Paperwork. Why was there so much paperwork. Maybe it had to do with the fact that the Taichou had pretty much stormed off out of Seireitei. Maybe it also had to do with the chaos of those last few days. Maybe it also had to do with the fact that the more morally ambiguous individuals of Seireitei had been getting quite riled up as of late due to the other two reasons, resulting in an ever-increasing amount of paperwork. Not to mention the also ever-increasing amount of patrols and guard-shifts that were taking place due to the unrest, which meant more and more reports to go through and file. And maybe it also had to do with the fact that the paperwork was always getting piled up even before those incidents took place, due to their now ex-Taichou's notoriously lazy and apathetic attitude towards it.

But even then, even in this case, why was there so much paperwork?! He had never seen so much of it piled up and, as much as he wanted to take care of all of this mess, he wasn't sure if he should. He had searched through protocol, and hadn't found any mention about who was responsible for taking care of the papers when there was neither a Taichou nor a Fukutaichou. Should he do it? He had at least filed it through and arranged it in neat stacks in accordance to urgency, and having put the older one's on-top so that they would be taken care of first. He could only hope that the First Division would inform him of what to do soon, before the Division was drowned in a tsunami of paper.

"Uh...such an incredible hassle, for something that most would consider trivial and simple..." he mumbled to himself, as he stared upon the stacks of papers that he had arranged on top of just about every available piece of furniture that could substitute for a table, seeing that all of them had already been full. He sighed once more the himself, before turning around and walking outside of the now vacant office, gently closing the door behind him as he stared out at the currently empty hall. Yes, everyone was outside, frantically working. He also had returned from guard duty not too long before, and it wouldn't be much longer before he was called out to do something. Indeed, everyone was just doing their best at the moment.

There is an old adage that no news is good news. People tend to report negative instances. As such, a lack of news is sometimes a sign that nothing is wrong. However, if you are expecting a report, and nothing comes through, then one has to wonder, why have you received no information.

Taichou Kiba was infamous in regards to his laissez faire attitude towards documentation, though as of late things were silent. Completely and utterly silent. Not a single piece of paperwork had been received from the fourth since the attack upon Seireitei. Whilst some lull could be expected in the chaos after the event, obtaining absolutely nothing was completely unprecedented. He had held the position for 200 years after all.

She had tried to discover what was going on from her own division members, but every other member of her division she had spoken to were either as ignorant as Kabelja was, or had attempted to brush her off. The division responsible for communication failing to communicate was worrying.

Watsonian teachings flowed through her mind, the teachings of her parents.

"If there is no-one left to replace me..." The words flowed through her mind over and over again. If this situation was to be resolved, the lowly 19th seat of the First Division had to do it herself. It was her duty as a Shinigami. And that is why she was at the entrance to the Fourth Division. She did look somewhat out of place in her pristine uniform, with the members of the Fourth mostly appearing more rough and ready.

She spoke to the guard.

"Kabelja Watson, Nineteenth Seat of the First Division. I hereby request immediate audience with the most senior member of your division who is available."

What was going on here?

The guards were not having a good day, that was for certain. Of course, one could theorize that guards never really had good days, for their jobs were incredibly mundane. Stand on that spot, maybe walk back and forth along a predetermined pattern at a predetermined pace. If you were assigned to the former duty, it was not uncommon to get drowsy, annoyed, and for your legs and back to start to hurt from not moving. The breaks were short as well, including bathroom ones. Not to mention sweating profusely under the summer sun. Protocol was important. If one was assigned to the latter, they didn't fair much better either. Walking back and forth was incredibly repetitive, and it wore on one's mind and stamina a lot sooner than most might think. Besides, one's legs also got tired from that, and being constantly on the move made things worse under hot weather (though admittedly, when it was cold, the constant walking helps to warm up slightly). But this time, they were having it a little worse. Why? Unrest. Hollow attacks, killings, the very walls of Seireitei being nearly besieged! Those recent events only made this incredibly mundane duty even more important and crucial than it was before. They couldn't miss anything. Sure, they were within the walls but they had their orders. Still, none of them snapped at the woman, though the guard that was addressed did answer a little more gruffly than it was necessary, complete with a minor frown gracing his facial features.

"Inside, you should find the 5th Seat, Aoyama Ryōichi. He's having a brief lunch-break or something..." said the guard a little bitterly, obviously envying a little the officer who had the luck to be putting some food in his stomach. The gods only knew how the guard wanted to put something edible in his stomach, but he still had a good 2 hours to go before he was dismissed - momentarily.

In the meantime, the man with the raven-coloured hair was indeed inside, sitting on a couch within the main lobby, just right after the entrance hallway. Besides him 2 small wooden boxes were opened, one containing about half a dozen rice-balls and one pickles of his own making. Or rather, originally there were 7 rice-balls, as he had already munched up the first one and was well on his way through gobbling up the second. He was so hungry, he could just barely remember the proper table manners that his parents had drilled into his being many centuries ago. At least, to a point where he was ensuring that he wouldn't make a mess. On the short, and wide, wooden table in front of him one could also spot a large cup of strong green tea that was emitting a few barely noticeable ribbons of steam, along with its far more noticeable and refreshingly distinct aroma. He sighed lightly to himself as he was gladly taking what few minutes he had to be absorbed in his thoughts, carefully picking a piece of pickled carrot and munching it down, before giving his right thumb and index a single lick.

Kabelja bowed towards the guards.

"Thank-you for your information. May I request directions to his location?"

Whilst she was familiar with the layout of the division, at least from floor plans she had seen, she did not know her colleague's lunch habits. Whilst there was a communal eating area, it was not unusual to for Shinigami to eat elsewhere. Some left the building to eat in public areas. Kabelja herself confined herself to her office. The facilities were for optional use, not mandatory.

The guard would simply raise an eyebrow at the question, finding it quite unnecessary and somewhat stupid. Then again, it might just be all of the heat and boredom getting to him, but still, he believes he has a point. After a small sigh, he would reply,

"Like I said....inside. There is the entrance hall, then you reach the main lobby. If he's not there, just shout his name or something, he didn't tell us where he was going to sit at. Long dark hair, tall, can't miss him." came out the words in a bored, almost monotone like voice. Not very polite, but, the heat was just getting to him. Then he would simply return to his expected stance, eyes looking straight ahead into the street.

"Thank-you very much." Kabelja bowed to the guards and stepped through them, her uniform flowing as she moved, her usual grace and poise evident as she strode into the 4th division building. The layout of the building was more open than the tightly-wound corridors of the first division. There everything had a place, here it was a mess.

"I suppose it matches Taichou Shuchiku's nature. Certainly, I remember it being somewhat more orderly when I was last here, when Meishu-san, may he rest in peace, was far more organised. Certainly, we got paperwork under him."

