Greeting the New; Seeking the Old [Iwamura/Tina/Ayaka]

Iwamura strode through the midday heat. His hands were chilly; chilly, and a bit stiff overall. One was on Sasugaru’s pommel. He had accustomed to the malaise, if only by the flippancy of de-sensitization.

The events of those brief few months in time, segregated from the rest of his volatile life in his head, had been playing in the background on perpetual repeat. He could recall perfectly what he was doing at the start of it all: signing for Captain approval, as Vice-Captain of the Sixth, a 50-odd-page piece of legislation on minor regulations over Rukongai visitation policies. He had just lifted his pen when a subordinate of the First had burst into his enlargened office, straining for breath—effective immediately, on the direct order of Captain-Commander Bashira, he was to be named the Captain of the Seventh.

Within a week or so, Bashira, along with Captain Ika Mazi, were gone—deserted the Seireitei, the former by dramatic (and in Iwamura’s view, disconcerting) force, per the official report. Both had already disappeared when Iwamura was finally informed, a fact which served only to drive the blade in further. Only by the skin of his teeth had he withheld himself from descending upon the Central 46 in a rage-filled hunt for answers; instead, for two weeks, Iwamura had sequestered himself to his new abode, a terribly-ornate manor that was, at the very least, tranquil and private enough.

This sequence, with all the granular details therein, replayed twice more in Iwamura’s head before he arrived at the First Division’s front gate.

Shinigami were milling about the immaculate street, some towards a new post, some towards their midday meal, some others toting messages and reports and supplies; some alone, some in pairs or greater—Iwamura brushed through them all, nodding intermittently to some that glanced dragooned eyes with him. It was the rush of a full day for the Seireitei, something exceedingly commonplace; something that produced a subtle pang of longing in his massive chest for the fireworks of yesteryear, of Chiharu, particularly on this day.

His Reiatsu output and conspicuous stature were notification enough—he lumbered through the gates and into the barracks proper, his wolfish orange gaze skimming for one Tina Alvenor, the new Captain-Commander.

Ayaka from the busy day she would be going through would feel the new Reitsu entering the Barracks. With clipboard in hand as she was trying (keyword trying) to instruct her division on some new revisions she wanted to implement for better efficiency on training and breaks. Most of the new recruits loved the idea the veterans were pushing away the idea even though it also benefited them too out of spite.

Sighing she would pause the conversation and go out to meet the stranger which was most likely a captain out to greet. Opening the door she would be greeted against a wolf ish gaze his slit eyes gazing through her as she would gulp. A Dog person or whatever they were called she heard about them within the books back at the academy. Strong ruthless at times not most would be able to join the Gotei but the few who do always rises up quickly for their strength. Though the more she stared the more cute and fluffy his fur might be. Shaking her head *no bad thoughts I need to do my job*

"Good Afternoon Captain of the 7th Iwamura-San is there anything I can assist you with" She would give a bow as she asked. She was a tad nervous being in front of him. The size difference was huge as well as her level of reitsu. She can slowly feel herself getting smoldered.

Tina was in her office today, shocking no one, and generally the bulk of the paperwork in front of her was important official stuff, but at the moment the mountain of files, folders, and such were of the Captain Sano Mazi, and the historical documents concerning Ika Mazi. While she had agreed to allow Sano to do what he wished against his brother as long as he cleared leaving Soul Society with her directly.. that didn't mean she trusted him, or his brother, and needed to learn what she could about either one at this point.

Her young age was proving to be an annoyance, not because she couldn't keep up or handle the job, but because she lacked literal time in order to sponge up more information about what the hell had happened and what was going to matter in the long run of things now. She had barely finished reading up on Captain Iwamura since he had been a friend to Bashira and had basically faded from view when she defected. Whether or not he knew about it wasn't really Tina's concern though, all she cared about in regards to him or Sano, was that they were intent on doing their jobs as Captains.

Sano had been rude, and tried to get her riled up multiple times, and even mentioned that she should commit high treason, but he had intended to do his job and stay in-line outside of her deal regarding his brother.

Iwamura on the other hand hadn't been talked to by Tina yet, she had intended to finish reading the reports about the Mazi family and then worrying about him, however it seemed he got tired of waiting. For even from her office she could feel him approach her division with an obviously flared spiritual pressure. She got up and put the files she had been reading through away before stepping out and making her way to the barracks area where last she knew Ayaka would have been handling more duty related paperwork in Tina's stead while Tina had been trying to catch up on what the hell was going on.

when she did come into view of meek Ayaka greeting the imposng looking Captain of the 7th Division she'd wave, "Hey there Captain Iwamura." once she got behind Ayaka she put a hand on the girl's shoulder's and smiled at her, "Good job Ayaka. Did you manage to finish getting everyone's opinion on the new training regimen and schedule? I'd like to hear that soon, but it'll have to wait I think."

She removed her hand and looked at Iwamura to the point she locked eyes with the beastman, "Can I help you Captain? You seem irritated about something. Did something happen in Rukongai? Or is this about something else?" she glanced at Ayaka from the corner of her eye, noticing the girl squirming under his spiritual pressure, and frowned slightly, "Before that.. Mind easing up the gas a tad? My poor Vice-Captain seems to be ready to pass out."

Assuming he did as requested she'd drop it and wait for him to answer her question as to what brought him here today, otherwise she would insist they take this elsewhere, and if he got beligerent or rude about it.. She'd think of taking a more direct approach. But that shouldn't come up right? She hoped not anyways. She didn't want the captains to feel inadequate around her, so making them look that way in broad daylight over their own choices was best avoided from Tina's perspective.

Iwamura blinked at the petite Vice-Captain entering his view; her meekness was instantaneously evident, as was a certain tender, if still vague, fragility. A sign of inexperience, most likely--though, observing her approach and greeting, the beast-man understood the lack of confidence was something running deeper. He offered a grin as warm and friendly as he could muster, one that vanished upon noticing the dull sheen of sweat plastering her skin and her kneading brows. A dagger of terrible guilt promptly plunged into his chest. How terrified she must be!

"Ah, Vice-Captain Kamisato--I apologize, here," he hurriedly roped himself in, silently cursing his foolishness and hubris all the while. Within a few seconds, the aura surrounding Iwamura significantly settled.

"That was uncouth of me, Kamisato. I hope I didn't bear down upon you too much." His smile returned, weaker, less enthused. "I was just looking for your Captain. I have a request for her--"

As if on cue, a voice calling him out drew his attention towards the opposite end of the courtyard. His gaze scanned the bookish-looking Captain Commander as she approached, perhaps billowing in from behind Ayaka, Iwamura mused; certainly a guardian spirit of sorts. He sank into a brief, respectful bow.

"Captain-Commander." He straightened. "No, no, the Rukongai is alright. You needn't worry about that. I am...alright myself, as well, though I apologize for frightening Vice-Captain Kamisato. I will admit, I'm still processing some things, and I simply lost track of myself for a moment. I hope I'm not intruding."

Iwamura sighed through his nostrils, something nigh identical to a dog's huff. The weariness was blatantly evident.

"I wished to ask a favor of you, Captain-Commander. I'll be direct. I would like to request a copy of anything you have on file for Bashira Kinoshita; I would like to re-visit her case."

He continued past the start of any objection or comment, his tone level and his gaze steady. "I am well aware of the databases I have access to as Captain of the Seventh Division. But these are largely case-based and Rukongai-facing; they're spotlights on specific moments in time concerning particular people and events, but there is not much of a throughline connecting it all. There isn't much to fill in the gaps beyond what is relevant to the Seventh's functions. As the Captain-Commander, I figured you would have access to a greater store of information."

Iwamura was frowning by his conclusion. He had been anticipating any assortment of responses since he'd left his offices earlier today; most of what he'd crafted were negative, whether benign or fully barbed.

Ayaka would release the breath she was unintentionally holding as the pressure would die down. Ayaka would open her mouth ready to answer the huge captain before jolting herself as she would feel 2 hands on her shoulder then most of her tension would go away as she let the 2 of them talk. As Vice Captain of the first division she was initially surprised on how much access she was given to the databases that Iwamura-san was struggling with. Though it's not like she had enough free time to go snooping around nor was she really interested to abuse those powers as well. As most likely her captain gave it to her so that she could handle most of the paperwork anyway.

