The fine grains of sand that coated Hueco Mundo crunched underneath his feet, the sound presenting itself as strangely loud in the silence that accompanied this dead land.  The eternal night that was the sky of the Hollow realm was strangely perfect for the stillness that was ever present within this world.  This was the stillness that spoke of there being no life nearby, which was unsurprising.  

Had there been a sun within Hueco Mundo, then at the moment it would be striking against the walls and towers of Las Noches and casting a shadow across the lands.  There was no nearby life outside of those walls, because all of it for as far as the eye could see was within.  Such was the way of things within this realm...if you were not of Las Noches, then you had no business being near it unless you were there to swear allegiance or to become prey for those who had.  

Such musings caused a small chuckle to sound from within the throat of he who had come to this place this very day.  The expression of mirth occurred because he had crafted a conclusion that did not apply to himself purely on accident.  He had not come to swear allegiance, but he had also not come to be prey to something else.  Rather, he had come to investigate, to learn the truth behind a rumor that he had heard on the winds of this world.

There was a new King of Hollows, and he had taken up residence within Las Noches.  

The last 'King' who had attempted to claim the title after Aion's death had been slain by Xiuhcoatl, who even now had returned to this place once more for the same purpose that had brought him about the previous time.  The pretender had been weak, this much he could tell simply from being within his presence.  Furthermore he had not managed to acquire powerful allies or servitors, which only further proved his weakness.  Xiuhcoatl had found him wanting, and thus had destroyed him for pretending to be worthy of a throne that was beyond him.  In that sense, the former Espada had been a form of test, one that the pretender had failed to his peril.  

This one was apparently different however, and had attracted the attention of worthy individuals to join his banner, meaning that he was himself likely powerful and worthy of Aion's throne.  This gave Xiuhcoatl a certain hope that he was not wasting his time with this venture.  There was a certain question to ask however...how to go about entering the castle proper.  He could simply make his way inside, but there was a certain truth to the fact that such a motion could be dangerous if performed poorly.  Perhaps then he should simply perform an equivalent of 'knocking' that would presumably be answered by one of the 'powerful individuals' that he had heard about?

Moderating his reiatsu such that it would not cause damage to the walls of Las Noches, Xiuhcoatl flared it in such a way that it would be noticeable by essentially everything within the walls of the castle before him.  In most cases, he considered showing one's reiatsu in such a manner to be potentially pretentious, but in this case he was merely doing so in order to call someone outside of the castle of some import or power.  After all, if the new ruler had powerful vassals, should they not respond to this action forthwith?

It was almost time for Gabriel to sleep, and he was getting comfortable in his bed when the sudden flare of reiatsu from within the wall stopped his movements. It felt like a hollow, and a powerful one at that. Retreating from his chambers, he would make his way down from his palace via window, curious as to whom might be doing such a thing. Floating down to the sands below, he found himself walking towards the power with a raised brow, noticing the man who possessed the flare of reiatsu from before.

Keeping his distance form the man, Gabriel stopped five feet from him, standing with his arms at his sides, brow still raised. With half lidded eyes he looked the man over from head to toe, assessing him from the distance he was at.
"I assume you are the one who flared their reiatsu, something you wanted?" The words came out low and flat, his once raised brow falling to its original place. The feeling of the and beneath his feet was nice, it had been at least a few days since he had come out to walk them, and he enjoyed it while he could. Keeping his rank and name from the conversation for the time being, he simply watched the other, making no signs of hostility unless absolutely necessary. It was interesting to see this one, and as his curiosity grew, so did the questions that streamed through his head.

There had been a time when he would have simply charged the man, taking the flare as an invitation for battle, but he had worked on self control since such a time. Charging the man blindly without finding out anything about him or his motives would be a bad idea, and it could very well get him chewed out by the others for being so reckless. Keeping his own reiatsu low as to not harm the wall, he focused on the sand below his feet, staring the other down with an unending gaze.

The reaction did not take long, which was a good sign. It would have been quite a negative showing if Las Noches was so weak that it could not maintain at least a semblance of proper vigilance. The fact that it was a single individual made little difference to him, as he was himself but a single individual...and yet he commanded power that made him the superior of any army of Hollows that could be assembled unless a Vasto Lorde was leading it. He was well learned in the art of not underestimating the singular force. The man stopped at a distance of several feet and both he and Xiuhcoatl began to look each other up and down, apparently sizing each other up. For a moment, a feeling nagged at the back of the former Espada's mind, a feeling that became recognition as soon as the other figure spoke.

