Divine Decree, Ablaze [JT]

[Kaen Youji]

Kaen nodded. "Well. Here's hoping I can succeed in making things just a bit better. My division had a new Captain recently, and I'm watching him like a hawk to make sure that he lives up to the example I expect from a Captain of the Seventh. If he slips... Next time we chat, I might be introducing myself as Captain." He added to Camila. "And I agree. We have no idea what the future holds, and I don't want to fight against you either." At the very least, he hoped this talk would prove if one day they were forced to cross blades, it would help Camila realize that it really was nothing personal. That Kaen would only do such a thing if he were left with no other option.

Fortunately for Kaen, Camila brought a small distraction to their talk, regarding Squad 12. "I'm not entirely sure. New Vice Captain was promoted within the division, and I know that the new Squad 5 Captain has been raising a huge ruckus about improving the Rukongai. It was probably spurred on by those two choices. But the Seireitei is being made a lot more secure. More security and detection measures for when someone's trying to break in." He noted. "I'm reluctant to let Squad 12 bring too much to Squad 7, but that might just be because I have... trouble trusting them after some of the things I've seen them responsible for." He conceded. And as Cami pressed him, Kaen was forced to sigh.

"Alright, if you're sure, fine, but you didn't hear this from me." He said. "Go to Uzaki Enterprises and seek out one of two of the employees there. Raphael Laurent, or Luca. Didn't get Luca's last name. Talk to them, and hear what they have to say." He advised her. "I'll note that whatever they might tell you, you being a Shinigami might make a difference. It might make things easier for you. But well... it's also much more dangerous for you if you get caught or fail." He resumed eating his breakfast, glad to have gotten that off her chest. "If it's to retrieve your scabbard... Hmm. Personally I wouldn't do that for my own. But I'm not going to tell you not to. Only make sure you know how dangerous it's going to be. Even if you do find a way in. I truly wish you luck. I don't want to wake up one day, and hear you've been captured." He pointed out to her.

[Deleted]

"Well. Here's hoping I can succeed in making things just a bit better. My division had a new Captain recently, and I'm watching him like a hawk to make sure that he lives up to the example I expect from a Captain of the Seventh. If he slips... Next time we chat, I might be introducing myself as Captain." Camila softly chuckled. "Well, best of luck to you with that, Kaen; for what it's worth, someone like you is definitely deserving of a position like that."

Hearing him talk about the changes to Squad 12, the Seireitei in general, and how he felt about everything, she listened intently. She'd absolutely need to make note of all of that with her eventual attempt to make her way back into Seireitei. The thought of technology advancing that much in such a short amount of time both surprised and unsettled her. She'd need to make note of the fact that a lot of this was Squad 12's doing, as per Kaen's comment about not being able to trust them. Though, she'd be lying if she said that little comment didn't interest her. "Oh?" she asked, "if you don't mind my asking, what've they gotten involved in recently that's caused your... distaste over the Squad?"

As Kaen went on to mention the names of the two that had made their way into Soul Society not long ago, her eyes widened. Before she spoke, she let him finish his thought. "Unfortunately, I do know of the dangers of heading back, but it's a risk I'm willing- no, it's a risk I need to take. It's something I need to do for myself. Though, I'm surprised to hear both Luca and Raphael had gotten involved. I've encountered both of them not too long ago, but my memory is... hazy, to say the least. Not sure if it's of use to you, but Luca's last name is Castabella. Figured least I could do is give you that."

As she listened to what Kaen had to say, she simply maintained a smile throughout the entire thing. Truth be told, she was genuinely interested in the thought of what her heading back to Soul Society would entail. "Well," she started, that smile quickly turning to a devious smirk of sorts, "it's not necessarily only about getting back that scabbard; it's more about what that Scabbard means both to me, and to Soul Society. If I remember correctly, Ludwig had made a point to bring that with him to prove my 'death' to Soul Society. Well, how would you react if you found out that someone you entrusted to kill a fugitive returned and subsequently lied about that fugitive being dead? Not only is the goal to prove that I'm not actually down, but to give a fair amount of payback to Ludwig for absolutely humiliating me that night a few months back. I do absolutely appreciate the concern, though. Genuinely. If I'm going to be heading in, I promise you that I'll be prepared. I won't do so until I'm able to secure an escape route, and guarantee that the plan is going to work. Er, come as close to a guarantee as I can."

[Kaen Youji]

Kaen chuckled dryly at Camila's query about Squad 12. "It's not a matter of what they've done recently. It's what they've always been doing. Squad 12 pretty much constitutes a regular part of my division's rounds at this point. Some of the things that happen in that Division.... They're not right. At all. I understand that they are pursuing endlessly advanced science that's way over my head, but too many people in that division have no moral compass or any idea where to draw the line." He replied. "And what they've done to some of their test subjects...." Kaen shuddered. "I've had to turn down several requests from the division to use Soul Society prisoners in experiments. ...Even criminals who do deserve the death penalty don't deserve that."

