[New York]A First Foray [Closed|Evan/Gin]

The night was fast approaching and Evan Jackson walked through his bar counting the patrons slowly trickling into it. The facility was about to enter its night shift and Evan was about to leave for the day. He meekly trailed passed the table, shooting a smile at those he knew and those he didn’t. As the night drew closer a film of anticipation seemed to fill Evan’s being as he walked down the hall to his office. He opened the door and switched on the screen of the computer. Checking the screen he noted he had ten minutes left before he could leave. He plugged in the Spirit.Net Dongle. Searched up the articles he had been recently interested in, the “Jundo” Spiritual House. Apparently they had turned into a Mafia being led by a mysterious “Ezekiel Suzumei” however it was said Ezekiel had grown tired and had spent a lot of time training alone.

As he scrolled through the documents he learnt that the Jundo controlled a large amount of bars and pubs in Karakura and that they used these as a hub of their operations. As Evan slid this information into his brain, he realised he had been reading for quite sometime and swiftly got up, switched off the computer, walked out of the office – making sure to lock the door and before long was out on the street waving down a taxi. It was not like he could not have flash stepped home, but at this time twixt day and night it was remarkably horrible how many humans seemed to look up at the wrong time, he checked the time on his pocket watch, night would soon be here.

Eventually the taxi stopped at his apartment and he entered it with ease, he made himself some food and ate for a short amount of time before walking towards the clockwork chest in the corner. He flicked the right dials and spun together the right mechanisms and then with a click the chest unfolded and revealed his elegant clothes and the goggles he wore into battle. The second the clothes were on his body his posture changed, he straightened up and acted more confident, as the goggles obscured his vision a newfound power strode through his veins. Gone was the simple meek Evan Jackson, the Clockwork Killer was now on the hunt.

He vanished into the night striding across the shadows like a demon possessed, Hollow appeared and Hollow fell as they were obliterated by perfect arrow after perfect arrow that streamed from the bow like a demon possessed. The clockwork killer was killing and as these Hollow fell he could only think that they would not be the last. A picture painted in the night of Hollow that died. But these were weak, not even worth his time.

Then he stopped. As he saw a Shinigami pass him by a mere hairsbreadth, she seemed to be running from something? A Hollow? Perhaps. Her past? Exciting. Maybe her own being? Fascinating. It was not long before Evan was running with the Shinigami, both of them gliding through the air on the feet of angels, he wondered how long it would take for her to notice him, how long it would take for her to notice his reiatsu and how long it would take to notice he was human

Her hair was black as the night’s sky and this matched the garments she wore. So curious this Shinigami was to be running so far he could only find himself speaking to her “Why run Miss Shinigami? There are no Hollow following us, if there were I would have long obliterated them, is it because you are afraid of something I am not aware of? You high and mighty Shinigami being “afraid” is something I’m not familiar with, so come tell me, the Man who can keep up with your Shunpo wishes to know, what is a Shinigami afraid of?”

659 13 GP

The further Kiriko ran the further her quarry seemed to be. It was an irritating truth that did not reveal itself until she had outpaced at least half of this gigantic human city. The trailing lights and loud noises from below here were nearly lost amongst the starlight quality of the sky. It had been a while since she had seen the real sky, with shooting stars and all. The interlude of an areo-plane certainly ruined the mood though and Kiriko frowned to herself as she hopped out of the way from the descending metal death trap with wings. Why humans insisted on using such disturbing technology was really something Kiriko could never understand. Maybe she could ask Takasugi... She seemed young enough to perhaps remember all of these new fangled inventions.

Standing on thin air itself with only a pad of reiatsu beneath her feet to keep her afloat the youthful Shinigami glanced around, eyes drilling into the slabs of metal and glass that towered into the very sky. It was hard to sense things here. Not that Kiriko was admitting such a weakness. But she'd momentarily lost the trail of the Hollow she was chasing. Either that meant it was hiding on purpose which was a good thing since it probably wasn't eating anyone, or it could also indicate that it was just that much more skilled than her detection abilities. In retrospect neither option was really ideal. Kiriko just wanted to locate the Hollow and dispatch with it. She had duties at the Annex and her Captain was supposed to be back soon. If this trivial mission got in the way of her seeing her Captain then Kiriko would really regret her inability.

Loosening her stance Kiriko smoothed out the wrinkles in her obi as she tried to close her eyes and focus once more. The Hollow's reiatsu flickered again, candle thin and delicate. To her left. Darting off once more Kiriko was so focused on the Hollow that she hadn't even opened her eyes to take in her surroundings – after all what would be up in the sky with her at this time of night? She knew for a fact that no other Shinigami were in these exact hunting grounds. It came as a surprise then when a mocking voice crept from the night sky into her ears and Kiriko spun on her heel in one swift motion, turning to face her attacker.

