Lightning Down [PG13, NDE, Variable]

[Kento Waffles]

Name: [Lightning Down]

Participants: [Nola]

Location: [Soul Society]

Difficulty Level: [Varies]

Setting: [NDE]

Plotline: [Immediately following the events of the House of Cards arc (which we will try our best to only subtly mention or reference in this thread), in the middle of a large storm, a bolt of lightning struck the Squad 1 barracks and caused severe damage to the main planning room, destroying cabinets and drawers alike and scattering paperwork everywhere. It was a fierce bolt, and two unseated officers were injured in the process. Since Squad 4 is still under repair, the basement of Squad 1 has emergency medical services, which is where the two are being treated. Nola will be part of the clean-up crew in Squad 1's main planning room. There are four who are part of these clean-up efforts for now. Clean-up includes helping to file the scattered paperwork and put it back into new drawers that were installed. It also means cleaning the floor and helping repair it manually.]

Estimated Enemy Strength: [Varies]

Estimated Time Until Completion: [5 pages]

Starts: [Now]

Special Conditions: [None]

Note To Self - Keyword: Flash

[Nola Vilde]

Nola was hardly even sure why she was even doing this. Or at least until it occurred to her that despite her power, her skill in her zanpaku'to, nd her intellect, she was still just an unseated member. A mar on her shinigami career as far as she was concerned. But honestly, she didn't even feel like it mattered. Slipping into the trashed expanse of what was once a fairly well-organized room (she imagined), she really didn't have much to justify oggling about and thinking about why she was here. She honestly couldn't even blame Sozen. She'd already been in squad one straight from the academy. At first she had imagined this was some sort of boon, or a means of recognizing that she had potential. But in actuality, she was just someone who did paperwork and filed orders. She supposed at the very least she wasn't in squad eight and tracking down expense reports and crunching numbers.

She sighed softly, lightly running her fingers along her brow, rubbing at her temple for just a moment before she set to work autonomously collecting what was salvagable. Thus far things were fairly monotonous. Everything that was still legible and not in danger of desintegrating was to be filed away, and the damaged materials were to be set aside so that they could be referenced to similar materials and either repaired or replaced. She actually wondered if there were any backups to the information stored here, if any Squad 12 probably had something akin to that. Or if there was some deeper archive to find such things at. But that, at least, was not part of her job.

Hooray for Squad one.

[Kento Waffles]

The day was bright and the skies were clear, a notable difference from the storm that had caused damage of that magnitude to Squad 1. It had been lucky that only two had been injured. A key difference between the Soul Society and the human world was that the spiritual particles in the air could have adverse effects on storms, causing very powerful catastrophes and devastation and some rare occasions every couple of centuries. This storm had been similar to that idea, but on a smaller scale. The property damage in the Rukon Districts had been quite severe, though clean-up efforts and charity work led by Squads 1, 4, 6, and 10 were underway, handling the situation very well.

As for Nola, she would find herself cleaning a room with three of her squad mates. Unlike Nola, no one actually seemed terribly dejected by this task. All of them were speaking to one another quite casually, and apparently in rather good moods. Maybe Squad 1 was actually for all the motivated goody two shoes. The highest ranked person there was Omoni Midori, Squad 1 Seat 9. He had neat blonde hair, almond shaped green eyes, and was rather pale. His complexion was odd, yet he somehow boasted a golden, charismatic smile. This was Nola's first time meeting the man, and it seemed the others respected him tremendously despite how young he was, physically about 17 by human world standards.

"Midori-San, can you hand me that page near you? I think it goes with this set I'm recreating." That came from unseated officer Mizuki Matsuo, a man of quite average, plain looking features. Black hair, black eyes, quite a stoic face. Taller than the roughly 5'5, extremely muscular Midori, yet still athletic on his own in a more lean way. Midori handed Matsuo a sheet of paper. "No problem, Senpai!" he exclaimed. One of the noticeable quirks of Midori was even if he outranked these people, he referred to people with more experience or time in the squad as Senpai. Everyone referred to him with the -San honorific as well, indicating some degree of respect.

"Really, though.. I'm glad that storm didn't cause any casualties... That was some scary shit," Matsuo said while sweeping the floor. "Midori-San was respectable as usual..." the third person there said. Also with black hair, but with a very skinny complexion and the whitest skin there. His bangs were over his eyes at all times. That was Shinomiya Isshin, a very quiet individual that was also unseated and whom Nola would have seen around quite a few times, always whistling or silently walking and minding his own business. "True, Midori-San, you were amazing! The way you rescued both those guys like that!" Matsuo exclaimed, referencing how Midori had succeeded in pulling out the two injured Soul Reapers himself during the storm.

