[BitP:R] Soul Society

[Dorizzit]

Allan thinks for a second.

"That shouldn't really be a problem. I don't have one."

[MageSparrowhawk]

"I suppose that's good..." Koujin thinks for a bit. "You'll probably want to grab some sweatbands or something too..." He nods like the reasoning is obvious, then starts eating again.

[Dorizzit]

Allan quirks an eyebrow.

"Why?"

[MageSparrowhawk]

An eyebrow is raised in return. "Because...you'll get sweaty? It's hard work being around me, especially while training..."

[Dorizzit]

The answer only seems to confuse Allan more.

"Why?"

[13_CBS]

[Restaurant]

Kyou ignores the continued conversation, retreating into her thoughts. The food's coming... you're going to have to take your hand out sometime. Why should you care what they think anyway? It's not your fault your arm is like this...

Ikimi and Shinji

Ikimi looks miffed at being ignored. "6th Division Shinigami Fukui Kyou, your superior officer is spea--"

"Sis!" Shinji places his hand on his sister's shoulder. "Hey, Ikimi...calm down. Calm down. The food's here. Let's just enjoy lunch, alright? If Kyou doesn't want to talk about it, we'll let it alone."

"But...*sigh* Very well."

Nonetheless, Ikimi continues to glance suspiciously every once a while at Kyou's mysterious arm.

[The Librarian]

((Yeah remember that fight between Myojin and Katisugo, were just gonna skip all the good stuff and just move to present time.))

Test Field-04
Test Field-04 is now vacant with the sparring match coming to its conclusion several hours before. The test field suffer no major structural damage with the exception of two large attack by the two combatants. On the Western wall and visible slash mark form Katisugo shikai blade can be seen running almost 50m down the side which is then followed by a small crater at the bottom. The other noticeable scar in the Test Field-04 is the much larger crater in the center where Myojin had sent Katisugo hurdling to the ground with his shikai.

Also, the video camera in Test field-04 has been broken.

Somewhere in Seireitei

Katisugo wanders rather aimlessly after returning from the Rukon after acquiring ingredients for his tea.

[Viera Champion]

Kyasarin Shihan is around, walking and do paperwork at the same time. She might run into Katisugo (literally).

[InyutheBeatIs]

[Ninth Division Grounds]

Sigint was walking along, still not having found anyone to talk to. It seemed that it hadn't been his day. Maybe he should head over to the 8th and come back later?

The thought process was cut off when he noticed something at HQ. You see, he has this ability thanks to Taganjuu to create what amounts to a camera, and he set up one of these cameras to monitor Soul Society in a fashion. He did so by placing this camera in front of a series of monitors in the Onmitsukido HQ that show information from several cameras throughout Soul Society. He noticed that one of the screens went briefly static, showing a red "ERROR" message in the corner.

The camera in Test Field 04 had been broken.

Crap.

Ah well, it can wait. Hopefully not for long though. Afterall, this was a newly formed blind spot, and he noticed that the reason for the blackout was because of a spar between two Shinigami, so it shouldn't be anything too disturbing.

[tgva8889]

Taiki Takahashi - The Streets of Sereitei

The Captain enters Sereitei, smiling and whistling a tune. At some point, after making a few turns, he will begin actively looking for Myojin, wherever he may be.

[Kuroimaken]

There was a period of time that Kazuma didn't particularly like or dislike, but during which he didn't know what to do with himself.

It was the period of time after his duties were complete.

He didn't really have that many friends, if any, so he had no opponents for Shogi or Go. He couldn't train all the time either - he had to conserve some of his energy for the daily duties of the following morning. Diligence had its price, it seemed.

Disliking the feeling of remaining still in a single place, Kazuma decided to take a stroll by Seireitei. There was always something fairly interesting going on.

[The Librarian]

Kyasarin Shihan is around, walking and do paperwork at the same time. She might run into Katisugo (literally).

*Crash!*

Katisugo bumps into Kyasarin stumbling slightly before regaining balance. He'll try to grab Kyasarin by the arm if she stumbles.

Katisugo shakes his head checking to make sure none of the ingredients for tea fell out of their bags. He then turns to Kyasarin.
Heh, sorry about that Kyasarin-san, are you okay?

[KnightDisciple]

[Seireitei, on the way back to 8th Division]

Having wrapped up his meeting with Caerwyn, Captain Masaru was now casually walking back to the 8th, smiling and nodding to various people as he went. His destination was his office.

