daybreakacademy | Work It Out

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Work It Out

WHO: Orihime Inoue, OPEN
WHAT: Orihime tries out the training facility. There aren't any laser robots or floor buzzsaws.
WHEN: January 27th, Evening
WHERE: Legionnaire Training Facility

She was definitely impressed not only with how much equipment there was for the students, but how varied it was, too. Secret training in the woods was great for strengthening her powers, but her body needed to be strong too. While she wasn't much of a weight lifter, she did like sports. She took a peek at the basketball courts, but they were all in use, so...maybe later, she decided. Racquetball looked fun, she could easily do that on her own. But it seemed a little...pathetic? Lonely? It didn't really suit her mood.

Then she found that there were batting cages with an automatic pitcher, and she knew she'd found the best way to pass the next hour. If she was going to carry a baseball bat to the dance (and she absolutely was), then it would probably do her some good to get used to swinging it again and practice her aim at the same time.

She was surprisingly good at it. She dug in with the ball of her foot and twisted at the waist when she swung, putting her whole body into it. The satisfying crack of a bat smashing the baseball to send it arcing high, higher, hitting the netted ceiling before dropping, the vibrations it sent through her wrist and arms...she loved that. It would have sent an outfielder scrambling for sure! The machine whirred and Orihime hunkered, ready for the next shot.

She got a lot more hits than misses, and after the buzzer sounded to indicate an hour had passed, her arms and shoulders were nice and sore. She put away her equipment and rubbed at the back of her neck. It was a good way to work up a sweat, but she wasn't sure she wanted to call it quits.

So, she rented a bathing suit from the equipment check-out counter, changed into it, and stuffed her long, chestnut hair into a fitted cap so it wouldn't get damaged by the chlorine.

Walking on the textured concrete and smelling the mix of pool chemicals brought back a nostalgic wave of summer memories and she found herself smiling. She padded barefoot around the enormous pool, finding a spot where there weren't any swimmers to accidentally leap on, and hopped right into the water.

Cold!

...But then it got warmer as her body adjusted.

She scrubbed her hands over her face, blinking the water from her lashes, then pushed off with her feet to start swimming. She'd never done this in winter before, but she found herself enjoying the contrast. Her curves didn't seem to slow her down as she knifed through the water, using her strength to kick her legs and pump her arms. She was still a little sore, but the water felt good and didn't put as much strain on her muscles.

Eventually, after nearly an hour had passed, she hauled herself out of the pool and walked dripping back to the changing rooms to shower off and wrap herself in a thick white towel. She'd never been in a real sauna before, but she heard they were relaxing, so she decided to try that out. Her towel stayed firmly tucked as she took a place on one of the benches. And coughed. The steam was a little difficult to get used to, and it seemed ridiculously hot. But she stuck it out, beads of sweat clinging to her brow and body.

The only part she didn't like was the way her thoughts kept straying to the exchange of messages on her phone.

'you dont have to go with me to the dance!'

It still stung. She didn't know how to make her feelings clear, and she knew she would have to. But it was so awkward, and really, wouldn't it be better if she just kept quiet? ...Honestly, she didn't know. It was a little annoying, though, that her hours of exercise had delayed the sourness in her throat only temporarily. Maybe after the dance. It was a long time away, and she might figure out the right words by then.

When the steam was too stifling to bear any longer, Orihime left, taking another brief shower before toweling off and changing into her winter clothes. The shock of the cold January air stole her breath away when she stepped outside, a stark contrast to the balmy heat of the sauna. She shivered and zipped up her coat, gloved hands tugging the scarf higher over her mouth and nose as she hurried back to the dorms. It was pretty late, she'd have to be quiet in case Tatsumaki was already asleep.

[OOC: Places of interaction are the batting cages, pool, sauna, the walk home, and the Aube Dorm!]

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There's a familiar figure perched up on the Aube roofs, one foot dangling over the side and swinging back and forth. He's hunched over his phone, one headphone in, talking to someone on the other side. He'd come up here for privacy, but - well, it's a clear evening, and his voice carries. She can easily hear his side of the conversation from the ground if she wants.

