Meeting of Minds {Grimm,Hallibel,Neliel}

[Deleted]

:: Life sure is dull around Las Noches... Guess it is time to attract my former comrades and see what is going on in the human world and in our own world. :: Hallibel's mind raced with possibilities and different threads of thought. Most would of resolved themselves as she moved herself out from the ruins of Las Noches. Commanding the Tres Beasts to stay behind and to hold down the fort she left using Sonido to get several hundred miles from Las Noches. To a gathering place of three large rock outcropping over the sands.

:: Perfect place for such a meeting... Alright time to place out the flare for the others to see and let us hope they recognize it. :: Closing her eyes she pulled her blade from her back. Pricking her finger with its sharpened edge she would begin to focus a fully powered cero upon it. After a second she raised her blade into the sky and released the Gran Rey into the eternal night sky of Heuco Mundo.

The very air around her split and crackled with the release of power and most hollows she sensed went into hiding at the display of power. She felt two faint signatures coming her way. "Excellent they are coming... Let the meeting of the strongest arrancar begin..."

[itsygo]

A vile vicissitude occurred here over two centuries ago when Nnoitra Gilga decimated an entire colony of Arrancar in search for Vasto Lorde. Agony, affliction, and animosity putrefied the air as Nnoitora’s cero vanquished the Arrancar to become one with the sands which had so mockedly raised them. Behind them, the Arrancar had endowed not only the substantial plot of land and vacant hollow caves, but also their craving for revenge. Neliel treasured this sentimental base for her Green Horsemen Army; she adored the look of the endless hollow caves, stacked up high onto one another like the layers of a white marble cake. She took the land for her own intimate understanding, too: once abandoned, the base now bombinated with the gentle sounds of life, of her army. It was like the Arrancar once slaughtered had the will to live again, to continue life vicariously through her Arrancar now. A whimsical smile swept across her face as she felt the grandeur force behind a Vasto Lorde’s Gran Ray Cero; like her Arrancar, it was time for Neliel to continue life as well, to advance and come to terms with the subject she had so prudently avoided for years.

“Kalla-sama, Pesche, Dondochakka. Observe our base, and please help yourselves to plenty of food!” she gently stated as she weaved her way out of the cave labyrinth at a mild jog.

She exploded out of the base in an excited dash as her thoughts transmuted into action. A bold excitement coursed through her veins, as much as a subtle fear that she slowly began to realize. Of course, she venerated the few beings who now dominated this vast desert: she often thought of Grimmjow Jaegerjaques and waited in dreadful anticipation for him, as if he’d pop up out of the sand with his wide smile and his teeth barred. She also pondered Ulquiorra Cifer’s whereabouts, as respectful as she was fearful of him. Finally, she always sensed the immense power of a single individual who had come to engrave a dignified and apprehended name in her heart: Tia Hallibel, her successor (and an astounding one at that) as well as a Vasto Lorde. Neliel devoured hundreds of miles before her, hungry to know more about Hallibel, to enlighten herself upon one of the strongest beings she would ever have the fortune of meeting.

“I wonder…” the woman softly mused to herself as she sped up, blurring the land surrounding her into an absent sphere bifurcated by white and black.

She happened upon a magnificent trio of creamy rock the next instant, and before the comely Hallibel, slowed to a graceful stop…or so she wished. A skid later, Neliel caught her balance and busted out laughing, refreshing the stale midnight atmosphere with her bubbly giggle like a breath of fresh air. Perhaps the laughter had been a defense mechanism for the stress which had been slowly fortifying itself within her, an intuitive warning sign for the atrociously powerful beings who would soon stand next to her. One stood here already…quickly restoring her sense of self esteem and overall awareness, Neliel cleared her throat and straightened her shoulders to its originally noble stance. “Hallibel-ue. It is a great honor to finally be in your presence.” She gazed upon the gorgeous woman with kind hazel eyes, her cheeks still pink from the embarrassing incident. Although she had heard plenty of ground-breaking news about the powerful Arrancar, she had brushed past her for her own only once or twice. Those moments constituted perhaps the most apprehensive moments in her life, although she wondered why; like her, it seemed Hallibel had no preference for a sword or blood. Perhaps her aversion arose out of an instinctual, primitive drive to stay alive. She pondered this as she smiled at her, awaiting a response.

