Ne silently walked up to the front doors of the fourth division, as there was something bothering him as of late. Namely, the whereabouts of his fellow taichou that had not left with the others for the strange event. What were they up to? As the Communication and Transportation Taichou it was necessary that he know what his fellow taichou were up to. Not to mention, he wished to expand his mind and also his social life.

And he certainly couldn't do that without some leg work, such as going to see the head of the Research Division. A mere social visit just to see the new person in charge, namely as he had been unable to attend the ceremony sadly, as he had to keep an eye on communications at the time and was finally getting used to the ropes. "I hope he or she doesn't mind a visit,"

Ne arrived at the front office, wondering if someone was available for him to meet and direct him to the office of the Taichou. Though it would be interesting for Ne to meet this taichou, namely as he had no idea just who they were. Or that in reality, unknown to him of course, that he was no longer the youngest of the taichou.

Upon one entering the newly remade 4th division headquarters, some would be amazed at the pristine glossy finish of its white walls and floor, others would be awed at the unique...exhibits that adorn the inside of some of the walls, full of oddities However, at the end of the entrance was a reception desk, with a young woman, small, petite, wearing a pair of glasses and seemingly being diligent with signing some needless busywork.

"Yes, may I help you?" she said in a monotone voice as she continued scribbling, before the sight of a haori caught her eye. She immediately put down the pencil and looked straight...down at the Fifth division taicho. "Taicho-san, I'm sorry, I did not see you enter." she said bowing to him. "How may I assist you today, sir?" she said in a kinder, more womanly voice then the dull monotone that was from before.

Ne merely blinked, wondering if the new decorations were because of the taichou in charge. He himself preferred functionality over aesthetic purposes, and that was that about the subject. He merely gave a small polite nod of his head to the receptionist in greeting, making sure to put his best foot forward as well as his best face with a small smile.

"It is quite all right, I was hoping to see if your taichou was in. Just a social visit and a small inquiry, nothing serious," He assured her gently. If Ne noticed the difference in height, he didn't show it; and why should he? The musical captain had long since developed a simple acceptance of his height, and it also made for quite the advantage, tactically speaking and kept him humble in a sense.

'Yes, of course. Right this way sir." she said as the lady stepped down, surprisingly her height only being slightly taller then the fifth division taicho himself. As she opened the sliding door to the left of her, she entered, motioning Ne to follow her as she took a few turns down the plain white halls, before coming to an office with the 4th division logo on the door. "Ryosei-taicho, a taicho is here to pay a visit to you." said, before bowing and leaving the area as quickly as she navigated Ne to the door.

"Please, come in." Ryosei said, the sound of a book closing could be heard as the taicho stood up and looked quite at home in the office, his clothes slightly loose and his haori hanging on the wall, his zanpakuto leaning next to it. Books seemed to adorn his desk, but there were surprisingly no loose papers or files, as they were stacked neatly around the walls and the desk. "Good afternoon Taicho-san. Im Takudo Ryosei, captain of the fourth division, and you are?" the man would say, coming out from behind the desk and extending a hand in greeting as he navigated a small path through the files.

Ne gave a simple nod of his head, not at all too surprised by the difference in height. It was just a fact of life for him as he followed behind her, and then quickly noted the name. Ryosei, interesting, he had not heard the man's name before which led him to believe he was possibly a new taichou. Either that, or he simply never had the chance to meet the man and it's not like he could read every single message that went through his division all the time.

Ne quietly slipped in as he was permitted, taking a split-second to observe his surroundings. Obviously Ryosei was an organized man, something which Ne approved of as it meant less unnecessary work and a smoother work ethic. He paused to extend his hand in return, to shake the rather tall Taichou's hand. Was it Ne's imagination, or was he the shortest Taichou around? Ah, no matter. "Good afternoon to you as well, Ryosei-san. I am Onigan Ne, captain of the Fifth Division," He said, introducing himself politely.

Ryosei nodded as he got a reply from the taicho, an "Onigan Ne" as he introduced himself as. "Quite the pleasure to meet you." Ryosei said, as he extended his hand to a chair in front of the desk as he himself took a step back towards the desk. "Would you like anything to snack on? Maybe some tea perhaps?" the taicho inquired, wanting to create a pleasant atmosphere for their first meeting.

Ne gave a small nod in greeting, accepting the hand and politely shaking it before withdrawing his hand calmly and sitting down in the chair. This was a rather different meeting for him; well, in the past he had only really met and talked with Malik and Katsu, and no one else. It was actually a sort of learning experience for the young taichou. "Tea would be fine, thank you," he replied, pondering where to begin. Mostly, he just wished to get to know another of his fellow taichou better. Who knows when they might work together on a joint mission or assignment.

"Of course." Ryosei said, taking a few steps towards the back wall as a hell butterfly flew out of it, zipping down the side of the wall and out a small hole in the side of the main door. Ryosei went back to his desk and sat down, just as the receptionist came in, holding a pot of tea and a basket covered with a cloth. She set it on the desk as she slightly bowed to both the taichos and left, Ryosei unveiling the basket, and taking out a few tea cups and plates out of it. "Would you like anything with your tea? Sugar? Lemon?" Ryosei inquired as he himself poured himself a cup and added a lemon to it, placing the tea pot in front of Ne.

