Quiet Times and Dedications [Open]

[Akatsuki Yoshitsune]

Akatsuki had taken some time to herself to find somewhere secluded to be alone.  Sighing to herself as her small hands worked at tying the thread that held up her long hair.  Today she had dressed herself up in less formal attire as she was just looking for some alone time to think and try to practice a few things on her own.  Her gi top was sleeveless, giving her arms a bit more comfort and freedom as it was tucked into her black hakama with her small zanpakuto was tucked into her sash along her back waist.

"Okay.  Just as I told myself.  Just remember to breath, and just need to start from the basics.  I'll work up my practice from there," She told herself as she tightened the knot before letting her hands return to her sides.  With a deep breath and her arms stretched forward, she'd lean forward until her palms touched the ground and lifted her legs up and over.  Using her hands to plant herself, she wavered a bit as she was working on balancing herself on her hands as a way to practice her balance and work on strengthening her arms a bit at the same time. A few grunts of panic escaped her mouth as she kept moving her hands to help her maintain balance as she kept adjusting her legs to find the right balance.

"If... I can... just keep this for at least five minutes..." she muttered as she tried to keep balance and trying to avoid catching her hair that was a bit sprawled on the ground from her angle.  She could feel the muscles in her arms tightening as she continued to fight gravity and her own balance.  Her deep breathing was a bit audible from how hard she was struggling to maintain her form.

[Hanako Nozawa]

As far as days went, today wasn't shaping up to be so bad. Breakfast had been yummy, she had managed to avoid being chosen to demonstrate her kidō in front of the class, and she had an hour free until her next! For once, she wasn't sweaty, or exhausted, or embarrassed about how sweaty and exhausted training had left her in front of others. All in all, it was a good day, so far!

In the time she had to herself, Hanako spent it on a leisurely pace through the Seireitei. Her academy uniform was in order, mostly, and her hair remained tied loosely behind her head rather than let to fall loosely around her shoulders. Her zanpakutō rest behind her waist, bobbing from one side to the other with her every step as she walked. In her hand was a sour green apple, several bits already missing from the treat as she happily savored the tart and biting flavors. A contented smile made her features practically glow, and she bounced with every step on the stone pathway.

It was in the midst of her peaceful walk that Hanako came upon another, a woman she recognized from one class or another but hadn't known she would be in the area today. Without relaxing what was becoming a habitual repression of her own reiatsu, she slowed her pace and swallowed her bite of apple while she watched the shorter student up ahead. She wasn't in the academy's uniform, though Hanako couldn't find a bad thing to say for the cute gi she was wearing in its place. She must've been planning to come out here to train, rather than it being some spur of the moment thing, the would-be Shinigami thought.

"Not bad, Tsuki-chan~" Hanako announced herself with a complement as she chose to approach the other woman with a quiet stride. "I love the outfit! It's cute on you~" Her voice lilted and played with the words as she neared, before taking another bite of her apple. She meant every letter, and was nothing if not sincere in her adoration for the other woman's effort to not only improve herself, but to look good doing it!

[Akatsuki Yoshitsune]

A sharp gasp of audible surprise squeaked out of her as her body jolted in a mix surprise and embarrassment, causing her to lose her balance and fall flat onto her back with a sudden thud.  Wincing a moment before opening her eyes to look at the source of the voice she recognized.  Her blue eyes fixated on Hanako as she laid there on the ground, with a low barely audible groan rumbling from her chest from the realization she didn't get anywhere close to her goal.  "Hanako-senpai...  It's just you.." she sounded relieved in her tone.  She was glad it was her at least that caught her training.  Slowly rising into a sitting position and turning her body to face her.

"You caught me by surprise...." She said with a slow breath escaping her.  Scanning her over, she noticed her uniform and blinked a bit in thought before speaking up again.  "Just got out of class?" She spoke as she tried dusting out her air by patting it with her hands, moving onto her gi to try and pat off the loose dirt and dust on her clothes.  Her demeanor would almost make her seem like a small human doll, but she was far from being fragile ceramic, but her slender frame seemed to give that impression.  As she kept dusting herself off, she looked up at her curiously as she wondered what brought her out this way since she thought that she had been fairly alone for the moment.

