A goat, a pair of scissors and a lion walk into a bar

[z0pu]

Ywain #1

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The eternal night of Hueco Mundo loomed over the great expanse and wastes, the only disturbance of this empty white world, a trail of up-kicked dirt and sand rising in the air from the great and mighty run the king of beasts.

Ywain Galligan ran as fast his mighty calves would allow, the hot wind blowing across his face and through his bright red hair as the once Vasto Lorde searches for challenges and adventures!

Only now he was not alone anymore for fate had put a great companion upon the King's path, Mericia Battenberg now accompanied Ywain on a shared path through glory. Now sworn as comrades and friends the pair searched for a path to the human world for Mericia the Swift to achieve her Hollow goals of glorious retribution to those who have brought sorrow to her once human soul!

Yet even such motivation could not contain the rush within the king of beast to race towards their future and so the lion picked his friend and their burdens upon his noble back, now running across the white dune at top speed until they find what they are searching for!

Cresting over one for the tallest dunes in the Expanse Ywain put as much power in his legs as he could to crest the mighty peak.

"ONWARDS!!!"

Reaching the top the great lion leapt into the air reaching heights perhaps never seen before, almost flying high above the desert.

"TO DESTINY!!!" the screamed echoed far and about, the pair so high up from their jump over the slop the ground seemed but a mere memory them.

Or at least to an absolute fucking idiot like Ywain Galligan, capable or forgetting concepts such as gravity.

---

Ywain Galigan: #ff7a00

[Gaz]

Orion #1

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The silence of a desert coated in the pale light of a nearly eclipsed moon was always something that irked Hollows and Arrancars. It was a silence that resonated with that missing part of their soul that made them this twisted corruption in the first place. It was what caused so much madness in this world and why so many of their kind preferred to wander in the forest of Menos down below. Or congregate in the Arrancar Kings City or even the sporadic towns controlled by his Espada.

It was something Orion however found a strange comfort in; it is a constant of this world that will never go away, never change despite all the efforts of the monsters that inhabited it. It could however expand the grand and eccentric moments of some of the more special denizens of the realm.

For example, the screaming maniac that was running so fast he was kicking up a dust storm behind him. It was grand to witness as it moved towards the ex-Vasto Lorde. “I suppose it is time for me to go ahead and see what all of this man’s fuss is about.”

In a blur of movement Orion jumped into the air with a sonido and started to fall beside the pair, the second one was riding the mad mans back! Now that was flashy. They all started to fall from a height as Orion grinned and gave them a wave. “What’s destiny? I love a diving head first into fate.” He spoke, humours tone to his voice.

“You might want to brace yourself this is quite the doozey of a fall my friends.” Orion announced before vanishing in another Sonido to appear on the ground safely not too far away from the predicted landing zone of the brute and his pale rider. He did not even brace for the explosion of sand that was to be expected.

---

Orion:f1cb00

[Vio]

^{Mericia #1}

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Mm. This is embarrassing… Creatures without true lifespans, Hollows and Arrancar seldom cared for a need for haste in their dull, monotonous daily lives. Indeed, Miss Battenberg hadn’t exactly been chomping at the bit to put her plan into action, but then she had met him. Mister Galigan had other ideas. And so, it had begun: A tireless sprint across the great expanse, white sands of Hueco Mundo doing little but reflecting the dull gleam of the empty world, as Mericia found herself riding piggyback upon the obnoxiously boisterous Ywain.

^{“Onwards,” he roared:
“To destiny…!!”}

Such a bizarre and downright reckless leap actually stirred Mericia from her calm, almost meditative state, the sudden transition from thundering steps to gravitational defiance shaking her from reminiscence. If she honestly had the energy to, she perhaps would have berated the madman for making such a ridiculous leap without at least warning her first, but by the time she was alert enough to do that something else had intervened. Lo and behold, a third Arrancar.

