Fresh Ingredients

"Ghost for now works, but after that...? You'll be called whatever you are. Which will be potentially an arrancar... I can't guarantee anything though." Saraiyu finally pulled herself from the water, reluctance written all over her face but it was a bit annoying conversing with someone under the water...

"Dance dance revolution is amazingly fun. You should try it, I have a few here and I will play you. And maybe go easy on you." If she felt like it, her grin playful as she leaned back against the edge of the bath and ledge. The heat was soothing her sore muscles and she groaned as her hands raised above her head in a stretch.

Side eying the man as he spoke of the helpful ones, it took a moment for her to realize he was speaking of her thralls."Those helpful ones? Oh my thralls. Well those are mindless husks I control, so you won't get much bonding with them. Technically they are more part of me than they are themselves at this point. But we have Luca and Shinya who are two of my subjects that help me rule, and Yysara who is Shinya's direct subordinate.

Then there is my daughter Elly, who is also one of my major subjects now and her dearest Birgitte who is a subordinate of sorts of her as well. They all have their own floors, which you will have to to do with as you please if you make it. Those people would all be willing to make friends, I am sure."

Her eyes practically glowed though as Bart thought over his predicament and she chuckled again once he just hopped right in with a thumbs up. Flicking water at him with her finger tips, she just shook her head once more. "I see. Well once you are all clean I will take you to where you need, my thralls shall begin setting it up now then. You should tell me your story in the meantime, human have such interesting lives and yours must have been exceptionally so."

’Arrancar’, huh? Sounds like there all sorts of ghosts here in the desert! It’s going to be quite interesting indeed to see what kind of spirit ghost thing I’ll turn out to be! Bart kept smiling and nodding along with Sarai’s words, fully enraptured with his immediate future in this strange but incredibly fascinating world.

“Dance dance… revolution?” Bart asked, tilting his head quizzically at the Corona. “Hmm, a revolution of dance sounds like it would be fantastic, actually! I’d be glad to try it out, Sarai! You shouldn’t feel like you need to go easy on me, though. I’m quite the accomplished dancer, after all!” He nodded at her happily, more out of self confidence than any sort of pride. “Why, you’re looking at one half of the championship team of the Schleswig-Holstein Swing Dancing Competition, after all!” He laughed cheerfully.

There was a small part of him that realized that since he was ‘dead’ now, he probably wouldn’t be able return to defend his title, but if Miss Sarai said that they usually went to the ‘Human World’ to do things anyway, maybe there was still hope…

He listened quite carefully to her description of what her thralls really were, and even more closely when she began naming all of the people that helped her around this tower as well. Hmm, so those helpful people were more like… robots or something? I guess having your own helpful robot crew isn’t too bad at all! Bart took careful note to remember each and every name that she gave him, locking them away for when he had the pleasure of meeting each and every new face that she talked about.

“Well then, it sounds like you have quite the full tower then, Sarai!” He said with a huge grin. “I can’t wait to meet them all! Especially your daughter, I’m sure that anyone raised by someone as nice as you will be fantastic to talk to!” The bath had become so relaxing and warm to Bart that he barely realized that he was in water at this point. To him, he was enjoying a lovely conversation with a very nice and generous woman that was offering him a new lot in life! More baths need to end up that way, really.

He laughed playfully as she flicked water at him, defending himself with his arms quite exaggeratedly from her watery assault as the Corona announced her plan to do whatever it was that was needed. However, Bart now had a new subject to now talk to the woman about: himself.

“Oh, I wouldn’t say my live was quite as spectacular compared to a Magic Monster Queen as yourself, but I wouldn’t mind telling you a little bit,” He said playfully, running a hand through his curly black hair. “Well let’s see… I was originally born in England; I lived there for about four years before I was sent off to live with my aunt and uncle in Russia. Now that was an interesting change! It was an entirely different city from jolly ol’ England entirely.” He laughed brightly as he unconsciously found himself looking back down at his bare chest, still as scar-free as it had been earlier.

“I spent a few years there before moving in with my Uncle Amos in Scotland, and he was a fantastic man! Treated me like his own song and everything, not to mention he managed to wake up the chef’s spirit in me and had me cooking every day after that!” Bart’s smile continued to grow as he listed off his various homes and families he had over the years. “And then I moved to Switzerland with my cousins, followed by Germany and then finally Japan! And then I suppose I’ve found myself here now, although dying isn’t exactly moving in with new relatives, now is it?” He gave a content sigh as he relaxed against the wall of the bath, washing his legs as he began accepting this desert-tower-bath-whatever place as his new home.

“But I will say this: It’s definitely been the most exciting trip that I’ve been on in a long time, Sarai!” He flashed her another warm smile and chuckled as he let the warm waters wash the sand and tension away from his body.

"There is a major difference between this game and dancing my friend. Or well a few. I'm sure you'll do just fine though, Mr Champion, though you knowing how to dance is pretty... A pretty good coincidence considering my own absolute enjoyment~" Sarai admitted with a bit of pride herself, bringing a hand up to hair to brush back the wet locks as she smiled smugly.

He might be a good dancer but she'd been dancing since before he was even born she'd have him know! Later, it wouldn't do to form any more attachments than needed right now incase he died. It would be sad, but she could survive it as long as she kept her distance a bit more for the moment.

"I'll let them know once you are transformed and you can bother them at your pleasure, there are others but they don't live here at all. They have their own desert homes... Which I really should get around to finishing Shinya and Luca's. Ugh, paain." More woooork, she should really see how work was going and groaned as she thumped her head back on the tile. He had complimented her more and it at least caused a smile smile to reappear after her work filled thought. "I should get Elly to leave the nest too. You can definitely meet her, I am sure she'd adore a new friend as nice as you."

