Post by Reyla on Jan 23, 2018 9:05:18 GMT -5
Link to First Completed Thread: Practice Makes Perfect
Link to original Application: Reyla, Natori
Natori, ReylaUnseated, 3rd Division
[ AT A GLANCE ]
Age / Apparent Age: 93/26
Gender: Female
Height & Weight: 5'11" & 128 lbs
Hair & Eye Color: Brown & Black.
Positive Traits:
Kind
Curious
Graceful
Playful
Negative Traits:
Arrogant
Obsessive
Sadistic
Dishonest
Loyalties: Reyla is loyal to herself first and foremost, though she has no qualms pretending to be as loyal as is necessary.
Snapshots: Birth (02/26/1919); Death (08/06/1945); Accepted to the Academy (03/05/1962); Zanpakutou Release(06/07/1978)
[ ON THE SURFACE ]
Physical Description: Reyla is a very lithe woman with a lean build and pale, unblemished skin. Standing just short of six feet tall she carries herself with a kind of seemingly effortless grace and an air of elegance, almost to the point where her every motion seems like a part of a dance to a music that only she can hear. Even in combat Reyla's moves are dance-like, leading her to dodge and to strike with an almost ethereal grace. Her raven-black hair lays straight and long down her back, falling down to lay just above her hips while her bangs frame a delicate, if slightly angular face set with almond-shaped and colored eyes just above a small, pointed nose. While Reyla almost always has a small smile on her face, her light pink lips upturned just so, complimenting the almost constant mischievous sparkle in her eyes. She does avoid using much makeup, just a bit of gloss and maybe some foundation and mascara, as she prefers to rely on her own natural beauty. In terms of her silhouette Reyla has a decently curvy figure, her hips and chest being large enough to give her a slight hourglass figure without being exaggerated.
Reyla holds herself to a very high standard in terms of self grooming, and as such is almost always immaculately clean with the scent of her lavender soap gently wrapping around her. When on duty Reyla wears the standard Shihakushō, with a few adjustments to make it fit a bit more snuggly and show off her figure a bit, while off duty her wardrobe normally consists of well crafted, if fairly simply designed, kimonos and traditional sandals. While using a gigai, which she generally chooses to look as much like her as possible, in the human world Reyla's choice in outfit can vary wildly based on the season and location, though a few things remain constant. She generally prefers long sleeved blouses or sweaters, and long pants such as jeans. She almost always sticks to darker colors, such as earthy greens and browns as well as deep blues and blacks. Her outfit is generally completed with a pair of wedge-heels or flats picked out to complement her outfit.
Reyla has a very clear and melodious voice, and actually loves to sing. So much so in fact, that she will often sing even in the midst of a fight, which will compliment her dance-like style of combat.
Spiritual Description: Reyla's reiatsu is generally very self contained, and speaks of an incredible amount of control, reflective of her obsessive personality. If one were to try and describe it beyond that, they might say that it seems serene, similar to a still lake. The only time this changes without the release of Reyla's Zanpakutou is when Reyla herself becomes truly angry. In those situations her reiatsu will begin to flare out wildly, as if it were desperately seeking something to latch onto so as to pull it in to the increasing chaos. When she releases her Zanpakutou Reyla's reiatsu begins to spread out, blanketing the area thinly, like a light fog settling down, neither oppressive or passive, but simply there, drifting through the area.
[ BEHIND THE EYES ]
Personality: "Strive for grace in all things, and in all things see beauty." These are words that Reyla lives by. She has spent years striving perfect herself, from her movements to her mannerisms. She is generally soft spoken, and never raises her voice, she always gives her full attention to her conversation partners, and she attempts to always be conscious of her surroundings. Reyla will never turn down someone who comes to her for aid, and will always grant what is in her power to provide, even if all she can do is lend an ear for someone's troubles. She tries to treat everyone she meets cordially, and always strives to remember everyone she meets, for better or for worse.
