While tyrants close the doors.

[theedgeofreason]

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.

Comments

[soundfivebitch]

Tayuya had had a rough few weeks, but things had started to settle down again, and although Grimmjow had been badly beaten, and still had to put up with Szayel where the broken bones were concerned, he was doing a lot better. Things had flared up again, briefly, when Ulquiorra of all people had gone for L, but Tayuya had no investment in either of them and had been glad for the distraction.

Now there was a meeting which she was barred from, although she knew the Ryoka they had were attending, and to avoid getting Grimmjow into trouble, she'd kept her own silence on the subject of the fight that had happened after Midgar.

Which wasn't the same as saying she hadn't asked. She'd asked a lot, and got near enough all the details Skite knew. They might have had instructions not to tell people, but Tayuya viewed orders like that with disdain and some swearing.

She leaned back against the cushions, screwing her face up as she tried to answer with the revised explanation of what each would mean.

"Shag Gin," she answered, with her upper lip curled, "he's probably fun, but I wouldn't want to see his face every day, and marry Kuja and insist on hers and hers bathrooms so I don't have to fucking wait every day."

[jawmask]

"Yours is the 'his', right?" He asked, insulting Kuja rather than Tayuya.

For Grimmjow, the fight on the way back from Midgar would have already been filed away as a bad experience to be learned from and forgotten in equal measure were it not for the fact that the meeting they were supposed to attend promised to bring it all back. Well, that and the cast on his wrist kept it fresh in his mind.

His ribs still ached whenever he drew a sharp or deep breath, but he was recovering rapidly all the same. He was also pretty sure that his recovery was being aided by half defying most of Szayel's advice about keeping still and bored. Breaking the rules always made him feel better, no matter what level they came from. Stalling and keeping Aizen waiting was really the icing on the cake, if he'd turned up already. Even so, he didn't intend to keep him waiting too long. Waltzing in late would only mean a reprimand in front of all the other Arrancar and he didn't really want that so much. It would be him that got the brunt of it, too, on account of him being the little ringleader.

He grinned at Tayuya, all the same. "All right, your turn." He said, amused.

[cierva]

Apache snorted at Tayuya's comment. Kuja was definitely a weird one, as far as she was concerned, and she wasn't going to deny having mistaken him for a woman the first time she saw him. She didn't know many people in the Palace outside of the Arrancar and those who grouped themselves with them, but not even any of the girls she knew were as effeminate as Kuja and that included Aizen's prissy schoolgirl daughter. The subject of Kuja didn't stop her crinkling her nose a little bit at the idea of sleeping with Gin though. Even once was too much to consider.

Eurgh.

Where the meeting was concerned, Apache was largely unworried. She answered to Yylfordt, and whether Yylfordt admitted it or not, he answered to Grimmjow. Them turning up late wasn't going to be on her head, or even Yylfordt's, and she knew that Grimmjow wasn't likely to care about punctuality, so she didn't bother to remind either of them of it. She knew a little bit about the battle that had happened, anyway. Skite had few major secrets from each other, and the subject had been discussed behind closed doors, despite it being banned by orders from above.

She looked between the members of the group, curiously small now it was short Kadaj, and waited to see who Tayuya would put three options to.

[palehornedprince]

Yylfordt looked horrified and didn't bother trying to hide it. "I'd have cliffed Gin, bro." He grimaced and shook his head. "Nothing in the world is worth having to cope with his face grunting over you." He cringed, and wished he hadn't been forced to consider it. Gin was one of those people who should really be a virgin, forever if need be.

He shook his head. "Least marrying Kuja means you always know someone you can borrow clothes and shoes and cred from," he admitted, "if you're a chick."

[soundfivebitch]

Tayuya nodded her affirmative at Grimmjow saying she'd take the 'his' bathroom, but that didn't stop her idly winging a cushion at Yylfordt's head. "That's my boss now, dickhead," she reminded him, although without any real conviction behind it. Then she added, "Besides, I don't think his clothes would fit me. I'm too short."

She grinned then, and looked to Apache, thoughtfully. "Who'd you pick out of," she tailed off for a moment while she chose her three, "Luppi, Ulquiorra, and Szayel?" Her grin widened, "And no, Szayel doesn't get a say in the matter, so him being a faggot doesn't change anything. Nobody cares what Szayel thinks."

[jawmask]

Grimmjow considered Yylfordt's words and shrugged. "He could take you from behind if y'didn't wanna see his creepy face," he said fairly. "Or you him, I guess. Maybe he's into that." And he wouldn't put it past Tayuya, either.

The idea of Gin wasn't particularly appealing in any way, but there were always options. Well, options as far as anyone wanting to get that close to Gin, at least. He would definitely have to give it a miss. He had no real desire for nightmares for the rest of his life as a result of that experience.

He laughed a little at Tayuya's options for Apache when she put them forward. "Ouch," he grinned, not seeing a decent one among them.

