First meeting with a Death God [Irina/Schala, PG13, NDE]

[Irina Davayte]

Thread Title: First meeting with a Death God [Irina/Schala, PG13, NDE]
Participants: Irina Davayte, Schala Alexandria
World: Human World
Death Setting: Non Death Enabled
Rating: PG-13
Location: A medium sized public park in the residential district of Karakura Town.
Special Conditions: None
Circumstances: Irina is out doing her job of subduing Hollows and leaving them for Shinigami to purify. This may cause misunderstanding if the Shinigami thinks that she's killing them and harming the Soul Cycle.

[Irina Davayte]

Sliding down the banister of the front room in a castle, Irina couldn't help but think that she must be dreaming. And if she was dreaming, that must mean she was sleeping, and not getting any work done. She picked up her head from her Physics textbook, checking her watch for the time. Okay, she had only slept 20 minutes, and it seemed that in her somnolent state, she had completed about half of her Physics homework. She would check it over, of course, as the leaning numbers and downward slope of the lines revealed that she hadn't used her sharpest focus. Was she overextending herself again? Nah, she probably just needed more coffee.

As per her routine, when it was time for her afternoon workout, she turned on her phone so it would alert her if any Hollows were in the area. She pretty much left it off while she was in class, although she had told several classmates that she was an EMT, thus necessitating her sometimes running off when her phone rang. For her strength training day, she went to her college's gym for the weight machines. Halfway through her reps on the rowing machine, her phone rang with an alert that there was a Hollow close by. She didn't mind cutting her workout short; chasing after it would certainly provide the exercise she wanted.



Panting, the Hollow was finally worn out enough to be subdued. Trapped underneath a tree, it was unable to escape, and a Shinigami would easily be able to come and purify it now. Satisfied, Irina put her hair back in a neat bun, and considered retrieving her left shoe from the tree where it had ended up. The shoe sat about 15 feet high, and while Irina had spent a fair amount of time outdoors climbing trees as a child, she wasn't sure she could manage this one. The branches were sparse, and some of the bark had been stripped in the dispute. She tried several times to climb up the tree, only managing to get a few feet off of the ground. It was too thick to shake to let the shoe fall. So she settled for throwing rocks up toward the sneaker, trying to knock it down.

Schala Alexandria

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats/Abilities}
Strength - [60] Points

Speed - [70] Points

Spiritual Pressure - [50] x1.5 (75) Points

Reiatsu Strength - [100] x1.5 (150) Points

Light Aura - [70] Points

Dark Aura - [30] Points

Instinct - [80] x.75 (60) Points

Senses - [80] x.75 (60) Points

Energy sensory - [50] x.33 (17) Points

Healing Expertise - [0] Points


Total SP: [490] Points


Abilities


Weapons: Swords {2}

Strength of Will {2}

Crafting/Forging {2}

Lack of Fear {1}

Pain Tolerance {1}

Cold Tolerance {1}

Alcohol Tolerance {1}

Learning {1}

[Schala Alexandria]

"This is Schala, I've finished clearing my sector and moving on to the next area." Standing over the edge of a small Bakery the Shinigami gave her input into her leader's messenger. The Butterfly by far the only means of communication without disrupting the local broadcast systems. It seems that with some people investigating the paranormal use strange devices to pick up broadcasting signals that the Shinigami use. Kido and lower level spells most likely are what the humans pick up on their devices. The use of the Butterflies were a bit inconvenient as they would have to wait until another comes back to deliver a responding message. Still, it was better than using Kido to alert those who may be in rivaling factions about her presence. So, Schala would have to wait.

That was the initial idea anyhow, but didn't seem that would be the case. Shortly after relying her message to the Butterfly did another Hollow appear. Her extra senses alerted to the incoming identity of the creature, noting that it was fairly close by. A sense of direction at the very least, but as to determining its level of strength was something that the Shinigami was capable of this time. Still, this was the area in which Schala had been ordered to cleanse until further notice, so she couldn't leave without fulfilling her duty. For that reason the girl took to the skies, leaping her near weightless body within the world to push ahead towards the park. There she saw it, the Hollow that remained stuck beneath the firm foundation of the tree, and within its presence was.... a girl?

