A Snake In The Grass

[Ira]

The night air over Hallowton was still, calm, and cool. Clouds dotted the sky, but still allowed plenty of the sky to be seen. The stars twinkled and danced in the sky. A gentle cooling breeze swept over Hallowton. There was a shift in the wind though and a silent growl echoed over the buildings. The sky seemed to come undone as it growled, the teeth of the sky parting to show nothing but darkness where stars once twinkled. Red eyes stared outward from the darkness, looking outward and down upon Hallowton.

Finally, out she stepped from the portal. As the Arrancar stepped forward, the faint sound of a bell jingling could be heard as a bell connected to the hilt of her weapon rang clearly despite its small size. She stood in silence, looking over Hallowton still with half-open red eyes. She placed a hand near her sheathed weapon. Hidden near the thin and antique looking weapon, within the folds of the green sash around her waist, as a flute - another lure for her. Not only a lure for lost pluses but for hollows as well for what strong being would waste their time with such a thing? The sound of the flute to hollows usually indicated the prescence of a lingering plus. And to the lingering pluses, it gave them the hope that they were not alone.

The pathway behind her finally closed with a low growl, blocking the way to Hueco Mundo. She was here to hunt for food despite the never ending tooth ache which plagued her since her transformation into an Arrancar; she had lost her fangs. At least this place seemed to be plagued by the presence of lost pluses. She was unaware of the plague which had left so many dead, but she would be thankful for it later.

She vanished from her invisble perch in the air and in the blink of the eye, her feet gently touched the ground.

All of this though, the mouth of a portal tearing into the sky and closing, the pale woman dressed in white and black, would remain unseen by most beings here for the woman existed in a spiritual sense - not a physical. She was not part of this realm but could still affect it easily enough. Such was not her goal though, not at the moment at least.

The woman walked down the pathway, a quiet jingle accompanying her as she walked. It was the only sound made by her entirely. Even her deep inhale, done to taste the air, was silent. And the scent and taste of lingering pulses did indeed hang in the air as well as other beings - still living more than likely. But they were enough to still tickle her senses, to tickle her hunger.

She drew her bansuri from her sash and looked about once more as she raised the bamboo instrument to her lips. A pulse of her own energy, faint enough to not alarm too many beings but strong enough to feel the presence of lingering pluses. The Arrancar began to play her flute, letting the winds here carry her music. She began with her eyes closed before opening them once again, looking about for the first one to become her prey, waiting for them to be lured into comfort with the sound and playing of the instrument.

Pluses always wanted a way to feel alive again, the sound of music was one of those ways she had discovered long ago.

As she played, the woman swayed slightly though it never once seemed to disturb her play as her arms were kept loose enough to move with her as she did so. Thin fingers danced along the holes upon the flute; it was simply a matter of time before something was drawn into the snake's trap.

[saneatsu]

*Saneatsu was wandering around Hallowtown, not really in any direction. As he walks he hears something carried by the wind itself. He stops, letting the sounds move around him, as if they were calling him to their source. He reaches out with the force, following the wisps of energy that seems to push the sound further. He finds himself entering an trance, the music swaying his mind and sinking into his soul.

He doesn't move though, still working to find the source he lets himself fall deeper into the trancelike state. His eyes close though he can still see as he finally locates the source. A strange woman, swaying like a song serpent and playing a strange flute. He dissappears in whisps of smoke, reappearing silently about 6 yards from the woman, no smoke in sight. His eyes are closed but those who are sensitive to such will see a strange glow coming from behind his eyelids.

The music continues to wrap around him as he feels the notes and sounds move through the air. He doesn't speak, just stands there in an almost trancelike state. He lets himself fall into the music, not seeing any immediate threat, no negative intentions coming from this woman.
*

[Ira]

Ruby-red eyes turned to look towards Saneatsu as he appeared. The arrancar stared at him as her thin fingers continued to glide over the holes of the flute as she played. She noted his eyes. One who had been drawn in. But he was still alive, not simply a soul left behind and unguided. It seemed delicious though. He possessed a good deal of energy. Something she could feed off of.

She closed her eyes for a moment though once more. She felt something else coming closer. What she desired in honesty was approaching. She needed these ones who were already dead to come closer. Those still living were not her concern, unless they stepped in to slow her work.

