Bagne de Cayenne [Closed/Zâbel]

The second she arrived back in Soul Society with her payload, Nao hastily pressed the violin case between her two hands and uttered her incantation. ”Closed eyes. Blinded eyes. Take light and throw it aside. Unseen. Unknown. Scatter to the winds. Bakudo #26, Kyokko.” With the flickering of strange mismatched colors, she and her payload vanished from sight, allowing her to walk freely along the low-traffic paths she’d come to learn well over the last 80 years. Her Kido would work against all but the most talented practitioners, and she could count the number of times she’d run into anyone of importance on these backroads in the last decade on one hand.

Her destination was easy enough to reach, an old experimental facility that had passed hands between Third and Fourth Division countless times over the centuries, but which was now used as a backup storage site for unimportant records found by First Division’s archives unit. The number of Shinigami who knew of this location was slim enough, and nobody ever wanted to spend time there beyond dropping off some records in the upper floors.

Thankfully, Nao had been assigned to a process review by her supervisor many years ago and had needed to delve into the bowels of the building to look for ancient documents. A series of wrong turns had led her to a strange holding cell type area, with all manner of scientific gadgetry that she couldn’t make heads or tails of. It had made for a nice well lit place for her review, and she’d been able to outfit it with some comfortable equipment to make the arduous work less unpleasant.

After shackling and securing the Quincy away in his new quarters, leaving the violin on the floor by the dusty chaise lounge that would have to serve as his bed, Nao locked the door, dropped her obscuring shield and made her way over to Fourth Division.

She’d reviewed the woman’s personnel file after Zenji had recommended her. While she was normally averse to engaging in this kind of nepotism, the woman certainly seemed qualified, according to her file. Despite qualifying for appointment to a Seated Position by virtue of her dedication, she hadn’t done so, despite a well-known vacancy having sat open in Fourth for several years.

Nao patted the appointment letter in her pocket, making sure it was still secure after her fight with the Quincy. Thankfully, Murat hadn’t seen fit to use it in subduing the man. They needed more people they could trust in positions of authority, too. While it would need to follow the proper procedures administratively, she had no doubt the woman’s qualifications would mark her as being up to the task, and the recommendation of the Chief Administrator and a familial tie to the Chief Archivist in Third would no doubt expedite those matters.

Tracking her down sadly proved far more challenging than researching the woman, and Nao found herself wandering into a slew of different labs and offices in Fourth Division before she finally gave in and pulled rank. It made her feel awful for the poor Shinigami she’d startled during a Denreishinki repair, but she was soon shown to a room she was promised housed her target.

Stepping in and clearing her throat, Nao spotted a woman who matched the description she’d seen in her files, albeit one in a much different state of dress than most of the uniformed masses she’d come across. Announced herself as she closed and locked the door behind her, Nao put on her best friendly professional face and gave a short formal bow.  ”Zâbel Hatayama, is that you? I’m Nao Aoki, Chief Administrator of First Division. Your cousin Zenji recommended your name to me as someone who might be able to assist with a problem.”

Her discontent with management had been on the rise of late, a state that was quite unusual for the woman who preferred to keep her nose to the grindstone rather than pollute her brain with the politics of management and power seekers. To her there was nothing more wasted than pride in one’s title. It was a narrow view of the world, and one she had had to evaluate over the years. Recently, however, it was more and more in her thoughts.

Reika’s Denreishinki hadn’t included the map tracing application which in her opinion should have been part of the standard start up menu decades ago. It was mind boggling, once she had begun to look into what else was gathering dust in the halls of the Fourth instead of being put to use in the field. What was practically criminal though was a few Mod souls had not been recalled. Dereliction of duty of the highest offense!

Ignorance was bad enough, but blatant incompetence and gross negligence? Such things could not simply be overlooked or explained away. It was a bit disheartening too, learning that complacent had become so rampant among the seated ranks. Sitting at her work bench, her  left hand cupping her chin and lightly tapping her upper lip with her index finger, Zâbel wondered if it was past time for her to do as Zenji had done and just take matters into her own hands.

Absentmindedly she thanked Doula, her construct lab assistant, for the data pad but didn’t check the accumulated results of the trials runs of this year’s crop of Jigokuchō. Naturally she would go over the results with a fine tooth comb, but it could wait long enough for her to wonder if she was partly to blame. Had she not been so dedicated to the actual research and development end of the division, and instead bothered to check into the dissemination of data and outfitting of the Gotei...she dismissed that as part and parcel of the seated one’s duties and it rather pissed her off that they seemed to give just two shits about...the woman’s voice startled her and she immediately came to her feet.

Moving round from behind her workbench, she waved Doula back, and greeted the seated one from First Division with the appropriate amount of bowing. Upon rising to her slight height she affirmed the woman’s assumption. ”Yes Nao-san. I am Zâbel Hatayama.” No one used the name Aunt Tomoe had given her, Miyashita due to her habit of sneaking off to read books in the shade of the maiden’s shrine. She was a bit surprised, however, that Zenji had been talking about her to seated members of another division. It piqued her curiosity immediately.

”I will certainly do my best, or at the least find someone who can if what you seek is beyond my abilities. How may I assist you, Chief Administrator?”, she responded falling back into a more formal mode of address once her mind shifted to business. Whatever was going on, she had the Clann to consider and if Zenji had recommended her it would be his reputation at stake as well as her own.

Nao was relieved to have the confirmation that she’d finally tracked down the woman she had been seeking. She knew that she wouldn’t look like Zenji, but the last person she had expected to see as a member of the Hatayama family was someone so clearly mechanically minded. For someone so focused in the Demon Arts, she had expected more of the same in his relatives. She would have to meet Xio and see how far from the tree she fell, too. Perhaps there was no tree in the Hatayama family.

Putting her lack of perception aside, Nao smiled warmly and crossed over, eyeing up the strange robot with a cocked head. ”According to Zenji, you’re a rather capable researcher who can be trusted to understand the importance of confidentiality. There is a matter I would like you to look into which would make use of both of those things, but first,”she started, hesitating slightly as she bent down to examine the machine. If she was purely a gearhead, this wouldn’t do. The Quincy were many things, but she needed someone with more expansive skills that tightening a few bolts and screws.

May I ask what this is? I’m sorry, we don’t see too many of the inventions Fourth creates over in First Division. We get the standard equipment and a few helpful office devices, but things such as this don’t often appear in our halls. Is there any kido at work in this or is it purely mechanical?” she asked, scratching her chin as she resisted the urge to touch it.

Observing the woman, she quickly went over a few details concerning the newly raised Administrator of which she was aware. She knew that at her challenge, Zenji had acted as Nao’s second and vice versa at his own challenge which had resulted in his advancement. The two used to be in the same division but her cousin had transferred over to the Third. Zâbel had never really understood why her cousin had been in the First Division, given his mastery of Kido. Here he was recommending her services to the woman and it prompted her to wonder just what their personal relationship might be. At the very least, she decided that, friends was a given and at most perhaps a little more?