There was one advantage however. Calling out was unnecessary, as she soon located someone in dark hair, enjoying a luncheon. Within seconds she was upon him, standing across the table, the model of dignity. The lady bowed, her vibrant red hair kept in place by two sticks, beautiful in their simplicity.

"Fifth Seat Aoyama-san. I am Nineteenth Seat Watson of the First Division. I apologize to intrude on your lunch, but I was wondering if I could have a word with you."

Her tone was sharp and official, speaking quickly and clearly, without warmness or any sign of tenderness. Those who were unfamiliar with Kabelja would have thought themselves in trouble upon hearing it. Whilst she believed in clarity with words, she hadn't quite yet got the grasp of using ones body language and tone of voice to convey intent. The phrase 'a picture speaks a thousand words' made her think of diagrams, not of emotion.

Someone could say that interrupting a meal of riceballs, pickled and tea wasn't that big of an insult or annoyance. Some could even find the prospect of not having to eat such a simplistic and possibly bland meal to be quite the reason for celebration. Then again, those people would've just picked something else for lunch. Like a delicious sandwich with bacon and stuff. But for him, this meal was indeed precious. Why? It wasn't so much what he was eating -though he did enjoy his pickles a whole lot- but more so the state under which he was eating. He was tired, both mentally and physically, and his day was far from being done. During these moments, when one is exhausted and hungry, just about anything can taste delicious. No, scratch that, just about anything can taste divine. The hungrier you are, the better your food will taste, and right at this moment, his simple, bland riceballs with the pickles and tea seemed to surpass ambrosia and nectar.

Despite that, he did not get angry with the newcomer, who identified themselves as 'Kabelja Watson'. Watson? Watson....that surname was ringing a bell, he thought, but didn't dwell on it any longer, as he had more important things to do. The member of the First Division obviously would have a good reason for being here and interrupting his precious meal, so he didn't blame here. After all, these past days were completely and utterly chaotic. It was to be expected for just about anyone to be interrupted during what little free time they had at least on one occasion. It couldn't be helped, so there was no reason for him to mull over it. After putting the lids back on the boxes, and wiping his mouth carefully with a handkerchief that he pulled out of an inner pocket.

"While I will accept your apology, Watson-san, I will have to note that there was no need for such a thing. It is only natural for such a thing to happen from time to time, especially after everything that happened. I'm sure that you have no reasons, and that you are not meaning anything bad by this. So please, do tell me what is needed of me." he concluded, seemingly unfazed by the woman's cold demeanor. His own tone was not that much warmer either. Of course, it didn't have her almost robotic feeling, but his tone was also formal, straight and generally professional.

Kabelja took a sudden dislike to the man. It wasn't anything major, but he used too many words. His entire speech could have been lessened to a few words, such as "It's OK, continue." or "Sure, go ahead." Of course, it was no major sin, just a minor irk. Of course, she did have to confess to herself that her own introduction could have been shortened to "We need to talk." But again, it was nothing serious.

The crimson demon, as some in her division had nicknamed her, ones who were not that well antiquated with Taichou Saikokui, pulled up a nearby chair, positioning herself on it before addressing her higher-ranking colleague in the Fourth.

"Please, do not let me interrupt your lunch, feel free to continue eating." She paused for a moment, granting Aoyama-San opportunity to resume his consumption before continuing, regardless of whether he chose to avail himself of it or not.

"My division has received no reports, no forms, no documents nor any other form of paperwork from this division since the end of last season. I pray I do not need to remind you the importance of following proper procedure and keeping record of activities, especially when dealing with such a sensitive area such as security. Whilst I shall be needing to speak to Taichou Shuchiku when he becomes available, I was wondering if you could divulge any information regarding the lack of correspondence."

It was a risky move. She was an outsider, and a far lower seating than the man sitting across from her. She could cause some sort of alert, causing the Fourth to close ranks against her. Of course, her own division's secrecy was plaguing her mind.

The red head ran a hand through her bangs, flashing her scarred cheek for a single moment before she let out a giant groan and slapped her desk. A shinigami sitting in her office jumped slightly and looked up from the stack of papers they were reading. It didn’t faze the shinigami long; she went back to reading the papers, not even asking the red head if she was ok.

Arashi glanced up at the clock on her wall. It’d been two hours since she sent a butterfly to Division Four, it was bad enough she didn’t get Division three’s response but she wasn’t about to get ignored AGAIN. She chewed on her bottom lip and stood up, looking up at the clock again. She really didn’t want to barge into the division but…

Oh who was she kidding?! Yes she did. She wanted to barge in bad!

She threw open her office door and jumped out, barely hearing the shinigami in the room mutter a goodbye. She walked quickly; she slowly let her irritation grow inside her. Any shinigami she passed in her division moved to the other side, out of the way of the fuming Fukutaichou. A big smile was spread across her face; she was in for some fun.

It didn’t take her long at all to get to the Fourth Division. As she approached the door she tugged on her pony tail slightly, she bit her lip. Damn it! She couldn’t remember the name of the kid she was supposed to talk to. She looked at the doorman and finally spoke up.

”Hey there, I’m looking for the highest ranking shinigami in this division. Seeing as there isn’t any captain anymore…” Arashi muttered the last part, but knew the door man could still hear her.

“Eating.” The door man responded.

Arashi raised an eyebrow. She just shrugged and just continued on her way. He obviously was not going to be a big help. She spent a few minutes searching around and finally she came upon two shinigami. She gave a sigh of relief and walked over to the two, smacking the table to gather attention.

”Hey there, buddy!” Her tone was irritated and slightly sarcastic.

She glanced at the red head sitting at the table. She recognized her, member of her division possibly? She looked the girl up and down. Look like a strict one, of course everyone in the first division was a hard ass. Arashi would be surprised if she WASN’T in the first division. But what would she be doing here? Meh…didn’t matter.

“Please tell me one of you is a high ranking Division Four member? Because I am getting really tired of waiting…” Arashi paused then sat next to the red head girl. ”Arashi Shinku, First Division Fukutaishou.”

He stood there patiently, listening to her speak on about the issue at hand. While some would've raised an eyebrow at the words, he decided to not allow his current facial expression to be distorted in the least. However, he couldn't help but be curious as to how this woman did not know of their ex-Captain's hasty departure? Granted, he doubted that Shuchiku Kiba had filed any sort of paperwork, but he should've announced it. Could've. Might've. Either way, word was out on the street as well. Wouldn't she have heard of it by now? Didn't this woman ever go out? Have any friends? Chat with people? Unknowingly to him, she pretty much didn't and was a complete workaholic. In any way, he decided to make this as brief as it could be, as he preferred to not eat and speak at the same time. It was rude -even when allowed-, inefficient and, sometimes, it gave him some nasty hiccups, albeit rarely. He didn't feel like risking it however. It was odd indeed, for most it was walking while eating, but that was how his system worked.

