The Solitary Light [Invite]

She sat on the top of the wooden bench, feet extended past to the part she was expected to sit in and scanned the distance. She wasn't sure what to expect. She brought her best outfit, one particular to the occasion inspired by the uniform of her clan and the country she was no a resident of. It was not unlike a formal Kyudo outfit done up with a white plain Kimono and a black Hakami. Around her waist was a metal band that secured a banner, a gray nearly black stretch of cloth that flowed just past her knees. On it was a simple emblemized symbol of her house. Her red hair, not all that long, was done up neatly. When it was down she looked a little more tomboyish but the style suited her immaculate outfit.

She liked the clothes, she felt impressive in them but they also breathed and moved easily. And she'd taken the care to customize them as she liked. She tucked the phone away into the obscured pocket of her hakama after confirming the time.

The park itself was dead silent. Rows of massive aged trees stretched the pathway she was in the middle of. She took up the only lit spot for a hundred or so meters, unmistakable, unmissable.

The city itself had returned to some semblance of peace. The chaos of the Hollow attack had subsided and in that time Meridith and Kevin's prediction was true, there were far more than just them in the city. They met a few, who knew more, who each had stories to tell. Now she had to sit, and wait, anxiety a ball of lead in her stomach and wonder if they were going to show...

Then if any of them were willing to stand alongside her.

”Ey!” Kevin called out loudly from across the park, breaking any semblance of tension as he jogged up toward Meridith and the recently arrived Diarmaid. He’d made the necessary arrangements with his loosely connected Quincy contact list and was glad to see that at least one of them had panned out successfully, but he realized at the last minute that they’d forgotten the one critical element to any good meetup.

Pizza!

Allowing her to take the lead and get things set up, Kevin had boldly undertaken the challenge of procuring a slew of flavorful options. The Quincy were a diverse people, he imagined. He’d personally met Welsh, Irish, French, and American Quincy. What better food to bridge the cultural divide inherent in collecting so many Caucasians than the classic versatile Italian invention of pizza?

As he carried he piping hot stack of ten different boxes out of his rideshare, Kevin paused his musings over whether the Quincy from a thousand years ago had had pizza at their meetings, careful to not get any grease on his tailored suit jacket. He’d originally planned on just wearing his standard tie and dress shirt, but upon seeing Meridith significantly more dressed up, he had ducked back into his closet to change into a double breasted royal blue chalk stripe suit with matching pants and tie.

Holding the boxes out carefully, Kevin arrived next to Meridith and Diarmaid with a smile hidden behind the stack. Setting the giant stack of pizza boxes atop a nearby garbage can before smoothing out his jacket and hair, he then set to opening up his duffel bag, slipping on his mitt and loading it up with two one liter bottles of refreshing Coke. ”Had to stop at a gas station on my way over. They only had Pepsi at the pizza place,” he explained as he made the offer to them, ”I got a few Mountain Dews there just in case someone craved the citrus, but I wasn’t gonna shame our ancestors with fucking Pepsi.”

How often was it that Arata Sasaki of all people felt under-dressed? He was certainly no stranger to being the odd man out when it came to attire. If not for his insistence on a business casual manner of dress even in more casual settings, then certainly for wearing disposable gloves wherever he went. He knew he should have brought his suit jacket with him. Not only would it have been a bit classier, but he could do without nearly spilling his Ginto tubes onto the floor every time he reached into his pockets for something. Normally, bothering with carrying around such trinkets was not a matter worth worrying about for the reluctant Quincy. With how dangerous the town was getting, he could not bear the thought of leaving home without them.

Ultimately, that was the reason why he was here. Why else would he be stumbling around outside in the darkness to meet with strangers? This was his opportunity to find a more suitable mentor for Hotaru. Arata's own skills covered the breadth of Quincy knowledge and ability for the most part, but they were shallow. She would be better off with an instructor that actually practiced the Quincy way of life.

As he looked around, he released a sigh of relief. He was glad to see that the girl was not in attendance. It seems that she had taken his suggestion. He was genuinely surprised by the astounding lack of participants. If they were desperate enough to even be inviting minors, he figured there would surely be a bigger crowd of spiritualists in a place like Karakura. Perhaps he was mistaken and had intruded on some other private meeting in the park. After all, he had come here following a tip given to him by an admittedly excitable teenager. It was really for the best that he was here instead of Hotaru.

Regardless of whether or not he was interrupting or merely early, there was little harm in introducing himself. He approached with a bit of an awkward wave.

"Hello! How are you doing? My name is Arata Sasaki."

She had eventually repaired her phone and called Rónán O’Donovan to receive the rest of her dressing down and what further instructions he had to impart. By now the Ishikawa Clann were safely ensconced at the O’Donovan estate and remarkably her Lord had not recalled her to Ireland but advised her to go to this meeting of the Quincy and continue her efforts to locate his niece Jessica. This little hot spot in the world had been the cause of outing their race to the hated Shinigami and he was counting on her to be the spokesman for sanity by advocating for continued covertness. To engage in open warfare with the Death Gods would only end in their own genocide.

Arriving at the location at the park, she picked up the Quincy outfit the red headed female was wearing straight away. So much for covertness, she observed mentally. For her part she was in her street clothes, jeans, t-shirt, leather jacket and backpack slung upon her shoulders. Why meet at night if you were going to wear white? Sniffing a bit to clear her sinuses, she emerged from the edge of the park and approached the four individuals. Five Quincy? Yeah that was really gonna fuck up the Shinigami. To say that Aine was pretty much giving up on life since Michael’s abduction would have been a pretty accurate assumption. But then she was here and not just because the head of her Clann had ordered it. There was still hope that Michael could be recovered, though she didn’t believe for an instant what the whore of a Death God had said about him being returned once things were safe. Safe for whom? If she ever saw her cousin alive again he was sure to be stripped of his powers or dead. Everyone knew that is what constituted safety in the mind of the Shinigami.

She nodded to the depressingly small group and murmured, ”Hello Diarmaid, Kevin. Care to introduce me to your friends?” Putting on a smile that more than likely wouldn’t be fully appreciated in the darkness, she resolved to keep her acerbic thoughts to herself and hope for a friggen miracle. Then she smelled it and her resolve flew right out the proverbial window, "Jaysus Kevin. What is it with you and pizza anyway?" It was just too much and she started to laugh a bit from all the absurdity.

”Magic pizza, what can I say? This shit works wonders,” Kevin said in English after Aine made her grand appearance. He hadn’t recognized the other newcomer, but his heart had sunk after hearing the man use Japanese to address them. Kevin had gotten hyped up that every Quincy he’d met thus far had been English-speaking, even if it wasn’t as their primary language. It sucked ass to have to filter everything through Japanese in order to talk.

Still, when in Rome you had to do whatever the Romans asked you to, and if the Romans were asking you to read from left to right and speak Japanese, then you were gonna have to do that. Flipping back to his Japanese but unable to ditch his bland middle America accent, he turned his back to the others and rummaged around in his bag. ”I purchased some things to help. We don’t know how many people are showing up exactly, but it’s always good to be prepared,” he said, turning back to the others with a stack of nametags in one hand and a couple of pens in the other.

He’d taken the time waiting in the checkout line to pre-fill his, going over it with fun accent markers and really jazzing it up beyond a boring black KEVIN. He’d doodled little baseballs in the upper left and right corners, accenting his full name perfectly. After setting them out for the others to take, he carefully took the adhesive off the back and gently placed it on the right chest of his suit jacket, modeling it for all to be inspired by his example.

Vance didn't get an invite the normal way.  He got his from his sister, the one person in his family who was known to actually be a Quincy.  Though he showed up in full armor, sword strapped to his back, pistol on his hip.  He also carried a backpack with his laptop and was looking at his phone.  Mainly for a number of reasons, Vance didn't trust others that weren't his customers.  To him they were all experiments and crazy people.  They had power, and did nothing with it but watched.  Vance had no real power.  So, walking in with armor and a dam normal sword would have looked weird but he didn't care.  

He checked his pistol to make sure it was loaded before moving towards the group, his steps were relaxed but he was toying with something in his off-right hand and he had his left just over the holster off the cross. He avoided his usual incessant cackling and chuckling.  He brought none of his usual baits, for fear that someone might recognize them.  He wandered towards the lit space and the few that occupied it.  He wanted to scan them all but it was too far away as he walked along, plus having his phone out and taking pictures of everyone didn't seem like it would be the smartest thing at the moment.

