He gets it in one, and she's a little surprised--though she really shouldn't be. It was pretty obvious, given what she had just talked about building.
"Not my bow, just a regular longbow. He asked that I keep it simple." Though now she's wondering... Can she really get her bow? Could she ask for her Quincy powers back? "...Maybe if that turns up, I'll try asking for something more. I don't think there's a limit."
His thoughts run much the same as hers. If she could get his powers back, then so could he.
"How fast do you think it works?" He asks, desperate hope putting a fever in his words. The ghost-feeling of cold water is still stuck to his skin. "Did he tell you that?"
Maybe not. If he wants her testing maybe he doesn't know either. But all the same.
"If we can both get our power back, we could probably have an even easier time getting out of here," He points out. Then grins, wild. "I'd have to spare with you at least once before that though."
If they could both get their powers back... She barely has time to process that before he's suggesting that they spar. It catches her off guard, and she lifts her brows at him.
"I..." Should she spar with him? She's not even sure what that would be like. Would he fight like a shinigami? Or like a hollow? Or maybe neither, and zanpakutos have their own means of fighting.
"I guess it couldn't hurt? I don't know anyone else that I could spar with here." Not that he would be her last choice. Rather, he might be her best choice, simply because she knows him. "But we should worry about that later... If we actually can wish for things like that."
Her brows lift but he keeps grinning wide. He fully and absolutely means that, with unconstrained excitement at the idea. It's so much that it hardly even falters in the face of her uncertainty.
He swells with the hope of the possibility as she confirms it-- then deflates as she reminds him it's still only a possibility. He settles back in his seat, shoulders slumping a little, though a smile lingers.
"Fair enough." He says, then sighs wistfully. "But it'd be nice. Zanapkuto, shihakusho, my mask... Speaking of, It's strange to think there'd be nothing, but I'm starting to wonder if there are any normal Hollows here at all. This town's too small for one to get by on the dead alone, and it's definitely too small for no one to have noticed people randomly dropping dead. There definitely aren't any Shinigami or they'd have given me a hard time by now. It might really be just you and me."
He's far more excited about the prospect of sparring with her than she feels comfortable with, but she lets it slide for now. It's a decision to make in the future, and they can worry about it then.
Instead, he brings up an interesting point that she can't help consider as well. Though she comes to a different conclusion than he does. "If there were any Shinigami, I don't think you or I would be able to sense them--and I don't think that they would sense us." Or they could be in the room right now, but undetectable by either of them. That's a more chilling thought than she really wants to voice right now.
"As far as anyone else is concerned, we would both read as normal humans right now--I think." Without her own powers, she's as blind as anyone else, but the fact that he's solid flesh and blood that everyone can see at least means that he's part of the physical world. Hollows can't manifest like that.
"I read as a normal human," He repeats dubious and sarcastic. He smirks amused at her, knowing what she means, but still wanting to point the obvious flaw in her logic.
"Even the crazy tree demon with her smell-o-vision seemed to catch the not human part. They can't sense me but that doesn't mean they wouldn't have eyes. The moment a Shinigami shows up here I'm going to know about it even if I can't see them." There's no way in hell they'd simply leave him be. He knows better.
But maybe she can take comfort knowing it's just them. He's never considered perspectives of a Quincy, for obvious reasons, but even as subtle as it is her nervousness is hard to miss. He's spent too long around Shinigami.
He's skeptical of her assessment, and she supposes that's fair. She would read as more of a human than he would. But still...
"Maybe they don't know what to make of you." It's not like she didn't know what he was either. She had dismissed that he might be a hollow if only because she wouldn't have sensed his presence if he wasn't human. The same wouldn't be true of Shinigami, but that doesn't mean they would act the second that they found him. It's only been a day, after all.
"Either way... It's not something that we can do anything about as we are right now." And maybe that's enough reason for them to do nothing for now.
"Whether there's Shinigami or not, you're right about the Hollows. There can't be that many souls wandering around here, and I haven't heard anyone mention anything like an attack." Which, all in all, she's grateful for. She's already pointed out that neither of them are in any condition to fight Hollows here.
"Nobody ever knows what to make of me," he says. But they still assume Hollow. They always do. Unless they're hollow themselves and that's when things get real fun.
He doesn't have the faith that she does. If there were Shinigami, they'd have the advantage over him. Not even they could be so stupid to miss an opportunity like this. It would be the only chance of winning they had.
