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Post by Lady Arcadia on Jun 9, 2019 18:40:38 GMT
To protect the order of the Universe... That is justice.
Some time had passed since Amadeo's fateful mission in Naga City. On that long evening, so much had changed. He had witnessed Estrella for the first time in four years, and witnessed her having completely transformed, into a different person entirely. She no longer recognized him, she no longer knew her real name, she believed herself to be named "Arcadia" rather than "Estrella"... And she completely wiped the floor, both with him and with his teammate Clara. Had it not been for a string of luck, both of them would have certainly taken everything they found out to the grave.
But they did not. And with memories from Estrella's mind imprinted into Carla's, they held the first clue towards a conspiracy which had taken Estrella away and turned her into this... monster. It was a struggle for the vigilante to think of any sort of solution to the mess he had just placed his foot in... but what mattered is that, within that mess, he had a clear goal. Now, all he needed was to find the strings which lead to even a flicker of hope. After thinking to himself, Amadeo chose to contact the orange-haired Shinigami yet again and explain the situation to him. Much like the vigilante had expected, he did not know a lick about what "Eleanor", "Callia" or "Poppi" were - but one of the names which Carla listed to him from her memory did strike a cord to him.
Vayle Cameo. The 20th seat of Division Seven. So one of the Shinigami was somehow involved in this...
To Amadeo, there was no better place to start figuring out the truth behind what happened to Estrella. And perhaps find that awaited flicker of hope.
With his electric war hammer in tow, the vigilante was leaping from rooftop to rooftop, staring to the hologram of his teammate displayed by the device on his wrist and listening to her directions.
"You sure we're heading in the right direction, Carla?" Amadeo spoke as he glanced to the reddish evening sky in the horizon, admiring the sight for a second. The answer he received was usually sardonic of Carla:
"Well of course I'm not sure one hundred percent, you knobhead. But there's a fairly strong Shinigami Reiatsu not far from where you are - as long as you keep searching and don't lose the trail, this might be what we're looking for."
(414 words)
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Post by Vayle Cameo on Jun 11, 2019 11:57:44 GMT
Vayle tried her damnedest to focus on the crablike hollow in front of her. The creature was bristling with hollow energy, and charging a large, purple bolt of energy - a Cero!
"Kehehehehe! Shinigami... Got a problem with me? I've killed three of your number already, and they all had that same arrogant expression! Always so convinced of the fact that you're superior to hollow-kind! If you'd really like to test your skills against me, then feel free. I've got no problems crushing you with my two bare hands! Just take your best-"
The tired shinigami blew a hair out of her face as she pointed the miniature reactor straight for the Crab's face. "Love sign: Master Spark!"
The effect was almost instantaneous to the untrained eye. A massive flash of light that swept across the sky of the city. a powerful wind echoing in all direction. a distinct buzz that hummed through the air. the smell of burning ozone and crisp hollow.
The Crab fell to it's knees, a smoking crater blown straight through it's face from the shot. "too... too strong..." The creature whined, before fading away into blackened ash.
Vayle simply stared at it for a few moments, before looking around for the other source of energy she'd noticed. "...Do you have some business with me, human?" She'd finally ask in a very bored tone.
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Post by Lady Arcadia on Jun 11, 2019 17:41:02 GMT
To protect the order of the Universe... That is justice.
"A Cero?" Amadeo said to himself as he suddenly witnessed a vast concentration of Hollow energy pop into existence in his senses, concentrated into a single point about to fire. Only a few buildings away from where he stood too - wait, how the hell did he not feel the Hollow before?
Alongside the Hollow was a Shinigami Reiatsu, which the vigilante's mind suddenly picked up, especially after he leapt over several buildings and stopped on a rooftop to watch the battle unfold. It was so powerful that, if it weren't for the Hollow charging up a Cero, its energy would be completely outshined by the Shinigami - and yet, the woman still looked like she wasn't taking the battle seriously.