"I see, so you do not know. Shuchiku Kiba is no longer the Taichou of the Fourth Division, for he resigned and relocated to the Rukongai. No one is, actually. We currently have no Fukutaichou either. I've asked if I could fill-in the paperwork instead, twice, but have received no answer. I did not press the issue any further, assuming the First Division would take care of it when it was appropriate. But I have done my best to organize it, for anyone who might have the authority to do it." he concluded, trying to answer her question, as well as any other questions that she might have before she could actually ask them. For he was pretty certain that she would, it was only normal to expect so.

Then another red haired female -this one looking a lot younger- entered the building and proceeded to call him buddy in a generally non-friendly way. Leaving questions as per her choice of upper-body attire (or lack of it, to be exact - the bandages don't exactly count). After she said her own couple words, he would reply in a neutral fashion, all while thinking of how odd it was that two red-heads from the same Division approached him for work almost at the same time.

"Aoyama Ryōichi, Fifth Seat of the Fourth Division. Waiting for what?"

That explained a lot. The reason that Taichou Kiba had not been doing his paperwork was because Taichou Kiba was no longer Taichou anymore, he was merely Kiba-san. That made sense. A fifth seat may not know the correct procedures either. She couldn't blame him, and it was apparent that he had tried to deal with the issue.

Any dislike was vanished. Fifth-Seat Aoyama appeared to be a committed and resourceful individual. She conceded that she didn't know him that well, but he appeared to be deserving of his seat.

Kabelja was about to volunteer herself to take on the task when her superior walked in, her walk as fiery as her personality. Even with face blindness, Arashi's distinctive style was enough for Kabelja to recognise her. Her volunteering had to wait, the business of a Fukutaichou took precedence over a nineteenth seat.

Instead, she kept silence, save to rise from her seat and bow towards the one who had just entered, her division's insignia clearly on show.

"Fukutaichou-Shinku"

She did not introduce herself, for two reasons.

The first was that she expected her Fukutaichou to know all of the seated members of her division, especially since they had both served together for three and a half centuries.
The second was that, as soon as she had entered and stated business with Fifth-Seat Aoyama, Watson-san had become irrelevant and unimportant.

Her greetings given, the female Watson returned to her seat, patiently awaiting the time she would become relevant again.

Aoyama Ryōichi, Fifth Seat of the Fourth Division. Waiting for what?

Arashi opened up her mouth to speak but heard a response that made her jump slightly. She had forgotten about the red head sitting next to her. Arashi blinked slightly then turned her head to the red head. She stared at the woman for a few seconds, looking her up and down quickly. She recognized the woman. She furrowed her brow slightly then shrugged.

”I give up. Who are you?” Arashi asked quickly. She didn’t realize how rude the statement was nor did she really care. She was a straight forward woman. Straight to the point.

She wouldn’t wait long. As soon as the woman responded, or didn’t, she would turn back to the division four member. She wouldn’t even wait a beat.

”I sent a message a while back to meet with some members of fourth division. Unfortunately I did not receive any confirmation on the message. It isn’t a surprise though; I haven’t even gotten a confirmation from division three, or five for that fact. So I decided to just barge in and find the first member I could, hmm? Seems to have worked pretty well.” Arashi paused slightly and crossed her legs. Her face changed from that of a cocky, better than you to a business like face. Void of emotion.

”Sorry to interrupt any conversation or food. This shouldn’t take too long. Tanaka-soutaichou has sent me out to collect information from each division. With the recent attacks in Rukongai, he is concerned to know if you would have any ideas on how to help prevent these attacks. Something we are doing just isn’t working. Division two had some clever ideas of setting up medical and military posts within Rukongai.” Arashi looked up at the division four member then out of the corner of her eyes glanced at the red head, obviously waiting for words from both of them.

He would simply wait patiently until the two females were done speaking, that is if anything was spoken at all. In the end, it didn't matter, for the younger-looking (he had long since learned that true age didn't always reflect in a person's appearance) started talking without even giving him enough time to consider blinking, much less utter a word. He didn't mind, he actually liked that. No awkward silence from him, waiting to see if it was his turn, instead the newly introduced Fukutaichou of the First Division just made it known that she was not done. And when she was, it was clear that he was the one being addressed, so he didn't have to fear about speaking out of turn. Carefully analyzing the fiery woman with his sharp, dark eyes, he carefully sipped some tea before putting the simple clay cup back on the table between them, releasing a small clacking sound as the bottom came in contact with the wood of the piece of furniture. After clearing his throat quietly, he opened his mouth in order to speak,

"I see. I apologize, but I must have missed it. I returned from a patrol not too long ago, and the recent unrest has just about tripled the worktime for all Fourth Division members. Add in our lack of a Taichou and a Fukutaichou...and all ranked officers rarely have the time to be in here, much less non-seats. I apologize yet again, and it was a good thing that you came. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again." came out the words in a calm, straight and polite tone, before he paused in order to nod apologetically at the higher rank. Then he would continue in a similar tone,

"Nonsense, and besides, Watson-san is here for business as well. She wasn't intruding, so neither are you. As for your request however....if you wish to get an answer now then no, I'm afraid it won't just 'not take too long'. It's not you, or me, or anyone, but merely the nature of the Soutaichou's request, or order if you will. Does he just wish for 'ideas', of 'what' to do, or information about how to do something? For I will not just throw ideas out of the blue here. I can say many things, some possible, some completely not so. Build outposts, give out training, establish trust and communication, increase manpower and patrols, build another wall. We've always had ideas - the matter is how to impliment them, and under which circumstances." he paused yet again in order to sip some more tea. He wasn't being hostile, nor was he lecturing, nor was he wagging his finger at anybody. He was merely expressing his own opinion, and he was certain that the Soutaichou was thinking along the same lines as he was, though it would be okay even if he was not.

"I will require more time in order to properly come up with ways to impliment any possible ideas. For the moment, I can say that if I manage to round up any available personel, we could offer training to any willing Rukon citizens. I can, and would volunteer, to teach swordsmanship and melee weapons training. But I'm best with swords. Still, paperwork will have to be done in order to properly regulate such cources of action. For the moment, all I can say is that I will do everything that lies within my power. I just don't know if my power will be enough. I will spread the word amongst the rest of the Division." he concluded, letting out a small sigh and sipping some more tea.

"If you have time...I'd like to discuss this more, if you have time to spare. I can fetch the both of you some tea as well, if you so wish." he said, finally going silent. Kind of glad too, he had already talked more than he usually does.

"Kabelja Watson, Nineteenth Seat," she answered.

Fukutaichou's legendary matter-of-factness was demonstrated to the two Shinigami. What she told Aoyama-san was not new Kabelja; Arashi's mission was one thing that the nineteenth seat was aware of at least.

The representative of the Fourth Division also spared little time in replying to her Fukutaichou. Kabelja sat there, listening to them both, though Fourth Seat Aoyama did say many words, with little substance, albeit it may have been necessary, to give the idea of a large nothing? Kabelja dismissed the paradox. That was into the realms of philosophy, not something she cared to dwell on.