He wandered up to the group, as someone mentioned being prepared, as the layered armor Vance walked into outcropping and towards the group.  He was being slow and cautious, making sure no one was using their powers for reasons.  When he was sure that wasn't the case, the helmet of his armor vanished and he walked up to the group.   He had a look of slight confusion as he looked at the group, with the exception of QF~30GL4, he didn't know any of them, after all they were useless in his eyes anyway.  He didn't speak, a bit unnatural for him, but when you were effectively in enemy territory and you didn't have a leg up, there was no reason to jump the gun, so he simply nodded.

Ginto (5) :: Extra Shots (3) :: Pill (2) :: Phone (1) :: Laptop (1) :: Armor (3) :: Med (5)

Getting involved with the Quincy business was not the idea that Irvine danced with. If anything, he would want to steer clear from this meeting but he had made the error of mentioning it to certain someone and now he's here. He arrived on a light blue retro scooter that never skipped a day post line production. This scooter is something that he himself had tinkered with thoroughly. Retirement provided him plenty of time to work and no one to share it with, he made his effort to restore anything he got his hands on to pristine condition.

He parked his low powered bike a short distance away from the location of the meeting, he found himself hesitating. This isn't like people meeting him at the safety of his home, he's going out to meet a group that he doesn't know. His grips firmly bound against the handlebars of his bike, his body telling him to leave.

His gut feeling telling him to go home.

This feeling is a powerful tool at his own disposal. It's like having a seer dwelling inside his stomach, gorging whatever beer and food that the retired had consumed earlier and occasionally produced a binary response to his question: Should he meet them?

Nervous? Irvine? No. Though he's known to lie. He had thousands, if not millions of eyes on him at the peak of his career, if he could tank that empowering presence, what's a handful of Quincy was to him? No, that was a lie. He too, was a quincy, but he felt so distant in comparison to those who lived their life to hunt. He was even taken back by the empowering pressure of a young Irishman - a huge fan of Irvine, but his forwardness and his identity of the quincy had almost drowned the retired one; him, in his own home.

His expression was left with a dour note, struggling to accept that he needed to move, but he found himself reminding himself of the endless ringtone reverbing in his thoughts. The time he found himself trying to call someone - close or distant - but there was no reply.

"Fuck it," he muttered.

He groaned and grunted, a burst of determination slacked his curled fingers against the restored handlebars. His legs moved, defying the strong gut feeling. He couldn't fathom a thought or reason for his action, but when he snapped out of his daze, he was among the group. He righted his straw cowboy hat, his long sleeved grey cardigan and his short - his everyday wear, right down to his flip flop that was making more noise in his approach than his jaded look. His hands digged to his pockets, he stood before the group. quinting and righting his hat to hide his eyes.

Irvine was forced to admit: he was a little undressed for the scene.

Meridith looked amongst the assembled as they filtered in along the path, through the trees, taking a position near her as she sat atop the bench and nodded to them each as they arrived in turn.

Diarmaid she knew, near-death he forced her to truly adapt and learn what her family had taught her to stabilize and save his life. He too had shared a journey like theirs, arrived, found Hollow, nearly died to a Shinigami.

Kevin was her companion throughout, not quite from the start but near enough. Even if it hadn't been long, she implicitly trusted him with her life, as he'd saved her more than once and vice versa. If not for him there would be no this. She smiled faintly at his antics. Seems he'd decided to dress up as well. She scoffed aloud and rolled her eyes at the nametags but smiled after. It was fine enough, who cared about putting on airs? The uniform wasn't just for show and to impress, it was because it was tradition and everyone here tonight dealt with tradition in some way whether they liked it or not. They were, no matter what else, influenced by the past. But they need not be slaves to it. She snapped a pink marker and wrote her name in a cursive flourish in English. Meridith S and slapped it over her heart.

Arata was a bit more casually dressed but far from casual. She didn't know them at all, more or less a stranger which was fine, in fact, it was the point. Seemed reliable. A native to Karakura or visiting she wasn't sure.

Aine wasn't so much a stranger, Kevin had mentioned them but they hadn't yet met. She nodded her head towards the woman. They seemed a bit put off, impatient but looking for something? Eh, she didn't know. Tomboyish, functional. Hopefully, she'd stick around.

The blond-haired one was the strangest of the bunch. Armed with conventional weapons and armour and a bunch of something else in the backpack almost certainly. She offered them a slight nod. She wondered briefly who he knew amongst them. Despite being an unlikely threat, the gun still made her nervous because she'd never really seen one before.

The last to arrive before she sought to spoke was a large man, looked pretty old, comparatively but far from past his prime. For whatever reason, he carried his size without obvious intimidation, at least to her. She wasn't sure why, but he had a look about him, something she just trusted she supposed.

She let them gather for a moment, long enough to take a nametag if they chose, to write their name and put it on, and to see if anyone was coming. There might be some later comers, some watchers out in the dark. Either way, she opted to wait no longer, capitalizing on a momentum before the silence became weird.

She climbed to her feet, her hakama settled around her as she took one step off the seat of the bench and leapt lightly to the ground into the center of the ring of light. As she did, she extended her hand and a collection of spiritual particles filled the air. By the time she had landed there was a flash of brilliant blue light and her spiritual weapon formed. A simple longsword, bathed in spiritual particles giving it an ethereal blue glow.

She rested the end of the blade against the ground and looked about to those assembled at various distances in the light and began.

"I am Meridith Sheppard. I've sought you and others here to share important news. To gather us fellow humans, Quincy and those who are aware of matters spiritual to tell you that our time in the shadows is over."

"The Shinigami have discovered we yet live, and they have on three separate occasions that I know, and likely many more, sought to kill us without provocation. There is no more peace in our hiding. To those of you who do not wish conflict, it is coming whether you like it or not. If you are to have any hope of evading it, flee from this city. Hide. Hide farther and more deeply than you have ever in the past and hope you will evade what is coming but remain ever vigilant. The Shinigami are ever-present and they have long, long memories."

"The rest of you, I tell you that I am done hiding. It did me no good nor many others who have found themselves at the other end of their damn blades. I am going to hunt openly, I am going to fight each and every Hollow I encounter, and I am going to destroy them. And I invite you to join me. The more the merrier, because we have fought Shinigami, and we have won and I intend to do so until they give up their opposition. I have no intention of seeking a fight, but since they have made their intention clear, we must be honest with ourselves and know that there is nothing left but to fight them whenever we meet. To do anything else is to invite death because after millennia they have not given up their hunt of our kind and they never will."

She let a moment past before continuing. "Finally, know this. If one amongst us is the one who unleashed the Hollow bait in this city that drew so many monsters and so much chaos, ending the lives of so many innocent people and jeopardizing many more, I have a message for you."

She grew firm her eyes narrowed as she scanned the crowd once more.

"Disappear. Because if I find who did it, I'm going to cut off their fucking head."

Smiling to Kevin, she shook her head taking a tag to adorn herself for all the world to see. This meeting was more than conspicuous and she didn’t know what sort of surveillance techniques the Death Gods might have at their disposal. It hardly mattered, they already knew the name of her clan head and whatever they might get out of Michael through torture was beyond her desire to dwell upon at this place and time. Where the strength to hold back her emotions and fear on his behalf came from, she did not even know. Perhaps it was the reporter in her come to the foreground once again. Writing her name on the tag, she pressed it to her chest and waited. She did nod to the two men who approached at the last finding that she recognized both from the flea market in which she had taken refuge from the heat not so long ago.

By the time Meridith had finished speaking, the issue of Hollowbait was moot. Shinigami would be flocking here with or without a repeat of drawing hollow in droves to invade this city. It was war and there was no going back from that now. War was a generous word, however and Aine knew this to be true. It was going to be genocide and with the Quincy on the losing end and no one to care of their passing. She had been sent here for one purpose and as stirring as the woman’s words had been, the echoes of ferocity beating in her heart begging her to don her white robes and flaunt her defiance in the face of the Shinigami, it would not bring her cousin home. She had a duty to represent the wishes of her clan head and to that end she would obey.

