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

[tozasemurcielago]

Ulquiorra opened his eyes. Both of them, seeing the world in binocular vision again, and blinking once before he looked over the room. Grimmjow, Nnoitra, and Szayel appeared to be paying as much attention as expected to the instruction.

Ulquiorra, for his part, knew how much credit was due to the fire elemental now, but it didn't change his opinion on how futile such an opponent facing him would be. That he had managed to cut him was impressive, testament to his speed, and strength, but in a fight where Ulquiorra had not drawn his sword, and taking into account the elemental affinities at play, the fight had been even.

The fact that Neliel had brought the Ryoka down so quickly once she had released herself was proof enough of that.

Still, an order was an order, and should Ulquiorra find himself faced with an unknown entity again, he would be less restrained, and if he faced the girl with the lightning, he would react accordingly.

His attention flitted over Marluxia, who had been very forthcoming with what information he had, and Zexion, who after his initial outburst, had remained quiet. He was... different.

[theschemer]

Zexion had been happy to allow Marluxia to do the talking. He himself had no desire to feed Aizen information and he knew considerably more about the Ryoka and their allies than Marluxia did, including how they called forth their weapons. He didn't think for a moment that he'd be able to avoid a conversation with Marluxia on that subject, however. Now he knew that they had reclaimed the ability to do it, a discussion was almost inevitable.

He regretted speaking out when he did about Axel. The shock had overwhelmed him. While he had spent a few moments mentally kicking himself for the outburst, he knew now that it was probably not a bad thing to have done. His shock had been obvious, nobody could have missed it. He didn't know Axel was there, nobody could dispute that. Marluxia had even confirmed that he was also surprised to see him. Good. It meant that nobody could accuse him of knowing more than he was letting on and question him over it.

That was the last thing he wanted.

[cierva]

Apache didn't know much about the Ryoka. She'd never seen one. She'd heard bits about them, but she was relatively new to the Arrancar and everything she had heard was second hand and from the mouths of her friends, who were disinclined to be frank and honest about battles that they'd participated in.

She had joined during the time when Clan Skite were away, when they had battled the Ryoka group with the Berserker for the second time. She'd heard about his ability to pull a weapon out of nowhere, but she hadn't seen it until the recording.

She had little desire to meet them head on, if the recording was anything to go by. The idea of coming face to face with a group of people with abilities on the same level as that Axel guy set her nerves on edge. She didn't doubt that she'd probably be able to hold her own if fortune was on her side elementally, but she'd sooner not take the risk until she had more training with her Hollow under her belt, given the choice.

Without a choice, she'd fight tooth and nail regardless of the risk.

[theedgeofreason]

Aizen looked at those present and smiled an easy smile. He was rather happy with how things had gone, all things considered. The Fire Elemental was definitely a Ryoka, and one related to those they were already aware of, at that. That his presence had been a surprise left a curious gap in their timeline, but that wasn't a problem for the moment. Further probing into his activities should fill in that blank, in time.

Axel was just another Ryoka, wherever he had been. They were already aware of other members of The Order who had yet to show themselves in the field of battle. The Dragoon and the Gambler, the latter of which associated heavily with the crew of The Blackjack, had not deigned to show their abilities in the open. Nor had at least two of the others. The girl they had seen was more important for the moment, and she was definitely worth discussing further. On that matter, Aizen would rather speak privately.

"I think that concludes our meeting," he said, his voice soft. "If Neliel and Szayel, and L, if you are feeling up to the strain," a little false courtesy didn't cost anything, "would stay behind, I would appreciate it. Marluxia, I appreciate your presence here and your cooperation on this matter both now and in the future. Zexion," he turned to the boy, "I extend the same thanks to you. As for the rest of you, you may go about your business as you see fit. Ulquiorra, I will speak to you later."

[palehornedprince]

With the word that the meeting was over, Yylfordt wasted no time, shifting his weight and taking a couple of short steps so he was nearer the front of Apache's chair. He looked over at Grimmjow, giving him a quick shrug and a look that said Yylfordt, at least, thought that had gone better than it might have. It had looked hairy for Grimmjow at about the point that Ulquiorra was called forward to explain the fight but what he'd seen had backed Grimmjow up, so.... It looked like Grimmjow was off the hook.

And the whole thing had taken less time than expected, too. Always a bonus. The boss could really talk when he wanted.

[lilinette]

Lilinette reacted to the dismissal with a stretch, making sure she invaded Szayel's space. When he flailed at her, trying to push her off, she jumped up onto the chair with both feet, and then leapt off to the floor, landing out of Szayel's reach.

She stuck her nose up in the air with one finger, and stuck her tongue out, making a 'nyah' sound effect at him before she made to leave.

[sipthehoneylikeabutterfly]

Lilinette's hand came too close for comfort, mere centimetres from his face, and Szayel responded by trying to shove her off the chair again, and push her arm away.

He threw her a poisonous look as she jumped away and pranced off before he ran his fingers through his hair, straightened his glasses, and got comfortable in the chair on his own again.

