When Collin was in the grasp of an explanation it was hard to tear him away from it, he had a very definite, I have started so I will finish attitude. But that did not mean he was oblivious to the world around him, he could see Gorina’s fading patience and her little mutter once he had finally finished simple prompted him to give a small, self amused chuckle without ever separating his lips. Her explanation as to why she had to be so direct also provoked a slight chuckle, but it was not of the same nature as the previous one. The first had a tiny hint of cruel humour to it. The second was ever so slightly more ominous, to a casual passerby there would be no difference between the two. It would take a keen and attentive ear that was purposefully looking for discrepancies to spot this small change. Even then it could be easily explained away. He then proceeded to answer her questions. When the topic shifted to how he had survived he let a small smile play across his haggard and unkempt face as he reflected upon the tale with obvious pleasure. However, despite this he said. “I’ll postpone answering that until I am seen to. It is a relatively long tale and I don’t want it to be broken up.” Then after a moments consideration added. “ Don’t worry though, I’ve worked out you don’t have much patience so I’ll give you the abridged version.” He was a little surprised however, at the fact that Gorina did not know when she died. Looking at her slightly quizzically he enquired. “Surely you were able to look at the paper work surrounding your admission to spiritual life. I can understand you not remembering the event. I imagine death would be a traumatic and possibly suppressed memory. But records must surely be kept, is this not the case?” Collin was unaware of just how slipshod the operation of the shinigami was. They could barely keep track of their own senior officers. The vast majority of spiritual life went utterly unregulated and this was something Collin had automatically dismissed as an absurd notion.

Once inside, and after having given the lad an explanation of his injuries Collin fell silent, not wanting to distract the boy for fear of the procedure going awry. He was tempted to make a slightly surprised observation as to the obvious friction between these two people, bordering on aggression followed by another surprised observation that it seemed that Gorina was capable of seeing to him but since it was not her responsibility simply palmed the job off on someone else, even though she had the time. Whether or not these observations were correct it resulted in Collin making the silent observation that these people were a shambles. True, on their own the seemed to be formidable fighters but they appeared incapable of large scale cohesion or organisation. In short they were a nation of warriors not soldiers. He made sure to remember this, it would affect how he dealt with the shinigami in the future. A few moments latter Gorina’s sarcastic challenge for him to impress her was met only with a slight smile and him saying. “Oh I will,” with an air of slightly cheeky confidence.

He was aware of Gorina’s shock as he gave his little demonstration at the expense of poor Hanatarou but was happy to have gotten this reaction. He knew where to draw the line thought, Collin was not so stupid as to make Hanatarou say or do things that could cause Gorina to attack him, he had judged things carefully. Once he had released the lad and explained a little more about what his talents allowed he in turn listened to Gorina’s reaction, he was not surprised and said as much. “Why am I not surprised? Still I had planned for this. There are several possible courses of action. One would just be to meet your leader, I’m guessing he is not as clever or wise as he likes to make out. Little things I have observed about the way you act lead me to believe this. That would make it all the more easy to simply influence him when I see him. Implant in his head the command to be favourable towards me, wipe out any memory of that encounter then meet him again at which point he would let me do almost anything. But that plan has risks a plenty. I’ll avoid that if possible. Plan B.” He then seemed to pause, looked to the side slightly as if contemplating his next move and then said. “Well, I think I’ll keep Plan B to myself for now, as well as plan C, D, E and F. You need not worry though, they are very vague plans at the moment. I lack the specifics to put them into action but that will change with time.” He smiled a little again, gave a tiny self satisfied chuckle. He stopped abruptly however, when Gorina raised her hand and he obediently listened. He nodded to her suggestion, glad to have the movement back in his neck at last and then went on to say. “I suppose you know best, lead on. It is true what I need are skills and an introduction to this crazy world. Your man would seem to be capable of both. I wonder how he operates and under what limits, he intrigues me already.” He put on a considerably warmer and more enthusiastic smile and was about to follow Gorina when he paused for a moment, turned and looked at the confused Hanatarou, winked and said reassuringly. “Don’t worry kid you did good.” Before falling into step alongside Gorina.

After they had put a little distance between them and the boy Collin snapped his fingers in remembrance saying. “Oh yes, how I managed to avoid you lot and hollows. Sorry to postpone that.” He gave a small collective sigh, as if wondering where to start. “Well as I said a few moments ago I can avoid being noticed. I can walk right past a person and they won’t see me. It is all about misdirection and perception without awareness. It worked most of the time, I just avoided fights. But every now and again that does not work at which point you can either fight or run. I ran if I thought I was incapable of defeating the foe, fought if I knew I could win without serious injury. As far as the running is concerned I am quite fleet of foot when I have to be. On top of that all I need to be is out of someone’s sight or not be the focus of their attention for a few moments and I can try the perception trick again. I am also naturally good at more conventional hiding plus I can hide in bizarre places you would not think of. Thanks largely to my climbing equipment. As far as fighting is concerned it falls into two areas, when I can use my mental trickery and when I can’t. When I can it is too easy. Often they have no idea where I am, there confused, unable to coordinate limbs, attacking their own friends or on some occasions killing themselves.” A sinister, over enthusiastic grin could just be seen hidden in the shadows created by his collar and the peak of his hat. This was followed by a small, genuinely amused chuckle before going on to say in those tones that suggest a laugh is always just beneath the surface. “There was this one time a hollow was trying to rend me apart with his claws, teeth the like. Simple stuff and he was a dumb beast. So I put him into a semi trance just with my eyes and a little tiny gesture of the hands and I had a bit of fun with him.” He then switched to a strange voice a little like a child with a lisp as if it were about to ask in the most cute way possible to go to the bathroom. “Now that’s not very nice, playing with sharp things is bad.” Reverting to his more normal tones Collin continued. “At this point the hollow tries to summon flames from his hand but I make it peter out by implanting in his head the suggestion that he does not want to do this.” Then instantly switching back to his child voice he continued. “Playing with fire is bad....let’s play with the hammer.” Reverting once again to his normal voice Collin explained. “At this point I handed the hollow a sledge hammer, he ceased it in both claws shaking like a leaf, desperately trying to avoid the inevitable but he just couldn’t slowly but surely he smashed it again and again against his own forehead, time and time over until it killed him.” Collin then gave another little amused chuckle at the tale before pausing for a moment and contemplating.

