An Ordinary Hike [Yvanne/Victor]

[freshstrawberries]

On the edges of Tokyo, a metropolis that despite how dense and sprawling it was still had an end, a girl squatted on a sturdy tree branch in the dense forest on a mountain slope.  She was dressed in a white jumpsuit, it clung to her form near the center but got loose towards wrists and ankles, with what looked like an ankh in some black material hanging from her neck.  Red hair flowed down her back although if one looked at the front they'd see the inner layer was white.  However, perhaps details like that would be overlooked in favor of what by all accounts was a glowing halo above her head, circular with four squat points equally spaced around its edge.

From this halo rods of light emerged, connected to various points across the girl's body as she watched, listening intently.  Her body wasn't tense at all despite the intense look on her face, no that wasn't true, her right arm was tensed, and so was her face, the rest of her body seemed relaxed, as if it was only being held up by the beams of light.  A snap somewhere in the thick forest around her, and she leaped from the branch!  From leafy cover another figure emerged, something in her right hand swiping across the air like a blade!

Her hair was red like the first girl's, but cut short, half of her bangs left to grow long enough to be styled into a point covering her right eye.  She wasn't in a jumpsuit, but the color of her outfit was still predominantly white, an inverness cape with a violet lining over what could almost look like a stark white suit, although tailored more for movement.  In her right hand, was a paint stick, like a more messy marker, in her left?  A paintgun that she leveled, the quiet little puff of it firing the only real indication as the first girl rapidly flickered between the trees, her speed likely difficult to follow for a normal human.

"Ameliaaa, did we have to use an actual paintball gun?!"  Yvanne protested as she felt a sting on her right shoulder, one of the few parts of her body that could actually still feel anything. 

"Ya gotta work on your Blut eventually right?  Consider this encouragement!"

The two hadn't been in Japan long, but continuing Yvanne's training was only natural.  The two had hardly settled into their new apartment before picking an isolated stretch of mountain near Tokyo for a little training.  Fortunately it wasn't hard to get around the metropolis even heading just outside of it, and there was enough wilderness and forest to easily find a place to train without risk of being seen.  Well as long as they stayed mostly beneath the tree line at least.  Hell they were in Japan so they could generally speak freely in English without that much worry!

"Now c'mon, we've got all these trees and I still nailed you, you gotta move faster than that!"  Amelia shouted, as she took off after her cousin, the two dancing around and between the trees as their little game of cat and mouse continued.  To anyone with some spiritual awareness it wouldn't be hard to notice.  That great halo above Yvanne's head, the sheer density of it's reishi and the reishi needed to sustain it only made that easier.

[zaz]

It didn't appear to be a hollow. That's what Victor thought in relief as he checked his issued phone, or whatever the hell Soul Society decided to call it, and found that it still read that none were in the area despite being this close. Flipping it closed and putting it away, he then took out a very similar looking device from another pocket in his coat and flipped it open before pointing it out in the direction of the disturbance he was feeling. This was the one he had picked up from Squad 12, designed to pick up any unusual spiritual fluctuations, and yes, said fluctuations were still very much there, just as strong, and also quite close to where he was now, residing somewhere within the forest in front of him.

Staring into the forest in front of him and glancing back at the city limits behind him, he debated whether he should go in himself or just call it in. From what the device was able to read from this range there appeared to be two sources that these fluctuations were coming from, one greater than the other. This meant that the likelihood of at least immense danger was low, though two people may or may not be currently fighting. Not definite, but it was a possibility from his own understanding of what it was listing. It was on the very edge of his patrol route, maybe even just past it, so it might not explicitly be his job, but he felt that he should probably check it out anyway just to be sure everything was alright. If someone nagged him about stepping outside of his route later he'd have a pretty good excuse of checking out a spiritual disturbance just outside of it.

