Aizen sat behind the desk in his office, as he diligently worked through several pieces of paperwork necessary to keep up the façade of him being the right hand of Amelia. This wasn't the only thing he was doing, as in the room with him was the first and second Espadas respectively, Rylen Tsezguerra and Annika Masador Aenar.
"This sounds like a very interesting situation.~" Annika amusingly remarked about the current situation.
She and all the other members of the Espada had been informed of the encounter with Momon and Nabe, what Aizen had felt, and how the Dragon Lord had confirmed such feelings. This information had quickly been made known, via the use of their rings, which allowed them to communicate with each other in a similar fashion to the tier magic spell, [Message].
"He could be dangerous. It would be foolish to let an undead of such power wonder around, doing as it pleases." Rylen sternly said.
"From what Aizen-sama said, I highly doubt it will just lash out and attack the city.~" Annika calmly pointed out with a charming smile.
"Agreed. From what I understood, he is a rational being, and is genuinely trying to keep his true nature hidden. If there is anything to worry about, is his companion, she seems to be too impulsive for her own good." Aizen added.
"Then, maybe we should keep them under surveillance. An undead with such presence is a rare find. It would be a waste to lose track of him.~" Annika suggested.
"I'd have to agree. But, it is most likely is too dangerous to use magic to keep track of them." Rylen retorted.
"If he is anything like the last one we found, then that is the correct assessment. Which is why I am considering keeping track of them indirectly. Instead of focusing on them, we will focus on what they do and where they go. All the while keeping a distance from them." Aizen clarified as he was putting his papers aside.
"That does sound like the best course of action. Especially when we know so little about them." The elder mused as he stroked his well groomed beard.
"Exactly. As expected of Aizen-sama.~" Annika remarked in a pleased tone.
As they seemingly finished their conversation, the office door opened revealing Amelia and Juno. Letting out a small annoyed sigh, Amelia made her way into the room, taking the seat Annika had just freed up for her, while Juno remained on her feet closing the door behind them.
"How did the meeting go?" Aizen asked.
"The guildmaster just wanted to hear from my mouth what was already explained on the document we delivered. It was a waste of time." Amelia replied, looking through the papers on the desk.
"It is a necessary part of things. Pluton Ainzach holds considerable amounts of influence over the guild's adventurers. As long as we give him reasons to understand our actions, he will be able to placate some of the negative reactions we may receive from his men. Of course, he can't pacify all of them, but having to deal with only a few unhappy adventurers is much better then having to deal with all of them." Aizen calmly explained.
"You don't need to explain it to me, Aizen. If I didn't understand it, I would have not gone to that last-minute meeting." Amelia hissed in aggravation, before continuing with a fatigued sigh.
"Ugh. Moving on. What is going on here?"
"We were discussing what we would do about this Momon and his companion. We had agreed to keep an indirect eye on them. We will track what they do, but will not keep surveillance on them directly." Aizen smoothly replied.
"Because we know nothing about them, right? Could we have Rylen go and meet him? Perhaps he will give us a better idea on Momon's nature." Amelia suggested, looking at the elder.
"My senses are not that keen, even if I am part undead myself." Rylen informed.
"Then, for the time being we will go with your idea, Aizen."
"I'm glad you agree. Now, all of you are dismissed, and free to do as you please until the evening." Aizen announced.
At this the Espada, gave their superior a small bow before walking out of the room, leaving Aizen and Amelia alone in the office.
"I was told Alvis and Cayo have yet to arrive. It's a bit strange for them to be late. You think Cayo finally managed to get Alvis to go along with his antics?" Amelia asked.
"I would not be surprised. Even if Alvis has the higher mind, he is still young and inexperienced when it comes to interacting with others. Cayo having managed to affect him, even if slightly, would happen sooner or later." Aizen replied as he got up from his seat.
"Let's hope they didn't get into that much trouble." Amelia sighed, as she saw Aizen walk towards the middle of the room.
"Amelia, do you remember what I told you before? About how some time after we acquired Juno into our ranks I tried to find a path between this world and the spiritual one?" Aizen asked, as he materialized his Zanpakutō.
"I do. I also remember how you said you failed, because some great force made it impossible for you to get there, even if you opened the portal. And I also remember that you ended up in some empty dimension."
"It was devoid of life, but was not empty." Aizen corrected, to which Amelia rolled her eyes.
"Moving on. Did you finally manage to get something out of it, after spending more than 2 years going to it?" Amelia asked.
To be honest it had always annoyed her, how Aizen vanished into what she understood to be another dimension and when he returned he would say nothing to her. Even when she asked him, he would give her a simple and underwhelming answer, that effectively told her nothing.
The only real thing she ever got from him in relation to it, was the ring he had given her. Said ring was similar to the one's used by the Espada, to which he had said were all important when the time came. When he gave it to her, Amelia had amused herself by poking fun at him for giving her a ring, but after a while not even that was enough to appease her curiosity.
"You have been very patient, Amelia. And that is why you will be the first to see the fruits of my labor." Aizen informed with a cunning smile.
Amelia said nothing as she got up from her seat and motioned him to get on with it. Aizen simply gave her a nod as he moved his blade forwards, which seemed to insert itself into the air, part of it vanishing from sight as space itself became distorted. He followed this by turning it to the right as if it were a key. The air began to contort as he removed his weapon from the now growing abnormality.