"But that all means that either everyone just got here and no one's died yet, or something else is going on. When we get everything set right, I think we should make sure we don't get caught up in it if it's the latter."
But she's right. It's not anything they can do about now.
She's with him for the most part. Specifically until that last part. He says if there's something going on, they shouldn't get involved, and it brings her gaze to focus on him more directly.
"What do you mean?" Maybe she misheard him, or maybe she misunderstood. She hopes she did, and he's not saying what she thinks he's saying.
He hopes she failed to hear him. He's not sure how she could fail to understand and for that his brows go up.
"Do you like living? I do." And of course, were she to say no to that he'd have to say too damn bad to her.
"I'm saying if something is getting rid of souls here, either killing them or wiping them out some other way, we should make sure the same thing doesn't happen to us. I would think that would be pretty obvious."
She would think the answer to his first question is obvious. She wouldn't have gone along with him if she didn't like living--if she didn't want to get back to her family so badly.
But it's the second part that concerns her more, and it's that part she responds to. "I'm not going to let something like that happen to us... But I'm not going to ignore it if it's happening to someone else. I can't do that."
Her words catch him. It barely takes a minute to root out why. And then, (after brief spike of the ache in him) all surprise leaves. He scowls.
"I'm not letting you die," He says. "It's bad enough trying to reel Ichigo in. If you die, I can't bring you back. Do you understand? You. Cannot. Get hurt. You're going home to see your family. If that means I have to yank you away from some unfortunate soul you can't save, I will, and you can hate my guts for the rest of your life if you feel like it too."
She promises him otherwise, but she's already got a mark against her on her track record. That, at least, he doesn't say.
He sounds so familiar, and it doesn't take her long to figure out why. It's just like Ryuuken. It's the idea that just because she's whole and well, it's good enough. She shakes her head at him.
"I'm not going to take unnecessary risks, but I can't live doing nothing. If someone needs my help and I don't help them... I won't be able to live with myself. I won't be the person that you want to send home."
"Do you think I care about that?! Look at me!" He snaps at her. The regret is immediate.
He settles back, exhaling heavily. He lowers his voice though he still speaks firm. "One little hiccup in how you like to do things is not going to change every single thing you are. It's not going to become a domino effect of you being completely unrecognizable. You'll hate it, you'll hate me, you'll move on." And this, he's certain, is fact.
He stares down at the dishes in front of him, boring holes through them, through the table. What he said is fact. But it's also not going to convince her.
"... I'm more powerful than you. If I can't beat something, you can't. If I say that, and that I refuse any suicide missions, can you accept that?"
He snaps, and she stiffens as well. She looks at him, but her expression is guarded. If he doesn't care about that, then they're not going to see eye to eye on this.
He talks about it like it's a matter of preference. Like she can cast off something like that as easily as a missed connection. A hiccup in her day. Her expression doesn't turn any less conflicted.
But he surprises her. There's a compromise there in his words. He's stronger than her. If he can't do anything to help, will she back down?
Her gaze drifts down to her bowl. "... If you promise to try. If you honestly tell me that you can't help, then I'll try to accept that." It's not a certainty, but it's the best she can do.
He didn't realize he was holding a breath. He releases it.
"It's good enough," He says. It's better than Ichigo would give him. Far better than he ever will.
"I'm not the sort to rescue," He warns. "I face the enemy, I kick its ass. It doesn't bring anything back if its gone but if there's no enemy left then the problem's solved and that's that."
No screwing around. No pity or mercy. If she gets put in danger, he's calling it quits. He's not going to mourn or throw himself on the line for people he doesn't care about. Yeah, "I can try."
She relaxes as well. This very well could have turned into another fight, one that she wouldn't have backed down from as easily. But the compromise seems good enough for both of them.
"I can worry about rescues. If you can handle whatever we go up against, then there shouldn't be any problems." Him on offense, her on defense. She gives him a small smile, like a peace offering between them. "That would make us like a team. Is that okay?"
She wouldn't have gotten this much from him before that ocean drowned fight with Ichigo. He wouldn't have even considered trying to meet half way. He doesn't have that kind of fight in him anymore. Lucky her, he guesses.
He doesn't know if that bone deep exhaustion shows on his face, but if it does, she smiles anyway. She smiles and he tries to smile back, only its not reassuring, but him teetering on the edge and quickly falling in at her words.
Like a team. And she asks if it's okay.
