[BSD-RP] Soul Society: Central Seireitei

[BSD]

"I can never refuse an invitation from you, Honoka-san. You spoil me! Now, tell me what happened today with you and we’ll share some stories!”
It was true though, Honoka had a bad habit of indulging, or going out of her way, for those she cared about. After all, in their dangerous lifestyle, she thought it was only fair to do so. A little bit of joy could make all the difference. So she became someone they could rely on, someone they could come to for advice, or even just a random game.
Honoka giggled as she was lead to their table by her hand, with the clear picture of a child leading its mother in excitement, Yasu, although an adult, beside Honoka... and being so small... well, it didn't help to add to Yasu's childish image. She sighed softly as she took to her knees on the cushion, first her right— her anchor, the her left, before lowering the rest of her weight on her legs, sitting up completely straight. She reached out, carefully picked up the ceramic teapot her warm, minty tea was contained in, and poured herself and Yasu a cup as she began recounting some of her day with Yasu.
"Well, as you know, Owlet, I had to be up early for my daily training. Must be of sound mind and body. I hope you didn't skip yours because Captain Mukuro wanted more snacks..."
She gave her a quick sidewards glance with her eyebrow slightly raised, before her expression returned to her usual smile, and she continued.
"Then there was paperwork, piles of it... Meetings... And I managed to tie some loose ends, all in all, a wonderfully productive day!"
She didn't want to bore Yasu with all the bureaucratic and background stuff she handled, it'd probably put the young lieutenant to sleep. It certainly put Honoka more than a few times! And now that Yasu was beginning her own recap, Honoka was free to enjoy the snacks, instead of tea sips between her words. Her eyes seemed to sparkle at the sight of the assortment, having difficulty in where to begin. The cookies? Cake? No. Instead, she went for the bowl filled to the brim with small dark chocolates. She'd pick one up between her index and her thumb, eying it before returning her gaze to Yasu, who had been retelling Honoka about her training session with Kyomu, then tossed the small chocolate into her mouth.
"...And so I called him ugly...."
Honoka couldn't help herself and burst into laughter, loud and hearty, after Yasu admitted to calling Kyomu ugly. She'd often over hear many talk ill of the young Captain. There was always those that spoke behind his back, often ignored, this was the first time Honoka had heard about someone actually telling the man to his face!
And now Yasu was impersonating him?! It was too much for her. Honoka's laughter filled the room entirely. Her laughter was so loud, even the shinigami passing through outside had become startled from it's volume and suddenness. She was so caught up in her laughter, she hadn't realized Yasu's fluctuation in mood, that is until Yasu continued...
"Honoka-san… Am I fit to be a part of the Second Division? They don't say it, but I know that they’re thinking about it... ...They think that it was a mistake... ...BUT DOES THAT MAKE ME ANY LESS WORTHY TO BE THERE?! ...Why is me being me not good enough for anyone else?"
The older woman didn't interrupt, she didn't interject, she didn't even flinch at the breakage of her table, she simply listed until the young girl poured everything in her heart out. Honoka's expression softened. She had felt that same pain Yasu was going through, it made her own heart ache. The insecurities, the doubt. After all, she herself had been in the exact same shoes the pink haired girl now wore, even the same Division. The feeling in her chest tightened at the strained sound of Yasu's voice. Honoka put her hand atop the girl's head, and dragged her into a tight, warm hug.
'You've been holding this in for a while, haven't you, Little Owlet? I'm glad you've finally gotten that weight off your shoulders."
The matronly Head Lieutenant put her hands on the other girl's shoulders, looking at her straight in the eyes she began,
"Simply because you don't see what we see in you, Yasu, does not mean you are unworthy. You're a sapling, young and growing. You will make mistakes, everyone does; I did, and you will grow from them. Granted, they may think that you are unfit for your seat, but that's not their decision. That was your Captain's decision. If he has faith in you, why can you not have faith in yourself? After all, you were good enough to become his lieutenant, above everyone else in Second Division, he hand picked you. And if in all this time, you're still alive... ...because he hasn't killed you... that in itself is a testament to your work as a lieutenant. Don't you think so?"
Honoka once again ruffled the young girls hair before taking her hand and carefully inspecting for damage done in her outburst of emotions. Nothing serious, just a couple of splinters. Honoka sighed in relief. She hoped that everything she said was enough to quiet the tempest of doubts the young girl had.

