Adorable Judan [JT]

[Ruhe Krieger]

For some reason, she felt as if that was a lie. However, who was she to say yay or nay on that? The little Quincy girl found herself looking up at Celes as her eyes darted about, and there was a seeming uneasiness. "Oh...I understand." She says, slowly resting her hands along the hem of her dress. "I'm not really that good anyways." She says, realizing how selfish and out of place it was for her to ask for some personal training. She was better off watching from afar one might suppose. Yet...When she did?

She seemed to grasp their techniques and movements quite fluidly. Kin's eyes were sharp. She was able to analyze their movements and why and how they performed such flows. Little Kin would step back, and felt awkward for having called Celes out, and now felt even shyer after realizing that everyone was staring. Though she thought it was at her. One could imagine that Kin didn't like sticking out in such a manner. Looking to Kimiko, she slowly steps aside and away. Though of course, it seemed like that of course, many people were kind of hyped and excited at the notion. Or dreading it.

Their master's master would be attending, meaning it'd mean everyone was going to be held to a high standard. Higher than normal even, to ensure they were up to snuff. The little blonde found herself in her training anyways doing simple things. Simple movements or basic workouts, if any. After all. All it took was a single outburst or freakout moment for her to release her full pressure and feasibly crush several people to death within the flash of an eye. After all, Ruhe's talent and skill weren't lacking. Nor was her power. It was only a measure of confidence and mentality that would keep her from being a threat.

Even unintentionally, Kimiko knew how freakishly terrifying Ruhe could be if she ceased to hold her back. If she had the mind and the will of a killer. "Also...miss? I'm not liddle. I'm a big girl." She says to Celes, lisping lightly as she avoids eye contact. More like she was mentioning a half lidded fact as opposed to vehemently refuting his word. Taking the liberty to begin wandering off, and away from everyone, until class might start, she tended to analyze everything. The layout. The mountain. The way people trained and fought. The black robed reapers and what they did. They were an interesting people, and life seemed...different here.

The air was clean. The food was more rich. The energy in the environment seemed to call out to her, and she knew she could feed from it. Contributing to her strength and health. It felt hard to think about what was before. "...Hrm..." She found herself earlier terrified and fearful of Celes, seeing the captain's robes. Seeing her for what she was, and she could sense very evidently the differences in their power. However, she didn't seem to want to hurt her. Even though that lingering terror seemed to remain. Why?

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Kimiko was relieved to see that the majority of the people who were previously so curious about Celes' presence had gone back to their respective training schedules. A part of that relief came from the fact that her students had listened to her, of course, but another part was that this would effectively allow the Captain of the Tenth Division to take a breather, so to speak. Sure, a Captain is a Captain, and so they must naturally be used to speaking to large crowds; after all, that was a reality that the swordswoman herself had to get used to in time. With that said, there were times where a Captain could do such a thing without worry, and there were others during which the Captain in question is less prepared to do so. Judging by her mentor's behavior, this was one of those times for Celes, and so it was best not to bother her with the swaths of attention that is to be expected from the entirety of Nijūkan North's stupendous roster of students.

Nevertheless, even after the majority of the students left, there were a few that remained and asked questions to Celes regardless. Hearing their words and their inquiries, in spite of their friendly tones, was enough to cause Kimiko to slightly worry about how her mentor was going to react to it all. The loss of the Tenth Division's barracks had been a huge hit on her psyche, after all. Fortunately, the green-haired woman's response was reasonable. While the response was short, as to be expected from one that was practically constructed on the spot, it was concise and to the point. Needless to say, it was enough to grab the attention of everyone who was still present and bring a fair bit of positive cheering out of them all. Kimiko herself was not exempt from that fact. "Well said! So long as we stand as one, Jūichibantai will always be there to support Jūbantai with all of its might, and so too will the people of Nijūkan!" She would reaffirm then and there with a bright smile, doing so in her usual energetic ways. It was reassuring, at the very least, or she hoped that it at least was for her friend.

A few more questions then came. The most of them weren't particularly as poignant or as politically-demanding as the first couple that had been raised; however, this time around, there would be no immediate response to them all. In fact, the more of these questions were raised to Celes, the more uncomfortable she appeared to become. It had come to a point that, for a split-second, Kimiko almost thought that she had become completely mute. The fact that her friend was even able to become so suddenly recluse was still something that the Captain of the Eleventh needed to get used to, as made evident by the way she found herself staring at her in a manner that made her seem downright stunned by the sight. Yet, soon, she would find herself recovering and attempt to look towards the crowd, if only to try to get them to leave once more. This really wasn't Celes' time to speak at all, and it showed more than ever in this moment. Any more questions, and from the looks of things, she'll probably just flee the conversation altogether.

Then, without any warning, Kin appeared and asked her question. Kimiko remained quiet then, discretely anxious as she remained quiet. It was rather sad for her to admit this, but in that precise moment, her entire being was hoping that Celes would refuse the little girl's request. It wasn't necessarily that she hated the idea of her mentor trying her best to teach someone how to fight; in fact, if it were any other child, she would have tried to push her mentor in that direction just a little bit. It would have been a nice distraction from the emotional turmoil that she was currently experiencing, and also a way for her to bond a little bit further with the people of Nijūkan. The problem was that the aforementioned child in this situation was a ticking time bomb that could put the whole dojo in jeopardy if things go awry during an exercise between both she and the Captain of the Tenth. So, she said nothing, trying her best to appear curious of Celes' decision, but ultimately not muttering even a single sound.

The green-haired fighter unsurprisingly refused Kin's request. The reason behind this refusal was rather simple in hindsight, as she tried to make it appear as though it was just about a matter of attending Kimiko's classes and being not prepared-enough for it to teach the girl anything. However, Kimiko felt like she knew what the real reason was. She could tell it from a mile away, too. Quite simply, she once again believed that there was nothing that Celes could really effectively teach to Kin that would be related to the dojo's teachings. In all fairness, it made a fair bit of sense; after all, a fist-fighter such as she - one who was trained in the art of endurance and brutal strength, both of which were things that Kin evidently lacked - was not really going to be able to teach many things to a beginner swordsman, aside from perhaps standard footwork and general responses to incoming attacks that could be applied to any martial art, regardless of its style and form.

Kin's reaction to this refusal was, understandably, one of disappointment. From the looks of things, she did actually want to train with Celes, even though it appeared as though it had been very difficult for her to properly word her request. With that said, her disappointment soon turned into something that appeared to be more akin to nervousness as she seemed to become overwhelmed by the attention she was receiving. Finally, after a certain point, she would throw out one final declaration to Celes - a somewhat halfhearted statement about her size which, to say the least, wasn't particularly convincing - before she would then wander away from the crowd. "Ah, Kin, wait!" Kimiko would first call towards the child, appearing regretful to have been so passive throughout this interaction, before she would then leave out a sigh and give a soft smile to her mentor. "Oh, well. Don't worry about it, Celes. I'm sure she's not really angry at you."  