[cierva]

Apache waited while Tayuya decided on three people and, when she had, didn't bother to conceal a look of mild horror at the cards she had been dealt. Luppi, Ulquiorra and Szayel? Given the choice, she'd cliff all of them. She opened her mouth to argue, but huffed instead, scowling. She wasn't going to wimp out and ask for different options, so she considered the ones she had been given.

"I'd cliff Luppi," she said after a while. "I can't stand that little prick. Talking of pricks, I'd fuck Szayel just to piss him off. Least he has a pretty face..?" She grinned at the idea of picking him as an option just to get on his nerves. "Looks like I have to marry Ulquiorra, though." Not a particularly appealing option. "That'll be a hilariously sexless marriage, I bet. I know the rule is you have to do 'em at least once, but I ain't sure Ulquiorra even has the equipment for it."

She went quiet then, with a look on her face that suggested she was thinking about something. After a moment, she wrinkled her nose.

"And if he has," she said, somewhat unhappily, "I bet it's grey."

[palehornedprince]

Yylfordt grimaced and stuck his fingers in his ears, a paragon of maturity. "Dude, shut up," he complained. He did not ever want to think in that much detail about the ways in which Gin got off. Gin was horrifying. There was no part of Gin that wasn't horrifying, and Gin using his penis was on a par for horror with his face.

He removed his hands to listen to Apache's answers though, and then laughed when she said Ulquiorra might not have the equipment for it, followed shortly by pulling his face. "Or black," he pointed out, "like his lips." You couldn't miss the fact that Ulquiorra looked like he'd been attacked by some teenage girl in her depressing rock phase.

[soundfivebitch]

Tayuya snorted, partly at Yylfordt and Apache's disgust. "Please," she said, "of course Ulquiorra knows what his dick is for; he jacks it while thinking of Aizen-fucking-sama."

It probably was grey too, or dark, but that meant putting more thought into it, and Tayuya would rather not. "Your turn," she grinned at Apache.

[cierva]

Apache stuck her tongue out at that thought. She could have lived her life without ever considering that. Tayuya was right, though. Ulquiorra was a bit of a teacher's pet when it came to Aizen. Little freak.

"Yylfordt," she said, pointing at him as she reclined in her chosen chair. "Grimmjow, Gin and Nnoitra."

Well, nobody thought that she was going to give her Espada nice options, did they?

[jawmask]

Grimmjow looked sharply at Apache when his name was included Yylfordt's list and scowled at her with a distinct "You have got to be kidding" look on his face. When that was met with nothing but an insolent smirk, he fixed his eyes on Yylfordt instead, waiting for his answer.

This has gotta to be the last one, he thought. If we leave it too late, Aizen'll have my balls.

[soundfivebitch]

Tayuya laughed approvingly at the options Apache gave Yylfordt. She'd have found the choice out of the three easy, but Yylfordt? Yylfordt wouldn't, and she knew it.

"Nice pick," she said, with another mean laugh.

[palehornedprince]

Yylfordt made a whiny little noise, looking at Apache like she was asking him whether he wanted to lose his sword hand, or both feet. "What, really?" He groaned, still complaining. "That's just mean, Apache."

He shook his head and tried to think. "Grimmjow's obviously the shoo-in for marriage," he said. Deciding between Gin and Nnoitra took longer, however, and he filled the time by talking, telling Grimmjow, "You can be my little wife, bro, it's okay. I'll look after you." Then he groaned again, "I think I'd rather get vilgat in the ass by Nnoitra than Gin. I just know Gin'd make me look at him, and be doing this the whole time," he added, attempting to imitate Gin's default facial expression, "so that vilgan can take a flying leap."

He grimaced. "Even if it means vilgehk Nnoitra."

[jawmask]

Grimmjow raised his eyebrows at Yylfordt's decision to marry him within the confines of the game and laughed... though that stopped abruptly when Yylfordt decided that he was going to be the husband.

"Sure, I'll be your little wife," he said, his voice even and fair. "Once your get a man's haircut and I've grown mine out to look like a chick, okay?" He grinned then.

[cierva]

Apache grinned meanly when Yylfordt complained about her choices for him, and listened to his answers with amusement. The fact that she found it funny didn't stop her leaning over to smack her superior with a scowl on her face, though.

"Speak the common language, asshole." She complained, eternally annoyed at the way he peppered any given conversation with Al Bhed. "You seriously think Nnoitra's face is better than Gin's?" She asked, surprised. "Wow. You're as blind as your fucking brother."

[palehornedprince]

"Al Bhed ec bmahdo vilgehk lussuh," Yylfordt replied to Apache, taking the time out to stick his middle finger up at Grimmjow as he did so. "That all just meant 'fuck' anyway," he told her, "vilg means fuck, cred means shit." He shrugged. If she was going to be his Fracción, she'd have to learn how to swear in Al Bhed sooner or later. "And no, Nnoitra's face isn't better than Gin's, but Gin would definitely make me look at his. Nnoitra is the sort of dickhead who'd rather just get it over with. I might get away with it with him."

