The Cure to my Condition [blackhack]

[yuushou]

The Cure to My Condition...A Severe Lack of Paper

Azuvala Assantri {Profile}
Nota Bene: Within the confines of this thread Azuvala has achieved her bankai.

---

"...oh, for crying out loud!"

A young, brown-haired woman was kneeling on the firm, dirt-packed ground of the outskirts of the Soul Society. She was wearing a neat, well-cared for shihakusho that seemed to contrast sharply with her surrounding environment. She was kneeling over a large pile of papers lying scattered neatly about on the ground, her face the absolute epitome of disbelief. To a bystander, it would look like she had just dropped a stack of papers, but to any friend who knew the strange shinigami, it was simply her way of organizing things.

The cause of her distress at this particular moment was a condition that had constantly plagued her existence nearly every day of her life and continued through her death.

Azuvala was out of paper.

Perhaps that is an incorrect way to state the problem. She had plenty of paper. She could fill a notebook with the number of loose-leaf sheets that were scattered before her on the ground. The problem was that every single one of these papers was completely covered in her precise calligraphic printing, back and front. Some papers that were written in a smaller script had even been rotated to use the spare top space of each line as room to write in a second piece of paper.

For a few moments Azuvala pondered her recollection of the new notebook she had bought earlier in the week, then sighed resignedly. She had left that behind with her other papers as a free notebook to use next time she needed one. Great amount of good that did her, now that she had none.

The female shinigami went through her papers once more, despite the fact she had already gone through her papers three times. Not a single empty space was to be found.

Slowly, the forlorn young woman collected together her papers and stood. Azuvala was constantly writing notes, incessantly scribbling small interesting things she saw and thought down on paper so they would not be lost in the tides of time and memory that was so often incorrect. To run out of sheets to write on was actually quite a common occurrence for her, but never ceased to break her heart when it happened.

Azuvala carefully tucked the packet of papers into one of the inner folds of her shihakusho, close to her side. Perhaps she could find some way to take her mind off the tragedy. Or perhaps she should return to Earth or the Soul Society to find a few new pieces.

As the young woman stood indecisively, a soft breeze tossed her hair from behind, causing her to go still. She turned in the direction of the air, noticing for the first time the low afternoon sun. The deep gold of the sun stained the edges of the golden clouds closest to it crimson, and as she looked out over the rest of the sky, she began to appreciate the greater variety of shades of pink, purple, and blue that were present.

Azuvala gazed at the sky in silent awe and her normally plain blue eyes almost seemed to sparkle in response to the golden light.

Then again, I could just relax a little and enjoy where I am...

((OOC: blackhack, because Azu technically has not achieved her bankai, she does not have a limit to her 'point system' as of yet. If you would be so kind as to glance at it, I'd appreciate hearing what number you would consider appropriate to use for this RP. It will determine the number of attacks she uses before the battle's over, pretty much.

I also noticed that I forgot to mention, but her bankai uses 5 'points' every post she uses it without the double sword.))

[blackhack]

OOC:
Sorry ‘bout the long wait! I’ve been busy working up and modeling a treasure chest design for my fraternity. xD
Having looked over the system I would say that 75 points is good. I want to challenge myself against that coffin of yours. xD
I shall be using my current character stats, so no eyes of amaterasu, and akari shunpo use only while in bankai. Everything else is pretty much the same. ^^

----

”Yare, Yare.” Haiirohane sighed, his voice filled with the essence of boredom. ”We could at the very least walk faster.” The facial expression the dragon carried was analogous to a human’s sleepy face mixed with a dash of sad; the essential ingredients that come together in a facial expression of absolute boredom.
The oriental dragon was small, only six inches long. He flew through the air alongside Grey, his body rolling up and down as if from waves of air. His two arms were folded tightly together across what would be considered a chest. The two hind limbs seemed to stay close to the body and tail, waving up and down accordingly. The small dragon’s skin was a soft grey white shade clad with shimmering, pure white scales. While the top or back of the beast was clad in scales, its underbelly was rippled like the belly of a snake. It bore five claws on the ends of either limb. Each sharply equipped with pointed nails. Its neck was long as a dragon’s should be in proportion to its body. It bore a head similar to a crocodile’s with glowing white eyes mounted on. The horns of a stag adorned its head and white whiskers of light waved as if with the wind. The dragon’s entire body seemed to fade into transparency as it moved. The scenery of the forest could be seen through it as it accelerated, but as it grew to a halt it solidified. The entire thing had an almost holy white aura.

”Enjoy the scenery, Haiiro.” Grey, the man that walked alongside the small dragon was himself also small. The shinigami stood only three inches over five feet. Although short, his features of a wide and muscular neck lent themselves to hidden strength. Grey bore baggy black pants that scrunched up at his waist and ankles. His light gray haori hung down to his calves, fluttering with the breeze as he walked. He donned beneath this a tight, sleeveless black vest. The frog buttons on its front were mostly secured. He left the highest one loose. It made him feel a bit choked. Because of this, the inch high collar was parted. Beneath this vest was a seemingly infinite roll of two inch bandage wrapped around him. These black bandages were also skintight. His feet were covered in tan, rawhide sandals. The type which were held on by two strands in the front.