Before her eyes, the distortion turned into a vertical line of bright color, which slowly began to part, opening a door to another dimension. She was mesmerized by this, she had experienced much with Aizen, but never had she imagined she would get to see another dimension.
"Through this opening is the dimension I found long ago. I have since named it, 'Hueco Mundo'." Aizen calmly informed.
"A-Are you s-serious!?" Amelia asked, visibly showing her lack of composure.
"Naturally. If you still have the ring on you, would you like to accompany me through this portal?" Aizen asked.
Amelia looked down at her hands, verifying that indeed she was wearing it. After all, she had decided to keep it on just in case it turned out to be important.
"I… Yes." She replied as she steeled her resolve.
Giving her a nod, Aizen began to walk into the wall of light. Amelia quickly did the same, trying her best to be keep calm, even as her body made contact with the light, and they both vanished from the room.
Annika was walking through the manor, wondering what she should do to kill some time, when she heard a panicked laugh coming from the entrance. Recognizing the voice as being Cayo's, she decided to go see what was going on. However, things only got stranger when she heard Alvis apologizing for them being late.
Making a turn on the corridor she was in, her eyes fell on the entrance, where much to her surprise the duo were speaking with one of the maids. At first she was surprised, but when her eyes got a better look at the woman, their reaction became obvious.
The woman the duo was currently faced with, outside of the maid outfit, had blue eyes, and black hair braided in front of her body. Her expression was always a calm and warm one. However, almost everyone in the manor had felt a certain dread when talking to her. Especially when they said something they should not have or made some kind of mistake. This woman's name was Retsu Unohana, and she had been brought here by Aizen. No one else knew anything else about her beyond that.
Deciding that she should go and put an end to whatever was going on, Annika started walking towards them, soon enough getting the attention of Alvis and Cayo.
"Annika! Please help us!" Cayo desperately called out.
Hearing the name, the maid turned around to face the incoming Espada, on her face was her usual calm and warm expression. No one would believe someone like her was able to make Espada like Alvis and Cayo quiver in their boots.
"Annika-sama." Retsu greeted with a bow.
"Oh, my. What is going on here~?" She asked, looking at the duo with both amusement and curiosity.
"Alvis-sama and Cayo-sama are quite late, and I was trying to understand what had happened. After all, they have inconvenienced Aizen-sama and Amelia-sama." Retsu replied calmly, but also sternly.
"Hmm. Indeed.~ Would you two care to explain yourselves~?" Annika asked, looking at Cayo.
"W-Well, we had a 'busy' night, the both of us. And we got up late…" The lower ranked Espada replied with an awkward laugh.
"Oh? The both of you~?" Annika asked, raising an eyebrow at Alvis.
"I-I got carried away in the flow of things…" Alvis mumbled, lowering his head as if in shame.
"And lost his virginity because of it!" Cayo laughed, hitting Alvis in the back.
"I already told you, I was not a virgin!" The younger Espada remarked with a scowl.
"…"
Cayo was about to say something back, but Retsu spoke over him.
"Please do not raise your voices in the hall."
"I… I'm sorry." Cayo said with a sigh.
"Putting that aside, we were given the rest of the day until the night. So, just make sure that you two are around when Aizen-sama calls upon us." Annika coolly said.
"We have all that time to ourselves? If that is the case, what do you say if the two of us spend it together?"
Cayo said this as he got closer to Annika, putting on the most charm full expression he could muster. That was until the female Espada spoke back to him.
"Oh, dear. Haven't your urges gotten you into enough trouble today~?" She asked, getting no response.
"Thought so.~" She said with a triumphant smile, beginning to walk away.
As they saw her walk away, they noticed that she stopped and turned around with an extremely elegant and alluring motion, before giving them a very attractive and charm filled smile.
"However~... You, Alvis, are free to join me whenever you wish.~" She purred seductively, before leaving.
"Oi. Lucky…" Cayo said, under his breath.
While Cayo went out using his free time to indulge himself on what E-Rantel had to offer him, and also blow off some steam after the verbal jabs Annika gave him. Alvis decided to stay in the manor and reorganize his thoughts by doing some reading and studying in the library.
The young Espada was in the middle of finishing one of the many books he had already gone through, when his senses picked up on someone sitting next to him. Almost immediately he put the book aside and straightened himself in his seat, as his senses told him that the person sitting next to him was in fact Aizen.
"Aizen-sama." He greeted with a small bow.
"Alvis. I was informed on what happened to cause you and Cayo to be late. I am surprised that you went along with his antics." Aizen said.
"M-My apologies. B-But I couldn't help myself… my instincts took over and after that I was unable to stop." The young Espada informed, lowering his head.
"I see. I already brought up this topic before, but have you considered actively working towards gaining control over that part of you. As you are, you only exercise the form of control that comes to you naturally. Perhaps you should consider learning to impose a better limit on your nature." The Shinigami suggested.
"That is actually what I was trying to understand by reading these books, since all of them approach that subject one way or the other. But I still feel that I am far too inexperienced to do this alone, and that said inexperience is also connected to me failing to suppress that side of me."
"That's good." Aizen remarked, much to Alvis' surprise.
"It is true that out of all of those present you are the youngest and least experienced of the group. However, it's good to see that you are able to look at yourself and correctly analyze what you see. Not many can truly do so. Even those far more lived than you have that issue. As it is, I suggest beginning by talking with either Rylen, Annika or Jillur."