Eventually though there was a break in conversation. The Fukutaichou had previously glanced at Kabelja, in an apparent request for her input. It was probably appropriate for her to speak, though before words passed her lips she tilted her wrist upwards, showing him the flat of her palm, a casual rejection to his offer of tea. Kabelja would rather sort out the issues here and now. Tea could wait.

"If I may interject, I believe a major problem is that we have had a major breakdown in our communications. I have only just learned of Taichou Shuchiku's resignation. You yourself have testified to your difficulties in communicating with other divisions. I believe the procedures we currently have in place are sufficient I had my hand in most of them, after all, but I do not believe they are being sufficiently enforced. Though they haven't ever really been. The Gotei has always been far too lax to efficiently cater to the needs to the Rukon Citizens. I do recognise though that we currently are in a crisis situation, with more work and less staff, with casualties, so some issues should be expected, though not as much as we are observing"

Though she was about to go beyond her own duties and ask to be where she believed she was needed, not where she was supposed to be.

"Incidentally, Fukutaichou Shinku, I was wondering if I could request leave from my ordinary duties. Aoyama-san has informed me that due to the Fourth Division's lack of Taichou or Fukutaichou, a backlog of paperwork has built up. If it is OK with both the First and the Fourth Divisions" she gave a short glance to Ryōichi upon mention of his division "I would like to take over clerical duties here on a temporary basis until they gain a Taichou."

A small worry worked at the back of Kabelja's mind. "Would this be a breech of our Fourth law? My duties would still be purely clerical, and it is temporary. I don't think this situation is considered "switching division"." The ambiguity, however, continued to irk her.

When Aoyama first began speaking, Arashi was sitting straight with her hands folded in front of her. Slowly though a grin appeared on her face. She raised her hand to her face. She placed her thumb on her chin and her index finger on her forehead, leaning her head against her head she chuckled slightly and shook her head as the fourth division, fifth “seater” spoke.

She waited for him to finish speaking before she removed her hand from her face, showing him her palm much like the girl next to her. This wasn’t an objection to the tea though, this was an objection to the rate at which the shinigami’s mind was racing.

”Slow…down.” Arashi’s serious behaviour quickly disappeared as it came. ”I’d love a cup of tea.” She noticed how the shinigami next to her denied the tea. Arashi frowned slightly. ”Two cups, please.”

Arashi would then turn her attention from Aoyama to Watson and once again fold her hands in front of her. She listened carefully, nodding now and then. As the shinigami finished, Arashi bit her bottom lip and furrowed her brow. She didn’t think it would against the rules… She glanced at Aoyama then nodded.

”As shinigami our duties are to first protect Rukongai Citizens, but I do agree…without communication within our walls how can we expect to achieve anything.” Arashi would bite her lip again before speaking. ”As for the request to aid the fourth division…I cannot relieve you of your regular duties but I will not deny you of your request. Unfortunately the only option I feel I can give you right now is to attempt to juggle both. First division being priority.” Arashi paused once more thinking in her mind. ”Although when I report to Mal…er…Soutaichou-tanaka…” Damn, she needed to learn to call him by his formality. ”I will bring up the situation and see if it could be an option. If he agrees a message will be sent to both you and Aoyama.”

Arashi glanced at Aoyama again. She’d wait for the tea before she’d speak on everything his vocal chords just puked out.

To be frank, as it was mentioned before, the Fifth Seat had indeed talked a lot more than he thought he should've. Unfortunately, he was sort of forced into 'committing the crime' (in a manner of speaking) due to the recent circumstances. Everyone was busy and hurrying. He was busy, the older-looking red-head was busy, the younger-looking red-head was busy. Who knows how much more time they could have to spare on discussing matters with him? All he knew was that he had wished to talk about this with members of the First Division for quite some time, and not he had not one, but two of them! One of whom happened to be the Fukutaichou to boot! It may have been rude, and he had most certainly come off in a very rushed and quick manner. He hadn't said anything of actual importance either, rather spent quite a bit of time explaining how he couldn't provide anything worthwhile in a short amount of time, as well as explaining why.

"I apologize. I just don't know how much time there is left, or when we'll be able to talk after this. I figured I should just speak my mind right there and get things out of the way now, even if it was inappropriate to do so." he said in a calm but also quite visibly apologetic tone (though not too much, and most definitely not in the 'suck up' way) before standing up and walking off, passing through a nearby door in order to make preparations for the tea. Green tea was all they had for now so that would have to do. If nothing else, he could at least ask the younger red-head if she wanted something extra in hers. He could've sworn there was some sugar somewhere, as well as a bit of honey.

Not 2 minutes afterwards the male Shinigami would emerge once more, standing tall and stern. He would not waste any time, instead turning around and swiftly returning to his seat, his long black hair swaying lightly with the movement. He would sit down in a proper manner, feet straight and joined, with his hands neatly placed on top of his lap, the back of his hands upwardsm and his back completely straight. It was almost unnatural as a matter of fact. He had also streightened up his uniform slightly while he was standing out of their field of vision, though there weren't many things to actually 'tidy up'. After all, his uniform was about as flawlessly put as any given uniform could be, under the recent circumstances or not. Still, he liked to be as presentable as possible, especially during business - and for him, this was business of great importance.

"It should be done soon enough. Would you like something extra in it, Shinku-san? I do believe we have sugar and honey. And, as for Watson-san....your assistance would be greatly appreciated. Also, if possible, I'd like to know if I have the jurisdiction to assist you." he concluded before going silent, thankfully not having had to talk too much this time. Now all that was left would be to wait for the responses from the two females. And for the tea to be done, that is.

Though she had declined the offer, Arashi had accepted. This led to an unnecessary recess during their meeting, as their host left the two ladies alone as he went to prepare tea for the Fukutaichou.

"Thank-you Fukutaichou-Shinku," said Kabelja, turning to her superior. "I shall maintain my regular duties and assist here when not otherwise expected at my regular post." It was an acceptable compromise. Indeed, possibly better than what Kabelja had suggested herself. After all, the lady did not wish to shirk her duties in her department."Though when you do see Soutaichou Tanaka next, would you request that he responds to the minutes I left for him six weeks ago?" She was anxious to have them presented to Taichou Techimaru post-haste. The meeting was extremely important. It should go on the record with all expediency.

They were an odd site, those two ladies from the first, with Arashi, brazen in her nigh-topless apparel and a personality which seemed to fill the room, situated next to the prim, proper and reserved Kabelja. It would have been extremely awkward for the nineteenth seat, should she have had such a concept of that sort of embarrassment. But soon the seated member of the Fourth returned. Kabelja noted that he looked marginally tidier, though to say he was untidy before would have been incorrect. Indeed, the amount of flesh the Fukutaichou was showing...a slight twinge of pain ran across Watson-san's nasal region, the memory of an old wound from days gone by.

