[PM] [1st/3rd/8th/10th/11th/Open] Week 196: Picking Teams

[Nekomata]

OOC

This is a mission brief for the shinigami scouting mission to Hueco Mundo. See the Summer PMs thread for details. If you're in one of the above divisions, post here if you want in.

A tall, solidly-built shinigami swept through the halls of the First Division, long white-blonde braid trailing behind her. Ilsa had resisted the urge to run, but she was making the best time that her long legs could give her. Members of the First, Third, Eighth, Tenth, and Eleventh Divisions would be meeting here to discuss an important joint mission- it might turn out to be vital, who knew- and Ilsa intended to make certain that everything was in place before anyone from the other divisions arrived.

She turned a corner, noting with satisfaction that a sign with a large arrow pointed the way, and opened a door marked with another sign. Ilsa hadn’t actually been to this conference room before, but it was as big as the building’s blueprints promised. A long, low maple table provided plenty of seating space, and an enormous blackboard at the back of the room gave her something to write and draw diagrams on. Two unseated shinigami were busily setting up the accoutrements of a large meeting; comfy cushions to sit on, carafes of ice water, glasses at every seat. The vice-captain nodded in satisfaction. "Very good, especially on such short notice. Are all the signs in place?”

One of the other shinigami, a robust man with a large burn scar on one cheek, looked up and nodded back. "Yup, all the way to the gate.”

"It’s the least we can do, especially considering where you’re going.” His companion, a woman with short white hair, sounded almost as grim as she looked. She set down the last of her water glasses and stood up. "Be careful, Maruyama-fukutaichou.”

"Believe me, I will.” Ilsa walked to her seat at the head of the table and sat down, pouring herself a glass of water as her two helpers finished their tasks and left. It was ironic, and a bit frightening. She, who had never set foot in Hueco Mundo, was in charge of a multidivisional mission to the world of the Hollows.

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[Code of the Noble]

The inked man tossed his ponytail over his shoulders as he proudly stode the hallways of the First. Seitaro was already nervous about his duties as Vice-captain of the Eighth Division, but at the same time the tattooed man was very good at hiding his true emotions, especially amongst others that did not know him as well as the captain himself.

Another thing Seitaro was great at was assisting Senesati and the Eighth Division on such short notices, but he had never attended a wide span meeting such as the one he was assigned to attend in place of the captain.

The sophisticated vice-captain arrived at the same table, which the amazon had occupied. "Good afternoon, Vice-captain Maruyama," he greeted with a welcoming smile.

Note

Also this collab is for PC's only unless you have gotten permission from one of the division specific superiors to NPC for the respective division.

 

[Time Lady Katie]

A combination of feeling idle and feeling overconfident in one’s own abilities often leads to terrible decisions. Adelaide Pierce was a mistress of horrible decision-making. She demonstrated this by following signs. Adelaide was not powerful, she was not seated and in fact she was barely indoctrinated into the Eighth Division. Truth to tell, the only strength she had was the asymmetry with which she conducted her combat. She fought focusing on her wits, not on her physical prowess, which had served her well against Tabawara Udo, her Division’s Eighth Seat. She had impressed him.

The room the signs brought her to impressed her. The table, particularly, drew her attention. By now, Adelaide was accustomed to the Japanese accoutrements that went with the room, so she managed to only focus on how remarkably impressive the room was. “Woah,” she expressed the sentiment aloud.

Adelaide also noticed the women of the First Division. The more First Division women Adelaide saw, the more she wondered if their existence mitigated the fear she had of the Captain-Commander. Though the woman who looked Nordic in nature had a really striking feature, she managed to not really be Adelaide’s type, sadly for the spellblade. Still, she hoped to work with the First Division on this. After all, though she may have some ability in both her sword and her Kidou, she was focusing on the latter at the moment.

There was also a man there that caught her attention. It was someone she knew, hence why she had her attention captivated by him. Granted, she had never properly met him before, but she recognized him rather definitely. She bowed to him. “Vice-Captain,” she acknowledged him. She was a little nervous about running in to him here, but it was too late to worry about that now. She worried that she’d be told to just go home. After all, she was the division’s novice, and for him to say that to her would entirely be expected, but she hoped with all she had to hope with that he wouldn’t tell her to not take part in this.

