Lift The Limit[Igen, Rio]

Rio could hardly contain her laughter at the delivery of Igen's disastrous attempt at humor. Well, Rio supposed it was better than anything she could manage. She avoided any opportunity to make a joke unless she was truly certain it would land properly. Igen just leaped off the bridge without a second thought. It was amusing, though. Any form of banter was welcome in her eyes. He placed his order in for a skewer and Rio decided to place her own in for a meat bowl with season rice added in to even things out.

Once their food arrived, Rio would grab her bowl and take a seat beside Igendai, resuming their conversation. Now that she got to think about it, Rio hadn't particularly used her zanpakuto in some time. She certainly trained to keep herself in peak condition, but rarely had there been a situation that required anything beyond her sealed abilities. It would be nice to use it again. There was no resistance on her end towards the idea. Grabbing a generous amount with her chopsticks, she would take a bite, turning amber eyes towards Igen. She wondered what his reaction would be to her Shikai considering he had only ever witnessed one.

"No harm at all. If nothing else, it can't hurt to try right? I'm interested to see what your reaction will be once you see my Shikai. I haven't used it in a minute, but I'm confident enough to think I can give you enough of a fight, and hopefully draw something out of your zanpakuto. Maybe the spirit hiding in there might get competitive and hop in to assist you. I'm curious, though. What was it like witnessing that one shikai you mentioned? How was it?"

Rio was curious about that particular piece of information. Zanpakuto abilities were effectively boundless. Conceptual or elemental, there were countless possibilities that could manifest. Curiosity compelled her to wonder about what it was like dealing with the first one he saw. Plus, it was another way of continuing their conversation while she consumed her arguably heftier meal.

Igen hardly minded the joke being awkward, that was the intention after all. Sometimes saying something just plain weird still got a good reaction. And Rio showed that off with her inability to barely keep from bursting out laughing. A certified dad joke. Heheh. He smiled, proud of himself even as the pair of them started eating. And he ...reflected a little on her words as he chewed through the meat. "I certainly am.....interested." He noted quietly, looking off to the side before glancing back to Rio. "Well... In truth it was kinda...confusing. Zanpaku'to reflect the user. Or ....something like that. But .... well...the person's zanpaku'to. It was nothing like them. As a matter of fact, it almost seemed like it was some kinda...warped...self ...image. The ...person in question. Well. It was a complicated situation. But it seemed very ....dark. Much darker than you'd think from them." He murmured softly. thinking what his own might be like.

"It's kinda...janked my jive. I kinda wonder just what my own Zanpaku'to will say about me. Ya know? Did you have something like that with yours?" He asked with a light tilt of his head. It was clear just from context that he didn't really wanna say whose zanpaku'to it had been. He wasn't going to out his friend like that. But also that it had been .... a significant enough surprise that it kinda threw him for a loop.

Rio continued to consume her meal, listening to Igen sate her curiosity concerning his first experience. It was certainly true that most zanpakuto were representative of the user once a connection was established. To her knowledge, there was yet to be a case where that was not the norm. Of course, Rio was no expert. What was common knowledge in the past didn't necessarily mean things couldn't change over time. With no particular intel on the person Igen mentioned, Rio could only come up with a guesstimate. Dark was a vague descriptor. Was it a shadow ability? Was it demonic in nature? So many thoughts could be made from that one word.

From the way he was describing it, the ability of the weapon was a far cry from how the user carried themselves. It was enough to send Igen's mind into a state of contemplation, wondering how his own spirit and abilities might manifest. Was it doubt? Was it fear he might not be fond of what came about once he reached that threshold? Rio could only surmise. Come to think of it did Rio's zanpakuto truly represent her as a shield? Her sealed abilities had an iron-like aspect to them. Her shikai was more blade oriented... Truly something to contemplate. Maybe she'd let Igen be the judge of things once they got to that point.