[Hanako Nozawa]

"What do you mean 'just'?" Hanako shot the other woman a quick pout through her mouth full of food, though one which soon evaporated as she swallowed and returned to a casual and good natured smile. A throaty chuckle soon followed. "I would think you'd love to be in the presence of your beautiful and talented senpai at any time~" Her voice lilted again, emphasizing Akatsuki's choice of honorifics that -truth be told- Hanako didn't exactly dislike hearing. Even if they were both still students in the academy, it felt good to be respected.

"Just for the next hour." She responded as she came to a stop just beside the woman lying prone on the ground. After taking a smaller bite of her apple, she proceeded to gently lower herself to a cross-legged seated position on the stone without using her arms, showing off coordination and leg strength that Akatsuki would no doubt acquire in time herself. She swallowed before speaking again, "I take it by the gi you have the time off, too?" She gave the woman a few seconds to confirm.

"Your form wasn't bad. You should join me some time for joint strengthening exercises, though. It'll help your sense of balance." Hanako complemented her kouhai, still smiling as her eyes inevitably looked over the woman's frame. Without the long sleeves of a shikakusho, it was easier to see Akatsuki's thin frame. Truth be told, she was still a little jealous, and it took all of her willpower not to subconsciously rub her own arm with her free hand through the sleeve of her uniform. Of course, she just couldn't help herself from taking her advice or offer a little further, either, "I could show you all the fun things strong joints can do~" Her smile widened, changing from innocent and friendly to lewd in an instant before breaking for another cute, throaty chuckle.

[Akatsuki Yoshitsune]

"I just meant that I'm glad it was you at least.  I do enjoy your company, though." She said softly as she relaxed herself.  She had to break her habit of being serious all the time, or at least reserve it for when she was in class or in training.  She looked at Hanako as she sat down near her once she was done dusting her hair out.  Tilting her head in thought as she hummed at her statement of being free for the next hour, that lined up with her schedule.  She figures it must be a standard planning time for instructors at this time.  Nodding with a bit of confidence to her answer as she rested her hands on her lap.  "Yeah.  I'm free for the next hour too."  She adjusted herself to sit more comfortably as she tried to not be so stiff around her. 

Hearing her compliment her form, her eyes wandered down for a moment as she felt some self doubt.  Sure, she was good in some departments.  But she doubted herself since she knew Hanako was much better in the area's she lacked skill in.  It made her doubt her abilities, even though they both seemed to have a somewhat similar style for stealth and ninjustu, while their strengths differed as well as some of their forms.  "Thank you.  I would appreciate any help when you have the time.  I'm not as skilled in some combat arts like you are..." She replied with a soft and thankful tone to her voice.  Being praised by her made her feel a bit better, but she knew she had to improve.  Her lips curled into a small smile, as she had only really made one friend so far and she seemed an interesting one.

At hearing her flirty remark about strong joints, she felt a warmth in her cheeks as she had a suspicion it was something flirty but she wasn't entirely sure.  Her social skills weren't exactly developed in dealing with flirting or compliments, so caught off guard, her eyes widened as she looked at her with a puffed pout in a weak protest.  "Hanako-senpai...  I... don't even know what you mean by that, but I feel like it's not what I was thinking..." She said with a level of playful suspicion in her voice.  

Feeling a moment to try and change the subject, she looked away briefly before looking back at her as she cleared her throat to compose herself.  "Uhm... So, if I recall, you're trying for Squad Two as well, right?  I mean, we're both kunoichi. At least, I figured you were as well." Her voice carried a curious tone as she let herself trail off, hoping to maybe say herself from further embarrassment. 

[Hanako Nozawa]

Hanako delighted in the faint blush that came to Akatsuki's cheeks. It was absolutely adorable to see her react, and she honestly couldn't get enough of it on good days like these. Smiling wide enough to bare a few teeth, she leaned in closer with an almost malicious look in her eye and pressed just a little more before Akatsuki could get a chance to move the conversation along to a new topic, "I'm sure you do~" Then she sat back again, once more the look of innocence and not at all letting her mind wander a little into sordid territories.

Nonetheless, Akatsuki did manage to change the topic.