[Deleted]

”Is a few good goddamn men too much to ask for? I’m serious. Because lately all I’ve been finding are people who’ve gone and decided to waste their lives with Hal, and people like you.” Grimmjow kicked the weakling Arrancar sprawled on the ground in front of him with a disappointed snarl. ”I can’t even figure out how someone as weak as you survived ripping your mask off. Feh, if Szayel were still around he’d have a hell of a lot of fun with you—if ya ask me, you’re lucky that I found you instead.” Was the world just trying to screw with him now? There were so few people around that weren’t even worth the time it took to kill them; he was at his wit’s end with frustration. ”I know why everyone likes that weak excuse for a leader. They’re afraid of a little tough love. Whatever, I’d rather wait for one powerful ally than scoop up ten of you.”

The Arrancar winced and tried to make himself as tiny as possible—he had looked like a hedgehog before, that sure as hell wasn’t helping. It was almost funny, and Grimmjow might have laughed at it had he been in any better of a mood than he was. At this point, he didn’t have the patience for that sort of crap. ”Can you at least try t’ have a pair while I kill ya? Or are ya gonna go down like a pansy?” The kid’s tremors said it all. Glancing down at his blade, it occurred to him that he really wouldn’t need it to take out someone of that level. Why waste the edge?

His foot slammed against the Arrancar’s face with a satisfying crack, dripping red staining the sand from the boy’s busted nose. Grimmjow glared at him as he crawled across the ground, whimpering like…he wasn’t sure what the kid sounded like, but it was annoying and needed to shut up. Grabbing him by the collar, Grimmjow flung him effortlessly against a nearby tree, smirking as the sharp quartz pierced his heart and crimson flowered along the fine fibers of his clothes. Too easy.

The suddenness of familiar, crackling reiatsu was jarring. Wheeling around, he bolted headlong toward the source, letting off a skyward Cero of his own in response. He wasn’t wasting the energy to go all out with a Gran Rey just yet; he still didn’t know what exactly it was she wanted. He was almost thankful for the sudden development. Things had slowed down quite a bit, and he was getting bored. He leapt into the trees, jumping across branches to cover ground and avoid getting held up—the faster he could meet up, wave her off and leave, the better. The ground spread before him as he burst out of the forest at full tilt, wind whipping about just like it always did. There was so little here…it surprised him sometimes that they all could ever eke out anything resembling a living here, let alone armies.

He was doing fine with the “living” part; he was still waiting for his army.

That was what burned him up the most, if he was honest with himself. She was nowhere near as tough as he was, and she still had him bested in numbers! How?! He would never understand the logic behind that. It was stupid, how she could bat her eyelashes and Arrancar would flock to her. He had a feeling that it was because of her…assets. Yeah, “assets”.

The outcrop he tracked her to was familiar, he had loitered around it often when he was Adjuchas. Later, powerful Hollows used it to coordinate attacks. It was pretty fitting, he supposed. He scaled it effortlessly, straightening his posture and sizing her up with an expectant glare. Wait…she wasn’t alone. He snapped his attention over to the other woman, immediately recognizing her. She was Hal’s predecessor, Neliel Odelschvank, and was looking around with an expression between caution and light happiness. Great…

He hadn’t even known she was alive, let alone back to her full power. So, instead of having just Hallibel to deal with, now he had two overly nice excuses for leaders running around the sand. What would he find out next, that Ulquiorra was still alive?!

He was ready to get this whole deal done already. ”The hell you want?”