His laughter cracks with its hysteria. A team with him, not with his own other half, not with the other man he'd shared form with, no. A different soul. A quincy. His mother. His laughter is quieter, but it carries, rattling him.
"You've got me all wrong if you think I can't accept an unconventional team," He says. And he thinks to joke of partners, but the word still stings, that old wound long since left to fester and rot beyond chance of healing.
The laughter worries her more than a little. It's hard to keep that smile on her lips when it feels like she's chiselling him apart. She's not sure what it was in her words that seemed to rattle him so much--but she could venture a guess if she had to.
"I'm not sure that you sound very accepting right now," she points out, but it's only a gentle caution, not an admonishment. She wants to ask if he's really okay, but she's not sure that the answer right now would be yes.
So instead, she continues: "But if you're really okay with this, then I am, too. I don't think you could find a more unconventional team." An Quincy and a Zanpakuto spirit, both tainted by the same hollow. It's an unquestionably weird pairing, but she's willing to give it a try.
She suggests he doesn't sound like what he is. The thought is absurd. Why do people keep reading meaning in whatever he says? He means what he means.
"Heh. Maybe not. Give Ichigo a run for his money," He snickers. Then, since it apparently needs elucidation, "I'm okay with it. I've never worked with anyone else quite like this, but I figure we can manage."
Two people together, instead of two beings merged. The dance of it feels messier, but if she's tending to the defensive, it might be doable.
"It's not like I need you to wield me either. I can carry myself."
I've never worked with anyone else quite like this, but I figure we can manage. That seems to convince her more than his quiet hysterics a moment ago. She eases back against her seat, comforted in some small part.
He further mentions that she won't need to wield his sword, and her smile turns a little more wry for just a moment. "That's a relief. I've never used a sword before. I don't think that would go well for either of us--but especially me." She's more likely to lop an arm off than manage to wield a sword the right way.
He snickers, imagining it for himself and the image isn't flattering.
"Give me some credit," He laughs. "I wouldn't let you get cut." Not by him, oh no. Not unless they were really going all out in their sparring, but even he still can't quite see that.
"It's probably easier than you think, anyway. At least, for a basic sword in the simplest of battles. I would obviously be a learning curve and-" He eyes her and her stature. "-I'm not all sure you could lift me," He says, teasing some more.
All of that may be true, but for Masaki's part, she looks thoroughly indignant by that ending burn. That is downright rude. "I'm stronger than I look, you know," she protests.
Being an archer helps build muscle, as does carting around three children on the norm. Neither one of those things is a very easy task.
She looks honestly offended. He remains honestly amused, delighted at her indignation.
And maybe, part of it is just him feeling smug.
"A Khyber knife," He says, without explanation. "Or a butcher knife if you don't know what that is well enough to picture it. A blade as tall as he is."
His brows rise up. "Strength or no, I stand by what I said."
The sudden explanation catches her a little off guard. A Khyber knife...or a butcher's blade. A very...very large one. Isshin's wasn't nearly as large as all that, as far as she can remember, but then again size didn't account for much. Except in this case, apparently.
"Well..." She says, getting up from the table with her own meal finished. She starts collecting the dishes together. "If you're as heavy as all that, then I guess you don't need seconds~."
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ninetydegrees
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on 2018-04-13 07:48 pm (UTC)"Not my bow, just a regular longbow. He asked that I keep it simple." Though now she's wondering... Can she really get her bow? Could she ask for her Quincy powers back? "...Maybe if that turns up, I'll try asking for something more. I don't think there's a limit."
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on 2018-04-13 08:17 pm (UTC)"How fast do you think it works?" He asks, desperate hope putting a fever in his words. The ghost-feeling of cold water is still stuck to his skin. "Did he tell you that?"
Maybe not. If he wants her testing maybe he doesn't know either. But all the same.
"If we can both get our power back, we could probably have an even easier time getting out of here," He points out. Then grins, wild. "I'd have to spare with you at least once before that though."
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on 2018-04-13 08:23 pm (UTC)"I..." Should she spar with him? She's not even sure what that would be like. Would he fight like a shinigami? Or like a hollow? Or maybe neither, and zanpakutos have their own means of fighting.
"I guess it couldn't hurt? I don't know anyone else that I could spar with here." Not that he would be her last choice. Rather, he might be her best choice, simply because she knows him. "But we should worry about that later... If we actually can wish for things like that."
