Kindred Spirits [Solo Training]

[Ailene Haschiro]

Light shone ever so dimly through the closed binds. As the warm rays of sunlight hit Ailene's battered and bruised body, the woman began to move ever so softly. Her eyes fluttered open. Turning her head to the side, the darkened room lit up more as Ailene's eyes adjusted to the ambient light. She was laying on a bed. Some of her wounds had been wrapped. She still felt sore, but she wasn't bleeding anymore. She was clearly laying in one of the rooms of Rēgīna. It wasn't too messy. Some of the drawers and other cabinets had been opened. Somes books were strewn across the floor and desk. Nothing that she couldn't fix with some diligence.

She groaned softly as she tried to sit up. Her back ached and her arms nearly gave out. Reorienting herself, her feet were dangling off the bed. Finding the will to sit straight, she winced softy. The last thing she remembered... was fighting a Hollow. The barista had suffered a pretty serious hit. She was sure that there was something past that. She was sure that there was something past that. Unfortunately, it had went black. Perhaps adrenaline? The woman was not entirely sure. Her stomach growled ever so softly. "Ugh... feels like I haven't eaten anything all day..." Rising to her feet, the woman began to make her way towards the door. 

The first step was by far the worst. Her movements felt sluggish. Imprecise. Biting her lip, the barista made it to the door after a minute or so. She clung to the door, her breathing heavy. Taking a deep breath, Ailene pushed onward. Opening the door, sunshine lit up the hallway so brightly that it was positively blinding. Stepping out into the hallway, she found that it was becoming easier to move. Her muscles still ached, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. She simply continued biting her lip, moving along the railing. She tilted her head as she noticed the door that led to the main tearoom sit ajar "Huh. Was Amber here? Yui perhaps?" She wouldn't let it bother her. With gentle and slow steps, she walked towards the door and into the main tearoom.

It looked as one might expect. The chairs were nearly pushed, the countertop was cleared, all of the jars with tea leaves had been slotted into place. In fact, not a speck of dust was on the ground. Everything was as pristine as it could be. Looking around at the tables, it seemed as though nobody was here. Rēgīna was empty. Or... at least it appeared so at first glance. Ailene was not entirely alone as she might have originally thought. Past the display case was the form of a dark, scaley creature. Its appearance was left slightly distorted behind the glass. The barista raised an eyebrow. Had something taken up residence within her Tea House. She decided to investigate.

Taking slow and quiet steps, she began to approach the resting form of the creature. It was curled up, wings draped over the right side of its upper body. As Ailene approached closer, she could hear breathing. Its side rose and fell ever so gently. Drawing closer and closer, Ailene began to reach out with her hand. She could not explain it, but she felt a familiarity with the little beast. Just as she was about to touch it, her hand a few inches away, its body rustled a little. It's tail gently slapped the table and it raised its head. A small guttural yawn emerged from the beast. Upon looking at it now, Ailene recognized it for what it was. A dragon! 

It appeared to be two feet in length from head to tail. She couldn't quite make out the wingspan. Small talons extended from the feet. A small serpentine tongue rolled from its maw, slithering back in. Opening its eyes, Ailene's would be met with a purple iris not unlike her own. As soon as their eyes met, Ailene moved her hand back to her own body. After a few moments of what basically amounted to a staring contest, Ailene's hand moved to grip the top of a chair. Pulling it out, she got nothing, but the steady gaze of the dragon. She sat down, groaning a little. Moving in some ways still hurt more than others. The dragon continued to stare at her for a moment. 

Suddenly, even more surprising than the fact that a live dragon sat before her, the beast opened its maw and began to speak. Its voice would be instantly familiar to Ailene. It wasn't as filtered as before. It was a proud, femme voice that arose. She had heard the once internalized voice before. "Awake at last I see. Hmm. I was wondering how long it would be until you regained consciousness." Ailene was practically speechless. Her words got caught in the back of her throat. She must've looked like a fool. The dragon simply shook her head and looked at Ailene smugly. "Questions? Concerns? Those can wait. You must be starving." 

