A howl ripped through the air, breaking through the tense silence. But it was not a howl of triumph, it was of pain as its mask was sliced in half and its soul purified. In the aftermath of the fight, the ground all around was torn up, water dripping off broken buildings and claw-like marks littering the area. A lone Shinigami sighed as he resealed his Zanpakuto and sheathed it. He hadn't been expecting such a tough fight, but it was to be expected that something wouldn't go as planned. After all, Hollows aren't always mindless.

Steel-gray eyes surveyed the damage and winced slightly. In the midst of the fighting he hadn't exactly been paying too close attention to the environment, and it showed. Ah well, Boston was due for a makeover anyway. Running a pale hand through strawberry-blond hair, the (relatively) young Shinigami known as Arius Pelagios decided to look around to make sure there weren't any souls in need of a Konso. After all, it wouldn't do to leave only to have to come back later. His Shihakusho fluttered slightly in the air, his Lieutenant badge remaining unmoved as he leapt onto a pile of rubble, inspecting it for Reiatsu.

Valintine reclined in his chair in the office. What a boring day it was to be today. He rolled his eyes as he threw a bouncy ball against the wall repeatedly. The man on the other end of his phone call spoke to him through his bluetooth headset. His cellphone sat on his desk, and Valintine looked outside his window longingly. Nothing could be more boring than being stuck here...that much was for sure. What was he to do though. The city was safe, it was sound, and he was a business man above all else. He had deals to make, favors to gain, and favors to cash in. They wouldn't simply do it themselves, although he wished ever so much that they would. He was dressed in his typical white attire. White suit jacket, two buttons, white slacks and shoes, a black shirt underneath with a white tie. On the coat rack in his office another white jacket hung, begging for him to wear it and leave. He mouthed the words "I'm sorry" to it and sighed as he gracefully pressed the unmute button on his phone.

"Yes yes yes. Believe me, sir, I understand your situation. The arrangement, however, is very clear. If you want my aid in this matter, I will need to see something returned. I am sure you understand. There are many people biting at our heels for attention. They want money, power, protection, hired guns...The list goes on, and that's not the point. The point is, if I just start doing things for free then I play the fool. Now tell me, Mr. Beauregard, do I seem like a fool to you?"

His tone had carried it's usual "bored to death" flare at the beginning, but by the end he was speaking plainly, coldly, and his position was made very clear to the other man who remained silent. It was clearly a rhetorical question. "Good...now then. If you want the children to have a safe place to live, you will have to sign that contract. I will know if you've signed it or not. So don't be stupid...sign it." Valintine could practically smell this man's fear. The man had reached out to Valintine because he had heard tale of Valintine's particular experience in getting results, and getting them soon. That's what this man needed. As of late the orphanages in this man's city had become targets to terrorist attacks. They were being burned and often times, the children got harmed. Valintine sympathized, he did, but he could not do something for nothing. He would be the laughing stock of Extinction. That simply wasn't an option. The man's contract had a lot of legal speak in it. The terms were clear though. If Valintine himself offered aid to the city to protect the orphanages from these fires, than the man would agree to owe Valintine a favor. The favor could be claimed at anytime, and be anything from tying his shoe to killing someone's sister. There was no time limit on this favor. If the man were to die before Valintine made use of this favor, it would transfer to his closest living relative. The signer would also agree to alert Valintine if he were to have a permanent change of residence whether it was down the street, across the country, or over seas. Should the man break his contract, then he be subject to fine equal to the revenue of the buildings protected, multiplied by the number of years they were protected for, with this being year one and every subsequent year January would serve as the marker for an additional year, and then Valintine's usual fees on top of this; travel, time, labor, etc etc. This was his standard contract to those who wished his services to be made available to them. Nobody had broken a contract with him except for once. Upon payment being made, the man was found dead. His body withered, as if he had rapidly aged, and tossed out the window to his apartment. Of course Valintine was suspect, but nothing could be pinned on him. Still...

The threat of a threat, is often stronger than making a threat.

The man signed the document just as Valintine's sixth sense went off. Oh...what was this? A Shinigami fighting a Hollow? He rolled his eyes. Boring..."You've made a wise choice, sir. I assure you that you will not be disappointed. I shall fly out there tonight and see to the buildings management. Why do I do this at night? Less onlookers. Our business, however, has concluded. Good day, Mr. Beauregard." Valintine disconnected the call and looked out the window as the fight raged on. He pursed his lips and shrugged. Why not. It was a...relatively nice day. He threw on his coat and stepped outside his office. His secretary looked at him and sighed. He just grinned at her. She knew the drill.