It was a good thing her reflexes were so honed because the man's words pierced the fog of her thoughts in enough time for Kiriko to pull back from the instinctive blow she had been intent on swinging. Left standing there with all the indications of a hasty attack aborted at the last second she felt a bit silly, especially looked at a mere human of all things, and Kiriko scowled none too kindly at the interloper. “Excuse me, I am busy,” her words were concise and short and with that Kiriko turned and made to move off. Sure she was supposed to protect humans, but this one was in no need of help and it served her better to just ignore them. Figuring he would disappear like an ignored mosquito she continued on her path, trying to relocate the Hollow. 

WC: 550 | GP: 11 | Total GP: 26

He watched her movements as she turned and faced him; he stopped mid-air, looking down below them was a rooftop of a building, no one in sight. The pristine New York Night would soon be shadowed in battle he could feel it in the nights air. Like a dark scent is filled his nostrils a rancid odour for only him to smell, the smell of a Shinigami and what it meant, the symbolic nature of the scent causing rage to rush through his veins. He mocked her because it was fun; he mocked her because he enjoyed it. He knew this Shinigami was not like other Shinigami, not like the one he had locked away and broken systematically only mere days before.  Today was simply one of the days he was in New York and today things would happen.

She said arrogantly that she was busy, even the mere mention of her being busy irritated him, the voice of nobility that Shinigami thought they held a superiority over mortals that others simply did not possess. If Hollows were the animals then the Shinigami were their arrogant zookeepers. They made him sick, this rancid bile in his mouth brought on by his hate for those solely spiritual. He clicked his neck to the side the sound of bone realigning as only a truly fleshy body could. Spirits did not have this honor, the honor of actually feeling your own lungs expand as sweet oxygen filled them. Spirits weren’t alive. They were dead and the dead should have stayed dead.

“Busy? Busy. Of course, you are busy, hunting and looking for a Hollow in the mists of space searching to purify them just so you can recruit another to your slums in Rukongai and hopefully if they are strong enough they can become a “Shinigami” you my pitiful girl are an insect on the back of Humanity watching humans just to be devoured by Hollow if you are but mere seconds too slow” he strode back and forth in the sky impatiently his goggles covering his eyes and magnifying his vision by over a thousand times these focussed his thoughts and clarified his mind making everything seem meaningful .

“But some like me learnt how to fly, we learnt how to see your kind and realise what’s going on! We learnt how to hate you did we not? We Quincy learnt how to hunt your kind and the Hollow and in turn deliver what you failed to do yourselves” he stopped moving his body loosened he was done ranting and raving. His pocket watch resonated to his reiatsu as an ornate clockwork bow formed in his hand. He flexed his fingers along the warm pulsating energy as he looked into the Shinigami’s eyes.

“Miss Shinigami, I do not hate you, I hate what you are, and maybe that is why I am doing this? I killed one of your kind so long ago but I still remember the sensation of a Shinigami’s reiatsu evaporating into my bow. It was . . . fantastic. So today Miss Shinigami you are the lucky one, the one that met me on this crux of my decision. Today Miss Shinigami we shall fight and only one will walk away alive” he aimed the bow at her head an arrow flowing in spiritual energy forming in the direction of her head, his fingers trailed along the end of the arrow not yet releasing as the gears of his bow spun slowly.

“You have the first move Miss Shinigami, the Clockwork Killer is generous after all”

598 11 GP

[So this can be mechanical or loosely mechanical AKA we roughly match the stats up and make it flashy. I'll just follow on from what you do feel free to have some freedom in your actions as long as it doesn't directly effect me and it is possible to dodge ala no godmod metagame etc. Let's have some fun so feel free to talk after your combat action~]

Kiriko had been perfectly content with ignoring this tiny bug that was buzzing in her ear so insistently. She was rather set on simply disappearing off into the sky leaving him in her dust. His bitter words of acrimonious rage meant nothing to her, sliding off her like water. Whatever problem this guy had with Shinigami wasn't her deal to fix, and besides the world wasn't always nice and happy – not everyone had to be on good terms with Shinigami. They just had to stay out of their way, that was all.

But this man was not doing that. In fact, he was purposefully getting in her way. Preparing an acidic tongue lashing Kiriko moved to turn back and face him only to hear his continued rant. Quincy. Hate. Blah blah blah. Those words went in one ear and out the next. However his next few sentences really did stick. I killed one of your kind... we shall fight and only one will walk away alive. If his tone and word choice hadn't notified Kiriko as to the Quincy's intent she was surely aware of it as his energy splattered across the sky forming an arc in his hands that soon shifted into what appeared to be some piece of technology affixed to a bow. Her anger at hearing about his actions was strong, but not so heavy as to block out the moaning thought that arose as she stared at that bow. Technology! Even Quincy were using it now!