The draconian form leapt off of the table and onto the ground. Moving around the counter, she rummaged through some cabinets. Pots and pans sounded as if they fell. Ailene sighed and facepalmed. That was going to be more stuff to clean up. After a few moments, the dragon came back from around the counter, a black tray on her back. She moved with grace, effortlessly leaping back onto the table before Ailene again. The barista took the tray from off of the dragons' back. Through the packaging, Ailene could see bundles of sushi all neatly wrapped up. She smiled and tore the wrap around the tray. The aroma of the fish hit her almost instantly. The spiciness of wasabi. She had never really had sushi before. This would be something totally different. 

Gently taking a bundle with the provided chopsticks, Ailene dipped it into the soy sauce. As soon as she tasted it, her eyes widened. She was hungry. She would've eaten just about anything. Regardless, the sushi had a distinct taste. It was indeed totally different. Without much of a focus on manners, Ailene feverishly scarfed down the sushi. The dragon watched her, a smirk forming on her draconian maw. "Well. Seems you aren't entirely as ladylike as you always try to pass yourself off to be." A small chuckle arose from her. "The way you're just going at it... it reminds me of a Hollow consuming without a care in the world." Ailene paused. She set the bit of sushi that was between the chopsticks down. Her eyes met the dragon's. "Tell me. Wha- No. Who are you? Where did you come from. Am I dreaming or have I truly lost my mind?" Ailene chuckled briefly at that last one. If this truly was a dream, it wouldn't be the weirdest she's had thus far. 

Once more, the slender tail bounced upon the table, shaking it gently. Ailene quickly grabbed tray before it had a chance to fall over. The dragon's claws gently raked along the table leaving small indentations. She mused over Ailene's questions thoughtfully. Finally, she'd answer. "Who am I? Well... I guess I am you. As for where I came from. Once again, also you." She paused for a moment, rising to all fours. "I can promise you, however, that you are not dreaming Ailene. Let me prove it." She walked closed to the barista, brandishing her talons and raking them lightly across Ailene's flesh. The woman winced and recoiled for a moment. It stung!

"What the hell was that for?!" The companion merely smirked. "To show you it's not a dream. You didn't wake up. Right?" Ailene simply rolled her eyes. The dragon did have a point. The pain did not make her wake up in a cold sweat. She crossed her arm, pouting softly. "Well... fair enough. So, you claim to be me?" The dragon tilted her head for a moment. "Well. I suppose it would be more accurate to say that I was once a part of you." She laid herself back down, ready to go into more detail. "I guess you could say that I was born when you burned out your flame." Ailene knew the expression. She... or whatever commanded her body during her Saigo No Houmen, referred to her Hollow reiryoku as a flame.

"I see. So... you were once my darker half. The soul locked within my Zanpakutō?" It was a shot in the dark, but it made sense. Her knowledge of previous events. Her draconian form. The dragon raised her head, peering at Ailene closely. "Yes. I once represented your Resurrección." There was some contempt in her voice. Ailene could pick up on it easily. She despised the smoldering embers of this form. She once commanded great power. She always used it to try and coerce Ailene into acting more like a Hollow. Now... she was a shell. A shadow of her former self. She hated it a great deal. She gave a slight sigh. 

Ailene rose to her feet, earning the attention of the dragon. "Hmm? Where are you going?" The barista continued towards the counter, stepping behind it. "I... think I'll definitely need some tea. Wash down the sushi, y'know." The barista readied her gaiwan. Looking through her stock of tea, Ailene hummed. She muttered to herself. "Lemon Tea... that sounds pretty good right about now." The barista took the jar, unscrewing it and getting her scoop. Reaching in with the tool she collected a handful of the crisp tea leaves, letting them fall into the porcelain container shortly after. As always, she ran hot water over it to clean the tea leaves. Shortly after, she'd dump the water and leave the loose-leaf tea sitting in the cup.

