Time off (Open)

Somehow or other, he'd managed to get away from that whole incident back in Seireitei without getting into trouble. Well... without getting into much trouble, rather. Beyond being sent off to the world of the living, though, most of it was lost on him; after all, he'd gotten distracted by the simple prospect of leaving Seireitei for now, so the chastisements fell on mostly deaf ears.

If nothing else, he at least repaired his hood, such that all his features were once again shrouded in black besides his tail disguised as a sash around his waist.

Thus he went off quickly as ever, only to arrive smack in the middle of the city, go into mild panic mode from the crowd, and quickly scurry off to climb up to the nearest roof he could find. 'Twas dusk, and yet there were so many people gathered 'round... and a large tree with lots of lights... curious. 'Twas not even something he could particularly distract himself from, and thus he knelt by the side of the roof, watching and listening.

That he forgot what precisely he was sent here for, already, stood to reason. For now, the black-garbed figure was perfectly content with having not a care in the world; hardly a first for him. At least, until something else inevitably distracted him, specifically the sounds of an altercation nearby. Naturally, he just had to check that out.

The World of the Living. It was not too long ago actually that Brutus had been here once before, on a patrol mission. There had been reported Hollow activity, and he had been dispatched. There, he had met the man known as Sloth; Daikio Shakuso. Memories of the encounter flashed through his mind, as he remembered he still needed to inform his Captain. Well, he needed to meet his Captain, first of all. But it was more than likely information he would like to know.

Brutus' attention snapped when he felt the spiritual signature of the one he had been looking for. Seijin, Third Seat of Squad 9. Concerned for his safety, Brutus had been asked personally to accompany him, seeing as they were both physically...different. Though, of course the one who had asked him to go hadn't known about the real physical deformity here.

But it was only his luck that he would encounter a Hollow along the way, after exiting from a Senkaimon. It wasn't particularly difficult, it was just an annoyance in the way, and more paperwork for him later to file out. As it was, the Hollow was rather ordinary. It wasn't even Gillian-class. It had a large, hulking body, with jagged spikes coming from the joints. What a waste of his time. The Hollow flew at him, only to be cut down swiftly with Brutus' 6-foot long Zanpaku-to. However, were there was one, there were usually others...

Indeed, where there was one (and a general gathering of humans), there were others. Not many, granted, but still others, looking for their next meal and, quite frankly, getting in over their heads from time to time. 'Twas only a seemingly idle, though swift, movement that brought the creature attempting to stalk its way up behind the black-garbed figure; just a simple, quick spin that brought a foot down hard upon its head, leaving a fair crack in its mask. If it thought it could get away after that, the relatively quick-draw slash through its skull denied that opportunity.

And with the minor deed done, the squirrel's attention turned right back to the lights, as if nothing had even happened. Then... ah right, someone else was here; so his spiritual sense told him. Familiar, too.

"Oh yeah, you're that... um... whatever it was, big guy from before," he spoke, leaning partly over the roof to face the 'big guy' in question. "Uh... well, never really did get names of anyone there, so I guess I dunno it..." he admitted somewhat thoughtfully, scratching a little at the back of his head.

Brutus turned, feeling the Squirrel-like Shinigami approach. Unlike some of the others, he had remembered everything that happened while he was slightly inebriated. He turned, hearing him speak, listening as he looked on upon the city while standing atop the roof of a building. "My name's Brutus, Lieutenant of Squad 3." He said, his voice seeming to rumble from his chest as he spoke. He turned to the smaller boy curiously, looking at the sash, figuring that it was either an odd belt, or his tail. It was too... misshapen, to be just a sash. "You're that Animal-like Shinigami from before, also. Squirrel, if I'm not mistaken." He commented, as he sheathed his zanpaku-to, no longer needing it, since the Hollow's had been dispatched. More than likely there were more, but they would need for them to pop up onto the radar before find them.

After all, if that was it, there's no point in looking for trouble where there is none. Brutus' voice betrayed no emotion as he spoke, other than calm. No excitement, nor disgust, just peace and serenity about the whole ordeal.

"Animal... like?" Seijin questioned, tilting his head slightly to the side in curiosity. Oh, right, that 'supervisor' had warned him that people would probably say something like that. Then again, most of it beyond 'keep your actual appearance' hidden had, like many things, fallen on mostly deaf ears.