 

[BSD]

Honoka’s touch was soothing, and Yasu practically melted into her warmth and gave her a small nod. When she pulled back and locked her gaze with the older lieutenant, listening intently, the watery look in her eyes fading. The pink-haired vice-captain couldn’t argue against her words. Yasu thought back to her taichou, of all the times that she decided to play pranks, and just how much he would get angry but never go so far as to strip the girl of her title. Unconsciously, Yasu’s hand reached up to touch her head, thinking back to earlier when Kyomu made his attempt to comfort her and she let out a soft sigh.
“I suppose so…”
She squeaked as Honoka ruffled her feathers and winced as she took hold of her hand to look at the damage she caused herself. Nothing too serious, but Yasu felt bad because she ruined her superior’s table. The damages may come out of the division’s accounts and she tensed in fear, but Honoka would think that she still had things left to say, she dropped her shoulders.
“I’m sorry. I think I needed to hear that though, Honoka-san… Sorry for ruining the atmosphere. You went out of your way to make everything all nice and I just… y’know.”
Yasu smiled weakly and looked down at her injured hands. Her hands stung and she whimpered, the pain finally settling in and Yasu inhaled deeply before comically falling over. Sticking her hands out in the air, Yasu flailed her arms and kicked her legs, screaming out in pain and panicking.
“Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! I’m dumb, I’m dumb! Honoka-san! Help, it hurts!”

 

[BSD]

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Traveling Northeast Seiretei --------------> To Central Seireitei

Maho had wondered the Northeast district without seeing so much as a single soul. It was true, the soul society was full of souls. But today it was truly...dead. With a strong stride, he trudged through the desolate streets with his hands stuffed within his pockets. Though his focus was not on where he was going but rather, the sky above him. The Soul society seemingly shared a sky with the world of the living, an endless sea of blue which transitioned into an infinite canvas of stars. That realization always seemed to captivate his thoughts. Before long, he had found his way into much more dense city streets. Within the central district, many more souls wondered about their daily lives. It was odd, the dead going about...lives? That always confused Young Maho. He hadn't many memories of his living life, other than the final moments of his death, and his younger brother who had had somehow found again in death. A tall building. He was wearing a suit. The sound of a beep...a loud bang. He turned his head, only to be engulfed by a sea of flames and it was all over. He had long since given up on trying to decipher these memories. They were little more than a hazy dream to him now.

After nearly twenty minutes of pondering, he found himself just outside the Shin'ō Academy. Somehow during his long walk, a blunt had found its way to his lips. It took him by surprise when he finally lit it. The smell of the burning plants filled the immediate area in an aromatic fragrance. It was rather earthy but unanimously pleasant to the smell...that is if you didn't hate good smells. He took in a long puff of smoke, held it in his lungs for ten seconds and released and in no time a flush of relaxation cycled throughout his being.
"The old Academy huh?"
His eyes peered at the symbol of the academy. More distant memories filled his mind. Once of training to master his own Zanpakuto. Others of him aiding others to develop and master their own. Days filled with Captain jury and his young friends, many who had either died, filtered out into different divisions, or were apart of the ninth. Those days were so long ago now.
His expression grew extremely dry beneath his locs. They hung low enough to hide his jaded gaze from the world, ironically enough his eyes were a jade hue as well. He strolled away through the tight corners of the central district once more, floating through his own mind. He carried along until a loud sound caught his attention.
“HOOOOONOOOOKAAAAAAAA-SAAAAAAAAAAAN!”
His ears perked up like a hound. He realized he had wandered near the First divisions Lt.s Hall. There was a nearby window which allowed him to hear the voices inside. It was Lt. Honoka and Lt. Yasu. Admittedly, Maho knew of the two, though their interactions had been relatively minor in the last few hundred years. He pressed his back against the wall for a few and listened in. Their small talk, the passing pleasantries. They began to catch up. He lifted the blunt up to his lips and inhaled, then held it. He continued to listen to them. They were certainly friendly with one another and free with information. It was a refreshing sight for sure, not many in the soul society were as trusting. From what it sounded like, Young Yasu was seen as a bit of a joke. Admittedly, they weren't wrong to assume that. Her doubts were real but misguided. Any viable captain knew full well why they chose their Lieutenants. Those who had a problem with it rarely spoke up in any division. The young girl would learn that soon enough.
"Simply because you don't see what we see in you, Yasu, does not mean you are unworthy. You're a sapling, young and growing. You will make mistakes, everyone does; I did, and you will grow from them. Granted, they may think that you are unfit for your seat, but that's not their decision. That was your Captain's decision. If he has faith in you, why can you not have faith in yourself? After all, you were good enough to become his lieutenant, above everyone else in Second Division, he hand picked you. And if in all this time, you're still alive... ...because he hasn't killed you... that in itself is a testament to your work as a lieutenant. Don't you think so?"
A small grin etched upon his face as he blew out the last hit he took. It seemed Captain Honoka had it covered. Anything he could have said wouldn't have amounted much anyway, not that he had any reason to step in and help deter the girls' insecurities. "Heh... He uttered. Living under Captain Kyomu must be rough..huh?" he thought to himself before stepping off from the conveniently placed window. Hopefully, the smell of burning herb hadn't given away his position. He wasn't necessarily hiding, but he felt that they were too focused on their conversation that even a uniquely strong and warm spiritual pressure like his would go unnoticed. If left too it, he would simply wander about the central district until he found himself gone again.