"Huh... a curious case, to be sure. The way it sounds, their zanpakuto must be a far cry from who they are as a person, as far as you've known them at least. Perhaps it could be something linked to their past? I can't say. Far as my own zanpakuto is concerned, there isn't really anything I find to be out of the norm. Nothing warped, dark, or... out of place from who I am. It kind of has an iron theme to it. The base revolves around density and iron. I think those things represent me well."

Igen itched his face for a moment at that and sighed. Oof, maybe he shouldn't have brought it up. Now that Rio was asking questions. He glanced at his own Asauchi and hummed. "Well, I suppose it was just you know, kinda clear that ya never know what you're gonna get with them. Not many people talk about their Zanpaku'to all that often. It's ...you know... seems to be a personal thing. So I do kinda...wonder what's rattlin around in there." He reasoned, folding his arms a bit and tapping his foot.

Wait, did she say Iron? He canted his head a bit to the side. Huh, was the Shield of the Shihoin thing a lot more literal than he thought? "That's weird. I don't think I would have thought you would have a ... metal power. You seem so relaxed." He murmured, entirely unaware what a role he'd played in that particular aspect of her personality coming out to play. and only FURTHER urging his own ...... uncertainty about the subject. What if his Zanpaku'to was some sort of ...vicious murderous thing? Would he have to kill to get to know it any better? Hmmm. "How exactly did you.....train with your Zanpaku'to? Was it just ... you know...normal meditation?" He ventured. Knowing this was a sensitive topic to ask about, but he certainly was curious.

Rio stifled a chuckle at the irony of Igen's statement. She momentarily imagined what his reaction might have been had he met her in the past, where she was anything but relaxed. Her title wasn't merely one earned out of simple training. A lot of her family members were no strangers to the extents she was willing to go to protect them. It didn't help that a lot of that was also fueled by irritation towards her sister.

It was humorous, but Rio wasn't going to point that out. If he was familiar with the relaxed version of Rio, that suited the Shihoin woman just fine in the grand scheme. She supposed that enough time spent around him or Nanashi would gradually destroy any attempt at returning to those days of noble stoicism.

She playfully tilted her head, a pretending shrug as if she hardly understood herself. A teasing gesture, but she remained serious enough. He required her assistance, it seemed, and so any form of play could simply be left up until later. Addressing what bothered him was what mattered currently.

"It started out with meditation, yes. However, I was somewhat brash when I was younger. I didn't have a lot of patience for waiting. Naturally, that impatience led me to train with a madman's zeal. There were days where I struggled with tapping into it, and simply chose to improve on another skill just to pass the time - my hakuda, for example." Rio paused, chewing on some of the meat in her bowl as she recalled her zanpakuto discovery experience.

"When meditation didn't work, I defaulted into throwing myself into spars, skirmishes, or small missions to draw something out. In retrospect, perhaps it wasn't the best approach but eventually a lot of those risky tactics led to a breakthrough. I don't know what the approach is, but my advice is to continue going at your own flow. Don't force it. Ideally, don't worry about what'll happen once you meet your zanpakuto spirit and develop abilities. I don't know that person you were speaking about personally, but no one's experience is the same. If they had something dark, it doesn't mean you'll end up with something similar. "

Igen nodded slowly as she gave a recount of her own experiences. He definitely had tried Meditation. but It had been kinda....weird. Suffice to say, that it had kinda not worked. Why was his Zanpaku'to being so picky? It only ever seemed to want to say something when he was in the middle of a fight or something. He really needed to go speak to Captain Murasaki...

Huh... he actually was a little surprised to hear her talking about spars and the like. Meditation hadn't worked for her either? His brows perked up. "You ... make some good points. Heh...I guess I am kinda letting myself be a little spooked. But well... I guess just the way things have been going, it's just how it's been. Maybe I'm on edge or something. Which ...you know..is weird. I spend a lot of my time just chilling or getting into tussles! Hm. Maybe I souldn't worry about it... after all Ka- Er... my Friend.... seemed to be ...mostly in her head?" He itched his chin. "She acted like finding out about her Zanpaku'to would make me hate her or something. IT was bizarre. Maybe worrying about it too much would mess me over anyway..." He sighed, scratching the back of his head. There really didn't seem to be any right answers..