"Ahhh you guys flatter me!" Midori exclaimed. He threw them a huge smile and a thumbs up. "It was nothing! Either of you would have done the same if you were there!" The cleaning continued to progress after that until it was just about finished. As they were finishing up, Matsuo looked toward both Isshin and Nola. "Oiiii, Isshin, Vilde, Midori-San and I were going to get some ramen after this. You guys want to come?" Isshin looked up through his bangs, his voice a cracked mumble as he answered, "Sorry, I have stuff to do... some other time.." And Matsuo proceeded over to him so that they could exchange fist bumps. Turning to exit with Midori, Matsuo glanced back at Nola. "And you, Vilde? You coming?"

[Nola Vilde]

Nola was not unaware of the noise that came from her fellow squad members, and she did take note to glance in their direction, now and then as they spoke so amiably toward one another. She herself did feel a bit at odds with a few of them, as though she recognized few of them, at least one of them she had had...encounters with before. Fleeting, and unmemorable, but still it was the fact that she was much more sullen that seemed to create, in her mind, a bit of a rift. As she stacked a set of pages to the side, right next to the damaged pages that belonged to the same set, she did pause for a moment as she glanced at the group, particularly at Midori for a brief moment.

She had actually been rather oblivious to the fact that he had rescued anyone. He had been under the impression that those hit by the bolt had simply recovered on their own. Then again, she supposed it made sense. That would mean that Midori had been around when the bolt had gone off, or at least been nearby. For a brief little moment, she paused, and eyed the oddly cheery young man, and she fleetingly perused her own thoughts. That paranoia flitting in. If he had been an enemy, she might have wondered if he had anything to do with the incident. He had a fairly successful career, Ninth seat was nothing to sneeze at. So one might wonder why such a man would trouble himself with work like this. After all... a man of such rank could just as easily leave things ot his subordinates, especially after having had such a hand in the incident already. And for just a moment, she recalled Sozen's face... the man she had at one point admired and felt close to by such a degree. A man who handled matters just as personally.

And what he'd done.

Undeserved as it was, when her thoughts were interrupted, she had found herself giving Midori something of a dirty look, and the exression vanished in a moment, looking off to the side as she realized how prickly she might have seemed at the moment. She turned her back on the others instinctively and fixed up several of the piles she had been putting together. Unlike the others she hadn't particularly been very...cooperative. Even the volumes she knew that they were putting together, she had simply organized off to the side for them to pick at.

"Um..." She paused, and furrowed her brows, feeling a bit stupid. She hadn't been fully paying attention to the conversation. It wasn't all that often that she placed herself in a situation to talk with others. Honestly she was a bit surprised to be addressed. "Um... sure. When did you want to go?" She had actually no real idea as to what the shit shed signed up for. But better safe than sorry, incase it was work-related, she decided to go along with it. She turned back around and put on a bit of a sheepish smile. But really she did seem...uncomfortable.
Which was well enough for her purposes. She always ridiculed the old Nola for being insociable. But now she was starting to realize just how difficult it was. Juggling her inner turmoils with being around others. It was exhausting.

[Kento Waffles]

Matsuo looked strangely at Nola, as if she should obviously know what was going on, especially since he and Midori were already headed for the door, and the room was more or less perfectly cleaned up. "Uhh... Right now?" He replied, just a bit awkwardly. Well, not every interaction can go off without a hitch, and in this case it had been awkward. Still, these were friendly people. Nola had done a lot of her own stuff lately, and so hadn't had a chance to really get to know her Squad mates, but it appeared they were friendly, for the most part, even knowing her name despite the few interactions she had with them. Had she ever even encountered or talked to Matsuo before?

"Don't worry if you spaced out," Midori told her with a comforting smile, taking a step in her direction and closing that distance between them very quickly. He put his hand on her shoulder, a dependable Senpai who both outranked her and was very adept at discerning exactly what had happened in that last awkward interaction. "Cleaning up duties can be pretty dull, especially since we've never had the chance to talk before. I get it, it can be uncomfortable! Just so you know what we're doing, we're getting food. Ramen." Actually, this might be a good indicator of how he had become ninth seat. He was quick to analyze the situation and choose a course of action.

That in mind, they soon managed to bring Nola with them to ramen, out of that room. They left the one other man behind, since he had said he wasn't coming, and soon they would find themselves in a rather chipper dining hall. Squad 1's dining hall was large, but it was rumored to be quite modest compared to other divisions, such as Squads 10 and 11. It wasn't overly formal looking, having typical looking benches and tables around the room. Various cliques or groups of people were gathered here and there, eating and discussing, though the room was not very full as it was actually not a regular meal time for most. The clean-up duties had taken place at an odd time in the day.

