Special Orders (Open)

Walkren enjoyed the empty stretch of road he was currently walking on. The gravel crunched under his sandaled feet. There was nothing for miles. Just a vast expanse of farmland and trees. These were usually his favorite patrols. Nothing to see, no one to run into. Rarely would he find Hollows out here in the middle of no where. It still had to be done. There were people out here that might come under danger, or, more importantly, Pluses who have wandered too far out for the normal city patrols to find. Walkren didn’t think he would find anything like that out here, but there was always the possibility.

There were smaller towns dotting the vast emptiness, and Walkren was coming upon one of those now. It was small, peaceful...A place Walkren would love to live. A place he could be left alone to play his music or indulge any other endeavors he sought. This was a one street kind of town. The main highway passed right through it, but the town was so far out that traffic was rarely enough to cause the noise to bother the residents of this small village. Walkren closed his eyes as he walked over the threshold into the town, scanning the area for spiritual energies. There wasn’t much here. He doubted that a Plus would be hanging out here. There was something though, a strange reiatsu he had never encountered. It wasn’t Hollow...it definitely wasn’t Shinigami.

Walkren’s brow furrowed as he tried to pinpoint it. It was in the town alright, but he could tell what it was. He turned down a side street, making his way towards the strange spiritual signature. Besides the disturbance, everything else about this town was mundane. The people he passed, the japanese houses he walked by. It didn’t seem too special or out of the ordinary. But this presence...he couldn’t put his thumb on why it seemed so familiar to him.

He was close. Hesitant. His right hand gripped his dagger out of habit. He rounded the corner and saw...nothing out of the ordinary. A small tea shop, smoke billowing out a chimney, sat along the street. There was a man, no two men. He didn’t notice the second one at first. There were two men sitting. Two bikes, parked. One of the men was drinking what Walkren assumed to be tea. He hesitated again, but eventually walked closer to the shop to try and figure out what the presence was coming from. He was safe to approach without the mortals noticing him. He didn’t have a gigai, so he started to observe the man drinking his tea.

It seemed like the presence was coming from him, but he seemed like a mortal to Walkren. He knew about Quincy, but this wasn’t one of them. He had heard about spiritually aware humans. Perhaps this was one of them. He shrugged and continued to probe the man spiritually. The other man didn’t seem to give off any spiritual presence, which was another strange thing to Walkren. Even simple souls gave off some kind of wave. This was definitely a strange oddity that Walkren had found. He didn’t see any reason not to observe the man for a bit longer, so he continued to stand near by, staring at the two men, seeing what they would do.

[562] [11] [11]

Jack was quietly sipping tea as he sat there, enjoying the scenery. This was certainly a nice small town. It was quiet, easy on the eyes, and peaceful. Not to mention that the women here were quite fair of skin and beauty. It made Jack slightly chuckle as he sipped his tea daintily just like Sergei had taught him. Pinkie finger out and everything as he held the small cup with very fine tea. The potent mixture of the aroma it gave off, the flavors that Jack could taste, and the warmth all gave a  very smooth, very refined taste. One of the little things in life that Jack could appreciate. However, the moment was short lived as a small prickle on the back of his neck started. Jack knew a lot of things about being paranoid and watching your ass out in the field. He was Marine Spec Ops for crying out loud.

And he had that feeling again. The one where something or someone was watching him intently. Almost like he was someone's target, or prey. Jarvis noted the subtle change in Jack's posture, his hand coming to rest next to where his K-Bar was stashed. He kept his head down, listening intently as he tried to practice like he was taught. Jarvis's comment broke Jack's concentration.

"Expecting trouble sir?"

Jack looked up and then finally glanced about with his eyes, before he decided to slightly turn his head as he spoke.

"Well, that depends if the trouble is going to sit there and stare at me, or sit like a gentle soul so we can be civil about this,"

"Ah I understand sir, prepping your coat,"

That was Jarvis's code phrase in his civilian mode that he was now prepping for combat mode. In barely have a second he could go weapons hot and engage whatever he deemed hostile immediately, with or without lethal force. That was something that Jack had left up to Jarvis's discretion. One thing about Jarvis is that while he was programmed not to harm innocent life, he was not programmed with what was and wasn't innocent. He left that up to Jarvis to decide, and the AI was certainly learning. All that was left now was to see if whomever decided to happen on them decided to-

"Sir, Mr. Blagovich would like to see you. He's in his private room in the back,"

Jack cursed mentally but graciously nodded as he motioned for Jarvis to follow him. They walked through the shop and into the back where a large Russian sat cross legged, with a comparatively small buffet laid before him across two very naked Japanese women. Their faces were calm and collected, and they did not move as was custom. He looked up at Jack and the figure speaking casually.