Still it was time for his odd human backstory to be revealed! She wondered what kind of life would bring about a previously scar covered and optimistic to the point of insanity among humans, dead being like this. Well she'd find out.

Listening without interrupting, Sarai chuckled again and a hand rose from the water to wave despite her actually not lifting her head yet. "My human life I don't remember but... I guess if you are counting after then you'd be right~ Well, that is a rather adventure filled life. Let me see those continents... Languages... Wow, actually. That's impressive for a young human! I have... questions that I will ask later though. Personal and private ones, for more details. I'd prefer to make sure you will be alive before I learn too much more though~"

"At least I'm glad I could be used for your most exciting trip in a while. Please don't judge it yet, its really not even close to being done yet." Her hand slipped back into the warmth and she closed her eyes fully for a bit. "I have more planned for you if you survive."

“Oh, is that so? Well then I look forward to learning all about it from you, Sarai!” He beamed widely and nodded at her as he moved to scrub his shoulders and neck with the fragrant soaps Sarai’s thralls had provided him. Definitely a far cry from the regular ol’ bars of soap that he’d been used to for all these years! He returned her smile with one of his own as he sat up a bit straighter, his eyes shined with a newfound energy. “Are you really a big fan of dancing as well? Haha, I just keep finding more and more reasons why I’m going to enjoy staying here every passing second!”

Bart was reaaaally starting to think that maybe dying was becoming one of the best things to happen to him. All the evidence was starting to point towards it, after all.

“Well I hope that I wouldn’t be a bother to them, at least. I’m sure that they must be very busy doing queen errand… things for you day to day, so hopefully I can get to know them without being a hindrance!” Bart nodded excitedly in the water, letting his arms go limp for a moment to see them rise up to the top of the water before chuckling and bringing them back down to his side again. “But I didn’t know that you provided your subjects with their own homes as well! It really sounds like you’re the most generous Queen ever; and I come from Britain!” He laughed even more brightly now, his eyes closed in joy as he enjoyed his own little matriarchy joke.

Granted, he never got to meet the Queen of England personally, so Sarai already had that over her. “And I’m sure that Elly and I would get along just great as well! I always love to meet new people, after all.” Especially new people that are even as half as interesting as Miss Sarai here! This world just has to be full of amazing new people! “Oh, and of course I’d be glad to answer any questions that you have as well, Sarai! I might even learn as much about you judging by the kinds of questions you ask me, after all.”

Bart always enjoyed answering any questions about himself, only rivaled by how much he loved to ask questions about his friends as well. And this world was just full of questions!

“I certainly hope that the journey is far from over! I’ve only just landed here and I’ve got so many questions about… Well everything!” He grinned warmly over at the Corona as he rested his own back against the wall of the bath. “So I plan on being around for quite a while so that I can experience it all. That’s a promise!” I haven’t even tried cooking in this fantastic new place, there’s no way I’d just give up and leave here just like that!

"I do like dancing quite a bit." Saraiyu spoke softly, becoming a bit quiet for now due to worries over the ghost she had somewhat befriended. If he died and she grew attached... Well that would be a shame and she didn't like that one bit.

As he spoke more, her expression and air around her darkened a bit. The joke about the queen was cute and she chuckled but didn't seem to smile, a malaise of sorts coming over her. It was hard for her not grow attached to such a sweet and upbeat person and it seemed she sunk into her own thoughts while he spoke.

She nodded her head or made sounds for a bit as the woman slowly slunk mopily into the water, barely able to hear Bart though she tried to listen and give him the attention he needed. It was haaard. He wanted to meet Elly and everyone and he might diiiiie.

Weh.

This wouldn't do at all! Grumping at herself, she straightened up a bit finally and looked over at the cleaner man.

"Mm, I am going to wait for questions though~ We'll have all the time in the world after you are transformed." No need to just be pessimistic about it at all really and Saraiyu patted her cheeks softly to rid herself of the malaise that came over her. He had a high enough chance, it was merely a what if that she would not know until a bit. Without even looking over, she accidentally began to mother him. "Make sure to wash behind your ears and scrub your hair well. When you are done I have bathrobe you can borrow for a bit. I might be a bit tall or big on you thought..."

His promise was nice at least, though it wasn't too much help in the fight against her moping. Mope seemed in, stronger than ever after those thoughts.

"Fantastic! I can't wait to try out dancing with you, Sarai! I can't wait to see what kind of dancing skills a monster queen such as yourself has in store!" The young man continued to smile excitedly at the Corona, but his eyebrows quirked up as he saw her... slowly... sink.

Huh... That's... curious. Maybe it's how she likes to wash herself? Can't say I've had the opportunity to wash with anyone before, so it's not in me to judge how other people get clean! But she did also seem to become a lot more... Hmm, saddened? Bart tilted his head to side as he smiled reassuringly at the strange woman, washing his body the whole time.

"Umm, Sarai? Is everything alright?" Her reaction would be slightly funny if he wasn't afraid that he had done something recently that might have offended the Arrancar Queen. Was he not washing correctly? He hoped he was! All these different soaps and washing utensils were so new, it was possible that he was doing it all wrong, hmmm...

A line of thought that apparently wasn't too far off as she then told him to make sure to wash behind his ears and his hair! "Oh yes, of course!" He chuckled, immediately taking the washcloth to his ears and scrubbing them thoroughly to catch that hard to reach bits of sand that somehow found their way on him.

"Oh, and there's no need to worry about the size of the bathrobe, Sarai! I'm quite used to wearing things that aren't exactly my size, anyway! You see, my relatives were kind enough to pass me down all the clothes that they grew too big for, so it's like getting my own wardrobe directly from them!" He laughed brightly as he began lathering up his hair, still smiling just as brightly to Sarai.

