Fallout [closed/Akio]

[Raphael Laurent]

Annoying is what it was. It had only been a few days since that time when he'd fought against the hollow at the park and when he'd... He shivered, not wanting to think about it. He wasn't proud of that time, and worse still he was starting to get achey all over his body. He wondered if it was an issue with his soul, or something along those lines. Ever since his fullbring had been destroyed he was...stronger... with his spirit... He could control things easier... but he was much hungrier. Worse still he was getting angrier more often, and that was causing him to get sloppy.

"Guh, that was so stupid... Going out at three in the morning to hunt was probably not my best moment. I don't even fully remember what happened, beyond waking up back in my apartment covered in blood... I don't even now if it was mine or not... Jeez, I hope that it comes out, though..."

Raphael massaged his forehead. Things had gotten so much worse in Karakura town. So many more hollows were roaming the area, more and more missing persons posters were showing up. He'd heard awful things from America and Russia, as well, but he didn't want to look into it and confirm the loss of life. He checked his phone, again. Luca still hadn't answered him, nor had Kazura! What in the hell was going on? There was no more putting it off, it seemed. he had to go to the corporation's headquarters, if it was still there...

feed...

The voice was back again. All it ever talked about was hunger, at least. It wanted to be fed... When it got bad... he... Raphael frowned. Every time that the voice had gotten loud enough, he would blackout, only to wake up somewhere else, hours later. Home, a park... It was cconstantly compelling him to go out. To eat, and find some food. That was, perhaps, the most annoying thing about it, that he was always hungry, these days. Admittedly, he'd just been attributing it to what had happened nearly a year ago with Kazura. Half of his budget these days went to food...

Feed... Feed! Hunger!!

There was a moment, where he stumbled a bit, nearly running into someone. This feeling... it was hellish... He couldn't stand the feeling of hunger, the constant headaches and the nearly unyielding rage. It got worse every time that he fought a hollow, but he couldn't stop, not just because of this--

He felt a sudden burst of hollow reiatsu. More of them were showing up again, and he felt his skin not only bristle but a strange and euphoric sense of elation. He remembered that his cousin, Randall, had said he always felt something similar, whenever he fought hollows. Something about the blood and pride of the quincy or some bullshit like that. But his cousin went back to Ireland, after what had happened around the world. There was too much to do, too many problems and the clan, that he'd now learned he was part of, needed to secure things there.

He was, effectively... on his own again. Not like last time, where he'd been abandoned, but just on his own. It was still... not the best feeling. The only person that he thought he might be able to call would've been kaen, but that was decidedly not a good idea. Not... with the way that he was feeling right now. Kaen had seen him, at that moment, but... That had been the first part, the stepping stone... he didn't know how the man felt. He didn't want to now how the man felt. Had he reported him to the Soul Society? He didn't know. It wasn't fair. This wasn't his damn fault!!

He took a deep breath, feeling the anger and hunger seeping into him again. "Least I can kick the shit outta some hollows and feel better about my day..." He looked around, pinpointing their location. "There!" Then off he went. He was heedless of the world around him, however... Who knew who else was out there?

[Akio Naito]

He was taking yet another late-night walk, trying to clear his head or at least focus on one of his personal projects. Something earlier in the day had managed to set Akio on a downward spiral, this time about how he regretted not following up on Kazura's offer to build something together. He hadn't had the skills needed to offer anything at the time, and now that he did, it felt wrong to just show up and ask to collaborate on a unique work of science, faith, and sorcery. And that didn't account for the other reasons he'd hesitated to tell them much; it was that Uzaki Enterprises scared him. The company clearly had more information and resources than he ever would, and that made them especially dangerous when he'd never figured out what the company's actual goals were beyond some high-minded ideals that didn't tell him much of what the company actually did. That was why he'd never regretted turning aside the job offer, nor how he treated his guest pass to the UE building more or less like a gym membership. Besides, he couldn't just leave the Castle.
 