After a moment or two had passed he went on to say in a more matter of fact way. “As for when my powers of suggestion and so forth do not work and I have to fight conventionally, which is also when I am more likely to run, I am forced to resort to a combination of controlled desperation, innovation and brutality. Once again the climbing equipment can come into play here. You would be amazed at how you can kill a man with a length of rope, climbing pickaxes or crampons. Plus I will often use the environment or whatever comes to hand. Like the time I almost strangled a shinigami to death with a length of garden hose. Don’t worry he survived the experience. I wanted to kill him but I realised it would be a very bad move diplomatically if I did. So I just choked him to the point where he would be on the ground spluttering for several minutes. I don’t take kindly to people trying to harvest my soul. This was before I got back in my body as it were. But I realise I can’t take on anyone noteworthy with a hose that is one of the major reasons why I am here. A good friend of mine says I most defiantly have spiritual potential but I have absolutely no idea how to use it hence the need for conventional combat training or as close to it as I can get. After all my powers of suggestion can fail, especially when dealing with extraordinarily abnormal minds or people who are both incredibly focused and attentive. As I get better and better it is easier and easier for me to deal with people who are paying particularly close attention but the abnormal minds are almost impossible to work with. I could not work with a mental patient for instance. My skill relies on me understanding how the brain works, its habits, the norms and trends to which we all comply no matter how individual we think we are. But a mental patients head is totally screwed up and as such allot of the normal habits do not exist at all.” He wondered what Gorina would have to say to this, especially the part about assaulting a shinigami. It was a calculated risk revealing that little tit bit. He hoped it would establish some small element of trust and levity, plus the assault would likely be on record in his mind, he was still over estimating the organisational competence of the shinigami, so he thought he had best not hide it. But it was perfectly possible for her to attack him at once. After all he was rapidly forming the opinion that the shinigami were not at all understanding.

((sorry for the extensive dellay, uni took a while to get it self in line as it were, I still have not ironed out all the kinks but I should be over the hump.))

Gorina’s obvious displeasure at his sudden outburst did nothing to alleviate the situation, indeed it could easily have made things worse. Once this aggressive and confrontational side of his nature reared its ugly head any attempt to subdue it by force or intimidation merely made this mood more entrenched and harder to deal with. Indeed it was only Collin’s determination to make a favourable intention that stopped him getting far more disagreeable. Nevertheless there was a moment, a moment, a tiny moment whilst Gorina’s eyes narrowed and she seemed about to growl when Collin looked back with a face that seemed about to bite her nose off. But all of this was gone almost as quickly as it came and Collin most certainly was not going to draw attention to it. Her silence following his apology was not well received, though it did not lead to another outburst. Collin merely waited for a diplomatic amount of time by the end of which she had yet to say something and so he silently raised a single eyebrow as if saying, ‘charmer aren’t you’ in a sarcastic tone of voice. In a few moments Gorina was going to get a miniscule glimpse into one of the four core reasons Collin was useful. He picked up on the tiny little gestures in her face which are more often than not unnoticed by the person making them. In particular he noticed her slight shock and confusion at the word shrapnel. He looked at her more fully now as they were walking along and said quite casually and with a slight smile. “Why are you so surprised?” Then after a slight shrug of the shoulders added. “Shrapnel related injuries are some of the most common battlefield injuries if not the most common.” Then as an afterthought added. “We could embark upon a lengthily discussion about the meaning of shrapnel even in the most strict sense it is still used today in improvised devices though major armies dropped it just before world war two. But usually when you hear the word it is a blanket term which covers all fragmentation based weapons, flying debris and any nasty little pieces of metal that can get lodged in your body or rip your limbs off.” His tone was somewhat strange towards the end when it seemed to rise into an almost jovial pitch as if he were one step away from giving a tiny little laugh. This was immediately followed by a slight sigh and a shake of the head. “Good old Henry Shrapnel, Lieutenant General Shrapnel sorry. He was one of the great unsung heroes of history. Pioneer of modern artillery methods and ammunition, invented new sighting mechanisms. One of the first men to develop and successfully use rocket artillery and rocketry in general and was responsible for making them much more accurate. Played a massive role in the invention of breach loading weapons and increasing the practicality of the rifle. Modern warfare owes a great debt to Henry Shrapnel.” He followed this with a slight sigh, a contemplative look and then the idle thought. “I wonder what he’s doing now, chance he is one of you lot are very slim just going by the statistics hum.......I wonder.” He then gave a little dismissive humph and shrugged his shoulders. He instantly regretted this as he gave a sharp wince but did not complain any further.