(OOC:If nobody intercepts him after a bit, I'll put him in his office for a while.)

[MageSparrowhawk]

The answer only seems to confuse Allan more.

"Why?"

"Well..." Koujin pauses, realizes the confusion, then completely unsubtly decides to leave the question hanging as he goes back to eating.

[Dorizzit]

Allan, already finished, sits back in his chair.

Well that's not ominous at all...

[Viera Champion]

*Crash!*

Katisugo bumps into Kyasarin stumbling slightly before regaining balance. He'll try to grab Kyasarin by the arm if she stumbles.

Katisugo shakes his head checking to make sure none of the ingredients for tea fell out of their bags. He then turns to Kyasarin.
Heh, sorry about that Kyasarin-san, are you okay?

Kyasarin's papers fly everywhere.
Gah!
One of the two sais that make up her zanpaktou flies out of the cloud of papers and soars right past his head, just missing his shoulder, sticking in the wall behind him.
I swear I'll kill whoever did that!
Then she sees Katisugo.
Oh. Uh...
Hey Katisugo... Sorry about that. Didn't realize it was you.
She says, going to pick up her sai.

[The Librarian]

Katisugo just barely flinches as the sai passes by his neck.
I think I dodged a bullet there. Haha.

Katisugo places down his bags and picks up a few of the papers by him.
What brings you around these parts?

[Viera Champion]

She shrugs.
I take a walk everyday. But my Captain assigned me some stuff to do, so my paperwork is overflowing so I have to multitask now. What about you.
She says, beginning to pick up the papers.

[Kuroimaken]

"Masaru-taichou." Kazuma offered a nod in passing as he and the captain happened to cross paths. "It's good to see you. I was hoping for an opportunity to offer an invitation to a friendly game of Shogi or Go. I expect someone such as yourself to be more than a great opponent."

After a short pause, he offered, "If you've the free time, of course."

[KnightDisciple]

"Masaru-taichou." Kazuma offered a nod in passing as he and the captain happened to cross paths. "It's good to see you. I was hoping for an opportunity to offer an invitation to a friendly game of Shogi or Go. I expect someone such as yourself to be more than a great opponent."

After a short pause, he offered, "If you've the free time, of course."

Masaru stopped for a moment and considered.

"I suppose a short game of Shogi would be fine. I took care of most of my paperwork already."

He gestured for Kazuma to lead.

"By all means, lead the way."

[Kuroimaken]

"Certainly, sir." Kazuma nodded again, and took quick steps to get to his lodging in the 11th. Interestingly, unlike many of the Seireitei, Kazuma seemed to avoid using Shunpo to go from one place to another for some reason.

Masaru would find it to be considerably clean, especially compared to what the lodgings of other, lesser members of the 11th were expected to be. It seemed that the 8th seat's dilligence carried over to many aspects of his life.

"Please make yourself comfortable - I will set the board and pieces shortly. Would you care for some tea, Masaru-taichou?"

[strawberryman]

[Restaurant]

Kyou stares at her food for a while, seeming downcast. "...you need to promise to keep it to yourself. I've got enough trouble being an unknown." She timidly removes her hand from her pocket, revealing the deformed red thing for what it is.

...should really just wear gloves... well, if the claws didn't tear through.

[KnightDisciple]

"Certainly, sir." Kazuma nodded again, and took quick steps to get to his lodging in the 11th. Interestingly, unlike many of the Seireitei, Kazuma seemed to avoid using Shunpo to go from one place to another for some reason.

Masaru would find it to be considerably clean, especially compared to what the lodgings of other, lesser members of the 11th were expected to be. It seemed that the 8th seat's dilligence carried over to many aspects of his life.

"Please make yourself comfortable - I will set the board and pieces shortly. Would you care for some tea, Masaru-taichou?"

[11th Division, Kazuma's Quarters]

Masaru seated himself at the table. He smiled slightly at the offer.

"I suppose I could handle a bit more tea, yes. And don't rush on it or the board and pieces. Tell me, were you just not in a hurry, or was there another reason you decided not to speed our journey along?"

There's no anger in his voice, only curiosity.

[Restaurant]

Kyou stares at her food for a while, seeming downcast. "...you need to promise to keep it to yourself. I've got enough trouble being an unknown." She timidly removes her hand from her pocket, revealing the deformed red thing for what it is.