The Shinigami had to act fast. This left little room to really think about the matter considering that a human was involved. She couldn't allow her to be harmed. No. As it was her duty Schala came to protect and to cleanse, hoping that she will be able to slay the Hollow before any other could reach it first. Pushing away from the paralleled building across the street the Shinigami descended quietly. Blade drawn, twisting to direct its single fang downward did Schala shadow the creature. Her fear in breaking her blade once more was no longer present as this time she was wielding her Zanpakuto. The blade that had manifested itself during her last venture into the World of the Living.

Much more durable than her practice blade the Zanpakuto grew as strong as its wielder did. The two were connected through a bond that expresses the inner nature of a Shinigami. For some it wasn't expected that their inner spirit would be portrayed in such a way, while others it was foreseeable. As for Schala herself she has only had vivid dreams, images of a world in which she had no knowledge of. A world surrounded with towers filled with the light of a thousand lite fires. Towers that differed from each other, but all of them acted as a path. All paths that directed her to a single point in the vast city that she did not know. And within that city a voice called to her. What did it mean?

Her blade plummeted, down through the branches in which concealed her descent into the roof of the Hollow's mask. Its howl was unmistakable. The cries of pain that any beast would emit when harmed. A beast that was once a human spirit, driven by the dark desires that swarmed it upon its lingering stay in the World of the Living. A frightening and sad fate for a human spirit, turning the most peaceful souls into rabid monsters. "I'm sorry." the Shinigami stated before digging the blade further into its skull, silencing the echoes of pain that filled the night skies. Schala felt pity for the creature, but seeing its body eroding into the air made her feel reassured. With the death blow dealt by a Zanpakuto the Hollow would be purified, along with the souls that it devoured.

Her blade had been sheathed, with only a single metallic clamp to end the Shinigami's duty to the Hollow and to those around her. Putting down Hollows was both seen as a good and bad deed to Schala. But it had to be done, for her, the other humans, and for the girl that remained. Brushing the strands of brunette Schala peered at the girl, hoping she was well. Looking at her Schala felt nostalgic for some reason. Someone so young out and about reminded the Shinigami of herself. Actually, she reminded her of the other man, Siegfried. That was strange indeed. The woman that she saw had the same aura about her, something that even she could tell with her limited senses in such category. Could she be the same? Quincy perhaps? She didn't know. But, she had to find out and keep for records. Just who was she? "Can... you see me?" Schala inquired.

"Who are you, and what were you doing here at this time of day with such a creature?" she wondered with her hands drawn to her hilt.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats and Skills}


Strength : 50

Speed : 100

Spiritual Pressure : 155(*50) = 230

Reiatsu Strength : 25

Light Aura : 50

Dark Aura : 50

Instinct : 50

Senses : 100

Energy sensory : 50

Healing Expertise : 0

Total SP: 530

1. Weapons - Rapier : 1

2. Battle Analysis : 1

3. Analysis : 1

4. Battle - Parry : 1

5. Acrobatics : 1

6. Strength of Will : 1

[Irina Davayte]

Irina had actually only seen a Shinigami at work once before, and she certainly didn't have the nerve to approach them when it occurred. Still considering how to retrieve her shoe from the tree, she diverted her attention to the woman approaching the Hollow she'd trapped under the tree. Irina watched intently; she tried not to think about how Hollows were feeling, but this woman seemed to have a different approach. She studied it much more closely than Irina, who preferred to make any Hollow encounter as little personal as possible.

Irina had never really looked a Hollow in the face, and never thought of them as people. Her typical approach was to instead put her mind on the people at risk of danger from the creatures. She winced when the creature howled out, and shivered when she heard its skull crack. Yes, she would stick with putting the feelings of Hollows out of her mind. Sure, they once were people, but there wasn't anything she could do to help them now. She decided to keep her detached mindset. She was fine with this approach, for the time being. "Can you see me?" Oops, she was staring. The one-shoed young woman smiled sheepishly, hoping she wasn't in danger.