 

[BSD]

"...Don't you think so?"
Smoke, or rather, it's lingering scent after the burning of a peculiar leaf, crept it's way inside past a window mistakenly left ajar. An unmistakable scent to Honoka. Her eyes darted to the side, in an instant she'd discern exactly who it was on the other side of the wall. There was only one person who'd smell so strongly, that even if hiding his presence, he'd be discovered... The strength of the stench began to wane. He was walking away; and Honoka wasn't going to leave Yasu in such a state. She returned her gaze, and in turn full attention, back to the girl.
"I suppose so…"
There it was. Yasu had finally begun to think outside of her own head, her fears; her own insecurities that made her doubt her own amazing capabilities. Honoka smiled warmly, a gentle, reassuring smile that soothed her young friend back to her senses. With Yasu's slumped shoulders, Honoka tilted her head slightly, curious of what exactly was running through her head to drop her mood even lower than it already was.
“I’m sorry. I think I needed to hear that though, Honoka-san… Sorry for ruining the atmosphere. You went out of your way to make everything all nice and I just… y’know."
A sudden glint in Honoka's forest-colored eyes; and swiftly, without hesitation, her left arm shot up, with fan in hand, and lightly struck the crying girl on the top of her head, making a small daisy sprout at the impact site. A rapid form of interception before the cheerful Yasu recreated the dark clouds that impaired her. Honoka pointed at the snacks, many of them still in one piece, and quite edible, despite their appearance after forced in the air by the impact of Yasu's small, but powerful, fist. A tiny fist that she'd finally processed the pain she was ignoring in her slight depression.
"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! I’m dumb, I’m dumb! Honoka-san! Help, it hurts!"
Honoka chuckled, seeing Yasu finally back to her normal, childlike-wonder-filled self.
A brief silence; a slight pause by Honoka.
Then a sigh, exhaled so softly, it was nearly inaudible. A breath so soft and quiet, like her essense was suddenly spirited away. She carefully set her fan on her lap, centered horizontally on her thighs. As her eyes stared intently at the object of her sudden change.

