Bab 19: Parfait
"A deal?" Arima looks down at the reflection.
"Yeah, a deal." Xolotl smugged. "How about I spare your life in exchange for your body?"
Without hesitation, Arima spat on the buddle of water, creating a ripple that disrupted the surface area of the wire. As the water calmed back down, Xolotl was nowhere to be found.
"Agh!" Arima's right cheek explodes in a violent spray of blood, squirting all over the walls as it paints another message.
'Just Once.'
"5 minutes?" Arima spoke with a gap in the side of his mouth, slowly regenerating as his tongue nearly poked through the hole.
Arima looked around the room and realised the sheer situation he was in.
The handcuffs were deep in his wrists, sharp spikes embedding themselves into his flesh that inhibited his movement. His feet were chained to the wall as well, completely restricting his mobility.
"Fuck..." Arima puts his head down as he bites his lip, breaking through the skin as blood drips from his teeth, mixing with the spit and water on the floor.
"Agh!" Arima tries to rip his hand out of the cuffs but it merely causes it to tighten and dig even deeper into his flesh. His body flails endlessly as he cries in agony, his screams falling on deaf ears.
As he left out one final burst of energy, he feels an overwhelming sense of exhaust come over him. The setback of his excessive use of his regeneration was getting back at him. He was slowly phasing out of consciousness. His eyes felt as though they were a thousand kilos heavier, his breath shorter than the tiniest atoms.
A singular tear drops from his eye, rolling down his blood-stained cheeks as it falls into the mix of blood, spit and water on the ground.
As a single tear drops, more follow suite as he starts to completely bawl. He sobs endlessly as his sniffs grew louder and his wails even more pathetic.
He was powerless.
Everything he had done until this point had been entirely pointless.
"Deal."
Arima's eyes rolled backwards as his nose splits open, two pair of hands reaching out from his sinuses to encase his eyes. His hair started falling out as his skin turned a pale ominous white, giant black stripes covering his body in ancient ruins and texts.
"Fool." The hybrid smiled as the flesh around his mouth ripped from the pure excitement.
"Pick up! Pick up!" Urahara scrambled frantically in the phone, dialing number after number. He swerves through the empty city streets at 3 am in his car, ripping through red traffic lights and ignoring all traffic laws.
"Who's there?" A raspy voice picked up on the other end.
"It's Urahara."
"Ura... Ura..." The voice hesitated for a moment. "Oh! The guy in deep shit!" The voice broke out into a cuts bubbly laugh, a contrast to her usual speaking tone.
"Haha, real funny Camie, but I really need your help." Urahara said sarcastically as he accelerated around a bend, pulling in towards a carpark.
"You know..." Camie twirls a cigarette in her hand as she laid in bed with nothing but her undergarments and a tank top. The evening light illuminated her face through the blinds, casting a shadow over the right side of her body as she holds her phone with her left hand. Her frizzy and clumpy brown hair gently fell off the sides of her head like a waterfall, a smooth shave on the side of her head as a line segregated the two opposites.
Her eyes were beady and full of life, her eye lashes complimented the heavy make up on her face.
"I could get in big trouble for just talking to you." Camie giggles.
"Cut the shit. You owe me one." Urahara stops to a halt at the gantry as the barrier lifts itself up, allowing his car to pass through.
"You're gonna cash it in now?" Camie looks at the smoke rising from the end of her cigarette.
"I can't think of a better time." Urahara swerves carelessly up the multiple ramps to reach the top of the carpark, narrowly missing the bumper of many other cars.
"Okay, spit it purple boy." Camie placed the cigarette on her plump lips and inhaled.
"I need you to find Galliard and reassemble the squad, I've got a plan for this whole thing to blow over." Urahara slams on the brakes and reaches the top of the carpark where it was completely open. Surrounded by only the massively tall skyscrapers, Urahara was completely secluded.
"That's it?" Camie raises her eyebrows. "That's what you're gonna use your IOU for?"
"Yeah," Urahara's car stands directly opposite a shadowy figure who stood alone in the empty carpark roof. "No more questions, just get it done." Urahara hangs the call as he looks out the main window of his car. A singular man stands fifty feet infront of him, dressed in a black suit.
"Asshole." Camie throws her phone towards her soda, landing inside the crack between the pillows. She takes one final puff before putting it put onto her bedside table.
