The Arm - Act Zero: Beginnings In Darkness [NDE, Easy]

[Gaius Magnus]

Pi looked at Takara. He looked at her, with his gaze so deep, so strong, so... understanding. Besides from his gaze, his expression didn't seem to change, in fact, not even a single muscle of his moved. A light smile seemed to slowly form in the corner of his lips. "It is good. You really are who we need you to be. I am really sorry for all this trouble we've put you through, but we had to be absolutely, one hundred percent sure about your identity." Pi sighed. "Well, now that that is out of the way, I suppose I should notify the boss about this. If you would excuse me for a bit..." With that, Pi pulled out a cellphone, and dialed a number. As soon as connection was established, he said: "We have a positive ID." Then, the one on the other side of the call spoke, but Takara couldn't pick up the words, even with her extreme senses. After listening to that, Pi responded with: "Alright." Then, he slowly put the phone away and addressed Takara. "I apologize for bothering you further, Miss, but both of us will need to attend the very important meeting right now. If you would follow me..."

With that, Pi got up and motioned for Takara to follow him. He led her out of the room, and into the complicated network of corridors, which he seemed to navigate flawlessly, with perfection. As they walked however, Takara could notice something strange. As they walked, her Energy Sensory would pick up something rather interesting. A great, bright presence that seemed to dwarf every other one on the floor, and in fact it drowned them all out to the point that she couldn't even sense Pi who was next to her, at all, only thing she could pick up was that gigantic aura, and it was akin to looking at the sun directly, it was just that bright. However, Takara wouldn't be able to pinpoint its source, nor could she read anything from that aura at all, save for the sense of safety, sense of protection and goodwill that the aura already emitted on its own.

Meanwhile, Pi led her to a door, and then opened it. Motioning for Takara to go through it. "I hope it's comfy enough, Miss. I am sorry, but I need you to wait in here for a bit. You'll be called soon enough." With that, Pi sent Takara in, and then shut the door and left. The room was simple, however. It was rather narrow, and on the wall opposite to the door, there were another, double doors, taking most of the wall. There were no windows, but the walls were bright white, freshly painted, and the wooden floor seemed old, but it was cleaned and well-polished. Room was well lit, the light coming from a crystal size of the basketball that was embedded into the ceiling, somehow, it was producing light. Against both of the walls, to the left and to the right, were two black, leather sofas, each enough to seat three people, between them, there was just enough space for two people to stand side by side. Now, located in there, Takara had to wait...

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[OOC: It is actually Jikken who is in a tracksuit, not Kasper. Not a big deal, just a small detail.]

Kasper looked at Jikken seriously. He looked at him seriously, and then he burst out laughing. He laughed hard and loud, falling down from his chair, tears going down his cheeks, all because of the laughter. It took him good ten or twenty minutes to cool down. As he did, he picked up the chair and took a seat again. "Now that was a good one. 'Other Mod Souls.' You really are a funny dude, Jikken Kaze. Let me tell you this. How many Mod Souls do you think there were, back when we were in Soul Society, back when we were slaves to the Shinigami? I will tell you. Tens, if not hundreds of thousands. And you, think you are the only one? Dude... You really are something. You are clueless. Do you even bloody know why you are here? I somehow doubt that. You really-" A ring of a cellphone interrupted Kasper. He quickly reached into his pocket, taking out a cellphone. He picked up, but said nothing, but he listened instead. Then, he merely ended the call, the other side hanging up.

Disposing the cellphone back into his pocket, Kasper listened to Jikken's demands. He got up on his feet. "Well then, it's time to go. The meeting is on. Before we go, listen carefully. You come here, causing all the ruckus like crazy, scaring the guests, and blowing our cover. I did what I did merely to protect you, as, trust me on this, other guys would not be as gentle. As for the second one, I found you passed out holding a bottle in the larder. If you think it was better to let your ass freeze there, dude, then you are obviously whacked in the head." He motioned for Kaze to follow him, and left the room. He led the Kaze down a complicated series of corridors, and he was quite serious while he was doing so. However, he still had things to say to Kaze. "Trust me, it matters little what happened to you. What and who you were, and what broke you. It only matters what you will be, what will you develop yourself into. Think of it, Jikken Kaze. And also, a little thing to note. You can use your powers here, just so you know, on this floor. I however advise you against it, since it will probably displease some pretty powerful people." As they arrived to a single door, Kasper showed Kaze in. "Please, wait a bit and you'll be called for. And you probably won't be alone, so behave yourself." And with that, Kasper sent Kaze into the same room Takara was in.

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Gaius listened to Hebika all the way through, smiling. His smile was honest, and it was wide, friendly. But, as it was his turn to speak, and the Ink Viper would try to read him, he would form a surprised expression, and simultaneously, Hebika would, perhaps, mentally hear some sort of surprise from the Ink Viper. As a matter of fact it was simple, for Gaius was well versed in Disciplines, and through using Haki, the Mental Discipline, not only he blocked the attempt, but he also used it to read the Ink Viper's mind. As he did so, his face brightened up with expression of a genuine joy. "Oh my, so that is your power. It's... beautiful. A new life created... It is splendid Technique, and it really brings me joy to know that even us, who are artificial life, a program code given life, can still give new life into this world. Please, Miss Nara, could you show me?" With that, Gaius made a motion pointing to where the Ink Viper was. It all seemed surreal to Hebika, surely, or perhaps not, depending on whether or not she knew that there was something like Haki in existence. However, Gaius was quite happy with his new discovery, and this was evident in his motions and in his expression, and even his aura seemed to grow even brighter.