"Yeah, I'm a squirrel. I mean... well, it probably doesn't matter now, I already said it," he confirmed, momentarily pausing before simply shrugging it off. "What's all this stuff, anyway? The lights, and the big tree, and all the people around and stuff?" he inquired curiously. "I mean... I lived in trees so I used to see them do this sorta thing, but not with this many lights, and people, and... everything else."

Brutus looked on to the large tree that Seijin had inquired about, and the throngs of people. He remembered the Holiday, having often done extensive study on the customs of the Living, as he was trying to figure out how he was created. "It's a Holiday, called Christmas." he said. "The Human's decorate a tree with lights and ornamental fixtures, and place gifts underneath the tree, that are wrapped. The gifts are then opened and revealed to the recipient on the 25th of December. The people are more than likely going out to buy the gifts." Brutus said, as he sighed. Gently, he reached up and gripped the helmet that was concealing his face, before gingerly taking it off, holding it in his right hand.

Since he knew the identity of the squirrel boy, he figured he would be safe in taking his helmet off. It was very often stifling, and not very comfortable. Because Seijin was, like himself, an animal hybrid, he would not expect the boy to judge, making him lower his guard somewhat. "It's a tradition originally created by Pagan's in the early ages, then adopted by Christians later on, though it's lost its religious meaning here recently." He said, his breath turning into fog in mid-air.

"Huh..." he idly spoke, still staring fixedly at said tree. Lights, and... presents? He couldn't see any from his vantage point, try and tilt his head to seek a better one though he might, but from the sound of it, there was probably something interesting there. Too many people, though; he never did like crowds, for obvious enough reasons. The latest crowd at that bar that had trod on his tail more than a few times only served to drive that dislike further.

Besides 'presents,' though, most everything was lost on him.

"So... what brought ya out here anyway? I was sent off here for... um... I dunno, stuff, I guess," he spoke, glancing up seemingly in thought, though said thought was already quite firmly lost. Such was frequently how it went, after all.

"They're usually within the house of a person under at tree." he said, not seeing any presents himself. Then again, nobody in their right mind would leave actual packages out in the open, unless they were doing it to give them to whoever merely passed by, which would more than likely be a thug, vandal, thief, etc.

"I was asked by your Captain. Seeing our... similarities, he figured it best were you to be.. revealed, rather than some other Shinigami just come along." Brutus said, shrugging. "I didn't have anything better to do than the mound of paperwork that the triplets helped me to create, so I agreed. What are you doing out here?" He asked, his glowing red orbs illuminating most of his face, despite the light coming from the center of the town.

"I just got sent here, I guess. To... let them clear things up back in Seireitei? Or... something like that," Seijin shrugged, plainly enough not quite certain on it but nonetheless not seeming to particularly mind, given where his attention seemed to still be directed; specifically, the light-adorned tree. "Other'n that, just watching stuff from over here, since I don't really like getting into crowds or anything like that," he added. "Though I guess I would usually be sleeping around this time if it was back before... well... I got like this..."

With that, he gave another little, idle shrug, before glancing over to the other shinigami curiously.

"Oh yeah... how ya get like that anyway? You used to be a bull or something?"

Brutus turned, before asking, "Do you know how you... became like that?" he asked, facing the city once more. If it were his Captain, and he was a Seated member involved in trouble like he was, he would have been piled-down with paperwork. Or at least, that's how it worked when he was within a different squad. Now, however, it was different. He had paperwork to do anyway, but if he so chose, he could procrastinate, though admittedly it wasn't a perk he took advantage of often.

"I wish I knew. That's one thing I spend many a sleepless night wondering about. I have no memory whatsoever of my life before the Rukon." Brutus admitted.

"Like this? I do... well... sorta," Seijin replied, tilting his head slightly to the side as he seemed to think it over a little. Time from before he gained... shall it be said, proper coherence, was a little fuzzy, but that was to be expected. After all, 'twas only instinct he'd operated on then, before he found himself steadily learning something different. Starting, of course, with the use of clothing. "I just... slowly became this way, I guess. Used to just be a regular small squirrel before I was sent off to that Rukongai place and started to grow until I got... well, like this," he explained, holding a hand out demonstrably. Of course, the demonstration was partly lost since he was covered in cloth, but the fact that he had human-like appendages to replace his old remained.

"After that, some people found me and took me to Seireitei; guess the other people around had requested it so I could 'find something better,' or something. And... well, here I am," he concluded, jumping suddenly and having to scurry further along the roof to prevent himself slipping on the snow after a loud 'crack;' just a party favor going off, not that he'd know.