"I-I will do as you say! T-Thank you, Aizen-sama." Alvis replied, taking several bows.
"Be at ease. But this is not the reason I came here. I was wondering if you could go and do something for me." Aizen informed.
"Of course. Ask and it shall be done." Alvis remarked, quickly putting his books aside.
"In an hour there will be a meeting in one of the alleys near the Shining Golden Pavilion. There will be two women, and they will be carrying a request from a powerful ally of ours. I want you to go and pickup said request."
"Very well. I'll just put these books away and will head out right away." The young Espada said, already getting back to his feet.
"There's no need to rush things, Alvis. You have more then enough time to get everything done." Aizen pointed out as he too got back to his feet.
"R-Right. I-I guess that I am far too worried about having failed you…" Alvis began, but the Shinigami spoke over him.
"Do not concern yourself about this. This is far from having failed me. It was a simple mistake, correct? I'm sure that you will do your best so it does not happen again."
"T-Thank you, Aizen-sama."
Alvis took one final bow as Aizen walked out, thinking of how he was truly overreacting over this. Still, he felt that he had in some way failed the man who had given him the means to get so much. Looking at things in a positive manner, he realized that he now had an opportunity to deliver Aizen another success by getting going to this meeting.
Tia and Tina patiently awaited in the shadows for the person they were supposed to meet to show up, since all they knew is that said person was a member of the Espada. To be honest both of them were a little curious to see one of them, given the opinion most of the adventurers had on the Espada.
Tia was in the process of shifting her current stance, when both her and Tina picked up on a presence who apparently had snuck its way towards them. Acting on the surprise and a unexplained sense of danger, both twins threw themselves back, their hands going to their hidden blades. The only reason they did nothing more then this, was because the young man that now stood before them, had on him a ring of equal design to those they knew were worn by the Espada.
"S-Sorry. I was sent here Sōsuke Aizen, to retrieve the request." The Espada informed, as he took a small apologetic bow.
The sisters briefly looked at each other, put off by the strange disconnect between his personality and his apparent skills. It made them wonder what his rank is. From what they knew and had been told, the Espada were composed of people who fell on either Orichalcum or Adamantite ranks in terms of strength and ability.
Going on this alone, they could only conclude that he fell on the latter category. Since it would be the same as themselves, and it would make it possible for him to sneak up on them so skillfully. Still, it did not make them feel any better, when he seemed to have done this without meaning to do so.
Putting this aside, Tia materialized the plain looking letter from a pouch on her hip, and slowly approached the Espada and gave it to him, before then walking back to her sister's side. There being no other reason to continue this, she was about to motion her sister to leave, but Tina's blabbermouth nature stopped this from happening.
"What's your rank?"
"Hm? I'm the 10th Espada." Alvis unthinkingly replied.
Both sisters were silent, as it dawned on them the fact that a man who should be weaker than them had unintentionally gotten the jump on them. Once again, they looked at each other, then back at him, as they saw his expression change, because in Alvis mind the same realization also dawned on him.
He cursed himself for not having thought things through, over being too worried to do his best in this small assignment. He began to think about what he should do about this, since surely trying to explain it away would not work on someone of their level.
As he was stuck in his own mind, the sisters could only see his expression change to that they could only associate to someone who was preparing themselves to do something they did not want to. Exchanging a quick look, both women vanished using their amazing speed to make their way out of the alley and into the cities rooftops.
"W-Wait!" Alvis called out just after they vanished.
Kicking the floor, he let out a frustrated sigh, once again cursing himself for being too overly concerned about something that Aizen himself had told him not to worry about.
Tia and Tina had already put a good amount of distance between themselves and the Espada, when out of nowhere what they now knew to be the weakest member of the group appeared in front of them. This time they drew their blades, all the while keeping their distance from the man, who obviously was not going to let them leave as they were.
"I'm sorry. This was my mistake, but I cannot let you leave knowing even a little bit of how strong I really am." Alvis calmly said.
They said nothing, knowing that the best option was to run away. However, as soon as their bodies went to move, Alvis' eyes picked up on this and then he activated one of his special abilities, [Song of Captivation]. An ability which made people susceptible to his will, and even enabled him to change people's memories to a certain extent.
[Stop!] He ordered, his voice taking on a slight echo.
The duo froze in place not even having time to take one step, leaving Alvis feeling terrible for having to do this when he could have easily avoided it all.
[You will forget all that happened after the moment you met me. Do you understand?]
"Yes." Both sisters replied in a monotone, their facial expressions blank.
[You will remember having met me in the ally. I approached you from the main street. When I introduced myself, you gave me the letter, and then left. Do you understand?]
"Yes."
[Good. You may leave.] Alvis continued, his voice going back to normal.
Alvis took the letter from his pocket, looking down at the plain envelop and all the trouble he had caused himself while trying to get it. He stood there for a while until he heard a male voice speak.
"Get moving, now will you!?"
Waking up from his trance, the young Espada looked around, but he couldn't see or feel anyone near him. Well, not counting the black cat that was resting near the edge of the rooftop. Looking around one more time, he did as the voice told him, and vanished making his way back to the manor.