Flipping the device closed and putting it away, he set off into the forested area before him, left hand resting close to his sword just in case. It was in times like this that he was truly glad that he opted to get his own attire instead of always wearing the damned sandals the Soul Society handed out, his dark boots crunching through the grass and occasional twig. His long coat also had way more pockets, while his shirt and jeans were far more comfortable, at least to him, and didn't look nearly as... plain. Sure, his dark gray color scheme meant that he might still look like a particularly urban Shinigami, especially with his Zanpakuto on him, but he counted that as a plus for staying in theme. The inside of his coat being green also added a splash of color that he quite liked.

A short time after entering the area he could actually feel the fluctuation enough that he no longer needed the device to point him in the right direction, allowing him to begin walking straight toward it, though it appeared to be moving around quite a bit, and coming from... a bit upward? So the source was in the trees? That did confuse him, but he continued onward, making sure to now look up.

[freshstrawberries]

Of course the two had taken more precautions than just going out to a stretch of forest and going 'Eh there's probably no one here.'  They'd actually checked for hiking trails, camping spots, that sort of thing, and then done a quick little check just to be sure, they were about as along as they could be out here. 

There wasn't really a reason for someone to come wandering in, not where the two were having their training, not from the direction he came from, so when Eve suddenly came across him as she flitted across the trees, landing on a branch above him very obviously and staring down in surprise.  Well her surprise was pretty fitting.

He definitely would have heard her, and if he looked up he'd see the woman standing on a branch, eyes wide...before the branch suddenly broke and she let out a shriek as she fell...about six inches.  Her body was dangling like a puppet on its strings, golden lines holding her up in the air.

What the hell was he doing out here? Who the hell was he? It didn't even occur to her that he was a shinigami, when she thought shinigami she thought of the uniform. She was looking at a man dressed in pretty ordinary contemporary clothes, and here she was hanging in the air like a puppet on strings and the only thing she could think to do was.

"Eep!"  The halo vanished, and she fell to the ground with a heavy thump, slamming right into the forest floor in an undignified heap, hoping the split second of her hanging there could be passed off as them seeing things...

[zaz]

Victor startled briefly, causing him not to freeze but to snap his head upward toward the noise, his left hand briefly gripping his Zanpakuto much more tightly than it had been previously. He was able to relax, however, within the second or so it took for the woman to hit the ground, though only enough to return to a readied state instead of being just about to draw his blade. Wincing internally at them solidly planting into the dirt, he once more retrieved his detection device from his coat, flipping it open and holding it so that it faced them. According to the device, they were indeed one of the spiritual presences it had been detecting, so he flipped it shut, returned it to his coat, and moved to introduce himself.

"Shinigami, Squa-" Or so he would have, had he not noticed that the woman had not moved from where she had fallen, appearing much closer to a limp heap of person than someone normally should. It was because of this that what he was saying, after a very brief pause in surprise, quickly morphed into something very different. "-are you alright?" His normally serious expression morphed into a bit of worry as he examined them, wondering if they had been injured in some way. Had they been attacked? Were they running from something? His device did pick up two presences, not just the one, so had they actually been fighting?

Now much more tense than before, he'd step towards the fallen woman and kneel down, his legs tightened in preparation to move quickly should he need to and his left hand practically strangling his Zanpakuto, positioned less than an inch away from starting a draw. Keeping his senses focused and an eye towards where he still felt the second presence, he tried to see if the woman had any injuries that he could easily spot, or perhaps some other apparent cause for her current state. "Have you been attacked? Do you need medical assistance?"

[freshstrawberries]

Eve's lack of motion once she'd hit the ground was rather easy to explain, a combination of very simple factors.  One, falling like that and hitting the ground had genuinely knocked the wind out of her.  For two, she could only really move her right arm and head anyways.  For three, her mind was racing waiting for him to do something wondering what he was doing here who he might be.  Then, finally...she'd landed on her right arm, pinning it beneath her body and it was going to take a bit of effort to actually get it out from under herself.

Then she heard that magic word.  Shinigami.  "Oh thank god."  She finally said something after she heard that, before her body twitched as she struggled to get her right arm out, grunting slightly.  Her jumpsuit was splattered with splotches of blue, not blood, and it definitely seemed to be covering the suit not coming from within...was that paint? 

