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Post by Anastasia Dammerung on Jan 4, 2023 8:25:05 GMT -5
The morning after Hattori Koshou had visited the apartment, the sun rose and set once again on an unknowing Germany. And in that span of time, Anastasia Dammerung had left the World of the Living and returned to her former home in Schatten Bereich. Well, former home would be too much of a stretch. The house she was moving into was a gift from her parents, supposed to be given to her upon her officially joining the Wandenreich's armies at adulthood. However, she'd never officially joined due to her unstable mental health at the time.
But that was about to change. Since her fighting skills remained undiminished by her three years in exile, as shown by her recent battle with strange beasts, the Reich was willing to grant her a post, in addition to regular Soldat duties, as a sort of teaching assistant to their latest powerful recruit, a Gemischt who'd grown up on Earth wielding an Asauchi of all things.
"And that's that. Home at last." Anya finally arrived at "her" house. Modest by Quincy standards, it was nevertheless a huge step up from her dead-end apartment and definitely well-to-do by Earth definitions. Next to her was her luggage, packed with what remained of her belongings after her parents had welcomed her back. It simply wouldn't do for their daughter to have such run-down possessions, after all, and she could simply acquire more - and proper - clothes and items after she moved in. In the meantime, she was worried about... more pressing matters.
"Hello? Anastasia Dammerung here," she said, rapping on the door. "Hibano? Are you in there? You better not have touched the stuff Leonina set up in there!"
"I know it's labeled as 'tactical simulation device', but I know you damn well know what it is!"
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GAME MASTER
Wandenreich - Soldat
Memories broken, the truth goes unspoken...
Hibano
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Post by Hibano on Jan 5, 2023 6:18:05 GMT -5
Hibano Location: Schatten Bereich
Status: Alive After yet another day training and experimenting with his newly discovered Spirit Weapon, Hibano was resting at his designated house - sitting on the edge of the bed with a heavy book in his hand. It was the second tome of the history of the Wandenreich, of eleven, composed by none other than the Grandmaster General, Lennich Plessnal. The wardens of the library of Silbern advised him to start with an easier, simple summary found in the student books, but Hibano decided to start right away from the seminal work on Quincy history. It was certainly engrossing, taking time to not only depict historical events and their outcomes, but also key points about Quincy abilities, prowess, and weaknesses, while also shedding due light upon the motives of the enemies of the Quincy, even if they were inherently villainous. It gave the teen quite a few ideas on where to evolve his powers, and, perhaps, what he could do once he finally returns to Earth. A knock on the door, and then a yell broke Hibano out of his focus on reading. It was Anastasia, the Quincy whose house he had been assigned to when he arrived to Schatten Bereich. Leonina had informed him of her before, but they hadn't gotten to meet each other before. The demand to know whether Hibano had touched her gaming PC or not, the first thing she wanted to know, did not give a great first impression. He placed his book down on the bed, page open so he doesn't miss where in the 900 page tome he was at, and walked up to the door. After a turn of the lock, the door was opened wide, and the two Quincies met face to face. Of course, Anastasia was attractive, and the wide cleavage in her uniform was distracting - but Hibano paid it no mind, instead answering her: " I'm here. No, I didn't touch your computer. I wouldn't have had much time to play with it even if I wanted to." Glancing to the side from Anastasia, Hibano noticed the luggage she brought with her. " You want any help carrying that inside?" |
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Post by Anastasia Dammerung on Jan 5, 2023 8:05:42 GMT -5
The door opened, and the one who greeted Anya was... a boy, with dark hair and silver eyes. He assured her that he didn't touch her gaming rig nor even had the time to touch it, which was quite a relief.
"Ah, that's good," the girl sighed. "Though I would've invited you to play with me anyway; we don't have internet here so you're the only other player I have. Though of course, there's always the wargames, which the digital versions were meant to substitute for in the first place..."
"Anyway." Anya extended a hand, waiting for Hibano to take it. "Just call me Anya, and I'll be fine with my bags."
Whether or not Hibano took her hand, after about half a minute Anya would pick up her bags and enter the house. It looked like her new housemate didn't have much in the way of belongings himself, as the place was equipped with the bare minimum of furniture, though it felt slightly lived in at this point in time. The gaming PC was on a desk off to the side, still pristine and draped with a light sheet.
