The Path (Open, Fight if wanted, no killing)

Tomix jumped out of the tree. He landed on a weak Hollow, destroying it easily. His black trench coat was ripped at the edges. Delta was awake on his shoulder, quiet, but awake. Tomix had been working for a long time. Now his plans would come to fruition. He needs to form a team, to fight the Espada. They needed to make a stand. Now he just had to wait until he met someone.

Vanille had gone for a walk, a long walk apparently. She had decided to have a quick look around the Forest of Menos, obviously having no fear of anything that may be inside it. Only to feel the reiatsu of an arrancar.. stronger than one of the numeros, but not as strong as the espada. She decided to find it quickly, before it got away. Though when she did find him, she realized it was one of the privaron espada, why was he out here? ”Hello there.. might I ask why you are out so far?” she asks curiously.

Rita yawned as she strolled around, her hand occasionaly brushing past the shimmery quartz trees. Lots of memories from Rita's mind were still stuck in this place, as it was the first place where Rita truly became the Arrancar she was today. Rita was mainly here to relax, as the hectic corridors of Las Noches proved to be a bit unsettling for Rita's tastes. She'd probably return there soon, as the female Decima was growing weary of the Forest.

All the quartz trees around her made her feel as if she was going in circles, adding an unwanted headache to her problems. She bit her lip as she thought about her recent choices, mainly the fact that she had rejoined the Espada. Rita had been an Espada once, the very old Quinta, but was thrown out by some idiot who thought he was better. This would anger Rita til' the day she died, despite the fact that she became much more pleasant Arrancar afterwards. She removed a glove from her right hand, tracing the new tattoo of a 10.Rita quickly put the glove back, slipping her thin fingers through the gray leather. She blinked and looked up, thinking she heard a voice.

Rita walked forward, narrowing her chocolate brown eyes at the area in front of her. "Hello?" Rita softly called out, beginning to think she was just going crazy. But no, she was relieved to sense the presence of two other Arrancars, though unfamiliar. She walked forward, her face switching from a confused expression to satisfied smile. There was one male, and a slightly familiar female. maybe someone she'd seen around Las Noches? Rita stopped, looking at the two and waved at them. "Hi..." Rita murmured, her tone a mix of kindness and awkwardness.

The forest of Menos, the one place Nova visited most. Though it’s unwelcoming darkness and unruly inhabitants were always on the prowl, Nova was never concerned about being attacked. Now the reason for Nova’s visit was pretty clear, he often visited with the hopes of honing in on his abilities, this was the best place to do so, he was out of sight and had plenty of targets to train against. Nova had just finished turning a quartz tree into a pillar of emerald, when he felt three nearby spiritual pressures, all of which were arrancar. Focusing harder, Nova determined the small group of arrancars was comprised of an espada, a privarone, and his fellow personal guard Vanille.

Nova slowly walked to the group, he was in no hurry to arrive, but in only a few moments, the personal guard appeared from the shadows and stood before the group. “hello” he said softly.

Tomix pulled his coat tighter around his body. He arm twitched towards Giruvargan; three Arrancar spirit powers were heading towards him. Focusing, he measured their powers. Well, well, well. They were all stronger then him. He turned towards the first one, who asked him why he was so far out.
"Do you know who I am? If you did, you wouldn't need to ask" He twitched into a smile.

Two more arrived, and Tomix crossed his arms. If they all attacked as once, he wouldn't be able to fight them all. They would overpower him. He would need Delta's help in an emergency. He made no expression on his face. "Hello there, may I ask your name?"

And lastly, a third Arrancar stepped out of the shadows, and Tomix frowned. It was odd. Why were there three Arrancar's doing so far from Los Noches? He would hopefully find out soon.

Vanille looked to him, feeling slightly imposing for some reason. Feeling a little reassured as she felt Nova's presence as well as what seemed to be a member of the espada, another she hadn't met yet. Though as the privaron asked if she knew who he was, it seemed quite obvious that she didn't. ”I don't really have a need to know the privaron.. I won't be working with you after all” She said, though to some it may seem that she was acting a little highly because of her position, it was simply because that was the truth of the matter. She smiled either way. ”I'm Vanille, what is your name?” she offered her hand out to him as the others appeared. She seemed quite friendly for an arrancar, particularly for one of her level of power.