Letting hot water pour in again, she filled it up and placed the lid on top. Setting it down, she looked up at the counter. Her eyes widened and she stumbled backwards briefly. The dragon was now staring at her from atop the counter. Her talons hung loosely over the edge and her tail remained curled around her base. She watched every move of the barista carefully. Soon forty-five seconds passed, and Ailene would produce a pitcher. Tilting the lid, she smiled as she raised the gaiwan. She expertly poured the infused liquid into the pitcher, leaving the tea leaves within the small porcelain cup. 

Shortly after, Ailene poured some tea into a cup. She hummed softly, raising it and taking in the aroma. Taking a sip, she gave a content sigh. The sushi really left her dried out. "Why do you do it like that?" The Fractured Spirits' voice certainly indicated a questioning. Ailene merely looked up in confusion. "It looks fancy, but it's requiring more work and finesse. You could always just draw the liquid out..." The dragon spoke of this as if Ailene was nothing more than a fool. "What are you talking about?" The dragon shook her head and sighed. Ailene would listen, but she certainly didn't like the little critters' attitude.

"Fill that little cup again for me. I'll teach you something that you can actually use." Ailene glared at the draconian form of the Fractured Spirit. She'd oblige... if only out of curiosity. Once more, Ailene let the cup fill with steaming hot water. She placed the lid atop the cup, gently tapping her fingers along the wooden counter as she waited. She always did a mental count. She felt that the more she was involved in the process, the more pride she felt when her tea was well received. Regardless, eventually the allotted time would pass. Ailene looked up at the Spirit and raised an eyebrow as she gave her next instruction. "Now. Just lift the lid. Get another teacup." 

Getting the second teacup didn't bother Ailene at all. However, did the Spirit simply want to pour the tea as is? Not only would it create a mess, but the tea leaves would be in the cup. She had learnt early on that it was not a pleasant texture. However, Ailene wouldn't be asked to pour the tea. In fact, the dragon wouldn't say another thing. The dragon focused upon the tea. Suddenly, Ailene felt something emerge from the dragons' form. She knew it well. It was reiatsu! She was flexing her reiatsu. In fact, Ailene got a good sense of it. Despite her appearance, it felt... human. If she had to assign it a color, it would be slightly darker than hers. She didn't feel much more past this. 

Ailene would stop focusing on her as she heard the tea. It began to move around a little. Slosh against the walls of the gaiwan. It almost seemed as though it was threatening to spill over. However, soon something rather impressive happened. The tea lifted from the gaiwan, separating from the leaves, rising into a focused stream. The stream of tea was carefully lead along a path directed by the Spirit. Soon, she'd simply lead it into the cup that Ailene had set out for her. It was done just like that. No tea had spilled. As Ailene was looking at the scene with incredulity, the companion simply smirked. "Now that's something you can apply to everything." 

The dragon's control over the stream of tea was impressive. "Go ahead. Give it a shot..." Ailene blinked and gulped. She set her tea down and focused upon the tea. She began to flex her own reiatsu ever so slightly. Tugging on the soul of the tea, she took a deep breath. Just like before, the tea gently rocked against the walls of the cup. She envisioned a path from the cup to the pitcher, using her reiatsu to create a path. The Spirit watched with a wide grin as the tea lifted from the cup. Guided along its path, a few drops of tea fell onto the counter and her path was off by just a bit. The tea still made it to the pitcher.

It had required most of her focus, but she had done it albeit somewhat shakily. Her breathing quickened for a moment as she tried to compose herself. She took a sip of her tea again, the soothing warmth spreading throughout her entire body. All of her worries washed away for a moment. Meanwhile, the Fractured Spirit simply tapped its tail against the counter and grinned. "Well. Not too bad for someone so inexperienced. In due time... you won't even have to pour the tea anymore." Ailene blinked for a moment. Part of her was excited to have actually done it. The other part of her felt as though part of the magic of brewing is lost in the process. It took her months of constant practice to learn proper form. There was an elegance to brewing. Using Soul Command took some of the fun out of it. 

