Ranged Attackers Assemble

Motaro quietly looked over the wreckage that had been left behind after the fight with the hollows. Several buildings had been destroyed, rubble was everywhere, and several windows had been shattered on nearby buildings leaving glass dust coating the ground. All in all he had seen worse battle fields after fights between Shinigami and Hollows, but that didn't mean he liked it. Luckily it seemed that the civilians had managed to escape when the battle started and kept any deaths from occurring. He was grateful for that at least. He tried to guess what the news media would report it as, usually they either said it was due to badly constructed buildings or terrorist attacks, but his mind was elsewhere.

He had seen many Shinigami in the past, and even had once met the Captain Commander on the day he became head of the Council. However, he had never seen them fight amongst themselves before, especially not at a level like that. And he had no idea what to make of that weird mask the one dressed in human garb put on. He had never felt that much power, and such a terrible power hollow-like power, before. He wasn't sure what to make of this discovery and honestly wished he hadn't learned about it. It meant that he would have to bring it up in the Council Meetings and see if there was any information about them in any of the ancient records. He doubted there would be, but even old myths could be useful.

He thought for a moment about just sending a request to one of the Shinigami that patrolled a nearby town to ask information from the Captains. Usually they would respond if there was actually a dangerous situation since they didn't like the Quincy interfering and wanted to shut them up until the problem was already over with. However, he doubted they would actually respond. From the look of things, the Captain hadn't even expected the other shinigami to pull out that bizarre mask.

He turned around and looked at the two superhumans who were still behind him as he dropped the reishi shield. He was still very curious about the Superhuman Overseers and wasn't going to let them disappear for a bit. "Well now that that fiasco is over I recommend we go somewhere else so we aren't branded as terrorists or something ridiculous like that. Would either of you be willing to go somewhere to eat lunch and replenish our energy? Maybe we could talk about the trials we share in leading a race?" He hoped that at least one of them would agree.

"Sounds lovely, it really does, but I'll pass. I'd rather not deal with a Quincy right now, nor do I even lead a race like Levi over here does. I just sit, smile, and work on my inventions. Oh, speaking of them, I think I should go fix it..." Akutore said, waving her hand behind her and forming a small disk of earth-element reishi, hopping onto it. The second she landed, it descended, disintegrating about two feet above the ground where the purple-haired lady got off, brushed herself off, and walked slowly back to her job. To any passersby, she hadn't even been involved in the carnage that was behind her: She seemed too calm to have been near it when it occured.

Levi slightly shook his head as he watched Akutore leave. He really didn't get annoyed by her (well, sometimes), and he really admired her passion, even when it was directed towards the something that he disapproved of. And this was one of those things. Levi turned to the Quincy, shrugging slightly as if this was a way of apologizing for his fellow superhuman's brusqueness.

"Begging your pardon, sir. Akutore can be a bit...anti-social sometimes. Levi smiled slightly as he said this. "However, I think this would be a good time for us to have a little chat. I suggest we go to a to a coffeehouse I know on the outskirts of town, one of the few that's NOT a Starbucks around here." Levi was also curious about learning more about the Quincies, as well as discussing the current relationship between them and the superhumans.

He also wanted to talk about that weird shinigami who had the weird hollow-like mask. Levi could still feel the chill that swept through his body when that shinigami revealed it. Make no mistake, that was hollow reiatsu. Perhaps this Quincy might know about it

As Levi waited for Motaru's answer, he glanced down to see Akutore walking away. Why is she acting so calm? he asked himself. If she wanted to allay suspicion, she should have been acting panicky or at least affected by the explosions, NOT acting as if nothing has happened. Anyway... Levi turned to the Quincy. "What do you say? That place also serves tea if you don't like decaf."

Motaro just chuckled as the other Superhuman sped away. He honestly wasn't surprised that she wouldn't want to stay to chat. He got the vibe that she just didn't like dealing with anyone most of the time. At the very least Levi still seemed interested in speaking with him which was more then he would have hoped for normally. He would finally be able to get more of the information about the other living race that had connections to the spiritual world.

