{Walking, talking, training~ [Open]}

[Hitokado]

Leaving the third division’s compound, Hitokado made his way out of Seireitei, all the way through Rukongai and into the neighbouring forest. Not only was this his “supermost favourite” place to be, but also a place where he could prepare himself – to train or do other things. The air flowing through his hair, the scent of pine trees and small clusters of flowers almost dragging him deeper into the forest, the sounds of animals rustling from tree to tree – it seemed like this placed fit the exact definition of perfect.

A dance – his blade moving about at almost random angles, his arms, his feet, his body following; and leading, his movements perfectly coordinated, matching the flow of air passing by him – caught up in the moment, he spent many minutes if not an hour simply practicing this form of dance. It was not until after he was out of breath that he laid his Khukuri gently besides him, Hitokado letting himself fall back into the grass and staring into the sky, daydreaming – talking to himself. "I wonder I wonder~ There’s so much to choose frommm~ How can you honestly expect one to ‘just’ go with one and completely forget about the other? Unforgiveable~”

[Sonalla Vrayce]

I hadn't had far to go; a simple patrol through the realms of Rukongai, towards the outer limits, as it were; hidden away within the depths of a forest, I walked, my steps heralded by the rush of leaves and the sound of the spiritual animals that made the forest their home. I always felt rather at peace out here, alone in the wilderness with only my wakizashi-like zanpakutou by my side. I wasn't afraid of doing anything or offending anyone, or meeting someone who might make my life miserable. Out here, I was simply free; simply Sonalla Vrayce, Shinigami.

Sighing in contentment, I continued my patrol; at least, I did so until I heard the sound of a blade whistling through the air. It wasn't close to me, yet still I wondered who, or what, could be making that noise. Curious, I began to cautiously creep towards the location of the sound, being careful not to allow my steps or uniform to make noise as I stepped through the forest. As I finally reached a small clearing, I would come face to face with an interesting looking fellow, but I doubt that he had noticed me. Caught up within the steps of what looked to be an elaborate training ritual involving the rapid movement of a khukri, I felt it would be rude to intrude upon him and shatter that concentration.

His black robes marking him a Shinigami, I decided that there was no immediate danger, and contented myself with just sitting back by the forest in order to relax and enjoy the endeavor. After a long while, I observed the man's completion of his training. He would sigh and fall backwards, laying upon his back with his eyes closed. I could hear his voice then, but he was obviously speaking to himself. "I wonder, I wonder; there's so much to choose from; how can you honestly expect one to 'just' go with one and completely forget the other? Unforgivable."

I wasn't exactly sure what to say, but it was an interesting question. I found myself curious as to what he was talking about. My eyes narrowing in concentration, I attempted to think about his meaning for a while before a better idea struck me. I'd just ask the lad, I thought to myself, and with a sigh, I'd then give a small, delicate cough, warning the man that there was someone coming. With that done, I'd carefully step into the grove and give a warm smile before calling out to introduce myself.

"Good afternoon, sir. I am Sonalla Vrayce, 20th Seat of the Fifth Division."

[Hitokado]

A soft cough, his upper body shooting upwards, and a somewhat bewildered look marking his face – someone was there! The forest already seemed to get restless, the sounds all around became far more noticeable, and his heartbeat went up quite a bit. His eyes shifting about for roughly a second, when he heard a voice and saw a girl who’s apparent age could well fit that voice.

“Good afternoon, sir. I am Sonalla Vrayce, 20th Seat of the Fifth Division.”

“H-huwa… Th-that scared me, lady~.” A pair of somewhat puffy cheeks, startled eyes and one canine biting his lower lip were hidden beneath his mask. Almost forgetting that the woman just introduced herself, he jumped up, made a swift quirky and a somewhat uncomfortable bow, and addressed her as formal as he could. “H- Maboroshi Hitokado… Nineteenth seat of the third division. P-pleasure to make your acquaintance…” Words coming out as uncomfortable as his movements, a blush went hidden behind his mask while he tried his best to act as casual as he could be. Of course, he couldn’t possibly. He had only recently gained this position and if he were to make a bad impression on any other shinigami he might even get demoted – something his wallet would never forgive him.

“I – uhm – I was just training, Vrayce-san. What would bring you here?” His child-like voice would draw even more notice than his speech, as he twiddled with his toes and looked around with his eyes shifting all over the place. But, despite of what he first thought he noted, the forest was still quiet and relaxed – and the girl seemed nice enough, too. Slowly adjusting to her presence, taking a somewhat more relaxed stance and picking up his Khukuri, attaching it to his belt, he looked at her with a nervous smile. “L-lovely weather, isn’t it?”