It had been months since Ailene had accidently use Soul Command twice. The first resulted in the unfortunate destruction of her favorite teacup. The second incident had actually saved her life. A mysterious gust of wind had knocked her over and brought her out of harm's way. Ever since then, Ailene had been getting these thoughts fed to her. A voice telling her to tug on it. It was the dragon's voice. Ailene was sure of it. Her proficiency with manipulating common items made her even more sure of this. It really made Ailene consider the possibilities. If everything truly had a soul as was once explained to her then what was the true limit of Soul Command? She continued taking sips of her tea, pondering on this. 

[Ailene Haschiro]

Roughly an hour had passed since the Spirit had shown Ailene to utilize Soul Command. Thus far, it had truly piqued the barista's interest. She was not willing to give up the intricacies of the tea ceremony, but she was certainly curious to see what else she could do with it. She was like a scholar upon making a new discovery. It had become akin to an obsession for her. She tried it on everything. Locking and unlocking doors... twisting knobs... even heating up cold water. It was like a mad science experiment. It truly did seem that Soul Command was only limited by ones' imagination. Naturally it had limitations. The only one that Ailene had really noticed was the scale. She couldn't really affect the soul of a size greater than her own. Even manipulations of her own size didn't seem to accomplish much. 

After an hour of playing around with her new skill, Ailene had grown a little fatigued. Utilizing reiatsu, no matter the scale, not only left her without much energy but also seemed to make her thirstier. She had several cups of tea in that hour. She had torn through the rest of the sushi. She had really left nothing for later. She'd sigh briefly. Sitting down, she'd take a break. She looked outside the window. It had grown to be a lovely evening. She raised an eyebrow. She was stuck in Rēgīna for the entire day. Or at least it felt like it. "Perhaps a walk can help me clear my head..." Heading into the backroom, Ailene went to get her satchel. She slipped into her purple robes while she was at it as well.

Ailene slipped a book or two into the satchel. Sometimes it was nice to just pick a bench under the pale moonlight and enjoy a good book. This time, however, she wouldn't be caught unprepared. Heading back behind the counter, Ailene pulled out a shelf. Totally unassuming at a glance, the barista lifted the bottom and revealed two knives. One, with a blade, ten inches in length and the other with a twelve-inch blade, she pulled both from the panel and slid then into a knife guard that rested upon her hip. With Yui, she didn't have the foresight to leave Rēgīna armed. It left her without any way to truly protect herself. As an Arrancar, she utilized Cero and Bala to almost sickening degrees. A blade wasn't required then. It was clear to Ailene that this needed to change. She did not possess the same destructive potential that she once did.

Preparing to turn off the lights, the wood behind her creaked. Standing upon the counter would be the dark-scaled dragon. Ailene turned to the Spirit and spoke quietly. "I'm gonna go for a walk." The dragon tilted its head and blinked. "...I'm coming along." Ailene chuckled and nodded, tapping her cheek. "Alright. Come on." Leaping from the countertop, the Spirit spread her wings, gracefully gliding to a halt just before the barista. With a flap of her wings, Ailene would soon find her shoulder occupied. The slender draconian form spreading itself out along Ailene's shoulders. She now had a dragon atop her shoulders, lazily using Ailene like a cart. The former Espada shook her head with a slight eyeroll and decided to roll with it. 

---

Walking for thirty minutes, the sun began to set more, filling the sky with an ambient orange light. The streetlamps began to brighten in preparation for the coming nightfall. The streets would be devoid of life except for a strange pairing. A woman and her draconic companion. It sounded like it came out of a fantasy setting such as Dungeons and Dragons, but this was as real as it got. Walking through the empty streets, Ailene supported the resting dragon who had taken refuge on her body. It was not unlike how a cat cuddled with its owner, but this instance would be far more selfish. The Spirit simply didn't want to walk. It wasn't difficult to support her draconic form, but Ailene knew she couldn't do it forever. 

Remaining largely quiet, enjoying the ambience, the silence would soon be broken. The pitter patter of steps. They were quick. Moving all around them. Ailene shifted her eyes around in a panic. So did her draconic companion. Suddenly, out of the bushes, it leaped at them. Ailene quickly dived down, taking the dragon with her as the creature leapt overhead. Skidding across the ground, its claws ferociously digging into the pavement, it would reveal itself. Roughly twelve... maybe thirteen feet in length, it had a green scalelike body with yellow fur. Its tail jagged and almost seemed spiked. A lupine Hollow mask decorated its head. Coming to a stop, it began to prowl around the pair slowly. 

