It was late into the first day. Outside the dome, the sun would have been setting, but in the midway, the lanterns shone brightly, illuminating the area just like it had been when the boats first arrived. Jun had already experienced part of what the midway had to offer earlier. She had spent much yen while shopping, the evidence of which her companion Janez could be seen carrying about with him in a burlap sack, though a werecat and a werepig could be seen if Jun's mane of straw colored curls shifted in just the right way. Both were sleeping quietly now, which was a blessing. The cat tended to insult anything and everything in the vicinity earning both the werecat and Jun a reprimanding look from Janez. Jun would be glad once she could return the feline to Kokuhi, but there were more pressing issues at hand. Like searching for Souren and gathering information about the island.

That was how the pair ended up before the zoo. They had done a thorough sweep of the shopping area again since Jun knew that area, but found themselves bustled into the center of the midway where the animals were housed by the crowd before they could pick a new location themselves. Granted, they more than likely would have ended up at the tall glass encased habitats anyways. They stood out above everything else and their contents were such that Jun felt someone as spacy as Souren might be captivated by the strange animals and therefore stay in one place. Jun certainly found herself intrigued by what was in each container. Albeit, this was because she was a scientist with a natural curiosity and not because she was of the same flighty childish nature that Souren presented to others.

"A feline-like creature standing roughly six feet tall on all fours, ground to shoulder; it's jaws are nearly two-thirds as long as the rest of it's body, though it's massive teeth are alternatively flat and sharp, hinting at it's herbivore nature," Jun read aloud to Janez from the plaque in front of the cage before looking up at the large feline before it suddenly disappeared only to reappear several feet away. "What just happened," Janez asked, shocked, which was big for someone like him. Jun looked further down on the plaque. "Andrewsarchus - A creature which uses teleportation to invisible reiatsu-sigils that it has placed upon various surfaces," she continued. "How very odd..."

"Not so odd, nor as fantastic, as some of these other creatures, Amai Jun." A soft voice reached over the lull in the noise of the crowd, coming to Jun and company from another nearby enclosure; one look would be all it took to confirm little 'Gizensha' had returned, and was treating the duo to a small smile somewhere in between welcoming and natural naughty childish nature.

"That beast is one of the few I can imagine existing in any reality as we know it; this one, however, is too far beyond the realm of reason." With a gesture of her head, Rikou attempted to focus Jun on the creature looming in the glass enclosure behind the child: a hugely tall beast standing on two shaggy-hooved legs, with an impressive span of bat-like wings tucked narrowly at it's side. It's head was quite circular, though it bulged out considerably at the chin, and when the beast opened it's mouth apparently to yawn, two long rows of large, flat teeth were put on display.

What Rikou didn't point out, of course, was the monster's specially unique ability, which was to apparently create a spiritual double of itself which would move about independent of the host creature: what made this truly amazing came in two flavors, the first being that the spiritual creation could learn independently of the host creature, and that Rikou had only seen this particular ability in exactly one other being in the past...

The island seemed full of surprises. Or at least Jun thought so as she turned to find the one she had dubbed Gizensha in her presence once again. Jun had not expected to encounter the odd 'youth' for the remainder of her time upon the sinister land in which they were all trapped on, but like much with the tournament grounds and the tournament, Jun's assumption had been proven wrong. Absently, Jun wonder if Gizensha had sought Jun out purposefully, but the way the gigai clad being spoke made Jun think that it was more the animals than the Quincy that had beckoned Gizensha out into the open.

For a moment, Jun allowed her eyes to be drawn past Gizensha as she directed Jun to look at the habitat behind her. The beast in form was gruesome enough, but Janez was able to read the plaque out loud on the cage from where he was for the benefit of Jun as it was clear that Gizensha was already well aware of the creature's information. At least to some extent. "Jersey Devil. A ten foot tall creature that stands on two hooved feet, altogether lanky and thin. It's legs are reverse-jointed, allowing it to leap high into the air, though this is restricted by it's cage, and rather than arms it has two long bat-like wings. It's chin is sturdy and round, allowing it's large flat teeth to generate crushing amounts of force. It is a creature who creates an astral-projection of itself, only visible to viewers thanks to the special make of the glass cage. The projection can share information with the creature."