The power difference was only made more clear when the Shinigami suddenly released a Kido spell, which instantly pierced through the Hollow and left it fading into ash. That...
"She is that powerful?.." Amadeo muttered under his breath, eyes widened in disbelief. And she's supposed to be only the 20th seat of Division Seven... Even on his best day, the vigilante wouldn't be able to compare - he was lucky to even last as long against "Estrella" as he did, and this woman seemed to be even greater than that... Which is why, when Vayle suddenly addressed him, asking whether he has any business with her, Amadeo instantly tensed. Well isn't this a Russian roulette? If she is somehow complicit in what happened to Estrella... I'm dead. I'm simply dead.
"You are Vayle Cameo, correct?" the vigilante called out and leapt down from the rooftop to land on the street. Giving the Shinigami a few seconds to reply to his question, he continued. Normally, he'd introduce himself to people as the Inquisitor, the executioner of God's will and the order of the Universe on Earth... but since, no matter what happens, this is a very personal matter, he opted to go the extra mile.
"My name is Amadeo, and I wanted to ask you something. ...What do you know about Estrella?"
(353 words)
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Post by Vayle Cameo on Jun 11, 2019 21:46:45 GMT
Vayle regarded the human with not much of a critical eye. another 'high-spec', it seemed, though much less strong than...
Vayle closed her eyes fro a second at the thought. She'd already resolved to finish this business as quickly as possible. If she'd learned anything from last time, it was that death gods probably shouldn't meddle too much in human affairs... it tends to encourage unfortunate situations.
That was until he said her name, and Vayle tensed up. This one either had good intel, or knew some people that knew her. This could have been someone from the Order of the Silver Sword she'd encountered back in that fated mission in the mines, someone connected to Eleanor, an old friend of Takano's, even...
Vayle's face hardened as Amadeo continued, introducing himself and then asking a simple question.
Vayle gritted her teeth, and briefly her energy went up to full strength, the death god scarcely caring as red mixed in with the normal azure of her death god energies. "...What do I know of Estrella?" She repeated, soft fury roiling through her. this man was probably another one of Eleanor's little traps, either one of Poppi's sick, twisted experiments, or maybe one of those wretched little slime balls that willingly served her disgusting little club-
But, then reason poked through Vayle's comfortable rage, cut softly into her thought process, and reminded her that there was no reason for some random human on the street to be asking that sort of question. even if it was just a way to do more detailed brainwashing...
But it could be.
"Let me make this clear. If I find out you have any affiliation or friendly relationship with the paper rose society, or Eleanor Roseburn, you've 5 seconds and 0 words left to get out of my sight." she snapped.
And then, after a long, hard glare, Vayle sighed. her shoulders sagged. her face fell. the strength left her body. "...I know a bit about Estrella. Are you a friend of hers, human?"
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Post by Lady Arcadia on Jun 12, 2019 7:20:23 GMT
To protect the order of the Universe... That is justice.
The hostility with which Vayle reacted to Amadeo's question got the vigilante to slightly recoil. Even hearing the name "Estrella" incited her energy to rise to its maximum, the spiritual pressure tugging at him and forcing him to wince. And yet... it didn't seem like she was the one behind what happened. She wouldn't snap upon the mere mention of her name, then. Were she and Estrella friends?
How did she... manage to befriend a Shinigami in the first place? How much did he miss in those damn four years? Thinking to himself, Amadeo almost missed the moment when Vayle rattled off a few names which, if he has any affiliation with them, he will have no choice but to get out of her sight, immediately. These names included the Paper Rose Society and-
"Eleanor?" Amadeo muttered. That was one of the names which Carla had pilfered from Estrella's mind in the brief nick of time when the two were connected... The fact that Vayle not only knew of it, but was clearly hostile towards them, said a lot about what might have happened to throw everyone in this predicament. Thankfully, the Shinigami's anger ceased, or at least became a lot less visible, and she followed her threat with a simple question.
