Overdue training. (Holy Balls, he's actually posting IC?!)

[Aoife]

"I always thought Squad 13 was artifacts? I guess we haven't really had an influx of those so it would get boring. I was bored doing just nothing today, so I can't imagine being like that for an extended period of time." Aoife thought for a minute, and then looked back over at Reaver. "Human world would be a good idea. Lots of things go on there. If you get bored, you don't stay so for long."

[Reaver]

"Yeah, it's a fun place to be most of the time."  Reave continued to stare up at the sky, watching the clouds make their slow trek across the sky.

"Y'know, it's odd how a few decades of being...well...dead and living outside of it changes your perspective on that place.  We're dedicated to the protection and well-being of them, but after spending so much time away from them, you don't really think of yourself as human anymore.  Heh, and to think they'd probably all go nuts if they found out what really waits for them after they die."

Reave looked up and in Aoife's general direction.  "Sorry if I'm boring you.  I have a bad tendency to ramble on about whatever's on my mind at the moment."

[Aoife]

"Not at all, what you are calling rambling is actually very interesting. its something that bothers me. Why do you think we change so much? Are we really any different or better than humans?" Aoife spoke softly, and drew weird geometric designs on the ground with a stick that she had grabbed. After tossing the stick far away, she grabbed her knees and brought them up to her chest, looking back up at the sky.

"Those are questions we should always ask ourselves, for if we don't SS may get too uppity and be overthrown. If that happens, who will protect the souls from hollows?"

[Reaver]

(Blah, last post for the night.  Need me some sleep.)

"True enough.  Fundamentally, we're really no different from all the people living in Rukon, who themselves are no different from living humans.  Ironic that death is nowhere near as big an obstacle as the living make it out to be, yet it still manages to drive such a rift between the two of us.  Heh, the things they don't bother to teach you at the Academy..."

He rolled over and looked at her.  "You know, this is a side of me I don't often see.  Not exactly sure what brought it up, but damn if it isn't refreshing to know I haven't completely lost my mind lately.  You're an interesting person to share these viewpoints with me, Aoi.  There aren't that many other people who I can open up to like this, and I've just met you."

[Aoife]

"Err, thank you. This is a first time for me... I rarely talk this way to anyone other than my brother, and even then I can never be sure if he agrees with me or not." Aoi shrugged while laughing, her eyes taken from the gorgeous pictures made by the clouds. The sunlight was fading quickly and she stood up, dusting herself off.

"It is getting late, so I should be heading back to the Sereitei now. It was very, 'refreshing' as you put it, to speak like this to someone else who shares my views. Hopefully I will see you again sometime, 3rd seat of Squad 13, and also I hope you get your vacation request. If you are ever in the Squad 5 area or just completely bored, look me up. Then we can have more enlightening conversations. Goodbye Reave." With a slight bow of respect, Aoi waved and smiled before turning and flashstepping in the direction of home.


(OOC: Okay. Night, and it will probably be easier on you and your character if she leaves, that way he can time paradow or anything if needed. XD.)

[Reaver]

Reave smiled and waved as she left, then jumped up and dusted himself off.  "Nice girl, that one." 

"Yeah.  Though you did manage to get a free pass out of the rest of our routine out of it."

"Hey, I met somebody new.  Isn't that the more important thing here?"

"...you luuuurve her, don't you?"

"...'scuse me?"

"Admit it, loverboy.  You're smitten with your 'new friend.' You want to hoooold her.  You want to smooooch her..."  She had reached full-on pester mode, and Reave had long since learned that it was pointless to resist.  The gauntlet had been thrown down, and he had no choice but to respond in kind.

"S'matter Fuu, you jealous?"

"Oh, now why would I be jealous?  I'm with you all the time.  Hell, you need me."

"Not sure about that last part, but up until now you've had me all to yourself.  Now, you think there's going to be competition for this gorgeous hunk of man-meat, and you think you're at a disadvantage since you can't do anything about it."  He smiled openly at the exchange as he began the long trek back down the path.

"Gorgeous?!  Hah!  Also, anyone who actually uses the term 'man-meat' seriously is a sad, sad individual.  I was wrong, she could do much better then a sack of crap like you."  As usual, the game had quickly dissolved into an insult contest. 

"Which begs the question, why does an oh-so-perfect zanpakuto like yourself choose to stay with a 'sack of crap' like me, hmmm?  Come on, just admit you love being a tease."

"Only because you're so easy to tease, you naive little boy." 

"Naive, am I?  That's not what the artist said..."  The two of them continued their game of verbal tennis for quite a while as he marched his way down the mountain, hoping to get some more exercise to make up for lost time.