The other woman, who had just apologized to a Hollow, didn't seem threatening, anyway. "My name's Irina. I heard this Hollow in the area, so I came over to subdue it," she explained hesitantly. "I'm a college student, so my schedule is kind of flexible. That's why I'm here at a park in the middle of the day," she hesitated again, looking down at her sweaty t-shirt and shorts, "in my workout clothes." She was still somewhat fixated on her lack of a left shoe. She suddenly remembered that she had a better method of retrieving it, and used Soul Command to pull it down to her.

[Schala Alexandria]

The girl seemed to be a bit dense when it came to her own safety. Very much like how Schala was in the past. Naive and filled with a bit of pride in her sense of duty, the Princess did take her duties quite seriously. Why? That was due to her training and knowledge concerning the race of Hollows. Schala is a Shinigami, who are specially trained to handle encounters such as this, including the various outcomes should the struggle be too much for a single Shinigami to handle. This girl was obviously a bit out of her league against the masked race. Schala had to admit that she too had her own struggles with them, however, where they differ is their ability and knowledge to handle the situation.

"You are a bit dense when it comes to situations such as these, aren't you?" Schala wasn't one to restrain herself when it came to expressing herself. After all, she had to stand up against many of the men who served along side her as Knights. Schala didn't wish to use her authority as a Princess to make them understand. Her belief was earning the same respect as everyone else would be done through her efforts. She spoke what was on her mind and gave her own insight on matters that were brought to them. The same was said when it came to operating as a Shinigami. Schala never did use her authority of her position to bring others down, or force them to acknowledge her. No. The Shinigami allowed her efforts to speak on her behalf.

"There is no reason for you to handle such situations like these if you can't even defend yourself. You could have been hurt, or worse." Schala scolded. For this girl to take unnecessary risks was just idiotic. Didn't she understand that sacrificing herself wouldn't accomplish anything. If a Shinigami didn't make it in time, then the girl would have been killed. That was it. Save one life while sacrificing another. Schala didn't believe in such terms of thinking. She didn't believe in sacrificing for the greater good. It meant defeat. It meant turning a blind eye to the fact that nothing else could have been done. To do it better so it may not have to happen. Schala may still be a bit naive, but doing so only acknowledged the fact that they lost, rather than achieving victory. Still, in a small sense she did understand.

Shinigami couldn't be every where at every moment. Looking back at the instances that have been occurring within Soul Society the Shinigami had much on their plate as it is. Their forces would be stretched thin, which meant that some of their duties would be in jeopardy. She understood that those who had the gift of doing something more would want to do so. That was fine. With some time and training, the girl could possibly make a difference. But for now, she would only be in the way. That was what Schala thought about when she took the moment to look at what the girl had done. It was nothing more than idiocy. Schala couldn't have that anymore.

"I'm sorry, but I can not allow you to commit to such hazardous acts. For that reason.. The Shinigami brought her Rapier down to her shoulder's level. The slender blade pointed at Irina. .. I'll be the one to test you here and now. In order to see if you are capable of handling yourself, because if you are not... then you have no business in being out here to help others." Schala had to do this. She had to find out whether or not the girl could at least handle herslef when it came to fighting Hollows. Not only that, but would hopefully reveal to the young woman that she couldn't do anything either. The sudden revelation would open their eyes to the truth and would hopefully put them on the right path.

"You'll only be in the way of the Shinigami. And I can not have that any more." Schala waited for the woman to be within striking range before lunging forward. A single step forward to thrust her Rapier at the woman's chest.

[Irina Davayte]

"There is no reason for you to handle such situations like these if you can't even defend yourself. You could have been hurt, or worse." Irina winced. Her mother had already given her this talk hundreds of times, in her imagination. Actually, she suspected that her mama would give her this talk no matter how strong she was. Thus, she intended to keep her activities a secret as long as humanly possible. It had been especially difficult when, over her winter break from college, she returned home only to find a Hollow ravaging the area.