[Deleted]

As the two of them approached the area Hallibel stood at the ready. For her one of them could possibly not wish to commune peacefully at this moment. Mostly she worried about Grimmjow and his violent temper and general demeanor of hating others. Though thankful to her surprise the first person to show up was Neliel Tu. The former third Espada before she had been recruited and claimed that position. A smile crossed her shrouded face as Nel took her position.

It would not take long though for her mood to change as she felt at first a cero way off in the distance. Than an encroaching reiatsu that she was entirely familiar with approached them. Looking over at the direction she would find Grimmjow incoming to their location. Her smile would drop away and a more serious look upon her face. This was the time for a more serious tone to take over the meeting of the three strongest people within Heuco Mundo.

"Grimmjow... I wished to call you and Nel Tu here to speak over a few things a few of the hollows that I command have told me."

As she spoke she would shift her weight upon her pillar inside the tri pillar area. Her attention was moreso aimed at Grimmjow than at Neliel who to her gave off a more relaxed and inquisitive aura.

"They have reported to me that those bow wielding Quincy, the shinigami, and some unknown third party are about to engage in open warfare. Seems the opprotunity to exact revenge for our losses in the past could be close at hand... I brought us all here to debate whether or not we are to war or are we going to fight here in Heuco Mundo. Or are we going to allow whatever to happen here and then reap the rewards of this little war in the human world?"

[itsygo]

Relief swelled over Neliel and deluged her in happiness. Hallibel-ue cleverly referred to the three of them as a resemblance of a team, of an alliance against their Shinigami, Quincy, and human counterparts; thank goodness! The woman wanted to scream the words to Heaven, for a gargantuan burden lifted from her at the inconspicuous notion that the individual Arrancar were not, indeed, enemies. Although that left no guarantee for camaraderie in the future of a divided Hueco Mundo, Neliel still treasured a temporary peace among the three other Arrancar she came to fear as existence’s strongest forces. She also cherished the opportunity that lay before her: now stood her chance to fog their judgment and redirect her allies against war at all. The woman toyed with a plan for a second; she needed a way to convey pacifism while demonstrating not the slightest hint of hesitation in her action. She needed to appear powerful, high enough above the problem that she could float among clouds with her Arrancar alliance. She climbed atop her pillar to sit nonchalantly at the top, dangling her legs together while running a hand breezily through seagreen hair.

A giggle bubbled out of her mouth before she replied, “Quincy and Shinigami act with the silliest intentions usually. They remind me of myself when I was a child.” Neliel played a word game in her mind; in reality, the Quincy and Shinigami had both taken astounding care of her as a child, and she would be forever indebted to them for their kindness. Although meeting only one member of the Quincy, Ishida, that Ichigo treasured, Neliel still respected the name as that of a powerful clan. Moreover, she venerated the Shinigami after creating life long ties with not only Ichigo Kurosaki but his family and the legacy he left behind. To speak of her timeless friends with such condescension…she would individually apologize to each one later on, but she thought this the only way she could call for a peace agreement without the others growing suspicious of her motives. She spewed an air of nonchalance while her insides ached with her growing nerves. “I’ve yet to hear about this third party, but if they prove to be anything like the former, we have little to worry about.” In reality, she knew well not to underestimate anybody; she had learned that lesson long ago.

“Hallibel-ue, Jaegerjaques-san. As the strongest beings in existence, are we not bound by a moralistic obligation to protect their lives, so easily thrown away by their inferior judgment?” A more serious tone coated her high voice now as she leaned forward, hazel stare unwavering. She detested violence. She detested the idea of anyone getting hurt, much less her precious friends. She cared little for any profit offered by the situation at hand: to her, the true and only reward she would ever strive for would remain soundly and lively in the souls of her uninjured friends. Unfortunately, she had little idea of how to satisfy her Arrancar counterpart. She could only suggest to them to wait for a different opportunity to make their move, yet she could not state this without her heart hurting; if it was up to her, the Arrancar would make no move upon the human realm for all of eternity. Never would she voice this, however, for fear of the others catching onto her true agenda. Her radical notion just now may have been too much already, and she only hoped they would consider her plea.

