[Private] Vengeance gains wings

Yekatarina slowly stalked the halls of Las Noches, interested in exploring her new environment now that she had officially joined the ranks of the Espada. Although only ranking number six, it was not a position she planned to inhabit long: No, her ambitions far out paced such a low seat of power but timing was everything.

In the meantime she planned to take stalk of the other Espada and Arrancar that inhabited Las Noches and take stock of those the current king deemed worthy of service, though so far it had been a rather large let down. So many seemed content with their stations or were like the numerous she had dispatched earlier on her way to meet Graven: Stupid on top of weak.

"Honestly, how this sorry lot even considers themselves hollows is beyond me.." Yekatarina spoke in her normal flat and cold tone, though accented with a sigh at the end. Of course it was likely many of these fools had forgotten their origins since they've awoken as Arrancar, instead of viewing it as simply another stage of their evolution and progress. But that is fine in the end, the weakness bred by such idol hands made for a great meal.

Just thinking about it brought a subtle yet sadistic smile to Yekatarina's scarred up face, though she was quick to catch herself and return to a more neutral state. Those around her would know her true nature in due time but for now, drawing attention wouldn't be ideal. Eventually she would come to a resting area not far from the front entrance of Las Noches.

The ambient temperature of the room would fall by five degrees or so upon her entering the room and taking a seat due to how cold the air around her tended to be. Figuring she could afford a small break from her exploration to ponder upon her next move, Yekatarina sat at an empty seat.

"I do hope I can find at least a few worthy ones..Although I don't mind doing things alone, allies are useful..Hm" She thought silently to herself, crossing her right leg over the left, her foot tapping rhythmically.

There is a need, a desire to get stronger, but Morana had usually known of the place where she could get more substantial in power. Las Noches would be that place, but she avoided it until now since her annoyance at the small fry frequently challenging her because they wanted to devour her. It was a method to her desires, needs, and wanting to sate her vengeance, but she was bored of the small fry. "It'll take me an age to satisfy my vengeance on those mortal men and women that slew me. Hmm, Las Noches might be an exciting place to visit after all this time." Morana said to herself with an annoyed tone.

Morana didn't want to think for long about her decision about traveling to Las Noches, the home of the Espada and the Cero King. She hadn't ever chatted to the other residents of the Espada Home nor their king. Villages in the outskirts of Las Noches held some exciting rumors about some of the problems of the Palace. She doesn't know if these rumors are true because Espada rarely travels to these Hollow or Arrancar Villages.

Morana did walk her usual pace, which was usually faster through the White Desert to reach Las Noches. It would probably still take her some time to get there since the Desert is vast as an eye can see. She was lucky enough not to be that far away from the Palace in the first place. 'Those rumors are interesting. I wonder if they hold any weight to the truth or they are fictitious rumors. Only one way to find out is to check it for yourself is what my father would usually say.' Morana thought while walking to Las Noches. In her mind, her seeking power is more of a way to sate her neverending need for vengeance. Her count is high, and she wants to enjoy herself on the hunt to sate it, but she feels not strong enough.

Morana remembers the long walks on the beach or the walks to the park in her hometown. It felt like she remembered more of her previous life the further she got towards Las Noches. She held many regrets to herself, but she wants to eliminate all those people who caused her death and caused her family grief for her loss. Therefore, Morana looked up and noticed she was almost to her destination. It's like daydreaming a little help and sighed with relief.

Morana reached the front entrance of Las Noches and didn't cowardly fear whatever might be waiting in there. However, she felt the temperature drop by five degrees and made her feel chilly. Therefore, in a strange twist, she took out her Zanpakuto from her back, which unfurled into a Scythe, a beautiful multicolored one with a golden skull with a glowing number on it.

Morana walked past a woman who was thinking to herself, but she did hear the foot tapping. She gave this woman space, not because of what or who she is since she must be an Espada in the Las Noches. Her precaution was not allowing the woman to feel the effects of her deathly aura. "You must be the reason for the temperature decreasing. Hmm, I should probably give you my name. It's Morana Magliocca." Morana said, with her Scythe leaning on her shoulder as she is holding it. She did have a smile on her face, but it was towards seeing someone as strong as an Espada. "What is your name? Hmm, sorry if I look hostile." Morana said since she did trespass on Espada grounds.