Glaring firmly, Kiriko turned back fully to face her opponent. “Are you sure about this Quincy? I am not as weak as you seem to think...” she trailed off delicately, raising one eyebrow and waiting for him to back off. The audacity of a mere human trying to attack her was crazy, insane even! But if he was telling the truth and he had killed a Shinigami then he needed to be processed and dealt with. She would have to gain enough information to provide the Sixth with his details so they could properly take care of this issue. A human with a power who'd taken to killing Shinigami was not acceptable, they had enough problems dealing with Hollows and who knew when this kind of manic would switch over to killing normal humans instead?

As an arrow was created from thin air and pointed rather goadingly at her forehead. Making a calculation from earlier Kiriko decided that she wasn't fast enough to outpace him, not that the option of running existed anymore now that she had to process his power and reiatsu. Still if their speeds were roughly equivalent then she needed to be very careful about things. His attacks were likely just as quick if not quicker than his running speed and she wasn't going to have an easy time dodging them. Especially not for any length of time.

Well then, it was time to get serious. Close-quarter combat was her only real option, if he started shooting at her from afar she would have great difficulty closing the gap. Towards that end Kiriko decided to utilize her combat training. She focused her internal energy and began to extrude it, releasing a full sense of her reiatsu and martial prowess in an attempt to scare the Quincy. It wasn't so much power that was being broadcasted, but instead in the way that she moved and her narrow eyed glances she was indicating her willingness to kill. Kiriko disliked these things but she wasn't without efficiency and experience. In that moment she used all of her hard earned experience to blatantly call out the Quincy on his choice of attacking her. She wasn't weak. She wasn't soft. Kiriko would kill him if given the chance.

Hoping for a momentary lapse in reaction time due to her mental attack Kiriko waited for that sign of slippage before darting in close, weaving her body in an evasive measure to make it harder for him to hit her accurately. She wanted to shift the battleground as quickly as possible. If Kiriko could turn this into a hand to hand fight instead of ranged than the Quincy would undoubtedly be on the defensive. She just had to hope that his defense wasn't as good as his speed. Quincy's weren't supposed to be good at this kind of thing though, or so she thought. Kiriko had never met one before, only heard rumors, and she wasn't all that keen on finding out if the barrack's rumor mill had resulted in mere generalizations rather then helpful facts.

WC: 764 | GP: 15 | Total GP: 41

OOC - I'd like to try and use real combat, again please let me know when I do something wrong. (I wasn't sure if you spend any stamina for simple things like standard movement so I just spent a point, which I hope is correct.)

Combat Details:

Reiatsu:175 
Stamina: 83 - 9 = 74

Strength: 80
Defense: 20
Speed: 50
Spirit: 25

Status: Kiriko used Ganriki to try and unsettle her opponent, hoping that it would give her an opening to close in and move into Melee range (Standard Movement. Speed vs. Speed Check)

Effects of attacks: Ganriki should debuff Evan's Strength and Speed by 20 for a total cost of 8 STA.

>Name: Ganriki | 3rd Technique 
>Relevant Skill(s) & Ranks: Hakuda or Zanjutsu  (In this case Hakuda)
>Stat(s) Involved: Strength 
>Flavor Description: Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu is a way of killing. By training in this style, the user becomes fierce and strong in spirit, which is expressed through solid body movements, harsh eye contact, and killing intent. Every slash of the sword or strike of the fist is done without reservation, and that intensity can be a terrifying thing to behold. An Eishin Ryu fighter does not enter battle without the intent to kill, and this is so palpable that it strikes fear into opponents with just eye contact across the battlefield. 
>Effect: Enemies' Strength and Speed are debuffed by 5 points for every level the user has in their respective skill (Hakuda or Zanjutsu). (In this case 20 points)
>Casting Time: 1 action. 
>Duration: Sustained. 
>Limitations: Cannot be used on opponents with 100 more reiatsu than the user.
>Cooldown (if any) : N/A
>Stamina Cost: 2 STA per 10 total points being debuffed per turn. 

There was something in that glance she sent his way that chilled Evan to the bone and made fire burn in his belly. This was a real fight, not a nonsensical fun and games brawl. This was exciting. He watched her move up to him slipping through the air, in fact he shouldn’t have been able to see her, if she had been slightly faster he wouldn’t have been able to even realise she had moved. She was fast, it took concentration but she was definitely moving up close. Silly girl, did she not know? Archers struggled in close range that was true, but Evan wasn’t an archer, he was a Quincy.