"I'm fine, thank you, could you j-"

It was at this point that Amelia would arrive on the scene, not dashing in with Schnell but running in through the trees, paintball gun in hand.  "Oh no Eve!  Are you okay?  Your medication must have worn off!"  She was going to dramatically run over, her words sounding...more than a little rehearsed as she started to speak to Victor.  "This is my cousin, and she has a condition where-"

"Amelia.  He's a shinigami."  Eve spoke out, still sprawled on the ground exactly as she'd landed, although she had at least gotten her right arm free.  With that she could awkwardly shove against the ground to roll onto her back.

Amelia meanwhile would just sigh as she slumped to her knees.  "Oh thank god."  Well...it didn't seem like there was any actual serious fighting going on...and the paintball gun explained the blue splotches...and neither seemed that alarmed after learning he was a shinigami.

[zaz]

Victor thought he understood the situation now, and he was once more relieved that it was without conflict or actual battle. That wasn't to say he would shy away were he ever in a situation that devolved into combat, but he certainly didn't enjoy it. He could never quite wrap his head around the fanaticism that the members of Squad 11 regularly displayed. He saw fighting as a tool to be used only when necessary. That also wasn't to say that he wasn't prepared to fight, indeed he had already put himself through many rigors in an attempt to become stronger, more ready to fulfill his duties. Something that, if he was correct about the situation, the two before him were doing just then until he had interrupted.

Giving a small nod, he would rise from his kneeled position, having relaxed his grip on his Zanpakuto, before backing up a few steps to give them some space and stand at a more respectable distance rather than remain looming over them. Resting his left hand on the guard of his Zanpakuto, he introduced himself once more, though this time more properly. "Shinigami, Squad Ten, Hayashi Victor. I apologize for the intrusion. I sensed spiritual fluctuations at the edge of my patrol route and decided to investigate, just to make sure everything was alright. It seems that instead of finding trouble I've ended up interrupting something."

Truth be told, he was quite curious about them. After all, he had only become aware of the supernatural after his own death. Never did he know, in life, that there existed those with supernatural powers at all, let alone among humanity. A dark part of him insisted that it was obvious he not know when he was far too unimportant to ever be involved in such things, and with practiced effort he shoved those thoughts aside. Nevertheless, they intrigued him, though what was more attention grabbing was that one of them was still sprawled on the ground, causing him to look at them with some concern. "Are you sure you're alright?"

[freshstrawberries]

The two listened as he identified himself and nodded along.  Both seemed at least relatively relaxed after learning he was a shinigami...and neither seemed remotely concerned that one of them was sprawled on the ground, almost completely unmoving save for her right arm.  "Right, well I'm Amelia Augustine, of the Baskerville Quincy Clan."  That did not sound remotely Japanese.

"Yvanne Baskerville, of the same clan."  Eve would speak up from where she was.  "And no worries I'm fine just..."  She inhaled slowly as her eyes closed, and above her body light formed and coalesced.  Ambient Reishi in the air gathering, flowing to a spot above her to be formed into a seemingly solid shape, a glowing halo with four prominent spikes, the same he might have spotted before she fell out of the tree.  Lines of light would descend to connect to various parts of her body before lifting her up.

It was very distinctly the lines lifting her up, like a puppet's strings.  Her body was well...like a puppet dangling but once her body was up and shoulders up and feet down, she could settle on the ground and stand like a person.  Well, if one didn't look too closely she could.  A keen eye could easily determine there was no real weight on her body, not on hips or knees or feet, a puppet positioned to look like they were standing, although her right arm and head were mostly free of strings.  "Sorry to worry you.  I'm...paralyzed in most of my body, just my head and right arm for the most part.  I have to use a special technique to move my body at all, the rest of the time, I'm wheelchair bound."

