[He's been a bit busy lately which has prevented him from finding time to discuss the situation with the Kuchiki-taichou who had become acting-soutaichou but this is no longer the case.

He calls for a hell butterfly.]

Would the acting-soutaichou Kuchiki-taichou please come to my office? There are matters we need to talk about.

[He sends it off and waits.]

[ooc: Locked to dutyandpride .]

[ The clack-clack of geta doesn't signal Urahara for once, rather the Deathberry as he walks through the nexus dressed in a yukata emblazoned with flowers and snakes - white, naturally, and baring their fangs as they curl around his shoulders - having changed for the day before returning to his gifts. He's next to a pile of presents, all of them labeled for his friends. ]

OI, come and get your Christmas presents before I throw them into Hueco Mundo!

[ Isshin has a few, whereas Yuzu and Karin both have two, and a large festive basket has been left out for the Vizards with a little extra something for Hiyori and Shinji. Shiro's present is held in Ichigo's hand, but only because it's a bit more expensive than the rest. The other gifts are stacked together with little messages written on the tags;

Rukia - I didn't know what to get you, hope you like it though!
Orihime - These reminded me of you.
Ishida - No need to thank me!
Chad - Thought it'd look cool on you.
Renji - Go nuts, man.
Tatsuki - I wanted to keep these for myself!
Keigo - You'll look really cool wearing these to listen to music.
Mizuiro - You can be a spy!
Byakuya - I just know you'll love this!
Urahara-san - Thanks for all you've done for us.
Yoruichi-san - Just a little something to help you relax!
Ukitake-san - Hope this keeps you going through winter!
Grimmjow - Don't pretend you don't like it!

All the gifts should have been exchanged on Christmas Eve, but his mun was totally plastered time was taken up finding enough wrapping paper. ]

[It hadn't been an easy recovery. She'd been sick as well as injured and it had been everything even Unohana could do to save her. Even with the healer captain's skill, it had taken weeks of healing, not to mention the physical therapy. And Nanao knew it hadn't been easy on her captain either, for all that he told her not to worry.

But at least now she could finally go home. Shunsui had taken to disappearing on occasion for the last few days, so she suspected he was Up To Something--par for the course, naturally. As a nurse helps her get warm clothes on, she sighs quietly. It's good to be getting out of here.]

[OOC: Primarily directed to pinkprotector but feel free to stop by and see them coming home to Eighth. Be nice--it's Christmas.]

*Grimmjow was plodding through the snow on his way back from poking around the Neutral Zone with a leather jacket draped over his shoulder, two drawstring bags in one hand and a bright red package decorated in yellow pineapples under one arm. The past few days had obviously been very kind to the ex-Espada as where he had been scowling and grumbling and generally being irritable over the weekend, he was now grinning from ear to ear. The effect was rather unsettling on him, especially with his mask fragment obscuring the edge of his mouth, but it was better than him glaring, right?*

(Package is for ren_abarai from Santa Shiro, but anyone's free to stop him in either the Neutral Zone or Seireitei.)

Hey Ichigo! Inoue! Everyone! I totally know it now!

[There's a young shinigami man rushing down a street in the Neutral Zone, waving his arms with a goofy grin on his face. He seems really excited and not at all aware that he has arrived in the nexus, still thinking that he's in Karakura.

Kudo Fujimaru had finally learned the English alphabet!]

[A jingle of sleigh-bells and the clip-clop of hooves and...Father Christmas is in the Nexus?  Although on close inspection, he looks a lot like Ukitake...

Yes, Ukitake is going through the Nexus, with a false beard, a long red cloak, and a sleigh pulled by a pair chestnut horses, giving out candy and small gifts to everyone he meets.  He took a lot of care with the sleigh--it's bright red, decorated with green and gold trim, as well as real holly and ivy.  And there's a large bag in the back, so don't be afraid to approach him!]

[OOC: Outside the war plot, etc.  Anyone can come and get a present!  Also, sorry for spamming the comm--but it was kinda time-sensitive!]

Kano Ashido. Report in immediately.

[Rukia is sitting at a desk and computer that was brought into existence by the Nexus, leaning over to stare at the screen. She seems engrossed in the webpage on the screen. She had been there for almost two hours now, caught up in this strange human invention.

Come bother her!]

*So here is an Orihime, on the porch of her house with snacks and drinks and bowls full of food colored popcorn and light strings and paper chains and safety scissors and glue and construction paper and a big, fat light-up star! She is clearly intent on putting some of this stuff on that huge tree in her front yard, and maybe even the one in her big picture window in the living room, too*

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the waaaaaaaaaaaay!

((OOC: Christmas tree decorating post! Everybody ever is invited! Just... walk up and help her decorate the tree or something idek))

[she's perched on a tree branch like a lone bird, her skinny arms wrapped tightly around her shivering frame.] Wh-Whoever invented snow is a sadist.

[Aizen's visage crosses her mind, and she makes a face.] He would, wouldn't he.