"Jack! My friend it has been long time no see eh? Good to see you made it out of the Marines in one piece you crazy bastard,"

The two embraced as the meeting began.

Word Count: 503

GP Earned: 10

Total GP: 21

The man was sipping tea very properly. It went on for a while. Walkren was patient. He didn’t mind waiting for something interesting to happen...if it even did. Otherwise, he would just continue his patrol. It would be a boring rest of the patrol, but Walkren didn’t mind boring. He loved being alone and he loved the quiet serene that came with this kind of area. This, though...this might prove to be very interesting if this man ended up doing anything spiritual.

Walkren was always looking for new knowledge to devour and it seemed like he might have found some. Plus, the man was easy on the eyes as he sipped away at his tea. Walkren still hadn’t figured out the other man with no spiritual energy, but, for now, he would just observe before poking around too much. His right hand fiddled with his dagger. He stood stationary just watching.

The man shifted. A tense feeling rose in the air. Walkren watched the man intently. One of them spoke. The one without a reiatsu. The other looked up from his tea, glancing around...in Walkren’s direction. Can he see me? Walkren was wary for a second. Even though he didn’t suspect a mortal could even do any harm to him, he still got weird chills down his spine. His right hand tightened on his dagger.

“Well, that depends if the trouble is going to sit there and stare at me, or sit like a gentle soul so we can be civil about this...”

The man’s words echoed as Walkren realized he was probably talking to him. He was about to speak up and see if the man could hear him when he got pulled away. Walkren was definitely intrigued. He quietly followed behind. He was a silent observer. Only there to watch and listen. Passing through the walls with ease, he found himself in a room in the back of the small tea shop. Food covered two naked Japanese women. One of Walkren’s eyebrows raised. Curious customs. There was a man on the other side of this makeshift table. The two men entered the room and the one with the strange reiatsu gave a hug to the man with the naked women. Walkren watched on as a strange meeting progressed...

[383] [7] [18]

Jack finally released the similar sized Russian as he took a seat while the other figure stayed standing. The Russian sat across from him, and it was Jack who first spoke.

"Yuri my friend it's been a long time,"

"It has it has," The Russian replied

Jack smiled as he picked up some of the food and put it on a little tray before him. He continued.

"So, how are things on your end?"

"Doing quite well really as you can see," He winked at the end of his reply.

Jack chuckled as he continued. "Still a bit of a perv eh?" He then picked up some chopsticks and began eating, quite surprisingly as proper as customs dictated, while they spoke.

"Heh if that's what you want to call it, but now, I've got the money to support that luxury,"

"Really? I was meaning to ask how you came into that,"

"Quite simple really, you do a couple consultations, build a few simple but reliable rigs and then sell them, quite easy enough for me. But then again, you were the one that had the ideas for expanding the idea eh? You were always ambitious,"

"Aye, I was, and that's why I called you here," he paused to turn around and speak to the figure "Jarvis, would you be so kind as to remove the helmet?"

"Yes sir,"

What happened next made Yuri's eyes go wide. Cracks appeared in the supposed "motorcycle helmet" and pieces began to mechanically pull away, revealing the face of a robot, with a human like features. It's eyes and mouthpiece still however glowed blue, giving away that this was more than a mere disguise. Jack then looked back at Yuri and smiled.

"So, what do you think?"

"You cheating bastard! We were supposed to build that together! But by god he's beautiful," He paused in his staring and looked back at Jack. "Is he complete?"

"Almost, just one key component missing, but before we get to that," Jack looked over to his right where the until now ignored person was standing."You can either leave, or promise to keep quiet about this. Oh and you might want to introduce yourself while you're at it, Yuri can see you too,"

Yuri looked over and then back at Jack. "Wait, you mean you can see them? When did this happen?"

"Long story," Jack replied still staring quite intently at the robed figure in the room. While before he'd been holding the chopsticks properly to eat, now they were clutched firmly in his hand. Jack was visibly frustrated at what he felt was needless following, and putting him on edge, when if someone wanted to know something they could just ask.

Word Count: 452

GP Earned: 9

Total GP: 30

Walkren stood stone still. He was sure the man was speaking to him. He can definitely see me. His hand continued to grip his dagger lightly. His mind tumbled to figure out what to do. Both of the men could see him it seemed. There didn’t seem to be a right way to act. Walkren just chuckled and scratched the back of his head, “You can see me then? How embarrassing!”

He smiled, friendly and warm. Another chuckled escaped his lips, “The name’s Walkren. Don’t mind me...you aren’t exactly suppose to see me. Hence the embarrassment.”

