[BiTPR2] Renewed Revolution: Spirit World IV

[Kuroimaken]

[Las Noches]
Outer Gates

The area around Las Noches is devastated, and the sands are still stained with blood when Setsurou's group arrive. Many Arrancar are out and about, collecting bodies and weapons for disposal. Soon after the Shinigami's arrival, a squad of soldiers approaches them. Assuming they sent word ahead of their arrival in accordance with protocol, Setsurou and his subordinates are lead through the gates and into the central district. Their escort shows them into a well-appointed building designed to receive guests before leaving. A steward enters the room after a few minutes.

"Welcome to Las Noches. What is the purpose of your visit?"

Spoiler

Show

If Setsurou didn't send word ahead, it's not really that important, things get sorted out quickly enough that it doesn't need to be detailed.

"Greetings. We're a relief party from Soul Society - we've come to offer assistance with your wounded wherever possible.

I also come with a message for the Primera. Is he available?"

Funny how Setsurou automatically assumed Jehoel survived.

[Dorizzit]

[Las Noches]
Waiting Room

The steward nods.

"The Primera is currently out of the city, but I will send a message to him. I can lead your healers to our medical facilities."

The steward leads the healers out, already working busily on a tablet as the entourage exits the room. Setsurou is left alone for close to half an hour before a distinct pair of footsteps echo through the hall outside the room. Jehoel strides in, as composed as always. He smiles, but his facade is somewhat strained; it would be good enough to fool most people, but to Setsurou the fake elements of the expression are blindingly obvious and far below Jehoel's usual standards.

"Setsurou. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

[Kuroimaken]

[Las Noches]

"First off, let me offer my condolences for the attack and our sincerest apology we did not arrive sooner to help. I'd ask how bad it is, but... it's pretty much written in your face." To a point, this is actually a good thing. Jehoel once complained to Setsurou he cannot have genuine emotions. What Setsurou sees now is the face of a man disappointed that someone would seek to destroy what he so painstakingly created.

"I fear I didn't come here just to offer my aid, however. Central 46, in their infinite rectal-based wisdom, decided it was a good idea to censor you for your part in the creation of Haven - they condemn the unilaterality of it all, but I think their real issue lies with the idea that mortal mediums might have a place to rally and organize beyond the Accords. After Von Geister's stunt, they can't stomach that the leaders of the mortal world might have an inkling as to the real workings of the spiritual realms, I imagine. Yet it's blindingly obvious it will eventually become common knowledge, and they cannot fathom how to manage this."

[Dorizzit]

[Las Noches]
Reception Chamber

"I see."

He looks away for moment. When he turns back to face Setsurou, he's smiling again. This time, however, there's a little too much real emotion. More akin to the bared fangs of a predator than a human.

"I will hear their complaints. Take me to them."

[Kuroimaken]

[Las Noches]

Setsurou shrugs.

"You're the big shot here. I'm just delivering messages and band-aids."

He WOULD like to see how it turns out, though.

"Try not to make them lose control of their bowels TOO hard. I have a sensitive nose."

Setsurou fiddles with his phone until he finds the right way to send a message up the chain of command to Central 46.

Jehoel Yurius requests an audience regarding the Haven situation.

[Frozen_Feet]

[Seireitei; SSI, Dragon Spiral Tower]

Sayuri has been mixing no-friction armor paints all day. Who knows if she'll get the permission she requested, but it's good to be prepared.

Then there's a knock on her door. Sayuri takes off her protective mask and gloves and goes to open it, leaving the paint to settle. "Yes?"

The messenger salutes. They don't have to, as Sayuri is technically just an intern. But it's polite. "Ma'am. You have a message from the Commander. You've received permission to contact the Royal Guard." They pull out their phone and play a recording of Koutarou's words.

Sayuri can barely restrain herself from jumping of joy. But, she is also baffled. "Ummm, life support functions?"

"... yes?"

"The walls serve no life support functions. They just protect the city from spiritual attacks."

The messenger shuffles their feet awkwardly. "Well, that was his message."

"Okay. You can go now, I guess."

The messenger leaves, and Sayuri closes the door after them. She stands still and takes a deep breath - and then jumps up and down in a little victory dance. "YES!!!!"

Then she fetches her phone. She needs to call Ministry of Defense, and the gatekeepers, and...