Brutus thought on this, rather disgusted at the thought of being a cow or a bull. Not because they were animals, but because they were just food to be harvested and milked whenever the farmer's thought it proper. While yes, Brutus did work for the Gotei, and did whatever they wanted, the relationship was more along the lines of commander/soldier, rather than food/farmer. Brutus, also, heard the crack, and jumped back a bit. He remembered fireworks, but never had he encountered any that made noise, rather than bright, multi-colored lights.

"I imagine I was... well, a bull, then." He said. "I wonder if I was a bull they used in bull-fighting." He said, having learned about the Spanish sport of bull-fighting, a sport he highly detested. However, to go out fighting was the only way he'd like to go; even above old-age. "Why do you wear those... garments?" he asked, not thinking that it would be the same reason Brutus himself wore his. Brutus would have preferred to be in Seijin's spot; people didn't dislike a squirrel. Often, they thought it cute, and harmless, and would underestimate it. Often, Brutus was considered ugly, and highly dangerous. But of course, had he not been so monstrous, then he never would have learned the values he did.

Like the gaping maw of a ravenous demon, a blackened rip opened near some of the greenery surrounding the downtown district. Normal trees and bushes alike seemed to lean away as an ominous wind blew forth from its emptiness. Out stepped a woman garbed in white, whose outfit was perhaps a bit more revealing than most people would be comfortable with. To those people, she delighted in flaunting her state of apparel more. Or incinerating them. Whichever seemed more entertaining at the moment. Fabiola Cajallie was midway through her trip across Hueco Mundos endless sands to Las Noches before deciding that she could go for a brief change of scenery, perhaps some pleasurable company or something. The world of Hollows largely lacked in such delights, so she was more often than not forced to come to the human world and accost some poor bastard or lonely office lady who were unlucky enough to be able to see spirits.

On this trip, however, she was surprised to smell the musk of Shinigami nearby. It was a rare day that Fabiola encountered one, especially as powerful as these two seemed. Maybe today would be interesting after all. Seeming to appear and disappear from place to place like an apparition to observes, the red-haired Arrancar found her way to what appeared to be a humanoid bull and some much shorter Shinigami whose visage was masked by a hood. An odd pair, to say the least.

Fabiola spoke loudly to get their attention in the unlikely event that they could not sense her weighty presence upon arrival. "How curious...usually its only the Hollows who appear as animals." She had never before seen an anthropomorphic animal variant Shinigami, but little did she know she was talking to two of them. The woman speaking did not exude any open hostility, but rather a dormant and slow manner, seeming almost sluggish. Perceptive individuals would see that this could not last.

"Hm... maybe. I dunno what bull-fighting is, though..." he considered, and subsequently admitted. Of course, the answer of what it was should likely have been fairly obvious, in some way at least, but... well, Seijin was just oblivious that way. Not much to be done about it, suffice it to say. "And as for this stuff, it's 'cause I was ordered to. Dunno why, something about people maybe reacting badly, or... something," he idly shrugged, blinking once and glancing down to the rooftop he was on as if he wasn't certain why. Indeed, he'd already forgotten about the earlier 'crack;' such was how it went.

Then there was the other voice that came during this time that he... well, generally wasn't paying attention, his spiritual sense otherwise dulling during his little bouts of panic. Not that he seemed particularly concerned either way, rather just plopping down into a more proper seated position and glancing back from what might have been an uncomfortable angle of his back and neck for anyone more... normal. "Hm? Oh... yeah, guess it is, but... I'm not normal? I guess," he hazarded, scratching a little at the back of his head. "Well... we're, sorry," he fixed his statement, glancing momentarily over to Brutus. Sure, he was speaking casually to an Arranar, but... well, he hadn't been given any particular orders, and they weren't causing any harm right now that he noticed, so why should he mind?

Brutus raised a single eyebrow at the squirrel-boy, who didn't have a clue at what bull-fighting was, despite the main activity being in the name of the sport. He shook his head, before paying attention to why the boy said he had needed to wear the clothes. People reacting badly? Well, that was different, yet similar to why Brutus wore his own. He had never been ordered to, however. It had been totally voluntary, as he was not confident in his own appearance, and did not take jokes, nor ridicule, easily.

He turned, hearing another voice, having let his own guard down for the moment. A foolish mistake, he thought, as he could have easily been cut down by someone who wished to devour them, but thankfully this woman did not seem to want to. "It's insulting that you compare us to those that are considered mindless, and driven by instinct." He commented, turning to the Arrancar, his hand on his zanpaku-to. A Hollow, he would easily attack, and most likely drive away. Arrancar, he was more careful with. There was no exact rule saying that they must be destroyed, but that did not mean he would take it easy around one. Not with the state Hueco Mundo and Soul Society had been in before.

