An Overachiever (Hiroe, Ajora)

The academy almost seemed like an entirely different world.

Gone were the slums, the run down buildings, and the scavengers. The place was.... clean. Tidy. And the sight of uniforms on everyone was almost unnerving. She had discovered fairly quickly that she did noy enjoy being around crowds. Finding herself sitting off to the side, or lingering around the edges of crowds as her classmates socialized. Many of them didn't pay hermuch mind, forming their own little cliches and groups. Friends. Rivals. Some were even already flirting with one another.

It was fascinating to see the spread of students, the various districts. And the talents that budded from them. She had passed her entrance exam without much effort, but she was hardly alone in that. A number of students, at least a handful, had similarly wound up with exceptional talent and prowess even before classes had begun.

And... bizarrely, that was how she had found herself in not one, but two groups.

In addition to some other students that had also hailed from the outter districts (She wasn't even the only student with some grim scars), it seemed that she had also garnered the attention of the other exceptional students. But all of these interactions had not been pleasant. She had noticed, fairly quickly that there were some overachieves that hadn't come from the Rukongai.

Nobility. And that she had garnered some .... mixed attention from that group in particular. Smiles, congratulations, and the like. But she could see the hints of insincerity from a few of them.

Fascinating indeed.

It was just her first day or so and already her head felt full. Swimming with new faces, laying in her cot, and thinking about this new environment. They had a day or so before actual classes would start. But she had no intention of waiting that long. She'd come here to learn. And her social..... network could be built a bit later. There were libraries after all. And there was SO much she wanted to start learning.

Chaotic. She had surmised that she could just get up and make her way to the library. But first Ajora had had to ... make her way a good number of her early bird classmates. Several of them having had questions about her. Where she was from. What happened to her eye. Why her arm was bandaged up. And she did he best to politely interact with them and pass them off as injuries. Which, frankly, they were. They seemed willing to let the subject lie for the time being. Enough, at least, for her to slip off and make her way to the library.

And of course, she didn't seem to be the only one here. Already she could see a few familiar faces. A few of the others that had done especially well on their entrance exams were already pouring over books. But even more than that, a few of the others were present as well. Along with a number of upperclassmen. Many of them already talking or helping those that were new. She didn't mind that, she slipped into one of the aisles and paused to simply appreciate the sheer wealth of information that was available. So many volumes... she glanced to the nearest shelf and simply eyed them. History? She paused, staring at them for a moment before she delicately peeled the book from the shelf and opened it to some random page. It was about History in the Rukongai. And for an instant, she felt the urge to immediately sit down and start digging in. This .....had everything she could ask for. But, she had to prioritize. The history and reasonings could come later. For the time being, she wanted to understand WHAT a shinigami was. What made them special?

She began to make her way through the Aisles and began to look through some sections about general basic shinigami information. There were even a few labels, showing which books werre referenced for which course. Naturally, she started with the easy stuff. And it was ... interesting to say the least.

A lot of flowery language about responsibilities. And ...this. .....hm. The balance? She found herself sitting quietly and furrowing her brows as she eyed the subject matter. A general synopsis of a shinigami's duties. Fighting and cleansing corrupted spirits called hollows. Maintaining the balance of souls, and guiding pluses to the land of the dead, those that did not pass on willingly. There was something....familiar. A sense of deja vu as she read through the pages. That is.... until she got to HOW a Shinigami carried this out. Four Pillars of what made a shinigami a shinigami.

Hoho. Hakuda. Kido. And Zanjutsu.

Skills inherent to every shinigami. Which allow them to handle hollows and other spiritual threats, as well as carry out the duties of keeping the balance. Interesting to say the least.

She sat back, sighing just a little and looking around the Library. A few people seemed to be nearby. She stared up at the ceiling for a moment, letting the information sink in a bit before she turned through the pages. More general speech, and descriptions of ..... wait a minute. She furrowed her brows, and leered down at the page at the description of Hoho. Was that... Parpadeo? No.... surely... She dropped the book on the spot and promptly strode across the library, looking through the sections and ... furrowing her brows as she eyed the shelves and found the section on Hoho. She eyed the volumes ,looking for something just on basic shunpo and promptly peeled it off of the shelf. She leered, rifling through the pages before pausing as she got to a rudimentary explanation of the ability.

For serveral moments she was just .. a bit perplexed. Her own handly little trick, this was just .... a simpler version? She stared for just a moment, looking through the base instructions on how it was performed and felt almost as if she were being patronized. No, there were some ....differences. And some ...interesting tidbits she frankly never thought about. Things she simply did on instinct. She carried the book back to her spot and promptly began to pull out a notebook and start to jot down notes. And some corrections there and there. IT didn't take her long but soon, she was completely absorbed. And she didn't stop there.

Hoho. Hakuda. Both of these seemed to be applications of things she already did on her own. Kido and Zanjutsu though? That looked ... like Gibberish. At least Zanjutsu did. There was... nothing? No, it wasn't 'Nothing' it was .....far more...bizarre than that. She glanced down at the weapon at her own hip and furrowed her brows. This wasn't a manual, this read like a guide on making a friend. She set that shit aside for the time being. The Kido.... was slightly less gibberish. But definitely more fascinating. THIS was far more advanced than what she was aware of, and yet some small part of this still felt.....familiar. She found herself having to close the book, a smile spread across her face as she experienced.... a thrill. EXCITEMENT in her very bones. Even just the subject of Hoho, looking into some of the more advanced books, she saw that she had a leg up, but HARDLY was she anywhere near an expert. There was so much that these shinigami had expended on. So much they DID with their energy.