...should really just wear gloves... well, if the claws didn't tear through.

Yoshi's face immediately changed expression...

To one of sincere concern. One hand reached towards the red hand, then halted partway there.

"Is...are you alright, Kyou? Does...does it hurt?"

It's not quite pity, but it's also not disgust. It's just concern. For...a friend.

[Kuroimaken]

"Well... truth be told, a bit of both." Kazuma admitted. "I am... not quite good at Shunpo. I only seem to be able to use it a small number of times - and only to go in a straight line. I can't quite seem to get the hang of it." The kettle was set down on the stove, while Kazuma wandered over to a cabinet and picked some tea leaves. "I am embarassed to say it, but I only seem to be able to use Shunpo to run into or away from an opponent, and being the stubborn fellow I am, I practically never do the latter."

After setting the leaves aside, Kazuma went to a different closet to take his board. Despite its aged appearance, it seemed very well taken care of. The writing on the pieces was slightly faded as well, as they looked like they'd seen a considerable amount of matches. Setting the board atop a small, nearby table close to a pair of cushions, Kazuma got to arranging the pieces while the water boiled.

[13_CBS]

[Restaurant]

Kyou stares at her food for a while, seeming downcast. "...you need to promise to keep it to yourself. I've got enough trouble being an unknown." She timidly removes her hand from her pocket, revealing the deformed red thing for what it is.

...should really just wear gloves... well, if the claws didn't tear through.

Shinji and Ikimi

Shinji gives Kyou a warm smile. "Don't worry Kyou, none of us will say a thing about this. Your secret's gonna be completely safe with us. Right, sis?"

Ikimi blinks, and glances from her brother to Yoshi to Kyou's curious appendage. "This may be against regulations, but...even I understand that there everyone has their own secrets. You have my word that I will not speak of this matter to anyone unless Shinigami Kyou wishes it."

[KnightDisciple]

"Well... truth be told, a bit of both." Kazuma admitted. "I am... not quite good at Shunpo. I only seem to be able to use it a small number of times - and only to go in a straight line. I can't quite seem to get the hang of it." The kettle was set down on the stove, while Kazuma wandered over to a cabinet and picked some tea leaves. "I am embarassed to say it, but I only seem to be able to use Shunpo to run into or away from an opponent, and being the stubborn fellow I am, I practically never do the latter."

After setting the leaves aside, Kazuma went to a different closet to take his board. Despite its aged appearance, it seemed very well taken care of. The writing on the pieces was slightly faded as well, as they looked like they'd seen a considerable amount of matches. Setting the board atop a small, nearby table close to a pair of cushions, Kazuma got to arranging the pieces while the water boiled.

[11th Division, Kazuma's Quarters]

Masaru chuckled softly, helping Kazuma arrange the board.

"That's fine, Kazuma. I was merely curious. No Shinigami can truly master everything. Give yourself more time, practice, and patience, and I'm sure you'll improve."

[Restaurant]

Yoshi nodded.

"Consider it a secret kept."

[The Librarian]

She shrugs.
I take a walk everyday. But my Captain assigned me some stuff to do, so my paperwork is overflowing so I have to multitask now. What about you.
She says, beginning to pick up the papers.

Katisugo nods to the two bags on the ground as he picks them up.
Herbs for my special tea. Usually, collect this stuff from the Mortal World, but I've been on a bit of hectic schedule as well lately.

[strawberryman]

[Restaurant]

Kyou smirks a bit. "...geez, you guys sure are friendly to someone you just met." With that, she takes a few bites of her burger.

"...it's a Hollow. It attached onto my arm on a training mission while I was in the academy. It's attached to my spine, and totally consumed my arm, so if they removed it I'd be down an arm and would probably have spine damage. So they focused on sealing it."

[KnightDisciple]

[Restaurant]

Kyou smirks a bit. "...geez, you guys sure are friendly to someone you just met." With that, she takes a few bites of her burger.

"...it's a Hollow. It attached onto my arm on a training mission while I was in the academy. It's attached to my spine, and totally consumed my arm, so if they removed it I'd be down an arm and would probably have spine damage. So they focused on sealing it."

[Restaurant]

Yoshi winced at the description.

"Definitely not fun. So how did they seal it? Obviously it functions like a normal arm, at least overall. I'm guessing the sealing keeps you from undergoing a more drastic, ah, conversion."