The two walked through a semi dense forest of grass and trees. There was plenty of room to move around and judging from the flatness and brownness of the grass, this was probably a common path for locals. It had been quite some time since Grey had visited Soul Society let alone the forest of Rukongai. From time to time, Grey was allowed leisure or sent on assignments outside of Hueco Mundo. Those times seemed to be plenty enough to keep him and Black in tune with what was happening in Soul society and the Human World.

”Grey, I’m bored. Can we find someone to fight or something to pounce on or something challen…”
“How many times do you get to enjoy the pure chi of Soul Society, Haiiro?” Grey interrupted the dragon with a kind voice. His face seemed to be permanently fixated with a faint smile. He was far to optimistic to take situations negatively.
”Uh, well, you see…” The dragon slowly barrel rolled to fly upside down. He looked up at the sun and took a deep inhale. ”I guess you’re right, as usual.” The dragon only heard silence. This was usually when Grey would say something deep and profound like “I’m not always right” or some humble crap like that. But nothing.
”As usual. Right Grey?” The dragon spoke again, still looking up at the evening sky. Finally it turned to see Grey but just saw more trees. Freaking out it looked forward down the path to see Grey racing forward for no apparent reason. Disappearing, the dragon flash stepped to catch up.
”You could’ve told me we were going to run!”
”Always on our toes Haiiro!” The two shouted loudly as they speed through the forest dodging tree and branches for what seemed like no apparent reason.
”Why are we running!?” The dragon was wondering why now, all of a sudden, Grey wanted to work up a sweat. This was supposed to be break time.
”I got bored.” Don. The dragon was struck stupid still with irony.

On the edge of the forest was a wider path of dusty dirt. Not quite as dusty as Grey’s mortal home but none the less there was the possibility of kicking up small puffs. Out on this path stood a shinigami, a girl. Her typical shihakusho tipped off her identity as a shinigami. She seemed to be mesmerized by the evening sky with its golden yellows, soft blues and vibrant purples.
”Beautiful isn’t it?” Grey appeared alongside the woman only a few inches to her left. He did not mean to startle her but with his speed of doing things, such an abrupt appearance would startle anyone. ”You never truly understand how beautiful something is until your deprived of it. Wouldn’t you say so Miss? Grey smiled, his eyes seemed to close as he did so, although he gazed upon the evening sky.

[yuushou]

(My reply, as promised. Midterms are now over, and I apologize for not finishing your reply before them. I'm afraid I am still lacking in my prior skill with writing due to lack of practice, so my replies will likely remain much shorter than should be expected for some time until I feel a little more comfortable.)

"...yes, it is."

Azuvala seemed to only half-hear the man's words. Her eyes scanned the sky, taking in the sharp detail of each wispy curl of cloud, committing it to memory and letting the view slowly paint itself across her mind. It had been a long time, and such beauty would be comforting during stressful or depressing times to look back on.

Even her zanpakuto spirits were deeply at peace. Her crystalline foxie-dragon was furled silently within the back of her consciousness, wordlessly observing her movements and the perceptions of her mind with its clear eyes. She could also just discern the still sleeping form of her spirit of shadow sealed farther within her soul, the satin fabric of its wings coiled tightly around its form.

The day had been largely uneventful, and they had taken sanctuary within the protection of her mind to rest away from the events of her life until later in the evening, when they would begin their regular practice scheduled under the moonlit darkness.

At present she was extremely serene and her mind was at peace, so the sudden appearance of this foreign shinigami did little to ruffle her. If it had been a hollow's spiritual pressure that had approached, she might have reacted in a manner more fitting, but a shinigami entity was fundamentally friendly.

Despite all of this, the fact Azuvala was not startled by the unfamiliar shinigami was rather astonishing, seeing as in any other case she would be standing a good number of meters away from her previous position in a recoiled defensive stance. In fact, after registering the fact, she found herself marveling that her silent spirit had not given a sharp cry for her to react.

As the female slowly allowed her eyes to draw away from the scenery, she turned to view the new shinigami with a pleasant smile, despite the fact his eyes appeared half-lidded as he looked upon the sky. He was a very well-developed young man with a slim but muscular body and dark hair. His tanned skin and balanced proportions made him very handsome, and it was clear that they were earned by a vigorous training schedule. While not attracted to him particularly, Azuvala did recognize that he was quite good looking and likely very skilled at combat.

"I quite agree with you,” Ázuvala replied warmly, “Partially because of the fundamental idea that finding something so precious is to leave the state of not having it. No matter the case, you are always deprived from beauty before meeting it.”

“If you were referring to losing something and only appreciating its beauty afterward, I would be inclined to agree, though I must say I doubt anyone would be willing to give something up just to realize the fact, sir.”

Do not allow a show of etiquette to earn your trust so swiftly. Her white spirit reminded her in the back of her mind, its voice soft and flowing, like silk falling and gathering on a smooth surface.

Azuvala noted the remark, but did not let it affect her manner in the slightest as she inclined her head politely with a small smile. Her eyes remained on his dark lashes as she introduced herself.

“My name is Ázuvala Assantri. May I ask to whom I have the pleasure of this address?”

