Caustic (Sano)

Walking through the halls of the Eighth Division, Okami Shiba had a look on his face that set the rank-and-file Shinigami he came across on edge, as it was something they'd never seen from him. His shoulders were uncharacteristically tense, with his right hand twitching slightly. His eyes flicked back and forth, and there was a sort of dullness to the silver in his eyes that turned them into brushed steel. His reiatsu was tightly reigned in, and no one could tell whether or not he was filled with anticipation, nerves, or even a hint of sadness. Given the fact that he was walking towards the office of their Captain, it was likely all three.

Sano was a touchy subject for many of the older members of the Gotei for various reasons, but Okami himself had never been quite sure how to feel about his imprisonment and, more recently, his release. His mother had been one of Captain-Commander Doku's advisors and supporters, and so when she'd passed the old man had always managed to keep an eye out for him. So, the Shiba had grown up around the two brothers looking up to them, and they tended to help out when they felt the urge to. Ika was a more common sight in his early life than his older brother had been, but there were still moments...or at least Okami had thought. He'd been fairly new to his duties as a Lieutenant when the affair with the Quincy had started, and the war had been fairly brutal, but to have killed almost all of them left a bad taste in the younger man's mouth, and it brought to mind the old story about the Mazi Clan. They were the opposites of the Shibas, after all. Talented but cursed, and born in twos.

They say when a Mazi is born, the gods laugh and place bets on which brother will kill the other.

Shaking those thoughts aside, the black-haired Lieutenant took a deep breath to steady himself and knocked on the door.

Knocks on the door were becoming far too commonplace in Sano's own personal, professional opinion. His room was currently washed with candlelight and little else, the dingy interior was intentional, a reprieve for his eyes that had grown accustomed to this type of environment over his last 500 years in captivity. As Okami arrived at the door and knocked, Sano would frown as he pondered how exactly to welcome the man in. "If it's Tina I'm not home, if it's Ika kill yourself and leave your corpse on the porch, and if it's Okami I guess you can come in."

The turning of the knob meant that either Tina had gotten bold somewhat recently, or that Okami was answering a summons Sano had made a few hours earlier. It wasn't the most urgent business, but discussing things with someone who had outsized influence such as Okami felt like a way for Sano to stay up to date, and to ensure his own political ideas were being well represented. Sano's eyes drifted to the chair in front of him almost expectantly, and he suspected that Okami's ass would be occupying it in the near-term. Sano's fingers wrapped themselves against his desk as his head tilted lazily to the side. "Thanks for joining me. Any news on my brothers whereabouts? If it's not that.. Any news worth my time or will I be spending the remainder of this week trying to singe my retina's out with candlelight?"

The voice that echoed from inside the office dragged an involuntary chuckle out of Okami, who carefully opened the door just wide enough to step in and close it quickly out of respect for the other man's eyes. The dim candlelight took a moment to get used to, but the Shiba was used to nighttime operations and simply dealt with it while sitting in the seat as expected. The Captain in front of him looked a bit different than he'd remembered, although five centuries in the Maggot's Nest would do that to anyone. He was several inches taller than Okami himself, but the Lieutenant likely made up for the difference in muscle, since both Sano and Ika had always been relatively lean. Those fingers gripping the desk, however, had enough strength in them to toss the younger man through the Division with the flick of the wrist.

Blinking away the errant analysis, Okami tilted his head respectfully and answered the question as best as he could. "Aside from a few unsubstantiated reports of sightings across Japan, nothing. There was an interesting message left in Tiananmen Square in China written in corpses asking if you missed prison food, but no signature. I'm not surprised if I'm honest. He was the Captain of the Second Division after all. He knows our playbook inside and out, and even rewrote it once or twice. If the hunt weren't so frustrating, I'd almost enjoy the challenge."