"Oi, Midori-San, can you get us a table?" Matsuo asked. "I'll pick up your usual order." Midori smiled and threw a large thumbs up. "Leave it to me, Senpai!" Again, despite vastly outranking Matsuo, referring to him as Senpai. Midori went off to find a table for all of them, leaving Matsuo and Nola alone together in the line. While they were waiting, Matsuo struck up conversation. "You're suspicious of Midori-San, right? I can't blame you. How many 24/7 chipper guys like that can really exist? He's just too perfect, it's easy to suspect him of things." Matsuo went up to the cashier, one of about a dozen in the mess hall, and ordered two different ramen sets.

One of the benefits of being a soldier for the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. Free meals, whenever one was officially off duty. Though, hadn't they forgotten to report to a superior officer that they'd finished...? After Nola replied to what Matsuo said, he added on another reply to whatever she said. "Well, either way, I guess he's a pretty good guy. Talented kid. Number one in his graduating class from the academy. Come to think of it, though, I don't know much about you. We haven't really talked much since you came into our squad, huh? What brought you to Squad 1?" At the same time, it was Nola's turn to order food.

Soon after food was ordered, and they had a number to indicate their table, and after Nola had replied to Matsuo, they would find themselves back at the table with Midori. Whatever Nola had said to Matsuo, Midori obviously had not been there for that, hence what next came as a redundant ask. "So, Vilde, what brought you to Squad 1?" Midori asked her. No honorific for her. She was, after all, his kouhai. Nearby, another table was having a different gossip-worthy conversation which Nola would only catch bits and pieces of. "Mod Soul army," "Vizards," "Always knew they couldn't be trusted," "Kuroi Naito,"[/b] Something more business and work-related from the other table next to them...

[Nola Vilde]

Nola paused, watching as the two began making their way out of the room. Her attention shifted to the one they were leaving behind, offering a sheepish smile before nodding to him. "We um...we should get ramen together sometime." She blurted out, giving a light little bow of respect to her senior before turning to follow after Midori and Matsuo. Truth be told she rarely ate in the sereitei. Most of her off-duty time was spent with her family out in the rukongai, so it was a little odd when she made her way into the mess hall. Looking around, she did catch bits and snippetts of conversation here and there, and as Midori was going to be saving their table, she wound up following Matsuo along. And to her surprise, he practically seemed to read her mind.

"I guess. I guess I just have... bad experiences with guys who seem way too nice." She murmured, her mind drifting fleetingly back to HIM before she ordered her own meal, a shrimp and pork Ramen bowl, before joining Matsuo at the table, settling down and, initially intending to just sidestep his question... that is until Midori asked her immediatewly after, catching her a little off guard. "Oh um.... I mean... it wasn't really one thing or another. I didn't honestly know what squad to go into, so I just sortof went with where my classmates said I'd fit in." she murmured honestly. Though technically speaking it hadn't been HER that made the decision, it was hardly a detail she felt like disclosing.

"As for why I've stayed... well, I mean... the work is nice. And well.. we don't see combat too often." she noted lightly, feeling a prickle in the back of her stomach at the mention of the topic. Her aversion to combat having been something of a ...recent development. "What about you two?" she asked, hoping to shift the conversation away from herself, her eyes continuing to wander a bit nervously as she hunched her shoulders. she was not very fond of crowds. It was hard to tell if people were staring, and with her skin, the idea of people staring at her was something of a mild phobia.

[Kento Waffles]

"Well I uh...." Matsuo looked sheepish himself as he thought about what he would tell Nola. "I want to become Lieutenant in our squad because it's the second highest paying Lieutenant position." Meanwhile, another table near them would also bear a few loose snippets of conversation. "He's lowering our taxes," "The summer will be wonderful this year," "Free home renovations, can you believe it?!"[/b] A bunch of people who lived in the same district, apparently outside of Squad 1's free housing and barracks, were gossiping about something rent related. But as for Squad 1, what Matsuo had said was something relevant in itself because of all that went behind it.

That Lieutenant was his goal indicated that he was not confident enough in himself that he could become a Captain, a far higher paying job. It also indicated to Nola, if she hadn't known before, that while seated positions all received the same pay, ranked positions did not, and varied by squad. This also meant Matsuo didn't have the confidence to try for the highest paying Lieutenant position, that in Squad 6. Of course, Squad 6 only accepted people through recommendation or the absolute pinnacle of achievement, meaning Matsuo probably hadn't had the accomplishments, grades, or skills to get himself there. And, speaking of him in Nola's mind, it was worth remembering that his son was the current Squad 1 Lieutenant.