350 Words, 350 Total​

 

[switch5]

Amaya entered the grounds of the First for her first time. Her eyes barely strayed from the path, and she took in little of the landscape as she walked. She felt nervous for every shingami that was gathering here today. She knew how few of them actually knew what they were getting into by simply stepping into the realm of Hueco Mundo. The Third Seat didn't know how many of them had fought in the war in the desolate wasteland years ago, or even how many of them had ever set foot on the alabaster sands. She also had to believe that a very select group of them had actually seen an Arrancar, let alone faced one in combat.

Amaya didn't relish the feeling of going back, in fact if she had her say they wouldn't be going. What she did know though was that the last thing the Gotei needed now was a failed mission, and more dead soldiers, and her experience would be invaluable. Her hand nervously gripped the handle of Takeo's blade tightly as she finished the last leg of her walk.

When she finally found her way to the meeting room Amaya took a seat silently toward the front of the room. The room still felt a little empty, and she suddenly felt rude, but at times like these she didn't feel like making small talk, especially when she didn't recognize anyone in the room. She just sat silently, waiting for the meeting to start, or for more members of the Eleventh to show up.

[259/259]

 

[Shun]

One such member did within the next moment.

Was it a coincidence that he along with other select few Templars were about to venture into Hueco Mundo, a place that Tsubaki had been ordered to go to not too long ago?

As the pink-haired soul reaper entered the spacious room, he took a look around, and his eyes shot open for a brief moment.

Piss off the witch-woman again, why don't you - it was a thought that was all too fitting for a situation like this. As he made his way to one of the tables, Arashi Ryoujin's eyes instantly locked onto the First's new vice. The last time he had seen a certain Maruyama Ilsa was when she was torturing him with kidou back at one of the Tenth's many training ranges.

Not wanting to stir up another scene, especially considering what they were about to get themselves into, Ryoujin passed by one of the other co-third seat.

"Nice seeing ya, Amaya," he said, only so she could hear him. Settling for one of the cups of ice water, he plopped down onto one of the cushions that were scattered about. "Let’s hope we don’t encounter whatever got Tsubaki so banged up."​

[ 205 ]​

 

[Pho]

As far as anyone but Adelaide knew, the Eighth Seat of the Eighth, Tabawara Udo, was in his office filling out ks230 forms. In reality, he was having a drink while the machine he “borrowed” from the Ninth filled them out for him. As the officer was halfway through a small glass, a hell butterfly appeared with news. It informed him that unidentified reiatsu fluctuations had been detected in Hueco Mundo, and volunteers from the First, Third, Eighth, Tenth and Eleventh Divisions were being called for to investigate it. Upon hearing this he frowned and thought, Damn, I did jinx us the other day. Presented with a chance to be on the front line when things go down, the green-haired reaper sculled the remainder of his drink and shot out the door. Events like this were the reason he transferred from the Ninth to the Eighth, after all.

Thanks to the helpful signs placed throughout the First Division, Udo maintained his brisk pace and reached his destination, only to be disappointed by the fact that he wasn’t the first person there. This mild disappointment didn’t last for long though, because he already had something to worry about. Through amethyst eyes the swordsman spotted his vice-captain…and Adelaide.

What the hell is she doing here?! Barely out of the academy and she’s volunteering to go to the home of all hollows? I know she’s confident, but this is ridiculous!

Stunned at, and very concerned by, her presence, the officer walked briskly over to Seitaro, and said, “Excuse me sir.”

I hope this is just an oversight and he’ll send her back, because I’m pretty sure someone with so little experience shouldn’t be going there. Wait a minute… that whole noble pride thing might kick in mightn’t it? She’s volunteered so nobody has the right to send her back…damn it. In that case, I’ll have to stick close to her.

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[Code of the Noble]

The pony-tailed vice-captain lowered his head and peeked over the rims of his charcoal colored oval frames at the Eighth Seat and inquired, "Yes?"