She couldn't help but enjoy the smile and close her eyes. Basking in this new sensation. How long had she slumped around the rukongai having nothing in mind that she could do? Just her own experimentation and surveys. But THIS was a generous ammount of information. Information she could take in. Absorb. And build on. It seemed she would have to thank Julian sometime.

She could not imagine a better place for her to be~

Ajora blinked, briefly startled by the sudden familiar voice, turning rapitly to stare a bit before a slow, and sly smile crept across her face when she saw who it was. Of course, even without the bandages her ...features were hidden. A long glove for her arm, and her hair styled to cover up her eye. But still, she didn't think she'd meet the woman again so soon.

"Ah. Hello again. Fancy meeting you here. Well I'm a bit surprised myself I admit." She pointed out, closing the book she'd been looking through and patting the spot beside her for Hiroe to sit down. "A rather handsome looking shinigami apparently had been keeping his eye on me. Honestly it was adorable. He seemed to have the same ideas as you. And well, The poor thing seemed to smitten. I figured it would be worth an exploration." She chimed, VERY clearly joking. All while actually avoiding explaining why she was here.

"But well. As it turned out, I actually passed that little exam with flying colors. It's a little strange honestly. Classes haven't even begun and already the other students are expecting things of me. Though in truth, I don't really care about any of that. This place however. I admit I'm a big fan of finally getting some answers about all of ...this." She hummed, gesturing around them before running her fingers fondly along he book as if it were some sort of pet.

"In any case. It seems we'll be students together. I admit I'm... not entirely sure what to expect. These people..." She looked around the library, eyeing the other students. "I'm not quite used to being around so many people. Some even invited me to the courtyard for some sparring matches. I suppose the price of my performance in the entrance exam. Quite a few of the more...rowdy types seem out to prove themselves against me and some of the others." She mused. There was no fear or apprehension, if anything she sounded somewhat calm and casual. And well...frankly it was. She'd been attacked plenty out in the rukongai. Having challenges in request form felt much more mundane.

"Not quite." She chuckled at the little comment about the number. She listened as Hiroe certainly seemed enamored with Ajora's performance, and aslo deeply curious about the circumstances behind her doing so well. Truth be told, if she'd known that the standards were so low, she would have held back more. Oh well. No use crying over spilled milk.

"I can't say that I did, no. Training hasn't really been anything I really considered. Though I suppose it'll be a regular part of my days now..." She had noticed the classes and taking a look at the materials just on what it was she would be learning? It seemed that'd be the gist of just about ALL she'd be doing. It was also a bit entertaining that Hiroe had guessed where she would be. Not that she minded, she wasn't really intent on being clandestine about anything. For now she was focused on learning, and that meant simply going with the flow for now.

"Still, I certainly am glad to see a familiar face. It's a lot to get used to ....especially all the crowds." She murmured softly, taking a look around the library.

Ajora snorted softly and offered a soft little smile as Hiroe offered so much ....support? It was a little fascinating to say the least just how quickly this girl had grown so fond of her. Honestly it was a little annoying, and as Hiroe got close, she almost expected to have to lean back a bit. But to her surprise it was .... nice. The way they were talking. The playful little nudges? It was ...nice? Even though they had only just met she was ...a little glad that Hiroe was here. It certainly was .... comforting that she had someone familiar around, rather than all of these crowds and such.

Which was a little strange. T'he girl wasn't that smart. Or talented. Frankly, Hiroe had already exceeded her usefulness in terms of helping Ajora in her expanding on her knowledge. There were plenty of other students who would provide better companions. So why did she enjoy talking to Hiroe? Hm.

"Help is subjective. Even if I aced the test. You're still my senior here. As such, I EXPECT you to take care of me as your Kouhai.If you start falling behind, that simply means I'll have to offer my help until you catch up. And vice versa." She pointed out, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Ajora blinked, a little startled with the .... sudden exuberance with which Hiroe reacted. Well that was certainly ... a lot of energy. Ajora cleared her throat and gave Hiroe a gentle prod in the shoulder. "Alright dial it back just a little. Let's not get all crazy here. But yes, I certainly will look forward to ...working with you." Ajora noted, definitely seeming a little at a loss with such grandiose displays of ....enthusiasm? She certainly wasn't like the individuals she had med back in the rukongai. Much less murderous. Even so, she slowly rose up to her feet and rolled her wrist.

"In any case, I do appreciate your cooperation. Especially with ...uh.... this thing." She murmured, glancing at the asauchi at her own hip. It certainly was the more......bizarre things to have garnered within this whole process. The instant she'd received it, she'd been probing it with her reikaku intensively, searching for any reactions. But well... the instructions regarding it seemed.....annoyingly vague. Just meditate and feed it energy? It was .....a little annoying. Kido. Hoho, Even Hakuda had very straight-forward processes for developing and growing. It was a mater of learning and mastery. And yet all of the literature around Zanpaku'to were so.............. personal? Not scientific in the slightest.