The Cuarta's Espada's castle. Joseff was walking through the halls of the Cuarta Espada's castle. This wasn't a usual occurance for him. He wasn't particularly social and while he respected the other Espada more than he did the rest of their race, he avoided them as well. He spent a lot of time in the Human World, even more than usual after acquiring his heart piece, but he couldn't spend all of his time there. While in Las Noches, he would usually lay in his bed eating, sharpen his blade on his grinding wheel or in the rarest case explore his own castle. He felt like a fish out of water in the lavish castle.

Ayane Mai Hoshi. Ayane Mai Hoshi was the Cuarta Espada and perhaps the one Espada that he could tolerate the longest. He couldn't recall noticing any of her negative traits and he found her to be the most well mannered of the Espada. This was the extent of his knowledge about her, however. If he knew her better, he was more likely to find some glaring fault or tiny imperfection. Everyone had one and if there was a person in any of the realms without fault, it wouldn't be an arrancar. He didn't truly desire to know her better anyway. He had come to her castle for a different reason.

Her garden. The Cuarta maintained a large garden within the confines of her castle or so he had heard. The soil in Hueco Mundo was inhospitable to life. Hueco Mundo as a whole was barely fit for life, but especially the soil. The only sign of plant life was the trees that dotted the desert landscape and upon closer examination, it would become clear that these quartz spikes were not alive and never were. The idea of growing anything in this barren wasteland, much less an entire garden was incredulous, but there was only one plant species that he was interested in.

Apples. Apples were his trademark favorite food as any of the fraccion within his castle would be able to testify to. That said, it was just as fitting to call it a vice though Joseff would never acknowledge this. He viewed it as a connection to his past life as a human which he desperately sought even if it was impossible. The effect it had on his behavior was undeniable. While the effect of biting into the firm juicy flesh of the fruit was marginal at best, it was quite easy to tell when he hadn't enjoyed the fruit's succulent flesh recently. The scowl burned into his face would be enough evidence. He would glare at no one in particular and everything in front of him. His teeth would clench in his mouth. This was part of the reason that he took so many trips to the Human World. Sometimes, he wished that at least one apple tree grew in Hueco Mundo. Which was what brought him here.

Her door. He stood outside of the door to her quarters. The reason was simple, really. He just wanted to know if she could grow an apple tree in her garden. He was confident that she would if she could and the self-satisfied smile on his face made that obvious. A smile that said that he had already won. He knocked on her door. As long as he minded his manners, everything would go smoothly.

He had much of this meeting planned out. First, she would open the door and they would exchange pleasantries. Naturally, she would ask why she was in her domain. Even without knowing his habits too well, she was likely to ask simply because he was a foreignor in her territory. It was only natural to be curious about why he would be so far from his own dwelling. He would tell her that he had a proposition for her. He would take advantage of her curiosity. Intrigued, she would ask to hear more. He would explain his reasons, her talents, and even human nature itself through his own lens. He would use a pleasing tone of voice and she wouldn't be able to disagree with these truths. Only then would he reveal her proposal. With such a simple request, how could she deny him? Then, he would owe her a favor at a later date. He had to be sure to define this condition as soon as possible or he would regret it. This would give him time to prepare. He left no room for error. If there was one thing a man like him was assured in, it was his own rightness. Naturally, his plan had gone off of the rails at the first opputunity.

Joseff had not expected Ayane to open the door in such a state of dress. Her normal attire was somewhat revealing but this was even more-so. The towel only barely left her decent and clung tightly around her and she was undoubtably naked under it. He was surprised that she didn't keep him waiting so she could protect her modesty as he would have done. Out of respect, he averted his vision from her and brought a hand up in front of his face to cover her body. This was only a minor hindrance. "I would prefer Sir Joseff if you please." However, it did allow him to make a small mistake. When she had extended her invitation into her room, he had accepted. To make a deal within her castle gave her comfort. To make a deal at her door meant that a resolution needed to be made. As soon as he had walked through the door frame and into her room, he had given her a significant amount of power without realizing it. "Have I come at a bad time Miss Ayane?" This was only a formality as he already knew the answer to his question and he didn't plan on leaving if it was indeed a bad time. He would continue on no matter what happened. If he was willing to postpone once, he would postpone again and he would never get what he wanted. He had learned patience since becoming an arrancar but he didn't have much of it. "I have a proposition for you Miss Ayane." This specifics of this situation weren't as he had imagined, but the basic dialogue was the same it seemed. He was more than positive that he had the situation under control. Everything was going according to plan.

He thought that he had everything under control as he entered the room but as soon as she had closed the door, he immediately felt the shift in power. Once they finally had privacy, she had invited him into her bath. He held little doubt that he knew what her aim was and her intentions surprised him. This was a side of her that he had never seen before or anticipated. This was definitely not part of his plan. He had to remind himself that in spite of the pedestal that he had placed her on among arrancar, he didn't actually know anything about her. There were worse character traits than loneliness. He couldn't condemn her for being lonely if he tried and thus he had decided that she was lonely so that he couldn't condemn her. There were other more appropriate words that would describe her intentions but less appropriate to describe a lady. Even though he wasn't looking directly at her, he could tell that she had taken off her towel. He had seen it fall to the ground and as she passed by him towards her bathroom, he had bowed his head. It would seem that this would be a pattern throughout the rest of this experience and not just as an exercise in modesty. As she egged him on to join her she also teased him.

