Post by Alain Merrick on Jun 4, 2017 19:40:46 GMT -5
Alain had been making solid progress with each of the Shinigami arts over the last few months. He was slowly growing more comfortable with a sword in his hand despite having little opportunity to put the skill to use. Similarly, his proficiency with kidou was steadily improving. This was particularly noticeable with kaido, but also to a lesser degree with bakudo. Unfortunately, he had yet to figure out the inner workings of hado. Normally, this would have bothered him, but he still hadn’t completely warmed up to the art or properly evaluated its many potential uses. Last, but certainly not least, was his advancing hoho technique. No longer did shunpo tire him out after minutes. He still wasn’t the most natural with the ability which left his top speed slower than he would have liked, but further refinement or some revelation could lead to a breakthrough in the future. In the meantime, he would simply continue practicing with all of the Shinigami arts.
This covered the good news from his time as a Shinigami. Sadly, there was also a fair amount of bad. This was evident in his stalled investigations. The assailant from the Rukongai had never been seen a second time by him or anyone else. Likewise, there had been no additional instances of the mysterious illness. Any leads had seemingly dried up. In an attempt to jump-start the case, Merrick had begun asking questions of Third and Fourth Divisions. Most of these queries pertained to soul siphoning and the Vaizard. The former had produced some results, but the opportunity to explore the findings hadn’t possible at the time. As soon as he found a free moment, he would revisit the Research and Development Institute and try to obtain further details. As for the Vaizard, Chief Shigure hadn’t been very forthcoming. It was clear that he and the hospital possessed information on the phenomenon, but apparently, it was heavily restricted. Maybe Alain would need to take matters into his own hands.
It was these thoughts and many others which filled his head as he marched through the Ninth District. He probably had an hour or two before he needed to head back to the hospital for his afternoon shift. As a result, he hastened his pace. Within minutes, he was walking by the front gate and along the ten foot tall stone walls of Josephine’s home. Merrick didn’t stop until he reached the deepest part of the maple forest which surrounded his former residence. The day’s task was the continual fostering of his relationship with Aleith’Sor. In recent weeks, their interaction had stagnated due to his increasingly busy schedule. Of course Alain knew better than to allow one responsibility to fall behind another, but he was discovering that there simply weren't enough hours in the day. This was the excuse that he told himself, but he knew that the failing was his own. He merely hadn’t learned to adjust his time accordingly yet.
Aleith’Sor would say that he lacked a semblance of balance. To further emphasize the point, his zanpakuto spirit made certain to comment upon the subject each time that they spoke. It will not surprise if that is the first thing mentioned again today. After a brief search, Merrick found a suitable tree with a wide trunk and sat at its base. He folded his legs beneath him and rested with his back against the tall support structure. Then he unsheathed his zanpakuto and placed the naked blade across his lap. Taking a series of slow deep breathes, he let his eyes fall closed and he proceeded to focus his mind. When he opened his sky blue orbs minutes later, he was standing in the familiar desert landscape. “Aleith’Sor,” he spoke with raised voice. “We need to talk.” The red sands opened up before him as an elderly woman in matronly garb rose from the earth. “We do?” From the outside, perhaps an hour had passed, but within the inner world where time was largely irrelevant, he knew that the conversation lasted much longer. However, the results of the conversation weren’t hard to discern. Merrick’s face, which was often absent of any expression, had lost it’s calm facade. His brow was furrowed. Eyes were tightly clenched. Lips were twisted in a grimace. All of these facial cues were accompanied by a sigh and then mumbling, which cemented his disappointment and frustration.
734/734
This covered the good news from his time as a Shinigami. Sadly, there was also a fair amount of bad. This was evident in his stalled investigations. The assailant from the Rukongai had never been seen a second time by him or anyone else. Likewise, there had been no additional instances of the mysterious illness. Any leads had seemingly dried up. In an attempt to jump-start the case, Merrick had begun asking questions of Third and Fourth Divisions. Most of these queries pertained to soul siphoning and the Vaizard. The former had produced some results, but the opportunity to explore the findings hadn’t possible at the time. As soon as he found a free moment, he would revisit the Research and Development Institute and try to obtain further details. As for the Vaizard, Chief Shigure hadn’t been very forthcoming. It was clear that he and the hospital possessed information on the phenomenon, but apparently, it was heavily restricted. Maybe Alain would need to take matters into his own hands.
It was these thoughts and many others which filled his head as he marched through the Ninth District. He probably had an hour or two before he needed to head back to the hospital for his afternoon shift. As a result, he hastened his pace. Within minutes, he was walking by the front gate and along the ten foot tall stone walls of Josephine’s home. Merrick didn’t stop until he reached the deepest part of the maple forest which surrounded his former residence. The day’s task was the continual fostering of his relationship with Aleith’Sor. In recent weeks, their interaction had stagnated due to his increasingly busy schedule. Of course Alain knew better than to allow one responsibility to fall behind another, but he was discovering that there simply weren't enough hours in the day. This was the excuse that he told himself, but he knew that the failing was his own. He merely hadn’t learned to adjust his time accordingly yet.
Aleith’Sor would say that he lacked a semblance of balance. To further emphasize the point, his zanpakuto spirit made certain to comment upon the subject each time that they spoke. It will not surprise if that is the first thing mentioned again today. After a brief search, Merrick found a suitable tree with a wide trunk and sat at its base. He folded his legs beneath him and rested with his back against the tall support structure. Then he unsheathed his zanpakuto and placed the naked blade across his lap. Taking a series of slow deep breathes, he let his eyes fall closed and he proceeded to focus his mind. When he opened his sky blue orbs minutes later, he was standing in the familiar desert landscape. “Aleith’Sor,” he spoke with raised voice. “We need to talk.” The red sands opened up before him as an elderly woman in matronly garb rose from the earth. “We do?” From the outside, perhaps an hour had passed, but within the inner world where time was largely irrelevant, he knew that the conversation lasted much longer. However, the results of the conversation weren’t hard to discern. Merrick’s face, which was often absent of any expression, had lost it’s calm facade. His brow was furrowed. Eyes were tightly clenched. Lips were twisted in a grimace. All of these facial cues were accompanied by a sigh and then mumbling, which cemented his disappointment and frustration.
734/734