Now that this matter had come to an end, the teacher would look towards the crowd that remained around both she and her teacher. It appeared as though there was still a lingering mixture of awkwardness and unease shared across the students, one that Kimiko noticed right away. As much as she understood why this mixture was present, she didn't want to allow it to remain within her courtyard for any longer than it already was. So, in response to this observation of hers, she would raise the both of her hands before then slamming them against one another, forming a loud clapping noise that caused everyone to jump and turn their heads right back towards the dojo master. Then, once she made sure that she had gathered everyone's attention, she would shine a bright smile to everyone before calling: "Alright, everyone, now's not the time to stand here and do nothing! Let's get back to work! I want everyone to have completed at least one full set of their regimen by the end of the day!"

All it took was a few seconds at best, just enough for her to properly finish her sentence. Yet, that was enough to cause everyone to immediately follow Kimiko's words. Shortly after she spoke them, the remaining students would finally scatter back to their previous spots within the courtyard, with a few heading instead back into the dojo's facilities in order to resume their activities there, and so in the span of a few seconds, Kimiko would be alone with Celes once again. The swordswoman's scarlet eyes would follow every student as they left, making sure that none would try to talk to them again. Finally, after she made sure to confirm this, she turned her head towards her friend and gave her a small, yet somewhat-exhausted chuckle. "Sorry about that. I told you that you weren't going to be out of the spotlight for long," she would first tell her friend before looking over towards the three enormous edifices occupying the western, the northern, and the eastern sides of the immense courtyard: the student's quarters, the temple, and the dedicated training facility. "There's a couple of places I can show you before the classes start. Oh, and don't worry! None of those are as busy as the courtyard. You shouldn't have anyone bothering you there."

It was somewhat of a weak promise, but it was than nothing.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Technique Used}
Technique Name: Akuma no Ishi (剃るかんめき, "Demon's Will")

Technique Type: Other | Strength of Will Buff

Technique Element: None

Usable by: All races

Class: 3

Technique Reiatsu Cost: N/A

Technique Description and Effects

The projection of one's own will to empower the hearts of others. The user channels the strength of their very soul within themselves before shouting it out, most typically either in a short inspirational speech or a motivational war cry. By accomplishing this, the user is capable of bringing forth the Strength of Will skill of all of their surrounding allies by one point for the next three posts, inspiring them to go further beyond towards victory even if such a thing may cost their lives. A master of this skill is said to have such a powerful will that they are able to instead bring the aforementioned skill of their allies up by two points.


Drawbacks & Weaknesses

As saddening as this may be to those who may be interested in learning this technique, not everyone is born with a powerful will. That is simply a natural, uncontested fact that cannot be refuted even by the greatest minds there is in this world. In so doing, it is not difficult to imagine that this technique will not always show any kind of positive effect onto the people surrounding them, especially if they are used by naturally-uninspiring individuals. In order to guarantee this technique's proper success, the user must possess a 2 in at least one of the following skills: Acting, Charisma, or Strength of Will. This technique can be executed by those who have a lesser version of these skills if they so will it; however, upon execution, there will be a 50% chance of this skill failing to provide any kind of inspiration to allies altogether.


Made by: Nakajima Kimiko

Reserved? : No

[Celes Castellanos]

After she said her piece, making an attempt to weasel out of teaching the young girl, Celes slowly realized how stupid her excuse was. Nevertheless, it had to suffice under scrutiny. "Oh...I understand.", Kin bashfully replied. Celes felt herself freeze. She really did not like the way Kin had seemed so disappointed. "Shit..", she thought to herself. "I'm not really that good anyways." All of a sudden, Celes felt way worse than before as the young Quincy girl began to walk off. Even despite the soft cheers that arose from the crowd upon hearing that the Captain would be making an appearance, she felt disheartened by Kin's reaction.

The Captain just scratched her head nervously as Kimiko tried to console her. "Oh, well. Don't worry about it, Celes. I'm sure she's not really angry at you." The green-haired Shinigami gave a weak, half-hearted smile to her friend. Despite that, Kimiko's words helped... just a little bit. At least until an ill-timed voice made itself known from the depths of her mind. "Don't feel bad, Celes. I bet that girl wouldn't have learned much anyway. I'd hazard a guess that she'd break from a single swing. Well... one of my swings at least~"

A bit of alarm shot through her. "Why here? Why now?" A soft, eerie hum escaped the Hollows lips. "Oh, don't worry. I won't pounce on anyone here like a snake. Just thought I'd have a front-row seat to you dashing a young, impressionable girl's dreams. I almost cried tears of joy~", Honegumi mocked. The Captain silently whimpered as Honegumi offered gleeful torment. As an extra layer of protection, Celes actively suppressed her reiatsu, making it even more difficult for anyone to sense the faint traces of Hollow reiatsu which began to radiate from the woman's soul.

This level of focus and concentration almost made her recoil when Kimiko suddenly raised her voice to the surrounding crowd, telling them to continue their training. It wouldn't take long for the other students to bow out, excusing themselves from the pair of Captains. The girl's breaths evened out just a tad more as she relaxed. Over the past few weeks, it had been getting harder and harder to truly ignore the Inner Hollow which had taken root. At least... it had been since Yunorashi... Celes' thoughts paused as she shook her head, not wanting to reminisce about it! Thankfully, Kimiko was there to redirect her attention.

"Sorry about that. I told you that you weren't going to be out of the spotlight for long,". Her eyes shifted over, meeting Kimiko's. "Oh... yeah. It can get pretty overwhelming, considering recent events. Just a fucking shitshow sometimes.", Celes swore. She paused for a moment, blinking. Placing her hand in front of her mouth, she chuckled nervously. "Sorry! Slip of the tongue, hehe..." Then came Kimiko's second consolation of the day. "There's a couple of places I can show you before the classes start. Oh, and don't worry! None of those are as busy as the courtyard. You shouldn't have anyone bothering you there."

Celes nodded thoughtfully and let out a soft sigh. She had a feeling it was inevitable, but whatever. "Oh... yeah. Lets." With a relaxed cadence, Celes began to make her way to the northern-most structure. Truth be told, she wasn't really familiar with the way Kimiko remodeled the school, if at all, based on her fleeting memory of the "haunted" dojo they had come across so long ago. Along their walk to the building, Celes spoke softly, "Thanks for having my back there... The last thing I needed was them telling me that there was no class today..." She paused for a moment, chuckling softly, "Guess my part of the deal is coming true despite winning the race". After a few moments, the Captain was at the foot of the building, walking in to explore Nijukan in full!

[Ruhe Krieger]

Ruhe heard Kimiko shout out about completing a set of training. In truth, Kin didn't do very hard labor as far as she was concerned. In her new small state, people didn't expect very much of her. She was more of a "chore" girl. She went about cleaning, delivering errands, and otherwise performing smaller "bustle" tasks. Kimiko was right. The little girl wasn't really upset. In fact, maybe she was a little relieved at the rejection. After all, every lesson she'd ever had up until now had been painful. Every hurt was a lesson, and pain was an excellent teacher. Though; she wasn't sure if that made her grow better. Stronger.

As she walked, her small dainty feet along the wood, she found herself feeling enriched by the environment. Sometimes, it felt like just by being here, her body was developing. Her spiritual awareness and power developing exponentially. Though she herself didn't notice that literally. Standing along the edge of a hall, she looks down to the end of it. Before performing a "shunpo", or rather. A movement. She blurs and vanishes for but a split second, appearing at the end of the hall. It was her best attempts at mimicking such a technique. While considerably slower? If anyone looked upon her for her seeming age? It was probably quite impressive. Nobody could complain about that. 

