[Hueco Mundo]
The Espada were gathered and seated around a large hall table waiting for Aizen to come say his piece after the recent mission that escalated past the expected danger threshold and saw one of their Espada being killed.
Starkk looked up from where he was resting his head as soon as Aizen and Tōsen stepped inside the room.
"About time this meeting started." Yammy Llargo, the largest Espada by build shouted and slammed his hands on the table.
"Have care how you speak in Lord Aizen's presence, Yammy." Tōsen warned while locating himself behind Aizen's seat.
Aizen merely smiled at the altercation. "It's alright, it's just how Yammy is. And Yammy, while patience isn't one of your strongest suits, it doesn't hurt to exercise it every now and then."
Yammy scoffed and looked away. "Whatever."
"Now then," Aizen began, looking over all the gathered Espada, "This reason for our impromptu gathering is a rather surprising and unfortunate one."
"You're damn right. How the hell did Nnoitra get himself killed so easily and quickly and Luppi is somehow alive?" Szayelaporro Granz asked, still in shock at just how quickly Nnoitra Gilga had died before they even thought to provide reinforcement.
"Well, he fought a Captain. And not just any Captain but the one Lord Aizen specifically warned us about." Zommari Rureaux answered.
"That's bullshit! I would have killed that bastard if high and mighty over here hadn't butt in where he wasn't wanted." Luppi's voice was raised above the others and in his anger and indignation, he pointed at Ulquiorra and accused. "And weren't you supposed to be on lookout? How come you missed a Captain of all people?"
"Now now, let's all calm down." The entire room fell silent as soon as Aizen's words fell. Whether it was through fear or respect, it was clear that he commanded their obedience.
"I should have known better that he wasn't one who always stuck by the rules. On normal circumstances, he shouldn't have been part of a simple recon mission like that, especially with his position as Captain of the Second Division. But then again he isn't one for sticking to the rules."
"The fact still remains that one of us is dead." Tier Harribel spoke up for the first time. And like she always did when she spoke up, she inquired of Starrk for his opinion. "Starrk, you've met this Shinigami. How dangerous do you think he is?"
"How would I know? I didn't fight him. If anything, Aizen should know." He lazily pointed at their leader, directing all the eyes back to him.
Starrk's reason, as well as that of Lilynette, Ulquiorra, and to a lesser degree Tier, for joining Aizen were entirely different compared to the other Hollows.
It was a known fact between all of them that Starrk didn't actually harbor any sort of resentment or hateful feeling towards any Shinigami, Hollow or even Quincy. So why then did he join up with Aizen?
Who knows?
The answer was only known by both of them, which was why unlike the other Hollows sans Baraggan, he was the only one who didn't refer to Aizen as Lord Aizen. If anything it could be said that he was purely here for the ride.
The reason why Tier featured in all this was because in a way it could be said that they saved her life from Aizen when they interrupted his 'fight' with her. If he really was going to kill her or just recruit her after her loss, especially after she refused to join him the first time, was entirely unknown.
Ever since that day Tier Harribel regarded Starrk and his group with a certain level of respect and admiration. It also was a very well appreciated bonus that they were also like-minded Hollows like her.
"Whether we know how strong he is now or later has little relevance. One of ours is dead before the battle has even begun. I can only blame his inferior intellect for not properly identifying a superior opponent." Baraggan spoke, showing clearly that there was no love lost among the Hollows, at least from him.
"Indeed." Aizen said, nodding his head as he reclined deeper into his throne-like chair. "While it is an unfortunate loss, Nnoitra's death at least served a purpose. Now we know that all of our enemies have met and it is entirely possible that they might come together in a united front to stand against us. And now with the death of Nnoitra we have three empty seats in the Espada."
"What about that wild mutt that has been screaming outside the gate for the past few days for a challenge? He would fit well into the Espada, would he not?" Tōsen asked for behind Aizen to which the latter merely smiled.
"You still haven't said anything about what we'll do about the Shinigami." Baraggan reminded Aizen with a gravely dim voice.
The perpetual faint smile on Aizen's face slowly disappeared as he answered Baraggan.
"This is not the time to plan a counterattack but instead a period of precaution. The Shinigami are a closely-knit group. We watch how one of them acts and we'll know how the others will act."
He picked up the glass of wine in front of him, one Tōsen dutifully poured out, and twirled it slowly. "As for the location of Kisuke Urahara and the last piece of the Hōgyoku, Nnoitra's death revealed it. As well as the hiding place of the exiled Shinigami. Now that the position of all the pieces have been identified, we wait for their first move… or fool them into making one. One that I don't doubt they are currently making right now."
The meeting continued on for a little while longer before they all retreated leaving only Starrk, Ulquiorra and Tier in the hall seated on their seats.
"Did I say something to anger you, Starrk?" Tier asked while Ulquiorra was more than content to sit in silence and observe the intricacies of the conversation.
"You underestimate me and overestimate yourself, Tier." Starrk replied disinterestedly.
The Third Espada looked confused at that. "Whatever do you mean?"
"I mean that I'm not as easy to anger as you might think. And honestly, besides Aizen, I doubt anyone here has what it takes to actually make me feel even a little bit angry. You overestimate yourself in that regard, Tier Harribel."
She was stunned for a brief moment before remembering who she was actually speaking to. Unlike what most might think, Ulquiorra was a perfect conversation partner compared to Starrk on his best days.
Though they were all Vasto Lorde here, Starrk was clearly on a higher ceiling than her and Ulquiorra except that all that did was make him completely disinterested in everything.
"Then if you don't mind me asking, what can you tell me about this particular Captain. From what I know, you both traveled together for a very short time during which you both clashed against Baraggan with him killing off all of Baraggan's former fracción. That and Lord Aizen has a rather high evaluation of him compared to other Shinigami."
Starrk groaned. This was why Ulquiorra was his favorite Hollow till date. He knew how to take silence for an answer.
Still he relented and answered. "There's not much to know about him that everyone else doesn't already know. He's pretty strong, very perceptive and a master of illusion."
That was basically all the important takeaway from the Shinigami that was Itachi Uchiha. "Oh and he's a pretty good conversation partner if you ever feel like talking it out instead of pointlessly fighting."
"I get that." She said, "What I want to know is why he seems different from other Shinigami to you. And you would rather get along with one of their kind than-"
"-than with other Hollows, right?" Starrk interjected but then shrugged. Finally he answered her question with one of his own. "Why fight someone when neither of you want to fight?"
It really was weird by Hollow standards when a Hollow, and not just any Hollow but a Vasto Lorde, not only met a Shinigami and refrained from fighting him but also became friends with a natural enemy after barely a week of walking together.
"It doesn't matter if the person is your natural enemy or not, prey or not. As long as it's not a time of war, the question you should be asking yourself is 'Is there any major reason to fight?'. If you can't come up with a strong one then I think you already have your answer."
"I see." Tier held her hand under her chin and seemed deep in thought about what Starrk had just said.
"If you still want an objective view of him, then just ask Ulquiorra. He was the one who clashed with him."
Seeing the both of them turning to face him, Ulquiorra looked up and gathered his thoughts and first impression of the Second Division Captain.
"He's strong."
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