"-- not as bad as it looks in the picture, I swear." He's in the middle of some conversation, one hand rubbing lightly at the scars on his face. (They're white now; by this time next week they'll be lines barely thick enough to see at all.) "A friend and me got into some trouble."

A pause. Wince. Sheepish look. But then he brightens again.

"Yeah, I know. Crazy, right? I think I'm making a lot of friends here."

His voice drops off into softer tones, fonder ones. Running through a list of people he's met he would consider to be friends which ... surprises him? It surprises him a lot, actually. But he's so intensely glad for it he feels - a lot of feelings honestly. She could get a bit closer and listen if she wants, or she could give him his privacy until he's done.

Oh...?

Naturally her head tipped back when she heard the familiar voice but didn't see anyone around. Who was he talking to? Her? Orihime's stomach tightened, and her chest felt constricted. But soon enough, it became obvious that he was calling home.

And he looked happy. Sounded happy, too. That eased a lot of the tightness, and her expression softened. Thank goodness...

It didn't change what she knew she had to do, but it did make her feel a little better to hear the genuine warmth in his voice.

She raised her arm in greeting as she passed by, definitely not wanting to interrupt. He said he'd missed his aunt, so she wasn't going to demand his attention right now. But she could make some tea in the commons so he had something warm to drink when he came in from the cold.

Maya wanted some space, a space where people would be less likely to strike up odd conversations or try to ask her how she was. She wanted to relax, and try to force some feeling back into herself. Something in her- broke, a year and a half ago, during a bus crash. And she couldn't quite fix it. And since then feeling much of, well, anything... became a chore.

She came up with one constant from these desires: the sauna.

The temperature would hopefully force some feelings out of her. A reaction to what is happening is easy enough. And naked people tend to not start up conversations. Not- normally. Plus the steam would let her blend in a little, make her hard to see. And nobody could hear her when she didn't want to be heard. So Maya stripped, wrapped herself in a towel, and went in. Hoping to get a little time away from most people.

Not all, cause she could hear someone in there, but most. Hopefully they weren't the chatty type.

He's not immediately paying attention; she can catch a few words of what he's saying before he realizes that anyone else is there. "--really nice," he's saying, kicking a heel lightly against the wall below him. "I built her some stuff? And she's making a suit. Like, that's crazy. I can't even sew a straight line." He trails off a bit, saying some other things more quietly - and then he pauses, noticing her below. Oh hey. Speaking of which.

"I gotta go. It's getting late here." He listens for a moment, smiling. "Love you too, May."

And with that, he ends the phone call. He thwips out a line real quick, swinging down to ground level to head in through one of the common areas.

Maya was actually in luck! In almost any other place, Orihime was thrilled to meet new people and get to know more about them and their powers. Wrestling with her over-dramatic emotions in a room where the steam made her cough every time she opened her mouth? It made her a little more politely reserved.

She looked up when she heard the door unseal, but it was just a girl, not a guy. So she smiled and inclined her head. It was hard to see through all the steam, but she was pretty sure she hadn't met the other person before. The spiritual reiatsu wasn't familiar either.

Toki's choice of mission last week had been admittedly a non-combative one, and chosen for that reason. He'd still done terribly. But with the upcoming potential massacre at the ball, and for wider mission selection, taking a little initiative to maybe prepare to fight daemons would be a good idea. Maybe. Orihime had selected a bat as a weapon, so that was as good a reason as any to be there. It was certainly a better starting point for him than a combat class. He never played sports, or did anything physical unless required for a gym class. But it was baseball; everybody could hit things with a bat.

As he approached the batting cages with the required bat, he spotted Orihime in one of the cages. Coincidence? Or did he subconsciously know she would be there? Either was possible.

"Orihime~! Hello~!"

In hindsight, he probably shouldn't have shouted while she had baseballs flying at her. Distraction could be dangerous.

She was still quietly mulling over the words she'd accidentally heard. Honestly, she feels a little bad for accidentally eavesdropping. She should be happy that he spoke so well of her, but...

Maybe she wasn't as nice as he seemed to think.