One of Jun's eyebrows arched at the influx of information on the creature pouring from her companion's lips then returned her gaze and focus back to Gizensha. "Pray tell, what else would young Gizensha-chan know of such a creature?" Jun believed Gizensha was the type of person who always knew more than they should and more than they let on. She had said much and little enough in their last encounter for Jun to form such an opinion about her. Still, the sheer amount of things that were taking place across the island was almost too much for the Quincy scientist. Since she could not digest it now, much was filed away in the tight grip of her memory, right along with her encounter with Llyr so long ago. Such things always remained important to remember. Had that old information not come in handy only hours before?

"Of this creature, Amai Jun, I know nothing, which is something short of an oddity specific to this place; there are certain few creatures here that fit the same description, to one length or another, but this one is special." Rikou's eyes hadn't left Jun as the other Quincy, the one laden with items, read the plaque of the monster's cage; quite the impressive set of eyes on him, Rikou thought. A credit to his clan, to be sure.

Turning slowly, Rikou gave this 'devil' an apprehensive glower, it and the twin which burst quite suddenly into creation from behind the beast; he did not appreciate his own abilities being distributed among beasts. It was antithetical to the Quincy's own sharp eyesight; it did him no honor, where the Quincy could at least find some measure of pride in his perceptive empowerment.

"With teeth such as those, this creature would, in nature, assume the role of herbivore; with the power able to be generated in the jaws, one may presume it would feed less on greens and more on, say, tree bark, or bramble, or some other silly thing. However, to look at the thing, one must wonder how nature could ever birth such a beast? To guess, the legs are something adopted from, say, the goat, while the head is decidedly more mule; with bat-like wings and a torso I presume is actually unique to this creature, I do not think it unlikely that this is a manufactured animal." After a moment's pause, Rikou's frown deepened before the child's body turned and leaned to the ground, spitting in distaste.

"A poor hybrid, and not the only one at that. Come, Amai Jun; let me show you another clue left behind by our mysterious hosts." The walk would not be long; several brisk strides from the child carried her to another enclosure, this one a tall cage. On the outside of the cage, spaced every five feet or so, were small cylinders at a child's arm height, each fit to burst with differently sized sticks, twigs and what not. Within, hopping to and fro rather merrily in search of their resting places for the night, a small clutch of rabbits made their little chittering noises. Of course, it would be almost immediate for Jun and Janez to set their eyes upon the somewhat impressive racks of horns adorning each rabbits skull.

"A short white-furred bunny with dark red eyes - its fur is decorated with soft-brown splotches, it waves a set of tri-pronged antlers about menacingly when it hops, as though prepared to gore its prey, The Jackalope is a creature capable of freezing objects in space for short amounts of time upon contact with its feet; the slots within its cage are for throwing small, supplied sticks at it for demonstration. Tell me, Amai Jun, besides the antlers and the proposed 'powers', do you see what is so disconcerting about these little creatures?" There was a small gesture toward the animals as Rikou spoke, and the childish body turned to eye Jun appraisingly as the question was asked; surely, if the girl were as smart as she let on, she would quickly realize that, though their antlers all varied in size and shape, every single one of these little 'Jackalope' had the exact same patterns in their furs.

It seemed like the flow of information upon this forsaken island was never ending, coming to Jun through her own observations, announcements, spectacles, fights, and this child; a wolf in sheep's clothing. Still, information was better than nothing and anything could be a lead in Jun's quest to find Souren and collect the Quincy together before trying to determine the nature of what they were facing. She vaguely heard Janez mutter something about abominations between Gizensha's speech and Jun cast her eyes heavenward for but a moment. The barrier around the island which sealed off the tournament from the outside world disconcerted her. It felt like it was even impeding her connection to God. Pray and have faith, she reminded herself internally before following the gigai clad Rikou to the next cage. Janez was right behind her.