"You've been taking good care of this place," Anya said with a low whistle of admiration at the boy's housekeeping skills. "And you're my age too. No wonder they sent for me. Fair warning, though: any meaningful interactions I've had with Earth boys my age were strictly online; I was kind of a loner there. But you look like we'll get along, you're the furthest thing imaginable from that annoying Shinigami I met on my first night in the mortal world."
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GAME MASTER
Wandenreich - Soldat
Memories broken, the truth goes unspoken...
Hibano
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Post by Hibano on Jan 6, 2023 4:06:03 GMT -5
Hibano Location: Schatten Bereich
Status: Alive When Anya offered her hand, Hibano accepted, though there was a bit of hesitation behind his move. She did not need help with her bags, so Hibano stepped off the entrance to give her space instead. When the girl marched inside, she complimented the tidy look of the apartment - it was more of a matter of circumstance, since Hibano literally brought nothing except his sword and clothes to the Wandenreich, but it was still nice to hear. He did, after all, make the effort to clean up after himself and wash his dishes. After the compliment, Anya pointed out their closeness in age, and that this must be the reason why they sent her to live with him. -wait, what do you mean by that-It was more of a brief genuine bafflement than any suspicion of nefarious plotting, Hibano was too naive to interpret it in such a manner. Anya quickly moved on from that remark, too, instead describing her rather poor history of interactions with boys and Shinigami. " I see..." he answered. " I'm surprised you have much time to play video games, I've only just joined and I have already been swamped with work." The Spirit Weapon required a lot of training for him to harness its full potential, and for some ungodly reason, Hibano was constantly being called up by one higher ranking Quincy after another to measure him up and introduce themselves to him. Somehow, he was starting to turn into a celebrity of sorts, and he wasn't sure why. Thankfully, he had some free time now, and though he had been thinking of finishing the chapter he was reading, Anya's invite caught his interest as well. " If you're offering, I can play a few matches with you - though, I'm not sure what you play on there." |
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Post by Anastasia Dammerung on Jan 9, 2023 6:43:29 GMT -5
Far too late, Anya realized how her earlier comment could have been construed - although her new housemate either didn't see it that way, or didn't let on that he did. That aside, he did seem interested in going a few rounds with her on the PC, which in turn got her interested.
"Well, we could do Maelstrom if you're confident enough in Leonina's modding skills..."
Of course, the two girls had worked on the computer some time ago to adapt it for use in the pocket dimension of their home. This involved reprogramming the thing so that it could function entirely independently of the mortal world's internet, as well as some modifications to the various games installed beforehand.
"I also have a lot of strategy games meant to practice squad tactics and army formations, but they're no match for actually going out and practicing with others. Heck, now that you mention being busy, I don't think I'm in the mood to play computer games anymore."
Anya pulled up what looked like a Quincy version of a gaming chair and took a seat.. It didn't seem to be there before, but a closer look revealed that it had just been cleverly concealed. Clearly, di Angelo had been having too much fun with her engineering skills.
"How far have you gotten along with your training, Hibano?"
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GAME MASTER
Wandenreich - Soldat
Memories broken, the truth goes unspoken...
Hibano
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Post by Hibano on Jan 9, 2023 14:16:22 GMT -5
Hibano Location: Schatten Bereich
Status: Alive Anya dropped a few names and concepts - strategy games, and Maelstrom. The name sparked a faint feeling of familiarity for Hibano, which left him confused for a second before he finally remembered where he took it from. It showed up every once in a while on billboards and while he was scrolling online back on Earth - and though he never bothered to check out what it was about, the name stuck around in his memory. She moved on from that point in the conversation, however, stating that she was no longer in the mood to play video games and instead asking Hibano on the progress of his training. " Oh, uh..." Hibano muttered, then searched his pocket for his Quincy Cross, picking it up and hanging it off his thumb on its chain. " When I first arrived to Schatten Bereich, I was not even able to summon my bow, but now..." It still visibly took mental effort from him to gather the Reishi particles scattered in the room into his grip, but after a few seconds, he successfully built his Spirit Weapon - a pistol with a silver-colored frame. The clicking and tapping sounds were distinctly realistic as well. " ...I'm sure it's laughable for an experienced Quincy like yourself, but I'm happy with the progress thus far. I have a good mentor and I'm figuring out how to make this more and more useful in battle. Once my weapon is more... stable, I'll be confident enough to venture back to Earth, I think." |
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Post by Anastasia Dammerung on Jan 18, 2023 0:08:05 GMT -5
Hibano responded to Anya's query by summoning his Spirit Weapon - actually, "assembling" would be a better term, given how the silver pistol's components were audibly clicking into place. Even without the boy admitting his total inability to form the weapon before he arrived in the realm, it was clear that he was a relative novice as a Quincy.
