There's A Hole In the Neighborhood

[sombras_blancas]

Who: Ulquiorra Cifer, OPEN
When: Anytime during the week
Where: About Anatole
Format: Prose or Action, whichever is preferred.
What: The Espada's just trying to get himself more familiarized with the city. Perhaps you can also call it reconnaissance.
Warnings: None at the moment, depends on who he runs into.

Comments

[twoswordjuniper]

Rooftops are a frequent haunt of all those with the strength and agility to run them. Of which Anatole had entirely too many, at least in Deneve's opinion. But sometimes they really were the best way to get around, avoiding the crowds and the natives and any number of other people she'd rather not see.

When she spots Ulquiorra he happens to be in her way, in a manner of speaking. He stands on a rooftop that is part of the route she plotted to get from the Foxhole to the edge of the city as efficiently as possible. She notices too that he has that kind of energy like the shinigami have, slippery to read, hard for her to gauge precisely because it is not exactly yoki.

She lights on the rooftop not far from him but does not sat anything at first, the dark grey hood of her cloak pulled down to hide her eyes, not that he would know what it meant that they are silver.

[sombras_blancas]

     It's like catching a whiff of a scent that hadn't been there a moment ago. He lifts his head but a fraction of a degree, his eyes sliding as far to the side as he can see without turning. It's a familiar presence, and it only takes the Espada a moment to place where he's sensed it.

Finally he shifts, looking towards the cloaked woman, but of course he speaks no greeting. Instead he watches her expectantly.

[twoswordjuniper]

It's like a standoff for a few moments as neither of them speak. But she has no grudge against this person - doesn't even know him, if she's honest - and there is only the flicker of familiar energy to be read off him. She lowers her hood and studies him for a moment.

"I haven't seen you before."

It's as friendly as greetings to strangers get for her.

[sombras_blancas]

     He continues to watch her, eyes unblinking as though committing every ticking second between them to memory. Even though the woman across from him finally moves, Ulquiorra remains with his hands in his pockets, still as ever. The only movement on his side would be the breeze that picks up, tugging at the ends of his coattails.

And then she breaks the silence for them, her words prompting a slight shrug in response.

"I don't often make public appearances. ...but then neither have I been here very long."

[twoswordjuniper]

Her cloak flutters around her black-clad legs, pulled at by the same breeze that plays with his coattails. And she watches him with sharp silver eyes, missing none of his few small gestures.

"I see. A recent arrival."

[sombras_blancas]

     Likewise he's watching the woman with equal scrutiny, but at her words, he gives a single nod. Not so recent, now, he considers, but still not as long as others. It has not even been half of a month for him, yet it's still struck him as odd to hear how long the others from his world have been here.

"...am I interrupting you from something?" Ulquiorra asks, since she had to have stopped for a reason.

[twoswordjuniper]

She cocks her head slightly but makes no other moves. He looks different from the others whose energy is similar to his. He's very pale and odd looking with that asymmetrical half-helm. She wonders why he would bother to wear something that only covered half his head.

"Not exactly."

[sombras_blancas]

     He would have scoffed at her thoughts that set his reiatsu akin to Shinigami; if he hadn't been holding it back at all, the differences, the density, would be suffocating.

Ulquiorra tilts his head just so, as if asking why she'd bothered to stop at all if that was her answer.

[twoswordjuniper]

She's tougher than she looks and she's faced energies that have dropped others to their knees. And if she doesn't try too hard, every energy that isn't yoki feels rather the same to her. In that it is somewhat blurry and harder to understand.

She won't say she has nothing better to do. That isn't exactly the truth, but attempting to gauge the more powerful newcomers is always of interest to her.

"Priorities change."

[sombras_blancas]

     It would be difficult to sort out the other strains of energies if he didn't keep his own in check. The normal levels Ulquiorra allowed to flow about himself here were slightly less restricted than what he would use as his identifier back home, but it was still just a fraction of what he was, and in his sealed form. He suspected that the Mists had something to do with muting their powers as a whole in this city, either that or it gave the locals some natural resilience to what would normally drop most humans like flies.

The Espada reflects on those two simple words that the woman speaks next. They are an answer to a question unspoken, and not even necessarily addressed to her.

Priorities change. Indeed they do, and in a world completely new, they must.

"...and what do yours now consist of?"

[twoswordjuniper]

She doesn't blink, flinch, or turn away. No sign of weakness or lack of resolve, she just stares at him with silver eyes.

"Assessing the environment. It's always changing here, too."

[sombras_blancas]

     And so he stares back, almost as though they had both accepted a silent challenge to a staring match.

"A wise thing to do. The environment seems unpredictable, if not the people here."

[twoswordjuniper]

"The environment is rather unpredictable. Even more so the longer you stay."

She doesn't break gaze with him still. She's very good at staring contests and she really doesn't like to lose.

"The people on the other hand, can eventually be learned. If one takes the time to observe them."

[sombras_blancas]

     "Interesting."

And yet unsurprising. Perhaps that would also be a point taken into account in consideration for how long Aizen has been here, but then the ex-Shinigami did like to bide his time in matters.

"Such is always the case. And time seems to be something aplenty, here."

[twoswordjuniper]

"Irritating. The place itself is like a being with scope far beyond what a normal person can perceive and foresee. And considerable whimsy and cruelty, when it has a mind for it."

Having been here more than a year now, she is fairly well acquainted with its erratic nature and it bothers her still that it is so very unpredictable.

"Time is indefinite. Even more so here than elsewhere. But even so, it is often not put to good use."

[sombras_blancas]

     Oh, he doesn't doubt that possibility either. "I've heard something about it. I suppose I'll find out firsthand soon enough." Not being able to deal with it isn't an option for him, but he decides not to say anything more than barest necessity. He knows better than to scoff at the potential occurrences for this place when he hasn't been here longer than a month and knows nothing more than what has been imparted to him by word of mouth and careful observation.

Ulquiorra considers her following words, conceding them with a nod.