As the day went on, she found herself finishing all her chores, and when she looked out? She found herself slowly taking a shinai off from a weapon rest. Holding it in her hands. It felt slender, and well fitted to her hand. Smooth. Though she knew it was not her weapon of choice. There was another weapon that called out to her. Ruhe was far too sweet, delicate, and slender to embrace the battle of close range. Instead, she knew to some extent, she delivered death from afar. Still. Taking the blade in both hands, she swung down in the form of the kata. The kata she'd seen the other students do time and time again. Swinging down vertically, before twisting the blade in her hand to the reverse grip. Swinging slowly upwards. She'd seen the grace.

Her keen eyes memorized how they moved with practiced precision. Flashing back to witnessing them. Her left foot slides back as she shoulders her body. Her index finger and ring finger curling slightly as she lets her body naturally move, her shoulders carrying the momentum of her swing. She swung at nothing but air, but for a moment, a flash hits her. A flash of that time. When blades sung, and masks roared. She stopped then and deposits the shinai into the weapon rack again. Ruhe was afraid. Slowly sitting, her back against a wall, she curls her legs inward towards her chest. Slowly burying her face into her knees. 

"...I'm scared." She says, and with it, she finds herself mulling. Reflecting on her life as she thinks back to what she lacked. What could have been. How she wished for things to be. Though she knew that hoping and wishing were foolish things. The world didn't change because of things like that. So instead, she wallowed and tried to become as small as possible. Lightly rocking back and forth as she then lay very still, as if sleeping. Ruhe felt fears of many things. How couldn't she? When it seemed as if there were terrors immeasurable. And few to hold her hand through it. 

[Nakajima Kimiko]

The interaction between Celes and Kin was, needless to say, unfortunate. At least, it was as such from Kimiko's perspective. Even if it had been understandable for the Captain of the Tenth to refuse to work with the child, the latter left in her wake a meandering sense of disappointment and sadness that was not particularly appreciated by anyone in the crowd. Still, once again, the dual swordswoman believed that this was ultimately the best course of action that they could've taken. The little Quincy girl was most definitely hurt by this occasion and so was Celes, judging by the look that she gave to Kimiko soon after Kin had left the scene, but if this would've gone any further, things would have escalated at a breakneck pace that the dojo master would have had no hope in the slightest of even so much as stirring in a more favorable direction. In other words, this was just for the best. There was nothing else they could to really directly remediate the situation.

With that said, she believed that they could have at least moved on from this situation quickly enough. Refusing a child's request was not a pleasant experience, but it wasn't something that Kimiko believed Celes would have been unable to do, even in this apparent moment of emotional weakness. The Captain of the Tenth Division had always been a very strong woman in the swordswoman's eyes, after all, a warrior who could brave every kind of danger with a smile and an attitude that no one would ever be able to forget. Yet, as her disciple's scarlet eyes found themselves staring at her expression, they were quickly able to spot that this moment of weakness was even stronger than anticipated. The distant gaze, the faint smile, the general complete lack of any enthusiasm whatsoever... She had even suppressed her spiritual energy too, most likely to prevent some kind of outburst. It was just all too overwhelming for Kimiko, like she was looking at a version of Celes that truly wasn't supposed to have ever come to fruition.

At that point, the martial arts teacher wanted to understand how someone like Celes could sink so low. It was as though the light that once shone from her mind and body had been sucked into a deep black hole, and was now seemingly unable to get out, locked in some kind of mental prison of her own making. Her open use of curses said as much. The student wanted to figure out why her mentor, her dear friend, had turned into this. The many attacks against the Soul Society as well as the destruction of the Tenth Division's barracks were most certainly impactful, yes, but Kimiko would have never thought any of them to affect Celes like this. There just... had to be something more. Maybe it was Celes' Inner Hollow doing tricks on her. Maybe it was something Yunorashi said that caused them both to suddenly drift apart from one another. Kimiko didn't know the specifics, but there just had to be some kind of explanation for this that was more personal than the ones that were more obvious in hindsight.

This newfound curiosity brought the teacher to offer her own teacher the offer of visiting the other sites of Nijūkan North. Celes first appeared to be somewhat reticent to the idea in Kimiko's eyes, but eventually, she would concede, and the two of them would then find themselves heading towards the northern building of the dojo. Due to the size of the school's courtyard as well as the speed at which they proceeded, it would take them some time before they would actually reach the aforementioned building. Nevertheless, Kimiko saw nothing wrong with that. In fact, it allowed her to give some of her attention to her friend as she spoke to her. "You don't need to thank me for that. You know I always got your back," she would reply with a smile as they grew closer and closer to the temple. Then, after Celes commented about the race, she found herself laughing a bit. "Well, after that spar, I think I deserve it! I still remember what that punch of yours did to my stomach... Did you know I've been trying my best to figure out how to deal with something like that ever since? It's really hard, you know!"

Her attitude was as bright as ever, maybe even a little bit exaggerated for the sake of the Captain of the Tenth's mood. It was the result of years and years of building enough confidence to teach lessons to tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of students on a weekly basis. In a way, from this perspective, it almost truly seemed as though the Kimiko of old - the girl who could barely complete a full sentence without mincing her words or appearing completely lost in her thoughts - had finally gone away to be replaced by something that was much more powerful in comparison. One could say that it was admirable, but Kimiko herself believed that this attitude of hers was necessary, especially now that she was dealing with Celes' current state. The green-haired woman has always been there for the scarlet-eyed warrior when she was experiencing her darkest moments, always there to shine her light upon her shadows. It was only natural for her to return the favor now that their positions were switched.

Eventually, the both of them would finally reach the northernmost building of the school. There, Kimiko would take the lead, moving a little bit further ahead of Celes as they headed up another set of stairs towards the building's main entrance. From up-close, it would be clear to Celes that this was a temple. Its design reminiscent of ancient Japanese architecture, it appeared somewhat old in spite of its age, but incredibly spiritual. From where they stood, the two Captains would be able to feel spiritual energy coursing through the air, soothing those who passed through it like the many spiritual areas which remained in the Living World. Spread about the area were a number of effigies and idols that held a spiritual meaning of sorts. A few of them were simple yet majestic dragon statues, with a few appearing to be steaming cloudy vapor from the mouth, while others were instead depictions of the Buddha. In fact, there was a greater golden depiction of him at the far-end of the temple. Some may believe this temple to then be one dedicated to the practice of Buddhism; however, it would be then that they would be able to spot elements that were somewhat more unconventional in hindsight, such as Christian crosses, Stars of David, and various depictions of the Islamic star and crescent.

By the time Celes would have been able to get a good view of all of those things, her student would have gone a little bit forward through the temple, passing by a few students who appeared to be praying either on their own or with another practitioner. Then, once they would reach the temple's center, she would turn towards her friend and give her a smile, all the while her figure stood beneath the gaze of the great Buddha. "This is the northern temple of Nijūkan. It's here that our students can have a break and practice their faith," she would explain with a quieter voice so as to not bother those who were currently praying. "It's a bit unconventional, I know... To be honest with you, I don't think I've seen a dojo with a temple in it before. However, we decided to have a place like this built when Emile suggested it. When we built it, we believed that this would be the best place for us to show that our school isn't just a school, but rather a place where we can all coexist and become stronger together."