Not wanting to run, Irina had charged in to fight the Hollow, nearly getting killed. She had calculated, though, that for her, this risk was worth it. She just couldn't have the Hollow smashing up her town and eating the people there. She had resolved then to become as strong as she could, to defend people whenever she had the chance. She saw no better way; she would rather risk herself than people who couldn't defend themselves at all. Not to mention, at nineteen years old, Irina was just getting over the teenage attitude of feeling that she was indestructible.

A little bit of anger flared up in Irina's chest when Schala told her that she wouldn't "allow" her to continue facing down Hollows. She bit her lip to restrain herself from spitting out a sharp retort, such as pointing out that Schala herself hadn't been around to subdue the Hollow. If Irina hadn't been there, who knows what would have happened to the people in the area? The teenager refused to see any other side of the story; she had decided that she had all of the most important facts, so her perspective was sufficient. She let up on her lip when she tasted blood in her mouth, as Schala held up her rapier to Irina.

She actually perked up a bit. As a kid, Irina had spent years taking fencing lessons, but she was working on refining her style when it came to using her Fullbring, a sword made of ice that was produced using her grandfather's antique sword hilt. It was heavier than a fencing sword, and the decorative handle made it sometimes awkward to use. She loved getting a chance to practice. She wasn't concerned about the stern Shinigami's reason for testing her; stubborn, she would instead savor the opportunity to practice her skills. After all, she did agree with Schala that she wanted to grow stronger.

Irina pulled her sword hilt from her backpack, and activated it when Shala said that she would test her now. She was still amazed by the way the durable ice shone in the sunlight, and managed to be cold but never melt. An engineering student, she hadn't been able to research a material quite like it. If she wasn't being so careful to keep her spiritual abilities under the radar, she would have brought it in to a lab to have one of her professors examine it.

Schala's use of the phrase "You'll only be in the way" further egged her on. Irina remembered the many times her two older brothers had used this phrase. She'd never let it bother her before; instead, it made her more likely to follow them wherever they were going. She raised her sword, placing it in front of her defensively, tossing the shoe in her hand aside, rather than spending time to put it back on. As she had been taught, she retreated a couple of graceful steps as Scahla moved toward her, and one more small step back while using her sword to block the Shinigami's. She was sure the Shinigami was faster than her, but attempted a riposte nonetheless, deflecting Schala's blade and aiming for her arm, trying to keep her distance from her. "Fine. If you want to test me, then I'll just have to show you what I'm capable of." She felt the damp grass start to soak her sock. She added a qualifier. "While wearing one shoe."

Remaining Reiatsu: 550/750 (-200 Fullbring)
Fullbring 1/10

[Schala Alexandria]

A quick spark flashed in the middle of the park as the two blades clashed. The Fullbringer repelled the first lung swiftly as she gave partial ground to the Shinigami. The same manner in which Schala herself had been trained to handle herself. The two girls were very much alike in terms of footing. Schala's blade was deflected efficiently before motioning towards her arm. The Shinigami responds with the same level of focus and aptitude as the other woman. A marvel display of finesses and show, the woman remained unaware that her foe had released. Such a strange weapon did the girl wielded, but quite unknown of what it's true nature is. As such, Schala tread carefully as to the blade's ability, if it had one, and it makig contact with her. Beyond that thought, this would be a battle of skill, rather than powers.

Schala motioned into Irina's personal space as her blade was deflected. The Rapier's blade was drawn back, the grip climbing as Schala pulled her right side back. Her withdrawn movement pulled both her arm away from the flicking blade of the Fullbringer, while at the same time causing her own tilted blade to clash with the sturdy ice. Certainly the girl had some form of training to deal with someone who was just an ordinary thug. Reacting to a simple strike and repelling it was something that most Knights were capable of before moving forward with their training. Their combined motions seemed as if they were simply sparring with each other. The idea of Schala wanting to see this girl's ability was to insure that she was able to protect herself, yet, merely deflecting a simple strike wouldn't be all that she needed when it really came to a fight. Schala would need to teach her more.

