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Post by Tier Harribel on Jun 3, 2013 14:21:37 GMT -5
It was the water that woke her up.
Even imprisonment could get tiring, and once Harribel had decided that lashing out with her reiatsu to weaken the chains wasn't working, she had done the best she could to rest and recover. There was a slim chance that she would be forgotten, left alone long enough to bide her time and escape.
But it seemed she hadn't needed that - because somehow, she had managed to fall asleep. And somehow, she was now in a world that was definitely not Hueco Mundo - because, exhausted and powerless as she had been, she hadn't noticed she was falling until she had hit the water. It was a welcome shock, calling to the part of her that dreamt of primeval oceans, the hunt, to feast upon all things small - regardless of the fact that as a Hollow she had never even seen water. Kicking out, she rose to the surface, marvelling at the fact that she was no longer in Resurreccion. Or chained up. And this world - it had to be the human world, but it had more reishi than it should have, the spirit particles practically teeming.
That was... strange.
That didn't matter, right now. She'd analyse how she got here - and why - a little later. Right now, she was alive, free from the Quincy threat - now was the time to hold up somewhere, rest, and hope that her Fraccion would follow her.
The coast wasn't too far away. Even with her reiatsu drained, she could still manage sonido - she landed on the shore, glancing around. A human city - hardly of interest to her, but maybe it would be a good idea to at least see where she was in the human world. With a goal in mind, she headed for the closest streets, heedless of the humans everywhere.
Clearly, given she was a spirit, none of them would even notice her.
Clearly. |
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Post by Khan Noonien Singh on Jun 19, 2013 8:08:51 GMT -5
Mockingbird Island seemed to be like all places in this world - primitive, uninteresting and boring, at least in Khan's view. However, he couldn't allow his base opinions to get the better of him. There was more to this world than there seemed and he knew it. There was one thing that interested him from the start: the rifts. They were the only thing that truly interested him, and yet they were interesting enough to force him into transwarping through Earth searching for some sort of cause to them.
His search had brought him to Mockingbird Island... and it seemed like he would only find nothing once more. Khan's disappointment was overwhelming, but possibilities remained... this was especially obvious as he watched another rift open in mid-air over the ocean and drop someone in. Khan took no time in using his transwarp device to teleport to the beach and search for the person he'd seen. The person turned out to be a tall woman who emerged from the ocean and began to make her way towards the city. Khan needed to stop her and ask her about her experience with the rift, if there was any at all.
Khan approached, taking no time in planning out questions in his mind. He would need to be precise and quick, along with giving some reason for his questioning. From her demeanor alone, Khan was certain that she was no fool. "Hello." Khan said as soon as he reached her. "I noticed your... arrival. I would like to ask you a few questions about your experience... I'm from a certain organization investigating the rifts that brought you here."
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Post by Tier Harribel on Jun 19, 2013 11:54:57 GMT -5
After a moment of walking, she realized, with some irritation, that her hair was dripping, the braids sticking to the back of her neck. Wringing out her hair and clothes wasn't anything she really wanted to do, but she also didn't plan to stay here long enough to dry off properly.
Already, she was thinking clearly, a vast difference from the humiliation and shame that had coloured her time in captivity. That and, of course, the slow-building rage that she hadn't tried to resist, this time around. Normally, she would have shoved away the urge to kill and eat the Quincy that had captured her, but... it had given her some measure of resolve, some motivation. Now, when she was free of them... she could let that anger turn cold, and sink into the depths. Quick rage and bloodthirst wouldn't help - but a colder sort of vengeance would. If she wanted to survive this, and find her Fraccion - if they were alive - she needed to think, not act on instinct.
Carefully squeezing water out of her braids, she ignored the person approaching her with practised ease. He had no spiritual pressure, so he wouldn't even perceive her, let alone feel her own reiatsu -
Except that he was speaking, and evidently to her - he mentioned rifts that had brought her to this place. Stopping, her eyes widened a little, before she slid back into the usual calm expression that made such an effective shield. So he could see her. Was he a normal human? He looked like one, and again, there was no reiatsu to speak of - just the ambience of the spirit particles everywhere.
Still, she had underestimated him, and been surprised. If he had been an enemy, she could have been dead already - not a pleasant thought, but given her situation... she wasn't inclined to optimism. Crossing her arms, she studied him, glad that she had her mask and jacket back - it made her that much harder to read. "I was wondering how I found myself here," she said, raising an eyebrow. "You said a rift brought me? And if you're studying it... then it must be a common phenomenon." It was useless to give away the fact that he was talking to a spirit, if he wasn't aware of it already. She needed the few advantages she could get. "I'm not sure how much I can tell you, but ask away." |
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Post by Khan Noonien Singh on Jun 19, 2013 21:30:39 GMT -5
Hm... perhaps Khan has underestimated her experience with the rift. He assumed that, since he had been frozen and unconscious when he'd traveled through the rifts, others would have been more knowledgeable about how they worked and, perhaps, they would have seen how the rifts looked on the inside. Apparently, he was wrong. She had seen nothing of the rift's inner workings and... well, much like him, she didn't even know she'd been brought by a rift. Still, she was here and she had just been brought over... perhaps further questioning could give him something.