“Ah. You have fought Shinigami and won? So, are you saying to me that it is your fault that the Shinigami have declared war on the Quincy and have kidnapped my cousin?” She threw the ransom note, if a paper that held no demands to be paid could even be called as such, on the ground before the feet of Meredith. “I don’t know how you were raised, but I was brought up on the histories that caution us to secrecy lest we unleash a final and complete extermination of our race. A partial extermination that occurred, I wish to add, during the age when our people were at the height of our numbers and our arcane abilities. Look around you at the pitiful handful of people who have answered your call and tell me that this is going to be anything but suicide.”

Attn: Aine O’Donovan

Your friend injured himself. I have taken him under my custody for his own safety and recovery. I will attempt to return him as soon as is safe. Your understanding and patience in these matters is greatly appreciated.

Nao Aoki
Chief Administrator
First Division of the Gotei 6

The text would be plain for all to see but Aine did not pause long enough for any to interrupt her further words. ”Don’t bother believing anything but that Shinigami Whore has stolen him. His voice message to me explains the desperate battle he was in at the time he supposedly injured himself.” With a flick of her thumb she replayed the voice mail on speaker phone for all to hear.

“Aine!” Michael’s voice could be heard, sounding like he was running or something. “I’ve been cornered by a Shinigami. The crazy bitch is trying to drag me back to their damned Soul Society for fuck knows what type of experimentation and interrogation. She mentioned one of theirs has already killed two of ours”, he said swiftly. “Look if I don’t get home then forget me. Fucking run back to my family’s estate. The O’Donovan’s are connected to every Clan in Europe one way or another. Warn them all. The Shinigami are preparing for war.”

She shook her head and sighed, stashing her phone away inside her jacket. ”I wish this could hold water, I truly do. My other cousin is also missing, and hopefully that is incidental to this issue and she is just being a youth free of the tether of her elders. But I am honor bound not to follow my heart, but that of my Clann and it is at the behest of  Rónán O’Donovan that I caution against making a decision that brings about a Quincy genocide. What you do, what you decide here tonight will have wide sweeping consequences that will be felt round the world. In short, do not, I beg you, write a check that countless others will be forced to pay.”

She shook her head and sighed, ”Already one of Karakura’s most noble Quincy families has had to evacuate and seek refuge in Ireland due to the actions that have played out in this city. I fear that if you go through with this plan, however, there will be no safe corner in which to seek refuge. It is precipitous, therefore, to make decisions about things that others will have no say, but whose lives will be sacrificed so you may walk boldly before the world. Move forward in wisdom, not with emotion. You do not have the right to wager the lives of thousands of people through headstrong actions that do not even allow for their voices to be heard. If you move forward, the only option for a conscientious being to employ are ones of strategy and cooperation with our people as a whole.” Falling silent she would wait to hear what other voices would propose.

Luxury, that is what this was. She would love nothing more than to get her revenge and make these black robed demons pay and pay and pay until she fell by their sword. It was a luxury that none of them could afford.

Raphael had heard something about humans teaming up or uniting, or something like that, for a reason that he didn’t exactly understand. What did they hope to accomplish by a little meeting like this? Honestly, it seemed stupid to him. A great way to get everyone in one place, especially if you were all hoping to die. Hell, the Shinigami could all just come down right now, with them all gathered there, and it would be a slaughter, especially for the quincy; the humans they probably wouldn’t bother with. Taking the fight to Shinigami wouldn’t be smart either, especially since there were a number of Shinigami that were quite strong and not nearly as many humans at that level.

So it was that he was dressed in his normal blue jacket, and white shirt with blue jeans, in the middle of a park, feeling like he was going to meet some kinda secret club. Not the good kind, though, the kind that took the kool-aid, when they were done with all of their weekend activities. Raph didn’t really like this kind of club, but when he saw the misfit people all gathered there, he got a little more concerned. They weren’t a crack team, they were…well, literally misfits. It seemed like they’d gathered together through random chance and coincidence and were now all massing for…some kind of fight they thought was coming. Or was coming.

He heard some long winded speech about a war, or something he hadn’t been paying attention, and then something else about someone being taken. He swore under his breath, as he finally came within eyesight of the group. Despite not being nearly as powerful as some of them, Raphael was still a force all on his own. He’d quickly come to realize that his strength lay more in the power of the energy that he could produce than the strength of his arms. Blasts of kinesis, a shield of his own and a way to hold an enemy and slow it. All of these made for a potent combination, though there was more and he knew it.

“Hi. Sorry I’m late, the train to get out here took forever. Name’s Raph.” His greeting was short and to the point; he didn’t know these people nor quite what they wanted and being here unnerved him. Whatever they were talking about, it wasn’t good for any mortal or quincy in Karakura.

The area where the meeting was to take place was unguarded and wide open, to say the least. When Nyla had gotten the text from Meridith informing her of the specifics for the meeting, Nyla had already been out on what had now become a routine Hollow hunt for her. Standing over the fading remains of her latest kill, Nyla scanned the message with waning curiosity. The location was nearby, but the designated time had not yet arrived. As such, Nyla decided that perhaps she would take a preliminary look at the park to ensure it would be safe for them.

She slipped her phone into her pocket and peered in the direction of the park. She could already pick up the faint traces of a spiritual presence there, but the identity of who it belonged to eluded her at present. Given the presumed formal nature of the meeting, Nyla elected to wear her Dusklight Executor combat attire; since she currently already wore the aforementioned gear, there was no need for her to waste time returning to change clothes and could instead head right to the meeting location.

Her form dissipated into a shapeless mass of black smoke then merged into the shadows of the trees nearby. As she made her way towards the park and closer to the mysterious presence, she recounted the encounters she'd had thus far and the information that each had provided. From Aine, she had learned of the Hollow Bait incident and that she was employed by another dwindling Quincy family. From Diarmaid, only that there were at least three other Quincy present in the city. Then there was Meridith, the one who had organized the meeting in the first place. The girl had a certain fervor and determination about her; both of those were traits that she could respect. And then there was Vance...

As that train of thought presented itself, Nyla had just covered half the distance between her previous location and the park. There was something about that belligerent boy that she didn't trust. He was ruled by science, driven by some manic ideology and his attitude exuded immorality. She had said it during their interaction, but the more she thought about it the more sure she was: she just didn't trust him. There was also the fact that, as a supposed Quincy, he was incapable of gathering reishi. Even those who developed later eventually became capable of that feat, usually around their young adult years. She reasoned that he was well within that age range, so he should have been able to do so by now. That in itself raised red flags for her.

Just past the treeline beside the park, Nyla stepped forth from the shadowed vegetation. Seeing that the presence she had sensed belonged to Meridith caused her lips to curl into a distant smirk. It seemed that no one else had arrived yet, and even from this distance Nyla could see the girl's anxious expression. It was a reasonable feeling, she supposed; the girl had decided to gather a group of people that had spent the last millennia in hiding. There was no guarantee that the call would be heeded, but the fact that she still carried through with it spoke to the young Quincy's potential as a leader.

Nyla approached, but her progress halted when a familiar voice yelled out from nearby. Stopping still a distance from them, she folded her arms and leaned against a nearby lamppost then gazed in the direction of the voice. A whispered chuckle escaped her lips as Diarmaid trotted towards Meridith and greeted her. That recognition was jarringly interrupted by the loud braying greeting that came next. Disdain creased her brow as her gaze slipped away from two two familiar faces and followed a third arrival.

"Obnoxious lummox...." She muttered quietly as she watched Kevin approach with an equally outrageous number of pizza boxes balanced precariously on his upheld palm. Even though she hadn't formally met him yet, something about this man told Nyla that being in his presence would annoy her. She shook her head and continued to watch as more people began to show up. Of the three new arrivals, only one was unknown to her. Aine elicited another smirk, but that smirk immediately soured into an intent scowl.

As Meridith began her speech, Nyla once more began her approach on the group. She made note of the older gentleman that joined as well as the young man. Her gaze lingered on the latter; this one wasn't a Quincy, she could sense the difference in his energy. A supporter then, perhaps?

"If I might offer my input..." Nyla finally spoke up after both Aine and Diarmaid had spoken their piece, now standing a few feet away from the group. A watchful eye panned across the faces present, a brief frown creasing her brow as her gaze slipped past Vance to settle on Aine.

"If your family member has been taken by the Shinigami, that should be all the more reason that you'd want to be better organized. You do raise a good point about that, by the way." She further approached the group, now stepping up beside Meridith.