---

[Much later; walls of Seireitei]

On the same night as Ryouma is wondering who is sneaking around his tent, there's a gathering at a random piece of the wall. One of the giant gatekeepers has been summoned and two Kido squads are in place to create a barrier to fill the gap they're about to make.

The walls may not have any effect on Seireitei's lifesupport, but there are other problems associated with sending one segment up. Seireitei is forbidden to most non-Shinigami without permission. During normal, peaceful times this is not a problem. Rukon citizens are happy to live in their own homes and the gatekeepers have had better terms with them than Gotei ever had.

These are not normal, peaceful times, and there are thousands of people who would like to sneak into the safety of the walled city. This operation takes place at night so as to reduce number of opportunists noticing.

"Well, the message is done, the segment is disconnected from others and we're ready to fill the gap", Sayuri remarks, her protective vestment dripping with paint. "Only thing left is to release the mechanism keeping it in place and see where it goes."

This is the scariest moment. As Sayuri and Koutarou discussed, no-one's tried to lift the walls for over a year. Certainly not after Soul Society was cast to the material world. No-one knows if they still work properly.

It is possible the segment won't move. Or that it will shoot up in space and become forever irrecovable.

The gatekeeper grabs the bottom of the segment and lifts, and then throws - and with a mighty roar the segment flies up like a rocket.

And just as it reaches orbit... it vanishes. Sayuri stares at the sky in surprise, then a smile creeps on her face.

It worked. "It worked! Sugoi!"

---

[Edges of the Royal Realm]

A sonic boom echoes in the impossible heights, a familiar sound telling the crisis in Soul Society is over and the walls have retur...

... wait. The walls have not retured. Only one segment of the wall has.

On it, written with bright blue paint, reads: "Soul Society has been moved from its foundations. Seireitei is orbiting Earth's sun in the material world. Contact Gotei ASAP, pretty please."

[Rater202]

[Hueco Mundo, Las Noches, on the way to Grand Library]

So, how big is this place anyway?

And you all know my name now, it's only fair for me to know yours.

Otherwise, Sarah is still following.

[Razade]

[Royal Realm; Zheng Li Lin's palace]


The Green Dragon nods. "Master Kisaragi told me as much, but opted not to demonstrate. Regardless, this is an important benchmark for my new role as the Royal healer. In time, I maybe able to find a form of radiation which will allow examining the Ouken akin to how X-rays allow examining human bodies."

All the Action

Wan Li Ling looks up at the booming sound, for a moment it almost seems as if it lets out a long sigh. "We live in interesting times. Do we not, Green Dragon?" it asks, cool and dispassionate as it moves a hand to drawn several large characters in the air that hang in ominous crackling black energy. "We shall continue this discussion when this one returns." With more crackling black energy the Assassin disappears as the characters slowly fizzle and pop until they are more, an I Ching trigram charred into the floor below.

- - - Soul Society - - -

The air above the planetoid that now held Soul Society boomed and sparked as a storm whipped up as if from nowhere. Above the rising hills of Soul Society a hole spun from the storm as lightning cracked and rent the skies as a deluge poured to the ground below. With a particularly powerful bolt, striking deep in the heart of Soul Society, the sudden storm blew away as swiftly as it came. The strike zone was left smoking, a large tube emblazoned with the Royal Seal of the Soul King sitting as if it was exactly where it belonged and beside it, the Royal Guard Wan Li Ling. The Royal Guard was dressed in the official uniform of the Guard save a bright crimson scarf wrapped tightly about its lower face.

[Frozen_Feet]

[Hueco Mundo; Las Noches reception chamber]

The reply to Setsurou's query is swift: a messenger from Central 46 is on his way to discuss this request and is asking for permission to arrive via Senkaimon directly to the reception chamber.

---

[Soul Society; where the Red Pheasant has landed]

Sayuri is awe-struck. She has seen some things as of late, but this is the first time she's personally witnessed a Royal Guard arriving from the Heavens.

Yamamoto Sayuri, a messenger from Command, and the giant gatekeeper all hurry to Wan Li Ling. Sayuri practically throws herself to the ground before Wan. "Thank you so much! I didn't imagine your reply would be this swift. I am Yamamoto Sayuri, of the Science Institute. We are here to take you to the Commander-General or the Central 46, at your request."

---

[Royal Realm; Zheng Li Lin's palace]

The Green Dragon is puzzled by the sound and especially the Red Pheasant's reaction to it. Chills running down Li's spine, Li climbs to the roof of the hospital, to see what has happened.

