Academy After Hours [Henrex/Arisa]

He hadn't expected her to seemingly celebrate their kinship of the matter. To him, it wasn't something to celebrate, certainly not when it involved others. Nevertheless, he smiled, chuckling softly as she mentioned not sleeping somehow helping her pass her classes. That...didn't seem right -- or even possible by any sense of logic. But, he'd give her the benefit of the doubt at least. After all, what reason would she have to lie about that right now?

"If it helps, I'm glad, but don't forget to get your rest. Sleep is still important. That being said, if you'd ever like some extra practice or anything, you can always come to me, especially with Zanjutsu and Hoho."

The warm smile faltered as Arisa brought up the person she mentioned. At first, he thought she was going to talk about something related to the strange shift she had and what seemed to be -- rather, someone was bullying her, a real person, Yukino Kusinagi. Surprisingly, it was a name he had heard before, someone who had been in his classes. He remembered she was rather...difficult at times, and it seemed like it was a trait that hardly stopped with her studies.

"Quite. Please, don't assault your fellow classmates, Arisa. If you'd like, however, I can speak with her about this. And if you don't mind me asking, why do they call you that? I won't judge you, I just want to get to the bottom of this."

He had met no shortage of students that were eager to find out what their Zanpakuto's name was, to find out the powers that they would be able to access when discovering it. So, it was hardly a surprise for another to be so excited toward the prospect. So, gently patting her on the shoulder, he chuckled lightly.

"I can understand the sentiment. Countless students are excited to find out their Zanpakuto's name. It can be a long process, but it will, of course, be worth it in the end. It's not unusual for an introduction and communication between the spirit and user to happen while you're asleep. There's an added incentive to get some rest."

Hm. That sounded more generic than he intended -- but, that didn't make his words any less true. Nevertheless, as the conversation shifted, he noticed her change in demeanor. He could see the wave of emotions in her eyes, and he gave her a warm smile as he heard her explain.

"Talk to yourself? That isn't anything too out of the ordinary, plenty of people do that. Talk to me about what goes on in your head. I might be able to help."

He had a potential theory as to why, but, right now, he wanted to see if she was willing to talk about it more. Even if she wasn't, he already knew he had to keep an eye on Arisa and Yukino. It was obvious that this was more than just some case of bullying, especially not when it became as violent as this. Nevertheless, he had full intention to help her as best he could.

He could tell that something was wrong. She was afraid -- what was going on with her that made her so afraid? As she retreated from his touch, he let his hand fall back to his side, his expression turning worried and concerned. She continued to move away, and as he slowly stood up, he raised his hands in front of him.

"Arisa, please, calm down."

As she went to turn, in the blink of an eye, he was on his feet and in front of her. Though, his expression nor gestures held any annoyance or malice to them. His voice, while influenced by his will, still held that same air of gentleness and kindness. He didn't touch her, he simply tried to reassure her.

"I won't hurt you nor judge you, Arisa. I just want to help you. If you're adamant on not talking about it, I won't force you. But, at the very least, I want you to know that you can always find me and talk if you want. I'm never far away."

Even if he didn't understand exactly what was going on inside her head, the idea of it was something he was familiar with. Beyond everything else, he wanted to help his students, to aid them in overcoming their demons, and for them to blossom into better, more complete people.