Though the name Bashira Kinoshita if she recalled properly that person was the previous captian commander before they were kicked out. Then Tina became captain so.. well she wasn't sure but she was sure that majority of this conversation probably should be done in private.

"Um.. Would you like me to leave the two of you alone? This sounds really sensitive..."

She would say a bit hestentally (ignore spelling I suck). She would feel some tension in the air.... or that might just be her she couldn't tell.

Iwamura seemed to relax by the time Tina came into view, so Ayaka was able to breath, Neat. He proceeded to explain that nothing was wrong, in a manner of speaking at least, but then made the odd request for additional access to the archives in order to research more in-depth concerning Bashira and what happened. Odd considering he was one of her seemingly closest friends, but that clearly didn't seem to be what was making him ask. Tina supposed he simply wanted to find her and ask why she had turned traitor, perhaps try to kill her himself, but that wasn't any of her business as long as he, like Sano, performed his duties to Gotei first and did not randomly disappear without telling Tina first.

To the end of answering him however, which came but a moment after he finished speaking, "I don't mind, but I'm surprised that you are having difficulties accessing the Daireishokairō, considering you are a captain and are trying to access things that would assist you in putting to rest cases against the status quo of Soul Society. It isn't like you were trying to find dirt on one of the noble houses." She waved a hand in the air almost flippantly while she spoke, she saw no harm in him digging into the matter after all. At this point Ayaka had spoke up about this possibly being a private matter and seeking to excuse herself if that was indeed the case.

Tina, however, stopped her with one hand and just commented, "There is no need for that. Captain Iwamura is simply asking for more records. Besides given that he chose to ask out here instead of in my office suggests that he agrees with my sentiment on the matter. We will go to finish the training regimen scheduling when I finish here though."

Returning her eyes to Iwamura's own she did have one question for him, more of a blatant prod actually but only because she was already fairly sure of the reactions bringing the topic up would bring about. Even if she was wrong, it was better to check than leave things up to random chance. Misinformation was a hell of an enemy after all. "I do wish to ask why you do not involve Captain Sano, considering he is in charge of such investigations as this, primarily because she has left Soul Society for places currently unknown. Not that I am reconsidering saying yes to you, but it would make more sense to either let him handle the case, bring it up to him at minimum, or even ask for his assistance in the matter."

She figured bringing Sano up would only cause something to stir in Iwamura, given that Sano is well known as a previously convicted Maggot's Nest attendee, however she could not allow her captains to simply avoid and hate each other without trying to do something, anything, to make it work. Otherwise they were not a single unit but a mass of individuals, in charge of a single section each, which was supposed to comprise the military might Gotei was meant represent. Unity was key to their duty. Several of the captains seemed to fail to understand this, though Tina was still hastily trying to figure out why since she had had so little time thus far to adjust to what her new position required of her.

That line of thought annoyed Tina, though she masked the expression on her face by not having one beyond a smile.

Hyoroshi's frown lessened as she spoke. He had remained firmly silent through the end of Tina's response and for a few seconds following it, relieved, though fully aware that their perspectives were not quite aligned. That needed to change, Iwamura knew that much; his circumstances, those disbelieving eyes up high, were still present and unaltered. It entered the back of his mind as a quiet addendum as he began his response: until his death, Central 46 and the Noble Houses would be jaundiced of him and all that he was.

"I'm unsure how experienced you are with our ruling betters, so to speak, Captain-Commander. Kinoshita is the reason I can call myself a Shinigami, much to the displeasure of effectively every power. If I were to access the Daireishokairō alone, without notifying or requesting it from you, in search of Bashira's files, it would take but a few figurative lever-pulls from them to execute me for treason."

Iwamura's frown deepened, not for the comments themselves, but for their potential reception--especially upon what seemed to be an impressionable Ayaka. Yet he did not relent.

"Whether or not my ends are honest or honorable does not matter to them. But even so, I do not hold that against them; most may have faulty principles, but they are principles, nonetheless. If anything, their misgivings are not entirely unfounded; I am sure you have heard rumors surrounding the Beast Realm. I can assure you that those rumors capture only a glimpse of a shadow of that monstrosity of a place."