[blackhack]

OOC:
Likewise. I haven’t role played in quite a while as well. But it’s better to have good quality small posts as opposed to larger nonsense, much like my profile.

---

The girl was unshaken. Grey was not hiding his reiatsu per say, but because of his time in the Onmitsukido, he subconsciously kept a low profile. Regardless of this, the girl’s reflexes did not get the best of her. Or perhaps they were not honed to such a degree. It could even be that they were honed beyond that, so as to not jump at every little sudden movement. Grey could never assume.
”Yes it is.” The female shinigami was soft spoken. She did not seem the least bit worried, startled or stressed. How could one when faced with the masterpiece painting that is the evening sky? Her demeanor was rather polite. Her way of carrying herself had a bit of confidence. Judging from the abundance of papers she carried, Grey could deduce that she either liked reading or writing. Either way, she was intelligent, as most women tend to be.

Grey himself gave off a soothing, rather calm aura. As an avid practitioner of meditation, he had gained such a mastery of the mind as to maintain an optimistic, happier character. His constant calm and the faint smile on his face had earned him the nickname, “Kokimi-kun,” back in his academy days. The term literally means sentiment master to embody his control over his emotions. His calm attitude must have been rubbing off on her as he had not startled her. But that was enough pondering. The Soul Society evening sky was much too magnificent a spectacle to pass up by analyzing the person next to him.

Despite Grey’s small eyes, he was always using a rather wide way of viewing the world. One could say he saw everything and nothing. His focus was in no particular place and as such he took in the whole view his eyes could read. It was simply the utilization of his peripherals. Because of this, he could not only see a large portion of the setting sun and the sky, but also the shinigami girl to his right. He was after all still slightly behind her. As such, he could clearly see that she was, for lack of a better phrase, checking him out, at least the details of his appearance. Grey knew that his “uniform” was far from the shinigami standard. In fact, it wasn’t at all. If anything his uniform would deduce his past affiliation with the Onmitsukido and thus his involvement with the second division of the Gotei 13. Whether or not the girl was smart enough to figure this out was to be determined. More than likely she would be able to.

”I quite agree with you,” her words were like soft waves of heat, warming the soul. “Partially because of the fundamental idea that finding something so precious is to leave the state of not having it. No matter the case, you are always deprived from beauty before meeting it.”
Grey’s smile became a bit more apparent. She was intelligent indeed.
“If you were referring to losing something and only appreciating its beauty afterward, I would be inclined to agree, though I must say I doubt anyone would be willing to give something up just to realize the fact, sir.”
Grey chuckled a bit. ”But that is the wonder of duality. There cannot be one thing without the other. There cannot be beauty without ugliness or else everything is just neutral. And so the sage sits in seiza everyday to enter a state of being and nonbeing, where duality no longer exists, and he is in touch with the One. All this so as to gain a better appreciation for the beauty that is life.” Grey spoke gently and slowly without shifting his body at all or letting up his view of the setting sun. He rarely spoke so much, but discussions of high concept topics piqued his interest as it would any intellect.

”My name is Ázuvala Assantri. May I ask to whom I have the pleasure of this address?” The girl eyed Grey as she questioned him. She smiled and bowed slightly but did not let her eyes drift away from him. As an unknown, he was technically still a threat, even if he had shinigami reiatsu.
Grey kept his eyes on the sunset. It had been so long. He was not going to pass this up. And it was almost over too. ”Grey. Just Grey.” He kept still as he watched, the darkness beginning to roll upon the land like a blanket, tucking the people of Soul Society in.

”Greeeeeeeey! When are we gonna find something to fight or eat? I hunger for both.” The dragon floated over to Grey’s side between the girl and him, just now arriving. ”Yareeee, you can’t be thinking of fighting this scrawny shinigami bi...” Grey grabbed the little dragon with one hand, shielding its mouth and stopping it from finishing its sentence. ”Eh…, he chuckled awkwardly.”This is my zanpakuto, Haiirohane. Say hello Haiiro.” The dragon crossed his arms and exhaled sharply, “Hmph… Gwaah!” Grey squeezed a bit harder. The dragon’s arms flailed out as its legs and tail squirmed violently. ”Moshimoshi,” its voice was strained from the squeezing. Grey let up a bit and could only smile awkwardly and scratch the back of his head. His eyes seemed to close when he smiled.

[yuushou]

“Grey. Just Grey.”

The male shinigami seemed completely unperturbed and unshakable in his peaceful manner. Throughout their conversation, Grey seemed to all but absorb the beauty of sky with his eyes. Despite the appearance that he was ignoring her for the view, he responded quietly and attentively enough to her words. His aura exuded serenity like no other person she had encountered. His very spiritual pressure was still and peaceful, but completely unassuming. Azuvala could not judge the amount of the shinigami’s power; it was so composed that it gave her the impression of being low, yet somehow her subconscious seemed convince her to judge with a completely groundless suspicion that it was greater than it seemed.

Azuvala was studying his uniform with a faint twinge of recognition. Her memory failed her as she gazed at it, for she had never been very familiar with the affairs of the second division, but had seen enough of it to know something of them. She was just about to ask the man about his affiliation before a voice interrupted her thought.

“Greeeeeeeey!”