"I would love to be able to see where this coffeehouse is, but I have a funny feeling it may be closed. People are probably going to be assuming this was a terrorist attack and those tend to close down cities. However, if you are willing we could always go to my work office. I do like tea, but I can't work my hours most of the time without the gift from heaven that is coffee. We have all kinds of blends to choose from and a nice lounge room we could speak in. Or if you would prefer more privacy we could always go to my office. It is one of the nicer ones you will find in the area.

He hoped that Levi would say yes. He wanted to get out of the area as soon as possible so that they wouldn't be implicated in the disaster. He could already hear the emergency trucks coming to the scene. "You can give your answer while we get out of here. I don't feel like going to prison today." He quickly ran from the area, expecting the Superhuman to follow him out. He took one of the alleys he knew would lead them out to one of the main streets. Over the years he had memorized most of the shortcuts around the city for times just like this, and he knew it would also get them close to his building. He could get his answer as they were leaving the area.

Levi was a bit startled. He had assumed that Motaro was a tea-person; he could easily see him sitting down on a chair sipping an Earl Grey with his pinkie extended. Maybe we can get along after all. He thought bemusedly. However, he too heard the emergency sirens approaching, and he didn't feel like being arrested or at the least questioned severely. He followed Motaro into the the alley and onto the main street he was on.

"I wouldn't mind going to your work place. I hope you got plenty of sugar." Levi chuckled to himself. His first cup of coffee for the day usually held him until the afternoon, so he used a lot of cream and sugar to help get him through the morning. "As to where we talk, I don't really care. I don't want this to be formal or anything. The lounge is fine by me."

"Well then that works out well since the lounge is usually empty around this time anyways. And I can assure you that we have sugar and cream. If we don't, then I think I may be forced to fire someone. I cannot drink coffee without it." Motaro said as he walked down the street leading Levi. After a few blocks they arrived at his office building. Several stories tall, it served two purposes. The first was to fulfill the role of an office for his video game company. The second was to be a cover for the Quincy Base which was situated beneath it. The creation of the whole thing was part of the reason why he was currently leading the Quincy Council. The fact that he was a good leader and extremely strong also helped out.

"If we do run into anyone, it would probably be my assistant. But don't worry, he is also a Quincy so he won't be surprised by anything he hears in our conversations." As he entered the doors he briskly walked past the guard booth nodding to them slightly as he passed. They looked quizzically at the American he had with him but didn't ask any questions. Motaro tended to bring in guests from various countries for business purposes.

As he got to the elevator he quickly took out a key card. It was a basic security protocol for the offices itself but also was part of the series of steps necessary to descend to the Quincies' base. As the elevator closed and they started to ascend he sighed to himself. "I love my building, oversaw all of the construction of it. Was quite an undertaking but I couldn't be happier with the results."

Well, that's good. Levi would have walked out then and there if there wasn't any cream and sugar to go along with his coffee. He looked up at the skyscraper that Motaro was entering. Huh, a video game company. I wonder where the Quincy base is? As he walked alongside Motaro past the security guard and other employees, he was curious about something, though he waited until he and Motaro were in the elevator before actually asking. "Say, do the employees or security guards know about you Quincies? Or are they just employed by the company?"

"Most of them are just employed by the company." Motaro said as the elevator made its quick ascent. "A few of them however at least know about us and if I can bother people enough I can sometimes actually get a Quincy or two to help patrol the building. But that has only occurred once in the past when we had some hollow troubles." Stepping out of the elevator he gestured for Levi to follow him.

They slowly walked by several offices where various employees were hard at work. Well at least they were supposed to be hard at work. Most of them were playing games or reading comics on the web. Others were just generally being lazy and taking a nap in their chairs. When they first saw Motaro they barely moved, as he was a rather lenient boss as long as they got their work in by the deadlines. However, they all sat up and pretended like they were working when they saw that he had brought a guest.

"I let them get away with way too much crap." Motaro explained to Levi. "But they all are fiercely loyal to the company and good at what they do. I also have felt that you got to be a little eccentric at least to work in this business."