Of course Yasu was more important than the table, than the snacks, than the tea.
"I know you're not supposed to cry over spilled tea, but that's so sad."
Like clockwork, or an instinct deep within them that told them Honoka was distressed about tea, a male shinigami quickly made his way inside after quietly opening the sliding door with a new kettle in hand. Honoka's face lit up brightly and she clasped her hands together. The shinigami's eyes went wide with shock, seeing Honoka smiling, Yasu crying in pain, and the table a complete and total mess with the tea spilled and dripping over the edge of the table, creating small pools on the floor. It was clear, they'd need replacement... everything. Honoka took her empty cup in hand, raised up for the shinigami to refill it.
"Please bring a pair of tweezers, an antiseptic, and bandages immediately, then I'd like for the rest of our guests to join us."
The male winced at Honoka's final words. Something every member within the Division had come to learn. He nodded and shakily lifted the kettle as the tea inside began to reach the rim, until finally, the flow of mint tea stopped entirely. He exited slowly, leaving the two women in their company once again.
Honoka quietly sipped her tea as she the young male, now calmed, but completely out of breath, placed her requests before her. Everything happened so quickly, so efficiently around them. She smiled radiantly at the boy, before slowly turning and gesturing, with a smile on her face, at the opened window. Despite the smile on her face. as she sipped her tea, the boy shuddered then staggered forward, nodding in instantaneous understanding before moving hastily to close the window, locking it, and securing the rest. Surely Yasu had been too distracted by the seamless commotion around them to notice the unfriendly smile on Honoka's face.
"Yasuuuu-chaaaan.~"
She called to her in a sing-song voice and placed her cup of tea on the table. Honoka extended her right arm to take Yasu's wrist, dragging her forward like a ragdoll while she once again looked at the girls injured hand. She switched the wrist to her left hand, while her right took the tweezers and slowly began to remove the first splinter. Honoka's grip tightened slightly around the girl's wrist, keeping it steady despite the outcries. It was for her own good after all. If she'd finally settle to let her work easily, the splinters would come out much, much quicker. And in the end, she'd have a very cute bandaid decorated with brightly colored flowers. Honoka's very own selection.
"Bear with it a little bit, okay?"
Honoka's attention continued to be Yasu's hand, she'd spray it with an antiseptic, before finally placing several of the colorful bandaids on Yasu's hand, making sure to excessively cover the small puncture wounds, much like an overprotective mother. It was done, nothing to it! Besides, Yasu had certainly suffered worse from any sort of training. Now that she was on the road to recovery, they could return to the tea and snacks.

The door quietly slid open, as Honoka went on ranting to the girl about what could happen if she had left the splinters in her hand. A group of eight Shinigami silently strode in, and closed the door behind themselves, all from First Division, with three of them restrained by a powerful Bakudo cast upon them by a true master. They were simply too weak to ever escape her spell. They only wasted what little energy they had struggling fruitlessly. They was absolutely no chance of escape for them from her.
As a matter of fact, it was the trio's final day...
While the restrained shinigami were led towards the center of hall, kept close against the wall, and made to bend the knee, Honoka had taken a bite of a small biscuit, as she continued talking. What had these particular members of the prestigious First Division done to be brought forward like this? There was countless rules any of them could have broken, warranting any sort of punishment. What exactly was going through the pink haired girl's mind as she'd watch Honoka casually resume eating and drinking, while right before the sitting pair, the three members were impaled violently. So suddenly. Honoka? Not even gracing them with an initial glance. No. She knew who they were, she'd shared with them countless memories. Meetings, shared dinners, missions. Honoka could recall them endlessly. She'd cared for them like she did every member of her Division.

The cold metal of three zanpakuto stabbed through them in an instant in unison. Blood splattered across the wooden floor, even on both of the Lieutenants. Honoka was unmoved in the slightest by the sudden splatter of blood now decorating her once pristine white vest. She'd been a bringer of death long before the young woman, and as it currently stood, she'd continue her duty until her very own last breath. Gurgling began to fill the air as one of them, a male, began to choke on his own blood, bleeding from the inside, as the red liquid began slowly trickling into his lungs, obstructing his breathing. He could feel it beginning to suffocate him, accompanied by the excruciating pain from the impalement. He was losing dangerous amounts of blood. They all were. Surely, Honoka, who'd just finished treating Yasu, would aid them, right?
The restraining spell on them flickered before disappearing, freeing them on the caster's will. After all, they were at death's door on her orders. Honoka's spiritual pressure flared, appearing and disappearing as quickly as a flash of lightning. Powerful and completely overwhelming. All in a single instant. While she sat in silence, her eyes became fixed on Yasu for her reaction. There was a volatile surge of emotions bubbling beneath Honoka's calm facade. Sadness, anger, pain, mistrust, disappointment, and betrayal. She had come to care for them, like family, all of them, and to be lied to by her own squad members in such a manner? It was simply unacceptable. But then, they never really were members of her division. Did they ever come to share the bond she felt with them? They played exemplary members, carrying out the duties perfectly. They had simply sworn their loyalty to a different squad. She wished her suspicions to be untrue, but she simply could not ignore the truths she came face to face with. Messages intercepted, recorded conversations, captured meetups. The evidence was irrefutable, and she would finally enjoy the fruits of her meticulous and methodical labor...
The owners of the zanpakuto finally retracted their blades on Honoka's nod, leaving the bodies to bleed further from their wounds, the pools of their warm, glistening blood spreading further and further from their bodies as the tingling at their fingertips slowly began to trickle up their hands, their forearms, spreading further and further by the second. They'd shudder violently with the unforgiving cold beginning to creep up their bodies. One of the three, moved forward, inching closer and closer to table; to the Lieutenants, struggling towards Honoka, hand stained with blood, he'd reach for her neck with the last of his strength, but fell short as he finally succumbed to the loss of blood. He'd lose consciousness, managing only to smear his blood on the edge of Honoka's jaw. There was no room for apologies. No room for forgiveness. Nor amnesty. Their crimes would cost them their lives.