Reyla is a very intelligent woman, and is constantly curious. She wants to know not only the "what" of things, but also the "how" and the "why". Because of this she often spends her downtime either reading or attempting to try new things. One thing that she is slightly embarrassed about is that when she gets to talking about something that has caught her interest she can begin to ramble, and while she would never interrupt someone she was talking to while they were speaking, when she gets going she can make it hard for them to get a word in edgewise. Reyla also has a bit of a mischievous streak in her. Nothing that would lead her to do something so crude as pull pranks on people, or at least nothing more serious than hiding some office supplies or offering overly spicy foods to someone, but she does enjoy a good joke, or even a bad one if the timing's right. She also enjoys a bit of schadenfreude, though after she's done laughing she'll always be there to help the unlucky person get back up.
Unfortunately this mindset of always striving to be perfect has led the development of some less than ideal traits. To be blunt, Reyla is obsessive and arrogant. In attempting to reach a form of personal perfection she has gained a compulsive need for control. Mostly this shows itself in little ways, her living space is always perfectly organized, her clothing is always immaculately kept, and she always knocks an odd number of times on any door. Sometimes however it can come out in other ways, if she has planned a situation out she needs it to go perfectly, and if anything starts to go outside of her expectations she will attempt to 'correct' it, and will often wind up being the source of the final, total breakdown of her own plans in her attempts to get them back on track. This has also caused her to have a strong aversion to getting dirty. While she is willing to do a lot to satisfy her own curiosity, you will never find her in an auto shop or tending a garden, and while she will submit to getting dirty if it's necessary, such as getting blood on herself, she will not be happy with it, and will make this fact very much known.
Reyla is also fairly arrogant, even if she tries not to show it. The fact is, she plainly believes herself better than many others. To her peers and her superiors, she is generally fine, but when it comes to someone who is below her, either in strength or in perceived social standing, she will begin to show signs of this arrogance. Her speech will become patronizing, she will begin to tell people what's best for them, and while she will listen to you, she will have a shine in her eye that says that she's not really listening to you. This has gotten her into trouble on a few occasions, but not often, and she is aware of the problem and trying to be a bit more humble, but she still struggles with it greatly.
Schadenfreude and small pranks are fine, but when someone has truly angered Reyla, or has drawn her into combat, her playfulness can turn into something much more sinister. Reyla wants these people to suffer, both in and out of battle. Any pranks she might pull on them will become more severe, such as destroying office spaces or ruining clothing, and in combat she will go out of her way to cause her opponent pain before going in for the kill. This aspect of herself does clash somewhat with the kindness that she shows normally, but as she sees it, if someone decides to attack her or deliberately push her that far into anger then they have brought this on themselves. As such, unlike her hubris, Reyla doesn't see a problem with this behavior and feels no shame in indulging in it. Luckily outside of battle it takes a lot to push Reyla to the point of true anger, and even then it can be fairly easy to get her to forgive you if you show actual remorse for your actions, and gifts won't hurt either.
While Reyla may have friends that she trusts, unless she knows a person and truly treasures them as one of her friends, she has no problem lying to get her way. She will deliberately spread misinformation to manipulate people either singly or in groups, whatever it takes to ensure that she is able to succeed in her current endeavors. Rarely she will even lie to her friends, though unlike with others this will often be because she sees no other choice, but in general she sees the truth as a tool, something to be used just sparingly enough to make you sound credible without giving too much away.
Goals & Achievements: There are few things as alluring, as beautiful as power. The power to make decisions that can effect hundreds of people, the power to command respect and admiration, and the power to protect not only yourself, but the things you hold dear. Reyla wants power, and while she acknowledges that shooting for the position of captain commander would be foolish, at least for the foreseeable future, she does aim to become a captain, or at least a lieutenant, preferably of the third division, which she currently calls home. As far as her past goes, her greatest achievements so far have been simply becoming a Shinigami and awakening her Zanpakutou. In terms of a short term goal, Reyla is currently aiming for the position of Bakukanji not only for the prestige, but also to be a stepping stone to better things. Reyla does have one other long term goal, though she's not quite sure yet how she's going to achieve it. She wishes to change the way that her fellow Shinigami view the citizens of the Rukongai, she knows the strength of the people she lived with, and she doesn't want to see them continue to be neglected by their protectors.