"Yes, most people don't seem aware that they'd been taken anywhere until they arrive..." Or, at least, that's what Khan believed. Neither he nor this woman had remembered anything about the rifts. Perhaps studying them was a useless endeavor, as he had thought before. The only thing that had lead to him studying them was his own basic interest and the possibility of using them for some cause. Of course, he was still well aware that any real study would have to be conducted by a group of people, rather than just one person.
"Yes, the rifts are... common." Khan said. Perhaps if he gave her more information she could give him something to work with. She seemed intelligent, at least more intelligent than normal people. "First of all, did you experience anything while you were going through the rift?" If she didn't then... well, Khan would have to find some other way of getting information.
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Post by Tier Harribel on Jun 20, 2013 9:00:17 GMT -5
So these rifts - she assumed he meant something like garganta, splits in time and space - were usual, here. And they brought... people. What did that mean?
Harribel was prone to impatience right now, what had been done to her goading her to move faster, return to Hueco Mundo and kill every Quincy she could. But that would not earn her a victory. It would only put her back in imprisonment, if not outright kill her. First of all, she had to... complete this conversation, and rest, let herself recover. Then, she had to find her Fraccion, and make a plan....
Until then, this conversation might well be worthwhile. She had to choose her words carefully, ensure he wasn't going to find out too much about her... but then, she was used to guarding her tongue. "I was... very tired when I was taken. Falling into the water here - that woke me up. But before I fell asleep... I felt the rush of the wind, despite being in an enclosed room." All of that was even true - and while windstorms were common in Hueco Mundo, the only wind she had felt during the time she had been imprisoned were the impassioned insults and gloating from the emperor.
Her wrists ached - apparently even with most of her wounds healed and free of that captivity, it would take a while for her to recover fully. She didn't move to rub at them - it would draw this man's attention, quite probably. He seemed to have some idea of what was going on, which meant he was intelligent and perceptive - a bad combination to show any weakness in front of. |
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Post by Khan Noonien Singh on Jun 21, 2013 18:22:50 GMT -5
None of what she said was adding up. Wind was certainly not common in an enclosed room, but it was likely the result of the rift opening up in the sky above a beach. She could have felt the wind coming in through the rift? Still, that didn't tell him anything about the nature of the rifts, besides them working as a two-way portal instead of multiple portals - and even then, he didn't have enough evidence to tell that. The rifts could very well generate their own electricity. Their nature was too mysterious for him to figure anything about them out.
"I see." Khan said, both voice and expression telling nothing. Khan was nothing if not in control, and he certainly didn't want this woman to know what he was feeling about the situation just yet... or at all. Any signs of disapproval or anger could ward her off, leaving him without anyone to question. Happiness or excitement would be strange at such an early point - and he certainly wasn't feeling either of those. The lack of information was grating. He didn't like not knowing about something - especially when it was something that had changed everything for him like the rifts. He wasn't entirely positive whether or not to be thankful for their intervention or angered that they hadn't brought his people with him.
But, this wasn't the time for emotions. As necessary as they were, he had to push them aside for the time being, not unlike a Vulcan... although he had no respect for Vulcans. Emotions couldn't be removed fully and when they were the result was a weak race who needed a half-human side to do anything of relevance. Prejudices aside, Khan needed to figure out more about the rifts and this was his chance. "Beyond that, did you feel anything else while inside the rift itself? Any sort of strange feeling?" Perhaps that would give him something...
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Post by Tier Harribel on Jun 22, 2013 13:28:07 GMT -5
Well, if anything, he had good control over his reactions - not the stoic, nigh-emotionless appearance of Ulquiorra, or Barragan's boredom, or Starrk's apathy. But if she had disappointed him with how little she could honestly say, he wasn't showing it - only focused interest, in a formal sort of way.
Harribel could appreciate that.
Now, she tilted her head, considering - though one hand went back to trying to squeeze the moisture out of her hair. If she had gone into Resurreccion - but no, even the thought of releasing her true form made her faintly dizzy. She had recovered significantly, yes, but... in comparison to her full strength, she still felt so weak. Drained of everything but her emotions, her resolve - and with some small vestige of power left to her. Was this the force of the ruler of Hueco Mundo?
Even needling her pride wasn't working to rouse some hidden scrap of strength. She was tired. But this place - the reishi here would be enough to soothe her weakness, and build back up her strength. She would have to be careful, bide her time, search for any hint of her Fraccion... but ultimately, this was a chance at freedom, and an opportunity for vengeance - or perhaps, for peace.
"I felt... vertigo, but that was also from falling." Did he sense anything off about her at all? He was no spirit, nor someone with any reiatsu of note, so... she would have to phrase this carefully. "It also felt like I was being energized, somehow. Does that help at all?" Her wounds must have healed from that, her body absorbing the spirit particles present in the rift as she passed through it. The rifts also had to be the cause of why this world's reishi was almost as thick as Soul Society or Hueco Mundo's. There were faintly palpable flows, patterns of movement weaving through the air.
