What up? [Sol/Asahina]

Solhammond was fucked, physically speaking.

His encounter with a literal dragon left him requiring near constant medical attention when he first got back, and remedial care now. He was going to the healing division occasionally to get some healing kido to ease the pain, and regrow his tissue faster. They were even hopeful he wouldn’t have much scaring! But that wasn’t what he was up to today. Instead since he was on rest and relaxation, the man had taken to a local park to relax.

He was currently sitting on a bench, setting his crutches to the side his robes hung loose. Mostly because they stung and pushed into his bandages when tightened. The fresh sunshine and general atmosphere of the air allowed him to relax a bit, he didn’t want his kids to see him all banged up like this. So he was vibing. Feeding the birds some seeds.

God he felt old.

The soft voice from behind him caused him to shiftly, very slowly, to look behind him to see a woman. His face showed some brief surprise, including a small grimace caused by the pain of it all. But he’d quickly fix it with a pained smile, shifting to the side slowly to make room for her.

“Not at all, it was getting too quiet anyway.” He’d go to looking forward as he rested his back against the bench. Looking forward as she went to sit down his mind wandered briefly, back to his fight with the dragon. He was woefully unprepared for it, despite his growing strength he needed to become a better shinigami. It was one of those personal goals he set for himself, but the reality was that he was wholly out of his depth.

“I feel that spiritually, wandering around accomplishing nothing. Story of my life really.” He’d laugh lightly as a hand came to rest on his injured midsection. A slow breath shakily taken before talking again. “I wouldn’t mind some conversation, my name’s Solhammond. Weird I know. Just call me Sol.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Tomoe.”

Sol would reply pleasantly and offer a small smile to her, before turning to look forward. His eyes seemingly drawn to the mundane beauty of the park around them. Despite the pain which seemed etched into his face, he maintained a neutrality to himself. Like a man in constant thought for one reason or another, he looked keen to sit in silence until she broke it. Which she did, causing him to let out a soft laugh.

“It was serious, but I’m fine at this point. Would you believe me if I said I got in a fist fight with a dragon?” He’d joke but was certainly telling the truth. He’d remove a hand from his midsection to examine his bandaged hand. Only parts of his tattoo’d skin exposed to the air, much of it spotty now due to the healing he received.

“I’m with Seventh Division, are you in the Gotei?”

“Ah it’s fine. I’m not a masochist, but I think it’s important we get used to pain. I wouldn’t want to grow too complacent with the comforts of Kido.” He’d explain respectfully declining the usage of Kido. If he allowed himself to take the easy route he might gain a dependency on the comforts of Kido, and thus be less enduring when it came to raw physical exertion. And such a thing would be bad in his line of work.

“Must be interesting being in second, though. I’ve actually done some training with your captain, she really is something. I feel like a lot of training is dangerous, but it really has pushed me to do better all around.” He’d comment shifting in his seat a bit, before looking around the park. “Would you care to go walking with me? I wanna see more of the park.” He’d inquire as he slowly attempted to get to his feet.

It was a bit difficult admittedly, but he would be able to do so for the most part. The soft strain on his body was enough to be akin to physical therapy, slowly easing back into more arduous activities. “I haven’t been here many times, so a lot of this is new for me.”

While she doesn’t grab him, he takes the moment to place an arm out and wrap it around her own provided she agrees. It allows him to rest his other hand on her fore arm to steady him, placing a bit of his weight on her. This way they could walk with very little inference but it would be slow, his head looking around to take in the sights while she spoke.

“Soothe the struggles.” He rolls the word in his mouth before chuckle lightly at that. It was a unique perception, one that a healer might have. But that wasn’t what she was. “To have that view, speaks of your character. Do you care a lot about people, strangers?” He’d inquire in a genuine manner, his head turning to look at her.

It was rare to meet people who held views that life should be made easier, for the sake of the troubles of others. It was such a humanist view and one entirely foreign to him. He always focused on himself and his own struggles, he rarely took the time to think about how others might benefit from something as simple as easing their pain. And in some ways he felt a little ashamed at that.

“I suppose I didn’t think of it that way.”