Hunters and Hollows

by thatguyvex


Chapter 8: Know Thy Enemy

Chapter 8: Know Thy Enemy

Remnant shadows of a barely recalled nightmare chased Irys up from the depths of fitful unconsciousness back to the waking world. The details of the nightmare mattered less than the lingering fear that started her awake, followed instantly by sharp pain that wove through her beleaguered body. Panic nearly set in, but an earnest and gentle voice spoke next to her.

“Easy, Irys. You’ll reopen the wounds I’ve already closed,” said Roka. The young Arrancar woman sat on her knees beside where Irys was laying in the center of a plain, stone room. Irys wanted to still bolt to her feet, but several things stopped her. One, she was aching all across her body, and regardless of mood, Irys wasn’t stupid. She could tell she was in no shape to leap to her feet. The other reason was that Roka was... healing her? Irys’ eyes blinked at the sight of numerous thin, barely perceptible threads working their way from within the depth’s of Roka’s robe sleeves. The threads moved on their own, with only minor gestures from Roka’s hands like an expert puppeteer working the strings. The threads moved over Irys, and with a slightly uncomfortable gulp she realized several were inside her body, sewing up injuries. She could already see the major laceration across her chest, the deepest wound from Tempest Shadows final attack, was already sewn shut, with the thread-work so close together it almost looked like the wound had closed on it’s own.

“You’re not... doing anything weird in there, are you?” Irys asked, trying very hard to keep herself still when her instincts were still shouting for action. Roka offered a calming, understanding smile.

“No, of course not. I’m closing your injuries and helping them heal as best I can. My reishi threads can stimulate some of the recovery process, although it works much better on spirit bodies than material ones. Still, I’ve closed up almost all internal and external injuries, and reinforced cracked and broken bones, stopped any continual bleeding. Your body is resilient on it’s own, so it’s already making this easier than it would be on a human. If you keep your movements to a minimum you should be able to recover in a day or so. Mostly.”

Irys absorbed that while examining their surroundings. The lifeless, featureless chamber gave her a terrible sense of claustrophobia, only enhanced by the realization that she didn’t see any openings, doors, or even simple vents. Did they not have airflow in her? Yet the air didn’t taste any more stale than normal. Where was it coming from? That question was soon bulldozed out of her mind by far more pertinent ones, however.

“Where are we? Where are the rest of my flock? What happened!?”

Despite herself she tried to rise, and Roka put a gentle but firm hand on Irys’ shoulder, keeping her from sitting up. Irys gave the Arrancar a glare, but Roka’s soft but resolved eyes caused Irys ease back down.

“We appear to be prisoners inside a holding cell within the fortress of one known as the Storm King,” Roka said, “Your family are all alive, but prisoners here as well, in different holding cells alongside my own friends.”

Roka quickly recounted recent events, which didn’t amount to much, and left Irys feeling worse than she already did. Her fists clenched into frustrated balls at her side as she stared at the ceiling, glowering. “I almost had her...” she said with a pained voice, “If my body had just held out a few more seconds...”

“There’s no telling what might have happened to you, Irys,” Roka said, “Without that Soul Reaper’s healing Kido keeping you alive, or my threads to stitch you back together, pushing harder than you did in that battle may well have killed you.”

“If that’s what it’d taken to save my flock-”

“Don’t be foolish,” Roka said, “None of them would have wanted you to die back there. All together, alive, we have a chance to escape together. If you’d been killed defeating Tempest Shadow, perhaps we might not be prisoners, but can you imagine a single one of your family being glad to have survived, with you dead and gone?”

Irys was silent to that for a minute, knowing full well the answer. X, Gigan, Megalon... not one of them would have been happy getting away free, if the cost had been one their own. It still felt like she’d failed, though. However she’d managed to assume her true form, it’d been her task then to defeat the enemy and save everyone, and she’d lost, plain and simple. It hurt, more than the wounds possibly could. 

“No,” she finally said, “But I still hate this. And that woman, I think I hate her even more.”

“Understandable, although curiously I think she sorely wished to avoid killing you.”

“The feeling isn’t particularly mutual right now.”

“Be that as it may let us count our blessings that she was in a merciful mindset, otherwise she had little reason not to kill all of us while the opportunity was present,” Roka said, not losing focus on her work healing Irys, who in turn glanced at Roka and noted the Arrancar woman was far from unscathed herself.

“How’s your arm?” Irys asked, “I thought I saw it get broken.”

“I’ve managed to reset the bone and reinforce it, but the pain is still... unpleasant,” Roka said, her face twitching slightly to reveal that she herself was dealing with a fair bit of pain while working on healing Irys, “I’m well enough for the moment.”

“I’m...” Irys fumbled for a second for words, “I’m sorry you, Di Roy, and Gaw got dragged into this.”

“Oh there’s hardly a need for that, Irys. Lady Adagio is the one who schemed up the idea of using you and your friends for this scouting mission. We were glad enough to come along. I doubt anyone could have guessed how sour things would go, so quickly,” Roka replied, and for  moment her expression clouded, “That’s often how it is. Not long ago I was in the same position you are now. Battered, beaten, and frustrated at not being able to protect my family.”

“What happened?” Irys asked, not sure if it was polite to do so, but not sure where else to turn the conversation, either.

“There’s little to tell. You must have seen remnants of a battle outside Las Noches’ walls when you and your friends arrived, yes?” Irys gave a nod at Roka’s question, and the Arrancar continued, “The enemy sent a small team of elite warriors into the fortress. You recall Di Roy talking about me facing a Sternritter before? It was... less a battle and more a desperate attempt on my part to stall a foe who may well have killed me and my brothers and sisters had my father not managed to arrive in time to intervene. As happy as I was that he made it in time, it doesn’t change the frustration of being so powerless in the face of an overwhelming enemy. It’s a terrible feeling.”

“Yeah, it is,” Irys agreed, and very much wanted to change the subject, “So, what is your family like? Do all Arrancar have them?”

Irys was rewarded with a warm smile from Roka that helped banish her own stormy feelings for the moment, Roka’s voice brightening with the new topic. “Not all Arrancar form family groups. In fact, it’s generally uncommon for us to band together outside of small bands, or the ‘hordes’ serving under a particular Espada. Children are... rare, very rare, among us. And most Arrancar have no interest in being parents, so children are often left to fend for themselves.”

A grimace crossed Irys’ face. “I know what that's like. My old flock, before my current one, was not exactly a caring group, if you get my meaning.”

“I believe I do. I myself spent my early years as a child wandering the Warrens, a network of tunnels beneath Las Noches. Survival was difficult. None cared for each other, and simply struggled to survive. I probably would have died had Father not found me.”

For a moment Roka looked very distant, her threads slowing before she shook her head and resumed work, “Father is the Fourth Espada. Some call him ‘Lament’, although that isn’t truly his name. He doesn’t know his name. He’s unlike most Arrancar. He has a sense of duty, and a need for family. He saved me, and so many other discarded children, and took us in as his own. Few of us are related by blood, but that doesn’t matter. We protect each other and care for one another. That makes us family.”

“It makes you a flock,” Irys confirmed, closing her eyes and sighing, “What a real flock should be.”

Roka smiled and nodded, and for a few minutes a comfortable silence passed between them. Then, Roka’s threads withdrew from Irys. She didn’t even feel the threads leave her body, but suddenly they weren’t there, pulling back into Roka’s sleeves.

“I believe that’s all I can do for now. You can move, but try to keep the motions smooth and minimal.”

“Thank you,” Irys said, slowly sitting up and testing her limbs. They still hurt, but the pain was down to a dull ache rather than any sudden, sharp pains. “That’s a pretty useful power you’ve got. Wish we could keep you back on Zenith, you’d be handy.”

“I do try,” Roka said, giving a light chuckle, then her tone and expression grew more serious, “On the subject of my ability, I wanted to discuss something with you, once you were awake. Do you recall how you managed to transform into that giant form?”

Irys hesitated, trying to think back to the moment she changed into her true shape. Or, at least something very similar to her true shape. Now that she was remembering it, she realized there’d been differences with her body. A bone-like mask, bladed portions to her wings, armored sections to her chest and back. And her mind had felt fuzzy as well, as if clouded by more than just normal battle rage, but something else. 

“I don’t really know how I did it,” she confessed, frowning, “I was just so... desperate, and everything felt hopeless, and I was angry about it. Then I felt as if something inside this realm responded to me, like when I use echolocation. Like sound bouncing back, something inside this place, Hueco Mundo, just... came flooding into me and then I changed.”

Roka slowly stood up and placed one of her slim hands in a pondering gesture upon her chin, lightly pacing as she spoke her thoughts, “That lines up with what you told me before about how you felt as if something in Hueco Mundo was reacting to you. I suspected earlier that the vast aura of latent Hollow energy that permeates our realm was responding to something inside your soul, and I believe your desperation and anger during the battle triggered a portion of Hueco Mundo’s Hollow energy to flow into you. Has a transformation like that happened before?”

“Sort...of?” Irys said, trying to stand herself, and finding that while she probably could, it was going to be far more comfortable to stay sitting while her body recovered. She chose to lean her back against the wall and stretch her legs out, crossing her arms over her chest. “That’s how I normally am, minus those extra... Hollow bits, I guess? Me and the others take on human shapes in some realms our master sends us to. I don’t really know why. Something to do with the way portals and other worlds work. But if we take in a huge influx of energy, we can assume our natural forms for a bit. But I don’t get why it happened to me, but not one of the others. All of them must have been feeling just as pissed off and desperate as I was.”

“I can’t say for certain but... um,” Roka’s pale features tinged slightly rose as she glanced away, “While I was healing your body I did examine your soul a bit.”