"Kunoichi, huh?" She chuckled. "No, no. You're the ninja here. I have no intention of letting myself be hidden away in some dark corner of the Seireitei, unable to have any fun." Another chuckle, and she rest her free hand on her collar. "It'd just be a waste." She let the comment sit for a moment while she lowered her hand to her thigh and took another bite of apple, now finding her snack approaching its end. She swallowed before continuing, "But yes, I've had a brief training class with Shihoin-taichou. She's given her blessing to join the Nibantai, even!

"You should try and meet her." She continued still. "She answered some questions I was having, and even helped me to find where I'd needed to improve." She brought her apple back up again, but paused for a moment, "She's gorgeous, too! And has a nice rack~" Finally she chuckled again before taking the bite, and let Akatsuki stew on her description of the captain of their soon-to-be division while she continued to pull the last bits of meat from around the apple's core with her teeth.

[Akatsuki Yoshitsune]

Clearing her throat to try and shake off the flirty performance Hanako had put on, she watched on as she responded to her.  She was happy to hear she was still planning for Squad Two.  Cracking a small smile and chuckled.  "You certainly have an eye catching presence."  Akatsuki said as she looked her over, intending to give her compliment.  She was delighted to hear about her telling of how Hanako had a chance to meet the Captain and trained with her a bit.  Her eyes had widened in amazement at how impressed she was with her, nodding excitedly like a child being offered something they wanted badly.  

"I'd love to have a chance to meet her!" She said excitedly as she leaned forward, clenching her hands into determined fists in front of her.  She had seemed every bit the excited puppy in this instant, which was completely different from how she was in classes.    Nodding her head more in excitement as she described the captain, she had unconsciously brought her hand against her chest as her expression dimmed a bit at the realization that she's going to be outclassed in her womanly ways again, and possibly even more in comparison.  "I see...  Uhm.. What would be a good way to meet her?  And... well, anything you want to do to kill time until our next class?" She posed the question, trying to figure out how to not bore her friend.  "Or, maybe could help me a bit?" Her voice sounding a bit uncertain, but wanting to have a chance to meet the captain if she could but she felt shy in proposing any ideas or requests.

Looking down, she fidgeted a bit with her fingers as she picked at her nails while glancing up at her occasionally.  Hoping she would bring up some sort of suggestion, to break her awkward silence as she tried to pull back her excitement from earlier.

[Hanako Nozawa]

Hanako basked in the praise Akatsuki was giving to her, as subdued as it was. It was only right that she be let to be complemented like this every so often. If she didn't, then life would just be boring! Never-ending training, classes, drills; this truly was shaping up to be a wonderful break from the hum drum of her day to day life. Another small, throaty chuckle escaped her in the wake of Akatsuki's words, before they moved along in their conversation again.

"I..." She paused before swallowing the food in her mouth. She really wasn't sure of how to answer that question. How did one go about requesting an audience with a captain, anyway? She'd been the one to be told where to go, after all! "I'll put a word in for you. I'm sure Shihoin-taichou would love to train with more of her subordinates." She winked at her friend, and chuckled again. Did she think that was going to work? Probably not, but it was all she could think of to say in the moment. Besides, there must have been a way to make requests, somehow.

"Oh, there's plenty we could do to kill some time, Tsuki-chan~" However, the conversation continued on, and Hanako's ability to contain herself was quickly depleting. Her voice lilted again, and she grinned lewdly at the other woman who was busy fidgeting with her nails. "Pl~en~ty~" She laughed again, then stood abruptly without using her hands to aid herself while her expression returned to a more casual tone, if no less playful. Oh, she did love to tease~

"But, that's more of a night time activity, don't you think?" She continued with a final wink in the woman's direction. "I'd be glad to help!"

[Akatsuki Yoshitsune]

Akatsuki couldn't help but give an excited nod at Hanako saying she'd try to put a word in as she looked up from her hands.  "I appreciate it!  I just hope I can make a good impression!" She spoke with determination in her voice.  Feeling a bit of relief inside, she let out a small breath that felt like it was trapped in her chest until Hanako started with her flirts again.  Catching her completely off guard again, causing her body to tense up and her face flash warm, bringing a visible blush on her face. 

She made herself a mental note to try to get back at her in her own game at some point, but wasn't sure how successful she'd be at it as she glared at her a moment with an annoyed groan at her.  It was impossible for her to try and look intimidating towards her, since he respected her too much and willingly puts up with her antics.  Taking a deep breath to calm herself as best as she could, as she stood up onto her feet, dusting off her hakama.  