Azuvala quirked her eyebrow slightly as a small dragon arrived on the scene next to the man she was speaking with. ”When are we gonna find something to fight or eat? I hunger for both. Yareeee, you can’t be thinking of fighting this scrawny shinigami bi...” The dragon’s words immediately halted as the man’s hand clamped down on his mouth, preventing him from finishing the intended insult. The man seemed slightly embarrassed by his dragon’s words as he introduced what appeared to be his zanpakuto. Ázuvala managed to restrain an inward laugh as the dragon struggled as Grey ‘persuaded’, to put it nicely, him to speak.

”Moshimoshi…” Though Azuvala inclined her head with civility to the dragon in response, it was lacking some of the respect normally present in her gesture. Inwardly, she struggled to ignore the furious snarl from her clear dragon’s fox features, whose mood was significantly much less peaceful and considerably more violent since the appearance of the other zanpakuto.

Be silent; you do no better when you look down at my opponents, even when you don’t speak your thoughts out loud. You’re lucky I haven’t attempted something like that on you.

Azuvala received a growl similar to a notably rougher rustle of cloth.

I would love to see you try it, came the scathing reply.

The atmosphere was slightly ill at ease, and the girl could only imagine Grey’s discomfiture. Many times had her own zanpakuto snarled suspiciously at one of her closest friends, offending them when they were only attempting to help; even more times had she apologized for the lack of courtesy in her spirit’s behavior. It was something of a fundamental issue they constantly had and fought about- in fact, it was the only thing obstructing the full completion of her Ultimus Liberation, her Bankai. Ázuvala could easily identify with the situation, and so had no problem completely ignoring it. It was because of her foxie-dragon that she took insults so well.

“Well, in the manner you put it, if he isn’t thinking of fighting me, the only other option would be for you to eat me. Since I have no desire to see the inside of either of your stomachs today, perhaps a little exercise would be more preferable, seeing as it would be about time for my evening training. I would be privileged to challenge you.”

In truth, Azuvala considered that she was either below or only barely even with the man, and that was if she were in flawless form. Still, he did not seem to be particularly hostile in nature and from the sound of his dragon’s words, he was actually also looking for a challenge.

Ázuvala had for the longest time looked down on fighting as a lower form of working things out and solving problems, but now understood that it was a way to work through conflict with something other than words. It was very similar- each person gave and took, used their own attacks in specific ways, forming an argument with their individual strokes and motions. To have a proper defense to an attack was the same as in a debate, but fighting was a dance. A dance of will and a dance of power, and much akin to skill with words, skill in battle was something that had to be honed not only on one’s own, but through interaction with others. To challenge someone of an equal level to or greater level than oneself forced a person to adapt or fail.

The corners of her mouth rose in the faintest of smiles as her following words seemed directed at Haiirohane.

“If you would deign to permit me entertain you, that is...”

[blackhack]

”Well in the manner you put it, if he isn’t thinking of fighting me, then the only other option would be for you to eat me.” The shinigami girl spoke rather sarcastically.
”Yare!? Iya! Iya!” Grey couldn’t help but chuckle awkwardly. Haiiro had put him in yet another uncomfortable situation with a person Grey barely even knew. If his little dragon was good for anything, this was it. But Grey’s eyes opened a bit after his little laugh. His eyes glided up and down the shinigami girl’s figure, his rather perverse mind racing at the sound of “eat me”. But alas he had no x-ray vision, and the loose fitting Shikahosho of the shinigami didn’t exactly serve to flatter anyone by showing of their curves. Unless of course you were Matsumoto with curves a plenty. Grey drooled in his mind at the thought. Azuvala wasn’t exactly as gifted. Other than her cute face, Grey’s mind drifted to focus on fantasies of diving into Matsumoto’s bosom.

”I would be privileged to challenge you.” Grey snapped back to reality as the words exited the Shinigami’s mouth. He wasn’t expecting her to so readily challenge him to a fight. After all, Grey wasn’t exactly the one looking for a fight. Again, Haiirohane served only to force Grey into uncomfortable situations.
”Yare…” Grey bent backward as he let go of Haiirohane. His feet remained planted as his head dove back as if to meet his heels. As his head reached hip level he stopped. Frozen, bent backwards, he looked at the rising moon as it peeked over the horizon.
In truth, Grey did not like fighting. Fights were things only to be done when faced with a life or death choice. If ever there were chance for escape, Pa Kua Chang philosophy and simple moral ethics taught him to throw away his ego and simply escape with minimal collateral damage to himself and his opponent or opponents. But those life or death fights rarely happen.
Grey thought back to Azuvala’s words and remembered something about training. Although daydreaming, he was still there physically. This changed everything. Fights do not occur in training. Sparring occurs in training. And Grey could never let down a sparring match to test himself.
Whereas fights have no rules and its winner lives, loser dies, sparring is a partner based training regiment in which partner’s help each other improve their combat ability. The emphasis in sparring is helping your partner or opponent. This made it completely different from fighting. As opposed to the animalistic violence of fighting, sparring was the equivalent of chess or shogi. As “opponents” two partners go head to head to play a game were in the end both gain experience and improvement regardless of win or lose. The only difference is that sparring is literally, head to head, as it is with physical movement and body techniques.