"Am I a friend of hers?.." the vigilante repeated Vayle's question, his eyes glancing at the side. "We're siblings. Not very close by any means, but..." Amadeo let the sentence trail off, not wishing to get too in depth into his and Estrella's relationship with a stranger, and instead moved on.
"Now that I've explained myself... again, what do you know about Estrella?"
(289 words)
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Post by Vayle Cameo on Jun 14, 2019 3:04:23 GMT
Vayle watched Amadeo's face with a keen eye, looking for any unconscious reactions that might indicate fear or surprise. Thankfully, she didn't see anything that implied she was about to be walking into some sort of informational trap in this guy.
Then, Amadeo mentioned his relationship with Estrella.
So. he was her brother. her actual family. The thought washed over Vayle with a sickening worry, and the venom left her quickly as she kept her eyes to the ground, and she was left lost for words. Someone who'd cared for her, been there for her as a kid, seen her grow up, and... likely was following the same path she once was.
The death god took a deep breath, and her words caught in her throat the first couple times she tried to choke them out as she realized just how much she'd wronged this man.
"...I knew her... these last few months. She... was trying to help me out when everything happened. A society known as 'paper rose', decided to try to add her to their ranks. a bunch of sickos who like to brainwash people into joining their little club if they aren't willing to join normally. Estrella was... taken. I wasn't able to stop it, and now she's..."
The words caught in her throat. "...And now they've hidden her under some fake identity."
The shinigami took a deep breath, before sheathing her weapon and looking the man straight in the eye, trying and failing to hold in her tears. Then, crouched to her knees, bowing low towards Amadeo.
"If she is your sister, then... I have no excuses to offer, only my deepest apologies." The death god managed through a cracking voice, as she struggled not to cry. "I'm sorry for causing this to happen. And... I'll do everything in my power to make it right."
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Post by Lady Arcadia on Jun 14, 2019 8:59:31 GMT
To protect the order of the Universe... That is justice.
Amadeo's explanation that he was Estrella's brother sparked something in the Shinigami. Suddenly, her edge loosened and her voice got gripped by despair, before she finally explained exactly what happened to spark such a transformation in the sister he once knew. The two of them were friends and allies and investigated an entity known as the Paper Rose Society together. Estrella was taken hostage despite Vayle's best efforts to stop it, and now she has been given a fake identity and now serves their will.
That... That is similar to what Amadeo imagined, knowing the information he acquired, but... it at least gives some hope. Because it means that Estrella didn't transform to that... monster naturally. It was something incited in her by a foreign force and it may be possible to root it out...
Seeing Vayle bow down before her and explain through tears that she can only offer apologies for causing it to happen, Amadeo knelt down in front of her to have their eyes get on the same level, and replied:
"Vayle, I don't need condolences. And I don't need apologies. Giving up to tears and sadness is too much defeatism for my taste." That's not to say that the vigilante was not horrified to see and hear what happened to Estrella. However, Amadeo lived a life of a razor edge from death, carried through by tenacity and hope, and this moment, as horrifying and personal as it was, could not be any different.
"I only found out about what happened to Estrella a few days ago... and me and my friend managed to uncover some information from her mind, but it is definitely incomplete. That's why I sought you out." the vigilante explained. "What I need is hope. Do you have a plan? Do you have any sort of idea how to save Estrella?"
(322 words)
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Post by Vayle Cameo on Jun 16, 2019 17:02:14 GMT
Vayle looked to Amadeo with a guilty expression, slowly getting up. She took a deep breath before answering Amadeo, and letting the reality set in. She nodded silently, though in the back of her mind the fact that she owed Amadeo a debt was certainly instilled in her. Even though...
