Workshop (Open)

Ah, a pleasant day in Soul Society. The sun shone brightly from above, raining down ultraviolet rays of light that battered the land, keeping the air a comfortable temperature and drying the grass and mud from rain a few days before. Because it was such a beautiful day, the third seat of squad eleven decided that it would be perfect for going and testing the mettle of potential new recruits. He figured he he weeded out the worst by the time they went to approach his captain, their squad would be much smoother. Besides, get an idiot or weakling and get them to go bug Zaraki Kenpachi and see what happens. Pasting flyers up around the court of pure souls and Rukongai, even going as far back as division 66, he made sure that the majority of their realm knew what was going down.

It was time for the Squad Eleven Workshop! Situating himself exactly where the flyer said he would be (Squad Eleven Barracks), Akihiko sat himself down in the nice shade under a banner that read "Come one, come all! Potential Recruits Join Here!" hanging above the door to their respective rooms. With his Zanpakutō strapped tightly to his back, its sealed form a simple, black-sheathed katana, he waited patiently. Folding his hands in his lap, his bright eyes and inviting smile openly welcomed any newcomers. He was actually incredibly excited to see who showed up. He had heard that the shinto academy just graduated a wonderful shipment of highly-talented shinigami, and he couldn't wait to see just how talented they were.

Aya had been asked by Captain Unohana to participate in the Squad Eleven Workshop to test her mettle. The raven haired woman didn't think it was necessary nor did she want to deal with the violent yahoos of Sqaud Eleven, but one didn't refuse Captain Unohana. She shoved aside her misgivings and went along with it without any hesitation.

Perhaps if I do well enough I'll be seated. Probably not though. Squad Four needs doctors not warriors. She walked through the Seireitei towards the Squad Eleven barracks. She expected to get a lot of flack once she arrived. Squad Eleven members had a strong dislike for Squad Four.

Her prediction was somewhat right. She got mixed reactions from the men of Squad Four. Half of them jeered at her making fun of her for being in the relief squad. The other half whistled at her and asked he to "treat" their wounds. It was an awkward walk to the meeting place, but she powered through it. She finally made it to the meeting place after listening to a torrent of insults and invites.

She spotted the banner and the man underneath it and walked towards him. She held out the flyer with a slight look of disdain on her face. "I was told to report here by my Captain. How long until we begin?"

At the end of class her professor handed her a flyer and told her to check a certain event out. She looked down at the piece of paper and blinked in slight confusion. Although she wasn't the worst student, she was no way near the best, especially in combat situations. She shook her head and wanted to tell him no, but of course she kept her mouth shut, refusing even in this situation to use her voice. This decision to not speak immediately gave the impression to her professor that she was going to go.

"It will be a good opportunity for you, Kaminari..." He said with a soft smile, "Go there, practice some technique, and do your best. I know with your extreme determination and ability to focus, you will do great."

Kaminari gave a reluctant nod and sighed. He chuckled happily and set a hand on her head, congratulating her and then walking off. She quickly went to her room and grabbed her Zanpakutō, refusing to carry it during the more academic classes. She followed a map that her professor had drawn on the back and went on her way to the Squad Eleven Workshop. Once she got there, most people just stared at her, not knowing who she was and wondering why a girl from the Shino Academy was making her appearance here. She had yet to graduate, so why was she coming to a place like this?

She stopped in the middle of a small area and looked around to all of the men with an eyebrow raised in confusion. She too got a few flirty remarks from some of them, but she only passed them by, not really caring for such actions. She soon found her way to a banner and walked over just in time to hear another ask when it should begin. She too held out the flyer to show why she was here, but gave a calm and collected look. She was mentally preparing herself for what was to come.

Kaminari had not had any actual battle experience before, so she was hoping that this man would be instructing them, not just swinging his blade. She looked at the both of them to take in their features, posture, and the look in their eyes. They seemed all right. She was happy to see that the man from Squad Eleven was smiling and not glaring at her like so many from before. She noticed that like her, he also carried his Zanpakutō on her back. It must be something common, or did it match with his abilities as a Shinigami? She would soon find out.

Akihiko wasn't prejudiced in any form. Skin color, gender, race; none of it made a difference when it came to who you were as a person. When it came down to it, it was all just flavor for his mind. He had learned a long time ago that people were more than they appeared to be, no matter what they appeared to be. The physical form was simply an avatar for the conscious mind to affect the universe and nothing more. Still, he was quite surprised when the only people that showed up were two girls. He eyed them curiously, impressed by their courage. Neither of them appeared to be a fighter, but if one were to judge based on his immasculine form, he wouldn't appear to be either.

"Welcome, ladies. I must say, I commend your bravery for journeying through to me. Let's just say... my squad enjoys usin their "swords"." Giving a light chuckle, Akihiko stood up. Generally, he shook hands with anyone he met but he felt that today, he would keep it slightly less formal. Who knows? They might not even be alive when he got finished with them. "So what brings you both here today? Saw the posters and wanted to- Oh, I'm getting ahead of myself. Introductions, right, right. My name is Akihiko Hideo, and I'm currently third seat of squad eleven, but I'm sure you would have figured that part out." He stopped to catch his breath, licking his lips slowly to improve his enunciation.

"Anyway. Saw the posters, wanted to check it out, improve your muscle... beat up guys who get too pushy with their "swords"? Or maybe you're lost. Don't tell me you're lost. I really could use something to do. I'm so bored." Laughing slightly, the calm demeanor that Akihiko displayed was completely genuine. He wasn't in any rush to begin anything that nobody wanted to be part of, and he hoped he wasn't giving off a vibe to the contrary. Akihiko's biggest fear was scaring off recruits by making them think that squad eleven was way too intense for them. "Nah, I'm only joking."

