The Red Tree

Walter walked with neutrality on his face that would give most professional poker players a searing burn of jealousy. He was always like this, when he assumed a new persona it took him a few moments to adjust to the strange new emotions which subjugated his own. The swirling vortex of insanity within Walters mind temporarily stationed at some new and strange port purely for the entertainment of the conductor of this crazy train, Walter himself. However, for the moment he wasn’t Walter. No he was Gerald Weinstein the man in the blue jeans, a white button down and a black wool cap which covered his flaming red hair. His eyes lay obscured behind a large lens camera that echoed through the air filling the space between the chatter of onlookers with the click and clack of a high-speed shutter.

He knew just how to aim the camera, and exactly where every piece of evidence lay. From the small crumple of paper in the man’s pocket which was a receipt to the dinner down the street where he had met his assailant, to the small splotch of blood on his collar which didn’t belong to him but instead to his wife who had walked in on the murder and was now fifteen feet below the very tree where he hung. The woman was buried beneath a small flat stone slab that from the moss on it appeared to have been there forever though a detailed eye would be able to spot that the dirt below it still hadn’t settled and thus the stone was recently moved.

A small smile flashed across his lips, it lasted for less then half a second but it was hard to not feel pride over this masterpiece of art. Now all he needed to do was to find someone to take the fall for the crime another him had committed. His camera flashed across the crowd looking for someone, someone who couldn’t hide a slight curiosity at the spectacle. Someone like him, someone interested and unrelated, the camera flashed across faces. Expressions of horror, interest, and fear all immortalized in film. Yet only one face caught his eye, that of a blind girl who was looking way to intensely to not know something. It seemed perfect, how ironic, A blind murderer the set up would be so very fun. Leaning over to a local cop he whispered in his ear.

“I think that girl may know something, Call it a hunch but you and the inspector should go ask her some questions.”

Walter was intrigued by the young blind woman, who had suddenly approached him she leaned close her olfactory sense embracing his unique scent. It was here he found it, could it be. Had he found some fun for this day that had approached the dread realm of dull. Oh yes the murders had been fun for the other him, the captain of the ship, but every part of Walter loved a good mystery mixed with murder. She spoke gently into his ears tantalizing the one below but the surface Walter recoiled. He had done no such thing that was the other he, the he who was the most of him. Yet he himself had done nothing, it was simple how come others never seemed to understand. Flustered and riled by the accusation, he ducked out following the woman into an alley he spoke furiously.

“Hey now missy, I’ll have you know that slinging around accusations like that could cost me my job. I don’t come to whatever two-bit dime store shit hole job you have and say you pissed in the food. Where do you get the nerve, to sling around a false accusation like that surrounded by cops, I gotta make a living you know. And on top of that to judge me as someone who could do that, what makes you an authority. The nerve of you!”

Turning immediately around he swiveled on his heels and set off to leave the alley and go back to the crime scene. Deep within a small spark trickled, along the fringe of the real Walter he who truly was he beneath him. What if she attacked him, could he use that to frame her. He could taste the blood lust on her breath when she spoke. This was not over no it had just begun; he would need something from her though. Hair maybe, perhaps a bit of her clothes, he took his first step away from her and he wondered when it would happen, now? Tommorow? A year from today? There was no way to tell, no the melody of life and blood had yet to reveal that truth to him, but one day at some point they would dance to the melody of madness, and breath deep the darkness of each others souls. Of that he was sure.

Walter smiled deep within what once was dormant awoke, the true Walter surfaced it was the eyes that would give it away first, fear, rage, anger, it all gave way to excitement. Oh what fun what beautiful madness, this new and exciting creature had risen before him and claimed to be not of this world. A thousand thoughts raced through his mind, would she taste the same? Bleed the same color? Did she pray for the same things when faced with the specter of death? Did she have more then one heart to stop? At the same time he felt the kindling of an emotion towards her simple and beautiful thought of justice. How many hundreds of years had it been since the last time he was hung what fun. Pulling the wool cap from his head to reveal a head of flaming red hair which sat above eyes twisted with madness and excitement, he spoke as a chain apparently made from glass, but as hard as a zanpakuto flowed from his back in a trail of smoke. Curling its’ seven foot long length into a disk which he sat gingerly upon crossing his legs.