As he opened a pair of doors they stepped into the lounge. It had several coffee machines on the left wall and several couches arranged haphazardly around the room. There was also a huge Flatscreen TV that dominated the wall at the end of the room. "But enough about my facilities, what about the Overseers? Do you have anything like this to serve your group?"

"It's alright if you're lenient now and then. Life's too short for us to grind our noses until we die." Though if I wrap my head around the shinigami's world, we turn into spirits and go to their world... Levi shook his head slightly, knowing that he'd just confuse himself. I wonder what people would do if they knew what the afterlife was like? Probably mass chaos, I reckon.

As they walked into the lounge, Levi was genuinely impressed. He wasn't impressed by the lavishness - he got a lot of that from the wealthier Overseers as it was - but everything seemed impeccably clean. There didn't seem to be anything out of place. "A very nice place you got here, Motaro. Though some of the Overseers have a lot of money to fling around, we're a pretty loose group. Everything that's provided to us is either owned by a hotel or another Overseer, but nothing that belongs to all of us." Levi eyed one of the coffee pots and headed over to it, taking a packet of extra-strong roast. "Since we both don't know a lot about each other's groups, I'll ask a question too. Does your company finance this, or do the other Quinies chip in?" Levi remembered that there was a Quincy Council, but he wasn't sure about how much influence it had and how much power Motaro had over the Council itself.

A wry smile appeared on Motaro's face. "Other Quincies financing this? Let me just put it this way. Most quincies barely have enough money to support themselves. A lot of them believe that a Quincy should only focus on defeating hollows and thus should not have jobs that could possibly distract them. Others just keep part time jobs or have lower positions in regular jobs. The Council Members are a little better with money than most of the others, but the majority of them also don't have much. The general rule is that if you want to finance a large project, you gotta do it yourself."

He walked over to the coffee machines and made himself a cup sipping it quietly. At the same time he walked over to a phone on the right wall and punched in some numbers. He figured Soma would want to meet an overseer, and he had another reason to speak with him.

"Even if they did have a fair amount of money, I wouldn't have been able to get much help in financing this. Some didn't like the idea of a Quincy leading a video game company. Others just didn't like seeing a Quincy "gamble" all his money away on a project such as this." He laughed for a bit. "Didn't stop me eventually becoming the head of the Council though. The fact that it succeeded was a big part of the reason they realized that I was a potential candidate for the leader position. After all," his grin widened. "Compared to stockholders, clients, lawyers, and nutty employees, hollows are simple. Just shoot them in the head."

After saying that he quietly thought about the information he had been given. "So they don't have something that belongs to everyone. Not really a smart move for their group. Having something that belongs to everyone or is a symbol of where the total power of the group is located is usually one of the most important steps in unifying people. Without that, there is a much weaker sense of actual power and that usually leads to problems. Its why confederate systems of government rarely work out, and even they usually have some center of power even if it is more of a symbol than anything else.

"Going back to your previous comment, would you say that the overseers are lacking in a bit of unity then? Or are you all just comfortable enough with each other that you don't need something that everyone owns?" If it was the former, then it would explain why the Council had cut most of its ties in the past. The Quincy race in general were fans of order and simplicity, chaos within the Superhuman ranks would probably have worried them quite a bit.

Noticing that the jet he and Thomas shared was getting closer to Karakura town, Natsu decided it was best to use the onboard phone to call up Levi and tell him they were getting close, as well as to set up a meeting point. He really wanted his input on what do with Thomas, and also he was highly interested in what the situation of Karakura was like after the recent Hollow attack.

With these things in mind, he picked up the phone and entered in Levis number. I really hope I'm not disturbing Sempai in something important... then again, this is quite a serious matter as well... he thought to himself. He also looked forward to learn more about Karakura in general, he hadn't been there before, but had heard that it was quite a nice place to visit. I should concider doubling the training I do in the morning as well... if we can find a place where I can use a striking pole and set up some weighted levers... Slacking off wouldn't be wise, especially if another attack occured...