This taking of seated positions, both in the First and within the Third, had created ripple effects that even Zâbel here in her relative isolation had taken note. What was astounding, to her way of thinking, those of incompetence seemed to give it little credence and here in the Fourth evidence of incompetence was still clearly evident. The Hatayama woman found that illogical feeling that it was a fool who didn’t keep track of the changing climate in which they lived. Change was rippling through the Gotei but her own superiors seemed aloof at best and severely tone deaf at worst.

The woman’s comment about not receiving such technological advances in her own division was just more evidence. Their failure to disseminate technology over which the bulk of the Fourth labored made all their efforts pretty much pointless. What good were all their breakthroughs if they were never implemented for use, but instead just sat on shelves gathering dust? It had left a bad taste in her mouth that was only growing as time and evidence mounted against them.

”I assure you that my level of clearance has been duly vetted nor is it misplaced”, she replied matter of factually without ego entering her mind. Facts were facts; but given how things had slowly moved toward a lackadaisical attitude, she could hardly blame the woman for double checking to make sure and drive home the point that this task was to be of the utmost secrecy. Assuredly, Zenji had that level of clearance or he would not have been approached as to who Nao might go to for assistance. Her curiosity was certainly piqued by all this.

As to the construct, Zâbel hardly liked to share the exact nature for she was indeed a woman who had secrets of her own. The use of a modified soul? Well, that had been cutting corners but without it the artificial intelligence would have been too flawed for the robot to be of any real use to her than for the most mundane of chores. Her reply would therefore skirt that delicate detail by saying, ”There is a bit involved in Doula’s make-up. However she is a one of a kind creation that is my own personal property and not intended for mass production, or even minor replication.”

The robot turned round in the air, a bit like an owl’s head that swiveled beyond human capacity, to stare at Nao as she approached. Zâbel would instruct her to go back to work by saying, ”Doula, I need those titrations completed today. If you could start those it would be very productive for us both.” Metallic tentacles swayed beneath the ovid head of the robot as it drifted toward the center of the room where glass apparatus were assembled and would pick up a pipette to begin the titrations on three wracks of waiting samples within test tubes.

Once she had started her chore, Zâbel inquired of the Administrator just what she might require. ”I do find it troubling that your division has not received an update on your equipment. I shall begin an inquiry to determine what needs to be done to bring you up to specifications. In the meantime, let me reassure you that this lab is quite secure from outside surveillance through the application of Kido barriers. You can speak freely here without worry that unwanted information will get out. So…”, she paused in her speech to indicate she was ready to get down to business. ”What is it that you wish me to do?”

She merely nodded at the question about clearance. So long as Zenji’s cousin agreed to help, Nao would see to it that Zâbel had all the clearance she needed to complete the important project she had in mind for her. The woman certainly seemed capable of keeping things confidential. A member of Fourth Division wanting to keep their own device private was the right kind of secrecy for this situation, especially one as capable as this Doula.

The machine seemed perfectly capable of functioning as a lab assistant, though Nao had doubts if it could actually process reports or do the critical thinking required of a member of First Division. Still, for what Zâbel likely put it up to, it seemed more than adequate. Perhaps a similar model could be used for courier work, though that would be a matter for another day.

”It is good to hear that you have barriers in place. I will ask that you hold any questions for the end. There are some complicated matters at play here and it would be best if I laid it all out first. You may wish to sit for this,” Nao began, allowing the other woman time to make herself comfortable before beginning. She didn’t know how close Zâbel and Zenji were, but she imagined that she would not take well to the news. After a calming exhalation to help her focus, she resumed.

”Hundreds of years ago, our predecessors came upon a cursed race of humans capable of destroying souls outright, removing them from the cycle and threatening to destroy the whole delicate system it is every Shinigami’s duty to uphold. They, seeking to preserve the Balance, went to the world of the living and exterminated these Quincy down to the last. The whole ordeal was a brutal nightmare, and many of our number who set out ended up not just dead, but wholly obliterated.”

Nao paced as she gave her brief history lesson. There was far, far more than what she said, but she assumed someone living in the Hatayama household would have at least a basic grasp of history. ”In the end, the threat they posed was dealt with and, for nearly a thousand years, we believed this to be true. Most Shinigami nowadays have maybe heard the name Quincy pop up in a historical review at the Academy or perhaps they’ve stumbled upon them in an old document somewhere, but Zenji and myself have both encountered individuals on earth who claim to be Quincy, and we have received other reports of activity and even a handful of sporadic attacks against Shinigami.”

”In truth, I had my doubts about the matter until recently. I’d encountered a human with strange powers and it was possible that one of them had merely decided to mantle the name Quincy, but we’ve gotten rather incontrovertible evidence since then. Shortly before Zenji’s challenge to become Third seat, he was attacked by and was forced to dispatch two of these Quincy,” she said, pausing as she considered if she ought to reveal the extent of his injuries at the time. Deciding to hold off on that particular complication until after she’d laid out the basic story, she picked back up ”I also ran into one recently, and that is what brings me to you.”

Nao quit her pacing, standing firm and brushing a loose strand of hair back behind her ear. She was well aware that her small frame and normally skittish demeanor, but this was a time to project confidence and power, even if they were more false than not. [color=#3db7e4]”Unlike Zenji, I brought my Quincy back alive. It took some work to do, and the man nearly killed himself trying to get away, but we weren’t about to learn anything by just dealing with them one by one. That would do little more than force them to go back underground, landing us in an even worse place after they breed up their numbers even more.”

”This, Hatayama-san, is where you come in.” Her voice wavered slightly as she spoke, and Nao had to pause to clear her throat and take a few quick moments to steady herself lest she devolve into a stuttering mess. Exhaling a long final breath, she looked back to the woman. ”We need to be more cautious this time around. I can route reports, Zenji can handle historical and Kido-related aspects of the research, and we have another Shinigami who is aware of the matter who can keep tabs on what is going on within the rank and file, but we have no one capable of actually finding us a lasting solution. We can’t yet have the rest of the Seireitei learning about this, either. If Fifth Division knew, they’d already be on Earth making all kinds of noise and sending the Quincy scurrying back to their holes for another thousand years. We need to be precise, calculated, and we need to explore all of our options, not just militarily. In short, we need the sort of Shinigami that Zenji and years of your performance reviews have told me you are. Someone dedicated, capable of keeping this secret for the time being, talented with Kido, and who is able to think outside the box. Are you able to be that person?” she asked, gesturing openly with her hands as she finished.

Zâbel arched her delicate eyebrows at the woman but sat herself upon the workbench stool as requested. That didn’t bode well for what she was about to hear and immediately she got the sense the news was going to be dire. In what had her cousin become embroiled this time? Folding her hands into her lap once she was settled, she nodded her head at Nao and prepared herself for the worst.

