Starrk stood in the doorway to his rooms, looking at the person inside in bewilderment.

She was clearly a Numero. To his senses, her spiritual pressure was almost non-existent. As he watched, she continued what she was doing… cleaning his rooms. She had a little cart of tools and right now she was using some kind of brush on his pillows, removing the dust and lint they had gradually collected.

What left him so bewildered was not the fact that she was cleaning, but that she was there at all. The Numero's normally didn't come to his wing because they couldn't. His resting spiritual pressure was too much for them, it crushed them and left them feeling faint. If Starrk wanted things cleaned he had to vacate for a while, usually going to Grimmjow's wing to just hang out. Mostly he didn't bother. It wasn't like lint could hurt him and he didn't do much to dirty the place.

So what was this woman doing in his rooms and how hadn't she noticed him yet? Rubbing his forehead, Starrk released a gentle rush of spiritual pressure. That would… do…

Nothing?

He stared as she picked up the pillow and looked it over for imperfections before setting it aside and beginning another one. Very curious now, he unleashed a larger wave of power. No reaction, although she did pause for a moment before shaking her head. No doubt she was recognizing that the ambient energy in the air was rising, but he hadn't directed it squarely at her. That apparently meant it was unimportant compared to her duties.

Starrk tilted his head to one side, really examining her for a moment. Her back was to him so he couldn't see too much. She was shorter than him by a full head. Her hair was dead black, reaching her shoulders in a very simple, straight style. A piece of silver gleamed as she turned her head and Starrk saw it seemed to be some kind of hairclip. It was holding a lock of hair on the side of her face. He could only catch glimpses of that face, but it intrigued him. Her uniform was a dress with a very full skirt… who was she? Finally deciding to find out, he released a bit of his spiritual pressure right at her.

That finally got a reaction. The woman jumped, startled, before whirling to look at him. He finally saw her face and thought it was extremely pretty. Fine boned, aristocratic features and marvelous blueish violet eyes… her face was completely bare of any makeup, which he rather liked. He'd never card for the dolled up look some of the Numeros favored. But still, who was she? The only females capable of entering his rooms for any length of time were Halibel and her fraccion, none of whom cared for him at all.

"Who are you?" The woman asked and he blinked, suddenly realizing she was just as confused as he was. Did she have no idea who's wing she'd entered?

"I am… Wolf." He said, although that sounded rather stupid. She gave him an 'are you an idiot or do you just think I am?' look and he ignored it, smiling innocently. "May I ask your name?" He said and she frowned, taking a step back.

"I am Violetta Kuroikaze." She said in a slightly frosty tone of voice. "Miramira ordered me to clean this area." She said and Starrk thought that Miramira had been playing a particularly nasty trick on her. However, it seemed to have backfired.

"Mmm. Did you know this wing belongs to the Primera?" He said idly and saw her eyes widen. Then she blinked and steadied himself.

"That's fine. He's not frightening." She said shortly and he stared at her. Not frightening? Compared to what? The other numeros had always been terrified of his spiritual pressure. Not that he enjoyed the reaction… "He's just lazy. I wonder if he needs dusting?" She asked and he couldn't help but bark a laugh. It was funny because after at least one marathon sleeping session, when Lilinette had been too busy to bother him, he had awoken with a fine coating of dust on his face.

"Perhaps he might." Starrk took another step towards her, intrigued. Her scent… it was a lovely, flowery feminine scent but there was something else underneath. Something that smelled like dust and old bones and sang sweetly of danger. Her expression suddenly became wary as she took a step backwards, keeping the space between them. That did her little good as he continued to slowly walk forward, gradually pinning her against a wall. Her breathing was coming fast now and he loved the flush on her cheeks. "But you know, I think there's another part of him that might need dusting…" He murmured insinuatingly. If she could survive this much of his power, how much more could she take? He rose his energy and again, she didn't even seem to notice.

"Are you pimping for him then? I don't think so." She said as her hand dipped into her skirts. He opened his mouth then abruptly leaped back as razor sharp steel came between them, slicing through his hierro and raising just the thinnest line of blood on his chest. She ran then, with nothing but her feet and body to power it. No sonido at all. Starrk could easily have caught her but instead he watched her go, utterly bewildered. Reaching up he rubbed the cut on his chest and held out his hand, looking at the blood. His hierro wasn't like Nnoitra's, it wasn't the basis of his power, but still…

"How did she do that?" He whispered, looking at the blood in his hand. It shouldn't have been possible.

Who was this girl?

