EPIC: Path of Demons and Dragons-Chapter 233: Interplay

"Thank you for coming. I'm certain you have other matters to attend, so on behalf of the Soul Society, allow me to welcome you and express our gratitude for your assistance in the previous matter..." expressed Ukitake, cupping his hands and inclining his upper body slightly in greeting.

"I simultaneously have more and less free time than most..." countered Vahn, casually cupping his own hands but keeping his back straight as he asked, "Now, what did you wish to discuss?"

"Straight to the point," noted Ukitake, offering a curt nod before rising to his full height and gesturing to the low-lying table that had been prepared in advance, set with an antiquated-looking tea set and some snacks native to the Soul Society, specially infused with Reiatsu.

Stepping past Ukitake, Vahn took his seat first and proceeded to prepare himself tea rather than waiting for it to be made for him. Ukitake noticed this, but instead of insisting the process be left to him, he smiled, took his seat, and waited for Vahn to finish preparing the pot before revealing, "As you are no doubt aware, we were regrettably...unsuccessful in our efforts to detain the former Fifth-Division Captain, Sosuke Aizen. Fortunately, his co-conspirators, Ninth-Division Captain Tosen Kaname and Third-Division Captain Ichimaru Gin, were apprehended without significant incident. The former offered considerable resistance, but the latter surrendered without a fight..."

"I am aware," confirmed Vahn, nodding.

"Right..." started Ukitake, his smile gaining a hint of wryness as he added, "To that end, allow me to thank you on behalf of Seventh-Division Captain Komamura and Second-Division Captain Sui-Feng. Due to the malignancy of former Captain Aizen's Reiatsu, their injuries might have worsened with time. Instead, they simply vanished—much like my disease. We presumed this was the result of your intervention."

"You presumed correctly..." affirmed Vahn, nodding a second time before appending, "But that was me accepting responsibility for apprising you of Aizen's treachery, directly resulting in Captain Komamura's and Sui-Feng's injuries. If the Soul Society intends to solicit my aid or assistance directly, due compensation must be offered and agreed upon..."

Following his assertion, Vahn closed his eyes, creating a deliberate lull where he could enjoy the mellow, somewhat earthy fragrance of the tea in his cup. The aroma alone was enough to make him feel refreshed and send an invigorating wave through his body, so he couldn't help but smile when he sampled it directly, causing his throat and chest to warm as the Reiatsu infused within permeated his cells.

Waiting patiently for Vahn to open his eyes, Ukitake offered a nod of his own, confirming, "But of course. That's one of the reasons I asked Vahn-sama here. Though, before that, there are some things I've been asked to confirm—hopefully without coming across as too interrogatory."

"Considering the circumstances of our meeting and the nature of my existence, it's natural that you would have questions," conceded Vahn, appending, "I'll answer what I'm willing..." before closing his eyes and taking another sip of his tea.

"Then, hypothetically speaking, could you facilitate the transfer of a group of people or a specially prepared payload to Aizen's location...?" asked Ukitake, causing Vahn to deliberate for several seconds, his gaze focused on the contents of his cup.

"It's possible..." confirmed Vahn, concluding the response didn't reveal anything the Soul Society didn't already know. Before Ukitake could ask his next question, however, he met the man's gaze and added, "But I'm not a courier."

"Haha...I suppose not..." responded Ukitake, his smile briefly cramping. It was only his and Vahn's second time conversing, so while he did his best to present himself as amicable and courteous, he couldn't help feeling at least a little uneasy.

"Then, if you would permit me a moment of bluntness..." started Ukitake, waiting for Vahn to nod before his expression hardened slightly, followed by him asking, "Why did you reveal Aizen's schemes to us? You mentioned responsibility concerning Captain Komamura's and Sui-Feng's wounds, so let me rephrase—why have Vahn-sama and the Dragon's Pavilion chosen to make contact with our world?"

"It was happenstance," responded Vahn flatly, leaving Ukitake at a slight loss until he explained, "Beings from your world accepted a call from the void and answered in the pursuit of knowledge, adventure, or power. The Dragon's Pavilion has functionally unlimited resources, so when I referred to compensation previously, it was in reference to the Law of Equivalence, not an implication that we seek something from your side."

Holding up his left hand to dissuade Ukitake's next question, Vahn gave his words a moment to settle and himself time to consider his next before clarifying, "A better answer to your question is that we approached you as a matter of course while fulfilling a separate request. Whether we form an agreement with the Soul Society depends wholly on what your side would request of us. If you're to deal with anyone, it would most likely be people from other worlds, using the Dragon's Pavilion as an intermediary."

"I see..." muttered Ukitake, his brows furrowing as he crossed his arms and cupped his chin with his right index finger and thumb. Vahn's words made him curious regarding the identity of the person or individuals who had requested his aid, but he decided against asking directly. After all, it wasn't difficult to infer they were one of the humans Rukia had contact with before her capture, return, and detention.

'Yet another reason to investigate the young man Byakuya-san injured...' thought Ukitake, fixing his gaze on Vahn as he outwardly asked, "Then, as an interim representative of a prospective member world, might I ask how many are affiliated with the Dragon's Pavilion?"

"If we're talking direct affiliation, where the existence of the Dragon's Pavilion isn't regarded as a secret, fewer than one hundred..." answered Vahn, allowing his words to trail, making it apparent he had no intention of elaborating further or providing the actual number.