“You might want to brace yourself,” the dark devil delegated, Ywain at the peak of his bound, and then vanished as natural descent took hold. An easily identifiable Sonído. No hostility, just fair warning, or at least that was what she surmised. She couldn’t help but frown at the fact the stranger had called her ‘friend’, but personal preferences and peculiarities were perhaps better put aside for the time being. Thus, she decided it better to abandon the reckless Ywain in the middle of his leap, knowing full well that he would have had no issue tanking the roughest of landings—it seemed he’d already recovered from their previous exchange.

Or, she would have.

“Ywain. Could you let go?” Her legs supported by the lion man’s arms as they raced across the sands, now was the time that she realised a fatal flaw in their transportative measures. She was entirely at the madman’s mercy—and basic rules of the world by proxy. “I would rather not end up with a faceful of dirt.” Now to discover whether her companion could actually multitask…

[z0pu]

Ywain #2

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The exhilarating feel of the hot wind blowing across Ywains face made every earthly problem disappear. Aaaaah, the feeling of freedom truly was the absolute best! At least until Ywain was reminded of the worldly constraints of gravity and the like.

First a strange individual appeared next to him, first asking what destiny is, then to watch out for the ground. Bah! A King does not fear the ground, the ground should fear him!

Even his fated companion Mericia asked to be released from his embrace. Do they all fear sand so much!? No matter. Ywain obliged his dearest friend and released her, leaving the purple haired woman to her own device and landing.

Instead Ywain would show everyone that mere dirt was nothing to fear for the king of beast! So it was a mighty battle cry worthy of songs to remembered for a thousand ages that Ywain pulled his fist back and released his power against the ground, truly showing it who was the boss here.

"MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!!!"

The mighty King of Beasts' punch hit the ground first the force of which raised sand in the air higher than he had even reached himself like a white geyser. The red-headed was left in a crater if his own making, a true testament that he ground and gravity was not something to be feared, but dominated.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Well met stranger! You warning is appreciated but not needed!" Ywain called out as he began to walk out of his crater.

"You ask what is this destiny do you!? Well..."

It was with dramatic motion that Ywain then lifted his index to the air and then...

brought it down towards Mericia "My dear companion Mericia will explain!"

Yes it was her desitny they were rushing forth, therefore, it was hers to explain. That made sense and Ywain ended up looking very proud of himself for thinking that deeply of the conversation.

It had nothing to do with the fact that deep down the idiot had no idea where they were going or who they were looking for. Nothing to do with it at all...

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Ywain Galigan: #ff7a00

[Gaz]

Orion #2

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The goat arrancar took a further sonido to be away form the explosion of white sand that plumed up in the sky as if it were a mushroom. It was quite a spectacle to watch as the man took virtually no damage from the drop that would have easily crippled lesser beings. The woman on his back had seemed to have escaped as well, which was good, even riding this monster of a man would not have provided the cushioning needed to not feel a fall like that. One final sonido allowed Orion to get closer to the pair, close enough that a conversation could happen without raised voices.

“Well met friend.” Orion simply replied with a kind nod and a friendly smile, his hand came to touch the front tip of his mask as if he were tipping a hat to the pair. The issue now was the loud man had no damned clue what the destiny he was rushing towards was… and he did it with such vigour too! This Mericia woman must have won him over with such a powerful vision, a goal of massive importance that it swayed his pure instinct to fulfil it for her.

“Before you start miss, allow me to introduce myself properly.” He spoke, a genuine smile on his face as he flourished his hands in a showy bow towards the pair. As he did small Cero formed on the tip of each of his mask’s horns, the moved backwards and the liquid orange energy enveloped his hands before firing up behind him and exploding in the still raining sand to make the black night sky behind him look like a raging Nebula.

“Orion Nebulae, the Vasto Lorde Capra Daemon of the western wastes. Lord of the starless sky and now Arrancar. At your service.” The man spoke before looking up from his bow with shimmering orange glitter now drifting with the falling sand that was just starting to settle. “Please continue, your dream sounds exciting if it can bring a man as powerful as this to your side. If it is truly that marvellous, I’ll join you both on these endeavours.” The goat horned arrancar spoke, now standing perfectly tall, putting one hand on his chin as his other arm rested against his own belly to act as a support for his elbow.