"Granted, they were usually too big for me to wear normally, so I had a bit of growing up to do in order to fit in them better! But I always did eventually, so it all worked out in the end, huh?"

"It should be rather fun. None of my Espada currently know how to dance anything but the basics. Such a shaaaame. Maybe you'll make a fun one for bothering when I get the dancing itch if you make it that far." Sarai decided sitting still would be best for now. Less startlement for the silly human...

"I'm not sure I want to get anymore attached to you in case you die. If you do it would be an annoyance to have grown fond and have to throw a proper funeral again." Saraiyu paused for a moment, giving a sigh before shrugging because there was nothing to be done about her words. "Huh, that sounds colder than I expected it to come out."

It was true though and honest and she felt he deserved some honesty as he finally washed those parts he might have otherwise missed it seemed. Especially after she heard his latest optimistic response. Now her focus was turned entirely to the young man as she stared in disbelief. "Really? Really? What kind of family is that then? Even I give my lowest servants their own damn clothes. You really shouldn't be smiling over that kind of treatment!"

Pointing at him in her outrage, her finger got perilously close to his nose while her teal eyes were sharp with rebuke. Mostly for the adults in his life who hadn't seemed to care for him... She was a monster but even she had her limits. Grumbling after her dramatic pointing, she stood up from the bath and hopped out with ease, spraying water everywhere as a thrall brought her one of the robes. Saraiyu looked back at Bart and then examined the robe before waving it off with a mental order to adjust it properly to the size she felt he was.

Stupid little optimistic ghost...

“Is that so? Then perhaps I might even try to teach them how to dance a bit while I’m here too!” He said happily, rinsing off his hair and leaving the last part of his body completely scrubbed clean. “I did a bit of dancing with my friends before all of this, so I’m sure that I’d be able to help them get the hang of it!” He nodded and crossed his arms in front of his chest affirmatively. And even if they didn’t completely get the hang of it all in the first go, he would still have a blast teaching them anyway! “And you’d never be bothering me if you want to dance, Sarai! I’d love to be able to cut a rug with someone as nice as you!”

He had to chuckle at that. Imagine: Her, a bother? Perish the thought! However, when she revealed what had been keeping her down for the past little bit, it caused Bart’s brow to furrow only slightly. Oh… So that’s what. Huh, that’s rather… kind of her! I guess that means that I’ve made a pretty good first impression, huh?! “Well I can promise you this, Sarai: I absolutely won’t die again! Heaven forbid I be a bother and make you have to throw a funeral just for little ol’ me, after all!” He smiled even bright as if you reassure the Corona, giving her another happy nod as he relaxed in the bath.

Hmm… Did Uncle Aaron and Aunt Maribel have to throw a funeral for me back in the… ‘other’ world as well? I surely hope it didn’t cost that much!

But it turned out that Sarai was full of very interesting reactions today! When she pointed her finger at him in outrage out of hearing that he had to wear hand-me-downs, Bart briefly went cross-eyed as he looked down at her finger, his head tilted in slight confusion. “But I… preferred it when then gave me their old clothes? Anyone could have just bought clothes to get me and everything, but these were always just that much more personal! It was the literal clothes off of their backs, after all! It’s hard to find a more selfless way to clothe someone; at least I’d like to think so.”

He kept smiling brightly at Sarai, but he was now slightly confused as well. Did he do something wrong in mentioning that? It was certainly a stronger emotion that had come out of the nice woman than he had seen earlier today. But for now all the British lad could do was speculate as Sarai got out of the bath in a hurry, little splashes of water lightly drizzling him as one of her assista- thralls came up to her with what seemed to be the bathrobes she had been talking about. He noticed her study him again briefly and send them on their way, and all Bart could hope was that he hadn’t done something to upset her.

“Are you… sure everything is alright Miss Sarai? I hope I’m not being too much of a bother for you!”

"Hah! Maybe you can get Luca to. I don't know about Elly... Shinya, its a possibility." Those who might want to learn were few and far between. A few knew at least, though Saraiyu wasn't always privy to the most intimate details of her Espada's lives. Or even more personal skills. If it wasn't useful for their work...

How could he keep that optimism intact despite her words!? Promising not to die!? Who the hell does thaaaat?! Sarai turned red and groaned as she put her hands against her cheeks, unable to deal with this optimistically insane human ghost. "J-Just get out of the bath if you are done. Your robe is almost altered to fit you better for now. We are going straight to the chamber."

At least she could explain herself before she forced him down the hallway or pulled him from the bath and she began with a hint of annoyance in her voice. "I am just grumpy. Thats not nice, people deserve their own things to call their own. Cheapskates! I doubt anyone was giving them for you to be nice. It wasn't selfless from their point of view, even if you think. Getting someone something they need, especially children, and not just what they tossed aside. Anyone could have and would have been less selfish."

She was ignoring the fact that maybe they couldn't... But still that angered her. His family already didn't sound like the best if they kept tossing such a sweet person around but maybe there were circumstances she was missing... Later! She'd worry about that later. For now teal eyes were revealed as her hands lowered, glaring at the bath while the water continued to drip from her hair and body.

Hmm, this Luca, Elly and Shinya must be some of her closest friend-servant-ghost whoevers! She’s definitely brought them up more than once! I’ll definitely have to be sure to keep an eye out for whoever they are! Bart kept his arms crossed and nodded knowingly, his mind set on this new, worthy journey. He would befriend all of the ghosts!

At Sarai’s insistence, Bart also made his way out of the bath, now a much cleaner and relaxed ghost person, his usual warm and wide smile still showing just as bright as ever. Baths were pretty fantastic, he decided. More of those would definitely have to be in his immediate future, which he was already planning for because he told Sarai that was going to stay alive, right? But that mention of a robe being altered for him made his eyes brighten up even more with thanks.

