Shi merely walked; nothing on his mind beyond the mere fact that it was about time to investigate the Rukongai area. Information was vital, and of course, he desired the choice land that the Rukon Citizens and the Shinigami possessed. What right did they have to such a land where they could raise their own food to consume and condemn Hollows to a wasteland to cannibalize each other? He scowled at the thought and merely reminded himself that patience was necessary, planning vital, and soon within time, he would have his sweet paradise.

But first, he would no doubt need an ally at some point. Hollow no doubt, but if he could perhaps trick a Rukon Citizen, well, anything was possible. It was all a matter of timing and words, and patience.

It had been a good day for Ryuu. Earlier he had been out and about, and had made a little trip to the Rukongai. Not only had he managed to steal a few small items from the village that he had visited, but he had even managed to lure out an unsuspecting child. Needless to say, things didn't turn out so well for the child. But on the bright side, Ryuu would have a few nice meals before he had to go out hunting again.

Having soon returned back to his cave, Ryuu then gathered together and prepared the ingredients for Mama Ryuu's famous child stew. As he danced around the cave and cooked the stew Ryuu then began to sing.

"First, you take a couple kidneys and add them to the mix.

Now take a bit of marrow, not that must just a pinch.

Start to stir the stew up, until it turns manilla.

Oh stew how I love you, I can never get my filla.

Stew, so alchemistical. Stew, so archetypical.

Stew and Stew and Stew and More Stewwwwww!"

Despite it's grim implications, the song was indeed catchy (and Ryuu was a decent singer). Taking a quick break from his frolicking to taste the stew, Ryuu smiled. "Just like mother used to make." Ryuu said to himself. Deciding that it was still a bit too cold, Ryuu let the pot of stew continue to rest on top of the fire. Taking the opportunity to put away the spare ingredients, Ryuu took a step back and examined his cave once he was finished.

Sure it was still obviously a cave, but Ryuu was happy with the additions that he had made to it. Ryuu had turned the cave into a first class cave. In fact Ryuu would call it a king among other caves. He had divided sections up into rooms which were decently furnished. He had some basic furniture to eat and sleep on, some rugs to cover the floors of the cave and Ryuu even had a few cabinets to store things in. Compared to the conditions that other hollow had, Ryuu had to say that he was pretty well off.

Shi paused in his walking and merely cocked a single eyebrow as he heard something. A song perhaps? But in the wasteland of all places. Perhaps there was hope for one of his own kind, though at the same time, it could be a trap. Shi did not survive on mere brute force and speed alone; he was a thinker and a planner and he silently turned his head and narrowed his eyes before slowly, carefully approaching the source of the song, but doing nothing to speed himself to a possible death.

A single hand went to his zanpakuto, preparing for the worst in case it was a trap. Otherwise, it might be at least worth his time to investigate. Last he checked, none of his kind dared to sing. Shi knew what it was, but the simple fact was that he had never heard it before in the wasteland, so what reason was there to sing and give away one's position.

But soon Shi would learn that Ryuu was a man of many talents. Not only could Ryuu sing, HE COULD WHISTLE. Well that and make a good stew. Plus Ryuu was suprisingly adept at baking too. Not that there was a lot of things that Ryuu could bake when he wasn't able to eat anything but meat. But the thought was still there and thats what mattered.

Beginning to whistle a upbeat and cheerful tune, Ryuu went to one of the cabinets he had and opened it up. Surveying the available bowls that he had, Ryuu selected one of the bowls and put a plate on top of it. Opening another cabinet and selecting a spoon, Ryuu then set the silverware and the plate down on the table. Giving the stew another experimental taste, Ryuu noticed that it was still a bit too cold. Continuing to whistle to pass the time, Ryuu wondered how long until it was dinnertime.

Shi could only stare towards the focus of his attention at the moment, face unchanged aside from the simple lowering his cocked brow. There was something else that caught his attention a whistling sound and silently he glanced around, already wondering if it was some kind of ranged weapon perhaps. Given the wasteland's inhabitants aside from himself, the only other purpose of the sound was to lure someone unsuspecting to their doom. Shi did not include himself amongst such numbers; he knew completely well what he could be walking towards, and the first step in avoiding a trap was to be aware of it.

His mind silently manifested possible scenarios, outcomes, even ideas of what could be producing the sound. Given what he could hear, it was likely to be humanoid obviously, as a sharper sound would no do indicate a weapon of some kind. It would not take him very long before he finally reached the source; a cave of some sort and merely stood there for a moment, silence being a virtue before he slowly narrowed his eyes and finally opened his mouth to speak.

"What are you doing?" he stated flatly, fingers already curled around his zanpakuto. Given the lack of attention or awareness, he was beginning to suspect that the source was pure human; completely ignorant of the dangers of the wasteland. If he was going to make a sound, then it was going to be right before Shi killed whoever happened to be his target.