She did the same for the others. ”Nova-Sama, why are you here? she seemed curious, which also seemed to cover the espada that had decided to join them. Though she had never met her so she couldn't talk on first name terms as she had with her partner. ”Greetings espada.” she said, bowing slightly. She held most of the espada in high regard apparently, as she treated them as if they were in a higher position, even if she had power of authority over them.

Tomix stared at the girl, who called herself Vanille. So, she was stronger then him. He remained quiet for a few moments, and then answered who he was.
"My name is Tomix Drakeson. I doubt this matters anymore, but I'll show you..." Pulling up the sleeve of his left arm, he held it up, showing the 8 inscribed upon it.

"Yes, yes, I'm Tomix, and this is...Delta." At the word 'Delta' a small green armoured holagram appeared on his shoulder, and it instantly began to chatter.
"Dear, Dear Tomix, you are in a pickle now. Surrounded by stronger Arrancar, you might die..." Tomix glared at his friend and partner.

Rita blinked, turning around as another presence joined the small group in the area. She didn't expect so many to show in the Forest and somewhat wondered if the busy Las Noches halls were irritating them too. Rita's attention switched from her thoughts and back to the group, mainly the guy with the black coat. He seemed kinda detached, but it was probably just Ritas' overt scrutiny. She walked forward a few small steps to where she was standing a few meters away from the other girl. Her pale geta sandals stood steady on the dark ground as her pure white and black dress drifted behind her.

It's edges didn't touch the ground. Rita kept kicking her foot around before she heard the girl talk again, introducing herself as Vanille. She decided it was time to introduce herself also. "I'm Rita Blair, Decima Espada." She spoke, her voice friendly and clear. A small smile sat on her face, though it had a hint of mischief to it. What exactly were the other people doing here? They probably wanted to know the same. She began to kick at the dirt again as the girl talked to the other male, the one who had just entered the little area. Her eyes looked up again as the girl spoke to Rita herself, greeting her.

She smiled again, a barely noticeable blush on her cheeks as the girl bowed. After all, Rita wasn't that great, she was just the Decima. "Hiya there." She exclaimed simply, her voice still cheery. Rita's hand swept through her now-short blonde hair, nimble fingers brushing small strands from her face. She listened respectfully as the man introduced himself as Tomix, displaying the black tattoo of an 8. Along with introducing himself, he also introduced the thing on his shoulder. She blinked, somewhat surprised as the thing began to talk. Rita didn't catch what the thing said, somthing about strong Arrancar and pickles. She chuckled quietly for no apparent reason other than amusing herself.

Quote :

Nova-Sama, why are you here?

Nova’s eyes shifted, scanning over each individual present before returning his gaze to Vanille I was training. I felt your spiritual pressure, and the spiritual pressure of these two (Nova motioned his hand to Rita and Tomix) I was curious to see what was going on.” Nova’s melancholic voice was soft, he wasn’t on edge, he wasn’t supprised to see a privaron, and he wasn’t going to get worked up for nothing.

As Rita stated her name Nova turned to her and gave a slight bow “pleasure to meet you Rita” he then turned to Tomix, and also gave him a courteous bow “privaron.” Nova wasn’t one to be rude, but Tomix was no longer an espada and therefore did not deserve all of Nova’s generosity. The personal guard glared at Tomix, it wasn’t a rude glare, and it wasn’t intimidating, but nonetheless it held some sort of authority to it “I believe Vanille asked you a question Tomix. What are you doing here in the forest?” he asked.

Tomix crossed his hands, silently evaluating the power levels of these Arrancar. His heart sank when he heard one call himself the title of Decima Espada.
"So...you're the Decima? I haven't been to Los Noches for a while, so I wouldn't know who was the Espada." Tomix was slightly angry when he was reffered to as "Privion". How dare he. A slight motion on anger passed over his face.

