The Fluffy Fullbringer (Open to 1)

From the way Natasha explained the city, it almost sounded as though it was a paradise of sorts. An intriguing thought although Ashaiya wondered if there was more to it than that. The brunette was a tad suspicious of most things at this stage, unable to feel truly comfortable. It wasn’t a pleasant state of being but ever since she started wandering, the fluffy haired woman had seen more than her fair share of unfortunate situations. Hollows, bandits, even an Arrancar or two, Ashaiya had found herself in combat quite often and she supposed it had made her rather restless in some ways although after a while, it became rather exhausting. To constantly be on guard was draining to put it mildly.

When the rules of the game were explained to her, Ashaiya nodded and took the reishi weapon in hand, giving it a wary look for a moment. Now that she was actually about to take part in the game, the confidence seemed to drain from her face but she did her best to shake it off. It sounded like an easy enough spot of fun though and as she watched the pattern of the targets, the brunette’s keen eye began to form a plan of attack.

“I’ll give it a go and see what happens.” She replied with a nod, raising the gun just as the timer started.

Her aim was decent and she was able to take out the stationary targets without any real trouble and even the moving ones weren’t too bad although she missed a few due to being just a little trigger happy. It was the maniac ones that were a complete pain though and their patterns were so random that the brunette struggled to follow it.

That was until a plan formed in her mind anyway.

Trying not to give herself away, Ashaiya would use her potent full manifestation abilities to try and pull on the souls of the targets, just enough to cause them to move into the path of her pistol. It wouldn’t look to be anything other than she was simply getting the hang of things but once or twice, a keen eye could probably detect that something was amiss.

By the time the game came to an end, she’d racked up a decent score of 100 although given how big of a game Natasha talked, it could end up being little more than an easy target for the blonde.

“That didn’t turn out too bad.” The brunette remarked with a smile, a happy glint in her eye that she’d done fairly well.

An impressive whistle followed as Natasha observed the woman quietly. Beyond the subtle use of her ability, her marksmanship was pretty impressive. Under Natasha's keen eye, it certainly didn't go unnoticed that something was amiss, but it hardly bothered her. Half of the Quincy here were applying their technique to hit the targets, so where was the harm In using her own? None at all, she reckoned.

"My, my. Color me impressed, sugar. 100 points on yer first try? Guess I gotta step my game up, huh?"

Natasha patted Ashaiya on the back with a smile. Moving past the brunette, her gaze settled on the variety of targets as glowing reishi solidified into a pistol that rested neatly against her palm. Cocking her head to the side for a moment, she observed and tracked the movement of each target with impressive focus, locking in on those that spoke to her the most. She assumed her first gun stance, releasing five bullets that hit five stationary targets with precise accuracy.

The next moment, she assumed her second gun stance and then her third. The second impressively addressed the moving targets, hitting each target with pinpoint ease. The final stance allowed her to smoothly handle the difficult movement the maniac targets presented, and once she gained a proper rhythm, she hit most of them without missing a beat. All in all, she ended with an impressive 500. Naturally, part of her felt she could've gone higher, but she wasn't aiming to crush her friend's pride. Blowing smoke away from the pistol, Natasha turned back to her with a grin.

"Boom. What did I say, sweetheart?"

The brunette reckoned that Natasha was good with a gun but she was definitely taken by surprise by it nonetheless. The blonde’s timing seemed to be perfect and Ashaiya couldn’t help but wonder just how many hours her new friend had put into honing her skills. Each style showed off a different form of shooting and Ashaiya knew that even with her manipulation skills, there was no way she would be able to get a score equaling that. Not yet anyway but maybe one day she might, if she trained her own skills enough.

“Yeah. I’m not going to be beating that any time soon.” She replied dryly although she was most definitely smiling. “I was lucky to even get one hundred, let alone five. Suppose that’s what I get for playing gun games with a Quincy.” Honestly, the brunette didn’t feel upset about losing or anything like that, feeling that she’d actually done rather well. She was curious about the blonde’s skills though and was soon enough asking. “Who taught you to shoot if you don’t mind me asking?”

"100 for your first try is still pretty darn impressive, though. That's still somethin' to be mighty proud of, if ya ask me."

Offering a reassuring smile, she returned to Ashaiya's side as she patted her shoulder. She was, if nothing else, a quick learner. When she inquired about her talent for marksmanship, Natashahappily spoke at length about her teachers. She could elaborate on plenty of them, but a few would suffice.

"Comes as little surprise, but the first one was my Pa. He taught me everything I know about guns and how to apply those techniques as a Quincy. After that, he introduced me to some of his old friends and they passed on their knowledge of archery and marksmanship in general. Never fancied usin' a bow, but the same principle of hittin' your target with pinpoint accuracy still applies, ya know? What about you, Ash? Any teachers? Or are you one of them self-taught prodigies that come once in a bajillion years?"