"I see..." Anya remarked. "So you've chosen a pistol for your Spirit Weapon. Not too surprising, given how popular guns are with our generation of Quincy. It would make training with you so much fun~"
The pale-haired girl then decided to materialize her own weapon, however it was her old one, a Walther P38 pistol with a silencer. "I used to have this one myself; I copied it from a TV show Papa and I used to watch together. But of course, I had the Dammerung ability to fall back on, so this happened eventually..."
Anya closed her eyes in concentration, and the pistol transformed into a mechanical shark-headed serpent entwined around her arm, easily the size of a boa constrictor. It had turrets like a warship's mounted along its back. "I can make this bigger, or make two of them, or both. I guess I'm just more flexible than most, except for like Leonina who never runs out of gizmos to pull out of her backpack. You'd probably be able to do the same with enough training and imagination."
"But no," she continued, allowing the serpent to dissipate into Reishi particles. "You're planning to dual-wield that pistol with your Asauchi, aren't you? Not a bad idea, if I say so myself. But be warned. There's been a horror story floating around Schatten Bereich ever since the war: that all Zanpakuto in existence are made by a single Shinigami more powerful than even the Captain-Commander, and that he knows where every single one of them is at any given time. And that is why inexperienced Quincy must never pick up the Zanpakuto of fallen Shinigami or ever take one home, because who knows, one day the Zanpakuto Blacksmith will appear behind you at night! Mwahahahahaha!"
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GAME MASTER
Wandenreich - Soldat
Memories broken, the truth goes unspoken...
Hibano
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Post by Hibano on Jan 19, 2023 12:52:30 GMT -5
Hibano Location: Schatten Bereich
Status: Alive " Wait, where did you get that from? I don't think I ever told anyone that," Hibano called out when Anastasia suddenly declared that she knew that he will try to dual wield his Asauchi and Spirit Weapon. Granted, he did consider that idea, and it would make sense for him to try, but he hadn't done any specific training in trying to use both in battle, at once. It would require some impressive coordination to both wield his sword at the speeds he was fighting and maintain a steady, accurate aim whenever he needed to shoot from afar. Anya told Hibano a so-called "horror story", that all Zanpakuto in existence are made by a single blacksmith who knows the location of every single one of them, and will be able to find him at night if a Quincy were to pick one up from the battlefield and take one home. Hibano blinked a few times after the tale was finished, then answered: " That... doesn't really make sense. Wouldn't this "Zanpakuto blacksmith" have to track billions of Zanpakuto in his mind at any given time? How could he look after every single one and confront me over it? Besides..." the teen briefly glanced towards his weapon, resting sheathed against the side of the wall. " ...mine's not a Zanpakuto. It's merely an Asauchi." He reached towards it with his hand, and it flew into his palm as if tugged by an unseen force. " Maybe I'll try dual wielding in the future, but I first need to fully figure out my Spirit Weapon, and how to use it well. I... can't say I'm as flexible as you. This pistol is really all I can form thus far. It's not really flashy, but... honestly, I almost prefer that. Better something simple and effective, than flailing about on the battlefield casting all the elemental effects before getting taken down with a smack to the face." |
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Post by Anastasia Dammerung on Jan 19, 2023 22:20:17 GMT -5
"I mean, it's quite obvious," Anya said with a teasing laugh. "Most Quincy our age went through either an exotic weapon phase, an oversized weapon phase, or a dual wielding phase. Heck, there's even one of the higher-ups' kids who supposedly runs around Earth using our uniform tech as animal costumes.
Hibano was clearly confused by the story of the Zanpakuto Blacksmith, expressing his disbelief that a single Shinigami could mentally track billions of swords at once, or even care enough about a single one to march to the hidden Quincy realm.
"As I said, it's a horror story - it's not supposed to make sense, and most likely completely made up," Anya replied, not even bothering to correct Hibano that an Asauchi was by all means and purposes a baby Zanpakuto. "Shinigami powers don't make sense either, so there's that."