Arriving back in the manor, Alvis went to deliver the letter to Aizen, before going back to his reading until the time came, and the Espada gathered in the meeting room. Once there, several members of the group took their seats around the table on the chairs that were marked with their numbers. Now being an extra seat marked with a "0" where the armor controlled by the Catastrophe Dragon Lord rested.
"So, Jillur, what's it like to be paired up with Annika?" Cayo asked, trying to kill some time before Aizen and Amelia arrived.
"She's a good partner. I am lucky to have someone so skilled working with me." Jillur replied, with an uninterested tone.
"Aww... You're going to make me blush.~" Annika remarked, to which her companion growled.
"I mean, surely you must have put some moves on her. If it was me, after spending all that time alone with her…" Cayo began, but Jillur interrupted him.
"Not everyone is as simple minded as you are, Cayo." Jillur said as he hissed in annoyance.
"And, his heart already belongs to another, doesn't it~?" Annika asked with a teasing tone.
"Be silent." Jillur growled.
"Why can't he just shut his mouth?" Elsa whispered in Jaecar's ear, referring to Cayo.
"Honestly? He doesn't know any better." Her superior replied.
"If you have someone, I have nothing against it. But let's be honest, I'm certain she has nothing on Annika." Cayo argued back.
"Can we change topics?" Leinas asked, looking visibly bored and impatient.
"…"
Cayo was about to speak, when the Cero Espada spoke.
"I would prefer if you stayed silent, boy." He growled.
"Aye. I second this." Carmyn added.
"Agreed." Jillur growled.
"Then, if I may. Leinas, where did that cat come from?" Inon asked.
All eyes went to the black cat that at it's mention seemed to react, by jumping from the floor to Leinas back and then to the top of the table, its golden eyes scanning everyone around it.
"He followed us here. Since it was just a cat, I didn't see any harm in allowing it to come in." Leinas replied.
"It's just some str…" Cayo was about to remark, but the cat looked at him with fierce eyes silencing him.
The doors to the room opened, causing all of the Espada to straighten themselves in their seat, as Aizen and Amelia walked into the room. What some of them managed to notice as they looked at Amelia, was a slight sense of enthusiasm, which anyone else would have missed if they had not payed a certain amount of attention to it. Then this expression quickly changed, when her eyes fell on the cat in the middle of meeting table. So much so after she took her seat next to Aizen, she had to point it out.
"Why is there a cat in the middle of the table?" She asked, and much to her surprise the animal seemed to frown.
"She allowed me in here." The cat replied in a male voice, while motioning to Leinas.
This shocked nearly everyone seated. Despite everything they had been through, a talking cat still came as a bit of a surprise.
"Y-You?" Alvis mumbled.
"…"
Amelia opened her mouth to speak, but Aizen calmly spoke over her.
"I'm glad you could join us Yoruichi." Aizen said, further surprising those present.
"I should be saying that. I was getting bored of wandering the streets doing nothing." The cat remarked jumping off of the table.
"First, allow me to welcome all of you back. And congratulate you on having successfully completed all your assignments." Aizen said in a pleased and welcoming tone.
"Thank you." The Espada said in unison.
"We shall start this meeting, by making a necessary change of scenery." The Shinigami announced.
"Little over 2 years ago, I found a passage to another dimension, one that resides between the world of the living and the dead. This dimension was devoid of life, yet held enough resources in it for me to create a new base for us. And after all this time, said base is now complete and ready for occupation."
"W-We're going to another dimension?" Cayo asked in shock, getting a nod in reply.
"Before we leave, I must ask all of you, if you have your rings on? Since in truth these do more then identify you as a member of the Espada or allow you to communicate with each other. This ring will also keep all of you safe from the negative effects the dimension has on the soul of the living."
"Then, we must wear the rings at all times, while we are there?" Carmyn asked.
"Indeed. Even people of your power are not safe from those effects. Naz'da'gar Cyddrunarth, you will have to join us for this trip, as I'm certain you cannot control your armor through dimensions."
The armor replied with a grunt, before letting itself lean forwards, a signal that the strings holding it up had been removed. Just a moment later, a cloud of purple smoke formed in the chamber, it slowly took humanoid form, before solidifying and revealing the imposing figure of the 0-ranked Espada. The bipedal Dragon Lord stood in place as his weight slightly buckled the floor beneath, and towered over his comrades. He kept his wings folded over his shoulders, as space for him was limited enough as it was.
"Does everyone have their rings on?" Aizen asked.
"Yes."
"Very well. Amelia could you show them how to use their rings to open the portal to Hueco Mundo?"
"We can also open these portals?" Leinas asked in surprise.
"Yes. All members of the Espada can do it. While Fracción's rings are limited to allowing their survival once inside."
Amelia got up from her seat and distanced herself from the table. Stopping she placed her closed fist against the air. Turning it to the right, a vertical line of light formed before her, which then opened revealing to all of those present a tunnel of light.
"Lead the way." Aizen said, motioning Amelia to walk forwards.
"Everyone, follow me." Amelia ordered, disappearing into the wall of light.
Aizen walked after her, with the rest of the Espada slowly going after them. Alvis found himself in the end of the line, as he was still focused on the cat, who was also making its way into the portal.
What the Espada saw on the other side was breath taking. Before them was a room of unimaginable beauty. It was furnished with what seemed to be the most expensive and elegant kind of decorations and furniture. To the point it would make even Kings and Emperors look on in envy of its grandeur. The beauty was not just limited to their surroundings. The five people who were waiting for them, three men and two women, were also ridiculously good looking.
The one that got the attention of the entire group was the one standing in the middle of what seemed to be servants. He, like the rest of the men, was wearing a more elegant version of a butler's uniform, with a green sheathed katana on his left. His skin was pale, his black hair was messy allowing part of his bangs to fall between his eyes, which were green colored with slit-shaped pupils. Upon his face were teal lines which descend from the lower part of his eyes.
"Welcome back." He and the rest of those present greeted the new arrivals
"My name is Ulquiorra Cifer, and I will be at your service." He added.
"The rest of you can leave, your services won't be necessary." Aizen announced, to which the other four servants bowed and did as they were told.
"Lead the way, Ulquiorra." Aizen instructed with a soft smirk.
"As you wish, Aizen-sama."
What followed was a small guided tour of what the Espada soon understood to be a massive building, whose size might even be comparable to that of E-Rantel. According to Aizen, it was named Las Noches, and it would from that point on act as their main base, with the manor in E-Rantel being a secondary base. According to Amelia, they would soon be moving many of their riches and supplies to this dimension, since it made it much easier to store and access whenever they were needed.
"If I may ask, who is he? And why is the cat also here, without wearing a ring?" Leinas asked, motioning to Ulquiorra.
"Ulquiorra, Yoruichi, the maid you all know as Retsu Unohana and everyone in Las Noches, are artificial beings. They are artificial souls, that inhabit artificial bodies who are able to adapt to the characteristics of those souls. For example, this is not Yoruichi's true form, yet this artificial body can adapt itself to this transformation." Aizen explained, pausing so the information would set in.
"However, the three individuals I mentioned and many others who reside here, are near perfect copies of individuals I lived with before coming here. Of course, many of them are not as powerful as the originals, and many had their personalities altered in order to make them more subservient to us." He added.
"And who was his original version?" Rylen asked.
"He was the former Cuatro Espada." Aizen replied, getting the attention of Juno.
"…"
She was about to speak, when Jillur spoke over her.
"Is that an ocean?" He asked, looking through one of the nearby windows.
"You could consider it to be one, yes. Much of the center of Las Noches is filled with water, with few platforms and smaller buildings built on it, with bridges connecting those to the main building." Aizen explained.
The group continued their walk-through Las Noches, until they finally reached another large room with a large rectangular table in the center. Surrounding it were several chairs with numbers on it. Everyone took their seats, while "Ulquiorra" stood near the entrance. A small group of maids entered the room, placing in front of each Espada a cup of tea, including one extra cup for Elsa who also remained on her feet.
"I must say, that I approve of this new base. Especially the female help." Cayo chimed in with a grin.
"While the servants are completely loyal to us, I would suggest not using them to fulfill your wishes and needs. This goes for every single one of you." Aizen pointed out.
"However, this does not apply to the servants in your private palaces. Most of the servants there were made in order to perfectly serve the palace's ruler."
"I-Isn't a palace too much?" Juno asked in surprise.
"Not at all. I want all of you to be as comfortable as you can be while staying here. But, as I was saying every member of the Espada, except Cero, will have one servant that much like Ulquiorra is based on the last person to have held that rank. In your case Naz'da'gar, if you wish on a later date you can chose a servant to take on this role."
"As things are, I see no need for having servants." The Dragon Lord plainly remarked.
"Still, I insist on everyone having a group of servants, to at least keep their palace in good shape."
"Hm. Very well." The Cero Espada said with a growl.
"Today's meeting will be a brief one. Given our current successes, we are now in a position where we can give all of you a few days off." Aizen announced.
"However, keep in mind if any urgent request comes up you will have to move out. We can't afford to start declining requests so early on. I am saying this because, today we got a one of those urgent quests." Amelia added, placing a letter on top of the table.
"This letter comes from one of our strongest allies, and it would be wise for us to see it through and keep said ally appeased." She continued.
"The request comes directly from Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself and she asks us to aid in the battle against Eight Fingers. She asks us to dispose of a ship who is, as we speak, making its way to one of the Kingdom's ports, and from what we were told we should have about 2 days before it arrives." Aizen explained.
"I could do it." Jillur calmly informed.
"Yes, I was already considering sending you and Annika to deal with this request." The Shinigami said.
"There's no need for her to come with me. If the goal is to simply dispose of the ship, I alone am enough to sink it." The Espada suggested.
"Oh? But there's no need for you to go alone. Or for me not to go.~" Annika pointed out with a confused headtilt.
"I simply wish to let you have your rest. But if you want to go with me, I will not argue against it." Her companion remarked.
"Then, it's settled. The two of you will take this request." Amelia affirmed.
"The two of you will leave in 1 hour's time. The rest are free to remain here until they are called upon." Aizen said.
"Before you are all dismissed, there is something else I would like to show you." Aizen said, placing a small cube shaped item in front of him.
"This is a Caja Negación. It can be used to trap an individual in a pocket dimension, for a varying period of time based on their power level. In your palaces you will find 5 of these in your bedroom." he continued.
Upon saying this, ten other servants entered the room, each of them walked towards a member of the Espada, leaving only Juno without one.
"These servants will take you to your individual palaces. Juno, Ulquiorra will take you to yours." Aizen informed.
"You are dismissed." Amelia said.
With that the Espada got up from their seats and began to follow their respective guides out of the chamber and into Las Noches, until they ultimately arrived in their own palaces. Once again Alvis found himself dumbfounded by the presence of the cat named Yoruichi, which was now actively following him.
Cayo, much to his enjoyment, had been given a female guide who much like all the other women he had seen in Las Noches, was quite the looker, and he just couldn't help but speak with her.
"I know Aizen said we shouldn't do it, but if I asked you to do me a little service would you do it?" He asked.
"My apologies, but I cannot." She replied.
"And why is that?"
"Because it would go against Aizen-sama's commands."
After that Cayo was silent, only able to hope that his palace was filled with nothing of beauties like her, and that whatever former Espada he had was also a world class beauty.
Jillur found himself walking through one of the bridge like corridors that lead to one of the buildings in the "ocean" that occupied part of Las Noches. As he was walking, he saw in the distance a large gate like door, with a 7 engraved on to it, which he assumed to mean that this was the entrance to his servant.
"I must leave you now." His guide informed, once they got near the door.
The Espada replied with a simple nod, not even looking as the servant walked away, as he was now preoccupied with pushing the doors apart and enter his palace. Finding himself in a large lobby, Jillur saw in the middle of it a group of 15 servants, male and female, wearing both butler and maid outfits. T
he one that got his attention, was the one leading the group, who had a katana to his left, was tall and muscular with dark skin. On his head was a small Mohawk, and a pair of golden eyes, he wore two skull shaped earrings and a bony necklace.
"Welcome, Jillur-sama. I am Zommari Rureaux, the head servant of your palace." The tall servant announced, as all of those present took a bow.
"At ease." Jillur said, not seeing a need for his servants to be so cordial around him.
"What are your roles?" He asked.
"I am tasked with coordinating the rest of those here, in order to keep your palace in a state that will please you. I am also the main line of defense if anyone happens to invade your palace. The rest of them will serve you fully in whatever way they can, there are no limits to what you may ask of them." Zommari replied.
"What about you? Will you do anything I ask of you?"
"As long as it does not go against the main directives given to me by Aizen-sama, or my personal beliefs. However, worry not, I will not go against your wishes, Jillur-sama."
"Very well. I only have less then an hour before I leave, so for today I will only ask for a quick showing of the palace."
"As you wish. Please follow me." Zommari said.
Jaecar and Elsa stopped in front of the Espada's palace, giving a quick goodbye to their guide as he left. Pushing the doors aside Jaecar allowed Elsa to walk in first, with him quickly following after her, having made sure the doors closed behind them. In the main lobby they were greeted by a group of both male and female servants, numbering in about 20 with an especially tall individual in front of the group.
They assumed this was the duplicate of the former being who held the same rank as Jaecar. He was a tall individual, so much so he was only slightly shorter then Inon, with aqua colored eyes and spiky raven black hair. He wore a butler's uniform and globes, and unlike Ulquiorra he didn't seem to be carrying any weapon with him.
"Welcome. We are Aaroniero Arruruerie, the head servant of this palace." the tall butler said, after all had taken a bow.
"We?" Elsa asked.
"Yes. We refer to ourselves in the plural, however if it is and issue we are can refer to ourselves as you would consider normal." Aaroniero replied, motioning to himself.
"Weird guy." She mumbled, back to Jaecar.
"There's no need to change that, continue speak as you prefer." Jaecar quickly said, wanting to move away from the topic.
"Thank you, Jaecar-sama." The duplicate replied.
"So… what do you want to do?" The Espada asked, looking at Elsa.
"Why are you asking me!? This is your palace isn't it?"
"It is but… it's just too much to take in. I... don't now what to do. He he." Jaecar replied with a nervous chuckle.
"May we suggest a tour of the palace?" Aaroniero calmly interjected.
"That sounds good. We will go with that."
"Very well. Then follow us."
Leinas watched as the man who had been leading her to her palace, opened the gate like doors and kept them open so she could walk in unobstructed. Walking pass him, the servant dismissed himself, closing the gates behind her. She was greeted by a group of 15 servants, with a slightly higher number of males then females. In between her and this group was a woman who she assumed was the leader.
This woman was wearing a female version of a butler's outfit, with the particular aspect that the upper half of her clothing had a zipper, with an extremely high collar so much so that it covered the lower half of her face, all the while keeping her abdomen fully exposed. On her back was a sword. She had olive colored skin, aqua eyes, short blonde hair with 3 large braids and an extremely large bust.
"Welcome, Leinas-sama. I am Tier Harribel, the head servant of your palace." The woman cordially greeted.
Even if she was hearing what she assumed to be the duplicate of the woman who had previously wielded her rank, Leinas found herself focused on the woman's bust. Her eyes went to Harribel and then to herself, and she frowned at the sight, before going back to business.
"Where is my bedroom?" Leinas asked.
"Please follow me." Harribel said with a bow.
Dismissing the rest of her servants to whatever duties they would normally be doing, Leinas followed the duplicate through her palace, till they arrived at a chamber which she was certain would have made Emperor Jircniv green with envy. That thought alone brought a pleased smirk to her lips. Looking around the room, she saw a small box on top of one of the night stands, walking up to it Leinas opened it and found the same items Aizen had shown them.
