There is a lot you want to do, enough of it so that, for a moment, you feel like you're going to fly apart trying to get it all attended to. Then you force yourself to take a deep breath, calm down, and think. What do you absolutely need to do, what do you merely want to do, and what do you have time to attend to?
Talking to Tatsuki about the magical seal you spotted on her person immediately comes to mind. She needs to be told about that, she deserves to hear it from you in person, and you already know that she and the Kurosakis aren't going to be around after lunch - so that one's going at the top of the list, marked "urgent." It should give you a chance to talk to the Kurosakis about the spiritual bindings you saw on Ichigo and Isshin, as well.
Next up is talking to Altria. The similarities in your respective situations are striking, to say the least: aura-enhancement techniques; the influence of powerful inhuman entities on your souls; and unless you miss your guess, what you saw in that vision implies that she's also the reincarnation of someone fairly significant. For all those reasons, plus the simple fact that she would make a fantastic sparring partner, you'd really like to get Altria's contact info. This may be somewhat complicated by the presence of the wizard, who at least has medical authority over her, and could conceivably whisk the girl away at any moment now that she no longer needs to compete. That merits a "very important" rating on your personal scale.
After that... lunch, and socializing with the rest of the people you've met and tentatively befriended during the tournament. You really need to get something into your stomach to start making up for all the energy you burned in your fights, and there is a free buffet lunch calling your name not far away. Aside from that, you don't know for sure how many of your new friends are going to stick around - like Altria and the Kurosakis, they could leave at any time now that the Under Tens Division is over. Fortunately, you have Briar and Cordelia to lend a hand here. Cordy is the queen of social networking, and seemed to be getting along with the other girls pretty well; you don't see any reason why she'd mind getting their post or email addresses, as long as you don't expect her to talk with Kahlua. Briar can extend an invite for the Shuzens to join you for lunch, though you have to admit, you're not entirely sure if they'll take it; whatever her actual species, you have trouble picturing a high-class lady like Akasha at an all-you-can buffet.
Finally - and assuming they don't come looking for you first - there are the ninjas you agreed to have a word with at some point.
Yeah. That seems like a decent outline. And you can start it off by talking with Altria, who's right next to you.
"So," you say to her, "we've just met, we know practically nothing about each other, and we've just cheerfully punched the snot out of one another. What do you say we complete the bonding process, and do lunch?"
Something that sounds remarkably like a pint-sized version of Altria's soul-Dragon rumbles from the region of her stomach.
"Lunch sounds like an outstanding idea," Altria replies deadpan, despite a pronounced blush.
You nod slowly. "Okay, then. I want to have a quick word with some people first - and maybe find a place to stash this ridiculous thing," you add, hefting the huge cheque currently held under your arm, "so I'll meet you in the cafeteria. Sound good?"
"That should be fine." There is another growl, and Altria coughs once. "If you'll excuse me, I think I will go get started on that meal."
As she nods and walks off, your own stomach decides to protest its empty state.
"Quiet, you," you mutter as you head towards your crowd of friends. It's been expanded a bit since you left: Kasumi has returned from wherever she went; the Kurosakis have come down from the stands; there is a well-groomed black cat with large golden eyes riding on Ichigo's head for some reason; and a man who sort of looks like a younger, at least partly-Western version of Lu-sensei is talking with Tifa. Your approach is greeted with a general round of applause.
"Thank you," you say politely. "Now, before anyone starts firing off questions - or commentary," you add, glancing at Cordelia, who REALLY looks like she has a few things to say to you, "I feel the need to say that I am worn out, hungry enough to make a good attempt at eating an entire cow, and a bit distracted by prior obligations. Keeping all that in mind, is there anything you have to say that can't wait until after lunch, or at least until after I've had a chance to finish my first serving?"
There is a pause.
"I believe we can wait," Kasumi says after looking around.
"As long as you don't stuff yourself senseless at lunch," Ayane adds.
"I'll restrain myself, somehow," you tell her dryly. "In the meantime, how about we relocate to the cafeteria?"
This suggestion is greeted with general agreement. As the crowd moves out, Briar zips over.
"Are you really that beat?" she asks, the sound of a frown in her voice.
"That might have been an exaggeration, though I wouldn't object to a full healing at some point. In the meantime, though, do you think you can find the Shuzens? I'd like to ask them to lunch, but I've got a few other people I really need to talk to in private first."
