An Old Friend [Britain, Closed]

Natalie’s car had finally arrived, and heralded her arrival far before she came into sight, the massive 454 Big Block engine inside her ’68 Chevrolet Impala far from quiet as it roared down the road. The sleek black paint reflected the care, and money, she had put into the vehicle, and she was driving with the windows down and the Bose sound system pumping ‘Hells Bells’ from the speakers like it was her theme song. The roar reduced itself to a deep, thundering growl as she pulled up to the gate and looked at what seemed to be some kind of shitty factory and she couldn’t help but smile widely. He had done a pretty good job camouflaging the place, and based on the blueprints and stuff she had, it was mostly underground. It was really smart… and the card she had allowed her past the bewildered single guard and the gate, pulling her car into the tunnel that led to the underground garage and parking it into the spot she had been told was designated for her. She would leave her belongings in the car for now; no one was getting into it without some serious work, so her things were safe.

Stepping out, it could be noticed that side her normal attire, she was still carrying around her pistols, more as a sentimental thing than anything else, it also painted a picture to the others of what she was about. Looking around, she traced her thoughts back to the blueprints, mentally set a course that would take her to Erek’s office, and started walking at a brisk, determined pace. A few people gave her looks, but didn’t say anything, and she had the card that allowed her access tucked into her cleavage, an unlit cigarette in her mouth, and fists clenched. She already knew she was going to punch him in the god damn jaw for not letting her know that the Queen was pregnant before going to see her… and he was lucky that was all she planned to do. If she hadn’t found that one Hollow, as she knew they were actually called now, and vented at it until it died, he would be in for a world of hurt.

Passing through what was the Mess Haul, there was a single guy that decided to step in front of her, blocking her way, with a smile on his face and an air of ‘authority’, claiming to be some kind of higher ranking officer. In classic style, she shoved the bullet in his faucet of a mouth and made a promise in front of anyone and everyone present… knowing it would be a good example. “I am here to make all you worthless fucks just a little less worthless, and if any of you think I give a single flying fuck about your status, you might want to reconsider. I respect power, plain and simple.” That said, she let the trembling shitstain slump to the floor and pushed her way to Erek’s office, deciding to be courteous enough to knock before entering, fists together, popping her knuckles.

“There’s my favorite sack of—” she stopped, midsentence and froze in place, taking a full second and blinking for a moment. “OK what the fuck… why do you look my age now? That fuckin’ Wolverine Regeneration bullshit?” Sure she had read the information, but seeing it first hand was completely different.

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PWC: 575
TWC: 575

The door opened, and she walked in full of fire and vinegar-- before he was treated to a nice sight-- Forge outright speechless from shock. A grin played at his lips before he would lift his hands slowly and offer a slight shrug to the woman in response to her question.

"Pretty much," he would reply before he motioned to the chair idly, reaching over and grabbing a bottle from underneath the desk, tossing it to her lightly, it had no label--but the amber liquid made it clear that it was a whiskey of some sort, and he allowed a smirk to play at his lips.

"A present from me, apparently you brought some booze to her. Didn't think you'd do that, but I should have. Apologies." It was that simple, in his eyes he owed her an apology-- and a new bottle of whiskey and that bottle was definitely a hell of a lot stronger than pretty much anything she'd be able to buy. With that he would lean back, sipping from his glass of his usual crown, eyes trailing toward the seat-- figuring if she wanted to sit in it, she would. Simply shifting his gaze back to her, his eyes softened, just for a few moments as his voice turned earnest.

"Welcome back, Natalie," he stated simply-- the smoke from the cigar trailing from his lips as he would rest his chin lightly in his palm. He supposed now he looked even younger than he had when he met her-- in his physical prime, permanently, as far as he was aware as long as he had reishi to work with. A slight grin played at his lips once more before he'd lean back in the chair-- briefly considering asking her if she had any grey hairs, but deciding that'd be too cruel, even for him.

"Everything went smoothly, I assume?" He inquired simply, obviously meaning getting here as he arched a brow slightly out of curiosity.