"Interesting." She mumbled, deciding to close the box back up.
"So, Tier…" Leinas began, just to be interrupted.
"I beg your pardon Leinas-sama, but I would prefer to be referred to as Harribel."
"Then, Harribel what is there to do around here?"
After having her guide open the gates to her palace for her, Carmyn walked through the open door and quickly went about analyzing those that were waiting for her. She was faced with 20 servants, both male and female. Outside of the butler and maid outfits she didn't note anything peculiar on any of them.
That was outside of the Inon sized and slim man with a large smile, that looked down on her with a particular look. He had large black hair, wore a large eye-patch over his left eye, leaving only a single dark grey eye exposed, and unlike Ulquiorra he carried no weapon.
"Is something the matter?" Carmyn asked, looking up at him.
"No offense, Carmyn-sama. But I was expecting someone taller." The strange man replied.
Carmyn raised an eyebrow at this, before jumping upwards so she would be above him, just before landing a blow on top of the tall man's head, sending him to his knees.
"W…!" He was about to say, but his superior spoke over him.
"Behave. I do not have the patience to deal with people like you. Aren't you supposed to be my servant?" Carmyn hissed in her indignation.
"M-My apologies." The tall servant replied, lowering his head, but with a hint of anger in his eye that couldn't be seen.
"I'm glad you understand. Now, what's your name?"
"Nnoitra Gilga."
"Is my palace equipped with a lab, or a place where I can continue my work?"
"No. But there are places like that around Las Noches." Nnoitra replied, getting back to his feet, his expression now stern and stoic.
"Lead the way. I want to get acquainted with them, before my things get brought there." Carmyn curtly ordered.
"As you wish, Carmyn-sama." Nnoitra said, just before Carmyn jumped and sat on his shoulder motioning him to walk.
Annika carefully eyed the 25 servants who stood before her, and she was especially interested in the one modeled after the one who had previously wielded her rank. An old man named Baraggan Louisenbairn. She found his scars interesting, since they were nothing more than aesthetic. She also found him to be overly muscular, especially for someone who looked like an old man.
Not even Rylen was as muscular as him. She also noted that Baraggan carried no kind of weapon. Still, what really got her attention was the sense of pride and superiority she felt from him, which was very interesting since he stood below her, and she was certain that this he would not question.
"You have a very regal presence to you, don't you Baraggan~?" She asked seductively.
"Naturally. In this palace I stand above all."
"Except me, correct~?"
"Of course." He promptly replied.
"I see… Well, I don't have much time, so I would like a tour of the palace before I have to leave.~"
To this Baraggan, turned to look at the other servants, quickly looked through them, before ordering one to come forward and presenting him as her guide. Annika was about to point out that if he should not be the one taking on that role, but thinking back at what she had perceived from his personality, she said nothing. After all, this did not seem like an issue, and the one he had picked out was much better looking than him, so for the time being she would let him act like this.
"Welcome, Inon-sama. I'm Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. The head servant of this palace."
These were the words Inon was greeted with when he entered his palace. They came from the butler standing between him and his 12 servants. This man was wearing a butler outfit, with a katana to his left, his hair was blue, and spiky, and his eyes were light blue.
"I understand that you are stronger than most beings in my world, correct?" Inon asked, to which Grimmjow grinned.
"That I am."
"Then, would you be open to a sparring session?"
"I would love to. Follow me." Grimmjow said, beginning to walk away with a toothy, excited grin.
Ulquiorra opened the two gates, leaving them opened so Juno could pass through them, before closing them behind her and joining his superior at her right. Juno was visibly underwhelmed by the 15 servants that stood before her. Seeing mostly women than men among their ranks.
"They are here to tend to the needs of the palace and yours. As Aizen-sama said, they will fulfill your every desire and need." Ulquiorra said.
"W-What about you?"
"I will do the same, as long as it does not go against my other responsibilities."
Juno simply took his words in. She had to be honest. She felt lost about what she was going to do. Especially since Aizen had dismissed her for the time being. Looking around at the overwhelmingly beautiful surroundings, Juno was not sure what to do next, and simply moved as her instincts guided her.
"A-All of you are dismissed. Except for you Ulquiorra." She said.
The servants simply bowed and walked away, going back to all their other duties, so now she was alone with Ulquiorra.
"What would you suggest doing next?" Juno asked.
"A tour of the palace, it would be beneficial to know its layout." Ulquiorra said with an emotionless tone.
"Very well. Please, lead the way."
"As you wish, Juno-sama."
Opening the doors to his palace, Cayo immediately forgot the rejection his guide had given him and was now almost on his knees singing praise to action. Before him were 20 female servants all of them in maid outfits and drop dead gorgeous like he had imagined them.
"Welcome, Cayo-sama. My name is Szayelaporro Granz. I am the main servant of your palace."
The greeting came from the only other male in the room. He had pink hair, rectangular-framed glasses and amber colored eyes. He wore a butler like outfit, gloves and had a katana to his left.
"I was really hoping you would be a woman…" The Octava Espada mumbled to himself, but the duplicate seemed to have picked up on his words as it chuckled.
"I am sure you were. Unlike some of my comrades who have been given a similar task to mine, I went out of my way to get properly acquainted with your profile. So much so, as you can see everyone here is a female, especially designed to serve someone as... 'healthy' as you are." Szayelaporro remarked while fixing his glasses.