She gets out of bed and picks up her pants and shirt from the sofa top, pacing around the room as she fit her arm through the sleeves of her shirt.
Her house was minimal and small, a small TV situated in the corner of the room with a sofa directed towards it. She put on her pants and shirt, her feet thudding against the carpeted floor. She picks up her jacket and glasses from the bedside table.
"Yo, Tomio!" Camie shouted from across the house towards the only illuminated room. "Something came on, just heat up the meal in the microwave, okay?" Yet her words fell on silent ears. She stared at the light bouncing off the corner of the walls for a moment before approaching it.
"I heard you." Tomio sat in the bathtub, bubbles up to her neck as she held a glass of wine.
Camie stood at the doorway, looking at her with glistening eyes. "You know I work a lot."
"Yeah I'm at peace with that." She took a sip from her glass. Her black-bob was still dry even though her entire body was submerged in the water.
"I'm glad you know darling." Camie swallowed her own spit as she turns around to put on her shoes.
Tomio doesn't say another word, sipping down her glass of wine.
Camie stands up and taps her shoe against the floor. "I won't be home until probably tomorrow." She turns and look at Tomio.
"I know." Tomio says with a blank expression.
"Okay," Camie sighs as she walks towards the door, pressing her hand against the door handle. Her skin pulls back from the coldness of the metal handle. "I love you Tomio."
"Me too." Tomio replied.
Camie opened the door and closed it behind her.
"And what would you like?" The waiter approached Camie sitting on a chair, her hand on her chin as she's fixated on the menu in her hand. She runs her finger up and down the options.
"I'll take a Strawberry Cream parfait." She puts the menu down and points at the large picture of a strawberry cream parfait.
"Excellent choice!" The waiter jots something down.
"And a beer. The largest one." Camie smiled as the waiter walked away.
She looks around the fine establishment as she scored herself a corner table, away from the main hustle and bustle of the restaurant. It was already nearing 9pm yet everyone was still lively and the band kept on playing jazz.
Lights were strewn above her head which added the homey vibe of the establishment.
Just as she was about to reach for her phone, it vibrated in her leather jacket's pocket.
'Here.' The text said. Their previous text messages were filled with only Camie's message and the occasional 'Ok' or thumbs up.
"Old man doesn't even know how to text." Camie sighs as she looks back up.
"There." A toweringly large man points at Camie. He wore a brown suit with a extremely small tie that barely fit his body, the seems and buttons nearly flying off. He had short silver hair and a beard that covered his entire face like a lion's mane. Two gashes ran across his forehead, forming an X. The waiter seemed nervous as he ushered the man towards Camie.
"Yo!" Camie smiles and waves at Galliard.
"It's been a long time since we met." Galliard announced to the entire restaurant with his booming voice. All the heads turn towards the two of them.
"Tsk, shh!" Camie clicked her tongue at Galliard, signalling him to keep his voice down. "We're in public for crying out loud, you need to speak softer."
"Sorry, not used to this public thing." Galliard took off his jacket as the buttons on his shirt were mere millimeters away from landing in someone's eye.
"Yeah well, Urahara gathered us here and it must be for a pretty good reason."
Galliard took a seat at the table as the legs of the chair literally started to bend.
"Your orders," The waiter came as he held a tray containing a strawberry parfait and a massive jug of beer. "For the lady," He spoke with a slight accent as he picked up the tall glass containing cream with strawberries lining the sides towards Camie. "And for the gentleman." He struggled to pick up the jug of beer but still managed to place it infront of Galliard.
Galliard looked at the beer and then back up at the man. "Grawl!" He snarled at the waiter as he backed away, nearly dropping his tray.
"Don't mind him," Camie smiled at the waiter, cheering him up with her bubbly smile. The waiter quickly runs away before they could say anything more to him.
"Wrong!" Galliard slams the table with his giant fist, nearly causing the entire table to topple.
"Oh..." Camie looks at the table and realises the parfait is on her side and the beer is on his side. "Wrong side." She switches the parfait and the beer so that now she had the beer and he had the parfait.
Galliard's face immediately turns into one of delight as he picks up the small glass spoon and takes a bite out of the parfait. Without hesitation, Camie picks up the jug of beer with one hand and begins to chug the entire barrel-worth of alcohol.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone