It used to be so easy...

[soundfivebitch]

They'd got back late the night before.

It had been a long sojourn out into the world, but not a bad one. They'd been gone for over a month, and hadn't got into too much trouble, considering. Okay, so they'd met the Ryoka berserker and his fiends again, and failed to take them out, again, and Grimmjow had been scarred for his troubles, but that was pretty good going, for them. Technically, they were supposed to be out for Grimmjow's rehabilitation anyway. Grimmjow was only supposed to be getting back to fitness from the injuries he'd received when they'd met the Ryoka with Nel in tow, but he'd acquired another injury to work off. Not that anyone had explained that to Aizen, yet. That was going to be a fun job for Grimmjow and Yylfordt, later.

They'd also caught up with Kadaj, and ironed things out with him, and he'd met up with them a few times since. His hair had got too long, since he'd neglected to get it cut, but it wasn't as long as his bankai made his hair, now, and he'd matured a lot. It was a little bit frightening, really. Kadaj had been gone ever since the Midgar thing, and he'd grown up in that timespan, which at once felt like it had been forever, and like it had been barely weeks ago.

When they'd figured they probably couldn't, or shouldn't, put off going back any longer, they'd told Kadaj over the phone. They couldn't make him come back, but their employers could definitely demand their own returns. Plus they'd left Apache behind, because taking her was pushing it, and Tayuya missed her, even if Yylfordt pretended he didn't.

It had been too late for reunions when they had got back. Tayuya, Grimmjow, and Yylfordt had simply waltzed in, grabbed something to eat, and gone to bed.

It hadn't been early when Tayuya had woken up. She wasn't a morning person anyway, but she'd got up, showered, ended up sleeping for another hour, and then got dressed and made her way to the kitchen.

Now she was paying attention, the Palace felt different. There were new people here, again. They'd known someone was coming to take over the laboratories because Szayel had been told he couldn't have them. Tayuya was interested in who it was, only because they'd taken over her old home.

She hadn't reported to Kuja yet, either. She wasn't in a hurry. He'd know she was back, and the only information she had to give him consisted of 'Met Kadaj, he's okay, needs a haircut when you see him again though'. The important shit, naturally. She'd let Kadaj tell him about his bankai in his own time, and on his own terms. Kuja might want to know about the fights, but Kuja was less invested in the performance of the Ryoka versus Arrancar than Orochimaru had been, so he probably wouldn't want details of power levels and specific movesets employed.

She entered the kitchen looking freshly laundered and grumpy, because she needed caffeine to live, and something to eat. The room wasn't empty, and Tayuya waved at Apache as she schlepped her way to the kettle for caffeine.

Apache must have been so fucking bored, Tayuya thought. She knew she was when the Arrancar all fucked off on missions and she got left behind. At least she had Nel, though.

Comments

[palehornedprince]

"Rao," Yylfordt said, with a casual hand gesture that was half of a lazy wave. "You the new scientist?" He asked. He spoke politely; the guy was obviously a clan member, and Yylfordt was just an underling, so it paid to be respectful. Still, he was friendly about it, and intended to stay that way until this guy gave him a reason not to be.

He could turn out to be another Gin, or another Orochimaru. This was Khamja. They collected freaks and monsters like pogs, but Yylfordt wasn't going to jump to conclusions. There were also a few reasonable people about, although admittedly, most of them were some nutter's underling.

He was tall, Yylfordt noticed. A bit taller than himself, and he walked like someone used to being hunched over something while he worked. Yylfordt could relate; he spent half his own working life with his face in an engine, which wasn't a bad way to spend his time to his point of view. Not that young, though, but not really old, either. He was probably around Aizen's age at a guess, although whether that was the age Aizen looked to be, or the age he actually was would be a bigger guess.

[thechillyacademic]

"Rammu," Even replied, giving a nod as a greeting.

He had attained near-fluency in Al Bhed, minus all of the slang and regional dialects, but he didn't speak with the sort of accent that one from a high-Al Bhed area would use. He spoke it well enough to converse, but he sounded different to those from Home.

"One of them," he said, switching to the common tongue. His accent was similarly off. It wasn't a Dalmascan accent, nor was it Archadian or Bancouri. He certainly didn't sound like he was from Landis. It was something else. There was the lilt of the upper-class and the well-spoken, but it was difficult to place. "You have just arrived?"

He was beginning to pick the different chakra signatures out from the bunch, providing they were recognisable. It wasn't easy, what with both the considerable number of people present and those who spent enough time in the vicinity to leave an imprint even in their absence, but he was getting there.