The preamble of her mini lecture was basic knowledge, and though not an area of interest as far as intensive study would go, she was familiar with that race and had assumed those who put the Balance in danger had been exterminated ages ago. Watching Nao begin to pace about the floor, a pit of dread began to well up in her stomach. Why bring up Quincy unless they were a problem in the here and now?

That question was answered soon enough and it came as no surprise to her that Zenji had gotten himself entangled in the middle of this horrific news. At least her cousin was alright; surely Nao would not withhold that detail from her if he had been injured or slain…

The thought made her face go white as the likely reason for having her sit became more clear. This is how it had been when they came to speak of her Uncle’s death. Releasing a pent up breath, the knuckles of her hands turned white as she clenched her hands and stilled herself for the worst. But the woman droned on and on just prolonging the inevitable blow that was to come and she just wanted to scream, 'Soul King’s beard, is Zenji dead or what?' She did not blurt out, however, and just attempted to keep her cool thinking, ’Just get it over with, woman. I am no child to be coddled this way.’

When the Administrator finally got round to providing a timeline of the attack upon her cousin, she visibly relaxed and closed her eyes to regain her sense of ease. Her breathing began once more realizing Zenji was not dead despite the real risk he had been under by the encounter. ’She could have led with that information’, she sulked internally then put her focus on the incoming pertinent details.

Nodding as Nao stopped her pacing and seemed about ready to get to the point, she noticed that the woman also seemed in need of regaining her sense of calm. It was a small wonder for the news was horrific enough even without it being a personal tragedy. Already her mind was racing about what protective technology the Fourth could get into production to aid them against the Quincy’s fatal spiritual essence.

Zâbel blinked, watching the woman struggle to remain calm and as the silence seemed to drag on into eternity her sense of immediacy began to grow. She folded her arms across her chest unconsciously bolstering herself for what was surely going to be news of a trying nature. The litany of information seemed to spill forth like water from a dam, as Nao finally broke her silence and laid out the details of her needs. Despite the emotional turmoil the woman was obviously enduring, Zâbel found her thoughts to be well organized and articulate. This was a characteristic that she could admire causing her esteem of the paper pusher to rise.

Nipping at the lower right corner of her lip, she could well see the need for secrecy. Many would wish to go Quincy hunting immediately and that would only serve to drive them back into whatever holes they had been hiding all these centuries and potentially get someone obliterated for eternity. They had already lost too many to this callus enemy, and in her estimation the Quincy were probably the most destructive force that had ever been brought into existence. Rising to her feet she moved to the back wall and took her Shinigami robe down from the coat wrack and slipped her arms into the sleeves even as she began to speak.

”Of course. You came to the right person. I will of course need to know who this fourth Shinigami is in order to maintain complete secrecy of our task force”, she replied and turned leaving the sides of the robe open and free flowing. Reaching up to grab her backpack from the peg she moved to the work bench and set it upon the table. Her ‘go bag’ was permanently packed with her field research gear that consisted of: sampling kits, surveillance equipment, and those energy bars that Aunt Tomoe pressed on her. It was remarkable that after all these years the woman still treated her as a child.

”Naturally I wish to be taken to the specimen immediately. I won’t be able to tell you much until I make my initial examination”, she continued while she moved toward the back wall once again and sketched out a sigil upon its surface. A panel door, previously undetectable, slid open revealing a Gigai formed in a perfect likeness of herself. ”I will need to be on site at its location for an indefinite amount of time. Such a dangerous entity will require constant monitoring”, she explained before laying her hand upon the Faux Body and murmuring something that sounded like ‘activate’.

The body awakened, her eyes blinking before focusing upon its maker and then bowing and rising once more. ”I will be away on a field mission, 3257. In that time you will assume all duties and maintain my normal routine here in the Division as well as at home. Understood?” The figured nodded her assent before Zâbel would turn to Doula and say, ”Doula, you are in charge of all lab procedures while 3257 will assume secretarial assistance.” The construct’s orbital body rotated so that its visual sensors faced Zâbel, its tentacle arms never missing a beat in the ongoing titrations all the while. A series of flashes emitted from the eyes and it seemed to satisfy the Shinigami that all was understood and would be carried out as ordered.

Then she moved to a refrigeration unit and pulled out some vials and fitted them into the pack. ”Humans require food, these injections will negate that need during my studies and preclude any resistance on its part to be cooperative”, she paused in thought tapping her bottom lip in the process as the Gigai stepped out into the lab and moved to the computer station.

Anything else she needed could be obtained, she decided and closed the pack. Immediacy was the issue. ”I am ready when you are”, she said as she began putting the pack on her back. People would not take much notice of her, she knew from experience. She was odd enough by reputation that few wished to engage her with questions lest they be treated to a ten minute explanation that would fly over the heads of most. Quincy...very interesting, very deadly. It was all very sobering as well as exciting.

”Of course. I’ll lead the way shortly,” Nao said, nodding to Zâbel and giving her some room to set up her Gigai to continue covering her duties. She would have to take her to the Quincy soon, but they had a little more time and it would not do to have any discussion outside of the protective barriers the woman had in place in her lab. ”Before we go, I do have a few other matters I would like to bring up, though. I’m afraid this matter is rather complicated.”

”As to our fourth member, that would be Lord Watari Suzumei, Third Seat of Sixth Division. He’s a rather talented Shinigami, and quite connected,” she explained, holding her tongue heavily as she thought about the man. He had likely murdered Shinigami for his own personal gain, seemed to have no qualms about sending Shinigami to have their very souls destroyed by the Quincy if it provided him an easy way to eliminate other enemies, and seemed far too free-handed with threats of murder and coups for her own liking. Zenji had done much to make her stop constantly looking over her shoulder, but she still very much did it on occasion and they couldn’t have their head researcher getting distracted.

”When we get there, you will want to be careful with him. Zenji’s encounter in the world of the living was not without complications. One of them ripped his hand off and he had several internal injuries from the other. It was only through a severe expenditure of my own Kaido talents that I was able to keep him stable. He’s fine now, but you will want to be very careful with this Quincy. He was willing to kill himself to stop me from bringing him in. Treat him with caution and respect and do not underestimate him. If you need help, you can call me, Zenji, or someone you trust in. Oh, that reminds me,” she said, digging in her robes, ”I have something for you that might help with getting staff to follow your requests.”

The envelope had slipped slightly in its pocket, but she was able to wrap the tips of her fingers around it. She may need the authority to act, and her willingness to get up from her office immediately was just the kind of buy-in Nao had wanted to see. Her relation to Zenji helped with the trust, but beyond that Nao knew they needed someone who wouldn’t let this sit.