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Thread Words: 818

Natalie had been too focused on simply meeting with Erek to have noticed anything more than the sly grin he had on his face when she had first seen him, but looking at him now made it all the more obvious; not a single grey hair on his head, and several scars gone… the ones that she had known slowed him down anyway. When he commented that she had been right on the money about the regenerative abilities being the key to why he looked so young, Natalie pretended to have some dice and threw them onto the desk, just the simple motion. “Yea, cause that’s fuckin’ fair. Hacks. I call god damn hacks.” But it was obvious from her tone she was a hint jealous.

She caught the bottle and took a look, her eyes widening and her grin returning, and she all but fell back into one of the chairs while holding the bottle with glee. He simply knew her too well… but he made the mistake of bringing up why she was mad at him in the first place, and she snarled at him in a way that truly bespoke her embarrassment the only way she knew how, “yea! Ya fuckin’ prick! Could have included that little gem in your information before making me look like a god damn idiot givin’ a pregnant lady booze.” She paused, a grin crossing her face. “She is fuckin’ strong though… gotta pay her back for using me like a fuckin’ tool one day.” That aspect of it was very real; she was looking at the Queen as the bar in which she wanted to reach, a goal and aspiration.

The welcome back, especially using her first name, made her normally vicious smile settle into something more sincere. “Good to be back, Erek,” she said simply, setting the bottle to the side for now, not willing to forget about it but not wanting it in the way. She actually laughed as he asked if everything went smoothly, and her predatory grin was back in full force as she gave him a knowing look. “Made an example in the Mess Hall… you might be hearing about that when he finishes cleaning up after I made him shit himself, but they all know what I’m about now. It’s a start. You know me… I like to make an impression.”  Which was usually associated with a body count… but not this time. She had been asked to not kill anyone just yet, which was the name of the game. Another thought crossed her mind and she leaned back, propping her own feet up on the side of his desk so her boots, which were clean, wouldn’t be in the way. “I guess it’s time I told you what I can really do, huh?” she mused, because for all the information she had on Erek now, he didn’t know shit about that part of her yet.

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PWC: 495
TWC: 1070[/font]

Erek chuckled softly and would lean back as he intertwined his fingers.

"Don't worry, I'll likely be dead long before you get wrinkles," as he stated this he would take a single puff from his cigar, letting the smoke trail from his lips slowly in thought, contemplating her words regarding Freyleif-- nodding a bit, he'd already apologized, no reason to continue treading on it and keep her wound up. Instead, when her expression turned more sincere, he would allow a brief moment of peace before she would make a comment on those in the mess hall, he snorted idly-- not overly surprised by this realization.

"I see. Well, as long as no one's dead," he was joking, of course-- he knew she'd listen to his orders not to kill. At least for now. With that line of thought, Erek's gaze trailed to the side to examine her as she propped up her feet and commented on telling him "What she could do" as his head inclined a bit in agreement.

"I can sense your reiatsu's power level-- you're practically a beacon due to your lack of control, and I know your skill in weapons, but I don't know how far your skill has progressed in the other spiritual aspects of Quincy combat. I assume you can manifest your spirit weapons-- but what have you managed beyond that?" Leaning forward, Erek's chin fell, resting on top of his hands as his fingers interlaced, the glass of whiskey hanging from his fingertips along with his cigar as it trailed a line of smoke up from its end.

He needed to know how far she had developed, if he wanted to teach her-- though, he had a distinct feeling that she wouldn't have much interest in the intricate techniques and skills-- focusing in raw power seemed far more likely knowing her. A brief sigh left his lips at that realization, well, he supposed there was a simple way to help her with that-- all things considered. Beating her around like a damn ragdoll until her spirit rose to match the challenge.

Still, for now, he would remain quiet and watch her-- knowing that it came down to the answer to his question. Perhaps she would surprise him and had picked up a few tricks on instinct during her time as a Quincy-- it was always a possibility, if nothing else, Forge was a bundle of instincts and nerve.