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on 2018-04-13 08:41 pm (UTC)He swells with the hope of the possibility as she confirms it-- then deflates as she reminds him it's still only a possibility. He settles back in his seat, shoulders slumping a little, though a smile lingers.
"Fair enough." He says, then sighs wistfully. "But it'd be nice. Zanapkuto, shihakusho, my mask... Speaking of, It's strange to think there'd be nothing, but I'm starting to wonder if there are any normal Hollows here at all. This town's too small for one to get by on the dead alone, and it's definitely too small for no one to have noticed people randomly dropping dead. There definitely aren't any Shinigami or they'd have given me a hard time by now. It might really be just you and me."
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on 2018-04-14 12:15 am (UTC)Instead, he brings up an interesting point that she can't help consider as well. Though she comes to a different conclusion than he does. "If there were any Shinigami, I don't think you or I would be able to sense them--and I don't think that they would sense us." Or they could be in the room right now, but undetectable by either of them. That's a more chilling thought than she really wants to voice right now.
"As far as anyone else is concerned, we would both read as normal humans right now--I think." Without her own powers, she's as blind as anyone else, but the fact that he's solid flesh and blood that everyone can see at least means that he's part of the physical world. Hollows can't manifest like that.
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on 2018-04-14 07:48 am (UTC)"Even the crazy tree demon with her smell-o-vision seemed to catch the not human part. They can't sense me but that doesn't mean they wouldn't have eyes. The moment a Shinigami shows up here I'm going to know about it even if I can't see them." There's no way in hell they'd simply leave him be. He knows better.
But maybe she can take comfort knowing it's just them. He's never considered perspectives of a Quincy, for obvious reasons, but even as subtle as it is her nervousness is hard to miss. He's spent too long around Shinigami.
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on 2018-04-14 05:03 pm (UTC)"Maybe they don't know what to make of you." It's not like she didn't know what he was either. She had dismissed that he might be a hollow if only because she wouldn't have sensed his presence if he wasn't human. The same wouldn't be true of Shinigami, but that doesn't mean they would act the second that they found him. It's only been a day, after all.
"Either way... It's not something that we can do anything about as we are right now." And maybe that's enough reason for them to do nothing for now.
"Whether there's Shinigami or not, you're right about the Hollows. There can't be that many souls wandering around here, and I haven't heard anyone mention anything like an attack." Which, all in all, she's grateful for. She's already pointed out that neither of them are in any condition to fight Hollows here.
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on 2018-04-14 06:39 pm (UTC)He doesn't have the faith that she does. If there were Shinigami, they'd have the advantage over him. Not even they could be so stupid to miss an opportunity like this. It would be the only chance of winning they had.
"But that all means that either everyone just got here and no one's died yet, or something else is going on. When we get everything set right, I think we should make sure we don't get caught up in it if it's the latter."
But she's right. It's not anything they can do about now.
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on 2018-04-14 07:00 pm (UTC)"What do you mean?" Maybe she misheard him, or maybe she misunderstood. She hopes she did, and he's not saying what she thinks he's saying.
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on 2018-04-14 07:44 pm (UTC)"Do you like living? I do." And of course, were she to say no to that he'd have to say too damn bad to her.
"I'm saying if something is getting rid of souls here, either killing them or wiping them out some other way, we should make sure the same thing doesn't happen to us. I would think that would be pretty obvious."
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on 2018-04-14 07:49 pm (UTC)But it's the second part that concerns her more, and it's that part she responds to. "I'm not going to let something like that happen to us... But I'm not going to ignore it if it's happening to someone else. I can't do that."
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on 2018-04-14 08:13 pm (UTC)"I'm not letting you die," He says. "It's bad enough trying to reel Ichigo in. If you die, I can't bring you back. Do you understand? You. Cannot. Get hurt. You're going home to see your family. If that means I have to yank you away from some unfortunate soul you can't save, I will, and you can hate my guts for the rest of your life if you feel like it too."
She promises him otherwise, but she's already got a mark against her on her track record. That, at least, he doesn't say.
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on 2018-04-14 08:37 pm (UTC)"I'm not going to take unnecessary risks, but I can't live doing nothing. If someone needs my help and I don't help them... I won't be able to live with myself. I won't be the person that you want to send home."
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on 2018-04-14 09:11 pm (UTC)He settles back, exhaling heavily. He lowers his voice though he still speaks firm. "One little hiccup in how you like to do things is not going to change every single thing you are. It's not going to become a domino effect of you being completely unrecognizable. You'll hate it, you'll hate me, you'll move on." And this, he's certain, is fact.