When Li sees the message, the aged Ex-Commander feels sudden need to sit down. "That is not what that spell was supposed to do. Kobayashi Momoka, what have you done?", the Green Dragon mutters alone and weeps tears of sorrow.

[Razade]

[Soul Society; where the Red Pheasant has landed]

Sayuri is awe-struck. She has seen some things as of late, but this is the first time she's personally witnessed a Royal Guard arriving from the Heavens.

Yamamoto Sayuri, a messenger from Command, and the giant gatekeeper all hurry to Wan Li Ling. Sayuri practically throws herself to the ground before Wan. "Thank you so much! I didn't imagine your reply would be this swift. I am Yamamoto Sayuri, of the Science Institute. We are here to take you to the Commander-General or the Central 46, at your request."

Wan Li Lin seems to ignore them all, reaching into the tube before pulling out a bent and gnarled cane. "Science Institute." it entones finally as it turns its blank eyes on the small posse that has assembled before it, the statement almost sounding like a question. "This one is Wan Li Ling, Red Pheasant and Royal Assassin of the Majesty that is the Soul King. Where is the Commander Captain now? Their Vice Captain? Any of the First Division? This is most unorthodox. You will explain." The assassin punctuates the demand with a loud tap of its cane against the ground.

[Frozen_Feet]

[Hueco Mundo, Las Noches, on the way to Grand Library]

So, how big is this place anyway?

And you all know my name now, it's only fair for me to know yours.

Otherwise, Sarah is still following.

The lean Arrancar points at the fat one. "That's Fatso", he says playfully.

Fatso, in turn, points at the slimy one. "He's Slimer."

Slimer points a thumb at the muscular one. "He's Mussscle-Head."

Muscle-Head rubs his chin ponderously, then points at the lean Arrancar. "He's.... Fido."

"Am not!", comes a barking reply.

"Are too."

"Bah! Whatever!"

"Anyways, we're here."

The Grand Library is, indeed, grand, filling one entire district on the outer ring of the city (OOC: got the location wrong. Ooops! It's away from the center, not at the center). It's one of the buildings designed and constructed according to Dainichi Nyoria's plan. Untold number of books lie inside. Sarah might be familiar with the trope of an ancient library full of forgotten or forbidden lore. Well, there certainly are thousands of old books on the shelves, pilfered from Earth, some of them perhaps only copies that are left. But, in many ways, this place is the inverse. For while antiques might be interesting, this is also the first place to truly contain recorded history of Hollows, as written by Hollows to Hollows. Poems, fiction, biographies by people, some of whom have not visited Earth in living memory. Insights and discoveries of a barren world which is close to unknown to humans and Shinigami. It is surprisingly silent, and many hallways are covered with dust. It seems that despite the wealth of information, only few residents of the city are interested in perusing it.

Due to her ability as a Fullbringer, the weight of information stored here is tangible to Sarah, the books whispering to her ear as she steps in. There's also another sensation, a memory, an echo of past events lingering in the air. This place... there something familiar about her to it. She can tell she's not the first human here. A young man was here, studying. But her connection to him doesn't end in being humans. She can also tell that weird Arrancar, what the four misfits referred to as "Sin Rostro", also was here. She can almost see it, a blurry image of the black-clad form apologizing to the young man about something, giving him something.

Then it fades.

Muscle-Head points down a hallway filled with shelves. "Books on law are that way."

Turns out, the basics of Las Noches are both simple and a hot mess. Originally, this city was build to reflect a certain Buddhist cosmology, with an Espada looking after each of the six realms, with Hollow King ruling over them. But about seven months ago, Jehoel Yurius, Espada of the Deva realm, committed regicide and usurped power. The Espada were given new, numbered ranks based on personal power, and the position of a Hollow King was abolished. The Espada now form a council of six, ruling as theoretical equals. Each continues to watch over sixth of the central ring. The laws in each district of the central ring are set based on judgement of the ruling Espada. At any time, any resident of Las Noches can challenge an Espada to a duel for their rank. If an Espada is dead or missing, multiple challengers fight each other to test their might.

So far, so good. But: out of six Espada, one is currently dead, and two are missing. Of the three remaining, the Segunda has been around for months, and the Tercera for weeks. The Primera, whom Sarah met, apparently left his district as mostly lawless jungle, and now it's been burned to the ground.