"And I'm her nurse."  Amelia said, moving up and resting an elbow on Eve's shoulder, giving him a confident grin.  "That and her cousin, best friend, and training partner.  We were just doing a training exercise, while she can draw a bow fine and move pretty darn fast she still struggles with a lot of precise movements."  They were talking like they expected him to know what they were, that mention of clan too.  It sounded like they were from a group even and one that a shinigami might know of too.

[zaz]

Victor's eyebrows would raise slightly in surprise, though his expression would still remain fairly neutral, especially now that his concern had largely faded. Sure, he still felt a small amount of concern, he wasn't heartless and it was saddening to see someone so young be so thoroughly disabled, but he felt no need to pity them now that they had explained their situation. He hoped that didn't make him callous, they just seemed to be getting on fine on their own power and effort, which was something he viewed as admirable and not to be disparaged with pity, especially not that of a stranger. He knew he'd strongly dislike someone feeling sorry about his life when he'd made so many efforts to better himself now.

"I admire your tenacity." He would give a short but firm nod in Yvanne's direction, intending to convey his respect. "And your creativity." He'd add on with a briefly thoughtful expression as he glanced at the glowing formation above her head. It was quite interesting, though he'd imagine the spiritual presence it possessed would make a strategy of evasion just a bit more difficult. Well, everyone had their challenges, and she'd find her answers to them in time should she keep at it as she had been thus far. On another subject, the paintball guns made sense, both having revealed themselves as Quincy. It seemed like a practical substitute for, well, actually shooting at each other, and was smart for a training exercise.

"I haven't yet met a Quincy." He'd say in a tone betraying some amount of his curiosity. His concern no longer distracting him, his interest in the supernatural forces native to Earth once more came into play. He had, again, only learned of its possibility after his untimely demise. The academy also didn't teach much about the supernatural outside of a Shinigami's duties and about Hollows, though it did mention Quincy on occasion, them being a relatively common factor in play. "I admit I'm a bit curious. I was once human, though I only became aware of the supernatural, well, afterward. Finding out that there was such a presence of it on Earth did seem quite interesting to me." He did feel awkward saying that, though he thankfully managed to school his expression enough to not betray such.

[freshstrawberries]

"Thank you."  Eve replied to the compliments, nodding her head.  His reaction was interesting, she didn't see a lot of the pity she usually saw in others, the look in his eyes, was more of admiration for sure, not something she saw often even when unveiling this trick.  What an interesting fellow.

"Never met a quincy eh?  Well guess it's your lucky day since you just stumbled across two."  Amelia said cheerfully.  "I'm afraid we don't know any juicy clan secrets for ya, but hey if you've got questions, I at least'd be happy to answer.  We were probably going to pack it in soon anyways."

Eve nodded, "We're parked not too far from here, we can chat along the way if you'd like."  Well it seemed neither had an issue with chatting with him. 

"Honestly not sure why we keep the whole thing secret."  Amelia commented on him not knowing about the supernatural as the two moved to start moving through the trees.

"Of course you don't.  Imagine if the USA tried to regulate how shinigami or quincy operated in their territory Amelia, do you really think those lot could be trusted with that kind of knowledge?"

[zaz]

After waiting for them to finish speaking, Victor would give a small nod towards Yvanne. "I wouldn't mind that, I don't wish to impose more than I already have." And after a brief pause as he looked somewhat thoughtful, he'd continue. "And I don't think any country would have much luck in regulating what they cannot see or hear, whether it be Shinigami or Hollow. Quincy, on the other hand... it may be me being cynical, but I can only see that resulting in a race to find an excuse to weaponize them, if they even bother finding one and don't just treat them as a threat. It is common to fear what you don't understand." He would pause once more, deep in thought as he debated something internally, causing him to look especially serious. "It is unfortunate, but I can only see that ending badly."

His expression lightening but ultimately resting once more on a distant neutral, he'd turn his head towards Amelia and attempt to lighten the discussion a bit. "On a less serious note, I can't say I'm curious about any one thing, and you'd have no need to give up any of your clan's secrets even if you did know them. My interest is much more vague, like how Quincy operate, how common they are, what it's like being one, more of the general feeling of how they work. Really just idle curiosity, they don't get into many specifics in the Shinigami academy."

