A Bomb-Bastic Collision! Volatile Combatants Engage!

"I Found Her, I Found Her, I Found Her!!!"
"...okay, I see that the Captains've been doing some renovating while we were away."

When Qilin and his newly established friend Ayūi headed out to the surface, he was certainly surprised to see that the feudal visage of the Seireitei had been replaced by the sinister medieval foundations of the Vandenreich fortress network. He stared blankly at it all, unable to say much as he drank it all in. There was no doubt that this was a rather bad situation to be in, especially since it effectively threw his path back to the rest of the Alliance off-track. The only solace he could take was the faint pieces of destruction that the enemy base had suffered as consequence of the constant battle that had been going on.

He let out a heavy sigh, turning towards the woman leaning on him and giving a somewhat embarrassed smile. "Okay, uh..." He said, his gaze shifty as it couldn't remain on Ayūi for very long. "Cards on the table. I think we're lost."

Ayūi's eyes opened wide. Upon being carried up, she had no comprehension of any changes made to the world that was the Inner Circle take-over'd Soul Society. But when they breached the surface, an overwhelming new atmosphere of spiritual pressure bombarded her senses. It felt ripe with spirit energy, almost as ambient as Hueco Mundo's own natural spirit rich habitat. But it certainly had a very aged appearance and a semblence of society clung to the winter-crusted architecture.

"This..." Ayūi began to say, her lips trembling as she looked all around her leaning perch made along Qilin, "...this isn't the Soul Society!"

The temptation of sarcasm had to be quickly suppressed, lest Qilin wanted to make himself look like a jerk.

He quickly frowned and furrowed his eyebrows, sweeping the area for any possible signs of reinforcements. But it was as if the abundance of spiritual energy behaved like a fog rather than a conduit for the spiritual sense. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't pick out any of his allies through the veil of spiritual energy the atmosphere was producing. "Well, I have absolutely no idea where to start from." He grumbled. "I can't pick out anything within this spiritual fog, and I don't recognize this part of the Seireitei at all. Trying to find any friendlies is going to be like trying to look for a needle in a haystack..."

He turned a curious gaze towards Ayūi, using the arm wrapped around her to give her a gentle yet constant shake. "Ayūi, stop panicking and help me brainstorm." He chided, giving a light pout to emphasize.

Snapping out of her reverie of panic, Ayūi locked eyes with Qilin and found herself calming. Letting out a deep sigh, she knitted her eyes closed. Within moments she could conjure up a plan, her free right hand pointing at what could be described as the highest point of the city. "We shouldn't go that way. That's where the highest Spiritual Signatures are and they don't feel friendly. We should go towards a higher elevation, most likely a standing structure with a flat surface, in order to get a good read on where we're located. From there, I think I should be able to tell where we are and where we should go."

"...or you can just stay right there," A feminine voice cued in, her white-coat enraptured frame standing directly above them. A sinisterly too-sweet grin would be stretched across her face, a hand would use the foremost digits to pinch her cap down an inch. Her eyes would all be hidden by the silhouette of sadism that her orbs would be projecting all too much. She herself wouldn't possess any form of outputting Spiritual Pressure, but anyone who would know a Quincy that she was far from helpless. "and die with the rest of your kin, Circle scum!"

In that moment, the ground around where Qilin and Ayūi would light up, a momentary cue that'd last all but a heartbeat. The entire ground would detonate in a focused, elliptical eruption of flames that would cave in the way they came as well as reduce several structures standing all within a city block. Her cloak would flourish rapidly around her as she'd grin toothily down at her quarry, her senses already homing in on where they'd be before they'd scurry away.

All passive thoughts stopped abruptly when Qilin heard that voice.

It was a rather appealing voice to his ears, sweet and seemingly innocent enough. When he turned shocked eyes towards the one who and spoken down to them, he saw someone who seemed to match that voice very well. Although a good part of her face was obscured by the cap she wore on her head, he could tell that she was a young one. Or maybe it was just her voice that gave off that particular impression. He probably wouldn't be able to tell. But when he managed to pick up that first spark of instability in the ground underneath him, he could tell that her being young wouldn't deviate from her deadliness.

Adrenaline spiked.

Blood flow increased.

Heart rate accelerated.

Instincts kicked in.

With an exceptionally timed Flash Step, Qilin had pulled himself and his "cargo" out of the way before the explosion could consume them both. With a grunt and clenched teeth, he re-appeared on the rooftop of a building that was only slightly lower than the newfound enemy. "There wasn't even proper time to sense that!" He thought to himself, amazed at how camouflaged the ambush had been prior to its release. "Is it the fog that did that? Or did she hide it that well?"

He turned towards Ayūi to regard her status. "Sorry about the sudden pull, Ayūi. You still with me?"