Therefore, Morana resheaths her Scythe back onto her back underneath the cowl. It refurls and makes a clicking sound showing it is back in its sheathed state. She felt pleased with a smile on her face, but she kept approaching the Espada by her deathly aura. 'I wonder what this Espada is thinking? Hmm.' Morana thought to herself with her left hand adjusting her long pink bangs that got in front of her eyes again.

Yekatarina noticed as the new arrival entered the room almost immediately and upon seeing her weapon drawn, couldn't help but be disappointed. It was hardly the first time someone within these walls had challenged her within these walls, yet none of them were even close to earning that right proper. What a waste of life and resources.

"Yet another fool seeking death.." Yekatarina thought to herself as she followed the pink haired pink haired Arrancar with her eyes. She felt no need to prepare herself for attack, the girl was simply no threat. If she tried something foolish she'd be dead before she could even think to regret her poor choices. However, much to Yekatarina's pleasant surprise the girl introduced herself, apologized and put her weapon away. Perhaps she felt threatened previously and didn't realize who she was up against, thinking better of it? Hard to speak to her motives, but either way it was the smart choice. Although her manor of speaking wasn't exactly the most respectful, she was respecting the difference in their power, knowing her place: That was good enough for Yekatarina to entertain her question, at the very least.

Uncrossing her legs and turning to face Morana, Yekatarina lackadaisically leaned her head onto her hand, observing the new arrival with her own piercing blue eyes. "Sheathing your weapon was the correct choice, girl. You may call me Yekatarina." Yekatarina's voice was about what one might expect by looking at her: Deep for a woman's voice, almost gravely although unmistakably female, with a tone as cold as ice. Having now gotten a more proper look at Morana it was clear she wasn't a numerous or fraccion, so she was more than likely a wild Arrancar, much like Yekatarina herself until a few hours ago and that of course begs the question.

"What business does a little fish such as yourself have for treading such dangerous waters? You don't seem to have a death wish." Shifting into an upright sitting position she would motion with her finger and point to the seat in front of her. "Sit. Explain." Needless to say, she wasn't exactly asking. Having originally approached Yekatarina with her weapon drawn, Morana was already on thin ice though she had also caught Yekatarina's interest. Rather that was good or not, was up for debate.

Morana felt the piercing eyes from this Espada that was sitting down at her chair. Unnerving, it was but not as much as anything else in this realm that she finds herself in. 'I shouldn't make a mistake around this Espada. Or I won't ever fulfill my desire for vengeance.' Morana thought with the presence of requiring something to satisfy something. She notices the Espada had a pleasant look to her, sheathing her weapon and other such things.

Also, Morana saw the woman sitting at the seat, uncrossing her legs and leaning her head onto her hand while still gazing at her with her piercing blue eyes. "It was the right thing to do in this situation. Also, it's a pleasure to meet you, Yekatarina." Morana said in a respectable tone of voice. Yekatarina's tone was cold as the temperature in the vicinity. She sensed that Yekatarina got a sense of what she was by getting a better look at her. Wild Arrancar is not tied to the Cero King nor the Espada.

Morana hears Yekatarina asks her the most critical question, which she unwaveringly wants to answer. "I came to the Cero King and the Espada's home to sate the need to get stronger for the sake of vengeance. I learned of some rumors that could be fictitious or are the truth from some far-off hollow villages about something festering in Las Noches." Morana spoke with an unwavering need to sate her vengeance. She noticed Yekatarina motioning her to sit down at the seat in front of her, which she did. Of course, it was against her best course of action or judgment, but she didn't want to have her existence end right here only because of her deathly aura.