Levi looked at Motaro with a slight smirk. "What do you think happens when normal people suddenly find themselves with powers that put them above everyone else? The Quincies have been raised to use their abilities to fight Hollows, but that's not the same for us. Not only do we come from all over the world, but we all have very different goals and beliefs. For example, some of the more religious superhumans believe that they have been blessed with these powers to fight the 'minions of Satan.' Levi rolled his eyes to show that he didn't believe in this idea. "Some, such as I, think that the Hollows are tortured souls that should be put out of their misery. And...there are some who believe that they can use their powers to exploit their own desires...people like--"

Levi was interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone. He looked down to see who was calling. Fuuga? What does he want? Sorry Motaro, another Overseer's calling. Would you excuse me?" Levi put the phone to his ear. "Howdy Fuuga. What's up?"

"Oi, Levi-sempai" Natsu said with a big grin on his face, even if he knew Levi couldn't see it. While he thought they didn't meet up often enough, Levi was one of the Superhumans that he got along with the best, asides the few clashes they had over Levis hair. "I really hope I'm not disturbing you in something important, but I thought you should know that I'm in one of the organizations private jets, and we're just about ready to land in Karakura. There are a few things I'd like to discuss with you, and Akutore-san if she has the time."

Pushing his glasses back to the center of his face a white haired young man would stand straight up from his leaning position. being idle on his wall for sometime had given him quite the sore back. It had been his break time but now it would seem he needed to return to the office. Right on time his phone would beep once before it was opened. The boy sighing before taking a few steps forward. Not really caring or worried about the large hollow raging towards him.

Nevertheless

A second before it would try, and sink it's fangs into the helpless teen it would meet a spear through it's mouth. The helpless teen simply looking over at it before the spear of reishi exploded. destroying the hollow completely. The kid would take a few steps forward before resting both hands in his pockets. "Mission complete." With that he disappeared from thin air. his speed quite easily mistaken for a Shinigami's Shunpo.

Levi was pleasantly surprised to find out that Fuuga was on his way to Karakura Town. Well, what are the odds? This is a good opportunity for Motaro to meet more than one superhuman. "I'm afraid Akutore ran off after the fight here." He didn't have to say 'You know her'; it was pretty much implied. Levi glanced at Motaro, showing a small apologetic smile for the interruption. "Believe it or not Fuuga, I'm talking with the leader of the Quincies here in his office. You can come by, and we can chat alongside him. Here' I'll give you the address." Levi did so, telling Fuuga the name of the office building and what intersection it was at.

Stepping into the company entrance Soma was greeted with the companies current standings in the market, and also the core of the day work. he simply nodded to most of the papars before one caught his eye. It would seem one of their major dealer had there shop destroyed today during the fighting. Most of there product had been lost alongside it. Soma simply thought to himself for less then 6 seconds before he barked out orders.

"Send them the constriction company that built this place. Have that shop up, and running by morning, no excuses, have Asoka send them replacement for all their stock, and send me the bill. i'll need that by the time I leave tonight. once again, No excuses."

Sighing, and entering the elevator, and pressed a single button Soma only exhaled in his solitude. Today was a very long day, and he himself had not been looking forward to spending unneeded money. however, he was sure Motaro would have done the same so it didn't matter. he would let him know once he learn why he was called back to the office so hastily.

Stepping out of the elevator Soma only gave the room a long hard stare. The employee instantly getting back to work. Their comfort time over now that Soma had arrived. Walking down the long line of programmers Soma pointed at things needed to be done, and deadlines to be meet. All before finding himself standing before Motaro, and a large man. Soma simply gave him an uneasy stare before focusing back on Motaro.

"You rang Motaro-sama."

Motaro just stared at Levi for a little bit as he listened to what he had told the person on the phone. A slightly bemused and slightly incredulous look appeared on his face as the Superhuman invited another one of the Overseers to his office. He finally couldn't take it and started laughing loudly. "Oh you Americans, you make me laugh. You just easily invite another member of your organization to my office without even consulting me or asking if it was okay. No checksto see if there was a problem, not even a question to me to warn my security guards to let him in. No, just 'here is the address, come talk to the leader of the Council.'."

Still chuckling he walked over to the far wall sipping his coffee. "I don't have a problem with meeting another Overseer, so don't worry about that. I will just warn the guards that another person will be entering the office. Though I guess I will have to have someone punch in the elevator code to get him up here."