“Tick” the word was like an exhale coming out of his mouth, she was approaching, the fire in his belly was boiling like nothing before, and what would she do? Would she punish him? Would he react faster? Who knew? Who would know? Evan was a well-trained Quincy Archer; he could pick a target off a kilometre away, could he do the same with a target that was mere inches from his face? There was excitement here, boiling excitement, something he hadn’t felt in what seemed forever. “Thank you Miss Shinigami, thank you!” she had done this to him, made him feel like he was in a real life or death situation.

“Tock” he breathed in and the gear at the end of the arrow forming in his bow began to spin rapidly as it ripped even more reishi from the air. She was even closer now, complete focus was key, if he missed his mark she would punish him, he hadn’t yet perfected his fog notch and he was pretty sure it would fail if he chose to use it. He had other notches, but the fog notch was purely designed to counter close combat combatants, he owned the battlefield when fog notch was used yet it still had bugs that needed to be ironed out. Black reishi formed out of the air and began to coat his hands it enhancing their properties; this was his very own style, the “Black Grip” Style.

“True Shot” he released the arrow as it screamed through the air at close range, he had missed her head unfortunately, she turned out to be moving just fast enough to throw him out. But instead the arrow was heading towards her left arm and he was pretty sure it’d be enough to sever it if it hit or at least make it unusable. He then kicked off with his legs backwards enhancing his speed with Hoho so that he vanished temporarily and appeared a small distance away.

445 8 GP

14 Stamina – Tick Tock True Shot and Hoho Int Step +20 Speed for 2 stam

Arrow is moving at your left shoulder for 140 Spr. – If it hits you will gain a major wound and lose your entire left arm.

Evan has also moved backwards for 50 Spd

>Name: Tick Tock True Shot [Free Spr Wep Tech 2]
>Level(s) of release the tech is available at: Released+
>Relevant Skill(s) & Ranks: Black Grip Style, Reishi Manip
>Stat(s) Involved: Spirit
>Flavor Description: Evan increases the speed and damage of his arrows by drawing extra reishi into the arrow and then releasing it. When this happens the gears at the tip of  the arrow spins to drain more reishi and to increase it's properties.

>Effect: Increases spirit [damage and speed] of any projectile [with any other property attached] by 10 per rank in Reishi Manipulation.
>Casting Time: Instant
>Duration: Instant
>Limitations: Requires an arrow to be fired.
>Cooldown (if any): N/A
>Stamina Cost:2 stamina per rank of Reishi Manipulation.

Kiriko exhaled sharply, her breath coming fast and hard now that she was trying to outrace the Quincy. She only had a momentary opening, a tiny chance that could be spoiled in so many number of ways. Poor form, bad speed, artless movements. Even a tiny slip would ruin her advantage as she charged in, running a zigzag formation for safety's sake. It wasn't that Kiriko really believed the Quincy could attack at this range, but it was more a precaution. She wasn't some Fifth Division brawler who'd just lunge in straight and it wasn't smart to underestimate an opponent before you'd seen their moves.
 
That precaution is what extinguished the slight advantage speed wise that she had created. It took her too long to cut the distance between them when she was also running evasive maneuvers. In that space of time, a second or less, he pulled up his bow and whispered something strange. Tick tock? What, like a clock or something? Kiriko had no time to laugh at such an absurd command because suddenly she was facing a whirling arrow. Instinct had her ducking and shifting and that saved her head from popping like a ripe melon but she wasn't fast enough here either. Realizing that her split-second duck wasn't going to be wholly effective Kiriko did something really stupid. A rookie mistake, not even something she'd willingly admit to later. She reached out and tried to bat away the arrow. It was a block of sorts, but not one anyone would be proud of. After all, grabbing an attack from the air was about as stupid as stupid got.
 
Kiriko felt the arrow rip through flesh and bone like a whirling dervish, literally spiraling through the meaty muscle of her palm. The sheer force of the attack sent it perilously close to other parts of her body, the arrow finally stopped mere inches from her neck and shoulder. She stifled curses as the blood began to drench her arm because damn that hurt! Kiriko wasn't sure the damage of such a blow, hands were rather important tools after all, but she didn't have the time or the luxury to look. A small turn of the wrist and wiggle of the fingers nearly caused her to pass out and Kiriko soon realized that it wasn't something so simple as a clean hole through the palm. Her fingers were ravaged too, there would be no moving them anytime soon if they even remained attached. Fuck! This was not what she'd been expecting when getting into this!
 