 

[switch5]

Amaya nodded toward Ryoujin, her eyes lighting up enough to let him know she was thankful for the company of another Templar in the room.

“Indeed,” she wanted to say more, but much like at the prior Templar meeting she held herself back. It wasn't time for her to go on about her distaste with the mission. She knew camaraderie was indeed their best hope for survival, and her Co-Third Seat was exactly the type of person a trip to Hueco Mundo would need to survive.

“Honestly I'm glad to see you here, it helps with a few of my doubts about this mission, and if our pain in the ass Vice Captain's coming along as well I can't imagine that much is going to want to cross our paths once we're there.” Amaya's smile was reassuring and genuine, but immediately she turned her head looking around the room at the other Shinigami that had started to arrive. “I wonder if we'll see the best from some of the other Divisions here as well...” she trailed off, as her eyes came to rest on the growing delegation from the Eight.

[193/452]

 

[Chef Bryardee]

“Look, there’s another arrow, right there,” Ruru called and pointed out with his slender, paper-thin appendage, something that Shingo barely managed to see from the mechanical creature’s slouched position atop the officer’s shoulder.

“Yeah, I noticed that, too,” Shingo sighed, scratching the back of his deep purple scalp lazily as he did. Ruru’s deactivation had long since been past due, not to mention that proper etiquette during meetings such as the one he was on route to condemned all distracting elements. Though his programming had not intended as much, Ruru fitted rather naturally and easily into this category. “Look, I hate to break it to you, but I’m going to have to deactivate you for the meeting. It’s just a matter of pro---.”

“Yeah, I already know,” Ruru interjected with a voice that projected a sense of agreement, one which completely contrasted his true feelings. “Just let me know what happens when everything is finished.”

Without showing the pleased grin on his face directly to his crafted companion, Shingo lifted the arm underneath the shoulder which Ruru sat atop and pinched both sides of the creation’s keenly-edged forehead. The large and ominous eye in the middle of his face disappeared. Before Shingo could fold and safely store the paper within the inner sleeve of his shihakusho, he was forced to pause his steps in front of the large and pristine doors. Another sign designated the room in front of him as his destination.

With a seemingly cautious push of the forearm, Shingo opened the doors to the spacious room, finding few elements within and a small group of officers having already arrived there.

Though there wasn’t anything particular about the officer that would draw any prolonged attention to him, he still as always made an effort to enter gatherings such as this as quietly and unhesitantly as possible. As expected, Shingo hadn’t formally met a single one of the officers present, but even as frequent as the feeling of isolation and uncertainty was at times like these, the fact still managed to draw an exhausted sigh out of him.

Not bothering to pause and choose between the many cushioned seats lined evenly along both sides of the maple table before him, Shingo took a casual B-line from the doorway to the first position available.

He gave a polite smile and nod toward the blond-haired officer seated at the head of the table before settling himself in fully for the imminent discussions.

[412/412]​

 

[Wayne]

"Sorry to have kept you waiting, my dear Amaya.”

The Vice-Captain’s voice loomed over the two Templars as he made his way into the meeting room. He slid open the door and entered before quickly taking note of a few individuals already gathered there. This was the first legitimate social interaction the young man had since the confrontation with his sword. For nearly two weeks he was gone on a supposed ‘leave of absence,’ while in truth he was attempting to subjugate a crazed weapon living within him. He knew not what to expect from two very close allies regarding his new look... as well as his new blade. Regardless, what was done was done. No point clinging on to the past now.

"It’s been awhile, hasn’t it? It’s good to see you,” he turned to the other Third Seat, "You too, Ryoujin.”

Giving a light bow to the other lieutenants gathered there, he placed his attention specifically on the man from the Eighth and said, "My sincerest apologies for my lateness, Vice-Captain. May I ask if we’ve already begun discussing our... mission?”