[Deleted]

Hallibel’s expression dropped wearily as he approached. Good! He was tiring her out. Opportunities were sure to follow. These two were old, war-weary and ready to pack it up. It would be a matter of time before they dropped out of the running if he was lucky.

"They have reported to me that those bow wielding Quincy, the shinigami, and some unknown third party are about to engage in open warfare. Seems the opportunity to exact revenge for our losses in the past could be close at hand... I brought us all here to debate whether or not we are to war or are we going to fight here in Heuco Mundo. Or are we going to allow whatever to happen here and then reap the rewards of this little war in the human world?"

Okay, what? He hadn’t been planning on giving either of them the time of day when he got there, but this “unknown third party” and “war” business had him interested, begrudgingly so. He wondered if Hallibel had done that on purpose…right before he opened his mouth to throw in his two cents, Nel decided to pipe up. Moralistic obligation? He affixed her with an aghast glare. ”I sure as hell don’t owe ‘em anything.” He glanced back at Hallibel, trying to gauge her reaction to all this, which was hard given that he could barely see her face. From her posture, it seemed like she would wind up closer to his side than Nel’s.

”Are you outta your mind, woman? They seem pretty goddamn serious to me. By that logic, we’re obligated to protect hollows.” He’d have liked to take a trip through her mind one day, because he legitimately couldn’t fathom an Arrancar thinking like that. What the hell went through this chick’s mind? Trying to think about it probably wouldn’t do much good. ”Okay, what I think should happen here is this: they wanna have their war, let ‘em. If they forget about us for a bit and start killing each other, less work for us, right? Gotta make ‘em think we’re down’n’ out. Feign disorder in the ranks, and maybe cause a little chaos in theirs. Once they’ve whittled their number down and we beef up our own, we crush ‘em.”

He had a feeling he’d regret using that “we” eventually.

The thought of possibly having to team back up with Hal made his stomach turn, to be honest. She was stronger than he was and somewhere in his mind, he knew that. Like hell he’d admit it, but it was true. Having her as an ally would be a lot more convenient than making an enemy out of her. There was no way he was going to stand Nel getting in the way, though—rank be damned.

[Deleted]

Hallibel stood and listened to the others. Knowing that her power was just barely above both of theirs and if the three of them would fight all would wind up dead. In her mind there was nothing that she would prefer to never have to ally with Grimmjow ever again, but in situations like this there is no choice. Her own mind had been made up as to what she was going to do in this situation, but she hoped one of them would see it in her light. Which thankfully Neliel was close to her own mindset,

"Grimmjow I think what you said is wise. We need to stave off our forces and watch what happens. I know that we will not be able to keep all our forces under control, but we shall not enter into open war with one another during this time. We will need to get ready for the inevitability of our forces fighting one another."

As she spoke Hallibel would stand and be proud of her words. Her posture would give away nothing as to what else she was thinking.

"Though I do agree with you Neliel as protecting our ranks is what we need to do. As if we protect our troops we can be ready for when this war ends and we can exact the revenge that a lot of us want..."

[itsygo]

“Jaegerjaques-san,” Neliel began with wide hazel eyes, “Your altruistic concern for the hollows is rather impressive. However, I find the hollows around here baffling strong, true contenders in an upcoming war; unlike the weak Shinigami, the mere idea of requiring protection disgraces most of them.” A pout crossed her face as she innocently added, “I’m sure your forces are the same way.” Throwing the kitten a ball, she hoped to Heaven he’d take it and rip it to shreds. She needed a way to distract him at this crucial time, to thrust a bowl of milk in front of him so she could talk peace with the wise Hallibel; after all, she knew all too well the ubiquitous danger present with Grimmjow’s presence, anywhere. Sure, he was peaceful now, maybe, but she imagined only months would pass into the war before he utilized that ferocity to his full advantage, gaining some type of upper hand and attacking her or Hallibel’s forces. This was something the woman was not willing to precipitate after being haunted by that fearful vision for so long. Rather, what she demanded now was respect, to claim her long-lost seat as one of the strongest Arrancar in Hueco Mundo.