Their two blades would collide once again, sparking for but a moment as the two smashed into each other. Schala wasn't known for her physical strength. Against the men who served alongside her she had to muster other means to defeat them. More than likely Irina would be operating in the same area. Just as she pondered the slender blade of her Rapier slide further down the ice's surface. Twisting around it, Schala's blade twirled, as she pushed forward. The two blades danced around one another, never ceasing to distance themselves from the other. Schala's wrist rolled as if wielding as wand, casting her rapier further down Irina's weapon until it touched the sword guard.

The combined motion allowed control of her opponent's weapon with stirring movements while allowing her own blade to slide across it's surface. Never was it intended to create distance, but to distract her foe in believing she was going to deflect the twirling pair of blades before thrusting. Actually, that stirring motion led directly into her riposte, toward the woman's knuckle. The twirling motion of both blades was what allowed Schala to keep Irina guessing, pushing her back, keeping the focus on self-preservation instead of her handling. With that minor distraction, the Shinigami's blade would have slid down in the motion to have her Rapier strike at the Fullbringer's knuckle. A quick slash across it's surface would suffice as the woman didn't wish to inflict major injuries to her foe.

Attention to detail and keeping her guard up. Schala wanted to keep Irina thinking, always moving, always planning ahead and adjusting to the situation as quickly as she was thinking. She had to use the areas that she was better at. And as she does, she could overcome foes much stronger than herself. Schala never fared well with fighting against the Knights. So, she operated in a different manner. While they were able to cleave foes within a single strike, Schala operated in incapacitating her opponents through a series of slashes. Death by a thousand slashes.

Whether her blade made contact or not, the Shinigami returned her blade back to her side. Crossing over her left arm, posed to strike once again, Schala arched her stance to stand at the ready. The Shinigami leaned onto her left leg, baring her right shoulder to the Fullbringer. Her blade's stinger directed at the girl, she stood at the ready, prepared for what was to come next.

[Irina Davayte]

Irina was accustomed to fencing in school, in which the worst consequence for getting scored on by someone's weapon was losing a match. However, the Shinigami's weapon was very real and could certainly do damage, even if the Shinigami wasn't attempted to use lethal force. Had she been in a school fencing match, she would have taken advantage of the Shinigami's body being slightly open to try to score on her before she was struck herself. Of course, this would be far too dangerous given the circumstances. In order to protect her hand, she commanded the ground beneath her to soften considerably. This would cause her body to drop a few inches into the crater in the dirt, moving her and her sword down and giving her more room to deflect Schala's sword. Then, she'd command the ground to pop up and back, forming a small hill and propelling her body away from the slashing sword of the Shinigami.

She held her sword in a defensive stance, waiting for Shala's next move. She decided not to attack first. After all, she was trying to prove that she could defend herself. She was accustomed to needing to prove herself; growing up with two older brothers would do that. The difference was, with her brothers, she could take risks because she knew they would never hurt her too badly. She wondered what sort of person Schala was. To be fair, she didn't seem to be trying to kill Irina. If she could be taken at her word, she was really was trying to help. Still, Irina stayed sharp. She didn't want to sustain any severe injuries from this encounter. Not to mention, if she proved herself unworthy, she wasn't sure what the consequences would be. She almost wanted to ask, but since the Shinigami hadn't spoken first she thought it would be most respectful and less risky to keep quiet.

Remaining Reiatsu: 450/750 (-50 2x Advanced Soul Command)
Fullbring: 2/10

[Schala Alexandria]

The Fullbringer managed to slip back, propelling herself towards the rear to make a quick withdraw. Although Schala was more proficient in terms of her speed, Irina was more versatile in their confrontation. The use of her own natural control over the elements wasn't something that the Shinigami was aware, but surely helped to bring things further into perspective. Altering the ground from beneath her feet was a clever move to adjust herself accordingly. To be honest, Schala wouldn't had thought of such a tactic. Quite frankly, she didn't know much about the Fullbringers aside from general reports and doisers concerning them. This was very much her first experiencing encountering the race while on the field. Then she came to remember Siegfried, a man who she met in the forest. Though their meeting was brief, she could still remember his capabilities. If this girl had committed herself to improve herself, then she will more than capable of handling herself out in the field without assist. But for now....