"Not a problem. Akasha's aura is pretty much impossible to miss." Briar lifts off and briefly spins about you, glowing more brightly and shedding a rain of tiny rose-tinted stars in her wake. Your physical fatigue and various aches clear up almost immediately, and your depleted ki refills at such an incredible rate that you have to stop and wonder just what the limits of Briar's healing magic are. Well, those aside from its complete lack of effect on your absolutely guttered-out magic reserves.
"Thanks, Briar."
"Any time. Back in a few."
"Awww," a little girl's voice complains. "Why did the butterfly lady leave?"
You look down and find that both of Ichigo's little sisters are looking off in the direction Briar went. You're not sure which of them spoke, but it's the first word you've heard either of them say clearly in your presence. Somehow, it fails to surprise you that they can also see Briar. The rest of the Kurosaki clan - plus two - is still here as well. Evidently, Tatsuki was able to pass on the message that you wanted to talk with them.
"You saw her, Karin?" Tatsuki asks.
"Uh-huh. She did a whirly spin and made it rain sparkles." The dark-haired girl describes a circle with her finger to illustrate.
Tatsuki looks at the girls - the other twin nods, wordlessly supporting her sibling - and then gives you a flat, frustrated glare. "Am I the only person who can't see this not-exactly-invisible friend of yours?"
"Tifa couldn't," you remind her.
"What invisible friend?" Ichigo asks.
"And that's two." You glance at Isshin and Masaki. "Did either of you see her? Or hear her, for that matter?"
They shake their heads. "There was actually someone there?" Masaki asks.
"Briar's a fairy. Her kind generally can't be seen or head except by children or people who have the right sort of supernatural ability." You hesitate for a moment, then add, "Preferably an ability that isn't sealed."
"Ai!" Ichigo yelps. "Stupid cat, what did you do- yai!"
You look at the cat. It looks back at you, all cool feline indifference.
"What do you mean by 'sealed,' Alex?" Tatsuki asks.
"Before most of my fights, I made a point of looking at my opponent's aura," you begin, keeping your eyes on the cat. "I did the same thing with some of the other matches, to try and get an idea of what I was going up against. Now, there are two ways I can do that. One involves using ki to enhance my vision; that version lets me see other people's ki, and to a certain extent the pure mental, physical, and spiritual energies that go into it. The other way I can look at auras is to use a spell. That way is a bit safer for me to use, and it gives me a much better view of magical energy than ki sight can."
"...you read Ichigo's aura yesterday," Tatsuki concludes. "And you saw something."
"You did?"
"Actually, I saw two things," you say. You proceed to describe Ichigo's excessively-large spiritual aura, and then the binding that is actually restraining his potential. You notice Masaki wince, while Isshin and the cat both give you unimpressed looks - you return the latter, then add that Isshin has a similar binding on his soul. "The good news," you continue, as Ichigo and Tatsuki start to look upset, "is that whoever put the bindings on knew what they were doing, and also didn't intend to harm you by doing it."
"You can't be sure of that," Tatsuki protests.
"Actually, I can. Binding someone like that with ill intent is called a 'curse', and it leaves some obvious and seriously nasty marks."
"Yeah? Like what?"
"They usually look like bubbling acid, poisonous smoke, or some kind of horrible monster eating into the victim's body," you reply. "I know of one man who could cast death-curses that manifested in the physical world as actual monsters - huge ones. What's on Ichigo and Isshin looks like ribbons and those paper-tag talismans. Limiting, sure, and potentially dangerous if some sort of spiritual predator shows up looking for a meal, but not harmful in and of themselves. Actually," you add thoughtfully, "the way Ichigo's soul is forcing its way through the binding, it might be working more like a kind of resistance training for his soul at this point - forcing it to exert itself so that it gets stronger. I don't really know enough about spiritual mechanics to be sure."
Isshin and Masaki look alarmed by that. Even the cat - which you're seriously starting to suspect is nothing of the sort - seems startled.
"So you think this seal is part of the reason why Ichigo couldn't see Briar," Tatsuki sums up. "Does that mean I have one of them, too?"
"Yes and no."
"What does that mean?"
You hesitate. How much of what you know, and what you suspect, should you tell Tatsuki?