“Oh goodness, you didn’t’ have to go through all of that trouble for me, Sarai! I would have been perfectly fine with the way it was!” And he was quite sincere about that as well. Besides, it was definitely the biggest robe-like thing he had ever almost put on, it would have been quite fun to see just how he looked in it! But Sarai had her own reasons apparently, as she revealed the exact nature of her grump, which caused Bart to give a small look of confusion to the Arrancar as he stood there with his hands on his hips, also dripping dry.

When she finished, Bart brought a hand to his chin and thought for a bit. Hmm, so that’s what that was all about… I’m pretty sure the clothes were still my own when they were passed down to me, gifts even! And my cousin’s track jacket was actually quite nice! But it seems like Sarai has her own feelings about this kind of stuff, huh? The corners of his mouth twitched upwards into an even wider smile as he looked over at the Corona and shook his head slowly. “Sarai, you are a very kind person indeed.” He said softly. He patted her on the shoulder and gave her his most reassuring smile before placing his hands back on his hips.

“I know that you meant all of that in the best way possible, and that you’re only looking out for my well being, but I truly saw all of my clothes as gifts in themselves! To me, they weren’t just passing down things that they’d outgrown, it was memories. Of all the things that the clothes had been through, all of the life that they had and everything! So it wasn’t so much as them giving me clothes it was more like…” He paused for a minute as he looked for the right words. “It’s like they were giving me a little bit of themselves along with the clothes! And with me moving from place to place all time, what more could I ask for than having my family at my back the whole time!” He nodded happily, his smile never wavering for a moment. Family was important after all!

Grabbing her jewelry, the woman began slipping cuffs and chains back on as Bart exited the water. He was crazy! Frustrating! How did a human get under her skin this much? What kind of weird person was this... Ugh! Why was he confused? He patted her shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile... Who did that!? How was he STILL smiling?!

She stared for a moment, just stared in pure disbelief with one bracelet half on... What... No she wasn't...what...

"I want to. Clothes are important and clothes made for you or gotten for you are also filled with things. Maybe not the person's memories... But their feelings for you. Hmph. Even clothes you pick out yourself! You see something you like and get it, those feelings transfer to that bit of clothing. And then you fill it with feelings and memories yourself. It might be a blank slate, but its sometimes best to get those..." Sarai rambled, trying to explain to this insane human as she started pacing, hooking the chain filled with soft jingling bells from her ear to her nose. Another followed, hooking from her lip ring to the same ear, part of the remains of her mask.

She gave up her rambles after a moment, staring again before making another frustrated noise and tossed her arms up... Maybe... Just maybe his family was as insane as him. Seriously... All those memories... and thoughts? Themselves? Clasping an arm band on her upper arm, she snapped the latch shut and then picked up her bathrobe, trying to just calm her frustrated and almost flustered feelings. What in the world...

"You can pick and choose what you want to believe huh? I wish I was that freakishly optimistic sometimes... Well whatever you feel towards them, I doubt their intentions were that. But I'll take your word for it." The thrall returned with the altered bathrobe, bowing and holding it for Bart to take as Saraiyu gave up and stalked towards the large red carpet that ran to a huge set of double doors. Next to the carpet were large screens that could barely be seen through, but there was obviously a marked off section that no one was allowed in it seemed. The underground dome was huge but she ignored it all even though there had been her own intentions to give him some sort of tour before transforming.

As she stomped off, assuming Bart would follow, she found herself attached enough to be actually sad now. If he died it'd be a rare soul lost... Maybe she should just find a shinigami and send him on? But there'd be no guarantee he'd make it in the Rukon...

Sarai reached up with both hands and ruffled her hair, growing frustrated before kicking one of the at least dozen foot tall doors hard enough to open it. Instead it flew off with a large screech that echoed down the halls, bending in the shape of her foot at it hit a white wall.

Bart began drying himself off as he watched Sarai begin getting dressed again; slightly amused at the sudden confused look she began sporting. He sure was experiencing a whole range of emotions from her today, indeed! It was definitely doing a number at making him rethink the definition of ‘monsters’ as he had come to know them from old fairy tales. Granted, the jewelry hanging from her face was a unique sight of its own, but nothing like the Grimm’s tales he read back in Germany!

Once again he listened very carefully as she discussed the importance of clothes, both new and used to the cheery little spirit, and Bart found himself agreeing with her more and more with each word. There’s clearly tons of different ways to see how giving clothes is a fantastic thing to do for a person, and I’m glad that Miss Sarai feels just as strongly about it as I do! We may both see the different sides of the issue, but that just means that it means that much to us in different ways! He chuckled softly as he toweled off his hair a thrall approaching him out of the corner of his eye.

I wonder what her thoughts are on cooking as well… Hmm, we’ll just have to see after this ‘transformation’ thing, now won’t we?”

“Oh you don’t have to worry, Sarai! I’m sure that you could be just as optimistic if you put your mind to it! It certainly helps me find the day just that much brighter and better whenever I focus on the positives, after all!” And there were so many positive things that had happened today already! Bart was absolutely confident that it’d continue on this path for as long as it could. But in the meantime, Bart graciously took the bathrobe from the thrall and put it on, marveling at how well it seemed to fit him and how comfortable it was. Not to mention this was his first bathrobe as well!

“Oh wow, this is fantastic, Sarai!” He smiled warmly at the Corona as he jogged to catch up with her, a certifiable bounce in his step as he walked onto the red carpet behind her. “It fits quite we-“ Sadly, his beaming compliment was cut a little short as Bart watched Sarai kick the large door down with a single kick, his eyes growing wide in excitement as an even wider grin found its way on his face. “Wow! That was amazing, Sarai! I had no idea that you were that fantastically strong too!” His eyes peered down the hallway, spying the dented door now propped up against the wall as he let out an impressed whistle. “Everything that I learn about you is just so… wonderful!”