"Needlessly attacking them is a bad idea, but so is complacency. They've already made the first move by not only attacking many of those present here, but by also kidnapping your cousin. They won't stop now that they know the Quincy still exist. And what do you think will happen once they start experimenting on your cousin and pervert Quincy practices for their own needs? Do you think they will just let him go about his way? Let the rest of you continue about your lives? They will hunt you, and they will kill you." Nyla took a moment to let those assembled process what she had just said before continuing.

"But there is one thing that this child is correct about." Nyla's gaze moved from one face to another.

"There is one here who betrayed the rest. That person must be dealt with before we can continue. There is a place where we can gather outside of the eyes of the Shinigami and properly plan, but not while that person still hides among us." Nyla's stern glare settled on Vance.

"You've been pretty quiet so far, Vance. For someone as opinionated and sure of themselves as you, that's a bit odd, isn't it? Why don't you give us your thoughts on this matter, hm? Who do you think is responsible?"

Vance shifted and typed into his phone as the others began to effectively be nice to each other.  Wasn't really for him, to be honest, most of these people were just experiments anyway.  The issue was how to make that a point without arousing suspicion.  As he had figured earlier, this was effectively enemy territory.  After all none of these people were doing anything useful besides their group hug.  

Meredith wrote:"Finally, know this. If one amongst us is the one who unleashed the Hollow bait in this city that drew so many monsters and so much chaos, ending the lives of so many innocent people and jeopardizing many more, I have a message for you.  Disappear. Because if I find who did it, I'm going to cut off their fucking head."

Vance didn't respond and he didn't show any change in his behavior, at this point he was still just someone in the background.  There was no reason to say anything to anyone, he was a non-combatant anyway.  He was there with a real set of gear because he couldn't manipulate reishi correctly.  Though with this many Quincy around if they wanted to kill him off, just using powers could do the job, they didn't even have to attack him.  He was glad no one here knew that.

Then QF~30GL4 spoke, and Vance simply listened.  It basically told the same sob story that made Quincy not much to shake a leg at anyway.  If pajama samurai wanted the Quincy dead, there wouldn't be any stopping it.  Especially when they had a supernatural poison that could kill all of them in min-Vance looked around for the first time as he listened to the Irishman speak.  Vance suddenly started realizing, this group was full of real idiots.  If that one shittygami wanted to deal with all of them in a minute, not only could they, but they could all already be dead.

That's when Raphael walked up, Vance in his armor with a sword strapped on looked a bit different than usual but he gave the human a wave.  Raphael was going to be a nanocane of destruction in the future that Vance would have to abuse.  Though Raphael being there suddenly gave Vance the best idea ever.  He barely managed to keep the smirk off his face, plus if he was dead anyway cause of some supernatural super-poison, he might as well make everyone else point at someone when they all died.   Though it eventually failed and his soft incessant giggling began to take on its own life as he grinned.

Nyla showing up, was the wrench in the entire fucking plan, but Vance didn't care.  He only needed to make his case in the correct way.  Vance didn't like people who were too smart for their own good, and Nyla had that in spades, and she was the only person that had gotten close enough to nearly figure out Vance's actual abilities.  Which left Vance in a worse position than before.  He really wanted to shoot her, but when she started talking, his chuckling droned off to somewhere else as he waited patiently for her to finish.  Then, as lucky as it could be, she called on him, allowing him the perfect opportunity to strike.

Nyla wrote:"You've been pretty quiet so far, Vance. For someone as opinionated and sure of themselves as you, that's a bit odd, isn't it? Why don't you give us your thoughts on this matter, hm? Who do you think is responsible?"

Vance nodded politely to her, as if taking a stage on a very perfect queue.  "I'm a non-combatant, most of this doesn't matter to me.  Though if you want my opinions I'll start from the beginning."  Vance stated pointing to Meredith. "Allow us to start with Facts, then I'll fill in the blanks for you Miss Quincy Leader Meredith Shepard."  Vance stated pulling his phone up to a picture of the shinigami that he had seen previously, this was all SO perfect.  

"The following Shinigami designated BR-M0128."  Vance stated as he held the phone up and slowly parsed it around the group.  It was a picture of the shinigami smoking a cigarette with his brandished hair, noble walk, on the street.  Vance had made sure to use a photo that specifically wouldn't show anything but his look off.  He had a look of annoyance, at the time he had been talking to a hollow.  "Is in possession of a supernatural poison that can potentially kill an untold number of individuals.  Say a bunch of Quincy meeting late at night after his genetically modified attack dog sniffs us out, rather literally.  Designated BR-F0067"  Vance stated before changing the picture to the werewolf-like female shinigami.  "If you don't believe me, ask Raphael.  He was blamed for it when the shinigami stole the poison in question."

Vance made sure everyone was following before changing his tone.  "Now, we're all together, after essentially being pushed into it following a number of attacks against specifically known combatants.  I have never done battle with anything in this part of the world, and to be honest I would probably just die anyway.  I'm not like the rest of you, I make things and I study things. " Vance pointed out as he chuckled.  "Now, if I was a supernatural sociopath, with a poison that I needed to SMUGGLE, back to my home dimension, and was trying to draw out something that my pet told me about that supposedly was killed off centuries ago.  I would probably lead them into grouping up, and potentially being close together so I could end them all."  Vance stated pointedly and then ushered to the space around them.

"Though given that we aren't dead yet, Miss Shepard here probably jumped the proverbial gun early. Or they could easily be watching us right now.  Or they're planning to blame us for whatever the poison does kill. It's what I would do."  Vance stated.  "Any questions so far?"  Vance stated.

Kevin, for once in his goddamn life, stayed quiet as everyone else started to chatter. Though he was very confused at Diarmaid’s use of Dermot on his nametag after having had the name explained to him by Aine. He had pizza to eat, soda to drink, and new people who needed refreshments and nametags of their own. So focused was he on doing the kind of basic work everyone else seemed content to neglect that he even managed to fight back the urge to relive the cola wars with the Irishman.

He stopped his handouts and made sure to stand still for Meridith’s and Aine’s statements out of respect for them, noticing how, after they spoke, even more people crawled out of the woodwork. He’d mulled some of it over, having spoke with Aine and Meridith before, but as the others started accusing each other of various crimes, he couldn’t help but get frustrated. They were all so caught up in blaming each other that they couldn’t see the bigger picture.

”Seems simple to me what the best play is here,” Kevin half-mumbled out to the assembled mass as he swallowed a bite of pepperoni pizza. Turning to Aine and the other finger-pointers, he shook his head lightly. ”We can’t undo what’s happened. This Vance dude has pictures of them for crying out loud and it sounds like most of us have either had run-ins with them or know people who have. For all we know, the Quincy who spilled the beans died doing so and we’re getting caught up in a completely pointless blame game.” A team couldn’t be in-fighting if they wanted to walk away victorious. Big personalities were fine, but everyone needed to be pointed in the right way if you wanted to come out with a win at the end of the game. He continued to walk forward, getting right in the middle of the crowd and finally cooling it on gluttonously feeding his trap.

”The problem here, as far as I see it, is that we’ve got a fellow Quincy that they’ve taken hostage. Since we were all able to meet here through the grapevine, that means each one of us is linked to someone who is linked to that guy sitting in their voodoo dimension. It’s a regular five degrees of Quincy Kevin Bacon and every one of us is now sitting at a Bacon number of 2. Hell, they’ve already got Aine’s first name and the O’Donovan clan figured out. That should be our focus. We ignore that to deal with shit like Hollow bait or whatever this poison stuff is and we all might as well resign ourselves and our extended families to getting a knock on the door in the middle of the night from a bunch of fascist ghost ninja wizards,” he said pointedly, pivoting to Vance and Raph at the end. A team needs direction. Without that, they’re going to get outplayed by a more focused opponent. His point hopefully driven home, he spun back toward the rest of the group and walked up so he was standing on the opposite side of Meridith from Nyla.

”What we should be doing is focusing all of our efforts on saving the Quincy who got abducted before the Shinigami can either find some way to use this poison on us or before they can drag any more names out of him. If one of us knows how to summon lots of Hollow to a place, that’s great! All kinds of shitty and stupid to do it in the middle of a fucking city where people live, but if that person makes up a bunch of bait and sets it off in their ghost dimension? We can use that to distract the Shinigami from wherever they’re holding our brother in arms. Raph here apparently knows how to get in, so we either use that route or we return the favor and kidnap ourselves a Shinigami who can let us in,” he reasoned out, shrugging at the end. It didn’t matter which route they took, but as long as there was a clear and defined goal instead of just people accusing each other of various offenses, then they wouldn’t do the Shinigami’s dirty work for them.