"One of these days, Hanako-senpai.... I just might try to call your bluff." Her voice carried a playful tone as she tried to shake it off, wanting to see how she'd take it if she ever acted that way.  Interlacing her fingers as she stretched her arms over her head, letting out a groan as she felt her body stretch.  Letting out a satisfied sigh as she relaxed and smiled at her before taking a few steps towards her direction, with a small bounce in her steps.  "So, help me train or maybe we can go find something fun to do until the next class?" She asked as she looked up at her, giving herself a reminder about the difference in their height.  Tilting her head some curiously, as she pondered a bit as well between the idea of extra training or just using the time to just enjoy the day.

[Hanako Nozawa]

"Bluff? Who says it's a bluff?" Hanako chuckled from her throat, and left her comment at just that for Akatsuki to mull over and fret to herself. After all, if she kept pushing, then Akatsuki might just end the game and go back to the barracks early! She couldn't have that. No, instead, it was more fun to watch her squirm -all while she helped her to improve her balance, of course~ "I'm sure we'll think of something fun to do after~

"But, first things first. Do what you were doing before." She began while stepping in closer to the other woman. With a flick of her wrists to keep her sleeves out of the way, she raised her hands to catch Akatsuki's ankles once she was properly balanced on her hands, but no sooner. "I'll help you to stay upright while you find your center. The important thing is to keep your legs straight and above your center of gravity. The moment you let them splay out, you'll lose your balance and fall. This will keep your posture in order, and prevent back pain from overextending while trying to correct yourself." She thought for a moment about how official and like a teacher she sounded, and chuckled again to herself.

"Don't put too much weight on your fingers, and tell me if your wrists start to hurt too much. I'll help you down if they do." She paused again to give Akatsuki time to apply her advice. "Most of your balance will come from your core. Try not to move your arms around too much once you've got a comfortable stance." That's where her advice ended, for now, and Hanako fell quiet to let Akatsuki put her words into practice. She would help only where was necessary, like teaching a toddler to walk on her own. While she was in the perfect position to tease all the more, it just wouldn't be opportune to do it when Akatsuki was in so vulnerable a position. No -that just wasn't how the game should be played.

[Akatsuki Yoshitsune]

Her face went a bit flush as Hanako made her remark.  Trying to hide her expression a bit, she followed her instructions as she planted her hands onto the ground and lifted her legs up as Hanako grabbed her legs to help her balance.  Grunting a bit as she worked at getting her balance with her advice and assistance.  Feeling herself go off center, she adjusted as she guided her along.  Planting her palms on the ground as she controlled her breathing.  She straightened her legs, keeping her balance more as she steadied herself.  "Okay...  I think I've got it?" she said, sounding unsure of herself as she looked up at her from her angle, getting only a portion of her face in view, which was not her intention but she wanted to see her face to gauge her reactions.

"So, what now?" sounding curious as she strained to hold herself up as much as she could, with her arms shaking a bit as she worked to hold herself up since she wasn't teetering over anymore.

[Hanako Nozawa]

"Good, good~" Hanako cheered the woman in a calm voice that still managed to betray her smile and a brief laugh. She held on to Akatsuki's ankles firmly, enough to hold her upright when her balance swayed but not so much that she would ever hurt her. There were a couple of times when she feared the woman was about to topple over, and possibly take her down with her, but alas, that never seemed to happen. She was quite skilled at this already, after all. Maybe she just needed to get out of her own head for a moment in order to succeed?

When Akatsuki felt comfortable with her posture, her question came about what she did now. To be honest, Hanako didn't have the slightest clue. It wasn't really the sort of thing where there was a next step, was there? One just... improved at it, slowly and a little a at a time. Wearing a sly smirk, Hanako looked back down at Akatsuki's strained face and chuckled, "You tell me." As if to punctuate her words, she took a step back to reveal that she was no longer what was holding Akatsuki upright; it was all under her own power. Her face practically glowed with pride at her friend's accomplishment.