She allowed the male shinigami to say his piece before responding, opening with a small not of agreement.

"Aoyama-san, if it is acceptable to you, I shall attend after my shift ends tomorrow. Can you please inform any security that they should expect me?" She didn't want to be hassled by security, appearing at odd hours. "As for the matter of jurisdiction in offering assistance, as per regulation D319, section C, paragraph A, "Any administrative, clerical or such tasks arising from the working of a division of the Gotei are the responsibility of that division's Taichou, though this may be delegated according to their will." To put it bluntly, you have more authority in this matter than I."

Failure to provide records would show badly upon the Taichou, and was theoretically grounds for disciplinary action, though it appeared Shuchiku-san was beyond their grasp.

”Spoonful of honey, please.” Arashi smiled at the man then crossed her legs under the table once more.

”Honestly, I don’t want Watson-san to be dealing with Fourth Division duties without a fourth division member watching over her and supervising her. Just to keep all of us out of trouble and accusing eyes; while Watson-san won’t be switching divisions, it might still come across to some of the gossip queens we have among us. So if you would keep this on the down low.”

”Now, more pressing matters. Aoyama-san, do not worry about the time we have or may not have. Speak as if you have all the time in the world. And I am sorry to say, I am not giving you the option of giving me your ideas later. I need them now, I have slacked on my duties as first division Fukutaichou and I will not allow any more time to sink through this simple task. Tanaka-soutaichou is only looking for ideas, no actions for now. It was relayed to me that the Gotei 5 has horrible communication skills, which is true. We rely on captains and Fukutaichou’s to give us all our ideas and tell us what to do, they aren’t the heart of the gotei. The heart is the seated shinigami and the unseated. So, Tanaka-soutaichou would like to get ideas from the heart not the brain.” Arashi hoped she didn’t come off rude, even though she was sure she did. It wouldn’t bother her much if she did; not much bothered her.

Arashi looked over to the red head sitting next to her. She couldn’t help but stare at the woman’s hair. She closed her eyes softly, letting a low sigh out. The woman’s hair reminded her of the half-sister that would never know of her existence. The half-sister whom left a scar upon Arashi’s cheek. But, that was of no matter at the moment, Arashi had her duties to deal with.

”As for your request to bring the matter up with Tanaka-soutaichou, I will. Although I do have one more division to meet with, so I have no idea how long it will be.”

The male would stay silent for as long as the red-heads would talk, giving a short nod or a small positive sound with his mouth closed, showing that he was following everything that was told without actually interrupting the two at any given moment. While Kabelja's words were not directed at him, but her superior officer, he still made certain to pay his full attention at them, lest he miss something important. Granted, someone could say that he was being a little too cautious about something that was practically not even his business in the most literal way possible but, that's just who he is. Of course, he was also keeping an ear out for the distinct whistling sound that the kettle would make as soon as the water had boiled. It was only proper manners on his part, seeing that he was the closest thing to a host here, what with being the only member of the Fourth Division in the room.

As it seemed, Shinku had quite a few things to say in the end. As a matter of fact, she spoke for such a long time that, by the moment she was done and Ryōichi's turn came in order to talk, the distinct sound that steam makes as it starts to come out of the kettle filled the room. At that, the man had to stand up, emptying his cup at the same time of any tea that might've been left in it.

"Spoonful of honey...just a minute." he said before departing, taking his now empty cup along with him. Indeed, not even a minute afterwards as a matter of fact, he would return, holding two simple clay cups filled with the dark-green liquid, ribbons of steam emanating from both. After he had deposited Arashi's cup on the table in front of her, he would then take his seat once more and clear his throat as discreetly as possible.

"Alright....right now....that should be fine. Just, don't expect much originality from my part, I'm just going to say a few things that would be pretty much obvious to most, if not all. For example....the amount of combat training that the Rukongai has. I was born in the First District, and frequented the Third as well. The citizens are....they are not fighters, for the most part. Undisciplined, unfocused, most don't even utilize their abilities for combat even if they have great potential for it. They expect the Shinigami to do all the protecting for them, while saying they don't need us or our 'laws', and that the food that they give us goes to waste. One of my ideas is, assuming everything goes perfectly, to establish several outposts and dojos were the simple Rukon folk can receive at least some mandatory training in combat. Ex-shinigami currently living in the Rukongai could also help." he would say before stopping, as his mouth started to become dry. He sipped quietly on his tea for a few seconds, moisturizing his oral cavern and esophagus, while at the same time waiting for any questions that may be coming.

And as Ryōichi took a break to sip his tea, Kabelja took her chance, speaking in a soft tone.

"Apologies for interjecting, but I believe my business here is concluded. May I be excused?"

To use "excused" or "dismissed"? It was a touchy issue. She was in the presence of two superior officers, one of them of her own division. The Fukutaichou, no less. On the other hand, the meeting, at least the one between her and the representative of the Fourth was informal. She had not been formally summoned to this place, and she was irrelevant to the topic at hand. Ergo, excused was probably appropriate.

Though it made formal rejection of her request difficult. Had she made a mistake? She probably had.

It was doubtful that Fukutaichou Shinku would chastise her regarding this, even if her request to leave was denied. Fifth Seat Aoyama also seemed fairly relaxed, though she didn't know him that well.

But no, she was being foolish, her concern should not be with avoiding punishment, but for following proper procedure instead.

Arashi gave a smile at the man as he handed her the tea. She immediately pressed it to her bottom lip and tilted it. Feeling the hot water run over her tongue and down her throat, Arashi closed her eyes and smiled. She put the cup down, and looked up at the man, smiling once more.

Arashi listened to everything he said, not even touching her tea. She stared at him, unblinking. The only movement was her chest moving to breath and a nod here and there. She focused carefully on all he was saying. As he finished, she turned to look at the fellow red headed woman. Arashi had almost forgotten the quiet woman was even there.

”If you have nothing to add on, Watson-san, then of course. You don’t need my permission to leave.” Arashi looked back at the fourth division member. She smiled and chuckled. ”It’s not like this is an ‘official’ meeting. You have the free will to leave whenever you want. Enjoy your day, Watson-chan.”

”It’s a very good idea, Ryoichi-san. Having a dojo…” Arashi slightly nodded. ”It seems most our problems lie in the fact we don’t give the citizens the ability to protect themselves…We don’t give them the medical and combat training they need, instead we automatically force them to rely on the people they hate the most…if they could rely on their selves for a change…” Her voice trailed off; she had been thinking aloud and slowly confided her thoughts to her mind.

