theedgeofreason: Light: Disapproving. (All under my command.)
Sousuke Aizen ([personal profile] theedgeofreason) wrote in [community profile] spira_rp2013-04-24 03:10 pm

While tyrants close the doors.

The past few weeks had, for Aizen at least, been somewhat trying.

The publicity he had been expected to deal with following the fall of Midgar had been an inevitable chore. Due to his position in the Gotei 13, pledges had to be made to help Bancour during its time of crisis. Wholesale destruction could quite easily breed scores of Hollows and it was Aizen's sworn duty, and that of his men, to eradicate them whenever they reared their bone-masked heads. Bancour was far, far out of his jurisdiction that was true, but there was no harm in proving that the Gotei 13 recognised no borders when it came to its collective dedication to its work. At the same time, he had been obligated to sit in on meetings with Archadian political giants concerning the delicate state of peace in the aftermath. To nobody's great surprise, and certainly not to Aizen's, The Archadian Empire had been the first to come under suspicion. Accusations, both the plausible and the far-fetched, had come thick and fast in the wake of the collapse. Even weeks after the incident some tempers were still running high, but nothing could be proved until Midgar was safe to examine.

Aizen's privileged position gave him access to Midgar's status reports and, while Bancouri officials had lobbied to keep them out of Archadian hands, Aizen's insistence that he have them when he was to be sending in his own men in to a potential Necrohol to aid Captain Komamura's already thinly stretched forces eventually resulted in the necessary papers crossing his desk. That all lands in the vicinity of the inner-city were considered too heavily poisoned by high concentrations of leaked Mako was certainly encouraging.

All in all, it had been an interesting change from the curious state of limbo that had reigned ever since Nabudis had accidentally been reduced to a blasted ruin and the Greenlands around it, now known as the Deadlands, to a smoking wasteland. Even so, dealing with manpower allocation and sitting on a council made of members trying by turns to and not to affix the word 'war' to the fore of it had taken their toll. After many packed days and what felt like even more sleepless nights, Aizen had been obvious about growing weary of it all and openly yielded to exhaustion. At the first opportunity, he had taken a few days leave and bid his Lieutenant deal with his duties in his stead. With no rest for the wicked, a phrase that had turned out to be truer than he had thought possible, Aizen clandestinely returned to the Desert Palace of Clan Khamja to deal with unfinished matters there.

The atmosphere in the Palace was much as it had been when he had left. Some things remained unchanged others ... well, they were quite different. Zexion, the Ryoka Alchemist, had made a full recovery where his exhaustion was concerned, but Aizen had been informed that the boy had not said a single word since waking and had spent most of his time holed up in his quarters. He had dealt with very few matters across phonelines, but he had sent word to ensure that Zexion was not to be informed of the new faces on the side of their enemies ahead of his return. He had made it clear that any Arrancar found breaking this order would find themselves dealing with the consequences. Nnoitra had, from what he had been told, kept himself well out of the way. Aizen was glad of this -- it minimised the chances of one of his more unruly Arrancar coming face to face with the subordinates of the man he had helped murder. Grimmjow and Neliel were doing as well as could be expected, her more than him. Luppi, to nobody's great surprise, was slow to recover from the injuries he had sustained at the hands of the Ryoka Berserker. He was considered to be out of danger, but he was still currently immobile and his moments of conscious lucidity were few and brief.

What had really nettled Aizen upon his return were whispers, whispers all too soon confirmed, that another of his Arrancar had struck out at a full-member of the Clan. He would have expected such of the rash, hot-headed members of his mismatched band of underlings, people like Nnoitra, who had already proved he could, Grimmjow who had as well, the Fracción Apache who was, as far as he was concerned, only biding her time. Even Szayel, albeit in a fashion less ... traditional than those, was not above suspicion. The name he had been given was a surprise to him. It shouldn't have been, especially not given past behaviour or the current state of affairs, but it had nonetheless given him pause.