Looking to Meridith quickly to make sure she was on her feet, he smiled and took a casual stance back, his locker room motivational speech just about done. ”We can save a friend and protect ourselves doing so, make them get off their asses and kill some Hollow for a change, and whoever it was who summoned a bunch of Hollow here can start to try to find some semblance of redemption for their actions. It’s not without risk, but if you ask me there’s a way bigger risk in setting up some kind of light-bow Mexican standoff like you all are gearing up for.”

Trusting Meridith to seize the initiative, he screwed the cap off his Coke bottle and looked to her. ”That sound about right, Meridith?” he asked, taking a nice refreshing sip of the cool, delicious beverage.

So much better than Pepsi.

Her eyes scanned the crowd for their faces as she delivered her clearly worded threat and checked for a sign of guilt but found little. Reactions, certainly but not the kind she could use. Who wouldn't react to some 19-year-old-five-foot-nothing waif wielding a reasonable facsimile to an Arthurian blade threatening to start lopping off heads?

Diarmaid was quick to chime in, he had positive energy and a figurative devil may care attitude. His support was nearly guaranteed after she helped save his life, not because she thought he'd felt he'd owe her to fight but because he'd want to get back at the one who hurt him.

She'd caught wind of some others approaching. She didn't know the man who strolled up, casual outfit. He looked out of place but, not by his nature. Raph. She gave him a nod before another stepped forward to respond to her.

Aine. The woman was a force, unfortunately, aimed away from Meridith's ambitions but she didn't really get why. As Kevin would later explain, her tragedy had the greatest reason to want to fight back. For a moment, the stern mask Meridith wore cracked and for a moment someone might notice the fear in her gaze. It wasn't from doubt, not directly, not from the fear that she had made the wrong choice, but that people were already suffering from the choice she made. The question of fault was one that Meridith had been grappling with for weeks. No, it wasn't really her fault. She never asked to be hunted, she never asked for her people to be genocided a millennium prior, she never asked to see or hear monsters and know what they did to people while she lay in her bed pretending she didn't have the power to save them. But, that would be ducking the truth. She listened to the message, snatched the note and read it, fear turning swiftly to fury.

Nyla emerged, perhaps quite literally from the shadows and raised the obvious point she sought to make, though she hesitated on the pursuit of justice. Not unlike Kevin was about to mention, that while hunting the terrorist down was important they did have bigger fish. Kevin chimed his own encouragement to the plan and presented another goal, a rescue. It was what she'd been thinking from the moment she'd read the note, and ultimately she agreed. But...first.

"Yes. It is likely my fault we, all of our kind, face this predicament," she announced plainly as day. "I grew up with these same histories and those same lessons. Lay at my feet whatever blame you feel appropriate. I could no longer stay idle and let people die that I might be able to save by the very monsters they would later be forced to become. This is not a defence, it is a reality, because of me you suffer and that is something I take seriously. It is why I am here, it is why you are all here."

"I am responsible for what is to come, and if none of you wish to fight with me, you should not feel obligated to do so but fight I shall." She folded the note, offered it back if it was expected and pocketed it otherwise, replayed the message in her head. "There is nothing to debate, no question to be made. It doesn't really matter if you blame me or not if you run and hide or fight beside me or even strike me down where I stand. The Shinigami know we exist, and they appear to want to kill us. Simple fact. He said it himself, they're gearing for war. The only choice is to run and hide or to turn and fight." Nyla was absolutely correct, they were being hunted, there was no resetting the clock, no undoing the mistake. Pandora's box was open and could not be closed.

"If they've been taken...then Kevin's right, we rescue them. Whatever it takes."

She spared a glance between Nyla and Vance, something was brewing there. She listened when he addressed her. Non-combatant? Meridith gave him a bit of a perplexed look. It was a strange thing to say and an even stranger thing to say when...wearing armour, with a gun and a sword and whatever the hell else he had in his bag. The designation, the picture of some stranger, the picture of the Shinigami she fought, the reference to..Raphael? Was that Raph? It was a hell of a deluge of data on top of everything else. He was far from a picture of stability, and with Kevin present, that was an accomplishment.

She glanced about casually at his urging and seeing no Shinigami shrugged gently. "I doubt they have such a thing that could be used to get us here. A rapidly deployable gas weapon that can be used on a whim anywhere in the world or even within a city that kills them easily in an open area? Not that I'm some clandestine black ops expert, but I'd be hard-pressed believing they missed our existence for so long but are also hyper-keyed into our goings-on to catch this meeting, I didn't exactly post it on the web."

But, to be safe and sure she turned about and shouted.

"HEY FUCKHEAD SHINIGAMI! We're gonna bust down your stupid ass gates and take our people back! And if you don't like that I guess you'll have to kill us with your highly dangerous poison gas!"

She waited a few moments and, trusting that she hadn't died turned her gaze back to Vance and then to the others. "This fight doesn't have a clear end. I don't know what victory looks like, I don't know what chance we have, at this stage, for me, it's inevitable. I can't go back to shutting my ears, and eyes and pretending I don't hear screams when I try to sleep. So, if they have it, I guess we find some way to counter it but it doesn't change much more than that."

Nyla scoffed and her eyes narrowed when Vance began to prattle off about a supernatural poison that the Shinigami apparently possessed. She wasn't surprised, really; that was just the type of person he was, he misdirected and omitted information to make himself seem blameless. In so many words, he was a sociopath...and quite possibly a psychopath as well. The jury was still out on the latter. With the exception of two others here, Nyla had very little faith in this new generation.

"Of course the boy ruled by science thinks it's a genetic experiment." She stated plainly with no real effort to hide the condescension in her tone. She might have had more respect for him had he not deflected, but now even more red flags were being raised for her. She remained silent as he continued, her mind recounting decades of information as she tried to pinpoint just why he seemed different from every other Quincy present....aside from his astounding lack of morality or any form of human decency.

The next person to speak was Kevin, the one whom she had unceremoniously dismissed as a loudmouthed buffoon. Surprisingly, Nyla quirked an eyebrow in intrigue as he spoke about mounting a rescue operation to retrieve Aine's cousin from his Shinigami captors. Nyla was actually in agreement with that idea, and she found her opinion of Kevin being swayed by a minuscule amount. She still considered him a buffoon, but at least he was an honorable buffoon.

"I can deal with that poison easy enough, that's not a problem. And you're right, we should rescue Aine's cousin. As far as how we'd get in..." Nyla paused and cast a long, contemplative gaze at Raphael. The fact that he had some kind of connection to Vance didn't help her opinion of him and immediately made her wary of him. She found herself curious as to what that connection was. She lingered on that line of thought a moment longer before backtracking back to the difference between them.

Meridith had began speaking again, but Nyla had more or less retreated into her thoughts. Meridith's sudden outburst, apparently addressing any Shinigami that may or may not have been in the area, gave her a start and she peered at the girl with mild bewilderment and a hint of amusement. She finished her outburst by circling back to the topic of the supposed poison. At that moment, Nyla's eyes widened before her expression slipped back to its normal casual apathy.

She beheld Vance with a cold stare, her eyes giving off a dull green shimmer.

"I'll stand with you, child, but first there's something I need to address." Though the statement was directed at Meridith, her focus remained locked on Vance. She took a step forward, almost as if she were protecting Meridith from him.

"I know who released the bait, and it was no accident. You did it for your own gain, it didn't matter who died or who lived because of it. You're a non-combatant because you were never able to manipulate reishi. That armor? Those weapons? You got them all on here for show. You got no intention of helping us or Aine's cousin unless you get something out of it for yourself. Your soul be damaged, boy, the only thing more damaged is your moral compass. You'd sooner use that poison on us yourself just to keep your secret. You're no ally to the Quincy, you're barely a Quincy yourself. You can't be trusted, and I'm on the fence about your lackey here." Nyla gave a sharp nod towards Raphael. The apathy that had been present in her visage had long since shifted into a judgmental frown. She exhaled a deep sigh then looked at Raphael.

