Peace Of Mind [Victor/Ken]

[zaz]

Victor would let out a deep breath before slowly unsheathing his Zanpakuto, moving its sheath downward and angling it to allow for an easier time drawing its somewhat lengthy blade. Afterward, as usual, he'd move the sheath forward, a bit more so than what it was resting at before, and tighten the knot holding it in place. This made the tip of the sheath jut forward a bit more than usual, but he found that it gave his legs just a bit more room to move around without bumping into it so much, and he'd yet to have any problems with this position. Giving his Zanpakuto an experimental twirl with one hand, he'd hold it in front of him.

It was a bit of an odd sword, like someone had a taken a katana and pasted other stuff they liked more onto it. It was a bit long, but that was still fairly basic. The guard was definitely not what you'd find on a katana, looking more like that of a longsword's, though a rather simplistic one. What was stranger, however, was the blade itself. The fuller, for one, was wide, shallow, and extended most of the way to the tip. Said tip also didn't cut off into an angled edge, but rather tapered slightly into a curved point not quite aligned with the back of the blade. The whole thing also had a constant slight curve to it, rather than starting out straight, though a slight initial forward lean somewhat masked this.

Altogether, his Zanpakuto seemed to be perfectly functional, if just a bit quirky. Quirky as it may appear, however, he didn't dare dismiss it as such. From what he understood, his Zanpakuto, shape included, was in some way reflective of himself, and so he took in each detail with complete seriousness. Now wasn't the time to ponder it at length, however, though the setting around him would probably support such an activity. He found himself in a wooded area, grass underfoot, having come here once more to escape any distractions from his fellows as he practiced alone in an attempt to better understand his Zanpakuto, hoping it would lead to some furthering of himself. Squaring his stance, he set about warming up with some practice swings, as he had many times before.

[Ken Shirogane]

Ken had merely been passing by practicing his Hoho when he spotted his fellow Shinigami. Normally he would not have paused to bother the man since he was clearly out here alone for his own purposes, likely with the intention of avoiding attention. Otherwise why not just pick a practice yard within the Seireitei?

So Ken felt a little bad, essentially spying on the man unintentionally. However he could not help but admire the strangeness of the man’s sword. It stood out even from a distance, Ken standing up high in one of the trees looking down on the lone Shinigami. An amalgamation of various designs, yet it seemed comfortable in the man’s grip. And judging from the way the man moved, held his sword, and adjusted his sheath, Ken got the impression he was of the calculating sort. Everything had its place and its own sort of intended and tested balance. That was Ken’s impression at least.
However, since he’d taken the time to pause and peak on the man, he really needed to come to decide if he was going to bother him while he was training privately. And decided he would, and if the guy seemed bothered he could just leave shortly after that.

So he hopped down from his tree landing on the ground some small distance to the right of where the man was swinging his sword. “Hey there! Sorry to bother you, but I was just passing by doing my own training when I noticed you. I hope I will not be a bother if I ask to chat with you for a minute?”

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[zaz]

Victor would pause in his practice as soon as he heard another person approach, turning his head to the right to observe them. Offering a quiet and brief "Hm." of acknowledgment, figuring it rude to ignore them, he'd turn his head back towards his Zanpakuto. Grasping the sheath once more with his left hand, near the tip, and flipping his sword around into a loose reverse grip, he'd bring it and the sheath together simultaneously, meeting in the middle with the softest of taps. He'd then slide it back down into its previous position, jutting a bit more forward than normal while leaving more clearance for his legs to move around freely. This position also left the handle at a convenient angle to rest his left forearm on.

With that done, he'd fully turn towards his visitor to address them in full, nodding slightly in greeting as he began to introduce himself. "Hayashi Victor, Squad Ten. I wouldn't be bothered, I was just here for some peace of mind while I practiced. I'm off duty right now so I have time." Truthfully, he wasn't annoyed, though it was just a small bit disappointing to be interrupted so soon. It was highly unlikely he was going to make some grand breakthrough today, however, as he had been at this for quite a while and things like this just took time, so small interruptions ultimately didn't matter. He was also far from rude enough to not lend at least a minute of his time to a fellow Shinigami, off-duty or not, within reason.