However…she recognized she needed alliances just as much. Blatantly, her plan would never pass, and she needed to improvise. Beyond this, she needed to develop a close camaraderie among these Arrancar leaders to avoid their suspicion in her actions during wartime. Her eternal mask of sunshine smiled again before she replied, “You both propose wonderful ideas! Hearing from both of you, I understand. I agree that we must wait for our time.” Double edged words meant that she was able to avert at least one out of two horrendous wars. However, if this was their verdict, she would fully use it to her advantage. Peace in Hueco Mundo would mean war down below; peace in Hueco Mundo would also mean the others busying themselves in preparing their own forces. Free time for Neliel to nurture and protect her own “forces”, a word she’d come to describe the innocent Shinigami and Quincy friends down below. Fear caught her again at the thought of it all, but she reminded herself that she’d protect all of the people she loved.

Genuinely, she expressed, “Be careful the reigns of revenge do not control you, however.” Darkness covered her countenance and she zoned into the white infinity sprawled before them where his body had been vanquished into the same meaningless nothing. “I wish you good luck in achieving your endeavors. My revenge…has already been achieved.” She hated it. She hated what happened. She hated the way he died hating her. Oftentimes, Neliel pondered how different her life would be if Nnoitra still roamed this barren desert. She didn’t know why; most likely, if he was still around, he wouldn’t want to be anywhere near her, much less an addition to her force. An undeniable sadness settled over her and she forced herself to return to reality. She didn’t want anybody hurt; this included the Arrancar standing before her. Although she enjoyed joking with Grimmjow, it was not only him that she feared. As well with Hallibel, she feared either of them getting hurt or controlled by their upcoming conquests. She contemplates the difficulty of a pacifist finding peace among warring factions as she hides it all under a cordial smile.

[Deleted]

Grimmjow raised a brow as Nel went off on a tangent over his remark about the hollows. Did she think he was serious? ”…Do you even know the definition of the word ‘sarcasm’, woman? Anyway, The hollows around here aren’t fit to shovel sand, let alone fight!” He wasn’t about to let on that his forces were pitifully low, not to the only two Arrancar left with true power. Of course, that comment may have laid his cards out for him if they were perceptive enough. Oops.

She was playing the façade card, trying to distract him. He just knew it. But why? So she could convince Hal to leave the Shinigami alone? What a pest. He was really regretting not kicking her face in when she was still powerless and he had had the chance. It was getting more obvious by the minute that he was alone in his desire to annihilate the shinigami.

I can’t believe I’m even thinkin’ it, but I’d rather be stuck with Schiffer than these two… He hated that. He hated how the only other Arrancar that might have been able to match his power had gone and died like a little bitch, leaving him to handle the pacifists. Goddamn.

He huffed, locking eyes with Hallibel one more time. ”This’s gonna be out last chance to get rid of ‘em. When they take out the Quincys and have the humans back in line, you know where they’re gonna head.” Right for us. He knew she knew. There was no way in hell the shinigami would let them off that easily, and there was no way he was going to die by their hands.

[Deleted]

"Your revenge may of been exacted when Nnoitora was slain fifty years ago Neliel Tu but that does not mean ours have not. I for one wish to storm into the heart of the Shinigami;s stronghold descend into whatever hole they are hiding Aizen Sosuke. Then he would feel the true fury of a Vasto Lorde..."

Her words dripped with hatred and venom as she finished speaking. There was not much that angered Hallibel, but mention Aizen and she flips out and wishes the death of creation upon them. Her betrayal was still stinging and fresh in her mind. Hearing Grimmjows words she nodded and closed her eyes running the options through her mind.

