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 Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2006 12:01 am
Towering trees form a sturdy ring around the open field that serves as Ran’s training area. Not too far from Kusajishi, it is quite distant from most areas. An opening through the trees provides a glimpse down into the district area, a constant reminder of what is, and what was. The area is lined with newly planted strawberry patches, and various types of flowers, native to the particular area. Meant to be a sanctuary for thought, as well as other things, it has become her training ground. Those found invading it will be struck down. Likely regardless of what they are. Here, in this place, she shows the darker side of her nature, the rough child who grew up in the slums.
The events that occur here may not always be pretty. You have been forewarned, be careful of the paths you tread.
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Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2006 1:28 pm
After class had ended, and they'd been dismissed, she'd followed Megumi for a short distance, before heading off towards the forests. It had taken her some time to get back here, but it was her sanctuary. The place where she found her peace.
Once here, she pulled off her haori, tossing it to the ground, as she unbound the ties on her kimono, pulling it down, and forward, the cool night air moving over her skin, causing her to shiver, as she twisted just slightly, to get a good look at the wound on her side.
It was shallow, but enough that it caused her pain. Likely because it was so shallow. She removed her swords from their places at her side, and lay them, still inside their sheaths, down upon the ground, as she unwound her obi, folding it carefully.
"Ran...."
Her head jerked sharply, hand still pressed against her wound as she was moving towards a small cache of items she'd tucked away for the purpose of wounds she'd received.
"Who's there?" she hesitated, eyes skimming the circle of trees, feeling as well as attempting to see, if anyone had penetrated her sanctum. If she found one of the kids from Kusajishi, she couldn't fault them, but anyone else, oh, hell to pay. Besides, she was naked from the waist up. No one needed to see her like that.
[1]
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Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2006 1:44 pm
When she finally forced herself back into motion, she made her way towards the cache, moving aside a pile of leaves, and digging around in the small grass-lined hole. She removed bandages, and a type of creamy white salve, a simple mixture meant to numb pain, and promote healing.
After that, she reached for a sake jar which contained water that had been boiled well days prior to being put into the jar. With tender care, she cleaned the wound, before wrapping the bandages firmly around her midsection, tying them off tightly, after applying some salve to the wound. In the time it had taken her to move from all the way in Sereitei, to here, just outside Kusajishi, the wound had clotted, and left her with something more stable to work with.
As long as she kept her movements careful, it should be healed in the next few hours, thanks to the salve. After all, the simple kit from the healers in soul society was potent stuff, when properly used.
And yet, she couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. Like someone's eyes were on her, even though she hadn't felt anything. Once she'd properly wrapped herself, she stored away her cache of treasures once more, raking the leaves back into place overtop it, as she moved back to retrieve her kimono top, and haori. Both were blood stained, and she needed to get them out. Wrapping her obi around her in a fashion meant to cover her upper body, she made her way down, threading through trees, until she reached a small secluded little pool of water. It wasn't very deep, but it would serve its purpose.
She dipped both the kimono, and haori, where they'd been stained, in the chilly water, and wrung them out repeatedly, scrubbing them between her knuckled until it seemed as though the blood was entirely gone. Once done, she wrung them both out thoroughly, and slid off her obi, sliding the haori on, and folding it across her body, fastening it in place with her obi.
That voice filtered its way across her senses again, as she entered the edge of her glade, her kimono draped over her arm.
"Ran... ****** ... stronger.... ****** listen...." she frowned, and for a moment, her eyes skimmed the area again. Was this the voice the sensei had talked about? It was talking about being stronger.. and listening. Was this the voice of her zanpaktou?
[2]
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Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2006 10:22 pm
"Ran..." she knelt beside her zanpaktou, one hand resting on either blade with hesitation. The closer she came to it, the more intense that voice became, like it was trying to push her towards it. But the voice was so faint. Throaty, and coaxing, but almost like a whisper to her senses.
"I.. can't hear ya." she spoke down to both blades, shaking her head slightly, as she pulled them both from their sheaths, sitting down crosslegged so she could lay the blades together over her lap. "I'm sorry. I can't hear ya. Yer too quiet. I don't know what I'm listenin fer."
"Listen... **** voices.. ******** help... ******* faster... ****** one... ***** trust... ****** friends... ******* twilight.. ****** rest... ****** come.. ***** let ******* help ******" the young woman shook, as the voice became more easily heard. Still so sketchy, but she was trying with all her might. It was just so hard to listen, when she didn't know what she was listening for.
For just a moment, she dropped that accent, and was just herself. "Please. Please help me learn to listen to you. I want to know your name. I want to make you part of my being. Part of my soul. I need your strength. Please.. please just help me learn to listen..."