However, suddenly, a phone rang, and Gaius reached into his pocket and pulled out a cellphone, and picked up. He listened briefly to whatever he was being told, which Hebika wouldn't be able to make out, even with her incredible senses. Gaius response was: "Good. It's on. You know what to do." Then, he hung up, and then he reached for a phone on his table, pressed a button on it, and then said in clear voice: "It's on. Gather them all up." Then he looked at Hebika, and addressed her. "I am sorry for this interruption Miss Nara. Now, let us see. First of all, and this will make answer two of your concerns, I sold information about myself in exchange for information about every active Mod Soul. Some info was more detailed, some less, and it rarely included any pictures, hence the reason I asked about your name. Also, powers were sometimes included in that info, but more often no. Also, I didn't send anything, I hired somebody for that. But, Miss Nara, you did not answer my question, I asked where your allegiances are, not who you work for. Those two tend to be at odds, often." With that, Gaius got up, and motioned for Hebika to follow him. He led her out of the office.

"Now, two answers I still owe you. My power is what you saw. Power to destroy souls, just as yours is to create them. That is all you will get from me now, more detailed explanations can wait. As for the purpose of being here, well, it is simple. You can see that with your own eyes, if you want to, or if no, I can have you escorted out of this place." Now, Hebika had a choice. If she chose to leave, then a guard would be summoned to escort her out of the building. But if she decided to stay, then Gaius would lead her down a corridor, and then past a few turns, to a single door. "Please, Miss Nara, if you would wait inside. You'll find company in there, and of our kin, naturally. The big meeting is here, of which I cannot yet say more, but soon, you will be called to attend it, and many things shall be explained. Now, if you would?" And with that, Gaius showed Hebika into the room where Takara and Jikken already were. Soon, they would all be called into this meeting, but the real question still remained - What it was about? Of course, the three of them could talk about it at least for some time...

[OOC: Now, this is the chance for Takara Takeda, Jikken Kaze and Hebika Nara to interact, so you got a round or two for that before we get to the main event.]

[Gaius Magnus]

OOC: Eleven days passed, so, bump.

[Hebika Nara]

Hebika took everything more or less in stride. She didn't bother much reacting to what Gais had to say as he fawned over her power. She considered answering his question, but as it were he seemed to be getting rid of her company for the time being, and she simply smiled as he asked her once again the same question. Sorry but Vague answers don't count~ I'll answer your question when you have time to answer mine." she stated simply, and simplyturned her back on Gais.

Of course... now she would find herself in that room. Her eyes shifting briefly as she vaguely recognized the attractive Mod Soul from another party. Takara. Not that she knew the woman's name, but she had seen them before, and Hebika rarely forgot a pretty face. The male however was utterly lost on her, and quite frankly she doubted she would pay him much attention again in the future. He seemed, for all intents and purposes, as a boring brute of a man.

But one thing WAS for certain. These were her kind. Mod souls, just like her. But that meant nothing. She watched the both of them with a neutral expression and simply remained silent, not making any attempt to strike up a conversation. No.... she was much more interested in just seeing what they would do first.

[Takara Takeda]

After Takara had finished answering Pi's question on who was in the picture it seemed for a moment that his soul shined with overwhelming joy before anything else became apparent. He looked to be happy something that he hadn't shown to her since they had met. Until now he had made sure to hide his emotions from sight something that Takara tried to normally do herself yet more often than naught had trouble accomplishing. For whatever reason now though it seemed that Pi didn't feel any sort of reason to hide how he was feeling from her.

It seemed that everything up to this point was to make sure that Takara was actually who she claimed to be or who they had believed her to be and now they felt that she was in fact herself. All of the protocol for such a basic question meant that whoever was in charge more than likely only knew a small amount about her. If they knew more than it would have been easier for them to simply ask Takara to display her ability to material weapons from the Omega Arsenal. All this meant though was that the likelihood that they knew her ability was minimal.

Pi quickly finished speaking to whoever was in charge on the phone and told her that once again they would need to move and while Takara was growing tired of constantly having to listen and move by the word of someone else she went along with it for the time being in order to see this through to the conclusion. The fact that she was surrounded by Mod Souls was enough to keep her in a good mood and more willfully accept the situation and what they were asking of her, but if anything bad happened than Hell was going to freeze over.

Following Pi once again through the system of halls that were nothing other than boring due to the lack of color and decoration Takara began to feel a reiatsu source. Another individual that possessed reiatsu far more vast than nearly anything she had sensed prior meaning that spiritual this individual was more than likely the strongest. Being careful not to give herself a headache Takara only searched for a brief few moments yet couldn't locate the exact position of the individual. More than likely though she would meet it soon as it was more than likely the Mod Soul in charge of this gathering.

Pi lead Takara to another door and opened it revealing that the room at least had some color and accommodations. It seemed that she was to wait in the room for the time being and that in some time she would be called for whatever she was being told to wait. Normally Takara would have had enough by now demanding to simply get this over with or she'd leave as her time was being wasted. Although at the moment she smiled to Pi and gave him a wink then proceeded to walk into the room she was indeed getting irritated. There were so many of her people at this gathering and Takara wanted nothing more than to simply meet them and get to know each and every single one of them yet she was being led around missing out on so much.

Sitting down on one of the black sofas and then laying down resting her head on one of the arms while placing the rest of her small body on the sofa. She had her heels off on the polished floor in front of the sofa. Even though she was in a building filled with her own people Takara knew better than to let down her guard so easily which led to her laying down in a position that allowed her to look to the entrance. Her legs crossed to keep her underwear from view with her arms resting across her stomach. Takara would lay awaiting whoever was keeping her waiting.