But.
He smiled at Rio and reached out to give her a playful punch to the shoulder. "Thanks for the advice though. I guess I have been kinda worrying about following other peoples rules than ... you know... just being myself. Thanks for talkin to me." He chuckled, sitting up a bit and setting his food to the side, having more or less eaten all of it.

After a moment, he glanced at Rio and gave a bit of a sly smirk. " Listen to you being all big sisterly. Heh, were in the Academy once upon a time yea? You musta been real popular huh?" He asked slyly, gently giving her a playful elbow as he did. Naturally completely forgetting that she was like, a major Noble and may have had a pretty limited social group depending on like...stigmas and stuff.

Rio listened to Igen, smiling softly as he seemed to recognize the meaning behind her words. They had only known each other for a short period of time, but Rio certainly didn't wish to see him in a rut. Worrying didn't seem to be his style. For this friendship to thrive, one of them had to be the voice of inspiration! Besides, if the roles were reversed, she felt he would've parroted the same words she was speaking now. She tilted her head in curiosity as Igen mentioned the person who had seemed to set him into this mood to begin with.

He kept her name hidden, which made her curious, but she held no intent of prying into his business with the woman anyway. As she thought, it truly must of have been a tense situation. She still wondered about this woman's Zanpakuto. The general scope of abilities one could be granted when they tapped into the essence of their weapon varied from person to person. She curiously wondered about how her life might have went if she tapped into something like that. A weapon she fear showing anyone. Food for thought. Anyway...

"Of course, Igen. We're friends, right? If the roles were reversed, I'm pretty sure you'd be telling me the same thing. I... think you're really cool and fun to be around. Why wouldn't I think your future spirit wouldn't feel the same? I can't even imagine dark and terrifying in your spirit, let alone your weapon. Still... whoever she was, it must have been frightening enough to make you think about it."

A soft chuckle fell from her lips as a light blush tinted her caramel-colored cheeks at Igen's next comment. She guessed it was her turn to feel a little awkward herself now, huh? She appreciated his words, but one part of her couldn't help but reflect on her time in the academy. Popular? Her? Well, she had friends. She just didn't engage them as much as she would've have liked, looking back on it. Maintaining clan etiquette and the noble image was all that seemed to dominate her days in the past.

Maybe she was popular, maybe plenty of people were fond of her, but she hadn't paid it much attention, honestly. Nanashi and Igen, and anyone else she planned to meet might well make up for all that lost time. Maybe she could reunite with some of those peers, engage in the drinking she missed out on. Could be fun...

"Well, I have played the role of a big sister in my family for a time, so you're not wrong there. Uhm... hm... regarding my time at the academy, I don't think I would've called myself popular. I had friends but, well, I always defaulted to worrying about my duty to my family than hanging out. Thinking on it, sitting beside you like this, sometimes I wonder if that was the right decision... but..."

She turned to him with a grin and gave him a playful elbow in return.

"With people like you around, I don't think that'll ever have to be a regret to linger on at all, will it?"

Igen snorted just a little but gave a sly smile. "I dunno about Cool, but I'm happy to hear that ya have fun around me. And yea, I guess I probably would say the same thnig. Hard to give yourself advice though." He chuckled, sighing just a little before he tilted his head as Rio looked away, not seeing the blush that was going on as she reflected on her Academy time. Though he WAS a little startled with what she said. "Probably?" He blurted out. How did one PROBABLY think they were popular? IT was kinda obvious wasn't it? But well...aaaaaaaaaaaah. Alright that made sense. Listening to Rio talk about her duties, he gave a bit of a frown, puffing his cheeks at the notion of living your life like that.