Grey thought over the request. He really had nothing better to do and sparring someone new other than Black-sensei or a hollow would help him improve his spontaneity. On top of that, it was not too often that Grey fought a shinigami with unknown powers. Not only would his combat abilities be pushed, but also would his powers of deduction. That pretty much sealed the deal.
Grey slithered his spine like a snake to straighten himself out. His hands dropped to rest on his hips. He stared at the shadow in front of him that was cast by the moon.
”If you would deign to permit me entertain you, that is.” Azuvala spoke not to Grey, but to Haiirohane, who simply exhaled in response. The little dragon crossed its arms and looked away.
”I guess there’s no backing down from that Haiirohane-san,” Grey spoke to his zanpakuto. ”Unless you’re scared.”
The dragon exploded. His arms and legs flailed wildly as he screamed at the insult, ”BAKA! YOU THINK I WOULD BE EVEN IN THE SLIGHTEST BIT SCARED BY A PUNY FRAGILE GIRL WITH SMALL BOOBS WHO PROBABLY KNOWS LESS OF FIGHTING THAN SHE DOES THE BASICS OF HAKUDA, KIDO AND HOHO, LET ALONE THE BASICS OF HER OWN ZANPAKUTO!” The dragon was off on an insulting rant of unimaginable magnitude. Grey quickly snatched the dragon out of the air as he flash stepped forward. He seemed to crush him into powder as the dragon dissipated to nothing. Grey could only chuckle awkwardly. He’d been doing that a lot now.
”Well then…” Grey bowed. His right hand was in a fist that was covered by an open hand, the Chinese salute of Sun and Moon wishing the recipient brightness of mind and spirit. ”…let’s have fun ok?” Grey smiled, his eyes nearly shut. He did not take his eyes off of her.

---
OOC: yah small post. xD

[yuushou]

(ooc: For a simple reply to a fight without actually moving, that was actually amazingly long. I really don’t care what length it is. To be able to roleplay with someone is nice enough. –w-)

Azuvala did not have the faintest inkling of what fantasies the other shinigami was entertaining within the confines of his mind, and when she noticed his sudden examination, she simply attributed it to the fact she had mentioned the idea of a fight. The whole ‘observe your opponent’ idea.

The dark-haired shinigami bent backwards sharply to his hips as she spoke, his torso even as he held the position. Ázuvala couldn’t help but inwardly question the unexpected movement, but did not mention it. It was a rather strange position, but she couldn’t deny that she also enjoyed stretching every so often. After a pause, his spine slowly flowed upward until Ázuvala no longer only saw the top of his chest, but his head appeared in proper place atop his shoulders. She could not see his expression, as his head was directed at the earth at his feet, causing her to worry that perhaps her proposal was in fact quite offensive to the man. His hands rested at his hips, causing the female shinigami to suppose he would politely or outright refuse.

“I guess there’s no backing down from that Haiirohane-san,” The male remarked to his zanpakuto. The corners of the shinigami’s mouth only rose in amusement as the dragon gave a small puff of air in response. Her smile only grew at his next words. “Unless you’re scared.” The comment was undoubtedly designed to seal any note of complaint on the part of the dragon who refused to look at her. It was only her constant attention to manners and desire not to offend the man that prevented her from laughing at the furious flurry of movement from the dragon who had so clearly taken the bait. In truth, Ázuvala did not doubt that they likely had a close-enough relationship, and while the dragon might be somewhat more irritable, they almost certainly had an effective bond; this was almost certainly just an act of amusement, much like her own dragon’s constant ‘show of affection’.

Ázuvala listened to the stream of insults aimed at her, but allowed them to flow across her like water. She was, after all, shorter than the man, and not so evidently toned; while puny might not be a particularly positive word, it was logically accurate. Her strength had always come from her flexibility and how supple her body to allow her full range of movement. The comment on her chest size barely registered in her mind. What suddenly brought that remark up? She pondered. That should be more reason for her be a better opponent-it meant she was faster. Such things like as her appearance meant little to her, and they only came after her job in life- which was to fight hollows. It was for this reason, that she wore such a tight leather wrap around her torso and a full leather outfit- to make it easier for her to move without as much resistance.

“…PROBABLY KNOWS LESS OF FIGHTING THAN SHE DOES THE BASICS OF HAKUDA, KIDO AND HOHO…” Ázuvala shook her head slightly to herself. She never had ever managed any really skillful technique in hand-to-hand, so he did have a point. It had always been a confusing mix of styles for her as to whatever was most successful. At Kido, she was only proficient at very specific techniques available to her that she had trained extensively with until she had them nearly perfect. Again, a very apt description…

…LET ALONE THE BASICS OF HER OWN ZANPAKUTO!

A ferocious snarl resounded in the back of Ázuvala’s mind at the remark, and it took all of her concentration to quiet her zanpakuto spirit. Grey’s sudden step and the disappearance of his zanpakuto was likely the only thing that prevented her spirit from appearing in an attempt to tear the creature’s head off. Her spirit, rankled, spat a curse in an archaic version of something similar to latin and did not respond to her endeavors to think logically.

With a chuckle in attempt to pass over the tirade, the man spoke. “Well then…let’s have fun ok?”

