Spurred Into Action

There had been a bit of a lull in potential candidates, especially when it came to the upper ranks of her budding army. She'd hoped that word might spread a little faster, either of the woman offering immeasurable power in return for service and a scrap of loyalty, or even just of a lone shinigami running around Hueco Mundo. There had been a lot of small fair coming after her in groups, but they were easy enough to deal with. And she's even started converting the basic hollows she'd been finding into very low level arrancar.

The hope was that all of their combined reiatsu would serve as a potential lure for something or someone stronger to come and investigate. These lower ranking arrancar line the hall of the restored throne room, standing at attention like soldiers. Their obedience was as much out of respect as it was fear, as they knew she's cut them down without a second thought if they stepped out of line.

So there she sat, sipping some sake while sitting on the admittedly uncomfortable throne. Did hollows just not like comfort? Did everything have to revolve around struggle and conflict? You'd think there was at least once comfortable chair in this damned city, but she had yet to find it. And yet she perked up as she sensed something coming. Something worth her time perhaps?

Jerry felt the call. It was a loud, booming thing. Growling, rising static against his newly round and humanoid ears that demanded he run, run, RUN! Towards the wellspring of power he detected not long ago in the distance. The large Arrancar looked up at the cruel and unforgiving sun of Hueco Mundo as it beat down on him, oppressing him from on high as if daring him to rise above the discomfort and grit of the desert. Throwing out a Pesquisa, Jerry grinned as the call was getting closer, louder now.

As he ran, in the distance he saw what looked like some sort of castle structure or fortification. It seemed as if that was from where the blast of energy was coming from. The signal to bring him here was coming from within... But how should he greet it? Jerry was a shy Hollow, he didn't like showing his 'normal' human face if he could help it. That part was pretty much always covered in shadow... Unless he used his ability to change his face. Hmmm, this person was strong and they probably could give him a great fight if given the chance.

Best to put in a good impression. Jerry grinned as he walked into the hall through the front door, his platypus skull trucker hat was being tilted down over his face before Jerry raised it up, revealing a hooked and beak-like nose with narrow brown eyes and an amused smile. Although, there were a lot more people here than Jerry had expected... He was starting to feel nervous, which made it tough to talk. Which was a given, the platypus is an animal of few words. "...Hello..."

So far, every arrancar Bashira had either made or encountered had a unique appearance, and the individual who'd just wandered in of his own accord was no different. He looked closer to a trucker from the world of the living than a warrior seeking battle, but he still seemed dangerous nonetheless. Either way, it was lucky that he was here. She didn't have to go looking to find him.

"Well, well, well... It's not often that someone comes to me directly. Especially not one as strong as you seem. You won't hear any complaints from me." Bashira set her cup down and stood, a deep chuckle echoing through the room. Seeing that their leader wasn't on alert, the soldiers lowered their weapons. "I'll leave out the boring details for now, but you may call me Bashira. I'm building a little army and I'm looking for capable people like yourself to help me... Raise a little hell. Care to join me for a drink?"

"Well? How am I supposed to have a drink with this man if he doesn't have a place to sit?" She cast a look at one of the lesser arrancar off to the side, and it scurried off to a chair of some sort. Hopefully it was a comfortable one, or there'd be a position that suddenly found itself unoccupied.

Jerry loosened a half-coil of the tension he was feeling once the various soldiers lowered their weapons. The platypus Arrancar was all about a good throw-down, but it was hard to enjoy when you were getting ganged up on by a bunch of people at once. Ah! The woman was speaking, and... having a chair brought for him? Well, if he got to have a nice sit-down chat with some good alcohol, that was fine too.

Once the chair was brought out, Jerry sat down and got comfortable. "...You gave your name before. My name is Jerry." He bowed his head in greeting before straightening his posture. The motion gave him a chance to sweep his gaze across what he now knew was a throne room. What he saw was, again, impressive. Refocusing on Bashira, Jerry rapidly came to the conclusion that this woman was some kind of warlord, looking to build a fighting force. It had nothing to do with how the throne room appeared, though. It was more to do with the feel of Bashira's Reiatsu, like a boulder rapidly moving downhill.

"...I have questions," Jerry said, pausing for a moment before he continued to speak as his brow furrowed in confusion. "...What does a Shinigami want with Hollows? Revelry is it's own reward, but I'm curious..." Jerry's voice was deep and soft-spoken. You could almost IMAGINE him walking around with a big stick.

"I would assume as much. My presence here alone is likely cause enough for concern. But my primary goal is to build an army. One that will rival what the Gotei has cobbled together at the moment." Bashira poured a seperate cup of sake for her guest before refilling her own. After taking a sip and allowing the liquor to burn it's way down her throat, she continued. "My methods of running the Gotei were not... Well recieved. I saw the institute as soft, losing sight of its purpose, allowing high born clans to line the divisions with their members regardless of qualifications. And when I moved to change all that, well... Let's just say that's the reason I'm here now."

Setting her cup down, Bashira folded her hands on her lap, a smile on her lips that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Long story short, I've been exiled as opposed to imprisoned. Mind you, that wasn't the intention of the Gotei. Though my escape itself does prove my point. The Gotei has gone soft, lost track of its real purpose, lost its... strength. While I'll probably never return there, I can still force the change I wish to see. I'm building an army, you see. Of capable hollows whom I can turn into arrancar, and arrancar that already walk these sands. I'll either galvanize the Gotei and forge it anew, or burn it down so it can be rebuilt."

Despite the atmosphere, Jerry found himself nodding along to Bashira's words. Offering a grateful nod to the refill on his cup, Jerry took a sip and nodded. Good stuff. In any case, Jerry failed to see the problem with Bashira's logic. The strong ruled, yes, but they did so by REMAINING strong. Reaching the peak was just another step in the journey, working to defend it was something else entirely. There was a good reason the game was called 'King of the Hill.'

Once Bashira had finished her pitch, Jerry rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "...Tough love. I think I understand." The platypus Arrancar smiled in spite of himself. He was a being of hunger and consumption, yet he found himself drawn to this idea of 'Tough Love' which would inevitably result in plenty of war and battle very enticing. The hunters had forgotten themselves, grown fat and lazy. Now the beasts could revel with impunity. "...You mentioned building an army. Could you tell me what that'll look like?"