Tomix went silent as Delta began to talk again. "Of couse you wouldn't know Tomix. It's has been many, many years since you've been to Los Noches, ever since you murdered the 9th Espada..." Tomix stared straight at Delta, and said quite loudly: "Shut up!"

Rita looked around the forest, still listening to the others. The male Arrancar who had just arrived was explaining his reasons for visiting the group. She brushed the sides of her arms which were covered by long white sleeves. Towards the top of her arm, near the shoulder, the length ivory sleeve disconnected from the dress itself, instead it was secured by a elastic band sewn into the fibers. Her dress was strapless, displaying her collarbones and neck. This caused her to look quite like a princess, much to her chagrin. and humiliation. She lopped off her hair once she recieved her living space in Las Noches.

But that was a more welcome change. She smiled as the male greeted her in the similar manner as the girl, with a bow. Her hands rested on her hips, both her black 10 tattoo and Hollow Hole hidden by the detached sleeves. "It's nice to meet you also.." Rita mumbled, her tone of voice still friendly. She was surprised to see a glare from the other male towards Tomix, who he addressed as Privaron. Rita listened silently as the male asked the privaron a question, though Rita had little interest in such things.. She looked back to Tomix and it made much more sense. Rita blinked, seeing a look of brief anger on Tomix's face and then she heard his question.

"Yeah, i'm the Decima Espada, well the new one." Rita explained, grinning sheepishly at the end of her sentence. She glanced at both of her zanpaktou daggers, each was strapped onto a odd brown belt that looped many times around her hips. Each dagger had the name skillfully carved into it. Rita's eyes almost instantly looked up at the Privaron as the thing began talking. This time, she heard much more then she did before. Something about Las Noches and knowing, but what really grabbed her attention was the words murder and 9th Espada. Her eyes went huge, gaining a slightly glassy look to them as she stared at the privaron. She wasn't sure what to say, so she just stood there.

So this privaron was a muderer?... well... as an arrancar of course that couldn't be helped. But she figured that this man was not the kind that they needed as an espada. Partially it was the fact he had been privaron for so long, if he were stronger maybe that could be a possibility. She sighed, Nova seemed to be at least taking charge, he was much better at such things. Though, from the way he was acting, he seemed to think he was in some kind of trouble. ”Are you hiding from us?” she questioned, though it seemed somewhat odd coming from her, since she wasn't at all the kind someone would hide from. At least at the moment. Though her attention was slightly taken to the Decima, they had been going through quite a bit of changes in their ranks recently, though she had to admit this espada seemed a little more friendly than the decima that she had met not long ago, at least this one wasn't throwing around severed hollow arms. ”A pleasure to meet your Rita-Sama” she said, giving the other female a short bow before turning back to the privaron, waiting for her reply.

Tomix clsoed his eyes in irritation. So, Delta has spilit the beans on his secret. These three powerful Arrancar now knew he had murdered the Ninth Espada, and now they were most likely working out the best way to kill him.

"If you're talking to me...I've been running for three centuries nowl. I'm the old 8th Espada, as you could see, but I was a Privion. But now, I'm running. Somtimes I just want to be alone, somtimes I want to be with someone. And this whole time, I've got these odd things...I'm one of the few Arrancar to retain their human memories and emotions."

Tomix felt a memory flash through. Avon standing over him, Omega laughing. Looks like Delta couldn't save you! Memory my ass!" Tomix moved his hand to his forehead. "And I'm searching for the four Alpha remnents."

Nova stood in silence, just merely observing the scenario. It wasn’t Nova’s place to be diving into the privaron’s past, he had yet to pose an actual threat, and therefore did not need to be net with any kind of force. When Tomix stated that he was one of the few to retain memories of their past life, Nova smirked.

“do you believe that these items in which you seek, are here in the forest?” again, Nova really didn’t care for the answer, the request was more for the others, Nova figured they had the same question on their minds…..maybe.