Well, he couldn't blame Uzaki for not telling him everything; corporate secrets were a thing. And of course, he'd withheld a good share of information on his own side of their conversations; Akio had left out almost everything about his own spiritual capabilities because that topic led to uncomfortable questions more often than not. He'd avoided mentioning anything quincy-related, too. As far as UE was concerned, he was just a medium who lost his natural ability a long time ago. That train of thought had gone on for a while, but it derailed once his mismatched eyes locked onto a red smear that ran down the sidewalk and up the side of a building. Disturbed, he gazed up and noticed the thing above.
 
Eight ebon human hands dug bright yellow nails into the concrete of a fourth-story outer wall, each attached to overly long arms that united into a single, sickly-thin androgynous torso, itself bridging between a toothsome mask whose six eyes appeared to be painted on and a spherical abdomen coated in striped fur. A large hollow—this is what people called a "menos"—a monster formed by the compression of a vast number of souls into a single being. The truck-sized hollow showed surprising speed as it leaped across the street to the far sidewalk, where it formed a crater as it landed and nearly crushed the young man in the oversized jacket. Reiatsu flaring, it roared and raised its four frontal arms as it launched into a tetrad of interlocked strikes that came just short of reaching its intended prey.
 
A spider? Akio wasn't actually sure if a hollow's form had anything to do with the nature of its abilities. He focused on recovering his balance; he'd taken a series of uncomfortably fast steps backwards to get out of the spider-like hollow's reach, and even then, he had stumbled along the way and only avoided the hostile spirit's leap by virtue of having seen it before it had started moving. Spiritual senses that had finally healed enough to be useful for something other than reading environmental reishi currents told him that this hollow had a higher spiritual density than anything he'd encountered in the past week, but he hadn't had them back for long enough to understand the depth of the differences. Too much for my Fuusuishi arts as they are now. Resigned to relying on a quincy weapon for this fight, he casually resumed backpedaling as both of his hands reached for a pocket. A major part of why he'd chosen the too-large coat as a standard piece of his wardrobe was that it had pockets large and numerous enough to carry the panoply of silver items he'd built up relatively recently. From one pocket, he drew forth a ginto tube, and from another, Akio retrieved one of the crosses he relied on as the physical medium for his bow. That particular one had been an aged western-style cross so worn-out and scraped that its downward point had been bent into a curve.

[Raphael Laurent]

Raphael hadn't even gone that far, as of yet, and he could already feel the hollow... It was strong, stronger than most he'd felt. It tantilated his nose with the scent of its soul and, for a moment, he found that a bit disturbing. But, for now, he could dismiss that, he didn't need to worry about that right now. The only thing that mattered was on the hollow... finding it, killing it... consuming it. He shook his head. The purpose of this was protection, not food. Alright...

He landed on the roof of a building nearby, glancing down at it. It was an enormous spider like... thing... But it felt strong enough to be considered... uhh... He didn't know what the name was, ony that they were stronger than average hollows. Not that it mattered. And yet it wasn't focused on him, or even seemed to be looking to him. Instead it was focused on a man down on the ground, who seemed to be dodging it.

It was too tempting, too perfect and an opportunity like this couldn't be passed upon. The distraction, of the other man, after all, gave him the opening. But how to move forward with this...? There were a few techniques that he had at his disposal and most of them could probably injure this thing pretty good... How to start this off, then...? Why not in a way that would be very familiar to the hollow in question? Probably to the man down below as well, but, hey, that was the chance that he took.

With a slightly malicious grin, he opened his right hand, holding it to his side. Energy started to swirl, the power of hollow reiatsu blossoming in his right hand before it began to swirl, and coalesce. Then, he dashed forward, aiming to land on top of the hollow, and drive the hollow seed into it. This thing needed to go down before it hurt anyone else. And maybe, just maybe, he could get in a few bites...

"Get outta the way!!

5200 reiatsu - 400 for hollow seed class 3 and 50 for bringer's light

4750 reiatsu remaining.

[Akio Naito]

Another hollow? The spiritual pressure of a second soul had appeared high above, even more intense than the spider-like one gave off. Akio kicked off the sidewalk to get as much distance from the spider-like hollow as he could while he tossed the ginto tube in his right hand towards the spirit, even as it tried to pursue him. "An iron-horned angel tramples—" He launched into his strongest spell, but wasn't fast enough in actualizing it...