”Now, this will still require some processing in your Division, but I have attached my own personal recommendation as the Chief Administrator of First Division. I’m sure you know about the vacant Sixth Seat in your own Division, yes?” she asked, handing the envelope over with both hands and a warm smile, ”I’ve taken the liberty of filling out the paperwork for you. Normally, seated officers are only able to obtain their positions after they discover their Shikai, but exceptions can be made provided an officer of sufficient standing makes a recommendation.”

’Of course things were going to be more complicated than that’, Zâbel restated the obvious to herself after Nao had made that very point. Clearly her interest in this matter had turned to over exuberance and this was a danger she could ill afford in anything let alone scientific inquiry. Her self reprimand went so far as to include a harsh reminder she was no impulsive child but a rational and critical thinking adult.

Nodding her head, she ‘cooled her jets’ and held herself in check to listen to whatever further information Nao would impart. ”Ah yes, Lord Suzumei”, she murmured in acknowledgement of the Third Seat of Sixth Division. Although she hadn't had much interaction with that division over the years, it was a matter of course to have some familiarity with the leadership in all the divisions. Beyond her cursory knowledge, however, she couldn’t really say what sort of individual he might be. For now she could take it at face value that if he was included then he was to be trusted and had skills that would contribute to this whole endeavor.

It was well that she had stilled herself to seriousness for the information about Zenji’s injuries would have been enough to rattle anyone under the best of circumstances. Would there be any point in her lashing out at him for keeping her in the dark about his brush with death? Zâbel could well imagine many feelings of satisfaction to be derived from such an encounter but those only spoke to weakness in character that she had no desire to feed. He was the head of her Family and as such it was not her place to lecture him on being careful nor keeping her informed on the ins and outs of his life. Had he felt the need to include her he would have and to object was nothing more than an expression of juvenile ego at work. Still, it stung quite a bit despite her self denial in that aspect. She knew now, even though that information was purely second hand and delivered by a stranger.

”I will take the utmost care, Nao-san, and not put the subject nor myself in jeopardy”, she commented without a hint of ego in her voice. Well aware that the woman had come to her through second hand knowledge of her own, it was only logical for her to assume nothing between them was to be taken for granted. There was nothing wrong with being cautious, especially when it concerned the lives of fellow Shinigami or that of this very valuable find. ’Quincy’, she mused still quite stunned by the emergence of this fabled race. Clearly the right amount of care had not been taken in the past or that scourge would have been wiped out of existence the first time around. ”Yes”, she surmised,  ”none of us can be too careful given this second chance to preserve the balance.”

Viewing as Nao produced an envelope from her pocket and presented it to herself, Zâbel was faced yet again with a challenge to her sanguinity. Emotions roiled through her body even going so far as to present themselves visibly as a flushing of her cheeks. Her reaction to her was nearly as profound to the triggering words themselves. A plethora of vitriol ran through her mind as though coming from a completely different persona the scientist hadn’t even realized she possessed. ”Too dumb to even awaken your shikai to the point that not only is it known to the entire Gotei but Zenji’s girlfriend has to sign off on you getting an advancement in your own department? What power this woman must possess to provide as exemption for your failings all the way from the First”, she seethed under the insult given to her in such a matter of fact way.

Her hand reached out, and to her credit it did not tremble nor did she snatch the paper from the other’s hand in anger. Instead she bowed accepting the charity for the good of the project. What use would she be without the clearance level that would make her movements go unnoticed and unquestioned? It would be stupid to deny herself access to classified data that unless he received could only mean further failure on her part. ”Thank you”, she commented as she opened the application and grabbed a pen to complete the blank fields on the paper. ”I will file this immediately so as to stave off further delay on the project”, she concluded at last adding her signature to the document.

Without reading the attached recommendation, for that was beyond her current levels of tolerance to achieve, she folded the application and stuffed it into the envelope once again. ”Is there anything else that needs covered before we proceed to the site?”, she inquired, wishing to know all there was so she might perform to the utmost of her abilities. Despite her previous self deprecating thoughts, Zâbel knew her capabilities and would not have agreed to take on this crucial task were she unable to deliver what was required.

Nao was grateful that she accepted the paperwork, and she could tell from the slight blush on the other woman’s face that she had not been expecting such a gift. She was sure that the rumors about her and Zenji would only kick up more after news of his cousin being promoted by Nao made their way around, but she was ready with the other woman’s performance reviews for anyone who wished to contest the appointment.

Zâbel deserved the position, possibly even a higher rank, but those would have required that she fight to get them. With the Sixth Seat, there was no need for her to bloody her weapon and, more importantly, Nao could feel as though she’d made progress in making sure people who actually deserved positions of power in the Seireitei had them.

She smiled to the other woman and nodded at her assertion that she would be submitting the paperwork, just as confident that it would pass quickly as she was that she would be hearing from her counterpart in Fourth Division for overstepping her bounds. She could let that criticism fly, though. If they had wanted a different Sixth Seat, they should have appointed one instead of sitting on it.

”I’m afraid there is one other matter you should be aware of,” Nao said, sighing lightly and shaking her head, ”and that is regarding our co-conspirator Lord Suzumei.” She paused for a moment, collecting her thoughts behind closed eyes, finally opening them to stare straight into Zâbel’s.

”The man is dangerous. He’s necessary to controlling the flow of information so Second, Fifth, or Sixth Division don’t launch some ill conceived crusade, but he’s not someone you should trifle with. In truth, I think it would be best if he didn’t even know you knew of what’s going on. The man, when we first told him about the Quincy, his first thought, it was, I can’t believe it myself,” she said, threatening to spiral down a hole of half-constructed thoughts before she stopped and exhaled, finding her center again.

”The man wanted to send Shinigami he disliked off to be obliterated by the Quincy. His challenge for Third Seat was under dubious circumstances, but as far as I can tell, nobody seems to be contesting it out of fear for what his family could do. He has designs on some sort of coup, at least as far as I can tell,” she said, her pace accelerating as she went through her laundry list of concerns about the sinister fellow she’d been thrown in with. After a brief pause to calm down some, she resumed, shaking her head lightly in disbelief at the situation.

”Zenji explained it and made it sound better, but he outright said the word coup in our meeting when he was talking about his plans. Zenji is right that we need someone to control the flow of information, but it’s essential that the man not know that you know or that we have a Quincy of our own in captivity. He would establish jurisdiction in a heartbeat and steal the Quincy away, and I don’t want to think what a man like Lord Suzumei might do to him.”

It was a lot to load on the Hatayama woman all at once. The return of the Quincy, a promotion to a seated position, and the revelation that her cousin had willingly thrown in with a power hungry madman would have been enough to floor most Shinigami on their own, but if she was anything like Zenji, Nao suspected she could take the pressure.

Of course there was more; there was always more. Her eyelids fluttered slightly, their long dark lashes blurring like the wings of a dragonfly after a full stop mid air, as she recentered her focus to receive the information the woman was about to impart. At mention of the co-conspirator’s name, those eyes narrowed bracing for the weight of this news to land.