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Orion: f1cb00

[Vio]

^{Mericia #2}

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Fwoom! An eruption of silvery sand followed a furious battlecry which, for some reason, Ywain saw as necessary even against an opponent that wouldn’t actually put up a fight. Well, he sure showed the ground who was boss. A part of Mericia even wondered if her companion had accidentally punched the ground so hard that he’d fallen into the Forest of Menos, though such a curiosity was quickly corrected by the time she landed, quietly and softly, at the foot of the dune Ywain had bounded from.

Dear companion… Curiously disheartened by the rampant redhead’s use of terminology, Miss Battenberg didn’t even get a chance to explain before the third Arrancar took it upon himself to cover formalities. And, because it seemed to be the norm for everyone in the expanse aside from herself, said formalities involved a flex of power as orange erupted in the cloud of falling dust.

^{“Orion Nebulae,” he bowed:
“At your service…”}

“You know, most Hollows don’t tend to alert everything in a one mile radius when introducing themselves,” the purple-haired peculiarity stated. At this point, all of Hueco Mundo knew they were here. At the very least, such exertions of power were unlikely to draw the attention of stronger Hollows. There was little to be gained from random territorial brawls with Arrancar, save perhaps a shameful reminder of the pecking order. Still, she dusted some of the sand from her shoulder and skirt and continued.

“You were a Vasto Lorde prior to becoming an Arrancar, also? Hm,” she exhaled, mulling over this information while running a finger over the remnant of her mask that clung to her jaw. “I’m not sure if I should see this as fortunate or not.” While she didn’t exactly hesitate as she observed Orion, she also didn’t push to hasten the exchange. Rather, she seemed a little caught up in her own analyses, but eventually dismissed the nuances of probabilities and random chance.

“In that case, I suppose an explanation is in order: I’m Mericia Battenberg—or at least that’s the name I have adopted since becoming a Hollow—and this is Ywain Galigan,” she gestured passively at the looming lion as the white dust finally started to settle, somehow avoiding the man’s hair completely despite him having caused the initial upsurge. “The both of you, it seems, were once Vasto Lorde; I was not, and I remember who I was back in the Human World. To keep it short, wandering around in Hueco Mundo has done nothing for me, so I would at least like to return to the mortal realm and finish what was started…”

[z0pu]

Ywain #3

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Ywain rub his chin pensively as he listened to the other two Arrancars. From what the flashy one was saying he must have been quite strong, once upon a time at least.

"Was there a goat Vasto Lorde? I don't think I ever heard of one." This was an out loud thought of the redhead as he scartched the side the right side of his skull with a finger, really trying to rack his two brain cells to try and recall if he ever heard of such a Vasto Lorde.

Not that he ever paid any real attention to the other ones, Vasto Lorde basically never interacted with one another, as much As Ywain sought opponents most Lorde just avoided others as much as possible. Not only that but a clash of Vasto Lorde was considered dangerous for Hueco Mundo itself, and whenever one was likely to happen, those Espada would get involved, ruining the fun.

Completely oblivious to however Orion would have reacted to his own comment, Ywain carried on; standing up with his usual carefree grin on his face.

"Anyway! I am Ywain Galigan! Like Mericia said we seek our way to the mortal world to help her accomplish her wishes. I can't say I really know how to get there, I don't think I've been since I became a Menos. Not sure before either... hmmmmmmmm, I wonder what it's like?"

Then ywain just went off in his own head, trying to imagine what the mortal world could resemble. Let's just say he wasn't anywhere close.

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Ywain Galigan: #ff7a00

[Gaz]

Orion #3

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There was a visible twitch when the brutish lion arrancar mentioned he did not recall there being a goat Vasto Lorde before now, but Orion let it slide. It was not his fault he barely had what seemed to be a pair of braincells to rub together to spark his primal thoughts. With a soft cough and a shake of his head to erase the annoyance from his brow he looked to Mericia as she made her explanations. She never made it to the Menos stage huh. An arrancar that remembered their human life was incredibly rare and hard to come by.