Ázuvala bent politely at the waist, her hands in her lap but her eyes on his, unwavering as she acknowledged him formally. "With the greatest of pleasure," she murmured respectfully with a pleasant smile. After a pause from that position, she straightened her back in anticipation of the beginning of their training, her expression returning to something a bit more serious.

Ázuvala swiftly sank into a lower position closer to the ground, a comfortable and free stance with her hands not quite but slightly clenched in front of her. This gave allowance for a rapid change from fist to the flat of her hand, whatever the situation demanded. Her body weight was focused mostly on her toes, though she was not noticeably balanced on them. The even tilt of her head gave her a wide view of what was above, to either side, and even just in front of her, and her ‘short’ stature and low position prevented the blind spot created by anything higher. A person coming forward quickly enough might in some cases be given an opportunity to attack from beneath an opponents chin, but not so for her unless they used a swiftness of one of the highest levels, for otherwise she would roll her head to avoid the worst of the impact. This stance was one of her favorites in combat because it was so equally easy to attack and defend in a movement, so balanced in such a way that it did not emphasize speed or any particular aspect of fighting.

Ázuvala would remain in this semi-defensive position until Grey made a move, or at the very least, until he had returned to his upright or combat position.

[blackhack]

”With the greatest of pleasure,” the shinigami responded. She bowed politely in response to Grey’s salute. Straightening back up, she assumed a more focused facial expression before assuming her stance.
From his salute pose, Grey meticulously examined the female shinigami’s posture. Being an experienced practitioner of Pa Kua Zhang, Grey’s knowledge of martial arts combined with highly trained eyes could decipher a fighter’s preferences, habits, experience and skill level in a matter of seconds. One could tell a good portion from a fighter’s stance, enough to effectively deduce a fighter as a kicker, boxer, grappler, wrestler, etc.
Azuvala sunk into a lower posture. Her center of gravity was lower to the ground, logically, so she bore some resistance to being toppled over. Higher stances are like tall towers, the lightest of breezes at the very top can flip the structure head over heels. This mean that grappling maneuvers and throws up top would be difficult unless forced, and leg shots would prove ineffective unless properly set up and quickly executed.
The shingami’s hands were up high, by her face. She was probably not used to mid level attacks and more accustomed to protecting her face and head form damage. For the mildly experienced, this method of fighting was effective as most inexperienced fighters attacked the head and face eighty to ninety percent of the time.
Her hands were extremely relaxed and lacking in form and shape. Not quite fists, but not quite open hand, her hand posture was lazy. While relaxed, the position lacked intention and focus. It would take entire moments to shift focus to her hands and change to open hand or closed fist.
Her feet were flat but the slight shift forward and angle in her knees provided feedback as to her toe focused balanced. This was not necessarily bad in terms of movements as some situations called for movements on the ball of the foot, but her power and root would be greatly reduced. While the floor was not necessarily always needed for power, having it could prove advantageous when trying to deal a heavier blow. Because she wasn’t quite off of her heels, Grey could not wholeheartedly assume that she was a kicker. But that could be deduced in the first few seconds of movement.

Overall, Grey could confidently say that Azuvala had only studied the shinigami hakuda as taught in the academy. Her stance was not atypical for the hakuda taught in the shinigami school as it seemed confused and cluttered with different thoughts and ideas from different arts and styles. The lazy hands of shadow boxing, the lazy hands of jiu jitsu, the lowered stance of aikido and karate all seemed to be clumsily bundles together as if a combination of the best would produce better.
The academy hakuda of course was only the preliminary study of martial arts. Grade school if you will. The Hakuda as taught by the Onmituskido was a bit more advanced. Necessity called for members of the Special Ops to be considerably more proficient at hand to hand combat than the rest of the Gotei and as such their Hakuda was more focused, efficient and overall less confusing. The removal of confusion by not meshing styles but meshing techniques made the Onmitusiko dangerous martial technicians. One could call this level college or perhaps the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree. Pa Kua Zhang though, in china and to those well versed in martial arts, is recognized as the graduate’s school, the master’s degree, the Ph.D. The style is not exactly a set palette of techniques, but rather a set of philosophies and martial understandings, where efficiency and effectiveness determine everything.

Grey kept his salute position, his hands still outstretched, his eyes still examining. After a few seconds of letting the girl sit in her stance, Grey let her have a peak at his own. With his left hand already in open palm, Grey stepped forward with his left foot, heel to toe, without a noise. His left hand crept forward to lead the way. His right hand slipped to stand some three to six inches beneath his left elbow. His fingers pointed to the sky. His palms did not exactly face forward but angled comfortably forward, his left palm facing slightly right and his right palm facing slightly left. The hand form was comfortable with focus and intention in his open hands.
As Grey exhaled slowly his shoulder relaxed and settled as his entire body sunk into dragon stance. The dragon stance or stance eight was the free form fighting stance from which all movement in Pa Kua Zhang sprung from. The stance was the most comfortable of all the stances from which stepping, jumping, spinning and all the other movements in between where not only possible, but easily possible. Grey’s feet were flat. Neither toe nor heel bore more burden than the other. At a moment’s notice, Grey could utilize the heel, the ball, the toes or even the sides of his feet for traction.
His feet were angled slightly at forty five degree angles. Because his left foot was forward they angled right. This angle exposed the outside of his leg, the stronger side which was more resistant to pain and injury than the inside of the leg.
With his knees slightly bent, he sunk low, low enough to see Azuvala, eye to eye. But then again, Grey was already a short fellow, so this wasn’t low at all. His weight was not equally balanced. It didn’t need to be. Dragon stance could adapt and adjust to any weight distribution (mostly likely this would have you end up in one of the seven other stances though) but Grey liked the sixty forty stance, Su Liu Bu was the Chinese name. With sixty percent of his weight on the back foot, Grey emphasis was forward, never backward. This emphasis of his was actually his Sifu’s (meaning teacher) personal favorite and it just so happened to carry on to Grey as a preferred method as well.