A dangerous man, she called him, and well she could believe it. Those ones over in the Sixth had to be, didn’t they? Justice and security was not for bed wetters after all. Zâbel didn’t think that was what Nao was getting at, not at all. Curious at why she wished to keep her part in this conspiracy secret from the man, she jumped to the obvious conclusion. The man couldn’t be trusted. No one could be, not really. That was how Zâbel had lived her life for over three centuries. Nao’s value grew in her estimation, at least as far as common sense was concerned. The scientist, however, needed facts before buying into anything.

Then the woman seemed to fall apart causing Zâbel to shake her head, her lips drawing into a firm thin line of disapproval. The man knew of the Quincy but he, wait… he didn’t know of their prisoner! Her features relaxed as that point was straightened out but his willingness to send his foes to certain death? Zenji was fine with this? ”Hold up a minute”, she said clenching her eyes and trying to sort through it all.

Exhaling, she opened her eyes and said, ”Let me get this straight. Watari is charged with keeping a lid on the Quincy's existence in order to stave off rogue Shinigami rushing into battle unprepared. Something he clearly wishes to do for those he opposes, and Zenji signed off on this?” No wonder Nao was stumbling over her words. Were it not for all the things she could learn by examining this specimen, she would slay the beast and wash her hands of this whole affair. They'd never expect that from her. It would be the smart thing to do.

This shit just didn’t grow corn in her estimate. This was not the cousin she knew. But then she had to admit he hadn’t even told her what he had been up to these days. How the fuck did you nearly get killed and not even bother to let your family know about it? Pride perhaps? He did have that and maybe he felt weak and ashamed that he had been ganked in such a manner? She shook her head once more thinking that was preposterous. Perhaps it was this woman trying to bribe her with advancements in order to turn her against Zenji for some reason. Maybe she wasn’t his girlfriend? Or maybe she was a woman scorned? Not enough data to be sure. Best to play dumb and go along. ”Additionally, no one knows about this prisoner but you, me, and Zenji?” She ceased her speech and waited for what move this person would make next. No one was above suspicion.

”You’re the first person I’ve told, Zenji currently has no idea about this,” Nao admitted, ”I came here immediately after securing Mr. O’Donovan from the world of the living. I would have told Zenji first, but you know perhaps better than I how zealous he can get. It would be better for everyone if he learned about this after you’re set up and have had some time with the Quincy.”

It felt bad to have to conceal this from the man she’d come to trust. He’d served as her second in her challenge for Third Seat, and she imagined she would likely be reprising the role for him once he was fully healed up. They’d shared that wonderfully fun night together after the Watari meeting, even if some of the details of just what happened were still a little hazy to her. She ought to be open and upfront with him, but she’d heard the anger in his voice when the topic of the Quincy came up and knew that telling him first might make all of her efforts moot.

”Zenji wishes to exterminate them all,” Nao explained, slumping her posture slightly in exasperation, ”Whereas I think it would be best to understand them before we take any actions that would drive them back underground and, while he agrees, I think we have different ideas of how quickly we should act here. They have had a thousand years of obliterating Hollow in the shadows. Though it might seem anathema, we can afford a few weeks or months extra to make sure we resolve the problem more definitively. We have no idea of their numbers, their organizational structure, how they gain or pass on their powers, anything like that. For all we know, they could outnumber us ten to one. All it would take could be one Quincy male buying out a brothel for a night and they would have a fresh batch of destroyers on the way.”

The idea disgusted her, both because of how difficult it would be to get a handle on the Quincy and because she found whorehouses repulsive on principle. She pushed her feelings of distaste at the inappropriate nature of some men aside and put her mind back to more appealing prospects, namely her hope for a less violent and much more likely permanent solution. ”Ideally, though this is outside my realm of expertise, we would be able to find a way to eliminate their destructive powers while still allowing them to live, possibly even aiding our surveillance efforts in the world of the living. This way, they would have no real reason to go into hiding and they might even be willing to volunteer themselves if the alternative is death.”

The news rather shocked her and again she had to wonder at what sort of game she was playing. She was Zenji’s friend, not her own. Hadn’t they been seconds for each other at their respective seat challenges? That conveyed a level of trust that should have made her go to him in this matter. The woman’s question gave her pause as well. Did she really know him better? Zealotry? Well yes, it was their sacred duty to keep the balance and she supposed that could be termed as zealotry.

Zâbel continued to study the woman with that intent stare of hers and she thought she detected signs of distress. What was it that she was not telling her? She had little time to wait for the rest to come pouring out. The Quincy were the single most threat to the balance. Their extermination was only right. It was mind boggling to think, had they really been growing for a thousand years? The numbers didn’t lie for that is how long it had been since the great and glorious purge.

Fortunately they had not been very effective despite their growing numbers. Otherwise the leadership would have put them on heightened alert status. Thankfully dumb luck had at last revealed their existence and the Gotei would have the chance to prevent them from growing into an effective force. Things still didn’t quite mesh for the Hatayama maiden and the notion of the brothel scenario cued her into what might be the cause of that disaster scenario having been averted. She would hold her words until Nao fully unburdened herself.

Once the woman finished speaking her mind and heart on the matter, she nodded and sat herself back down upon the stool which she had occupied during the first moments of their meeting. ”That is quite a lot to digest. I can see why you wished to keep me from rushing off half cocked”, she conceded in an uncharacteristic bid to own up to her mistake. ”First and foremost”, she began, ”The extermination of the Quincy is paramount to keeping the balance. However, I agree with you that this time we cannot afford to make mistakes. This specimen must be examined thoroughly, so I believe given Zenji’s recent encounters he may have unwittingly ruined our best chance at gaining the knowledge we need to eradicate that species from the face of the earth once and for all.”

She wiped her forehead which had beaded up a bit with perspiration. Their histories were full of people who rose to the challenges of each age and overcame great odds to save the balance and keep all existence from being wiped out. What they rarely told the reader was how stressful it was to live in such times. ”You did right to bring this to me as I don’t have a personal score to settle, nor more so than any Shinigami that is. I can only think there must be something wrong with their reproductive cycle. If they could breed like regular humans then a thousand years unchecked should have seen the balance undone and everything be obliterated by now”, she shared her notion openly as one rational being to another.

She was beginning to be in less of a panic about nefarious plots the more she considered the facts. Fortunately Nao had seen fit to keep this from Zenji and they could exploit this being to their best advantage. Then she broached another thought she had to explain the ineffectual Quincy. ”Even so, breeding issues would not explain the relative calm we maintain in the balance, though I won’t rule that out as a contributing factor without some real data to back up that working hypothesis. More than likely they were plunged back into a dark age in both teachers and leadership that has taken ages for them to recover. A stroke of luck in all our favors.”

