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Just a legend, cold words on a page
So far things had been going as well as could be expected, if not a little better. The hotel staff, well used to discretion as they were, had been adept at keeping an eye on matters. There had been some tense moments in the restaurant, if the waitstaff were to be believed, but they'd resolved themselves peacefully.
It was a good sign. Ila were the only clan to have come from outside Khamja, and their history with Skite had been less than amicable. Their inclusion was probably the biggest risk Ignis had taken with his recruiting, but when it had come down to it they needed powerful healers, and if they came accompanied by tough fighters then so be it. That they could control themselves, and that members of Khamja didn't feel the need to break into violence around them, was only a bonus.
Everyone had stayed within the hotel's confines for the day. Ignis had been glad of that. One or two had been less than pleased with the request, and some had been less pleased again regarding the issue of tags, but he was reasonably sure he'd managed to placate most of them.
He read over the notes he had for their itinerary while he waited for everyone to assemble in the conference room. He'd been up late last night trying to get a somewhat friendly member of the Kingsglaive assigned to the survivalist training, to no avail, and he'd been up early again this morning ensuring everything was in order for the swift processing and manufacture of the tags they'd require so their esteemed guests didn't have to remain confined to the hotel for too much longer. His third can of Ebony of the day sat half drunk by his chair. After so long on the lowerworld and rationing his supply to make it last he'd consumed enough in his first two days back in Insomnia to give himself the jitters, but he'd become accustomed to the caffeine once more rather quickly.
The conference room was one of the hotel's largest. A huge, oval table occupied the centre of the room, and a projector hung from the ceiling, directed to a huge blank wall where it could be used for presentations and displays. Ignis had no intention of using that, but he did prefer the table set up of the room. It would be interesting to see who chose to sit next to whom, for one.
Ignis took a drink from his can and cast his eye over his papers again. Weaponry, clothing, chocobos, food, potions, ethers, camp supplies, water, medical supplies, communication; they weren't going to be heading to Pulse quickly with a shopping list this long and involved, but at the very least the time could be useful. They needed to ensure everyone was capable of surviving in the event they became stranded with nothing.
It was just a pity they'd refused to give him Nyx for that purpose.
It was a good sign. Ila were the only clan to have come from outside Khamja, and their history with Skite had been less than amicable. Their inclusion was probably the biggest risk Ignis had taken with his recruiting, but when it had come down to it they needed powerful healers, and if they came accompanied by tough fighters then so be it. That they could control themselves, and that members of Khamja didn't feel the need to break into violence around them, was only a bonus.
Everyone had stayed within the hotel's confines for the day. Ignis had been glad of that. One or two had been less than pleased with the request, and some had been less pleased again regarding the issue of tags, but he was reasonably sure he'd managed to placate most of them.
He read over the notes he had for their itinerary while he waited for everyone to assemble in the conference room. He'd been up late last night trying to get a somewhat friendly member of the Kingsglaive assigned to the survivalist training, to no avail, and he'd been up early again this morning ensuring everything was in order for the swift processing and manufacture of the tags they'd require so their esteemed guests didn't have to remain confined to the hotel for too much longer. His third can of Ebony of the day sat half drunk by his chair. After so long on the lowerworld and rationing his supply to make it last he'd consumed enough in his first two days back in Insomnia to give himself the jitters, but he'd become accustomed to the caffeine once more rather quickly.
The conference room was one of the hotel's largest. A huge, oval table occupied the centre of the room, and a projector hung from the ceiling, directed to a huge blank wall where it could be used for presentations and displays. Ignis had no intention of using that, but he did prefer the table set up of the room. It would be interesting to see who chose to sit next to whom, for one.
Ignis took a drink from his can and cast his eye over his papers again. Weaponry, clothing, chocobos, food, potions, ethers, camp supplies, water, medical supplies, communication; they weren't going to be heading to Pulse quickly with a shopping list this long and involved, but at the very least the time could be useful. They needed to ensure everyone was capable of surviving in the event they became stranded with nothing.