At Irys’ raised eyebrow, Roka added, “I know I should have asked permission. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright, just not used to the idea that someone can take a peek at my, er, soul,” Irys replied. She wasn’t exactly much of a spiritual person. Up until recently she’d been wholly focused on physical survival, never mind anything spiritual. Mostly she still was focused on staying alive, just with addition of a flock worth protecting, and apparently sacrificing herself for, if that’s what it came down to. 

“Well, at any rate, I noticed that, structurally speaking, while your soul isn’t much different from most, it does have several components that are, shall we say ‘non-standard’. Specifically there are several conduits that seem designed, or at least naturally suited, to absorbing various forms of energy. Almost like a sponge. My theory is that while any of your companions could change with Hollow energy as well, you just happened to be equipped with a natural mechanism for absorbing the Hollow power that Hueco Mundo was offering up in response to the intense negative emotions you were feeling.”

“Uh... neat?” Irys said, not sure she was following what Roka was saying, “So, that means what, exactly? That I can do it again?”

“Most likely, although it’d take a similar level of intense emotion that I doubt you can replicate on command. That being said, I think I might know of a way the process can be ‘jump started’, so to speak, both for you and for-”

Roka’s words were interrupted by the sound of stone lightly grinding against stone as a portion of the wall to the girls’ right started to slide aside. Despite her injuries, Irys forced herself to stand up, using the wall to brace herself. Roka moved to the center of the room, just slightly in front of Irys, both in a protective stance, and possibly in a spot to keep Irys from doing anything immediately rash.

While the stone moved aside, there was a distinct, shimmering field or orange energy blocking the pathway out. On the other side of it stood the blue haired and red haired Arrancar twins, Yin and Yang. The pair looked into the cell warily, Yin holding a covered tray.

“Chow time, prisoners,” said Yang, tapping on the energy barrier, “The white one awake?”

“The white one-” Irys growled, “-is just fine. Why don’t you come here and find out how awake I am?”

“Scary,” Yang drawled, “Not here to banter, just deliver food and make sure you weren’t dead. Captain’s orders.”

“Where is your Captain?” asked Roka, and Yin waved a small wooden token  across the energy barrier, opening up a small hole through which she held the food tray.

“Not your concern,” Yin said, “Either take the food, or don’t, but my sister and I don’t have to answer any of your questions.”

“True,” Roka said, accepting the tray in one hand while holding her other down at her side. Irys noticed Roka make a tiny gesture with that hand, but wasn’t sure what it meant. Either way, Roka continued to say,, “But obligated or not, there’s no harm in some conversation, is there?”

“We have duties to attend to,” Yin replied curtly, “That doesn’t include shooting the breeze with the enemy.”

“But you did say you were ordered to feed us, yes? At least stay and confirm we’ve eaten. Surely there’s no harm in following orders, is there?” Roka said, setting down the tray and gesturing for Irys to sit down. Irys was still glaring at the twins, but did sit, and spared a glance for the tray as Roka uncovered the food. It was an assortment of fruits, none of which looked particularly appealing to her carnivorous appetite.

“Don’t you guys have any meat?” she muttered, poking at something that might have been a pear. 

“What do we look like, a super-market?” Yang said, “Jeez lady, you’re lucky to be getting fed at all after what you did to the Captain!”

“She started that fight. Or rather you two idiots did!” Irys snapped back, “We didn’t want to fight at all and would have left on our own if you’d let us!”

Yang looked ready to argue, but Yin placed a hand on her sister’s arm, “Let it go, Yang. Doesn’t matter who started it, it’s over now. It’s up to the Captain and the Storm King to decide what becomes of this lot.”

“Yeah, but...” Yang bit her lip and let out a hefty sigh.

“If you don’t mind my noting, the two of you are not like other Arrancar,” Roka said, delicately taking a bite of an apple shaped fruit. “Your powers were far more elementally focused than most can achieve, and your reiatsu felt slightly different.”

“Why do you care?” asked Yin, “If you’re thinking we’d tell you anything you could use against us-”

Roka held up a hand, interrupting, “I’m just curious about the two of you, that’s all. We haven’t even given our names. I’m Roka, this is Irys.”

“Yin, let’s go, she’s creeping me out...” said Yang, but Yin frowned slightly, eyeing both Roka and Irys, who was still alternating between glowering at the non-meat fare and the twins. Seemingly coming to a decision, Yin put a hand on one hip and leaned forward a bit.

“Alright, you want to chat? We’ve got a minute.”

“Yiiiiiin,” Yang cried, but her sister just gave her a look.

“What? I’m bored. That battle and these prisoners are the most exciting thing that’s happened in forever. You that eager to get to our shift on watch duty?”

“No, but... ugh, fine, whatever, do what you want,” Yang said, crossing her arms and giving Irys a glare that was a disturbingly mirrored expression on the kaiju-girl’s face, almost as if they shared a mind concerning their more chatty companions’ dispositions. And almost as if realizing how similarly they were acting, the pair immediately blinked in surprise and looked away, not realizing they were still essentially mimicking each other. 

Meanwhile Yin was eyeing Roka, “So you want to know what makes me and Yang different? Ever hear of Grogar?”

“Is that a trick question? I live in Las Noches. I’m aware of who the Eight Espada is,” Roka replied, not in a challenging tone, just stating a fact, “His reputation is less than sterling, even among his fellow Espada.”

“Doesn’t shock me,” Yin said, mouth twitching in a slight grimace, “My sister and I were one of his experiments. Grew up in a remote lab he had out in the deserts, far away from Las Noches.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Roka said, as even Irys ceased glaring slightly and tilted her head slightly to listen, “I know someone who’s survived his experiments. I can only imagine.”

“Well, don’t. It was...” Yin paused, eyes gaining a briefly glassy look, and even Yang ceased her own glowering to share her sister’s brief moment of pained memory. “...not a good place. I don’t even know what he expected of us. Doesn’t matter. He abandoned us and left me and Yin to starve in our lab cells when he was done researching whatever he was researching us for. We were near ready to gnaw each other’s limbs off when the Captain found us.”

Yang blew out a breath and grabbed her sister’s arm, “Yin, that’s enough. They don’t need our life story.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t intend to bring up bad memories,” Roka said, “Thank you for telling me that much.”

“Yeah, well, it was a long time ago,” Yin said, “And it’s not like knowing it will help you escape, or hurt any of my comrades again.”

“If you don’t mind, I would enjoy speaking again, when you had time,” Roka said, and then nodded towards Irys, “That being said, if I could be so bold, would it be impossible to acquire some meat for her?”

The twins looked at each other, and Yang blanched. “You’re gonna do it, aren’t you?”

Yin shrugged, “The Captain did say to make sure the prisoners were fed.”

“Can’t we make Grubber do it? I don’t like the way the white one-”

“Irys,” Irys aid, “Roka told you my name.”

“-Bitchy McCrabberpants’ attitude. We try to feed her meat, she’s gonna try and eat us, probably.”

“Oh, I’d do it,” Irys agreed, making a gulping noise, “If I were in my true form, one bite is all it’d take.”

Yang looked at her sister and made a ‘see’ gesture with both hands at Irys, but Yin just offered up another nonplussed shrug, “It’ll take all of five minutes to raid a grocery store in the human world. How do you think the Captain will feel if she finds out we denied one of the prisoners a meal because we we were feeling lazy?”

“Grr, stop that! Stop... making sense. Stupid, stupid sense,” Yang grunted, making a sharp gesture, which opened up a Garganta portal next to the twins. She shot a heated look at Irys, “We’ll get you your damn meat, and you better appreciate it you insufferable albino!”

Irys just stared at her, “Was that supposed to be an insult? You’re just as pale as I am, you hotheaded matchstick! Why don’t you drop that barrier and come find out how insufferable i can be!?”

“Why don’t you eat me?”

“I intend to!”

Yin coughed politely and proceeded to yank her sister through the portal, while Roka laid a calming hand on Irys’ shoulder, settling her down. “You don’t want to reopen your wounds, Irys.”

After the twins were gone, Irys, red faced and steaming, gave a wince of pain and set herself up back against the wall to rest. She gave Roka a questioning look, “Why are you trying to be so friendly with them, anyway? They’re the enemy.”

“For the moment that is true,” Roka replied, “I do intend for us to escape, and it’s possible we may have to fight those two again. However there is nothing wrong with knowing one’s enemy a little better, and if it’s possible to avoid unnecessary conflict, the first step is trying to communicate.”

“The only communication I want between me and them involves sonic vibrations at a frequency high enough to slice steel,” Irys muttered, but Roka just gave a light laugh.

“Oh, come now Irys, i thought you and Yang were starting to form a real connection there at the end.”

Irys boggled at her, until she noticed the smirk, and then Irys cracked a smirk of her own, “I didn’t know you did jokes, Roka.”

“I am a woman of a variety of talents. That said, you can’t be that upset that they’re going to get you the meat you desired.”

“I... guess not,” Irys admitted, her stomach starting to make it’s hunger known with a vengeance. Her mouth started to water of its own accord at the mere thought of an incoming feast of meat. She didn’t even care if it was cooked or not. 

“And beyond that, there was one other benefit to our impromptu conversation,” Roka said, and raised her right hand, the one Irys had noticed Roka make an odd gesture with at the start of the talk with the twins. The energy barrier was still in place, and the small opening had closed before Yin and Yang had left, but Irys now noticed the almost imperceptible sight of one of Roka’s threads now leading up to the spot in the energy barrier where the hole had been.

“Wait, did you sneak that out of there while they weren’t looking?” Irys asked, and Roka smiled.