But then again that just made sense! She was the queen of the magic monsters, right? And queens have to be strong for their subjects!

Saraiyu was absolutely sure she could not put her mind to such optimism. This... this was impossible. Bart was an abomination, a monster but an odd one. Or like...the opposite of an abomination. A good abomination. A... Anomaly? Peculiarity? Abnormality? Aberration? Whatever he was, as he chuckled over over her explanation Saraiyu felt herself being thrown off more and more... Weird. He was so weird.

That much brighter... No. She was focusing on leading him out, nothing else. Her mouth stayed shut. Anything else she said would just fuel that ridiculous optimism and make her smile again. Her hand covered her mouth, keeping that grin hidden for now.

Seriously though...He watched her kick a door off of its hinges, complimented her on that... And then just whistled.

"..."  Sarai stopped there, staring at him in pure disbelief, unfiltered or hidden or anything as she just... Opened her mouth to speak, held up one finger and then closed it again.

Nope. She was not dealing with that! It did not deserve a response. Instead her hands lifted to her hair as she ruffled the still dripping locks and stalked off more down the hallway.

Grumpy mutters escaped her, lots of them. He was some weird monstrous abomination and he would fit right in with her other weird assholes who ran around doing things just cause they could and were just UGH! She stomped more past the large broken door, the creepy white hallways otherwise all exactly the same but she knew where she was leading him at least.

"Th-This way. H-Hurry." She half wished he'd just explode just to prove his relentless optimism wrong.

Goodness, her castle is huge! Well of course that really did make a lot of sense, though... Buckingham Palace was enormous from what I remember of it as a child, but then again lots of things were! But I suppose there's no real reason why it still wouldn't be just as big today either! Bart chuckled brightly as he followed closely behind Sarai, his eyes moving down every few seconds to admire the new bathrobe that she had given him. And of course the fact that his chest is still totally bare of scars because holy cow that's so much better

Not to mention that Sarai was acting quite curiously as well! She was apparently... holding her hand over her mouth? Did she catch a cold? Luckily Bart knew a fantastic recipe for a nice beef broth that always made him feel better when he caught a bit of an illness, he could cook it right up for her! Oh maybe he was wrong, considering the way she stopped in place and stared at him with a rather interesting look on her face.

"Hmm? Is there something wrong, Sarai?" He asked happily, his usual bright smile never wavering as he looked at the Arrancar woman. There was a brief moment of silence as she continued to look at him, then she turned around and continued on her way. Bart stared at her for a few seconds of his own before he began laughing softly, resuming his following of Sarai as she led him down more and more hallways.

"Yes of course, Sarai! I wouldn't want to be late for this... transformation thing at all!" He nodded happily as he continued to walk down more and more of the same looking white hallways with the Corona, admiring just how... neat everything was here! But then again she did say she had a lot of servant-thrall-people things, so they must be the ones that cover all of the cleaning and everything! And I'd say that they do a fantastic job of it!

Sarai seemed to be in quite the hurry to get to this place, wherever it was, so Bart figured he could at least ask some questions to help fill the empty air! "So, what happens after I get back from this thing that we're about to do, Sarai? Do I get to go on a tour, or perhaps introduce myself to the other monster people? I have to say that I'm quite excited either way!"

Sarai's striated eyes took in the looks Bart was giving that stupid bathrobe and she bit her lip, head turning back to the front as she attempted to not be grumpy over that. A bathrobe, a simple bathrobe made him that happy?

Uggggh.

"There is nothing wrong. You are imagining things." Sarai was petulant but she didn't care at all, her lips playing with the ring pierced through it and causing her bells to sound even more despite her strong steps already causing such a reaction. Why was he laughing? What in the world was there to laugh about? Ugh! Really though! Her voice was a grumpy mutter and she shook her head at his just... whatever this was. It couldn't even be called optimism at this point! "You won't be late..."

The halls sloped upwards, slowly but surely after she took him around a corner, his voice carrying to her despite her hurried pace. At least he was silently admiring it, her work... She didn't like too much clutter color wise in places. Her own clothing and bedspreads were different. Didn't matter.

"Hm..." What did happen after the transformation thing? Well... Sarai was quiet for a moment before shaking her head softly, loose curls of teal shaking along with it. "You'll have to adjust to your new body first I imagine. There's powers you'll gain, abilities you'll need to learn to control and other things before you'll even be able to function normally. I would say you could meet them whenever you desire once that is taken care of. I'd also have to settle you in the ranks of my followers as well. You will have some sort of position and duties depending on how powerful you are really. A tour would work nicely, to help you grow accustomed though, so that might be first."

Nothing wrong, eh? Alright then! I’m sure that if something was bothering her Miss Sarai would talk about it anyway!Bart nodded knowingly to himself as he continued following her through the twists and turns that they took on their journey to… wherever the final destination was exactly! With all the rooms and hallways that they passed on their way, Bart could barely fathom just how many rooms that Sarai’s castle must have had, let alone what could possibly be in all of them!

But really he’d be totally okay with anything as long as least one of the rooms had a kitchen in it. He’d gotten to know Sarai so much over their first meeting and he still hadn’t cooked anything for her, for shame!

And by the way Sarai seemed to pick up her pace down the halls, Bart was sure that she was just as excited to have this whole event go down as much as he was! “I surely hope I’m not imagining too many things, though. I’d hate for me to wake up and find out that this entire fantastic evening was nothing more than just a wonderful dream. But then again, maybe I’d get lucky and it’d be one of those reoccurring kinds of dreams, eh?” Not to mention if this all really was a dream, it would have been Bart’s first. Not too shabby at all!