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Post Words: 405
Thread Words: 1,223

Natalie rolled her eyes at his comment about dying before she got old, and chuckled amusingly. “If you're dead, I’m already wearing a dirt blanket, shithead.” She had told him before, and made that single promise, to watch his back through thick and thin, and she had no intention of letting that promise slide through the cracks any time soon. She had no illusions about the truth of what she said either; there was a strong chance that she was not going to live to see a ripe, old age, and she was fine with that. It was the life she had chosen and she had absolutely no regrets. She let out another chuckle regarding the idiot she had used to set as an example earlier, and shook her head slightly as her only response to the statement. Erek knew what Natalie was all about.

Natalie laughed at his first comment, and then with deep sarcasm spoke her retort. “Oh yea, you know me, the definition of self restraint is what I live by!” Laughing at herself, she continued, knowing that he was saying something serious about it and she needed to take it seriously, even if the smile on her face said otherwise. “But you are basically saying I need to work on that… I get it. Queen Preggo actually helped me flip on my Radar, so I can sense some people too… lets me ‘lock on’ to an enemy and my bullets turn into ‘Fire and Forget’ missiles… pretty fuckin’ sweet. The other thing, which you’ve seen before is my sight. I can count the number of cigars in your drawer, literally ‘undress you with me eyes’, and I can see the idiot in the hallway, staring at your door like he wants to fuckin’ kick it down and see what we’re doin’. You’ve really stirred the fuckin’ hive around here, haven’tcha?”

But that brought up something that, Natalie felt, was far more important.

“And you got some serious explainin’ to do about this Sera-foam chick…” There wasn’t jealousy in her tone, not in the typical sense… she was jealous not of Sera, but of Erek for finding someone like that. They had occasions where they had fun in the past, but that was it, no emotional attachment. According to both of them at the time, they didn’t deserve that fickle fucking thing called ‘love’. That, and if she was really that important, that meant that Natalie would need to protect her too, or it would hurt Erek, and that wasn't happening. If she turned around and betrayed Erek when he finally managed to open up to someone, she would hunt her down and flay her alive... that was a promise she would keep too.

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PWC: 461
TWC: 1531

Erek's brow arched at her comment regarding self-restraint, but she got the message as she explained it. Nodding his head a bit in agreement before he replied calmly.

"You do-- right now it's not as big a deal because your energy is weak, but once you get stronger and start attracting Adjuchas and above, it's going to become a problem. I'm all for killing the Hollow-- but right now they're a secondary concern sadly. They're weak right now, and what few of them are around are causing extra complications for the Shinigami-- which is to our advantage." He released a jet of smoke from his lips as he sighed, straightening his back a bit as he contemplated her explanations.

"Three hundred and sixty-degree diameter field of vision with telescopic and transparency vision enhancements, along with the ability to cause attacks to lock on to a target like seeker missiles then-- forget and fire, means I suppose you can do so without having to focus on them at all?" Leaning back a bit, he contemplated this-- it fit her well, hell, it fit any sniper well but it was quite potent. He briefly wondered if it would allow her to see through cloaking abilities as well-- that would likely come down to how skilled she was in her ability compared to their own skill in utilizing their cloaking capabilities.

"I've stirred up the nest because I needed too. This clan is weak, useless. I'm going to change that." his words were firm and calm as his gaze lowered from the ceiling to instead look her in the eyes. "--That's part of why I called you, like I told you before. But it's also because I want to train you personally as well. I'm going to get you to the point where you can hold your own against even the strongest of spiritual beings." A slight smirk formed on his lips at the idea.

"Have to make sure you can watch my back again, after all," as he stated this he would then halt-- his words trailing off as he contemplated the information regarding Sera. Slowly he let his eyes close, wondering how best to explain it all, the cigar's smoke trailing slowly from his fingers-- Sera was, only recently someone he associated with truly "loving" someone. The idea was still overwhelmingly new to him, and honestly, it still confused him quite a bit. So he put it bluntly, as simple as he could-- eyes opening as he looked at her calmly.

"I've changed. However slightly-- ever since my powers awakened, and I started interacting with people-- this war, it's--" his words halted a moment, trying to think of the word, ending up on a weak dialogue-- but he couldn't deny that it was accurate. "--different. It's caused me to make attachments. The strings that usually I never let near me-- and she's--" again, a struggle. His brow furrowed, and for the first time, Erek was clearly having issues coming up with the right words to describe his emotions-- something he'd never struggled to do for as long as Natalie had known him. If anything, making it all the more clear just how serious this was.

