Tiger King[Igen, Rio]

Wholly expecting retaliation, Rio tightened her grip around the obsidian hammer as the tigress soared past. Ko would emphatically defy that expectation by striking Igen out of his unconscious state with a fierce paw across his head. The sheer unexpected nature of the act left Rio speechless, golden eyes observing the situation with a confused gaze. Turning toward Igen as he returned to consciousness, Rio would smile warmly as he assured her of his condition. Even though her aim was to win, she wanted to avoid damaging him to a degree that would keep him out of commission. Fortunately, according to him, all that he required at the moment was Kaido. Though far from a master, she was certainly adept enough to apply healing kido.

"That's a relief. The way your body hit the rock is what worried me more than anything else, apart from the flesh tearing at your shoulders, of course. Luckily for you, I paid just enough attention in my Kido course for these exact situations~"

To be honest, she was stretching the truth just a little with that humorous remark. If anything, the Shield of Shihoin had learned the basic principle out of sheer necessity, as a means of healing her own body to endure her strict training regimen in the past. Even so, preparation for any situation was ideal, and Rio prided herself on a balance between a Shinigami's essential skills. Better to be prepared than a fool without a plan of action, right? Extending her hands forward, Rio would channel some of her energy into Igen's body as she continued to speak, listening to him with curious intent.

"For what I assume was your first time trying to apply the principle on the fly... I'd say it was a commendable effort. Of course, avoiding burning your own flesh in the process would be ideal - for both my conscious and your own wellbeing," she remarked playfully, focusing on his shoulders in particular.

"Though, if we're referring to the battle as a whole, you put on quite the performance. For as much as I pride myself on being an unyielding symbol of durability, some of the skills you applied really intrigued me. I am curious, though. What has you wanting to learn Shunko specifically?"

Truth be told, it was likely a silly question to pose. Igen certainly strikes her as a man who would wish to learn something precisely because it looked cool, but perhaps there was more to it than that. It didn't hurt to ask.

"

Whooooooof..... ohhh that was better. Igen of course, WAS paying attention! He wasn't the kinda guy who would just ignore Rio. But once she gently applied her hands to his frame and he felt that first relaxing wave of reiryoku flow into him, it was almost enough for him to pass out again as that biting pain slowly smoothed over, along with the feeling of his energy being replenished. But he managed to keep his focus enough to recognize her talking about his job using his abilities. A few gentle nods of his head before something of a slight smile played across his face. Proud of the work he'd put into these abilities and the fact that he was being aknowledged by a woman who likely had a much better grasp of what was and wasn't impressive about them. "Heh,..... thanks Rio. It's nice to know I'm makin good progress." He chuckled tiredly.

Though that said, when she asked her next question about WHY? He paused and considered it. "I dunno. I think it was .... a couple things." He murmured, laying his head back and looking up at the sky. "The simple answer is that ...honestly I just needed something that could let me fight. With Ko in Shikai, I don't really have like....you know... a weapon. Bare handed fighting, especially against dangerous hollows, would kinda suck. Especially with those acid-like guys. But if I'm being honest.... when I saw Miss Shaoling using it.... it looked really awesome. I couldn't even tell it was going on at first. But I guess I really was impressed when I saw her using it. She made it seem so.....effortless. And I really wanted to see if I could be like that." He admitted with a sheepish smile, closing his eyes as he thought back to that spar.

What terrifying grace.

So Ko swatted him again.
"ACK!" He hissed, wincing. "Alright I'm up I'm up! Ugh.... I'm not gonna pass out." He insisted to his Shikai, sighing and sitting a bit more upright.

Rio nodded her head as she listened to Igen explain himself. She expected the simplistic answer, but to her surprise, his initial answer felt far more sensible. Her eyes traveled towards Ko for a moment after the revelation. That's right. From the moment the battle started, it was simply Ko and Igen working in tandem to face her, and the only time Rio picked up on anything different is when she entrapped Ko within her Black Iron Cage. At that moment, when Igen was pushing himself further, the Shihoin recognized black markings akin to the stripes that adorned his skin, the sharp sensation of steel crashing against her skin. In a word, his Zanpakuto was certainly... unique.

Rio could definitely understand how Shunko would be of benefit to him, though the more she listened, the more she felt as if her first assumption was correct. Ah, so it was a mixture of both? He saw Shaoling using it in action and the effortless display impressed him so much that he decided to try it for himself. Rio was well aware of that woman's skills, despite the fact they had likely only ever crossed paths in a professional setting, one that hardly allowed for socializing of any kind, to say nothing of the fact that Shaoling was duty first before all else.

Truth be told, Rio admired her work ethic and tenacity as a warrior. A fine source of inspiration, to be sure, she mused. Another soft blink of her eyes would follow as Igen was once again slapped by Ko. Hypothesizing that this tigress was likely incapable of speech outside of a mental link between her and her wielder, Rio was oblivious as to why she kept hitting him. Maybe it was her form of tough love, she supposed. Still... ouch.

"Huh... it all makes sense now. When you mentioned her name, I was a little shocked. It's been a while since I've seen her. Nonetheless, she is a remarkable warrior, and if I had to choose anyone as a point of inspiration, she'd certainly be high up on the list. I never took the time to attempt to learn the principle of Shunko. It's a bit shameful to admit, but my patience tolerance was somewhat abysmal back then."