Not long after, as the pair were walking along, Gorina started her cross examination. Collin glanced at her before turning to look dead ahead saying. “Direct aren’t you?” Before going on to answer her question. “ Well, I’m twenty two, egging on for twenty three. I died six months ago, give or take a few days. I know that is not that long but it is enough time for me to realise I needed to be here and enough time to get here, especially since I did not have the luxury of air travel.” His answer was almost as direct as her questioning though he could not help but throw in a little embellishment, that was just his conversational nature. He then turned this vein of questioning on Gorina, though in a far more casual manner . “So, how long since you copped it Gorina? Roughly speaking. After all you aren’t going to be all that familiar with what happened after that date. True you will probably grasp the big picture but I would put money on the fact you would not know the finer points and the more subtle changes since then.” After all, it would be a useful piece of info to know so he knew what to explain and what cultural level to pitch at.
Not long after they arrived at Hanatarou’s location and Collin was more than happy to stand just a few paces behind Gorina and let the boy flounder for a bit. He was wearing a slight smile even as the boy was instructed to patch him up and in a reassuring tone Collin just said. “Don’t worry lad I’m in on the joke.” He began to walk over to the boy when he heard Gorina’s growl a little way behind him. Turning slowly to look at the woman he watched her wordlessly for a moment or two, tempted to make a cheeky remark but smart enough to keep his mouth shut. So he just silently turned around again and followed Hanatarou as instructed. He did not stop even when Gorina asked him about his family. He just kept on walking and said levelly. “That is not relevant.” It was a short statement and promptly put an end to her enquiry into the subject. But his complete lack of chattiness or general willingness to engage in banter hinted at the idea that through sheer blind firing Gorina had hit a major nerve. She would be well advised to back off from the subject until she knew him better, if she ever got to know this somewhat bizarre man better.

A distinct chill had now settled over Collin and it showed, his smile he had worn to lighten the mood and establish rapport had suddenly vanished, to be replaced by a firm frown and a look of grim intensity. How long this would last was anyone’s guess but it would likely be clear, especially to Gorina who had seen it mere minutes before, that the grumpy irritable bugger who bubbled just below the surface was in serious danger of rising up again in full force. Indeed Hanatarou’s question about how the injury occurred was answered with simple facts and in a blunt tone. Whist previously the reply would have been full of jovial, self deprecating humour and littered with slightly comic praise about Gorina. Sitting down with a distinctive flop he replied. “I was sliding down a drain pipe, whilst doing this the pipe came free of its moorings. I tumbled to the ground landing upon my back. My substantial pack took the brunt of the blow significantly reducing any damage I may have received . I belive my injuries are primarily related to my head or nearby areas since the precautions I took to protect my head, namely holding it up with both hands on the back, were clearly woefully inadequate. As such my head snapped back sharply upon impact. Currently I believe I am suffering from concussion and there is distinct discomfort heading towards pain whenever I move my head or shoulders.” He said nothing further for some time and would let the boy get on with his work. Collin closed his eyes, not because he was tired or wanted to ignore the medical treatment but because he was trying to force himself to be jovial again or at least find some way out of this rut he found himself in where he was not only grumpy but also seemingly useless and in dire danger of being dumped.

Suddenly inspiration hit him and he instantly perked up and with a snap of the fingers declared. “I’ll tell you what. After I’m all mended by our fine friend here I will show you, yes you.” At this moment he gestured to Gorina and he seemed to have something of the air of a fair ground ride owner about him. It was as if at any moment he would bark out the phrase ‘step right up, step right up’ but managed to avoid that. “I will show you one of the many, myriad, multiple, marvellous, magnificent, monumental and momentous reasons to keep me, your loveable Collin, hanging around.” He then smiled in an almost cheeky manner and winked at Gorina. Now, in stark contrast to a few minutes ago, he seemed visibly animated and even though he was sitting down he seemed to buzz. However, he gradually calmed from buzzing to merely enthused whilst Hanatarou worked his magic. During this time Collin was perfectly open to conversation, provided Gorina had the wit to stay away from the obviously sensitive ground of family.

But one the boy was done patching Collin up Collin stretched out his left hand and cease the boy gently by the wrist and then placed Hanatarou’s hand gently in his own and shook hands saying. “Thanks old chap, won’t forget that.” Whilst Collin was being honest about that, and was the sort of man who never forgot a favour, or indeed a grudge, the hand shaking was a way of setting up what was about to happen. Using his grip on the boy Collin applied a series of rapid and subtle micro changes in pressure, this was coupled with a deep eye contact and an unusually calm tone of voice for the fact he was thanking the man. The sum total of this was that the boy looked even more limp and glazed over than usual before straightening up slightly once Collin had let go. Collin continued speaking in his calm and level tones. “Hanatarou. Detail for me the physical defences surrounding your stronghold.” Collin made a guess at the fact that the shinigami would have a stronghold, he did not know this for sure but they seemed traditional in nature and would thus have a stronghold, which of course turned out to be correct. Hanatarou went on to give his answer in a voice that was distinctly his but devoid of the normal timidness and hesitancy that marked his way of speaking. “ Named the seireitei it is a large collection of buildings larger than many towns or cities. It is surrounded by a large wall with four gates placed at points of the compass. The design of the wall is unremarkable however the material from which it is made negates spiritual build up and discharge both against it or within it. This also projects a sphere or bubble of an invisible nature right around the seireitei . This sphere prevents entrance of any spiritual being or item both above and below ground.” Collin went on to ask. “Is this wall designed to withstand spiritual attacks specifically and are the other qualities of this material similar to stone? Furthermore is there a sewer system?” The boys answer was instant. “It is specifically designed to withstand attacks of a spiritual nature and, as far as I am aware, it is similar to stone in every other way. Also the seireitei has a large and extensive sewer system, connected at certain key points to the wider system of the settlements around.” Collin looked towards Gorina, saying with a smile. “So you are almost defenceless against conventional living world weaponry. Stone may be able to negate spirit based attacks but would crumble against a shaped charge. Furthermore, once in the sewer system would allow enemy forces to pop up randomly, without warning and vanish again, whilst the sewers themselves would be near impossible to police or monitor. Plus I am willing to wager if you create a hole in the wall then a hole in the bubble also appears.” Turning back to Hanatarou Collin went on to say. “Picture in your mind the layout of the sewer system.” Then, ceasing the boys wrist with one hand Colin grabbed pen and paper with the other, closed his eyes and went on to draw an accurate plan of the sewers, a few service tunnels were missing but it was still startlingly accurate. He handed the plans to Gorina, he was not planning an assault or anything akin to it, this was merely a demonstration with an unwitting victim.