As she waited though Takara could sense the reiatsu signatures of other Mod Souls that were approaching the room. The first pair she could sense were both male and around the same league in terms of spiritual ability. However, she could sense something was off about one of them it's soul was troubled, uneasy yet beyond that she couldn't tell. The door opened and Takara could see that another Mod Soul that was rather muscular, blonde and male had been led into the room. This was the individual that was so troubled and it seemed that he was being told to wait as well. She'd wait for him to come into the room before any type of greeting. "Hello there. Please take a seat and rest your nerves are jumping all over the place. Also if you can could you please change your scent. I don't wish to be rude, but you smell like a homeless drunk."

Takara meant what she had just said to Kaze. She didn't want to be rude to another Mod Soul or come off in any way other than caring for that is what she felt, but her nose was trying to kill her right now. The scent of boozes from the man was overwhelming and Takara had no other choice, but to pinch her nostrils closed with her left index and thumb. However, the interaction between her and Kaze went it wouldn't last long though as Takara sensed another pair of Mod Souls approaching the room. This pair she could tell was at least slightly different than the first. It wasn't two men this time, but a male and female. The male had an impressive aura and spiritual properties while the female felt of something different and not happy.

The door would open once again and Takara would see a beautiful short haired blonde Mod Soul with a vicious look to her face that was somehow appealing. That was when Takara realized that she had seen this Mod Soul before during an assignment that Kazura had wished for her to take care of that hadn't led anywhere. It seemed that this female wasn't the talking type, but Takara could sense that she was awaiting something with eager anticipation. "Well this is a surprise I wasn't expecting to see anyone I've come across before tonight. I'm quite glad though last time I never got to speak to you. My name is Takara Takeda it's a pleasure to meet the both of you." Takara would sit up smiling to them both as best she could while dealing with the smell emanating from Kaze.

[Jikken Kaze]

As Kaze pointed at the man, he noticed something different about his arm. His clothes had been changed. All of a sudden, he started to sweat. "Oh you have got to be kidding me..." The reason Kaze wore such baggy and open clothing, was because he absolutely loathed being hot. Honestly, if it weren't for being constantly yelled at, he'd wear even less than he wore normally, completely unafraid of showing off his body. "What'd you do with my stuff you punks?!" He said loudly, sounding slightly out of breath, panting a little.

His hair was starting to get ever so damp. So, while the man across from him started laughing, Kaze started stripping, removing his shirt and throwing it to the side. After that, satisfied with reducing his temperature, he just sat there, waiting. His head was leaning in his hand, wondering where he could get some more beer. Twenty minutes later, and Kaze was a twitching mess, barely managing to restrain himself, wanting nothing more than to shut the laughing man up. He normally wasn't a fan of violence, but for this guy he was willing to make an exception.

Finally, finally], the man shut up. He listened to the man talk, and MAN was he annoying to listen to. So arrogant, so condescending, like some old.... Something. He couldn't think of a good word, but when he figured out out, this guy was getting such a verbal beat down! "HEY!" He interrupted. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for that stupid magic paper thing!" He told him heatedly, slamming his hands on the table, while nearly jumping to a stand. "And thank you very much for not leaving me in that place, it was very cold!" He thanked him with the same amount of anger, having absolutely zero chill.

The mod souls left, with Kaze following behind, clearly unhappy with the entire situation. He was eventually introduced to a door. His most hated enemy. "Great, another door. Guess we gotta break it-" The other mod soul opened it. "-down.... Drat." And then he was thrown through it, being told to play nice with the others. "Hey, what d'ya mean.... others.." His angry yell died off upon looking around the room. He sighed in frustration. He did not want to be dealing with more people, especially people that didn't deserve his foul mood.

Looking at both of the other people in the room, he walked over towards the seemingly nicer of the two, though it wasn't by much. He was about to sit down next to her... when she opened her mouth. "...Change my smell?" He said with a dubious tone. "Change my SMELL?!" Now he sounded mad again. "How in the four realms am I supposed to do that right now, huh?! What are you, stupid or something!?" Oh the irony. Either way, this was not helping his opinion of mod souls grow in any positive direction. He decided to avoid the blond woman, and sat on either an unoccupied couch, or just lean against a wall.

[Hebika Nara]

Brows lifted slightly when of all things she ACTUALLY recognized one of the mod souls in the room. "Fancy meeting you here funbags." She noted with a light little smile, shamelessly letting her eyes dip down, and then back up again as she seemed to scan Takara from stem to stern. At least the woman was a bit less cleavagy this time around. She had a number of mental musings about the woman, but as it were it seemed that the male in the room was going to have a fit. She casually watched as he went off, and she off-handedly decided to chime in.

"It's not like we have a bath here. He does have a point. Unless you're offering to take him into the nearest bathroom and give him a sudsing yourself." she noted casually, only fleetingly scanning the ruffian, seeing nothing that really interested her, so instead she went back to staring off into space, all the while that inky viper would slither out of her cleavage and wind it's way around her neck, Hebika seemed so very largely unconcerned with the fact that the pitch-black snake was using her shoulders like a sofa. The snake itself leering at the other two mod souls as it chilled out.
She also occupied herself with making little mental bets with herself. Listening to the other two in the room, hearing the faint heartbeats, listening for the way they spoke, shifted weight, ect. mentally calculating how likely it was that the two would get so angry that they'd just tear eachother's clothes off and start banging on the floor.

Ink Viper had their money on 20%.

