Imagination Forest [Xiaobei/Closed]

She slunk closer, the dreary stone hallways of Las Noches leading her to new revelation after revelation. All that she had known before had been swept away. The Queen's old kingdom reshapen by the iron fist of her Abba. Even the familiar towers of the Espada had changed, stone cracked and fallen under some past storm to reveal new growth. Xiaobei had been following a musty scent, long gone but someone she still pined for, and it had led her to the outskirts of the castle proper itself and up towards the sky.

Rania was not here. Xiaobei could not find her anywhere within Las Noches, nor Hueco Mundo itself, though she had wandered as far as she could without drawing Abba's ire. The loss of her friend bit deeper than that of the white one, who had left before Xiaobei was swallowed whole and became another part of Erasmus for a while. This was sudden, unexpected, and while she could trace the history through flickers of her Father's memories she kept her eyes tightly closed when any mention of her mother came up. She did not want to see what had happened, not when it felt so much better to keep up the search. To maintain the hope that her pack could all be reunited if only she doggedly went about collecting them all and forcing them to come home.

That was the duty of a daughter, after all.

She brushed at her long sleeves, straightening one of the ribbons which had turned askew and letting it trail off behind her. The higher she wandered the more the scent grew, but no matter what she wished to believe she could tell it was ancient at best. Prowling down one more hall she came to another room, the scent of new blood floating on the air like sunlight and gold.

Pausing in curiosity, Xiaobei stared a bit at the lounging hollow-breed and trying to place her. But the two had never met, and eventually her not so covert staring resulted in the older girl calling her out. Jutting her hip to one side, Xiaobei frowned before placing a saucy smirk on her lips and sauntering out into full view. “I wasn't hiding!” her voice came out full of rolled vowels, teeth bared in challenge.

Picking her way carefully around some of the nearby stones, Xiaobei looked a little closer at the other Hollow-breed, inhaling her smell with a deep breath. She smelled a lot like metal when it was warm, and the feline side of her nature was soothed by the comparison. Hair which had bristled in her earlier upset slowly smoothed, long black quills cascading down her shoulders as Xiaobei cocked her head and grinned. “This one is Xiaobei, who are you!”

WC: 463 | GP: 9 | Total GP: 9

What an interesting creature she had attracted today! Her eyes settled on the little humanoid shape the Hollow maintained despite-- well, being a Hollow. While not entirely unheard of it was... mostly unheard of and of some significance, Cheshire could figure. There was something familiar in the air, the scent she caught, and the thoughtful honey of her gaze trailed down the spitfire of a being and traced every quill and lithe curvature of its small frame.

A distraction? An answer? She could have sworn there was a connection already here, one she couldn't entirely grasp, and that just brought her interest to full force until it was practically burning in pools of liquid fire. She hadn't met this Hollow before; she would have remembered, wouldn't she? Definitely not this one. She might have seen it in passing, perhaps? Did it have kin? No... that wouldn't work; Hollow didn't exactly breed.

She shook her head slowly, straightening up and lifting a hand to tap away at glossed lips while she mused. It could speak! Intelligently, at least, in a way, and it didn't seem poising to try and eat her; an endeavor it surely would have found itself regretting attempting. It was wearing clothing, too, nice enough ones at that-- did it live here in Las Noches, then? But that would have to be a recent development... curiouser and curiouser. That did explain the nagging feeling of a missing piece to the current events, the confusion that had been welling in her in the aftermath of Takua's 'betrayal' that could not be solely attributed to the ex-Primera or their King.

And here was an intriguing enough specimen bounding straight into her curious clutches. She tried to focus herself on the words of the other, tracing her tongue over a canine in the back of her mouth, but found it difficult with how fast her mind was working. She shifted in her seat, sliding off of the stone window frame and righting herself in a regal standing position. Her head was lifted high, her shoulders casually rolled back, and there was a playful if not amiable smile tugging up her lips in a lopsided quirk. She didn't close any distance between them, not yet, as she could not forget that this was still just a Hollow, hunger driven little beasts, and might find it in its desires to pounce and take a bite out of her. It would die, of course, and Cheshire was hardly worried that any harm would befall her-- but she wouldn't find out anything that way!

It seemed to relax after breathing her in, soft laughter bubbling behind the polite mask Cheshire wore and threatening the stability she was marshaling. Instead she pursed her lips for a moment until the urge faded, cocking her head slowly to one side and sending a messy bundle of her hair falling down her face; covering one of those beaming eyes. How did she go about this game, then? Did she start it off with a song? A few nice words? More chiding?