Before he'd finished incanting, the spider, a lesser Adjuchas, had already started swinging one of its arms at him, venomous nails carving neon yellow streaks through the air as the attack built up speed, only to be thrown off course as Raphael slammed their technique into the masked soul from above. The hollow screamed and tipped to one side. Agonized by the burning, it charged the hairs on its abdomen with toxic reiatsu and fired a volley of envenomed quills in random directions at bala-like speeds. Anything to shake the fullbringer off of its back.

"The fallow field!" Five rods of frozen reishi burst from the silver capsule as he cried out the incantation, followed by a bladed ring of holy ice that bound the entire construct into a pentacle within a wheel. A five-spoked wheel that would have torn through the hollow instead carved off a single hand and trailed icy winds that coated both the Adjuchas and Raphael in a thin layer of numbing frost as it spun into motion and rolled away. Akio hadn't even registered that the new arrival was humanoid until after the spell was already cast, and by then he'd already shifted his focus to the damaged cross in his off-hand, which had begun gathering spirit particles towards forming a weapon.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu costs}100 reiatsu spent to cast Streitwagen
Reiatsu remaining [700/800]

[Raphael Laurent]

He heard something from the man on the ground, saw as the man started to chant something, some kind of spell? What did it matter? As he slammed his technique into the hollow and landed on it, he could see and hear the pain, the burning as the hollow seed began to burrow and drill into the hollow. It knocked the hollow's attack at the man off course, and Raphael watched as the yellow nails dug into the ground, moving just out of the way of the--quincy--he wasn't sure, but the man that was on the ground. Then, glancing down, the hollow's back bristled, right as he dashed away, green light firing off at about 2000 speed, as he moved to the ground. Yet even that hadn't allowed him to fully escape the cold air.

"Gah!! Gah! Ah! Cold, cold, cold! Hey man, mind watching where you throw that thing?!" He shook his right arm free of the cold, watching as the hollow's arm fell off. "Seriously! That shit's cold!" His voice changed, for a fraction of a second, echoing slightly. Then he sighed. "Not to be offensive, sorry. So, uh, ok guess we're working together on this one, and thhen after that... uh, we live and I'll buy us some ramen, that sound good?"

Jeez... he didn't like losing control, this was why he was always trying to remain focused. If he coudn't then what was the point of these patrols? This was the second time that...whatever that thing was, had come out... Every time it did he felt way too much like a hollow. More of... it leaking out into him. He'd have to find a way...or some answers or...something soon, before more people got hurt.

"Ok, so, uhm, I'm Raph, or Raphael Laurent, if you'd prefer. I'm a fullbringer but, well, I'm a bit weird. I don't have a fullbring, anymore, but I've got a lot more strength in my reiatsu... I'm gonna try not to let it leak out too much, ok? Let's work together to kill this thing and get rid of it... From what I saw... it wasn't a good thing." He looked back up at the windowsill where he'd just dragged the thing from. He smiled to the man.

4750 - 50 (bringer's light)
4700

[Akio Naito]

The hollow's quills missed Raphael and were left embedded in nearby walls, where they dripped yellow fluid to the ground below. That didn't matter; they'd removed the attacker from their back and shook free of the frost, only to find one limb numbed by a more intense cold and looked down to see their own frozen hand skidding across the sidewalk a few feet away. Somewhere in the feral soul's mind, they recognized that they'd become too used to ambushing smaller hollows and novice shinigami, they weren't prepared for a serious battle with a quincy and... what was that one? Something that looked human but had the scent of a hollow? Some kind of arrancar?

Akio extended his left arm fully and stabilized it with his right as the reishi he'd gathered congealed into a small bow. "Apologies. Ramen sounds like a fine reward if we survive." As uncomfortable as it was to be seen using a quincy weapon, it was too late to hide the small bow now. He rapidly primed and fired an arrow, one that pushed the limits of how much reishi he could condense into the projectile. The shot chipped away a corner of the hollow's mask as it twisted out of the way but accomplished nothing in the way of meaningful injury. The smaller bow was too new to the archer, and he still struggled to aim it properly.