This was an opportunity, one that doesn’t come along often. An excuse to venture the land of the living and explore the sights and sounds it had to offer. But if Ywain was a Vasto Lorde why previously then why hadn’t they gone through yet? Oh… he was an idiot, right.

“Well! Fortunately for you both I am capable of creating El Garganta, if you haven’t been able to learn how yet Mericia and Ywain… is Ywain, I can with ease open a Garganta to get us there and bring us back when your exploration and unfinished business is taken care of.” Orion explained with a bright grin on his face as the sand and sparks from his cero had now finally settled to reveal the same old dead landscape that the wastes had always been. That left just the three amigos to be there under the starless sky with the eclipsing moon.

“That,” he started before moving closer to the pair and offering his hands outstretched for a shake with Mericia. “Is if you would be happy for me to join your on this caper? This grand story to finish the unfinished business.”

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Orion: f1cb00

[Vio]

^{Mericia #3}

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So we were running like that without any idea of where we were going? …I should at least try and keep him from running off on his own, then, Miss Battenberg duly noted as Ywain revealed his complete lack of knowledge on their desired front. Her previous Hollow existence in the world of the living—the one by which her mask had been sundered and transformed her into an Arrancar—had not been ended by her own instigation. Rather, she had tailed other fleeing Hollows through a Garganta, stumbling from the cyclic days and nights into an endless nocturne.

“I’ve only ever travelled through one made by another Hollow,” she elaborated briefly, mind still idling on the sensations of her previous transition. She remembered the hunger. An emptiness that needed to be filled no matter what. But a scavenger she had been, picking off the weak as the rest of that roving band of beasts devoured as much as they could. That sensation had been mostly absent in Hueco Mundo, strangely enough, though whether that was due entirely to this plane’s nature or intermingled with her half-masked form was not entirely known to her.

“Hmph… I wouldn’t call it a ‘grand story’,” the Arrancar bit, revealing a bit of that sharp tongue before speaking in more hushed tones to Orion as Mister Galigan remained in a state of pondering. “Though, given the likelihood of one of those people in black robes getting involved should we overstay our welcome…” A finger traced the edge of the broken mask around her eye, then fell to the sword at her side. She remembered the pain. “It would be prudent for the three of us to stay close when we cross. You’re free to accompany us, if it suits you, Orion,” she finalised, accepting the handshake…

[z0pu]

Ywain #4

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Ywain listened to the other two Arrancars as he rubbed his chin pensively. Ah yes Garganta that's what the portal thingies were called, it had been a very long time since Ywain had to think about such things.

But then something Mericia mentioned really peaked the King of Beasts' interest. People dressed in black.

"AAH!!!" A few memories flooded back into Ywain's mind, his form as a Vasto Lorde, trekking around the great empty, roaring in frustration seeking something different, his movement had garnered attention from various forces in and around Hueco Mundo; including some of the people in black that quietly hid and observed the actions of Hollows.

A truly feral grin formed on Ywain's face.

"Shinigami..!"

If they went to the human world they might encounter more Shinigami, these had been more fun to fight than other Hollows before. Ywain recalled the thrill at battled a different kind of enemy, felling them all and eventually grabbing the reaper's own weapon, using it to break his own mask, transcending being a Hollow.

Shinigami were the ultimate prey, this could get really fun.

"If we go to the mortal world, we might run into some Shinigami to fight. If we do you leave them to me! I want to test this new form against one. The last one had been fun..."

Ywain licked his lip, his grin still visible.

"...and fucking delicious."

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Ywain Galigan: #ff7a00

[Gaz]

Orion #4

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Orion shook the hand of Mericia as Ywain made his dark proclamation about fighting a Shinigami about fighting and eating a Shinigami… That was barbaric indeed, he was going to need to be kept on a short leash otherwise more than just a patrolling Shinigami would bear down on the trio. “Well seeing as I am the one that can get us three back to a relatively safe position, I think sticking with you would be the best option. I wouldn’t want my new compadres to be stranded then killed.” He spoke before finally releasing the woman’s hand and looking over to Ywain, his own experienced eyes analysing the musclebound moron.

