Fissile Material [Kanae, Claudia]

The Duvalier Group. A shadowy organization with almost total control over Italy, a living world nation. A large corporation with a potentially-nefarious underbelly, not something most people want to involve themselves with. At least, not most outsiders. Kanae can hardly be grouped up with most, however. Though a Captain in the Gotei United, she is an outlier for many reasons, not the least of which is why she's come to Italy to meet with this [i[]Duvalier Group[/i].

As far as the Gotei and Seventh Division are concerned, Kanae is currently investigating the presence of strange Hollows reported in the area that could have some connection to those that came from the gargantuan hole in Africa. In reality she is waiting, cloaked and in silence, outside a seaside cafe for an unknown party to arrive. She had first happened across Duvalier Group cronies in the City of Lights, and after a bit of research Kanae knew they could be a useful tool. They could provide what she needed in a plot that could shake Soul Society's very foundations.

It was rare that the Queen of Carrington deigned to give anyone her personal attention. Rarer still that someone who received her attention actually wanted it. There was plenty that she had on her plate already, of course. This little business with her daughters going on in the City of Lights, of course, and the business dealings surrounding her product in both the wastelands and South America. Plenty that she was keeping her eye on.

But a woman of her caliber always seized an opportunity when it was put before her, and when a captain of the Gotei made an attempt to contact her for business reasons, she naturally was willing to take her up on the offer. A smile on her face as she arrived in the town, flanked on each side by identical, masked female bodyguards, Claudia took a seat with a confident smile, and spoke in a cool tone of voice, her faint Parisian accent practically floating across the table. Her spiritual presence was unilaterally that of a shinigami--far better not to show her hand too definitively, hm?

"Welcome to Italy, Captain. Claudia Duvalier. A pleasure."

Her voice was cordial, even pleasant to listen to, and yet there was an undeniable coldness to it that made it all too clear that this was a woman who took business exceptionally seriously.

Coming to the living world was no vacation for Kanae. The only advantage it had was the number of Hollows running amok, which provided plenty of opportunities for her to let off some steam by slaughtering the creatures. Unfortunately here, in the middle of a protected human nation, such opportunities were scarce. She could probably get away with killing off a few of these worthless, loud-mouthed cretins without drawing too much attention to herself, but that reviled Fifth Division was too much a nuisance for the Captain to ignore. Hence her meeting with the Duvalier Group.

Claudia's arrival drew Kanae's attention, who stood from her chair and acknowledged the woman's greeting with one of her own "Yes, this country sure is something. I would appreciate discretion going forward. Nothing we discuss can be on any official record, lest my identity be revealed somehow to those uninvolved." Even taking this meeting was a great risk for Kanae given she had quickly discovered various Shinigami shadowing her over the months since her release. Not even she could ignore this opportunity, though.

"Naturally. Imagine how dreadful of a businesswoman I would be if I simply spoke about all of my dealings. No, our meeting here is only between the two of us, that I assure you."

Claudia took a seat casually, one leg crossing over the other. She certainly didn't imagine that the captain would feel at ease regardless of who came to this meeting, but years of business had made her exceptionally shrewd when it came to appeasing others. She'd come to this meeting exuding only the spiritual energy of a shinigami for a very specific reason, after all. Coming across as another shinigami disillusioned with the Gotei was certainly the best way to make the Captain a bit more confident in all this.

"Well, I don't imagine you wish to be here longer than necessary for such a clandestine meeting. Let's cut straight to it then, shall we? What can the Duvalier Group do for you?"

Kanae dropped back onto her seat where she sat stiffly. She could put up any kind of facade to hide her true thoughts, but at this moment every fiber of her being was on edge. Even as she listened intently to every word Claudia spoke, searching for any hint of betrayal or subterfuge, her spiritual sensing was covering as big a range as she could manage. Kanae was on the lookout for anything and everything that could pose a threat, as well as any fluctuations in Claudia's or her companions' spiritual presences. Nothing....so far.

Straight to business then. thought Kanae as she lifted her tea cup and lightly swirled the half-drank liquid inside. Ready to discuss her plans, she brought her cold, predatory gaze up to Claudia's own before speaking her reasons for calling this meeting "Given your organization's...proclivities, we'll say, I'm sure you are aware of the goings-on involving that epochal hole in Africa. Including the events surrounding Captain Yuuto Hisakawa, of the Fifth. Perhaps you are even aware he is presently indisposed, locked up somewhere in the Gotei's infirmary."