Ulquiorra had attacked L and, from what he had been told, the preceding argument had taken place entirely in Old Rozarrian -- a language none of the witnesses could profess to speak. L had recovered, for a given value of recovery, and was up and about contrary to recommendation. He maintained that the altercation was one that concerned only blood, not the Clan, and Aizen had not been brought before Illua to answer for the crimes of his subordinate. In the end, Aizen only found himself disappointed that Ulquiorra had shown mercy. He, like Nnoitra, had been unsurprisingly absent following the incident.

Aizen resolved to speak to him on the matter, but it would have to wait until more pressing affairs had been attended to. The meeting, the debriefing put off following the mission itself, was still to be conducted. All of his Arrancar were expected to attend, even those in disgrace, though Luppi was to be the notable exception. L would undoubtedly be there regardless of the inevitable friction between him and his nephew, the presence of Zexion was assured and Gin Ichimaru had said, with his characteristic smile, that he wouldn't miss it for the world. He had even gone so far as to suggest that Marluxia, one of Khamja's older Ryoka recruits, also be present. The unknowns allied with the Berserker could easily be Ryoka, Gin had pointed out. Some of the files L had recovered from Midgar had certainly suggested such. With Zexion having been deliberately kept in the dark and Marluxia not yet up to date with the situation, they were unlikely to both be able to stifle reactions as to conceal a truth, should they attempt to do so. There was wisdom in the suggestion, and so Aizen had consented to it.

With the attendees decided, orders in the guise of invites had been sent out.
theschemer: Sideways look. (All those words I didn't say.)

[personal profile] theschemer 2013-05-23 07:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Ah, so now it came out. There was another reason that the meeting had been called and it was a battle. Zexion had heard nothing of it, but he had been avoiding everyone since he had come round. He had seen Luppi in the infirmary, but he had thought little of it. He'd had too much on his mind to pay him much attention at the time.

He still didn't understand why Marluxia had been invited, but he had a feeling that he was about to find out.
gracefuldahlia: (In the coldest hour)

[personal profile] gracefuldahlia 2013-05-23 09:06 pm (UTC)(link)
Marluxia kept his gaze on Aizen while the man spoke. He had an agenda outside of congratulating his subordinates, and Marluxia was glad to see him working his way round to it. It certainly had Marluxia's interest piqued, and he turned his attention towards the dour little mist mutant Aizen had nominated to give an explanation.

If Aizen was interested in new powers, and he wanted Marluxia to hear about them, he probably suspected the users were 'Ryoka'. That also meant Marluxia's reactions would be studied, so he had to tread carefully.

He wondered, idly, who it might be. The Arrancar hadn't encountered most of them before, after all. Saix, he knew, Vexen, and one altercation with Xigbar, Lexaeus, Larxene, and Zexion, but that still left a significant portion of their number, as well as the non-Organization ryoka. Marluxia remembered the girl who couldn't die, and the four armed mercenary that wouldn't.

He wondered whose work the ill health of one Arrancar had been, then?

Assuming it was one of them at all, but Aizen must suspect as much to bring in Marluxia and Zexion but not the likes of Kuja.
Edited 2015-12-22 17:40 (UTC)
sipthehoneylikeabutterfly: (to wish us all goodnight)

[personal profile] sipthehoneylikeabutterfly 2013-05-23 09:12 pm (UTC)(link)
This was the point at which Szayel sat up. Now was where it got interesting, and he'd finally get to see some of the Ryoka in action, including the berserker. He knew about Ulquiorra's useful little reconnaissance ability, and waited for him to get on with it, looking much more alert than he had done up to now.

The data should prove to be interesting, and he did so want to see just what had been done to Luppi, and the rest of them. Not out of concern for his fellow Arrancar, of course, just for his own interests.
tozasemurcielago: (Normal: dramatic flounce)

[personal profile] tozasemurcielago 2013-05-23 09:22 pm (UTC)(link)
At the request, Ulquiorra stood up a little straighter, and made his way towards the centre of the room. He'd never used this ability in front of the other Arrancar before, but Aizen-sama had already witnessed it, long ago, back in Draklor.