That in mind, it was a known fact that Amagai actually did not take salary from Squad 1, and instead had it redistributed among the nonseated officers, along with any extra he made from special missions. This had gathered him quite a loyal following, people who loved, respected, and were devoted to Amagai Kuchiki. "It's not just that I want money, by any means!" Matsuo stammered, holding his hands up apologetically. "It's just that my family has always had to work so hard. They own a small construction business, but living in a Kawada-controlled area makes that line of work pretty tough.. They're always doing so much for me, I just thought I'd like to make enough money that they can take it easy for the rest of their lives, you know?"

So in fact, Matsuo too had a rather humble goal. How many other of these Soul Reapers had life stories like that? That also made Squad 1 make more sense. If he had come in after Amagai Kuchiki, perhaps it would have been because he heard about the bonus one received due to the Squad 1 Lieutenant not partaking in his salary. As for anyone else, of course, who was to say what their goals were? Midori clapped his hand onto Matsuo's back. Tears were streaming from his face. "Senpai!! You're so honorable!! I'll follow you until the day I die!" Midori did not hear the part where Matsuo murmured, "Uh... You outrank me, I should be following you..." But, what was heard was Matsuo asking.

"What about you, Midori-San? I don't think I've ever heard your goal either." Midori wiped his tears and puffed up his chest with a grin. "I'm going to be the Captain Commander one day," he said. "So that I can be a hero who gives hope to people." It was a very vague goal, though Midori likely had his reasons, reasons which he chose not to elaborate on at this time. Or, perhaps, it was because he couldn't. A few moments did pass wherein he could have and didn't, but then suddenly a loud siren began ringing throughout Squad 1. The alarms were going off. Black butterflies flooded into the room, one of which landing on Nola. A voice appeared instantaneously in her mind as the butterfly touched.

"Alert! Alert! Intruder in Squad 1 barracks! Intruder in Squad 1 barracks! Intruder in Squad 1 barracks! All personnel to your stations! All personnel to your stations!" That wasn't good for Nola. Stations were assigned per work period, and because they hadn't yet checked in with Amagai to say that their work was done, that meant she, Midori, and Matsuo were still stationed in the clean-up room, likely far away from the action. Well, perhaps Nola would prefer that, but it seemed to frustrate Midori. "Let's go!" he exclaimed, despite clearly wishing he could go toward the action. In a few minutes they would find themselves back in the room they had been cleaning, only to find that... This was where the action was.

In the middle of the room there was a bright, surging bolt of lightning, simply resting there and releasing energy and static. It wasn't the work of a storm. It was simply that lightning had appeared there. Powerful winds emanated from it, blasting papers around everywhere and untidying the room that had only just been cleaned. Isshin was in the room, on his bottom, mouth open and eyes wide. ...Well, eye. His hair had been parted to reveal both eyes, and one of them appeared to have been gouged out, evidenced by fresh blood pouring from a wound from behind the socket. "I-ISSHIN!" Matsuo exclaimed, rushing toward his friend's side in an attempt to help.

Sparks and static rushed from the lightning bolt and hit Matsuo on his way to Isshin. Matsuo cried out as sparks ignited across his body, numbing him and bringing him to all fours in great pain. His clothes were smoking a bit and he had second degree burns all over, but was otherwise undamaged. If Nola looked hard enough at the lightning bolt, which was incredibly bright, she would see something there. A black silhouette of a person, with glowing red eyes and no other visible features. The silhouette appeared to be... vibrating. Midori clearly saw it. "Who are you?!" he demanded, drawing his Zanpakuto. One of the perks of high alert and being post-war time. Everyone carried their Zanpakuto for now.

A voice emanated from the silhouette, one that appeared to have been synthesized, as if a machine was speaking in a metallic whisper. "I'm you... All of you. We are all the same." More sparks began to shoot out. One of the wooden desks in the room caught fire right next to the wounded Isshin. He was in danger! Midori clearly saw this, and he rushed toward the lightning bolt. Suddenly, all of the sparks and electricity diverted toward Midori, attacking and defending at once. His analysis must have been quite good to allow him to discern that that would happen if he attacked. Midori held up his free hand while striking forward with his sword.

