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Twelve Tone Rendezvous[Rio, Shaoling]
Mon Oct 17, 2022 11:37 am
RIO SHIHOIN
Rio had become something of a curious spirit, exploring her surroundings in the Soul Society. The Seireitei had been her location of choice, considering the people she had met so far. Thus, it may have seemed something of a mystery as to why she chose to travel to this particular location on earth. The last time she'd visited was seeing Yugiri in Italy. Was that who she intended to cross paths with again? Perhaps, but Rio didn't get the sense she'd be here of all places.
Maybe it was an odd whim. Another act coinciding with a carefree desire to expand the horizons. Speaking of horizons, there did seem to be a city on the horizon if she walked further. It wasn't entirely the middle of nowhere. Yet there didn't appear to be anyone in close proximity either. Her travels so far had told her one thing at least.
There was a lot of sand here. Her travels had told her another thing. Such a wide expanse of sand seemed to invite the presence of hollows, a group following at her from behind. Perhaps, it was her presence that invited them that had to be it. Each of them lunged at her aggressively, taking her relaxed stance as a sign of weakness. That would prove to be their undoing. Several strikes were employed to counter and subdue them in short order. Gazing around for the presence of anyone else, Rio would keep walking forward.
SHIELD OF THE SHIHOIN | End Post
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Re: Twelve Tone Rendezvous[Rio, Shaoling]
Tue Oct 18, 2022 7:18 pm
SHAOLING
The wastelands made for exceptional training grounds for a woman such as Shaoling. After all, there was little risk that someone might get in the way, and if they did, it was a fairly safe bet that she didn't need to be terribly concerned about cutting them down. Vagabonds and bandits were hardly good practice, but they weren't especially troublesome obstacles, either.
However, as she sped through the sands, she noted a familiar spiritual presence not terribly far. Hm. Another of the Shihoin out and about, though unlike Yugiri, this one didn't exactly have any reason to be here. With one more stellar flash step, Shaoling moved toward the ruined city, and then with one more she brought herself atop a crumbling building, looking down toward Rio with arms crossed.
"You're a long way from home, Lady Shihoin."
Her gaze was stern, her voice as cold and distant as it had been during her time as the Shihoin retainer. After all, she didn't know why Rio was here, but she didn't imagine it was for any particularly good reason.
HORNET WITH NO NEST | END POST
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Re: Twelve Tone Rendezvous[Rio, Shaoling]
Tue Oct 18, 2022 8:17 pm
RIO SHIHOIN
During Rio's trek through the ruined city, a familiar voice called out to her. It was a voice she hadn't expected to hear today. Was it an illusion? No, of course not. The hollow she interacted with were meager creatures, none possessing abilities that would throw off her senses. Turning her head to face the woman on the rock, golden eyes blinked softly as if they had seen a ghost. Shaoling...?
A voice and posture that could not be mistaken for any other, a stern expression that rendered her speechless for a moment. It wasn't out of a sense of intimidation, she didn't feel as if she were a kid who had been caught by a disciplinary parent. No, this was more akin to shock.
After all, Rio had not yet visited anyone who knew about Shaoling's whereabouts. She was never filled in on that. She had always assumed the woman stepped down and retired, to go off elsewhere but this place? Well, it wasn't particularly the first location she'd expected to see her.
"True. However, this is the last place I would have expected to see you as well, Shaoling."
Indeed, Rio had no particular idea what type of place a woman as stern as her would retire. Shaoling was a staunchly loyal woman who served as their retainer for years, a remarkable legend in the history of the Gotei. She never imagined her to be anywhere else but the Soul Society. She had a lot of questions, but didn't expect to receive many answers. This woman never did strike her as the type to divulge much, not without great reason at least.
SHIELD OF THE SHIHOIN | End Post
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Re: Twelve Tone Rendezvous[Rio, Shaoling]
Wed Oct 19, 2022 2:46 am
SHAOLING
If she were a more expressive woman, Shaoling would have likely cocked an eyebrow at being called that name by Rio. After all, it was one thing for those closer to her to call her that. Yuujin, Yugiri, even that louse Urahara. But they were all people that Shaoling had told not to call her by her name. Then again, she supposed she'd not made any secret of having abandoned the name Sui Feng, and given that she'd returned to Soul Society by now, news must have gone around.
"Is it?"