"Naturally, you are free to do as you please, Watson-san. There is nothing holding you from leaving, nor is there anything holding you from staying. As for any help that you may or may not be able to provide as per the ever-increasing build-up of paperwork, I thank you in advance, regardless of the outcome." he said in a lightly friendly tone, but still quite professional in nature. The older-looking redhead seemed to prefer keeping up a business-front up until this point, and so he would do the same thing with her for the moment. Maybe, if they were to meet under more lax circumstances, he would have the freedom to be less stiff and typical with her. Next time.

After sipping some of his own hot beverage, he would put the cup down on the table and release a small, short sigh that slightly betrayed his satisfaction - this had come out good. He kept his eyes closed for a few moment, expression serene, his eyebrows unforrowed and his jaw unclenched.

"Yes, if the Rukons could take care of themselves then that would mean less pressure on us as well. Now, some could argue that our existence is based around protection, and the resources being given to us are for that duty. But...to be frank, I highly believe that the need for Shinigami will be eliminated by something as simple as teaching some Rukons how to swing their swords properly. Still..."

His eyes were opened, sharp and focused, the onyx orbs rising and locking themselves right onto Shinku's equally dark ones. The stare was not hostile in any way, nor strict, but it was most definitely as serious as it could be without making the situation uncomfortable.

"Of course, other Rukons will be required for such an action. It is not about the training as it is about....knowing who should be trained. Similarly to some of our 'guests' here in the Fourth Division cells, some certain Rukons would be better off...without training. Or rather, the people around them would be better off without them being trained. I do not wish making the criminals of the Rukongai more skilled so that they may prey on both Shinigami and Rukons alike with greater ease. So...this will require assistance from Rukongai figures of some importance and influence. But I will leave that job to others. As for other things..." at that he paused, sinking into thought for a few more seconds before allowing his lips to part.

"Hmmm....fortified outposts along the most populated parts, as well as the edges, of the Third District could help, with weapons and supplies inside. If the non-trained Rukons, like children, could have a place to hide and hold out in the possibility of another attack, we could greatly reduce casualties."

The junior Shinigami rose from her seat and bowed to her superiors.

"Aoyama-san, thank-you very much for our impromptu meeting, I shall see you tomorrow evening. Fukutaichou-Shinku, thank-you for allowing me to do this."

And with that Kabelja walked out of the lobby, outside of the Fourth...

...or at least she would have, if a distraction hadn't occurred. For just as she was about to leave the lobby, a middle-aged woman ran out from a corridor and stood in front of her, panting as she tried to catch her breath. The lady was clad in the uniform of their race, with a yellow number four upon the left breast of her shihakushō. Long black hair cascaded over her shoulders.

Kabelja stood there in puzzlement at this development.

"Can I help you?"

"Sorry Kabelja, I just heard you were in the building, so I had to run to catch you."

The lady's appearance was completely unremarkable, unlike that of the Fukutaichou. As such, though she knew the one before her right now, until the words passed her lips, she was a stranger to Kabelja.

"Ah, greetings Konno-San."

"I've told you before," said the woman with a slight smirk, "please call me Hikaru." She knew what Kabelja was like. She also knew what the lady would say next. It wasn't the first time they had this conversation.

"That would be inappropriate for our formal relationship."

"Kabelja, I regard you as a friend. Besides, we're both off duty."

Kabelja was defeated. She had booked the afternoon off, both for this meeting and for the same reason that her colleague of the Fourth had booked time off, the colleague who had caught her breath, and had straightened herself up, throwing her sweat-drenched hair behind her shoulders.

"I thought we could go together, since you're already here."

"That is fine."

"...though I need to pop back home to pick up Kata and some other things first, if that's OK."

"As you wish. I expect Yasunari-san is already there?"

"Yup! Anyway, let's get going."

"Agreed."

Konno-san reached up and waved to Ryōichi.

"I'm headed off here, I'll see you tomorrow! Enjoy your meeting."

Her eyes fell upon his companion, as a moment of realisation fell upon her.

"Oh, is that you, Fukutaichou Shinku? It is an honour to have you with us. Sorry I can't stay, gotta rush! Bye!"

"She shouldn't be disturbing a meeting between two seated members like this..." Kabelja sighed to herself. Konno-san was fine at her work, but she talked too much for Kabelja's tastes, and lacked some formality, though her pleasant demeanour meant that she got on well with most of her colleagues.

Indeed, even the two previously grumpy guards wished her a pleasant evening as the two left the building, a wish the raven-haired lady returned.

[EXIT]

As Ryoichi opened his eyes to stare into hers, Arashi straightened up her back. She awaited some hard news or disappointment but what he said was typical. She nodded slightly but didn’t break eye contact. As she listened to him she couldn’t help but zone out a little…

Huh…he has beautiful eyes. Unique…almost black. Odd. Her only visible eye stared into his left eye as he spoke. She was tempted to move her hair but she knew it was show the nasty scar on her cheek and frankly, that was something she didn’t want to explain to anyone. She didn’t even explain it to her closest friend and Captain.

Her eyes scrolled down to his lips, she began to read his lips. She studied how well he enunciated his sentences. Pretty well…it meant he was pretty serious about his business. She nodded a few times and blinked. He had a nice jaw line; she had come to meet a lot of attractive men in the Gotei. Just because she was a soldier of souls didn’t mean she had no sense of thrill or fun. Even in business she looked at the appearance of someone.

Suddenly, he sparked her interest. Her eyes shot back to his eyes and she furrowed her brows. Her fingers tapped the table softly. She made a ‘huh’ sound and smiled, letting the man finish his talking.

Suddenly the red head spoke her farewell but was stopped. Arashi didn’t pay any mind to the two, she just sipped her tea, waiting for them to get finished talking so she could continue speaking with the fourth division member.

As the Konno girl spoke to Arashi, Arashi couldn’t help but grin widely and run a hand from her forehead to her neck. As the two girls finally left Arashi looked at the man before her.

”If they aren’t careful they are going to make my egotistic head explode.” She made a light joke and laughed slightly before continuing. ”Now, you had a really good idea. Shelter in attacks. What sort of Shelters are you thinking of? Basements? Fallout shelters? Depending on how long the attack is depends on what should be inside the shelter…” The idea made Arashi a little excited.

”That my friend, is an original idea. I like it, I like it a lot.”

Ryōichi wouldn't let the soon-to-be-departing (judging from her demeanor, words and hurried manner of speech) newcomer divert too much of his attention, as their encounter would be very brief. An elegant turn of the head, a gentle and polite nod along with a brief and light wave performed with his raised free hand. Some could say that it was a bit too simple and dry for a greeting and a goodbye, but the Fifth Seat guessed that this much should be enough. Anything more would be unnecessary, but anything less could come off as rude and generally unbeckoming. After all, he did not find the black-haired woman's way of acting to be rude, though he did have to admit that she was surprisingly non-typical and all-around lax. No, he didn't mind at all, even if some people would think that he did, what with his generally cold and collected persona. But that was not as such -hHe had met people who were a lot more stern than him, even if at first glance their way of acting was not far from his. He may have always been one to follow the rules, but that didn't mean he had no pulse. He could laugh, and joke, and goof around in his own way. Maybe his ways were not loud or didn't attract much attention he knew how to enjoy life, and not chew other people off for the heinous crimes of blinking more than is necessary, or drawing breaths out of turn. Contrary to popular Rukon belief, he did not consider himself nor his fellow Shinigami to be tools, mindless drones that were programmed to blindly obey a few words on a piece of paper said. They were people as well, capable and thinking people with their own ability to judge, who simply found the laws of Seireitei to correspond to their own beliefs - or at least to a point, for some.