There's more than one Laurent in Japan? He is obviously not related to le comte, even if they have similar names. While he recognized the name Laurent, that had only been because it was also the name of the bount he worked for. "Naito." He lowered the small bow and broke from his firing stance, though the weapon remained manifested for the time being. "Sorry to hear that." Akio's tone shifted; he could relate to losing release abilities. Though he doubted their situations were actually that similar beyond the superficial and a battle wasn't exactly the time to commiserate on the matter.

The hollow may have been a spider, but it wasn't the type to sit idly in a web; reliant on strength and a variety of spiritual poisons to overwhelm their prey. And it leaped towards Raphael with the ferocity expected of a truck-sozed tarantula. Venomous nails were aimed at the fullbringer's throat in a three-hand assult. The remaining four hands were being used as legs in the spirit's pounce, the single frozen limb unable to perform either role in the state it was.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu costs}15 reiatsu spent to fire a single class five arrow. (Small bow)

Reiatsu remaining [685/800]

[Raphael Laurent]

Raphael smiled to the man, as he glanced to him. He was glad that going to get ramen seemed like a good idea. Since he'd decided to return to active duty he'd had no one to eat with and he'd felt so much more alone. He still had no idea what had happened to Luca. He'd not heard anything and he was beginning to fear, as well as assume, the worst. But he didn't want to. If his friend were missing that was one thing, but dead... Why didn't ... why hadn't he been told, if that was the case?!

He could feel his anger begin to rise, again, but he took a breath, calming himself. He was readying himself to kill this thing. But his new companion seemed... a little uncomfortable at the idea of using the bow. Raphael smiled just a bit, and grinned as the bow took off a piece of the hollow's mask. He smiled, until he saw that the hollow's mask regenerated near instantaneously. A bit of trouble with his aim, perhaps? It didnt' matter. "That was an awesome shot. Little to the right and you'll be fine."

He watched as the hollow spider lunged at him, his mind going partially to overdrive as he watched it approach him. Time seemed to slow down for a moment, as he watched it and sighed. Suddeny with a quick bit of focus, he'd used bringer's light to go high into the air, before turning around midair. He held out both hands, his anger coalesced into the front of his hands, energy swirled and clashed, energy glancing off in arcs and danced along his palms. Then, with a breath, the energy fired down on top of the hollow, a large beam crashing into it, his reiatsu mixing with hollow reiatsu as the beam came down almost like a cero.

"Begone, you baseless creature." His voice even sounded a bit off, as if modulated, as he spoke. It was very cear that something was wrong with him, or at the very least, something strange was going on with his soul.

Reiatsu: 4700 - 50 Bringer's Light - 300 for enhanced spirit waves (hitting at 900)

[Akio Naito]

Akio cringed back a bit at hearing his aim commented on. "I have to do better." He'd glanced at the fullbringer during their initial introductions but hadn't done so again. Eyes fixed on the hollow, too concerned with tracking its movement and aiming his next to divert his gaze to anything that wasn't a threat. It was an unfortunate fact that Akio was physically average at best and not particularly impressive in terms of spiritual pressure either; he couldn't duplicate the kind of raw speed his new ally had been displaying in their movements. He had to rely on watching and waiting for his enemies to telegraph their attacks if he wanted to have any hope of evading them.

Not only had the masked soul's attacks missed, they'd been outmanuvered by their intended prey and could sense something building above them, a cero. They needed to stop the beam before it finished charging, and they prepared another volley of quills to do so. I just had to— Not fast enough, the beam burned away their projectiles and struck them from above with overwhelming force. They made one last jump—only two meters—enough to get off the beam. The hollow was alive, if only barely; the creature’s abdomen had been reduced to a crescent shape by the large hole Raphael's beam carved through its flesh. It's movements had become slowed and desperate as it dragged itself along the ground. I had to get away. Had to—

This was his chance. "Heavenly serpent, descend to the sacred tree!" Lazy coils of reishi gahered around Akio's right arm while a single arrow began to form on the small one-handed bow in his left. He may have been less skilled with the smaller weapon, but the advantage it had was that it left his main hand free where the full-size did not. That meant he was free to employ a spell of his own creation. He swung his right arm upward and launched a torrent of water before he raised the small bow and began taking aim once more. The water struck the hollow side-on, a single motion that not only damaged its already wounded body but also left behind binding threads of reishi holding the beast immobile.

