[C] Suspect? [Closed, Hana]

Hana stood toward one wall of the training field, just far enough from everyone else so as not to disturb their training with her own. She didn't assume to have personal space in this public space, but she was making her best effort to avoid any contact with others so that she could maintain optimal focus on the task at hand. Entirely unaware that she was being hunted, possibly even watched at that very moment, she drew her zanpakuto. Even with it sealed, Hana felt a stiff tension in her muscles. She stared at the blade for a while, drawing in all the power of will she could muster. Her pulse quickened, but she kept her words calm and level, calling on the Inner Spirit within, "Devour, Warudosame."

The zanpakuto seemed to curl in on itself for a moment, melting away like liquid but resisting the pull of gravity. Instead it flowed backwards from her hand, the liquid metal forming the shape of an angled and hollow blade. The metal began to settle towards the sharp tip, but flowing behind her it formed a chain that then split into three more directions when it reached directly behind her back. From these three chains came three more blades, one identical for the left hand, and two with a flatter, less angular blade for her feet. Of course, all of this took only a matter of a few short seconds, but for Hana those few seconds always seemed to be an eternity, because she knew what would come next.

The final bit of metal solidified beneath Hana's feet, causing her to have raise up off the ground a few inches on ice-skate like weapons, and the power inherent in her shikai's form took hold. The edge of each blade glowed a soft, luminescent blue hue as Reiatsu began to gather on it, taken from her own reserves. At first the transfer was almost imperceptible, a passive effect that might seem normal for a Zanpakuto and its wielder. However, as more energy collected on the blade's edges the outline of teeth could be seen through the blue fog gathering onto them. Sharp, shark-like teeth that slowly moved in a line from one end of the sharp edges to the other.

After only about twelve seconds they had gathered enough energy to manifest as semi-physical things, and it was at this point that the synergy of her Reiatsu and her Shikai were unbalanced. As the teeth began to move faster, the transfer of energy became more violent and forceful. Those with adequate perception of Reiatsu, likely including Alain themselves, would be able to see that the teeth weren't just absorbing her energy anymore. They were actively tearing it apart, drawing energy out of her with each passing second and chewing through it. Her own Shikai was eating her alive, and it was all she could do to keep standing as she endured the torrential drain of strength and willpower from her spirit being consumed.

If the process were allowed to continue un-interrupted, it would last about a total of two minutes and forty-two seconds, after which her Shikai would seal itself from her lack of energy to feed into it, and she would be left visibly exhausted with a sealed zanpakuto in hand. Otherwise it would likely depend on the sort of interruption to occur, what she would do in this trance-like state of focus.

(571/571w)

Given the time to wear herself out, Hana lowered her sealed zanpakuto until the tip faced towards the ground. She hadn't taken notice of Merrick, their reiatsu blended well enough with that of the others in the yard. With her back toward him, she didn't notice him watching her either. Instead, she seemed wholly invested in her current task. But with that completed, she looked towards the sky for a few moments as if measuring out the passage of time. With a smooth flick of her wrist she sheathed her blade and turned to head back towards the entrance, now for the first time seeing someone who was both facing her and not training. Her hand remained on the hilt of her sword, but it was more out of habit than a display of malice. She took a few steps forward, closing the gap between herself and Alain.

"Sorry, but I don't recognize you. Are you here for something specific?" she looked at the notebook they carried, then to their face. "An evaluation, perhaps?" she said softly, not really directed towards Alain but loudly enough to be heard, "But certainly not anything official, or I would have known already." she let her deep, ocean blue eyes wander along the strangers figure. Her face was stoic to the point that it looked as if she might lack the ability to show emotion. She made several mental notes, primarily of how the stranger held themselves in her presence, their progressive reactions to what she had said so far, and if they made any attempts to advance the remaining distance between them. Her own stance was rigid, standing at her full height with no slouch, but with a heaving chest that showed how tired she still was from activating her Shikai. She held her tongue, at least for a moment, to see what the stranger had to say about their approach.

(318/889w)

Hana listened quietly to this stranger's responses, taking note of the evasive manner in which they avoided explaining who had sent them or why. She glanced around at all the other people training in the yard, then back to Alain, waiting for them to finish what they were saying. "I do my best to keep track of such things. Including, for example, how evaluations are to be carried out. Not important, no. Just well read." she folded her arms in front of her chest, eyes shifting to the notebook and back to Alain. Presumably it now contained information about herself within, and that alone was enough reason for her to be suspicious of this person.

She made sure to keep a good distance between herself and the stranger. She was already uncomfortable with this whole setup. They acted and talked in such a very similar manner to herself, but something felt off. She felt that simply brushing this person off wouldn't work. "As you might expect," she began to reply to the last question, one she didn't appreciate having turned back on herself, "I'm training. This is, after all, a training yard. If I were here for any other purpose, it would be... strange."[/font] she purposely points this last word at Alain like an accusatory finger. Her tone hasn't shifted at all, but that little bit of emphasis is enough to imply that she's formed a sort of distrust for this person before her. Not that she was in short supply of paranoia, but something about this person was ticking all the wrong boxes for her.


(266/1155w)

Hana is very quick to retort that first comment with, "But satisfaction brought the cat back, or have you not heard the adage yourself? It's very common in older human literature. The satisfaction being that I generally know what's going on around me, and thus can respond to certain situations more easily." She actually smirks just slightly at this point, but it fades quickly as the conversation continues, "My studies are spread across many subjects, whatever I can happen to get my hands on at a given time. I, too, am generally interested in learning new things."

Listening intently, eyes now never straying from Alain's face, she maintained her almost defensive stance while waiting to reply again, "There are many reasons one could be anywhere, but if those reasons don't fit the location, then it is also cause to draw suspicion. I don't think I need to give you examples, you seem perfectly capable of understanding the notion." She nods to the book in Alain's possession, before continuing, "As for what I was doing, it was training, as you've already said. I don't think there's much more to explain beyond that."