Orihime gripped the countertop as she leaned forward, closing her eyes. The kettle of hot water would take some time to heat up, and really, he'd probably just go in through his window anyway, what would he think if she brought tea all the way up to the third floor--

...Okay, probably nothing, she was known for having weird habits anyway. But then she heard the heavy wooden door in the front swing shut, and she could feel his reiatsu close by. Quickly she straightened, slapping her cheeks, and swiveled around quickly with a cheerful smile.

"I'm making tea! Do you want some?"

Maya's a little confused, but it wasn't the door making noise. It was the air exchange outside of the sauna. Which is a bit much even for her latent silence. Maya's spiritual presence was also barely visible, as if something prevented it from registering. Maya's powers were good for going unnoticed.

Maya wasn't sure if waving was the right answer, or just smiling. So she kinda awkwardly stared a moment. It looked like staring, Maya can't actually see that far, so she was listening for the sound of Orihime's magic, and of the nature within the girl over there. Before eventually just, smiling awkwardly and choosing a spot to sit that gave her some space.

Sometimes he comes in the door like a normal person, okay. Mostly this happens when he wants to catch up with someone who is a relatively normal person, or doesn't feel like trying to get in through his busted window. A mix of both here, really. But - the point is, he comes in through the common area, and there's Orihime making tea.

"Hey Orihime," he says with a grin. "Yeah, sure. D'you need any help?"

He's like. Not the slightest bit good at tea, but he means well?

While she was in the facility, he was dancing in the theater, and it seemed he arrived at the dorm at almost the same time she did. Fakir pushes open the door, holding it long enough for her to duck in - he smelt vaguely of tiger balm and it was clear he did some kind of physical exertion before hand.

And it seems he had a similar observation, silently questioning as he goes to move out of her way and he knew he has seen her around the dorm before, but what was her name...?

Hm? Orihime's stance changed, still alert, but for a completely different reason. Of course she recognized Tokidoki's voice. She recognized his spirit too. Orihime blinked once before she spotted him, and her expression brightened.

"Oh! Good evening!" It was a relief to see how much better he looked. But knowing what she did now, that could easily be his usual facade. Still, if he wanted to be treated as if he were cheerful, she could grant him that much.

"Did you come t--"

THWOCK!

One leg kicked up as Orihime fell right over, pegged soundly in the face by the baseball she should have hit. "Ooooooh~ Ow ow ow ow..." With one hand clapped over her eye, both tearing up, she blindly fumbled for the button to put the machine on pause.

That was stupid of her...

Toki dropped his bat and ran to the cage to press the button for her.

"I'm so sorry! Are you okay!"

He knelt beside her while pulling his phone out of his pocket.

"I'll call Hieke!"

At that moment, he had completely forgotten Orihime was a healer at all, let alone whether or not she could heal her own injuries.

There were a lot of things that made up Orihime's person: creativity, insecurity, a longing to be useful, regrets, hopes, warmth, kindness, selfishness...and a fading loneliness that wasn't nearly as severe as it used to be.

Her magic on the other hand was unique. It was like a novice symphony of seven different instruments, not quite in sync, but generally playing the same melody.

She smiled back and shifted where she sat, wiping her brow with the back of her wrist.

"...I hope it's not too hot. I didn't adjust it because I wasn't sure what was considered normal for a sauna."

"No, the water just needs to heat up. It's nothing complicated." She opened one of the cupboards and stretched up onto her tiptoes to take down a pair of mugs. "But if you'd rather have hot chocolate or instant coffee, or even oatmeal, you've got lots of options!"

She probably still smelled like chlorine, and her hair was still damp...thawing from the brief freeze that stiffened her locks while she was walking back from the training hall.

"Did you figure out how to video call your aunt, or was it just a normal phone call?"

"Oh, thank you!" She was surprised by his good manners (which was probably a little subconsciously rude of her), but pleased too. Once she was inside, the cold air was replaced with dormitory warmth, and she slumped with a sigh of relief. "Ahhhh that's so much better...!"

He had an unusual scent. Was it a kind of cologne? It was probably more pleasant than the lingering chlorine that still clung to her skin.

"...We haven't met before, have we? I'm Orihime, Grade 10."

Dan Number Four!!

