LOG POST
Who: Aizen and Ulquiorra
What: ...I'm not sure. o.o
When: Before Aizen posted to Hinamori, and before Ulquiorra went to the human world.
Where: Aizen's quarters, Las Noches, Hueco Mundo
Why: We've never logged them before! :O
Rating: PG
Ulquiorra made his way to Aizen's chambers quickly, pausing only to confirm that his reiatsu was inside before entering the outermost room, sending his own out as a notification of his presence. He waited to be given permission to approach before doing so, hands in his pockets as he glanced around himself. Hopefully this would not take long.
Aizen looked up slightly from his reading as he felt Ulquiorra's reiatsu approach. He set his book down with a bit of a sigh and stood, walking to the next room. He spotted Ulquiorra and nodded at him, letting him know it was okay to step inside if he wanted. However, he did not really feel like talking at the moment. He hoped whatever Ulquiorra had to say would not take too long to communicate. "Ulquiorra," he said, looking at him. "Did you need something?"
"Permission to spend some time in the human world, sir," Ulquiorra told him, approaching near enough to see him clearly. He couldn't miss the strange pulse in his general's reiatsu, and he would rather not have to remain in its presence for long. He didn't like it.
Aizen narrowed his eyes slightly, curious as to why Ulquiorra would need to spend time there right now. He saw no reason for it. It was satisfying, however, to at least know Ulquiorra had bothered to ask somebody besides Gin. After a moment he answered, "What reason do you have to go to the human world?"
Ulquiorra looked up at him, his head lowered comfortably. "None," he answered truthfully. "I merely wish to look around there. It has been a while now." Hueco Mundo was becoming difficult to think in, and as long as he was fourth in Aizen's army, he wasn't allowed to drift somewhere else on his own.
It did not seem normal for Ulquiorra to want to go to the human world without a good reason--or a reason at all--especially after having scolded Sexta recently for spending excessive and unneeded time there. He figured there was a simple reason that Ulquiorra did not want to discuss, and let it go. He did not care to pry and play games with the Espada right now. "How long do you plan on staying there?"
"No specific time, sir. Only authorization to travel there and back again when I am ready to return." Ulquiorra eyed Aizen dubiously. While he wasn't acting any different from usual, his tone was off, and nothing about his reiatsu was anything similar to normal, nor had there been any significant change since the last time they'd spoken. The Espada frowned. He didn't seem to be getting any better.
Aizen still found the Espada's behavior to be a little strange, but continued to disregard it. "That is fine. Do not spend too much time there, Cuatro, and stay out of trouble. Though I'm sure I don't need to tell you that." Aizen turned to go back to the other room, dismissing Ulquiorra with a slight wave of his hand.
Ulquiorra hesitated a moment, then began to approach him, keeping his reiatsu low and non-threatening. "Ah. Sir. The shinigami's absence is still affecting you."
Aizen's shoulders tensed slightly at Ulquiorra's words and he stopped. He stood in silence briefly, then looked over his shoulder at Ulquiorra, turning slightly. He chose to ignore the comment in hopes that Ulquiorra would abandon pressing the subject. He turned his head away again, letting Ulquiorra know silently that he did not want to talk. "Ulquiorra. Is that all you wanted to discuss?"
"No." Ulquiorra stepped up to him, his reiatsu carefully tucked into a humble state. "She has been gone over a week now, sir. Will you be moving on soon?"
Aizen faced Ulquiorra fully, his eyes narrowing and his reiatsu flaring just slightly when the Espada did not leave. "I am... adjusting," he said finally. He had thought this was somewhat true, but it did not quite taste like the truth at all when he said it aloud.
"And how long will this adjustmant take?" Ulquiorra wanted to know, ignoring the flare. "We are in the midst of a war, sir. We cannot afford to fall prey to distractions."
"I don't know how long it will take, Ulquiorra," he said truthfully, suppressing the flare in his reiatsu. "If it were my choice, the adjustment would have been made immediately." Aizen looked at Ulquiorra, hesitating before continuing. "It is... difficult." He said the words carefully.
"It needs to be done, sir," Ulquiorra reminded him. "Quickly. The shinigami are using this time to prepare against us. Now that they know I am not Primera, their preparations will be more complete."
"I know these things, Ulquiorra. I do not need you to remind me," Aizen replied, his reaitsu somewhat unsteady. "I said I don't know how long the adjustment is going to take. When it happens, it will. Or maybe it won't at all." Aizen looked away from Ulquiorra, mumbling the last bit irritatedly. He was growing quickly tired of talking to the Espada now.
Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes in irritation. "I thought you were above this, sir. She was a liability to us and to our cause. She has been taken care of. Your attention should be focused on more important matters."
