Drawing a Straight Line [Joint Training?]

[Akio Naito]

Participants: [Anyone, but especially those willing to attempt join training.]

Location: [An archery range in outer Karakura.]

Plotline: [Akio has taken to weekends at a local archery range, in hopes of getting his old skill back. So far, no major progress has been made.]

[Training for SP.]

It had been a long time since Akio had worn protective gear like this, until the last few weeks changed that. He flexed his fingers, testing the feeling of his shooting glove for a moment, just to be sure of his own dexterity. His current bow, a yumi made of synthetic materials and of deceptively low draw-weight, was likely not the best match for him, but that wouldn't matter this early on. What mattered was that he was making at least some progress towards what he lost. "Just like high school." The would be archer said. He didn't actually mean it, of course. Even if it felt somewhat like old times, it wasn't actually that similar to the past. Honestly, the difference was that this time he wasn't doing it for someone else's sake... And also that it wasn't going to get him mauled by a horse monster again. So the changes were entirely welcome.

He took a stance, eyes following a line from his feet out to the target. A deep breath, he ran over each step in his head as he started for a shot. Drawing arrow from quiver, his motion was certainly acceptable there. Nocking the arrow to the bowstring, decent, but lacking finesse. Drawing back the bowstring, that was the hard part. The feeling of the draw-weight on his back and shoulders was like an old acquaintance one had grown distant from, he still knew the feeling, but he wasn't used to it anymore. A simple contradiction that he couldn't shake away.

The first arrow vanished from his sight as he released it. The young man let his thoughts drift to the spirits he'd seen in just the past week; A woman in black clothes, looking to be from the Tokugawa Shogunate at best, strange. A woman carrying a sword in broad daylight, though he didn't see them for long, and they were probably one of the ability users. Last had been earlier today, an oddly large, four winged thing that was perched in a tree by the sidewalk, silently judging. The bird had been somewhat blurry to him, meaning it was likely One of the greater spirits out there. All of those so close together, he'd noticed an sudden uptick in spirits, as of late. Besides the ones at work. But especially the beastly ones, it almost made him wonder of the black clothed ones were bringing them to-

With a soft thud, his arrow reappeared, and dragged his train of thought back to the target, where his arrow now lay embedded in the very edge. He made a mental note that this was the first time since finding this range that he hit a target on his first shot, even barely. Eyes refocused on the center of the target, he prepared to go though the steps again. He'd been told that 'Repetition is the soul of archery', and if so, he certainly had the core principle down, if not actually the skill for it. It was odd how hard it was to think back to the lessons themselves, besides moments like that, but he still knew how to repeat his old actions so automatically.

SPOILER: Click to show

\\Stats//

Strength - [45] (Weak)

Speed - [45] (Slow)

Spiritual Pressure - [0] (Nearly Soulless?)

Reiatsu Strength - [0] (Stillness Itself)

Light Aura - [50] (No Light Can Be Felt)

Dark Aura - [50] (No Dark Can Be Felt)

Instinct - [45] (Dull)

Senses - [50] (Average)

Energy sensory - [45] (Muddled)

Healing Expertise - [10] "It's like repairing a machine, right?"

Total SP - [240]

[/font][/div]

\\Skills//

[Calm Mind] {1}

[Focused Eye] {1}

[Crafting] {1}

[Memory] {1}

[Learning] {1}

[Imitation] {1}

[Stealth] {1}

Akio doesn't actually acknowledge this, but rather has an innate tendency to be below notice when idle...

[Appraisal] {1}

A devoted employee of Time Castle, Akio can weigh an object's approximate value and status easily enough, if given time...

[Analyzing] {1}

[/spoiler]

[Deleted]

(Training for 20 ttp and the rest CTP)

Adalvulf stepped into the Range, his dress clothes and clean appearance making him stand out in the crowd like a sore thumb. He was dressed as if he were just comijg off of work at a formal event, a waist coat and fine shirt with dress pants and nice shoes. His Belt was slightly off however, carrying new clips that sat on his hips well and without standing out as too odd for his attire. He strode back to where the targets were placed and signed himself in. He had not been here before at least not in a capacity that would have him use the targets here, he couldnt fire a bow to save his life.

Today he was here for that very reason, he may not be able to fire a bow, but he was well versed with a needle and thread. And He had found that a kunai with wire, while larger fit that description well in a  fight as needle and thread.  That was his goal there today, he was going to start training, making certain that he could defend himself against Hollows. Where he lived down in Akiba was not too filled with the beasts but more and more often he was finding himself drawn into Karakura town and while he was there he knew his presence attracted danger.

He Took his place in his line and opened one of his clips, looping the Wire ends he had tied together around his fingers like small anchors for the wires, making certain that they wouldn't allow the Kunai to just fly off. He Looked around and Saw a man who was more than a bit lost trying his hand at some archery. He Shrugged it off for the time being, he had picked this place becuase it wasn't too crowded and one man day dreaming wouldn't be too bad. He Squared his shoulders off and focused hard on the target down range, he had set it up at a respectable 30 feet a long distance for a thrown kunai.