He felt his expression sulk with pity. Tenderly he squatted down, letting his arms rest limp upon his thighs while his gaze settled upon Ayaka.

"As for Captain Sano--I do not wish to involve him because, if I may admit, my search for Bashira's case does have a personal element to it. His help would likely be beneficial, even with his...eccentricities," a slight grimace wrinkled his muzzle, "but this is a matter that would best be handled privately. Rest assured, this won't interfere with my official duties, and I have no plans to be as foolish as to run off to who-knows-where on my own. If I find something or if there's something I need, I'll be letting the appropriate party know."

Iwamura huffed another sigh. His lips were dry, though he was able to reform his grin.

"Thank you, Captain-Commander."

Ayaka would take a step back as the 2 discussed listening and taking in as much as she could. Captain Sano if she recalled he was the 8th division Captain and it seemed there was somewhat bad blood or something seeing how defensive about them. Perhaps if she ever had time she would take a look into the system and read them up. Having the knowledge is never bad especially in someone of her position. She was also curious on the rumors Iwamura was mentioning about the beast realm. She didnt even know there was any realm outside of the real and Shinigami room.

It just shows how much she needs to learn and prep for to be a proper Vice Captain.

(i dont know what much to write more ;-

Iwamura explained why he'd even care about Bashira's case, in so far as reminding Tina that he was only a shinigami because of her, though she was already aware of that she simply nodded as he said such. He brought up concerns regarding the noble houses and their prejudice against non-human shinigami like Iwamura, however he missed a key element to his issue, he was "Her" shinigami captain. The nobles, for all their ramblings, could not directly execute him without first attempting to strongarm Tina into allowing it, or, by proxy, force her to do it herself.

To that end she spoke up to relieve his fear, "Without my consent, any attempt on your life would be met with swift justice and retribution. You are "my" Shinigami Captain now, whoever put you in the position to start has no relevance to my feelings on that matter, and I will be damned long before I allow some spoiled brat to tell me I need to execute one of my elite military leaders because he read a god damn history book. C46 is our government and is corrupted by the influence of the Nobles, of this I am solemnly aware, however even they have red tape they cannot risk crossing. I am their military leader and enforcer yes and I do report to them yes, but usurping my authority regarding the Gotei would only damage their reputation for putting me in the position in the first place. Especially when you consider that they leave the militaristic duty solely upon the shoulders of the Captain Commander so that they have a scapegoat in case something goes wrong. Can't use me as a disposable excuse if they already made it publicly known that I wasn't fit for my job, and yet they left me in charge. Luckily I don't believe that will happen any time soon."

However her entire thinking came to a crashing halt a moment later as he mentioned the Beast Realm and how any rumors she may have heard concerning it are absolutely true and only a fraction of the whole truth. Normally this wouldn't be an issue, she would just check her memory and see if she did indeed remember any offhand comments or anything, however, not only was she the youngest Captain Commander in history, but she had spent the general bulk of her term so far being knee deep in catching up on Soul Society's own history. She barely had time to study Hueco Mundo, the Dangai Precipice World, and what to do if Hell gets mentioned or something happens regarding it.

As those all fall squarely on her shoulders as the head of Gotei.

The problem was... she didn't know what the hell he was talking about. Not only had she not heard rumors since she was now pretty sure almost no one knew what that was outside of the highest authorities, but no book she had ever read had mentioned it. This was, of course, because she had focused solely on the duties of a Shinigami, of which the Beast Realm was not a part of. Iwamura had no way of knowing that though.

Her brain had literally, for the first time in 282 years, short circuited as she attempted to figure out how to approach the subject, failing at that miserably, she merely did the next best thing and decided to deal with the fallout afterwards.

"....What?" It was utter confusion at first, clearly, but after another split second she recomposed herself and restated the question correctly, "I have not heard of the Beast Realm, I can assume it explains why and how there are non-human's in Soul Society, but other than that conjecture on my part, I have no idea what you are talking about. I apologize but I have had precious little time to look outside of Soul Society's own history as I have strived to catch up on what I must know to do my job as effectively as possible.."