Finally, he settled on something simple and forward-- just as he always did. His lips curled into a bemused, but incredibly earnest, his eyes lifting to meet Natlies own-- eyes that had always been strong, but now there was something more. Another light shown in them, not just determination that he'd always had, but an inner strength, a desire something that was his own. Not an order given from above, but something that had pushed him beyond that-- he was acting on his own desires, however weak they may be. Trying to reconnect with his clan, trying to reforge the bonds with his family, trying to make them strong-- and far more importantly: Seraphina.

"She makes me happy-- she makes me want to try to be something more." He had no other way to describe it, but it was honest-- it was exactly how he felt. She made him want to be more-- she made him think that, maybe, it was alright for him to want something of his own. That perhaps the "Mad War Dog" had more to offer than raw power and the skill to slaughter anything in his way.

That perhaps he was more than just a weapon.

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Post Words: 735
Thread Words: 1,958

Natalie bit back a comment regarding her ‘weak’ energy, simply because as much as she hated to admit it, he wasn’t lying. When she was just a human, she was probably as strong as they came when it came to what she would define as ‘power’, and that was the ability, drive and skill to eliminate the enemy… but that wasn’t enough anymore. There was a whole new slew of skills and shit she needed to learn and master, not to mention the raw power, or spiritual energy, she would need to be able to watch his back properly. Her grin faded and she leaned forward as they started talking tactics though, her mind wrapping around the information carefully. “Didn’t a Hollow damn near kill you? You sayin’ we should leave ‘em alone?” Her question was loaded… she suspected that a Shinigami or Hollow had been responsible for her father, and it would complicate things if she found out one way or another because she would want to start digging for information.

But that faded to a back burner though as he began to describe her abilities in a technical manner, showing that he understood what she was saying completely, and she simply nodded. “Once I got a lock, they either hit, or are blocked by somethin’. There’s no ‘dodge’ involved. Tested it on a couple Hollow on the way here… but sensing people with Radar is a pain in the dick.” She knew she had little to no skill in that area, and it made her ability pretty weak and unreliable in combat. She was still a crack shot, but it was a skill she wanted to improve on.

In regards to stirring up the nest, her smile returned with a vengeance, and she actually laughed at him training her to be strong enough to watch his back. “Well, I’m doin’ it any-fuckin’-way, so might as well make it to where I’m strong enough to do it properly… as far as these shitstains around here… yea, I think I can help you work with the maggots… Drill Officer Forge has a nice ring to it.” Already she was thinking about Physical Training routines, combat exercises, and culling the weak from their ranks.

The smile faded though as he was confronted with the harsh questions regarding his ‘love’, and her amber eyes hardened like the brass shell casings they were colored like. It wasn’t like Erek to struggle with words… and that only deepened the impact that this woman must have been having on him. That… could be weakness. Exploited by the enemy. But he knew that, and still… he couldn’t help it. It must have been something special, and while her blood silently boiled that he had managed to find something like that, something they both agreed was a forsaken and pointless dream of children, she knew it was nothing but envy, and discarded it. She couldn’t bring herself to be mad at Erek for leaving her behind in that way… she was apparently far more broken than he was.

After he finished explaining, she took a deep breath, and let it out slowly, a sign she was accepting something that was hard to swallow. “Let me know when you need a tampon for that gaping fucking vagina you just grew… now I got another fuck-stick to protect. She any good? I’m not lettin’ her fucking take my place unless she can beat me into the god damn ground, you know that, right?” It wasn’t a request, it was a statement, an undeniable fact, and she would find out, one way or another, and he knew exactly what that meant. But what would he do? Protect the one he ‘loved’? Or respect her decision on the matter and let her train the girl until she was strong enough to take her place?

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PWC: 647
TWC: 2178

Erek watched her, and he could see the emotions flicked over her face-- and knew that it wasn't an easy pill for her to swallow, but to her credit: she did. He watched her quietly, her words were heard, but he was analyzing her tone-- and finally, he would lean back and intertwine his fingers once more and shake his head a bit.