There was a kinship she felt with what else seemed vaguely feline, the hand on her lips trailing a neat line up her cheek and through her hair until it rounded upon one of her Hollow ears. Her tiara gleamed dutifully between the other two mask fragments, moonlight pouring through the window and catching her shape as if she had planned that all along.

"Xiaobei." She purred, sounding out the name and smiling back at the beaming Hollow. "Quite an interesting name and not one you would normally hear from a Hollow." There was a familiarity to the name, as well. Who was this creature? Her boot tapped at the ground for a pause, her head returning upright and her hair brushed out of her face so she could bend slightly at her waist and lean in. "Cheshire, draga mea. That would be my name." She gently reminded herself of just where she was, and kept any mention of her title out of her words. Oh, but it was in her thoughts, surging. "May I ask what you are doing in Las Noches, little Xiaobei? How did you find me, all the way up here?"

"Are you lost?"

"Do you need a friend?"

So that was how this game would be.

723/14/30

The other Hollow was slow to rise and even slower to respond, those eyes burning bright like embers and scalding as they raked across her skin. Xiaobei felt her quills prick and bristle, a sensation like ice seeping down her spine as the woman stared at her with a gaze full of smoldering languish. Trying to inject her own brash arrogance into the meeting Xiaobei stared right back, mouth split open as she breathed in deeply to better assess this creature's scent. There was a twist to her chin and a cocked stance to her hips that betrayed her defensiveness, but Xiaobei wasn't so much bothered by this woman's spiritual power as she was by her intense feeling of age and maturity.

Strength wasn't everything, as Abba had tried to teach her. And even if she could feel the acid of her blood as sharp and intense as the sun itself Xiaobei knew that she wouldn't always win a fight with someone who was weaker, not automatically. Wisdom and cunning were two new traits she had been forced to consider and both required a patience she still found trying.

She was glad therefore when the other Hollow finally spoke, her voice flowing and melodic like the touch of velvet or the cadence of a deep purr. Something about the creature's name seemed familiar, an echoed reminder of a human fairy tail, but she let the memory slip away to better focus on her own narrative. “It is a good name! Abba gave it to me!” She grinned toothily, full of audacious pride and confidence with her place in the world.

Maybe this older lady didn't seem too bad. Xiaobei took another step closer, her nose wrinkling beneath the heavy bone of her snarling mask. “I'm not a child, Cheshire,” she snapped somewhat petulantly, a quick barb to disguise her forward approach. Stilling, Xiaobei softened, letting the insult roll away as her excitement came back. “I live here, so of course I'm around! But I hadn't been in this hall for a while and I was looking for someone. They're gone now but I thought...” She glanced to the four corners of the room and shook her head, long black quills rustling in remorse.

Shoulders thrust back, Xiaobei looked up into the other Hollow's face with an open stare as she tried to puzzle through the strange offer. “A friend? Xiaobei has lots of friends already, Cheshire. Why do you think you she needs any more?” Abba was right about her weaknesses, she needed to stop relying on other people to support her and to create that sense of community. She had to do it herself. Only when Xiaobei could live with the seeds of her own being and fully accept them could she truly show Abba that she was no longer a child who needed protection.

She felt a bit affronted that this woman would just assume she needed companionship. A companionship that went against the bloodline of most Hollow-breeds no matter what stage of their evolution they were in. Did Cheshire think her weak? To need something like friendship? To be wandering here because she was lost instead of out of her own interest?

WC: 535 | GP: 10 | Total GP: 19

Considerations mused in the playful, interested quirk of Cheshire's lips, sounded out moments after Xiaobei's words. "Abba gave it to you, mmn? I... see." No she didn't. It simply didn't make much sense to her; she had never heard of a Hollow-Breed with the name 'Abba' before, and definitely not one within Las Noches' walls. There was still that lingering feeling of familiarity, of something she was missing here, and she was doing her best to not focus too heavily on it. For a Hollow to be named by another, though-- while not absurdly uncommon, there was... something...

There was arrogance and reverence in the tone of Xiaobei's voice as it stated that fact, one that piqued Cheshire's curiosity further. A mentor figure? A protector? Xiaobei wasn't lacking in strength, even she could see that, but it did have some sort of childish air about it. Things like that appealed to a lot of odd creatures who might have taken it under their wings.

It likely wasn't Takua, now that he was gone. She also greatly doubted either Sobek or Souta had anything to do with the small Hollow. So it was safe to proceed, yes? She wasn't going to find herself stumbling into the territory of a powerhouse'd mama bear that would try to tear her to shreds for gleaming what she could from the little creature?