The fact that another Overseer was coming to Karakura was all Motaro needed to realize that the city would probably soon have several more coming from around the world. Hopefully despite their differences the Superhumans would remain low-key and not need the Quincies to interfere with them.

(Will post replying to Soma after Levi/Fuuga posts ending their call.)

"Like I said 'if she has the time'." Natsu said, holding back a little sigh. Akutore was never the most social person, but he had hoped to hear her opinion since she was one of the most intelligent people he'd had the pleasure of meeting. She was also one to speak her mind on any matter, a trait Natsu had a great deal of respect for.

He quickly wrote down the adress given to him by Levi. "Wait, isn't that one of the pretty popular game companies? I never would've thought the leader of the Council would work there!". He couldn't help laughing a bit. "I assume you've got permission to invite another Overseer to drop by?" he asked with a smile. "Oh, and I think you should know that I'm accompanied by a General... Thomas Hopper" he added. Natsu hoped Levi wouldn't make too big a deal out of it, at least not until he had heard the reason for bringing along the mercenary.

Levi had always been an affable person; if he liked a person, than even if they had just met he would treat them as a friend. Thus he did not feel any real need to ask for permission to have Fuuga over, since he viewed it as inviting a friend to another friend's house.

"It's all right Fuuga. Motaro's fine with it. Just come on up." Fuuga's last words, however, cast a slight shadow over his face. Hopper...*sigh* Levi had always been worried about the bloodthirsty General, and now he had to face that issue with the rest of the Overseers. He wondered if Motaro needed to know about it or not. "OK Fuuga, I see. Any particular reason why he's coming with you?"

Natsu wasn't sure how much Thomas would pay attention to the conversation, so in response to Levis question he simply answered "As said, there are a few things I'd like to discuss. We can talk about it in greater detail when I get there." hoping Levi would get the hint that he wanted to talk about Thomas as well.

"Oh, and please apologize to this Motaro-san for me just interupting your conversation like this." With this he double checked the address, and noticing that the jet would land within few minutes he said "I'll be with you shortly. Looking forward to it Levi-sempai, and of course meeting Motaro-san." before hanging up. I wonder what kind of person this Motaro is... I hope we can get along with eachother... the first Quincy I meet happens to be the leader of their Council, huh? With this he let his mind wander again, waiting for the jet to land.

"OK Fuuga, we can talk then," Levi replied, rubbing his temples with his other hand. He was not looking forward to this conversation about Thomas Hopper, but he knew that it had to be done. "I'll see you then." With that, Levi hung up his cell phone and turned back to Motaro. "I'm sorry, Motaro. My memory's a bit short; what were we talking about again?" Levi wanted to get as much conversation done as he could, since he feared that the issue with Hopper would dominate the conversation when Fuuga arrived.

"We weren't speaking of anything major at the moment. Just discussing the differences between our respective groups. How yours is more on the chaotic, loosely organized side while the Quincies tend to be more rigid in structure with the Council and the actual Quincy Base." He looked up as Soma walked into the room. "Speaking of other Quincies. Levi, I would like to introduce you to my assistant Somachiryou Kazetsubaki. He helps in both the office and the battlefield fixing things up so everything can move smoothly. He is a great help altogether."

"Soma, I would like you to meet Levi Colton, one of the Superhuman Overseers. So one of the leaders of the Superhuman race. We met earlier today during the battle against some menos and hollows that attacked the city. I also met another one of the Overseers... but she was less inclined to speak with me." He frowned slightly remembering the interesting Superhuman. "And it seems we have another Overseer on the way to the office. I assume there is some kind of Overseer meeting that is occurring in our fair city." He directed that last statement at Levi. He wanted some confirmation to confirm his suspicions.

Levi turned to the Quincy that Motaro had introduced, extending his hand to shake the other man's. He seemed like a nice enough guy; Levi hoped they could get along well. "Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Somachiryou." Meanwhile, Levi's mind was still thinking about Thomas Hopper. He's a loose cannon, all right. But what to do with him? Levi shook his head slightly. Better not think about it until Natsu arrives; I'll just worry myself to death.