Morana sighed slightly at those rumors since they couldn't be true now, could they, but they do have some merit since none of the Espada travel to any of these villages. "These rumors I gleaned from these villages say there is a weakness festering in Las Noches. Also, these villages feel a bit left out in the plans of the Cero King, whatever they might be. None understands the king that sits on his throne doing nothing. Do you have any insight into these rumors? Yekatarina." Morana said with wanting to know her perspective on the matter. Indeed, curiously as she stares at Yekatarina sitting right in front of her.

Yekatarina cracked a small smile as the girl not only knew how to obey but she was showing something that had been rather lacking in her interactions with the Arrancar of Las Noches: Ambition. A drive for power. That internal need to grow stronger, to keep evolving. It was at the core of what made them hollows and so many seemed to have forgotten it. Yekatarina hadn't and it seemed neither did this girl.

Leaning forward she laced her fingers together in front of her mouth as she studied Morana closely. The effects of her aura hadn't gone unnoticed either, it pointed to the girl having a rather interesting power, something she could make use of. "I would suspect these rumors to be true. I met with Graven only a few hours ago and while it is clear the king himself holds great power, I question his softness. The numerous I've met among Las Noches have left me wanting and although I've not met the other Espada directly, I know nothing of anything they've done of note recently." Yekatarina spoke in normal tone, boldly unapologetic that she was probably going to overheard. She didn't particularly care, seeing as Graven was already well aware of how she felt.

He disagreed of course, but why wouldn't he? Her interlaced fingers tightened, digging into her own skin as she continued to speak, angered at the current state of things, at least so far as in her perspective went. "Las Noches has grown weak. We're supposed to be feared, the epitome of power yet we do nothing with that power. The Shinigami barely pay us any mind, I wouldn't be surprised if they have almost forgotten about us. This stagnation, this in action..it disgust me." For only a small moment her anger caused her power to flair up, more than she intended. Although she was quick enough to reel it in as not to harm the dome of las noches, it was enough to put cracks in the nearby walls and table they sat at.

Graven had already suspected she was holding back and hiding her real power. That little scene would perhaps only go further to confirm as much, should he be paying attention. Allowing herself to take a deep breath and calm her rage for a moment, she refocused onto the Arrancar in front of her.

"But, you seem different. You remember what we are. Hollows. We devour, we evolve, we grow stronger. Should we stop that course of action, we stagnate and eventually will be devoured ourselves to make way for even stronger hollows. It's how Hueco Mundo works, it's how our species survives. Do you agree with this sentiment Morana? Fear not, I will not harm you if you do disagree..I need to know your honest feelings on the matter." Yekatarina while promising not to harm her was telling the truth, though she was judging harshly. If Morana was what she seemed, the kind of Arrancar Yekatarina could respect, then she had plans to make use of her. Graven was entirely correct on one thing: Loyalty and trust is important and Yekatarina needed people she could trust, who's loyalty was unquestionable.

Morana saw Yekatarina cracked a smile for obeying and giving her an interaction better than other Arrancar possibly. Hopefully, those rumors were proven untrue in the back of her mind, but there was a tiny hint they were true. A bit of a hopeful, but she desires to become stronger than not a sitting on your morals type of person. She did that already and paid the ultimate price by being murdered in cold blood by a rival crime family from in the living world.

Morana stayed and watched as Yekatarina studied her and could feel the effects of her aura. There is always a reason for the way she acts around other Hollows or other wild Arrancar. Instead, she would let them live, but they will be devoured and killed if they threaten her life. Morana gave out a sigh when hearing Yekatarina speak on the subject of those rumors. It irked her to listen to the Cero King idles when he was supposed to be taking the fight to the Soul Reapers. "That's irritating to hear, Yekatarina. Idleness and softness don't befit a Cero King. It seems like I misjudged the rumors slightly from those villagers." Morana said with putting her left hand on her forehead. It hurts to hear that the most ancient being in the Hollow's realm is idle and soft.

Morana saw Yekatarina digging into her skin and angered to the point of bursting with power. Yekatarina spoke again about how everyone is supposed to fear them instead of ignoring them. "I thought, I walked into a den of hungry lions, but in actuality, I walked into a den of starving kittens. How irritating that must be the Cero King, above all else, should be feared, respected, and never ignored by their enemies or peers." Morana said with a pretty big annoyed tone in her voice. She was taken aback about the force of nature unleashed in that tiny moment, which Yekatarina let out her power. Also, she was stunned in unable to move as long as Yekatarina poured out like a fountain. Although, thankfully, Yekatarina reeled it in before shattering the entire dome.