For a brief moment, it would almost seem as though Kimiko would find herself looking back towards one of the little statues of the cloudy-mouthed dragons. She knew what that dragon was supposed to be. It wasn't a god nor was it a simple mythical creature, but rather something else that she wasn't sure she appreciated in hindsight: a depiction of her, or rather a rumored form of her being. For a time now, stories of her coming to the dojo with a steaming mouth had been circulating across much of the Soul Society, and in so doing, the people had begun to sometimes refer to her as "Rukongai no Ryū", or The Dragon of Rukongai. It was a ridiculous nickname, one that she firmly believed to have been from a lack of understanding of the fact that her mouth was only steaming every now and then because of the effects of her favorite meal, Hikashi's Dragon's Breath. Even so, she did not wish to destroy these statues. She already told her students not to see her in such a way... but if they want to do so and it allows them to become stronger, she did not believe that it was entirely wise to prevent them from doing so.

---

Meanwhile, in the eastern facility of the northern school, Kin would be able to hear the sounds of training students as she wandered down the hall. Each and every one of them, from the smallest cubicle designed only to allow a student to properly achieve their kata on their own with minimal noise to the larger locals that were conceived to contain spars an duels, were presently occupied safe from a couple of them, and the people within them were visibly doing their absolute best to maintain their physique. Some were wielding the standard bamboo swords provided by the school so as to train without the possibility of injury, though the majority of them were wielding proper swords, daggers, and all other kinds of bladed weaponry to use in conjunction with Kimiko's school of swordsmanship. It was an admirable sight, to say the least, one that could easily inspire many. However, to the little girl who was not quite what she tried to make herself appear to be, it was all another potential catalyst to add to the return of her terrible memories of that one faithful battle.

When she found herself slumping to the floor and letting her emotions flow out once again, an occurrence that was most likely not unique, no one would come to check up on her. This was not the place for social interaction, but rather for searching one's purpose, one's strength, and so the many cries of training which came from the many rooms spread across the hall would very quickly drown out any noise of sadness which potentially came from Kin at that moment. Together, these cries almost formed a wall of sorts, a hallway of pure noise that would never once interact with the little girl to comfort her. No, instead, they would leave her be, forcing her to remain on her own in this moment. It was not an experience that some would consider to be pleasant, especially for a traumatized child such as the little girl. However, just as it almost seemed as though the noise was going to crash upon Kin and seemingly force her to leave... she would be able to discern one particular set of noises that appeared to be louder than the rest.

It came from the door right next to her. At a glance, it appeared to be a door which led into one of the rooms that contained a single stronger training dummy, the metallic kind that was specifically created to receive as much damage as possible without breaking. Huffs and shouts of effort echoed from the door, then followed by multiple explosions of metal against metal. It was a cacophony, the kind that could only rival the noise that was becoming overwhelming to Kin in the hall. However, it was also mesmerizing. Perhaps it was because the noise itself appeared to be the result of ridiculous strength, the kind that would have reduced a typical wooden dummy into dust by now. Perhaps it was because a portion of the noise was instead created by the powerful spiritual energy that came with it, as well as the groans and creaks of the room's structure as the energy's pressure was pushed onto them. There was no doubt about it: inside of this room was a formidable warrior.

Kin could move on if she wished to do so; after all, she hadn't come to this building to meet anyone, but rather to reflect upon herself. However, should she decide to peek through the reinforced window of the door, she would be able to witness the source of the noise and the energy that followed it. There, in the room, was a large man wearing the Shihakusho of the Shinigami. He was tall and bulky, with short brown hair that appeared to be finely cut upward. In his left hand was held tightly the handle the of the impressive Zanpakuto that was being held on his back, and in his right... was seemingly nothing but air, for his right arm didn't even appear to be occupying his sleeve which had been visibly cut with a blade. It was a strange sight, to say the least, even if it was perhaps to be expected from a place such as this particular school. Even so, it was formidable, perhaps even spectacular. The only thing that was perhaps more spectacular in comparison was the way he trained.

With strength and fervor, he would unsheathe and sheathe the blade from the scabbard on his back several times as he launched it towards the dummy, doing so with astonishing stances that required specific bending of his back as well as wide positions for his legs to adopt. His arms and legs bulged with muscles that were refined time and time again, flesh that allowed him to bring upon his target the kind of strength to perhaps expect from Vice-Captains. Meanwhile, the dummy before him could only wince in metallic agony as it suffered blow after blow. It was dented, sporting multiple bends and even holes that left it in a sorry shape that only ultimate power could bestow upon it. No doubt, if this goes on, the poor thing will be blasted off its hinges across the room and left there to be rot as a husk that would require reparations later from the school's maintenance staff. Either that, or they would outright need to replace it; after all, it would be difficult to hide the extent of these damages.

The sight was scary for sure, but something about the way he struck the dummy with only a single hand as he wielded that blade was almost inspiring. Perhaps Kin could have a chat with him. Besides... he would look somewhat familiar to her, like she had seen him before.

[Celes Castellanos]

As they began to approach the opening which led to the northernmost building of Nijukan, Kimiko briefly replied to Celes' appreciation. "You don't need to thank me for that. You know I always got your back," Celes' cheeks briefly lit up and she couldn't help, but return a smile. However, Celes' eyes went wide for a moment as Kimiko expressed her thoughts on their last bout. "Well, after that spar, I think I deserve it! I still remember what that punch of yours did to my stomach... Did you know I've been trying my best to figure out how to deal with something like that ever since? It's really hard, you know!"

The Captain briefly reminisced about the Hakuda brawl between herself, Kimiko, and Kaen. She vividly remembered striking her student straight in the gut, practically knocking the wind out of her. She lightly shook her head for a brief moment. "Well... I can't say that it's my proudest moment, but you were so eager that I couldn't help, but oblige!" She chuckled briefly, her spirit rising just a little. What the woman didn't tell Kimiko, at least not right now, was that Celes had punched her with less than half of her full strength. Well... maybe she could tease her about it, soon. For now, she had a school to see.

As Kimiko took the lead, Celes merely followed diligently. She really didn't know her way around the school and she wagered that Kimiko would show her everything in due time. Within a few moments, the pair of warriors would find themselves in a large temple-like space. The architecture alone felt... ancient. Celes could hardly fathom the amount of history that this room contained. As they entered the room properly, Celes noticed a good few statues and other religious symbology that spoke of various different faiths practiced across the millennia. Needless to say, there were quite a few students praying at various parts of the room, either alone or together.

Celes couldn't help but briefly let out a brief, Wow...", admiring the space. She didn't really need Kimiko to describe the purpose of the room to her, but the Captain wouldn't interrupt anyway. "This is the northern temple of Nijūkan. It's here that our students can have a break and practice their faith,", eliciting a brief nod from the green-haired Shinigami. "It's a bit unconventional, I know... To be honest with you, I don't think I've seen a dojo with a temple in it before. However, we decided to have a place like this built when Emile suggested it. When we built it, we believed that this would be the best place for us to show that our school isn't just a school, but rather a place where we can all coexist and become stronger together."