"I am certain that you can handle it, as little as I may know you." he said with a barely visible, but still present, smile. Would she notice it? The very slight and gentle upward tugs of the very corners of his mouth. Not many did, not on the first meeting. Few, if any actually, for most had to learn to search for those signs of amusement. For yes, this was amusement, the joke hadn't been wasted on his ears.

"As for what....I would say that adaptibility is the best course of action right now. Why just bunkers? Why just outposts? We could make a mix. An outpost with a bunker within, maybe even makeshift underground passages? It depends on the area and of the requirements each time. Bunkers and secret underground basements are easier to hide.....but walled outposts are easier to defend if there are warriors to man them. So I guess I would say....all of those, depending each time. After all, we are just discussing possibilities here. The more plausible ones, of course." he concluded, raising his cup of tea and taking a few slow, drawn-out sips with his sharp eyes barely closed, ready to spring open once more - which they do, after half a dozen seconds or so.

"....Have you eaten yet, Shinku-san?" he suddenly asked.

She was appreciative that her joke wasn’t completely ignored. Although as for the enjoyment her fellow shinigami found in it was a question to her. She stared at him for a good couple of seconds; she could see something different about his face but couldn’t really place what it was. Brighter? No…

Had he actually found her amusing? Pfft…

She listened to him speak and grinned when he said they were only discussing it for now. He seemed to be a good listener. She took a sip of her tea along with him; fearing the awkward silence she thought would come.

Eaten? Food? …

She looked down at the table. Food…she didn’t get to eat often because most of her food and makings went to her Daughter’s real family. Arashi’s fist tightened around the cup, not realizing it until she heard a sharp sound. She made a hissing noise as tea poured onto her lap and glass shoved into her hand.

”Damn it…sorry.” She whispered softly.

Luckily it was a small crack, just a swallow or two of tea spilt into her lap. As for the glass in her hand…

She looked down at her hand and saw the blood begin to drip out of it. Damn, it went in deep. She didn’t even pause though; she reached into the cut with her nails and pulled out the bloody piece of glass. The blood began to pile up on to her hand. Her face was completely blank as she stared at it. She seemed to be a completely different person.

Her father’s training had done some good. She finally winced, making a soft “ow”. Her Pain Lag had kicked in, preventing her from feeling herself digging into her own flesh. She looked up at Ryoichi and smiled softly.

“I’m sorry, I…I got to thinking about something and didn’t realize I still had a hold of the tea cup. I haven’t eaten, no.”

She laid her hand on the table; palm up. As if nothing had happened she picked up the tea cup with her other hand and sipped through the chipped part.

He would carefully observe her as they both sipped their hot beverages, wondering what was up all of a sudden. She was very relaxed up until that point, but now her stance seemed like it had stiffened up slightly, or so was hinted. Was he being mistaken? Possibly, as good as he had gotten at reading people, the probability of a mistake was still all too high with someone that he didn't even know for an hour. It was easy to jump into false conclusions, so he preferred to just assume that he was being wrong in any case. It's not like it was anything serious after all, but he had to wonder what was wrong, in the off-chance that his suspicions were correct. He hadn't said much that would actually cause someone miscomfort. Or was it the question about food? Maybe offering food might cause her to experience some awkwardness, but he hadn't actually offered anything yet. Was she worried about her weight or something? No, unlikely, she was a Shinigami and was surely putting her body through plenty of work every day, so weight would be no issue. What? He had eyes and a pulse, plus she wasn't going to great lengths to hide her excellent figure. Perhaps -

A cracking sound emanated from the clay cup, and a small trickle of blood appeared soon after. Honestly, he couldn't help but wonder if he should feel alarmed or impressed. Hardened clay this was, yes, and not of good quality so it was possible for someone to cut themselves on it. But still, this was clay! She must've put quite an impressive amount of strength on the cup for it to crack like that, and for the shard to go deep enough to draw that much blood in such a short amount of time. Plus she dug it out in a most clumsy matter without wincing, not until it was actually out, as if the pain was caught on a coffee break and therefore was late at arriving. Had he said something wrong? No, judging from the nature of her reply, he had not, or at least it wasn't something that would be seen as offensive in a general sense. Something he said sparked some sort of reaction, most likely brought up a memory - an unpleasant one, considering the results. He wasn't sure of what the memory was -how could he, after all?- nor was he going to ask, even if he did feel slightly curious about it. After all, it was quite an unexpected turn of events.

"Sorry if I unknowingly said something that sparked a bad memory. I won't ask anything, don't worry. But I will have to ask for your cup - I will just pour the tea in another one, and throw this one away. They don't cost much after all, we have them just so that we won't have to worry about breaking them." he said, grabbing the two bento and placing them on the table before removing the lids, uncovering the rice-balls in the right one and the pickles in the left one. After that he would remove a roll of bandages from an inside pocket and place it closer to her side.

"Here, bandage the wound while I bring you a new cup. You don't have to talk about it if you don't feel like it."

When he apologized Arashi was genuinely surprised. Usually when she had little outbursts people ignored them like they didn’t exsist. Arashi frowned, she wanted to snap at him and tell him it was nothing to worry about but…she knew he was just being friendly.

Guess everyone can’t ignore my attacks…

She looked down at her hand; the pain lag was slowly but surely starting to wear off causing the pain to slowly but surely get worse. She bit her lip slightly and just looked up, ignoring the pain. He didn’t want to get into her situation…it was good; she didn’t want to tell him. She rolled her eyes…but as he placed the food down in front of her those eyes of hers watered a little. She had just realized…it had been 305 since the accident and she never even spoke about it to a single soul. 305 years she sat in silence, she sat in pain.

She slowly began to wrap her hand, staring down at it. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the vines on her hip. She turned her head and looked down at the tattoo that went down her leg. She sighed slightly.

Her voice was hoarse and broken as she began to speak. ”305 years of silence. I never told anyone because I feel I deserve the pain I am in…305 years, I’ve never told anyone.” She took a giant swallow of dry spit.

She made sure not to make eye contact with the man as she pushed the tea cup towards him. She tucked the end of the wrap under the rest of the bandage. She didn’t want him to see the pain her eyes. The tears, the fact she was ashamed.

((OOC: Sad song for sad post))

”My mother always told me it’s better to talk to a stranger because they aren’t obligated to worry about you or even care.” She sighed.