He scowled and shuddered. "Quit making me think about how Nnoitra would have sex," he said, then.

[soundfivebitch]

Tayuya smirked. "You mean with Nnoitra you can bend over and think of Kensei, right?"

She relaxed back with a bright grin aimed at Apache. "That's his husband, you might meet him if we get out of this place again. Moocow's fucking smitten. It's adorable."

[cierva]

"Ayo ty dned ekeur ert U'l kyrre phieg ayoh bhidda wesi, Yylfordt." She snapped and gritted her teeth with an irritated look on her face. The language she spoke could have been lilting and elegant on anyone else's tongue, but from her it sounded aggressive, with the trilled R's sounding more like a threat than anything else.

Of course, the anger all changed to intrigue when Tayuya said that. She looked over, tilted her head and looked rather curious. She'd never heard of a Kensei before. Though ... he was clearly a man. She scowled a bit, looking thoughtful.

"A guy?" She asked, raising both eyebrows and managing to look coolly unsurprised. "What a shock," she snorted, reaching over to touch a bit of Yylfordt's loose hair. "The pretty princess hair should've been a dead giveaway."

[jawmask]

Grimmjow shook his head with a smirk. He spoke Al Bhed just as fluently as Yylfordt, but he knew full well that Tayuya didn't, so he opted not to litter conversations with it. He preferred not to get on her bad side -- life was more fun that way. Besides, it was easier if she could understand everything he said. Kadaj too, but thinking about him made him frown.

He stared at Apache when she snarled at Yylfordt in a tongue he'd never heard before. It sounded odd to his ears and flowed strangely. He hadn't quite got over his surprise when Tayuya dropped the Kensei bomb. He outright laughed, then.

"You two-timing me for him, dude?" He grinned. "If I'm your wife, are you his?"

He didn't wait for an answer. He glanced up at the clock that hung on the one wall of the Sunhouse that wasn't made of glass and sighed shortly.

"We should get to that meeting," he said, affecting a casual air by scratching the bridge of his nose with one finger.

[palehornedprince]

Yylfordt had no idea what in hell Apache had just said, or what language she'd said it in, but Grimmjow and Tayuya quickly distracted him anyway. "Vilg pudr oui yccrumac," he said, scowling at Grimmjow, before he turned to Apache, looking slightly offended.

"One time!" He exclaimed, "One time. I got so drunk I don't even remember anything and woke up with him and these bitches have been calling him my husband ever since. It was just once!"

[soundfivebitch]

Tayuya was too busy laughing to listen to Yylfordt try and hurriedly explain to Apache that he wasn't gay, really, no, really, it was just one time.

She threw Grimmjow a challenging look. "What, you gonna ditch before you have to answer for yourself?" She asked him, with a smirk. She knew Grimmjow well enough to know he'd struggle to back down when his pride was on the line.

[cierva]

Apache looked at Yylfordt suspiciously, though her expression bordered on one of reproach. She was of the opinion that he was protesting a little bit too much for it to be just pride on his part, so she had to take a moment to wonder whether he was just scared of looking like his brother. Well, more like him. They had the same face already.

"Chill out," she said after a moment. "Nobody gives a fuck if you've been with a guy. Grimmjow's with Kadaj, for fuck's sake. Y'don't see anyone ripping the piss out of him for it." She watched Tayuya as she made Grimmjow choose between backing down on a game and looking bad in front of the boss. "Besides," she added, shifting her gaze to the window, "it ain't like all of us stick to fucking one gender."

She smirked at him then and looked back at Grimmjow to see what he'd decided to do.

[jawmask]

Grimmjow looked at Tayuya flatly. Bitch knew that would work, he was sure of it. Well, he didn't care. Aizen could wait another two minutes. The time of the meeting was still five minutes away and he wasn't bailing like a coward if the others had answered, no way.

"Like fuck," he said, his typically cocky expression reappearing on his face. "Yylfordt, it's your turn."

[palehornedprince]

Yylfordt was, for a moment, thoroughly distracted and barely even registered Grimmjow telling him it was his turn to ask because Apache had basically just hinted that she might sleep with girls too, and now Yylfordt's brain had gone and wandered off to its bunk. He realised he was staring when Grimmjow's voice finally got through to him and he snapped out of it and he looked up at Grimmmjow, blank for a moment.

"Right," he said, "uh, yeah." He trailed off and ran a hand through his hair while he thought and then presented Grimmjow with his options.

"The Ryoka Berserker, Aizen's son, and Wonderweiss."

[soundfivebitch]

Tayuya looked smugly pleased with Grimmjow's decision to stay and answer before he jetted off to this oh so important meeting. As the subordinate of another member of the clan, she wasn't invited, and wasn't supposed to know anything that went on in it, but she didn't expect that would actually be what happened.

She laughed at the options Yylfordt presented, however. "The fuck? Wondertard? Or Arc?" That little pissant looked like a twinky version of his dad. Or the berserker, who was obviously Grimmjow's best friend in the world.