Turning to Motaro, he smiled gently. "Well, there HAD been a meeting planned out before...well, you know. I personally don't like being stuffed into an airplane for hours just to sightsee Karakura Town. NOT that the city doesn't have great places to see," he clarified, putting up his hands apologetically. "Akutore and I were planning on having a discussion about some things." Speaking of which, I should probably call her to reschedule our get-together. Levi shrugged that off for the moment. Sorry Akutore, but I can't let the Quincy leader just walk on by without having a good talk with him. Levi glanced down at his mechanical watch. When is Natsu coming?

Stealing a glance at the Overseer's hand Soma made no motion to shake it. Simply looking back to Motaro before pushing his glasses up with his middle finger. Making sure the motion was easily read by the SuperHuman. yet also hoping Motaro-sama didn't notice his clear act of disrespect. It wasn;t because of who this man was but because the sheer number of them was going to increase. Soma didn't like having so many highly powered individuals gathered in one spot. It made him think they were up to something. Nevertheless, Turning to Motaro Soma sighed before giving his report.

"The lastest increase in hollow has caught the attention of Soul Society. From my sources there was easily several powerful Captain class shinigami within karakura. the recent "random" attack attracted several smaller hollow looking to grab a quick bite. using the battles as a distraction to they could full up, and head home. I personally took care of them. Regarding the strange reaitsu that filled the air during the Captain;s battle we have no data. I'll be calling in Atsushi to handle things. Other then that your letting the employees have to much freedom again Motaro-Sama. Laziness doesn't keep the company running." Soma lifted his finger, and closed his eyes almost like he was speaking to a class full of students. Knowing he had said this many times, but Motaro would be Motaro. "In terms of the gathering Superhumans i hope this doesn;t create a problem as i wish not to take the life of an ally. If that is what you guys are?" Soma stole another glance at the overseer. Letting the weight of his eyes do the talking.

"As of now a few members are out and about helping the injured, and what-not. I have set aside an sizeable amount of money to speed the construction of destroyed shops, and homes. It coming from the my own personal account. As we know it several citizens were injured with only two to three losing their lives. As they were not yet fast enough to flee the area. We have prepared the families with funeral plans, and have taken care of all those expenses."

Exhaling for a moment Soma thought about the sheer misuse of power the Shinigami displayed. Not caring for the city or it's people. It made his blood boil.

"is there anything i missed or that you may have needed to know? I'm sure as you both were there you would know most of the information I told yet I wanted to make sure everything was clear.Recklessness leads to death. That will not be allowed in this town. SOul Society needs to be taught a lesson on how to use ones abilites without killing innocent people."

Motaro sighed a little before walking over to Soma. In one quick motion he suddenly brought his arm up and brought it down in a light chop on his subordinates head. It was something of a habit for him. Whenever he was annoyed with someone that worked for him he would give them a light chop on the head to express his displeasure. "Don't be rude to our guest Soma. While he is in this building he is my guest and should be treated as such. You don't start telling a guest that you hope you don't have to kill them either." It had been foolish of Soma to think that Motaro wouldn't notice his actions, especially considering how easily it was for the Quincy Council Leader to read a person's body language.

"Back to your report though, thank you for dealing with the other hollows who thought they would get under the Quincy radar. And I will make sure to reimburse you for the amount spent on the repairs. I assume you kept all of the information so we can add that to our tax right-offs, correct?" It was a rhetorical question, he knew that Soma would for sure have done so.

He tactfully ignored Soma's comments about how he treated his employees. They constantly went round and round about that and he didn't feel like starting it again in front of his guest.

"The only think I would like to know is what was with the two shinigami that were fighting. We all know that Shinigami aren't the best at cutting down on collateral damage, but I have never seen a display like that from them before. And the fact that two Shinigami were fighting is also cause for concern. I believe it warrants me at least attempting to seek an audience with the Sotaicho about it." While the Shinigami and Quincy were not exactly allies, they had always established a connection between the leaders of the races. Whenever a Council Leader or Sotaicho was changed, the two leaders would meet. And while they almost never had contact after that first meeting, in such an unusual situation Motaro felt that he had every right to ask for an explanation.