Hueco Mundo's pale, dead sky stretched endlessly above us. Boredom hit like a hammer.
I gathered Nakeem, Di Roy, Edrad, Yammy, and Grimmjow into a lazy circle near a sand dune. Not far off, Baraggan sat on a big pile of bones — his usual spot. Everyone kept side-eyes on him, because no matter what, the guy was terrifying. Not our boss or anything, but you don't mess with the self-proclaimed "God-King."
Naturally, I started the conversation.
"GRUAAAH!"
[Baraggan lazily translated: "You guys ever notice how Baraggan acts like Hueco Mundo still belongs to him?"]
Nakeem snorted.
"Yeah, no kidding. Swear he's still living like it's a thousand years ago."
Di Roy chimed in,
"I bet he polishes that old crown of his when nobody's looking."
Edrad cracked his neck.
"One time I saw a lizard crawl on him, and he didn't even notice. Dude's halfway to being a fossil."
Yammy, grinning like an idiot, added,
"Hah! I saw him trip over a rock once. Thought he was gonna crumble to dust!"
The circle laughed, trying to keep it quiet.
Then Grimmjow, arms crossed, smirked.
"Tch. He only 'translates' because he likes making himself feel important. Bet half of what he says ain't even real."
I let out another deep roar.
"GRUOAAHHH!"
[Baraggan, not even looking up: "And I bet he edits my words too."]
More snickering followed.
But then — Baraggan slowly turned his head. Those hollow eyes locked onto us like a storm brewing. The air around us felt heavier.
He spoke in a cold, dry voice.
"You lot got something to say?"
The Bone Circle went dead silent. Even Yammy shrunk a little.
I quickly blurted out another roar.
"GRUOH!"
[Baraggan translated flatly: "We're just messing around! All hail the God-King Translator."]
Baraggan grunted, shook his head, and turned back to his usual dead stare into the desert.
"Idiots."
Everyone exhaled in relief.
I grinned wide.
"Totally worth it."
Current EP: 95,88,500 / 100,000,000
Hueco Mundo's wind howled. The Bone Circle scattered, but the dumb gossip? That was gonna stick around forever.