So for four sixths of the central ring, written laws are either out-of-date or not being enforced. Other parts of the city, such as this one, are ruled by bureaucrats clinging to precepts of the dead Hollow King. There's no obvious reason why this house of cards has not collapsed into anarchy yet. Maybe it's fear of the Primera, maybe something else.

Only two laws really cover the whole city:

1. Strength is the law of the city. If you cannot hold your possessions or titles, they are not yours. The city's strength as a whole is of the greatest importance, and must not be threatened.
2. The murder of any resident of the city is strictly forbidden.

And of these, the second doesn't really seem to apply to Espada, if merely because no-one powerful enough to enforce the law against them exists.

((OOC for more info, see this post, and write-ups of invidual Espadas.))

[Dorizzit]

[Hueco Mundo]
Reception Chamber

Permission is granted. Jehoel takes a seat on one of the couches lining the walls of the room, steepling his fingers.

[Frozen_Feet]

[Soul Society; where the Red Pheasant landed]

The messenger walks next to Sayuri and kneels. "The Commander is on an important bridge-building mission on Earth. The Vice-Commander is busy managing relations between Divisions. We were authorized to contact you because our resources have been spread thin." The messenger sounds hesitant, saying the last part aloud.

"This was my idea", Sayuri says, straightening up. She's a bit intimidated by Wan's presence. "Our Commander was not worried of the Royal Palace's safety, but considering our, uh, unorthodox location at the moment, we felt obligated to see that a connection between the Royal Realm and Seireitei still exists. After all, our walls were originally made to defend our Majesty, them being down here is meant to be temporary."

---

[Hueco Mundo; Las Noches reception chamber]

In ten minutes, a Senkaimon rolls open where the normal door the room usually is. Out steps an aged man, dressed in insignia of the Central 46. Two elite guards of the Underground Parliament follow at his heels, carrying a heavy-looking stone box. "Yurius Jehoel. It is an honor to meet you", the old man says with a pained smile, bowing deep. His pain doesn't really have anything to do with the subject matter. Rather, it's the heavy air and strong Hollow presence of the city. This man was chosen for his loyalty and good nature, not his strength. He has practically no spiritual powers of his own, and this environment makes his aged bones ache. "I am Battacharya Jaswinder, a Royal Messenger. Can I take a seat?"

[Kuroimaken]

[Shinoreijutsuin]

Being a particularly light sleeper, Ryouma manages to notice whomever is trying to sneak in. He keeps quiet and pretends to remain asleep, however, out of curiosity if nothing else. After all, this is one of the very first times someone has tried to get CLOSER to him for whatever reason.

[Dorizzit]

[Hueco Mundo]
Las Noches - Reception Chamber

Jehoel smiles again, a slight twist of the mouth. Noticing the man's discomfort, Jehoel expands a perimeter of his own Reiatsu through the room, pushing away the background energy that permeates the city and clearing the room. Of course, this also means that Jaswinder and his guards are given momentary direct exposure to Jehoel's power. Restrained as it is, the sensation is simply an instant of intense discomfort rather than an effort to drown them; even if the messengers have no power whatsoever. The physical air of the room itself, however, is actually quite nice. The building is climate controlled and designed to receive visitors, after all. At the messenger's request, Jehoel waves amicably to the opposite side of the room, which is lined with couches and chairs. This will put Jaswinder's group at a comfortable talking distance from Jehoel.

"Please. Take your pick."

[Frozen_Feet]

[Soul Society; Shinoreijutsuin]

It's pretty dark, but if Ryouma can see, then when the shuffling stops, a head belonging to young girl peeks from under the cloth. Mismatched eyes glint faintly in what meager light is present. Then she crawls completely inside the tent and begins circling Ryouma with light steps, one hand touching the wall of the tent.

---

[Hueco Mundo; Las Noches reception chamber]

Jaswinder insinctively grasps his chest as Jehoel releases his Reiatsu, his breathing heavy as he sits down.

The guards remain standing. They didn't seem to even flinch, though having their faces covered by masks helps with that.

"First, let me note your request is quite historical. Never before has an Arrancar requested to stand before our parliament. In general, it is extremely rare for foreigners to be tried by Central 46. Last time was a Substitute Shinigami decades ago. An Arrancar, precisely never." The messenger tries to keep an upbeat and positive tone even though he's clearly suffering.