He sighed internally. What a drag. He just wanted to observe them and they could see him? No more sating his curiosity it seemed...unless these folks were willing to let him listen in that is. His curiosity for the man without a reiatsu had grown when it was revealed he was a mechanical man. Not to mention the fact that these two mortals could see him clear as day apparently...Might as well stick around if they allow it. He will get more information out of conversation and observing than just observing.

He can always leave if it got to be too much. It’s not like these two could catch him when he’s using Shunpo...though they are able to see him. Maybe there’s even more two these mysterious men. He didn’t want to underestimate them again. He would react accordingly. There was no planning this situation out. He would get too tripped up in his own planning if he tried to account for every scenario. Go with the flow. That had worked for him for the past several decades, no sense in changing now.

“If you don’t mind, I’d be inclined to stick around. Your secrets are safe with me.” A half laugh filled the room as he looked at the man who had addressed him. The man he had followed in. He looked right into his eyes, matching the man’s stare. His smile still beaming off of his face.

[339] [6] [24]

Jack smiled back at him as he heard his half done chuckle. He nodded and gestured to the empty spot traditionally reserved for a third party at this meeting. The girls that they were eating off of for their part, didn't even flinch at the mention of a new party here that was unseen to them. Like professionals they staid stock still, unflinching. One would almost think them dead except for the very shallow and quiet breaths you could hardly see but certainly notice if you paid attention long enough. Jack now accepting that this new comer while he might not be the most trust worthy of sorts, was certainly not going to attempt to slit his throat. At least, not while he kept his hand very, very close to his K-BAR. He looked back to Yuri as he continued speaking.

"So Yuri, where were we?"

The Russian smiled and spoke knowingly. "I believe we were coming to the point of your visit. I know you don't fly half way across the world for idle chats with old friends,"

Jack nodded and continued. "Ah yes, well as you can see, Jarvis is almost complete. In fact, he is only missing one key component,"

Jarvis looked down at Jack with what appeared to be genuine surprise. "Sir, I have checked my systems against your plans. Unless there is something that you changed in your mind, I am more than one hundred percent compete, I-"

Jack held up a hand to stop the AI, speaking in a calm tone.

"I know Jarvis, and as far as those designs go, you are complete. Fully functional and capable, but there is one thing that needs to be done, now that certain truths have been made clear," He looked at Yuri knowingly and it seemed like Yuri's eyes lit up with excitement. Jarvis still seemed slightly confused as he continued with a single question.

"I do apologize sir, but what is this component you say I am missing?"

"No need to apologize Jarvis. But one thing I know about Yuri is that he was talking about finding a way to harvest and use spiritual energy. I'm talking about harnessing the power of Reiatsu,"

"Ah, so the plan is to install the prototype onto my chassis sir?"

"Correct Jarvis, which brings me back to you Yuri, how..... and did you get this completed?"

The Russian looked like he was going giddy with happiness. Like a little boy who was about to show all of his friends a cool toy he'd gotten for his birthday. Mainly in his case, that Jack had not only remembered that parting conversation, but had taken enough note to remember the subject and project he'd mentioned.

"Well.... to be honest it quite surprises me that you even remember that Jack. As for if I did complete it, I did, sorta," He paused as he downed several bites of sushi in a single gulp "You see, Reiatsu is an energy that like any other, can be channeled. Like electricity, light or anything else you can build a system to hold it, store it, and transfer it for use like any other. Even harvesting it was a cinch once I figured out all the little niches in the system. It will even allow Jarvis to see and act like normal spiritually aware and capable beings, but there's one problem,"

"Which is?"

"I have perfected the prototype..... but it doesn't work,"

Jarvis was watching the exchange intently as he kept track of all that was going on, to the best of his ability anyways. Jack spoke in a more concerned tone as this point was brought up.

"What do you mean it doesn't work?"

"I mean, I have everything ready, built and good to go. My calculations were perfect on its design and it works so well I have to worry about local static as it collects that and begins to hold a charge. But.... it won't capture spiritual energy. I haven't got a single spark of it since I built it. I was actually putting that project on hold, thinking about scrapping it,"

Jarvis finally spoke up. "Sir, you said this machine was built to harness the power of Reiatsu?"

Yuri looked up at the machine and replied quickly. "Yes..... why?"

Jarvis continued, his tone intellectual and logical. "Well, you said it won't gather energy yes? Think of a car's electrical system. A battery, an alternator, fuses, and cables. If everything is brand new and working, but it still won't work, what would be your answer?"

Yuri furrowed his brow. "You would jump start the car.... with another car,"

"Precisely,"

"But how does that help us,"

Jack smiled as he looked back at Jarvis. "Nice move my friend. So it's simple, I infuse some spiritual energy, and it should start working. Interesting theory Jarvis," He then looked to the Shinigami and spoke.