In moments he was at the battle site. He used his Bringer Light to appear next to the Shinigami. He shook his head and sighed. "Y'know...if you Shinigami are just going to destroy the place in the process of eliminating high priority targets, feel free to just forward the intel to my offices and we'll see to it. We are perfectly capable of creating a mess on our own. We are, after all, human." He tilted his head to the Shinigami. The tone of his voice was light, but still maintained a sense of steel about it. This made it difficult to determine whether or not Valintine was joking. As he turned his head his silver crystalline earring jingled a bit as it moved. The earring was the only oddity about Valintine. It stood out against his otherwise formal look. He did not have his eyebrow piercing in today, so his face was clear of such modifications. He looked at the Shinigami, staring right into the male's eyes, waiting for a response.

It was quite interesting, Arius had concluded, that a spiritually aware Human appeared before him at this exact moment. Of course, the power this one just showed revealed more than any words he could say. What was this type of Human called again? Ah yes, Fullbringer. Humans with Hollow Reiatsu. It seemed only fitting, as they had a tendency to show up in America, that one would show up right then. At least he didn't get involved in the fight. And indeed Pelagios was grateful, but that gratitude only extended so far.

"It would not surprise me if you had, although I think you'll find the situation a little different from mindless destruction," spoke the Vice-Captain calmly, "But, Fullbringer, do not mistake this for an invitation for greater mayhem. The world is chaotic enough without enhanced Humans destroying their own civilizations."

The fact that the white Fullbringer before him hadn't attacked also told him something, although only one of two possibilities: one being that he is cautious and the other too weak to fight a Soul Reaper at this exact time. But it was only practical to assume the former rather than the latter as to do otherwise would be quite foolish and possibly deadly. Arius would just have to wait and see what the man before him did next.

The man looked the Shinigami up and down for a moment. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He rolled his eyes at whatever was on the screen and proceeded to move his thumbs about the screen, typing away. He slipped it back into his pocket and folded his arms at the male. "Oh please. It's human nature to destroy, you are merely doing our job for us apparently. It's how it's always been though, no? You Shinigami swoop in and handle the Hollow because we're 'too weak' to defend ourselves, but then you leave us with the mess. I don't suppose you can call your buddies and have them work their dark arts to fix this, huh?" He waved his hand to show he was referencing the surrounding area. It was a rhetorical question however, and Valintine didn't come here to argue. He was just curious as to what was happening. He shrugged casually and looked about the damage.

There was quite a bit of that.

He pulled out his phone again and pressed a few buttons. "My people will be here soon to clean it up. Again." He put the phone away and looked at the man's badge. "A lieutenant, huh? Congratulations. I'm sure your parents are very proud. Judging by the copious amounts of water left behind, I'd say your weapon has something to do with...oh I don't know...water? Or would that be he Hollow' doing? Either way, it doesn't really matter. Information is my business though." He shrugged again, very casually, and flashed the Shinigami a charming smile. "And of course! My apologies. I have not even introduced myself. Valintine La'Crow. At your service." He took a small bow before righting himself.

Arius arched an eyebrow at the Fullbringer. Information, after all, has many meanings, and to underestimate an information broker can often be unhealthy. For all his years, he had not had to put that policy to the test, but it seemed his grace period was up. He smiled thinly, "Well, Valintine La'Crow, it is my honor to make your acquaintance. My name is Arius Pelagios, and as you have rightly assumed, a Lieutenant." He said with with deep bow before straightening. "You are a sly one, I will give you. But this is hardly a case of hit-and-run. If one fights a terrorist with a bomb, one must be aware of the possibility of there being damage to the surrounding area, as to assume there won't be is inviting disaster. Naturally, I did not foresee damage to this extent, but that doesn't change the reality of the situation."

Looking around, Arius took in the battleground once more, glasses glinting in the sun. The damage was extensive, true, but nothing that the Humans hadn't dealt with before, and certainly not this particular one. And the way he said "My people" gave the impression that he had connections. Whether he was a member of Xtinction or a soloist, he wasn't to be trifled with, and from the way he dressed, he got the impression if he was a member of Xtinction he was probably a higher up, not that he knew the power structure, nor did he want to.