She saw him summoning his sword to his hand, whistling appreciatively as the much discussed Asauchi landed in his grasp.
"Nice trick. Can it summon lightning too, or does it specifically need to be a hammer for that?"
Anya then replied to his musings on his pistol.
"Yeah, that tracks. I think that's the point of Quincy weapons to begin with, even my comparatively flashy weapon is simply meant to like. Point in different directions. Shoot. Bite. A pistol is a good transition for someone used to melee combat like you. Come to think of it, we can watch some action movies, cause the protag always carries a pistol and gets into fist fights anyway."
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GAME MASTER
Wandenreich - Soldat
Memories broken, the truth goes unspoken...
Hibano
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Post by Hibano on Jan 21, 2023 12:08:17 GMT -5
Hibano Location: Schatten Bereich
Status: Alive When Hibano pulled his sword into his hand with his Fullbringer abilities, Anya threw forward a comment about it being able to shoot lightning that left him confused. " Uh, what? Why would you think... Is that a reference to something?" It must have been a reference to some movie or video game that he was unfamiliar with. After that comment, Anya complimented his choice at making a pistol, then suddenly went to another direction and offered to watch action movies together - with pistols, of course. That got Hibano to pause, and the Spirit Weapon in his hand, having suddenly lost the focus necessary to maintain its structure, dissipated into Reishi particles. " You mean... you're inviting me to watch a movie together?" Hibano repeated her offer, then cracked a smile. " Well, I'd... like that. I have a book I want to continue reading, but I can finish it later, I haven't gotten to watch anything since I got there." His phone has been largely useless in the Wandenreich. Even if he tried calling the few numbers he had saved, he wasn't going to be able to connect - and the internet plan which Leon installed did not reach this alternate dimension. " What movie are you thinking of?" |
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Post by Anastasia Dammerung on Jan 29, 2023 15:59:27 GMT -5
"Gosh, you really do have amnesia..." Anya remarked upon the boy being unable to catch her reference despite supposedly having lived on Earth all his life. "Well, you see, various mythological figures can call their weapons to their hand and summon lightning from it, primarily the Norse god Thor. If you're my age, you'd have grown up with movies and games with him, all of which you've presumably forgotten."
"But no matter," she continued, booting up her computer. It would take less than half a minute for the custom-built rig to start up, and the Quincy girl immediately started searching through the list of movies stored within. "Of course I'd watch a movie with you. On Earth, it's a good way to break the ice, and the one I'm hoping to get you to see should give you a few ideas for your fighting style. Oh, found it."
The cursor on the computer screen hovered over a title, and Anya motioned for Hibano to pull up a chair next to her. "This one's called Equilibrium. Whether you like the plot or not, the fight scenes in it are really good. It has a whole in-universe martial art of fighting with pistols, so it's our best bet at the moment."
Once Hibano had settled in beside Anya, she would press the play button.
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GAME MASTER
Wandenreich - Soldat
Memories broken, the truth goes unspoken...
Hibano
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Post by Hibano on Jan 30, 2023 14:11:40 GMT -5
Hibano Location: Schatten Bereich
Status: Alive " Right..." Hibano muttered after being chastised by Anya for not catching her reference to Thor, the god of thunder. She was right, he was completely unfamiliar with the concept - and apparently, were it not for his amnesia, he would have known about him, played video games and watched movies about him... I guess I'll have to Google him one of these days. Maybe I did give it a look back then.Anya went for a movie without hesitation - she handpicked Equilibrium, described that watching it together would be a good way to break the ice, and explained that it would be very helpful for him because it has an in-universe pistol fighting art. Since it was a movie, Hibano assumed from the outset that it was going to be something invented for the big screen, to play up the flashy effects. Which is, of course, fun to watch when you're a moviegoer, but it might not be as practical in real life. Still, he gave it the benefit of the doubt. Sitting on the bed, next to Anya, and leaning back, he watched Equilibrium alongside her. Just as promised, it was an action flick, and it was set in a dystopian future where the protagonist, once a brutal enforcer of the regime, had a change of heart and went on a rampage for revenge and justice. Plenty of gun kata was involved. Hibano watched in silence, and if Anya made any commentary, he would just nod and answer with a small blurb, at most. Once the final catchy one-liners were dropped and the credits started rolling, the teen let out an easier breath. " That was... quite good," he stated, with a smile. " If this is the kind of stuff you watch, then I wouldn't mind watching movies with you more often, Anya." |
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Post by Anastasia Dammerung on Jan 31, 2023 20:28:16 GMT -5
Anya watched the movie mostly in silence, only stopping to point out the various fight scenes. When it was finished, she peered over at Hibano, who seemed to be enjoying himself.