"But if he does know how to get to the Shinigami, then your friend is right that we could use that. And if it's a choice of capturing a Shinigami, that can be done, too. If they really do have that poison, leave the counteraction of it to me. The question is, will this boy actually help or is he too tightly on the leash to do anything for himself?" Nyla was addressing Meridith once again, but she kept her gaze firmly locked on Raphael. Whichever route they decided, Nyla already knew what she would do.

There he was. Standing among the groups - all quincy or at least he liked to believe. He had an inkling that one or two might be normal but the former pro wrestler was not in a place to start pointing fingers.

He tipped his hat briefly at the young Irishman, keeping his hand firmly close, almost like a ball of fist. Young man was an interesting sort to say at the least, though he was pretty miffed at how he was outed as a Quincy. Diarmaid waved him over, offering pizza and Cola. He politely declined, shaking his head and remained rooted in place. Though he's never the type to drink sodas, but if he was given the choice between the big two: It's Pepsi all the way.

The young redhead - almost immediately he became aware of her origin - began to rise up. He figured that she was a de-facto leader, but Irvine couldn't help but not see her as such. His nervous feelings began to bubble as she made her first line her declaration.

"Our time in the shadows is over,"

That's dem fighting words, young girl, he thought. He didn't object, he couldn't usher up a few words to defend others right to remain anonymous, but instead he remained idle, listening to her as she made threats.

"Only now? What happened to cleaning up our own mess?" He pondered, righting his hat to hide his face. He missed most of the hollow bait, but he was there. Where were they when the big boy comes towering over the town, they think that now is the time? Why not when the bait was snapped and people living their days become threatened by unknown forces. His mind kept screaming for him to speak up! Call out this bullshit! This irritated him, people could tell if eyes were on him, but instead, the welsh dame was on the spotlight.

He failed to chime in and instead, listened. He righted his hat again and his face was seen again. It was the woman he saw a while ago, Aines caused his expression to turn for the worse. He knew the O'Donovans, they are good people, helped his family and by extension him. He wanted to express his condolences for young Michael but was hasty to think that he was dead.

More and more people began to pile in, things that they want, things they need. Magic poison and all these little things that just feel so out of place in these meetings. Irvine doesn't roll with the what if or words of

"Before I make further statements I will start with this: Who cares?" His English voice was hoarse but smooth, like caramel poured over the biscuit with the added chocolate drenched over. His voice was twix, comes in two and delicious from every bite. "Quincy was about to be spotted eventually - better to rip the bandaid off than leave it." He gazed over to Nyla, for she was the one who pushed into find the betrayed Quincy, "While I can't tell you to stop chasing after the people who betrayed us, would you consider that time better spent on saving the O'Donovan's boy?"  

He raises his finger but his fist remains balled up, leaving his finger to tremble from his own fear of rebuttal. Being reclusive for over eight years did a number in his self esteem, but still...there still flashes of his brilliance here and there. The finger pointed at Sheppard, the Welsh redhead and uttered.

"Shinigami has always been prepared for war. They are perpetually trapped in an endless war with hollows. That's the difference between us and them: We simply hunt, they fight to defend not only themselves but also the souls to appease the balance," he paused. Irvine took a deep breath in between, choosing his words and looked straight at Meredith with his aging amber eyes. He saw experience in those eyes, both good and bad, "Young Meredith, I understand your frustration, and you're making the right decision to not go back to being ignorant, I just hope whatever your next actions will be made carefully and thoroughly."

The thought of Shinigami using poison was fishy. So he voiced his opinion on this matter, "I doubt they would use poison to wipe us out. I wager all my treasures on them facing us directly, man to man. If you see one with their swords drawn and pointed at you, you either run or fight. I can provide you a few tools in evading them. I can provide you an area to train one another and…"


He looked over to Aines and sprouted a homely smile, the sort that make you think that everything will be fine, he'll get it done, "The family and I owe the O'Donovan a lot of things, so… I'll keep an eye out for your cousin and I'll talk to Rónán O'Donovan to assure that I will do whatever I can to bring both of them back home…" his next words weighed heavy on him, doing this would question his want for neutrality. His hands relaxed and just for a moment, people could see his hands quaked before curling back into a ball of fist. Took a deep breath and made himself a target.

"I can provide you a safe passage to their place, it will take a while, but I can get you there undetected." He did it. The mad man said it, he knew his capability to shape things before him had improved, but to create a gate that connects between Earth to whatever Shinigami resides might be a little steep for him to reach.

"Accept or you don't. The offer's there."

Vance listened but didn't speak again, he honestly had no reason too.  He was a Holiday, and while he didn't care, if the self-proclaimed leader wanted to go through a doorway to another dimension in order to go rescue a Quincy, he would go anyway.  That was a lot of things to study for sure, just half the readings he took could advance his research by years of information.  Plus, he might get a few clients out of it, though it ran the risk of severe case of Death, almost as much as anyone here finding out that Vance was as much of a monster as the rest in a slightly different way.  

He still had an ace in the hole, if worst came to worst, he could potentially berserk the Esper and watch as everything exploded in a torrent of telekinetic insanity.  Though he preferred not doing that as there were potential customers here.  Vance kept looking at his phone, and taking pictures and readings on everyone in the group.  As no one was using their powers except the thousand year old witch, Vance didn't really get much.

Then the moronic Witch spoke again.  It was like listening to nails on a chalkboard.

Nyla wrote:""I know who released the bait, and it was no accident. You did it for your own gain, it didn't matter who died or who lived because of it. You're a non-combatant because you were never able to manipulate reishi. That armor? Those weapons? You got them all on here for show. You got no intention of helping us or Aine's cousin unless you get something out of it for yourself. Your soul be damaged, boy, the only thing more damaged is your moral compass. You'd sooner use that poison on us yourself just to keep your secret. You're no ally to the Quincy, you're barely a Quincy yourself. You can't be trusted, and I'm on the fence about your lackey here."

But if he does know how to get to the Shinigami, then your friend is right that we could use that. And if it's a choice of capturing a Shinigami, that can be done, too. If they really do have that poison, leave the counteraction of it to me. The question is, will this boy actually help or is he too tightly on the leash to do anything for himself?"

Vance simply blinked, as if dumbfounded.  He looked more confused than anything.  "I'm sorry what?  Are we playing mafia now and just blaming who we don't like miss centuries old and still not in the light?"  He stated before looking at Nyla.  He really had no idea where she got that idea from.  Vance had been extremely careful about how he had done all of that.   The Artificer had even left the second Quincy showed any interest in what had happened.  The fact people knew it was a bait was understandable but not how to connect dots back to him.  "Why would I use something that would get me killed by a weak hollow?"  He asked politely before shrugging.

"Plus, I was going to volunteer to go after the O'Donovan.  I'm a Holiday, I may not know them personally but my family does.  But if you prefer this baseless nonsense, whatever."  Vance stated brushing it off easily.  Vance stated barely looking up from his phone.  Vance, of course, realized how terrible that was with his power but to be honest, he didn't really give a shit at this point.  He was too enthralled at the idea that someone could make a gate to another dimension, which was something he very much would like to get his hands on.  "If Miss Meredith wants to know why I can't control Reishi, I'll tell her and the other O'Donovan, not some thousand year old crone who is far less human than the things we're even fighting."

Aine murmured a soft, ”Hello”, to Raph before removing her hands from her pockets to dangle her arms at her sides. If nothing else came of this night, she would have a better idea of who was in the area and what their agendas might be. She was anxious to hear what the O’Cahans had to say about this issue than anyone, however, for if a progressive movement was going to take place among the Quincy, the voice of this allied Clann would hold more weight with her uncle than most.

She didn’t have to wait long, for Diarmaid spoke up next. Noting his prior interactions among those gathered, and even responding to his greeting in kind ”Dia Duit Diarmaid”, she hoped that God would be with them all. As the tale of the attack upon himself unfolded, she clenched her hands into tight fists of rage. His sentiments echoed in her heart and yet she was restrained by the orders of her uncle. It was more than just Michael, it was also Jessica’s life that was at risk; in truth she thought the young woman was just out blowing off steam and hoped she lived to endure the worst hangover that creation had ever dished out upon humanity for all the worry she had caused.