"You are making me repeat myself," Aizen pointed out irritatedly as he continued. "I don't know how long the adjustment is going to take. I am quite aware it should have been made immediately." Aizen looked back at him sternly, his reiatsu flowing into the space around Ulquiorra warningly. "Sometimes how things should be and how they actually are are different. I should be able to let go of her because she became a liability, but a part of me doesn't care about that, Ulquiorra. It is making it difficult to adjust." His tone was firm, though he did not like what he was admitting. It irritated him that he could not not care.
Ulquiorra only summoned enough reiatsu to hold Aizen's out of his personal space. The tone in his lord's voice advised against being brash, but he refused to leave him while he was acting so childishly.
"She did not deserve to be here," he told him sternly. "She did nothing but interfere with our plans. You are without the human girl because of her. You are stuck with this...cat...because of her. You are unable to focus on the war you yourself started because of her. You are acting like a pining, love-struck adolecent because of her. Sir. She is of no further use to you."
Aizen narrowed his eyes at Ulquiorra, watching him with a slightly venomous look creeping into his eyes. "You don't seem to understand, Ulquiorra. If it were that easy, I would have no attachment at all. Accepting faults comes with caring about someone." He stepped closer to Ulquiorra, making sure the Espada was looking him in the eyes. "As for the war, it is not her fault I cannot focus. That is my fault. No one else's." He took the Espada's wrist and lead him to the door, letting go as he gave him a push outside. "She does not have to be useful for me to care about her. Letting go is not as simple as that." Aizen stared dismissively at Ulquiorra, his hand on the doorframe. "I am done discussing this with you, Cuatro. Leave."
"Sir," Ulquiorra said, his reiatsu bristling at Aizen's touch. He turned to face him before he could shut the door, his eyes burning with irritation. "You should not have brought her here. I ask you to take care not to make that mistake again. Your subordinates are with you because they believe in your abilities; they will follow their general in his march against Soul Society, but they will not follow a fool shinigami in his march through his compassion. Sir." He looked at him for a moment before bowing deeply, eyes on the floor. "I am your Cuatro. I say these things in my interest and yours."
Aizen's reiatsu relaxed slightly so it was not invading Ulquiorra's space. He suppressed it until it was a dull pulse and closed his eyes for a long moment, breathing once deeply and collecting his thoughts. He opened his eyes again, looking back at Ulquiorra's bowed frame.
"I am not going to let my mood and this situation affect the war in the longrun. It is far too important," Aizen said, his voice softer than before. There was more control to his tone now as well. "But I cannot just not care about her. I understand that you re trying to protect the purpose of this war, and I... appreciate your concern," he said carefully. "But I can assure you my personal life will not cross the boundary to my ultimate goal in a significantly hindering way. They are two worlds, and I will keep them as separate as possible. My personal concerns may affect my attitude, but I will not let them block my path. I will try to move this adjusting along more quickly to save you my irritability, but it is difficult. I am not going to feign a pleasant mood when I am frustrated, and my focus may be somewhat off. I do not know how long adjusting to her absence will take either, or if it will even happen. Neither do I think it was a mistake to bring her here, only a disappointment that she did not respect my request to stay out of the conflict. If your concern, however, is in whether I am still holding this war in high importance, then your concern is misplaced. I will not let a personal problem put a stop in all I have worked up to." He motioned for Ulquiorra to return to his full height so he could make eye contact. "Besides all that, I do not like hearing you speak that way, Cuatro." His voice regained a bit of its sternness. "I appreciate advice, but I do not want to hear any traces of insubordination."
"Sir." Ulquiorra bowed again, briefly. "I risk insubordination in order to state my true opinion regards the manner of things. I believe true insubordination lies in silencing them when they could help." He eyed Aizen for a moment, his hands clasped behind his back now, and recognized that he wasn't dwelling--he was actively trying to move on--and that reassured him. His reasons for going to the living world were to expediate the same process for himself.
"Sir." He nodded respectfully. "I will go, then. Call on me if you have need of anything else."
Aizen paused for a moment and considered Ulquiorra's words. "I understand your reasons for saying what you said then, but I assure you I will not abandon this war. You can go." He turned to head back into his quarters, but paused, looking over his shoulder at Ulquiorra. "I am trying to not be so easily irritated, but as I have told you, I am in a foul mood. I apologize if my behavior is only irritating you and the other Arrancar as well, but I am trying."
"You should not apologize to your subordinates," Ulquiorra told him, head and eyes lowered. "We are here to serve you, nothing more."
Aizen chuckled. "I knew you would say that, Ulquiorra." His facial features relaxed a little and he managed a small smirk that had rarely shaped his lips in the past week.
Ulquiorra blinked. If he had been expecting it, he shouldn't have apologized in the first place. "Sir. I'll take my leave."
Aizen gave another slight chuckle when Ulquiorra blinked at him. His reactions could be so typical. "Alright," he said, shrugging. "I meant it though." He turned and entered his room again, closing the door behind him.