"And as for the "dark arts" we supposedly practice, that is more up your alley then ours, little Fullbringer. Although to your simple mind I suppose it could be seen as such." While you're definitely not simple, I can't help but wonder how you'll respond. As they conversed, Arius stayed mindful of the time, as he only had so long he could remain in the World of the Living without approval from his superiors. But I've still got a little time left, so let's see how this plays out.

The Fullbringer watched as several black cars rolled onto the scene. Men and women in suits flooded out and immediately began to usher people away from the area. Everyone was confused. Even police left after they were shown a badge. A man began to walk over to Valintine and flicked his eyes to the Shinigami mid-walk. Valintine held up a hand and motioned for him to go about his business. The stranger bowed and went back to work. The Fullbringer looked back at the Shinigami and shrugged. "Oh no. My mind is far from simple, my darling Shinigami. What I lack in age, I make up for in...other areas. Plus, you use Kido. Which can be broken down into types of spells. Which is a lateral movement into witchcraft, e.g. dark arts." He shrugged. "But I know better. 'Tis not magic, merely energy manipulation in a different form." He whistled sharply at a woman who began to manipulate the soul of some rubble nearby.

"Are you new? Contain the area! We don't need any more destruction!" The woman clearly looked embarrassed, and bowed repeatedly before rushing off to do some other things.

He chuckled and began to influence the rubble he stood on. He morphed the soul of the rocks to change their shape into a pair of chairs. He took a seat in one and motioned for the Shinigami to do the same. "Please. Sit. I'd invite you to my office, but...duty first. They must be supervised, or things can go wrong. I'm sure you understand. So...Lieutenant. What's the word on the other side? The information flow has become incredibly slow...I assume that's because of the war with the Arrancar? You all have backed off of Earth by a rather significant amount. If I remember the numbers correctly, Shinigami activity in this sector has decreased by about...thirty percent, give or take a few. I imagine your forces were hit pretty hard no? How bad were the casualties?" If it wasn't clear before, it would be plenty clear now. Valintine was someone who knew things, and if he didn't know something he could easily use what information he had to obtain new information. Even though his eyes were warm and welcoming, the smile on his face could slice metal. It was a clear sign to step lightly. Not because he was a threat, but because Valintine was an individual who knew the value of knowledge.

A raised eyebrow was the only change in facial expression, "I see you have your ears to the ground. Very well, I suppose it can't hurt telling anymore than it hurt us when it happened. We lost 3 to 4 captains during the conflict among other seated and unseated Shinigami. Of course, the Arrancar lost a few Espada themselves, so I suppose it evens it out. I myself was only promoted due to the previous Lieutenant being promoted to Captain. Well-earned, I assure you, at least on his part. Myself? I think they were desperate and promoted the 3rd Seat to Vice-Captain so they wouldn't have to look too hard for a replacement."

As Arius spoke he kept a subtle eye on the influx of people, particularly spiritually aware ones. It wouldn't do to be caught off guard if they all decided to attack him out of some sense of revenge. His right hand stilled as he forced it not to move toward Shinkai's hilt. "These days we just don't have as many Shinigami as we used to, so it makes it more difficult to patrol areas that usually we had no trouble with. Naturally, I am only here because the person originally assigned to this city decided it would be a good idea to go out drinking with some idiots from the Eleventh Division and get drunk last night." He rolled his eyes, "Naturally he is nursing a terrible hangover while a 4th Squad member bangs a gong next to his head. By the time I get he should hopefully have learned his lesson."

(( Sorry about the delay. Work got crazy ))

As the man spoke, Valintine listened. His eyes never left the Shinigami's figure. He soaked in the information like it was the last thing he would ever hear. So this man was a shiny Lieutenant? How interesting. It sounded like the Arrancar really worked the Shinigami over pretty well and vice versa. Valintine wondered how the Arrancar were fairing. Valintine then discovered why he was here as opposed to another, and suddenly he didn't mind this destruction. The members of the Eleventh Division were notorious for causing the most damage to his home. He decided he would no longer complain about how much trouble the Shinigami had caused.