[freshstrawberries]

"Yeah like they'd care if it'd be difficult, wouldn't stop them from trying."  Amelia snorted as the group started moving.  Yvanne's movements were strangely jerkey, like a puppet being made to walk.

"No I don't think it's cynical it's one of the top reasons we quincy keep our heads down and help preserve secrecy."  Eve replied, "And we'd also be their primary way of 'regulating what they can't see' on top of trying to figure out ways to make people able to see them I'm sure."

The two clearly had a few ideas about this topic, but were more than willing to switch to something less heavy, less potentially dark.  "Heh, well that's all things we can help with.  I'm afraid I don't have exact numbers on how many quincy there are."

"Yeah it varies from clan to clan."  Amelia piped in, "Our clan, the Baskerville clan, has a...couple dozen combat ready quincy?  That's just the ones actually fit for fighting though.  This whole spiritual sight thing and quincy powers are inherited so as long as a family can propagate successfully a clan can get pretty big."

"How we work also kinda varies from clan to clan.  Lots of different rules, policies, practices, but there's generally a lot of things the clans agree on.  Sometimes not without a lot of 'heated debate'."  Eve said with a chuckle.  "The Baskervilles for instance like to send young quincy to other clans to learn from them and develop new perspectives they wouldn't be able to staying at home in England."

"As for what it's like..."  Amelia paused to think about it, "I guess it's like being part of a secret society in a movie but without the villainy that usually comes attached to it."

[zaz]

Victor's eyes would become somewhat unfocused as he thought about their explanation, staring off into nothing as he followed closely behind them, though at a respectable enough distance so as to not be awkward. Once upon a time, when he was still human, he might've worried about how it might look for a man in a dark coat to be closely following two younger women through the woods, but thankfully, not alive as he was, he'd be both invisible and inaudible to any who would observe them, unless of course they were spiritually aware. Though he supposed he didn't have to deal with any such scenario in life either, as he had very few friends and didn't remember having any of the opposite gender.

"I suppose that makes sense. As isolated as they sound, such groups are bound to gradually drift apart and develop their own practices over time, even when they remain ultimately united in most ways that truly matter. The Gotei is a lot more strictly organized, though even then each squad tends to have its own subculture, some more... eccentric than others. I can say that I'm not a stranger to being lent out. My own squad, the 10th, specialize in being all-rounders, so we're often sent out to any situation that needs fast response or just more bodies. I can't say I'm terribly adept as of yet, though I do try to absorb as much as I can when working alongside other squads. I take it that's why you two are in Japan, you adapting well? I don't know much about England, I haven't been stationed there, but it does seem like it'd be very different from Japan."

[freshstrawberries]

The two nodded along as he explained a few things about soul society and the gotei 13.  It was pretty interesting to hear it from the horse's mouth so to speak.  "I knew the shinigami had different divisions but I didn't know much about it.  I know there's a...science division, a doctor division and like...one that's nothing but warriors...which seems kinda weird, aren't all of you warriors?  Well I guess the doctors might not be but..."  Amelia hummed, trailing off as she considered.

"Ah yeah the Baskervilles like to send their quincy out to other clans to 'study abroad'.  So we're staying with the local clan to do just that."  Yvanne picked up the conversation.  "So far it's not too bad there's...definitely some culture shock but-"

"People won't just say no here!"  Amelia blurted out throwing her hands up.  "I asked someone if they had a cat and they said 'maybe I have a cat' because saying no is rude!  What's up with that?!"

"Ahah...I think Amelia's having a harder time adjusting than I am.  The very strict levels of politeness in Japanese society can take some getting used to."

"They have like only one singular swear word and it's not even a curse!  It's just saying you in an aggressive and mocking way!"

Yvanne chuckled softly before the group emerged into a parking lot on a road going through the forest.  A small van was parked there which Amelia would skip to, vanishing and reappearing next to it to pull the door open, where one could see an electric wheelchair set inside part of the backseat folded and tucked back to accommodate for it.