As Gizensha read aloud from the corresponding plaque, Jun's focus settled upon the creatures inside. She watched them hop about waving their antlers to and fro as if it was the natural thing to do. Their dark red eyes were disconcerting to Jun as she stared at one in particular only to find it staring back, but when the girl questioned her, the eyes were not what came to mind; red eyes among rabbits was common. Gizensha struck the antlers and the abilities from the list of things that the 'Jackalopes,' as Gizensha had called them, possessed. That left few things for Jun to go off of and her mind quickly cycled through the possibilities based on the information that she had on the creatures from the plaque and her own lingering observations. Given the nature of Jun's mind, it did not take more than a second or two for her to reply, "Their fur boasts the same markings." Was that really so odd though? Jun knew that selective breeding could also render such an effect, but Gizensha had spoken with a sureness of what with secret knowledge about the manufactured origins of the creatures, which meant, if the girl was to be believed, they were created to look as such.

"Correct, Amai Jun; not similar, nor identical markings, but the same markings. As well, they all retain the same size ratios, from leg length to body length to ear length; the only differences you will find from one to the next are the two most obvious, those being the actual size of the specimen, and the size and shape of their antlers. These beings were created with special care given specifically to their most obvious traits, in order to deceive those who do not look as deeply as we do."

Even as she spoke, little Gizensha's right hand extended sideways to take up a six-inch long stick, the girl's eyes slitting before the stick flew through the air at one jackalope, it's back to the girl; with nearly preternatural skill, the creature jumped into the air just enough to kick backward with both large feet, connecting to the stick mid-air and halting it in place. The jackalope huffed at the child before hopping away, shaking it's puff-ball tail indignantly.

"Astral projection, teleportation, and locking projectiles in place. Is there a theme, Amai Jun? Or are these creatures all totally unrelated, as our zookeepers would allow us presume? Shall we blindly believe three utterly different creatures have naturally come to find themselves in possession of these abilities?"

For a moment, the twenty plus Quincy found herself back in the homeland. Bread was baking and the aroma wafted through the air while young Gunilla sat at a thick unadorned table. Before her were the writings of her people. To her right was Gunilla's mother; a beautiful woman by any man's standards no matter the race, but a hard woman. She held a thin branch in her hand. The switch. It was that piece of wood which found Gunilla's right hand if she failed at her lessons. Lessons given in the same tone of voice that Gizensha used with her now.

Pride was a grave sin in the eyes of The Lord, but Jun still found herself frustrated with the lecture. Gizensha spoke as if these were things that Jun was incapable of picking up on herself. Frustration led to haste and prompted her to speak sans the majority of her common tact after she answered the question. "Teleportation and locking an object in mid-air are applications of space manipulation, to put it simply. Either way, this is an unholy and unnatural exhibit no matter the coat of paint they seek to throw upon it. Now I must ask, is there a point to all of this, Gizensha-chan? Pardon me for speaking so frankly, but I am not a child who needs her hand held to make simple connections. If you have true information beyond what my own eyes and ears can give me, then do share." Jun's warm brown eyes had a harder than usual cast to them as they focused on the artificial body of her 'instructor' before she added an almost apologetic, "Please," and her eyes softened once more. Never turn away information given so freely, she chided herself internally.

At having received an actual emotional response, Rikou's smile very clearly altered, if only slightly, as the childish face watched Jun; so the woman was human, as the saying went. She had her own hang-ups, and her own memories. Here Rikou had begun to imagine the woman might have been some sort of golem...

"Forgive me for inciting you, Amai Jun; it has been several lifetimes since I last had the opportunity to play teacher. One does desire to relive their past now and again, you know." Gizensha smiled at this, turning now fully away from the enclosure and walking slowly toward a set of two nearby benches, fortuitously not taken upon by the few members of the zoo-visiting crowd.

"Allow me, if you will, to provide you a very brief, very secret insight to a piece of history known by one living man." As Rikou spoke, she gestured toward the benches with a smile; the three of them could sit, and Jun's helper could relieve himself of his heavy load. What fortune! Rikou took a seat on the bench to her own left as facing the benches, sitting near the arm rest and in the position nearest the 'center' of the two benches, which sat side by side and facing the same direction. The benches were clearly designed to sit two adults side by side, but as Rikou's body was a small one, Jun and Janez would surely be able to fit on the same bench, if so they were inclined, or more practically, either of the Quincy and their belongings. Of course, the far bench was also open, so the possibilities were as near to limitless as Rikou cared to consider.