He looked at the groups as they began to manipulate the souls of buildings, putting them back together to look as if all was fine. One of the building walls was finished, but it began to fall. Valintine rolled his eyes as they caught it. "You would think that after decades of this work, they would have it down to a science..." He chuckled and looked back to the Shinigami.

"So tell me, Lieutenant, how goes the repairs to Soul Society? I imagine the battle happened there...or in Hueco Mundo, but I imagine at some point an attack was launched against your kind."

A smirk worked its way onto Arius' face. This human had guts, he'd give him that. To probe a Vice-Captain in such a manner was courting danger, and not all in his position would have been so patient. Some of his more violent colleagues (coughEleventhDivisioncough) would have started swinging long before the man had started talking. Then again, he wasn't exactly a saint in that regard either.

"I see you are eager to learn more of our situation, Human. Admirable, true, but entirely nosy as well. And there is only so much I am willing to share. I can't have you Fullbringers storming Seireitei  because you think we're weak at the moment. Fortunately, we are well on our way to complete recovery, but any more information than that I will, unfortunately, have to keep to myself."

His eyes reflected his bemusement as he looked upon the white-clad Fullbringer before him. Any further comments he might have made were declared pointless as a black Hell Butterfly alighted upon his now-outstretched hand as it relayed its message. A frown worked its way onto his face.

"Hmm, it would seem my time is up here. And as I see you have everything in hand there will be no need to invoke the false-memory Kido." An amused chuckle escaped him, "It makes me laugh sometimes the things You Humans will come up with for why some things happened."

The Fullbringer looked to the male with a smile. Oh he was a crafty one. Valintine was already formulating words to counteract any future defiance, but his thoughts were cut short by the appearance of a curious black butterfly. He wasn't sure what they were called, but he was well aware of their purpose. He merely turned his head away from the situation at hand, looking back to the Fullbringers around the area. The work on the town was already nearly complete. This was what it had come to. His proud race, his powerful race, demoted to mere clean-up crew status in the grand scheme of life. Quincy and Bounts raged against one another, an Earthly war that held the vigilance and violence of the Spiritual War between Shinigami and Arrancar. Meanwhile the Fullbringers were left here virtually unnoticed. Which was good for business, but bad for morale. They deserved more than this. They were better than common slaves...

He turned away from his people as the man spoke once more. A false-memory kido? How quaint..."Yes well...Not everyone is ready to hear that there actually are demons and...well demon-like creatures." He chuckled lightly, and smiled warmly at the Shinigami.

There goes his entertainment for the day.

His phone began to ring and he answered it quickly. "This is Valintine....Yes...No, I specifically said to-...Really if you're going to be like this the-...Sigh, look. I can't sit there and baby you. Either fix it, or leave the mess for Roger in accounting. At the end of the day, however, you have to be a big girl. Xtinction need reliable members. Of course I can help you if you need it, but you know the cost...Yes well my current companion seems to be leaving, truly a shame, so we shall discuss it upon my return to the office. Tell my secretary to let you in. Ta." He hung up the call and sighed at the Lieutenant with a shake of his head. "Interns...what can you do."

He stood up and dismissed his chair, returning the rubble he sat on to it's normal state. He bowed slightly before the other man. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant. I'm sure we'll see each other again at some point. Life after death and all that...Farewell." He winked at the male before vanishing in his Bringer Light. His reiatsu would be traceable for but a short while, giving trajectory on where he was going but upon reaching his destination it would get muddled with that of hundreds of other Fullbringers.

[EXIT]

After watching the now-named Valintine disappear in a flash of light. Looking up to the sky he smiled slightly; this day had turned out to be an interesting one, indeed. Arius wasn't usually one for smalltalk, but this Human... no Fullbringer, had been an interesting one to talk to. He wondered if they would meet again in the man's lifetime, but found it unlikely. Before he could dawdle any longer the Hell Butterfly bit into his finger, breaking him from his thoughts.

"Alright alright, I get it. I'm heading out now. No need to bite me." Only after opening the Senkaimon did it alight from his finger, allowing him to rub the sore spot slightly. "Pushy little thing, aren't you? Ah well, it's probably for the best."

As the doors opened, Arius surveyed the mostly restored landscape one last time before stepping inside and making his way back to Soul Society. The doors closed behind and faded out of existence shortly after.

[EXIT]