Irina came into a defensive stance, one familiar to that as a fellow practitioner in the art of Fencing. Schala couldn't allow the girl room to breath as she pressed forward. The tips of their blades collided once more as the woman flicked her blade once more up towards the Fullbringer's left shoulder. Schala kept her striking wrist from being too tense, allowing her hand to whisk upwards to flick the blade once more around their front down to the girl's ribs. After the first flick, the Shinigami snapped her blade downwards while motioning her wrist upwards by a mere centimeter in order to continue her two pronged assault. Instinctively, Schala had to pull herself back. Too much momentum would cause her play herself into the clutches of her foe. Despite her being a Shinigami, she was still very much a rookie in training herself. Both Irina and Schala's experiences differed, but didn't remove the fact that the dangers that they fought against was very much the same. She couldn't underestimate Irina.

The Shinigami instantly reeled herself back, pushing off with her superior right foot. If she had to, the Shinigami would have to give ground in order to recover, or more or less defend if needed. Schala couldn't afford to make foolish choices when dealing with a life or death situation. Regardless of their reason for committing to this fight, what it served as a reminder that their choices will have consequences. Too keen on form would lose out in taking in their environment. Eyes that are so drawn toward the Heavens often forget on who they stand on to reach the pearly gates above. Focus much more keen on the Earth, then the lack of improvement shows without fail. Schala could not allow herself to fall into such circumstances, for which could lead to dire consequences in the future: so much as her life. This was her reason for wanting to push the girl, to insure that she was ready to protect herself, and those around her.

Fighting a single enemy was easy. Confronting their strength and abilities would prove to be difficult more or less, however, so as long as they were the only presence there, then the fight was simple enough to coordinate. Now, when others are present, there are much more factors to take into consideration. Were those others armed and dangerous? Could they be with the enemy, preparing to strike? Are they civilians? If the enemy is stronger, how long could they be kept at bay for those other's to escape? Many more pieces of information and questions came to mind, too many to truly count. These were the situations that the Shinigami had to enter when on patrol in the World of the Living. For this human girl, who still had much of her existence to live out, to worry about such things wasn't acceptable to the Shinigami. At least, not to this one. It would be best that she lived her life ignorant to the fact that there is a world that blankets over their own. That was the purpose of the Gotei 13. They were the ones who stand against all of that which can not be seen.

[Irina Davayte]

Swish! Irina had backed up to avoid the attack, but Schala pressed forwards again and used her superior speed to attack at Irina's shoulder once again. Overall, Irina's swordswomanship was more experienced, but the Shinigami was just plain faster than her. While the on the defensive, Irina moved to block the sword strike but was a bit too slow. She could react to the rapier thrust, but she was slightly distracted from using Soul Command and had the disadvantage in speed compared to the Shinigami. Schala's blade was flicked towards Irina's shoulder and would slice into her shirt and shoulder, stinging her flesh. Swinging her saber to the side, the fullbringer moved to repel the second movement of the shinigami's blade, using her advantage in strength to help overpower the strike and hopefully create an opening for her own attack.

She noticed Schala pulling back, so Irina decided to press the advantage and strike at Schala’s right shoulder. If Irina had been successful in repelling the rapier to the left away from her body, then the right shoulder would be the most open to attack. Her adrenaline was pumping due to her own shoulder being cut into, so Irina wasn’t really thinking about the consequences of her actions and instead of being more gentle or cautious like she normally would when practicing fencing with someone, she struck hard, more like she would if she was in a real fight with a real enemy. This was also a show of respect to Schala whom Irina trusted could defend herself against this one attack and prevent undue harm to the Shinigami.