They might have different reasons for wanting to find Ika, but in the end Okami and Sano were stuck working together for the moment. So, there was no real reason not to share information. The younger Shinigami might have lost the trust he'd once held in his current Captain, but in the end hadn't that also been a lesson from the man? "Other than that, reports are relatively normal. Bashira has vanished almost entirely from the radar, and Hollow activity seems to be fairly normal. While we aren't necessarily Internal Affairs and TECHNICALLY shouldn't bother, I can also report that the various rich assholes and lesser nobility are still rankling at the leash that our darling departed Captain-Commander placed them on, and the other Divisions are all still recovering from the rearranging. The First Division in particular, as they have a new Lieutenant on top of the Queen Egghead in charge. Ika's old Lieutenant has taken charge of the Second, the Third has no leader, and Bashira's Lieutenant is in control of the Sixth as far as I recall. The Seventh is lead by Iwamura. I think he was Bashira's pet or something? Regardless, the woman stacked the Divisions to either be loyal to her or to crumble should she wish them to."

The sarcasm was something that Okami had always been good for as well as a fairly healthy disregard for the rules whenever it suited him, and privately he hoped that Sano was still similar enough to his brother that he appreciated the humor along with the extracurricular report. He didn't bother with a report on the Fifth Division. They've remained unchanged for ages, and the current Kenpachi was truly a strong point in the absolute shitshow that the Gotei had become.

Sano took the report in stride before sliding a folder across the desk, the news of the day was what it was and while Sano wasn't happy with it, he suspected he'd gain little by arguing. "I'm going to cut straight to the point Okami. You're being transferred to 5th squad for reasons that are, admittedly, unknown to me. You and Wukong seem to swapping roles in the Gotei to better suit your talents, I have my own theories on the actual reasons for these changes but for now I think it's best if neither of us bothers trying to overthink them."

Sano would frown, the first sign of genuine disapproval he'd given in quite some time as he extended his hand for Okami to shake in reciprocation. "For what it's worth, you did an excellent job as my Lieutenant and I'll do what I can to help you out from here so long as you wish for me to do so. If the ape turns up dead in a week expect that I'll be requesting you back, Tina knows I despise change, if I didn't know any better I'd think this was being done to spite me.. cunt."

Sano leaned back, gently rubbing his eyes with his fingers as his head stayed cocked towards the ceiling. "Well.. anything else Okami?"

Okami's eyes snapped to the folder in front of him, skipping the pleasantries and looking through it with a grimace. Sano was correct in that they shouldn't overthink the matter all that much, as the end result was ultimately the same and frankly trying to deal with Wukong made one's brain cells scream in agony. Taking Sano's hand in as firm a grip as he could, the noble shook it briefly with a similarly-furrowed brow. He and the current Kenpach got along famously, but at the same point in time there was no real rhyme or reason to transfer him that he could think of outside perhaps pettiness.

A small smile and a short chuckle followed the next statement. "Thank you, Captain. I'd be more than happy to take you up on that sometime, even if it means I happen to have to bury a body or two. I won't judge if Wukong does end up in the morgue. I've tried a few times myself, after we've run into each other. It's at least therapeutic if nothing else."

Shaking his head and standing up, Okami untied the wrap from his left bicep and set the badge on the desk, fingers lingering for a moment before sliding it over. He'd always been rather sentimental about the little things in life for his own reasons, and as much as he'd been teased about it as a kid he truly didn't mind. He'd been with the Eighth for a long time, and while he would do his duty and move there was a feeling that this was a keyframe - a moment that, while it seemed innocent and annoying enough in the moment would ultimately open his life to a new chapter, changing everything.

Letting out a breath, the Shiba didn't bother with bowing his way out, or anything like that. The man in front of him cared for the usual social niceties about as much as his brother had, and knew that at the very least there was still respect despite any tension. "It's been a pleasure to be your Lieutenant, Sano. If you manage to find Ika...I want to be there. I have some questions of my own to ask, and it's been a bit too long since anything I've done here has been worth a damn."

With that, he stepped out of the office and sighed. Now he had to deal with the Fifth...

[Thread Exit, Unless There's More?]