Then she paused and considered the option of converting some Quincy to their cause. ”I Must say it is also an interesting notion to convert Quincy to the side of righteousness. From what I gather in the lore, they are a fanatical religious cult. Perhaps that too did not survive their dark age and this generation will be more open to reason. But when studying the races of men, religion seems to do the world more harm than good. All the killing that goes on in the name of one God or another is sickening. I can’t think that Quincy are that far removed from humanity as to be lacking in that trait. Conversion may not be possible, but it would be an interesting experiment to try.”

”Of course,” Nao admitted to the suggestion that a conversion attempting might not work. ”Even if we are unable to achieve it, it is worth looking into. We could always sterilize them as well, or perhaps we might be able to find another secret in their genetics. All things that you’ll have sole discretion over with our test subject. I do have one request, though. This may seem odd, but I would be most appreciative if you could find a way to accommodate it.”

Nao chewed at her lip slightly, unhappy that she might have to reign in scientific curiosity with her diplomatic request, but being able to present the Quincy with a cured member of their race would do far better for building trust if they did manage to stumble upon a sort of miracle serum capable of removing their powers.

”When I took this man captive, I made him offers of comfort in an attempt to get him to come along freely and, if possible, to cooperate beyond that. In the event you are able to find a way to use him to strip Quincy of their disastrous powers, having him return back to them with a positive experience would be best. I’m not saying don’t experiment on him. Far from it, but if we can knock him out for any invasive procedures and keep him as relaxed as we can beyond that, it would go far for any future messaging efforts we might need to undertake with his kind. If we are unable to find a solution to that problem, it is also imperative that we keep him alive and able and willing to talk in order to properly interrogate him about his family.”

Brushing a few loose pieces of hair behind her ear, Nao paused to rub the back of her neck slightly in thought. She hoped it wasn’t asking too much of the future Sixth Seat, but she didn’t want to go back on her word, not even to the Quincy. ”I’m sorry to put you in this situation,” she explained, giving voice to her frustrations with the whole matter, ”I’m not fond of all this deceit. My spirit seems to revel in it, but it’s hard enough for me to keep this from Zenji, let alone my superior officers. He has been a valuable colleague and confidant since we met. He supported me through some difficult times, and I him.” She blushed as she spoke of how much she’d come to rely on him, averting her eyes from the other woman and smiling weakly to the walls and floor.

”I’m sorry, you don’t need to hear that nonsense,” she said, dragging herself out of the tangent after realizing she had let herself get off topic as she forced herself to return to looking at her newest co-conspirator. ”The Quincy, yes. I believe that is all there is to know about the man. Oh! He had a violin with him when I took him captive, and I was able to bring it back with me. Perhaps allowing him some time to play it will help him relax in the moments when you need to read over data and reports?” she suggested while offering an optimistic shrug.

There were times in her life where the naivety of people never ceased to amaze her. A positive experience from kidnapping? What could she possibly say to that? ”I will attempt to inflict him with a severe case of Stockholm Syndrome, but I make no promises”, she said then thought better of it. What if Nao had no idea what that might be? She spoke on in an attempt to explain, ”Uhm, that is when a kidnapping victim falls in love with their captor and it is named after the place on earth where the most famous case of that happening among humans occurred. It really is an amazing mental illness. Apparently they were even able to get this woman to commit crimes in contradiction to her base personality. If I recall correctly, she even tried to shoot this really important human. His status isn't all that important to the clinical diagnosis though.”

She felt that the chances of that succeeding were as likely as it were for her to sprout wings and fly about the room. What was of more interest to Zâbel than this child’s delusional outlook on how the test subject would feel about being a test subject, was her commitment to keeping a promise to the enemy. She waved off the woman’s attempt to apologize for subjecting her investigations to these additional criteria, but she felt they may actually be of benefit and further the study. It certainly would let them know how long conversion therapy for a Quincy would take, even if it were possible. But then Nao went and stuck her foot in it in the most shameful of manners by discussing her spirit!

Her lips pulled into a thin line and she waved her hand in the air ”Indeed, I do not need to know about that nonsense. However your relationship with my cousin is intriguing. What is the words for it”, she mused out loud letting her mind wonder in thought while she nipped at the lower right corner of her lip.

”Ah yes, dating!”, she supplied the word in delight then set her eyes upon the woman quite pleased by her success in recalling this quaint custom. ”The two of you have begun formal ritualistic bonding ceremonies then?” It was never a good idea to piss off the head of your own family’s girlfriend and potential wife. That would just make Zâbel’s eternity a living nightmare for sure.

Expecting to be given the details, she wondered what sort of music this Quincy played on the violin. She hoped it was not any of that electrified crap that passed for rock and roll these days. People really did never cease to amaze her the lengths to which they would go in order to ruin a perfectly good thing.

Nao was baffled by the implication that the woman planned to seduce the Quincy. She had only asked that he not be treated poorly, not that he be made to fall in love. It seemed a dangerous proposition, but, sensing that the woman might not be joking, Nao could only blush and defer to her wisdom.

Nao was a total stranger to the ways of romance, having been a meek bookmaker in the Rukongai before she was recruited by pure chance for the Shinigami Academy due to her abnormally powerful spirit. The wife of the shop owner where she worked insisted that she remain locked in her room whenever possible out of fear that Nao would seduce her husband away, limiting her exposure to possible dating partners.

The closest she’d ever come to love in her past was with Tetsuya, and she’d destroyed any hopes of that blossoming. She had saved his life and prevented him from facing any discipline from the Academy, and that was a better gift than any number of kisses or happy dates. She would have been content to leave it all be if it weren’t for Zenji’s insistence dragging her feelings for him back out and making her request a meeting.

Why, then, did Nao’s blush intensify so much at the woman’s question of if she and Zenji were dating? She’d heard the rumors, to be sure, but she’d mostly been able to write those off as office gossip by the uninformed. She knew they were just friends, but it didn’t account for the fact that her face was turning to a deep red over the thought that they might be more than that.

”I, that is to say, Zenji and I, we aren’t, he couldn’t, he’s just,” she started stammering, unable to calm herself down, ”We’re not dating. He wouldn’t want me, I’m not a noble like you. Women like me aren’t worthy of someone like Zenji. I would, I mean no. I wouldn’t, I couldn’t with him. He’s so busy. He’s cute and smart and has amazing kido, but I have no family to marry into.”

”And yet Tetsuya is okay for you to daydream about. Funny, that.”

Tetsuya was different! They met when she didn’t know of his noble status. If she’d have been aware of it, she never would have gotten close to him, and he’d probably have graduated and gone on to a productive career in the Gotei, not spending the last 80 years locked away on his family’s estate. She couldn’t do the same thing to Zenji, she cared too much about the man to see him cursed like she had done to Tetsuya.

”So you’re telling me that you love him too much to love him? Get over yourself already.”

