Sunny Explorations [Aiko/Sam]

Sam kept Aiko in the corner of her vision as the girl spoke. The girl's strange manner of speaking still snared a bit in her ears and Sam couldn't help but begin to wonder if perhaps .... no that couldn't be it. She turned to focus on the path ahead of them. There was not even a sound. Not the slightest shifts around them. Over time, anything loose had long ago shifted and spilled down. The place seemed undisturbed, and the silence was still deafening as the pair of them moved. Though as Aiko spoke up about offering to fly up, Sam restrained the sigh that built up inside of her. Since well, Aiko flying up into the air without her to scout ahead pretty much threw the buddy system out the window. Maybe she was expecting a bit too much out of the kid.

"That's fine, Aiko. Looks like we might be all alone out here though..." She murmured and gestured around them. She was still prepared, but well, the eerie silence was a pretty fair tell. As they made their way further down the street, she paused and noticed a store. No idea what kind it was. The letters on the sign were worn down and faded. And so she slowly, and carefully, began to circle the entrance, scanning it for any damage that might make it unstable, before slowly peeling the door open and slipping inside, making sure that Aiko came along with her before crossing the threshold.

"So. Are you a Karakura Citizen or something?" She decided to venture. May as well keep themselves entertained while they were here. Her eyes peeked around. Not quite a pharmacy, just some kinda corner store. But hopefully maybe it had one tucked away at the back. That was close enough right?

Certainly a sentiment she'd heard before. Aiko had all the dressings of a girl her age. Well, maybe a bit younger than that, but it wasn't actually like she was sure how old the girl was. Even so, that seeking of self actualization certainly put a little bit of perspective on things. "You certainly have an interesting way of expressing yourself. Almost a little romantic." She murmured, crouching at one of the shelves and pushing aside some old dusty product. umming at just how much was still here. She'd have thought this place would be more cleaned out, but no , it almost felt like people just ....vanished from the place.

"Have you considered just moving somewhere else? I can understand you wanting a change of pace. But continuing to live in Karakura certainly isn't going to help you much. As far out as you can venture, if you're still living in the same place, you'll still only be surrounded by familiarity.A bit of proper travel might do you some good." She pointed out before standing back up and pausing. She looked toward the dusty windows and into the outside, that is until she turned back and looked deeper into the little place that had once been a shop. Honestly she wasn't even sure if it was what she thought it was. Hm.

"Just don't make a habit of tagging along with strangers. As much as I appreciate the help, it's not a great practice."

Sam was almost surprised when the girl seemed to immediately latch onto the idea. "Taking some time to consider might always be a good idea." She added. Certainly the girl seemed awfully....... flaky? She immediately latched onto suggestions without even any sign that she was considering them. Did she not have any impulse control? Certainly a question she'd ask if it weren't such a rude one. But well, that wasn't really her business.

She paused as she got to the end of the little shop and promptly pushed the back door open a little. Peeking out into the alleyway behind it. A pause as she kept an eye out for any signs of life or danger. She didn't sense anything. And so with a gentle tap of her foot, she pushed the door open and slipped out, glancing over her shoulder and only doing so once she was sure Aiko was following her.

"Depends on the area, and what empties a place out. I've seen one or two places like this. But it's definitely not common. Sometimes hollows will prowl an area like this and eat the looters. Especially if they came from a spirit who was killed by looters, or was protective of the area." She noted softly as she peeked about. The whole place smelled of dust. Not even the subtle creak of trash or refuse. Whatever rubble and shit left around had slowly settled over the years. There was almost complete silence as they made their way through. She glanced over her shoulder to check on Aiko. The girl certainly seemed ready to pounce. But sometimes there were no monsters hiding under the bed. Sometimes these places were just flat out dead and deserted. But all the same, at least the girl had her guard up.

Samantha raised a brow slightly and sighed, a little smile forming on her lips as the girl really didn't seem to grasp her suggestion. Maybe that was for the best. The girl could go on her little vacation, and maybe feel like she'd seen a bit more of the world. But well, that wasn't really her problem nor her business. "you most certainly can." She murmured, glancing up and pausing as she noticed .... shapes? Ah. A body. She paused where she was as she noticed them. Four......eight? All of them were ....thin slim shapes. Not bones, but dried out husks. She stayed where she was, eyeing them carefully from their spot in the alleyway.

She held a hand out, indicating for Aiko to stay back as she circled the nearst couple of slumped forms. The bodies weren't damaged or anything. They had simply ....slumped to the ground and seemingly died. It didn't even look like any animals or bugs had picked them clean. She looked over her shoulder and .... narrowed her eyes, taking a moment to look to Aiko, before sniffing the air. Hm.

"Let's get back to the main street. I want to check something."

Samantha was largely unaware of Aiko's extended perception, and so she simply led the girl out of the alleyway, taking a moment to survey the area before she spotted what it was she was looking for. A sewer cap. A pause was given, and she kept her distance. She reached up and gently drew a symbol over her own cheek. Spirit Filter. Reiryoku spilled out and wrapped around her face, solidifying into a sort of mask over her face, firmly clasping to her features before she made her way over to Aiko.

"Hold still, you're going to need this." She stated, before reaching up and madking the girl's cheek with the same symbold, producing a similar sort of filter to their features. IT had been quite a while since she'd used this particular spell, but thankfuly she wasn't rusty. It was one of the most essential spells in some cases back when she was with the Police Department. It certainly saved a lot of money on equipment. Once both of their spiritwoven masks was secure, she made her way over to the hub cap.

Crouching down, she very carefully inspected the thing, It seemed simple enough. Peeling the cap open so very slowly, before peeking down and taking a moment to look down. Bone dry. But all the same, she gestured for Aiko to follow before slipping down into the tunnel. It was small. Cramped. Not at all like what you saw of sewers in the movies. The pair of them would have to crouch down, but all the same, Sam looked around. The sewage had long since been reduced to dry dust, and just as above, it was deathly quiet down there.