[Reaver]

He's been sitting like that for days.  I don't like to admit it, but it's getting kind of disturbing.  If he had at least gotten some sleep I could discuss the recent developments with them...but he hasn't so much as changed his breathing rhythm since we got here.  What is he up to...

Fuu was all but fixated on her wielder, sitting cross-legged in the tiny hole he had made when he had destroyed the tree in what seemed like a lifetime ago.  His arms were crossed and his head bowed as if still in mourning, his eyes closed and his expression all but unreadable.  Reave had all but bolted here after his outpouring at the funeral, citing a need to think.  He wasn't particularly forthcoming with details, so she had been content to let him do what he had to.  Now, several days later and with no sign of stopping, she was worried, and more then a little bored.

--------------

He was tired, hungry, and uncomfortable, but he couldn't bear to give himself the luxury of remedying any of those problems, not while he was this conflicted.  Reave felt he had reached a crossroads in his life.  The death of his superior had opened up a gap of uncertainty that gnawed at every corner of his mind, hungry for answers, something definitive. 

His mind was in several places at once, feeling a veritable army of emotions over the mess his life had become over the past few weeks.  He went over possible choices he could take from this point on, overanalyzing each step he would have to take and preemptively berating himself for any possible flaws.  He desperately tried to come up with a way to turn things around, but it was all in vain.  His thoughts kept drifting back to what he said back there, his lack of a past, and...the picture.

Always the picture.  He hated it, what it represented, and what it meant.  None of which he knew, but he hated all the same.

[Kateros]

A slightly crazy Kat opened her garaganta in a valley that she remembered from the old days as being far out of the way, with little chance of anyone being around. The poor dear wasn't in the best state of mind. Her brother had died just a few short days ago, and while Beo had shocked her out of her depression, she still hadn't fully recovered. It would still be a while before she would be able to truly function.

Kat had been keeping everything bottled up for the past few days, all her emotions and thoughts hidden from everyone. She may have been able to handle the news of Max's death at Beowulf's hands better, if he hadn't reminded her of Dorrochet. It was too much for her fragile state of mind to handle, and she had shattered.

Those Seconds are all alike, both of them. Is it any wonder that you fell for Beowulf, like you did for Him? See, you can never truly find someone to love you....they will use you all over again, for their own gains....Never caring for you at all. The evil and cruel part of her mind repeated over and over again

"SHUT UP! NO! ITS NOT TRUE! Not again..." Kat cried out, punching the ground in an effort to shut up that little voice in her head, not noticing the other person in the valley.

(OOC: <___< Crazy Kat is Crazy. )

[Reaver]

Caught by surprised by the rather violent appearance of the valley's newest guest, Reave found himself nonetheless grateful for a distraction, no matter how dangerous it was.  Being idle did nothing but invite in the doubt, and he did not need more of that at the moment. 

Maybe it was clouding his judgment, maybe he was desperate for an outlet, maybe he was just delirious at the time.  He couldn't say what drove him nearer the crazy woman or what caused him to make no move to defend himself.  He didn't even acknowledge the presence of the protesting blade as he clumsily hauled himself up and stumbled on numb legs towards her, drawn by what seemed an oddly kindred spirit at the moment.

[Kateros]

Kat stopped punching the ground and looked up at the man approaching her. Someone was out here? Still in a semi-crazed state, she eyed him. "...Reaver. What in the hell are you doing out here?"

[Reaver]

"I could ask you the same thing.  Judging by your behavior, probably something similar."

He fell back on the ground, still only half aware of what he was rambling about.

"To be honest, I don't really know myself.  I'm just...here.  Thinking.  About...things."

[Kateros]

Calming down quite a bit, Kat stood back up fully. Eyeing Reaver warily, she said. "I...am here because I thought there would be no one else here. I thought I could be alone. Guess not. If you want me to leave, I can."

[Reaver]

"No, it's fine.  I'm actually kind of glad to have someone to talk to, if only for a bit.  For all I know, you might need the same."  He smiled up at the sky.

"Heh, we all have our problems, and they all seem so big when we handle them ourselves...but when they're out in the open...hah."

[Kateros]

"...It does, doesn't it?" Kat sighed, and looked around. "...Aren't you scared that I am going to kill you? Soul eating monster here."

[Reaver]

Reave shrugged in response.  "Why would I be?   You're obviously not prone to doing that on a whim, from what I've seen so far. You call yourself a monster, but you're obviously not a...well, monster about it."

He sighed and cocked his head.  "Besides, since when do our abilities define us anyway?  You're who you are because of you, not what you can do.  Right now, all I see is someone no different then me at the moment, an individual going through hard times and struggling to come to terms with their own issues."