. Along the length of the beast, some of her crew was already loading quartz into the beast. "Already know bout that place. Shinigami said it was hellish. Map on the ship. S'why we stopped. Were about to turn around 'fore we got too close." she so explained.

Once inside, and assuming he was following her, she'd take him right to the captain's quarters in the back of the beast's skull, built right in as it were. The inside was comfy enough, decorated with skin and different trophies, no doubt from the previous owner as she so drew herself to the center of the room, which held perhaps the most impressive of pieces. It was a table, quite large, a full two meters in length on every side. The thing was made from solid quartz, and a soft glow shone through it's prismatic surface. The top of which had been carefully etched into a vast and somewhat bland and sparse map of what appeared to be a section of Hueco Mundo. Upon this map was a few landmarks here and there, but the two most important pieces were, no doubt, the small dot that was Las Noches, labeled as such, and by the scale, it would show just how expansive the map entailed of the area. And secondly, a small little centipede-looking critter, almost too small to notice at first, at rest. It was the ship.

Assuming he was still beside her, she would explain. "Moves with the ship. See? Too far to be seen from Noches. Stopped for quartz. Gonna stay way from it." She explained, pausing for a moment to glance at him, then down to the table itself, that expressive smile faltering very obviously, showing just how she wore her emotions on her sleeve, eyes drawing to a close. "I miss Dad...... But.... I am a Kuchiki. I have a duty, responsibility..." she murmured, furrowing her brow in determination. "I'll go home sometime..... but... I don't really..... fit in in Soul Society. And... I need to find a replacement.....for my Ship." She murmured, running her claws along the table as her eyes drifted off to the side. "Not afraid of dying.... Not afraid of being called traitor....deserter...disgrace to Kuchiki Name. Father didn't care. Adopted animal like me.....not because it would have benefited the clan....but because he felt responsible." she murmured, as probably the most complex thoughts she'd ever had in her life came spilling out. "This ship....is my Daughter. Until she is safe..... I will stay here." She stated calmly.

[Takashi Kuchiki]

The white hair's eyes grew softer as he looked towards the smaller creature. She seemed to be indicating that she wanted him to follow. He supposed there was really no harm in doing so. Not to mention, he wanted to see the inside of this creature; it was rather interesting. Stepping in, he noted that the creature was really like a ship. Strangely, there was room for boarding on this strange creature. Perhaps the animal like appearance of this woman had shifted his perception of things. His eyes fell upon the strange contraptions all around. He nodded slightly as she spoke about how things were hellish. He continued to follow her to the captain's quarters. It was quite interesting to see the hunting like atmosphere that was present within this creature. Eventually, they made their way to a table. Takashi looked down towards the map, noting the areas of Hueco Mundo that were mapped out. He looked up at the woman who seemed to be following this map. A moment later, he would look down to see it, tapping his foot lightly upon the ground; he was thinking.

She seemed to be saying they were looking for quartz of some sort, but she wanted to stay away from las noches for the time being. However, she seemed to be upset, her emotions shifting soon after. She spoke about missing her father. It was interesting to see how much she held the honor of the Kuchiki. He looked down, her claws digging down into the table as she seemed distraught; he didn't say anything for the time being. Interesting that she wasn't afraid to be called a traitor. She went on to describe this 'he', that was quite interesting indeed. She seemed to be really trying to show how she felt through her words; she was quite naive which was good to see in people. He looked towards her as she finished. "Whom among the Kuchiki Clan is your father? Also". He trailed off as he looked towards the ship, inspecting its interior. "How will this ship be secure? I can perhaps take this ship for you. I am also able to take you back to your home in soul society. However, I can only open the portal for you; that is as far as I am allowed to aid you". He blinked, looking even more bored somehow. "If you wish, I will release this creature. However, there are not very many safe places in Hueco Mundo. I can perhaps take care of it, but its large size makes it difficult to keep undetected. I suppose I should refer to your ship as a her..". He said speaking partially to himself as well.

[Ajraka Kuchiki]

Ajraka tilted her head slightly in response to the question, though far more than that she noticed that he seemed to almost relax a little around her, his body language giving off a far more hospitable vibe to her that actually somewhat comforted the otter as she took a brief moment to settle into the Captain's seat as she looked over the map thoughtfully as she folded her legs, looking surprisingly at home in the seat as she responded. "Father? Kyomei Kuchiki. You and him are somewhat similar." she pointed out as she looked him over, those brilliant orange hues sliding up and down as she checked him out briefly before his next statement caused her to tilt her head

"Gilliaship can hide easily. We submerge to stop, but most of the time she swims under sand. S'why we use the map instead of looking out ports." she explained, taking a moment to consider his words before she drew herself to her feet and made her way to the window that looked out into the upper decks where her crew toiled. "More than just ship...Other oarslaves and bedslaves here. Not just arrancar and Hollows. Human souls. Shinigami. All kindsa lost." she so explained as she watched them, rubbing lightly at her neck, even now she could see some of them not quite getting along. Glares, distrusting looks. Some of the crew that hadn't been slain had stuck around and were constantly harassed by some of the ex-slaves.

She shook her head and turned to look at him over her shoulder, smiling as she made her way over to the male and leaned in, lightly bumping his cheek with her nose before shaking her head, reaching up and lighly patting him on the shoulder, showing clear appreciation for his offer. "You're true kuchiki. Good person for offer. But... I must decline for now. More than just ship to take care of. And more than just me to go back." she stated softly, almost apologetically at having had to decline such a truly generous offer.