As he whistled a nice cheery tune to pass the time, Ryuu was just about to check on the stew again when he heard a voice. Giving a final protracted whistle, Ryuu then faced the newcomer. Immediately noticing the teeth and the mask around his eyes, Ryuu knew that he was dealing with an arrancar. While the man didn't look very threatening, Ryuu was smart enough to not judge a book by it's cover. Taking note of the arrancar's body language, Ryuu noted that he didn't seem to be hostile (at least for the moment). Instead the arrancar seemed to be a combination of confused, cautious and possibly a pinch of curious to add flavor to the mix. Ryuu also noticed that the arrancar was quite rude. He was walking into someone else's home and didn't even have the decency to introduce himself.

"I'm making myself dinner. What are you doing?" Ryuu said in response. "Now there isn't any need to start a fight, is there?" Ryuu said while simultaneously holding up his zanpakutou and indicating Shi's which he appeared to be ready to draw out.

The short Arrancar merely stared, gaze fixed on Ryuu while out of the corner of his pupil he made sure to note the entire area. A precaution he had often come to take to familiarize himself visually with the environment should a fight break out. He had survived on cunning, intelligence, brutality, and skill, and as long as he kept to plans and sharp thinking, Shi knew he would continue to survive. That in mind, Shi immediately noted the appearance of the Arrancar before him; given the fact that the smell of meat was the only thing that any Hollow knew, and the weapon pointing at him did not look like a normal sword, Shi could only conclude that the one before him was an Arrancar.

Not to mention the hole in the Arrancar's chest and the obvious bone fragments of a mask were clear signs of a fellow Hollow. Shi didn't even flinch at the thought of meeting another Arrancar, merely continuing to stare at the one before him. "Investigating some being foolishly singing," he didn't mention the fact that it was giving way his location. If the Arrancar believed himself that strong, then let him suffer for his pride and arrogance. Humility was the path of the survivor. "You assume much to think that I am here to start a fight by walking to your location. Just how old are you?"

If it was a young Arrancar, then it would explain the lack of intelligence as far as Shi was concerned. Any true survivor and strong Hollow would always keep himself or herself hidden to avoid detection and being located, or worse, interrupted while resting. As far as Shi was concerned, he was before no potential ally but a possible meal in the far future. Right now though, there was no need to fight and kill. Unless he was given one.

Ryuu had to say that he was quite insulted by the arrancar. His singing had been called foolish. Of course this meant one thing. IT WAS ON. Obviously the arrancar was merely jealous of Ryuu's great singing voice and whistling abilities. Not only that but now he was asking Ryuu questions in his own home without the decency to introduce himself.

"Actually I would have to say that I'm assuming that your looking for a fight because you have your hand on your zanpakutou." Ryuu said in response to the man's statement. Giving the arrancar a kind smile Ryuu then said, "As for how old I am, I think that's a rather rude thing to ask someone. Here you are barging into my home and asking me questions without even introducing yourself." The meaning behind Ryuu's statement would be obvious to the arrancar. If he wanted Ryuu to answer any questions then he would have to give some information about himself.

At the very least, Shi knew that this Arrancar had enough intelligence to notice that Shi was on guard. That much was given credit. However, any other social grievances that Shi may have committed were simply nonexistent to Shi. He didn't know how to interact properly as far as social standards were concerned. All around him, all Hollows were either prey or enemies or possible allies. This Arrancar before him was the first two, as he would not align himself with an Arrancar who ignored survival instincts.

"Assumptions are lowly guesses that follow instinct. I will not be taken by surprise when I investigate, that much should be clear to any Arrancar," he stated, the only emotion in his tone being annoyance and frankly, disappointment. He expected either a potential enemy with brains or cunning to prey on curiosity, not someone singing and whistling as they made a meal. "You sound young, inexperienced. I can only conclude that you are barely two thousand perhaps, having survived this long on luck alone and not skill. You go through the unnecessary effort of cooking, when the raw condition of meat barely afflicts us," he lectured, curling his lips in a snarl. "I give no one but those who I deem fit to carry it, my name. If you did not wish to have someone, barge in, as you put it, then have the common sense not to give out invitations with your singing and whistling."

His curiosity was fittingly killed; he was not going to linger for more than he needed as far as words were concerned. There was nothing of benefit to gain and he already had a face to remember.

"And yet there you are, still holding onto your sword even though I haven't made given any indication that I want a fight. Besides isn't keeping your guard up based on as much instinct as my assumption?" Ryuu said in response to Shi's first statement. Recognizing the annoyance in the arrancar's voice, Ryuu merely smiled. If the arrancar was so easily annoyed, then it would be simple for Ryuu to goad him should the need arise.

Barely managing to suppress a chuckle at Shi's incorrect statement, Ryuu didn't bother to correct him. Afterall if the arrancar wanted to make false assumptions then Ryuu would just let him go with it. "If you insist. Although I have to say that cooking the meat makes it taste much better." Ryuu retorted to the arrancar. While he did find it rude that the arrancar wasn't even bothering to identify himself, at the very least Ryuu had a face to remember.

As per the activity rules, Shi is exited and loses half his RP points for failing to post within three days after Crazy.

See thread for activity rules

As no one else has joined this thread, it is ended.

RP points are as follows:

3 RP Points for Shi
5 RP Points for Crazy

Thread Locked and points added