Strange, but... right now, she would take any sanctuary she could. |
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Post by Khan Noonien Singh on Jun 30, 2013 1:42:51 GMT -5
The vertigo was obvious. Anyone falling from such a height would have felt it, even if it were caused by a rift. However uninteresting the vertigo was, there was a far more important effect - rejuvenation? That was interesting and... well, relevant to his cause. The rifts gave people some sort of energizing effect, possibly healing them of wounds... among other things? The way she phrased it seemed almost miraculous, as if she had been tired at some point before the rift had taken her. Though, that was merely a presumption. Khan knew that he would need all of the facts before making any sort of real deduction about the rifts. If he could learn how to manipulate them and use them for his own purposes... well, they could propel him to his former position, and more, in a much shorter time than he expected.
Mastery of the rifts meant a mastery of the very force that all people fear, and the very force that is the reason most people were in the world at all. Khan would have smirked at the thought, had it not been for the woman in front of him. The two of them were serious, almost businesslike. Khan needed to continue on with that sort of behavior, lest his disguise slip and all this research be for not. Khan reached into the deep pockets of his coat and procured a small notepad and pencil. In the notepad, he had recorded all the important information he had on the rifts, mostly from his own personal experience, as well as what Sarafine had told him. Khan wrote down several notes on the "energizing" effect she had described before turning his attention back to her. "...How interesting." He said, his voice showing none of his excitement.
"Describe that further for me." He said, calmly. "Were you tired or ill before the rift managed to take you - or, perhaps, you were injured?" That should have been enough to get her to say what he wanted. The lack of information here was already grating on his nerves. He needed more than what she was giving him - and perhaps more than what she was able to give him. The constant dead ends were only serving to infuriate him more... but he knew that he could not give up on this. The rifts meant power, and in a world like this power was something that even he needed in spades.
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Post by Tier Harribel on Jul 2, 2013 12:37:02 GMT -5
She watched him write, hiding her own impatience to be done with this. Harribel wanted to leave, to find some quiet place to sleep and rest and gather her power for her next decision - even if she had no idea what to do yet. But this man... he would help her learn something of her options, perhaps, even if thus far their exchange had been almost entirely one-sided.
She didn't care enough to ask him questions in turn. That was sloppy of her, but surely there would be other opportunities to seek out answers, once she could rest a little more.
At the very least, the man was prepared for this kind of research - she wouldn't have thought he would have been taking notes on her answers, as fragmented as they were. At last, he asked the question she had least wanted to answer, however - to speak truthfully would reveal that she was weakened. But at the same time - he was not a Quincy, nor an Arrancar or Hollow to prey upon those weaker than him immediately. If she had done everything right, he had no idea that she was anything other than human - not with her mask hidden and her hollow hole completely out of sight.
"I was... injured, yes. I had several wounds, and was very tired... but when I emerged here, everything had healed. The only thing I can blame it on is the rift." Would that be enough? If he was truly looking into the rifts, then surely he could only obtain so much information from just one person.
But if one had taken her here, perhaps one would take her Fraccion away from danger as well. That - that would have been exceedingly lucky. |
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Post by Khan Noonien Singh on Jul 21, 2013 4:58:18 GMT -5
The evidence was very clear. The rifts obviously had some sort of effect on injuries and wounds, capable of healing them and... revitalizing those that travel through them. Ultimately, it was apparently more of a positive situation than most seem to make it out to be... how interesting. Despite how intriguing it was, learning about the rifts, Khan couldn't help but grow bored with this situation as a whole. While he knew that he wasn't seeking entertainment by any means and it was absolutely necessary to put up a Vulcan-like facade of calculating logic... he was bored. It wasn't like him to act so emotionless. Unlike Vulcans, Khan saw the value in emotions... in the savagery that Vulcans lack. There was a balance that, apparently, nobody else could see. There could be emotions without logic and logic without emotions... but without each other, they lacked purpose.
Unfortunately, Khan was put in a position where he was forced to pretend otherwise. It would be odd to find someone like Khan preforming an investigation such as it... but totally normal for an emotionless scientist. Utilizing human stereotypes was so easy, particularly in a time period such as this. "... I see." Khan said, taking down more notes. Of course, even the notes weren't really necessary. His memory was good enough for him to remember that they had a healing effect... But, this way, he could connect his thoughts together and form one concrete theory about the rifts. From there, he could find allies, build certain machines and harness their power... while ridding himself of any allies who didn't support his goal, of course. Once he had the rifts at his disposal, it would be easy for him to use them to re-conquer his land...
"... Then I suppose that is all you know?" He asked, a tint of exasperation hidden behind his cold voice. It wasn't very noticeable at all... but it was getting difficult, disguising his boredom. Khan glanced down at his notes. At least he was getting somewhere with this...
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