[Gaius Magnus]

Behind that closed door that separated the trio from the meeting, a discussion took place. Six people set around a long, rectangular table. They were quite odd mixture, truth to be told, and one would certainly have more of that feel if they observed them. In the center, at the head of the table opposite to the door, in the place of honor, sat a man in black suit, with a dirty blonde hair and freckles on his face. He had a rather serious face, but his posture in that chair was rather relaxed. If Hebika was in the room, she could even identify this individual, by his name he gave her. Gaius Magnus. To his left, there were seated two men. One immediately next to Gaius was a young, lean man, with long silver hair and blue eyes, a man that would, by all standards be absolutely gorgeous. If Takara was present, she could identify the man as Peregrine Isaki, or Pi for short. Next to him sat a rather stern looking man, with a strong physique. He appeared to be in his fifties or so, but he still had no greys in his hair nor mustache. However, he wore grey suit, and had an eye patch. He did look quite dangerous, truth to be told. And on Gaius' right, three men were seated. Closest to him was a man in elegant black suit. He was tall, and he dwarfed everyone at the table. He had his gray hair cut short, and also had a rather pronounced x-shaped scar on his face. He wore sunglasses, and seemed to be on alert. If Kaze was here now, he would be identified as Kasper. Next to Kasper sat a rather relaxed, but seemingly frail man. He had red hair, and he wore elegant white suit. However, it was evident that he lacked his right arm, and that he had scars on his face. At any rate, it seemed that he has seen some action. And lastly, next to that man, a young man sat. He had blue suit, and baggy white hat with polka dots on his head. He was skinny, and had black hair, and black sideburns. He seemed extremely impatient.

In fact, it was that young man who spoke first. "Hell no, how do you think we can do it?", he half spoke and half yelled at Gaius. This seemed to have no effect on Gaius however, as he appeared entirely unmoved by that. "If you would calm down, Rorsch, I am not sending you to it. Besides, nobody has been sent anywhere, I merely gave you all my plan. Now, the question is, how can we do it with this manpower?" Young man, identified as Rorsch, quickly responded. "It cannot be done! Not in the way you are suggesting!" Gaius nodded to that. "Fair enough. Others?" Man with an eye patch was next to speak. "Well, Rorsch, you are making a miscalculation. We got three prospective Mod Souls waiting in next room, if they are any good, they can lend us a hand. With them, it should be possible." Kasper followed up to that. "Gus is right. With the three of them, we can do it all. If you ask me, between Pi, Doc and me, the Albanian job should be good as done. And well, that leaves the three of you and your new-bloods to handle the rest. I suspect it should be manageable." Rorsch reacted once again. "Hold on! We cannot trust these newbies with those important assignments. We mustn't fail, at all costs! Think of the stakes." Gaius looked at Rorsch, calmly. "I understand your concern, Rorsch. But, as you say, we mustn't fail, and desperate times require desperate measures. So, what do you think? Pi. Doc. You have been silent thus far." Pi just waved his head, seemingly uninterested. The armless man, identified as Doc, had something to say, though. "Well, I thought about it carefully. As things are now, I think Kasper gave best plan. The three of us, we can handle Albanian job. Rest can be handled in cooperation with our candidates. For as long as you personally deal with that, G." Gaius smiled. "No worries, Doc. So, anybody against?"

Given that nobody said anything to that, Gaius continued. "Well, then, I suggest we bring our guests inside. They need to learn what Arm is, and how it concerns them." Everybody nodded in agreement, however Gus seemed a bit concerned. He spoke his concerns. "But if we tell them all this, and they decide to sell us out?" Gaius looked at him, and his look was chilling cold. "It will not happen." Gus was assured enough with that, and he conceded, nodding. That was enough for Gaius. Raising his voice, he said. "You three, enter!" While the trio couldn't hear anything so far, even if they tried to eavesdrop on the meeting, they would loudly and clearly hear this. Gaius waved his hand, and the door opened. Allowing Takara, Hebika and Kaze into the room. "Please, come forward." As they approached, Doc waved his arm, and it caused three chairs to materialize from thin air seemingly, opposite to the head of the table, where Gaius was seated. The trio could see everyone present, and they could all take a good look at the trio. "Please take a seat, children.", said Doc in quite relaxed tone. Rorsch looked at them, as if he analyzed them. "Miss Nara. Miss Takeda. Mister Kaze. Nice to meet you all." It seemed as if everyone was trying to make the trio feel more comfortable. But, Takara had extremely acute energy sensory. And Hebika brought Ink Viper with her. Those two could take in that kind of information. And it would be intimidating. Even though, for some reason, they couldn't read into anyone present to learn about their souls, they could still sense their powers. People here... They were beasts. Monsters, in terms of power. And their signatures. Something was unusual about them. They were one hundred percent Mod Souls, but something was different. Something was... Off.

However, there was little time to dwell on it. Pi was rather quick to address the trio. "Now, friends, through luck or other circumstances, you three are the ones out of all of us there that made it here, to this room. I must tell you now, that whatever you hear in this room, keep for yourself, and never give it up to enemies of Mod Souls. Should you do so, I am afraid it will be the end of us all. I-" "You should stop scaring people, Pi. Relax folks. It's simple. How to put it? We are all here to try to do something good. You might want to join in." It was Kasper. It seemed he wasn't quite satisfied with what Pi said, so he cut him off. However, now was the turn for Gaius to speak again. "Well, ladies and gentleman, you are here because you are attending the meeting of Arm. Arm gathers most influential and most powerful Mod Souls, so that we may do some good for all of us. Right now, we believe you could perhaps join us in that task. But let us not get ahead of ourselves. We should first learn something that is important about you, to see how things could go. And of course, once you answer that, feel free to ask whatever you wish. I am sure you will have a few questions. So, tell me, younglings, what memories, if any, you have of soul Society?" With that, Gaius was silent, leaving it up to the trio to answer the question, if they wanted, and to also ask their own questions, should they want to. But what would their answers be, and what would they ask the Arm?

[OOC: To ease our lives, I am going to put faceclaims of NPCs present below.]