A large yellow shield of reishi formed in front of him. It was the Bakudo named Enkosen, which was a shield type. The lightning reflected off of it, and just as the shield shattered, Midori's blade struck at the silhouette. The silhouette turned to him and drew what appeared to be the silhouette of a sword. The two clashed, and electricity flew everywhere around them. "NOLA!" Midori called out by Nola's first name, indicating that he required her assistance. What could she do to assist him in this situation?! Now was the time when her critical judgment would be of the utmost importance. Midori was clearly sweating profusely as his blade was locked, trying to overpower the silhouette.

[Nola Vilde]

Nola smiled a little to herself, a bit...happy. Amused. It was a little adorable. The both of them had such ambitions, which seemed almost a little cliche. Almost romantic. and she supposed that was something to be admired. However weird and cheesy as they were, they did seem like legitimate means to try and make it to the top. Even if the top was so very far away sometimes. It felt as if the world stood between them and their goals. And even she herself had honestly never even considered taking an officer position. Not even a low one. The idea of someone like her being in charge? It was just ridiculous.

But of course, even this was not to last. When those alarms went off, Nola immediately froze, a tension in her body as she looked around, as if expecting to see a face out of nowhere, only managing to snap out of it when Midori shouted at them to get moving. Remembering herself, she nodded and hopped to her feet, already sweating as she hurried after them, following them as they swept out and began searching the area. and of course... seeing Isshin.

She twitched, her eyes wide as she saw the scene laid out before her. She felt her chest tighten, and her throat wound closed as she saw the scene unfolding before her. She was frozen in place, staring as that....thing began hurting her fellow squad members. She felt the back of her neck prickle. They needed reinforcements... She needed to get help, this thing seemed strong. She knew she should go for help. But... he called out to her. and she felt that stupid emotion twist through her heart. Guilt.

And in an instant, she hated herself. She knew that reasonably, help was their best bet. Hope that Midori could hold it off. But... She couldn't ignore him. When he called out, she vanished, a shunpo being used as she closed in and slid in behind that silhouette, that needle of a zanpaku'to free of it's sheath as she aimed to sink it forward, aiming to shove that blade in and stab it into the back shoulder of the arm that held the sword. She didn't know the muscle configuration, but at the very least she figured stabbing into the muscles of the shoulder would hopefully take out the strength behind it's blade. If she succeeded, Midori aught to be able to push back and overpower the thing.

She knew it was dangerous. Slipping behind an opponent was a very tactically advantageous strategy. But she knew that it also held the risk of precautions. If one were smart, one usually left measures to protect one's back. Not to mention she still didn't know what that vibrating meant. But it was better than doing nothing, and it was the best she could muster on the spot.

-50 reiatsu for shunpo
7450/7500 reiatsu remaining

[Kento Waffles]

The vibrating silhouette was apparently skilled enough to keep track of two different opponents at once, indicating a proficiency in its ability to observe, its ability to analyze battle, and its speed and ability to counter. As Nola appeared out of her flash step, aiming to strike the silhouette, it reached out and was literally able to catch her wrist, stopping her blade from reaching it. The arm had just shot out, too fast to see. Whatever this thing was, it was faster than both Nola and Midori by a huge margin. It was too fast for even its simplest movements to be tracked. One second it had had one arm down, the next Nola's blade abruptly stopped and her wrist was clenched by some shadow.

Its dark hand around her wrist, she would finally feel what this monstrosity's texture was. The body was constantly vibrating, and Nola would feel literally nothing but a very tight amount of pressure on her wrist along with very considerable heat. It was actually scalding to the touch, and the vibrations seemed to shave skin off of her wrist where she was being touched as well, making for a very painful grip. The silhouette's continued vibrating started to intensity and more sparks of electricity began to develop around it and the huge surging lightning bolt in the room. At once, its blade was sheathed and it suddenly held Midori's wrist as well, faster than the eye could see.

"The hell...?!" Midori exclaimed as his wrist was grabbed. Next moment, the silhouette, with what seemed to be immense physical strength, had yanked both Nola and Midori so that they would be pulled into a slam into one another's bodies. And, when they struck, the lightning released sparks toward them while they were stunned. They needed to orient themselves and evade! Luckily, the silhouette no longer held their wrists. However, both had very bad burns around their wrists where they had been touched. It looked as if there would be some scarring. At that time, Matsuo appeared in front of the silhouette as well, fresh out of a flash step, with his Zanpakuto drawn.