"That will not hold for long." The binding he'd placed on the hollow was strained from the beginning, but it would last enough time that either of the two could have landed a finishing blow.  The fullbringer would even have had enough time to take a bite out of the restrained hollow before anything else happened, or they could retrieve the still-frozen severed hand without Akio even noticing while he took his time to prepare and aim a final arrow.

SPOILER: Click to show

50 reiatsu were spent to cast Shimoku.
Reiatsu remaining [635/800]

[Raphael Laurent]

There was nothing more than determination; after determination came intent; after intent came movement and after movement no one could stop you. It was the thought that he always had. It was, in a way, a major part of his strategy. He didn't need to stay moving, but he didn't second guess himself. There were so many things times in his past that he had and had gotten hurt for it, but now there was no reason to do so. Raphael hoped that the man behind him could grab that same kind of determination. All he needed to do was to choose to kill this thing. Fire the bow the correct way and puncture the hollow.

His beam had hit home, far more than he'd originally intended, and had nearly carved a nice gash through it. The hollow moved out of the way, just barely, and Raphael landed not too far away from, watching, with only a bit of glee, as it crawled away from him in pain, trying to escape. There was nothing here, now. There was no challenge from the creature, there was nothing more that he needed from it. He couldn't help but think that maybe a single bite would be good, but...but no. He couldn't.

The hunger would gnaw at him again, the voice would still rest in his head, screaming at him, but the man beside him wold be none the wiser for it. He would know only the fullbringer beside him. They'd kill this thing, go get ramen and then, after that... Well who knew. The sky was the limit, afterwards. The most important thing was killing this hollow and he didn't know if his new friend, who looked like hwas abot to lose his ability to aim would-- Then he blinked as the water slammed into the hollow and suddenly grabbed it.

"Won't hold it for long? Seriously? What kind of spell is that?" He frowned a bit and then sighed. "Ok. Just hold it there, then. I've got this!" He held out his hand, a purple sphere forming right above his palm, before he once more dashed at the creature, stopping about fifteen feet from the hollow before letting the technique go. Provided that it hit, the creature would be enveloped in a purple sphere that would rapidly expand to 3 meters, and then rip the creature apart in its entirety. And if it didn't? Well, then at least the man would have an even weaker target to finish off.

[Akio Naito]

He couldn't help but glare at the restrained beast; whatever killing intent he contained on that night, it had been watered down into a broader resentment for being casually outclassed. It had become clear to Akio that Laurent had carried him through this fight. The many-armed hollow had found itself in an unfortunate position where it had more than enough physical strength and maneuverability to overwhelm him in a straight fight, but not enough that it could have challenged the fullbringer. Even so, now that he'd bound the hollow, he had at least three ways he could have killed them before Shimoku's lingering effects wore off. Beyond hitting the vital point in its mask with an arrow, he could have simply cleaved it in half with another Streitwagen or even resorted to the Kirchenglocke, which he probably shouldn't have been carrying so casually given how volatile its glass arrowhead was.
 
Unable to break the bonds placed on its maimed body, the bestial hollow charged a cero in one of its broken hands, an act that would have strained its limits even without the injuries it had suffered. They couldn't win, but it was still possible to take one of their opponents with them... Until a 1600 speed arrow pierced their wrist, causing the technique to collapse in a shower of sparks. Another hand began charging and met with the same fate. That gave the fullbringer's sphere time to connect, whereupon it expanded like a dying star and tore the hollow into countless tiny pieces, not unlike grains of sand. It had also shredded the lingering threads, though they no longer served a purpose without the hollow.
 
Akio averted his eyes from the dead hollow's slowly dissolving remains as he let the small bow dissolve and slipped the damaged cross back into the pocket he'd retrieved it from. "That was one of the Fuusuishi Arts, a series of spells I established by taming the natural reishi flows." He'd stripped reishi manipulation to the barest minimum to weaponize nature itself, and yet there was not one drop of pride in his voice when he spoke of it. "With no power of my own, I had to rely on the veins on the planet." He explained it as if reinventing a dead form of spellcasting he'd only been exposed to secondhand had been a trivial achievement, something anyone else in his situation could have done better if given the same resources.
 