He removed one hand from his pocket, his expression remaining serious, and then he pressed two fingers up into his eye socket, around his eyeball, and drew it out with a sucking pop.

It wasn't the most comfortable of sensations, but it passed quickly, and Ulquiorra knew his eye would regenerate once the technique had been used.
declaregamuza: (Now that you know I'm trapped)

[personal profile] declaregamuza 2013-05-23 09:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Nel saw what Ulquiorra was doing and winced, closing her eyes and looking away, but that didn't stop her hearing the noise. It didn't seem to hurt, but that didn't stop it from looking and sounding horribly visceral and... squelchy.

She wasn't normally squeamish but someone popping the eyeball right out of his own head was more than she could take.
palehornedprince: (pic#)

[personal profile] palehornedprince 2013-05-23 09:30 pm (UTC)(link)
Yylfordt wondered why Ulquiorra had been nominated to explain instead of Nel, who'd also been there, and was higher ranked, so he looked on simply confused while Ulquiorra took centre stage.

Then he watched the miserable little freak stick two fingers in his eye and pull the damn thing out, and couldn't help making a noise of horrified disgust.

"Ur, dryd'c zicd celg yht fnuhk," he muttered, while he looked away.
prayingmantis: Horrified. (Honest to god I will break your heart.)

[personal profile] prayingmantis 2013-05-23 09:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Nnoitra only half listened to Aizen witter on at length about the mission. He didn't go, he didn't see any of it, he didn't care. What was it to him if people got hurt on the way back? He couldn't find a single fuck to give. He didn't bother concealing the fact that he rolled his eye when Ulquiorra stepped up to take Aizen's place at the head of the room. If there was one thing that was worse than Aizen going on and on, it was Ulquiorra going on and on.

Nnoitra watched him with disinterest, expecting to be bored rigid and... and then he slid his fingers into his eye socket and pulled out his eye.

"What. The. Fuck," he said out loud, horror painted clearly all over his face. He, more than anyone, knew what it was like to have an eye mangled and seeing someone do that of their own volition was just ... wrong...
cierva: Hurt. (I still relive them every second.)

[personal profile] cierva 2013-05-23 09:53 pm (UTC)(link)
Apache squirmed where she sat when she realised what Ulquiorra was about to do.

She knew he was a crawly little lickspittle at the best of times, but enough to pull out his own eye? She managed not to say anything, unlike Nnoitra and Yylfordt, but she still let out a horrified gasp and cringed, closing her eyes.

There were some things that were just too revolting to watch.
guntoaknifefight: Shock. (...to fool him around.)

[personal profile] guntoaknifefight 2013-05-23 09:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Stark had seen some weird and terrible things in his time, but the image of someone voluntarily pulling out their own eye was a new one on him. His own eyes went wide and he stared at Ulquiorra as he did it, unable to look away.
extinguir: (24)

[personal profile] extinguir 2013-05-23 10:02 pm (UTC)(link)
Wonderweiss, like the rest, felt a pang of horror and disgust at what Ulquiorra was doing. Like them, or most of them, he also had no idea why he was doing it. As far as he was concerned, he was just standing there, pulling out his own eye, for an, as yet, unexplained reason.

More than that though, he had to wonder if it hurt. Was what he was doing that for so important that he was happy to be half blind..?
shoottokill: Jovial. (And lose yourself in fantasies.)

[personal profile] shoottokill 2013-05-23 10:09 pm (UTC)(link)
Gin knew exactly why Ulquiorra was doing that, even if the others didn't, and their reactions didn't fail to amuse him. He looked on like the rest but, unlike the majority, he managed to keep a look of flat-out disgust from his face. His smile stayed in place, though he didn't stop his nose crinkling at the sight of it all the same.

"Well, ain't that enough to give you the creepin' shivers?" He said, affecting a shudder.
Edited 2013-05-23 22:24 (UTC)