"Once, in the Shinigami home of Seireitei, there had lived a wise man known as Rikou; considered the father of modern knowledge, for he had advanced the Shinigami considerably in his comparatively short time there, Rikou had dedicated very much time to discovering newer and better ways to assist in the effort of keeping the Material Plane safe from Hollow." Rikou began easily, smiling slightly as she leaned against the really fairly uncomfortable wire rest, not bothering to wait and see if the Quincy would take seats or otherwise.

"One such project had been, regrettably, rushed considerably to accommodate other inspirations, and so had not received the attention to detail it required: Rikou was only one man, you understand, and could not comfortably handle a team because his own mind and those of most others could not work in sequence. The goal of this project had been twofold: to hasten considerably, and then recreate, the growth of individual powers in Shinigami. Essentially, cloning." There was a pause here, and then the smile on Gizensha's face turned positively wolfish.

"Rikou of course used a sample of himself as well as several others in order to test the theories; a few Shinigami, a few humans, some Quincy, some Hollow... it was all very professional. Regrettably, the process left only imperfect monstrosities alive, and so the project was deemed a failure." The smile faltered, and a shrug rolled off the child's shoulders.

"There had been another experiment occurring at the time, the basis of which involved the exploration of ancient ruins found in the world-between-worlds, that wholly mysterious place between the Sereitei and Material Plane; the experiments were brought along to test and see if they would react in any way alongside the Shinigami team, being as they were the closes available subjects we had to Hollow, human, et cetera. Unfortunately, the very nature of that place which predates Soul Society by an unfathomable amount of time is, to say the least, unpredictable, and so the exploration team, and consequently the test subjects, were lost. It is my supposition, then, that the creatures you see in these cages are direct results of found rubbish, discarded experiments taken apart to further alien comprehension. Specifically, these specimen are the descendants of that ancient experiment that was composed of the scientist Rikou, who's own powers affected space and time."

There was such a thing as assuming and such a thing as knowledge and assuming wasn't something Jun liked to do. However, unbeknownst to her Jun, her knowledge was not true to the realm so her logic in thinking that Gizensha was a just Shinigami who had lived for a long time rather than a man that went through cycles of life as different people. That was not the way things worked in Jun's universe. In God's universe. People lived and fulfilled their roles then died and either went to heaven or hell. Cut and dried. Humans did not become Shinigami. Humans did not become Hollow. Shinigami were the guardians of limbo and Hollow were demons of hell. That was all. Gizensha was a fallen guardian, but a source of information. Jun's duty could wait. She was glad of that. The duty of a Justice of Heaven was holy and honorable in the eyes of The Lord, but it could be dirty business. One never took joy from killing the fallen. So after Gizensha's admission of extended age, Jun calmly seated herself upon the bench with the child, though Janez chose to sit opposite of them, his dark eyes watching, evaluating, as Gizensha continued to speak, though Jun managed to slip in an acceptance of the child's apology between sentences.

As Gizensha spoke, some words shone brighter than others in Jun's memory as she soaked it all in. Shinigami, Rikou, Material Plane, and information on experimentation. Jun gathered the implications of the former. Gizensha had after all said that the knowledge she was giving to Jun was a secret known only to one man. Gizensha had also already claimed in their previous meeting that she was hiding from those who wished her ill. The facts were before Jun and she connected in a manner that left her with this; Gizensha was a very old Shinigami adept in the art of science by the name of Rikou. His experiments were less than moral. Jun doubted that the one Gizensha, or Rikou as it were, was the worst of the lot. Such things were done in the name of science more often than Jun would like to admit. Even she had... Jun shook her head ever so slightly, but her eyes were alight with new knowledge. The tale was such that she had no reason to not believe that its roots were entrenched in the truth even if the entire story was not true. No bard could even weave such a yarn on a notice as short as such.

"I see," Jun said diplomatically as Gizensha's story came to a close. For now at least. Silence between the three reigned supreme though the air was alive the all the sounds of a market place. Even the wind added its music as it danced through hanging chimes and through leafy branches before rustling through Jun's long blonde curls, bringing the werepig and werecat into view for just a moment before the pale golden curtain closed in on them once more. Jun's eyes flitted from one cage to the next taking in the creatures that were said to be descendents of the original experiment. They came back to rest on the Jackalopes. There was something that bothered Jun deeply now that she had answers to the creatures' origins, but wasn't that always the case? No matter how many answers you had, they only brought about more questions. Gizensha had been honest enough with Jun given the circumstances so far, so she turned upon the bench to face the gigai clad Rikou.