"Well, what do you think about that Mr. Walkren? I'm guessing you'd like me to call you that unless you prefer Mr. Death God,"

Word Count: 842

GP Earned: 16

Total GP: 46

The life of a combat capable Kidō caster was exceptionally brutish in comparison to the other users of Kidō in the Seireitei. Patrols! Members of the Fifth Division were the ones who were suppose to be send on patrols, not intelligent, capable minds like Amaya! Her talents could be put to effective use elsewhere -- perhaps she could be logging and storing the effects of slightly altering the Reiryoku flows when channeling a Kidō spell, or perhaps she could be aiding research into newer and more effective spells to be added to the grand libraries the Third Division had constructed for such grand purposes! Or perhaps not -- perhaps she could be here, away from the city and on patrol, searching for any lurking Hollow threat or Plus that wandered dangerously far off the beaten path. Defeat the Hollow, correct the path and send to Soul Society. The life of a Death God was exceedingly cut and dried.
 
And here she found herself, following the footsteps of another Shinigami who had managed to cover the route faster than she could. Her lips parted, dividing her thick, red-painted lips and releasing an exasperated sigh. She shook her head in spite of herself, What else to do but trudge on?, she reasoned. There was nothing to be felt in terms of spiritual activity in any discernible direction and she doubted with every fiber of her being that a change of course would result in any threat or plus being discovered. In fact, to be certain of such reasoning, she carried with her the famous Denreishinki -- a device carried by Shinigami not at all dissimilar to the mobile phones the Humans in the World of the Living make use of -- to detect any Hollows that may make themselves known. Chances are if a Hollow shows its face, a Plus was wandering around; if there were no Hollows, it was reasonable to conclude there were no Pluses, either.
 
Oh, what profound and uncharacteristic laziness. The heat was really getting to her, wasn't it?
 
She continued along the path the Shinigami before her had taken, walking at a steady pace. The sun above had its light refracted in many different shapes and directions, reflecting a golden light upon the landscape before her. Ah, what it must look like in the sun, Amaya wondered, her crescent-shaped hair piece in mind. It had cost her quite the hefty sum of currency to have commissioned and she regretted absolutely nothing about such a grand waste of capital; after all, it reminded her of a time when she was wealthy beyond reason! Sure, such a time was a smudge on her humanity -- she was a lying whore! Literally! A whore and a pimp. Such rumors regarding Geisha and the truth of such rumors were indeed few and far between, though the young human Amaya was part of the shred of truth that existed to such dismal reports. What a terror, she was. Such a rich, learned terror.
 
Yet here she was now, a savior to the weak! She'd do all she could to stand up for the men and women who existed in a sex-slave-esque trade; those within such business were very rarely there by choice and their health, emotions, ideas -- their humanity! -- were oft underrepresented and ignored. They lived dangerous lives filled with systematic humiliation, personal invasion and other forms of demeaning repression. Paid in fortunes, Amaya knew where that cash truly went! Hardly ever did those who earned the coin get a hand in the pot. As an Okaa-san -- Mother Geisha (leader of a sisterhood) -- Amaya saw the highest share of the cash while her workers were paid only enough to live. Those who stripped their clothes and engaged in sexual acts would, nine out of ten times where Amaya was concerned, choose something just as high paying with less of a personal demand. Those who saw such employment opportunities as an outlet to express themselves in an artistic fashion, to Amaya, were only fooling themselves.
 
Her thoughts and reflections came to a sudden halt when she realized where her travels had taken her. Before her stood an establishment of some kind -- far enough from the prying eyes of others that, "business," could be taken care of -- that seemed to be the path her Shinigami predecessor had taken. Curious enough, on additional and careful analysis of her own, admittedly unrefined, Spiritual Senses, there seemed to be two others in the vicinity. She couldn't determine exactly where from such rudimentary senses, though the answer was clear considering the landscape: within the building, she would find not only her Shinigami ally (she hoped he was an ally!), but the two others she vaguely felt.
 
Hmm...
 
She decided it was well worth the trouble to see what such a gathering could result in. At the very least, she could get in on whatever action was currently taking place; was her ally in a pickle? Did he need support? Was he, perhaps, kidnapped against his will? Such dramatic scenarios were likely just that: dramatic scenarios; Amaya didn't feel any negative intent with the Reiatsu she'd managed to pick up on moments ago when she'd pried at the energies in the front of the establishment. Even still, it never hurt to be sure, did it? With such a goal in mind, she made her way within the building, meandering here and there unknown to the spiritually unaware men and women that sat, stood and chatted here and there; this place, Amaya hadn't thought about it, nor did she look at the sign at the front, was a tea shop! That explained the delicious aroma that filled the air. How sophisticated! How quaint! Very lovely indeed.
 