"When it comes to combat she's a complete rookie. Well trained, but not combat experience. She's green-- but she has a lot of potentials, she managed to learn energy control faster than I did, and granted, I'm naturally shit at it-- but I still learned everything I have in months when it takes most Quincy years, sometimes lifetimes to get where I am now." He wasn't bragging, he was stating facts-- because it would put things into perspective that the potential for Sera to be a monster was certainly there.

"As far as 'taking your place'," Erek's eyes softened a bit, and he released a breath, "No one's ever doing that, Natalie. You're my right hand. That's never going to change-- you know better than that." he had a sinking suspicion that her own emotional struggle was causing her mind to blur a few lines-- Sera wasn't his "right hand", nor would she ever be. Sera was his lover-- his student, in many ways, but he didn't think of her in the same "tree" that he did subordinates and commanders. She wasn't even on the tree, she was her own tree, all on its own, far closer to his heart than he would like to admit.

Leaning back a bit, he contemplated her other question-- that was basically unanswered-- could she train her. After a few brief moments, he would tap the cigar, letting the embers fall before his gaze lifted up to her. "--That's her call. I'm training her right now, but there's no reason at all she should be limited to one teacher. Her combat style is far more similar to your own-- you can probably offer her pointers that I simply can't. If she'll have you, I have no problem with it. But if she tells you no, I don't want you to try and force her to accommodate you." It wasn't that he was completely protecting her-- but more than he wanted to respect her own desires.

If she couldn't handle Forge, then there was no way around that. Forcing her wasn't going to do any good.

"Anything else?" his gaze lifted from the pile of ash and embers, watching her curiously as his fingers traced the edge of the glass slowly-- he had little doubt that the woman would have other questions, but that wasn't what he meant. He meant about this particular subject, and he knew that would be quite clear.

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Thread Words: 2,428

Natalie listened carefully as the man described what the younger woman was capable of and rolled her eyes entirely as if to emphasize ‘knew it’ with nothing more than physical expression. Of course Erek had found himself ‘love’ in the weakest, most unreliable person on the planet… the man attracted danger and risk like fucking fly paper. She knew he wasn’t bragging when it came to his own power, and somehow it made sense considering that his tenacity was only outmatched by her own, so when he put his mind to something, it got done one way or another.

She couldn’t, and wouldn’t, hold back a little bit of a relief at the fact that he wasn’t outright trying to replace the gunslinger, because she sure as hell wasn’t going to let go of the one bit of family she had left simply because he found a nice peace of tail to settle down with. While she had been fairly certain that he wouldn’t have in the first place, the idea of ‘love’ actually kind of scared her, mostly because it meant Erek was doing things that were outside of her realm of understanding. If it changed him that much, where the hell did that leave Natalie? Now that she was clear on that, she could proceed forward with a level head. In regards to training her, the gunslinger gave him a wide smirk. “Oh come on now, you know I’m the friendliest, most charismatic bitch on the planet. No way she gonna turn down a few one on one lessons with little ‘ole me,” she joked, but with a wink, she declared that she understood what he was saying and respected it. The amount of communication the two could do without using words or even hand signals was a testament to the amount of trust and experience the two had together.

She moved her feet off the desk and leaned forward when he asked if there was anything else, and she understood completely that he meant about Seraphina… who Natalie was already trying to think of a proper nickname for. It was sort of a thing she did with anyone who she felt deserved to have a place in her little circle of friends, allies and close acquaintances, and while she normally wouldn’t have put Sera into that category yet, she didn’t have a choice. If Erek had declared that she had meant that much to him, then she would simply accept it and move on, leave the assessments to her own discretion at a later time. Even if she didn’t get to train her, Forge could watch her train with Erek and make her assessments that way, and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do to stop her. “Only one; when do we get started?” The fire was in her eyes, and raging with the same desire for combat that she almost always had. Words were all well and good, but there was a single way to make the woman Natalie Forge truly happy, and that was with a good, old fashioned fight. It was how she truly learned, after all.

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PWC: 528
TWC: 2706

Erek snorted in amusement as she commented on the fact that she was the most "charismatic bitch", and they both knew that was bullshit. But, the rules were settled-- that was all that really mattered, and so as he straightened himself up he would place his hands on the desk, hauling himself up with her question-- the cigar sliding between his teeth after he'd finished his glass of the whiskey.