It was just a pity they'd refused to give him Nyx for that purpose.
no subject
It made sense that Lumi was strong enough to achieve shikai, and given enough time with the sword even bankai, but he'd still got there quickly for someone that didn't do the magic side of things as much as possible.
He must have put the time in with working with the sword. "You're a quick study," she said. "So what does it do, if you don't mind me asking?" He might, after all. He might not want an Arrancar to know unless he couldn't help it.
no subject
He hadn't been working long enough to bargain and fight all possible abilities out of his Shikai form yet. When he'd had a moment to train with it properly, he had discovered that the base ability gained when entering that state gave him an increase in speed and, it seemed, perception. He was already good at that, especially where a gun was concerned, but it wasn't what he'd expected of a Shikai given what he'd read. It didn't seem to be one of the fancy magic-based ones, at any rate, which shouldn't have really come as a surprise given his lack of proficiency in that area, but it had all the same. When somebody tells you that you have a magic sword, you expect a magic sword.
"Even my sword is aware I'm not one for magic," he added.
no subject
An increase in speed. The idea of Lumi, who was fast enough as it was, having an increase in speed was actually a little frightening. And yet it for exactly that reason it also seemed unnecessary, but who was to guess where it might come in, in the grand scheme of whatever his Zanpakuto was capable of?
"A lot of the time they enhance your existing strengths," she said, and tilted her head, shrugging her shoulders as she sheepishly added, "or bring out latent abilities. You might find something magic based that you can actually use coming from it, in time."
Lumi, with all his physical abilities, and his lack of reiatsu, and his immense chakra reserves, actually being able to tap in to all of that. Now there was a thought that would make people quake in their sandals.
And probably make Marluxia pull faces like Szayel.
no subject
It was in his room, propped up against the bedside table. It certainly felt like a part of him, that was for sure. He felt wrong without it. Not naked, as if he was missing a limb. It had always been at the back of his mind, but since he'd figured out what to do with it, the lack of it felt more profound. Missing a sword sounded ridiculous, but it was what it was.
"Regardless, it will be useful for killing Hollows on Pulse," he said. Even without having been tapped into it had sliced through the Hollow's hide like butter, and scored and broke its mask with little effort. "It looks like the 'Cie'th' they referred to earlier will be the bigger threat, but our weapons should work the same on those."
That was the theory anyway. He wasn't entirely sure what a Cie'th was, but they said it was like somebody who had turned into a Hollow without dying. Lumi imagined a living person covered in a Hollow's skin and wrinkled his nose slightly. He had to wonder if an Arrancar Zanpakuto would have the desired effect. They killed other Hollows because Arrancar, as Hollows themselves, were inherently cannibalistic. Would that work against something that wasn't a Hollow? He expected they'd find out eventually.
no subject
Gran Pulse, rather. Fang called it Gran Pulse.
"Maybe I'll ask Gamuza," she said. "She might know." That was the fun side to having a Hollow; they were an amalgamation of souls that had one forthright personality, but some of them had been around. Gamuza used to be an Ancient, and she was adamant that Aerith was one too. She was a pretty good font of information sometimes.
If you trusted her, anyway.
no subject
He hadn't learned the names of all the Hollows of all the Arrancar, but he'd picked up a few of them over time. Conversation had gone towards them occasionally and he'd talked a little on the subject with Skite in the way back from retrieving what would end up his airship.
Gamuza was a strange name. He ran it through his head, trying to assign it a language or origin. It half sounded Jyllandi, of the type Apache spoke, but he couldn't be sure.
"Is it strange when she talks to you?" He asked.
no subject
She didn't know how it felt for the other Arrancar, or Kadaj. Some of them gave their Hollows more freedom, and their Hollows might be more talkative as a result. Nel preferred to keep a relatively tight rein on Gamuza, because she might be Holy elemental, and she might be a former Ancient, but she was still a Hollow and Nel was well aware of the fact she was both prison and food to her.
no subject
It was different with him and his Zanpakuto. There was a sort of harmony there, he supposed, if he had to put a word to it. And when he didn't have it, that harmony was interrupted. It was like something wrong or out of key, like a flat note in a piece of music.
"Strange," he said, at last. "This world is an odd one."
no subject