With his back straight and his eyes forward, Grey smiled a bit. Stage two would begin soon. His weight shifted. His right foot rose. He stepped. Not forward, but sideways. As if a tangent line on a big circle, Grey’s right foot angled accordingly. His left foot followed straight along the leading angle of his right foot. With each step, Grey right, outside foot angled in to allow him to walk a circle. The circle walking was classic Pa Kua Zhang. How would the shinigami take to it?

---

OOC: My martial arts background seems to have gotten the best of me. xD

[yuushou]

(ooc: *flails and is easily drowned in material she knows nothing of* The reason Azu knows little about hand-to-hand combat=I know little about hand-to-hand combat. It's interesting to read, though...)

Azuvala kept her ground without moving, steadily observing Grey as he seemed to take in every piece, every single individual piece of her stance and position. From this simple fact, she knew she had just engaged in combat with someone extensively more skilled than herself. Her extremely basic training was far from perfect, so infinitely far from perfect, that she knew there was no question that she would easily lose a fight based entirely upon it. Yet her sword remained untouched and quiet in its sheath. The female shinigami would never get anywhere from avoiding the things she needed the most work on.

As he slowly took his stance, Azuvala appreciated the simplicity that his position appeared to be, but also the particular parts of his movements that made up what was no doubt a highly skilled martial stance. A small spark of recognition played at the back of her mind. She had no name for his movements, but she recognized his final stance faintly. Perhaps she had fought with someone else who had used it? She was unsure. Of course, it didn't matter- she couldn't remember anything about it anyway.

Her heart was fluttering slightly, which seemed at a complete contrast from the perfect relaxation of the shinigami opposite her. She was aware that for her to attempt to relax would end up as a hasty attempt to pacify herself, and that would simply cause her to make more mistakes than if she remained in her current state. Then, Grey smiled from his new position, a motion that she was not entirely sure how to decipher. It seemed to her more of an invitation, as he was remaining still for the time being as if expecting her to also attempt to understand his motions, but also a smile a little unnerving…

Azuvala took a silent breath, feeling the oxygen of the air and the purity of the atmosphere's reiatsu around her seep into her inner being. She blinked, and her more serious expression replaced with one that seemed mostly devoid of expression, apart from her eyes. Her eyes were attentive as she examined Grey's stance, internalizing the different pieces of his posture, attempting to fathom their purpose with varying amounts of success.

She knew well that his shift in weight was for specific purpose, and she knew he had shifted, though in what direction she would not see without him moving. She was aware that he presented the side of his leg forward, as the strongest and most resilient part of the limb, though as a person who preferred to attack from the side with her kicks as opposed to the front, it would present a better target to attack the front of his leg more easily. Grey’s hands were clearly in position for manipulating martial arts techniques, and they made Azuvala inwardly rue the fact she knew very little of open-hand attacks. The rest of his stance was mostly a mystery to her, apart from his slightly lower center of gravity.

Ázuvala’s eyes flickered slightly as he slowly began to move. She did remember this style. Or at least a little of it, in what her other opponent had been proficient in. It was a very smooth style- she had admired it profoundly at the time, all the while still being defeated quite soundly until she drew her sword. The man had constantly been evasive in his moves, and frequently attacked from behind her or out of her range of vision. When she had attacked, he had skillfully countered and more than once delivered a powerful attack before she could recognize what had happened.

As Grey began to move in a circle slowly and deliberately, Ázuvala did not turn to follow his movements, but stepped back, away from him and carefully began to circle in the same manner. She carefully stepped to the side, never crossing either leg over the other, but instead moving in a silent manner similar to a shuffle. She placed her right toe of her sandal to her right in a stepping motion, then moved her other leg to meet it. Her feet were never closer then shoulder-width apart as she shifted, and her stance fluidly changed as she progressed. It was never the same, her steps were never even, and her body turned slightly at times, her hands lowering slightly at other points around the circle. She was mimicking the theory of her previous opponent by doing this; at the time she had realized that his moving stopped her from being able to anticipate his next step to catch him off-balance or in mid-step.

Ázuvala’s eyes remained on Grey’s entire figure, keeping him entirely in her vision, careful not to focus only on his hands or legs, nor his eyes, for they could be misleading, and a skilled opponent like him would likely realize her focus and exploit it. Ázuvala maneuvered evenly opposing the other shinigami. She could not afford to attack recklessly with her lack of finesse. The problem with the theory of a good offence being the best defense is that one had to fundamentally have a good offence, something that she sadly lacked. She could counter far more effectively then attack in hand-to-hand combat, though her hesitation in attacking could also be attributed to waiting for an opening.