“Well I guess the charade is up my interesting friend, what a strange twist of fate that we who stand here now two beings out of place and unlike those insects which surround us. Do you not pity them, maybe even hate them, for their stupidity, their short and meaningless lives. I’ll tell you after centuries of watching them flounder I can only marvel at their stupidity, unable to hear the music of life and death, of blood and romance. Do you not feel it yourself, like the dot I left on my collar a constant reminder of the darkness of the soul. A simple note in the melody of death, a reminder that while others may teeter along the balance of life and death. Immortals such as myself, gingerly dance along it, so my foreign friend do you think your short years of life can stand before me? One who has heard the melody of madness and danced with specter of death? Then flip my dear friend and late wing our music to bloodshed. Or steal me of your life.”

Smiling Walter formed two more of his glass like chains, which served as armrests for his impromptu seat. Floating backwards on his chair he gingerly increased the distance between the two to roughly fifteen feet. At the same time he relished the thought of ripping off that wonderful grey skin and wearing it as a hat, perhaps the horns could make some nice wine glasses for when he had company.

Walter listened to the woman intrigued and disappointed as fire flew from her eyes, with little time to dodge the attack he instead decided to block it using blur to move roughly four feet backwards the chains he had once used as a chair hurtling through the air at his opponent; The two that served as armrests fired forward like clothes line the top one coming from the left across the path of the fireballs while the bottom one coming from the right and aiming for Redglare’s stomachs former position. Finally the chain that once severed as a seat rotated rapidly its’ curled form spinning like a discus at surged forward at Redglare’s former position’s throat. However, the woman moved with great speed appearing behind her blasts but still in the path of the attacks at her former position, her stick hitting air. Using Blur once more Walter moved further back now a full ten yards back from his starting position he spoke aloud a smile plastered on his face.

“Now, now, I don’t know what back water world you come from madam but here in the civilized world we introduce ourselves before attempting to kill someone. My name is Walter Redfield, I shall be brutally murdering you or perhaps will be murdered by you… It’s all fun and games after all. However, I will say I feel somewhat deprived of pre-combat witty banter it seems so common among most I must admit a certain fondness for it. Like the spice before you add blood to the potage eaten to the melody of death and love. Oh how wonderful it can be, not quite a savory as begs for life or tears of fear but one shouldn’t spoil dinner with dessert after all.”

Pausing for a moment to allow the woman to reply with her name or not, a silver smith and Wesson SW1911 pistol congealed in a cloud of smoke in his hand, while a chain leaked from his body between the two. Leveling his weapon at the woman he fired once shooting a bullet twice the strength and the same speed as a bala, it barreled at his opponents’ stomach. Hit or miss he spoke again giggling in glee.

“See I introduced myself then tried to disembowel you, it’s only proper etiquette you know!”

Walter smiled the woman was fast and he could feel the blood lust in her. She swung at him and he moved back, however it seemed she wasn’t done as a blast of flames fired from her eye’s at him, she once more used her blur like speed to disappear and reappear far behind. Walter couldn’t see her but he could feel her, feel her energy and her blood lust yes finally the symphony was beginning. Using blur he disappeared reappearing ten feet behind her as the fireballs collided in the alley. Her comment about his planet being backwater hardly mattered, of course it was backwater it was filled with filthy mortals, but this blank canvas that had been laid before him. This ignorant world was ripe for painting and nothing looked better to the truly discerning artist then blood and fire.

She giggled and smiled her eyes gleaming with death, shocked to say the least to see this blind girls cane came apart into dual blades, he smiled at the irony. The very cane, which marked her as weak and feeble, was in fact a weapon that from the ease in which she handled them, had taken many lives over many years. She lifted it up and struck down, the cut which initially seemed way to short fired a burst of air catching Walter by surprise, with almost no time to dodge he simply had to roll out of the way the blade scraping down his cheek leaving a thin bleeding gash across his face. The pain was exhilarating he could feel his body fight to stop the blood flow, the light throb on his cheek. Reaching up he tapped the blood with two fingers licking the gooey red substance with a long exaggerated motion.

“Well my dear, It would seem introductions are over and the blood shed has begun, already the music calls us on. I’ll tell you… the excitement it is… Overwhelming!”