Collin the released his grip and instead placed his hands either side of the boys face and massaged it gently. Eventually Collin let go and a few moments latter Hanatarou would wake up, as it were, with his latest memory being of shaking Collin’s hand, everything else was a blank. Standing up Collin looked over to Gorina and said with a slightly cheeky smile. “That was not difficult, and not related to my spiritual abilities. You have no idea what I can do in that field. I can put people in a trance from a distance, make them hand over state secrets, attack their friends. Implant sleeper commands for people to go berserk weeks after. Control peoples actions through leading. Gauge people reactions and thoughts through micro gestures on their face. Paralyze people so they can’t move their legs or arms or edit myself out of their perception. Fall into a consciousness black spot. I won’t be invisible but I could dance around and they just would not notice me. Of course these things can require time or other circumstances to be true but you get the idea. Imagine how useful that skill alone would be to you people.” He perked an eyebrow at the end of this as if asking her to prove him wrong, to challenge him on this and also to ask the question that if this is what he could do without using any kind of spiritual force just what he might be like if he was trained in spiritual combat. It was true he had phrased his words in a light that was very favourable but he had not lied or exaggerated his abilities and you could tell he knew he was special. But hey, at least he avoided being an arrogant sod.

((I am sorry I took so long, longer than you. As a result this post may be a bit choppy. I wrote a bit a day you see, not in one big chunk. As such some may seem rushed or the style may be inconsistent. Please forgive me if this is true. I just moved up to uni you see, the packing, unpacking etc kind of got in the way. As for your post it was fine, better than fine, brilliant. I hope you are better by the way.))

Thankfully Collin was sufficiently un injured so as not to be annoyed at Gorina not doing anything to help him as soon as he hit the ground, that and he was so disorientated he barely noticed anything happening outside his own body. However, he would not have accepted the, I did not expect you to see me, excuse as any good. Collin would have taken the attitude that, where practicable you should help, even if no one knew you were doing it. But that is a side issue, besides he would also not have created a fuss simply because he needed to be in her good books. Her little tail wag at him noting not to jump off roofs went unnoticed, partly because he still though the tail was a symptom of a blow to his head and partly because the world was little more than blurry shapes at this point and so a little wag was invisible. When he had at last drawn close enough to speak to her he was slightly thrown by her utterly serious reaction to his light hearted remark. He responded to this by pausing for just a moment and then giving a sharp, yet slight “hum.” As if saying, well all right then, but he made nothing more of it. As for the blatant disregard of his own well being, he did need to see a medical professional and likely quite quickly as well, it was due to him wanting to make the good impression he so desperately needed. He did not want his introduction to be a request for medical help. Furthermore conversation, if only a few sentences, was a definite foot in the door and he hoped would get this woman to show an interest in him, lead to an introduction or two and generally get him established in local spiritual circles.

He gave a snort, he gave a lot of those, in answer to Gorina’s casual dismissal of her efforts in defeating the hollow before retorting. “Suppose? No Suppose about it, I was immobile for a good little while. I’d have survived, I always seem to manage that but whether or not I would have made it with all my limbs attached is another matter.” A gave another tiny monosalybic and self deprecating laugh, he gave a lot of those as well. He did not care whether or not she did it on purpose he was still going to thank her, only polite. He briefly noted her discomfort at being offered a bloody hand, but more importantly he noted the almost instinctive way she reacted. Most people would take a single step back, perk an eyebrow or lodge some verbal objection, but she seemed to scrunch up her nose and almost recoil like a dog which had had something particularly unpleasant presented to it. But he did not have long to register this fact before devoting all his attention to his rummaging, her lack of patience went utterly unseen.

The introductions and exchanging of names was also something of a jar for Collin, though not so much as you would notice. It was rapidly becoming apparent that his little displays of humour and with were being unappreciated. Perhaps it was the blow to the head, he thought, after all he could not have been at his best right now. Therefore his only reaction to her utterly flat response was another little. “Hum.” Personally he hated the name and had seriously considered changing it by deed poll but he could not quite bring himself to do it for reasons that might be explored later. When it came to her name he repeated it back to her after her little pronunciation guide. “Gorina.” He said levelly and without any problems. “I fail to see any difficulty there.” Then added in a slightly different tone. “Have you ever considered the possibility that they may being butchering your name to insult you?” He then gave a tiny little laugh, not at her but at himself and his own memories before adding. “ Ah, back in the day, the kids at school used to call me Colon all the time. I know it doesn’t really make sense but ten out of ten for effort.” This was another attempt to lighten the mood, he had not totally given up on those yet and it was something of an automatic response to tense social situations and though Gorina may have been relaxed he was not.