Still, one of them seemed like she had some ants in her pants. "Ah. You were forced here? That doesn't sound like a very good attitude to begin this with. I'll tell you what. If you don't want to participate, you don't have to. Just hang around and watch for a while, if that makes you happy. Feel free to jump in whenever." Turning to face the other, Akihiko's smile didn't waver a single degree. "What about you? Do you think you can handle a little bit of exercise and technique walk-through?"

Aya tilted her head in greeting to Kaminari as she listened to Akihiko. The third seat of Squad Eleven. That's just great. I thought I'd be fighting some of the unseated members of the Squad, not the damn third seat. Ugggh this is going to hurt a lot. "No I will participate. It's not as if I couldn't use the experience that is to be gained from this.

"Are there any rules to what we can or can not do?" She had been attempting to think up a strategy on the way here, but the only thing she could come up with is to use her Kidō against them. The only problem with that is Squad Eleven really didn't like Kidō users, so its use may be barred from this event.

She might as well ask now, since pissing off the man in mid combat by using Kidō would probably be a very bad idea. "I assume that you'd frown on the use of Kidō?" This was going to be a tough battle without it. Her sword arm wasn't the strongest around since she mainly focused on meditation and medical training. Perhaps after she evaluated how badly she was about to get stomped she'd work in more pratice time into her schedule.

Seeing that she was kindly greeted by the young woman now next to her, she gave a small smile and nodded back. Returning her attention to the Third Seat, she kept a calm look in her eyes, listening to his words. Although she was technically forced here, it didn't matter to her. Training was number one in her eyes, and the more she did it, whether under unlikable circumstances or not, she enjoyed the idea of getting more experience and more powerful.

"My name... is Kaminari Hatakeyama... I am currently attending Shino Academy and I am here to practice some of my technique and get stronger. This poster was handed to me by my professor and he asked me to come..." When Kaminari spoke, her words were calm and slightly emotionless, although this was completely opposite to her personality. She was a childish, innocent, happy, and kind-hearted girl, so to hear such a lifeless voice leave her, it was slightly strange.

Kaminari looked to the girl next to her as she began asking questions and decided from that point on she would more than likely not speak. She was glad that those questions were asked because she too was slightly worried about them. She would have to truly focus her energy and thoughts into how to survive what was coming up. Kidō was definitely not her strong side, so using it was a no. She would have to think up her own strategy to overcome this obstacle. She assumed the two of them were going to be fighting him two versus one, so she thought that might be a slight advantage, but not much since she had never met this woman before and knows nothing about her fighting style. She'll just have to really pay attention.

So... absolutely no one had shown up of their own free will? Well, THAT was a let down. The disappointment showed on Akihiko's face as his expression dimmed from manic to flat. "Oh. Alright then. Well, let's just get started. I'd like to see what you two are capable of. If you'd please spar against each other, I'd appreciate it." Taking a step back, he placed his back against the wall of the building and relaxed himself. "As for Kidō, this is to learn to train your physical body. If you feel you need to use Kidō, this isn't the place for you. However, if you're looking to augment your Kidō, I'd suggest you stay for a bit. One of the best ways to increase your spiritual power is to increase your physical power. It allows for you to generate and store more energy."

"After you two are finished, I'd like to see your teamwork ethic, so I'm going to have you fight me. Anyway, begin whenever you're ready." In his head, Akihiko was facing a turmoil. Was the way of the sword going to be overpowered by the way of the arts? That was a disappointment to him. Was he going to have a place in the new world? He didn't have any Kidō skill whatsoever. He wasn't even sure he knew a full incantation. The shinigami had never taken the time to learn, instead devoting every precious he could to mastering his blade and body. Maybe these kids weren't the only ones who needed to upgrade their education.

Aya's hopes for putting up a decent fight against the man were dashed when he told her Kidō wasn't allowed. It wasn't that she was bad at fighting with her blade, but she fought better when she could use Kidō and swordplay in conjunction with one another. At least she'd have Kaminari on her side when they fought the man, but for now she'd have to spar the other girl and warm up for the real test of both their skills.

"Pardon me for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Aya Fuyou." She gave a quick bow to the both of them, before walking a few meters away from her opponent. Once at her starting position Aya drew her blade and went into a readied ken-do like stance. "Ready when you are Kaminari."

Aya just stood there and watched the girl waiting for her to make the first move. It might not be what the third seat of Squad Eleven was looking for, but Aya wasn't an aggressive fighter. She liked to fight a defensive sword fight and wait for her opponent to slip up before going in for a strike.

As she listened to what Akihiko was saying, she raised an eyebrow. At the moment her mind was on the strategies of battle, so that happy and cheerful personality she used to have was being suppressed. "... Wants us to fight each other first and then fight him? As if he plan isn't obvious. Watching us to see what our level of skill and power are..." She kept her eyes on Akihiko in a rather intense stare, not breaking her gaze until Aya decided to finally introduce herself. She turned her head towards the girl and bowed back in respect.

She did not move compared to the girl. She just took a step back and readied herself. It seemed a bit obvious to her that she was going to have to be the one to start this fight, so she turned to Akihiko and gave a nod. She then turned to Aya and nodded as well. Waiting for two seconds, she decided that it was time and went forward for a direct attack. First thing she decided to do was a direct punch towards Aya's chest, using a more aggressive style of fighting. With that she believed that the sparring match between the two of them had begun, only continuing until Akihiko's signal for them to stop.