Post by Johnwaluigi on Aug 8, 2014 6:02:22 GMT -5
[OOC: Joint training for Shunsui Kasumi'Oji and Kagami Murai. Takes place in a general Seireitei courtyard.]
Shunsui sat down, leaning his back against the wall, and placing the rather heavy book on his lap. Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy, was a classic, a book which he had yet to read thoroughly. Opening the book, Shunsui scanned the publishing details. It was an original, printed shortly after the serialisation of the stories stopped. The first English translation, it was truly a treasure, and was also a gift from his elder, adoptive sister, Azumi-sensei. She had a habit of obtaining such rare works with relative ease from the World of the Living. Slowly, he leafed through the opening pages, past the title page and on to the opening line of the book. All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way... Shunsui sped through the first few pages, he was a quick reader.
But he didn't skim, every word and phrase was committed to his remarkable memory. Sometimes Shunsui thought he was incapable of forgetting anything, which he never found to be a problem. Keeping the book on his lap and turning the pages with his right hand, Shunsui remained reading for a few hours. Eventually, when he around three-quarters of the way through the book, he came to natural break in the story. And then he realised the stiffness in his neck and back from reading so intently for so long. No one was immune to reader's fatigue, not even a Shinigami. After folding down the corner of the page-A terrible habit... I must try and get out of it.- he placed the book down and stood up, stretching out his back and neck.
His Zanpakuto swung at his side, the long, straight sheath knocking against him as it swayed with the motion. He let out a small exasperated sigh as he realised that his cravat had become folded after being hunched over for so long. Reaching his hand up, he deftly untied it before retying it properly. Only when he was craning his neck, to give him more space so he could manipulate the fabric of his necktie, did he realise that he was no longer alone in the courtyard, there was a figure at the opposite end. With the sun now setting, the light shone directly into Shunsui's eyes, obscuring the figure's identity. Not that it mattered to Shunsui. By observing the gait of the figure alone, he had narrowed it down to 3 different people, and given that two of those people were... indisposed, it only left one person:
Vice-Captain of Squad 1, Kagami Murai.
Oh, fantastic... Kagami Murai irked Shunsui to no end. His unfettered arrogance, combined with his devil-may-care attitude made him a difficult person for Shunsui to like. However, one could not express that kind of attitude to a superior, especially the Vice-Captain of Squad 1. As he approached, Shunsui stood a little straighter, his soldier's instinct kicking in. "Good evening, Murai-sama." As Shunsui said this he performed a low bow, keeping a hand on his Zanpakuto to stop it swinging forwards. Shunsui didn't dare say anything else. He was always wary about saying too much to people you don't like. The more you spoke, the more likely it was that they would work out that your feelings were a little less than warm towards them.
Shunsui hoped that he would pass by, perhaps not even acknowledging Shunsui's presence, but the rational part of his mind dismissed that futile hope immediately. It would be extremely out of character for Kagami Murai to miss a chance to socialise, for in socialising he found opportunities to brag, to boast, to show off. Kagami Murai could do with a few lessons from Lao Tzu, more specifically, he should learn to: “Accomplish but do not boast, accomplish without show, accomplish without arrogance, accomplish without grabbing, accomplish without forcing.” Shunsui kept a straight face, but his eyes may have glinted with a hidden smile. There was a quote for everything, and Shunsui never under-appreciated the fact that he could remember all of them.
Shunsui sat down, leaning his back against the wall, and placing the rather heavy book on his lap. Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy, was a classic, a book which he had yet to read thoroughly. Opening the book, Shunsui scanned the publishing details. It was an original, printed shortly after the serialisation of the stories stopped. The first English translation, it was truly a treasure, and was also a gift from his elder, adoptive sister, Azumi-sensei. She had a habit of obtaining such rare works with relative ease from the World of the Living. Slowly, he leafed through the opening pages, past the title page and on to the opening line of the book. All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way... Shunsui sped through the first few pages, he was a quick reader.