"Your request is not impossible. However, there are strict precautions. For one, since your Zanpakuto is not in the annals of our Academy, we would need to ask you to place it in a sealed box and leave it here in Hueco Mundo. For two, a limiter would be placed on you, and you would also be wearing power-suppressing shackles normally worn by criminals waiting judgement while in Seireitei. Lastly, when standing in the underground parliament, your feet would be attached to a piece of the bedrock made of Death Stone."

"Do these terms sound reasonable to you?"

[Dorizzit]

[Hueco Mundo]
Las Noches - Reception Chamber

Jehoel is silent during Jaswinder's description of terms. After a few seconds, he nods.

"Very well. I accept your terms. I will need a moment to meet with a member of my staff, however. I will need to leave instructions for my absence. Wait here."

Jehoel stands. As a gesture of good faith, he reaches to the back of his belt, removing his sheathed Zanpakuto and dropping it on a table near the center of the room before leaving. The shield generated by his Reiatsu never wavers. After about five minutes, he returns.

"I am ready."

[Kuroimaken]

[Las Noches]

Setsurou raises a hand to speak for a moment.

"Honorable Jaswinder. As the head of House Hishikawa, I would request permission to attend this audience." The Captain needs not remind Jaswinder that his House holds a permanent security seat in Central 46 - a seat which he hasn't deemed fit to fill for a number of reasons.

Given he is also a Captain of the Gotei and leader of the reinstated Onmitsukidou, it might be a difficult request to turn down.

______________________

[Soul Society]

Ryouma is growing steadily more curious at this point. Though he doesn't speak to the girl just yet, he does carefully watch her from under closed eyelids.

[Rater202]

[Las Noches, Grand Library]

Sarah, Sarah is getting ideas when she notices some interesting quirks about the laws on the grand scale. She does what she can to memorize them.

So, Fatso, would there be books on how a hollow's powers work here in the Grand Library? Or a place in the city where someone could train to increase their power?

[Razade]

[Soul Society; where the Red Pheasant landed]

The messenger walks next to Sayuri and kneels. "The Commander is on an important bridge-building mission on Earth. The Vice-Commander is busy managing relations between Divisions. We were authorized to contact you because our resources have been spread thin." The messenger sounds hesitant, saying the last part aloud.

"This was my idea", Sayuri says, straightening up. She's a bit intimidated by Wan's presence. "Our Commander was not worried of the Royal Palace's safety, but considering our, uh, unorthodox location at the moment, we felt obligated to see that a connection between the Royal Realm and Seireitei still exists. After all, our walls were originally made to defend our Majesty, them being down here is meant to be temporary."

Wan Li Lin nods gravely, making no real move to soothe the nerves of the scientist in front of him. "This of great concern yes. We must work swiftly to bring Soul Society to its proper place in the heavenly structure. The fact that it has taken this long to contact the Royal Guard is distressing. This one will require a full report on the means and the methods that such a thing was even accomplished." The assassin then looks to the messenger, taking a step forward before planting the tip of its cane under their chin to slowly force them to rise. "None kneel but for the Soul King. You will speak more of your Commander and his placement on the Mortal Realm. It is not the job of the Commander Captain to deal with the lower world. You will tell this one why it is that Soul Society would stoop so low as to make overtures of consolidation with the mortals. That is not your charge." Anger is a strange sound for one such as Wan Li Ling, whose voice never seems to raise a decibel above a calm whisper, but anger was evident within the Assassin as its eyes shone with a burning intensity that threatened to light the poor Shinigami on his radar alight.

[Frozen_Feet]

[Hueco Mundo; Grand Library of Las Noches]

"Increase your power? What kind of vague bull crap goal is that?", Fatso rumbles. "Girl, we eat people to increase in power. We train to learn something specific. This city is full of places to do all sorts of things, but to say which you'd need requires you to be more specific."

Muscle-Head looks around. "There's books like that here somewhere. But they're probably not very useful. To us Hollows, our powers are instinctive. None of us..., he looks at Sarah, "ever learned an ability from a book."

Fido is just sitting on a chair nearby, his feet on a table. "If it's fighting you want to learn, we can teach you. That's, like, the one thing we actually know a damn thing of."

*snort* "Speak for yourself, puppy."

"Love you too, bro. But yeah, like Fatso said... what exactly do you want to learn? And why?"