[Sonalla Vrayce]

It would appear that even with my alerting cough, I had somehow caught the shinigami by surprise. Perhaps not the best of qualities, for if I had been Hollow, I could have easily taken advantage of his lax moment of security. But, everyone needed a chance to relax, so I allowed whatever lecturing I might have done to simply be left unsaid. Instead, I'd simply smile and gesture politely with my hand, showing that I meant no harm and that I was sorry for startling him.

"I'm quite sorry, sir. Hitokado, was it? Anyways, I'm sorry for startling you, I can assure that it was not my intention. As to what I'm doing out here... I was simply on a patrol through this section of Rukongai and heard the sounds of your training and wandered over to watch. When you finished, I decided to alert you to my presence so that we could chat. It's been a couple of days since I've had some human interaction, and I wouldn't mind at all if we were to have a little bit of conversation, if you're interested."

A pause; then, "And yes, the weather is quite lovely."

[Hitokado]

Judging by the way she spoke, she seemed quite a strict person. This, though he had let his guard down a bit while talking, still made him uneasy up to a certain level. “It… un’n. It is alright, no need for apologies. It seems one at fault would be me.” His speech as polite as he could make it, his inner self would’ve preferred him to mumble to the walls while sitting in fetal position in a corner. “O-of course I would be interested… W-would you have any topic in mind, or –”

He shook her hand gently, hiding a friendly smile behind his mask, and sat down against a small rock reaching out of the colourful meadow. “So you are here to patrol? I – ehh – I would be here to train as you hopefully could have noticed… Sort of…” Uncomfortable as the conversation may have seemed, he did felt more at ease as time with the woman passed. While swapping between trying to make eye contact through his mask and looking at a bunch of woodland critters, he would brush his hands through his hair slightly, trying to get a pluck of it to stand a bit straighter up.

[Sonalla Vrayce]

As I watched the man's uncomfortable movements, I found myself innately chuckling at the sight. I must appear quite intimidating, that much was shown by the man's actions. My eyes, quickly appraising the man's appearance better now that I was closer, I became much more aware of the man's distinct style. While wearing the black robes of the Shinigami, I was also quite aware of the man's mask- an object that was most commonly reserved for those of the Hollow Race. The mask, however, was clearly detachable, unlike the masks of the Hollows, and so I found myself relaxing from a guard I hadn't realized that I'd set.

Looking over towards his khukri, I'd then offer another smile. "Well, I'm not really sure what to say about anything. A conversation would certainly be lovely, but I'm not sure what all I have to offer." Pausing, I'd then glance back towards the man. "However, since you were already training, perhaps you'd enjoy a spar? Just a test to gauge our different skills, if you would, nothing more." I waited patiently to see what the man would say. Maybe he'd be interested, or maybe not, but it seemed a fun way to pass the day in my books.

[Hitokado]

As he followed her eyes’ movement, he noted they gave a glance at his zanpakuto. This happened often – most likely due to the weird shape his zanpakuto had manifested in its original sealed form – it seemed that this time, it was for other reasons. Before he could even respond to her remark about conversational topics fitting her, she asked him if he could spar with her. A spar? Though it would certainly help him in his training, he was a bit iffy about the thing.

“I-if we were to spar, would that go with us using our weapons? I’m all for the idea, b-but, chances are big we’ll injure each other, hm? B-but, if you want to, then sure I’d love to…” Resting the palm of his left hand on his Khukuri, he let his fingers slide down the shaft of the handle. Given that the woman agreed to this spar, he would assume a suitable combat position depending on the conditions she would give for this match – with or without weapons being the main component, any other small details adjusting his stance fittingly.

[Takuya]

Hitokado has admin permission to exist in another thread aside from this one until this one is completed due to the excessive amount of time Sonalla is taking to post.

[Sonalla Vrayce]

Shrugging a little bit, I would casually dismiss the other person's fear. "I'm not afraid of injuring myself at the end of your blade, but if you don't share the same convictions, I'm more than willing to simply spar with our hands and Kido. Which would you prefer?" Although I was giving the choice up to the other individual, I was still keeping my fierce eyes locked upon the man. People did the most unsuspecting things whenever you allowed a little trust to seep in, and that wasn't Sonalla's way to allow people to take advantage of that trust.

However, she smiled, saying, "Don't be frightened. There's always a chance that someone will get hurt, but nobody here is aiming to kill, and a little bit of magic is all that's needed to fix any injury that we'll be receiving."