She couldn't let him win though, couldn't let this stupid human get the upper hand! Kiriko kept up with him step for step as he tried to escape, tried to add distance when she'd fought so hard to get up close to him. Kiriko wouldn't let him! Refused to have him ruin her accomplishment. So she raced, pushing hard with the blood dripping from her mangled hand. At the very least he'd be stupid to continue this knowing that even with whatever his Shunpo related ability was it wasn't any faster now than her own speed. They could chase each other around all he wanted, but soon enough she was going to get the chance to punch. And he wouldn't enjoy that experience. She only needed one hand to smash him like a bug. She'd see who was making melon references then!
 
WC: 564 | GP: 11 | Total GP: 52
 
Combat Details:
 
Reiatsu: 175
Stamina:83 - 10 = 64

Strength:80
Defense:20
Speed:50
Spirit:25
 
Status: Kiriko blocked the attack with her hand, only partially succeeding and was rather injured in the process. (Superior Attacker turned into Advantaged Attacker due to my Hakuda score which allows for a partial block. Dominant attacker was downgraded two ranks because of the block and results in a Major wound.) Standard Movement again with a Speed vs Speed Check against your Shunpo movement results in us being equivalent so Kiriko maintains her range of Melee. Ganriki is still in effect.
 
Effects of actions: 1 STA for block, 1 STA for Standard Movement. Ganriki should debuff Evan's Strength and Speed by 20 for a total cost of 8 STA.

>Name: Ganriki | 3rd Technique 
>Relevant Skill(s) & Ranks: Hakuda or Zanjutsu  (In this case Hakuda)
>Stat(s) Involved: Strength
>Flavor Description: Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu is a way of killing. By training in this style, the user becomes fierce and strong in spirit, which is expressed through solid body movements, harsh eye contact, and killing intent. Every slash of the sword or strike of the fist is done without reservation, and that intensity can be a terrifying thing to behold. An Eishin Ryu fighter does not enter battle without the intent to kill, and this is so palpable that it strikes fear into opponents with just eye contact across the battlefield. 
>Effect: Enemies' Strength and Speed are debuffed by 5 points for every level the user has in their respective skill (Hakuda or Zanjutsu). (In this case 20 points)
>Casting Time: 1 action. 
>Duration:  Sustained.
>Limitations: Cannot be used on opponents with 100 more reiatsu than the user.
>Cooldown (if any) : N/A
>Stamina Cost: 2 STA per 10 total points being debuffed per turn.

“Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock, Tick Tock, Times Up” battle was exciting, this Shinigami could keep up that was true but she was so slow! She was never on the offensive always on the defensive and he had set her on this path. She had just avoided the true damage of the arrow ripping away her entire arm by simply blocking it with her hand. He had to admit the girl had a penchant for survival and that in itself was impressive. But did she really expect to survive? He would destroy her or at the very least make her crawl back to her precious Soul Society in ruins. Her comrades would then begin spreading more than his word. But a word of complete and utter fear. A Quincy who hunted their kind and ripped them apart mercilessly. Aye, that was what Evan sought to do in this fight versus this “Shinigami” he did not even feel like giving her a chance now. Letting her ease pass his own defense would be too nice. Sure he could make a mistake just to continue this battle but torturing her seemed to appeal to him much more.

He wouldn’t deviate because as she headed towards him with his murder on her mind. He would raise his bow once more and once more gather the energy of the Quincy into a mighty arrow. He would not even whisper it’s name this time. She would remember it just from how it felt as it ripped through her flesh. Another true shot was launched from the bow and ripped through the air aiming at the arm that was not yet maimed by his power. Evan had decided that if his foe could not move her arms then surely her time in this battle would slowly come to an end.

“Do you know the taste of fear Shinigami? Know my name, I am the Clockwork Killer” the reiatsu about him was like a fire burning demanding for more attention as it sought to claim the soul of the Shinigami in front of him. He would make her useless and then leave her to be carried back to Soul Society in a sling but he was not stupid. He would not leave her with an opening to exploit. Once more he kicked off the air and went backwards through the night sky with the aid of Hoho. He would guide her like a sheep to her inevitable slaughter.

418 Words 8 GP

77 - 14 Stamina = 63  – Tick Tock True Shot and Hoho Int Step +20 Speed for 2 stam

Arrow is moving at your right shoulder for 140 Spr. – If it hits you will gain a major wound and lose your entire right arm.

Evan has also moved backwards for 50 Spd

>Name: Tick Tock True Shot [Free Spr Wep Tech 2]
>Level(s) of release the tech is available at: Released+
>Relevant Skill(s) & Ranks: Black Grip Style, Reishi Manip
>Stat(s) Involved: Spirit
>Flavor Description: Evan increases the speed and damage of his arrows by drawing extra reishi into the arrow and then releasing it. When this happens the gears at the tip of  the arrow spins to drain more reishi and to increase it's properties.

