A Memorable Meeting - Prelude To A Plot

[Hiraeth]

Philippe sat in his front room, reading a book. It was one that he'd read numerous times, but for some reason tonight he was having trouble focusing on it. He'd read the same paragraph three times when he sighed and set the book down in disgust. He pulled out a pen and started twirling it around his fingers, a look of annoyance on his face. Occasionally he'd glance up at Stern, standing near the door to the room, in much the same way that another person would glance up at a clock.

Stern bowed his head after a few minutes of this "Sir, perhaps if you found some way to occupy the time, rather than sitting and waiting?"

Philippe turned away from him petulantly "If I wanted your opinion I would ask. Come to think of it, I didn't think you had an opinion. Is this a new development?"

Stern bowed his head again "If it is I apologize, it isn't my intention to have an opinion on anything."

Philippe sniffed "I should hope not. Now please stop speaking so I can get back t- Finally!"

His exclamation coincided with a switch in Stern's eye color from aqua to bright purple. Philippe slipped his pen back into a pocket and sat up straighter "Stern, go and get ready to get the door."

As his manservant disappeared, he surveyed the two leather chairs in front of him, a new addition to the room was a fourth chair to his left. The empty chairs waited expectantly.

[Mystic Serenade]

After her little "mission", she felt it was a good a time as any to go and meet the mysterious man she had met at the cafe. For now she was alone as Mani had said there was some business he had to attend to at the cafe, but he would join her later. After climbing a few flights of stairs, she finds the address listed on the card given to her and knocks on the door.

(Sorry for lateness, short but I had to plan out where I was gonna take this xD)

[Hiraeth]

[OOC: Is fine :)]

The door swung open almost immediately, revealing Stern, who bowed "Madam, we've been expecting you."

He led her into the front room, and stepped back as Philippe rose and clasped her hand "Masaki, please take a seat mon chere. Your associate will be joining us later I take it?" His lips pursed "My own associate is also running somewhat late, I can only hope that she hasn't forgotten about us completely."

[Mystic Serenade]

Once seated she removed her hand from Philippe's grasp, "Yes he had something to take care of, he'll be joining us later. You invited someone else as well? Who?" She had rather not have to deal with any unexpected strangers.

[Hiraeth]

"Someone that you will probably not be pleased to see, however I've decided that my best course of action is to be completely frank with you, I hope you will accord me the same courtesy."

He sat back "So, would you like to start, or shall I?"

[Mystic Serenade]

"Hmm, I wouldn't have it any other way." She placed both of her hands on her lap, one on top of the other. "I would like to hear you story first if you don't mind."

[Hiraeth]

"Very well, but I'm only telling it once so you'll have to tell your associate the details if he appears in the middle of it."

Stern entered the room with a tea tray, and poured Philippe and Masaki a cup of tea each. As Masaki sipped hers Philippe began his tale.

"You know of course that there are certain humans in this world with unexplainable abilities. There are those who spontaneously developed these abilities as a response to some unknown external influence, then there are those who are born to a specific clan, where the abilities are passed on through bloodline. The Quincies and the Undertakers you no doubt know of, they are few in number but their abilities to create and manipulate energy are quite spectacular. Less well known are a clan called the Qains, of which I know little, save that they have lately become active in Karakura. From what I can tell their abilities are focused on the manipulation of space, but I'd be guessing the rest of their details. There are of course other clans, although they are fewer in number, and much more secretive."

"My people are one of these clans. We lived for a long time in obscurity, avoiding contact with Soul Society and the shinigami. One day though, we were discovered. Sensing that we had enough power to become a threat they moved quickly, killing as many of us as they could find."

One would have expected bitterness in his voice when he talked of the shinigami, but there was just a kind of resignation, as though he just wanted to move on and forget about them.

"I must stress at this point that not all the shinigami were of an accord in this situation. There were those that felt that the wholesale slaughter of an entire race was wrong, they protected the survivors, hiding us, and giving us weapons to defend ourselves with."

"It was hardly enough. Most of my kind were destroyed quickly and without mercy, be they men women or children. Those that somehow, miraculously, escaped the notice of the shinigami were forced to stay separated from one another, fearing that to come together in greater numbers would draw the shinigami to them."

"A long time passed. Eventually a young man of my clan, still filled with a burning resentment for the shinigami butchers, came up with a plan to destroy them."

He paused at this point and looked at the dark liquid swirling in his teacup. "There are... techniques... horrible techniques, that we can use to increase our powers, but at a grave price. The young man united others to his cause, others as young as he was, who could not fully comprehend the cost of what he was suggesting. They began to practise those techniques, and so their strength increased. The stronger they became though, the more doubts entered the young man's head, were they perhaps wrong to meet the violence of the past with even more violence? As he watched his people become less and less human, he found himself wondering whether or not the shinigami had in fact been in the right in attempting to destroy them all."