"...Unless..."

Though it was subtle, it was ultimately an ultimatum. She was calling the stakes her and if he wanted to get anywhere he would need to keep a bowed head and be sure to remain humble. If he tried to wrestle the power away from her, she would wrestle away his offer before he even revealed it. Still he had to remain some modicum of control or he would find himself with a bowed head and in the position of Tosca with the other Espada as Scarpia. Angelotti, his ambition, would never grow within the boundaries of Las Noches. He wasn't going to be used as a toy. He repeated this mantra mentally as he approached the bathroom. He had caught her in a compromising position. Indeed, she was the one with a bowed head over the tub and from behind the view was pleasing to say the least and a bit stimulating to say a bit more. He had only looked for a moment, but half a moment longer than he should have. He looked back over to her room as he cleared his throat to alert her to his presence as he tried to focus on something else. She had begun to speak to him again, catching his attention. Of course, even if she hadn't spoken, the sweet scent that began to escape the bathroom would have drawn his eyes back towards the room.

"...you have to..."

All subtlety was lost, not that there was much to begin with. If he didn't get in this tub, she wouldn't even listen to him. Under different circumstances, he would probably be wearing a scowl just as he once wore a mask, but his expression was just as important as his response. He could clearly see her, even though he still wasn't looking at her though at this point at wasn't an act of respect. He still didn't want her to think of him as some pervert even though he was probably the only one who would judge himself so hardly but perhaps more importantly, he didn't want her to think she had won. That was the worst thing he could do in this situation even if she had him pinned, which she might if he didn't maintain control. She had begun to hurry him and even tried to entice him. As he walked into the bathroom, he had sloughed off his longcoat at the door leaving his arms bare. For the first time since she had opened the door, he had looked upon her. He looked her straight in the eyes. His face was expressionless, the compromise between the emotions he couldn't express and the expression he couldn't give and yet as he looked into her eyes the disgust he felt was clear.

"Well then. Let's get down to business."

His voice was empty of excitement or hesitation. He began to pull his shirt up his body slowly. While he enjoyed the feeling of the shirt tightly hugging his body, it was always a struggle to get it on and off. With his shirt on the floor behind him, his entire upper body was exposed. He had a six pack, and defined pectorals as well as muscular arms and broad shoulders. He was by no means bulky, however. All of his muscle was lean. He sat down on the edge of the tub with his back to Ayane and began to remove his tabi. Then, he got up again and untied his obi, allowing both his pants and his Zanpakuto to fall to the floor besides the floor. All that he wore was his fundoshi. He sat on the edge of the tub again, swung his legs around to face Ayane with a splash and then sunk into the tub facing her. He didn't have the patience at this point to give a big speech and got right to the point.

"I hear you have a garden in Las Noches. I'm tired of having to leave Las Noches to get apples. I want to make a deal. I would like to know if you could plant an apple tree in Las Noches for me, please."

He spoke tersely as he began to speak, but by his last statement, his tone had softened up. He had almost forgotten his manners. He hadn't chosen his words as carefully as he should have unfortunately. As he sat in the tub, he was only sure of one thing: Ayane Mai Hoshi was more persuasive than him.

Why had Joseff even entered the tub with Ayane? He had begun to question the actions that led up to this point. Joining her in her bathroom was a mistake. It was the latest in a series of mistakes starting with entering her room in the first place and each time bringing him closer and closer into her clutches. Was this the evidence of a weak will or the consequence of strong resolve. Regardless of the answer he came up with, he was certain of one detail: Ayane was winning. Joseff had a distaste for many things, but if there was one thing he hated, it was losing. Joseff was desperate to turn this situation around and re-establish the balance of power and yet he knew he would be lucky to hang onto the shred of power he still had. The ability to forfeit at any point and cut his losses. He had that choice from the beginning but he didn’t want to resort to it just yet, even as she closed in on him like a predator did to cornered prey. That’s what he was, after all. Cornered by her tub and by her ultimatum. The fact that she was willing to let him leave made calling her a predator a misnomer though the mood in the air matched the description. He already knew what she wanted in return. That meant he needed a quick answer.

“Something of appropriate value.”

Mature Content:

“After being a monster for decades, I took a trip to the Human’s World. I ended up in a small town and I saw an apple tree. As I took a bite out of one, I felt human for the first time that I could remember.”

This was the short version of an emotional story that he would have been happy to tell if he wasn’t distracted at the moment. He was slightly growling, but not necessarily for the reason that she may have been thinking of. It was a leftover instinct from his time as a Menos. It meant that he was about to attack. He knew if he couldn't calm down soon, he would to leave before he did something he regretted.

Mature Content:

This could potentially be a bad decision. Worse than any other he made this day. He wasn't worried for the future however. His present concern was her reaction. He appealed to her sense of honor and decency as he defined the terms, but he knew that in the end she could just force him to give her what she wanted. That was probably the best way the scenario could play out if she didn't take it well. In any case, he was prepared to fight if she responded forcefully as he approached the point of no return. That would most likely immediately bring about the worst case situation and cause him guilt if he survived. His steely gaze was no longer upon her, but staring out of the room towards her bedroom door.