Nao’s breathing picked up in irritation at her spirit hitting things way too close to home, and it wasn’t until she caught the gaze of her co-conspirator that she snapped back to reality and realized what a fool she must look like. ”I’m sorry,” she muttered out in humiliated apology, ”I’ve never dated. My supervisor didn’t give me time off for it and I never found anyone who fit my social standing who was also interested.”

This woman certainly was an interesting specimen to say the least. The reddening of the cheeks, a clear sign of embarrassment. The stammering and inability to articulate a complete sentence when her emotions ran high. It was the second time she had exhibited that trait, first from anger and now from, what exactly?

Zâbel moved a bit closer, peering up into the eyes of the taller woman tempted to reach out for her wrist and check her pulse.  She appeared to be suffering from what the grannies in the Rukongai called being Twitterpated. The shorter woman had never experienced such a thing for herself, but she had seen it in others and Nao was exhibiting all the classic signs.

She noted another curious effect in the woman’s demeanor; a general lack of self worth. All that talk about Zenji not wanting a woman ‘like her’, and being ‘noble like you’, and the grandest pile of bullshit ever ‘worthiness’. Zâbel had noticed a similar affliction in young Reika and she had to wonder where these girls were getting such stupid ideas from.

The proverbial light bulb came on and she nodded her head sagely and said, ”Ah, I see”. It was her talk about having a ‘family to marry into’ that put the pieces together and her reply would speak about what was wrong in Soul Society. ”Men don’t marry into a woman’s family. Women leave their family behind and marry into the man’s. It’s total bullshit, though, and I would advise reprogramming your brain a bit to get rid of the Patriarchal stigma that is oppressing you.”

She backed up and gave the woman some space as she continued to sermonize. ”Let me tell you something about the high and mighty Zenji. He puts his hakuma on just the same as the rest of us. And you know what else?” She whirled round to stare pointedly at the woman and drive home her point. ”I know you are a woman who knows how to get what she wants. Otherwise you would still be stuck in the lower ranks doing the work of three men, like most women do. So, how is romance any different? You want a man? Go grab him by the pussy and give his lips a smack. He will either kiss you back or shove you away. But then you know and can stop all this silly self deprecating nonsense.”

Yes, Zâbel could be the penultimate hypocrite when she had a bone to pick for she had never dated either. Dating was much too intimate and she didn’t want to be tied down by some dude bitching about how many hours she put in at the lab because they were feeling ‘needy’. A fire seemed to ignite inside her as her words gushed forth and she warmed to all this talk of liberation. ”My supervisor didn’t give me enough time off to blah blah blah”, she mimicked her words wagging her head from side to side with each of the last three sounds. ” Well let me clue you in sister, your time was never his to begin with!”

Nao might have jerked her arm away from Zâbel if she hadn’t already been so mentally flustered by the whole ordeal. She did twitch her fingers and make a light retraction, but she let her take a grip, remembering Helena’s kind gesture back in a much simpler time and expecting a similar calming assurance.

Instead, the woman seemed to almost give her permission to pursue Zenji, forcing Nao’s briefly receding blush to turn back to its fever pitch. She, completely struck by the words, kept her arm outstretched and frozen for several minutes after Zâbel stepped back. It was only when she mentioned how Nao could do the work of three men that she snapped out of it, chuckling lightly and opening her mouth to let the woman know that she had actually been doing the work of ten until a short time ago.

Her jaw dropped at the vulgar suggestion that came from the woman’s mouth. Grab Zenji how? Kiss him, and on the lips no less? She’d only ever kissed Tetsuya before, and her first kiss had had such a disastrous outcome. To be so aggressive, especially when a large part of her still longed for her crush from Academy, seemed totally antithetical to Nao.

She was all stutters and nerves as the woman unknowingly paraphrased words she’d heard from Murat before, only broken from her anxiousness by her spirit chiming in with a snarky remark. ”I like this girl. You should listen to her.”

She blinked a few times quickly at Zâbel before realizing she had been biting her lip nearly hard enough to draw blood. ”I’ve never done that kind of stuff,” she admitted, averting her eyes to anything else in the room they could find that wasn’t related to Zenji.

”I wouldn’t know what to do, especially with someone like him. He’s been so sweet to me, and he was going to, Zenji was,” she started, her nervous energy swelling back up as she forced herself to frustratedly blurt out what she hadn’t been willing to tell herself, ”Zenji was supposed to be helping me meet a man I once cared for, Lord Tetsuya Akimoto, but now it’s all so confusing.”

"He’s done so much, and he’s so sweet, and smart, and passionate, and his Kido is beautiful. He’s just like Tetsu, but Zenji is always there and Tetsuya has been locked up forever. I don’t know which one of them I want to smack or k-“ she started, stuttering on the word before finally forcing it through her lips with great difficulty, ”kiss more.”

Zâbel had an interesting internship right after she was deemed worthy of field duty, one might even call it her trial by fire for the newly graduated Shinigami. It had been during the 1960s in San Francisco, California.  A glorious time to be alive, so to speak; in the World was much more accurate but the same applied no matter what you called it. The Sexual revolution. The breaking down of the establishment. Keeping an eye on The Man. Overthrowing the tyranny which enthralled them all in their little boxes made of ticky tacky. Ah that Pete fellow had eyes with which to see and the voice to tell it how it was.

Ah but such liberating views had given rise to her second deployment to that very same city during the outbreak of Aides but two decades later. So many deaths naturally drew in Hollow and this deployment had been much more combat focused. So while her initial response to Nao may well have flown off the cuff as ”Who said you had to choose? Why not claim both?”, she had to pause to reconsider being flippant and ponder the broader implications.

What of Zenji? Did he deserve the attention of someone who was so ambivalent to her own emotions that she couldn’t choose between one or the other men in her life? She didn’t know that it would make a bit of difference one way or the other to Zenji but she had to ask herself, "when he had ever been so casual about anything, let alone a relationship?" For that matter, she had to concede with a bit of shame, when had she ever known anything so intimate about her cousin? Her hand came up to rub gently at her temple not wishing to have to think about these emotional entanglements so much. They had work to do and she had gotten ridiculously distracted down this nonsensical path.

Wishing she had not opened this can of worms, she once more refrained from blurting out the first thing that was on her mind. Nao seemed to truly be struggling here and it gave her pause. ”Oh yes, how liberated you became in the 1960s. All you freed was your libido; your heart remains in chains.”, came the chiding voice she thought was her own mental thoughts taking focus. Clearing her throat she shook her head and said, ”I clearly don’t have all the facts and so cannot legitimately advise you on this matter further.” Her inner voice seemed to be satisfied for she had completely shut down once more.

Hefting the straps of her pack she abruptly changed the subject by saying, ”So. I should probably go and inspect this specimen; yes? I’ll just drop this application off on our way out.”