"Did this Rikou," she started, her tone clearly indicating that she knew she was speaking about someone present rather than someone in the past. "Have anything to do with this island or this tournament?" His experiment was brought to life here after all and he was here despite the danger of his enemies and having no part in the actual tournament. The island spoke of sorcery, but to a mind like Jun's, science was just as possible, especially after what Gizensha had been speaking of. Or rather, Rikou. Jun's gaze was set firmly upon the artificial face.

After Jun's acknowledgement of the story, Rikou smiled and settled back, allowing the silence to overcome them... even as the wind shifted Jun's hair, bringing the delightfully curious little winged-pig-and-cat duo ever so briefly into Rikou's sight, causing the child's eyes to widen and lips to part ever-so-slightly as Rikou leaned just so gently nearer to them. What were they? Were they dolls? Had Rikou actually seen one trembling with breath? Why were they those colors? It was all Rikou could do to keep his hand at his side, rather than darting through the woman's hair to seize the nearest little animal and examine it closely.

This deep-seated need to place hands on the creatures was short-lived, however, as really quite suddenly from behind Rikou, a small bush exploded into action, an orange-and-black figure leaping from them to arc over the bench and land softly on Gizensha's right shoulder, staring into space before mewling proudly: a kitten, and one rather proud of it's amazing leap at that. Less startled by the sudden presence of feline than he perhaps should have been, Rikou's right hand snaked upward to slowly rub the cat behind the ears, eyes locked on where the discolored pig had been on Jun's shoulder; if the trend of unique animals was to continue, he wondered, did perhaps this kitten have some hidden ability locked away? It would be his solemn duty to learn as much.

His right ear filled with the low purring of the cat on his shoulder, Rikou's attention shifted from Jun's shoulder to her face as she spoke, the Vizard taking an extra moment to properly comprehend what she'd asked - did he have anything to do with the situation at large? A laughable notion, to be sure.

"If so, Amai Jun, I dare think I'd have simply got my information from him and not attended. No, it is my guess that no being outside the circle of the hosts themselves know a thing." A bleak thought, but true none the less.

"Hence my investigation; I think we stand to learn much and more from these wholly surreal beings, whether they want us to or not."

Until Rikou, as Jun found herself thinking of him now rather than Gizensha, had finished speaking, the woman's eyes did not leave the face of the gigai before her despite the abrupt entrance of the feline. Sooner than Jun would have liked, the words did stop and she allowed herself a glance at the cat. It was not like Kokuhi's and it appeared for all the world to be a normal kitten. However, nothing on this forsaken island was what it appeared to be. Animals boasted power, skeletons walked freely, old men looked like young girls, and people were disappearing. Was Souren taken for the same purpose that the animals had been? It was unlikely the girl had performed on the boat. Perhaps they would find her more useful as a pawn in their experiment rather than a pawn in their tournament. Unless... Jun shuddered to think if the flicker of the thought she had was true. Had Rikou thought the same thing yet?

Her gaze shifted back to Rikou studying his face much like Janez had been quietly studying the scene from his bench across from theirs. Jun could tell the Shinigami what she knew, but if what Llyr had said in the past held true, then the Shinigami were corrupt. They might not take the correct action. There was also the fact that Rikou seemed to be a valuable source of information. Information was worth more than gold and Jun had yet to try and convert the man. The rules of her order permitted me him life, not death, at her hands until his use was fulfilled and his denial of the faith was assured. If either was still in question, he could live. So live he would. Jun still had more questions after all, though one burned brighter in her mind than all the rest.

"Do you think this tournament is being used to force the participants to show their abilities?"

The question tied with the animals in the habitats even if it seemed farfetched to one outside Jun's mind. However, Jun was a scientist as Rikou appeared to be to her. Given the facts that he had given her, the island was like a large and contained habitat in which an experiment, the fights, could be run and results could be collected. For what purpose, Jun was not entirely sure of. It could be similar to the animals behind the glass; perhaps whomever held the tournament want to take and manipulate the abilities of those present hence why she asked. There were limitless possibilities however. So many different types of people, powers, and weapons abounded at the tournament.