He'd been asked to stay behind, and that suited Szayel just fine as he had plenty of questions to ask. He crossed one leg over the other and relaxed, thinking back over what he'd seen. Interesting Ryoka, an interesting girl.... He really did need samples from a Ryoka. They required further study.

[tozasemurcielago]

Ulquiorra had expected to be called on the subject of his outburst at some point. That was, inevitably, what Aizen-sama wished to speak to him about later.

He showed no other reaction than to bow, replying, simply, "Hai, Aizen-sama."

With his hands returned to his pockets, he made to leave, looking past L, rather than at him.

[gracefuldahlia]

Aizen was a tricky one, that much was for certain. Marluxia nodded his gracious acceptance of the spoken appreciation, and then rose.

He quirked an eyebrow at Lilinette as she made her energetic exit, but said nothing. Just as he said nothing when Ulquiorra bowed. That one put Saix to shame.

Of course, Saix had turned out to be a bigger traitor than Marluxia had aspired to be, so one had to wonder what secrets this obsequious little minion was keeping.

He left without waiting any longer. He'd need to catch Zexion on his own at some point. They needed to discuss the new information, without the audience.

[declaregamuza]

Nel nodded at the request that she stay. Not much had been said about the girl once they'd established that she wasn't a Ryoka. Nel hadn't expected that she would be a Ryoka, but Marluxia had at least put forward that she wasn't one known to him, and Zexion hadn't contradicted it. That meant Aizen would want to talk about her now, and Nel, Szayel, and L, would be the best placed to offer their opinions on the matter.

She cast Wonderweiss a smile of farewell, and then sat up straighter in her chair, waiting for the room to empty out.

[lawlietschiffer]

L watched Ulquiorra leave, barely moving his own head as he did so. Ulquiorra would remain angry with him for a long, long time. He had every right to.

In truth, he wasn't feeling up to spending longer perched in a chair, in a room with Aizen. His head was pounding already, but he didn't want to openly admit to being that far weakened. He had too much pride to admit that he would struggle to deal with Aizen right now.

It was because of his pride that he stayed seated, eyes cast towards the floor as the others left in their turn. He had some suspicions he could bring up about the girl, but hadn't come across the concrete evidence as yet. It would take time, and right now, investing the sort of time necessary into working at his computer made L's head swim.

[extinguir]

Wonderweiss returned Nel's smile before he left the room. He had a lot to think about regarding the meeting, even though he hadn't been present at the mission, or involved in the fight afterwards.

He remembered the fight with the Ryoka that he had been present for. There was a Lightning Elemental there that had seriously injured Ulquiorra. It didn't surprise him that the Fire Elemental could pose that sort of danger to someone weak to his Element, or that the Berserker could be a serious risk to somebody without top notch defensive capabilities. Technique was every bit as important as Elemental alignment, Wonderweiss knew that. Some possible matches could result in a sweeping victory for an Arrancar, but, in the same way, it could easily go in the other direction.

[prayingmantis]

Nnoitra got up from his chair and left without a word.

The content of the meeting had given him some things to think about, but, on the whole, he didn't consider much of it important. So there were more Ryoka than they thought and some girl was magical and had a shiny ability, big fucking deal. He'd take any of them on.

[theschemer]

Zexion didn't spare any of them a glance as he made his way out.

He didn't feel up to talking, not after what he'd seen and what he knew, and didn't know, now. He needed time to think about it. Axel was the last thing he had expected to see during the meeting, and while the subject of his presence certainly distracted him from thoughts of Midgar, it wasn't exactly much of an improvement.

[jawmask]

Grimmjow got up from his seat on the floor in his own time and at his own pace. The meeting hadn't been a total bust, he thought. It had backed up the fact that he hadn't started the fight, at least. As a bonus it hadn't gone on nearly as long as he'd expected it to.

The warning didn't bother him at all. He was only going to ignore it, anyway. He was going to engage with that damned Berserker, Saix, as many times as it took to beat him into submission.

He left the room behind Yylfordt and Apache.

[shoottokill]

Gin lingered behind, aiming to be the last to leave of those that had been dismissed.

He wasn't surprised to not be included in a meeting about the girl -- Aizen had already put it to him that she could be a Cetra based on what Nel had told him weeks ago. He would undoubtedly hear it from him after he had asked those more qualified to deal with the question and been given a more definitive answer on the subject. If she was, it threw what they knew about the Cetra into disarray. That would certainly interest some people ... if it ever got out.

As for the information... well, it was all very interesting. Between Zexion's silence and Marluxia's willingness to talk, he had gleaned many useful things from the meeting, both spoken and not. Old feuds, likely relationships and potential future alliances interested him and he had access to the other side in a way that nobody else did, including L. He had made sure of that. In the process, he had ensured that the broken timeline concerning both Axel himself and his arrival with the girl would remain a mystery. It was nice when Khamja didn't know everything. It made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

He smiled a real smile as he passed through the doorway.