Not that she was worried.

"Does Abba have another name, dear Xiaobei? Forgive my ignorance; I ask merely for curiosity's sake." Could she spin eagerness into her words? Perhaps if she met Xiaobei's admiration with a manufactured sense of respect in her own speech she would be more likely to receive an interesting enough answer. There was an endless pile of lies she could pull from to keep the Hollow's interest should she need to, either way.

The step forward was met with a mirrored movement, allowing the distance to be partially closed between them while still keeping a healthy space. Was she faster? She was definitely faster. There was no need to be guarded; this wasn't an Arrancar, either way, meaning its cognitive skills were hardly... anything to be feared. What executive function could a Hollow employ that wouldn't boil down to simple instincts and brute strength?

Petulance. Cheshire almost laughed again, an eyebrow cocking further and twisting her grin to hold more amusement than it did mischief. She wouldn't be so rude as to articulate its ridiculousness, of course. "You are most likely correct. Forgive me once again. I did not mean to offend." Saccharine words, purred out with a melody. Not yet... not yet~. It didn't hurt to see how far she would be able to get this way. There was more to manipulation than magic.

"You live here, Xiaobei?" That came as a surprise, not because the answer wasn't expected but because she was still conflicted by that fact. How had such a creature passed under her radar? How would she not have seen it, have heard about it? It wasn't your average mill, run-of-the-day Hollow. There would had to have been talk at some point about its existence, right...? "Are you a new tenant? I have not-- ah, but that does not matter. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. O placere. I hope you have settled in well to your life here in Las Noches."

All answers would come in due time.

She didn't miss the melancholy in its body or oral language as it spoke of looking for-- well, she assumed an old friend, if nothing else. Someone precious? Were Hollow even capable of sadness and that level of care? "I apologize, then. I do hope you find who you are looking for again, someday." Kindness beamed in honey eyes; warm, gentle and inviting. She crouched a few inches to meet it just above eye level, not wishing to dip any lower. "I will do my best to ensure your endeavor here isn't entirely fruitless. If I can help at all, please let me know." As if anyone could find themselves disappointed at having run into her, of all people.

Taken aback further by the young-looking Hollow's reply, she had to force herself not to flinch forward and grasp it by its neck for the utter lack of respect it showed. Not that Xiaobei was being openly malicious or betraying anything but puzzlement and annoyance at Cheshire's proverbially extended hand, but who did it think it was to turn down such a gracious offer?-- fake as it may have been. Instead, however, she just laughed, giggles as quiet and soft as her breathing. "Is that so? I still do not wish to retract my offer. Do you see weakness in friendship, Xiaobei?" No, that couldn't be the case, either; it had just stated that it had many friends, meaning...?

Meaning that it was a being of conflictions.

"There is no limit to how many bonds you may develop." The more the merrier, after all, for a Queen so starved and desperate for attention.

838/16/46

“Of course he has another name! Abba is my Abba, but all the other children are gone now. They didn't call him that, anyway, back when they were around.” Xiaobei frowned a bit at her own obvious statement. She couldn't remember a time when she hadn't been with Abba, when that hadn't been his name. But it wasn't something he told her to call him. It had just... been. Like the moment she burst fourth from his gullet as a baby Hollow she had instinctively know it was his title. Her Abba, the sun that she revolved around, the very creature to give her birth. They shared in more than just blood, in more than just history. She was a part of his soul and he a part of her's. It was that bond that had kept her alive while inside of his stomach, though her own stubborn nature had served to keep her sentience separate from the great awning blackness that was Obsession's soul.

Shifting her weight from foot to foot, standing on tip toes before forcing herself to relax back to the balls of her feet, Xiaobei shoved those thoughts away. Abba was Abba, there was no use thinking about why. She knew that normal Hollows could not reproduce or give birth to children. But there was a culture of stronger Hollow-breeds collecting the more animal-like or childish Hollows as pets and companions. If that was what the world thought had happened between Abba and her, she would not mind the misconception. Their bond was secret, the truth of their existence. She did not wish anyone to know that she was in fact a part of the King's own soul, mixed and morphed and bitten off from the rest.

“Abba is the strongest in all of Hueco Mundo. He is the leader of all Hollow-breeds, the defender of the land, and the lord of this castle. Abba is your King,” she recites this like a litany, like a poem feverishly memorized, and her eyes light up with brilliant pride as if his deeds are her own. And in some ways they are, her glorious Abba being the best of the best.