Rio sheepishly chuckled as she tended to her companion's bruises, applying even more of her energy to accelerate the process. At least, hopefully, it would prevent Igen from getting thwacked by Ko.

"Still, I see the potential in you. Your determination was exceptional today. With a tenacious work ethic and that go-get-it attitude, I think you could benefit quite well from it, Igen. Although... I wonder... when I trapped Ko, did you notice anything different about your body beyond the pain? Any noticeable change, perhaps?"

Rio wondered if Igen had discerned the noticeable changes in his appearance or physical composition when he was striking at her with a flurry of blows. Between being smacked by Ko and previously slamming against a rock? Perhaps not... Still, it was certainly a small subject of curiosity.

Igen couldn't help but go aq bit pink and smile sheepishly as Rio murmured her understanding of the situation. Though, when she went and talked about it being inspiring, as simple as that, he did get a little embarassed. Thankful that she hadn't mirrored how HE had said it. Maybe he should be a little more hush hush about uh...his fascination with the Ex Captain. All the same, Igen gave a SNORT when Rio looked all sheepish herself. "I don't blame you to be honest! I mean, it's really complicated. And also it's kinda painful when you're learning it. I mean, I've had kido blow up wen trying to fcast it. But it hurts a LOT more when it misfires when being channeled through your body. I don't blame ya in the slightest. I mean....really how many in your family even know it? I know it was made Famous by Captain Yoruichi, but has anyone else in the shihoin even picked up the torch on that?" He murmured a little incredulously.

Though....eh? Something different? Her question about if he noticed anything caught him a bit off guard. What did that mean? Did he hurt himself more than he thought? He glanced down at himself. Expecting to have to like...look around for some injury. But....when he loked down at his shoulder. He ..... stared. The heck was that? He peeled a bit of cloth to the side... and ...eh? Wha?! He frowned and soon quickly sat up and peeled his shirt open and down, promptly showing off not only the stripes riddling his body, but also a VERY large number of faded scars riddling that slender feminine frame of his.

"Am I striped? What IS this?....Ko?"

inner world:

Igen blinked, having spaced out for ... just an instant. Lightly resting his fingertips on the stripes on his arm, and thinking to himself. "Uhhhh.... no uh...when.....did these...show up?" He asked Rio, clearly quite confused. But ....reflective.

Rio took a moment to briefly reflect on Igen's query. There were, perhaps, a few who were committed enough to undertake the pursuit of mastering Shunko in her family. Presently, the only ones that came to mind were those she viewed as likely candidates as opposed to official practitioners. Out of admiration, her first thought went to Yugiri. Out of disappointment, her second thought went to Chidori. She would proudly state Yugiri's name, but it would take a divine miracle from the heavens themselves to move Rio enough that she'd dare utter Chidori's accomplishments. She was truly that annoying to the Shihoin Aegis.

"Apart from Aunt Yoruichi, you are certainly correct. I can't name anyone in our family who carried on the torch of mastering Shunko to an extent as impeccable as her own. I could ruminate on one or two of them perhaps, but still... it's nothing I'd call definitive."

And then, something seemed to dawn on Igen as the male rose up, and peeled away his shirt, confused by their existence. A pair of curious golden eyes cast a curious glance along his feminine frame, pinpointing the scars on his body. Of course, she would quickly divert her gaze, clearing her throat as she focused on answering his question. He was her friend, of course, but Rio would've felt awkward if she let her eyes linger on his upper body for too long.

"I noticed their presence when you had me on the defensive and unleashed a barrage of strikes with your first in combination with your kido. Initially, they were only black stripes, but when each of your strikes landed directly, I felt the sensation of steel slamming against my limbs. That hadn't happened before, and that's why I mentioned it. I wondered if it may have been an ability granted to you by your Shikai..."

Rio would cast a cursory glance towards Ko, observing the tiger with faint curiosity.

Igen nodded slowly as Rio made it clear that though Shunko was a thing now widely known about, it still had VERY few individuals who actually sought to master it. Were Yoruichi and Shaoling really the only ones? Why? Was it truly something so incredibly difficult to master? He thought about the damage to his body he'd done just to learn this rudimentary form. What was the cost he would pay for higher forms? He decided not to worry about that for the time being.

Rather, he nodded slowly, thinking about what Ko had told him in his inner world. The first of many tools. Hm.

Noticing Rio's attention, Ko turned and glanced toward the older woman and simply raised her snout haughtily, saying nothing, but still having something of a smug aura about her. All the while, Igen's stripes slowly receded into that Kanji, which slowly mgigrated along his body, shifting until it rested over his left hip, the stripes now completely gone as he let out a sigh. "It's alright. Heh, Ko has always been calling me that for some reason. It doesn't really surprise me that much that she'd put this on me." He admitted with a sheepish smile, glancing down at the Kanji on his hip. King. Well, it was gonna be a little awkward to just...HAVE on his body. But at the very least it seemed like he could control it. So long as he kept it out of view, it should be fine right?

"It's uh... a little embarassing though. So if you could not tell anyone about this just yet I'd appreciate that." He admitted with a sheepish smile. He wasn't gonna forbid her or anything, he hardly had that authority. But he could at least ask about it as a favor. All the same, he'd slip his shuhakusho back on and sigh, slowly moving his arms around. It still hurt a bit, but he'd be fine to get around now, especially with all the energy she'd provided.