"Now," he stated bluntly, moving toward the door as he pushed it open without concern, his shoes clicking lightly against the ground, he wasn't much for suits, but he did understand he had to bear some level of professionalism if he was going to run a damn clan. The dress pants, simple, but polished dress shoes, white dress shirt with a simple red tie and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows was good enough. The man outside the door quickly looked down at his paperwork, pretending to have halted temporarily to read his paperwork instead of been trying to listen in on them.

The idiot-- as if he'd not have his own damn office sound-proofed. Moving forward past the man calmly, he released a trail of smoke that, mysteriously washed over the man's face in-passing and instead made his way straight toward the elevator that could take them down to the training floor. His eyes trailed down to look toward Natalie as he instead finally addressed her previous question.

"The Hollow are mindless beasts that attack anything in their way. Holding a grudge against their species because one attacked me would be like starting a war with Canada because a Newfoundland dog bit my hand." He shrugged a bit as he instead lifted his gaze upward.

"The base hollow don't matter either way. But their stronger members, that have intelligence-- those could be powerful weapons, and, if required-- allies. The Shinigami outnumber us ten to one-- the only way we can beat them is through quality instead of quantity, and by being flexible in our allies. Hell, if I can, I don't even want a war-- I want them to acknowledge our strength, to hold actual peace-talks." But they both knew that politics didn't work that way. Unless the Quincy had real military power, unless they were a real threat to the Shinigami-- there would be no peace talks. Only demands that the Quincy would have to abide by, it was that simple.

Lifting a hand, his fingers punched the button that would take them down to the lower levels-- glancing down at her as his brow arched.

"I assume you've only dealt with the Hollow that act like animals-- have you met any Shinigami as of yet?" The question was careful, he wasn't certain what had taken her father after all-- it could have been either or. Especially since back during her fathers time, relations with the Shinigami were even worse than they were now.

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Post Words: 487
Thread Words: 2,915

Her grin grew ever wider, showing those teeth much like a demon baring it's fangs, and without hesitation she reached down and grabbed the bottle of whiskey he had given her. Like hell would she be leaving that behind, and she didn't really have anywhere to put it, so it was coming with her for the time being so some random asshat didn't steal it. She was on her feet by the time he had finished the word 'now', having predicted such a thing quickly and easily. He wasn't someone who liked to mess around with idle chit chat, and he knew better than to try to beat around the bush with Natalie.

She couldn't contain the amusement at Erek blowing smoke in the idiot's face, and thanks to her enhanced sight, even as they moved well past him, the expression on his face was absolutely priceless. She could almost feel the anger and rage the guy held from the lines on his face as it contorted in frustration, but she didn't comment on it directly, simply letting herself be amused by the situation. She listened to what was being said as she fell into step behind him, her footfalls matching his perfectly and in effect, masking her own. Anyone listening wouldn't know she was there unless they could see her following alongside her partner in crime, but that was simply instinct at this point, a skill so practiced it was as natural as breathing.

Once they were in the elevator, she finally responded to all his information, and the first was to call bullshit on his accusation. "Really Joe? The way you described it in your report was that this was no normal shithead. A potential problem. Why didn't you fuckin' kill her? Don't give me that bullshit that you couldn've." She wanted an explanation, because if there was one thing that was seriously lacking with the gunslinger, it was Mercy. That was something she wouldn't give to anyone who managed to hurt Erek, foreign or domestic. "And yea... ain't seen any smart ones yet. Spotted a few of the pork swords, but haven't dealt with 'em directly... and it's good you are holdin' the peace talks. I don't do those. I'm there for when shit goes sideways."

That was, after all, what she was. A senseless Avatar of War, reckless in her quest to destroy her enemies and find the next battlefield in which to march her bloody boots onto. She had no quarrels with it, and embraced the lifestyle, good and bad, with open arms. Still, she wanted answers, and he knew it, so that she could unleash the rightful vengeance on the one who had taken her father from her.