---

[Hueco Mundo; Las Noches reception chamber]

The old messenger's breathing calms down as he waits for Jehoel to get back. He gives Setsurou an apologizing look in response to his query. "It's a bit late to ask me, don't you think? I am just a messenger, I don't have authority to grant you a permission. Though I believe you, in your role as head of Onmitsukidou, are allowed to go and watch regardless." As long as he doesn't disrupt the meeting, of course.

The guards have opened the box, took out its contents, and placed the box on the table next to Jehoel's Zanpakuto. "Please put your sword in the box. Then stand straight and hold your wrists close together."

The other guard is holding a pair of red manacles and a roll of what looks like black vinyl.

(OOC: same bindings as used for Rukia and Aizen, respectively.)

---

[Soul Society; Shinoreijutsuin]

Having circled Ryouma twice, the girl stops some meters before Ryouma's face, puts hands on her hips and sighs faintly in disappointment. "It's not an elephant. What's the point of having a circus tent without an elephant in it?"

---

[Soul Society; where Red Pheasant landed]

Cold sweat begins dripping down the messenger's back as they're made to stand and look into those blank eyes. "Last I saw him, the Commander was visiting Kuzunoha sanctuary in Ikari, Japan. His mission was to discuss an incident where humans publicly used spiritual arts. I... I do not know more details than that. He stayed behind to help a human boy to retain his heart."

What else can they say? The Royal Guard has authority even greater than Central 46. To not answer would be like disobeying direct order from the King.

Yamamoto Sayuri stares at this scene wide-eyed. The signifigance of it being the Royal Assassin who was sent down is beginning to dawn to her. "Oh. Oh my. Shen Yi was right", she whispers.

[Rater202]

[Hueco Mundo; Grand Library of Las Noches]

"Increase your power? What kind of vague bull crap goal is that?", Fatso rumbles. "Girl, we eat people to increase in power. We train to learn something specific. This city is full of places to do all sorts of things, but to say which you'd need requires you to be more specific."

Muscle-Head looks around. "There's books like that here somewhere. But they're probably not very useful. To us Hollows, our powers are instinctive. None of us..., he looks at Sarah, "ever learned an ability from a book."

Fido is just sitting on a chair nearby, his feet on a table. "If it's fighting you want to learn, we can teach you. That's, like, the one thing we actually know a damn thing of."

*snort* "Speak for yourself, puppy."

"Love you too, bro. But yeah, like Fatso said... what exactly do you want to learn? And why?"

Well, I'm human and humans get stronger by training and not dying.

As for the books, I just need an idea of how hollow powers work. I've got an idea.

[Razade]

[Soul Society; where Red Pheasant landed]

Cold sweat begins dripping down the messenger's back as they're made to stand and look into those blank eyes. "Last I saw him, the Commander was visiting Kuzunoha sanctuary in Ikari, Japan. His mission was to discuss an incident where humans publicly used spiritual arts. I... I do not know more details than that. He stayed behind to help a human boy to retain his heart."

What else can they say? The Royal Guard has authority even greater than Central 46. To not answer would be like disobeying direct order from the King.

Yamamoto Sayuri stares at this scene wide-eyed. The significance of it being the Royal Assassin who was sent down is beginning to dawn to her. "Oh. Oh my. Shen Yi was right", she whispers.

Wan Li Lin listens, that much is obvious, though what it hears does little to remove the fury in its eyes. "Your name. You will pen a message to your Commander Captain to return to Soul Society at once. Abdicating the responsibilities of greeting the Soul King's messenger can be forgiven. He is a busy man, this one is not offended. However aiding human mediums is..." In an instant, not even the length of a blink, the assassin is before his more important attendant as the cane comes swiftly to the bottom of Sayuri's chin to tilt her face up towards its own. "Continue Yamamoto Sayuri. What was Shen Yi right about?"

[Frozen_Feet]

[Hueco Mundo; Grand Library of Las Noches]

"Uh huh. Well, we'll look for something", Fatso grunts and stomps away.

"Hey girl, what languages can you read?", Fido asks. " 'cause we can speak English allright, but for some reason unknown to us Hollow abilities are mostly talked about in Spanish, or Japanese. Occasionally, German. We can all read a bit of Spanish, and German is almost like English, but Japanese, forget about it."

Muscle-Head walks and leans closer to Sarah. "So what idea do you have?"

---

[Soul Society; where Red Pheasant landed]

"Battacharya Chandra, sir! I will pen and deliver this message at once, sir!" The messenger pulls out a Reiphone and starts typing.