As she looked to inspect the man more closely she would see that the man seemed to be quite a scruffy, messy fellow though this was not by choice. His hair was totally obscured by his black pacite hat so there was nothing to be seen there. The rest of his face however, was for a brief moment, totally visible. Most noticeable was the layer of rough stubble present on the man’s chin. Not yet enough to be called any sort of beard but it had been clearly left unattended for some days. His face, though devoid of dirt and other blemishes such as spots, did seem worn grey and rough, as if it had only received the most rudimentary of care. Not only that but it seemed grey and tired as if he had not slept in about a month. Not only that he seemed a little under nourished with sunken cheeks and eyes and his bone structure was clearly visible, he was thin faced and the best of times but now he looked positively starved. His almost shocking blue eyes seemed only to counterpoint all of this and though for the moment they were bright and energetic with enthusiasm and the desire to make a good first impression closer inspection would reveal that they resided in dull grey pits with great bags under them. Not only that but he seemed to possess some frown lines which should not have existed on a man his age. Add all of this together and he looked like a man in his late thirties who did not much care about himself when in fact Collin was in his mid to early twenties and seriously down on his luck. Gorina may have been able to put two and two together, matching his haggard appearance with his worn but well maintained hiking gear which it seemed were is only clothes and come to the conclusion that he had walked allot of the way here and certainly did not have any fixed place of residence. Quite where he was walking from was unclear but it did give a reason for his unkempt appearance. After all a long term hiker has to cut down on washing, shaving, good food and other luxuries, Collin was limited to what he could carry on his back.

He then gave a slight “ah” of understanding when she explained that she was born with the tail and then going on to say. “Well, that’s something of a relief, I thought I had hit my head a tad too hard.” He then hastily went on to add, for fear of causing offence. “Very nice though I’m sure, I am not really a connoisseur of tails but...” Words seemed to fail him at this point, his head was still giving him some trouble, so he simply made an affirming noise and gave his sign of approval via a thumbs up. Several questions then popped into his mind running along the lines of parentage, spiritual makeup, medical defects or any other factors that may answer the question as to why she had this tail. However, since bringing up the tail at all would have been rude in his book asking invasive questions about why it existed would have been extraordinarily rude so he kept his mouth shut. He looked a little crestfallen when she seemed to stagger and recoil at the idea that he was here to help and this must of pushed one of his buttons and provoked the grumpy, irritable and cynical bastard that ran alongside the cheery disposition he was trying to present. This was disregarding the third major mindset he adopted when at work but that was not yet apparent. “Don’t look so bloody surprised! Why else would I be here and have spent over three months travailing six thousand bloody miles to fetch up in this godforsaken place! I’m here to do a job and by hell I’m going to do it!” Of course she had little reason to know he had spent that long getting here but outbursts like these tend to be devoid of a certain amount of reason. None the less he managed to subdue himself very quickly and return to, his now seemingly forced, pleasant disposition saying. “Ah, yes sorry about that. I’m a little frayed at the moment, forgive me.” He seemed genuinely sorry about his little moment of annoyance and he hoped, hoped, that would put an end to the matter. Before moving on to extend his hand in a jovial manner as he had intended.

In another effort to be polite, and certainly make up for his earlier blunder, he decided not to explain what the extended hand was for, nor did he take it as an insult. He just left it there for a few moments and when she refused to shake it he merely looked at his palm for a moment and then withdrew his hand with another slight “huh.” He put the whole thing down to cultural confusion, likely the right explanation, and decided to move on. Maintaining this friendly persona but still managing to avoid having to answer any sensitive questions, as seemed to be his intention judging by his clipped tones when talking about his own demise, he responded to Gorina’s request for further information by giving a slight chuckle and a shrug of the shoulders, immediately followed by a sharp wince. He had clearly caused himself some pain but through the wince still said. “I am as much as a loss as you, hopefully being here can help answer these questions.” What he had said was not strictly true and was a very neat little way of avoiding having to give an answer that he was very reluctant to give. Related to this he ceased the opportunity for medical help, not just to avoid the question but also because it was a sensible precaution.

“Hum yes, I really do think I need to see a doc. I have the nagging feeling I have a concussion or something akin to it, I feel less than steady on my feet and although I do have a relatively firm grasp of field medicine I know enough to avoid self diagnosis when you have a head wound or related condition.” Not only was it true that he had a concussion, all be it a minor one but he had two further injuries which he was unaware of. Firstly he had cracked his head very badly, it was a miracle he was not unconscious, but shock prevented him feeling the wound. The blood pouring from the back of his head was being absorbed by the thermal layer of his pacite hat and so from the outside the wound was invisible. Clearly the methods he had employed to protect his head whilst falling had been inadequate. Furthermore, and accounting for the sudden pains when he moved his neck or shoulders the man had actually broken his neck but not yet noticed it. This was similar to the goalkeeper who had broken his neck diving for the ball but the adrenalin and shock stopped him noticing it until then end of the game and played well throughout and just like that man he had only cracked a vertebra, but still he needed medical attention. He went on to say. “Please lead the way, I’m afraid I don’t know which way to go.” Then as an afterthought added. “Oh, if I should pass out from my injuries or require emergency assistance for any other reason you have already seen the large medical kit in my rucksack. Next to it I also carry a field manual on battlefield injuries. You know, breaks, cuts, internal organ damage, shrapnel wounds and even some biological and chemical weapons. Use it if you don’t know what to do.” Quite why he was carrying around what was obviously a military text on battlefield injuries was unknown, but that could wait for now.

