and i am a weapon of massive consumption

[priorcommitment]

In the time that Ishiah's known Okumura Rin, he's quickly learned that the young boy isn't someone who learns by theory or instruction, but instead through practice. To someone who has had the skill built into his mind by design, trying to find ways to ramp Rin up in the ways of swordfighting is difficult. Extracting his power in a manageable way, even more so.

But the more time Ishiah spends with the young boy, the more he comes to realize the depth of the power and potential in him. In the short term, Rin needs to be able to harness that power for good; in the long run, Ishiah would prefer to be someone who knows those abilities inside and out, in the event that he ever has to fight them directly.

The situation reminds him of Caliban's in more ways than one.

Ishiah makes his way over to an abandoned warehouse out beyond the suburbs, wanting the privacy and space necessary for Rin to speak frankly about his power. In time, he plans to make the very same trip with Rin's brother, not entirely convinced that Okumura Yukio is as fully human as he would have others believe. But in the few interactions he's had with both brothers, it's clear that being in one another's presence makes both of them hold back in ways.

"Rin," he says, lifting his gaze when he hears steps echo within the wide walls of the main room. "Thank you for taking the time to join me."

Comments

[phosphor]

Something about the sudden, flashy display of Ishiah's wings, like something straight out of a stained glass window, pisses Rin off a little, in turn with Ishiah's unwavering confidence. Pisses him off enough that he doesn't reconsider, slipping Kurikara out of its sheathe with a small gasp. Having the sword unsealed -- having that part of himself unsealed -- makes him even more uneasy about Ishiah as a presence.

He trusts Ishiah. The crawl in his skin doesn't.

Rin shifts his grip on the blade, before springing forward to jab at his target. Enough practice with Shura has made him confident enough to swing without worry that he might hurt Ishiah. They are allies. But Ishiah is a stronger swordsman than Rin is, as Shura was, and if he's to learn anything, he can't hold back against a better.

He grist his teeth, gathering his strength behind him. Overpowering an opponent is about the only option that Rin usually feels he has. Even after training with Rukia for so long, his instinct will always be to go in strong and hope he finishes that way as well.

He lets out a deep growl when their swords meet, the impact racing up his arms and into his teeth.

[priorcommitment]

Ishiah's eyes widen immediately, roving over Rin's form. Not entirely clumsy, and appropriate for the weapon he bears — it's probably the work of the reaper training Rin. Even though Ishiah's plan would normally be to evade the attack, were he fighting in earnest, he needs to have some idea of the scale of Rin's strength.

So he stands in place, bracing his arms as Rin's blow spreads through his entire body, the scrape of metal rushing all the way to the tip of his wings.

"So you draw on your power for brute strength. Just striking wherever the sweep of your arm takes you. That won't work in many cases. You need to develop your instinct," Ishiah says, his arms quaking as he continues meeting hit after hit, then ducks to the side with a sweep of his wings, gaze fixed and waiting to gauge Rin's reflexes.