All of Walter’s chains disappeared into smoke rising once more from his body five seven foot long chains swirled around their master. It was time for the true game to begin, three chains barreled forth spinning head over hells down the alley like a buzz saw blade they surged towards the strange alien woman. Meanwhile Walter used Blur to appear on the rooftop above releasing two shots from his pistol charging from the front right at her throat and pelvis and attempting to hit her while she was distracted by the chains, disappearing once more he appeared on the opposite alley of the roof tops firing his weapon twice again this time from the left at her head and chest. To finish the assault the two chains that hadn’t attacked fired forward like a clothesline in wrestling attempting to wrap around her neck and knees while the three from before swooped around for a second attempt to bludgeon her to death. Above Walter watched intently looking for any signs of blood shed or retaliation, He desperately wanted to see if she bled green, or some other fantastic color.

Walter smiled as Redglare dodged his attack he so loved when his prey was difficult to kill, even more so when they might kill him. Quivering with anticipation as she appeared and disappeared moving as fast if not maybe slightly faster then Walter himself, then she pulled something even more miraculous she spoke into his very mind. How wonderful, how exquisite the feel of emotions in his body, yet he had little time to celebrate his new found opponent. No the tell tale whistle of air gathering about her blades was more then enough to warn him of her attack and the direction form which it would come. The two chains that swarmed around him circled around to create a fence link like barrier by folding in on themselves the attacks slamming into the zanpakuto hard chains. At the same time the chains that he had used offensively from before would be returning to their master. Turning around to face where the attack came from he glimpsed the woman once more using her fast speed to move. However, Walter was beginning to get used to her speed, while he himself had barely displayed his own. Pushing off into blur seconds after she did he appeared where she had been less then a second after she appeared behind his previous position.

“Why madam, of course I’m having fun someone is going to die! And don’t lie I can see your darkness as clearly as my own; You’re looking forward to it too. I shalln’t make u wait much longer.”

The chains from his first attack before would now swing in one from her back left one from her back right and one from directly behind her the two from an angle going to bind her legs while the third spinning towards the back of her neck. At the same time Walter would fire four shots at her front as a second gun formed in his other hand, Using blur he appeared ten feet above her firing four red blasts from the newly formed pistol as the old one faded away, his two defensive chains racing to be near their master. Hit or miss so long as one of the three chains from behind her weren’t bound around her they would follow her swinging to either smack her or grab her legs or neck.

(OoC: This is just for my personal record keeping so feel free to ignore

Spoiler:

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Walter raised an eyebrow as the woman morphed her very body far beyond normal limits to dodge all his attacks, he had wondered and now he was sure something was letting her know about his attacks before he did it, some sort of clairvoyance would be necessary to dodge so perfectly. The smile widened on his face, how wonderful, how exquisite, dear god what fun. However, if he wanted to answer the million dollar question he would need to shake her up, perhaps her telekinetic powers aloud her to read his thoughts as well, He would need to check on that. However her next words caught him off guard so much so that he simply burst out laughing.

“Innocent, how quaint, how foolish. Innocence is a lie! We are all guilty, some more then others. Like that man, even I don’t do children… there’s no sport in that.”

She moved again firing a blast from her eyes at him while swiping down at either side, she was trying to box him as he had tried with her. Then she whispered again about more attacks to come. This fell on deaf ears; he wanted her blood needed to see it. And he would, oh yes he would. His pistol flashed up firing two shots at her blasts and intercepting them in air as he charged straight forward at her his chains following in glee. Small sparks of flame seared across him but the damage was minimal and he had hopefully closed a gap between him and her. She moved and he followed his chains puffing away in smoke as he appeared next to her interrupting her resting breath firing the last shot in his pistols as four chains surged out of his chest firing at her body to slam into her with blunt force as a new pistol appeared in his hand and he unleashed three shots at her stomach even if she had somehow dodged the chains.

Walter could barely contain his excitement he giggled and clapped and danced with glee as he watched his bullet move through his opponents’ body her teal blood splattering across the ground. The view was wonderful the despair orgasmic, he needed more! He could feel the drive for it in his bones. Why was she dying? It wasn’t fair he wasn’t done, she had to live. Yes of course, anger, no emotion was more powerful then blinding rage. Gleefully he spoke interrupting her dying words which we’re of no consequence because she couldn’t die, she wouldn’t die he had not yet given her permission to die and thus she could not. He spoke a smile on his face, he wanted despair then rage and he believed he knew exactly how to get it.