SPOILER: Click to show

{Kasper}

SPOILER: Click to show

{Pi}

SPOILER: Click to show

{Doc}

SPOILER: Click to show

{Rorsch}

SPOILER: Click to show

{Gus}

[Jikken Kaze]

Kaze was leaning against the wall, toying with his hair. This was the forth gigai he's had to inhabit since he's woken up, and he's noticed a few things have changed or wound up missing. His hair for example, it used to be brown. For as long as he could remember it's been brown. Now it's blond thanks to this new gigai. The scars on his body have mostly faded away, becoming near invisible if you weren't looking for them. His eyes were also blue, though he'd never really looked at them before, she he couldn't really tell if they'd changed.

Then the mod soul flew off the wall with a yelp, as a loud voice startled him. The shirtless man glared at the door with a deep and burning passion. With a quiet growl, he entered the room. A group of old men sat at a large table, including that thieving schmuck Kasper. One of the men, one with red hair, greeted the three of them as the stepped into the room. Kaze wanted to cause a scene, which may or may not frustrate the overly angry looking guy with the eyepatch. As he sat down in the left-most chair, Kaze squinted at two of the men. His brain was starting to function.

The man with hair the same color as snow spoke up. He talked to the three of us with kindness in his voice, but his words held a deeper message behind them. And then Kasper's lax demeanor broke through, taking away most of the weight to the tone he was trying to set up. Pi was his name. Might be good to know. Kaze's limited attention span was drawn towards the end of the long table, thanks to the other blond man sitting at the head of it. It could be just that he was sitting at the head of the table, or that he sounded like he was in charge, but Kaze felt that he might be the leader of these mod souls.

Kaze didn't like him.

Still, best to play along for now. "The last thing I remember doing in that vile realm was going into a blood rage with my four siblings thanks to those worms screwing up one of their programs for us." The mod soul smiled a dark grin. "We killed a lot of them that night." And oh was it a night to remember. He lost his brother and three of his sisters, but they had finally been freed, be it in death or otherwise. He shook his head to focus. "Now I've got a question for you!" He said, probably too loudly. "Where's YOUR arm," He pointed to Doc. "YOUR, eye," He pointed to Gus. "and MY CLOTHES!?" He pointed to Kasper. He liked those clothes, and how was it that these high-class mod souls hadn't switched their gigai already if their current ones were damaged?

[Takara Takeda]

Takara had been trying to speak to the other Mod Souls in the room that they had all been led into and told to wait and just like she had felt from his soul the blonde male was one that didn’t rationalize things in an all to together manner. Although she didn’t like the fact that this male was so aggressive or insulting Takara had grown accustomed to being issued such statements from male Mod Souls due to the constant remarks from Jak.

Instead of freaking out or even lashing out with the Omega Arsenal for his insult like she more than likely would have had he been a different race Takara continued to lay upon the couch simply holding her right hand over her nose trying to keep the stench of the man from her perception of the world. Sadly, she couldn’t and it seemed she’d have to suffer in the room with what was comparable to cold garbage.

The blonde Mod Soul seemed to remember coming across Takara at the dinner as well although her greeting was less than pleasing even if her actions afterwards were complementing. Takara didn’t mind being looked at by the female although her mood was quickly shifting to one of annoyance rather than anything else. Sitting up and standing from the couch Takara turned her head looking around the room quickly and seeing something that might actually provide her with a bit of ease.

Walking a few feet behind the couch that she had been resting on Takara picked up a few small bottles of alcohol. They were the same small bottles that one would find in a motel room just small enough that two would fit in her small hands. Bringing them over to the male Mod Soul and dispatching the liquid contents onto his chest. “There now you just smell like a drunk. I can’t even tell that you’re homeless anymore.”

Takara was ready for whatever type of rage incident this Mod Soul was going to have due to her actions and although she did feel that perhaps she went a bit overboard her nose wasn’t thriving in pain anymore. It seemed like she wasn’t going to get a response at the moment though as the door opened and they were all being brought to wherever this meeting was being held by the organization of this marvelous meeting of their race.

Takara went along with everything curious about the individuals that had been able to put all of this together and wishing to meet them. As she and the others made their way into the meeting room Takara watched as one of the Mod Souls was able to materialize chairs for all of them to sit in out of thin air. “Hmm similar perhaps.” Thought Takara about the ability displayed in regards to her own ability as a Mod Soul.

She could tell one thing for sure from the moment that the door had been open and right now it was causing her to question why these individuals were being so pleasant or at least trying to make themselves be perceived that way. All of the Mod Souls in this room were incredibly powerful at least on the level of Soul Society’s average Captain. In fact, Takara felt that anyone of these individuals would more than likely be able to push Kazura to his limitations.

She appeared to be relaxed as she sat in the middle seat that had materialized and slowly looked into the eyes of each individual sitting at the long table showing her respect yet an inability to show weakness nor submission to any of them. Something was off and it was something that Takara didn’t like they were definitely Mod Souls, but it felt like something had influence over them or perhaps they have influence over something else.

“Are the hosts Fullbringers, Bounts, Quincy perhaps or is someone controlling them?” Takara kept to herself her thoughts for the moment locked inside of her mind even as she tried to come up with some sort of answer for the difference that she was feeling in each of these Mod Souls. That was when Pi began to speak only to be cut off by another of the Mod Souls. It seemed that there was no definitive leader among them or at least not from how they were speaking to one another at the moment.

Then the Mod Soul across the table on the opposite side began to speak and introduce the group that had gathered all of them and the other Mod Souls that were currently having a blast together. It seemed that these Mod Souls together had formed a group that was meant to serve for the betterment of all Mod Souls. Takara smiled as he gave the description of Arm yet that smile was short lived as it seemed to vanish at the mention of Soul Society.