"So, did you pick up anything useful?" she asked eagerly, hoping that the choice of movie was the right one. "Sure, it is just a movie, but there should be a few things in there that could actually work, or the stunt actors wouldn't be able to perform them."
"That was... quite good. If this is the kind of stuff you watch, then I wouldn't mind watching movies with you more often, Anya."
Taken somewhat by surprise, Anya's amber eyes widened with the tiniest bit of a sparkle from the reflected glow of the screen - then she smiled back.
"Eh? Really? That's... nice to hear. You see, I'm a simple girl, Hibano. In terms of the stuff I like, it would be straight up action, no strings attached. I was never too good at deeper or more philosophical concepts, and to be completely honest, the first time I watched this movie I completely glossed over the whole "no emotions allowed" part and only paid attention to the fight scenes."
"But when I saw you watching, you were eagerly drinking in every part of it, and that felt... strange to say the least. I wish I could feel like that about life again, and maybe you'll bring me enough excitement to last a very long time."
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GAME MASTER
Wandenreich - Soldat
Memories broken, the truth goes unspoken...
Hibano
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Post by Hibano on Feb 3, 2023 10:46:49 GMT -5
Hibano Location: Schatten Bereich
Status: Alive Hibano's words touched Anya - she greatly appreciated being told that he would enjoy watching movies with her more often, and explained that she felt much of the same. She didn't think much of the movie when she first watched it, but being alongside him enhanced her experience. That... At first impression, that was heartwarming, and it got Hibano to flash a soft smile. He didn't expect much when he first met Anya and moved into her house, but now he could certainly say that they were closer to one another than ever before. Yet, after a second of reflection, he paused, withdrawing to his thoughts. "I wish I could feel like that about life again, and maybe you'll bring me enough excitement to last a very long time."What does she mean my that? " What do you mean by that?" Hibano suddenly asked, following the thought that popped into his mind. He didn't really know anything about Anya's past, or what she was like deep within - so this tidbit of information about her feelings left him faintly concerned. " Did something happen to you? What do you mean that you aren't feeling something about life anymore? What are you referring to?" |
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Post by Anastasia Dammerung on Feb 3, 2023 21:09:51 GMT -5
"What do you mean by that? Did something happen to you? What do you mean that you aren't feeling something about life anymore? What are you referring to?"
Anya abruptly froze, as if a sweet romantic track had been playing in the background before and someone stopped it with a screech effect. She'd been careless. What else could she have expected, to watch a movie with some strange amnesiac boy, hoping to break the ice and not eventually let her guard down? Well, there was nothing left to do now but own up to it, so the Quincy girl placed each hand on the opposite shoulder, as if hugging herself, took a few deep breaths, and released her shoulders.
"It's not a story I tell everyone," she said in a muted tone, almost childlike. "But comrades are supposed to trust each other with their lives, and so I trust you with mine."
"When I was growing up, there were a lot of expectations placed on me, and I tried to live up to all of them, whether my own or that of others. Simple as that. Then one day... I just didn't, or couldn't... or wouldn't. The pressure was catching up to me really quickly after a lifetime of what the people of Earth call overachieving, and I started breaking down a lot. What was this life even for? We'd been maintaining the same status quo among the realms for the past six hundred years, training for a war that would likely never come within our lifetimes. But still, I trudged on, until my first mission to the Living World, and I realized how empty everything had been. The water below that bridge had never felt so inviting."
Anya paused, realizing she was clenching the bedsheets a bit too tight. "But I never went through with it, because of that damned Shinigami in red. Every inch of him looked like trouble, even down to that ridiculous hat. But it's all a blur, what I do know is that he annoyed me into staying alive. Afterwards, my parents managed to secure arrangements for me to take an extended leave on Earth, where I stayed until I was called back to stay with you."
"Leonina told me, you know, about your quest to free your mother's soul, and at once I thought that you were someone who really lived for something. Until I find what I truly want in life, will you let me help you with yours?"
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