Sayuri, for her part, is startled by the Red Pheasant's sudden motion and almost falls on her behind. She lets out a little "Eeep." as Wan touches her chin. "H-h-he said, in respect to Soul Society being moved: 'You failed to stop it. From where I'm from, that means you're partly to blame'." She's trying hard to remember the exact words, but is too frightened to know if she got it right. "That Soul Society is here is because officer Kobayashi Momoka did her best to prevent entirety of Soul Society from being dragged to Earth by Von Geister Erscheinung, also known as the First Hollow King." Sayuri is trying to say that in defense of Momoka and, in a way, entire Gotei, but before Wan Li Lin, the words feel like hollow excuses in the little girl's mouth.

[Razade]

[Soul Society; where Red Pheasant landed]

"Battacharya Chandra, sir! I will pen and deliver this message at once, sir!" The messenger pulls out a Reiphone and starts typing.

Sayuri, for her part, is startled by the Red Pheasant's sudden motion and almost falls on her behind. She lets out a little "Eeep." as Wan touches her chin. "H-h-he said, in respect to Soul Society being moved: 'You failed to stop it. From where I'm from, that means you're partly to blame'." She's trying hard to remember the exact words, but is too frightened to know if she got it right. "That Soul Society is here is because officer Kobayashi Momoka did her best to prevent entirety of Soul Society from being dragged to Earth by Von Geister Erscheinung, also known as the First Hollow King." Sayuri is trying to say that in defense of Momoka and, in a way, entire Gotei, but before Wan Li Lin, the words feel like hollow excuses in the little girl's mouth.

"Then you are wrong, as Shen Yi was wrong. You are not partly to blame." Wan Li Ling lowers its cane, the large tube behind it suddenly rocketing back into the skies before disappearing from sight. "You will accompany me to the First Division headquarters. We will fix this disaster before it brings harm to the Soul King any further. You will continue to fill me in on the going ons of the Gotei and Soul Society while we walk. You will not lie. This one will know. Lead."

[Frozen_Feet]

[Seireitei; to Gotei Headquarters]

Sayuri doesn't quite understand Wan's objection, but not challenge the assassin. "Ummm... okay? Where to even start, where to even start..." Sayuri grabs her hair and pulls at it as she leads Wan through Seireitei. She's a bit over her head here.

"Okay, so I think this sequence of events started when a city of Arrancars defeated our Combat Division and put us on the defensive. Zheng Li Lin was promoted to Commander-General and ordered me and several others to study how the Royal Realm was separated from Soul Society, so that in worst-case scenario, Seireitei or even entire Soul Society could be moved to a higher plane of existence, unreachable from Hueco Mundo."

"But then, the Arrancars had a change in leadership. The new leader, Yurius Jehoel, offered peace if they could hunt Hollows. Zheng-soutaichou accepted to stop hostilities and allow us to regain strength."

"But, on the same day, a bunch of humans broke into Soul Society. Izanami-no-Mikoto, the Commander-General before Zheng-sensei, had brought in... I think she was some old Queen of Hollows? Anyways, the humans brought with them a lot of Hollows and escaped with the Queen. Izanami-no-Mikoto proved a traitor as well, but she was stopped by Hiraku Masaru and sealed inside his arm."

"Then, we had some months of peace. The project to move Soul Society was retrofitted to provide a place of training for Hiraku Masaru and to remove Izanami-no-Mikoto from him. I think it was succesful, because Hiraku-taichou emerged with Bankai, and Izanami-no-Mikoto was imprisoned in Mugen, lowest layer of our underground prison."

That last part is not correct, but Sayuri does not actually know where Momoka sent Izanami.

"Then we went on the offense against the misguided humans, but despite our efforts... they had freed the First Hollow King from his prison of 1,500 years, and using geomantic energies of Earth, he had crafted a plan to tear Soul Society from its roots. Kobayashi Momoka used our spell to counter that and... I already told you this, didn't I. Hahaha."

There is no joy in that laughter, only nervousness.

"Half of our land is here, while half was made to float above Russia. Then, uh, then... well, Ishinomori Koutarou was nominated as Commander-General. I hope I'm remembering the sequence of events right, haha. Then Shen Yi and his crime family came to our gates and Ishinomori-soutaichou exiled them to Earth. Technically." Sayuri sounds a bit sheepish at this part. "In actuality, Shen Yi askes for him and his to be sent to Earth himself, Ishinomori-soutaichou just agreed to it. I think he anticipated your arrival and wanted to flee your wrath."