”1676…I met an amazing man in the 5th division by the name of Eiji Kawanari. It was a love at first sight thing…He had this beautiful baby in his arms. Tsuru Kawanari…she wasn’t his actual child. He adopted her from a poor family in the Rukongai. They became my everything, I was still unseated…I was still a shy, naïve girl.” Tears began to stream down her face.

”Tsuru grew up into a beautiful little girl. She called me Mommy and Eiji daddy…even though she knew we weren’t her real parents, she treated us like it. She was our little blessing. She wanted to be a Shinigami someday. She said she would be in the first division…and when I became Soutaichou she’d be my fukutaichou. She always went on about how we’d make the best hollow fighting team in the world…” Arashi choked on her words.

”Once a month we took Tsuru to spend time with her real family. She was always very mature about it; she understood why they gave her up. She understood that they still loved her. She even one time thanked her real mother for letting her go. It was a very emotional day…She called her grandparents Popa and Moma. And she called her real parents Mother and Father…she just saw all of us as a giant family.” Arashi sighed.

”305 years…Eiji was always busy training new comers. He couldn’t take Tsuru to her family so he begged me to take her. I didn’t like the idea because I had never been alone with her family before but Tsuru reassured me it would be all right…It was. Her family made me tea and a huge meal, even though they really couldn’t afford it. We played games and Tsuru’s mother even told me how happy she was Eiji had found me…

“In the middle of a game, there was screaming outside. My shinigami duties kicked in; I told them all to stay inside and I went to investigate. There were hollows everywhere. I began to do what Shinigamis do best. I began to fight them. One of the hollows struck me though…knocked the air out of me and held me down…

I didn’t…” She choked on her words and the tears increased. She was legitimately sobbing.

”I didn’t know Tsuru was watching…She and the whole family watched from a window. Tsuru got scared…when the hollow knocked me down she ran out the door and screamed for me.” Arashi laid her hands in her head and shook her head violently as her words sped up. ”She alerted the hollows of her presence and…one went after her. I was so stupid, I should have been a mother before a shinigami. I should have stayed in there WITH Tsuru. She would have never ran outside…I knew I was not strong enough to protect them. I could have at least took Tsuru with me and gotten help. I couldn’t do anything but watch as a hollow lifted Tsuru’s body…I screamed her name, like that would do any good…I screamed it and…and watched as the hollow crushed her tiny, frail body; in its hand. Like she was nothing. Blood was everywhere, her blood. I was…”

“Something happened after she died, I blacked out…I killed all the hollows…but..what I did to the one that killed Tsuru…I didn’t just kill him, I mutilated him. I tortured him to death. When I came too he was begging for me to end his life…and so I did.”

Arashi sighed. ”I disappeared soon after. I didn’t say goodbye to Tsuru’s family or Eiji. I stayed hidden in my quarters or amongst woods or anywhere. For years I hid from Eiji, I refused any jobs in the Rukongai…I was drowning in my sorrow…perhaps I still am. I killed Tsuru…Her name means Vine…” Arashi finally looked up the man and smiled. She’d lock eyes and smile pitifully.

”In a drunken dicision I got my leg tattooed. From my hip down the side of my leg…there are vines with varies flowers in memory of her. It took many years and many drunken nights to finally get the courage to speak to Tsuru’s family. When I did…Eiji was there. We kissed but…it just wasn’t the same, you know? Even though they all forgave me…many said It wasn’t my fault…it was still awkward.” Arashi sighed once more. ”Once a month I go to visit Tsuru’s family and give them my earnings. I buy them food and clothes, get repairs done to their home. It’s the least I can do for killing their daughter…Heh…you know, I haven’t even told Malik this…” She didn’t bother correcting herself. He was Malik to her at the moment.

”My only friend…and I never told him why I suddenly became who I am…He never knew Tsuru, I met Malik shortly after she died. It was a horrible first impression. I was stumbling all over my words, stuttering and even cried a little. Kinda like I’m doing now.” Arashi couldn’t help but laugh.

She sighed once more and grabbed a rice ball. ”I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to bore you with my sob story…I just…you know, it feels a little better now that someone knows…I don’t know why but…I feel like I can breathe.”

She took a bite of the rice ball and let silence sit in for a while before speaking again.

”Not a day goes by that I don’t miss her…”

Get a new cup, pour the rest of the tea in it, take it back to the table and then sit down. Afterwards they would share the simple meal and keep talking about possibilities and ideas. Nothing much, it could've very well been mistaken for a simple chat between friends by an outsider, even if their exchange of words was meant to have a much bigger impact on the world. Then, they would say goodbye and go on to carry their respective duties for the rest of the day, till night came and they had to go and rest. That is how the Fifth Seat thought the situation would develop, but apparently it was not the case. Forget about surprise, he didn't even manage to walk off to the kitchen in order to replace the cup before something about the woman just changed, quite abruptly. He couldn’t quite put it, but it was negative – not that he had much time to think as a matter of fact, for the redhead very soon began to speak. Right from the get-go, it was made perfectly clear that what was about to be told out loud was going to be anything but pleasant. The tears were another big clue - yes, he could see them despite the woman's best efforts. Gravity was a bitch, and soon enough he could see the salty water-droplets dripping from behind her long hair.

This situation had taken an unexpected, and very complicated, turn. And as the story kept unfolding, it only got worse. What was he supposed to do now, what was he supposed to say? That he is sorry? That he can sympathise? That it is not her fault? She was not pouring her heart out for pity's sake nor for sympathy's, and he knew it. Words and actions of comfort were unneeded and would go wasted, for nothing would do any good. But, there was one thing he could do, one small, tiny little thing that could be done, that should be done - he could just silently listen, without speaking or moving, while making sure to maintain eye contact whenever that was possible.

"Sob story...? Don't be ridiculous, Shinku-san." he finally said after the woman was done, standing up at the same time whilst holding the cracked cup. He walked past her, pausing only for a moment in order to give an incredibly light pat on the shoulder before walking off to the kitchen, without saying another word. Because he didn't need to, and he didn't want to. He wouldn't treat her any different.

As Arashi sat at the table silently. She stared at the table as a blush formed upon her cheeks. She was embarrassed; she had just spewed out her sad story about the loss of a daughter that wasn’t hers in the first place. She swallowed dryly once more.

Shinku…Shinku…Shinku

Arashi gave a halfhearted smile at the man as he touched her shoulder and walked away. She sighed and reached for the band around her left arm. The band covered her tattoo but the band was showing her irritation at the moment. She slowly slid the band that marked her as a lieutenant of the Gotei five off her arm and laid it on the table. For now, she didn’t want to be Lieutenant Shinku-san. She just wanted to be good ol’ Arashi…if she was still there somewhere inside.

((OOC: Sorry about the last post being so long and abrupt, just fit the mood I was in))