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PWC: 458
TWC: 3164

Erek glanced to the side as she commented on sparing the Hollow, "If you mean the first time I was in no position to kill anything. If you mean the second time, I honestly didn't trust the ability to protect Sera and fight an army-- it wasn't worth the risk, not when she could be a powerful ally in the future anyway." Releasing the smoke from his lips as the elevator released a soft chime, and opened-- Erek stepping into the massive training area, that was empty-- though the training rooms that were private had their safety slots down signaling there were individuals in them.

Releasing a slow breath, Erek turned and simply motioned toward the massive ring around them-- his face remaining calm and collected as he watched her.

"Welcome to the training room. You already saw the blueprints, but the place is made out of solid soul synthesized materials-- just like the rest of the base." A slight smirk played at his lips before he would release a slow breath, his reiatsu slowly beginning to rotate around him, dull grey plumes of smoke flowing from his body as his eyes hardened on the woman-- but he didn't release his energy outright yet. Instead, he would allow the brief shifting energy to become visible as the soft scent of gunpowder filled the air.

"We're going to start with the basics-- each skill the Quincy have, I'm going to show it to you. I want you to at least be capable of the basics of each. Once that's done-- well, we'll train however you see fit to increase your power and skill. Simple enough." Unlike the others he had trained-- Natalie didn't need martial training, she just needed to be pressured into growing her spiritual power naturally, and honing her skills that were already sharp, to the next level.

Cracking his knuckles slightly, he would lift his gaze toward the woman and cross his arms over his chest. "I'm going to start with Hirenkyaku, then Blut, I can tell you about Gintou and Holy Artifacts, but I don't bother with them personally-- so we'll need to find you another teacher for things like that if you want to go that route of study." With that, he would take a slow breath, and the streams of smoke completely disappeared as his spiritual power went under complete control, clearly preparing for the next step-- showing her the actual skills, so that she had an idea of what she'd be working with and training to master.

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Post Words: 423
Thread Words: 3,338

Natalie couldn’t help but grind her teeth a little bit at the answer, but she was certain she would get her chance to exact a little bit of vengeance if she ever found the bitch. She marched into the ring, automatically taking a position opposite of Erek and crossing her arms almost mechanically, tucking them under her chest in a look the to anyone else might have expressed boredom. To Erek, he would simply recognize it was how she looked when she knew she needed to settle down and pay attention instead of just shooting her way through like she normally did. Her eyes didn’t leave Erek’s form, but she was looking at everything else at the same time, considering the idea of soul synthesized materials and the implications of what she might be able to do with such a thing. Already her mind was curious what sort of experiments she could do with making weapons out of the stuff, it’s durability, weight, everything she could consider… but that would have to wait for next time. She recognized his spiritual pressure, as it was very similar to her own, and her senses locked onto it almost instinctively, which was something she did have to focus on but was slowly becoming automatic in her mind.

If she had to say there was a difference between the two auras they had about them, she would have to say it was probably the temperature of the feeling they got. Her own spiritual energy began to flare in response to his, a smoke swirling around her body starting at her feet, and had a slight yellow tinge to it and smelled like freshly spent rounds, to include the smell of the brass and the feeling of heat. True to her nature, it felt like if it had been strong enough, it would have been a burning sensation, and the grin came back alive on her face; even at this level, it was obvious that Erek was stronger, but that was fine. She wouldn’t have been able to respect him as much if he had been such a wuss and simply had been talking a good game. The grin faded as focus came into play, and she nodded, understanding he was about to give her a demonstration.

Her own spiritual pressure died the moment his did… but she considered his words earlier, and mused over the possibility that his control was such that she simple wasn’t able to sense it properly, and that was annoying in and of itself. “Teleprots, Body Armor and Stim Packs… talk to someone else if I wanna know about the techy shit, which I do, but later.” Her eyes trained on him, she waited for him to make the first move.