Morana saw the cracks on the table and looked up to Yekatarina with a smile on her face. If anything, the only hungry lion that seemed left was the new Espada in front of her. She wondered if other hungry lions or the rest of them are also kittens starving in terms of the other Espada. Yekatarina did take a deep breath before she spoke to her that she's different from the others and knows what Hollows are.

"I've wanted vengeance for all the people who've mercilessly, brutally killed me in the world of the living. When I was alive, that is, but my living self chose to be a pacifist instead of ever picking up a weapon. I paid the ultimate price for being soft already, and I won't make that mistake again. In terms, I agree with your sentiment, Yekatarina. How will I ever sate my vengeance if I don't get stronger by devouring and evolving as all hollows should do?" Morana asked. Her question was odd, but her tone of voice was more in the camp of devouring, evolving, and growing stronger than stagnating. She had much time to think about the natural order of Hueco Mundo's works, and it would not be wise to change it. It's always good to meet a like-minded individual for once in her life as an Arrancar.

She smiled at the girl's answer. She was usable after all, although guidance might be required. "How powerful are these humans that you can't destroy them as you are? Surely a mere human, group of them or otherwise, could not hope to stand up to an Arrancar?" She sat up straight into her seat, her expression momentarily softened due to her satisifaction, although these humans the girl spoke of had garnered her interest.

"And what will you do after you've accomplished your goal? Will you be satisfied with your strength then? Is that all you want? The limit to your ambition?" Digging through her coat as she spoke she extracted a cigar. The cigar had clearly been carefully smoked on for awhile, being about half it's normal length already as Yekatarina placed it in her mouth, using a small lighter she carried with her to ignite the tip.

Exhaling a large cloud of dense smoke she would continue. "If you'd like, I could assist you with this task. I can grant you power. I can grant you vengeance. I can grant you whatever it is you desire. All I want in return is simple. Obey me. Unquestionably. Devout yourself to me and I shall grant all that you seek and if one day you seek my head or my seat of power..I'll even grant you the chance, should you so wish to try." Yekatarina extended her hand across the table, hanging it loosely and awaiting a response: A literal deal with the devil.

Morana saw Yekatarina's smile and knew she gave the proper answer that pleased this Espada. She was deep in thought for a second, but there was a smile on her face. When Yekatarina asked two questions about those humans, they couldn't hope to stand to an Arrancar. "Hmm... They were powerful in the reason they were a Mafia in Northern Italy. Those humans significantly hated my crime family in the same region. Though I don't know if they were stronger than an Arrancar or otherwise, they commanded many people to do their murderous intentions." Morana said. Her tone of how exactly she phrased her response shows she hasn't been to Northern Italy as she grew stronger in Hueco Mundo. So, she doesn't exactly know if they are powerful in the same sense as Yekatarina.

Morana hears Yekatarina asks more questions, but the first one interested her a bit more than the rest. She did take time in wanting to figure out the correct response to this question. "Hmm, I would instead aim higher. No, those humans are only a stepping stone to satisfy the one thing I want from them, their deaths and souls. Therefore, you are probably curious about what I want, and that's being an Espada in Las Noches. I don't think I am limiting my ambition since I am aiming as high as I can. Though I do need to eliminate my targets of Vengeance." Morana answered Yekatarina's questions. She only noticed the cigar after she dug it out of her coat. The cigar was smoked carefully smoked on for a while, being at the half.

Morana wasn't too fussed with the cloud of dense smoke since her father in the Magliocca Crime Family smoked in front of her. As such, Yekatarina spoke with an attractive proposition to her predicament. There are many deals to the devil, but as such, Morana had a look of interest. "I will obey you, Yekatarina. Devout myself to only you. I've been waiting for an offer like this for a long time. Hehe." Morana said with a small giggle at the end. She reached her hand out to Yekatarina's hand and gave it a firm, solid handshake. Her face has a great big devious looking smile on it since this is the only deal she felt she made the right choice. In terms, Morana's previous life would have never been so blatant or wanting to betray anyone since she was solely loyal to her crime family.