Having made her way room-to-room, she eventually pinned down the location of her ally, made positive by his telltale Shihakusho -- the Shinigami uniform. She entered the space quietly and immediately regretted having walked in on whatever this gathering was. How foolish of her! Surely they could have sensed her arrival long before she had even made it this far. How intrusive! How embarrassing! Her eyes darted to the Shinigami immediately, wondering if he would be upset at her arrival; could she have compromised something? He didn't look to be in any danger, so perhaps this meeting was deeply personal -- private, even. Again, she extended her Spiritual Senses outward, probing at the three who were in the room at the current moment: two Humans -- were they Fullbringers or simply Spiritually Aware? -- who emitted a respectable amount of Reiatsu themselves and then the Shinigami, exceptionally powerful himself, though not too far ahead of his company, it seemed
 
Her eyes then fell to the large man near the other two humans -- something wasn't right about the third one, though, as he didn't emit any Reiatsu now that Amaya thought about it, did he? None at all, it seemed! How strange. His features shone with a soft blue, as well. At the very least, that man wasn't normal. So be it. Things in the Spiritual world rarely were normal.
 
Though what caught her attention most were the two bare naked woman in the room with them all. Silent. Dead silent. Alive, sure, though it seemed what remained of a personality within them had long ago died. Buried, perhaps, but not there. Not right now. Not while their bodies were exposed for all prying eyes to behold. The young woman's lips tightened and her jaw clenched; she didn't like what she saw. How terrible for these men to carry on like there was nothing out of the ordinary with this picture. She would, however, bide her time and address their presence when it felt right. Perhaps prod at these gentlemen -- no, they weren't gentlemen, were they? -- a bit before getting on their case and making an enemy out of herself. In due time. All in due time.

“Pardon me,” she offered, giving a slight bow, subtly asking for forgiveness for her obvious intrusion. “I don't mean to interrupt; I was only following the footsteps of my ally here,” she offered, indicating the Shinigami who stood a few strides to her side. Prior to her intrusion, she'd heard something strange. Jargon of some kind. What was it? What were they talking about? Infusing Spirit Energy, car batteries? A prototype? Her mind worked in a blur, filing and storing all of what her eavesdrop could manage; this would definitely be relevant to any report she were to write upon her safe return to the Seireitei. Though report aside, she was genuinely interested in whatever it was they were talking about.

“Apologies again, but what was that about a prototype and spiritual energy infusion that I heard? To humans, perhaps I could be of assistance?,” she offered -- genuine, though definitely bait. If she could get them to reveal what they were talking about, she could more effectively assess their threat level. Was what they were planning -- this prototype -- a potential threat to anyone? Or could it be something the young Shinigami could honestly offer assistance on? After all, being a learned Kidō practitioner, she was savvy where the infusion, discharge and otherwise working of Reiryoku were concerned.

____________________

Word Count: 1,551

GP Earned: 31

Thread GP Total: 31

Walkren perked up when his name was mentioned. He had been deep in thought about the approaching presence. Definitely Shinigami. Definitely familiar. Not one he’d met before. Perhaps someone he’d seen frequently. Whoever it was, they were coming straight for Walkren’s position. It wasn’t like he had been trying to hide himself. Who the hell would be out here to find him anyway? An inconsequential question. Debating with himself on the who wouldn’t change the fact that he has no idea who it was to begin with. They were coming. Walkren didn’t really care either way. He let the argument drop. As long as they didn’t disturb his curiosities then he would be fine...Who was he kidding? They would probably come and fuck everything up.

He turned his attention to the two men who were looking at him. A yawn broke through Walkren’s smiling mouth. They seemed to be awaiting a response from him. A way to jumpstart the spiritual energy of this machine man? That would be easy enough...Soul Society had their own version of what this man was attempting to do. The theory behind this instance probably worked the same way as an Asauchi. It would more than likely be a risk to pour too much of yourself into it, though. He felt the other Shinigami getting closer. It would be too foolish to jump into this experiment straight away. Perhaps this new companion would be interesting in being a guinea pig.

He relaxed his mouth into a serene smile and looked to the man who addressed him. He broke the silence, “Walkren will do just fine. No need to be formal. I don’t think I caught your name officially...” He stopped for a second, the other Shinigami was approaching. The presence was in the building.

“You’ll have to excuse me for a second. It seems we have another guest...I’d like to greet them before proceeding. Now, no need to be worried. I’m sure our new friend will be plenty amicable...” He let his words trail off as the new face entered the room. A woman. Not half bad looking either. Walkren raised an eyebrow as the newcomer began to speak. A regal beauty radiated from her. She was quite polite about her entrance as well. The face did give it away. He had definitely seen her before. Walkren was not sure at all from where, though...