What: ...I'm not sure. o.o
When: Before Aizen posted to Hinamori, and before Ulquiorra went to the human world.
Where: Aizen's quarters, Las Noches, Hueco Mundo
Why: We've never logged them before! :O
Rating: PG
Ulquiorra made his way to Aizen's chambers quickly, pausing only to confirm that his reiatsu was inside before entering the outermost room, sending his own out as a notification of his presence. He waited to be given permission to approach before doing so, hands in his pockets as he glanced around himself. Hopefully this would not take long.
Aizen looked up slightly from his reading as he felt Ulquiorra's reiatsu approach. He set his book down with a bit of a sigh and stood, walking to the next room. He spotted Ulquiorra and nodded at him, letting him know it was okay to step inside if he wanted. However, he did not really feel like talking at the moment. He hoped whatever Ulquiorra had to say would not take too long to communicate. "Ulquiorra," he said, looking at him. "Did you need something?"
"Permission to spend some time in the human world, sir," Ulquiorra told him, approaching near enough to see him clearly. He couldn't miss the strange pulse in his general's reiatsu, and he would rather not have to remain in its presence for long. He didn't like it.
Aizen narrowed his eyes slightly, curious as to why Ulquiorra would need to spend time there right now. He saw no reason for it. It was satisfying, however, to at least know Ulquiorra had bothered to ask somebody besides Gin. After a moment he answered, "What reason do you have to go to the human world?"
Ulquiorra looked up at him, his head lowered comfortably. "None," he answered truthfully. "I merely wish to look around there. It has been a while now." Hueco Mundo was becoming difficult to think in, and as long as he was fourth in Aizen's army, he wasn't allowed to drift somewhere else on his own.
It did not seem normal for Ulquiorra to want to go to the human world without a good reason--or a reason at all--especially after having scolded Sexta recently for spending excessive and unneeded time there. He figured there was a simple reason that Ulquiorra did not want to discuss, and let it go. He did not care to pry and play games with the Espada right now. "How long do you plan on staying there?"
"No specific time, sir. Only authorization to travel there and back again when I am ready to return." Ulquiorra eyed Aizen dubiously. While he wasn't acting any different from usual, his tone was off, and nothing about his reiatsu was anything similar to normal, nor had there been any significant change since the last time they'd spoken. The Espada frowned. He didn't seem to be getting any better.
Aizen still found the Espada's behavior to be a little strange, but continued to disregard it. "That is fine. Do not spend too much time there, Cuatro, and stay out of trouble. Though I'm sure I don't need to tell you that." Aizen turned to go back to the other room, dismissing Ulquiorra with a slight wave of his hand.
Ulquiorra hesitated a moment, then began to approach him, keeping his reiatsu low and non-threatening. "Ah. Sir. The shinigami's absence is still affecting you."
Aizen's shoulders tensed slightly at Ulquiorra's words and he stopped. He stood in silence briefly, then looked over his shoulder at Ulquiorra, turning slightly. He chose to ignore the comment in hopes that Ulquiorra would abandon pressing the subject. He turned his head away again, letting Ulquiorra know silently that he did not want to talk. "Ulquiorra. Is that all you wanted to discuss?"
"No." Ulquiorra stepped up to him, his reiatsu carefully tucked into a humble state. "She has been gone over a week now, sir. Will you be moving on soon?"
Aizen faced Ulquiorra fully, his eyes narrowing and his reiatsu flaring just slightly when the Espada did not leave. "I am... adjusting," he said finally. He had thought this was somewhat true, but it did not quite taste like the truth at all when he said it aloud.
"And how long will this adjustmant take?" Ulquiorra wanted to know, ignoring the flare. "We are in the midst of a war, sir. We cannot afford to fall prey to distractions."
"I don't know how long it will take, Ulquiorra," he said truthfully, suppressing the flare in his reiatsu. "If it were my choice, the adjustment would have been made immediately." Aizen looked at Ulquiorra, hesitating before continuing. "It is... difficult." He said the words carefully.
"It needs to be done, sir," Ulquiorra reminded him. "Quickly. The shinigami are using this time to prepare against us. Now that they know I am not Primera, their preparations will be more complete."
"I know these things, Ulquiorra. I do not need you to remind me," Aizen replied, his reaitsu somewhat unsteady. "I said I don't know how long the adjustment is going to take. When it happens, it will. Or maybe it won't at all." Aizen looked away from Ulquiorra, mumbling the last bit irritatedly. He was growing quickly tired of talking to the Espada now.
Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes in irritation. "I thought you were above this, sir. She was a liability to us and to our cause. She has been taken care of. Your attention should be focused on more important matters."