Ne briefly noted the use of the small hell butterfly, but said nothing. As long as the little creature was being taken care of and was doing it's job, then he was not about to start a fuss. It was a rather reasonable use for the little creature, simple messages within the division itself perhaps. He turned his attention onto the cup itself, and immediately replied without so much as a thought. It was not well known, but he actually preferred lemon.

"Lemon please," He stated, and quickly thought of what to say next. After all, this was a mix of a social visit and getting to know his fellow taichou better. "It seems that Daidouji and Gestu-taichou are still taking care of their mission," He might as well start somewhere.

Ryosei nodded and handed over the small bowl of lemons in the basket as he looked back inside and took out a small plate of sushi. Taking one and eating it, the taicho nodded to his counterpart. "Indeed. I wish I could have gone with them, as the possibility of meeting so many fascinating...things in a new area makes me giddy. But I do respect the Central 46's decision to not send every shinigami there. Sadly, that includes me." he said, taking a slip of his tea. Delicious.

Ne silently picked up a lemon with a grateful nod, already thinking of the usual method he had for adding lemon juice to his tea. It was all about squeezing the lemon carefully so as to avoid staining the hands with juice. Something that would not be tolerated as a musician, especially one of his caliber at that. "We must hope that all is well for them then, and that they return safely. I do find it strange, that no medic was sent with them, don't you?" He had to think about it; as far as he knew, neither Katsu nor Malik showed medical ability. He wasn't sure about the third member, though hi did not recall seeing any form of medical kit with her. Then again, he didn't really go to the fourth division very often except for messages and never stayed long.

Ryosei nodded as he sipped his tea again and set the cup on the saucer. "Indeed, it is quite curious. Perhaps there were some circumstances to their departure that did not require a medic. Or they had provisions in place and not needed one. I personally like a balanced team, and find the idea strange." he concluded, taking a bite of his sushi on his plate. Mmmmm, Las Vegas Rolls and California Rolls. Delicious.

Ne gave a small nod as he carefully added lemon to his tea before taking a moment to sip it and then ponder on the situation itself. He had been there of course, when the beast had attacked, and something bugged him. "I hope they have found something on that strange creature we fought, do you know of the incident involving a strange beast of unknown origin attacking the Rukongai a while ago?" Ne had no idea if Ryosei had heard through rumors or just mere idle gossip, and even though his fellow Captain wasn't there, it still couldn't hurt to have another perspective. "I cannot help but feel that the tournament, the mission that our fellow Taichou undertook, is just the beginning. It's too much of a coincidence that a strange beast attacks, and then the tournament...."

Ryosei nodded as he took a sip of his tea, listening to the 5th division captains assessment on the situation. "I hold a steadfast believe that there are no coincidences in this world, only inevitable fate." he said, before putting the cup down. "This however, is unfortunately beyond our control now that it has all happened, and that we are stuck here, merely waiting for them to come back. However, I wouldn't mind seeing more reports of that strange creature. I do love to explore the unexplored." he finished as he opened the basket again and pulled out a napkin, wiping his mouth as he started placing the dirty pieces of silverware and dishes back inside it.

Ne raised an eyebrow at Ryosei's interest in exploring the unexplored, as he put it. Strange, but nothing beyond what he might expect if he caught wind of a new instrument that had been discovered. Especially if it belonged to the string family, but that was a personal matter of course.

"There is little I can tell myself beyond the fact that the creature seemed rather durable. Getsuei-dono would have a better account, he was fortunate to survive a much more, direct, encounter with the beast then myself..." Which in other words meant that he had survived getting sucked up like a piece of sushi and then spat back out promptly. Not that Ne was one to put things so bluntly; crude language had it's place, but not here right now. "What disturbs me is the lack of a reason for the creature to suddenly appear. There had to be some sort of purpose in it's arrival. Even Hollows appear in the human realm for the sake of consuming souls, food as it were."

Ryosei

Ryosei started to fill his cup back up with newly warmed tea as he pondered what the other captain had said. "Indeed, reason is the quintessential thing for people to be where they are. Like you having a reason to come here. You have a purpose, but what is that monsters. I'm not sure, an investigation would be needed. Even then, its a beast, it doesn't have free will of its own...does it?" he said, taking a quick sip of the cup of tea, hmmm, still hot.

Ne gave a nod in agreement, and pondered on the words himself. Then again, he was theorizing that the monster's attack and the tournament were linked. Perhaps, the monster was some kind of test of some sort? Two of his fellow taichou who were at the scene were called forth to participate in the tournament, and two out of three meant that perhaps they were chosen because of their actions in the fight with the monster? Then again, if that was the case, the kido specialist, Misaki-dono if he was correct in his memory, should have been called as she too was in involved in the fight, binding the creature's mouth.

Yet she wasn't. "Agreed, we have no way of knowing if this creature's appearance is an isolated incident or not. I don't know, from what I can recall, it seemed to be here at first of a free will of it's own..." He frowned and quietly sipped his tea once more. "Question is, did it come here of it's own accord, or was the creature sent? Either way, the question also comes to mind; why?"

SPOILER: Click to show

Ryosei has approximately 24 hours to post as per the activity rules since it has been over a week since the last post.

Ryosei nodded as he took the basket from the top of the table and set it next to his seat, as to have more room. "Why indeed. Why only comes into question and be answered if someone is controlling it, or it has free will. But which could it be? I think were coming to the same block in the road. Ryosei nodded to himself as he put his hand to his chin and thought.