>Effect: Increases spirit [damage and speed] of any projectile [with any other property attached] by 10 per rank in Reishi Manipulation.
>Casting Time: Instant
>Duration: Instant
>Limitations: Requires an arrow to be fired.
>Cooldown (if any): N/A
>Stamina Cost:2 stamina per rank of Reishi Manipulation.

Finally things were starting to move, the ball had started rolling and keeping it moving would be far easier than it had been to get it started in the first place.  Now that Gin's company had some spiritual employees of decent strength it was time to add another string or two to one of his long term projects....  Evan Jackson, AKA "The Clockwork Killer," currently resided in New York.  A strong and dangerous person be he friend or foe, but ever the patient hunter Gin had slowly reeled him in so that he would never once feel the hook.  Gin didn't manage to get to the searching until sometime just before dark, it wasn't likely he would find the man in the nicer areas so Gin focused on those areas of the city that would draw hollows or be more likely locations for them to be constrained to their location of death, The Clockwork Killer is a hunter after all....

When most people think of New york they think of huge skyscrapers, man made canyons of steel and glass, but that is only a very small part of a very large city.  Gin darted about the city in a mad game of connect the dots, not physically looking for his target but sensing the spiritual presences nearby and focusing in on strong sources.  In some areas he got more than a few strange looks, as a young asian with metallic silver hair pulled back into a long tail hanging down the back of the dark blue suit jacket nearly to the matching pants Gin was every inch a successful businessman.  In some places he was very overdressed, in others he fit right in, and in yet others potential predators soon found that they had no monopoly on cruel and vicious....  Then there was a potent spike of power where two sources suddenly clashed, not too far away.  Gin smiled, the sense of one seemed vaguely familiar and would most likely be his man.

Approaching the area flashes and blurs caught Gin's eye first, two forms dashing and swirling about in a conflict of movement and position.  The man was indeed he whom Gin sought, the other was a female Shinigami.  She...did not seem to be doing so well and in the mindset of The Clockwork Killer Evan was not in any mood to take things easy....  Gin sighed deeply, such impatience....  He never held back and never gave much thought to anything beyond the fight when he was like this, at least not that Gin had noticed.  Nothing was likely to happen until this panned out one way or another so Gin hopped up onto a nearby building's ledge and crossed his legs while leaning back slightly against the exterior while folding his hands atop his knees.  

"You are always so focused Clockwork...." Gin commented cooly.  "How did this little kitty cat offend you to the point of revealing your skills so?"  Gin smiled benevolently but quirked an eyebrow questioningly.  "Just anyone could walk by and take note of your abilities and how best to counter them, you know better than to reveal your weaknesses like that."  The tone was neither mocking nor hostile, it was more...proprietary if anything.

Perched comfortably and in a manner suiting his status Gin idly kicked a foot as if bored, but sat perfectly balanced to shift and move if need be.  The dark blue of his suit faded somewhat into the darker building behind him but the lights of the city illuminated the silver hair and the silver medallion on his lapel.  His slender form seemed almost frail compared to his surroundings and attire but his eyes were those of a man in perfect control of everything within sight.  He glanced at the shinigami and then returned his gaze to the Quincy.  "Sometimes holding back is far more beneficial than going all out, even if it does take longer...."

----------------------------------------------

Word Count: 655

Post GP/Thread GP: 13/13

The first thing Evan Jackson noticed as he released that arrow aimed to destroy the Shinigami and begin the torturing of her poor little pathetic soul was that another presence had came close to him. The second thing he noticed was that this presence seemed to be actually talking to him as they fought. The third thing was that he found himself being swayed by the man’s voice. Not because of power but rather of respect. For as he the Shinigami’s arm was ripped away from her Evan turned midair forgetting all about her and turned to see where the voice was coming from.

He was greeted by a mean with silver hair and a dark blue jacket suit. The appearance was similar to his own outfit in the way they were both in a gentleman’s garb but doing ridiculous things that people wearing the outfits simply shouldn’t have been. The man seemed to think he was always so focussed and that he was giving away all of his skills. Now Evan really was trying to pinpoint the voice in his memories. He walk down memory lane examining the voices of every spiritual being he had ever met and found nothing. At all, which annoyed him. This man obviously knew who he was? Perhaps Evan had beaten up one of his lackeys? But the voice ringing a bell in his head wouldn’t make sense for such a thing.