"Apologies, you said there would be ramen if we survived? Please lead the way." He was more optimistic about the food than the magic. A good meal gave plenty of time to talk and usually came with a shared understanding that they weren't going to be fighting each other afterwards, even if they turned out not to get along. Though hopefully they would, he was tired of being isolated, and some powerful acquaintances could certainly have helped with that.

[Raphael Laurent]

The man's arrow flew fast and quick, it would've nearly hit him, even using his Bringer's Light, and he was impressed at how qickly it flew and struck the hollow. Multiarmed and horribly injured, as it was, it still seemed eager to fight, but the distraction of the arrow and Raphael's sudden dash in to range, left it no time to fight back or even to run. The beast let out one final defiant roar as the orb hit it in the midst of its struggles, and then expanding, the hollow was completely destroyed, torn apart by the technique, as Raphael sighed, his hands twitching. It still hurt his nerves to even utilize such a technique, but he'd need to get better.

Raphael felt that elation again, as the battle ended, and he let out a hearty sigh. As the creature faded, he felt that strange desire to eat part of it, again, felt that... that need. He could feel that same strength pushing back into him, trying to bubble to the surface. It was like a need to let him free, like the feeling of being trapped in a cage... He clawed at his jacket a bit, trying to resist the urge to simply let go. It was that constant desire, that continuous demand to be free, to break out of himself.

He took a breath as it finally vanished, allowing himself a few seconds to just be in the moment. So much had gone on during this short span of time, and he looked to this new quincy acquaintance and took a breath. "Hey, no I get it. Awesome spellwork, though. I don't really have...ritualistic "spells". No words or incantations or things like that. I know a few groups do, and I could probably make something similar." He grinned and gave the man a thumbs up.

"Hell yeah, man! Let's go get some ramen! I now a really good place that opens pretty early in the morning. C'mon, I'll show you!" And with that he started heading down the street pointing with a smile.

[Akio Naito]

When it came to Akio, ritual was all he had. Even his use of the bow came down to rote. Kyudo was a rigid system that had eight formalized steps or stages that dictated the process of nocking, drawing, and firing an arrow, not only in terms of the physical process but in how the archer's will and spirit should be exercised for correct shooting and correct hitting. It was the kind of martial art that was more intended for meditation than combative use, something that had proved well suited for his mentality even though it had been a poor fit for his practical needs.
 
He followed Raphael's lead and passed by the single frozen hand that was all that remained of the hollow, careful not to step on it as he did. "Is there anything special on their menu, or is it that they do the basics very well?" Even if he would probably end up ordering shoyu out of habit, he still wanted to know what to expect before getting there. Beyond that, he'd wanted to avoid any potential awkward silences during the walk and had very few ideas for safe topics. Anything said helped to cover the sound of everything in his pockets.
 
But he hadn't given the fullbringer any time to reply to his initial question when he added something else. "Right. Before I forget, you said you no longer had a fullbring? I cannot help you with that, but I could teach you a basic level of reishi manipulation after the ramen." The offer was sincere, casual, and only the slightest bit hesitant as he tried to avoid eye contact; he could empathize with losing part or all of one's spiritual capacity, though based on what he'd seen of Raphael's capabilities they were comparable to his past self even after whatever loss they'd suffered. No, they had to be better than that; Akio had never managed to duplicate high-speed movement even when he'd been picking fights with fullbringers and bount who could.

[Raphael Laurent]

There was a certian peculiarity to the man, he just seemed odd. Given that he'd fired an arrow he seemed to be a quincy, though as he studied the man he couldn't find any marks identifying him as a member of the Vandenreich. He allowed himself to calm, finally, at least as best as he could, given the situation, his anger was being stoked by something constantly, but he could work throgh that, for the most part. Nothing could keep him angry, perpetually. He would just need to do some meditation when he got home later. He didn't know why the guy had used a ritualistic casting if he was a quincy. He'd even seen the guy shoot an arrow. What the hell???

The place wasn't too terribly far away from where they were, only a few blocks, which only made him relieved that they hadn't fought any closer. They were one of the only places open so late at night, and he absolutely loved their udon. He always stopped by this place, if he decided to go on a late night stroll, or a late night patrol, similar to tonight. Make matters worse, tonight, he felt like he was starving still and his eyes locked, momentarily, onto the last remaining part of the hollow, the frozen hand. He didn't make any moves towards it, however, not wanting to scare his new friend.