Remaining Reiatsu: 450/750
Fullbring: 3/10

[Schala Alexandria]

Irina was off balance, keeping herself withdrawn from the slash of her blade. A swift push from the Shinigami at the human girl, only to find that her secondary attack was repelled by the woman's superior strength. The flick was momentarily, but carried with it the force above that of an average human being. This caught the Shinigami off guard, as she didn't expect the amount of strength to be had in a human girl. Could she possibly be one of the few rare occurrences in the world. Her abilities were definitely beyond that of the average human. What Irina possessed came to be unique among their kind. The Fullbring was something that only certain humans were born with as they later on developed themselves, honing it to match their specialized methods. However, Schala did not know this. This was the first chance of meeting one such as Irina. Yet, it still did not make a difference if the girl had more potential than others. The issue resided with the ability in handling herself when it came to the beasts that she so sought in fighting against.

Though small as it may have been, the pain itself was only just a glimpse as to what the Hollows could do. They were animals to a degree, ever growing with intelligence that they had lost at one point or another. So Irina would have to better herself to outsmart them just as much as Schala had to. Or possibly more. Which ever case, Irina had the Shinigami where she wanted her. The rapier was swiped away from it's intended target with a darting motion towards her body. Injecting itself, the pain jolted through the girl's right shoulder, causing Schala to jerk back as her left arm rose up to guard her front. The woman's forearm was exposed, flashing the slender frame upright directing up towards the sky above them. She had to be careful with the girl's power, which meant keeping her within blade's grasp rather than keeping herself away.

There will be the occasions in which she will encounter those with superior strength. This itself provided a good opportunity for the Shinigami to find a means to best such capabilities. For that reason, Schala engaged once again. Thrusting herself inwards toward Irina, the tip of her rapier jerked towards, aiming for the woman's face. Sweeping her dominant right foot forward, the single thrust pushed itself upward in a 45 degree angle from below the woman's chest level up to her forehead. Unlike before, however, was the fact that she couldn't extend her arm outwards as before. The injury from before kept her arm nearly locked with brief moments of pain. It shot out at her nerves when extending her shoulder outwards. As such, Schala refrained from pushing it out, only reaching to the point in which the pain shot out at her.

Immediately, her feet shuffled, jerking back just centimeters back after her quick thrust, withdrawing her blade back to her side. Swiping upwards, her blade arching from the bottom to the top. This was meant to keep the Fullbringer at bay while placing herself back into position to ready herself for another strike. It's purpose set herself to brace herself, or to push on even further. But for the time being it was better to adjust accordingly to what Irina was willing to do.

[Irina Davayte]

It was an awkward point in the game for Irina. If this really were a game, now that both parties had been injured, it would surely be over. Irina grew up with rough brothers, but whenever she got really hurt, like when she had jumped out of a tree to prove that she could fly like Superman and dislocated her shoulder, they dropped everything to help her. If this was an actual attack, there would be no calling it quits unless she managed to scare the threat off, or be eaten. This was a unique fight in that it was neither a game, nor did she think the Shinigami was actually trying to kill her. So, although they would already be working on patching each other up if they were family, she followed Schala's cue and pressed on. A jab to the face showed Irina that Schala was not interested in coddling her, despite her own injury.

With her sword arm already in front of her chest after aiming for Schala's shoulder, Irina deflected the Shinigami's blade downward with her own, inadvertently allowing it to swing at her left elbow instead of her face. (If she kept up this lifestyle full of joint injuries, she was going to have arthritis before reaching age 30.) It cleanly sliced through her jacket's sleeve, and her arm began bleeding profusely. It felt numb, but she was sure she would feel it later. For the moment, she wasn't convinced that she could still move the elbow.

She had messed up. Her best friend from home was always reminding her to not be so sloppy and leave her elbow so vulnerable. It was a rookie mistake that she had allowed herself to develop when she was younger because she compensated by being faster than most of the other high school-aged ladies with whom she practiced and competed with. Irina maintained the angle of her elbow, tucking her left arm behind her back by rotating her shoulder, the way brand new fencers were taught to do, in order to avoid the mistake she had just made.

