While tyrants close the doors.
Apr. 24th, 2013 03:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
theedgeofreason posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
spira_rpThe 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.
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.
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Date: 2013-05-09 11:20 pm (UTC)"Like fuck," he said, his typically cocky expression reappearing on his face. "Yylfordt, it's your turn."
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Date: 2013-05-10 03:04 pm (UTC)"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."
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Date: 2013-05-10 03:13 pm (UTC)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.
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Date: 2013-05-10 06:00 pm (UTC)"And I thought we'd got it bad," she said, grinning meanly.
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Date: 2013-05-10 06:07 pm (UTC)He sighed. "You're a fuckwit," he said, pointing at his face. "All right, I'll marry the Berserker. Not as if we could possibly argue any more than we already do, right? Cliff Wonderkid. He's about twelve." Which meant that he'd be shagging Arc, which ... eh, there were worse people he could get stuck with.
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Date: 2013-05-10 07:28 pm (UTC)It was hard to miss Yylfordt's mental holiday, too. That guy was a predictable ass if nothing else, but he was extra fun around Apache. It was like he got all internally flustered and tried to hide it by being a douche.
Well, more of a douche.
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Date: 2013-05-10 07:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-05-10 08:24 pm (UTC)The meeting wasn't exactly an enticing prospect, but Yylfordt was right. It was time to join everyone else, or risk Aizen's ire.
"Get your asses in gear then," he said, looking from Yylfordt to Apache.
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Date: 2013-05-10 08:28 pm (UTC)"This is gonna be riveting," she said flatly, folding her arms. "Later, Tayuya."
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Date: 2013-05-10 08:43 pm (UTC)"Tell me if anything cool comes out," she said.
Maybe she'd go and fuck with Sakon's makeup to stay entertained.
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Date: 2013-05-10 08:49 pm (UTC)It really wasn't something Yylfordt expected to be easy to stay awake through. It was probably going to be a lot of waffling from Aizen, and boy could Aizen waffle on when he wanted.
He headed for the door, and hovered, letting Grimmjow take the lead, since he was sort of the ringleader and all.
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Date: 2013-05-11 08:43 pm (UTC)"Obviously," he said, and then went out ahead of Yylfordt.
His grin slipped off his face as he got out into the hallway. He wasn't looking forward to this. He hadn't seen Aizen since he'd spoke to them all after the meeting and his memories of the latter half of that day were fuzzy at best. He made his way to the meeting room at an unhurried pace, but without dawdling. Distractedly, he ran his good hand over the splinted bandage on the opposite wrist.
no subject
Date: 2013-05-11 08:50 pm (UTC)She hadn't been in the main party on the mission, but she'd been told it was a success. As for the battle ... Grimmjow had given the group the lowdown on it, but she kind of wanted to hear what Nel had to say about it. She had wanted to ask her about it before the meeting, but when the order not to discuss anything about it filtered down from above, she thought better of it. It wasn't that she doubted Grimmjow's account, she had no reason to, she just wanted to know what had truly gone on without a liberal helping of Grimmjow's arrogance to colour the story. That, and she wanted to know who they had fought that had the power to half kill one Arrancar and seriously beat up the other.
That there were people out there capable of doing that made her nervous.
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Date: 2013-05-11 09:55 pm (UTC)Of course, given Grimmjow and the berserker's history, not drawing his weapon before Grimmjow would have just been suicidal on the berserker's part...
But Yylfordt was interested to know about the other dude that had been there. Nel always seemed more interested in the chick, but Yylfordt had long since decided that he didn't want to cross swords with anyone who could not only land a hit on Ulquiorra, but cut him too. Yylfordt wanted to know enough about him to make sure he never ever crossed his path, because somebody would need to keep that asshole busy while Grimmjow made out with his new wife, and Yylfordt wasn't volunteering.
When they got to the meeting, Yylfordt scanned the room. It was pretty full already, including L, who still looked badly battered, the weird pink haired Ryoka whom Yylfordt didn't like, the alchemist Ryoka and....
Yylfordt's favourite person was there already, too. He frowned, and then quickly scoped out a chair that wasn't in Gin's line of sight.
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Date: 2013-05-12 08:11 pm (UTC)He wasn't surprised at that, though, not a bit. None of them had any sense of responsibility. Furthermore, two of them of their own accord and the third thanks to peer pressure, had little respect for authority and a tendency to creatively interpret orders and outright flout the rules. Gin didn't care either way, but it did amuse him just a little bit when they wound up Aizen with their behaviour. Even so, he considered it lucky for them that their superior hadn't yet arrived himself.
Though … he did think that it would have been hilarious if they'd walked in after him.
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Date: 2013-05-12 08:12 pm (UTC)"Like it matters," he shrugged. "Aizen ain't even here yet."
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Date: 2013-05-12 08:19 pm (UTC)She shoved her hands into her pockets and walked with Yylfordt when he went to sit down.
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Date: 2013-05-12 10:35 pm (UTC)He parked his ass in a chair; the last one free that was out of Gin's direct line of sight, and out of the way without being considered lurking at the back of the room. There weren't enough chairs for the number of people, he realised, but that didn't make him hesitate and consider Apache.
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Date: 2013-05-12 10:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-05-12 10:47 pm (UTC)He knew he didn't need to elaborate to indicate where his imagination was going, because everyone, except possibly Marluxia and Zexion knew him well enough to know what he was thinking.
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Date: 2013-05-14 06:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-05-14 06:31 pm (UTC)"In your dreams," he said, getting comfortable, or at least as comfortable as a seat on the floor and lingering injuries allowed.
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Date: 2013-05-14 07:18 pm (UTC)He looked up at her, vaguely perplexed, and asked, simply, "What?"
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Date: 2013-05-14 07:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-05-14 07:31 pm (UTC)"That offer was not made to you," he pointed out, giving the girl a hard shove to get her back off the chair.
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