[Ken Shirogane]

He was curious as he was acknowledged, though it wasn’t really much of a reply at first. But he continued to note the controlled way that the man seemed to handle himself. This guy must be perfect for tea ceremonies, at least in Ken’s estimation. The way he sheathed his sword before turning to fully speak with him, it came off as very ritualistic to Ken. Maybe the man didn’t think of it that way himself, but it made Ken feel like this man likely did all these things and more even when he was alone. And Ken had observed him for a little before he had been aware of him, which only added to the impression.

“Shirogane Ken. Squad Eleven.” He said introducing himself with a slight bow. “Feel free to call me Ken or Kenshi though.” He noted with a smirk, the nickname something of a joke his father came up with when he was alive. And one Ken had always enjoyed.

“Oh, I see. You were trying to find the voice of your sword then?” He asked, having done much the same in the past. Though he’d recently given up on formal meditation of coming to a realization. And this realization, with his recent growth, had allowed him to gradually pick up on the distant whispers of his Zanpakuto.

He could not yet make out the name it tried to whisper to him. But he’d already discovered the path he needed to walk to unlock his Shikai. As long as he progressed on his path, the moment he reached a point where he was satisfied, he knew, felt it in his soul, that the name of his Zanpakuto would finally be revealed to him. But it was not time, not yet. But with each day he trained he could feel that distant whisper become gradually louder and clearer. It was already like the name was on the tip of his tongue, but eluding him the way a lost thought would. Knowing something, but unable to clearly recall it. The shadow of a memory.

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[zaz]

Victor would look thoughtful as he began forming a response, his eyes unfocusing slightly, just for a moment, as he pieced his thoughts together before clearing back up and more firmly locking back onto Ken. "Something like that." It was true in a sense, though in a more roundabout way than what one would expect should he have answered in simple affirmation, which is why he chose to answer somewhat more vaguely instead. It was true enough to leave it at that, though such a short response didn't sit well with him as he didn't want to be rude, especially to a fellow Shinigami. Because of this, while he didn't quite choose to elaborate on his answer, he did decide to speak further after some more thought.

"Doing this, going through the motions, it helps me think. More importantly, it helps me learn to think and move at the same time, get more in touch with myself, clear my mind, synergize my thoughts and movements in a way. I find it helpful, though it may appear quite dull from the outside." There would be a brief lull as Victor's eyes once more became slightly unfocused as he thought about how to describe something, then an expression of clarity as it all clicked together. "If I cannot even make such connections between mind and body, so simple in comparison, what hope do I have of making connections yet deeper, to my soul?"

In truth, Victor hadn't ever felt like his Zanpakuto had a voice, or that if they did they had not yet elected to use it. Instead he felt what was more accurately described as a gaze, an expectation weighing down on him, a judgement that found him yet wanting. He didn't quite know just what his Zanpakuto wanted of him, only that he did not yet meet its expectations and, because of such, it had not yet elected to attempt communicating with him at all. And so he did the only thing he could think of, bettering himself in every way he could think of, be it physical, mental, or spiritual. His Zanpakuto, thus far, had yet remained silent.

[Ken Shirogane]

Ken made a thoughtful expression as he listened to the explanation being given by the other Shinigami. Nodding along occasionally to show he was listening while considering what was being said.

“Well it's no more boring than simple meditation. I used to sit for an hour each day trying to connect with the soul of my sword. But I don’t feel that’s needed anymore, at least for myself.” He noted simply.

“Hm, Souls are a funny thing though. They are always connected to us, we are just not always able to interact with it the way we can other things. Like Kido, and yet it’s deeper, even more fundamental.” He chuckled to the thought. “I suppose in some ways it’s like someone wearing glasses trying to look for them, not realizing their glasses are already sitting on their face.” And yet more complicated than that as well. In the case of a soul it was fundamental, yet without substance, insubstantial. The soul was the core of their being, an existence, a consciousness beyond the physical body. I stick with little to no mind of its own. Or so most might think.

“I imagine your sword wants to connect with you as much as you do it. After all it’s a part of you, a fragment of both of you and separate…” He rubbed his chin. “I’m curious. Aside from your sword, what goals do you have? What sorts of progress and achievements do you seek?”

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