Each was sounds. Be it foolish each outcome she thought of other than one. Opening her eyes she slowly looked out at the other two. Her mask becoming visible as she smirked.

"We will not wait for them to rebuild Grimmjow, and Neliel we are going to make sure this battle makes us lose the least of our forces. The exact moment the forces clash and start to become exhausted we invade. Full forces without a single person left behind. Everything in full sweep and we kill or remove whatever is in our way at that moment... One hammer strike with use three being the chisel which strikes the most fear into the enemies... As Grimmjow me and you are supposed to be dead. Aint that going to be a shock to see us charging into the fray?"

[itsygo]

“Of course, Jaegerjaques-san!” Neliel laughed, filling the tense air with tintinnabulation. “I was just kidding too! Besides, like Hallibel-ue said, we won’t have to worry about losing much of our forces, or much of these hollows, anyway.” Our forces, strong or weak. Neliel had not lost the meaning wedged between Grimmjow’s words and smiled on the inside; if she understood correctly, he commanded as few forces as she. What was the kitten without his claws? She knew well not to underestimate Grimmjow Jaegerjaques, but this little bit of information comforted her. She needed to fortify her forces and it helped to know that her fellow Arrancar were not far into this army pursuit either. She was awful at this gathering game, for she often ended up greatly dissatisfied with potential recruits. The brutes were usually far too malicious, malevolent, or moody for her liking. She wanted soldiers heavy with only hearts of gold and polished bone armor; however, most hollows were not created in the heavenly way she wished. The rejected hollows would fly off into her crafted gargantuan like bruised berries into a black basket, so, in a funny way, she probably ended up creating more opponents than soldiers.

Neliel had shivered slightly when Hallibel smirked; those hauntingly beautiful teeth upon her mask made the green-haired Arrancar wonder how they would look if they came alive and separated, lacerating, mutilating, shredding Aizen apart. The shark would come after dat ass like a horde of piranha after the unfortunate victim in any horrifying movie. Thinking about it sent a shock up her spine and she wondered if he felt his oncoming doom too, or if he felt anything at all by now. Truthfully, Neliel bore little ill will against Aizen. He had made her his number three and she called him master, the maker of her world. She wanted to make him proud and she thought she did. So when Nnoitra sent her jejune entity toddling helplessly in the sand, somewhere in the nook of her adult mind she hoped Aizen would come after her and obliterate the eighth like the sun on a vampire in the nude. When he never came, Neliel liked to imagine Nnoitra fooled him too; she knew well by now that Aizen was the master of manipulation, however, and learned to swallow the lump in her throat that appeared whenever his name popped up. She experienced the pain Aizen afflicted vicariously and knew well that he was the epitome of evil. Her lack of animosity or not, he had to go down.

“We’ll accompany you until you achieve that end, Hallibel-ue,” Neliel began with a smile. She subconsciously included Grimmjow in that endeavor and then thought why not; after all, the more she could keep her eyes on both of them and make sure they were safe, the better. “I would like to see his death as well. Eternity ends for him here, as well as the line of people he hurt or planned to hurt.” Neliel gazed down once more at the infinite sand and ran a hand through her hair; Hallibel’s reminder of Nnoitra had not gone unnoticed, and she thought about her early days with the truculent eighth. She regretted only two aspects: her inability to save her faccion and her inability to change his mindset. Somewhere in her heart, she was grateful for the rest of her days and knew that none of that world was possible without Aizen. But now she had no master. She was the creator of her world, and she had made a vow to never experience that type of regret ever again. Only she could accomplish that for herself. “How long do you think…until they go to war?” she asked with a dark confidence in her tone.

[Deleted]

So, Hal was on his page, at least somewhat. She was all but ready to rake Aizen over the coals, and the bloodlust that tinged her words brought out the smirk that this whole meeting deal had tamped down. ”Now that’s what I like to hear! Soul Society’s gonna be ashes when I’m done…rather, we’re done.” Those shark teeth weren’t always so predatory, but he was liking her sudden turn for the vengeful. He’d have to keep that going in her, spark the fire, keep her out of his way until he had the advantage.