What would happen to Michael if they began to attack Shinigami openly? Might he already be dead? The thought plagued her more than anything but somehow she couldn’t believe that was true. Superstition more than super power; Aine felt certain that no matter what realm her cousin resided in, if he died she would somehow just feel his passing from existence. In an attempt to keep herself from throwing her fist in the air and affirming her assent to join him in his vow, she moved over to take a bottle of coke and unscrew the cap, quenching much more than her thirst in the process. She had grown up with the phrase, ’Let your food quiet your mouth’ and had found the practice useful on more than one occasion.

Nyla’s arrival was largely lost on her until she spoke up, which was no surprise to her given her affinity for movement among the shadows. The woman was a phenomenon outside her realm of comprehension, but she instinctively believed there was much the elder woman could teach. Aine really wasn’t surprised she was here tonight, however, for she had admitted to searching for Quincy that night when she stumbled upon the woman hunting. So to hear her laud the virtue of careful planning was a relief of sorts. Each piece of information just kept driving home to the reporter that secrecy was a done issue. That rabbit could never be put back into the hat. But would her uncle release her to join forces? Only through listening could she determine how things would play out tonight.

By the time the confrontation between Vance and Nyla had progressed to open accusations, she had quite finished her coke and crumbled the bottle sealing its cap into place before stuffing it into her jacket pocket. Recalling Nyla had flat out denied the possibility that a Quincy could have been forced to plant the hollow bait, or that the technology had been stolen, she now saw the woman had found someone to blame. Aine didn’t know what to think. Sure, the man had creeped her out a bit at the market, and his opening remarks here tonight didn’t seem to fly with her. She didn’t know what to make of his claims about poison but was more than alarmed by the possibility.

How Nyla came to the conclusion Vance had laid the bait out was not something to which she was privy and Vance’s own denial was certainly not evidence of his innocence any more than Nyla’s accusation of his guilt had been. Aine’s business was dealing in facts, and though rumors could lead to finding those out it did not constitute what could be called truth in and of itself. At best all she could be was wary of the man until, and if, more information came to life. She would need proof. Vance clearly was into surveillance, where was his proof, like she had provided of her cousin’s kidnapping, that this poison existed? Something didn’t wash here...she needed more facts to even know what that might be.

Blinking, she shook her head. Shinigami stole the poison? From whom? That implied it was not of Shinigami origins, didn’t it? Who went around making supernatural poisons anyway?

Aine’s stomach was still a bit off, and though the soda had settled her gut a bit there was no way she was going to tempt fate with a slice of the pie. Even the smell was a bit much to take and she moved to Kevin’s right to put herself a bit up wind from the pizzas.  His words affected her more than the aroma of food, however and hit home to her worst fears. Of course Ireland would be targeted now that the Shinigami knew of the Clanns that were thriving in secrecy. Though her uncle directed her to spread caution, she knew he was no fool and would be preparing for war. His plan was to prevent one, not fail to step up to the challenge once it arrived. Despite his words of restraint, he would not be caught flatfooted. He had been warned. She had delivered Michael’s words and Rónán would not fail their Clann.

Recalling Kevin’s words about infighting, she watched the confrontation continue. Meredith had let her voice ring out a challenge and she knew it for the side show that it was. Had Shinigami been lurking, well this meeting would have ended prior to the throwing of that gauntlet. Theatrics had its place, she supposed, but however inspiring they might be she felt it would have been more productive to ask about this poison gas than to shout into the darkness simply for effect. What surprised her was Irvine.

The talk about gaining access to Soul Society both invigorated her mind as it chilled her soul. Was such a thing possible? It seemed that not only was it, but both Raph and Irvine could accomplish the deed. Aine hadn’t known that Irvine was indebted to the O’Donovans. It was a story that would have to wait for another time, but she filed that away as more than interesting. Accusations flew back and forth between Nyla and Vance and it was getting more than infuriating.

Raising her hand into the air, the palm facing those getting into a tirade, she said, ”I think I have had enough of the bullshit, to be honest. Lots of accusations back and forth and no facts to back up the claims. Name calling is hardly evidence and let me tell you something you can take as fact. Any rescue attempt to bring my cousin home will be led by the Irish Clanns. Those who wish to help will be welcome, and those who don’t can go fuck themselves. But I’ll not stand here and listen to rumors and innuendos any longer. Either give some facts or just piss off.”

She set her lips into a thin tight line knowing her uncle would more than likely see her locked away for good if her rebellious nature got Michael or Jessica killed. But sometimes executive decisions had to be made in the field and by those who were present. Her face went white when she realized that she had been persuaded to become part of the open resistance, but somehow that pain in her stomach had gone away.

Initially, Arata was relieved to discover himself among those he had imagined to be peers. Their auras emanated a familiarity that told him they had common blood even if their appearances did not necessarily tell the same story. If he was unwelcome here, the assembled men and women were hesitant to express that opinion. Diarmaid had certainly given him a warm welcome and Arata beamed back a warm smile in response. There was an inviting atmosphere, an increasingly colorful cast of characters, and a great quantity of comestibles. Nothing Arata was willing to consume, but a pleasant show of good faith nonetheless. He had even been gifted a name tag that now proudly adorned his shirt pocket. Though a bit self conscious about his English penmanship, he was confident enough that his name was legible and properly capitalized in English if a bit angular. Arata was not afraid to acknowledge the possibility that he had misjudged this group.

What he found to be increasingly terrifying was the group itself. In no time at all, the mood in the park had changed and the tension in the air grew to be encumbering. The sickening glow of Meridith's spiritual weapon discomforted Arata, but that was to be expected. A malady easily remedied with herbal medication, likely to be the only thing he would be ingesting this night as he nonchalantly tore open the packet and tilted it into his mouth. Nothing he saw could disturb him more than what he had heard. The end of the Quincy's veiled existence, threats of immediate public execution, infighting. Verbal bomb shells with no clear end to be witnessed. Arata grew pale as the de facto leader of the group clamored for their ancient enemy to strike them down where they stood. As he listened to his people plan a doomed ascent into the shinigami realm, he grew ever more convinced that coming here was a mistake. The only reason he hesitated to immediately recognize his attendance as an error was because he would have been caught utterly unawares by the time the repercussions of their actions had reached him. A clear idea of what these people had done and their goals moving forward was all that kept him here. He was unable to find a voice to speak with.

He certainly didn't intend to fight. Where could he escape to? What was remote to a group of people as omnipresent as those accurately named shinigami? Would he leave Hotaru behind? Would he start a manhunt for a librarian that had kidnapped a schoolgirl? What about the people who lived in this battlefield to be? It wasn't his responsibility to protect them, but the shinigami and Quincy that he normally used to justify his own cowardice were the source of the destruction to come.

Dizzying thoughts swirled in Arata's head. Tendrils of darkness crept into vision from the edges of his perception. His body began to sway as the consciousness drained from his body. Embarrassingly enough, not from some deadly poison but from unpleasant words. What business did he even have at a meeting for Quincy? He stumbled backwards and fell onto the grass unmoving.

All in all, it was going... pretty good actually. In truth, she expected the pulling of the rug under their feet to result in a lot more weapons drawn open conflict threads but it didn't. There were some obvious problems sure, the potential that a spiritual terrorist was standing in front of her was pretty rough, but hey nothing was perfect. She'd delivered the news, she made her pitch, she even got a new goal out of it. Focusing on the positives. Right. Some of them even seemed keen.

None the less, things were devolving a bit.

She gave a polite yet firm nod towards Irvine, her gaze met his and she hoped it showed how seriously she took his words. She did know they needed to be careful, but she knew the facts. This was happening, and their best bet was to pull together and watch each other's backs. She was further gladdened that safe passage to the spirit world might be possible through him.

Nyla established she had a clearcut picture of Vance's and Meridith could believe it. Could it be? The person who did that chose to appear before them right here, right now? How arrogant would someone have to be to do that? She felt the pull to pull that blade of hers from the ground in a way that scared her. She worked her jaw tight, felt her teeth press together. She had to be decisive and clear, but to swing her blade at a stranger? A Quincy? On such a loose suspicion even if her gut told her...

Vance was quick to speak in his defence and he raised a good enough point. She couldn't deliver her sentence with a simple word. Even if she had a fondness for the strange woman and distrust of Vance such a feeling and bias wasn't something she wanted to trust in.

Aine had reached her limit, but it wasn't a surprise. Within the declaration was an acknowledgement. This was happening. Maybe not all gathered would be in attendance, but even one other beyond herself and Kevin was going to be a victory.

