In the Wake of the Beast [Ulquiorra, Nelliel]

A group.
It was not terribly surprising. Even amidst Kurosaki's groups making such a quick, acute excursion into Hueco Mundo, Nel and her companions had garnered enough time together to forge a bond. As such, it was no surprise to Ulquiorra that Nelliel tu Odelschwank would have garnered some form of companions in the hundred years since the wars.

The ex-tercera would sense her presence in the city, and Ulquiorra waited patiently. Especially with such catastrophic events, and such...familiar ones at that. It only made sense that Ulquiorra would wait until Nel was on her own to appear. But it was done so as she knew was polite. The Arrancar would stand at Nel's door and gently, she would reach up and knock firmly. Unnecessarily at that. Nel would be able to sense her. But all the same, Ulquiorra recognized the earth customs of knocking on arrival. Waiting patiently for the door to be answered.

Of course, the woman herself would be dressed professionally. A knee-length black skirt, a white button up top with her sleeves rolled up to the elbows. Waiting patiently and politely for Nel to answer.

"Merry Christmas." Ulquiorra noted in a calm voice that to anyone else, might have been picked up as dry humor, but in fact, was an attempt at a joke. If anyone, Nell would be a safe individual to try out humor with. She had always seemed easy to please. But all the same, Ulquiorra's eyes would shift to the side. Directly looking at the individual or individuals that Nell had been interacting with prior to her arrival, as if she could see them through brick and mortar, before glancing back to Nel.

"I apologize for intruding on your time. I noticed you had only recently arrived in the city. However, I felt it important that I share with you what I've been able to gather about what happened. I assume that you are just as curious as I about Kurosaki's recent Visit." she explained, before..... she paused. As if remembering something, before adding.

"May I come in?"

Ulquiorra nodded lightly, not in the slightest perturbed by not being allowed inside. Humans, after all, were protective of their friends and family. It was reasonable that Nel might not want this conversation to go on around them. In the event of eavesdropping. And so she followed readily enough as Nel led the way, keeping stride with the Ex Tercera as they went.

Thankfully Nell seemed to share her interest in going right to the point. Ulquiorra kept her gaze straight ahead of them, listening carefully. It seemed about right... Strange. Was Nel connected to the Vandenreich? She hadn't sensed any quincy at the house... but then again, the Vandenreich seemed more diverse than those she'd met with might suggest. Fair enough.

"That lines up with, generally, what I've been told. However, The Vandenreich leader was kind enough to allow me access to records and reports, in exchange for sharing what I might find out when I find Kurosaki and Inoue." She explained calmly. No ifs, she had every intention of meeting up with the pair.

"It seemed that Kurosaki and Orihime have indeed changed considerably in the last hundred years. However." She turned, meeting Nel's gaze. "They are still the same individuals that they were during Aizen's Rebellions. Mysterious as she was, the Vandenreich's dealings with Orihime seemed to be on the positive side of things. It's quite likely that she has grown attached to this place. And indeed, was simply withholding information, rather than simply feeding the Vandenreich lies." She murmured. Naturally, she abstained from offering any specific information, after all, those were given to her in confidence.

"And as for Kurosaki. I'm sure you're aware of how driven he can be. He responded to shows of force, and obstructions to his objective. But regardless of his having become an arrancar. None of his behaviors seem outside of the parameters he displayed during Aizen's Rebellion. He has not lost his ability to reason. If I were to hazard a guess, I would surmise that he simply feels as though this is his only available course of action." She noted. Including that last bit. By simple merit of knowing that it might be pertinent to Nelliel.

After all. Ulquiorra did not even have to turn her pesquisa on Nel to know she would be ruffled by these recent events, given her connection to Ichigo and Orihime in the past. She was, in her own way, attempting to put the woman at ease.

That question.... took her a moment longer than usual. What indeed was her course of action? The short and simple answer to that query was that she was simply intending to inquire as to what it was they were doing. WHY Kurosaki had decided to attack the City. Had he really known of Inoue's presence? What was Inoue's intent? Did she plan on joining Kurosaki? Would she wish to return? And, naturally, she would leave with that information and pass it onto the Vandenreich. And then, decide what to do from there. It was not as though Kurosaki were especially difficult to track.

However, it did occur to her, that she might be inclined toward action sooner than that. She had started this journey of understanding the heart. But now, she did not quite understand it's effects. Why she had become so....capitulating toward human customs. Why she bothered with any of this. Why was it that she felt driven to NOT simply submerge herself in nothingness? However....

Nel likely did not care about any of this. Or rather, had her own concerns. And Ulquiorra felt .......uncomfortable speaking of things she was uncertain about. So, naturally. "I intend to inquire as to their intentions and reasonings for their recent behavior. Given this intel, it should not be particularly difficult. I will gather the information, pass it onto the Vandenreich. And go from there. Kurosaki has never been particularly subtle, nor good at hiding his intentions." She explained simply enough.

Ulquiorra had actually surmised a similar notion when she had first sensed Nel in the city of Lights, however she was none the less a bit surprised to hear the suggestion from Nel herself. "That would certanily be the safest route to take. Even following old habiuts, Kurosaki will be protective with Inoue in his grasp. It would not be too surprising if he attacked anything that got close." She murmured, closing her eyes for a moment before glancing back to the ex tercera.

"That said. I admit I will certainly not turn down your assistance. It's.... admittedly not what I imagined I would be asking your assistance in. But as you said. Working as a unit will reduce the risk involved." She affirmed, glancing in the direction of where they had come from. Hm.

"With that out of the way. I must admit. The Kurosaki incident is not why I sought you out." She conceded. True, that had sortof...become the topic of discussion, as Nel had frankly turned out to be far more interested in the incident than she suspected. Asking about it? Certainly. But to volunteer her involvement in the operation had exceeded Ulquiorra's expectations. Though well, what was one to expect when one's information on everyone was so out of date?