Shaoling remained where she was, unmoving and still looking down as if she were a hawk ready to strike. After all, she didn't have any particular love for the Shihoin family, and Rio, as far as she knew, was still unilaterally attached to it. It was true, if nothing else, that she had watched the woman grow up, but that had been well before Shaoling cared much about her role as anything more than a retainer. It may as well have been a lifetime ago.
"I'm here because it serves as a good training ground. It's strange to see you outside the Seireitei, let alone in a place like this."
HORNET WITH NO NEST | END POST
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Re: Twelve Tone Rendezvous[Rio, Shaoling]
Wed Oct 19, 2022 5:50 am
RIO SHIHOIN
Training grounds? Golden eyes glanced towards the ruined city around her. She supposed that statement held up quite well. One could effectively train as freely as they desired. There was little to impede someone in a wasteland. Few wandered out here. Traveling around a place like this was an empty experience. She chose the experience, of course. Eager as she was to expand her horizons, Rio concluded that she ought to choose her locations wisely. Shaoling's presence here would likely be the only thing to keep her here at the moment, and even then, she had no idea if the woman would stay or tell her to go home.
"It is, though less so considering you train here. I'm in no position to judge, though. I thought of wandering out here on a whim but I realize how foolish that decision was, in retrospect. Outside of training, there is little one could feasibly do here."
Rio sighed softly, gazing up at the woman on the building, expecting a comment or two about how foolish that was. The Rio of the past would've felt ashamed to admit her mistakes. She was still surprised to see her, regardless of location. She never thought they'd cross paths again. They hadn't exactly been all that close, and Rio had no idea why the woman stepped down in the first place, from her position as a retainer and a member of the Gotei. She was not the most personable woman, and she didn't expect much conversation, yet neither would she step down from speaking her thoughts.
"Apart from this mishap, I've been outside the Seiretei far more often in the present days. I recently met up with Yugiri in Italy, for example. I'd like to see her again, but it can be difficult to reach her. Not much of the type to stay in one place, you know? Anyway, even if I exclude the wastelands, I never thought I'd see you again at all."
SHIELD OF THE SHIHOIN | End Post
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Re: Twelve Tone Rendezvous[Rio, Shaoling]
Thu Oct 20, 2022 8:25 pm
SHAOLING
"Yes, that does seem shortsighted."
Idiotic might have been a better word for it, but Shaoling wasn't quite so hostile as to say something that sharp. Even so, it struck her as exceptionally ill-thought out to simply come here to the wastelands in the hopes of finding something interesting while wandering. The thoughts of a sheltered noblewoman, she supposed.
"I don't make it a habit to return to the Seireitei unless I must. And seeing as there isn't anything there for me, I hardly need to go."
After all, what ought she return for? The Shihoin? The Gotei? Certainly not. By the end of her tenure, all that she'd had was the Onmitsukido, and that had been unceremoniously taken from her. She'd considered a return, certainly, but in the end she didn't much care for the thought. Too much of her life had already been wasted on duty to no end.
HORNET WITH NO NEST | END POST
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Re: Twelve Tone Rendezvous[Rio, Shaoling]
Fri Oct 21, 2022 11:03 pm
RIO SHIHOIN
Rio nodded her head, as though agreeing with the woman, though somewhat internally, she expected something far more sharp than short-sighted. In truth, that line of thought was based on her mental impression of Shaoling. To Rio, she seemed no-nonsense - precisely the type of woman who wouldn't hold her tongue if someone made a foolish decision.
Of course, appearances were deceiving, and much like her progressive turn with whimsically wandering in search of something to occupy her time, it was reasonable to assume Shaoling had evolved in her own way. The Shihoin woman curiously gazed up at her. To be honest, while word did get around, Rio had never truly been all that familiar with Shaoling.
Whether that was the result of her focusing on her family or being too young to approach her was another matter entirely. Nonetheless, she still thought of the woman fondly, respecting her achievements as she would to any past member of the Gotei. To know she still visited to any degree was equally surprising as seeing her here.
"I suppose that does make sense. I don't think casual visitation is something you find appealing. Although, I'm slightly curious. Has all of your days here been typically spent training in the wastelands? Training grounds... I certainly understand. Plenty of open space allowing for ideal movement and freedom... but, do you talk to anybody here on earth?"
Rio was none the wiser to her involvement with Yugiri or the individuals she'd taken under her wing as a student. She often treated her earth visits like a trip. She had humored the thought of treating this realm as her one true home, but never wholly committed to it. Truth be told, with recent events, she wasn't entirely sure she ever would. Even so... it was worth posing the question.