He was informed of the campaign right as he had gotten back. The details were still vague concerning the event, but a single pair of words managed to catch the Templar’s attention the most: Hueco Mundo. The Hollow Kingdom... the Great White Desert... the Underworld. Whatever it was that had to be taken care of, the thought of entering the realm alone made Kyuketsu lick his lips in sheer anticipation. ​

253​

 

[Pho]

The enchanted bladesman gestured towards the fire-haired temptress and said to his vice-captain, “This is one of the newest members of our division, Adelaide Pierce. I am not sure if it is appropriate for a fresh academy graduate such as herself to be joining us on this mission.”

Ah crap…what if I went and insulted her just then? Damn it. If one thing can make a trip to Hueco Mundo worse, it would be going on that trip with an angry woman. Ah well, hopefully she knows by now I’m about as tactless as her. Hopefully Seitaro sends her back, otherwise this mission is going to be much harder for me…

[111/428]

 

[Time Lady Katie]

“If we’re going to question one another’s readiness then in the interest of full disclosure, Tabawara-sama, a fresh-from-the-Academy novice was able to hold her own against you in combat, even win in one round and deduce countermeasures to your Shi Kai.” Adelaide only almost sounded snarky. For the most part, she sounded serious and determined. She wasn’t going to just walk out of the room, and she wasn’t about to give the Vice-Captain reason to send her home. There was more to her response than just that, though. “You told me to seek a mission to take part in, didn’t you?” she added, feigning thoughtfulness.

She wasn’t ready to go it alone or anything, but the slowly massing force walking through the First Division to this room more than indicated that she wasn’t going to be alone. She could be helpful to them – granted probably not very helpful, but she could be of some use. She was smart, observant, and wasn’t the kind to fight fair if it came to it. In a straight up-and-down show of strength, Adelaide would have been creamed by Udo. But as she had so astutely pointed out, that wasn’t what happened.

It would be ridiculous for her, being as inexperienced as she was, to not be frightened. She was really intimidated by the nature of this upcoming mission. That didn’t stop her from being overcome with resolve. Truth to tell, she was nearly equally frightened of being sent back to the Eighth Division. Udo had already called her out on not being ready; she didn’t want her Vice-Captain to tell her the same. What good was the Academy if it wasn’t fair preparation? What good was being in the Eighth if she couldn’t do her Zanpakutou proud? How could anyone prove their worth if no one gave them the opportunity?

Besides, Udo told Adelaide to get involved with the things the Division was doing. This was really all his fault.

326 Words, 676 Total​

 

[Nekomata]

This meeting was obviously going to be a… challenge. For a moment, Ilsa wished wholeheartedly that the Soutaichou was doing this. That she could be just another shinigami in the crowd instead of having to get all these people from all these divisions into some semblance of order.

You wanted power, Ilsa. Now you’ve got it. So grow a spine and act like the Soutaichou’s deputy! The blonde shinigami returned Seitaro’s smile. “Good afternoon, Seitaro-fukutaichou.” Thank goodness she had made herself memorize the faces and names of the other divisions’ higher ranking officers after she got the armband.

Ilsa looked back at the rest of the room just in time to meet Arashi’s gaze. Ahh, memories. She grinned at the pink-haired Templar. If someone wanted to steal from her division, he would face the consequences. From Arashi’s expression, he remembered that lesson quite well. That had only been a prank, though; an ill-advised one, but nothing malicious. The vice-captain was glad to have a shinigami of Arashi’s power here.

Speaking of which, one of the Eighth’s new recruits wanted to join the mission? Ilsa raised an eyebrow, but remained silent. This was a matter for the Enchanted Blades to sort out. It was up to Seitaro which of his people he did and didn’t want to come.

Another shinigami entered the room. Reijuu. Good. Just as Ilsa was about to greet him, the Templars’ vice-captain turned his attention to Seitaro.

“My sincerest apologies for my lateness, Vice-Captain. May I ask if we’ve already begun discussing our… mission?”

A slight frown appeared on her face. Does he think the Eighth is in charge here? Ilsa cleared her throat. “Good to see you, Reijuu-fukutaichou. We have not begun the briefing yet. We’re still waiting on the Third and the Tenth.” And the other shinigami from the First, but she wasn’t about to mention that. Where are they?

