Point of Purpose[Ajora, Hiroe]

What a strange place indeed. She ....didn't remember anything. She didn't know why she woke up in this place. Those around her informed her that she'd died. The ones that didn't run away at least. She was.....different. A dark, gnarled sort of flesh on her left side. Staring at it.....made her brain tickle, as if she might sneeze if she looked at it for too long. A sole, singular thought coursing through her mind. She didn't know where she was, the afterlife? But that's just what she was TOLD. There was no proof of that. She didn't know if she could trust those words. But she DID know that her left arm struck fear into those that saw it. And so she hid it. Tearing up some cloth, and slowly wrapping her arm in it, until it looked....somewhat normal. It was better than nothing. But even that would not hide the scars riddling her body.

Those, at least. She did not feel even a shred of confusion over. This was punishment. But from what? She wasn't quite sure, but she would find out. She HAD to. Not knowing gnawed at her like nothing she'd ever known. She wanted to know about this place. About her arm. About .... SO many things. It made her heart race just to think about it all. And she rapidly began to piece things together. With that little wrap-up, at the very least, the other denizens seemed more...amicable to her approaching them. But no... she had a feeling that these scurrying vermin would not ave much in the way of information for her. They might simply lie out of fear. Or malice. That was not outside the realm of possibility. She needed someone who looked more....confident.

And her wishes were answered faster than she figured. She spotted the woman from a distance. Ah.... this woman seemed....strong. There was confidence. And ... a weapon. Something she hadn't seen on any of the others. Perhaps someone in charge? A pause... looking over herself. She was more or less in rags. She'd look like a beggar. But perhaps that wasn't a bad thing. She'd seen others. Just as lost and confused as she was. It seemed she wasn't alone. Perhaps some honesty might be the ticket here. Well...mostly. She walked into the other woman's view. Her arm was covered up. But there was no obscuring those scars along the left side of her face, thankfully her bangs obscured the eye she was also afflicted with. So many differences. So many things to ....explore.

"Excuse me, miss." She called out to the woman, her hood lowered down, fully exposing her face as she glanced around. "Please, if you can spare a moment. I think I'm lost." She beseeched.

Ajora furrowed her eyes ever so slightly. A bit ...perplexed by the woman's response. It was abundantly clear that she was some sort of overseer here. But ..... tour guide? What did that mean? Surely a place like THIS wasn't some vacation destination? "I....I'm not sure. I don't know where I am ....where.....THiS..... is..." She murmured, a troubled look crossing her face as she turned and began to look around, seeming...lost.

"Can you just....tell me where I am? I can handle the rest myself." She .... paused. And tensed when her stomach growled. A slightly...embarassed look crossed her face. "And if you might know where I could find some food. That would also help." She added quietly. Unbeknownst to Ajora, this would probably perk up Hiroe's attention. Hunger was not something normal in the rukongai after all. There was no need for physical food generally. Some ate for the satisfaction, but actual hunger? That meant that the soul was using up energy, and that typically meant that one had spiritual potential. And it served Ajora well enough not to hide this fact. If nothing else, it might ilicit some sympathy from this strange woman. Perhaps even make her a bit more talkative.

And for the purpose of gathering information, that suited her just fine.

Ajora ....paused. Frowning a little as the woman started to explain the situation. The City of Wandering Souls? So she was....deceased. This was the afterlife? For some reason she didn't feel too surprised. She looked around, a little...underwhelmed by the architecture. The place felt like a ghost town, and what few people she'd seen looked like they were on the poorer side of things. It almost felt like a slum. "This is....the afterlife. So I'm dead. Why is everything so .....run down?" She asked. ESPECIALLY with individuals purportedly keeping the place. This woman seemed to be some sort of ...warden? She was armed. Was the place dangerous?

What came next, however, was ......auspicious. The woman offered food, and also a more in-depth explanation. She had clocked that reaction to her having been hungry. Was that unusual? Well, she supposed she did seem to be different from the run of the mill individual around these parts. She let her mind wander to those idiots. A few of the nearby denizens that had thought her some sort of monster. She'd dealt with them easily enough. he'd made sure not to kill them. Some part of her had instinctively SCREAMED for her to kill them. To eviscerate them without a trace. That was the ONLY way to make sure they didn't attack her again. But she'd been....rational about things. She could not go about needlessly slaughtering anything that bothered her. IT might attract the wrong kind of ..... She glanced at this woman's zanpaku'to. Hm...attention. "Is it your job to ...guide souls? Are you a Shinigami?" she asked, hoping to get a tidbit of more ...information. But ultimately...

"I accept your offer. I am in your debt." She asserted softly, with a gentle nod of her head. True, this strange woman had phrased it as some sort of exchange. But both sides of the deal ultimately benefited her. She would have to be sure to repay this woman. Especially if she was so important as to be one of the few around with a weapon.

A pause.