"He tried to speak of his doubts to his followers, but they wouldn't hear of them. They were too filled with power, and a sense of righteousness to hear what he was saying. So instead, on the night before the attack, the young man betrayed them, he went out into the darkness, uncloaked his reiatsu, and led a shinigami patrol straight to their location."

"What happened next was unspeakable. There was a great battle, many of both sides were killed, but eventually the only people left alive were the young man and some of his strongest followers. When they turned to him for aid, he unleashed his powers on them, paralysing them, and leaving them for dead, although he couldn't kill them. No matter what they had become, they were still his people."

Philippe paused again, although his tone hadn't changed it was obvious from his expression that this story was painful to him "He left them there, fled from his home, from everything he had ever known, seeking refuge in a country with such a large population, that he hoped they would never find him. He knew it was a futile hope though, if he knew anything about his people, it was their love for vengeance and their propensity for cruelty. When they found him, as they inevitably would, he would be made to suffer, and then he would be destroyed, completely and utterly. So he lives, a doomed man, in a mansion that is a prison as much as it is a fort, hoping only that he can somehow protect the people that he has met in this small town, from the fury that will eventually be rained down upont them."

Philippe sighed and looked up at Masaki "So there you have it. That is my story, or as much of it as I can tell you. You are probably wondering why I haven't just kept moving and left this town far behind me. Well the truth is, since I've arrived here, I've been noticing that people of a high spiritual power are born here, or they travel here somehow. There is something about this place that draws them, but they are like young children. They are just learning to use their powers, they have no control, no finesse. This place must be like a beacon to my people, and if they ever get here, then the townsfolk will be crushed completely and utterly. I find this strikes some kind of chord with me, so I stay, though I should leave, and I try to prepare these people for what is to come."

He sat back and calmly sipped his tea, giving Masaki time to absorb his story.

[Mystic Serenade]

"An interesting tale, Sir Philippe. There seems to be quite a few similarities between you past and mine, though of course not exactly the same." She lowered the tea cup to her lap as she begun to speak.

"As you probably know, the Shinigami are also not so very fond of my kind and for the most part, we return that sentiment. Despite that, for countless years we have both existed, though separate from each other and for the most part leaving one another alone."

"They ran around maintaining their "balance", disposing of the most basic and weakest forms of my kind while we were mostly content with keeping to ourselves and our own matters, maintaining our position as the rulers of our chaotic world."

"However...one day that all changed, as they defiled the silent peace we had previously kept. I won't bother you with all the details, but they had taken our leader captive and when he returned to us, he came back changed. So much that it resulted in creating strife amongst our ranks, to the point where it had mortally wounded everything we had worked so hard to create."

"I fled from that chaos, unable to cope with all the different feelings pulling at the strings of my heart...I ran away from it all. Though, after a while I was able to begin a new life that helped me to slowly forget my past and be happy again." Her expression turned somber for a moment, "heh, though maybe I wasn't meant to be allowed such happiness so freely."

"Anyhow, personally I don't blame all shinigami for what happened; I have come to learn that practically all of them are rather...ignorant of what transpired. However..." Masaki's face remained as before, showing no change in emotions. However if one were to pay attention to the small details they would notice that a small crack had formed on the tea cup in her hands, "there is a particular man I've been searching for, one who I place a good amount of blame for that incident. Finding him is one of the things that keep me attached to this place as it seems he does show up around here from time to time."

She placed the tea cup onto the small table, "So, I hope when the time comes and this town comes into any form of danger we can be of assistance to one another yes?"

(Immensely late and a bit rushed, but lets wrap this up I suppose lol)

[Hiraeth]

Philippe nodded once at her question "Yes. Unfortunately I believe that we may need to unite our forces sooner, rather than later. My sources have heard whisperings of forces moving, no doubt my former clan will soon make their presence known."

He glanced up at a clock on the wall and clicked his tongue in annoyance "Is that the time? I was hoping we would have longer to discuss this, as well as meet one anothers associates, but I am expecting other visitors tonight. With any luck the group of spiritually aware humans currently in my employ will be returning to give me some good news." There was a pause as he considered this "Well either that, or calling me to get me to head out to their location."

With a smile he stood "I am sorry to eject you from my home like this, but I really should be waiting for that call."

Stern entered the room as though summoned and held out a phone for Philippe "Sir, while you were busy, this rang."

With a curse in his native tongue, the dark haired man reached for the phone, glancing up at Masaki apologetically "It was lovely to make your acquaintance, I hope we will see more of each other soon. Stern, please show Miss Masaki to the door."

He turned and headed down the hallway, frowning as he listened to the message left for him by Alex [in the Wolf Case thread].