At this point, both Ailene and her companion were thinking the same thing. They both blurted it out. "Oh come on! What are we? Bait for Hollows?" The lupine Hollow reeled back and let out a fearsome roar. With another ferocious pounce, it charged Ailene and her draconic companion. Without a second though, Ailene drew one of her blades. Weaving to the side thanks to her impressive agility, she not only avoided the pounce, but also slashed at its side. At the same time, the dragon Spirit leapt at the Hollow. With its own talons, it proceeded to dig into its flesh. At the same time, she brought her maw down and bit down into the Hollows. Whereas Ailene's movements were graceful, the Spirit would attack with an animalistic ferocity.

As the Hollow landed, struggling, blue energy began collecting around it. Some of its fur began to stand up as it kept moving, attempting to shake the dragon off. More and more energy collected around the beast. The Spirit would not let up. She had dug her talons fiercely within the Hollow. Ailene decided to take the initiative. She really did not like the look of this energy. However, the flailing would only serve to be to her detriment. Wildly struggling, Ailene would find a tail flying at her. The movements were erratic. She'd find herself struck in the side. The tail had some heft to it too. It felt as though she had been punched right in the ribs. She gasped, having the wind clearly knocked out of her as she rolled on the floor for a moment. 

More and more energy would collect around the beast until it all suddenly detonated! A flash of lightning erupted from the Hollow knocking the Fractured Spirit cleanly off. The draconic companion roared in pain as burns quickly assaulted her form. The Hollow howled loudly. The struggling had given Ailene a chance to rise to her feet, but until the Spirit stood up, she was on her own. The Hollow quickly twisted around its axis. Orbs of electricity had emerged from its tail and were racing towards Ailene. Quickly sidestepping one, she was in the line of fire for the other one. She screamed as the electricity washed through her body. Not only did it hurt like hell, but the electricity numbed her body for a moment. She twitched lightly. Her muscles locked up. 

With Ailene briefly incapacitated, the beast focused on its wounds. It gently licked the wounds of its side. The Spirit by this point had gotten up. Flexing her reiatsu, the much smaller beastlike entity growled. For her size, she possessed a decent amount of reiryoku. Additionally, despite possessing a physical body, she was still borne of the spirit of another. Focusing her spiritual energy, the draconic companion began to grow. It was a little slow at first, but soon began to accelerate. After a few moments, what was once a two-foot-long dragon would grow to a size of nearly eight ft. Spreading her wings, nearly draping the Hollow's head in shadow, she roared. The roar was loud. Spine-chilling. It truly was befitting a young dragon.

This was enough to intimidate the Hollow a little bit. It was still larger, but the sudden increase in size and expelling of spiritual energy left it cautious. They prowled around one another for a moment. Getting within range of Ailene as they circled around one another, growling and posturing, she'd begin stepping back. She'd be nearly wrapping around Ailene. Speaking of which, the barista began to feel her body again. She was no longer twitching. She could finally stand on her own two feet again. In the meantime, the Hollow howled. Energy soared around it again despite its clearly amplified state. The Spirit growled, speaking. "Listen Ailene. It's going to strike soon. Perhaps some last gambit. You need a better weapon..." Ailene chuckled briefly, speaking with a hint of sarcasm. "I agree. Well, let me just pull one out right now..." 

Energy continued to surge around the Hollow. The dragon growled for a moment. "Ugh... use me Ailene.." The former Espada turned her head. Her face carried a look of incredulity. "Pardon?" The dragon reiterated. "Place your hand upon me. Resonate your reiryoku with my own." As lightning continued to surge from the Hollow before them, Ailene wouldn't question it. She'd quickly sheath her dagger within the knife guard once more. Shortly after, she'd place her hand upon the draconic form. Together they both took a deep breath. Having split from the same soul, Ailene would find her easy to resonate with. Soon, the draconic body began to glow. She'd shrink within mere moments, a bright light surrounding Ailene. 

