12. [voice]
[Listen closely and you can hear the sound of the outdoors: conversations, low and distant as though coming from far away. The rustling of trees. The gentle whistle of the wind. It's unusual, in a sense, since Aizen is rarely outside, at least when he posts. But today is an exception, it seems.]
[Listen closer. Closer. If you stay silent, you may also hear the sound of things moving - heavy things. Shifting stone, perhaps?]
[Strange. He doesn't bother to mention it.]
It seems as though that Kuchiki woman has vanished, adding once again to our community's rapidly escalating losses. [Assuming she qualifies as a loss. After all, when she disappeared, he barely felt her power fade at all. That's the nature of such a weak spirit.] I can only speculate as to the effect this must have had on our noble police commander, particularly coming so quickly after the disappearances of Rukia and Renji.
[He pauses for a moment, and when he speaks again, his voice is soft, smooth like honey, and absolutely unemotional on every level.]
Indeed, I'm afraid I've been remiss in failing to extend my sympathies for their losses as well, or at least in failing to do so more quickly. It seems disingenuous to to offer them now. [As though it would have been honest at any other time. Still, he sounds... pleasant. Gentle. Soft-spoken.] Even so I have no choice but to acknowledge the pain of losing one's sister, wife and second all in so quick a sequence.
[He goes silent, as though to give people a moment to think about that. A moment of silence for the fallen.]
[Then again, he may simply be catching his breath.]
It does bring to mind a number of most unfortunate thoughts. For example, consider where it is that they are, now that they are no longer here.
In theory, they may have been killed, all three of them. [He smiles - just slightly - at that, though no one can see.] Under those circumstances, their bodies would be stripped to nothing within hours, and we would be left wondering where they vanished to, never knowing that they had been gutted by some random creature crawling around in the ruins. An ignoble fate, to be sure. All things considered, I'm not terribly concerned for the safety of Rukia. However, as for Renji, I would feel partially responsible if he were to be consumed alive by some otherwise irrelevant monster.
Of course, their deaths are only speculation. They could easily have been sent home, to face their no doubt equally grim fates. Though, at least then they would leave a corpse to mark their passage.
From that perspective, you could say that it matters very little whether they die here or at home. Their very absence from this place, in itself, dooms them. It's that sort of fatalistic thought that leads one to pessimism.
[The wind shifts. Aizen is moving.]
...ah well. There's little point in dwelling too long on that sort of thing when there are always more pleasant topics to consider. For example, that excavation. Pendants and music boxes are hardly conveyors of great knowledge, but there is still something to be said for the value of things simply for their existence. As historical records, or as art pieces. Inasmuch as this is the business of salvaging the past, I must admit I'm impressed by the attempt, if not the outcome.
[Below, the sound of moving again. Scraping stone. Come to think of it, he may be... standing over the excavation site.]
[Look up and you may even see him.]
[And then, a sudden change of topic.]
Luciela. I assume you've recovered well from your sudden emotional rush?
-----
[ooc: ...yes, you can see him if you look up. But only for a moment, as he's not hanging around watching the process all day. In any case, he's standing on air, go ahead and wave hello! He won't wave back.
Also! Tired player hasn't slept today! May fall unconscious, beware of slow!]
[Listen closer. Closer. If you stay silent, you may also hear the sound of things moving - heavy things. Shifting stone, perhaps?]
[Strange. He doesn't bother to mention it.]
It seems as though that Kuchiki woman has vanished, adding once again to our community's rapidly escalating losses. [Assuming she qualifies as a loss. After all, when she disappeared, he barely felt her power fade at all. That's the nature of such a weak spirit.] I can only speculate as to the effect this must have had on our noble police commander, particularly coming so quickly after the disappearances of Rukia and Renji.
[He pauses for a moment, and when he speaks again, his voice is soft, smooth like honey, and absolutely unemotional on every level.]
Indeed, I'm afraid I've been remiss in failing to extend my sympathies for their losses as well, or at least in failing to do so more quickly. It seems disingenuous to to offer them now. [As though it would have been honest at any other time. Still, he sounds... pleasant. Gentle. Soft-spoken.] Even so I have no choice but to acknowledge the pain of losing one's sister, wife and second all in so quick a sequence.
[He goes silent, as though to give people a moment to think about that. A moment of silence for the fallen.]
[Then again, he may simply be catching his breath.]
It does bring to mind a number of most unfortunate thoughts. For example, consider where it is that they are, now that they are no longer here.
In theory, they may have been killed, all three of them. [He smiles - just slightly - at that, though no one can see.] Under those circumstances, their bodies would be stripped to nothing within hours, and we would be left wondering where they vanished to, never knowing that they had been gutted by some random creature crawling around in the ruins. An ignoble fate, to be sure. All things considered, I'm not terribly concerned for the safety of Rukia. However, as for Renji, I would feel partially responsible if he were to be consumed alive by some otherwise irrelevant monster.
Of course, their deaths are only speculation. They could easily have been sent home, to face their no doubt equally grim fates. Though, at least then they would leave a corpse to mark their passage.
From that perspective, you could say that it matters very little whether they die here or at home. Their very absence from this place, in itself, dooms them. It's that sort of fatalistic thought that leads one to pessimism.
[The wind shifts. Aizen is moving.]
...ah well. There's little point in dwelling too long on that sort of thing when there are always more pleasant topics to consider. For example, that excavation. Pendants and music boxes are hardly conveyors of great knowledge, but there is still something to be said for the value of things simply for their existence. As historical records, or as art pieces. Inasmuch as this is the business of salvaging the past, I must admit I'm impressed by the attempt, if not the outcome.
[Below, the sound of moving again. Scraping stone. Come to think of it, he may be... standing over the excavation site.]
[Look up and you may even see him.]
[And then, a sudden change of topic.]
Luciela. I assume you've recovered well from your sudden emotional rush?
-----
[ooc: ...yes, you can see him if you look up. But only for a moment, as he's not hanging around watching the process all day. In any case, he's standing on air, go ahead and wave hello! He won't wave back.
Also! Tired player hasn't slept today! May fall unconscious, beware of slow!]