“My threads are nearly impossible to detect if you don’ t know what to look for, and they were too distracted by the conversation to notice one slipping out through the hole. The thread is strong enough to not be cut, even when they close the stone opening, and I can send a few more out when they return with the meat, if you make enough racket to distract them.”

Irys grinned, “Oh, I can manage that. So what can you do with those outside the cell?”

“For the moment, I can sense immediate surroundings around the threads,” Roka said, “I hope to explore this prison with them, and find our compatriots, who I imagine are nearby. We’ll see what we can manage from there.”

“Escape?” Irys asked hopefully.

“Perhaps not immediately, but let’s take this all one step at a time,” Roka replied, then quieted down as the Garganta portal opened up again and Yin and Yang came tumbling out. Both Arrancar girls had piles of packaged meats of various types, all clearly yanked from a grocery store’s cold shelves. 

Yang was actually laughing, “Hahah! Oh man, that never gets old! You see how those humans freak out at seeing a few floating packages of beef? HA! I wish the Captain would let us do that more often.”

“See? Told you’d it’d be fun,” Yin said, halting outside the barrier and nodding in approval at seeing Roka and Irys hadn’t moved, “And glad to see you two haven’t tried anything stupid while we were gone.”

“Was thinking of sonic raying that shield you’ve got,” Irys said in a challenging tone, “But figured I’d let you feed me first.”

“Augh, you’ve got way too much attitude for such a twig,” Yang groused, “How can you be all about eating meat and be that skinny, anyway!?”

Irys managed to get back to her feet without the pain being too bad and went up to the barrier, “I’m not always this small. Next time I get big you want to ask me again about my attitude?”

Yin, ignoring the growing argument between her sister and Irys, went up to the barrier and gave the packages of meat in her arms a questioning look, “Don’t know if you want any of this cooked. We grabbed enough to last a few days, I think. We don’t exactly have much of a kitchen around here, but I could probably grill some of this in, like, a fire pit? Oh! Yang, why don’t you use your flames?”

“I am not cooking this mangy bat anything!”

“Mangy!?” Irys shrieked, “I groom regularly!”

Despite her anger, Irys’ nose was starting to twitch. Even through the energy barrier and the layers of packaging, her acute sense of smell was picking up the scent of fresh meat. It was impossible for her to stop a bit of drool from forming at the corner of her mouth as she stared at the bounty the twins carried. Yin, seeing the stare, withdrew that wooden token from before and used it to open a small hole in the barrier. In short order a package of hot dogs was slipped through, along with a several packages of lunch meats such as ham and turkey.

“That oughta hold you for now,” Yin said, “I’ll see about getting the rest cooked.”

Irys barely heard her, already falling upon the packages with the wrath only the truly hungry are capable of. Honestly whether the meat was cooked or not wasn’t highly relevant to her, but she did take a vengeful pleasure in the idea of Yang having to cook her food. At the moment, however, she was blissfully uncaring of Yang’s continued barbs whilst she proceeded to make short work of the hot dogs first. 

By the time she got to the deli meats she noticed that the twins were starring at her, and she gave them a glaring “What?” around a mouthful of ham. 

“You were that hungry?” Yang asked, her own anger down to a simmer as she gained a contemplative look. At Irys’ fuming silence Yang grunted and turned to her sister, ‘C’mon Yin, let’s go. I’ll help cook the meat for next time.”

After the two left, closing the cell’s stone wall behind them, Irys rapidly finished her meal, letting out a satisfied gasp as her stomach signaled it’s relief. Wiping her mouth with the sleeve of her shirt, she glanced at Roka and asked, “What was that about?”

Roka, with a quiet voice said, “If there’s one thing every Hollow can relate to, Irys, it’s the feeling of being starved.”

“...Oh,” Irys said, not really sure what to think about that. Settling back in her spot against the wall, she tried to get as comfortable as she could on the hard, stone floor.

“Did you get any more threads out while the barrier was open?” she finally asked, and Roka nodded.

“A few. Enough that I can confirm where the other’s cells are, at least.”

“And this ‘jump starting’ our transformations you mentioned, could you do that right now? In fact, could you open up one of those Gargawhatsit portals?”

“No,” Roka replied, “Well, no to the second. Something in the wards around our cell is suppressing my Hollow powers, at least the ones such as Garganta, or a Cero blast. I can still use lower-key abilities such as my threads, or Pesquisa, a sensory ability to detect spiritual pressures. As for jump starting your transformation, it would be too dangerous to try here and now. We’re in a confined space, so you’d end up either getting crushed, or crushing me and our companions.”

“Right, good point...” Irys said, “But, how would it work, exactly?”

“In theory, if I connect my threads to your soul, or that of your allies, I could inject Hollow energy directly into them, possibly triggering the change,” Roka explained, “Furthermore, if I connected my threads to Di Roy in Gaw in a similar manner, they could lend their energy as well, allowing us to trigger all of your transformations at once.”

“That sounds perfect,” Irys said, licking her lips at the thought, “Like to see that Tempest Shadow take on all four of us together.”

“Keep in mind it is just a theory,” Roka cautioned, “I don’t know if it will work, and it might even be dangerous. Ideally we should seek to escape in as stealthy a manner as possible, and rely on this as a backup plan.”

Irys nodded, and with her belly full and not much else to do except stare at the walls, she let herself relax as best she could and start to nod off. 

----------

Tempest Shadow actually spent little time in the central fortress itself. If she wasn’t working on drilling the army out on the training fields she was helping with harvesting the orchards or with doing the endless string of repair and maintenance tasks that kept this slice of civilization intact and functioning. When she did take some time for herself she had a few places she liked to be alone, but other times she didn’t mind company, and in particular when Grubber needed to talk to her they had their own cubby hole to do so where she could be fairly certain of no prying eyes or ears.

Situated near the waterfall of one of the river entrances to the cave system within the canyon wall, a small niche in the stone had a number of nicely formed sitting stones. Grubber had already been there by the time she showed up, tossing rocks across the pool where the waterfall’s mist gathered.

She sat next to him and the pair were companionably silent for a minute before Grubber said, hefting another stone, “Hell of a day.”

Tempest gave a bare nod, grunting a bit as she worked her wounded shoulder. “I would say it was one of my worst, but that’s largely untrue.”

“Big Bird gave you a serious run for your money, eh, Captain?” Grubber said, tossing the rock and watching it plop into the waters with nary a single skip. The squat Arrancar similarly plopped down next to Tempest and gave her a frank look, “Give it to me straight, do you really think this cockamamie plain of yours is gonna work?”

Tempest shot him a stern look, but it didn’t last long. Grubber had long since proven immune to her ire, which of course was one of the reasons he was her second-in-command. Letting her hardened expression drain away, she just chuckled dryly and shrugged, “Who knows? What do I have to lose by trying? You saw what they can do. You think they wouldn’t make for potent allies against the Espada?”

“So we’re past the whole ‘not trusting’ them phase, then? Cool, but just so you know, making friends rarely begins with violently trying to kill each other.”

“Why not? It worked for us,” Tempest said, half-jokingly, and it was Grubber’s turn to chuckle.

“That was less me trying to kill you, and more shitting my pants scared when you and the Storm King rolled up on Strife’s territory back in the day. I didn’t expect to live through that, and you convincing the Storm King to spare me and a bunch of the survivors went a long way to me thinking you were alright. But I’m a Hollow, so that kind of mercy is kind of a big deal. Not sure if that lot see it the same way.” 

“They are different, I’ll give you that,” Tempest said musingly, “Although not all different. The one called X, he’s dedicated to his people, if rather stubbornly loyal to his master. He’s quite capable of being reasonable, if only I could find some way to get him to view joining us here as a better option than his present loyalties. His combat skills alone would make the effort worth it.”

“Yeah, not gonna lie, Captain, I don’t see it happening,” Grubber said, “But I’ll still back you. Just don’t figure for the big boss giving you a lot of time to work your charms on Mr. Tall, Dark, and Soulful Eyes.”

Tempest grimaced, “He’s not that tall. And I find the insinuation that you’re going for here quite rude.”

“Uh-huh,” replied Grubber with a smirk that Tempest found quite punchable, “But seriously, how long did the Big SK give you?”

A frustrated noise escaped her as she held up three fingers, “Three days, tops.”

“Generous, by his standards.”

“The Storm King has less reason to trust them than I did, and you know how he gets at the mention of Espada,” Tempest said, rolling her eyes, “And not without good reason. I hate Tirek as much as Storm King does, and it is hard to imagine working with agents of an Espada. But be that as it may, if there is an Espada out there who’s working towards Tirek’s downfall, then maybe there’s opportunities there, as well.”

“Assuming recruitment doesn’t work,” Grubber said.

“Yes, assuming that.”

“And if the bossman decides they all need the axe?” Grubber asked, all trace of humor gone from his voice as he gave her a serious look. In the many years Tempest had known Grubber he’d always been quick to joke, but when he got serious, he was always dead serious. It was actually a quality she appreciated about him. He knew when the time for levity was, and when it most decidedly wasn’t.

And as she’d always done, she was just as open and serious as well, “I gave X my word that no further harm would come to him or his team. I keep my promises, Grubber. If the Storm King pushes it, I’ll have to defy him.”

The short statured Arrancar was quite for a moment, then crossed his stubby arms over his barrel chest and nodded firmly, “Good to know. For the record, I’ve got your back on that, Captain.”

“I appreciate it. Hope the rest of the army will feel the same way, but prefer that it never comes to having to find out,” she said, “Everyone here feels like family to me.”

“Even Patros?” Grubber asked with a sarcastically raised eyebrow.