[ GUARDIAN ANGEL ]
Zanpakutō Spirit: Majo no Tsuki(Witches Moon) appears as a ghostly woman in a trailing shawl and dress who glows with a soft blue light. In terms of appearance she is actually very similar to Reyla herself, save that her hair is white instead of black and her eyes are a solid, glowing blue. Majo no Tsuki is, if anything, more arrogant that Reyla, and unlike her wielder she has no problems with this fact. The truth of the matter is that Majo no Tsuki want's Reyla to relax on her stringent views of perfection and truly accept herself for who she is, and be proud of that, rather than think that she constantly needs to prove herself, that and Majo no Tsuki simply believes that she and Reyla are better than the masses. She does however approve of the kindness that Reyla is willing to show (even if she thinks it's just another reason that they're better than others), and can be just as sadistic as Reyla, though unlike Reyla she doesn't like to forgive others, but in that regard she ultimately trusts her wielder, even if she will complain about it. The one other point of contention that her Zanpakutou has with Reyla is that Majo no Tsuki is in no way bound to a plan, and often finds Reyla's obsessive behaviors annoying and unnecessary, and is trying to break her of the insecurities that created those habits.
Inner World: Reyla's inner world is an endless plain dominated in the center by a great tree with a red moon perpetually just above it in the night sky. The tree itself is strong, growing up to the sky as if to grasp the stars themselves. A constant breeze blows through the branches of the trees, causing the leaves to and limbs to shake and almost hum to the tune of wind whistling through the branches, making a natural, soothing melody and causing the tree itself to sway slightly, it's branches swinging as though dancing to the music of the wind. The scene is lit not only by the moon and stars, but by faint, yellow, glowing lights that dance around the trunk of the tree and through the limbs as if they were alive themselves. However, if one were to look more closely, they would begin to see things that were...unnatural. Each blade of grass is exactly the same length, and exactly the same shade of green. Every leaf on the tree is identical, and the seeming imperfections and lines through the bark of the tree itself would also be found to follow excruciatingly exact patterns. Even in the safety of her own spirit, Reyla's need for control reigns supreme.
Power: As the battle goes on Majo no Tsuki brings confusion and doubt to the battlefield until her victims are left at the mercy of their own inner demons.
Zanpakutō: When sealed Maho no Tsuki takes the form of a basic katana with a bronze circular hand guard covered in crater-like etchings. When released Maho no Tsuki takes the form of a five foot long crescent blade that gives off a soft blue light. The back of the blade is connected by three bars to a third, longer bar that follows the crescent's curve for the length of the bar, the two hand holds created this way are wrapped in a fine white covering to cushion Reyla's grip and the covering itself extends outwards like a gently flowing ribbon. As the battle goes on and more of Maho no Tsuki's power is brought to bear the blade's blue glow slowly turns red and the ribbons turn black.
Think this, but with the leather on the inside and the outer part being the blade.
[ LEGACY CREATED ]
Origin: Reyla's life truly began after her death on August 6th 1945 at the end of World War Two. On this day there was an influx of thousands more souls than were expected into the soul society due to the dropping of the bomb on Hiroshima, and it was unsurprising that there were people who fell through the cracks of what organization there was in terms of helping newly arrived souls ease their way into the afterlife. When she had first arrived she had no memory of who she was, save that her last name was Natori, she didn't remember her first name, but she was certain that Natori was her last. Upon her arrival into the Rukongai she dashed off in a panic, blindly running away from what she didn't understand. For hours she ran, until eventually she collapsed in front of a brothel, directly at the feet of one of the women working there. The last thing she saw before blacking out from exhaustion was the woman rushing towards her, shouting something that she couldn't quite hear.
When Reyla next came to she was in a small wooden room, laying on a simple yet comfortable mat on the floor. At first she wanted to panic, but before she could jump up and bolt again she caught the smell of something absolutely amazing. Hesitantly she got up and went to the sliding door at the exit of her room, but just before she could grab it the door opened in front of her, revealing the face of the woman from before. What grabbed Reyla's attention however, was the tray in her hands with a steaming bowl of stew and a loaf of fresh bread.
The woman caught sight of where she was looking and laughed, "Well aren't you hungry? How about you let me set this down, and we can talk while you eat?"
Reyla nodded her head vigorously, "Yes please."