As for him spouting gibberish about him helping it may not have been clear but it was far from gibberish. His earlier outburst was clear evidence of that as was a certain look in his eyes. Deep down there was a certain gritty determination that was not about to be snuffed out. You got the feeling that even if Gorina was just to abandon him right now he would still find some way of getting involved. Quite why he was so utterly determined was also unclear and it was also very readily apparent that he would need assistance before he could be of any great use but just by looking at him you knew he would never take no as an answer and that he would not stop.

Unaware of the internal politics and personal divisions that ran through the heart of the gotei thirteen and the spiritually sensitive of this region Collin slept as soundly. Well as soundly as a man sleeping in a stairwell and who had felt the need to barricade the doors could. But as sound as his sleep was it was never deep. He had learnt to sleep like a cat, on the edge of consciousness, alert to the noises and movements around and ready to spring into action should anything seem out of place. So when the nearby roar of an opening portal tore into the night Collin was up, awake and ready to fight before the echo had faded. Looking around him in agitation and concern he realised there was no immediate threat to his life so he bent down, scooped up his pack and put it on. Pausing momentarily to check he had left nothing behind he set about tearing down his self made barricade in order to get access to the roof once more. Bursting into the outside world he instantly span around through three hundred and sixty degrees to try and spot the threat. Seeing none he then stood strangely still, closed his eyes and tilted his head slightly to the side. There he stood for a few moments before developing a slight frown as if concentrating and then a wry little smile. Turning in the direction of the hollow, obscured from view because Collin was too close to the centre of the roof to spot anything right next to the walls at ground level, he then seemed to tear hell for leather towards the edge of the roof. His eyes were darting around so quickly it was hard to keep up with them, he was taking in a million and one seemingly irrelevant things such as ledges, windows and lamp posts before his eyes fixed on the top of a nearby drain pipe, just visible poking up at the corner of the building.

Ceasing it firmly between both hands he swung out over the edge of the roof before slightly relaxing his grip and starting to slide at worrying speed towards the ground. After a few moments his study boots also locked onto the drain pipe but he did not press down hard. There were there as something of an emergency breaking system. It was at this point that the strange woman down bellow was accusing the hollow of creating a ruckus. Collin had always hated that type of behaviour, these were creatures bent on murder and destruction and they are being treated like errant children. True they may not be as skilled as their adversaries on occasion. But none the less you treat that kind of malevolence seriously! However, Collin did not have time to mull over this, he was just concentrating on not tumbling towards his death. He was vaguely aware of the build up of a large spiritual charge but his attention was ripped away by a terrible metallic shriek from just above him, followed by an ominous thunk which seemed to take up his whole world. For a few horrible moments the world seemed to switch to slow motion as he saw the section of pipe he was sliding down sheer its bolts and fall away from the wall, he was about three, maybe four stories up at this point and he knew that the tumble would almost certainly be fatal. The wind rushed past his ears creating a great roar as he declared to the night in general. “Oh fuck!” However, despite the dire and sudden circumstance he did not lose his wits. In the precious few moments before he hit the ground he made sure his back was to the surface, he curled his knees up to his chest and placed both hands on the back of his head holding it firmly up.

He hit the ground with a sickening crack a moment after the hollow had been destroyed by Gorina and a little behind where it had been, she would almost certainly see him. His body seemed to flop loose and he lay deathly still. But then, a few agonising seconds latter one of his legs moved and he slowly rolled onto his side. His head hurt to such a degree that his vision seemed blurred and all he could feel was the sensation of his head tearing open. But heck at least he could feel something. Collin had had the presence of mind to land on his pack back, which was substantially full and thus broke his fall, mostly. One by one Collin tried moving various parts of his body, an arm here, a leg there. Nothing seemed too painful or broken. But when he came to move his head to look around he gave a sharp wincing gasp and the severe shooting pain in his neck. Making a mental note not to try that again he gave a great groan and rolled onto his front. He lay there, spread eagled like a starfish for a few moments whilst he gathered the strength to push himself up onto his feet. When he did eventually rise he did so with a groan, a sway and a stagger. The world was starting to come back into focus now though his head still felt like some heavy construction was going on inside. However, despite all this he still had something of a sense of humour about him and said to himself in slight dazed tones. “Mental note, do not jump off roofs.”

He widened his eyes slightly and then narrowed them again as he tried to focus on the nearby Gorina, something was dreadfully wrong about her, sure her hair was long but....was that a tail. Deciding that his fall had done more damage to his head than he had thought he convinced himself that he was merely getting it confused with her long hair and decided to dismiss the subject from his mind, making a note to see a doctor some time soon. Half walking, half staggering to Gorina he managed to make a slightly crooked, self derisive smile saying. Not quite the entrance I wanted to make. I’ll tell you this much though. There is no way that building is health and safety compliant.” He then gave a tiny little snorting laugh at himself which rapidly turned into a painful cough, followed by him clasping at his forehead. “ Urgh too much too soon.” Followed by him muttering. “What a day..... I think.” He was very much aware that his head was not yet all there, a shame since more normally he was an alert, spry and erudite individual but falling several stories will blunt your performance somewhat. Gesturing over his shoulder with a wince he went on to say. “Nice job back there, saved me being knocked about a bit...more.”