He didn't voice the thought, and frankly, he did kinda wonder why it bothered him so much. But the way she talked about herself in the past. It almost was like she was describing an object more than a person. Nobles were all about that devotion shit and ... frankly Igen didn't really like it. That a person could only be the sum of their role didn't sit well with him in the slightest. When Rio gave him that playful elbow, he wasn't smiling.

Reaching out, he gently grasped her shoulders, looking her dead in the eye as he did.
"The past doesn't matter. What matters is the here and now. If you didn't have much time to be popular before, that just means you gotta enjoy it now! I mean, you're a Shihoin! That's pretty neat ya know?" He reasoned, smiling wide as he gave his best smile. And ..ah right, he let go of her shoulders.

"Well still, thanks for cheerin me up. Glad to get this stuff off my chest." He chuckled, about to make a joke about her own chest but ...ah right chicks didn't like those kinds of jokes. Hmm. "Erhem, well anyway. Thanks for lunch! You said you had the rest of your day kinda free. So like... you don't have a ... job or something? With your family?" He ventured with a tilt of his head. Surely Nobles didn't just...fuck around all day did they?

When Igen seized Rio by the shoulders, the shihoin woman was rendered speechless for a single moment. She registered the advice, but her eyes blinked as if she could barely understand a word. The suddenness of the act had surprised her. Igen seemed the type to usually laugh something off and pat her on the shoulder. Serious Igen was... interesting, but nevertheless welcomed. To be honest, Rio was occasionally surprised by her own gradual change. Carefree Rio was never something the stoic shield of the Shihoin would have dared to imagine in the past. Chuckling softly as the exuberant male removed his hands from her shoulders, she reached forward to nudge his fist against his chest a bit.

At the very least, she was glad she had helped just a little in easing his spirits about his zanpakuto. Turning her eyes towards him, she tilted her head a little at his question. She really couldn't speak for other noble families. They likely had principles and edicts they followed that required them constantly going out and maintaining an image for the public eye, but Rio could not recall a time where her family set out specific duties.

Moreover, even if they did, the Shihoin estate may as well have been a ghost town. Chidori was wherever the wind blew, Kokoro was married, Yugiri spent her days on earth... there was nothing to do nor anyone to watch over. Her schedule really was as free as she claimed it to be, but that didn't mean she couldn't fill it up with stuff to do.


"I had a job... but that was more self-imposed than anything. Typical sister watching over her siblings and close relatives to make sure they were safe and staying out of danger. Most of them are adults now. Free to make their own choices. I support them and visit them when I can but... I'd like to make my own path now. Have my own fun. I'll just fill the days with stuff to do. Who knows, I might even join you in the Gotei," she remarked with a chuckle.

She had... been entertaining the idea for a minute. She was a remarkable warrior in her own right. Thus, she felt it a mutual benefit for both parties if she pursued it. Of course, she wouldn't rush into it. She'd let things take their natural course. It was far better to live that way...

To live free.

Igen couldn't help but nod just a little as he listened. As he'd come to learn a little more about nobles, the more Rio's situation made sense. Very rarely did Noble families just ...ORDER people in their own family around. It was much more like...expectations. And in a way, Rio had been sortof guided to her role no doubt. He had heard a lot about some of the jank going on around the shihoin, at least in terms of drama with the last CC. But he also knew that they were a bit more ....familiar? It wasn't a family like the Tsunayashiro or the Kuchiki with well..... a noble noble reputation. The members were very personable. So she could see how they might be closeknit and individuals such as Rio would arise.

"Well I think you should join the gotei. Not having like.... a JOB is kinda ass. Sure you don't have to work, but after a while, what are you really doing? Some people can fill that time with ...yknow like.... art and stuff. Or just enjoyin themselves." He paused and then smiled, reaching up and patting Rio on the shoulder. "But I know a hard worker when I see one. And with all your family all grown up, I can only imagine ya feel kinda aimless. If being a Shinigami is something you'd wanna do. You absoLUTELY should!" He noted, with a firm, encouraging smile.