It was rather easy to ensure he would see her again. He simply went to see the Numero in charge of cleaning and other homely tasks. She knew him, from the rare times he wanted his wing cleaned. And when he specifically requested a particular Numero to begin cleaning his wing regularly, she was more than a little shocked. At first she tried to protest that the girl would never be able to withstand his pressure but he'd tersely informed her that she already had.

So a rather disgruntled and extremely wary Violetta began making weekly visits to keep his wing clean. For a while, Starrk just observed her, keeping himself hidden. Lilinette, however, had no discretion.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" She challenged the woman. Violette was kneeling beside a dresser and running something beneath it.

"Cleaning." She said shortly before looking up. "May I help you with anything?" She asked politely enough and Lilinette stared at her, taken aback.

"…You know this is Starrk's place, right?" She said after a moment and Violetta nodded. "How are you even here?" That puzzled the Numero.

"I used my feet and walked in?" She asked after a moment and Lilinette scowled, feeling she was being mocked, no doubt. "Excuse me, who are you?"

"I'm Lilinette Gingerbuck! I'm Starrk's fraccion so you better treat me with respect." She snapped and Violetta paused for a moment before giving her a deep bow. Starrk arched an eyebrow at the gesture, then frowned as Violetta spoke.

"Of course Lilinette-sama. I would not dream of being disrespectful." Her voice was calm but to Starrk's ears, there was an edge of painful resignation. His frown deepened as he wondered where the strong young woman he'd observed had gone. Lilinette, though, was mollified by the ready deference.

"Better not! I'm not sure why Starrk's power isn't crushing you, but he'll smash you if you annoy him!" She threatened and he winced from his hiding place. Violetta just smiled, a stilted, false expression.

"Of course Lilinette-sama. Is there anything in particular I can clean for you?" She asked and Lilinette blinked before shaking her head. "May I return to my duties?"

"Oh yeah! Sure. Go ahead." Lilinette gestured and Violette knelt back by the piece of furniture, concentrating on removing dust bunnies. Lilinette watched for a while before becoming bored with the proceedings and leaving to cause trouble elsewhere. Starrk was extremely glad. He didn't want his little game to come to an end too soon and Lilinette would certainly blurt out his name. He stepped out behind the Numero and she twitched slightly, clearly hearing his foot on the ground. But then, he hadn't been trying to hide it.

"Why did you defer to her like that?" He asked, curious. Lilinette was very nearly powerless, certainly not worthy of deference. Her only real strength was her connection to him. Of course, that was a great strength but most of the arrancar in Los Noches didn't really understand it. Violette looked up from another cushion she was grooming, frowning.

"Because she's a fraccion." She said shortly and Starrk tilted his head to one side.

"She has no strength." He probed and she huffed a sigh, turning back to the cushion.

"So? Neither do I." She said bitterly and he blinked.

"Of course you do. You're standing in the Primera's wing." He said, watching her reactions. Her shoulders stiffened a little but there was nothing else. "You must have some strength." Actually, she had to have quite a lot. Somehow, she had cut him. Didn't she know that?

"A useless strength." She said, her voice calm but with an edge of wormwood that made him wince. "Was there something you wanted with me, Wolf? Or are you still pimping for the Primera?" That made him smile. She had no idea.

"I'm sure he needs quite a bit of dusting." He said casually and saw her huff, annoyed. "He has no one to have sex with, you know." That was something that actually saddened him. She turned her head to look at him, her lips quirked in an expression of disbelief. "Halibel doesn't care for him, she likes her girls and they like her. And the poor fellow doesn't like men." Starrk had tried it, once, out of pure loneliness. It just hadn't worked for him. Violetta frowned at him.

"There are plenty of female Numeros." She pointed out and he smiled at her. She still didn't understand?

"None of whom can tolerate his resting spiritual pressure for more than a half-hour." He said easily and she frowned. "Intercourse… the pressures involved… he would kill them." That was simply a fact.

"Really. And you think he wouldn't kill me?" She asked and Starrk very casually pumped more of his reiatsu into the air. She still didn't notice. Even a Privaron Espada would be feeling suffocated by now. Who was this woman, really?

"I have a feeling he wouldn't. You seem remarkably durable." He said and knew it was the wrong thing to say. Something raw and painful flitted through her eyes before she turned away, thumping a cushion with far more energy than necessary.

"Should I be flattered or disgusted? Go away, Wolf. I'm trying to work." Deciding he'd pushed it far enough today, Starrk retreated. But he would be looking forward to her next visit.

This was a very intriguing game.