After hearing her out, Walkren’s smile grew. He stood from his spot and next to the skin table the two women were making and walked to greet the woman. He gave her an informal bow and flashed her a warm, friendly smile. “There is no need to apologies. My name is Walkren. We...may have met before. I thought I was on this mission alone, but no matter. You are here now and that’s all that matters!”

He turned back to the two men and continued to speak, “I found this man radiating quite an interesting reiatsu...and his companion not radiating one at all. I came to investigate and have been propositioned, as you so astutely heard. By all means, if there is a way for you to help...” He motioned with his hands towards Amaya, giving her the floor to help these men out. He took a large breath, having said more than he thought he would. He back up to allow Amaya forward. At least he wouldn’t have to be the one to do all the work. This Shinigami seemed on top of her game. This allowed Walkren to just sit back and observe. He liked that plan much better.

[605] [12] [36]

Jack sighed as he noticed another person enter and looked over at the current Shinigami that'd been here to begin with. And then he looked back at the woman that had just entered and spoke quite bluntly.

"Good god in heaven I know I asked for some help, but that was ten fucking years ago,"

He then looked between the two of then and heard out the girl's proposal, saying she could help. His mind worked over the possibilities on that front, before he immediately answered that question to himself. Jarvis was his creation, even if he got a little bit of help to create him, he would take the risks on it. These two could tag along maybe but if he was gonna do something, he was gonna do it right the first time. He would do it himself. He began clearing the "table" gathering empty platters and plates and stacking them as Yuri began to do the same. The meeting in the tea house was officially over now that the privacy to it was officially gone. Once done with cleaning everything off of the two girls, Yuri spoke in perfect Japanese to them.

"Anata ga imamade shutoku shi, on'nanoko o nokosu koto ga, tōsha no jigyō o shūryō shimasu. Watashi no tame ni anata no okāsan shiawasena tanjōbi o oshietekudasai," (You may now get up and leave girls, our business is concluded. Please do tell your mother happy birthday for me.)

The two immediately stood up and nodded to him respectfully, though the younger of the two rushed forward and hugged Yuri. He chuckled a little as he returned the hug and then stood as they left through a side door to retrieve their clothes. Jack then stood as well and spoke calmly.

"Well, since this tea house is no longer private, and we've already discussed what we came here to talk about, I move we head over to your place Yuri,"

Yuri laughed as he spoke. "Seconded, we can start right away on Jarvis's refit for the system,"

Jack then looked at Jarvis and spoke, clearly concerned for what the AI thought. "Jarvis, are you okay with this? This is quite experimental, and we could end up destroying you or killing us both on accident,"

Jarvis seemed to smile as he spoke to them. "Well sir, I calculate our odds at success to be 1 against 1000 with current parameters for calculation. However, you and Mr. Blagovich seem quite confident so I trust you,"

Jack smiled and patted him on the back. "Good to hear," He then turned to everyone else as he began to walk out himself. "Well onward chaps, don't have all day,"

Yuri chuckled as he held open the door for everyone to leave and as soon as everyone was out of the room, shut it behind them. He then turned to walk to the front of the group, moving quickly despite his larger size, speaking greetings to people as he passed and them waving happily to him. The would walk through the center of the village and out to the western edge for about five minutes before they came upon a large but not particularly ornate or very nice looking house. In fact, it looked quite plain compared to the rest of the village, the simple concrete walls and shingles much less nice compared to the traditional houses of the village. There were a few windows, but otherwise nothing really of note there. A boy was sitting out front as they arrived, and began talking faster in Japanese than Jack could hope to translate or understand. Yuri however had no issues as he conversed with the boy and looked down at his cybernetic leg. He seemed to inspect it for two minutes and then spoke to the rest of them in much clearer English.

"He's busted his knee joint, again. I'm gonna fix it right quick and send this little tyke on his way to play soccer with his friends. Please wait inside, I'll only be a few minutes," He spoke in a friendly demeanor.

Jack nodded and opened the warehouse door, walking inside to view a myriad of tools, robotics, parts, and just..... stuff everywhere. Jack shook his head slightly as he mumbled to himself.

"Yuri you haven't changed a bit since college,"

He walked over to where a flat screen TV was set up on the wall, and turned it on to a football game in America to get some back ground noise. He hated it when it was quite, made him able to jump at the sound of a pin dropping. Once that was done he grabbed a soda from a nearby mini fridge, also stocked with beer and vodkas. He cracked open the can as he waited for someone else to converse, or start a conversation. With Sergei he could be casual, but these new two arrivals, this was.... different to be sure.