Instead of attempting another attack, Irina held her weapon aloft, ready to defend herself when Schala struck again. She didn't want to waste her energy by volunteering to set the pace; as was her usual style, she would wait until her opponent attacked, and try to use their own momentum against them. The Shinigami had changed to using jerkier, smaller movements, which she hoped to be able to deflect, despite feeling slower than Schala. She focused on watching her, not allowing herself to think about her injuries. That kind of thinking was a good way to be killed.

Remaining Reiatsu: 450/750
Fullbring: 4/10

[Schala Alexandria]

The human woman repelled her attack once more, exchanging the intended injury for a much lesser one. Irina was doing better than what most individuals at her age would be capable of. Much more keen than that of Schala herself. What took harsh lessons with her, Irina seems to be more of a natural in this element. Not much to be said in her other capabilities as there is room to improve. Just like herself, Schala could only assume that Irina was merely starting out on her path of growth. Very much like the Shinigami. The woman herself could not say that she was better in any means. Much more durable than that of the human girl herself, but in terms of their overall abilities, then Irina held more of an advantage than the Shinigami did. That being said, it also meant that Schala herself could better herself as well. A better method for the two of them to grow together. "Is that what you think?"

The whispers returned. Rare on occasions, but vigilant on it's interference. Creeping in the back of her mind as it has done in the past. As it does now. "Wwhyyyy...Why do you hold back? You can easily teach her.....what you failed to doooo.... back thhennnnnn..." Each word it spoke echoed. Bouncing off the labyrinth walls that made up her mind. Schala's hands pulsed with a new sense of warmth. The nerves beat against the skin and flesh that surrounded them. As if something was crawling up her nerves. The woman's head spasmed to the side, jerking, twitching with vibrant motions to the right. "Why...don't....you......just..do it?" She shut it out, quickly snapping her head back into position with clenched eyes. Opening them once more, the girl steeled herself, withdrawing her blade. She could not go on, not if the echoes grew louder and louder. Not when the feeling of something else was growing in her own hands and body. "Let's stop from here. I'll change my mind on the position of your ability to handle yourself. I can see that you can endure."

It was against her better logic when it came to this matter. The girl still needed to grow, just as she did too. However, just as those above wouldn't want her to risk her life against stronger foes, she didn't wish for Irina to go through the same trials when not needed to. At the same time, she wouldn't want anyone to stop her from doing something that she was capable of doing. It was a waste of talent, and disgraceful. The nerve and pain of not being able to help, to remain as a bystander while all others fought. Schala saw it before with her own family, with what she can recall. She wouldn't want anyone to stop her. So, she could understand Irina to a degree. Because Schala would want to do the same thing. "Despite what I may feel about your participation in this endeavor. I won't stop you. Because I too understand... what you want to do." Schala spoke again, sheathing her blade.

"I won't stop you anymore." she smiled.

[Irina Davayte]

Schala withdrew, appearing to have a headache or perhaps a muscle spasm. She told Irina that she believed her to be capable of caring for herself, and that she understood Irina's desire to keep fighting. Irina wasn't quite sure that was true, but nonetheless intended to move forward. Young and stubborn, she was beginning to see that she wasn't invincible, but remained reckless enough to prefer to defend others at a risk to her own life. As a new adult, she had never really needed to look out for herself before now. As a teenager, her serious best friend, protective brothers, and no-nonsense mother prevented her from causing herself too much harm. For the first time, she was free to do whatever dangerous things she pleased. It would be a process. No one ever said growing up was easy.

"Thank you," the bright-eyed young woman said, bowing, before reaching to retrieve her shoe, which she was not convinced she wanted to put on over her muddy sock. She removed the sock before replacing the shoe. "I'll keep an eye out for you...hopefully I will see you around?" She really hoped so. It was nice to see friendly faces in this unfamiliar place. She reached to shake Schala's hand, keeping her muddy sock in the left hand. "It really was nice to meet you." She decided that she liked Schala. Like Irina, she seemed to be willing to stand up for what she believed in. Irina didn't like wishy-washy people, even if they were more likely to do what she wanted.

[Kyomei Kuchiki]

22 Paragraphs = 220 TP for Irina
28 Paragraphs = 280 TP for Schala

No clear winner, so no bonus TP awarded.