Nao fidgeted, shocked that she’d actually said the words she had, much less that she’d said them in front of someone else. That the other person privy to her deep dark secrets was also the cousin of one of the men she hadn’t been willing to admit to herself she was interested in just added to it all. She very nearly swooned from the shock as her companion mulled her thoughts on the matter.

Thankfully, Zâbel seemed all too eager to help her move on. If she had shared anything more, Nao sincerely doubted her own ability to stay standing, and that was no way to project strength. She’d already gotten flustered enough, but passing out would be a disgrace in and of itself.

”Of course, Zâbel. I’m sorry for that,” she said, nervously holding her hands up lightly in front of herself, ”You don’t need to worry about me and Zenji. I might talk with him about it. We’ll see.”

She licked her lips lightly in thought before realizing that she had lost sight of the goal and was about to devolve into a slew of questions about where the best place to tell him about that would be, what his favorite meal to have with it might be, and all other sorts of personal preference questions that had nothing to do with the man capable of destroying the Balance and dooming their world she currently had in hiding. ”Right this way. We should examine the man and make sure the bindings and wards I have in place are sufficient,” she said hastily as she turned and got the door for her companion.

From looking at the woman’s fidgeting, Zâbel surmised her words had done little to nothing to ease her concerns. For a moment she wondered what it would be like to be wrapped up in the affairs of one’s heart. Would she navigate that jungle any better than Nao? The concept rather ticked her off a bit and spoke of ownership and obligations that just seemed outside the realm of what love was supposed to be. Heaving a sigh, she decided it was better just to remain aloof and dally where she may rather than settle upon any one person as the sole object of her affections. The day she became a thumb riddle twat over some guy was the day they could just come lop off her head with a sword.

Nao’s apology prompted her to reply honestly and lacking in subtlety as ever, ”Oh don’t worry. I won’t give it another moment’s thought.” Stepping through the doorway and exiting the lab, she turned and waited for Nao to follow along afterwards before moving to place her hand upon the door and reactivate a locking seal. No one would likely have need of her nor even notice she was gone, but should they come down to this remote lab seeking the reclusive scientist they would find her lab shut tight to business and assume she was out in the field on assignment.

It was a slipshod way to run a division, but it did have its little perks she could not deny finding to her advantage now and again. A little gossip at the secretary’s desk as she dropped off the paperwork for promotion to Sixth Seat would just be the icing on top of the cake. Zâbel took the envelope and set it into the interdepartmental mail box on the woman’s desk and said, ”Hello Nina, I need this delivered to HR right away. I’m on my way out to collect samples on a promising new strain of Stachybotrys chartarum growing down in the archival basement of the First. Thrilling stuff, though it is much too soon to be certain that it isn’t just a variant rather than an entirely new strain one can always hope so.”

Poor Nina was smiling and averting her eyes to look at Nao and shot her hand out to grab the letter and said in a bit of a rush, ”Sounds highly important; I’d hate to keep you from sampling. I’d better see this gets over to HR right now so that you can hurry on your way.” Zâbel was beaming and lifted her hand to wave after Nina who was trotting up the row of desks as though her very life depended on her speed. Grinning to Nao she said, ”Amazingly efficient woman. So thoughtful to just drop everything like that on my behalf”, as though she had no idea exactly what she had done. Behavioral conditioning had its perks and Zâbel wasn’t shy about employing them to her benefit.

Extending her hand up the hallway she said to Nao, ”Looks like I am freed up for the rest of the day, Shall we proceed to the archival basement for that sampling, Administrator Nao-san?” With a cover story firmly in place that no one would bother risk having half the day taken up listening to a lengthy explanation about, Zâbel was free to let her mind focus on meeting this Quincy, danger to the Balance and all of creation. Yes, she was excited about today’s sampling but it would be nothing so mundane as Black Mold.

Nao bowed appreciatively to Zâbel’s politeness. Of course the woman would give it lots of thought. She had foolishly jumped straight from dating to marriage, for crying out loud. She could only imagine what Zâbel was thinking as they walked on. Did she look like a gold digger? Was she? This wasn’t the first noble she’d had feelings for, and she’d never been too interested in anyone else. Was she only attracted to them for how they seemingly shunned their upbringing?

If Zenji didn’t hurry up and get her in contact with Tetsuya, she wasn’t really going to have a choice. Just the thought of talking to him about these matters had made her all fluttery inside. She could hardly imagine what their next meeting to discuss the Quincy problem might look like. She was so distracted that she nearly bumped in to the woman Zâbel identified as Nina.

With a quick respectful bow to the Nina as she took off, she nodded along with Zâbel’s story as she gestured, aware that her mere presence and the invocation of her title were sure to spin a few heads. ”Yes, let’s,” she said, leading the way out as with a feigned authority horrendously transparent to the latest inductee to their little conspiracy.

She led her across the Gotei, using one of her favored shortcuts to minimize the amount of polite bows she would be needing to give on their trip. ”I understand that this may be somewhat out of your way. You are, of course, welcome to move the sample as you see fit. Just let me know if you need any administrative or Kido assistance there,” she said, remaining vague in order to keep their cover. It felt odd to talk about the man she had tried at excruciating lengths to keep in one piece as if he were little more than a sample.

Bowing politely to her senior officer, even though she was of a different division, Zâbel followed her out of the Fourth and onto the streets. Noting that the route was not a main byway, she could also see that it was not overly circuitous but rather direct even if a bit out of the way. Coincidentally Nao commented upon that in nearly the same words in which the scientist had been thinking. ”That is not really of much concern. Given the opportunity for scientific discovery”, she paused in her words to smile and wave her hand in a negating fashion over such worries, ”I assure you I would go to greater distances in order to conduct this research.” The Quincy was here, after all, and not in the land of the living. It hardly bore mentioning, let alone complaint.

Zâbel assumed the specimen was quite secure, otherwise Nao would not have left his side nor failed to mention guards as members of their conspiracy. That was well. The fewer people who knew the better their chances in keeping this test subject protected, alive, and unknown to the populace. ”I won’t really know if another location is required until I have examined the initial site. It is good to know that I shall have adequate resources on hand, however, to do some quality scientific investigations. What, may I ask, is the current condition of the specimen?”, she inquired.

Filing away that bit of information, she continued to move through the back streets alongside the Seated Shinigami. Zâbel had quite a bit of time to study the woman and her thoughts went back to the exchange they had concerning her cousin and this other man of whom Nao was infatuated. Usually she would have noted the anomaly and let her mind become preoccupied with the much more interesting topic at hand; in this case that was definitely the Quincy.

Oddly though, she felt compelled to ask, ”Nao-san. What is it, do you suppose, that makes a man worth all the trouble it takes to attract in the first place?” Inwardly she groaned hearing how ill formed a question that was and she had to wonder what was it about this love business that made idiots out of everyone, even those adjacent to the affair and not even involved?