“Heh, even him, much as he gets on my nerves. From the Storm King himself all the way down to the weakest of our Hollow soldiers, we all share the same goal of one day defeating Tirek’s stranglehold on Hueco Mundo. That’s why it’s so important we try to either recruit or find a way to work with these newcomers. They’re our best chance in ages of securing a serious advantage,” Tempest said.

“Sucks we started out fighting them, then, but I’ve already chewed Yin and Yang out over starting that fiasco,” Grubber said with a shrug, one Tempest shared.

“Nothing we can do about that now. As long as I know I can count on your support, I think we’ve still got a chance to turn them around. We’ll play it by ear. Just, you know, try to be friendly-ish towards them in the meantime.”

“Friendly-ish?” Grubber queried with a quirked eyebrow.

Tempest’s face pinched in a look of uneasy self reflection, “I don’t know. Do whatever normal people do to make friendly. Back in the Eleventh Division that’d involve drinking. We don’t have any alcohol here, so... I don’t know, go with your gut. I was going to take X on a tour around the place tomorrow, just let him see what we’re all about.”

“You have fun with that,” Grubber said, rubbing his chin with a meaty hand, “Think I got an idea or two on what I can do, and I saw the girls arguing over how to best grill meat for that bat-gal. We’ll either win them over, or at least make it super awkward when they end up breaking out and we have to fight them again.”

“You really know how to look on the bright side of things, don’t you?”

“What can I say, Captain? I’m the soul of optimism.”

----------

It was the next morning when Patros, having finished overseeing that morning’s field drills, went to do his rounds within the fortress. He specifically chose a route from the drill field that circumvented the town and passed by the prison bunker, his mind filled with suspicions concerning those interred within. He didn’t remotely trust that those Espada spies weren’t up to any tricks, and trusted less that “Captain” Tempest’s little clique of loyalists weren’t either being incompetently lax in their duties to keep the prisoners under control, or worse might be aiding and abetting an escape.

Granted he didn’t consider that extremely likely, but it was a possibility. Tempest could  be potentially arranging a side-deal with the Espada to overthrow the Storm King. Could be. Not likely. But it was something Patros would do, so he had to consider that other people would do it too. Even one’s with stuffy senses of “honor” like Tempest. 

Passing by the bunker, his mustached nose twitched and his eye narrowed at the sight of the red and blue twins heading for the bunker’s entrance. He never did like the brats much. They followed Tempest around all but clinging to the Soul Reaper’s robes like children, and were largely undisciplined fighters despite their talents. Also he could never figure out which one was the hothead and which one was the calm one. They seemed to alternate by the day.

This particular day the pair were lugging several tray’s covered by aluminum foil, and Patros’ nostrils flared a the distinct scent of roasted meat. Also, for reasons he couldn’t begin to comprehend, Yang was carrying what appeared to be a fishing rod. 

“What are you two doing?” he inquired, changing his course slightly to pass by them.

“None of your beeswax, Patros,” said Yin with a glower. Ah, so she was the angry one, today. “We’ve got the Captain’s orders to fulfill and that’s got nada to do with you.”

“If you really want to know, we’re just taking food to the prisoners,” Yang said, “I roasted up a bunch of meat for Irys. Figure the others probably will eat meat, too, so didn’t bother gathering any fruit from the orchards today.”

Patros couldn’t prevent a stupefied look from his face, although he rapidly corrected it and adopted a more controlled and severe expression, “Roasted meat? Learning prisoner names? They’re prisoners, not hotel guests! This treatment is entirely too soft.”

“Yeah, well, maybe we don’t give a crap what you think?” Yin replied, “And maybe if the Captain wants us to treat the prisoners well, we’re going to dang well do it. Doesn’t cost us anything, and since the Captain wants them on our side anyway, what’s the harm?”

“Even if Irys is still pretty lippy,” Yang said, but then shrugged, “But I’m lippy too, so whatever. Long as she doesn’t try to bite my hand off, we’re cool.”

“That’s what the fishing rod is for, Yang,” Yin said. 

“I know. Grubber comes up with some really good ideas sometimes.”

Patros just... blinked at the pair for several seconds, which they took to mean he was done talking to them and proceeded to brush by him and continue on towards the bunker. He watched them go and shook his head after another moment of dumbfounded contemplation. 

“Madness,” he concluded, “Everyone here is mad, except for me. And possibly the Storm King. On second thought, no, he’s probably mad too. I really need to either take over, here, or find a different line of work.”

All that said, this did present a possible opportunity, he thought, as he resumed his pace back to the fortress. Tempest’s honorable attempts at giving the prisoners such good treatment would not go over well with the Storm King, and he might not even know about it. Good, since Patros was more than happy to pick up a wedge he could use to drive between the Storm King and his pet Soul Reaper. It was a rare opportunity to increase his own standing, while bringing the arrogant Tempest down a peg or two. Besides, those prisoners were a danger to everyone in this hidden enclave, regardless of whether or not they were actually Espada spies or not. They should have been kept starving, at best, or executed at worst, to ensure they didn’t cause any further trouble for the Storm King’s army. 

And if the Storm King or Tempest couldn’t see that, perhaps Patros would have to take matters into his own hands in due time.

----------

“What crawled up Patros’ butt anyway?” asked Yin, trying to contain her irritability.

Yang shrugged, “Pretty sure that whatever it is, it’s always been there. Doesn’t matter. Captain will deal with him, if he ever gets too uppity.”

“Yeah...” Yin said, not entirely too certain of that, herself. Patros was a shifty fellow, and the Captain far too trusting for her own good. Yin knew the Captain considered the whole army one big family, and that extended to Patros. She wouldn’t necessarily see a back-stab coming, if indeed one was in the works. 

Thoughts of Patros were put on hold, however, as both twins saw, upon entering the cell block at the bottom of the bunker, that one of the cell entryways was already open. The ward barrier was still in place, but the stone had slide aside on the cell where Megalon and Gaw were kept. Yin and Yang exchanged worried looks, especially when they heard Grubber yell, “Ack! Ya got me!”

The pair rushed to the scene, only to stand starring at what they saw within the cell.

Shockingly, Grubber was not only inside the cell, but apparently was unharmed, and sitting cross legged across from Megalon, with a couple of feet of space set between the pair. In that space a series of colorful cards were set in neat rows and stacks. Megalon had just taken his hands off of a card he’d flipped over with a look of sly triumph on his face as he grinned at the aghast Grubber.

“You should have expected my trap card, foolish fool! What will you do now that you are down to your last life points!? You have no chance against my supreme strategies, honed from literally minutes of experience after downloading at least three or four online guide videos in a fit of boredom two weeks ago!”

Grubber, mock breathing hard and holding his chest as if struck, “I’ll admit you’re better than I thought Meg-ghi. But your childish belief in the ‘heart of the cards’ will only take you so far! Your online tutorials cannot defeat my several hours of reading the rule book before coming here this morning! Now is the time of my counter-attack! Behold; I summon Windup Kitten in attack mode!” 

Megalon gasped, “No, not Windup Kitten! That bypasses my other, specifically non-cat related, trap cards!”

Squatting across from the open cell door, looking at the proceedings with haunted eyes of pure, undiluted confusion, was Gaw. She turned her eyes up towards Yin and Yang and said in a whisper often reserved for disaster survivors, “I have no idea what’s happening. The fat one came, and said it was ‘Time to duel’. So far there has been no dueling. Just cards.”

“Uhhh, Grubber, you okay in there?” Yang asked, “Is it even safe for you to be, you know, in striking range of the prisoners?”

“Shhhhhh,” Grubber said, holding a hand up, “Do not interrupt our most sacred of competitions, young ones. The duel is both battle and bonding experience, where two minds and souls clash in a melding of spirit!”

Megalon nodded along with Grubbers words, a sage look on his face as if he understood precisely what was being said, a fact that neither Yin, Yang, or Gaw for that matter could grasp. 

Fortunately Gaw’s sanity was somewhat spared by the sudden scent of meat wafting to her nostrils and she immediately perked up like a predator on the hunt, mouth open and watering as she locked eyes upon the trays that Yin and Yang were carrying.

“Food...?” Gaw asked hopefully.

“Didn’t you feed these two, Grubber?” Yin asked, and Grubber gestured vaguely at a half eaten tray of fruits, but Gaw licked her lips, eyes still fixated on the trays in the twins hands.

“That one brought plants. I want food.”

Yin and Yang cast dubious looks at one another, Yang shrugging her shoulders, “Don’t know what’s with these scrawny girls wanting meat, but I guess we made enough for both this one and Irys.”

“We’re not gonna have any trouble out of you if we pass some of this fresh cooked meat to you, are we?” asked Yin, “You keep behaving, and don’t give either us or Grubber there a hard time, and you get one of these trays. Deal?”

Gaw glanced at Grubber, then at the meat trays, nostrils twitching fiercely, and some bits of drool spattering the floor as she nodded with vigor. “No trouble. They play with their cards, I get meat.”

“Well, then, you guys have fun,” Yang said, slipping a tray of the meat through an opening in the ward, and nearly had to snatch her hand away as Gaw fell on the tray with a ravenous fury. “Yeash, do you even know what chewing is?”

Gaw didn’t respond, and continued to savage the meat tray like a documentary on a nature channel. Megalon and Grubber were so absorbed in their card ‘duel’ that they didn’t even notice a few stray bits of flying meat getting on them. Yin and Yang quickly and gratefully left the scene behind to proceed to Irys and Roka’s cell. Upon opening it they found the pair sitting cross legged across from each other, Roka speaking in a quiet voice.

“Breath in... release... good. Oh, our captors return.”