Word Count: 824

GP Earned: 16

Total GP: 62

Walkren lazily followed behind the group, keeping up and keeping quiet. His right hand rested on his dagger as they strolled along. This was becoming a drag. He had hoped they would stay at the same location.

Apparently not.

They plodded along and Walkren absentmindedly followed behind. He was in no mood to observe or be curious...though he still watched. He took everything in, every little detail. It was second nature to him. The fixing of the boy’s knee fascinated him, but the man drew him away when he opened the warehouse. So many tools and instruments. Walkren wanted to go over each one and find out what they did.

He pulled himself inside, keeping his casual appearance as he found a place to lean against. His eyes fell and closed. The sound of yelling and shouting was suddenly brought to life and Walkren’s eyes opened suddenly. The TV had been turned on. On it was what the mortals called sports...some barbaric fighting game where you tried to get a ball to a certain place on the field.

Pointless.

He gave a heavy sigh and saw the man eyeing him. A side eye glance at the other Shinigami told Walkren she wasn’t going to be speaking up anytime soon.

The awkward silence was palpable in the air, the sound of the barbaric fighting playing in the background. Walkren stood up from his position and walked over to the man whose name he still didn’t know and dragged his words into existence, “...so, have you met our kind before?"

[260] [5] [41]

Jack looked directly at the shinigami that had decided to speak, taking a seat on the back of the couch as he looked back at the other two. Jarvis started running scans over the rest of the room, looking over the equipment in the room. There was equipment all over several workbenches, mostly differing pieces of robotics. There was several arms, legs, even what looked like a spine and bone replacements.

That looks a bit ambitious.

"No Walkren, until today I've no direct experience with your kind. Only what I've been told and my own deductions. And if that's anything to go off of, I'm wondering as to the why you've decided to 'grace' us with your presence," Jack's tone was clearly hinting at he didn't buy that the Shinigami happened on them by chance. He was also implying that most shinigami would probably brush humans off as worthless.

It was a statement that he not only believed, but also he wanted another opinion on. And who better to ask than the spiffy dressing devils themselves? He looked over at the door as Yuri walked back through, noticing that Jarvis was looking over the parts. He spoke something to the AI and lead him over to a workbench on the other side of the room. But Jack wasn't worried about that right now. His full attention was focused on the Shinigami, whether they liked it or not. He certainly wore his distrust on his sleeve now that they were certainly in a private place. Meanwhile in the back, Jarvis was busy assisting the installation of the new system in his back.

Word Count: 271

GP Earned: 5

Total GP: 67

“Curiosity.”

“Nothing more.” Another side glance at the Shinigami that had joined him, “Though I can’t speak for my companion, I was simply on a patrol when I happened upon your interesting reiatsu.”

He moved around the couch, idly looking over the equipment and parts that were strewn throughout the room. Most of it was simplistic. Other pieces...were quite advanced. Things he had never seen, even in the laboratories of the Fourth. The labs that he had seen at least.

“I’ve never met a human like you...I’ve...heard and read plenty about your kind. There are lots of reasons that one might...come upon their awareness.” He chose his words carefully. Not wanting to cause any problems so early in their relationship. Not to mention the man was quite handsome. A smile danced its way onto his face as he looked over at the man again. “I like to think of this as research for any future encounters with your kind I may have.”

His gaze trailed to the man called Yuri in the back as he worked with Jarvis. That was why they were here, but if this man wished to speak then Walkren would speak. Might as well be on an even playing field...

“I didn’t catch your name before...mind if I ask for it?”

[220] [4] [45]

Research eh? Jack wondered. Just bloody brilliant. Now they were lab rats as well.

No..... this man was learning another player just like any experienced chess player would. So they weren't near as arrogant as I originally thought.

Jack shrugged off the line of thought and walked passively around the shinigami. He was certainly not what he thought of when it came to a supposed death god. However he had all the identifying traits, black cloak, blades.... definitely one of them. He looked back over to Yuri as he saw that he was moving a small box towards the open panel in the back left side of Jarvis's back. He raised an eyebrow as he watched, keeping his voice calm.

"Is that the device Yuri?"

"Aye,"

"Don't you think we should.... test it first?" The paused would show to anyone his doubt if they cared to listen.

Yuri turned around with a mock pained expression. "Now Jack when we went to JuCo together.... who was it that was better at University Calculus out the gate?"

This time Jack returned the expression with one of his, seemingly irritated. "If I recall you got a three percent higher grade,"

"Uh-hu-"

"Because I only took tests Yuri, you actually did the homework that schmuck gave out,"

"Oh but that was for fun!"

Jack rolled his eyes as he muttered the phrase "cheatin' bastard" under his breath.