"How do you feel? Think you can keep this up for a while longer?" This time, she didn't laugh. She was completely serious. Akatsuki's arms were shaking a good bit, though she herself didn't know the woman's limits nearly as well as her own. She would have to be the one to say when it was time to stop. While Akatsuki answered, Hanako casually tossed aside her apple core and remained ready to catch her by the legs again should her balance falter.

[Miya Okari]

Miya turned her head skywards and closed her eyes as she walked through the Seireitei, enjoying the sunlight on her face. She found herself with some free time between classes, but not so much that she could slip away for a drink or some real fun. With several of her more regular compatriots having been too busy studying and practicing to entertain her, she had elected to explore the less frequented parts of the Seireitei. With luck, she'd stumble across something interesting and if not, she'd at least know her way around the lesser tread paths, something that could always come in handy in the future.

As it happened, she turned out to be fortunate after all, as she soon came across two young women talking. She recognised them from her classes, two of her peers that she had noted seemed similarly inclined to stealth as she was and were likely to join either Squad Two or the Onmitsukido. It looked like they were doing some training, at least that was the most likely reason why one of them - Akatsuki, she believed - was standing on her hands while the other - Hanako - was hovering nearby. Perhaps it would have been polite to try and avoid breaking Akatsuki's attention but then again, if this was training, it would be a good idea to ensure she could keep it up in the face of distractions.

"Akatsuki-san, Hanako-san, good afternoon," she called out in greeting, raising a hand in a friendly wave. "What are you two up to? Getting some extra practice in between classes?" she asked curiously. Akatsuki seemed to have some good balance, but from the way her arms were trembling, it looked like her physical endurance was the limiting factor. Miya could empathise, having long lamented her relative physical frailty in comparison with the other Okari trainees. Rigorous physical exercise, necessary as it might be, was never fun when your muscles were aching and screaming for rest. Good on Akatsuki for powering through anyway.

[Akatsuki Yoshitsune]

Her face lit up in surprise as she realized she was actually holding her balance, causing her to let out a surprised gasp.  She was happy that that was actually keeping her balance this time.  She could feel the strain through her body, from her arms down to her core.  She could feel her muscles tensing as she grunted and fought to keep herself up as her arms continued to shake a bit from the strain.  "I'm... doing it!  Hanako-senspai! I'm holding it!  I'm trying to hold it for five minutes... " A mix of excitement and strain in her voice as she continued, taking care to only do slight corrections in her balance instead of flailing in panic.

That was until she heard a familiar voice causing her to lose her focus as she tried to adjust to see who was calling out, seeing a woman with brown hair and recognizing it was Miya.  "Miya-san?" Was all she could utter with the strain of her voice as she felt her weight shift too far.  This unfortunately made her shift her weight too fast, causing her arms to buckle under her as she started to fall over like a small log.  In her panic she would instinctively try to find a way to catch herself before she knew she was falling towards Hanako.  Shutting her eyes in a panic, she was going to trust her in catching her fall.

[Hanako Nozawa]

Despite all her practice since her meeting with Shihoin-taichou to the contrary, Hanako had been entirely too focused on helping Akatsuki to notice the approaching reiatsu of another classmate. The sudden voice was nearly lost on her as she readied herself to catch Aktasuki by the ankles, until Akatsuki herself turned her attention to see who it was that had interrupted their day. Inevitably, Hanako's attention, too, shifted to welcome the other woman, and those scant few seconds were all it took for chaos to truly break out.

"W-Whoa!" Hanako shouted as she attempted to catch her friend before she could fall, but Akatsuki's shifting weight towards her threw them both off balance; more accurately, she simply wasn't prepared for the sudden weight pressing against her. One hand had caught hold of the woman's ankle, but the other hooked onto her shoulder and helped to drag her down as well, and a moment later, they both hit the ground with a gasp as the air was knocked from her lungs. Fortunately, Hanako's practice in how to fall had kept her from hitting her head, but landing on her arm had sent a pang up and through her shoulder.

"You alright, Tsuki-chan?" She groaned, checking on her friend's status while disentangling themselves from one another. When that task was finished and she was able to sit up and check her own shoulder and arm for injuries, she finally glanced at the source of the disruption. "Oh, hey, Miya-chan. You have some free time, too?" She smiled her best, but was clearly distracted by the pang in her shoulder as she rotated the joint around in its socket.