[palehornedprince]

So far so good, Yylfordt thought, the dude didn't seem to be a frothing lunatic. His accent was weird, though. He sounded more like an Al Bhed that had been living in Archades, except his accent wasn't quite Archadian.

Definitely not a Home boy, anyway. Probably best to stick to formal Al Bhed anyway; full flow Home dialect tended to be lost on anyone that wasn't from there.

"Got back last night," he said. "The name's Yylfordt," he hesitated, considering where they were and the fact that if this guy had been in the building for more than two hours he would have invariably met Szayel, and just as invariably been hit on by Szayel. "Yylfordt Granz," he added, waiting for any flicker of recognition at the surname.

[thechillyacademic]

"Ah," he said.

That would explain the familiarity. It wasn't just the racial similarity to many of the other blond-haired and green-eyed Al Bhed he'd seen and met in Rabanastre, it was due to the fact that he was very like the other Granz he'd met. He should have caught on to the family resemblance faster, different hair colours and distinctive eyewear aside.

"You are Szayel Apollo's half-brother," he said, politely managing to keep most of the disdain from both his face and his voice.

He should have known. He and Szayel had briefly discussed Yylfordt, the fact that he was part of Grimmjow's usual group and that he was, at the time, out of the palace with him, during their conversation in the kitchen.

With that in mind, the source of his earlier unease became alarmingly apparent. It was the new chakra signatures. It had to be. They had merged with the background noise, but the addition of a sensation that Even, even on a subconscious level, associated with a dangerous enemy, had been enough to put him on edge.

It seemed, however, that Yylfordt Granz did not, in fact, recognise him.

[palehornedprince]

Yep, he'd met Szayel. He was doing his damndest not to look like he'd just trodden in something, but it wasn't wholly successful.

Yylfordt sighed, "I get that a lot." He really did, too Variations on the theme of 'eww, you're related to him?' had been common throughout Yylfordt's life. First when Szayel had just been the speccy Selkie kid, and then when he'd grown up to become the speccy Selkie Home velocycle. "We're nothing alike," he said, reassuringly, a slight grimace on his face, "honest."

Yylfordt wasn't a raging pervert with a death wish, for one. Szayel, on the other hand, had an uncanny knack of hitting on the most inappropriate people possible, and ignoring requests to stop being a weirdo that were more subtle than a punch to the face.

[thechillyacademic]

The two didn't get on at all, then. Well, with Szayel for a brother, who could be surprised? That said, Yylfordt did have a flair for hanging around with the wrong crowd, so he supposed that the embarrassment must be mutual.

"I would hope not," he said, shaking his head. "That said, Neliel was kind enough to forewarn me about him and he didn't quite live up to it." He hadn't yet, at least.

In truth, Even was rather more concerned about this brother than the other one. Szayel was a bit of a creep, well, a lot of a creep, and he did have a lot of unfortunate habits when it came to expressions and phrasing, but, disturbing though he was, he had nothing on the team mate of Grimmjow, not with his history with that particular party.

Even turned his attention back to the direction of the kitchen. Useful though it was to familiarise himself with the other residents, even ones such as these, he did rather need a refill.

[palehornedprince]

Yylfordt gave the man a crooked smile at the mention of Nel's name, and associated warning. If Nel had warned him about Szayel, he had to be an okay guy in her eyes. Nel had a mean streak when it came to assholes, and she'd be very prepared to let him run face first into Szayel without warning if she didn't like him.

"Yeah, give him chance," Yylfordt said. Szayel just needed time to get over waving his science boner around at the new scientist before he got onto the subject of his other kind full force.

"You heading for the kitchen?" He asked. He was, that was for sure. He needed coffee to continue to live. On the other hand, Yylfordt could feel the girls already in there, and he wasn't sure he wanted to face Apache yet. It was early, and she'd been left behind so she was bound to be grumpy.

But if he pussed out, he had to go without coffee, so to the kitchen it was.

[thechillyacademic]

"I am," Even said with a nod, holding up his flask.

He needed the refreshment and fuel that coffee provided, but found himself feeling slightly hesitant despite that. The kitchen was a hub for the palace residents and that meant that, with Yylfordt's return, there was a good chance of running into people he would rather not deal with.

Granted, those that had been there up until now hadn't been particularly good, with the exception of Nel, but at least a few sullen Arrancar and the occasional appearance from Marluxia, his strange partner, Ienzo and a handful of other full-members hadn't caused any problems for him.

He suspected, as he started off in the right direction, that all that could change over the next few days.

[palehornedprince]

Yylfordt eyed the flask. You'd think they had coffee facilities in a lab; he knew it was one of the first things he made sure was nearby in a workshop, and Szayel basically hooked caffeine directly into his veins when he was working.