Yuri chuckled as he went back to the installation, connecting several plugs and then reached for a soldering gun. When his hand didn't find it, Jarvis passed it to him, speaking.

"There you are sir,"

"Ah thank you,"

He then started soldering some wires the smell of burning metal becoming a little pungent in the air. And then a snap went through the air as Yuri cursed in Japanese as he howled and clutched his hand. The soldering gun then fell inside Jarvis's chest and clattered around a little as Jack immediately walked over a little concerned.

"God dammit Yuri what did ya do now?!"

"Hehe, found a live wire apparently... now then... oh, I should probably be wearing these," he pulled out some safety gloves and put them on "Now let's go after that thing,"

Jack shook his head and then proceeded to face palm. Jarvis looked over his shoulder, turning his head completely around and shrugged. He then spoke as Yuri apparently jiggled around his internals a bit.

"Uhm.... Mr. Blagovich, would you like some help?" He shifted into a posture which was showing how uncomfortable he was with this situation.

"Nope.... almost got.... IT! There I got it!" He called out as he finally grabbed the soldering gun and pulled his arm out of Jarvis's back. He then looked back down at the little box he was trying to install and his face took a pondering look.

"Now where was I?"

Jack was about to say something when Yuri went back to soldering and then finished a few seconds.  He looked up and mumbled something over his breath and eyed the box like a hawk. Jack walked over to his right shoulder and peered inside, looking at the small screen on the little box which showed two bars.

"Well.... this is as far as I ever get, the power shows %100..... but the spiritual energy capacitors show a zero percent like always," He looked over at Jack "Looks like the moment of truth buddy. Your move,"

Jack swallowed visibly as he rested one of his hands on the box, and the other on Jarvis's shoulder. He looked up at the AI and spoke.

"I uhm, feel like I should be saying something,"

"I'm sure it will come to you sir, though if you could wait to say it until after the process is done, that will be satisfactory,"

"Sure, we'll go with that,"

Jack then closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. His body tensed as his muscles rippled all through his frame, going through the motion of tensing all along his body. If someone were watching his Reiatsu, they'd be seeing it first starting up slowly like a fire in his chest, and then spreading throughout his body. It would even reach down to his feet, being so unfocused and raw that all Jack could do was to summon it up and try to force it into whatever he was touching. Unfortunately his lack of control meant that it was going everywhere. Including the floor. And the little box had yet to even show 1% yet. It even started to seep into the air as Jack fought with all the might he could muster to try and direct that flow into the device. And then it happened. The box started glowing faintly, and the screen blipped as the second bar first read 1%, then 2, then 3.... and it kept going. Jack looked at it and smiled letting a roar build in his chest as he used it to fuel his adrenaline which kept the energy flowing, now faster as he loosed control of to get the maximum output. Before long Jarvis started glowing as the energy surged through all of his synthetic limbs, his structure being adapted to house the spiritual energy alongside the actual power from the internal power cell. However, such a release of pure energy was sapping Jack's spiritual strength, and before long he felt himself getting weaker. However he looked down at the cell, and only saw 50%. He had to get it higher than that for the charge to hold. He gripped Jarvis firmly as his knuckles went white from exertion. He watched the ticker.... 51, 52, 53. He was almost there. He hung on like his life was on the line as he forced himself to put out more raw power. Sweat was pouring off of his forehead and he glanced down to see the ticker keep going. 56, 57, 58, 59..... it was holding at 59. SHIT. He watched as it just sat there and held. That had to be the tipping point. The charge it had to be at in order to keep itself self sustaining. He couldn't let up now. He focused on that screen, unlocking his reserves of rage to try and add to the spiritual energy that was flowing out of him into Jarvis. Images played in front of his head as one thought crossed his mind.

I. WILL. NOT. LOSE!

And if someone could actually see his spiritual energy, it surged, the flow gaining strength now as it got past the tipping point and the battery settling at a charge of 64%. Jack breathed a sigh of relief as he loosened his grip on Jarvis, and was about to let go completely when a pop sounded in the room and sent him flying across it over the couch. Yuri ducked and looked between the two as he rubbed his head.

"What the? That wasn't supposed to happen," He looked at Jarvis and then back at Jack as he spoke. He looked at the Shinigami and spoke quickly.

"Hey could you take a look at Jack, and make sure he's alright, I gotta do some math and take some measurements,"

By now the glow had subsided from Jarvis's frame as Yuri went back and forth with a note book, looking over the AI with very close scrutiny, before touching him. And nothing happened.

"Peculiar," The large man walked over to a bench and began scribbling furiously. Meanwhile Jack was laying on the floor with a dazed look on his face.

THAT was new.

Word Count: 1261

GP Earned: 25

Total GP: 92