It seemed that this individual and all of the others due to their silence wished to know what Takara and the other two remembered about Soul Society. Takara tried to suppress her rage towards a single individual and all others beneath him due to their inability to see the error of their heartless ways. The image of the Captain Commander standing in front of her Takara wished for very little more than to simply try and end his existence in that singular moment.

“I’m not certain what it is you all want from us or why you feel different, but Soul Society is still fresh in me. The Rukongai, Development Center, the First Division Barracks . . . . the Captain Commander.” Takara felt her emotions getting out of hand and stopped herself from speaking anymore about her memories of the day that her race had been deemed a threat. She wanted answers from these Mod Souls and would do almost anything to get those answers now.

[Hebika Nara]

Something that honestly had never occurred to Hebika before was something of a rarity. Not only was she, relatively, fairly old. But the fact of the matter was that to be honest, she had a fair curiosity. What-ifs and the like were always flitting about her mind, teasing and pricking at her own inner workings, but something she had never quite put her finger on, as truly she had never had it happen before: She had never been around so many powerful mod souls. Souls that even dwarfed her own power. Something about them... something about the feeling of such strong, bare souls.

There was, after all... a purity in the mod souls. Pure things, created without ingrained instincts or prejudices. Molded entirely by their environment and circumstance. And something stirred inside of Hebika as the others chattered and their own emotions got out of hand. Vaguely, in a faint, echo in the back of her mind she heard them. Even in her sudden, encumbered state she could process and understand what was being said. even if there was so much more going on within herself. For the first time since she'd received it. Her gigai felt.... itchy. Not on her actual skin, not on her face or the gigai itself. But her pill itself itched. But she hadn't een tried that druggie stuff that Gais had mentioned. IT was alarming, and most importantly... she had to be as discrete as she could.

Then again, she did not know how possible that was. She had no idea how good these beings were at keeping their inner workings contained. Even though that insufferable burning itch was centering around the middle of her sternum. But no... stay calm. They had some sort of assignment. Apparently in mind for... well the three of them. Suffice to say she was not sure she would be taking part in that. But something WAS eating at her, and she was filled with a sense that she needed to excuse herself. This argument, whatever it was, needed to end. fast.

"I think... for the sake of urgency... we should make this simple. Whatever it is that you.... council members.. have planned. It seems you need help sooner than later. And as such, I don't think wasting your time is a productive effort. So... to you two. I think perhaps it might be a bit more..concise... if either of you state if you are willing to help. What it is they want from us frankly does not matter. If it involves the shinigami, I cannot imagine they would want to be too free with the information. So... before we go any further. I think it important that we say where it is that we stand. Are you in?" She asked, those eyes setting firmly on Takara and Kaze.

"I apologize if I misread, but I DO have duties I must attend to. I have a place in the world, so I would ask that we wrap this up. even if to do so would be a bit selfish of me."

[Gaius Magnus]

"Ha. Ha. AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The loud laughter rang out, clear, with the voice indicating a lot of comic relief obviously. It was Gus who was laughing, and he was having a rather hard time calming down. It was honest laughter, but as he finally regained his composure, Gus continued in an honest, albeit a bit harsh manner. "My eye, boy? How would somebody just bloody regrow an eye, tell me? And what business is it to you? You are one thousand years to early to peep into MY affairs, you puny little arrogant-" "That is enough, Gus. No need to insult the guy." It was Kasper who cut Gus off, and his tone of voice was serious. There was no opposing him. "Relax Kaze, its a trivial matter to get you back to those 'clothes' of yours. Here you go." And just like that, Kasper waved his hand, similar to what Gaius did when creating chairs, and tracksuit that Kaze was given de-materialized and instantly re-materialized in the form of clothing he previously had. "There you go.", said Kasper again, but in much lower voice. However, Doc jumped in immediately. "You see, your surprise is not unusual. Not to bother you with details, but these bodies of ours are not Gigai. They are our permanent bodies. Thus, a repair of injury is not as easy as simply getting another Gigai. And even with a healer as good as myself here, some of us would rather not heal some old wounds... They help us to keep going forward, not losing the sight of our goals." With that, everyone went silent for a bit, allowing Takara to speak - even if brief, her words would carefully be heard out.

After he spoke her piece, the entire room was silent for a few moments. Gaius was the one to break the silence. "I see. you remember some, at least. But we all remember, even if none of you youngsters do. We all bled for our right to exist. We all fought against Shinigami, so that we could exist, and remain in our true home. But in the end, we could only have one, and thus the exile into Human World was chosen." Gaius' voice was deeply saddened as he spoke, as if old burdens and visions of the past tormented him as he slowly spoke. He went silent, and so did everybody in the room, but it didn't last for long. Hebika spoke, and while it may have sounded a bit selfish and impatient, she actually has hit the center of the target. Time was not to be wasted, indeed. It was very precious. "You are indeed right, Miss Nara. This is no time to reminisce. While there is many more things that you will need to be filled in on should you chose to join the Arm, there is no time to deal with them now. We have things to do, if we are to help our kin, and time is of essence. Doc, Pi, Kasper. I trust you should be able to handle the Albanian job on your own without me. However, I urge you, be careful. We cannot afford to lose you." Gaius' tone was warm, and showing concern as he spoke, but there was no mistake about this being the definite order. As chosen three immediately got up to leave, Doc looked at Gaius, question unspoken on his lips. Gaius just nodded to him, and it was enough for Doc. The three of them left the room, leaving only our three newcomers along with Gaius, Gus and Rorsch.