"Answer me, Lieutenant Yūgure, how do you handle treason in your division?"

 

[BSD]

As Honoka spoke of the spilled tea, Yasu mumbled a low apology and shielded her head in case she was struck again, but, luckily, wasn’t. Touching the daisy at the top of her head, Yasu went well enough back to stuffing her face with her injured hands as another unseated member made his way in with a new kettle, much to Honoka’s happiness. As she requested for some things to help the bumbling pinky, Yasu’s ears perked up when she heard of the other guests that were to join them. Usually, this news would be a joyous thing, but even Yasu could smell the fear coming from the one who finished pouring Honoka’s tea and left to get the things she needed.
Yasu followed the boy that was at Honoka’s beck and call, with her eyes, and when she couldn’t see him, she listened. His breathing was erratic, and she only continued to munch on her cookies and other broken assortments. While Honoka dealt with the fragments in her hands, Yasu had released her Shikai for something so trivial as feeding herself without any hands, much to her spirit’s chagrin. Yasu could only smile as Honoka bandaged her hands in colorful pieces with pretty designs for her enjoyment. She wanted to stay light-hearted, for everyone, but most importantly, for herself.
As Honoka went on about what could have happened should she have left those fragments in her hands, Yasu could only look towards the door. She heard them long before they had entered, and smelled the mix of emotions that exuded through the cracks of these walls and floors. Her expression was a bit hard to pinpoint as the volley of individuals entered, three of them bound and struggling as they were forced inside and down to their knees. Yasu could only take a glance at Honoka to see the carefree attitude as all three shinigami were impaled and the blood reached out to dare touch her skin. However, her Shikai came up instinctively and shielded her with ease, absorbing the pungent fluid into its dark depths.
Her plum-toned orbs fell onto one of the three that desperately crawled for his life, filled with mirth, but no one would be able to tell from the unwavering placid expressions she held. Such a sight was hardly a foreign thing. As her captain’s right hand, Yasu had been at his side in the most difficult missions, and nine-out-of-ten times, this was the end result. There was a side of her that absolutely enjoyed the sight before her, and it made her blood boil to the point of near ecstasy. Again, there was a reason as to why she was the Second Division’s lieutenant. Though she had her doubts from others’ disapproval, she knew exactly why she was still at her captain’s side, even after all of her childish antics. She was balanced.
Leaning her elbow on the table, Yasu fed herself another delicacy and casually peeked out of the corner of her eye, feeling Honoka’s eyes on her, and all the conflicted thoughts and feelings that steamed off of the elder lieutenant. As their bodies convulsed on the grounds, Yasu Yūgure could only watch in disappointment that they couldn’t last long, however, a bit of amusement rung through as the last had managed to crawl his way to the table and even managing a slight touch against the beauty’s jawline, staining it in wretched ink. With courtesy, Yasu had drawn a clean napkin, dousing it in water and drew it against the marks left by the corpse. “An eye for an eye, Honoka-san; you help me and I help you.” As if not witnessing an execution right before her eyes, Yasu spoke so lightheartedly as if they were simply carrying on their conversations from earlier without worries. However, the look in her superior’s eyes and the tone of her voice when she questioned the younger lieutenant had caused Yasu to look up from beneath the thick lashes she possessed, and respond in a matter-of-fact kind of tone.
"Answer me, Lieutenant Yūgure, how do you handle treason in your division?"
“What are you saying, Lieutenant Oki?” Lifting her head, Yasu tilted her head a bit to the side and smiled in a sickly sweet fashion, absolute glee in her tone as she replied to the dooming question.