"MATSUO, NO!" Midori shouted. "IT'S-" A silhouette of an enormous spiked shield formed right in between the silhouette and Matsuo, held by the hand that had previously held a sword. Matsuo's eyes widened as the shield slammed into him and the spikes stabbed into his body. "GARRGGHH!!" he cried out as he was sent flying back, blood trailing from dozens of puncture wounds in his body. He rolled around on the floor, bleeding horribly, scrambling to get back to his feet. "How can it...?" he tried to ask, but then another bolt of electricity flew at him. Matsuo rolled to the side, evading it. This creature, whatever it was, possessed a variety of powers with which to attack them.

"I am you in a way... And you are me in a way..." the silhouette spoke in its robotic voice. "Soon all of us will be together." Something could be detected on the back of Nola's neck, as if some breath were being had, some creature was breathing down her spine. If she turned around, she would receive quite a shock. Some sort of silhouetted wraith was behind her, eyes glowing red. But it was not the form that should scare her, it was the appearance, the shape of it. Identical to the specter that was her Zanpakuto. "It can copy our Zanpakuto powers!" Midori exclaimed. This indicated he had seen it copy a power of his, and just then had confirmed it by it copying something from Matsuo, perhaps something from Nola too.

The silhouette, still vibrating, lowered its arms now that they were all out of reach, as if it did not care for them. It looked resigned in the way its head lowered, as if it had more important matters to attend to. And, sure enough, the lightning moved with it as the silhouette started walking toward the door to the room, seeking to get out of there. If they let it get out, there was no telling what it could do... The limits of who it could copy... Could even the Captain Commander himself be in danger or was that overthinking it? "WHO ARE YOU?!" Midori screamed, perhaps in an attempt to distract the creature that they were battling against. The silhouette spoke only three words.

"I am what's in your heart..."

[Nola Vilde]

When the being had thrown them toward eachother, Nola had barely even moved, a bright sliver of a panel forming along her back, stopping her as an advanced air platform served as a landing space, stopping her before she even came close to sliding into Midori, the panel angled so that she slid along it's surface rather than slamming into it, skidding back along the floor and away from where they had thrown those bolds of arching lightning. Nola faltered, unsure of if she should try and summon her blades. This thing was fast, and clearly it was powerful. Was there even any point to trying? Was there even possibility to outfight it?

She didn't know, and frankly sort of doubted it. She was not a combatant. And for all of Sozen's attempts, his rtorment had done nothing but change her demeanor temporarily. She was not suddenly free of insecurities. The mind could not just be shunted into some mold. She felt hesistation. Fear. All that she had, was the focus that fear brought her. And rather than attack, she halted, and was...surprised?

Nola paused, and was....shocked. For just a moment, she was perplexed. At first, she felt that same sentiment that Midori had, but there was something wrong with his assessment. That wasn't her zanpaku'to spirit. That wasn't Alte Furcht. This was Nillia. Her Old Zanpaku'to Spirit. Or....rather... this was who Nola was. This is what she had been, back when 'Nola' had been someone else entirely. How adorable. Not fond of a look in the mirror? She felt that wicked voice in her head.

This thing was strong. Either that or it's power wasn't all that much to begin with. Generally speaking, the more....robust a power was, the less leniancy it had in trying to be asserted over other spiritual beings. And Nola was an incredibly assertive spiritual being. Even if one cuold not sense it when she wasn't released, she had a high spiritual power. This thing was either much more powerful than even her, or it was simply multiple classes above herself.

However, that was if this was a very extreme technique. She was no wizard at discerning and analyzing. She didn't know what the fuck was ACTUALLY happening with it's weird ability. But she did know herself. And her power was antirely about effecting her target. She knew just what sort of sacrifices came with such abilities. This being was either completely out of their league, and there would be literally no point fighting it and they would be much better off getting help. Even if it escaped, their resistance would not matter. If it's spiritual power was so high that it could even effect Nola? Then whatever she tried to do to it would fail.

On the other hand... this ability may simply be a very shallow imitation. Normally she would have had to guess. But the shadow of Nillia was actually a handicap in her favor. This thing couldn't copy power. She didn't actually even know WHAT it was she was seeing. Nillia was no longer a part of her power. It had reached into her past. But how FAR into her past? That was the question. And sadly, she didn't have the time to think about it.

"Calm yourself Midori. She whispered softly, a whisper that carried through the room. She had to find out. Frankly, if this was a reflection of her old power, then she would give it a test. To see. Because if it just instinctively used the powers it stole rather than truly knowing how to use them, then what happened next would give it away.
"Whisper in my ear."