The soul of a young boy approached, lost and confused, hurt even. Scars from the plague still dotted his skin, a pale sickness even colored him, despite him already being deceased. He approached the woman slowly. He came to stand next to Saneatsu, not seeming to pay him any mind though. He took a couple of steps closer and she returned the favor, pulling closer to the boy herself. She opened her eyes once more, staring towards the boy and with her eyes alone practically begged him to step closer than he already was.

He obeyed. She twisted back another step or so. He stepped closer.

A low note played and carried for what seemed to be a minute stretching for an eternity, it even seemed to linger in the air as she dropped the flute from her lips, holding it simply with her left hand while her right hand dropped down to her scimitar. Her green palm wrapped around the serpent-styled hilt and drew the blade, aged but well cared for, from its sheath. It glistened in the moonlight before she dropped it quickly. The lingering note in the air was shattered by the cries of the boy when the blade hit him. If she had cared to,it seemed as if she would have no issue in cleaving the boy in two with the weapon she used (for scimitars in proper hands could do such things). However, she simply forced him down onto the ground once her blade had cut halfway through him.

A silent prayer was mouthed before she inhaled deeply once again. The boy faded, bright blue particles floated upwards from where he had been though were almost instant swallowed by the woman. Even Saneatsu would feel a slight pull on his own being, pulling at him at a deeper level than just his body or even the Force - it was pulling on his very essance of existance. However, it stopped as she closed her mouth.

Her blade was sheathed quickly.

[frost]

Everything was fine, until his soul pager began to ring.. It had detected a high level hollow nearrby, and he was surprised he didnt sense it beforehand. He was tired in a way. Maybe it was his never ending job of passing on plague victims. It was very tiresome to fight legions of demons and hollows just to send one Plus soul.

Xemnas took off as hard as he could, only to witness the hollow, or Arrancar, devour a young Plus soul. It made every muscle in his body clench. He unhooded himself, revealing his bleach white hair and vengeful orange eyes. He calmed down and approached silently. "It is not often I see your kind here Arrancar. I suggest you run home to your desert or go bother the soul society members on Earth. If you refuse... I will have to cleanse you."

[Ira]

Anatta wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, turning red eyes towards the Shinigami as he approached. She was silent as she watched and listened to him. Nothing was said in response even. She merely tilted her head to the side as if not to understand him. The wind toyed with white veil and her hair as she simply stood and stared for a moment longer. She gave a short and soft exhale, hardly even audible.

It was with that exhale though that she allowed just a fraction of her presence to be felt; the former Vasto Lorde was not impressed by the foolish shinigami. So easy to enrage, was he? Typical. So very typical. And these were the beings that continued to allow this to happen. They deserved not the gift she wished to bestow to everyone.

But she would still grant it to them in time.

The Arrancar turned away. She was not done for the evening, but she was not about to get involved in a senseless fight. Such fights would be meaningless and the Shinigami would learn nothing. She twirled her flute in her left hand as she strolled away in a very defined manner, an odd one to be simply casual in walking. The manner in which she began to walk was almost similar to the way models walk down a runway; her steps were done in a straight line, one directly in front of the other. They were not planted with the usual confidence a runway model may have for her steps were soft and quiet.

She lifted her flute to her lips once more, and glanced over her shoulder once more as she began to play. Nothing was held in those red eyes though as they looked towards the Shinigami, they were practically empty. At least until she blinked, a glare of defiance was shot towards Xemnas as her eyes opened once again, the pupils of her eyes changing shape just for a brief second. But in the next blink, the glare was gone and her pupils returned to normal. She continued walking, playing her quiet song.

[saneatsu]

*Saneatsu wasn't quite sure how to feel watching the young boy be ... devoured? There was nothing he could have done for the boy but still something felt off. He continues to stand there but opens his eyes when he feels yet another presence nearby. He turns his head just enough to be able to see the newcomer without taking his eyes off the woman before him.

He just watches their interactions and feels their auras, almost like yin and yang, similar but different. His was bright and a bit more evident, hers was more like a coiled snake keeping perfectly still waiting to see if it needed to strike.