After he explained what the Beast Realm was, if he even bothered, or simply replied to what she had said, or however he reacted to it, he would then proceed to explain to her why he had not gone to Sano Mazi concerning this. She didn't really agree that he didn't intend to involve the Captain of External Affairs immediately, but she kept that to herself because he continued explaining he would not run off on his own, nor would he refuse to inform people if he found anything of value in his research over the matter and none of this entire thing would impact him doing his job.

That was good enough for Tina, at least for now, considering she had to essentially strongarm Sano into much the same arrangement, though he did agree quickly enough, and yet here Iwamura was willingly doing so of his own accord. He finished with thanking her, and looked a bit more chipper than he was a few moments prior. Tina would wait to see if there was anything else he wished to say before deciding whether or not to end the conversation politely though, since Ayaka and her did have things they needed to do, but this was important enough to stall those things for the moment.

Iwamura was staring at the ground between their feet.

"It is reassuring to hear that, Captain-Commander. But please understand. If there is an individual or party the nobles dislike, they will remove it and move on. That is all."

A sense of finality, evident to all within earshot, coated his concise statement--an admission of muted, obscured, near-opaque forlornity that orbited the blinding truth of the situation. Iwamura rose, glancing to Ayaka, then to Tina; both with a cautious optimism, then scanned the Shinigami of the First milling about. Despite his despondency, it seemed as though his already-monstrous shoulders had broadened just a hair further.

"I apologize for assuming your knowledge, though I admit I'm not sure how nothing could have reached you. It's no matter, though." Hyoroshi turned back to Tina. "All I will state is this: the Beast Realm is a gladiatorial arena, its denizens eternally combatants. Central 46 is wise to keep it sealed, as it will likely remain."

Iwamura huffed another sigh before appearing to pivot himself; rolling his shoulders, he sprouted a grin almost goofy in its proportions on his bestial face. "But, that is all I needed. I don't wish to keep the two of you with my melancholies, I'm sure you have more important items on the docket. Thank you again, Captain-Commander. And keep up the good work, Kamisato."

Hyoroshi dipped a swift bow to the duo and turned around. His grin was gone before he was halfway departed from the courtyard, replaced by a stern resolution that hardened his gaze--there was much to investigate, and even more to quell.

Ayaka would stare at the wolf man as he leaves and just look at confusion. She would turn over to her Captain and ask. "Uh Captain can't we just get rid of this Noble power and all.. If they can go abusing their powers and remove capable men away from us then they are doing more harm then good no?"

She didn't understand this power system especially the Central 46. Like why did they need a government system checking over them when what they did was quite easy and well... Simple in the long sense. Go out fight hollows, Protect the living, Make stronger shinigami, Ect ect. Yet it seems that the Central 46 has caused more drama and problems than anyone here. They also don't sound very strong like they were. Granted she didn't think she was strong either but she could only assume she was stronger than them due to her training and them not? Regardless all was confusing after all.

In the background the Other Division members seeing the other captain leave would now give their more disgruntle faces back at Ayaka though would try and not to get caught by Tina Especially since she can kill them all with a snap of her finger. This new revision benefited the newbies way too much for their likings.

Tina sighed softly as Iwamura left with nothing more than his cryptic tone and the disregarding nature of his comment concerning the Beast Realm itself. She had been ready to receive a full report right then and there, but got little more than a vague description. Either way that would be a problem for future Tina. He thanked Tina once again for giving him permission to use the Great Archives, and despite him dismissing her logic he still seemed relieved that she wasn't about to just sit back and let the nobles run her show for her.

As he left Ayaka questioned Tina about the need for nobles and why the government was the way it was. "Our job is to protect the souls of the living and guide them to the correct way of things Ayaka." She patted the girl's shoulder softly as she went to move past her and back towards the Division barracks themselves now that Iwamura was gone, "Whether or not our superiors are good at their job isn't our place to judge. We simply do the best we can. I wouldn't dwell on it too much. Some people are just different and they will believe whatever it is they want to even if it's not right."

With that she went off and returned to busying herself with helping Ayaka finish the training schedule changes they had come up with. Making sure to glare at any of the Veterans of her division who kept sneaking glares at Ayaka when they "thought" Tina couldn't notice.. but she knew anyways.

Things needed to change around here or nothing was going to improve..

[Thread Exit]