He had not spoken his name or position, but they had both served Aion as Espada before the Day the Black Sun Set. This man was known as..."Gabriel Zeil, once the Primera Espada." Xiuhcoatl began slowly, expressing something almost akin to confusion at seeing his former superior here. "To answer your question, I am the one who produced that pressure that you felt. It was done simply to see what reaction I would receive. I figured that in the event of a powerful reiatsu being revealed, whoever commanded Las Noches would either have to send someone of power or come themselves to investigate. Because you are here, I have to assume that you are either one or the other. May I know which it is? Are you the new King, or are you an elite of he who is?"

It was not within Xiuhcoatl's overall personality to play word games or circle around the point when he spoke, or at least he avoided doing so overmuch when there was something that he desired. In this case, he had simply explained himself and gone directly to his point. He was hopeful at the moment, despite the fact that his expression and voice denoted an almost disinterested demeanor. The former Primera (or perhaps current?) was someone who would make a worthy Hollow King, though if he was elite to another, then whomever that individual was...they would surely be even more worthy.

It was interesting to see the other after the war, his recognition of the man being from the war they both partook in. Although he kept his guard up, Gabriel would take a few steps closer, resting about five feet from the man now. Pushing the left side of his pants down ever so slightly, he revealed the gothica style "1" that was placed on his left hip. Releasing the garment, he felt it slip back up his hip as he spoke.
"Still holding the title Primera, although it means less now than it did then. I was simply retreating to my chambers for the time being when I felt your flare, something of that caliber needed investigation. Can't have power like that belonging to enemies within the walls, wouldn't make for a good time at all..."

It was interesting to see the man after such a long time, and his curiosity for where the other had gone was more so. His hand falling to rest at his side again, he would allow himself a moment of peace in the time he took to show his current rank. This would be a grand event to the King, another of their own returning to them. If things came to be he would have another to fight along side him, and that alone would leave him in a better mood then before.

With a slight look down to see the number that Gabriel displayed, it was confirmed that the man was still the Primera Espada. Had he elevated himself to King of Hollows, the man would more than likely have removed the tattoo, as it was customary for there to be a King and a Primera, not a Primera who was also King. Thus was the precedent set by the first King, at any rate. The revelation that the man before him was not King was one that made Xiuhcoatl rather intrigued, as this meant that his other hypothesis was then that much closer to being correct. If Gabriel was still the Primera, then that meant that another being with greater power than him truly had come to claim Las Noches and lead the Hollow race. Perhaps there was yet hope after all, if this was the case.

The man's words about his title being lessened in significance had somewhat confused Xiuhcoatl though, even if he could perhaps guess the reason why he had spoken them. "I agree with you on that, my Primera." The words 'my Primera' were said in such a manner that they might have been synonymous with 'my lord,' as Xiuhcoatl momentarily fell back into the habit of almost formality that he had adopted as the Fourth Espada. Gesturing towards Las Noches, Xiuhcoatl smiled a small smile. "But now that you have ascertained that I am not an enemy, will we not venture inside? If the new King is worthy of your allegiance, then he must also be worthy of mine. If he would have me, then I would serve in his army as I once did in Aion's."

With a nod to the other, Gabriel turned on his heel, walking up from the ground towards his own palace. There wasn't much hesitation in the thought that the other would follow him, knowing that he wouldn't look back to see.
"The quickest way would be to go through my chambers towards the grand hall, the rebuilding of our home was made so that any outsiders would have difficulty gaining entrance within our buildings. I do warn you however, our new leader isn't exactly a meeting type individual. It would be some time before you lay eyes upon him or hear the words he speaks, but when you are to obtain such things you will know it is for important reasons." With that he stepped into his room through the windowless opening in the wall high above, his feet coming to rest on the sill for a moment before he steeped down onto the floor.

It wasn't much of a room, closet for his uniforms and a bed for sleeping. The only other thing in the room was a full body mirror on the wall adjacent his bed, something he rarely used. From his bed chambers he would walk out the doorway into a long hall, his footsteps almost silent on the tile like floor as he walked. His steps held certainty in them, his stride one of power. Even with all the authority, he kept his arms at his sides, his reiatsu held low as to not harm any of his surroundings. Every so often his fingers would brush the wall, something that would go unnoticed if others weren't looking for it. It was there however, and if they had the mind to ask he might tell them, but since none had asked he had kept it his own secret.