He feels her presence expand, countering it with his own aura. He would have continued to stand there in silence but Xemnas broke it. He turns to the man and glances at him. They had met once before while he had met up with Wakanda. Now it seems they were destined to meet again. *

Why are you so disturbed by what she did? I saw no ill will towards the young boy, it seemed more like how someone would look at a meal. However he was dead, he had rejoined the force and there was no helping him and if the force let her devour him, then there must be a reason why.


*As he speaks she begins to walk away. He doesn't have any reason to follow but does so out of boredom. Perhaps if he observes her for longer he will understand what keeps nagging at the back of his mind. He starts off after her, not fast but in a lazy manner. Even her glare shot at Xemnas didn't disturb him, he had received far worse from people far closer to him.*

[frost]

Xemnas stepped forward and placed his hand firmly on Saneatsu's shoulder, and looked at him just as a disapproving adult would to a child who knew no better. Concidering the age difference between Xemnas and Saneatsu, Saneatsu seemed like an infant if not an unborn child. He felt he had the right to discourage him. "Do you think she killed and devoured that soul out of mercy? You are distracted from the truth. She did it to increase her own power. Follow her, and she will devour you. Think.... why does her music seem so appealing? It is a trap.", Xemnas said, his eyes showing concern for him.

Then she played that flute.... what a... calming melody. It brought back memories... long lost memories when Xemnas was too a Hollow. He remembered the never ending hunger, and the urge to mercilessly kill and devour everything in his path. Hollows, Shinigami, Pluses, Quincies, Bounts, none of them were safe from him. He didnt do much, for he was stricken down by two captains. It took two to kill him. He did not wish to go to Rukongai, but he was sent their regardless. The cleansing was not completely successful. His bleach white hair when he was a hollow never turned back to normal, nor did his bright orange eyes change back to its deep blue color it once was. His aura was still hollow-like, but it was now a soul-reaper's and yet not quite. A fine mixture of the two. Even his personality was somewhat like a hollow's.

Xemnas felt his own gloved hand touch his face, wanting to feel that mask once more, but he touched skin. Although calm on the outside, his mind was raging. 'Cero... CERO!', his mind commanded, but no red orb of energy formed anywhere. Then suddenly... silence. His hearing seemed to stop over his internal conflict, or maybe he was in a trance? It didnt matter... he needed to be the hollow he once was before. He began to move forward, one slow step at a time. The Arrancar's influential power was almost too great to resist. Well... if he wanted to resist he could.. but he didn't. The arrancar's song awoken memories within him he wanted to relive, but only a glimpse of this desire was visible in his eyes.

[Ira]

Fool. What did he know about her and her tactics? What did he know about why she did the things she did? It was out of mercy. It was out of kidness she devoured the things that no longer statisfied her hunger. These pluses did nothing for her. These pluses tasted plain and boring, they were almost digusting with how weak they usually were. Her song stopped out of annoyance. Her hands remained still and her mouth closed, preventing the passing of air and leaving the walkway in a hanging and dense silence. She even stopped walking for a moment. A light and soft sounding jingle came from the bell at the hilt of her sword as she stopped walking.

She turned to face the two near her. A hiss of sorts came from the woman as she gave a sharp and short exhale through her mouth. She wanted nothing to do with these people. Anatta waved her hand towards them, as if to dismiss them. Even with the issues Xemnas seemed to having; she cared not. They were not her targets at the moment.

Yes, perhaps Shinigami should have been the primary targets. However, targeting and hunting them down drew attention. Attention she did not care to have.

She remained motionless, a simple glare being given to those who were following her.

[saneatsu]

*Saneatsu shakes his head. To him the boy was still there, he was just apart of the woman, who in turn was a part of the force. He saw nothing wrong with her as all she seemed to want was souls, and what were they other than a part of the force. Xemnas however, wasn't in his right mind. At least he didn't seem like he was, there was something ... off. Xemnas was walking forward towards the woman when Saneatsu appears in front of him.*

Look, I'm not sure what's going on in that little head of yours but I think she has made it clear, she's not going to fight. In fact it seems like she's more than ready to cap your ass if you don't leave.

Now I suggest that you walk away and just let it be.