Evan held up his hands and his bow vanished. If the Shinigami beside him was going to do anything he doubted the time it would take to neutralize her between the two of them. Especially since this mysterious man seemed to interested in him. “You think this is my power? My mysterious friend you are misinformed. That was simply a change in the flux of reishi manipulation that was not even what my bow is capable of! That was just innate Quincy talent with one purpose. To destroy” as he spoke he watched a movement out of the corner of his eye. A ginto tube somewhere on his person opened and the liquid bubbled. However Evan was almost surprised to see the Shinigami who had been so confident before run off into the night. Probably the smartest plan. Recuperate her losses then come back later to try and defeat him. The Ginto tube on his person recapped and Evan turned back to the silvered haired stranger.

“She assumes my only power is the ability to send potent arrows because that was what I chose to show her. She believes that I have the ability to shoot arrows, which can burn away her flesh and destroy them however that was just I strengthening a very basic arrow with even more reishi in the air. Now my friend it seems I know you from somewhere because your voice rings a bell but I simply can’t put a face to the voice and that is what is irritating me most at this moment it’s almost as if you know me in my mortal life. . .” something clicked in Evan’s head. The numerous amounts of phone calls he had had with his boss, the way his voice flowed, the way the man had always been there and helped him in his time of need, the way the man seemed so very knowledgeable.

Evan looked dumbfounded for a moment. “Takimura-San?” his mysterious boss had finally chosen to reveal himself!

573 Words 11 GP

Gin chuckled at the screeching halt he had brought to the fight, they had both been focused and it amused him to play the little joke.  Evan clearly had tripped mentally and was scrambling to get his metaphorical feet beneath him.  Although not much of an opening the shinigami took no time in seizing the advantage of the distracted mortal to flee while Evan insisted that he had not shown even a fraction of his true power.  Gin lifted an eyebrow slightly as he watched the shinigami flee, nodding approvingly for a moment until she was out of earshot.

Turning his head slightly back to give Evan his full attention a small knowing smile crept onto his face and his eyes twinkled with amusement.  "Knowing you lost to a stronger foe is one thing.  It is well enough to have a foe think you are stronger, yet merely thinking it means they will assume that they simply need a clever plan to win....  Knowing your opponent is stronger than you is somewhat better, they are less sure of themselves.  However the true gem is to convince the opponent that you are not only stronger than them but that they have no idea what you are truly capable of."  Gin tapped the side of his head and his smile broadened.  "The uncertainty eats at your mind and confidence, your mind creates powers and abilities far more frightful and daunting than truly exist.  That uncertainty takes their knowledge that you are stronger and magnifies it beyond what any display of power might accomplish, and yet they have no better feel for your abilities than before." 

Folding his hands back over his knee again Gin swung one foot idely off the building ledge he sat on so comfortably.  "Now the Shinigami will not only fear your strength but fear the unknown as well."  Gin cocked his head ever so slightly.  "Any fool can strike someone hard but the unseen enemy, the unpredictable foe, the knife in the dark, and the arrow from afar....  These things are truly feared, and fear is power.  A true master flays not only the flesh of his foe, but their mind and heart as well."  A breeze played with Gin's silver hair, streaming it out gently to one side and tugging vaguely at the locks of hair draped at his temples and forelock. 

Suddenly comprehension flashed in Evan's eyes, his mind visibly clicked as he suddenly understood who Gin was.  He grinned in genuine pleasure "I'm glad to see you are as sharp as ever Evan, though I suppose I should call you Clockwork at night should I not?"  Gin shifted his weight forward and fell from the ledge, but landed in perfect control of his body and with a grace that any feline would envy.  He seemed almost weightless, landing with only a flexing of the ankles and slight bending at the knees despite having dropped a distance that would brake a normal man's leg.  Casually Gin shook his head to straighten his flowing ponytail of silver hair and swept the grit of the ledge from his hindquarters before brushing his hands off and extending one.  "It is good to meet at last, I have been searching for men and women who could understand my desire to see these spirits leave the human world to itself, you are one such man I think.  Come, I will buy you a drink and we will talk -- of things important to both you and I...."

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Word Count: 586

Post GP/Thread GP: 11/24

((OOC: Feel free to take us to a bar or decline or whatever and start in on anything Evan would want to talk to Gin about.  I'll weave the stuff Gin wants to talk about into it so we will have a nice back and forth.))

The mysterious Takimura Gin. The boss who had been there for Evan and had helped him cope after the death of his mother, without Gin his world would’ve have been much more difficult and the events that lead him to be the Clockwork Killer might never have happened. This man in front of him had single-handedly master minded one of the greatest acts of human generosity Evan had ever witnessed and yet he had never asked for anything else. At last he had revealed himself. After much blood sweat and suffering Takamura Gin had finally appeared to Evan. Evan had always known of Takimura-sama but never of what he looked like. Now he knew.