[Shirayuki is out in the snow, seeming a bit calmer than she has in a while. She's building a heron out of snow. No snow tricks or powers. She's doing this completely by hand. It's a calming activity since she still has a lot on her mind. But after talking to several people she trusted, she's at least cleared up a few things she was uncertain about.

Muramasa was the enemy. She still didn't know his plans, but she knew that whatever he was up to, he didn't have the Zanpakuto's best interests at heart. She still wasn't sure if she could fully trust Senbonzakura, but she could at least forgive him for something he hadn't been involved in, and she'd just avoid Byakuya. Her memories were a bit fuzzy but that would be fixed in time.

At least the weather had finally turned in her favor. She looked over her partially constructed heron. It was just starting to take shape.]

BONNIE-CHAN!

[He's been wandering around for a few hours in the snow near the Neutral Zone, covered in layers of bright colored haori, wearing thick boots, and a garish scarf wrapped around his neck.]

C'MON, BONNIE-CHAN!

[Ganju found the little piglet a week or so ago, a tiny little thing that still had it's stripes, but there was no mistaking the bright red bow tied in it's mane. Kinda weird to imagine another version of Bonnie-chan wandering around this place, but he'd seen enough versions of other people he wasn't gonna ask questions.]

YOU'RE TOO DAMNED LITTLE TO BE OUT!

BOO~OOONNIE-CHAN!

[He glances around and his eyes widen fractionally. This certainly didn't seem like the Seireitei he was familiar with. The reiatsu signatures weren't quite right and there appeared to be multiple similiar ones.]

...

[He thinks for a moment before heading towards his division to seek answers.]

[ooc: Vizard!Yama from the epilogue of the Defection AU. Info's in his journal. I haven't figured out his mask design yet but he probably won't need to use it that much. I'm also a bit shaky on his voice so he'll probably be a bit off. He's just outside the First if you want to run into him.]

Having met a few people, including Grimmjow from her own world, this Rangiku go in search of anyone else she may know. She walks along the Neutral Zone, trying to feel out anyone, and find out just where everything is.

[Somewhere near the 9th there seemed to be a large pile of blankets just sitting against the wall of a building. If one were to look close they would surely spot the pair of narrowed completely sky light blue eyes glaring at them past the wraps of blankets.

Kaze was not very happy. He was cold and was not used to dealing with wintery weather at all. Sure the snow had been fun at first, but soon he could feel the frigidness of the air. The only sanctuary found from the air was all of the blankets he had gathered.

There were probably a few unfortunates that would find their beddings without covers, not that this particular spirit rightly cared at the moment. The only reason he was outside at the moment was because he had gotten bored of staring at the barrick walls and ceiling.]

Tch.

(OOC: Um.. Back from vacation to Florida.. This is so how I felt when I got home to 30 degree weather x_X)

[Ukitake wasn't sure how long he'd been gone from this world.  He could tell that it was considerably colder than it had been when he left, and he could feel subtle shifts in the reiatsu, in the atmosphere of the place.

As for Ukitake himself, he feels pretty good for a dead man. He can feel there's a scar on his torso from where Ichimaru ran him through, but he feels as well as he did after Unohana-sempai patched him up the first time in the Nexus. He only prays that everyone has stayed safe in his absence...]

[OOC: After too long, Ukitake is back in the Nexus! Feel free to come say hi, tell him what's been going on, etc. But please to not be attacking him just yet!]

*So tonight out in the Neutral Zone, you'll find one of the Orihime's out playing!*

*But she's not just playing any old game! Oh no! Tonight she has a bobsled! And tonight, Tsubaki is like a tiny little lamp out in front of it, leading it on! And tonight she has two small, dog-sized hollows leashed to it, chasing him! For tonight, she's playing Adirondack Dog Sled Racing Champion!*

Go Pixie! Go Trixie! Mush!

[It was cold and snowing...

Cold and snowing, which meant that a certain old hollow was not particularly happy and feeling rather cranky. He may be more controlled than most hollows, but that didn't mean he wasn't above taking his anger out physically. Thank goodness for that fire roaring in the fireplace, the blankets wrapped around his shoulders and that hot cup of tea in his hands, else the Neutral Zone might have gone up in flames already.

As it was, he was in a much calmer mood than when he had first woken up and was now looking out the window, watching people passing by in the white world outside, rather bored and needing another hobby besides napping.]

[A new Orihime arrives, her shoes crunching through the snow as she looks around the Neutral Zone, staring in wonder. She's not really dressed for the weather, wearing a simple Karakura High school uniform, but she doesn't really seem too bothered by it. She stares at the snow, fascinated, trying to catch a flake on her tongue before she pauses.]

Ah... How strange.

[The various reiatsu tells her this can't possibly be the human world, but it doesn't resemble the Soul Society she knows, either. Orihime strokes her thin thoughtfully, apparently not minding the snow.]

This doesn't look like the human world. And it's definitely not my home, either. But... if it's neither of those things, then... there's only one explanation!

I've been abducted by aliens.

[She's only recently found out what an alien even IS, and it's her new favorite concept.]

((OOC: Hi! :D I'm new! Have a shinigami AU!Orihime. Further details in her profile.))