He stares down at the dishes in front of him, boring holes through them, through the table. What he said is fact. But it's also not going to convince her.
"... I'm more powerful than you. If I can't beat something, you can't. If I say that, and that I refuse any suicide missions, can you accept that?"
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on 2018-04-14 10:30 pm (UTC)He talks about it like it's a matter of preference. Like she can cast off something like that as easily as a missed connection. A hiccup in her day. Her expression doesn't turn any less conflicted.
But he surprises her. There's a compromise there in his words. He's stronger than her. If he can't do anything to help, will she back down?
Her gaze drifts down to her bowl. "... If you promise to try. If you honestly tell me that you can't help, then I'll try to accept that." It's not a certainty, but it's the best she can do.
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on 2018-04-14 10:55 pm (UTC)"It's good enough," He says. It's better than Ichigo would give him. Far better than he ever will.
"I'm not the sort to rescue," He warns. "I face the enemy, I kick its ass. It doesn't bring anything back if its gone but if there's no enemy left then the problem's solved and that's that."
No screwing around. No pity or mercy. If she gets put in danger, he's calling it quits. He's not going to mourn or throw himself on the line for people he doesn't care about. Yeah, "I can try."
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on 2018-04-14 11:35 pm (UTC)"I can worry about rescues. If you can handle whatever we go up against, then there shouldn't be any problems." Him on offense, her on defense. She gives him a small smile, like a peace offering between them. "That would make us like a team. Is that okay?"
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on 2018-04-14 11:56 pm (UTC)He doesn't know if that bone deep exhaustion shows on his face, but if it does, she smiles anyway. She smiles and he tries to smile back, only its not reassuring, but him teetering on the edge and quickly falling in at her words.
Like a team. And she asks if it's okay.
His laughter cracks with its hysteria. A team with him, not with his own other half, not with the other man he'd shared form with, no. A different soul. A quincy. His mother. His laughter is quieter, but it carries, rattling him.
"You've got me all wrong if you think I can't accept an unconventional team," He says. And he thinks to joke of partners, but the word still stings, that old wound long since left to fester and rot beyond chance of healing.
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on 2018-04-15 04:19 am (UTC)"I'm not sure that you sound very accepting right now," she points out, but it's only a gentle caution, not an admonishment. She wants to ask if he's really okay, but she's not sure that the answer right now would be yes.
So instead, she continues: "But if you're really okay with this, then I am, too. I don't think you could find a more unconventional team." An Quincy and a Zanpakuto spirit, both tainted by the same hollow. It's an unquestionably weird pairing, but she's willing to give it a try.
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on 2018-04-15 08:24 am (UTC)"Heh. Maybe not. Give Ichigo a run for his money," He snickers. Then, since it apparently needs elucidation, "I'm okay with it. I've never worked with anyone else quite like this, but I figure we can manage."
Two people together, instead of two beings merged. The dance of it feels messier, but if she's tending to the defensive, it might be doable.
"It's not like I need you to wield me either. I can carry myself."
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on 2018-04-15 09:01 pm (UTC)He further mentions that she won't need to wield his sword, and her smile turns a little more wry for just a moment. "That's a relief. I've never used a sword before. I don't think that would go well for either of us--but especially me." She's more likely to lop an arm off than manage to wield a sword the right way.
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on 2018-04-15 09:19 pm (UTC)"Give me some credit," He laughs. "I wouldn't let you get cut." Not by him, oh no. Not unless they were really going all out in their sparring, but even he still can't quite see that.
"It's probably easier than you think, anyway. At least, for a basic sword in the simplest of battles. I would obviously be a learning curve and-" He eyes her and her stature. "-I'm not all sure you could lift me," He says, teasing some more.
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on 2018-04-15 09:27 pm (UTC)Being an archer helps build muscle, as does carting around three children on the norm. Neither one of those things is a very easy task.
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on 2018-04-15 09:51 pm (UTC)And maybe, part of it is just him feeling smug.
"A Khyber knife," He says, without explanation. "Or a butcher knife if you don't know what that is well enough to picture it. A blade as tall as he is."
His brows rise up. "Strength or no, I stand by what I said."
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on 2018-04-15 10:23 pm (UTC)"Well..." She says, getting up from the table with her own meal finished. She starts collecting the dishes together. "If you're as heavy as all that, then I guess you don't need seconds~."
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