He gave another tiny little snorting laugh before reaching out a hand to shake hers, but midway realised it was covered in blood. Sliding down the drainpipe had shredded the palms of his hands just as if they had been repeatedly grinded up against a cheese grater. Wiping the palm against his water proof trousers all he achieved was smearing himself with blood, as his hands continued to bleed. “Bugger.” Was his annoyed exclamation before holding up one finger to Gorina, asking her to wait. Unslinging his pack he rummaged around inside, there was the clink and clang of several broken items from the fall but after a few moments he triumphantly drew out a large first aid kit. Opening it up on the ground he drew out a disinfectant cream which he applied to his palms before starting to wrap a few bandages around them to stem the bleeding. Occasionally looking up at Gorina he decided to introduce himself. “Names Collin, Collin....don’t laugh. Urgh at least I’m not called Nigel. To whom do I owe the pleasure?” Hoping to get Gorina’s name. Every now and again his eyes would drift to her tale, by now the rest of the world was in focus so it was more of a mystery. On a hollow it would have been more normal but she was clearly not one of them, but sensing it would be rude to bring it up he went on to say. “I’m here to help, though judging by that entrance I’m going to be the one getting help.” He gave a little laugh at this as he stood up, slung his pack on and once again extended his hand, blood free. “Seriously though I am here to help though I’ll need a few pointers. Long story short I died, I was revived, I was now spiritual sensitive, I came here to help.” This was all he was going to say on the subject though you might be able to tell by the almost clipped way he delivered this information that he did not want to go into more detail, thus hinting at more complex issues which ran beneath the surface, but enough of that.

What Gorina might not have been able to tell was that Collin’s head and heart were racing. When he was with people he knew he was relaxed and personable but with strangers he had the tendency to get nervous, talk too much and talk too quickly, resulting in him occasionally coming out with gibberish. This was something he was trying to keep in check because he needed to make a good impression, a task made so much harder from his dire entrance. He had hoped to make a fortuitous entrance and help out, automatically putting him on a good footing and wheedle into what he guessed was a very closed group. Now he would have to rely on endearing himself at least in the short term and that was a hard task to accomplish. Plus he could not afford to muck this up, hence his hesitancy before, he needed to be successful but he was in a very bad position.

((It was excelent, great, keep it up. I'm a little rusty so your likely to have to be patient with me, he he he.))

It really does not matter, really. It can involve a filler arc if you want, be in the main story. If you wanted it could even be set a little after where the manga currently is (though that may be hard to do.) It really does not matter. The only restriction is that it is after we first meet the don, as I like to call him, or else this makes no sense.

Fate seemed to be conspiring against this man, quite why fate would want to do such a things is not clear, perhaps just a twisted sense of humour, who knows? But what was clear was that this man had been splashed with dirty water from a car driving through a puddle, there was a foul smelling patch on his left leg where a dog had tried to urinate on him and he seemed to be walking with some discomfort after some run away shopping cart had managed to catch him in the small of the back. Furthermore it was raining, that heavy penetrating rain that somehow made you feel wet even under waterproof clothes. So our man’s hardy rain proof and water tight hiking trousers felt as though they were achieving nothing. His Pacite hat was rammed hard down over his head, the peak was twisted slightly out of shape and obscured his eyes, meanwhile his coat had been done up all the way so as that the heightened collar obscured most of the rest of his features. His great rough boots had the scuffs and scrapes of a rambler and the repair marks of someone who cared about his kit and upon his back was a large pack filled to the brim so much so that even the outer pockets looked close to bursting. He looked as though he was the sort of man you would expect to find scrambling up a step, wet and slipy hill in bad weather out of some perverse sense of fun and indeed he was. But surprisingly, right now he was walking through oddly quiet city streets. Occasionally someone would pass him, dashing out of the rain but our man seemed in no particular hurry to get anywhere, indeed everything about him seemed slightly reluctant. He even seemed reluctant to duck out of the rain and into one of those uninviting coffee shops where not only were the chairs, tables and arguable the food made of plastic but even the staff looked like badly made dolls and where the service was as unwelcoming as the decor. Slinging his pack on an empty bench he perched precariously next to it, slipping on the plastic due to his rain drenched clothes. He rifled through the laminated menu in front of him, occasionally mouthing the odd word as if have trouble understanding, he then proceeded to pull out a small pocket book with numerous currencies printed on the front, clearly this man wasn’t from around here. Eventually he waved over an obviously unenthusiastic waiter and ordered up a hearty cup of coffee with an even heartier portion of bacon, beans and scrambled eggs which were eventually served and all looked as inedible as you could expect from a place like this. Still he ate them any way, he was desperate for food and he had come a long way. Over six thousand miles to be precise and less of it by plane than you might think.

But where was he now? A quick glance out of the rain smeared window showed that this was not a western city, there was something just a little off about the buildings and doors, about the awnings over the shops and all those little intangibles that set places apart. A closer look at nearby road signs however, would reveal this place to be no other than Karakura town, the famous home of Ichigo and his little gang and the infamous hub of spiritual activity on this earth, though little of it was desirable activity. Indeed often our man wondered why this place was not crawling with police, geologists and biological hazard teams because so many buildings had been knocked down, so many craters created and cars smashed that the spiritually insensitive had to be wondering what on earth was going on. Were they earth quakes, localised gas explosions? Without knowing what masked monstrosities lay in the blind spot of human perception how could any normal man explain what was going on here? But that is a side point. Still all this spiritual activity was central to why he was here, indeed it was the only reason he was here. That in itself was not a fact our man was happy about as he placed his head in his hands and mumbled to himself “Cadogan. Oh Collin Cadogan how did you end up in this mess?” Collin, as he was clearly called finished his meal with a degree of weariness before tossing the appropriate money on the table with no tip, standing up and walking off, slinging his pack across his back as he did so.