[blackhack]

Her breath was quick. Grey examined her all the while as he took to his circle. She was trying as she should have been to analyze his posture, stance, movement. Grey could see her eyes scanning up and down upon each detail. What she interpreted of Grey, he could never know. Try as he may he was no mind reader. But her slightly quicker, shallower breath was all the sign he needed. She was swayed. Her emotions had been stirred; fear, doubt, anger. The look in her eyes was one who had seen more than what they had asked for. Well, she did ask for a training partner.

Grey circled. Azuvala stepped back. And much to his surprise, she continued his circle. Not quite the Pa Kua circle walk, but one could not expect someone who has never practiced Pa Kua to suddenly know it. Her shuffle away attempted to follow Grey’s circle. Her steps were clumsy and unsure. She was an intellect but for fighting it seemed her intellect did nothing but confuse her body. Her legs maintained a wide base as if to prevent her from clapping her feet together accidentally. She slid around like a snake. She probably knew nothing of snake step. So Grey might as well educate her.

Grey’s steps at first were heel to toe. The heel lands on the ground first then the foot continues forward till the toes hit then the heel comes up. This is called lion step. Grey didn’t really know the meaning why it was lion’s step, but from what he’s seen of lions they do step in a methodical way with hind legs then fore legs. After his next step, Grey’s right foot did not lift from the ground. The dusty dirt was low in traction so snake step was acceptable. One did not need to be sliding around in snake step in the mud. Mud was far too slippery already. No, this dusty, packed road was just fine for snake step. Grey’s right foot slid forward past his stationary left which soon followed suit. Grey’s level never changed, his head bobbed neither up nor down. He continued his circle as if nothing had changed.

Now of course, Pa Kua was, what most considered, the most efficient and powerful style of kung fu. Not power in terms of sheer might and hitting force but rather knowledge and control. Being such, Pa Kua was almost entirely defensive. Every aspect sprung from protection and preservation of the self and others. Because of this, Grey’s arsenal of techniques and movements was not exactly so expansive in the offensive. But as he knew all too well, in times of sparring, there are moments which call for offensive action. With the nervous Azuvala avoiding him like the plague, Grey would have to be the aggressor in this training session.
As he moved Grey spoke, ”Well I guess I’ll be the attacker for this round. Don’t let me touch you!” he bellowed. Grey quickly came to a halt. In a split second, his feet shifted angles. With his feet, his whole body simultaneously faced in the opposite direction. As if one unit, the back of his hand dove to meet his left elbow and slid up his forearm to meet his left hand. His left hand slid back as his right hand replaced its position. His right hand now led the way as he stepped forward. His left hand took over the right hand’s position below the elbow. He quickly shifted to walk the circle in the opposite direction. He was taking the offensive, hoping to see how Azuvala would react to his change. Their two circles would meet if she continued. And then what?

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OOC: Look at me! I tiny post xD

[yuushou]

(ooc: I never thought it was possible! OxO;; *frets about the apocalypse*

So sorry for the extended period of time this took. Life caught up with me in my homework, so RP was banned for me for a bit of time. ^^; It seems getting back into the swing of roleplaying lowered my word count as well...)

Azuvala had been observing his new movements. They were graceful, precise in every action- there was no extra expense of energy or movement. She felt as if she were watching the fall of water, fluid and smooth, in the shape of a poem with perfect rhythm and meter, contained but yet expressive in the means to the underlying intent.

Grey's newest movements were quite different. Instead of a prowling type of step, they were far closer to the ground, and consisted of sliding the feet stealthily. His transition was efficient, and his center of balance seemed to remain almost perfectly the same. This made the movement appear even more sudden, but not abrupt, simply far more unexpected. Azuvala could see that he mimicked her own movements, but in a far more superior manner. She adjusted her own stance slightly as she watched, but was careful not to imitate him. That could be too easily used against her.

"Well I guess I’ll be the attacker for this round. Don’t let me touch you!"

Azuvala, instead of being startled by the change in his movements, wasted not a second in registering what he had done. She did not change direction, but continued towards him, watching his entire figure with the help of her peripheral vision. If he was to be the attacker, that mentality suited her perfectly.

Azuvala continued, watching him, and when she came to be a little more than three feet in front of him, she slipped down similar to the motions as if sliding by accident, shifting her weight smoothly through her spine and through her slightly bent arm to the base of her hand. Now planted firmly on the ground beneath her upper torso, it provided a firm source of balance for her next movement, which mimicked that of a pendulum on a horizontal plane. She swung her leg to deliver a powerful kick the back of Grey's leg, just above his calf at the back of his knee, with the front of her shin. An attack from her lower leg would always be far more powerful than the delicate bones of her foot could ever hope to deliver. It took three seconds from her initial movement into his lower vision to the time her kick would connect. A bit long to hope for a perfect contact, but her technique had never been perfect on the best of days.

The stretch and release of the tendons and muscle in her leg would add an extra burst of power to her attack, but would extra momentum that would be impossible to simply stop without a waste of time and movement. If it missed, she had a few, though very few, options of what she might do regarding his next movement...