Irys opened her eyes, turning a questioning gaze towards the pair, and not unlike Gaw the girl’s nose started to twitch at the scent of cooked meat. 

“The heck are you two up to?” asked Yin, taking note of the odd pose the two prisoners had their hands in, held out before them in their laps with fingers linked in a circular fashion.

“Just some meditation,” Roka replied, “I was doing so to center myself, and Irys got curious.”

“Actually I told her to stop snoring,” Irys said, and Roka’s lips pursed into a lady-like pout.

“I do not snore. I also do not fall asleep while meditation.”

“So those sounds were, what, part of the meditation? Those snoring sounds?” Irys asked, smirking at Roka, but her eyes kept driving towards the trays of meat. Roka crossed her arms and hunched her shoulders.

“It isn’t easy to sleep on flat stone, even for an Arrancar. Besides, you’ve been nodding off more than I have.”

“Eh, can’t deny that,” Irys replied, then finally turned fully towards the twins, standing up, “So, uh... that smells good.”

“Your pal in the other cell said around the same thing,” Yin said, opening up a hole in the warding barrier, “And just in case you were feeling frisky, we have a special delivery system for today’s meal. Yang, you ready?”

“Yup!” Yang said, unshouldering the fishing rod and uncovering one of the meat trays, revealing a sizable steak that was perhaps a little heavily charred. She wasn’t exactly an expert on cooking, and had only her own spiritually powered fire to work with. Hooking the steak on the fishing hook, she let the line reel out while Yin used the tip of her sword to guide it through the hole.

Irys’ eyebrow shot up, “Really?”

“You shoot lasers out of your mouth, and still don’t like us,” Yang pointed out.

“Sonic beams,” Irys corrected.

“Lasers,” Yang argued back.

Irys’ eyes performed an Olympic-grade roll, “Come on, I probably won’t do that today. I had a decent night’s sleep, and you’re feeding me.”

“You threatened to eat me yesterday.”

“Yes, and that still stands, but I’m not going to do that right now, and besides it’s your boss I’m mad at more than you.”

“Look, either take the meat like this, or we don’t do this at all,” Yang said, “I ain’t sticking my arm in there.”

“Augh, fine,” Irys said, her stomach overriding her sense of dignity. Despite her words, there was a slight reduction in the rancor in her tone and the menace in her glare. She was still mad about everything that had happened up until now, but it was hard to maintain that level of anger for an extended period of time, or at the individuals providing her with delicious, life-sustaining meat. Within a few minutes Irys was about as content as she could be under otherwise unacceptable circumstances while munching away on morsel after morsel provided via fishing rod by two still rather cautious Arrancar twins.

“I don’t suppose that Mr. X, Mr. Gigan, Mr. Megalon, or my fellow Arrancar have been fed, have they?” asked Roka.

“That Megalon guy and your red-headed friend got fed,” Yin confirmed, “Grubber saw to that, mostly. Not sure about the others.”

“Well, you seem to have prepared a large quantity of meat for Irys, and I’m sure she won’t eat all of it-” Roka said, much to a growl of protest from Irys, who very much could eat all of it. Roka cleared her throat and gave Irys a look, “I’m sure she’ll be happy to share with her friends, yes?”

Irys paused, then nodded, noticing that Roka was making a small, similar gesture she recognized from yesterday. “Ummhmm,” she mumbled, “X probably could use some, and don’t know if Gigan eats, but Di Roy’s probably hungry.”

“We’ll check on them, then. You good for now?” Yang asked, and Irys finished scarfing down the last bit of food she’d acquired and let out a satisfied noise.

“I’ll live,” she said, then added after an extra second of hesitance, “And, uh... thanks.”

“Hey, Captain’s orders, you know? Doesn’t mean we have to like each other, but we won’t let you starve, either,” said Yang, and Yin nodded.

“We’ll see if your friends want any. Don’t know what the Captain has in mind for you bunch, but I think she plans to have another chat with your leader.”

“What about?’ Roka inquired, but Yin just shrugged. 

“Haven’t a clue. Yang and I won’t be here for it. We’ve got training to do later today. Grubber will be on watch here for most of today, so if you want anything, you talk to him. He’ll be making rounds every hour or so... assuming he’s not busy playing cards with one of you, for some reason.”

Roka and Irys were just as confused as Yin and Yang looked, and after that the twins departed, sealing up the cell once more. 

“So,” said Irys, wiping her mouth with a sleeve and leaning up against the wall with the sigh of a person with a full belly, “Did you get more threads out?”

Roka smiled thinly, “Yes. And as soon as they’re done checking the other cells I can move my threads into our companion’s cells. Then we see if our little plan will work.”

“It should,” Irys said, holding her hands in front of her and giving them a confident look, “I don’t know entirely why, but ever since a certain incident, I’ve gotten a lot better at controlling sound. I think I can pull off what we need, as long as you can get the threads to my friends.”

“We’ll see soon enough,” Roka replied with calm, her focus upon the microscopic threads she’d extended outside the cell while Yin and Yang had been feeding Irys.

It took a bit of time for Yin and Yang to visit the other cells. For Roka, her ability to sense through her threads was akin to a very limited ranged radar. She could get the vague layout of the threads’ surroundings, along with the people and objects within a few paces of the threads, but that was about it. She couldn’t actually “see” with them, or really do much else other than move the threads around. Communication wouldn’t normally be possible, but Irys’ own unique power over sound was a game changer that the two women hoped to use to their advantage.

Roka couldn’t hear the exchanges the took place between Yin, Yang, and the other prisoners, but from what she could feel through the threads it seemed like the others were willing to accept the additional food. Fortunate, as without the twins opening the ward barriers, Roka couldn’t have sneaked her threads inside. The plan had been a bit of a dice toss, but it looked like luck was on their side. Once Roka was certain Yin and Yang had departed, along with Grubber, she held her right hand up and pulled the string lines taut. She then lit them up with a faint glow of spiritual energy so they were visible to Irys.

“Time to find out of this works,” Roka said, and Irys gave a firm nod, approaching the strings. “I’m holding the strings rigid enough for sound vibrations to travel up and down them, but it’s up to you to actually get the sound to move back and forth in a manner that will allow our words to be understood.”

“Got it,” Irys said, taking a deep breath as she reached out and took hold of the threads in a careful touch. After a few moments of concentration, she began to subtly adjust the vibrations of sound around the threads and spoke directly to them, “Guys? Can you all hear me?”

She could all but see the vibrations of her voice travel into the strings, and directed those vibrations to move along those threads so the sound would come out the other end. At the same time she paid close attention to the threads so that any return vibrations she could catch and bring out into a understandable sound wave.

That didn’t take long, as she got a garbled set of responses that, when she tried to get it come out, sounded something like, “WaitIryshowareisthawhereisIrys?”

“Whoa, everyone hold up,” Irys said in a slow voice, “If all of you talk at once, I can’t parse out the sound waves. Look, just listen for a second. Roka sent her threads into your cells while our guards were distracted, and I’m using my sound powers to convey our voices. But I can only do one voice at a time. So we’ll have to take turns and speak one at a time. X, you first; reply if you understand.”

A second passed, then X’s voice, somewhat distorted with a faint buzzing sound due to the way his voice was being transmitted, said, “I understand.”

“Good. Gigan, Di Roy, you both hear me?”

“You’re coming through,” Gigan replied, “Good thinking, by the way. Megalon and I had head to head coms going, but we couldn’t plan much without the rest of you.”

Irys accepted the compliment with a small smile, “Thanks. Now Megalon and Gaw, you both receiving on your end?”

“Hi Irys! Yup, we’ve got you loud and clear.”

“Megalon was victorious in his card duel. I still do not understand. Did any of you have to play cards?” 

Roka and Irys exchanged looks at Gaw’s question, and Irys said, “Uh, no, no cards for us. Look, there’s no telling how long we’ve got before anyone shows up to check on us, so we’d best make plans while we can.”

“Agreed,” said X, although it came right on top of Di Roy saying, “Cool beans.”

There was a slight pause, then Di Roy said, “Okay, yeah, we’ll need to take turns with this. How about X goes first and then we just down down the cell block from there?”

“That sounds like the simplest solution,” Roka said, “We share ideas one at a time. So, Mr. X, what are your thoughts on our present circumstances?”

“Not ideal,” X replied, “But far from hopeless. Our captors don’t seem immediately interested in causing us further harm, or at least the one we fought appears to be more willing to be reasonable, to an extent. If we’re to escape, we need a better lay of the land, and this Captain Tempest Shadow’s desire to recruit us can provide possible opportunities to observe our surroundings and seek a means of freeing ourselves.”

Irys bristled slightly at Tempest’s name, but kept herself from saying anything, not wanting to speak over anyone.

“We’ve already got a means of getting out of these stone caskets,” said Gigan, detailing what he and Di Roy had figured out about the wooden tokens that Grubber, Yin, and Yang carried as ward passes, “We snatch one of those passes, we can leave at any time.”

“All we need is an opening,” Di Roy said, “And considering all that food those chicks brought by, pretty sure they’ll need to give us a bathroom break sooner or later. Better yet, if scary Soul Reaper lady is trying to make nice, we can probably request a general hygiene break for both bathroom and bathing time.”

“I don’t really need either,” Gigan said, “But I can fake it enough to buy me a chance to snatch one of those ward passes. With my reflexes, it shouldn’t be too hard.”

“That sounds like a halfway decent Step One,” Irys said.

“We’ll need to know where to go once we get out of our cells,” Roka said, “I don’t suppose anyone remembers those cavern holes in the side of the canyon wall from when they brought us in? Those might provide a way out.”

“Why not make portal once outside cell?” asked Gaw.