He Began to throw, Calculating the Flight of each one, even if he couldnt get his arm to do what he wanted it to the first time, he was paitient with himself. And When the Kunai stuck he tugged lightly on the wire, likea  spider testing the tension. He left the ones that didnt immediatly fall out stuck in the target, Creating a barely visible mesh net of wire after a short while. He Then began to toy around with ways of tugging back just one or two of the kunai at once. He found a good rythm after a short while, able to almost reliably tug back a kunai he had missed with or didnt really stick into the target well enough.

The Display was an odd one to be sure, more like a man trying to practise for a circus act than anyone trying to cultivate a day to day skill. He didn't seem to care though, the only thought that was passing through his mind was the fact that he needed to protect himself. With each single throw and tugging on the strings Adalvulf attempted to force his Reaitsu down the cords, doing little more than creating flashes of reaitsu that were invisible to anyone but those who were spiritually aware. That is until he Remembered how he felt reading the note he found so long ago.

He Let two Kunai loose at once and sent a barreling flow of Reaitsu down the wires. The Kunai spiraled around each other creating a helix pattern with the wire that was nice and loose until the kunai landed at the edge of the round target, The sound was like a Zipper on a camping tent as the whole thing went taught and the wire snapped into a tight braid with more force than Adalvulf had been able to create previously. He Breathed out heavily a moment before slicking back his hair with his free hand as his left was currently holding the wires.

[Akio Naito]

Akio stalled firing another arrow to watch as the new arrival put on a strange sort of... martial arts display? There was simply no concentration left to keep himself on form while also processing the kunai's behavior, trying to keep up with their movements. He wasn't actually doing well at following them, his eyes losing and catching individual knives as the show went on, but he could sense the spiritual power traveling down the wires, even without the gleam of light rushing through their forms. It gave the whole event had a unreal quality from his perspective, like something that shouldn't be able to happen. But that was also a quality he was used to seeing in real supernatural battles, from mere meters away, so he couldn't keep calling it that for too long.

The braid was what sold it, though. With an attention grabbing sound like that, it would be easier to count the people present who weren't turning their gaze that way now. Most people are drawn to the abnormal like that. Though Akio in particular just wanted to understand how it worked. Was it all momentum, or was the spiritual power involved guiding them somehow? No amount of looking at the tangled end result was going to give him a clear image of how the chain of actions that led there functioned, though. He looked from the target, to the kunai, to the wires, to Adalvulf, and back, all with the same blank stare.

Assuming that the demonstration was over, he looked back over to Adalvulf, his expression more confused than anything else. "Excuse me, sir, where did you learn to do that? With the flashing wires?" He asked, half afraid to actually get an answer. It was the dreamlike quality in that wire handling had impressed him, with the reiatsu usage he sensed not as important, even if it was factoring into it, especially as he couldn't immediately understand why this stranger would be doing that in broad daylight. "Unless you'd rather not say?"

[Deleted]

Adalvulf looks sidelong at the man who approached him. He saw the Raitsu Flashes.. that was interesting, But that also put him on guard. He Began to twirl a Single kunai idly, Looking the man up and down before sheathing all of his kunai but leaving the wires attached to his fingers like rings. "The Flashing Ser is not somezing that you would normally be able to see hmm? The Worst thing one could do is draw attention to themselves by admitting to somezing like that." He looks around and Chuckles once before shrugging and adjusting his glasses again, looking over the man before him once more.

Adalvulf looked around at the rest of the people present and shrugged before drawing a single Kunai back and twirling it again before letting it go, firing it towards the Target as he turned his gaze towards the target to aim. He Drew the kunai wire taught but not tugging it towards himself and closed his eyes, focusing hard on the wire and making it flash once again. He then opens his eyes and looks at Akio "i am Adalvulf Rhinekranz.. And i am Called a Quincy. The Light bringers of the Human world.. What are you that you can see Reaitsu flashing?" He Smiled and offered his free hand in a handshake.

[Akio Naito]

Akio keeps his bow at rest beside him, and his eyes on the stranger's movements, without breaking his basic posture. With neither hostile intent, nor any notable intent coming from him at all, besides the air of simple curiosity he just watches every movement involving the Kunai like they were some kind of intentional show. "Aren't you doing it too? There are still such a thing as light reflections." His reply is dry, but honest and well meaning. It sounded as if he actually considered the phenomena equivalent, in the glow of reiatsu and the behavior of mundane light.

"Another Quincy?" The word clicked into place in Akio's head before the stranger, who he now knew to be called Rhinekranz, could finish. Though he did wait for them to finish, out of courtesy. Light bringers, angels, knights, he felt he understood them better than the other spiritual beings he'd seen in Karakura... not that that would say much. "I'm an ordinary person, I just watch people fight with beams of energy more than most." He didn't seem quite as aware that his situation was that far outside the norm. Capable of commenting on the concept of Quincy when he lacked any spiritual signature beyond an honestly flimsy presence, more 'ghostly' than an actual ghost would be. "And when it's in an object like that, it's easy to see it, hard to tell it apart from just another part of the wires." He accepts the handshake with his own free hand, still gloved, keeping a loose grip for the duration of the gesture.

"Please, don't mind me watching if you're going to stay here." He apologizes with an inclination of his head.

[Deleted]

17 paragraphs means 170 TP.