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PWC: 465
TWC: 3619

Erek's eyes watched her energy-- similar to his own, but different. More explosion and heat, less blood and war. Still, the similarities made him smirk as he watched her energy rear up-- before he would nod slightly at her simplified versions of the words, stepping forward once before he released a slow breath-- and flashed, disappearing as he reappeared directly behind her once more. His hands placed behind the small of his back as he arched a brow down at her, "Hirenkyaku-- or as you put it, teleporting. Flashstep, is also a common name for it. Utilizing reishi and riding it at high speeds-- some people use platforms, I prefer coating my feet in it and mimicking the shinigami's shunpou-- probably due to my preferences in combat." A slight shrug would be the only other reaction offered before he would then flash back to his original position.

"Blut," as he stated this, his veins would pulse a dull blue light, raising a hand and calmly forming a blade out of thin air-- the knife pulsating, and appearing nearly solid, elegantly but simply designed as he spun it once before slamming it into his hand, the pulse of reishi in his veins flashing, as the blade snapped into particles against his palm without a scratch.

"Blackmore are able to build on this, and utilize it for regeneration as well," he included this briefly, he'd already given her the details on such after all. The next, of course-- was Arterie. Raising a hand he would allow the blut to pulse through his veins, his skin turning purple slowly instead of red, due to maintaining both forms of blut at once.

"Blut arterie, a power booster," he stated simply, lifting a hand slowly and delivering a single punch-- reiatsu hardening around his fist, before the force exploded forward, a sonic boom released around him as the sound of a cannon going off filled the air. The force smashing into the side of the training area, shaking the entire room briefly as he lowered his steaming hand, tucking it back behind him as the purple glow slowly faded away.

"I can't offer much of a demonstration for Gintou, since I can't actually use them personally. Freyleif is quite skilled in them-- that may be something worth pursuing," he shrugged a bit, before he moved forward, "Anything I tell you is already in the report that I sent you, basically." He'd sent her overwhelming amounts of information but he knew that seeing was believing. A brief glimpse on some of the things he wanted to teach her would most certainly help her come to grips with it all-- and encourage her to want to learn it.

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Post Words: 451
Thread Words: 3,789

She didn’t even need to turn to realize Erek was behind her, and she could only nod, still facing forwards, before commenting on it. “I’d probably go the same route… Queen used something to make fuckin’ shadow clones though… I’m guessing that shit is like super high level Teleportation bullshit. Crawl, walk, run…” Since she was thinking about it though, a platform based movement would suit her if she was handling multiple enemies, but that simply wasn’t her style. She liked to get into the thick of things and cause chaos and confusion, making people panic and get sloppy so she could use their surprise to her advantage. “Definitely need to learn that one, without a doubt,” she mused, seeing the implications of truly fighting someone without it. Even with the eyes in the back of her head, it meant nothing if she wasn’t fast enough to act on what she saw.

The demonstration went on, moving to Blut. The fact that he materialized a knife was nothing that was surprising, but him smashing the blade against his hand and it shattering like that made her eyes light up a bit, but she didn’t comment until after he talked about how his variation could regenerate. “You mean fucking cheating, god damn healing bastards… still, it’s one thing to see it on a screen, another entirely to see in person. Put’s your old armor to fuckin’ shame.” How many times had she teased him about wearing that body armor back in the day, even though she knew it was needed. She didn’t because it would slow her down and make her less agile, but the truth of it was that she knew that this too would be important.

The power booster though left her pretty much speechless, letting out a low whistle as her only response and shaking her head, the sly grin on her face showing that she was impressed. “That’s some good shit… I need to learn all of that crap. And I’ll hit up the Melon Queen once I’ve got the basics on this stuff… want to make sure I can watch your back properly and you aren’t using the fuckin’ teleprotz to outpace me.” She could speak relatively fluent German, but she would never use those names if she could avoid it, and as far as she knew, it wasn’t some cartoon where you had to yell the name to make it work, so avoidance it was.

Without another word, and with the examples done and dusted, she let her arms uncurl, the dogtags dangling from the small chains on her wrists and her glowing pistols, while not hard-lined and still quite blurry, came to being in each hand. Her brass colored gaze leveled at Erek, and the demonic smile was again on her face. “Fancy a warmup? I’m sure you can instruct while we shake off the rust, or am I too much for you?” It was an empty goad towards making him fight; she knew he would fight with her on principle, but it was still fun.

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PWC: 516
TWC: 4135

GP: 82