“You’re still pretty new to this kind of thing, Gaw,” replied Roka, “Effective use of Garganta portals requires sufficient knowledge of our target location, and our present location. It’s easy to make portals between Las Noches and certain points in the human world due to our familiarity with them. But we don’t truly know where this fortress is located, since we arrived her via their Garganta portal. As a result, any Garganta we made would have no accuracy in it’s destination.”

“Isn’t anywhere better than here?” said Megalon.

“Not necessarily, when one considers that if we continuously use Garganta with random destinations, we’d end up hopelessly lost, possibly even stranded in the Precipice Realm,” said Roka in a dead serious tone, “As a last resort, we might try it, but I’d suggest avoiding that until we’ve exhausted all other options.”

“We’ll table it as a final option,” X agreed, “Preferably I’d like to escape without further conflict. That will require knowing a route that will take us away from the fortress. Those caverns are a good possible lead, but we can search for others. If our captors agree to these ‘bathroom and bathing’ breaks, we can ask a few questions, as long as we’re careful about it. Gigan, I trust you to acquire that ward pass. You still have that hidden compartment?”

“Heh, which one?”

One could hear the slight smirk in X’s voice, “Right. As long as you can hide it, then our captors won’t find it even if they realize the pass has gone missing. Hopefully they’ll assume they just lost it somewhere.”

“They sure as hell won’t find it by frisking me,” Gigan confirmed, “So, that sounds like we’ve got ourselves a plan, doesn’t it?”

“Not an extensive one, but one that’ll get us a step closer to escape,” X said, “In the meantime, cooperate with our captors and attempt to appear nonthreatening while gathering information. Ultimately further fighting doesn’t serve our purpose if we can avoid it.”

“Yeah, but when we escape, what if we can’t avoid a fight?” Megalon asked, and X’s reply held a force of heavy weight behind it.

“Then we do what we have to.”

----------

It was many hours later that X was meditating in his cell, the conversation with his companions having long since ended. He remained still, legs crossed beneath him, meditative as he floated within a carefully controlled field of anti-gravity. It was a highly useful exercise for maintaining his focus and keeping his skills with his gravity control sharp. His thoughts were quiet, but not without purpose as he absorbed the situation he and his team were in, and the many pathways to possible freedom he could devise. They had a rough plan, certainly, but X continued to make mental refinements to the plan and consider new possibilities for maximum tactical flexibility.

Much was tied into the one most responsible for their capture, an image of Tempest Shadow crystal clear in his mind’s eye. The Soul Reaper... vexed him, somewhat. Her power was undeniable, but what caused his mind disquiet was the extent she’d been willing to go to try and spare her foes and treat them with respect both during and after their battle. She also was thus far true to her word. No further harm had come to them, and she’d seen to allowing the injuries inflicted on his team to be treated. Knowing Irys was okay and on the mend lifted a heavy weight from X's heart.

That didn’t change that the injuries were still Tempest's fault for inflicting them in the first place, nor that their captivity wasn't her doing, but X could admit to seeing a possibly decent soul trying to do what was right in a very wrong situation.

But it certainly made things all the more odd. 

The sound of stone sliding aside heralded the opening of his cell, save for the warding barrier of energy that still blocked the archway that opened in the otherwise smooth stone wall. And he wasn’t surprised to see Tempest standing beyond, nor that she so boldly walked into his cell, passing the ward as if it were a screen of air.

She had a curious look on her face, and X suppressed an urge to raise a questioning eyebrow as she looked him over with eyes sparkling with a bit too much amusement for X’s comfort.

“You’ve been sitting like that for awhile,” Tempest said, “I thought you might like to stretch your legs.”

Okay, now the eyebrow raise was impossible to keep down, and X continued to look at her questioningly. Tempest stared back, almost like the staring contest was some kind of challenge. Her eyes were remarkably clear and bright, he noted, and held a frank intensity that he wasn’t used to being looked at with. At least, not with anyone besides Aria. 

Neither of them having blinked, he simply said, “Why would you allow me out of my cell? That’s a security risk.”

“Do you always point out things that would otherwise benefit you?” she replied, and with a sigh held up a hand, “Don’t answer that. You’re wondering if I have an ulterior motive, right? Maybe I do. I want you to see a few things. Things you can’t see inside stone walls. Give me your word that you won’t cause trouble, and I’ll show you more of this place than you’d ever get a chance to find out otherwise. Who knows, might help you escape, if you’re that determined.”

“I still fail to see what you get out of that arrangement,” he said.

“Isn’t the company of someone I find I respect and enjoyed trading blows with reason enough?” she said, almost awkwardly fast, and actually ended their staring contest by breaking eye contact and glancing to the side. “Perhaps i just want conversation, and to show you my home and why it might be worth considering my earlier offer.”

Yes, she had brought up the offer to join her and her Storm King, although X had denied it rather bluntly. He’d almost revealed one of his most intimate reasons for never wishing to turn from his present master, and that was the newfound devotion and love he held for a very special siren. He didn’t want to risk that knowledge ever being used to hurt Aria, so he had kept that secret. Tempest seemed persistent, although he wasn’t really certain why. Was her army that hard up for allies? Or was it that the Espada, and the one called Tirek who led them, really so just that powerful?

Regardless, if she was desperate enough to keep trying to court alliance, far be it from X to deny a chance to gather further intel. He’d seen part of the base  briefly upon arrival, but if she could show him more, it’d only prove useful in escaping later.

“So be it,” he said, “I give you my word I’ll cause no trouble and return to my cell once you’ve shown me whatever it is you want to show me.”

“Good,” she said, perhaps a little too quickly, and with an embarrassed cough she added, “That is to say, thank you. I’ll hold you to that word, as you would with mine. Let’s go.”

 She offered him a hand, and he looked at her again. Tempest didn’t quite roll her eyes, but rather it was almost like it was hiding another off kilter glance.

“Contact with me will let you pass the ward barrier," she explained.

“I see," X replied.

“Are you going to take my hand or not?” she said, a hint of impatience in her voice.

He stretched his legs under him and stood from his floating position, and ignoring her hand instead placed a careful and very intentionally light touch on her shoulder, “Will this suffice instead, or is skin contact a necessity?”

Her eyes flicked to his hand on her shoulder, which he couldn’t help but note felt firm and well muscled beneath her Soul Reaper robes. After a moment she nodded, “That’s fine. Just don’t let go halfway through. I’ve never actually seen what happens to a body halfway through a ward if the ward suddenly kicks in, and I really don’t want to start with someone who I’ve gone through so much trouble to keep alive.”

He didn’t respond to that, but against his better judgment did hold her shoulder a tad tighter as she led him past the orange gleam of the energy barrier that was keeping him in his cell. There was a slight tingling sensation as he went through, but otherwise he came out unharmed. He looked left and right, down the long stretches of stone corridor where he knew his companions, both kaiju and Arrancar, were being held in other cells. As if reading his thoughts, Tempest said, “They’re all still in good health, and if you wish you can see them once our impromptu tour is done.”

“That would be... appreciated,” he said. Of course he already knew that his team was okay, having talked to them via Irys and Roka's ingenious use of their combined abilities, but Tempest wouldn't know that and X wasn't about to divulge it.

“You can take your hand off my shoulder now, you know?” she said, coughing lightly, and X blinked for a second before taking his hand away from her. Was that a ghost of a pleased smirk that touched her lips for a second, or had he imagined it?

“Come,” she said, and led him towards the spiral ramp that had taken them down into the prison.

Returning upwards didn’t take long, leading them out of the bunker-like entrance that was nestled behind to two soaring pyramids that made up the Storm King’s central fortress. It still loomed above, like a pair of twin fangs, but X was not that impressed by it. The temple in Zenith was significantly vaster and while these pyramids were easily over twice the size of himself in his true form, he didn’t doubt they could be readily destroyed if he or any of his companions could fight at full capacity.

What fascinated him more was the forests he’d seen on the way in, and the extensive, for lack of a better word “village” of Hollows and Arrancar that had sat beside those fields of orchards. Tempest, again seeming to read his thoughts, said, “This way. You can have a look at the town, then I wanted to take you to the training grounds.”

He replied with a silent nod, which she noted with a small laugh. As they walked she said, “You don’t talk much, do you?”

“I’ve rarely needed words when actions have sufficed.”

“Not a bad attitude to have,” she replied, and took that cue from him to go quiet as they walked beneath the open space between the two pyramids and headed towards the collection of several dozen buildings that constituted the town. Tempest kept close to him as they walked, although X assumed that was more to be in a position to react in case he actually did try something. Or at least he assumed there was no other reason. Her close proximity did get him thinking about Aria. 

He wondered what she was doing right now? It was nearly impossible to tell time in this realm, but his internal clock said it was likely afternoon, in which case Aria would probably be doing her exercises. It was easy to imagine her going through the motions of several martial arts kata, some of which he’d taught her. The precise movements of her well toned muscles underneath her tight fitting training clothes, the familiar scent of her as she began to work up a sweat...

He nearly bumped right into Tempest when she stopped, and she took notice of his distraction, although she couldn’t possibly know the reason for it. Still, he couldn’t tell if it was just how much he realized he missed Aria, or if there really was a similarity between the two when he noticed their wry smiles were rather alike.

“Taciturn or not, feel free to ask any questions that are on your mind. I might as well play tour guide, right?”

If only to distract himself from the sudden ache he had in his heart for a special someone who was entire dimensions away, X turned his attention to the town. He hadn’t really gotten a close look at it before, and he did find he wondered about several things. 

“What purpose does all this serve?” he asked, “I was inside Las Noches. It was barren compared to this, and I was under the impression that’s normal for Hollows.”