His eyes are curious.

"I've seen some references to incidents of "Hollowfication", but this fits none of them. Forgive me if I'm so curious, it's just...it's different, so it's a bit fascinating for me."

He was good enough to look embarrassed at his questions, falling silent and sitting back to work on his food for a bit.

[Dorizzit]

Second Division - Courtyard

Sadanaga Hideuchi's face is a mask of total concentration as he glides through a number of Hakuda forms. His hands and legs hammer into the wooden training dummy in front of him as he deftly chains various strikes and techniques together on it. He finishes by pivoting on one leg and launching his other foot up into the carved chin of the dummy, hitting it so hard that it falls over.

Slouching and stepping back a few paces, Hideuchi shakes his bruised hands and wipes some of the sweat from his forehead. Clenching and releasing his hands repetitively, he turns away from the fallen dummy and stoops over, grabbing a bottle of water from the ground. Tearing the top off, he takes a long swallow of it, then wipes his mouth and replaces the cap. Still breathing heavily, he walks over and lifts the dummy back up. Stretching, he leaves the Second Division quarters and heads out for a walk.

Sixth Division - Vice Captain's Quarters

Damara Shishihara finishes a complex Zanjutsu Kata, turning on one foot and spinning Shiro Hoshi in a strike that was designed to decapitate an assailant attacking from behind the user. His Zanpakuto is in Shikai, illuminating the room with blinding white light. Allowing his hands to drop to his sides, Damara pants for a few seconds, exhausted by his prolonged use of energy and allowing himself to show it due to the lack of other people. Resealing Shiro Hoshi, Damara does not move as the glow rapidly fades from the blade. Without it, the room becomes dark, lit only by a few cracks through which light escapes from the outside. Sighing, the Sixth Division Vice Captain leans against a wall and sits, cross-legged, placing Shiro Hoshi in his lap. Closing his eyes, Damara begins Jinzen with practiced ease, collapsing his senses into his inner world.

Spoiler

Show

"Opening" his eyes again, Damara looks around at the night sky surrounding him. As he watches, one of the many stars detaches itself from its place in the heavens and streaks down towards him, circling him several times before coming to a rest directly in front of him. It bobs gently in the air.

"That was great, Damara! You kept me going for what, three hours? Four?"

Damara shakes his head, his typical emotionless expression not changing.

"Two hours and thirty-four minutes."

Shiro Hoshi pulses gently and floats a bit lower to the ground, somewhat put out.

"That's still an improvement!" The forcibly cheerful encouragement of the upbeat spirit rings hollow to both of them. "Well, it was still an improvement. After all, you know what they say, practice makes perfect!"

Damara turns suddenly on his heel, turning his back to Shiro Hoshi.

"That's hardly true. I think it is becoming clear that I have reached the limits of my ability as a Shinigami."

Shiro Hoshi compresses itself to the size of a small child and zips in front of Damara's face.

"Come on, don't give up! The Sixth needs you."

Damara turns his head away from his Zanpakuto's spirit, closing his eyes.

"Then it is in dire straits indeed."

Damara turns fully away from Shiro Hoshi again, pacing a few steps more to widen the distance between them. The bright spirit makes a bobbing motion strangely reminiscent of a sigh speaks more consolingly.

"It's not that bad. You just need to try a little harder and-"

Shiro Hoshi is cut off as Damara whirls around. Despite his characteristically unemotional face, his eyes shine with a highly uncharacteristic rage.

"I AM TRYING!"

Damara puts a hand over his face and once again turns away from his Zanpakuto spirit, his anger gone as suddenly as it came. Shiro Hoshi says nothing, flabbergasted by Damara's outburst. The Shinigami's next words are so quiet they are almost inaudible.

"I am trying."

Damara turns, his cold mask once again in place. He bows his head.

"I am sorry."

Shiro Hoshi approaches tentatively, and speaks with a sympathetic tone.

"It's fine, I understand. You're under a lot of pressure right now."

Damara looks up at Shiro Hoshi.

"...Thank you."

Without further comment, Damara breaks Jinzen ashamedly.

Damara opens his eyes slowly. Standing, Damara sheathes Shiro Hoshi in a practiced motion. Training session over, he opens the door to his room and steps out into the corridor. He swiftly makes his way to his office, sits down at his desk, and begins to work.