But he didn't skim, every word and phrase was committed to his remarkable memory. Sometimes Shunsui thought he was incapable of forgetting anything, which he never found to be a problem. Keeping the book on his lap and turning the pages with his right hand, Shunsui remained reading for a few hours. Eventually, when he around three-quarters of the way through the book, he came to natural break in the story. And then he realised the stiffness in his neck and back from reading so intently for so long. No one was immune to reader's fatigue, not even a Shinigami. After folding down the corner of the page-A terrible habit... I must try and get out of it.- he placed the book down and stood up, stretching out his back and neck.
His Zanpakuto swung at his side, the long, straight sheath knocking against him as it swayed with the motion. He let out a small exasperated sigh as he realised that his cravat had become folded after being hunched over for so long. Reaching his hand up, he deftly untied it before retying it properly. Only when he was craning his neck, to give him more space so he could manipulate the fabric of his necktie, did he realise that he was no longer alone in the courtyard, there was a figure at the opposite end. With the sun now setting, the light shone directly into Shunsui's eyes, obscuring the figure's identity. Not that it mattered to Shunsui. By observing the gait of the figure alone, he had narrowed it down to 3 different people, and given that two of those people were... indisposed, it only left one person:
Vice-Captain of Squad 1, Kagami Murai.
Oh, fantastic... Kagami Murai irked Shunsui to no end. His unfettered arrogance, combined with his devil-may-care attitude made him a difficult person for Shunsui to like. However, one could not express that kind of attitude to a superior, especially the Vice-Captain of Squad 1. As he approached, Shunsui stood a little straighter, his soldier's instinct kicking in. "Good evening, Murai-sama." As Shunsui said this he performed a low bow, keeping a hand on his Zanpakuto to stop it swinging forwards. Shunsui didn't dare say anything else. He was always wary about saying too much to people you don't like. The more you spoke, the more likely it was that they would work out that your feelings were a little less than warm towards them.
Shunsui hoped that he would pass by, perhaps not even acknowledging Shunsui's presence, but the rational part of his mind dismissed that futile hope immediately. It would be extremely out of character for Kagami Murai to miss a chance to socialise, for in socialising he found opportunities to brag, to boast, to show off. Kagami Murai could do with a few lessons from Lao Tzu, more specifically, he should learn to: “Accomplish but do not boast, accomplish without show, accomplish without arrogance, accomplish without grabbing, accomplish without forcing.” Shunsui kept a straight face, but his eyes may have glinted with a hidden smile. There was a quote for everything, and Shunsui never under-appreciated the fact that he could remember all of them.
{Shunsui's Stats and Skills}
Strength - [100] Points (50 with Shadow Reduction)
Speed - [175] Points (350 with Shadow Increase)
Spiritual Pressure - [300] Points (210 with Shadow Decrease)
Reiatsu Strength - [300] Points (390 with Shadow Increase)
Light Aura - [75] Points
Dark Aura - [25] Points
Instinct - [150] Points (113 with Shadow Decrease)
Senses - [125] Points (94 with Shadow Decrease)
Energy sensory - [150] Points (225 with Shadow Increase)
Healing Expertise - [0] Points
Total SP: [1300] Points
Skills
[Mental Skill: Memory] {3}
[Mental Skill: Analysing] {3}
[Mental Skill: Calm Mind] {3}
[Battle Skill: Weapon: Rapier] {3}
[Battle Skill: Martial Arts: Aikido] {1}
[Body Skill: Stealth] {1}
[Special Skill: Hoho] {1}
Strength - [100] Points (50 with Shadow Reduction)
Speed - [175] Points (350 with Shadow Increase)
Spiritual Pressure - [300] Points (210 with Shadow Decrease)
Reiatsu Strength - [300] Points (390 with Shadow Increase)
Light Aura - [75] Points
Dark Aura - [25] Points
Instinct - [150] Points (113 with Shadow Decrease)
Senses - [125] Points (94 with Shadow Decrease)
Energy sensory - [150] Points (225 with Shadow Increase)
Healing Expertise - [0] Points
Total SP: [1300] Points
Skills
[Mental Skill: Memory] {3}
[Mental Skill: Analysing] {3}
[Mental Skill: Calm Mind] {3}
[Battle Skill: Weapon: Rapier] {3}
[Battle Skill: Martial Arts: Aikido] {1}
[Body Skill: Stealth] {1}
[Special Skill: Hoho] {1}