Nothing changed. Nola's zanpaku'to was....subtle. Her sword did not even transform, and with almost no Reiatsu Strength, it was barely even felt, her release didn't even use as much reiatsu as normal shinigami, so it was entirely possible to mistake her release for something else. Nola twisted and spun, and she swept her zanpaku'to through that wraith behind her. Normally , Nillia as a wraith was rather scary. But Nola knew everything about that obsolete technique. And it was very vulnerable to her current powers. As the wraith was intangible, there would literally be no plausible reason for the strange lightning being to order ths wraith to dodge, especially since Nillia's purpose was to initiate Shinobu, and that meant staying close.

What WAS important was that her zanpaku'to made spiritual contact with the wraith. And if this being's ability was manifesting other people's zanpaku'to, then that meant that this wraith was part of it's power. And the moment her blade connected with that wraith, she would gain two charges for her overall ability. One she could use to literally eliminate this thing's ability to run from her. Not only that, but her reiatsu would slowly worm it's way into her surroundings. And she could FEEL it beginning to form, That cloak that was already slowly drawing the entity's worst and most painful memories, as well as Nola's own. And in just a few moments, it would be able to bite the monster in the ass.

This shade had abilities of hers. But very old, and frankly, very outdated ones. Sozen had ruined most of her power, and with Hotaru's help, she'd been able to actually pull her soul back together in an even stronger form. Nillia's presence confirmed that this thing didn't have access to her current powers. And thus, would know nothing about them. Which was good for her. "Focus!" She shouted, not quite sure what else to shout to the others. She was focused herself, but onyl because of her own knowledge, and having caught onto what was happening by a fluke. that didn't mean she knew what the fuck she was doing. She could account for her own powers, but she had no damn clue what her comrades had as zan abilities.

This thing may as well have had three zanpaku'to in it's posession. Even if those powers it stole were old or stale, that was still nothing to sneeze at. And Nola was beginning to question if she had made a mistake. Had she fucked up? Should she have just let the thing go? She froze. What should she do next?!

-100 Reiatsu for Shikai
Shikai post 1/10

Cloak of Thorny Memories Incubation Period
Nola's Last Injury: Electrocution (Source: Sozen)
Mystery Enemy's Last Injury: ?
Reiatsu: 7350/7500

[Kento Waffles]

Nola's blade missed, as the wraith, for whatever reason, dodged backwards. Did it have its own intelligence? If so, that would make battling it much easier. It closed in again, its hand reaching toward Nola. While Nola was dealing with the wraith, Midori had disengaged from the silhouetted attacker, and Matsuo had lost consciousness. Isshin, despite his bleeding eye socket that had lost an eye, managed to get himself to his feet and pick up Matsuo. He hoisted his comrade onto his shoulder and looked to Nola and Midori. "I'm getting reinforcements!" he shouted to them, and tried to leave the room. Surges of electricity were sent toward him by the lightning bolt itself in an attempt to block his way, but this time, Midori was able to assist.

"Shine for the world to see, Mako Mako!" Midori shouted. His Zanpakuto disappeared, and suddenly, Midori was struck by a second bolt of lightning that spontaneously appeared. This lightning was a fierce sapphire color with flecks of purple, like a gas stove flame, and like the one used by the silhouette, it stayed intact and overlapped Midori, who was suddenly visibly wearing a blue and silver armored suit with a white helmet sporting a green visor over his eyes and a red cape. Surges of electricity were mounted around him, and these flew to counter and defeat the silhouette's own lightning, allowing Isshin and Matsuo to escape the room to seek reinforcements.

"Nola, switch!" Midori shouted to her, and suddenly electricity spontaneously formed next to Nola and transformed into Midori, who in the blink of an eye was gone from where he had previously stood. Nola still had to evade the reaching wraith, but now the wraith was suddenly encased by a strangely transparent cage of lightning. Midori's Zanpakuto had some explaining to do, for as it closed in, the wraith was actually cut into several pieces and made to disappear as the cage squeezed against it. If it were truly a copy of Nillia, could that even have worked? Or was there some special property Midori had become aware of that allowed this kind of an attack?

However, he had said switch. This meant that he was expecting Nola to engage the silhouette simultaneous to him attacking the wraith. With her ability active, Nola had a good opportunity to attack, especially given it was likely the injuries she had sustained from Sozen Kuchiki far outmatched anything that this silhouette could conjure up, just judging by its level. It was fast, but its attacks had not served it well so far. Other than being physically powerful, in itself it didn't seem to have a high degree of spiritual strength. Versatility and physical might were its core components. This meant that Nola had a very good ability for attacking it.