"Huh, that's really interesting..." The girl wasn't very religious. After all, the existence of the spiritual realm almost seemed to deny every other afterlife, barring perhaps Hell. From what she understood of the Soul Cycle, souls were repeatedly recycled and reincarnated in death. Naturally, this largely mimicked reincarnation. Nonetheless, she couldn't help but appreciate the camaraderie that the school could build this way. "I think that's really sweet and a great message to practice.", the girl kept her voice down as to avoid preventing anyone from practicing.

As Celes turned, her eyes briefly fell on Kimiko who seemed to be staring off into the distance. Celes' eyes followed Kimiko's gaze before she found herself looking at the statue of a dragon. She wasn't familiar with any religious imagery that the dragon could provoke. Before she really had a chance to ask her friend, Celes felt a looming presence beside them. As Celes turned, she saw a black-haired woman standing beside them. She'd smile brightly at the two Captains before speaking, "Good morning, Nakajima-sensei and Shinda-", the girl briefly caught her own mistake, remembering Celes' preference in the courtyard. "I mean, Celes-taichou." Celes hummed lightly and thought to herself, "Close enough, I guess."

"We were wondering if you'd like to join us in brief silent prayer?", her voice briefly trailed off as she made the request. Celes tilted her head for a moment. This was definitely... new. She had never been asked to join in prayer. She was here to see the school first-hand... maybe participate in some classes. She let out a brief sigh, mulling it over for a moment. "Well... sure. Why the hell not?", she acquiesced. In truth, part of her didn't want another Kin situation. Plus... the girl had made an effort to not address Celes quite as formally.

"O- oh, really? Thank you.", her voice beamed. Following the girl with careful steps, Celes found herself before an idol she didn't fully recognize. That didn't really matter though. Expertly undoing the harness that held the scabbard for her Zanpakutō in place, Celes placed the cool-blue longsword right beside her. Sinking to her knees, the Shinigami briefly cleared her throat. "So like... just sit here?" The pair nodded and Celes closed her eyes, sitting there. She didn't really think of anything specific, just letting the tranquility of the moment wash over her. It was, admittedly, a tad bit relaxing.

One second passed. Then two. Next five. Finally fifteen seconds. Celes opened her eyes, letting out a brief sigh and flashing a smile towards the woman and her companion who had invited her. After they returned the smile, Celes rose to her feet, the scabbard of her Zanpakutō in hand. Carefully clipping it back onto her harness, the girl returned to the middle of the room with quiet steps to reconvene with Kimiko whether her own student joined in the prayer or not. With a quiet, slightly rejuvenated voice, Celes spoke up. "So... where to next?"

[Ruhe Krieger]

The sounds of clacking wood had been familiar, and yet, a deeply disturbing sound for her. Kin wasn't sure why, but she felt as if she'd been hit with a lot of violence before. However, for a moment, as she focused herself, she looked out across the area towards the people of the room and found herself deeply contemplative of every movement. It was almost as if they moved slow to her. Reading their movements never seemed to be a difficulty. Yet. Still. It felt odd to be in such a situation. Until eventually, she found herself tiptoeing, moving along with the small wooden shinai in her hand. 

"Mhm..." She found herself nervous, looking at all the students training, and she subconsciously hunched over to make herself seem even smaller as she hugged the wooden blade to her chest. For some reason, she felt like people were going to hit her. Even though that wasn't true. The feeling only intensified when she saw those Shinigami trainees. Everyone had been relatively nice to her, so long as she was cordial and returned it. So. Why? Holding her right hand to her mouth, she eventually found herself before a different kind of training room.

Then, she saw him. The one armed swordsman beating the heck out of a training dummy. The little girl watched from the shadow, his immaculate form and technique. Slowly crouching behind a box and then a weapon's rack. "Sugoi." She said idly, never knowing that someone with just a single arm could deliver such force. One would only imagine what he could do with two. Ruhe found herself thinking then. That she wished she could be strong. Not knowing the great humor. That she was the one who'd taken that man's arm. A watery shark having risen, twisted, and molded it's shape to bite him and carry him away. Mauling him and taking his limb in a fell swoop.

Though he was not the only one consumed that day. 

"U-Umm...Mister?" She almost regretted speaking up, as she slowly crouches back down behind the rack, only for the small blonde to lose her shift of balance, and trip forwards, landing onto the rack, and causing it to shake as she rubs her forehead. "O-Oww." She says to herself, and feeling a sense of anxiousness. Something welling up deep inside of her. It was as if she felt a pang of pain, and not just from her little stumble fall just now. Not as she scrambled onto her feet and slowly ran her hand along her hakama. "I-I'm sowrry." 

She mumbles, before inspecting everything. As if to make sure she didn't break anything. She couldn't help but stare. Stare with big, wide, blue eyes. Eyes as blue as the sky, and as wide as a deer in the headlights. Looking at him, she found herself wanting to become even smaller. To just fade away. Something felt very off. She felt as if the man in front of her had some reason to be angry at her. As if the man in front of her was someone she did something wrong to. How was she supposed to react to that? How could she react to that even? 

[Nakajima Kimiko]

For a brief moment as they moved onward towards the temple, Kimiko was able to see life slowly return to Celes. Slowly, but surely, the darkness that was clouding her eyes only a few moments ago dissipated if only briefly, and with a chuckle, the light that the swordswoman had come to associate with her mentor would breach through. Of course, it was nothing in comparison to the light that shone ever-so-brightly from the Captain of the Tenth years ago, before the many disasters each and every one of them within the Gotei 13 have gone through as of late, but for Kimiko, it was just reassuring. It meant that the person she had met when she was still nothing more than a student of the Academy - her mentor, her teacher, her friend - was still not entirely lost in the chaos of war, still there to give her advice and comfort whenever she needed it. If anything, it was more than enough for the dojo master's smile to brighten even further... even if she would have preferred not to mention that spar again. Just talking about it was enough to make her stomach hurt again.

When they arrived to the temple and the Captain of the Eleventh gave her friend a little bit of context to the place, said Captain's eyes would find themselves observing her fellow Captain's reaction to it all. Truthfully, she wasn't really expecting Celes to completely agree with the purpose of the schools' temples. In fact, she didn't expect anyone to really agree with it, for after all, they were all spirits of the afterlife who have long since left the limits of the Living World behind them. There was no Heaven out there beside the Soul Society, no real gods outside of perhaps the Shinigami from a certain point of view, and although Hell existed, it did not exactly work like the ancient Human texts described. Then, there was the concept of the cycle of souls as a whole, and the unlikeliness of the many legends and mythologies described by Humans of old being nothing more than depictions of Shinigami officers or Fullbringers fighting against various Hollows throughout history. Really, practically every relic, every statue, and every idol that currently stood around them were all most likely false.