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[Abbey Rose]

Griffin Youngblood, the representative of the Tenth, ran through the streets of Seireitei. He was late to something for the second time that day. It was starting to piss him off. He was not going to start a bad habit like that. You missed everything when you were late, and he did not want to miss anything that happened today.

Finally locating the door, he skidded to a stop in front of it. The Norseman took a moment to adjust his clothes, smoothing out wrinkles and wiping away the slight bits of sweat that had accumulated on his brow. Vikings did not show any weakness, after all, and any sweat or worry on his face would have been an obvious sign of such weakness. Only after he was sure that he was in presentable condition did his good hand reached out, slowly pushing the door open as he walked in.

“Griffin Youngblood,” he said with a slight bow, “Unseated representative of the Tenth. I’m sorry that I’m late.” Quickly, he walked to a free chair and sat down, leaning forward towards the table. “I’ll try not to make it a habit.”

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To All Eighths

You stole my favorite blue font (Now dubbed Manly Blue.)

 

[Nutella]

Heavens, I hope I'm not yet late!

The petite Asian dashed with agile steps, and her feet barely made any sound across the smooth floor. She wore an unorthodox shihakusho, with a three-inch lavender obi in place of the usual white one, although the rest of her uniform seemed conventional enough. Her waist-length ebony hair fluttered as she scurried, and the remaining color from her pallid visage drained due mostly to anxiety and weariness. She was new to the division, and she wouldn’t have found the meeting place, if not for the signs all over the First which consisted of large, catchy arrows -- it was simply impossible not to see them.

Yuurei was never the person to show up late, especially on these kinds of things. There were shinigamis left and right, and no doubt they were also heading towards the same direction. She saw a couple of people outside the conference hall, and she slowed down just to make sure that it didn’t look like she was trying to catch a bus. After gaining a modicum of composure, she slipped inside.

The conference hall was overwhelmingly spacious, and she could safely say that it was the largest room she had ever been inside the First. Admittedly, she hadn’t been into a lot of rooms inside the division, but that wasn’t the question. A slight horror struck her when she saw the formidable number of people already gathered in the hall. Her auburn eyes looked around in a desperate search for a familiar face among the multitude, but her efforts seemed fruitless.

Good heavens, it looks like I’m not. She sighed in relief and her eyes caught sight of the amazonian woman at the head of the table. Pale blonde tresses and a large build … it must be Maruyama-fukutaichou! Yuurei could only make out her appearance based on what she heard from other division members, but when they said ’large’, she actually thought they were exaggerating -- but when they said ‘it’s hard to mistake her’, that much seemed true enough.

She walked closer and greeted the Vice Captain with a warm smile, “Good afternoon, Maruyama-fukutaichou.”

[ 383 | 383 ]​

 

[Shadowthread]

The young spell-sword had followed up the other members of her division although, she had suffered some strikes of pain from her now stump left arm. Hangyaku tied to her belt, Shizuka covered the ground with a reasonable pace, the left arm of her shihakushou waved in the breeze.

As she entered the briefing room, her eyes glanced upon many other shinigami, the only one she knew was Seitaro-fukutaichou and began to approach towards him.

”Good day, Seitaro-fukutaichou, I hope I'm not too late,” the black-haired female said and stopped when she was three feet from her fukutaichou.

The young soul was a bit skeptical about her usefulness in this kind of mission, with only one arm. Her strength had been returned and the female shinigami had just been released from the 4th Division's care.


[136/136]

 

[Wayne]

In the end, it was the towering beauty from the First who responded to Kyuketsu’s query.

"Ah, I see. Thank you, Miss Maruyama,” he said in his usual tone of voice. "If there’s anything you need assistance to, I’m happy to oblige.”

The young man nodded appreciatively to the girl as he took a seat by his fellow Templars. Legs crossed and body leaning heartily by its backrest, the Vice-Captain couldn’t help but notice the steadily growing numbers within their ranks. The room was meant for a big audience, but such numbers were truly unexpected. At first he had the impression that only a certain few would venture into the endless desert, but this... this was just absurd. While some there were of considerable strength, a handful of them were also quite young and inexperienced. Perhaps it was merely blissful ignorance that drove them to such a dangerous venture. Nevertheless, if they were willing, then let them have at it.