"What then? Oh, I heard Ishinomori-soutaichou went to fight the Hollow King in Russia, but was unsuccesful. Afterwards, I was just minding my own business, when... bunch of humanoid Hollows stormed to the Science institute! Five of them broke into our new railgun station. I was there to spy on them, but they found out and took me captive. The Commander came to personally deal with them. When we discussed their motives, Ishinomori-soutaichou mused they might have wanted to shoot down the Royal Palace. I don't know if that's true, but they did try to convince Ishinomori-soutaichou to assassinate the Central 46. Of course, he declined, haha."

"I have poor understanding of how those Hollows got it. I heard, I think it was Hiraku-taichou, my memory may be failing me... Hiraku-taichou told me they were all part of one Arrancar, originally. And that there were much more than five, dozens even. And that someone had tried to hire them to Gotei. Can you believe? Someone tried to hire an Arrancar, and then they immediately went rogue, despite our peace with our nation! Just like, on the same day we were negotiating that peace, those humans broke into our city and that Hollow Queen left with them. If she had waited one more day, maybe all this could've been averted!"

They get within view of the 1st Division main building. Something immediately stands out: a formation of five iron pillars, surrounded by red warning tape, pinning down a single Arrancar. Since last orders were to leave it in place, it has not been moved.

The Arrancar is clad in black robes similar to Gotei uniform. It has a simple black Katana sheathed on its waist. Its hair is made of snakes of bone, and it has skulls of snakes on each shoulder. It has way too many eyes and three mouths on its face.

Sayuri stops at the sight of this. "That. I have no idea what that is. Please don't kill me", she whimpers.

The Arrancar appears asleep. Or unconscious. It's been pressed to the ground for days now, and the narrator does not know if anyone has thought to give it water.

[Dorizzit]

[Hueco Mundo]
Las Noches - Reception Chamber

Jehoel seems somewhat amused by the entire process.

"My, my. Quite the elaborate process."

He places his Zanpakuto in the box without hesitation, then extends his hands for the binding process.

"Was this method of assurance thought up for my visit, or did they just modify their protocol for seeing powerful prisoners?"

[Frozen_Feet]

Jaswinder smiles sadly at the question. "The protocol has been the same since the last Substitute Shinigami to stand before Central 46 tried to murder them. Before that, yes, it was just for powerful prisoners."

There's a faint click as the guard closes the box. "You will receive keycode for the box's lock once were through the Senkaimon. According to our data, you have eidetic memory, so that should be sufficient", the guard explains. The second guard locks Jehoel's wrists with the manacles, closing the outlets for his Reiatsu. Then he wraps Jehoel's arms against his body with the black, vinyl-like substance. The bindings are quite tight, but at no risk of harming Jehoel's inhumanly durable body. The material feels quite strong. It might be hard to break even if Jehoel didn't have his Reiatsu restrained. The first guard nods towards Jaswinder. "We're done."

Jaswinder nods and stands up. "Good." The first guard gestures at the air to open a Senkaimon. The door rolls open, revealing a seemingly endless hallway behind. "Please stay between the guards for the trip", he says to Jehoel, then looks at Setsurou. "Captain. You are free to accompany us, if you wish." Then he walks through the portal, the first guard following him, the second guard waiting untill Jehoel is through before moving.

[Dorizzit]

[Hueco Mundo]
Las Noches - Reception Chamber

Jehoel nods sagely to Jaswinder's response as he permits the guard to bind him. He tests the give of the wrappings, although he pretty clearly isn't trying to sabotage or break them. He nods at the guard's description of his Zanpakuto's security measures.

"Acceptable."

He follows into the Senkaimon.

"These bindings are quite impressive. May I ask how they're made? Or is that a security risk?"

[Kuroimaken]

"It isn't so much modification as it is 'piling up'. Our security precautions come in levels, and you're seeing the closest to our top level as it gets. If you happened to be more belligerent, you'd probably be accompanied by a Kidou retinue just to bind you if you got aggressive." Setsurou points out. "I'm guessing the presence of a Captain is allowing them some minor relaxation.

If you're interested, we can share some of the details behind our bindings after this discussion has taken place."

((Edit because ninja Frozen))

"Lead the way."