"You are making me repeat myself," Aizen pointed out irritatedly as he continued. "I don't know how long the adjustment is going to take. I am quite aware it should have been made immediately." Aizen looked back at him sternly, his reiatsu flowing into the space around Ulquiorra warningly. "Sometimes how things should be and how they actually are are different. I should be able to let go of her because she became a liability, but a part of me doesn't care about that, Ulquiorra. It is making it difficult to adjust." His tone was firm, though he did not like what he was admitting. It irritated him that he could not not care.
Ulquiorra only summoned enough reiatsu to hold Aizen's out of his personal space. The tone in his lord's voice advised against being brash, but he refused to leave him while he was acting so childishly.
"She did not deserve to be here," he told him sternly. "She did nothing but interfere with our plans. You are without the human girl because of her. You are stuck with this...cat...because of her. You are unable to focus on the war you yourself started because of her. You are acting like a pining, love-struck adolecent because of her. Sir. She is of no further use to you."
Aizen narrowed his eyes at Ulquiorra, watching him with a slightly venomous look creeping into his eyes. "You don't seem to understand, Ulquiorra. If it were that easy, I would have no attachment at all. Accepting faults comes with caring about someone." He stepped closer to Ulquiorra, making sure the Espada was looking him in the eyes. "As for the war, it is not her fault I cannot focus. That is my fault. No one else's." He took the Espada's wrist and lead him to the door, letting go as he gave him a push outside. "She does not have to be useful for me to care about her. Letting go is not as simple as that." Aizen stared dismissively at Ulquiorra, his hand on the doorframe. "I am done discussing this with you, Cuatro. Leave."
"Sir," Ulquiorra said, his reiatsu bristling at Aizen's touch. He turned to face him before he could shut the door, his eyes burning with irritation. "You should not have brought her here. I ask you to take care not to make that mistake again. Your subordinates are with you because they believe in your abilities; they will follow their general in his march against Soul Society, but they will not follow a fool shinigami in his march through his compassion. Sir." He looked at him for a moment before bowing deeply, eyes on the floor. "I am your Cuatro. I say these things in my interest and yours."
Aizen's reiatsu relaxed slightly so it was not invading Ulquiorra's space. He suppressed it until it was a dull pulse and closed his eyes for a long moment, breathing once deeply and collecting his thoughts. He opened his eyes again, looking back at Ulquiorra's bowed frame.
"I am not going to let my mood and this situation affect the war in the longrun. It is far too important," Aizen said, his voice softer than before. There was more control to his tone now as well. "But I cannot just not care about her. I understand that you re trying to protect the purpose of this war, and I... appreciate your concern," he said carefully. "But I can assure you my personal life will not cross the boundary to my ultimate goal in a significantly hindering way. They are two worlds, and I will keep them as separate as possible. My personal concerns may affect my attitude, but I will not let them block my path. I will try to move this adjusting along more quickly to save you my irritability, but it is difficult. I am not going to feign a pleasant mood when I am frustrated, and my focus may be somewhat off. I do not know how long adjusting to her absence will take either, or if it will even happen. Neither do I think it was a mistake to bring her here, only a disappointment that she did not respect my request to stay out of the conflict. If your concern, however, is in whether I am still holding this war in high importance, then your concern is misplaced. I will not let a personal problem put a stop in all I have worked up to." He motioned for Ulquiorra to return to his full height so he could make eye contact. "Besides all that, I do not like hearing you speak that way, Cuatro." His voice regained a bit of its sternness. "I appreciate advice, but I do not want to hear any traces of insubordination."
"Sir." Ulquiorra bowed again, briefly. "I risk insubordination in order to state my true opinion regards the manner of things. I believe true insubordination lies in silencing them when they could help." He eyed Aizen for a moment, his hands clasped behind his back now, and recognized that he wasn't dwelling--he was actively trying to move on--and that reassured him. His reasons for going to the living world were to expediate the same process for himself.
"Sir." He nodded respectfully. "I will go, then. Call on me if you have need of anything else."
Aizen paused for a moment and considered Ulquiorra's words. "I understand your reasons for saying what you said then, but I assure you I will not abandon this war. You can go." He turned to head back into his quarters, but paused, looking over his shoulder at Ulquiorra. "I am trying to not be so easily irritated, but as I have told you, I am in a foul mood. I apologize if my behavior is only irritating you and the other Arrancar as well, but I am trying."
"You should not apologize to your subordinates," Ulquiorra told him, head and eyes lowered. "We are here to serve you, nothing more."
Aizen chuckled. "I knew you would say that, Ulquiorra." His facial features relaxed a little and he managed a small smirk that had rarely shaped his lips in the past week.
Ulquiorra blinked. If he had been expecting it, he shouldn't have apologized in the first place. "Sir. I'll take my leave."
Aizen gave another slight chuckle when Ulquiorra blinked at him. His reactions could be so typical. "Alright," he said, shrugging. "I meant it though." He turned and entered his room again, closing the door behind him.