Letting his head dangle back from his chair’s top rail, he waited anxiously for the other participants to arrive.​

432​

 

[Cad]

The ominous reaper lurched into the corner of the room, silently observing the interactions with little interest. Ever since his recent return from Hueco Mundo, Ito Kurohashi had been uncharacteristically absent from missions on earth. Before the entrapment, the eerie giant had spent nearly all his time exclusively hunting Hollow but since the rescue mission, the clandestine figure was nowhere to be seen – until now.

The foreboding man’s appearance had little change since his departure – he would still wear the traditional black shihakushou and remain mostly hidden behind the black headwrap. Aside from an inexplicable change in his reiatsu level, the only difference in the Hollow specialist’s presence was dangling at his side. A series of alabaster masks, crudely tied together, showed their demonic faces to whoever might look upon them.

Kurohashi’s deeply shaded eyes seemed to stare through everyone that crossed his gaze. His attention was barely even caught by the only recognizable face in the room, Shingo, who had barely escaped death by his side in Heuco Mundo. The looming god of death was unmoved by the banter going on in the room, even as the dark fire within him ached for the words to be spoken. Until then, however, he would wait – silent and macabre.

208

 

[Pho]

Udo took a step back, bewildered by his subordinate’s response. With an obviously surprised look on his face, he thought, What? You’re seriously using a single point during training to justify this? The Eighth Seat almost lost his composure there and then, but going off at her in a room full of other people, not just from their division, but others, was a really bad idea. After a moment of stunned silence, Udo sighed and said, “That was training. This isn’t.”

Ugh, I hope I don’t sound like a sore loser now. I’ve gone and dug myself a hole, haven’t I? And now she’s managed to blame her presence here on me. Is there some way to make this blow over? The reaper needed to give her a win, so he could adjust the course of the conversation. So in an attempt to do this, he said, “Yes, I did tell you to find your place in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. However, I also told you not to get yourself killed. I am confident in your intelligence, but this recklessness does not help. Please at least reconsider going on this mission, I’m just trying to help you.”

Hopefully while Seitaro was distracted by Shizuka, he couldn’t help Adelaide in this little debate. This mission called for volunteers, so Seitaro could send people away, but couldn’t force them in. So, if the fiery shinigami accepted Udo’s argument before the vice-captain could interject, then his goal was achieved. Either way he’d have to apologize to his friend later.

The room was steadily filling with shinigami, many of them sitting down, so the green-haired blademage was starting to feel awkward, now standing above a lot of people. The reaper glanced around a bit and shifted on his feet, hoping this discussion would be over soon so he could sit down. For all he knew there could have been people in there higher ranked, and far more powerful, than himself.

[327/755]

 

[Chef Bryardee]

Shingo stood distanced from all others and the conversation between them in a disinterested pose against the rear of the cushioned seat beneath him, meddling with the snake-head cufflink on his wrist and observing the light reflecting off of the eyes from different angles. His listlessness was broken by the entrance of the mysterious and dark figure and a member of the same division as him, Kurohashi, with his head cocked up towards the door the instant the statuesque man’s familiar black hair waved out into the open.

A stiff nod of the head was given to his fellow division member before Shingo returned to his own musings, listening her and there on the conversation in the room.

A few of those in the room traded words between each other on those who were and weren’t qualified for the mission at hand. Kuroda had mentioned a similar quarrel within the halls of the Twelfth Division, causing a bit of stir within the Herald of Death member’s own consciousness; while he’d been to the demon’s labyrinth several times throughout his relatively short tenure in the Third Division, reason wouldn’t allow himself to become complacent in any matters which dealt with Hueco Mundo or its savage residents.

Shingo turned his head towards the congregation of imposing spiritual pressures in front of him, pondering the purpose of the mission at hand and what the group was to encounter in the near future.

The news of Kuroda’s deployment had only shown signs of a coming conflict. And now, here he stood on the brink of another mission while having recently returned from the search-and-rescue of the meeting’s newest attendant. Another deep sigh followed. Every coming second more unbearable than the last.

[287/699]​