[ HELLO. Those words probably mean nothing to Orihime, but Kano's there trotting up to her, in his usual short sleeved hoodie and thin clothes and seemingly unbothered by the cold- Whatever he wanted to say, though, he stops short when he finally catches up and waves a hand in front of Orihime's face to get her attention. ]

He~h~ You're out late! Do you have time? I want to talk about something!

"I'm okay, I'm okay!" she promised, quickly waving her arms to dismiss his alarm. She kept her eyes squinted shut only because it hurt, not because it was swollen. There was definitely some discoloration starting to appear, though.

"Sorry! I was careless. Really, I'm fine! Full of vigor and health!" She bumped her knuckles sheepishly against her temple. "I guess I was just glad to see you were okay and forgot about the pitcher machine. You don't need to call Hieke!"

He does like hot chocolate way better than tea, so the minute she offers it, he brightens. "Yeah, way better. Not that tea's bad." It's just hot leaf juice to him, which is fine? Just. Not super appealing either.

He'll come find a spot to lean against while she's working, still uncertain if he ought to help or not? Seems like she's got it though. "You heard that, huh?" He doesn't seem put out about it; he wasn't discussing anything especially private. "Yeah, we kind of managed it? But she can't figure out how to turn her phone around, so I just saw the wall of our apartment."

And she saw his scars, etc.

[Oh? The boy from Truth or Dare... And he's calling her Dan, so she matches his face at long last to the text conversation they had the other night.]

Oh, it's the society chief!

[She brightens and slows her steps until he's caught up to her. Which is now. Oops. She was really spacing out bad, wasn't she?]

Sure, I have time! What is it?

There's a delay between Orihime talking and Maya's response, Maya's always a little slow to react to things. "I don't care, I'm fine."

So long as it isn't so hot either of them faints, or so cold it stops doing anything. Maya is chill. For now Maya's mind is trying to ignore a question tugging at her mind. A question she doesn't need to ask, she doesn't really want to think about it. She wanted to work through herself, her life, her choices. But it just keeps nagging at her. There's an discordant nature to this other girl's magic. Like it's all sorts of things all at once and Maya can't really recognize any of them. Well, she's a candle, she can pick out the sounds of that.

The girl herself is- not a mirror for Maya, but the sounds carry a story that is at least a rhyme to Maya's own. A lot of good and a lot of bad all rolled into one. Maybe she was in here for the same reason, to work out her thoughts away from people? Or maybe she was waiting for someone to ask how she was? It was a lot to work out.

"If you're uncomfortable, you can turn it down. I don't mind so long as it's still steamy."

He doubted that. The skin under her eye was turning a bit purple. He couldn't fault her for dismissing injuries as he did that a lot himself.

"Okay! No calling!"

It was still awkward. A subject change was in order.

"Have you been on a mission yet? I got back from Las Vegas like a week ago and it was awesome! Except the vomit devil after~! Well, it was kind of awesome too, really!"

Ohh, "society chief"! What a cool title!!

[ It makes him sound like somebody trusted and looked up to, which is far from anything anybody's ever said about him, so he can only laugh at the thought. ]

Unfortunately, I'm not the chief~ But that's what I wanted to talk to you about~ The Dan! Is talking here okay? We can always go inside!

"Ha ha! That's cute~!"

She kind of wished she could meet his aunt, she sounded like an endearing sort of person. It was kind of sweet that Peter seemed to have given up on the tech and just enjoyed her company.

Orihime spooned a little bit of loose tea leaves into a little metal ball and hung it over one of the mugs, then tore open two packages of cocoa mix. Did they have marshmallows here? She scouted through the cupboards as she talked. "Sorry I overheard. I was passing by, so I only heard a little bit, and I could guess who it was from that. Is she doing okay?"

"We hadn't," He confirms. "I'm Fakir Amsel, Grade 8." the young man introduced himself. "You were training?" Fakir ventured.

He misses her fiercely for sure. Moreso now that he's been here a few weeks and Gwen has showed up, etc.

"Yeah, she's doing fine," he says, his expression still warm. Eh, if she overheard him, he doesn't really mind. "I hafta be careful, though. She has no idea what this place is."

Which he's mentioned to Orihime before.

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Work It Out

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Sauna

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Batting Cages

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Aube Dorm

NOW THEY ARE TWINS!

OMG

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walk home

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