"I'm keenly aware, yes. How fortunate it is for us that our businesses have relocated from Vastime to Italy, otherwise we'd certainly have lost years of effort and billions of dollars."

Not that she was particularly concerned with that loss if it happened. Claudia had lost greater fortunes in the course of achieving her own aims, and she'd make them back within a few years if she had to. But her attention, for now, was firmly on the shinigami across from her.

"I was not, but if you're offering information like that, I assume you'd like me to do something with it. Keeping him out of my hair is naturally to my benefit. I can only assume it's to yours, as well, though I'm not immediately concerned about the internal politicking of your organization. So, then, what are you looking to do? I can certainly give you any number of indirect means of attacking him, if you want to handle the issue."

But that was only one possibility, and Claudia knew that seeming presumptuous was the last thing to do in any business meeting. Let the buyer speak what they wanted. Be accommodating.

Had the Duvalier Group indeed been destroyed by that catastrophe, this meeting might not have been possible; and for that reason, and that reason alone, Kanae was in agreement with Claudia. Otherwise, she would have been perfectly fine with all of them falling into the pit as well. Should they prove useless, perhaps, Kanae thought, she'll throw them down it anyway.

As she listened to Claudia speak Kanae's eyes narrowed as she grew a touch dismayed at how direct she was being. Perhaps they really were completely out of range of any would-be eavesdroppers after all, or maybe Claudia just believes herself untouchable. "Hmph. How direct. Fine then, let me tell you precisely what I want. I want to strike terror in the hearts and minds of every cretin in Soul Society by toppling one of their "greatest" defenders. And to do that, I need your people to provide the weapon. A Cero Bomb."

Kanae let the revelation of her plan sit in the air for a second before leaning forward and pressing her index finger to the table between them and continuing "So that even if the little cretin survives, when poor little widows and parents are picking through the mutilated and charred remains of their loved ones, they know who to blame."

All this was exactly what Claudia lived for. Not just selling weaponry for the sake of harming others, though of course that was something she was all too happy to do. No, it was the sewing of strife in the biggest and the smallest of ways. The woman's displeasure with the atmosphere of this meeting meant almost as much to Claudia as the people that would die as a consequence of it.

"We have quite little time to be anything other than direct for a meeting so clandestine, even when I've ensured that none will hear of it."

Her people had already buried every person in this village, and ensured no one would come by for another decent while. Realistically, they could have spent days here. Weeks, even, if Claudia ordered it. But a sense of tension was a good thing in business. It made a buyer feel as though they might miss out.

"Certainly. That's no issue to provide. Simply tell me how you intend to pay, and where I'm to deliver it. I can hardly simply send it directly to your office."

How to pay. That is a difficult question for a Gotei Captain who just spent a millennium in prison to answer. She only had a few months salary to her name, and had no possessions to sell. Kanae had never been a materialistic person, preferring to get joy from slicing through arteries rather than from knickknacks or playing artist. Knowing all of his about herself, Kanae had banked on being able to pay through more sordid means.

Kanae tapped her finger on the table a few times before sitting back up straight "Of course not. Assuming the product is inconspicuous enough, there are a few ways to get it into Soul Society. But that's my job. As for payment...what can a Gotei Captain offer an organization such as yours? Money? Information? Strength? Tell me, Claudia Duvalier, what do you desire?"

Oh, bargaining. Claudia always loved bargaining, simply because it told her so much about the depth of the situation. The Captain needed malleability in this. She didn't simply have the raw capital to afford it, and now she wanted to make up for that with more abstract methods of payment. There were any number of things that crossed Claudia's mind, certainly, but she wasn't foolish enough to think most of them were worth bringing to the table.

"What I desire is value, Captain. Beyond mere monetary worth, or physical strength. I've two terms for this weapon you're requesting. Hardly an egregious price, given the enemies it might make me if this ever went public."

Of course, Claudia was fine with making enemies. This wouldn't ever be traced back to her anyway, so it meant nothing to her if she had to simply scapegoat away a shell company or two and send some underlings to prison.

"First, a gokon tekkou, gigai, and kikanshinki in mint condition. Second, there is a certain compound in the wastelands that I'd prefer be handled by someone outside my organization. I'd like to ensure that nothing, and no one, is left of it. I will naturally provide the coordinates."

All things considered, two very easy requests for someone like Kanae. Claudia knew that, of course. That was why she'd asked.