Even so, she believed in this temple's importance. She believed in their stories to a degree, found meaning from the many stories of those who practiced their religion, because she understood them. She sees them as they are - instruments of assembly, of unity, and of social balance with the aid of a figure of sorts - and thus finds solace in their use here. That way, those who were discouraged by the revelations brought about by their presence in the Soul Society can retrieve the peace that they once preached in the Living World. They can also better communicate with other practitioners, rid themselves of the disagreements and the lack of coherence between the texts in an environment that prevents them from doing such a thing, and so they can become not only better people, but also better warriors. After all, there is no reason to hate your fellow man or woman due to what they believe if every piece of worship that do not include the existence of the actual elements of the afterlife were all factually wrong.

Some would believe this to be a rather manipulative attempt at social acceptance, and in a way, Kimiko would agree. It had taken some time for her to both consider and accept Emile's plan, mainly because she thought that it would only really cause issues between the students of Nijūkan. Yet, so far, nothing negative stemmed from the worship of so many religions in one place. Perhaps this peace was fabricated by the teachers' presences; after all, they were each of superhuman strength and agility, and so they would most likely be able to quell any conflict that may arise not just from the temple itself, but probably the entire vicinity of the schools. However, the dojo master did hope that there was some truth to her belief about the utility of the falsehoods of the Living World's religions. That way, the existence of this temple wouldn't be one born of fear of being brought down by figurative subjugators, but rather one born of proper truth and reconciliation.

Fortunately, it would seem that Celes somewhat agreed to the message that Kimiko and Emile attempted to build with this temple. She expressed her impression of the place and of the aforementioned message it conveyed with positiveness and appreciation. More surprising to the Captain of the Eleventh, however, was what would happen next. Without warning, one of the dojo master's students would appear behind them, a woman with black hair and lively  blue eyes alongside another student. Needless to say, Kimiko was able to recognize her rather quickly as one of those who remained within the holy city of Seireitei. "Ah, good morning, Asuka, Bertram. How's it going?" She would greet with that same energy she usually held for her students, albeit with a quieter tone so as to not disturb the people of the temple who were still preaching. While there was a slight pang of worry within the Captain's heart after she almost heard the words "Shindazu-taichou", she was at least glad that she corrected that phrase... or at least that she had corrected it to a certain extent.

The woman had come to them in order to ask if they would be willing to join she and other practitioners in a moment of prayer. Kimiko wasn't particularly surprised by this; after all, she had come to understand that the woman was a fervent believer of various ancient religions. Thus, this wasn't the first time Asuka had done this and it was most likely not going to be the last time. Nevertheless, having prayed here before to numerous idols of a multitude of gods, the swordswoman did not mind the idea of joining her student in prayer, but she wondered how her friend would react to this. Fortunately, she decided to accept Asuka's request. Perhaps she only did this because of what happened earlier with Kin, or perhaps because the request was a rather-simple one, but either way, Kimiko was glad to see that she wouldn't have to deal with the disappointment of another one of her students. Quelling the worries that had come from Kin's apparent sadness then had already been difficult enough...

It did not take long for the superior officers to join Asuka's usual spot of prayer. There, they would find various sculpted idols, all of which depicted common wild animals. They ranged from the typical forest mammals such as bears and wolves to what could be considered as prey, such as hares and even otters. Several flowers, namely scarlet spider lilies, had been left around them, leaving a smell of purity and incense in the air. In-between them all was a single larger statue depicting what appeared to be some kind of bird. Compared to the other idols, this one appeared to have been deliberately sculpted to be less defined and instead more interpretive. From a glance, it appeared to be an owl, but from another glance, it instead seemed more akin to a raven. Either way, the avian creature of stone gazed onward with firm, judging eyes, as though it was attempting to decide whether the ones before it would be able to defend the animals under its watch.

Kimiko was not sure of what deity this sculpture was supposed to represent. Asuka had never described it to her, and there weren't many students who were aware of what it was. In their eyes, it was most likely some kind of forest god most probably preached by an indigenous clan of the Living World, but at times, the Captain believed it to be more than just that. There was something about that bird that seemed oddly ancient to her, like it has existed before each and every person within this entire school as well as much as even the entirety of the Soul Society itself. She couldn't exactly prove this fact, yet... she simply believed it. Maybe it was just the way the bird's depiction had been sculpted, and so she was just imagining things, but it nevertheless made her somewhat intimidated. Even so, she would follow Asuka's instructions all the same, and so she bring her swords out of their obi sash, lay them by her side as she brought herself on her knees, then closed her eyes in prayer.

The prayer would last for about fifteen seconds. They would remain in silence during that time, immobile as the bird statue gazed at them all. For the others, this was a relaxing process; however, for Kimiko, it was a bit less so. The lack of noise reminded her of Kin and her task to bring her away from this place before she would be reduced to ash by the Captain-Commander's flames. It reminded her of Shizukakane's lessening physical condition, of her surveillance of Kazuhiko, of the awful mutated Human that she had delivered to the Twelfth Division. It also reminded her of her. Even now, with her eyes closed, she could feel her presence. It was as though she was sitting right in front of her, with her eyes locked into place right in front of her own. Eventually, that feeling became less a feeling and more so reality, for the longer she remained in darkness, the more she saw them. Slowly, the silver orbs in the dark would brighten and brighten. 

By the fifteen-second mark, they had become so bright that they almost threatened to blind Kimiko altogether.

Then, the prayer was complete, and she could open her eyes again.

It took every inch of the Captain's body for her to not show any signs of fear to the people around her. Every single inch. She needed to focus on not allowing her breath nor her heartbeat to quicken near Celes, and she needed to maintain a calm gaze. It was an exhausting process, but fortunately, it worked, if only because she had now become used to such hallucinations. Even so, her focus had been such that she had almost spaced out, finding herself rising up from her previous position on the floor a little bit slower in comparison to the others. There was something about the way her Inner Hollow had acted this time around that seemed almost more frightening in comparison to every single other attempt to stress her out. Was it because of the fact that this meant to be a moment of prayer? She wasn't sure... but either way, it annoyed her. This should have been a moment of retrospection, and in the end... Well, it was a kind of retrospection that she believed to have been rather unnecessary.

She and Celes would go on to pick up their Zanpakuto and return towards the center of the temple. The Captain of the Tenth appeared to have been left rejuvenated by the prayer, and it was the only that kept her fellow superior officer from not showing how tired she suddenly felt from that prayer. Needless to say, that focus had taken a lot of her. However, she was strong enough to retain her shining teaching facade in front of her friend. After hearing Celes' questions, she would find herself looking on over to the remaining buildings to visit - the student's living quarters and the training facility - before she would then find herself staring at the first. "Well, it's almost time for lunch. I say we go get ourselves something from the kitchens in the quarters. We'll check them out at the same time!" She would suggest then with an excited tone, if only because food would most likely be the only one thing right about now that could allow her to put that moment she just went through right behind her.

With that, Kimiko would then begin to walk out of the temple - hopefully with Celes in tow - towards the western edifice located within the school's courtyard. At a glance, it admittedly look much more basic in comparison to the northern temple. It held a similar look to the houses scattered across Rukongai, though its quality and size were much greater, enough so that it could easily contain an impressive amount of students if need be. The dojo master would head into one of the double doors which served as its entrances, and then move into what appeared to be a large hallway connected to several rooms. One of these rooms, of course... was the cafeteria. There, both she and Celes would find several people eating at a number of long tables, as well as a counter where three cooks were presently preparing food. Since it was almost noon, there appeared to be a bit more people occupying the tables, though they nevertheless were not entirely filled with people. In so doing, there were a few spots they could still occupy together.