Realizing he wasn't going to get much out of Vahn before his world was an official affiliate of the Dragon's Pavilion, Ukitake exhaled faintly from his nose and changed topics, asking, "On a lighter note, I'm curious about Vahn-sama's ability to treat illnesses and cure wounds. My condition had plagued me since I was a mere three years old. Since then, more than two millennia have passed with minimal hope for a cure. Vahn-sama's ability to treat what many considered an incurable affliction with such ease...words alone cannot sufficiently express my awe and gratitude..."

"And yet they're more than sufficient," countered Vahn, adopting a faint smile as he calmly but firmly asserted, "No one should have to suffer for as long as you were made to endure. A lesser man or woman would have yielded to despair long ago, but as far as I'm aware, you've maintained an optimistic outlook and have treated those around you with great care and respect. Therefore, just as you wouldn't expect those around you to hold you in higher esteem for simply acting as you believe you should, let there be no debts between us, Ukitake Jushiro—compassion merits kindness in turn, and even burdens that must be borne should be able to be set down on occasion..."

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freёnovelkiss.com.

Mirroring Vahn's smile with his own, Ukitake touched his chest with his right hand and joked, "Well, I certainly won't be asking you to return me to my previous condition..." before they shared a soft chuckle. Additional questions followed, but instead of attempting to probe Vahn for details on the Dragon's Pavilion, Ukitake shifted to more conversational topics, such as the type of tea he enjoyed, to establish a positive rapport. It wasn't up to him to decide whether the Soul Society formed an agreement with the Dragon's Pavilion long-term, but his curiosity toward the organization and worlds beyond his own had irreversibly been piqued...

...

..

.

'That was surprisingly enjoyable...' thought Vahn, returning to the dimly lit command theater after his and Ukitake's exchange. He knew the man was charismatic and personable, but what he had anticipated to be a half-hour interrogation turned into a nearly two-hour conversation, concluding with him refusing a guided tour of the Thirteenth Division's barracks and dining facilities.

"Welcome back..." greeted Grayfia, a knowing smile adorning her face as she asked, "Did you enjoy speaking with the Thirteeth-Division Captain?"

"Quite a bit," confirmed Vahn, exchanging hugs and kisses with the three women, who had been observing the discussion and several other events playing out in his stead—just in case a show of force was required.

"Then, should we champion Ukitake-san as his world's representative...?" proposed Venelana, contending, "He may be lacking in status as a lower-grade member of the Soul Society's aristocracy, but he's one of the most senior and respected members of the Gotei. Approaching him first was a wise decision."

"I would honestly prefer that to us taking in a random noblewoman with excess baggage," affirmed Vahn. He had no doubt his harem would grow beyond its current scope, but with less time and quite a few children on the way, he felt it would be better to prioritize his existing and prospective relationships.

"Though..." started Vahn, the image of a sharp, hazel-eyed, reasonably handsome youth with spiky orange hair entering his mind as he stated, "I got the impression Yoruichi was planning to introduce me to Kukaku after our previous discussion. The Shiba Clan was one of the Four Great Noble Clans until fairly recently—a position they held for more than six thousand years. And if their involvement in the Soul King's mutilation is factual, their broader history spans more than a million. Kukaku could prove invaluable as an ally if we seek to grasp the true history of Bleach's world..."

"Shiba Kukaku..." repeated Venelana, crossing her arms in a way that drew Vahn's attention to her chest as she recalled, "If I'm not misremembering, she was the remarkably buxom, one-armed fireworks expert who appears fairly early in the series and sporadically throughout."

"That's the one," confirmed Vahn, shifting his gaze to a new display that had appeared, prompting Grayfia, Venelana, and Misla to do the same. On it was, as Venelana described, a remarkably buxom woman with long and messy black hair bound in bandages. Her face wasn't the most attractive, set with sharp, dark green eyes that drooped at the edges and currently depicting a bored expression as she sat slovenly smoking a long pipe, but her figure was nothing short of exceptional.

"Well, if nothing else, she wouldn't appear out of place among present company..." hummed Misla, referencing how she, Grayfia, and Venelana were particularly well-endowed, even compared to the other bountiful beauties of Vahn's harem.

"Then we will wait until you've had a chance to confer with Yoruichi-san before deciding who we'll champion as her world's representative," stated Venelana, a crafty but charming smile adorning her face as she proposed, "Of course, if you would prefer to use this time to decompress with Lup-chan and others, I could meet with her on your behalf. This would be an excellent opportunity to learn more about the Shihoin Clan and the other Noble Clans of the Soul Society."

"Mmn...I'll put forth the idea, but she's been exiled for a hundred years and has made it clear she has no interest in getting back into politics..." responded Vahn, raising his gaze at nothing in particular as he conceded, "Though, considering her brother's response in the anime, I doubt she's as detached from her family as she would have others believe. Still, even if the two of you meet, try not to press her too hard, okay? I promised to respect her autonomy, and as much as I trust your judgment on matters like these, I won't have you make me a liar..."

With Vahn narrowing his eyes slightly and cupping her chin with his right index finger and thumb, Venelana found herself swallowing audibly—not from fear but a sudden tightness in more than her throat. She was one of the main voices pushing Vahn to be more assertive and dignified, so even if he weren't putting his foot down, per se, his deep, exceedingly pleasant tone and subtle firmness caused her heart to flutter...

...

..

.