He was about to answer the man's question about the ramen shop, when the man suddenly spoke once more, not allowing Raphael a moment to answer. He couldn't help but chuckle, even as the man spoke. "I mean, I'm all for learning. Can never have too much knowledge. And, yeah, my fullbring was broken, but the tradeoff is that I got a lot stronger, ya know what I mean? I mean, you saw what I did to the hollow. That's kinda the basics, since I'm still training and getting stronger." He shrugged as they rounded the corner. "But, I mean, you're a quincy, right? I saw the arrow... Why're you using a casting ritual thing, if you can use your bow?" They weren't too far away now, only a block or two, from delicious food. He hadn't been completely honest. While Ramen was their staple... they also tended to serve other dishes, from sashimi to even udon.

[Akio Naito]

The young man in the oversized coat adjusted and readjusted one of the mismatched bangles he wore as he slowed to a stop, saddened. He'd hoped that his new acquaintance wouldn't ask that, but he felt obligated to argue his honest defense now that they had. "I can pass for a quincy, but... that is not the same thing as being one." He started with the important part: the word quincy implied heritage, culture, and a certain sense of being something other than human. Akio only had one of those traits, as far as he was aware, and he wasn't about to proclaim any of them to someone he had known for less than an hour. "It is better to think of me as an ordinary spellcaster; aside from practicing an array of sacred arts, I am an unexceptional human." His speech became more formal as guilt seeped into his tone.
 
By that point, it had become clear he was being defensive. "Rituals and incantations are all that I can do on my own. The bows are different; I need specific mediums for them." He reached for the inner pocket of his coat and took out the two mediums he'd been using for bows, letting both dangle by their chains as he displayed them. Neither was in good condition; the cross was slightly bent in a way that clearly wasn't an intended part of its design, and the pentacle was tarnished so severely that the original color only showed where it had chipped and scratched more recently. "I only have the two of these, and they will not last forever. When they break, that will be the end of the bows I have taken." Done with the demonstration, he wound the crosses back up by their chains and returned them to the pocket once more.

"Apologies. That may have sounded pessimistic." He preemptively added to his verbal defenses. "I am satisfied with what my arts can achieve, with or without appropriating quincy items to make up for my low spiritual capacity." That was true; he'd made good progress in getting back to where he'd started and established two original spells, a basic exercise that had a chance to grant anyone spiritual perception from mere exposure, and a few trinkets that could refine reishi into useful shapes on their own. He really did feel like he'd achieved something in that.
 

[Raphael Laurent]

Raphael listened to other guy go on a bit about how passing for a quincy was different from being one. That seemed fairly obvious, but it wasn't as important to Raphael. What one was wasn't as important as what they did, and all fortune cookie nonsense. "I mean, I get that, my man. I just saw the bow and thought you were a quincy cuz... well, ya know, that's kinda their schtick. Sorry if insulted ya, my dude." Raphae shrugged, as they kept walking. He tilted his head as the man.

The man had gotten defensive and Raphael couldn't really understad why; he had't been trying to insinuate that the man was less for being so. [fot color=e68149]"I getcha, man. I was't trying to insinuate that you were less for it. Hell, my fullbring is broken, so now all I can do is utilize energy and soul dominance."[/font] He shrugged. He looked over the crosses and nodded a bit, despite a bit of a wince. The crosses were a bit warped and damaged, but otherwise were still working. "I getcha. Make sure to save those then"

Raphael shrugged. "It's ok, dude. I get it. I get those moments, from time to time, to be honest." Then, as the man went over what he'd accomplished with what he had, Raph could only nod. "That sounds awesome, and I'm glad that you've got all that. Plus, given what I saw, I wouldn't exactly say you've got a low spiritual capacity. Sure it might not shatter buildings, but it looks like you're strong enough to handle hollows, at least. And isn't that the man goal, at the end of the day? Oh! We're here!" And Raphael turned towards a large set of double doors, before looking back at his new accomplice in hollow slaying with a grin. "Some of the best ramen around, in my opinion. But order whatever you like! It's my treat."