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The brisk cold air was the first thing Akarui noticed as he woke early in the morning in his room in the reaper fort.  Moving throughout the dark apartment Akarui lit various lanterns that would give him light this early in the morning.  Akarui moved to the center of his living room and cleared a space for his morning ritual.  Deeply breathing the Reaper sat on the hard floor and cleared his mind.  He listened to the various noises that could be heard and isolated them.  He focused on guards passing by and keyed into small noises that echoed through the fortress.  Somewhere in the training grounds, a rookie was trying to get practice in before sunrise to impress their mentor, while in another sector of the compound a group of friends loudly joke over breakfast.  After an unmeasured amount of time Akarui slowly moved into another position and held it for a time before switching once again.  The final position he held was a plank where his feet were not touching the ground.  He held this until he could feel a slight burn in his core and slowly tucked his legs in once again sat down on the ground.  

With his routine over Akarui began heating some tea and went to take a bath.  He took his time until he could hear the shrill whistle of the pot warning him of his finished drink that he had left.  Nursing the tea Akarui combed out his hair then pondered what to do with it for a moment.  Eventually, he decided to let a majority of it hang down while braiding a few small parts so that he could tie some jewelry into his hair.  Getting dressed Akarui chose simple a simple black shirt along with matching pants.  They were simple loungewear that would keep him comfortable as he planned on relaxing and working on his art today.  

Akarui pulled out his supplies and a partly finished piece that had seemingly been set to the side behind a few other portraits.  It was of a beautiful Sylve woman with white hair, well at least it would have been if the face had been completed.  In the center of the portrait, there was simply a hole where the features were yet to be painted.  Akarui glanced at the face for a moment with displeasure before turning towards the edges.  He began focusing on small specific features, features that would only be noticed by the one that put them there.  For a while, Akarui avoided the obvious glaring problem with his art piece, until he couldn’t avoid it any longer.  Slowly he raised a brush towards the face and held it there until he set the brush down before making a mark.

This was the portrait of Suzune he had been working on, and he had been stuck on it for a while now.  It wasn’t that he couldn't remember her face, but he didn’t know what expression to give her.  He didn’t want to paint her sad, but he also wasn’t comfortable painting her happy.  The painting featured her sitting in their childhood home, and if she had left obviously Suzune had not been happy there.  Unsure of what to do Akarui pondered staring at the portrait for a long time until he was awoken from his focus by a light knocking.  

Quickly the Reaper moved his supplies to the side and covered the piece with a sheet of linen.  While heading towards the door Akarui couldn’t help but notice his sword, Dākuejji, leaning on the door frame.  Akarui reached forward and slid open his door to find his “student” Tsukihana waiting for him with her arms crossed.  Looking at her for just a moment Akarui could guess the reason for her visit by the fact she was wearing her gear.  Akarui leaving his door open stepped back inside to slide on a pair of sandals and made his way out the door.  Once he closed the door Akarui turned towards his companion and nodded a greeting to her before making his way down the hallway.

[color=CE3F3F]“I assume he expects us to report before him immediately for our briefing?”[/color]