But some preferred the excuse to get up and walk off. He'd worked with a guy like that once. Leaving the room to go and get a coffee, and drink the coffee, was how he mulled things over to come back to them less frustrated. It worked, too. Maybe this guy was like that.

"Same here," Yylfordt said, less enthusiastically. He trailed slightly after the new guy on his way to the kitchen, not at all consciously using the new bro as a shield from the girls.

[thechillyacademic]

Even made his way to the kitchen, being able to find his way there with no effort now that he had made the journey enough times.

It had been confusing at first, but it wasn't any longer.

He pushed the door open and glanced at those inside. Seated at the table was a female Arrancar. He couldn't remember her name, though he did note that she was looking slightly less grouchy than he had come to know her to be, and with her was ... Oh dear.

He stopped sharply. That wasn't good.

[cierva]

Apache looked up as the door opened and the blond hair of the man in the doorway got her attention. To her disappointment it wasn't the Al Bhed she had been looking forward to yelling at. In fact, despite appearances to the contrary, he wasn't an Al Bhed at all.

"Oh," she said, nudging Tayuya. "That's the other new scientist. The one Nel went to get. The Ryoka one."

[soundfivebitch]

Tayuya looked up from her conversation with Apache and froze.

She knew that guy. She wasn't about to forget that guy. He'd taken her down with one ice spell the first time they'd met. He was the berserker's partner, before he'd met up with the fire elemental he traipsed around with now.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" She snarled, rising from her chair. Her reiatsu was already spiking.

This was the faint trace of ice reiatsu she'd felt about since last night. It had been faint, too, too faint to recognise from the traces left behind. He can't have been here for long.

[palehornedprince]

Yylfordt felt the sharp uptake in Tayuya's reiatsu before he was properly through the door, and he looked puzzled.

In the doorway he looked from Tayuya, to Apache, to the new dude, his expression mildly stunned.

That wasn't a good reaction from Tayuya, to say the least.

[cierva]

Apache, whatever she had expected, had not anticipated that.

She blinked, only barely glancing at Yylfordt behind the scientist and turned her attention to Tayuya.

She was on her feet, angrier than she had ever seen her, and her reiatsu had flared. Tayuya apparently knew him, even if she didn't, and whoever he was, he was clearly somebody she loathed.

[thechillyacademic]

Even stared at the girl for a too-long moment, watching her get up from her chair and shout at him before he managed to wipe the look of mild shock from his face.

He didn't know why he was surprised to find her there. He knew she was a resident of the Palace, both Nel and Marluxia had told him so, and, after meeting Yylfordt Granz in the corridor mere minutes ago, he also knew that she had returned and that he would run into her sooner rather than later. Her explosive reaction to his sudden appearance didn't surprise him. They had history, after all.

Nevertheless, her response got on his nerves enough that his own annoyance over the situation went a little way to overriding his lingering, low-key fear of meeting members of their group.

He glared back at her, his own reiatsu expertly contained despite a tangible, room-wide drop in temperature. His relative newness to the palace wasn't the only reason that traces of him were faint.

"I now live here," he snapped back, eyes narrowed to green slits and his nose wrinkled to accompany the scowl on his face.

It was a recent development, but it was, nonetheless, the truth.

[palehornedprince]

Yylfordt looked at the new dude again, and then back at Tayuya. She was way overreacting. Or, well... okay, so he was a Ryoka scientist, he'd heard Apache say that, but he was offending her with his presence right now.

"Chill out, Tayuya," he said, unaware of the fact that telling an angry woman to calm down only ever had the opposite effect.

It had got a bit cold in the room. Tayuya's reiatsu felt hot, like a roaring fire, but right now it felt like Yylfordt should be able to see his breath in the air, even though he couldn't. At least not yet.

[soundfivebitch]

Tayuya snarled at Yylfordt, livid. "Chill out?" She repeated, her voice flaring with anger. "Don't fucking tell me to chill out," she snapped, "that's the blue haired bastard berserker's fucking boyfriend, dickhead."

She looked like she might swing for someone. Right now, it was a fifty/fifty shot as to whether it would be the Ryoka, or Yylfordt that got hit.

"Why the fuck is he here?" She asked again, this time directed at Apache. It seemed to be a genuine question. "He should be fucking dead." He'd nearly killed her the first time he'd met. "You still fucking could be," she added, this time directed at Vexen.

[cierva]

Apache winced at Tayuya's yelling, but it all became clear when she mentioned exactly how she knew him.

Ah. Shit.