As soon as they were seated Reyla began to tear into the food, not even waiting for conversation to begin. The woman however allowed her to finish while giving her a curious stare, something clearly going on in her mind that she wasn't quite willing to share just yet.
Once Reyla was finished she looked at the woman sheepishly, "Sorry, I guess I didn't know how hungry it was."
The woman shook her head and spoke chidingly, though the twinkle in her eye barely hid her laughter, "And you should be! Eating like that without even thanking your host. Honestly, what do they teach people in the living world nowadays?" The woman's face softened, the laughter leaving her eyes and making room for kindness, "Always strive in all things to be graceful, and to see beauty in all things. Remember that, and you'll be fine. Now, why don't you tell me your name so we can get acquainted?"
Reyla blinked, but decided not to question what was going on to much, "I, I'm sorry but I don't actually know my first name, but my surname is Natori. What did you mean by the living world? Where are we?"
The woman's face flashed with sympathy, "Oh you poor dear, death really hit you hard hmm? I'm afraid you've passed on, this is the after life. As to where you are specifically, well this is my brothel, I take in the women with no where else to go and give them jobs and a place to stay. Not all of them are prostitutes of course, there are always people looking for skilled workers as well as people to cook and clean. As for a name... how about Reyla? I once knew a woman by that name, a strong and beautiful woman who helped a great many people."
As soon as the woman said she was dead Reyla had begun to hyperventilate, but she was able to latch onto the woman's last statement and barely pull herself out of a panic attack, "Y-yes, Reyla sounds... nice."
The woman smiled, and held our her hand as she stood up. Reyla hesitated at first, but gladly took her hand, and began her new life. The next 17 years passed swiftly for Reyla, and in that time she rebuilt herself. Gone was the panicked, somewhat timid girl that she had been before, though the panic had been replaced by a penchant for vanity and an obsessive need for control. Without visibly ageing a day Reyla had come into her own as a woman, confident and self assured, ready to face any challenge that came her way, or almost any challenge. Many things changed over the years for Reyla, her attitude, her job within the brothel's hiring organization, but one thing that didn't change was her appetite. She was almost always ravenous, and quickly ate anything she was given. Every now and then she'd catch Gloria, the woman who had rescued her, glancing at her in concern as she ate, but she had learned to brush it off and thus thought nothing of it, until a man in Shinigami robes showed up. At first she thought that he was here for the same reason any man came to the brothel, but it quickly became apparent that that wasn't the case when Gloria rushed up to him and began leading him over to her. Reyla was confused, she wasn't on the roster today and was only out here serving drinks, but didn't show it and gave the man a deep bow as he came close.
"You're right, she does have active spiritual abilities. It's faint, but I can feel her reiatsu more actively than anyone else's in this building."
Reyla stood and gave the man a curious look, she didn't know what he was talking about, but apparently Gloria did as she jumped forward to hug her.
"I always knew you were special, but this is fantastic. I'd had my suspicions but this confirms it."
Reyla gently pushed Gloria back, "Confirms what? What was he talking about?"
"You're a soul reaper dear, it's a noble profession, and one I'm sure you'll excel at, but I'm afraid that you'll have to go with him now, he'll take you to the academy and you can begin your training."
Reyla's eyes shrank to pinpricks, but before she could say anything Gloria had grabbed her again, "Shh, it'll be alright. You can still come visit us, and I'll be rooting for you. Now tell me, what do I always say?"
Reyla took a deep breath and recomposed herself, "In all things strive to be grateful, and in all things find beauty. You're right."
Reyla gave Gloria one last hug before she went to the side of the Shinigami to begin her life anew for the second time.
Rise to Power: Reyla's time in the academy was largely unremarkable, though she did find out that she had an almost innate knack for kido, especially bakudo, though she never did have much luck with the kaido. After graduation Reyla was brought into the fold of the third squad due to the skill she showed in the academy. For several years she served dutifully in the third squad, doing whatever she was asked to, and always making time to go back and visit Gloria whenever she could. When she wasn't visiting or working she was training, always striving to be better in whatever way she could. However, throughout these years never once did her asauchi stir or seem like it was ready to awaken, which was a bit of a sore point for Reyla. Eventually she did gain her Zanpakutou, but the cost was something far to high.