(191/1346w)

Hana's eyes stray only briefly across the yard at the others in it before returning to Alain. "The generality of my studies has made me less than an expert in any of them. As such, I didn't list the expertise that I didn't have. I suppose it's important for a person to know and understand their flaws. Mine are many, to be certain." she stretches her back a bit, adjusting one shoulder by rotating it in its socket until it popped before shifting her stance to one foot, "But I assure you, this entire conversation will go more quickly if you tell me what you're really doing here." her placid expression fell into a bit of a frown, and her eyes have gone from uncaring to a soft glare of mistrust. Yes, perhaps this strange man might not make a move on her now, but he'd gotten the wrong side of Hana's attention now as she scrutinized his every movement and word.

"I was utilizing my Shikai, a practice that most Shinigami are required to be able to do in order to advance in rank and status. Are you looking for someone to teach you to unleash your Shikai?" she asked, eyes narrowing ever so slightly before she takes notice of her involuntary muscle movements, forcing them to soften back to their 'default' positions. "I'm sure there are more qualified instructors for that among the Shinigami academy, and I can refer you to some fairly sufficient reference materials if you read much. But I'm likely wasting breath, aren't I?" she shifted to the other foot now, "Please, do tell me... exactly what problem are you thinking I can help you solve?"

(282/1628w)

Hana's dour expression faltered as Alain asked her what she would most like to improve. The first word to come to her mind was simply 'everything', but that was clearly not an acceptable answer to the situation. She considered her perceived ladder of training, and after a few seconds decided on her words carefully, "Right now I'm working on forming a better understanding of my Zanpakuto and Spirit, so that I might advance to using a Bankai soon. Though perhaps not something I expect to achieve immediately, better understanding of my Shikai seems to be the first step towards that end." she nods a few times, listening to the rest of what Alain has to say.

And then came the revelation Hana had been waiting all this time for. Why she, out of all the Shinigami here, was being stalked and recorded. Her specific Shikai power, the skill to absorb energy through her blades. Once Alain confirmed that he knew exactly who she was, though it was quite obvious to her at that point, she softened her stance and let her hands fall to her sides from their position across her chest. "I see. I suppose, if you were looking for someone with that specific power, then you've come to the right place. And in such a case, then it's less suspicious that you've approached me here and now. I didn't think many people knew or cared much about my abilities, but yes, my blades are capable of draining the ambient Reiatsu around a person. Though, I haven't had much chance to study how." she tilts her head to one side, hand moving to the hilt of her Zanpakuto instinctively as she spoke, "I hope this doesn't disappoint you or deter your studies, but I can only maintain my Shikai in its current form for approximately two minutes. Hardly long enough for extensive testing. But... if this is important, and I don't think you'd be here if it weren't, then I can do my best to be of assistance." the sudden turn of attitude towards Alain wasn't without its level tone.

She saw this as an opportunity to have her Shikai studied more in depth, and if it helped the Seireitei in some manner, then all the better. Since Alain had revealed that this was meant for medical purposes, however, it brought several questions to Hana's mind. What sort of healing ability could her absorption power have was one, but she didn't voice this just yet. She wanted to see where this went first, how Alain would react to her switch from reluctance to acceptance, and what his next move would be. She suspected that he would attempt to move the conversation, having revealed his intentions, somewhere better facilitated to studies as opposed to combat. It was logical progression in her mind, and she braced herself for a change of scenery, assuming it would remain a public location.

(488/2116w)

Hana nodded quietly at each comment from Alain, three times in total before speaking up at the point when Alain commented about how she might not want word of her power spreading, "If you're implying that someone in the Seireitei intends to use knowledge of my ability against me, then you have me concerned. Those that I work with would benefit from understanding my skill set, my superiors need to know it in order to better place me on assignments. I see only two scenarios in which I might need to hide my power. One, if I knew of a traitor or enemy within my division, or two, if I were myself a traitor. Seeing as I have no evidence of treasonous activity and no intentions to commit such acts myself, I have found no reason to hide my Shikai." her own tone was equally without malice or conviction. She was simply evaluating the possible scenarios in her own way, with her own mindset. Be it naive or true, she saw no harm in the way she was doing things currently. Still, as she continued to mull over the possibility of traitors among the Gotei, she couldn't help considering extra precautions to take in case of an internal attack.

She pauses again, considering the next statement, "After I've used the power for several minutes, my Shikai releases and the Reiatsu slowly returns to me," she pauses, internally realizing this likely meant that when she released her Shikai the Reiatsu of others was returned to them as well, but she held this in for now to focus on the current subject, not intervening with possible falsehoods, "After I've released the Shikai, it takes about ten minutes for the Reiatsu to return, but each consecutive use of my ability increases the length of time it takes to reform the Shikai."

Hana thought long and hard about the last question. What place would she feel comfortable both with a stranger and with her power. None came to mind immediately. Alain was, perhaps, very correct not to bring such a power near the infirm. It would be an incredible hassle if she turned out to accidentally murder a person. She hadn't had much trouble in the training yard with such things, but that stemmed mostly from being able to keep her distance and avoid others. In a hospital setting that could be much more difficult. However, Alain seemed to think it would be best if they had privacy, which she supposed she couldn't easily argue against. Her room was likely too small to give an apt demonstration, so she ruled that out. A thoughtful hum preceded her next comment, "I'm not certain, actually. The only suggestion I could give is this training yard after the normal hours of its use. If you might have a better suggestion I'd likely agree to it, but given the options I'm at a loss. As you said, the hospital is a risk in itself, and I don't frequent many private places." she paused, letting him take in that information.

(511/2627w)