So... not all of the City was actually this .....rough up. There were nicer areas, possibly near the center, or close to some major area. But....things also got WORSE? She looked around, curious to see if she could spot the difference. Though her eyes shifted back toward Hiroe as the subject shifted to shinigami. Hm. Classes? So this was a vocation, this woman before her had, at one point, not been a shinigami. Was there a way to become one? She'd have to look more into that. She was a student herself as well.

And then.... Asauchi. Her brows....furrowed. In the morning? No, it was probably spelled differently. Still... this was ....special? A ceremonial blade? What significance did it's name have?Or rather lack thereof? "So you weren't always a shinigami. Why did you choose to become one? Was it required?" She ventured, glancing up to the woman. Certainly, she supposed being able to be armed had it's benefits, but what else came with the occupation? It certainly seemed like a potentially...busy thing to take up.

Ajora followed Hiroe readily enough once she stared moving, making note of the direction they were heading and looking around the area. They were clearly making their way toward the lower districts, The surrounding buildings got a bit .... nicer, and those empty streets soon started to show some signs of life. And, finally, they seemed to arrive at their destination. Ajora paused, eyeing the place. She DID mention she was a student, would she have to give up the shop when she became a full shinigami? She kept that to herself for now. There were.... much more important questions to ask. And for now, she didn't want to overwhelm the woman.

"Thank you very much. " She murmured, and let the woman wander off to go cook. All the while, Ajora would....digest the situation. If nothing else, she was better than she started off. She'd garnered quite a bit of information.

She was dead, for whatever that was worth. Shinigami seemed to be in charge here. Figures, Gods of Death. However, they were not omnipotent or omnipresent. The woman mad made note of these ....outter districts which seemed lawless and full of problems. She had even sounded unwilling to head out there herself. Meanwhile, presumably districts in the center were much nicer. Safer. It would be safe to presume that shinigami were in the center. A possibility of there being....some barrier between the safe and dangerous districts DID cross her mind. with potentially shinigami patroling it. But ... no. This woman had spoke as if you could simply...wander into them.

This was useful information. At present, she was probably safest to stay where she was. Far enough from the more lawless areas. But also...a safe distance from these shinigami. This woman was nice, friendly even. But that was not a hard and fast rule for shinigami in general. She didn't know if they could be trusted. And they had such tremendous affect on the passage of life and death. However...they seemed to quite happily live with the fact that there was disparity between districts. They even made no attempt at barring between them. These Shinigami were in charge, and thus, these 'lawless zones' were a result of them. either by choice, or simply by lacking capability. And until she could discern that difference, it was likely best that she keep a healthy distance from them as a whole if she could help it. And this one.... Her eyes shifted toward where Hiroe had gone.

For the time being, she was benevolent. But she was still armed. She'd have to keep her guard up. But also try and make the best of the situation. She'd noticed that little reaction. She was easily flattered. She'd continue to ask qustions. FRANKLY information didn't seem like something she'd even HAVE to squeeze the woman for. She gave it readily. And from there, she could decide on what to do next.

The woman's avoiding the subject of why she joined the Shinigami certainly didn't escape her attention. But she kept it to herself for the time being. There was no need to rush, so far as she was aware just yet. For now... while the other woman worked in the other room on food. She took a moment to take in her surroundings. This did not have the feel of 'usual' about it. The woman seemed.... off. No doubt this particular little act of charity was not something she usually did. Or perhaps, something she was supposed to be doing? She'd already asserted that guiding the souls in the rukongai was not the duty of shinigami. Why? What point was there in bringing the souls out from the world of the living if they weren't being taken care of? And why did Shinigami need to bring them over in the first place? Surely a soul simply passed on on its own? Well, there was also some other factors to consider.

This woman was a student. Not quite an official shinigami. It was quite likely that this woman may not have the answers she herself was looking for. Some investigation may be in order.

All the same, it didn't take long for her to smell the results of this shinigami's labor. How very hospitable of her. Was this something she always did? When Hiroe finally returned with the food itself, she offered a light smile and proceeded to try some of it. And almost immediately, she perked up. It was really good! For just a brief moment she busied herself with eating. Trying to pace herself as best she could as she filled her stomach. IT was fantastic...and it took her a few moments to pause and ....consider the question that Hiroe had asked, as well as the offered information. And yet, she seemed so unsure of herself. There was something like a ...nervousness about how Hiroe conducted herself.
Que linda.
The thought occurred to her from seemingly nowhere. But she did not voice it.
"Ajora.I don't really know what it means. But ....I suppose it's something that I can remember it." She noted quietly, drumming her fingers along the table before her attention turned toward the shinigami. "There are .... a lot of questions that come to mind. Why do you shinigami bing souls to the rukongai, but taking care of it isn't part of your job description? what purpose is there in guiding souls to the spirit realm?" She asked calmly enough, taking a few bites so that this woman would have an opportunity to answer.

IN truth, she did not expect any particularly satisfying answer. She was, after all, simply a young upstart shinigami. But for now, this was what she had to work with. But even more than that.... her eyes were drawn to the woman's sword. "You mentioned that your sword was nameless. What exactly does that mean?"