Pausing from her self-reflective basking, Xiaobei eyes Cheshire as if waiting for a response to such a proclamation. The cooing tone of the other Hollow's next words catch her off guard, and Xiaobei feels a soft growl trembling in her chest, a faint warning to the other that she is not amused. “It is true. I am correct. Xiaobei is not a child!”

“You do not know how long Xiaobei has even been here, so you should not assume that I am a baby! I am strong, and I can protect myself! Just because I was gone does not mean I was hiding away, besides that was Abba's fault and not mine! I am already an Adjuchas, so I cannot be a child anymore.” Her insistence is fierce to begin with, a harsh refrain, but it grows softer until the end is more like a request. An entreaty to agree with her. She is no baby, that is why she has taken form again. To prove to Abba that she is an adult. And even if Cheshire is apologizing for her assumption, the apology was too sly to make her feel any better about it. If Xiaobei couldn't even convince this woman that she was truly older then how could she ever get Abba to believe?

Cheshire's offer of assistance melted like butter on her tongue, and Xiaobei sidled the few inches she had given up in her earlier dismay. Her quills flattened back down, a soft joy returning to her golden-green gaze. “No... It is okay. Xiaobei will keep searching, but perhaps the woman is gone now. It has been some time, many are gone.”

Cocking her head, she contemplates the idea of a plurality of bonds, each as strong as the ones she shares with her pack. Finally she shakes her head vigorously, denying both internally and physically the other's words. “It is not that. But Xiaobei must be strong. Xiaobei must survive. I cannot need other people, that is what Abba says. A Princess needs to be alone. I thought that you were insulting me, saying that I needed you...” Xiaobei shuffled, her long lashes fluttering as she gazed back up at the taller woman. “But it is kind of you to offer this to Xiaobei. I cannot be part of your pack, but maybe we can still be friends.”

WC: 757 | GP: 15 | Total GP: 34

Well, fuck.

Her mask didn't crack. Cheshire might've warbled, but she had better self control than that. She kept smiling, staring at the small Hollow with attentive, amiable eyes and nodding along with words she didn't even hear. She had, mostly, been frozen since that first key statement-- so easily and proudly spoken-- and barely registered the rest of Xiaobei's speech. It was an Adjuchas, she noted. How strange, given its stature and figure, but less so when its 'Abba' was elaborated on.

Her fingers itched to reach out and ring its neck. Maybe, just maybe, she could kill it fast enough before Erasmus would be able to react; even if he was watching them right now, which was likely now that she considered it. Perhaps she could snap the Adjuchas in half, or stab Tentadora straight through its throat or chest. She had found her missing piece, yes, but it was one she now wanted off of her game board.

Erasmus cared for this creature in front of her, in some way, for some reason.
The 'King'. This Hollow, so child-like and arrogant, had ties to the King.

How? Why? That familiar taste was now identified, memories swirling in thoughts that flashed as fast as any Sonido she could move with. Xiaobei. The name, she had heard, yes? She knew. Because of Erasmus. Before this, before now. During Amaya? Earlier? Tenko and Kirishi-- Takua-- Yaksha-- Sobek-- So many people during that timeframe, names and faces and vague opinions. Notes. Things she had seen but not interacted with. Events she knew but didn't, at the same time. Xiaobei was one of them, yes? Didn't Cheshire know of Erasmus' other daughters? Blurry faces. Static. Bile and acid rose to Cheshire's tongue, threatening to shatter her steady complexion.

It took every drop of will she had to keep her reiatsu in place. She was barely, barely able to keep it and the malice that begged to tear from a snarl contained, almost bursting at the seams with the effort she exerted. Little sparks around the edge of her frame in lavender, soft and fleeting but adding light and energy to a fire threatening to roar up. Kill it, Cheshire, her thoughts screamed. Get it out of your way!

Disgusting. Distressing. Annoying. Infuriating. Her patience wore quickly, like a flame along a fuse. The saintly Queen found herself at her wit's end, barely able to stop the tense of her limbs from throwing her at Xiaobei and tearing the creature to pieces. She could feast upon it. Devour the shreds she left it in.

How dare it react so rudely to her words! How dare it think itself special, important, a princess! all because of who, what, it had connections to. A false king! A FALSE KING!

Malice. Spite. Anger. Hatred. She hated Xiaobei. Where a passing, playful interest had been moments before there was nothing but a painful, aching desire to murder the Hollow. Oh, yes, it had her intrigue now, her curiosity, clouded so heavily in a fog of seething rage.

Pretentious.
Spoiled!

Why did Xiaobei, so small and weak and useless, get to see itself as royalty because its 'Abba' had declared himself ruler upon a throne he had no right to hold?! When Cheshire was right here! The true Queen! The true important one! Important! Important! Important!