“Murder such a simple thing means guilt in your mind, then I am your justice for that man murdered children. Took them from their homes and stole their innocence then their life. Yet, fear not for I am still guilty that woman she knew nothing she simply was at the wrong place at the wrong time. So of course, I had to steal her heart quite literally it’s in a jar at my house Ha ha ha. Excuse the joke my dear; I suppose your death should be a bit more solemn. Yet I will give you a chance, a gift my dear to entertain me even more with that wonderful blood of yours. Move or die but know if you don’t I will slaughter thousands in your name a tribute to your failed justice.”

Walking behind her he bent low his gun level with the back of her head as he used his other hand to slowly swipe a sample of her blood from the floor bringing it to his lips he kissed it and squeezed the trigger he was after all a man of his word. Either way he would move back twenty feet to get the full picture of the scene, would he see her rage blinded rise to kill or a canvas of death and destruction. How wonderful he thought, though he had hoped for a bit more from this strange and alien visitor.

Walter laughed hysterically his sides hurting slightly and his cheeks twanging in pain from the contortion of his slightly burned cheek. Pride, arrogance, oh how wrong she was none of that meant anything, to him. How could she understand though, how could anyone understand what it was to be ripped from the soothing embrace of death and dragged into life, such things were not for mortals to understand. No that as his burden, and his alone, death is a mere game for an immortal he thought, and how sad this game had become. His nose wrinkled in frustration and he shouted at her in anger, how could she? How could she just come into his life finally something interesting and then poof go and die like that.

“LOSING, FAILING, hmmph of course I lose of course I fail, what’s the point of a game if you always win. But the problem is simple, the games get old, and new things must be found. Death such a cruel mistress to refuse me, yet accept you. How pitiful you are, I hate you for being so boring, so useless. You could entertained me, freed from monotony but look at you and your feeble justice dying so quickly so uselessly. Even your blood was useless it did nothing; it did not burn, or invigorate. It was not poison or sweet; it was barely different then human. YOU who had so much potential to be interesting and your just a boring as the others. AHHHHHHHHH”

Finishing his rant with a frustrated scream he pointed his gun at her loathsome form. He could hear it, pounding drums in his mind, a concerto begging for an end. But of course the symphony as weak a minor work at best and the entertainment value was poor, still it remained in him to end it with style four shots hands’ pelvis then neck. She had been so interesting the loss of potential was killing him on the inside, but in the end all he felt was hate for her. Hate for deception and betrayal, her very existence had promised entertainment and it had delivered the equivalent of poor shadow puppetry. Pointing he fired again wishing to see her body blown to bits blood spattered across the ally a picturesque memento of the consequences of lying.

Walters eyes widened in shock as his victim as if summoned by his pleas rose from the dead disappearing and reappearing next to him twin blasts of fire slamming to him as he had just enough time lift his arm shielding his eyes from the blast. The flames licked at his skin, a wonderful a delicious feeling running through his spine, so familiar yet new. Still in this moment he could not stop to enjoy the mind numbing pain as he had even more fun to be had. Pushing off into blur the flames suffocated with the speed of the movement. He appeared from his movement with a singed jaw and burned left arm his chains disappearing into smoke and then re-emerging from his body the six chain swirled around him as he held his gun in his right hand. “You… you… you naughty little girl, how dare you burn my face. I’ll see your heart in my hand, ah such fun, and such glory. Does your species have more then one? I shall bathe in your blood for this insolence” As Walter spoke the skin on his face flared in pain, a warming feeling focusing his mind and fluttering through his heart. She would pay for disrespecting him.

Suddenly Redglare changed slamming her weapons together her body shifted becoming strange and dragon like, how beautiful. Three of his chains surged from around him swimming through the air towards her from the left right and above as she spoke. Suddenly her eyes widened and gigantic forms of her eye attack surged forth hurtling through the air at Walter. As the cero like attacks closed in on him he reached out grasped one of the chains flowing around him, his entire form and the chain shifting into smoke he shifted into the pocket dimension from which all his abilities drew their powers. Instantaneously he moved through the dimensional divide appearing at the end of the chain he had sent above Redglare, he pointed his gun at her firing seven Bala speed but double strength bullets from its’ chamber all aimed for her chest and neck, before it faded away into smoke.