"Ten-one-thousand....Twenty-one-thousand....Twenty-nine one-thousand.... Ugggh.." The rooms silence was broken by the small thump of Joel hitting the floor and the splashing sound his body made when it sprawled out into the puddle of sweat he had made. All the push-ups he could possibly do and more and he didn't feel any stronger. The only thing he felt was the numbing feeling throbbing through his arms. As he rested his head on the moist wooden floor, he continued to think about what it would take for him to get stronger. Lifting his head and staring at his Zanpakuto, he realized that if he could awaken it from it's slumber, he could become at least three times stronger. Though, he wasn't even in the mood to carry it after what had happened a few days ago. Since then he hadn't left his room for anything, not even food, and it seemed like his stomach was reaching its limit. However, do to the foolish mistake of using all his strength to do nothing but exercise, he was too tired to even stand. Soon, do to a knocking at his door, he had no other choice than to stand up. Since his arms were pretty much useless, he rolled over a few times until he was able to stand on his knees and propelled himself up that way.
Before opening the door, he wondered who exactly could it have been. As far as he knew he was still on probation and it wasn't like he was expecting any company. He had doubts that anyone would visit him while there were injured people to see. If that wasn't enough, he also didn't want to see anyone. Not just yet at least, but still, he managed to open the door to his room.
"Yes," he said in greeting to one of his fellow squad members. He remembered seeing him once while wokring on the outer area, but he had never spoken to the man.
"Good to see you're still alive. The captain made it seem urgent that someone come check on you." The mans carefree smile gave Joel a lump like feeling in his stomach.
"Thanks.... I'm doing as well as I should be I suppose."
"That's good to hear. Anyway, the other reason I came was because we've been hearing that you haven't left your room. Though that does sound like the same reason I just gave you. I guess....How should I put this? Hmm... When's the last time you saw your friends?"
"A few days ago."
The man's face frowned as if he were disappointed. "Really? After all of that? You know, you really should check on your friends. I'm sure they want to know that you're okay as well."
Joel's face dropped in emotion, displaying his melancholic vibe.
"Well, I can't make you do anything, but the Captain told me to tell you that she would like you to do so when you have the time." After giving Joel a pat on the shoulder he said, "Hang in there Joel. We all have crazy first experiences with hollows." After which he left, waving at Joel and seeming overly friendly.
It was tough, but the shinigami had to admit that his fellow squad member was right. All of these days he had been focusing on getting stronger, but he had lost sight of what he was getting stronger for. Of course it was all so that he could protect his friends, but by avoiding them it would seem he'd have no friends left if he kept on going the way he was.
Deciding to take both his Captains and squad members advice, he grabbed his hooded uniform and Zanpakuto, heading out of the door and towards the clinical area. Once checked in, he headed for the door that belonged to his friends room and hesitated to go inside one more time before placing his hand on the door knob. Though, to his surprise, the door opened on its own and out came Tenshin, who seemed to wrapped up in his own thoughts to notice him. Either that or he didn't process it was Joel, seeing as the man had his hood on. Even in doors, Joel liked wearing his hood. It made him feel comfortable.
Deciding it would probably be best to let Tenshin go where he was going and greet him when he came back, Joel slipped inside the room, quietly closing the door behind him. "Hey," he said almost in a whisper before raising his tone a little bit. "How's everyone doing? You ummm.... You guys recovering okay?"