But Bart was quite sure that everything he had experienced today had to be real. It all felt real, therefore it had to be, right? Their continued walk was made even more interesting when Sarai mentioned something about his body, and Bart’s ears perked up as his smile grew even wider yet again. “Goodness, a new body? But I’ve just barely gotten used to this one!” He laughed merrily as he thumped his hand against his chest, now livelier than ever. “But I’ll also have powers and new abilities and everything? Why, that sounds absolutely wonderful, Sarai! I’ve always been a little proud of how I kept myself in shape over the years, but getting to do it all over again with a new body sounds like it’ll be the interesting challenge indeed!”

Would he be able to do that giant purple door thing that she had done earlier in the desert? It really did seem fascinating, not to mention quite a handy trick for getting around too! “Don’t you worry, Sarai; I’ll get used to all the new stuff that I’ll get and be the handiest little follower person that you’d ever seen! And then that way I can get the grand tour and meet with everyone, pretty much just having the best time that I can while also helping you with your things!”

Every new thing that Sarai talked about only served to drive Bart’s excitement for the ‘process’ up even more as the two walked down the halls. He hoped it was close by; the anticipation was likely to get the best of him!

"I can assure you I am no dream. More like a nightmare really... Th-Thats besides the point!" Sarai grumbled, her ability to resist that eternal optimism ruined utterly as Bart continued to smile like that.. R-Reoccuring dream!? She...wasn't... That....nice...

Refusing to turn around at his words, she heard his hand hit his chest and sighed. "I...Could explain the mechanics behind it but it... Your body...cells... Just it will all be reorganized."

That's the best way to put it... Infected and reorganized. She had a feeling the mechanics and genius behind it would go unnoticed by Bart though, at least for now and shut her mouth soon after. It was too much... Too much as he continued...

"I...I-Yes. Yes. You will be. Thank you Bart." Her face in her hand Saraiyu almost felt like walking into a wall a few times. He was just so happy... About all of this...and intent on doing it... Ugh!

Luckily for them both the room was soon reached, an innocuous door much like the others standing there and giving no hint of what lay within. As she opened the door, the room was bright and there was a white orb floating in the center of the oddly oval room. It pulsated with an eerie light and she waved him inside behind her, the rest of the room entirely bare. Nothing marred the also white surface and walls.

"Go over to the orb, but don't touch it just yet Bart." Sarai moved to a wall, where she touched and opened a closet it seemed as there were scientific coats inside. Dropping the bathrobe on the floor, she grabbed one and buttoned it up before also grabbing a pair of goggles and slipping them on. Large black gloves followed but she forgoed the stupid rubber hat. Who ever had come up with that was an idiot...

Normally a thrall would be the one to do this but... Well it couldn't hurt to make extra sure this time. Once he was in place she would begin.

"Oh come now! I've heard what nightmares were supposed to be like, and today has been the furthest possible thing from it!" He laughed brightly and nodded at Sarai, his joy bubbling over to every thing that he said. "Every part of this evening has been fantastic, and I'm glad to have woken up in this desert!"

There wasn't a single trace of insincerity in his voice as he walked with Sarai, and the British lad had only the utmost joy in following around this evening. Monster Magic Queen or not. "Hmm, reorganized, you say... Oh, I see! It's like those toy building blocks that children like to play with then, is it? Just taking things apart and making a better Bart out them!"

He chuckled again as the mental image of Sarai making another him out of pieces like a toy briefly entered his mind. That was definitely a much easier to understand explanation of the whole thing! "And you don't have to thank me for anything! I'm the one that should be thanking you for all of your hospitality and everything that you've shown me today, after all!"

Not to mention I hope that whatever it is that's been bothering Miss Sarai gets resolved soon as well! She seems awfully worried about something, so hopefully I can help with whatever that is as well!

They eventually reached the white, oval room, and Bart immediately set his eyes on the big glowing orb that seemed to float in the center of it. "Oh wow, this room is certainly unique! I haven't seen many rooms that have their own hovering light bulb sort of thing!" He chuckled again and walked over to the orb as she instructed, hands kept tight by his sides as he inspected it.

"No touching, got it!" said Bart, nodding affirmatively. Which left him with ample opportunity to inspect the rest of the room while he waited. It was... very white. That was about it! Well, that and its interesting oval shape as well. He couldn't really remember many times where he was in an oval room. Oh, and now Sarai had some sort of science clothes on now! My, she really does have an extensive wardrobe, doesn't she? Bart thought happily, smiling to himself.

"That's because you have a few screws missing." Saraiyu muttered, more sure than ever that this person would just die. Yep, that was what happened to optimistic nice amazing people. They died. Only evil awful monsters like her made it any length of time.

How was he that sincere... How... Well she had been on her best behavior so far so that was rather nice for him at least, though how would he react when he saw her fangs and claws? Really, such innocence can't last in the face of power like hers. Sighing, she waved off his thanks with a jingle of bells. "Welcome. I think. And yes, that...is pretty much it. New Bart indeed."

"I would hope you haven't seen any but sure. I thank you again? I guess. I don't know, its a special room I don't even understand how to respond to thanks for it." Grumbling, Sarai made sure her outfit was secure and the goggles on properly with a few wiggles to secure them. "Its not a light bulb its a... Transmorgifier or... I don't have a name for it yet, its only a century or so old yet. You should be a bit awed, yes. I'm going to use myself as a catalyst this time."

"Close your eyes, this will be painful." Walking up to the ball with heavy feet, she wondered how this would effect her... It normally ate the thralls, but their power levels were so low... Maybe that was why it had a lower success rate than expected?