Suppressing a yawn as she listened to the irritated sounding voice of the bull man as he defended himself, Fabiola could not help but catch one thing the other Shinigami had said. Going by the implication his words carried, she could conclude that both of them were in fact animal-like. That probably explained why the other one was hooded. She never comprehended what reason they would have had to hide their appearance.

Opting to ignore the the disrespectful tone the taller beast was taking with her, Fabiola turned her attentions to the more sociable of the two. "You sound cute...what's your name kid?" To her, everyone was a kid. She had yet to meet a being who had lived as long as her. She then noticed the larger of the pair place his hand on his sword. Did he intend to fight her or something? About a full ten seconds after Brutus reached for his Zanpakutou, Fabiola moved her hand to grab the hilt of the gargantuan and menacing looking maul strapped to her back. In what would seem like an inherently hostile move, she lifted the Zanpakutou from its rested position and swung it gently overhead, letting the head hit the ground with a muffled rumble. In truth, this was Fabiola with her guard down. She never used her weapon on its own merits against opponents she was taking seriously, and as such, little to no malicious intent could be felt from her. Still, it certainly appeared that she was preparing for battle.

If one looked closely, the grass beneath the hammer seemed to dry up and wither, as if all the moisture was sapped from it in an instant.

"Cute?" he blinked, tilting his head slightly; though perhaps even that motion took it to a somewhat less awkward position. 'Twas one of those words he'd sworn he heard before, maybe even associated with him at some point before when he was... well, a normal member of his kin. Still, its meaning, like the meaning of a decent number of miscellaneous words, was lost to him. "Oh... and my name's Seijin. 'Least, that's the name people gave me since I didn't really have one before," he replied in turn, accompanying it with a slight shrug. If giving one's name wasn't a matter of courtesy (so he'd been taught), he might have otherwise been distracted away from it.

And all the while, while the other two had either drawn their weapon or rested their hand on it... he simply watched in curiosity. Ill intent was... not exactly a specialty of his, suffice it to say, even if combat was. Somewhat of an oddity, perhaps, but he was confident in being able to react as needed, when needed, so his hands simply remained resting on his feet. "Er... this really the time to fight or anything? Since it's some sorta celebration and all," he hazarded, despite anything else.

Brutus eyed the Arrancar warily. She had a weapon of her own, and it looked none too pleasant itself. It looked almost large enough for Brutus himself to wield, being roughly the same size as his zanpaku-to. He did not care about being ignored completely, but rather looked on as Seijin and the woman talked. But Seijin was right. It was a celebration, and so he would leave it, unless the woman attacked first. He visibly loosened up a little bit; or at least, enough to look like he normally did. Instead, he looked straight on, deciding to allow them to have their conversation. To be truthful, he looked as if he were paying attention entirely to the goings-on below, but he was keeping an ear out for whatever the two nearby were talking about. And of course, should she attack, he would be ready.

Seeing as no resistance appeared to come from either party, Fabiola took that as an invitation. Slowly, but with purpose, she trudged towards the hooded Shinigami, attempting to get a better look at him. "Yes...cute...I very much like cute things. And it has been...such a long time since I have gotten to enjoy one." She made a show of licking her lips, looking to all the world like she was about to indulge in her Hollow nature. In truth, she was actually about to satiate a different, but equally primal urge.

The maul dragged sluggishly behind her, held loosely in her grip and only being moved by momentum alone. It would be clear now for those who looked where the weapon had laid that the grass was dying simply by being near it. "Come now, take off that hood and lets see your face, hmm?" Almost agonizingly slowly, the Arrancar lifted her free hand and pushed it forward, making a deliberate, if lazy, grab for the edge of the garment hiding his visage.

For a few moments, the shinigami's eyes wandered over to his present companion, as if checking on things. It didn't seem as if the other was taking much as a threat at the moment, so perhaps there indeed wasn't anything to worry about. Then again, well... who knew. Either way, to him, everything seemed fine. So what if the third here was an Arrancar? 'Twas such that he didn't notice the very same lick her lips, though he likely wouldn't have understood the gesture anyway. As for the approach, sure he felt it, but still didn't particularly care.

So maybe he wasn't exactly the brightest creature around.