Yekatarina offered a soft smile as Morana accepted the offer. "Good. Now, come with me. I'll show you to the palace I was given, it will be your home as well. Hopefully you don't mind the cold, if so I'd suggest finding a jacket." Standing up from her seat, she turned and began to walk down one of the many long, white hallways. Morana becoming her fraccion was a rather good development. For her plans to come true, she'd eventually need to install people she can trust into positions of significance and this girl had strong potential.

Next on her list was to eventually make contact with the current Espada, get a feeling for them, see if any are worthy of their positions as well as what drives loyalty. It's going to get busy. Eventually, assuming the girl followed Yekatarina, they would arrive into a room that had the roof reflecting the sky and moon of Hueco mundo. The floors were covered in familiar sands and dunes, it for all intent and purposes looked as if they had exited Las Noches. However, in the distance towards the back was a single large spire which went up all the way to the roof of Las Noches itself, a spire made of pure ice. It was so pure and smooth it looked more like glass and as expected the room was fairly cold, around -6.6 Celsius.

"This will be your home for the foreseeable future. You're free to pursue your own ventures, just remember your priorities if I call for you. As for now, I have some things I still need to take care of. Settle in and we'll talk later Morana." With that Yekatarina turned on her heel, leaving her new Fraccion to her own devices for the moment. Next stop was the other Espada.

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Morana saw Yekatarina gave a soft smile in return for accepting her offer. She listens to Yekatarina speak, and enough she mentioned the cold. "Hehe, I will come with you. The Cero King is generous enough, and I suppose even though he shouldn't be idle like he is. Yeah, I am somewhat sensitive to the cold, so that a jacket would be preferable." Morana said. Her tone had a bit of disdain towards the Cero King, but he is generous enough, thankfully. She got up from her seat and followed behind Yekatarina. It is good that Yekatarina knows of the layout of this enormous palace or would have gotten lost in searching for it herself.

Morana was grateful to Yekatarina to become a Fraccion since it is one step closer to becoming an Espada. She could guess from their talk, Yekatarina plans a considerable shake-up. There are other Espada to figure out if they want to get stronger or happily play with their yard ball like a kitten. It seemed like this tour through Las Noches entered into a room that shocked Morana in its beauty. She could see where Yekatarina would be stationed and a prominent spire made up of pure ice. It was beautiful and heavily cold, which means she would have to get a warm enough coat to handle the temperature.

Morana couldn't handle the excitement of seeing her new home after traveling from place to place. "It is a beautiful home, Yekatarina. Thank you, I will pursue some ventures soon. I will answer your call whenever that might be. Hehe, I do hope those things are simple to take care of instead of challenging. I will settle in. Thank you, Yekatarina." Morana said with a smile. She did need to settle in first and foremost before involving herself with the other Arrancar. Therefore, she walks towards the Spire of where Yekatarina and her will be living for now.

'It's a bit weird. I dreamt of living in an Ice Palace for some time now, but having my dreams come true when I am no longer alive is exciting. Those rumors and those dreams in those hollow villages I disbelieved them up until now." Morana thought to herself. She was grateful Yekatarina was at the entrance instead of one of the other Espada. They might have killed her right on the spot for trespassing, and she would never be able to sate her vengeance nor get stronger. When she was alive, it seems like her luck is still going somewhat, but differently. As such, she did win a 25 million dollar lotto ticket once in a blue moon, but it happened.

Morana was exploring Yekatarina's Palace, and she found a jacket that was able to keep her warm. It would probably take her a bit before settling in properly since it's an enormous spire for one. 'Hmm, I wonder if there is a shop in Las Noches or something? Morana thought to herself. She hoped there was something to buy in Las Noches, but how some hollows or Arrancar are would be tied to material values. Since she still connects herself to the world of the living since her family is there.

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