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Re: Twelve Tone Rendezvous[Rio, Shaoling]
Tue Oct 25, 2022 1:20 am
SHAOLING
"I spent a short time with Kisuke Urahara, before he returned to the Gotei."
Shaoling didn't really see much point in Rio being here, frankly, but she didn't care nearly enough to say that, either. It seemed so asinine that, had this happened only a few short years ago, she'd likely have beaten the woman simply for considering it and sent her home. But as it stood, that was far from Shaoling's problem.
"I speak with my students, the occasional traveler. Young shinigami sometimes seek me out hoping for advice."
The first two were perfectly acceptable to Shaoling. In fact, she found that life rather agreeable. There was a certain happiness she found in traveling in a world where many did not know her, where there were no expectations of what she was. It was those shinigami who sought her out for her experienced, to learn about the life she had left behind, that irritated her.
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Re: Twelve Tone Rendezvous[Rio, Shaoling]
Wed Oct 26, 2022 2:37 am
RIO SHIHOIN
"Now, that's a surprise. Kisuke is the last person I would've imagined, but then again, I never did know much about him outside of the history he left behind in the Soul Society. Come to think of it, I don't think I've met him in person yet, either..."
Shaoling's answers had caused Rio to raise a curious eyebrow. She was familiar with Kisuke Urahara in name and history only. She knew he shared some form of connection with her aunt, but that was as far as her knowledge went with him on a personal level. As a sheltered noblewoman who rarely ventured out half as much as her older sister, Rio had no particular reason to meet him back then, but crossing paths with him now seemed quite likely, especially if she followed through with her desire to enlist in the Gotei.
Each answer only seemed to fill her mind with more curiosity, though she quickly restrained herself from posing any more than the woman might be willing to ask. For young shinigami to pursue her here, Rio wondered how much of Shaoling's whereabouts was public knowledge in Soul Society, or if they simply chanced upon her through purging hollows. The latter, arguably, felt more viable than the former. The shihoin woman already felt a tinge of embarassment in being caught here under the premise of wandering around in search of... yeah.
"Now, that's interesting. With your skill and approach, I don't doubt that those students of yours will develop into fine group of fighters. I attempted to be a teacher myself recently, but it didn't quite work out. There are those suited to teaching and those who still have much to learn. I fall into the second category, admittedly. Though I wonder..."
Rio stroked her chin, an idea slowly forming in her head. She wasn't entirely sure what answer she would receive, but the Shihoin had no desire to return home without making something of the day. It'd leave something of a minor stain in her spirit if she simply went home caught-red handed by her family's former retainer.
"Hm, I don't know how many students you have. You are probably familiar with them to a point that asking to train under you might not be an option for me, but if it won't impede on your time, may I challenge you to a spar, Shaoling? I could go on and on with questions, but I've no desire to waste your time with idle chit-chat, and there is no guarantee you'll feel comfortable providing an answer to all of them. Seeing you now, honestly? I want to see how well I can hold up, compared to someone with your level of skill and experience."
To be honest, Shaoling could flat out tell her no, and that would be the end of it. Yet, Rio was not at all dishonest about her feelings. She didn't want to take the woman's time for granted, either. If accepted, this was not intended to be a spar out of mere whimsy, in no way comparable to the one that brought her here to begin with. No, she was serious about this.
In truth, this was a request stemming from a genuine desire to see where she needed to improve her own skills. If she truly intended to enlist, why not use it as a stepping stone to recognize what she ought to improve on? The determination in her gaze at least indicated this was a serious matter.
SHIELD OF THE SHIHOIN | End Post
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Re: Twelve Tone Rendezvous[Rio, Shaoling]
Mon Oct 31, 2022 4:16 am
SHAOLING
A less rigid woman might have raised an eyebrow disapprovingly at the fact that the request was so clearly an afterthought. But if nothing else, a spar would be a relatively fine way for Shaoling to end her day. She doubted that Rio had the capacity to properly match her, but that wasn't really a concern to her. So what if she went home with a few injuries?
"A spar? So be it."
No further words were necessary, and Shaoling stepped toward Rio only once as her foot whipped out in a withering kick to the woman's midsection. She didn't particularly have any reason to take this bout in a more personal way, and there wasn't any compulsion on her end to actually make sure Rio learned something.
This was just an opportunity to test herself, no different from crushing rocks.
HORNET WITH NO NEST | END POST
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