Lazy Man's Training Regimen [Joshua/Hana]

Great! Just great! There was a reason Hana preferred schedules. They allowed people to allot their time intelligently and prevent them from being late! Hana sat impatiently on a stone bench, arms crossed, one leg over the other, and her eyes closed. It had been a while since she allowed herself to fall into one of her daydreams. Now lost to the world, she was not expecting to be pulled from her thoughts, but her name was spoken and her eyes shot open.

Finally, Josh had shown up. She heard little rumors here and there about his "laziness," and was surprised to find that they were all true! At least on the days he was late... Hana stood up and looked unamused at him. "You're late, again," Hana said, her arms still crossed. "Are you incapable of following a schedule, or do you do this just to pick on me? I would not be surprised at either."

Hana looked up, using a hand to block her eyes from the sun. Was he really... "You designate your arrival time by sun and shadow, hm?" she asked, lowering her gaze back to him. "That is just silly. Now, if you used a watch, you'd see that it is exactly twelve eighteen." Hana held out her wrist, showing off an elegant white banded and silver watch. There were only a few second of staring at him before she smiled back, his easy-going energy as contagious as ever. "Good afternoon, Josh."

Hana cupped her hands in front of her and bowed politely, a mannerism he would have no choice but to get used to. "And yes, while an elaboration would be lovely, I would prefer to get to training. Our previous sessions came in handy in the world of the living the other day." Hana said, tapping a finger at the pommel of her zanpakuto. "Of course, I finally realized it in fear of dying like the characters in my old books, but I was able to sharpen my reiryoku enough to cut through a hollow mask without issue. It helped that the hollow was more around your true level too."

Oh, curse him! Hana had not exactly forgotten about practicing her kido, but her patrols left her distracted and... "I forgot..." Hana put both hands over her face to hide the shame. "I promise it was because I was busy, not day dreaming. I'm pretty sure i have my first scar to prove it too... My apologies; I've failed you."

"I assure you, I was not picking fights." Telling Josh the full story could have been a bad thing, so Hana kept silent. She wasn't picking fights, but had been lured in by a stronger Quincy, who needed a shinigami to exercise the hollow for her, and instead of helping, stood on the sidelines and watched until Hana's desperation turned into adrenaline and things sort of fell into place. That should probably stay secret.

"Outside of you and myself, there is no one present, so I am, at minimum, keeping it between us." Hana made her own assumptions about Josh, or at least she had a few weak theories. Her reikaku was mediocre, so gauging that was difficult. It was the way he moved during their training that gave bits away. She did not truly know how much the man held himself back. He could be a Captain for all she could tell.

"Mm..." Hana brought her zanpakuto form her waist, holding it out in front of her with both hands. "I... can cut a hollow mask now?" she chuckled sheepishly, a light pink color on her cheeks. "I am afraid I have not gotten very far beyond that, and my connection with it seems nonexistent. I thought I heard a voice once or twice, but I cannot be certain. I do take some time to meditate every day. That is it..."

Crazy? Hana was clearly unamused by the comment, joke or not!

On the other hand, he piqued her curiosity about her zanpakuto's temperament. Would she get along with whatever spirit had been created within? She hoped so. The idea of fighting along someone that you could not get along with was depressing, especially since it would continue on for years.

"It felt... I am not really certain. Cold, smooth?"

Unsheathing her zanpakuto too, she set the sheathe on the bench. She followed his movements, and attempted to mimic what little she could sense coming from him. She was getting better with her reikaku, but was not perfect.

Hana's attempt was mediocre, less than average for a shinigami of her level. It was embarrassing, shameful even. It only reminded her of the foolish decisions she made at the Academy, and now she had to catch up and undo those failures.

When he stopped, so did she. She sighed heavily, having exerted herself in those few moments, trying to get her blade like it was on that day. Hana's head lowered as he mentioned the Academy again. "I wish I had been a better student..." she muttered and then sighed, "Well, let's not dawdle. Time to begin our training."

There was so much to work on that Hana did not truly know where she wanted to focus. Her kido was usable thanks to people like Lerna and Mizu. Her shunpo was "fine" for her level, but she obviously need to increase her skill. With Joshua, she would deal with swordsmanship. That was just how it had to be. If she bounced between subjects, Hana would end up confused and overwhelmed.

"I would appreciate keeping to the usual training practices. So, anything that has to do with swordsmanship, please. Which would, of course, include zanjutsu and the control of my reiryoku with it. So, where do we begin?"