At the new line of thought, Rikou paused; were the enemies bringing them out to study them? It really only took a moment for Rikou to come to an answer. "I do not think they find studying us necessary; if they did, they wouldn't have brought only a select number to a unique setting. These are poor grounds to establish any sort of control, given that, if I am not mistaken, they drew their targets from areas separated from this island, which they have affected themselves in unique, unidentified ways. Any being capable of dissembling creatures to dole out their unique traits to creatures that, for all intents and purposes, were created by these new beings would have a better sense of their surroundings than to attempt drawing proper theories from what they see here today. If I had to guess, Amai Jun, we are here for no other reason than the amusement of our hosts."

While he spoke, Rikou stroked the back of the kitten slowly, and was rewarded with soothing purrs and constant nestling into her small frame; an adorable sight, to anybody unaware of the otherwise ugly nature of the child.

Perhaps it was just a game, but if the hosts had simply wanted that, there were far easier ways to go about it and they had done so already. Jun had heard rumors about an attack long before the announcement had been made to give out the 'invitations' to the island. Whatever creature had been there had decimated the population, leaving few alive and the creature who had given the announcement had been toying with them as it did so. There was no reason to construct such an elaborate setup to make them fight. On top of it they had provided things for leisure. The zoo, the shops, the pit.

They were being studied. Jun was sure of that much. For what reason, she did not know. The facts were as is; they were essentially in a large cage with something resembling a natural habitat built for them, specimens from all types of races were being forced to fight against one another, and they were housed with the results of previous experiments. Add in the fact that Souren had gone missing. Well, Jun still didn't know what to make of it. She did now that once Senako was recovered and Kokuhi was ready, they would search for the missing girl. She also knew that Senako did not get a chance to show his full abilities. She could only hope that Kokuhi had forfeited or would forfeit without showing hers as well. The less information given about the Quincy, the better Jun would feel.

Still, it seemed that Rikou did not share Jun's train of thought on this matter. As scientists, they could agree to disagree. They were only theories after all. Jun would simply have to find more information to prove her theory was fact. Science at its finest. After a moment, Jun rose from the bench. "This has been an enlightening conversation, Gizensha-chan." Though Jun knew the Shinigami's true identity, she would not reveal it to the world. Not yet. He had lived a long time and among the Shinigami. He had information she needed about matters beyond the tournament. Information she would seek after the matters at hand were dealt with. As Janez rose as well, Jun added, "Perhaps we will see each other again." She paused, lifted her gaze back to the covered sky then refocused on the artificial girl with a pleasant smile. A smile of knowledge. "I am sure of it. Goodbye, Gizensha-chan."

With that, Jun blended back into the crowd. Janez was following her closely. He would debrief her on anything he had noticed during his evaluation of Rikou. The older Quincy was a master of reading people. It had started as a hobby, but it had evolved into a useful skill for one in their line of work. Speaking of work, Jun adjusted course for the tournament grounds. She needed to check on Senako and await Kokuhi so they could make plans to search for Souren. Jun would search for information along the way.

[exit]

"Auf Wiedersehen, Amai Jun." Rikou called cheerily after the Quincy, childish feet kicking as the kitten in hand was given slow petting's. The Vizard sighed briefly before looking down at the kitten, and for a brief moment the thought that the creature was, perhaps, some sort of spy flashed by; violent thoughts followed, and Rikou could quite clearly picture himself, in a child's body of course, strangling the little thing to death... but then, perhaps he could turn it to his own goals? Well, why not? He'd done more insane things than that.

He didn't yet know, of course, that the creature was simply a lost kitten making it's own way through the world, but why ruin the mystery? Instead, the Vizard simply stood and began to wander, the kitten taking perch on the gigai's right shoulder and staring at the passing world in wide-eyed wonder; so this was what it was like so high up!

[Exit]

Thread Rewards:

Jun - 8 (7+1 Quality) Points

Rikou - 9 (7+2 Quality) Points

Post for placement.

Eight to Reiatsu Skill.

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