"Those are some bold words. I highly doubt they were all made to be a perfect match to my tastes." Cayo replied, with a certain air of superiority.
"Please, do not offend me or Aizen-sama's work. After all we worked very diligently to make these palaces' servants as accommodating as possible. But, I do understand if you must prove my claims for yourself."
As Szayelaporro said this, he walked to the side, leaving a direct path between Cayo and his newly acquired harem. Not even missing a beat, Cayo closed that distance and wrapped his arms around two of them, while ordering another to lead him to his bed room.
"If I am not needed, I will be going." The head servant informed, beginning to walk away.
Cayo heard none of this, as he and the entire crowd of women were already walking away, clothes having already started to fly everywhere. Cayo could only think that he was now in heaven.
As the doors to his palace closed behind him, Rylen was surprised by the shouting that was coming from another nearby room. Paying little attention to the 12 male and female servants that had greeted him, he gave them a nod before dismissing them and going to investigate the noise.
As he walked he could only make out the sounds of a girl shouting at a man named Starrk, wanting him to get up and go properly greet their superior. This Starrk however mumbled something back, that only prompted her to apparently hitting him.
"Is there an issue here?" Rylen asked entering the room.
The sound of his voice, made the girl in a butler's uniform quickly straighten up. She had pink eyes and green hair, while the man laying on the sofa with a similar outfit, gloves and a katana, had blue-gray eyes, long and messy brown hair and a faded goatee. After hearing his superior's question, quickly got back to his feet, even if his movements still showed some lack of enthusiasm behind them.
"W-Welcome, Rylen-sama. We are the head servants of your palace. I am Lilynette Gingerbuck and this Coyote Starrk." The girl announced, before elbowing Starrk so he would bow along with her.
"That's enough. There's no need to hit him." Rylen curtly said.
"As you wish. But I could always hit him more." Lilynette remarked with a grin.
"Still, I expected a proper welcome." The elder pointed out, looking at Starrk.
"My apologies." Starrk said, taking another bow.
Rylen was surprised by the fact of this Starrk, who he assumed to be the duplicate of the person who had held his rank, was so lazy and laid back not really showing much interest about anything. Even now, when his superior could be about to punish him.
"You seem to be lacking in enthusiasm, Starrk. Lilynette is there any place where we could spar?" Rylen asked, looking at the girl.
"Actually, there is." She replied with a mischievous grin.
"Then, take us there. Starrk, I wish to test your strength against my own. So, you better drop that attitude once we get there."
"As you wish." Starrk replied, with a small sigh.
As Alvis watched on as his guide opened the doors to his palace, he heard the black cat speak up to him.
"I do not envy you kid. Having to handle one of the worst servants in Las Noches." Yoruichi said.
"Huh? W-What do you mean?"
"Well, you will have to deal with Yammy. And he is pretty much just a simple minded brute."
"Uhn... Why me…" Alvis sighed.
"But don't worry, I will be staying with you for a while, so it will balance things out."
Dismissing the servant, Alvis walked into the palace following after Yoruichi who had already made its way inside. Much like the cat had said, the first thing that his eyes fell upon was a colossus of a man. So much so that his suit bulged slightly because of his muscles, with a katana to his left. Yammy had one long black colored pony tail, with sideburns and brown eyes.
"Welcome. My name is Yammy Llargo and I am the head servant of this palace." The giant proudly announced with a smile.
"Not bad, Yammy." The cat chuckled.
"What are you doing here!? This is my job, I don't need your help!" Yammy roared back.
"True, but you don't have the skills this kid needs. That's why I am here. So, why don't you go do something else while I talk to him? Wouldn't you agree, Alvis?"
"I-I do…" Alvis replied, unsure of what to do.
"Feh! Fine. If there's anything you need, just call on me, Alvis-sama." Yammy growled, walking away along with the rest of the servants.
"Good choice, kid." Yoruichi remarked.
After saying this, a fog began to form around the black cat. Before Alvis it began to grow and take humanoid shape, much to the young Espada's surprise. The fur vanished, revealing dark colored skin, her body took the shape of a well-endowed woman, with purple hair, yet she kept her cat like eyes. Alvis was frozen in place, stunned by the transformation he had just happened and the fact there was, for no reason, a naked woman in front of him.
"Is something the matter~?" She asked, with a mischievous smile.
"Uh... W-What just happened? And why are you naked?" He asked, distancing himself from her.
"What? Have you never seen a naked woman before?"
"I-I have, but that's not the issue."
"Exactly. We have more important things to worry about. I watched how you dealt with those two women, and it was an insult to the skills you possess." Yoruichi remarked.
"And you are going to help me?" Alvis asked, to which she gave a confident smirk.
"You're quite sharp, that's for sure. Indeed, I am going to train you in how to properly use your skills. That being said, follow me." Yoruichi replied, turning around and beginning to walk away.
"W-Wait! C-Can you put something on first?" Alvis asked, looking the other way with blushing cheeks.
"Heh. If it is that much of an issue, fine."
She replied with a chuckle and a grin as she motioned Alvis to follow her to a nearby supply room. Alvis meanwhile, was completely unsure as to what will happen next as his thoughts drifted to the fantastic decor of what was now "his" palace.
"Hmm... I wonder if this place has a library?"
"..."