"I agree. Enough. Vance, and Nyla. If either of you has conclusive evidence I imagine it might have been presented by now unless, Nyla, you have a greater flair for dramatics than I assumed. I can't take someone's head on hearsay but you knew this," she gestured. Nyla never called to take his head, she simply made clear her suspicion and declared a lack of trust. "So, we'll be forced to move forward with this spectre of suspicion, one which an amount of effort will be spent to clear as soon as we are able, I am certain. Vance, if you are uninvolved, then you'll have to accept my apology but given the gravity of this, I trust you understand why I'll have to be suspicious. What that means for each of you is up to you to determine," forthright, to the point. Time to move forward.

"This will be done, if the Irish Clanns wish to lead the rescue, so be it. I have no objections." She reached into the pocket she stitched into her Hakama and produced a small stack of cards she leaned back and set down on the bench. "To those of you who wish to remain uninvolved, depart freely. To those who wish to aid in this struggle we all now share, take a card and call it. We'll coordinate at another time and place whether with the rescue or not."

She turned her gaze to Aine. "If you don't wish for the Sheppard clan to step on the toes of your rescue, please give me a call. I'll have to proceed on my own initiative otherwise," the tone was serious but had it been any other time it would have been playful. Somehow she doubted it would be appreciated.

At this time, one of their number started to fall. Meridith's eyes widened and she shot forward without hesitation. There was a flash of movement, suggesting a use of Hirenkyaku to the astute observer. The blade she summoned vanished into wisps of blue light into the aether as she caught them just before they hit the ground. "Hey! Hey, you alright?" She laid him flat and began to look them over. Breathing? Check. Clammy skin but not pale cold, weak pulse but not unusual for someone who just passed out. Mundane? Unlikely to be surprise Shinigami death poison. Probably.

She let out a sigh of relief. Low blood sugar? Low blood pressure? A syncope? "We'll give them a minute and then we'll get them to the hospital if they're not up. Seems mundane but better safe than sorry." She almost laughed but stopped herself. So much for the stoic sword-wielding stern eyed deliverer of truth.

"We can consider this meaning adjourned. Linger around if you wish, take a card." She screwed up her face and managed to add, "Have a snack." She turned her attention back to the unexpected patient and raised their legs a bit and resumed her work to administer first aid.

Kevin knew enough to keep his damn mouth shut. He’d already done enough to flex his leadership muscles in getting Team Quincy back on track and focused, at least somewhat. Going any further might jeopardize turning a locker room speech into an actual position of command, and that was the last thing that he wanted. Kevin knew from his discussions with Meridith and Aine just how lacking his knowledge of the Quincy ways were, and by all accounts he was the least experienced of anyone present yet again. He could talk a big game and rally the troops, but he’d look a damn fool the second someone asked him anything specific about their peoples’ history or abilities.

Whatever was going on between Nyla and Vance clearly went beyond the things they were talking about at this meeting and, though he was inclined to believe the woman over the weird guy openly carrying a weapon while wearing a suit of armor and taking goddamn cell phone recordings of everyone, Meridith was right that they should wait for proof before acting. Pushing down suspicions that the bickering duo may have been secret lovers or something and that that was what had led to this falling out, he could only fold his arms and lend her what visual authority a beefy strongman at her side could.

Kevin was reaching to be first draw from the pile of cards in order to set an example for others to follow when a flash of movement caught his eye. As Meridith sprung into action to catch the falling man, he acted almost reflexively, slamming his hand behind his glove and drawing in Reishi to form a ball. The light glow pulsed out from around his fingertips hand as he scanned the park for threats.

He allowed the gathering energy to dissipate as Meridith waved him off with her medical diagnosis, nodding to his partner in crime as he stretched his fingers back out. ”Don’t worry, everyone. Meridith knows her shit with medicine,” he explained to the others in his much more comfortable English now that the person who had been forcing him to use Japanese was unconscious, ”I don’t know many people more capable than her, and I'm sure Diarmaid can back me up on that. Mr. Suzuki should be fine.”

He tried to be reassuring and calm, but Kevin's eyes were still on the shadows slightly to make sure they weren't under some kind of attack. Keeping his head down on the unconscious man and Meridith, he walked over and continued talking to everyone. ”Even if you’re not interested in joining us, you should grab a card just in case. That sword of hers isn’t just for show, and I’m always down to help a Quincy in need,", he encouraged them, gesturing back at the cards as he walked. Once he arrived by Meridith's side, he knelt down to give her a hand with their passed out comrade.

Raphael listened and watched as he was ignored, insulted and then faintly acknowledged all in the span of a few minutes. He was actually pretty impressed that these people hadn’t gotten themselves killed with their bravado and zealotry, that they’d managed to live to be as old as they were. That just meant something different, though, especially with the woman that seemed to ninja her way into the meeting and the older gentleman that entered not too far behind.

The ninja of a woman had simply stared in Raphael’s direction as if he was a board or a wall with some mildly interesting graffiti. He had stood there. Watching and studying her with mild disinterest as the headache built from the few people that were in the park. Thankfully, he couuldn’t hear any of these people’s thoughts. He was pretty sure he would’ve wanted to punch one or two of them, well except for Vance, who’s thoughts kept running through his head like it was some kind of race to get to the end of the maze.

“I can promise you that one of them used poison on their own kind,” he replied, looking over at the man that had voiced doubt in the pajama samurai using poison. “But, as far as them using poison against you all, might as well forget that. Most of it was burned up when he set fire to the warehouse I worked in. But I’m beginning to see why mom said not to meet with any quincies other than the family.” He watched them silently for a moment. “You all have these great names and, no doubt, old ties that you can scarcely remember anymore.” He kept his hands in his pockets still. He wasn’t angry, truthfully he was only slightly annoyed at their bickering. “I always wondered why she said that, and I wondered if it was cuz I came out wrong. But I’m beginning to think that it’s cuz she wasn’t wanting me to see a people so wrapped up in family names and medieval alliances that they take this long to make a decision on what to do.”

He turned to Nyla, reaching into his jacket pocket. “But to assuage whatever doubts you have, for whatever reason…” Then he pulled out the cigarette that Watari had given him and tossed it to her. “It’s one of their butterflies that lets them go to their realm without any issues. I don’t know how you’re planning on breaking your comrade out of their fortress but that might help. I’d be careful, though. It leads to a noble’s estate.” He watched her. “Please keep in mind people are never on a leash, even if you think that they are. Your judgement is a little off.”

Diarmaid breathed out heavily with raised eyebrows as he glanced around at the others. You could damn near cut the tension with a knife with all the bickering going on. Even the smart mouthed Irishman knew when it was time to hold ‘em and when it was time to fold him. It was definitely folding time and he was keeping quiet. He didn’t like the Vance fellow, the man instinctively put him on edge but that was hardly enough reason to jump at him. It didn’t help that Nyla was more than a little confrontational herself, putting that alongside Aine being understandably stressed out over her family member being kidnapped. What a fucking mess.

The first person to put something constructive across, or at least what Diarmaid considered constructive, was Irvine. Smiling and nodding at the Wrestler he spoke with unusual softness. “Cheers mate. I’m sure Aine will appreciate that, she needs a way in if she’s going to save that Cousin of hers.”

“Well Aine knows I’m on board, I’ll send word back home to see if any of the Blood can send help of course.” he said with a shrug in a casual tone. The danger or ramifications of the act didn’t matter much to the man, they took one of theirs then they’d take him back. It was as simple as that.

He took half a step forward, moving after Kevin, to take one of the cards when the man next to him suddenly began to collapse. In a blur Diarmaid lunged as his hand shot out to the back of the man’s head instinctively looking to break his move. With a flash Meridith was at the man’s other side and had gotten a hold of him. Frowning with concern Diarmaid stepped back letting the Welsh medic deal with matters, he knew first hand that she was more than capable of checking the poor guy out for injuries.

When Kevin spoke in support of Meridith’s medical skills Diarmaid gave a nod. “To right, wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for her.”

Taking one of the cards Diarmaid walked over to grab two slices of Pizza, listening to Raphael with interest. Raising an eyebrow he muttered. “Butterflies? Fuck these ghosts are blood weird.”

Walking over to Aine he offered her a slice with a smile. “Eat something and try to worry a bit less. Irvine will open the way and we’ll get him back, don’t worry.