"I-I-I'm fine," Ayūi shuddered, finding her arm clenching tightly out of reflex. Her eyes were wide and her mouth agape, as she had almost saw her whole field of vision go white before a deafening blast transpired behind them. The fact she had no idea, nor the strength, to respond to such an instantaneous blast caused her to truly look at Qilin in awe.

"That's some quick timing," Bambietta would follow-up, her feet tapping onto the edge of the building to Qilin's rearmost flank. Releasing her hold on her cap, she withdrew both of her arms to be hidden within the confines of her Ritter cloak. With an attractive face of Bambietta's framing a beautiful mane of dark hair flourishing behind her, it would be clear that she was one of the eye candies of their ranks. But by the way her eyes glistened in tune with revealed sparkling teeth, she would be no pleasant person to sit alone in a bedroom. "now, correct my memory, but I don't really recognize you or the chick you're protecting. An introduction would be nice, seeing as you avoided my initial executionary blast."

"Lady," Qilin muttered, passing a disgruntled look over towards the woman who had attempted to annihilate him and Ayūi. "I don't usually just hand out names to people who just blow me up. If you're going to do that, then I think it'd be best if we just--"

However, he abruptly stopped himself once something clicked in his head.

The Quincy had attempted to kill them with an explosion, a violent release of energy and not some projectile burst as most probably would've done. It was near-instantaneous, unexpected and certainly had the capability of blowing its targets to pieces. That thought would've certainly unnerved and terrified anyone else. It could safely assumed that Ayūi, especially in her state, would've been at least a little unnerved. But Qilin wasn't "anyone else". Compared to the rest of the Gotei 13 personnel, he was a little bit more on the eccentric side of things. That would be made clear when he spoke to the Quincy again, disbelief and slight anticipation on his features.

"Wait a minute... that was your power?" He asked, jerking a finger towards the direction of where the explosion had taken place. "No spells, no equipment just placed prior to me arriving there? That was just you and nothing else, right then?"

"Wow, aren't you the sharp one," Bambietta retorted in a snarky tone, earning a over-the-shoulder scowl from an otherwise silent Ayūi. None-the-less, she responded in a cheeky tone as she flashed an evermore expansive grin at Qilin's direction. "yes, that is my power. I have been bestowed by his Majesty the title of E, the Explode!"

In the instant she would speak the last two words, it would transpire again. Everything underneath Qilin's feet would combust in a spewing blaze of slag and flames. The explosion itself would be localized so that it would be sent in their direction, both up and forward, leaving Bambietta feeling only a slight kickback of the blast. Her hair would flourish as much as her coat, leaving her to smile eagerly at the result of this attack as she'd levitate above the collapsing structure they were all standing upon.

Once again, Qilin's quick thinking saved them both from certain danger.

Another Flash Step had yanked him and his partner away from the blast Bambietta had once again. His feet settled down on the ground, and he gently released Ayūi to stand up straight. He watched as the building they had been on collapsed, producing a light shockwave that hit him the face. His expression was blank for what seemed like the longest moment. His hands slowly clenched into his fists as his mind processed what the girl had said.

When he finally found his voice, it would probably be what no one expected.

"....OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH~!!!"

The sound produced from his mouth was comparable to that of a squee. The look in his eyes and on his face presented nothing short of a childish excitement, with his balled fists shaking in front on him to emphasize. It hadn't been because of slow learning he had asked the question. It was due to a request for confirmation, a desire for his hopes not to get crushed. When hearing that her epitaph was "the Explode", it pushed his excitement to a crescendo. It was a type of enemy that he could certainly get used to.

"Captain!"

The overhead voice of his Lieutenant stopped him in his tracks, and he swung his gaze to see Tetsuyo standing on a building not too far away. In contrast to the mirthful expression on Qilin's face, Tetsuyo was clearly pensive and worried. "Everything's gone to Hell!" He called down, beads of sweat falling down his face. "I got myself lost from the group I was in, I heard the explosions and I came straight away. What's going o--?!"

"Tetsuyo!" Qilin cut him off before he could go any further, using a cupped hand around the mouth to focus his volume. "Glad you happened to arrive. Could you do me a favor?"

"U-uh..." Tetsuyo blinked, surprised at Qilin's nonchalant attitude. "A favor?"

"Yeah!" Qilin put on a rather nonchalant and almost deadpan expression on his face. He lifted a finger to point towards the Quincy levitating above him. "I've got a date waiting for me," He shifted the finger towards Ayūi. "And I need someone to babysit while I'm gone!"

The sound of glass could be heard shattering in the background. Tetsuyo's expression immediately took on a more shocked and bewildered manner, and he could only stare with disbelieving eyes at all three occupants of the battlefield. "W...What?!"

"Now just wait a minute!" Ayūi began to retort. Finally standing on her own, she'd turn on her heels to point a jabbing finger at Qilin's shoulder, "I am no one's burden, nor will I watch you fight someone you have no past experience fi-"

Hilariously enough, Ayūi found hers succinctly rolling to the back of her sockets as she began to lose consciousness. Unceremoniously falling onto her side with a comical flop would be all the indication she did, indeed, need a guardian of some sort. That is until she would regain consciousness to continue the independant line of dialogue.