All fed and coffeed up he was not exactly raring to go but he was as ready and motivated as his mood permitted, better still the rain had eased off and he allowed himself to undo his coat exposing an undone black fleece and a light brown t shirt beneath. He closed his eyes but still seemed to be looking around, as if searching for something by a means other than sight before opening his eyes again just in time to see a flash spots car tear down the street and send yet another puddle flying up towards him, only now he was without his done up coat and the messy street water soaked right through and whilst previously he only felt very wet now he was very actually very wet. Pausing only to curse at the fast disappearing car he grumpily crossed the street with an almost aggressive footfall mumbling as he did so occasionally kicking what looked like imaginary footballs but were in his mind imaginary animals for him to take his bubbling frustration out on. But after about three minutes of mumbling and imaginary animal abuse he had calmed down again and was on his way, navigating by backstreets rather than main through fairs. He had learned that things happened in the secluded paths and back alleys of the world, especially when it came to spiritual happenings, surprisingly little happened in crowded areas and Collin was hoping to come across a happening, it would make things so much easier. Unfortunately for him there were no such happenings but he felt something, something close. Well either that or it was colossal and a long way off. Every now and again he would stop, turn and glance around. First with his eyes open but then a second time with eyes closed. After all blind men are forced to heighten other senses, especially when it comes to special awareness and Collin was relying on a similar principle though he was instead using something of a sixth sense. But after every chill breeze, every sliding roof tile or that bizarre little twinge you get when you know you are being watched, after every single sensation his checks revealed nothing and so he proceeded.

As he drew closer to his destination he seemed to slow like a man uncertain of his intent and when he eventually rounded the final corner to look directly upon the combined home and place of business of the Kurosaki family he stopped dead. As has already been established he came a long way for this and now he had at last arrived he was stuck for words, literally speechless. He just seemed to shuffle around for a few moments and pace in awkward circles. He was seriously considering doing himself an injury just to get in the clinic as an introduction. But, deciding that he needed to be in tip top shape if he was going to survive more than thirty seconds in this insane world he opted to remain intact and staged something of a tactical retreat. After all he would just be accused of being a weirdo, a stalker or maybe even beaten up if he just hung around the house. So he headed towards the centre of town, or to be more specific just off centre. Oh he had done his research before coming here, well as much research as he could and if he could not find the right words to simply introduce himself he was just going to have to wait for a happening, or create one himself. To that end he was heading to the old ruins of Matsukura Hospital. It was a wonder the place had not yet been converted into housing but it was something of a blessing for Collin. Of course he only knew about it because of some maps and a strange online journal detailing the bizarre happenings around the strange ghost busting show. Oh that seemed so long ago now, even for Collin who had not been particularly busy and at the time he had dismissed the whole thing as juvenile superstitious rubbish, was he the fool. He was heading there now for two reasons. Reason one was the off chance that some spirits still resided within, coming into contact with them may send up flares and drawn any number of the notable locals in. But more realistically it was a good vantage point, from the roof he could see the winding streets, the clinic, the operating hospital and most importantly the school. The hubs of the spiritual happenings in this place and if he could see them happening or even predict them then he could make a fortuitous entrance. But why, I hear you ask, does this man want to make such an entrance? Well that remains to be seen suffice to say he wanted to do so.

By now the doors had been chained shut, windows boarded up and large condemned signs had been posted everywhere but these were no deterrent to a determined man who simply smashed down the closest boarded up window and hoped lightly inside. It looked like something out of a B rate horror film inside, medical equipment was still lying around, semi rotten beds on their rollers were placed in semi neat rows but everything was grey, dank and dark. Navigating by the maps handily posted in every corridor he quickly made his way to the roof pausing only to make sure the second to last door was securely fastened he even erected a small barricade. Not enough to stop anyone who desperately wanted to get in but at least they would have to make some noise doing it, removing the element of surprise. Well at least that was the plan but plans in this place had a habit of going wrong. No matter. Pressing on he walked onto the roof and glanced around to make sure he was alone. He then sat down , leaning against the little box that caped the stair well giving access to the roof, this masked his silhouette. Since it was getting on for time he was facing the residential districts and rummaging around his pack he eventually drew out a pair of binoculars and started slowly scanning. But it was slow going, all was quiet. Oh sure there was the odd street brawl and mugging but nothing of a spiritual nature. So, after a long day and with the moon now high in the sky Collin decided to call it a night. He headed back into the stair well and similarly secured that door. With both entrances securely fastened he felt unjustly safe. Slinging his pack on the floor as an improvised pillow he settled down on the hard, cold floor and shifted to be as comfortable as possible dragging his hat over his eyes. Never mind he had slept in worse places on his way here. But tonight would prove to be a far more eventful night than most, or at least profitable.

((Quite obviously I am looking for someone to meet Collin, you can interrupt him in his sleep or something going on outside can attract his attention. You can be any character you please, from the show or an OC, male female, good evil. Anything that comes to your mind, you can even control multiple characters. Mature for all the normal reasons. Any questions you may ask me here or on chat box if I am on. Oh and I do insist on being truly descriptive.))