Vayle sighed. "...I know that her brainwashing was done... sloppily. It couldn't have taken more than a few weeks. from my own investigation in the soul society, accessing a record from... past decades..." The shinigami shifted uncomfortably. Morals and honor were a strong part of the soul society of today, but that wasn't always true for the organization, and they'd done more than a few blatantly evil actions in the past in the name of 'keeping the world safe'. Still, it had given her certain... insights. "The brainwashing was incomplete. It was basically the equivalent of using white-out. instead of removing me from her memories, they pasted over another person in my stead..." Vayle would add with a frown. "...Currently, I tried to use my new status as 'the villain', to push her to fight me by herself, and..."
Vayle sighed. "...From there, I was hoping to bring her back to soul society, and utilize the healing division's experience in this to find a way to break this. with someone as close as you were, though..." Vayle frowned. "...Do you have any ideas for bringing her back? Things she remembered? Stuff that might help return her sanity?...At the least, when we do get her away from Eleanor, I can make sure you can come. It's..."
Vayle scratched at the back of her neck. "unheard of for a human to be allowed into soul society, but... in this case, soul society's interference in Estrella's personal life has resulted in this level of damage to a human life... to refuse her brother entry would be a grave miscarriage of our duties, and our debt." Vayle would add, the guilt settling into her voice again. "...So I can certainly pull the strings needed."
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Post by Lady Arcadia on Jun 16, 2019 21:05:56 GMT
To protect the order of the Universe... That is justice.
Though still clearly feeling guilty at what happened, Vayle heeded Amadeo's request, standing up and explaining what she knows about Estrella's condition. Some of it reinforced the knowledge which Carla gave him - such as the fact that two women in his sister's memories appeared very artificial, as if they were face swapped. The fact that the brainwashing process was hasty and thus likely sloppy gave some hope as well. Vayle's plan involved her taking on the role of the main villain to lure the brainwashed Estrella into Soul Society and then get the help of the Healing Division to possibly break it - however, she apparently wasn't fully sure in her plan and asked Amadeo for help.
In response to which, the vigilante sighed.
"I have a... friend. A high-spec just like me, with telepathic powers - she was alongside me when I came across Estrella in this state, and managed to connect to her mind in the midst of battle. And, well..." A grimace formed on Amadeo's face as she recalled the way Carla described the ins and outs of his sister's mind. "She didn't just get told lies and got forced to believe them. She feels fear, and lots of it. She's afraid of Eleanor, and she's afraid of someone called "Poppi". Back when the two of us met, her mind wanted to recall the times we spent together, or recall anything, really - but Carla says that whenever any of it got brought up, all her memories of torture and suffering at their hands would activate and bring her back to where she started. It's like a self-defense mechanism. Which, I guess, means that you need to break that fear first before she can be brought to normal. And..."
Amadeo's eyes widened when he fully realized what Vayle's last statement meant. "You... want to take me and Est to Soul Society?" The blonde vigilante turned to the side, scratching the back of his head, while a faint smile formed on his face. "That'd be great. I've never been there, obviously... but I've heard a lot about it."
(359 words)
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Post by Vayle Cameo on Jun 17, 2019 0:03:17 GMT
Vayle winced as she explained her plan. she still didn't really like taking this role, or what damage that might do in the long run, but that didn't mean it didn't leave a taste in her mouth of bile and shame. The last thing she wanted to do was put Estrella through any more than she already had, and yet...
She supposed she may never trust her after this, even if she did manage to save her from her fate.
...That may just be better for her, in the long run.
Vayle's face was downcast as Amadeo continued, though, and it brought her to the next discussion topic.
Poppi.
"In that case... we either need to introduce a safe place where she can be unafraid and make her feel safe, or...
Vayle's expression turned cold and expressionless in an instant. Her next words were icy, and yet dripping with undisguised hatred. "We just need to break miss Poppi, then, in a way she can understand. In a way where she knows she can no longer touch her. I'm quite capable of doing either plan."
As Amadeo's eyes widened, Vayle nodded. "We have a lot more advanced facilities there, and a few different people with a large understanding of psychology, not to mention medical drugs and whatnot they haven't even thought of here. There's no better place for her to receive care."
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