Call to Action: It was during one of her trips to visit the Brothel when everything went wrong. The day itself had been clear, the blue sky marred only by a pillar of smoke that signaled the shattering of Reyla's world. Unfortunately Reyla didn't see it for quite some time as her plans seemed to keep falling apart around her that day. First she was delayed by one of her superiors, and then she had to perform her duty and break up several brawls on her way to the brothel, but eventually she saw it. As soon as she saw the smoke she had begun running, but by the time she had gotten to the brothel, it was to late. Gloria lied dead on the side of the path leading to the building which itself was filled with roaring fire. Reyla wanted to break down, she wanted to cry, but Gloria's words echoed in her mind, and even if she could find no beauty in this, she could take it with grace. It was then that Reyla heard a sound, a desperate cry silenced by a falling blade and a grunt of effort. Out from behind the burning building a large man walked out, covered in blood. Before she was even aware of what she was doing Reyla had fired off a binding spell, and was immediately in front of the man, her asauchi against his throat.
"What did you do?!"
Oddly the man only laughed, "Lady, we did what we wanted. The broads in there wouldn't let us in, so we let ourselves in and had some fun."
Reyla growled and pushed her blade against his neck harder, hard enough to draw blood, "Who is we?"
"The Berserkers, that's who, now-"
The man didn't get a chance to finish, as Reyla sliced clean through his throat, "Thank you."
With that Reyla walked away from the burning building, and began a search. She spent nearly two years tracking the Berserkers down, and in that time she learned many things. She learned the value of truth, and the value of a well placed lie. She learned how to make people talk, and how to make them stay quiet, and she learned to never allow anything to go unplanned for again. If she hadn't been held up on that day then Gloria would could well have survived, and Reyla would never allow a lack of planning to cause her this kind of tragedy again. Her path was littered with false leads, and more than a few bodies, but eventually she got the answers she was looking for, and made her assault.
The night itself was overcast, but that suited Reyla just fine as it made it that much easier to sneak into the gang's camp, though if she had been paying more attention she might have noticed how none of the guards posted ever seemed to move. However, with her goal in sight Reyla ignored all of this and made her way to the leader's tent, if she could just kill him she'd have her revenge, and then she'd finally be able to move on. she never got to the tent though, just as she made it to the front flap Reyla felt a hard kick to her side, sending her sprawling into the center of the camp where nearly ten men had converged out of the shadows.
"Nice try girlie, but no dice. You didn't think you'd be askin' questions like you were without raisen some eyebrows didya? Now I may only be an academy drop out, but I learned a trick or two. Certainly enough ta take down a wannabe assassin like yeself."
Reyla scrambled to her feet, completely surprised. This wasn't how things were supposed to be happening. She began to see flashes of the burning brothel in her minds eye as the gang members started to close in, how could she have been so stupid? She let everything get out of control again, and now she-
"Shut up"
"What? Who-"
"Don't play stupid, you know who I am, and we're both better than that, we're better than them. Are you really going to let this scum take us out? You're a Shinigami! You're skilled, you're powerful, take them out!"
"But my plan-"
"Fuck your plan! You're better than them in everyway, now call my name and prove it by making them suffer!"
"You- You're right."
Everything seemed to slow down as Reyla drew her asauchi, no, her Zanpakutou. She vaguely heard the leader giving panicked orders to get the blade out of her hands, but she didn't care, what mattered was the connection she felt, and the words she knew.
"Cast your baleful gaze on the world below, Majo no Tsuki!"
In a flash the blade transformed and the gang members jumped back. When their vision cleared though what they saw chilled them to their bones. Reyla was grinning from ear to ear.
"I should thank you, I thought there was no more beauty to be had, but now? Now I'll make all of you suffer, and it will be beautiful."
No one ever heard them scream, or found their bodies. Shortly after Reyla returned to the Seiretei, a bit more tired than she had been the day before after staying out all night, but with a weight lifted off of her shoulders and a new purpose. She would become stronger, no matter what it took, and she would never feel the pain that she had been carrying again, and neither would anyone else, and my the rebirth cycle be kind to any who got in her way.