“In a way you just answered your own question,” Tempest replied, gesturing for him to follow as they passed  by one of the larger buildings down the street. Unlike Las Noches, which held a distinct sense of emptiness that had only been countered once Adagio had shown him to her own piece of the fortress, that the Espada had clearly tried to make more luxurious and comfortable, this town did have a lived in feel to it. The interiors of the buildings he could see had furniture, working lights, shelving. Then the larger building Tempest brought him past had the interior of what looked for all the world like an actual tavern, complete with tables where Hollows gathered and appeared to be drinking, chatting, and engaging in games of cards or dice.

It was a bit like the dice game he’d seen the Arrancar guards playing outside Las Noches, but somehow more natural.

“A long time ago,” Tempest said, “I’d never have thought of Hollows as people. Just lost souls to slay with my blade and call it a day. When the Storm King first found me, beaten, bloody, on the brink of death, I didn’t trust him at all. But he showed me what he wanted to build, and once I saw what might be possible in this place, I started to share his vision.”

Glancing at him sidelong, she seemed to hesitate a second before saying, “Care for a drink?”

He’d already been provided food and water, but it looked to X as if, much like Adagio had with her small mini-bar, the Hollows here had managed to stock their tavern with a variety of drinks likely ransacked from the living world. The last thing he needed was to have any of his faculties inhibited, however. Not that it’d take a small amount of alcohol to affect him, but he saw no reason to take the risk.

“I’ll pass,” he said, and he thought he heard a slightly frustrated sigh escape her.

“Fair enough. Come on, this way then, Mr. Serious.”

He raised an eyebrow but kept his peace as he followed her down one of the town’s roads, heading what he estimated to be west. There were plenty of Hollows and the sparse few Arrancar about, most of which gave him a mixture of looks ranging from the curious to the hostile. He supposed the understood both. He and his team were a proven dangerous and unknown factor, and if this truly was their home, then many of them had to be worried about what their continued presence meant or why one of their leaders was escorting one of them around. Still, it was clear Tempest Shadow commanded a great deal of respect, for almost all of those they passed gave her acknowledging nods or salutes, which she returned in kind with equal respect. 

Once outside the town they passed the circle of orchards where those strange fruits were being harvested. X couldn’t help but mentally note the food he’d been given in his cell had also consisted in part of these fruits, although he’d detected no toxins or the like within them when he’d tried them. 

“They’re safe,” Tempest said, once again demonstrating a remarkable ability to guess what was going through his mind, “Although these couldn’t grow without the Storm King. When an Arrancar gets powerful enough, they can affect Hueco Mundo’s environment to a degree, depending on their own personality or properties. A lot of exiled Espada, those Privaron Espada you were sent to find, set up their own slice of Hueco Mundo to suit their needs. Just so happens in this case, Storm King is trying to make this realm more like the living world.”

“Is his intention to do this to the entire realm, after defeating the one called Tirek?” X asked, figuring this information could be useful for his eventual report back to his own master.

“If all goes well. If we get a large enough army with enough power to challenge him and win,” Tempest said, nodding at the orchards, and the surrounding forest around it, all fed by those artificial rivers that stemmed from the walls of the vast box canyon the entire area was situated in, “I don’t know if we’ll ever get every corner of Heuco Mundo like this, but even being able to do so with a decent fraction of it strikes me as a worthy goal. One worth fighting for.”

There was a bitter note in her voice at that last sentence, but she seemed to brush it off with a shake of her head and led him further down a trail leading through the forest. As she did so she went back to walking with that oddly close proximity, just an inch or so away, and looked at him with those rather intense eyes.

“I know you don’t have a reason to just forgive me, but I am sorry for the injuries dealt to your friends, especially the one called irys.”

X clenched his fists slightly, but didn’t otherwise show what he was feeling. Tempest sensed it regardless, and a very awkward note entered her tone, “She’s impressive. Loyal and tenacious. Beautiful, too...”

Beautiful? What did that have to do with anything? The remark actually caught X off guard enough that he forgot to be angry for a second and just blinked at Tempest. Whatever was going through her head, she again spoke in a somewhat slow, awkward tone as she asked, “Just out of curiosity, are you two... close?”

At his dumbfounded look Tempest returned a mirror of his confused blinking from a second ago, “Is that a no?”

He shook his head, “She’s a dear and loyal comrade and friend I will fight alongside until my last breath, but not, um... whatever you might have been thinking.”

“Ah, I see.”

Why did she seem to perk up at that news? Tempest was simply confusing him more and more. By this point he’d expected her to be probing him for information about his master, or further seeking to convince him of joining her cause, but so far nothing like that had come up. 

“Out of curiosity, where did you learn your fighting style?” she asked, again making him feel unprepared. “Everything about you screams career soldier to me, but your fighting style, especially when you changed form somewhat, was far more improvisational than what you’d get from military training.”

He briefly considered how to answer that without revealing too much. “You could say I have skills form two different lives. One where I was indeed a soldier, and one where I learned to fight through hard earned experience. Both work within me to form how I fight.”

“And that interesting change of yours? Gold, black, and aggressive?” she asked, glancing away from him briefly as she added, “Not a bad color on you, gold.”

The eyebrow raise returned with a vengeance, “That isn’t anything you need to be concerned with.”

“Heh, fair enough,” she replied, smirking slightly but dropping the topic.

He felt a tad more complicated on the matter than it being a simple compliment, but he supposed he couldn’t entirely blame her. After all, he’d seen Aria in the same colors, once, and the particulars of those events aside... she had looked rather attractive, he had to admit while thinking back on it. He still preferred her natural colors more, however. 

 As they reached the edge of the forest, where the western plain between the forest and canyon wall was turned over into what appeared to be a large field. From the way a number of stone obelisks were set up at intervals along some portions of the field to act as obstacles while various Hollows fought in small groups in obvious mock combat, this had to be the training fields Tempest had mentioned.

“Ah, they’re here,” Tempest said, nodding at a spot down the field a ways and to the right, “I figured they would be.”

X looked to where she indicated, and spotted the swift moving forms of the two Arrancar girls,Yin and Yang. Their red and blue forms rushed each other in sparking, flaming streaks, whip and blade clashing in a fast, intense dance of maneuvers. X could tell the twins were very well matched against one another. While individually he estimated they were weaker than any of his companions, including Adagio’s Arrancar vassals, he had to admit that if Yin and Yang fought as a pair rather than as individuals, they’d be a more respectable threat.

“They seem a bit different than other Arrancar I’ve seen,” he noted idly after he and Tempest watched the sparring pair for a minute, “I haven’t seen others with elemental powers like that.”

A sad shadow crossed Tempest’s face, “That’s because they’ve been altered. Arrancar rarely have children, but it can happen. The young are rarely cared for, however. Those two, I found them when they were both still barely up to my knee. They’d been experiments in one of the Eighth Espada’s laboratories, one me and the Storm King happened across during our search for allies. He let me take them in, and train them, since the experiments on them were, near as we could tell, an attempt to alter an Arrancar’s Zanpaktou to function even more like a Soul Reaper’s.”

X didn’t quite shrug, but it was close, “I don’t understand many of these terms yet, but I take it their weapons work differently, and that’s the source of the electricity and fire?”

“Yes. Yin and Yang can’t transform like other Arrancar can. That ‘Resurreccion’ you saw your friend Gaw perform. Instead they have their elemental powers. I’ve tried to help them develop those powers, along with teach them the needed fighting skills to survive. Of course, as you saw when you fought them, they still have a lot to learn. But they’ve grown so much from those little girls I found...”

It was impossible to mistake the tone of her voice, and X nodded, “Family.”

Perhaps the most natural smile yet crossed Tempest’s face, and even X had to admit it was a pleasant sight, “Exactly right. You feel the same about your own comrades. Blood has nothing to do with it.”

“Yes,” he said, and for a moment his eyes hardened, “Which is why you’ll understand why I’m protective of them, and why it’s hard to see you and yours as anything other than threats to those I care for.”

“I want to change that, for the sake of both the family’s we care about. There’s one more thing I’d like to show you, if you’ll extend enough trust for it...” she said, and extended a hand. As he stared at it, she added, “This time I actually do need you to take my hand. And to stand very, very still.”

He eyed her hand, then met her gaze. He expected the earnestness there. Whatever else he might think of Tempest, he couldn’t deny she was almost brutally honest in all of her actions. If she wished harm on someone, she was the type to declare it very loudly and clearly, rather than hide motives or rely on deception. It was an admirable trait, in some ways. He took her hand. The skin was rough from a lifetime of hard fighting and combat training, but warm to the touch and her grip was surprisingly gentle. 

She moved a bit closer to him, and when he flinched, she said, “Don’t worry, I’m not trying anything inappropriate. Just making our trip a little easier. Like I said, just stand very still... I haven’t pulled this technique in awhile.”

There was a warm tingle across his body, but before X could even question what was happening the entire world blurred in an instant. His internal sense of motion and gravity told him he’d just moved an incredible distance at rather breakneck speed, but he felt almost none of the inertia from it. 

He found himself standing atop the canyon cliff face, now looking several hundred meters down into the box canyon where the entire base of operations was spread out below, from the Storm King’s twin pyramids to the vast forest, and grassy fields beyond. Tempest was right there, still holding his hand, which she coughed politely and let go off, taking a step back as she seemed to nervously fold her arms under her chest.

“Shunpo, or ‘Flash Step’ if you prefer. You saw me use it plenty during our fight. You even kept up with it using those gravity techniques of yours.”

“I see...” he said, frowning slightly, “I didn’t know you could use it on others.”