Sarai gritted her teeth, waiting for Bart's eyes to close before she booted him into the sphere with no time for him to react or worry otherwise. Her hand followed soon after and a sharp cry came from her as it began to absorb her own damn energy to begin the process. It was forcibly transforming the plus soul from its normal dead state into a hollow and then an arrancar, simply put, and using the Corona's energy as fuel and as a baseline for what was needed...

It...would be painful for both of them, Sarai at least had millenia of pain and hurts to use to deal with parts of her being ripped off and fed. How Bart held up was...Was unknown to her for now.

"Haha, you know, you're not the first person to suggest that I've had a few screws loose, Sarai!" Bart chuckled from his position near the shiny orb thing. "I've always seen it as their own little way of calling me unique, and it looks like you do as well, huh?" He smiled at the lab-coat wearing Corona as she finished her preparations for what was to come. Screws loose, screws missing, where do all the screws go, I wonder...

His fascination with the orb was only increased when she mentioned that it was apparently over a hundred years old! "Wow, a century?! That's amazing! The oldest thing I've ever seen was my Uncle's old World War 2 uniform, and that was almost sixty years old!" He nodded excitedly at the mysterious Transmogr-whatchamacallit and put his hands on his hips. That's probably why she didn't want me to touch it as well! I'd hate to break something so old and important!

But there was one other thing that Sarai had mentioned that Bart wasn't exactly sure of when he closed his eyes as she commanded. What did she mean by catalyst?

But the young man didn't have any time at all to think about such things, as he suddenly found himself kicked into the shiny sphere thing, and most rational thought seemed to leave him for... quite a while. Sarai had warned him that it would be painful, and he was sure that he'd be able to stand a bit of it, but having your matter rearranged several times forcibly was quite the experience. A painful one at that.

Luckily for Bart though, he passed out from the pain quite quickly! The hours passed as the transformation took place, and eventually Bart found himself waking up, looking at a familiarly white ceiling and walls as he slowly picked himself up to a sitting position. Almost all of his body ached, but at the same time it felt... refreshed? It was a sort of newness that was hard to put into words for the man.

"Phew... That was certainly a trip, huh?" He, chuckling softly. As he got a better look at the room around him, he noticed that it was... quite unique in a certain way. Mostly the fact that it seemed to be made up of slightly smaller, other rooms. Short walls and doors placed at odd intervals seemingly at random, it certainly gave the room character! "Hehe, what a pleasant little place to wake up in. Oh right! Sarai?"

Bart looked around the room for any sign of the nice lady monster Queen that he had befriended. "See? I'm very much alive! I told you that you didn't have anything to worry about!"

Sarai had listened to Bart, but his words had left no real dent in her head other than the firm grumping at his eternal and impossible optimism. No! It...was... She was older than that ball. Sarai'd told him that! Older was older! More than screws were missing from this man... Whole sections of his brain.

Luckily the whole awful miserable process of forced arrancarization was painful enough to knock him out before she did and the process was quickly finished. Floating in the air and brimming with energy was definitely not a dead body. It was in fact a fully realized arrancar! Saraiyu smiled for the first time in a while since she'd worried over his death.

Scooping up the new, powerful arrancar into her arms, Sarai continued to smile as her mood improved immensely. She took him down the halls a ways, the energy crackling off of him far too much for one of her thralls to handle but merely tickling her so she had to handle this part herself. This room was weird enough that she felt he'd enjoy it and the door opened for her as she stepped inside. Placing him on the bed in there, she tucked him in and let rest before glancing around to see what kinds of options she'd given this room.

Ah! There. The Corona plopped herself on a fuzzy bean bag chair inside and pulled out a small book to read while waiting. She tried to resist the bubbly smile on her lips, far too pleased despite how horrific the pain had been. Bart was alive as he promised...

Quite a while later Sarai heard him moving but didn't even turn as she read a particularly compelling section about hamsters. His voice came out, just as happy as it had been before the transformation and unchanged somehow...

She just chuckled and turned the page. "Oh? I see that. I am glad you like this room, I felt you would find it amusing. How are you feeling, Bart?"

Bart chuckled brightly. "Well it looks like you chose pretty well then, Sarai! This room is absolutely fascinating!" He smiled widely at the Corona of the Arrancar as he sat up a bit straighter from the bed he was resting on, turning around to get a better look at the woman. "And I'm actually feeling quite great, thank you for asking! A bit tired, but that's probably just from waking up and everything." He laughed and reached up to scratch the side of his head, when his fingers touched something... different.

"Hmm?" Bart stopped when something other than his usually curly black hair was felt. Something... Hard? And a bit bumpy? "This is new however..." He said, amused. The young man's fingers traced around the mask fragment on the top of his head as he sat there with his usual grin on his head. "Haha, had to give me a helmet to keep all the screws in then, Sarai? Why thank you!" He moved to get himself off of the bed, but just the thought of getting up seemed to be enough as he soon found himself standing at the side of the bed as if he was never lying down at all.

"Oh, hmm... I must be really rested then! I feel ready to greet the day already!" He put his hands on his hips and grinned again at Sarai, but he was briefly distracted again by a subtle change of weight on his left side. Goodness, a lot must have changed during my short nap, huh? He looked down at his arm and saw-

"A... shield? Oh wow, you didn't need to go and buy me something like this, Sarai! I mean, it's fantastic of course, but you didn't need to go and spend any money on little ol' me!" He chuckled again as he moved his arm a bit to get a better look at the newest addition to his person, graciously given to him by the nice monster queen lady.(?)

It was rather large, but the weight of the thing didn't seem to match its size. Which to be  fair is something to definitely be grateful for when lugging a big shield around. A nice circular design, even with a shiny metallic sheen to it as well. This was clearly something she must have spent a lot of money on... How nice of her! "Goodness, you certainly know how to make a guy feel welcome after passing out for a bit! Sorry about that, by the way. I hope I didn't make you worry too much!"