From a distance to the left came a beckoning voice, one that contained a crisp british accent. " Vanille! Tomix! Fancy meeting the two of you here. Also hello to Decima Espada Rita and Personal Guard Nova. Bueautiful place is this not. " James strod toward them in a lazy pace, but he was tall and his strides were large. Allowing him to close much distance in short time. He wore a long black, hooded cloak that covered most of him but his hands. It was decorated with blood red symbols all over. His Spiritual Energy was kept at a maximum 0%, as so no one would recognize him and if he did not he would probably bring the desert down upon him.

In the short tie he reached them he used this to look around. Tomix was the same, a miniture James. Vanille was beautiful as ever. Rita was quite stunning, and overall the second personall guard impressed him in n a single way. They probably guessed it was him and since he had told Tomix he was the 11th Espada and not the first he hoped that they would not blow his cover. He enjoyed playng little stupid games, they amused him in ways Genocide did not.

Tomix sensed a new prescense. It was James from a while ago. The man who called himself the Eleventh Espada.
"So...it's you again." Tomix then answered Nova's question.

"The Alpha fragments are not to be found in this forest. The three remaining fragments are in the possesion of three diffrent people. The other two that I don't posses...are held by an Espada-power creature called The Meta."

Rita yawned, looking from Tomix to Vanille as she asked if the privaron was hiding. Her gaze settled on the man, though she indeed wondered if he was hiding from the Espada and other Arrancar.. She had a slight feeling that, however surprising it was that he murdered a Novena Espada, that he wasn't running for that reason specifically. After all, the Espada were an explosive group of explosive creatures. Nonetheless, Rita kept quiet and observed the creatures around her. She peered at Vanille as she mentioned it was a pleasure to meet Rita with yet another bow.

She smiled back to her. "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Vanille. I'd prefer just Rita.....honorifics are always a bit too formal for my tastes." Rita murmured, chuckling quietly at her own odd preferences. Her attention was drawn back to the privaron as he spoke about running, along with looking for something he called Alpha remenents. Rita couldn't contain her curiosity as she chimed into the conversation. "What are Alpha Remenents?" She asked him politely. He didn'y have to answer her, but she wasn't able to stop herself from wondering what they were. Her slender body turned around as a voice rang through the forest and noted it had a british accent to it.

As the figure greeted the group she waved to it, still unsure who he was. The figure was unmistakbly male, though it was covered in a black cloak. Nor could Rita sense it's spirit pressure. "Hello there..." She murmured softly, yet loud enough for the cloaked man to hear. Rita heard the privaron speaking about the wherabouts of these Alpha Remenents and listened slightly, turning her body and attention back towards him. Her overtly curious mind wondered what this creature....The Meta, was and if it was a threat to her Espada comrades. She kept quiet and yawned, feeling slightly tired of the dreary forest.

Tomix answered Rita.
"Many, Many years ago, The Ninth Espada Avon Drakeson created an Artifical Intelligence -a computer- called the Alpha. It was extremely powerful, and was able to fight on par with the Primera Esapda using it's powers. But it was too powerful, and so Avon split into six diffrent AIs, each with a diffrent fragment of it's personality. Delta here is it's logic, and retains The Alpha's speed powers."

Tomix sighed. "Avon got Omega, the anger and strength of the Alpha. Not many people know this part, but I pieced it together. Three hundred years ago, Avon Drakeson used an Arrancar for his experiments. This arrancar grew a biological armour. Then, Avon inserted an AI into the Arrancar. He inserted Sigma, the creativity and defensive powers of the Alpha."

"And then that Arrancar escaped. And it came here first, and wrote that." He pointed to the tree he was standing next to. Scratched in were the words: WE ARE THE META
"After I killed Avon in our battle, I retreated into the desert to fix my wounds. I believe The Meta found Avon's corpse and transferred Omega into his armor. Now he's after me, and he wants Delta."

Tomix sighed. He needed resouces to fight the Meta. So, he had once couse of actionn. He approached Rita.
"Rita, is it? May I ask you a question? Do you have any fraccion?"