“No wonder you’re such a pro. Having so many great teachers.” Ashaiya replied with a smile, understanding better than ever now how she was beaten so heavily. “I admit that I used my abilities a little when playing, as these kinds of games are good practice for my manifestation. I guess I’m going to need a lot more practice if I’m ever going to keep up with you though.”

She appreciated Natasha’s kind words and when it was her turn to talk about her own training, she’d answer after a moment or two. “I’ve only had one teacher but she did her best to teach me everything she could. I guess you could say it was a master and apprentice kind of deal. She was tough and hard as nails but there was a kindness underneath. Taught me everything I know about being a Fullbringer. Affinity, manifestation, hollow abilities, the works. I was with her for a year or two but by the time we parted ways, I was ready. Ever since then, I’ve been trying to use my skills for the right reasons.”

"I noticed a little bit as things went on, but I hardly minded it much. Ain't hardly nothin' wrong with applyin' yer homegrown talents, sugar. If anything, I was more impressed."

Natasha would walk beside the woman as she listened to Ashaiya talk about her teacher. From the sound of it, she seemed like a pleasant woman who genuinely wanted to see her pupil thrive. She certainly appeared to be quite sound in her ability to manipulate the soul of an object. Noticing a stand that sold flavored ice, Natasha motioned for the brunette to follow, pulling out her wallet to buy something for both of them.

"The right reasons, eh? That's good to hear. What would ya describe those as from your perspective? Also, what flavor of ice do you want? My treat."

The brunette was happy that Natasha didn’t seem to mind her cheating a little with the game although she did give an awkward smile in response. Mind you, she supposed she shouldn’t have been surprised. With senses as sharp as the blonde woman’s, there was probably no way that the young Fullbringer was going to pull the wool over her eyes. Oh well, it could’ve been worse. “Thanks. It’s difficult to manipulate the movements of such high speed objects and I was lucky I managed to affect as many as I did.”

In response to the question about her motives, Ashaiya would take a minute to figure out her thoughts before answering, sounding rather self assured for her. “Using my powers to aid those in need and deal with those who break the law or worse. There’s a lot of dangerous people out there right now and I’ve come across my fair share of them. If I can use my skills to stop them hurting others then I feel that’s a good use of my talents. My teacher was rather firm when it came to such things and she made sure I understood not to abuse my skills before she even started to teach me.”

At the mention of a treat, her self assuredness seemed to melt away rather fast, leaving her a little awkward again. God, she hated it when that happened. “Erm, strawberry please?”

"One order of strawberry. Got it, sweetheart!"

Placing the order in, Natasha quietly devoted her attention to Ashaiya. Truth be told, it was plenty refreshing to hear her speak about the virtues her teacher imparted. It was a little childish thought, but it felt reminiscent of those heroic tales where the young girls or young boys find the experienced teacher and they pass on all their cool techniques. Hell, she even struck her as bein' something close to a Jedi with the way she manipulated those objects. The kind owner of the stand passed cups of flavored ice to them with a smile, strawberry for Ashaiya, tropical punch for Natasha. Grabbing her cup, she would spin around to the brunette with a grin.

"I got nothin' but respect for that mentality. Ain't nothin' wrong with usin' your powers to do the right thing. Your teacher taught you well, Ash."

Taking her cup in hand, Ashaiya would smile as Natasha complimented her on her views. They weren’t overly complicated and the brunette figured that there was probably a lot that she still had to learn but they worked for her. In a world filled with darkness, a little light was needed from time to time and the Fullbringer figured that perhaps it was the role for her although she did wonder just how much one person could do. Yes, she could’ve joined up with others but that led to challenges of their own.

“I’d like to think so. She sure spent enough time lecturing me about how and how not to use my powers. Not sure how many nights I spent with my head buzzing with her words of wisdom.” She replied with a smile, taking a taste of the flavoured ice, her face lighting up brightly. “Mmm. Delicious.”

"I reckon she just simply wanted to drive all her lessons home so you'd never forget em'."

There was something to admire about a dedicated teacher, after all. Even more so, it seemed that those lessons remained with her even now. Whoever this lady was, the best any teacher could ask for was leaving a profound impact on their students. Natasha hoped she could live up to that for her three amigos. They deserved that much from her. No, they deserved the world. Placing a spoonful of the sweet ice in her mouth, she turned to Ashaiya with a warm smile.

"Here's to hopin' you never lose sight of what she taught ya. And hey, since you've met me now, you don't have to go at it alone. If ya wish to keep contact, I ain't ever but a phone call away, sugar."