Yet, as this happened, the silhouette, with the lightning still surrounding it, also dematerialized and rematerialized nearby, wielding two silhouetted blade like weapons. It slashed at Nola with one and Midori with the other since they were so close to each other. Midori was in the middle of taking out the wraith, which meant that he was distracted, and the silhouette was still very fast. Nola, keeping in mind that the lightning from the silhouette could probably still interfere with things she might try, would have to defend both herself and Midori from the slashes without failing to stop them due to the electricity surging everywhere. What would she do?

[Nola Vilde]

Strange. This wraith was from her old release. But it seemed more than aware about her new release. This made no sense in the slightest, whatever it was. Even so, watching the wraith back off did not irk her. It was information. And as Midori suddenly closed in, intercepting that wraith, Nola grimaced. Midori was being a fool. Nillia was harmless. Especially to Nola, who could take her down when she was trying to initiate Shinobu. She cursed the situation, suddenly aware of that lightning sillhouette suddenly appearing near her and midori, just as the barrier was set into place. That globe normally that spanned a hundred meters, was focused down. Exclusively to this room.

There was no escape now. Even if the Silhouette and the Wraith instantly started to run, they would be slowed at the borders. So much so that it would be a piece of cake for Nola to shunpo in behind them and behead them, given how short a distance it would be to catch up to them. Nola watched, those blades sliding in, ready to slam into her and Midori.

Nigai Kokoro

Nola was upon them, before that Silhouette even had a chance to swing those swords, Nola was on them, bulling forward and putting herself in the path of both blades, shielding Midori with her body as that shroud left her weapon, leaving only the needle, there was a loud rushing SWIP as that blade rushed upward, just as both of those blades sliced into Nola's sides, cutting into both sides of her ribccage as her own blade in a blur had swept vertically, a shunpo Karin. That blade had cleaved up along the monster's pelvis and chest, cleaving it's body in two, that electricity fizzling out, stomped out by Nola's sudden rise in spiritual pressure.

Midori would even feel the splash of Nola's blood on him as she somehow managed to stay upright, her raised blade trembling as those twin gashes gushed blood onto the floor. "Funny.. If you'd been in my heart.You must be pretty fucked up." She hissed, and suddenly the dark being would feel a sudden surge of rage. Those blades should have cleaved clean through her, but once they had gotten halfway through, the lightning had left them, which meant that either one of two things would happen. Either the blades themselves, if they had turned out to be ethereal completely, would have simply stopped existing.

But, if they had been true weapons, and simply been shrouded by a techinique, then the silhouette would have suddenly found bare weapons inside of a VERY strogn spiritual body, and that sudden lack of immunity to cutback would hit them like a truck, potentially paste-ing the enemy right then and there, the last thing on it's mind being the agony of that sudden recoil.

Nigai Kokoro

Nola's needle slammed into that incomming blade, a panel of reishi condensing, forming along her shoulder as she slammed into the other blade with a shoulder-check, that panel being cut into, cracking, but not actually being destroyed as Nola's Advanced Air Arsenal kicked in. Wit the memory suddenly over, no doubt there would be confusion for the silhouette. Especially if it was familiar with Bitter Heart. Normally the memories twisted were long past, but even in her current state, she only had access to her own memories, her Zanpaku'to was in charge of what happened. She'd trusted Alte Furcht, and it had delivered.

Rather than the distant past, Alte had chosen a very fresh memory. A few fractions of a second before Bitter Heart had started. Not only that, but the Memory had been lenghtened. A sort of alternate reality taking place as everyone in the room was given the false memory of how the little exchange played out. Only to suddenly be shunted back into reality. A ridiculously jarring experience as even now, the memory of being cleaved in half and potentially even obliterated by Nola's spiritual pressure would be fresh in the Silhouette's mind. As, after all. It HAD happened. even if the clock had been turned back, the events had been quite real.

Which meant that so far as Nola's thorny cloak was concerned. Not only was Nola's latest injury updated, but now the Silhouette had one too. And just as those blades clashed with Nola's as well as that panel, A black shawl blossomed into existence over Nola's shoulders, and suddenly the blackness lunged with speed well above Nola's own, aiming to stab into the being's chest. And if it did, the Silhouette would be subjected both to the debilitating cleaves into it's ribs that Nola had suffered, as well as the injuries it had sustained during Bitter Heart.

Shikai post 2/10
-700 Reiatsu for Bitter Heart
-300 Reiatsu for Cloak of Thorny Memories activation
Cloak of Thorny Memories attack speed: 600
-225 for AAA Defensive Panel
Panel Durability:550

Nola Vilde's Latest Injury: Deep Lacerations to both sides of the ribcage.
Silhouette's Latest Injury: Bifurcation (Potentially Cutback recoil)

7350->6125/7500 Reiatsu