She was a child throwing a fit, her canines shining a bit sharper than mere moments before. Still no cracks. No shattering. Air tight control. Waves of placation and soothing calm pulsed off of her in form of the languid lavender of her reiatsu, removing absolutely any trace of the atmosphere that might be taken as even slightly threatening or straining. Oh, how she roiled and boiled and shrieked inwardly. She was in absolute turmoil. Could she kill it before Erasmus noticed? Would the King be able to tell right away? Would it make a difference? How protective was he, she wondered?

The Adjuchas was still alive. In such a place, in such a time. Not only that, but it had noted that Erasmus had hidden it away; so it was cherished? Absolutely despicable. Maybe if Erasmus knew her instead--

That's... not what this was about! More wrath! Con... confusion, distress, tumultuous inner demons. If she did kill it, how long would it be...

until the King killed her?

No! No! No...! ... Fuck. Shit. Fuck. Shit. Fuck. Shit. She swallowed, quietly and quickly, crouched and meeting Xiaobei in the way it stepped forward and closed the careful-- if not so fueled by annoyance and distaste-- distance between them. Spite. Envy. Jealousu-- What? Wait, what? Ah, why did her chest ache like this?

Xiaobei seemed to have calmed from its own little temper tantrum spurred by Cheshire's careless words, even relaxing some and returning to the melancholy of its lost friend. "I am terribly sorry to hear that, Xiaobei." She purred, polite and sweet, words lacking the venom that wanted to seep from her fangs. She was only barely able to keep her eyes from slitting, as shaky as her 'airtight control' really was. It was hard, she found, when she lost her temper; and how rare that was. She never had to face situations like this. This was a new one, wasn't it? At least in this way. She could understand righteous jealousy at someone having the throne while she deserved it, yes, but because of this? Because of Xiaobei and -its- status?

She held nothing but confusion, rage winding down until it was no more than a dark tinge to her thoughts. Either way, she wouldn't be able to kill the Hollow. Even if she could, realistically, end it fast enough there was ultimately and pressingly the case of its caretaker; someone she, despite herself, really did not wish to take on. Not right now. Not like this. Not... over this. It would have to be on her terms, when she knew she'd win-- but... she would, wouldn't she...?

She was the Queen...! The Queen! Her thoughts returned to the fight between Erasmus and Takua, the true shudder of an emotion she couldn't place trembling along her reiatsu before the forced peace could retaliate and swallow it whole.

A soft sigh, cocking her head and staring curiously into Xiaobei's own eyes. Now she studied its words, tried to understand, willed herself to understand. What made it so special? Why would-- why-- and not her--

Because Cheshire was the special one, but look at where she was. She tilted her head back, surveying the crumbling tower around them. She found herself missing Jian stronger than ever in that moment, knowing that after this, after what was happening now, that she had to go and seek him out. She needed his presence again. His attention. His kindness and playfulness and understanding-- as weird, and odd, and inexplicable as that was.

Maybe she would understand, herself, someday. She would just have to move on from being so stuck on yesterday.

For now... she sat down. She brushed away the dirt of the stone, crossed her legs, and focused her full attention on Xiaobei. "Do you agree?" Were the first words to leave her mouth, quiet but pointed. She hadn't lost her tenor, but she spoke with a genuine interest that hadn't influenced anything up to this point. There was an exhaustion to the creep of her limbs, having pushed herself so hard to keep from snapping just moments earlier. "That to have strength you cannot need other people?" She wasn't trying to question Xiaobei's 'Abba's views-- not openly-- but even saying it it didn't feel right.

Of course Cheshire didn't need other people. She just... needed them to want her...! But they were meant to, either way, meaning there wasn't... a true need there? She had calmed down, if nothing else, the mask of her reiatsu fading from ingenuinety until it reflected the serenity she was starting to relax into. It hurt too much to think too deeply. "I did not mean to insult, dear Xiaobei, but I do understand your view." Not entirely, but she didn't care to argue. Not now.

Such a predicament she found herself in, eyes sneaking a look out the window before returning to the Hollow in front of her. Could he see them even now? Was... she in danger? Not if she played nice, right? Not if she played well? And if Cheshire could do anything well, it was play her game.

And so... she did. The pack statement was lost on her, though.

"Friends, then, yes. It is a pleasure to meet you, Xiaobei, truly. Would you tell me some of yourself? I am in no rush. A chat would not hurt anyone."

Especially not me, right? Just talk to me, creature. Explain this all to me. Why you? What are you?

What aren't I?

1478/29/75