She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she was staring down at the crossed blades, her reflection staring up at her, the voice as clear as crystal in her head.
"We will help you. Listen well. Heed our guidance. We will do what we can. We will protect you. We will be your tools. Your companion." and then, absolute silence, as the blades seemed to go dead in her hands, leaving her to do nothing more than study the astrological signs that were etched into the blades.
[3]
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Posted: Sun Nov 05, 2006 11:28 am
The reiatsu that she was emanating along the reiatsu that her sword was emanating had attracted a not so welcomed guess. From the darkness of the night a hollow appears without giving any signal of reiatsu. Standing on two strong legs the hollow which stands around 10 feet tall starts to walk to her shaking the ground a little with it's heavy body. His mask was rounded and his arms seemed to touch the ground, his skin had a dark reddish brown color and his chest and lower body were really thin compared to his short muscled legs and his long muscled arms. Even as the hollow appeared to be strong physically it was obvious that he was extremely dumb and primitive as well as slow.
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Dischord rolled 2 20-sided dice:
5, 17
Total: 22 (2-40)
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Posted: Sun Nov 05, 2006 11:38 am
The appearance of the hollow surprised her, to be certain, and it was a quick, jerky movement that drew her upward to her feet, her unsheathed zanpaktou still perched in her hands. She hadn't seen a hollow of any sort since the day her shinigami friend had perished. The fact that one had invaded her glade troubled her, but that wasn't her immediate concern.
She edged forward slowly, as if attempting to gauge the strength of the hollow. She readied a spell in her mind, prepared to let it pass her lips if necessary. But first.. her swords had said to trust them. To let them help. It meant, she had to do so. She had to overcome that fear.
And it was true. Hollows were her fear.
With a surge forward, she brought down her dominant blade, aiming directly for the things mask. That much, she did remember. With her off-hand sword, she lunged forward. It was obvious what she was trying to do. If she could get the seemingly dim-witted hollow to focus on her main sword, she could come up at its mask from below, with the second attack, and try to rend it to pieces.
Hit: 5+4=9 / 17+2=19
[4]
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Dischord generated a random number between
2 and 24 ...
24!
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Posted: Sun Nov 05, 2006 11:46 am
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Kenkaru rolled 1 20-sided dice:
4
Total: 4 (1-20)
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Posted: Sun Nov 05, 2006 11:56 am
Like a natural reaction the hollow screams in pain as little blood comes out of his cracking mask. With his huge arm the hollow makes a quick swing to take her off his face. However his attack seemed to be miss directed and misses pathetically as he takes a few steps backward victim of the pain.
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Dischord rolled 2 20-sided dice:
7, 6
Total: 13 (2-40)
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Posted: Sun Nov 05, 2006 11:59 am
Sensing a prime chance to attack, and finish the hollow off entirely, she lunged forward, repeating her motion, this time, switching the attack. She used her off blade to parry, and the dominant blade to make what she hoped the final thrust would be.
Unfortunately, due to miscalculation, she missed the hollow entirely, instead making a leap backwards, attempting to get out of its range. She couldn't afford a careless mistake during this fight.
[5]
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Kenkaru rolled 1 20-sided dice:
2
Total: 2 (1-20)
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Posted: Sun Nov 05, 2006 12:06 pm
Once again the hollow lift his huge arm to strike her with all his might. however his attack was too slow and the only thing he managed to hit was the ground making a crack into it and lifting a lot of dust in the air. Bleeding violently over his cracked mast the hollow start to move forward trying to cut the distance between them.
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Dischord rolled 2 20-sided dice:
4, 15
Total: 19 (2-40)
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Posted: Sun Nov 05, 2006 12:10 pm
This suited the woman just fine however, and she lunged forward, letting her blades shift in her grasp, as she slammed first one, and then the other, down into the top of the hollows mask, before bringing her legs upwards to kick against its mask, and propel herself backwards, body twisting in a tidy flip as she landed on her feet a short distance away, her blades covered in the hollow's blood.
"Let.. *** help.... ***** call... **** name... *****" her brows furrowed, as she kept her focus on the hollow, though she could hardly ignore the voice that echoed around inside her very core, shifting her blades in her grasp, she took a more offensive stance, preparing to end the battle as quickly as possible.
[6]
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Dischord generated a random number between
2 and 24 ...
23!
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Posted: Sun Nov 05, 2006 12:15 pm
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Kenkaru rolled 1 20-sided dice:
13
Total: 13 (1-20)
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Posted: Sun Nov 05, 2006 12:20 pm
The hollow looked weaker and weaker with each hit she landed. Taking a final leap forward the hollows placed both of his arms together and slammed the ground hard completely cracking it. Of course strength was his thing but speed and accuracy was not...and so even as he was close to hit the attack missed yet again.
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