His little slip-up wasn’t missed, if the slight relaxing of Nel’s shoulders was anything to go by. He wondered to himself—how many were under her command, then? Close to none, like him? Or far more? Instinct told him that she was probably picky, and was willing to cling to Hal to make up for the numbers she lacked. He hated to admit it, but that was exactly what he would be forced to do, for a while at least. He wouldn’t consider either of them his superiors though, no matter how hard they tried. He’d been under someone else’s thumb for way too long to let that happen.

”How long…? Yeah, that is the question, ain’t it? I doubt it’ll take long, but hey, it was you guys’s idea to play the waiting game.” There wasn’t much more to be said, nothing that was apparent at least. Grimmjow drew a long breath, pulling himself up to his full height. ”Anything else? ‘Cause I think we’re done here.”

[Deleted]

Hallibel listened to both of them speak up once again. It was good to reach a consensus so quickly and without any bloodshed. Made her smile her white toothy grin. Moving from one foot onto the other she shifted her weight. Reaching up she rubbed her neck and awaited the moment she could speak back up. When the moment arrived she wasted no time in speaking.

"When will they fight you ask Neliel? From what I can gather... Will not be very long. Close to several months at the soonest, a year or two at the extreme end of it..."

Knowing full well that Grimmjows patience was at its end she turned and peered at the man. Her eyes narrowed at him and kept it in a glare toward the man. She knew that his temper could cause problems and she hoped that this was an instance where he kept his cool.

"I would agree that unless either of you have anything to speak of we are to be done here today."

[itsygo]

Neliel leaned on every single one of Hallibel-ue’s words like a spiked buttress; after all, what was a couple of months or even a year to an eternal being? She threw it around in her mind, one big, blown out mess, until she quickly resolved it in that moment: time waited for no one. She considered lowering her standards and recruiting just any hollow, but then thought better of it. She had made it this far into her afterlife with less generous situations, and she wasn’t ready to give in just yet. She thought of that a long time ago, too; there was no way she would compromise herself in turn for the little this land always tried to offer her. Neliel had gambled before and won, and she would manage to do it again. She contemplated it more as she stood up and stretched, a smile across her somnolent face. Months and days and seconds were still something. She had to salvage everything she had. Remembering that she wasn’t alone in the massacre to come eased her and she gently thought of how wondrous it felt to know that even the bloodthirsty Grimmjow legendary Jaegerjques wasn’t nearly as prepared as she thought. She felt like waking up from a bad dream and realizing she was still sound asleep; what happens next is precarious, but certainly better than what was and perhaps even the best of all.

“Mhhhm, thank you for arranging this meeting, Hallibel-ue,” she said gently. “I truly enjoyed meeting with both of you.” Yawning softly, the green-haired Arrancar gave another coy smile. Hiding all of her tension and fear was a skill of hers, a natural asset at first used to kindly assuage the worries of her fraccion. As of late, she developed it to calm her few followers. Maybe deep down she needed to lie to herself in that way, so she too would genuinely believe everything was alright. “The upcoming battle will be something exciting for all of us. We’ll succeed together…I know we will.” Her tone was confident but a little limp with sleepiness. Slowly, she stepped onto the white sand and her bare feet sunk into the infinite flour pot. Infinity…that was what they all were at the end of it all, infinite potential, infinite life, infinite possibility. Their infinity was being tested for once in an eternity, and maybe that’s what had made Neliel so nervous. The seed of that idea had sprouted in her head, and she wanted to nurture it, to breath inside its roots so she could understand the meaning of it all. As she briefly tip-toed through the sand, she prayed that even if she would never understand it, she would make it through and protect the people she loved. She had to. “Take care, both of you,” she murmured, a tear in her voice, a smile on her face. And then she took off.