As the light faded, Ailene would find the draconic form having vanished. In its place, Ailene felt something in her head. She looked down. A curved S-shaped dagger rested in her hand. Purple in color with lighter runes etched into the top, it resembled more of a sickle. In the middle of the weapon rested a jewel that resembled an eye. Every now and then Ailene noted the eyelike jewel to be looking around. The proportions of the weapon felt right. It really did feel like a dagger, and it felt perfect for her hands. Suddenly, the barista heard a voice echo within her head. "Okay... that worked. Seems we work together better than I gave us credit for..." By this point, the Hollow had finished charging. The electricity was finally on the verge of being released. Ailene focused upon its movements as it stalked closer.

"Listen Ailene... I want to end this in one strike. I want you to focus on a direction. Focus all of your energy into our body and release it all at once when it strikes." Ailene bit her lip for a moment. It all sounded so strange, but... she didn't have much of a better idea. As asked, Ailene focused on a point past the Hollow. She allowed her spiritual energy to spread throughout her body. She just needed to wait for the right moment. It stalked ever so closer... then a little more. Finally, the Hollow leapt into the air. Turning its shoulder towards the ground it came crashing downward like a lightning bolt. "GO!" With that, Ailene unleashed all of her built up energy. She zipped forward at an impressive speed of 405. It far eclipsed that of the Hollow as it crashed down at Ailene's previous location. A burst of electricity erupted from it as it soared into the sky. 

Just from the pressure that she felt, this was a clearly a finisher technique. It struggled on its back, trying to turn over. Its fur remained calm. It had expended all of its electrical energy in that attack. With that, Ailene moved forward. Using Soul Command on the ground, the woman tugged on it and leapt forward. Easily leaping eight, no. Nine feet into the air, Ailene drew her Purification Blade while bringing her transfigured Fractured Spirit above her head. On her descent, she brought the dagger down with ferocity. She'd easily stab into its stomach, slicing it open as she whipped it to the side. The Hollow howled in agony. Moving along its struggling body, wracked with anguish, Ailene plunged the Purification Blade down into its mask. Channeling her reiatsu through it, she activated the dormant Shinigami reiryoku.

In a few short moments, the Hollow's body began to dissipate into a cloud of reishi. Its mask, now split in two, began to fall towards the ground. It quickly dissipated with the rest of its body. The Hollow had been vanquished. Ailene took a deep breath and sighed in relief. She stumbled backward. Slumping against the nearby pillar, she whimpered. The adrenaline was beginning to wear off. She looked at the side of her arm and shoulder. It had been riddled with burns. She blinked. "W-when did I get these?" She questioned herself. The Spirit provided no answer either. In truth, she wasn't sure. Hell, she only had a vague notion that Ailene and she could bond like this. The barista looked down at the Fullbring stained with Hollow blood. "You know... I never asked you for your name."

There would be a slight pause on the Fractured Spirits' part. As a Fullbring, Ailene could better sense her counterpart. She was mulling it over. Finally, she'd speak honestly. "It's never really something I considered. As Arrancar... a name wasn't important. I still don't think it's important. Despite your aims to change... I am still a Hollow at heart. Always will be. Besides, I am a part of you." Ailene sighed and chucked. She retorted quickly, "Well, I can hardly call you Ailene. Come on. Give me something to work with." The Spirit clearly thought it over some more. "Mélusine." The barista blinked for a moment. "Why that?" She felt an anger arise from the blade. "If you're going to question it then don't ask! You do-" Ailene cut her off and shook her head. "No.. no. Mélusine. It's a great name." She continued leaning against the pillar, trying to regain her composure. She'd definitely need to check by the Clinic again. No doubt she'd become a fan favorite there soon. She chuckled briefly at the thought. For now? She'd rest and regain her strength for the return trip to Rēgīna. The bright side? She'd have Mélusine to provide her some company.

[Yuki & Yui Tsumugi]

Counted 40 paras, so that'll be 200 TP~!