Gaius was the one to speak. "Now, there is little to stand on ceremony. Should you wish to join Arm, we welcome you with open hands. Even if you would rather not, but still want to do something for your kin, they by all means, do so. But Should you wish neither, then I tell only one thing. Leave. You shall be escorted safely out of the building, and given a ride to the airport where you can board a flight of your choice. Travel expenses are on the house. As for you two", he said as his attention shifted to Gus and Rorsch, "you have your work cut out for you. I will take that matter into my own hands, so let us see. I figure you Rorsch should be able to deal with Hungarian job, and you Gus with Lithuanian job. Is that alright?" As they both nodded, Gaius pulled out two items out of his pocket. One was a dirty paper, folded several times to fit into the pocket, and Gaius handed that to Gus. "All intel we got on that place." Second one was a small metallic case, and he handed it to Rorsch. "Doc mixed this up. It should be potent enough." With that, Gaius shifted his attention to Hebika, Takara and Kaze, proved that they didn't already left. "So, what say you ladies and gentleman?"

[OOC: Alright guys, time to wrap up Act Zero! Have your characters decide in the final round of posting, and after my closing post, we can jump into Act I!(provided you wish to see this through, ofc)]

[Hebika Nara]

Hebika had something of a moment of clarity. As she watches all of this....going on. Realizing just what it was that her race was doing. Realizing what was going on. and the fact that she was told she could simply leave. And that hit her in... a very particular way. Because it was not just about this Arm. It was not just about these Missions. It was about her life. She was under no obligation to ANYTHING. She had a single debt, and that was to her creator. But that was a debt that had long since been sullied. She owed nothing to anyone. Zack was gone. Shizuka was hardly around anymore.

And what did she get? Paperwork. Her job description may as well have secretary in big shiny letters made of plastic gold stars. And yet she continuously was dragged into situations like THIS! She had had to MURDER a woman she was very fond of, and while it had simply been business, it didn't mean that it was not an inconvenience. And it ws at that moment that she realized. "I believe I am done. Mr.....Magus? I apologize if I misremembered your name. But the fact of the matter is that... I am done. I don't know what to do with my life. For a very long time all I did was worry about if I was about to die. And now, here I am again. Just with a larger..prettier pill..." She noted, looking down at her hands, her gigai's hands. Before she promptly turned and smoothed out her outfit. It's living fabric curling under her fingers.

"I am going to go home. Quit my job. spend time with my girlfriend. And figure all of this out. I understand that you have important things to do. And truly, I feel remiss... as though I have wasted your time. But for me to go along with... this.... would be an even larger waste. Good day." She noted softly, turning away from them and heading for the door. Even if nobody did get her a plane, at least until she quit, she had her Xcution card, which would get her just about anywhere she wanted.

[Jikken Kaze]

Kaze gleefully returned his ratty jacket to its rightful place over his body, before glaring at the one-eyed mod soul. "Me? Arrogant? If I'm comparing myself to you, why wouldn't I be?!" Kaze was not modest, he'd come to realize. There was too little time in this world to spend it hiding or suppressing your feelings. So Kaze decided to do what he wanted, when he wanted. Earth was such an amazing place, and he loved the freedom that he had now. He spoke his mind at all times, not caring for consequences, including ones that this guy were implying.

These men claimed to be living in real bodies. Real flesh and blood human bodies. Bodies that died. One chance, with no do overs. How foolish. "What's the point of having a body like that? It only makes you vulnerable. Though keeping scars is something I can respect. Mementos for wars long past." He remembered the years he had with his siblings. They weren't good times, but they were times they spent together. Would he live on for them? No. The were gone, and he wouldn't be weighed down by their deaths. He'd live for two things; himself, and the destruction of the shinigami.

He wouldn't mourn his fellow mod souls, but he would destroy those reapers for them. These mod souls though, he didn't owe them anything. He didn't care for them in the slightest, except for maybe one thing. "I won't join you until I see what you all are really like. If you want me, impress me, I don't care how. I'll do a, whad'ya call it? A trial run. That or I'm out." He told them plain an simple. He wanted to see if these people were as for the destruction of the reapers as he was. He needed to know before he dared to commit himself like he did for Xcution.

[Takara Takeda]

In the same position that she had been since first sitting down in the room that was filled with Mod Souls that were some of the most powerful she had ever felt Takara waited and listened to everything that was going on in the room. She knew that these individuals wished for her and the other two that had been brought together alongside her to join them in the task of protecting the other Mod Souls. She waited for the others to answer curious to hear their decisions.

Sadly, Takara was very displeased with what came to pass as the blonde Mod Soul known as Hebika refused to join Arm on the basis that she in truth had to find herself before she could help others. That was at least what Takara gathered from her decision and while she could respect the girl for choosing herself over others, she couldn't accept that it was being done to other Mod Souls. It was saddened to know that someone that seemed so gifted was so selfish.

Then came the decision of the loud mouth known as Kaze. Takara hadn't seen much of him that justified him being anymore useful than a powerful front runner in battle. He hadn't displayed any sort of intelligence and was rather rude to everyone that seemed to interact with him. Still even he refused to join as well wishing to know more about them and not believing them to be strong enough to actually gain him as an ally Takara was both pleased and saddened further.

She was happy to know that despite everything else he was still someone that didn't want to group together with those that could only bring him struggle. However, just as it was with Hebika these were other Mod Souls. Choosing themselves above their siblings was selfish in Takara's opinion and something that while respectable for their own reasons was still sorrowful to her on that simple basis. So when it was time for Takara to answer she smiled at Gaius.

"While I have my own matters to attend to and duties to uphold. I will happily join the cause of Arm. You may count me among your allies." Takara wasn't sure what else Gaius would wish to speak with them about after that and if he had nothing else to discuss with her than instead of boarding a plane right away Takara would descend back downwards and continue to meet with the other Mod Souls finding out as much as she could about as many as possible and then in the morning she'd return to Karakura.