“It’s a lot harder to take a passenger with you,” Tempest admitted, “And I haven’t done it for a good long time. I have to extend my reiatsu field around the person I’m bringing, to shield them from the sudden inertia.”

“Useful,” he commented, then glanced around. He saw nothing of note. Beyond the canyon’s depression, Hueco Mundo’s deserts extended with seeming infinity. In many ways he could admire how well hidden this place was. Without an extensive aerial survey, few would find this place just by traversing the wastes. “Why did you bring me here?”

Tempest respond by sitting down on the edge of the cliff, dangling her legs off the edge and resting her arms back, looking up at him, “Because it’s my favorite spot. I come here when I need to relax and think.”

“...Okay?” he said, not sure what to think of that himself, but he decided to sit down next to her, one leg dangling over the edge while he braced the other knee up to rest his arm on. He decided, since she was being honest, he might as well be, too. “You confuse me.”

“Do I? How’s that?”

“You nearly killed several of my team  in a battle that could have been avoided if you’d been willing to let us go. You imprison us against our will. Yet you also go to extreme lengths to heal those you injured and treat your captives with respect, while taking one of them on a tour of your base of operations, all the while chatting amiably about apparently nothing... it’s confusing. I would not be doing the same, were our positions reversed.”

Tempest’s face gained a bittersweet, contemplative cast to it, “Ever heard the phrase ‘When life gives you lemons, make lemonade’? I couldn't afford to let you or your team walk, not without knowing for certain you wouldn’t inform on us to the Espada. I wish my people hadn’t started it, but once it was, I had to end it, one way or another. You’d already killed several of my Hollow soldiers, and while some of them are barley above sentient, they’re still part of the family. And if Yin or Yang had been...” she trailed off, “We both had things to lose, there. I just tried to make sure neither of us actually lost anything. I still am...”

Her pause at that moment, eyes focusing on the twin pyramids with their fang-like apexes. “I trust the Storm King, but he’s being stubborn about you guys. It’s taken all I have to convince him to let me have a few days to win you over. He’s convinced you're Espada spies.”

“Is he usually this paranoid?”

“Hey, paranoia has kept him one step ahead of Tirek for centuries. I can’t blame him. We’re still a long ways away from having enough strength to confront the Espada, so secrecy is pretty much our lifeblood. It was risky, setting up a surveillance outpost in Forlorn Ridge, but without a way to keep tabs on the other Espada, we’ll never know when the right time to strike is,” Tempest said, turning to look at him.

“X, tell me straight, if I let you and your people return to Las Noches, would you tell this Espada you’re working for about this place?”

He met her eyes. It was a simple enough question. That said, he had already agreed to bring Adagio information about Privaron Espada. This Storm King was a Privaron Espada, by all accounts. X wasn’t one to ignore the parameters of a mission, especially because the success of his original mission to his master hinged upon completing Adagio’s task.

And he found lying straight to Tempest's face wasn’t so easily done, with those earnest eyes boring into him. She looked away.

“Hence why I’d rather earn you to our side. You sure there’s nothing that’ll convince you and your people to switch teams? I’ve already shown you it’s not so bad, here. Good food. Nice scenery, comparatively speaking. And I hope I’m showing that the company you might find here isn’t too terrible, either.”

There was a hint of something more in her tone that was hard for X to discern, until he noticed that her hand hand strayed a few inches towards his. He wasn’t sure if she was conscious of it or not, because she wasn’t looking at him, but rather at the canyon below. 

“Can you really expect us to just abandon our roots and put our lots, our fates, in the hands of a master we’ve never even met, and who is paranoid enough to want us dead unless we swear loyalty to him?” X replied.

Tempest frowned, “Is it that different with your current master? Aside from bringing you together with your current allies, seemingly just for his own convenience, what has he given you that you can’t find here? You and yours would be cared for here, that I promise. I wouldn't betray the trust, if you extended it to me. Not like..."

She trailed off with a darkened look on her face, and despite himself, X found a spark of curiosity rising inside him. "You said you and your unit were betrayed by your Soul Society. Is that why you feel convinced my own master will betray me?"

Tempest looked at him with a wane smile, "I can't say I don't see some parallels between you and I. It's the loyalty. I was loyal to both my Division and my duty, but I never imagined for a second that being loyal to one would end up seeing to the destruction of the other."

Her hands clenched at her side, old, angry bitterness entering her voice, "Of course much as I'd love to pin all the blame on Central 46, I'll never forget that it was Tirek who killed so many of my people, and that I couldn't stop him. I never want to be in that position again. It's inevitable the Storm King and I will face Tirek and his Espada, and when we do, I plan on ensuring we come out on top. I won't lose anyone else. If possible, having someone like you and your team on our side when that fight comes..."

As if realizing what she was saying she paused, almost as if surprised at her own words, turning towards him and leaning forward, not quite close enough to be uncomfortable, “X, I don't know how else to do this other than bluntly. I like what I see in you. Not just strength, but dedication and loyalty to your people and the cause you fight for. So why not fight for mine? Why not make my people, your people? I know trust will take time, and be hard earned in some cases... but between the two of us...”

Alright, she was leaning forward a little too closely now. And X couldn’t deny she had her attractive qualities. Dedicated, fearless, loving of her people, and he couldn’t say the dark purple skin over a clearly muscular yet feminine body didn’t immediately evoke certain images...

...the problem was that every one of those images was of Aria Blaze.

Every good quality he saw in Tempest Shadow had its far more vivid mirror in his memory of his siren love. They even had a few similar attitudes and mannerisms, although Aria was honestly the more aggressive of the pair. And the more beautiful, in X’s heart. And that was the rub of it all. Had this all happened sometime earlier in his life, had he and Tempest crossed paths prior to his mission to a certain human world where he had a fateful encounter with a sea witch, then X could almost see himself accepting Tempest’s offer.

He might even have found her inside his heart the same way Aria was. 

But that path was closed, and all this was doing was reminding him all the more why he had to return to his true master, so that he could also once more hold his Aria in his arms and feel her warmth next to his. 

He pulled away from Tempest, and at her look, which did contain a flash of hurt, he said, “I’m sorry, but what you’re asking is impossible.”

He could see the disappointment in her eyes, but she took it in stride as she pulled back from him and said, "Not to sound like a sore loser, but why? Just who is this master of yours anyway, and how did he earn your loyalty so thoroughly?"

Hesitance filled X. He hadn't discussed Aria because he didn't want to take the risk that doing so might put her in danger, but by now he'd come to understand Tempest a little better and believed that she ultimately wasn't the kind of person that would take advantage of that information. So he took a deep breath and said, "It's because, through serving him, I met someone. Someone who's life is dear to me beyond measure, and whom I could not continue to be with if not for my master's ability to send me to the world she resides in."

Understanding bloomed in Tempest's eyes, "Ah... she. That certainly explains why my recruitment pitch hasn't been working."

The Soul Reaper let out a hefty sight, hanging her head as she let out a tired laugh that hid the disappointment of a forlorn hope, “Well, crap... guess that’s me shot down hard, isn’t it?”

“I’m afraid so. If it’s any consolation, you have many fine qualities, near as I can tell-”

“X, stop, you’re terrible at letting a lady down easy. I’d rather let Irys shoot me with that crazy sonic breath of hers, if it’s all the same to you,” Tempest said, although her tone was largely joking as she laughed again. X shrugged.

“She probably will, if given half a chance. You’ve pissed her off greatly, and most of my team besides.”

“That’s fair. Maybe you can tell her that you've avenged her by sucker punching me, even if only metaphorically?”

“I imagine Irys would prefer to do the deed herself, and not metaphorically.”

“Yikes. I’ll remind myself never to get on her bad side again,” Tempest said, then slowly stood. As X followed suit Tempest’s joking expression returned to something more controlled and serious.

“I get now why you won't consider joining us, at least. That complicates matters. The Storm King wants you all either firmly on our side, or firmly in a grave. I’m not letting the later happen, and you’re not letting the former happen. That means it’s time to find a compromise.”

X gave her a level stare, “What would you propose?”

“The only way I see out of this for your team is if I convince Storm King to agree to allying with this Espada of yours. Adagio, was it? His hatred of the Espada is going to be a nasty hurdle, but I have a few days to get the idea planted in his head and make him see reason. That won't be easy.”

“I'd be willing to talk to him myself if that might help,” X said, “But admittedly I don't know much about Adagio myself, as I only met her a couple of days ago.”

“Hmm, it might help if you and he talked, if only so he can see you're not exactly a duplicitous spy,” Tempest said, "Assuming I can get him to agree to it without another paranoid rant."

X raised an eyebrow at her, "And you question my loyalty to my master?"

"Hey, Storm King is a reasonable enough man once you get to know him."

"I'll take your word on that for now," X replied dryly, then recalling the plan he and his team had concocted, and seeing an opening, he said, "On a different matter, it's already been a day since our capture. Both myself and my companions are going to be in need of some basic hygiene soon."

A flash of embarrassed understanding flicked across Tempest's face, "Right. Right, of course. I'll make arrangements and see to it you all get a chance out of your cells to bath and take care of other necessities. Just promise me your people will be on their best behavior."

"They shall," he said with a nod of thanks, "And I appreciate it, Captain Tempest Shadow."

"Just Tempest," she said, and offered him her hand once more. "At any rate, it's probably best to get you back to the cells for now." She appeared to hesitate for a moment before also adding, “And for what it's worth, I hope this lady of yours understands how insanely lucky she is to have you.”

“It’s the other way around. I’m the one who feels fortunate to have been chosen by her,” X said, taking Tempest’s hand. A moment later the cliff side was empty but for the footprints left behind by two crossing paths.