Meanwhile, Bambietta would briefly recoil by the sound coming from her escaped target. Recomposing herself as she saw them collaborate, with one clearly too exhausted to fight, and the other by what she could gauge was a subordinate of the one to evade her detonations. Seeing the exhausted one collapse gave her a clear indication who would stand back and who would fight.

"He's a Hohō Master if I ever saw one," Bambietta noted with a scrutinizing scowl, her form continuing to billow and remain stoically above the Shinigami who remained groundside. "he seems both eccentric and a sharp one. The common makings of an underestimated genius. He values his comrade's safety instead of his own skin, but he doesn't lack cautiousness. Culminating these things I'd hazard to guess he's..."

SHFT!

Tapping once again just as swiftly as before, the Quincy landed with a click of her boots onto the ice layered cobblestone ground. Just shy six meters away from Qilin's backside, she'd narrow her eyes and take a more astute visage, crossed with an annoyed expression crossing her mouth, "...you're a Kidō expert, aren't you? Don't act surprised if what I ask is true. If you could evade my attack so timely you seem to be a Captain who relies more on finesse and grace rather than brute force and attrition. Not anyone can simply evade my explosions without having incredible mental fortitude and inherent reflexes to flee rather than defend."

Qilin looked over his shoulder at her, idly noticing Tetsuyo Flash Step to the fallen Ayūi while giving a tense glare at the other woman. One of his hands moved to grasp the sheath of his sword, while the other drew the weapon out with a precariously slow speed. He held it out to his side as he spoke, the sharp metal gleaming in the atmospheric light. "Well, aren't you the sharp one?" He remarked, and unlike her, his words were genuine. "You're right on the money. I do happen to be someone who's good at using Kidō. But to hear you figure that out just by me evading your attacks? I don't know what to think right now."

He slowly turned himself around to face his target, his lone hand gripping his sword tightly. "Yes, I think we're going to get along just fine." He continued, one corner of his mouth curling into a small smile. His lowered sword arm moved to cross his stomach, the tip pointing towards the ground. "So then, my lady..."

His sword arm moved in an idle string, and destruction followed afterwards.

A fissure of physical power was unleashed on the Quincy, potent enough to rend her body asunder and wide enough to collapse several more structures behind it. It was marked by a cloud of dust and debris which towered over the shorter buildings, causing a brief fog of dirt to shadow the area. In the second prior to his attack, Bambietta would see the smile had shifted to a Cheshire cat's grin. Both it and the almost serene look in his eyes presented an eerie veil of false friendliness, barely hiding the desire to kill. Even his tone kept its smooth attitude as he spoke to her, almost as if he was just having a casual conversation.

"Shall we dance?"

Bambietta would momentarily drop her composure for an eye-widening second the instant the sword was swung. Barreling at her wasn't a spell or even a Zanpakutō ability. It was sheer, ferocious kinetic power, causing the wind itself to become an extension of kill pressure beyond the metal edge's reach. Thankfully her instincts didn't fail her, as she had already been moving upon the sword's swing, only taking time to momentarily gawk in mid-step.

A swift movement later, she'd reappear behind him, forcing herself to not audibly land upon the ground, instead hovering a mere inch off of it. A flourishing movement of her right arm and her gloved splayed digits would point in Qilin's direction. A second later she'd clench her fingers into a fist, becoming the muscular movement indicating the precise control of what would happen next.

The volatile explosion would uproar in a column of fire that'd branch out away from her direction, further annihilating the physically shredded area Qilin's blade had cut towards. With an attack possibly swifter than her prior two, Bambietta would seem as if she would conjure explosions out of thought itself. Whethet it would unsettle someone as frighteningly eccentric as Qilin would be an entirely other matter...

The fourth time Bambietta had decided to flank Qilin from behind was the moment Qilin could easily anticipate it.

Mildly disappointed at the lack of verbal chatter, he spun his gaze over his shoulder just in time to see Bambietta clench her fingers. The slightly increased speed of the attack process was a flash of her poker hand for him to see, and he wasn't one to pass up the opportunity. His Flash Step would thrust him into the air, and he appeared to be flying towards the sky when he came back out of it. But before he ascended too far, his shocked Lieutenant would catch the expression on his face. Right then and there, he knew that getting caught between his Captain and the enemy would be suicide. This fight was certainly going to be a destructive one, considering their powers.

Putting the weakened as his first priority, Tetsuyo quickly grabbed Ayūi and used a Flash Step of his own to get him onto another building, where he could watch without getting caught within the crossfire.

At the same time this was happening, Qilin decided to abruptly change his flight pattern.

Another Flash Step, and Qilin had moved from soaring through the sky to appearing right behind Bambietta. His sword moved, its eager cutting edge moving to slice through her spinal chord.