[Gaius Magnus]

As Hebika spoke, Gaius listened. There was something in her tone, and the words she said, that touched him, and it was visible. Yet, he listened to her till the end. "I believe I am done. Mr.....Magus? I apologize if I misremembered your name. But the fact of the matter is that... I am done. I don't know what to do with my life. For a very long time all I did was worry about if I was about to die. And now, here I am again. Just with a larger..prettier pill..." She made a pause.
"I am going to go home. Quit my job. Spend time with my girlfriend. And figure all of this out. I understand that you have important things to do. And truly, I feel remiss... as though I have wasted your time. But for me to go along with... this.... would be an even larger waste. Good day." Gaius nodded to what she said, some sort of deep understanding on his face. It seemed as if he knew exactly where she was at the moment, and he did not pressure her. Instead, he spoke to her, his tone soft, warm. "I understand you, Miss Nara. Shinigami exist to keep the cycle of souls, Hollows exist to feed, their purpose is easily seen and known to themselves. But us, who were created, but not born into this world, we must find our own purposes. But let me give you a parting gift. It will make sure nobody can ever take your clarity away." Saying that, Gaius reached into his pocket, and handed a simple metal ring to Hebika. It was small, and had no gem in it, being a simple, plain ring. With that, Gaius bowed to Hebika, and motioned towards the door. He walked her out personally, and as she left the room, addressed her again: "A car is waiting for you downstairs, Miss Nara. I hope you have a pleasant flight, and I also hope we meet again."

After that, Gaius looked at Gus, seemingly thinking. It only lasted for a short while. He was direct when talking to him, and very determined. "Seems you'll have to take a solo ride on this one, can you handle it?" Gus smiled, and nodded, and then left the room quickly, as if he knew exactly what to do and how to do it. With that, Gaius was free to shift attention to Those who remained in the room. Jikken however, chose to turn himself to the arrogant, cocky side, and his words indicated just that. "I won't join you until I see what you all are really like. If you want me, impress me, I don't care how. I'll do a, whad'ya call it? A trial run. That or I'm out." With that, Gaius actually burst out laughing. It was refreshing to him, somehow. Somebody was cocky enough to do something like that, or maybe it was booze talking, or maybe lack of brains. But Gaius stepped up to him, confidently. "Don't make me laugh. Do you even know what you are talking about?" With saying that "know", Gaius did one thing, that neither Takara nor Kaze would realize. He activated Martial Discipline: Ken, one of strongest existing techniques that a Human World Dweller could master. Suddenly, to both Takara and Kaze, it would seem as if Gaius was many many times bigger than they were, they would both feel like ants in comparison. It was the power of Ken.

Intimidation, however, was where it would stop for Takara, as Gaius focused Ken on Kaze, making him take the brunt of the technique's mental impact. Kaze would simply feel fear. It was not irrational, oh no. This time, Ken produced it because it was the perfect display of how powerful Gaius was, and where Kaze was in comparison. Truth to be told, Kaze was way below Gaius at the moment, and it was simple thing that he would be made aware of right now - the difference was just like between a mountain and the ant mound. However, just as the sensation was peaking, it would suddenly halt, as Gaius dispelled Ken, and he placed his hand on Kaze's shoulder, and spoke lightly again, with all the goodness and warmth in his tone. "Breathe in, relax, Jikken Kaze. I believe I gave you what you asked for. I bear you no ill will, so you have nothing to fear from me. However, your attitude made me change my mind. If you are so capable, then how about you show us what you can do? Go with Rorsch, and help him on his task. That should be enough of a test run." Rorsch seemingly only waited for this, and he was quick to escort Kaze out of the room, leaving alongside him, the two on their way to their assigned mission.

That left only Takara and Gaius in the room. Gaius looked at her, smiling, and Takara smiled back. Her answer to aiding and joining Arm was at least straightforward. "While I have my own matters to attend to and duties to uphold. I will happily join the cause of Arm. You may count me among your allies." That made him smile wider, and his tone was really happy when he replied. "Well, that is best possible outcome, Miss Takeda. Now, I would like for you to accompany me on my task, for it a very special one that I would like you to be present for. Now, main problem is, that your memories have been wiped at some point, same as mine, partially or entirely, to remove certain knowledge from you. Thus, it is going to take a lot of explaining to make you understand what we are actually, you and I. We are not quite the ordinary Mod Souls, I am afraid. But, that discussion would be really lengthy, so I suggest we should just get started while I perform the required preparations, and the rest can be done along the way..."

SPOILER: Click to show

{Ring given to Hebika}Item Name: (Zeta Ring)

Item Type:: (Ring)

Item Rank: (A)

Creation Skills: (N/A, this item is unique thread reward)

Item Description: (This ring is a simple, plain, metal ring. It has no gemstone, nor anything else, other than a small Greek Zeta inscribed on the inside. Ring has one, and one purpose only - while worn, it grants wearer immunity to any and all orders and actions taken on them by Mod Soul Omega. This only applies to being forced to obedience or being forcefully assimilated into said Mod Soul Omega. However, that is just about it, and it has zero value to anybody who is not a Mod Soul, and in fact, can only be used by its rightful owner, and ownership cannot be transferred, unless owner is dead.)

Price: (N/A, this item is unique thread reward)

Added to a shop?: (No.)

And this concludes Act Zero of the Arm! Now, it is up to staff to grade the thread, but you all shall, I hope, return for Act I, which is going to bring so much more, and other shiny items and maybe even techniques as rewards! STAY TUNED!