Bart smiled sheepishly at Sarai as his cheery demeanor never wavered for a second, new discoveries about his even newer body or not. That just mean that he had even more things to be happy about!

Of course he would... The floors were even made up of tiny rooms with little furniture in them, laminated over in some way. Whole minifamilies could have lived in those rooms it seemed, but that was beside the point. Sarai just kicked her feet against her butt on that beanbag chair and continued to read without even turning around. In fact she scooted so Bart was unable to see her face, paying attention to the book moreso it seemed.

"Huh. I did? Silly new arrancar. No, that's all you. I didn't give you anything, I was just your catalyst. That former mask is yours, mostly symbolic in your case since you were made and didn't make yourself." Speaking as if this was the most normal and day to day thing in the world, she turned another page on the history of domesticated pets (relevant to this whole dealing with Bartness) and continued on. She heard him get up but still didn't move one inch, smiling quite brightly and not wanting him to see it.

"That's your new powers at work. You are much stronger, less prone to scarring and hurts. Probably faster and all sorts of things like that. Hence why you needed testing and a bit of time away from the others." Rolling onto her back, she used the book as a shield. "And I didn't pay anything, once again. That's yours. When you need to summon your true strength and form, that'll be your weapon. It's sealing your power for now."

...Sorry... Worry... Making him feel welcome after passing out... As if it was his fault...

"...I didn't worry. Considering I made you pass out? Its the least I can do. Though we have tons of things to discuss from here, such as who I am and what I do. What you will be doing as well... I have a tattoo to imbue you with once you feel up to it." Burying her face in the book, the Corona could not face the man as her body shook. Laughing, she was laughing and trying not to. This was supposed to be serious!

“A mask, huh…” the new Arrancar reached up and touched the newest addition to his person again, feeling what seemed to be a long, canine-like ear growing upwards along with the new feeling of… well just about everything about his new form. “Well either way that sounds fantastic! I still find it fascinating if it was ‘made’, as you say. Granted, I suppose I can’t call myself a ‘self-made man’ anymore, now can I?” He chuckled bright at Sarai and nodded happily, an even wider grin spreading across his face.

A small loss on the path of becoming super-powered ghost person, for sure.

“And I have powers as well? Well goodness, I wasn’t expecting all of that to happen at once! And here I thought all of this was just to get that silly little chain off of my chest!” He looked down to make sure it was indeed removed from his person, and a bare, spotless chest was right there to greet him. Well, it looks like that much was a success already! Bart thought happily. And less prone to scars and being hurt? Well if that wasn’t the spectacular icing on the already fantastic metaphorical cake presented to him, Bart didn’t know what was! “A weapon sealing my power, eh? Hmm…” He wasn’t sure about a shield being considered a weapon in most cases, but it definitely made him feel more at ease than lugging around a bat or a club or anything!

Sarai continuing to hide her face behind her book wasn’t a thing missed by the young man, but judging from her tone it was at least not out of any kind of anger or anything! Especially since judging from how her body seemed to be shaking a bit, she seemed to be having fun! Which in turn of course made Bart grin even brighter.

“Well then, Sarai; judging by all of the new stuff that seemed to have happened to me, it really does sound like I’ve got a lot to talk about! Not that I have any problem with that, though! I’m positively excited to learn what all new sorts of things this new body of mine will be able to do now, as long as I can still cook and dance like I used to as well.” He took a few seconds to test his arms and legs a bit, which seemed to function just like normal. Another plus! “Hmm, can’t say I’ve ever had a tattoo before either! But my uncle in Moscow sure had a lot of them, so they can’t be all that bad, right?” Bart chuckled brightly and walked over to Sarai to continue the discussion of things.

Well, ‘walk’ is a way to describe it. It was actually more like Bart took a step towards the Corona and suddenly ended up standing directly in front of her in less time than it would have taken him to blink. “Haha, whoops! Looks like I’m learning how to walk all over again!”

"All hollows have them and all arrancar had them. Its... It had many complicated things to do with dying, but mostly involves your original human and spirit form being corrupted into a monster that hides its pain behind a mask and animal instincts. I am an arrancar, a more evolved form of other types of those beings. You are now one too... I guess its an overlong explanation to say no. No you are still a self made man. This is all you and what you made, with a little bit of a push from me." Sarai rambled for a moment behind her book, not even pretending to read now before she just stopped speaking for a moment. Really had gone off on a tangent there hadn't she? How annoying...

She lowered the book just a bit to look over at Bart, her eyes examining him for a moment before glancing off to the side. "Look for your hole please. That is technically what came of the chain, it just was removed instead of falling off naturally. Once the chain falls off it leaves a whole and you become 'hollow'. You also are imbued with 'iron skin' called hierro now. Its possible to deflect blades and other such things... What else? I'm missing tons of things. This really isn't the best introduction is it?"

At least he was getting closer, she could figure out where to put the-

"Oh for spirits sake..." Sarai's eyes now widened as she peeked over the book edge, seeing Bart dart ahead like that, speed seemingly his new power. Her eyes took in his form before rolling up to the ceiling, seeking guidance from something, anything. If he was a speedster this would be interesting... How was she going to handle this?

Instead of dealing she dropped the book on her face and muffled her laughter that escaped her finally. Her whole body shook. "Yes! It definitely will! You had best stay away from the delicate areas, Luca's Lab's especially... Speaking of which..." Sarai sent a thought to a thrall to bring the afforementioned man here. She was laughing too much and too well to be able to to be much help in having him adjust. Someone calmer was better. "Baaart! I am going to leave you in his capable hands for this, I do have a bit of work to do myself. I'll find you again later and settle you in, but Luca has my trust. Now come over here and bend down. You will be my Quatra. How does that sound? Also where would you prefer this tattoo?"