She had heard that there was an Ice Elemental with the Berserker, but she didn't realise that this was the guy. In truth, she hadn't paid that much attention. Having not met him and being vaguely aware that there were enough Ryoka for him to be nothing to do with the Berserker's little team, she hadn't thought about it.

When she directed the question at her, she shrugged. "Aizen made Nel go and get him," she answered quickly. "She took the three other Ryoka and Ulquiorra and came back with him. That's all I know."

[thechillyacademic]

Even continued to glare at the girl. He gritted his teeth when she mentioned Saix, but noted that she must, as yet, be unaware of their parting and his defection. Regardless, the room's temperature dropped another few degrees when she started making threats.

"Is that so?" he said in a sniffy, sharp fashion, but calmly enough. He was not about to get into a shouting match while bickering with a little girl. "Because that course of action went so well for you the last few times we met."

She had been soundly defeated in their first encounter and, during their second, she hadn't been able to get past Noir and himself, though one of her other team mates had injured Saix badly enough to force a retreat.

[soundfivebitch]

Tayuya growled, her teeth gritted at the Ryoka's response.

So Aizen and the other ryoka had brought him in, had they? That only made things worse. Why had Aizen brought in someone that had fought with his Arrancar?

"Cocky little fuckstain, aren't you?" She spat at him. It was worse because he had a point. Even through the red haze of anger she could tell he was leagues beyond her abilities in terms of reiatsu. Even if she released, even if she summoned, she'd be little more than inconvenience.

"I remember it being a different story when Grimmjow beat the shit out of you." Remembered wasn't entirely accurate, but she remembered being told about it later.

Fuck, Grimmjow was gonna flip his lid when he found out this asshole was here.

[palehornedprince]

Yylfordt was doing his best to rally from the surprise. He hadn't taken this guy for a Ryoka; he just looked Al Bhed to Yylfordt. Sure, so he had Ice chakra, which was basically like finding a unicorn, but there were any number of ways that could have happened, including the fact that he's a scientist by his own admission. Khamja collecting an ice elemental Al Bhed scientist was exactly the sort of shit they'd do.

And instead, this was the fucker they hadn't been able to get past. He'd been there when Grimmjow had been hurt, and when Kadaj had taken down his boyfriend in response....

He scratched his head, awkwardly, and took a couple of unconscious steps back away from the Ryoka. Even Yylfordt knew he was winding Tayuya up, whether he meant to or not, and Yylfordt didn't fancy staying in the line of fire.

Literally, in Tayuya's case. The new dude might be stronger, but Tayuya could still hurt him if she wanted to.

Not that she should. Kuja'd be pissed, and less inclined to make excuses than her old boss might have been.

[thechillyacademic]

"The way I remember it," he said, shortly, and with narrowed eyes, "was that he needed a Limit Break and the element of surprise to manage it."

It was true that Even had been beaten senseless by Grimmjow -- it was part of what had started the ongoing feud between him and Saix in the first place -- but had circumstances been different, he didn't doubt for a second that he would be able to weather the same attack with minimal damage. He would know, in future, to bolster his defences with magic and he was, it had to be noted, a particularly good Sentinel.

[soundfivebitch]

Tayuya seethed. This guy was an infuriating asshole, on top of everything else. She hadn't liked any of the Ryoka she'd met so far, and this guy was actually beating out the fire elemental for how personal her dislike was.

"I'll give you the element of fucking surprise," she hissed. She sorely regretted not having brought her flute, but it was the Palace, and there was no one here to murder. Or so she'd thought.

Why had they brought this dickhead here? He was with the berserker! Was that asshole moving in next? This guy could be leaking information to the other Ryoka for all they knew, or maybe all the Ryoka were, or maybe it was a staged fucking coup. Infiltrate member by member, like boiling a frog in a pot.

[declaregamuza]

"Oh good," Nel's amiable voice emanated from the back door into the garden, where she stood with an empty laundry basket in one hand, and the other resting on her hip. "You're back. I'm so glad this isn't an awkward reunion for everyone," she said, drily.

She walked into the kitchen, dropping the laundry basket to one side, and eyed everyone in the room, lingering longest on Tayuya. It was a look that said 'you know what happens if you do what you're thinking of doing'. It did not, however, seem to be calming Tayuya down.

[cierva]

Nel's voice was enough to make Apache relax.

She would never deny being up for a fight, but in the palace, in the kitchen, and with a full-member of Clan Khamja, even if it was the new Ryoka, would not be her choice of how to go about it.

Aizen, for a start, would lose his rag. She was pretty sure he'd had quite enough of his Arrancar pulling that shit by now.

She turned and looked at Nel, giving her a subtle but pointed look that suggested that she was grateful for her interruption.