Over the counter, attached to the ceiling, would be noticed a makeshift menu. It appeared to have been drawn from a wooden plaque with the aid of ink by someone that was very enthusiastic of their work, judging by the boldness of the letters drawn as well as the small doodles that had been placed near each meal on the menu. From the looks of things, it appeared as though they were serving ramen bowls today. One of them was the eponymous "Dragon's Breath Bowl", which was enough to cause Kimiko to chuckle quietly. "That thing really has become popular, huh? Heh, Hikashi must be making a hell of a profit with it," she would remark with a bright smile before she would then turn her head towards her friend. "Ah, yeah, I don't know if you've heard about it lately, but that Dragon's Breath Bowl became super popular ever since I ate it. It's really good, but it's reaaaallly spicy! Every time I eat it, it makes steam come out of my mouth." 

As enthusiastic as ever about food, this one.

---

By the time Kin had decided to grant her complete attention to the room containing the one-armed man, the dummy he himself had been granting attention appeared to be on its last legs. Faced with such ridiculous power, it was quite clear that it was soon going to be destroyed by the man's weapon. In utter metallic agony, it whined and hurled and screamed noise after noise, sometimes with such intensity that it reverberated throughout even the entirety of the hall outside of the room. What nailed it down to the floor would twist and screech, clearly unable to support what they were meant to maintain standing forever on for much longer. No doubt, if that piece of training equipment had a soul of some kind, it would have most likely remembered the violence that was inflicted upon it for thousands of years to come. There was the room itself too. No doubt, should it have been made with lesser material, it would have outright collapsed from the weight of the man's own strength.

Then, finally, it happened. Just as the little Quincy girl opened the door to the room, she would find herself before the right of the almighty man raising his great weapon one last time out of its sheath before putting his foot down, then delivering a massive horizontal swing to the dummy with a powerful shout. The dummy, this time around, did not survive the ordeal, as the moment the Zanpakuto crashed against it, everything which composed it fell apart. Exploding into a thousand pieces, it shattered, its pieces now completely unrecoverable as they were sent towards the wall to both his and Kin's right. The larger pieces would bounce against the floor several times in another cacophony of metal agony and pain, their screams now almost sounding like the distant cries of the Shinigami's enemies, until they became completely immobile. Only then was the room finally allowed to become silent. Only then did the chaos finally come to an end.

With the dummy destroyed, the Shinigami would find himself standing there with his sword unsheathed. His arm and his legs were both still brimming with uncontested power in spite of the dummy's defeat. Evidently, they wanted more. However, more was not what they were going to get. Not now, at least, given that one of the facility's strongest dummies had been defeated. Upon realizing this, his sharp eyes looked towards the opponent he had destroyed until he then let out a huff. "Ugh, another one? I thought this one was supposed to be the strongest out of every one of these dojo too! Nakajima won't be happy with this," he would find himself huffing with a hint of frustration, mostly talking to himself in the moment as he eventually rested his immense sword onto his shoulder. In spite of the strength he had used, the lack of exhaustion in his voice hinted that none of what he had just done had even phased him. In other words, he was barely tired. What the hell was this man even made of?

It would only be then that the man finally realized that someone had actually entered the room. Raising one of his thick brows, he would let out a grunt of interrogation before turning his body towards where he believed someone had called out to him. Then, she saw her. For a moment, his eyes widened upon realizing who he was looking at. He would watch in silence as the child revealed her position to him, tripped onto the floor, then apologized to him for her awkward entrance. In that moment, while he said nothing, it would almost seem as though something else flashed before his eyes. Even Kin, a child in every way for the time being, could tell that he was not looking at her like he would have at any other child, but rather at someone who had inflicted something upon him. It was such that the grip around the white tuff of his great curved Zanpakuto tightened, and that even if it was only for a moment, it almost seemed as though the man felt threatened by the girl's presence.

But then, suddenly... the anger disappeared. Or rather, it was quelled to instead be replaced by something else. His gaze had softened ever-so-slightly, but become more stern, as though he had grievances, but understood something from them that the girl perhaps did not. Combined with his silence, it almost made him appear less like a man about to crush the girl like he had crushed the dummy, and instead more so like a warrior staring at the one who had spared him a most terrible fate. Fortunately, however, this silence would not last. Indeed, before she could say anything more or apologize for her presence, he would let out another grunt. "So this is where Nakajima decided to keep you at... Hmph! No wonder!" He first huffed before he then crouched a bit and began to move his blade. He would point the curved end towards the scabbard, then push the weapon into it so as to sheathe it. It appeared to be a somewhat complicated process, but considering that he was one-handed, it seemed that it was just about the only process he could work with nowadays. "That woman's heart is too big to leave someone like you alone in that forest."

With his weapon now sheathed, he would find himself simply standing in front of the little girl. Now he was positioned in such a way, the difference in their size had become even more apparent. At a single glance, one could easily tell that he was maybe twice, if not almost thrice as tall as Kin. It was impressive, to say the least. But the man visibly had no interest in paying any attention to that contrast. Instead, he merely continued staring at the girl with that stern expression of his before it then turned into something that was a little bit more annoyed. "Right. She did tell me you forgot everything. Tch, whatever! I don't think I'll have another chance to talk to you anyway, so I might as well say it now," he said, presumably expecting the little girl to then apologize profusely for apparently having forgotten him. Then, his expression returned to the one from before, and without warning... 

... he bowed.

"Arigato" was the word that then followed the gesture. It was evidently sincere and devoid of dishonesty. No doubt, Kin would most likely find the man's actions to be confusing, if not extremely odd. But even so, shortly after he said those words, he would then stand straight once again, then begin to walk towards the door. "I'm not expecting you to understand anything from this right now. Just know that I'm thankful for what happened. You helped me realize that I was just an idiot," he said then with that same serious expression until he finally reached the aforementioned door. "Anyway, I'm starving! I'm gonna go get myself something." Then, he would leave the room, apparently heading towards the cafeteria of the living quarters. Whether Kin decided to follow him in the moment or not in order to get further answers from him... Only she will make that decision.

[Celes Castellanos]

As she waited for Kimiko to propose where to head off next, Celes sighed. This community that Kimiko had created was something else. In what felt like a short time, she had given the people of the Rukongai hope. The opportunity to arm and defend themselves. She was... proud of her student. Before long, Kimiko had a proposal. "Well, it's almost time for lunch. I say we go get ourselves something from the kitchens in the quarters. We'll check them out at the same time!" Almost as if on queue, Celes' stomach grumbled at the mention of food. A blush crept on her cheek as she just nodded her head a little bashfully. "Uh... sure."

And so, the Shinigami made their way towards the cafeteria. Once more, Celes simply followed Kimiko. She was slowly piecing together where things were as they entered new rooms and other buildings. As they cut through the courtyard and walked down a hallway, the pair seemed to find themselves in the cafeteria. Celes was, admittedly, in a bit of awe. It was pretty damn big, though perhaps she should've deduced that based on the amount of students that crowded around her as they entered. Hell, that might've not even been all of the student population. Nevertheless, Celes took note of several long tables with students already sitting, enjoying their meals, and socializing.