The man spoke words about battle and seemed to understand where Evan was coming from. This instantly put Evan in the state of mind that this was indeed a man he could trust. The way he described the mental battles Evan set upon his foes was perfect and he could tell that Takamura understood Evan way more than Evan had previously realised. The ideas about playing on the foes heart and mind only lead to Evan respecting the man more and more with each passing word, though perhaps in a way that could be somehow contributing to his ego and that helped Takimura in a way to get into his good books.

“Clockwork is a term given to fools who can’t comprehend the art I create Takimura-sama. You however can which only lends to your intelligence. Please call me Evan as you always have it feels awkward for you to acknowledge me as my alias in any environment” he dropped to the ground beside Gin and noted the elegance in the man’s movement. Everything about Gin exuded strength and Evan found that incredibly impressive. He listened to Gin speak about a cause he was recruiting men and woman for a cause which resonated in Evan’s mind.

He accepted Gin’s offer and he descended off the top of the rooftop they had been standing on to stand next to Gin on the sidewalk. Evan let Gin lead the way and choose a suitable bar for them to converse over. In the meanwhile Evan decided he would ask some questions in the interval between. “Your cause sounds like something I’ve thought about for a while. Why should we rely so heavily on the spiritual world? Humans can go their entire lives and be ignorant. I don’t understand why the need for Hollow is a necessity and without Hollow why do we need Shinigami? I’m most interested in what you have to say Takimura-sama”

He removed the goggles he was wearing and folded them sliding them into his pocket and continued speaking “Some might argue that Hollow can’t help it, they are just spirits that haven’t departed but why do they get the chance to appear? Shinigami should really be examining every place on Earth for Hollow and purging pluses before they get the chance to become Hollow. It seems foolish”

502 10 GP

Walking with Evan Gin offered a friendly smile.  "As you and I both know intelligence is the key factor in deciding who rests at the top of the food chain, and within intelligence the art of creation is by far the most powerful and useful ability of all.  Surely death and destruction are powerful, yet they are fleeting and are ever a double edged sword.  Consider all that has made humanity masters of the Earth; our weapons helped but fire, the wheel, communal habitation, electricity, combustion, medical advancements, and so on.  Without these other things and more besides we would just be bipedal savages."  

Gin gave Evan a gravely serious look "These 'Shinigami,' these 'Gods of Death' as they call themselves do not however come to create and indeed do not see us as anything but amusing children despite our understanding of creation and their lack thereof....  Not so long ago I met a Shinigami girl who was likely several hundred years of age and yet had no thought in her mind but 'candy' of all things!  To them we are but amusing pets and this is, I believe, why they do not take great care to prevent harm to us.  If your goldfish dies it is sad, yet you can simply get another....  Certainly you would clean the tank, but only when it truly needed it since you did not want it to die, yet neither would you be terribly disappointed if you forgot and it killed them."  Gin sighed and gave a tired shrug, as if to indicate that it was a sad but immutable fact.

They began to approach an establishment as Gin let Evan think on his words before noting "This is indeed why we should not rely on the Shinigami....  We have grown in the centuries of short life, yet they and their centuries of unending life have not.  They are relics of the past, of a humanity afraid to leave their fires at night for the uncertian darkness without....  We are ready though, we have grown strong and unafraid of the dark."  Gin reached to the door of the bar and opened it for Evan; it was a fairly standard establishment with dimmed lights, neon signs, and TVs facing every direction but drown out by the music and chatter of partially drunken people of all ages and description.  The smell of smoke, liquer, and too greasy food mingled with the fresh air that attempted to surge through the opened door and the large man who seemed nearly as round as he was tall stared owlishly at them from beedy little eyes in a great round face covered in an embarrassingly patchy beard.

"Consider for a moment these facts; the Shinigami are a force of entropy, the Hollows a force of destruction, and humans are a force of creation.  Which then is the superior, which is the most valuable...?"  Gin gestured Evan through the door.  The pause to enter allowed Evan to consider the question, not simply on a gut level but to actually take a moment to consider the various argument sand counter-arguments that could be made for this view.  The conversation had come full circle and the intended statement was obvious; humanity neither needed nor wanted spiritual beings to hinder nor 'supervise' their lives and works.  Why should man be at the top of the food chain among animals of Earth only?  As they walked to and sat at a small round table to the side of the room Gin noted "We mortals have much potential to improve both ourselves and our world, and our penchant for creation is the key...."

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Word Count: 608

Post GP/Thread GP: 12/36

((OOC: Sorry that took so long, I'll get the next one out faster.))