"Hm? Well... I guess. Think I'm only supposed to hide it from other shinigami anyway," Seijin carelessly shrugged. "Oh, right, and never got your name yet," he pointed out, his head tilted slightly to the side in curiosity as he reached up one hand to drag down his hood and, in turn, face mask, thereby removing everything otherwise covering his head. His ears, particularly, stood much more comfortably now there wasn't anything covering them, as well as his fur and facial features similar to a squirrel's being revealed.

Brutus watched from the corner of his eyes as the woman walked closer, his hand tightening on his zanpaku-to. At any moment, if the woman decided, she could launch a surprise attack. This would not bode well, had she decided she actually want to fight. Being right next to the younger squirrel man, he was able to retaliate, had she tried anything. "You shouldn't let your guard down. Should she decide to attack, you'd be caught unawares, completely." Brutus said to Seijin, still overlooking the celebration. He glanced to the Arrancar for a moment, before turning back to the celebration, keeping a careful ear out to listen for anything she might try.

Yes. That would do nicely. It became quite apparent that Fabiola had found that which she had been seeking. The companionship she sought could only be sated by particularly cute people, and though she usually took interest in women, she would be more than happy to make an exception for Seijin.

"You're certainly much cuter than your companion. You may call me...Firelord." Deeming it unnecessary to give out her actual name, Fabiola opted for her epithet. It was the title she had taken unto herself as the ruler of a distant sector in Hueco Mundo. She held no affiliation with the Espada, instead being the sole member of an empire she herself had ended.

"Your friend is being quite...rude. Why would I attack someone I plan on bedding with?" Though Seijin seemed too naive to understand her motives up until this point, Brutus would likely catch on to what she was after. It would take an incredibly dense individual to not realize her intentions, especially as she leaned in close to the squirrel-like boy and attempted to connect lips.

'Firelord?' That... didn't seem like much of a name, though maybe it was just him. Still, Seijin could be called many things... hyper-active, curious, dense, most certainly. It got him by nonetheless, somehow or other, though often enough who knew exactly how; after all, he no doubt got himself into his share of trouble.

"Well, if she's not gonna attack it's probably fine... right?" he hazarded with a little shrug, watching the Arrancar curiously. Bedding? The only use he knew for that word was blankets and things, but it didn't seem like that was what she meant, so... well, whatever, he'd probably find out. Given that, his head tilted curiously to the side as the other approached closer, and he blinked once, one of his ears giving a slight twitch, as he felt her lips against his. The touch was... odd, suffice it to say, and something he'd only generally seen the occasional pair share, though true to seeing multiple occasions of that, he returned the gesture, just a little. "Er... what was that, anyway?" he asked afterward, like some kid not fully aware of everything... which would probably be rather accurate.

Brutus shook his head at the woman's comment of him being rude. The hypocrisy in that statement was rather large, as had he been a normal human, he might have been offended by the comment comparing their attractiveness. But that was unlikely, as looks mattered nothing to him anyway. His ears twitched when he heard the word 'bedding', though. Just as their lips touched, Brutus grabbed the back of Seijin's robes, pulling him back a little bit.

"That's enough, Arrancar. This is neither the time nor place for this." He said. His ears perked up when he sensed something, a message being transmitted into his mind. The voice of the Captain-Commander, Head Captain Yamamoto rang through, speaking of his declaration of war on the Arrancar. Brutus turned his head to the side to listen, though he kept aware of the Arrancar in front of them. He wondered if the same thing was running through Seijin's head. It was curious, really. Gently, he let go of the younger man's back, and stepped back a step; which to a normal person, would be about a two-foot step. "Captain-Commander's orders." He said, drawing his zanpaku-to. "I apologize for this." He said, turning to Seijin, before turning to the Arrancar once more. "Draw your weapon."

Before she could make to satisfy herself with the Shinigami in front of her, he had been ripped away by his companion. One might refer to such an act as the obstruction of a rooster, or something along that line, as it had been called by some of the more intelligent Hollows she had known. Fabiola was not amused in the least.

Seeing as the bovine giant moved to draw his Zanpakutou, and going by his tone of voice, Fabiola decided that now she was being challenged to battle. "Just go away..." With a weary sigh, she raised the massive spiked maul overhead with almost frightful ease, before swinging it lazily downward in an attempt to smash Brutus's skull in. She had no intention of wasting even a bit of her strength on this foe until he proved worthy. With any luck, he would just curl up and die.

At this point in time, it would be unlikely that either individual would make much of her spiritual pressure, given she was not the fight even remotely seriously.