God Yet Lives

*Lilith wheezes, grabbing her stomach. With her other hand, she swings at Mortal's chest area.*

S"You fight with all of the grace & skill of an asthmatic kid with Parkinsons."

L"Shut up!"
=======================================
<So, this seems like as good a time to ask as any, are you certified divers?>

"Nope."

--

Mortal takes a step backwards, at an angle to avoid the hit, "Hey, no boob shots." Since she dodged the attack she just kind of waited there for Lilith to pick another spot.

*Lilith headbutts her in the stomach.*

S"You're just full of surprises today, aren't you?"
=============================
OOC: I don't care whether or not this is true.

"I am."

<Well, it shouldn't take very long to teach you the basics, then you can dive with someone who is certified.>

Mortal elbows her in the back of the head, "That is retarded. Never throw a headbutt unless it is at another head, and never at a stomach. What, are you just now learning how to fight?"

--

"Alrighty then."

*Lilith rubs her head.*

L"I use Kido! And swords! I don't know how to fight hand-to-hand!"

*She then bites Mortal's ankle with her Hollow fangs.*
=================================
*Wetsuits are donned.*

E"You look good in that."

Noctis tinged a bit red, "You do too."

--

Mortal kind of flicks her leg around as if she is trying to get a cat to stop playing with her.

S"This is embarrassing. You should just stop now."
=================================
<Alright, so, you want to pay attention to the air guage. With the amount of air we put in the tanks, each line is about 15 minutes. So these tanks are good for about 2 1/2 hours. And you don't want to go up or down too quickly, or you'll get the bends.>

Mortal giggled a bit, "Stop it, you're starting to tickle."

--

/nods

S"Okay, let's try something else. Use your second form."

L"Bu I cann conccrol ich."

S"I'm sure you won't hurt any of us. Except maybe Aroma."
==============================
*After several boring lectures, they dive. It turns out that the rock formations are several tall pillars partially covered in corel. Euryale swims up to one & seems to hug it. Jim is just kind of swimming around in the background.*

Mortal starts kicking a bit more now, "Seriously stop it, it tickles, and talking doesn't help." Her voice was stern, but she couldn't help the small smile on her face.

--

/swims

Kira stopped for a moment and turned to see what was happening with his zanpakuto raised defensively at his chest.

*Noah jumps up to the top of a building & starts blasting in random directions.*
======================================
*After a few minutes, Euryale swims towards Noct &, after getting her attention, points upwards before swimming in that direction.*
======================================
*Senthose eventually managed to pry Lilith off of Mortal's ankle.*

S"Are you ready?"

L"No."

S"Oh. Okay. How about now?"

L"NO."

S"Ah. And what about--"

L"Oh, fine, just shut up!"

S"That's the spirit."

*More Hollow Reitsu floods into the plants and "wings." They start to change shape, becoming slightly more pointed & getting markings that look like the "face" of a monster at the end. This time, the plants don't grow to cover her body.*

S"How does it feel?"

L"...Different. The wings don't move as easily."

Noct follows, admiring Euryale from below.

--

Mortal shrugged, "Tell me about it," She said crossing her arms, "Wings suck."

Sab furrowed her brow, "Wasn't this the form you took when you nearly killed Senthose?"

L"So I am told."

S"You don't remember. That is just an excellent sign right there. The girls might not be familiar with the concept, but Aamon found that Soul Reapers infected with Hollowfication often developed a second personality, which they had to struggle with to control."

L"Aside from that one time, I never had that much trouble."

S"Your Zanpakuto is a tree. And he thought the persona was born from the spirit. I'm guessing the Hollow isn't very smart."
==================================
*Once they surface, Euryale takes off her mask.*

"Those are amazing! They told me they're the remains of a mountain chain that's older than the dinosaurs."

<They told you?>

"Err--in a manner of speaking. If walls could talk, you know?"

<Ah. Yes, I get that feeling sometimes.>

Kira remains in his place and watches Noah, mindful for any blasts coming his way.

Mortal laughed at that, "It is alright Lilith, you don't need to be smart to be strong."

Sab giggled at that, "I do believe you're a step away from insulting yourself, Mortal."

--

"Do you now..." Noct looked at Jim, "Is it other objects, or only walls?"

S"There is a profound difference between the Zanpakuto spirit & the wielder. For instance, Irukandji is immature, violent, egotistical, & jealous. None of which are traits I possess in excess."

*Aroma & Lilith are staring at him.*
===============================
<Ah, it's an expression.>
===============================
*Noah keeps firing blasts randomly. Occasionally, a metal feather darts a few dozen feet overhead.*

Sab is as well. Mortal is just laughing.

--

"I know," Noct said.

<Right. Glad we're on the same page.>
===================================
S"Hey, here's a thought: Why doesn't Mortal tell us about her Zanpakuto? Then I can silently judge every draconic stereotype it undoubtedly embodies."

"I'd prefer if it was. For some reason it has delusions that it taught man the art of war, how to make weapons, and taught women how to wear make up. The thing is batshit, and I can only assume one of the lesser souls I overcame when I was a gillian is responsible for it."

--

"Enjoying yourself, Euryale?" Noct asked.

S"I believe those are stereotypes of dragons. Lame ones. I bet any random Arrancar I pick has a better Zanpakuto than that. Aroma!"

A"Well...mine always wants to chew on stuff."

S"See? Hers fucking bites people! That shit hurts!"

*Lilith moves to take off her mask, but Senthose grabs her wrist.*

S"No. Note: We fight indefinitely in our released forms. You should learn to do the same."
==================================
"I am. Are you?"

Sab stays quiet, not wanting to talk about hers.

"Not really, Lilith was biting me and it only tickled a bit," Mortal replied.

--

"Yea," Noct said, "Everything down there is really pretty."

Jim<Too bad you can't see much other than blue.>

E"I like blue."

Jim<I thought you'd be more fond of red.>

E"Well...yeah. How did you know?"

Jim<Lucky guess.>
==============================
*Unfortunately for her, Aroma is curious.*

A"So, Sab, what is your Zanpakuto like?"

L"But I've never seen anyone sustain a Hollow Mask indefinitely. Eventually, it breaks apart. Even if you keep regenerating it, it decays faster each time."

S"Then you're going to be the first."

Noct lets them talk.

--

Sab looked away for a second before dejectedly saying, "It just eats grass, and jumps over fences..."

"Can you take your mask off?" Mortal asked, "Like, physically?"

*Aroma puts a hand on Sab's shoulder.*

A"I feel your pain."

*Lilith grabs the mask & pulls it off. This causes the wings to fold up & the vines to shrivel, becoming no more than a thin hood on the back of the mask. Underneath, her eyes are still black, her skin slightly paler than usual. The mask sits in her hand, the empty eye sockets glaring at Sab. Its mouth seems to open slightly.*

S"It looks much better on you."
====================================
E"Hey, Noct, I think there's something on your back."

*Soon after she says that, a pair of tentacles wrap around Noctis's ribs & an octopus slightly smaller than a soccer ball pulls itself onto her shoulder. It looks her in the eye, then splashes the water slightly with one of its tentacles.*