The Captain's eyes danced across the room, trying to find a menu. Eventually, she'd find a boldly written menu in black ink. "Huh... A little ol' fashioned, but... welcome." Suddenly, Kimiko chimed in. "That thing really has become popular, huh? Heh, Hikashi must be making a hell of a profit with it," Celes blinked and turned to her friend in confusion. "Pardon?" Thankfully, Kimiko clarified. "Ah, yeah, I don't know if you've heard about it lately, but that Dragon's Breath Bowl became super popular ever since I ate it. It's really good, but it's reaaaallly spicy! Every time I eat it, it makes steam come out of my mouth."

"Huh... yeah that's a new one I haven't heard of before..." Celes was admittedly surprised. She hadn't known that Hikashi extended his business out here. Then again, his knowledge of Kimiko's schools made a little more sense. Well, beyond hearsay from customers. Once more, the Captain's stomach growled, eliciting a groan from the Shinigami's lips. "Fucking hell...", she softly muttered. Looks like she couldn't wait until later if Kimiko invited her out to dinner after all. Wasting little time, Celes made her way to wait in line. Thankfully, she wouldn't have to endure too long.

Eventually, she was greeted by a young gentleman who made up one of the trio of cooks. "Hello there. What could I get you?" Celes blinked and looked towards the makeshift menu again. She... wasn't really sure what she wanted. The girl quickly latched on to the first thing that came to mind. "One Dragon's Breath Bowl, I suppose." He nodded his head and smiled brightly. "Coming right up!" With that, he turned away and hopped to it. She sighed briefly and gingerly continued towards the end of the counter. Within a few minutes, a piping hot bowl was set in front of her. The woman nodded and prepared to get some money out to pay, but the man raised his hand.

Celes paused, staring at him in confusion. "If I heard correctly, you are Celes, no?" She briefly blinked and nodded. "You've been quite the talk of the dojo since your arrival. Nakajima-sensei own teacher visiting. Consider this one on the house." In truth, Celes didn't want any preferential treatment, but she wasn't about to argue. She simply bowed her head and shot a brief smile, "Appreciated." With that, Celes grabbed hold of the bowl and began looking around for some places to sit. It took a few moments, but she eventually did spot two open seats. Looking back at Kimiko, she spoke, "Hey, I found two seats. Meet you there."

Taking deep, measured breaths, Celes made her way over while carefully holding the bowl of ramen. Sitting down, the girl found herself among several students of the dojo who briefly watched Celes as she sat down. The Captain peeked at the contents of the bowl. It was a nice blend of vegetables, spices, meat, and noodles. The sauce itself was a dark red color and steam practically emanated from it. Suddenly, one of the students spoke up, "First time trying the Dragon's Breath?" Celes blinked in response. "I- umm.. yeah. Haven't heard of it until Kimiko brought it up?"

A few chuckles arose from the group. "It's pretty spicy, y'know. Sure you can handle it?" Celes leered at the group for a moment. Brandishing the chopsticks almost expertly, the Captain swished the noodles and other contents, allowing them to steep in the broth a little more. Twirling a string of noodles together, the lime-haired Shinigami slurped on it. It was pretty hot. The broth and noodles burned against her tongue as a heat filled her. As she swallowed, she could feel the heat radiate down to her chest. She continued chowing down on the ramen bowl as her cheeks turned red and each breath let out a puff of steam. Even despite that, the girl showed so signs of pain or distress. In fact... she appeared rather chill in her seat. The group stared at her, somewhat bewildered by her composure.

"Okay... Impressive, Celes-taichou. Surprisingly, Celes was far from done as a little smirk crept along her lips. Picking up the bowl, Celes began to tilt it to her lips and drink the steaming broth. She'd take large gulps of the extra spicy broth. It poured down her throat like lava, but she could handle it. She had endured far worse! Kido from Orobas. Swords, knives, and other weapons. Hell, even blunt-force trauma. Decades of wear and tear on her body had given her a pain tolerance unlike any other. As the broth finished dripping from her chin and the bowl was empty, Celes' face had grown to a tomato red and sweat rolled down her brow, and still... she showed nothing. No wince. No signs of pain. As she opened her mouth, steam practically seeped from it as the girl stared at the group. "Beat that.", she grinned knowingly.

[Ruhe Krieger]

The man apologized to her. Apologized and told her that Kimiko seemed to have too big of a heart to abandon her in the woods. When she had looked over his great and terrifying frame, she'd fallen to a state of terror and panic to begin with. However, in this frame of time, she had felt a horrible sense of dread that threatened to consume her in some part. All up until that moment. His bow. His declaration of getting food. Ruhe had curled up into a ball, instinctively thinking that he was going to hit her. Kin on the other hand was largely confused at it all. Until he began to leave. "G-Goodbye mister."

She'd just eaten not too long ago, and she felt it might be wrong to ask for more. However, the thought of something hot and warm, filling was enamoring. Though; she'd refrained. The man was too terrifying for her to follow. She took the opportunity to look again at the destroyed dummy before her, and rushing over to it, she'd slapped against it. To feel how tough it was against her small little hand. Only for her to realize the unfathomable strength the man had to have; feeling the resistance of it against her body. She didn't think she knew him, and yet, a deep part of her told her that she did. Why else would she feel such an incredible sense of danger?

She decided to resume back to the training stances. The Kata for herself, in an isolated little corner, and had limbered herself up. Though largely had observed the movements of the other students as well. Her keen eyes breaking down their moves, and viewing them ever so clearly. Her cerulean eyes absorbing every minute detail and taking it in stride. Her soft hands wrapping lightly around the shinai and running along the soft leather. Until eventually? She'd try mirroring their fluid strikes to some degree. Finding that it was a heavy and exhausting process, to move her arms and swing with the full might of her body. Though the feel of a sword was not inherently unfamiliar to her.

She trained for the better part of the duration, as Kimiko and Celes would come to eat. Waiting for that moment. Waiting for that brilliant moment where they'd meet in the dojo. To push themselves to new limits, and where they might get to see the limits and mettle of Celes Shindazu, the teacher of Kimiko. There was an interesting history and story, and a feeling of internalized terror on three sides of the spectrum. Ruhe; who's fear had come from trauma and was ingrained. Kimiko who wanted to hide a secret that could threaten to harm a relationship. Celes; who wanted to make a strong and positive impression on all of the students of Nijukan. 

As she continued her training, she'd find herself before long, moving to do her lesser chores; up until the moment where the students might gather enmasse. It was a long and tiring day to be a student at Nijukan, but with a level of fulfillment that others might find impossible to replicate across the Rukongai and its varying states of lawlessness or supervision. Better to be here to prepare for the future as opposed to be out there, on the fringes of Hollow Attacks, localized gangs, and demons now on the borders. Wasn't that right? Sounded pretty legit, all things considered. 

[Col Arana]

Phew 211 paragraphs, works out to 1050 TP, but since we're doubling TP for December that's 2100 TP awarded to participants. Well done.