“Ywain, there will be some pests there, some of our regular hollow cousins. I’ll let you have your fun with them. But do leave the humans alone, they won’t but fun to fight or give you a good meal.” He explained dryly, wanting to get the point across. If they drew less attention to themselves the better.

“Right! Now that is the basics of our accord struck!” The goat horned Arrancar grinned again the tips of his horns glowing with the smallest of Cero energy and popping away into sparks. Now was time to determing their destination.

“Where in the land of the living shall I rip this hole too?” He asked, eager to get started. “Or do you have business here to take care of?”

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Orion: f1cb00

[Vio]

^{Mericia #4}

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He knows of them for certain, then? That may be an issue, Mericia Battenberg noted at Ywain’s response. The identification of would-be threats to roving Hollows in the world of living mortals. An encounter with one such warrior of spirit now would have been interesting, certainly, what with her newly found abilities. The previous altercation had been strange and disjointed, but the concept of hunting one down just to test her mettle didn’t interest her as much as it seemed to Mister Galigan.

^{“Where…?”}

“A good question… I don’t know the specifics of using a Garganta,” the lady Arrancar spoke, closing her eyes for a moment to mentally reconstitute the images of a life since passed. A bustling city on the coast of a great island, filled with lights and sounds when the night fell upon it, and even when daylight blazed. “Yokohama, Japan, is where I have unfinished business to attend,” she answered sharply, memories flooding her head as she recalled the last moments of living. A roadside, a wrecked car, and hapless bystanders on a rainy autumn day.

“There’s nothing here I care for,” she added, perhaps consolidating Orion’s and Ywain’s eagerness by refuting any connections to Hueco Mundo. Hollows and other Arrancar typically didn’t like to linger in her presence, anyway. “Maybe that will change in the future, after I tie up those loose ends…”

[z0pu]

Ywain #5

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Ywain turned his head between the other two Arrancar as they discussed the where's and how of their destination, the minutia of which quickly being lost the King of Beasts. All the redhead knew was that they were going somewhere different and that he would likely have Shinigami to fight there. this sure was an entertaining prospect. Some action that wasn't just some feral Hollow.

In truth, Ywain Galigan kinda wanted to fight the goat one, but it seemed they had already become allied and you couldn't just pick a fight with your ally, you had to get their permission first and Ywain understood that right there and then he would likely get a no, or maybe Mericia would get mad about it as well, so Ywain refrained... for now.

Eventually the other two seemed to figure out where they were going and how. At which point Ywain slammed his fists together and with a grin proclaimed their next move.

"Good! then to this Yohokama we go! Orion can open then way and Mericia can do what she needs, just leave any Shinigami we meet to me!"

Then Ywain began laughing out loud, happy with the resolution of this dicussion.

Yes, exciting times were certainly ahead.

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Ywain Galigan: #ff7a00

[Gaz]

Orion #5

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With the knowledge of where to go shared the goat horned Arrancar nodded as he let his eyes scan over the pair, he knew his own strength and had an eye for assessing others. This Ywain fellow was physically strong but that was just a drop in the bucket compared to some of the monsters that existed in the universe.

“If you start a fight with A Shinigami and start to lose, don’t come asking me for help.” Orion quipped as he faced away from the duo and swiped his arms out in a flourish. As he did the space Infront of them bulged and ripped forming a dark hole, a short tunnel in which a town in Japan could be seen. Yokohama.

With a grin he looked back to Mericia and nodded. “I’ve put us on the outskirts in a more remote area. That way we can scout out without causing too much of a fuss.” The ex-Vasto Lorde explained as he took a few steps and entered this hole in reality he had made. It was dark on the other side, from what could be seen it was dark in the children’s playground.

“After you, Mericia, Ywain. We can begin this excursion.”

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Orion: f1cb00