Kaen raised an eyebrow when it came to Camila's knowledge of the two though. "Well, I imagine that makes things pretty convenient for you then! You can probably track them down." He answered. "I suppose it makes your job a bit easier then?" But then Camila made her comment about what Ludwig had done and Kaen's face darkened. "...I can't imagine what the scabbard means to you. I'll respect that it's important and you want to get it back. If it's that important to you, I understand. But Camila." He tried to meet Camila's eyes. "...If what you say is true, then it sounds to my ears like Ludwig is also trying to help you. No doubt your pride is wounded, but it seems to me that Ludwig found himself in a position that I hope to never find myself in-- given explicit orders to terminate you, and then being unlucky enough to cross your path. If he spared you, and took back your scabbard as proof, then it says to me he's also trying to give you a fresh start. If you're going to try to reclaim your scabbard that's one thing. But if I'm correct, it sounds like Ludwig is trying to drop you off of Soul Society's radar. Even if you don't care about Ludwig's reputation, you should try to take advantage of the chance that it's given you. You have a chance to start over and live your life free of the yoke of Soul Society-- which seems like at least something of what you wanted. Shouldn't you take advantage of that?"

Kaen frowned at Camila. "Let me reiterate, I respect your desire to reclaim your scabbard. But it seems like it will only harm yourself if you make a point of revealing your continued survival when you do so. Here's your chance to disappear, quietly and completely, with no questions asked. Why would you not want to take that, and embrace the freedom it gives you? To go where you want, to live how you want, without having to look over your shoulder for a Shinigami patrol." Kaen sighed and closed his eyes. "Honestly, it's best if you don't tell me any more about your plans. For both our sakes."

Kaen certainly respected that Camila seemed to be in a tough spot, but he sensed her bruised pride was dictating her actions more than it should have. He didn't want Camila to throw away Ludwig's good will-- if that was indeed what it was. Perhaps Camila was about to correct him about it, and ascribe far less benevolent intentions on Ludwig's action. Perhaps Ludwig did indeed take her scabbard out of a petty grudge? Kaen had never known the man closely, so he couldn't comment. Even so.... Even so....

[Deleted]

Camila was taken back from what Kaen had to say about Squad 12. Just the very thought of something being worse than death wasn't something she'd want to think about. Truth be told, she'd never been familiar with what went on behind the doors of Squad 12, nor had she ever wanted to know. Even just hearing those words from Kaen sent a shiver down her spine, but also started to fill her with a sort of morbid curiosity. Still though, taking the hint regarding the fact that he didn't seem to want to talk about that, Camila let it pass and decided not to comment on it. If she really wanted to know, she'd learn when she made her way into Soul Society.

At least, that was her stance before her words were challenged by Kaen. Hearing the apparent vexation in his voice, Camila simply sighed as he proceeded give her what felt like a lecture about how her actions were bad, how they undermine her own goals, Ludwig's actions, and all of that. Upon the mention of Ludwig trying to do something right by her, Camila refused to meet Kaen's eyes. She didn't feel okay with hearing any semblance of "praise" regarding that man. Not after what he'd done to her, and after that humiliating hell that she'd been put through; a hell that'd stain her mind and view of him for what was likely going to be decades to come.

"Honestly, it's best if you don't tell me any more about your plans. For both our sakes."

With a huff, Camila once again crossed her arms. "Fair enough," she said, the frustration apparent in her voice. She wasn't the type to harp on the situation, and would've much rather just let it pass than to further make things more tense between the two of them. While that might've been the case, though, she was still going to continue on with her plans to break back into the Gotei, whether she was pressed to do otherwise or not. "Well, for what it's worth, I appreciate the information you've been willing to give me thus far. So long as I can help it, nobody'll be none the wiser that you said anything here; I'm not about to throw you under the bus like that."

"I'd like to know though, if you don't mind my asking; why give me any information for that matter? Like, you're fully aware that I'm a rogue. Hell, you recognized me almost immediately upon seeing me. I get wanting to get my view and reasoning as to why I left, but why go out of your way to help me plan something that, regarding your current knowledge of me, could've very much been a plan to attack Seireitei. Do you trust me? Perhaps it's just benefit of the doubt?" Pausing for a second, Camila swirled around the remainder of her drink, watching the ice move around. "Why aren't you treating me like the criminal you've all painted me to be? I get general niceties, but... it genuinely confuses me as to why you've looked to assist my endeavors, Kaen."

[Kaen Youji]

Kaen definitely didn't just want to let the subject drop like this. He felt that Camila's move of lashing out wasn't going to help anyone-- it was self destructive and only going to hurt others. Been there though... Some might have said Kaen was in no place to judge. He probably wasn't, but he still couldn't accept that answer even if he'd once succumbed to the same desires as Camila was now. The Vice Captain did want to argue the case-- but he simply didn't know Ludwig well enough to argue for the man, and even if he did... Kaen wasn't stupid. He could recognize the intensity in Camila, and how stung her pride was by what had happened between them. Camila didn't want to hear a defense of Ludwig, and wouldn't accept one if it was given to her. It was that simple. If Kaen wanted to stop her making this mistake, he'd have to find another way that didn't involve a defeat of the Captain that had, apparently, defeated her, and stolen something precious from her. That little process went along in the back of his mind while he looked at the woman, continuing the conversation from there.

Camila did seem to appreciate what cooperation he was giving her, and he smiled a little. "Well I appreciate that, I suppose." He answered, but her follow-up made him pause. He seemed to think about it for a moment, as if exploring his own innermost thoughts. "Well, me recognizing you was a fluke, really. I happened to be doing some filing shortly before I left the Soul Society to come here is all. But-- I suppose the answer is that I want to assume the best of people, if they haven't given me a reason to assume otherwise. Maybe that's naive?" He shrugged. "At any rate... You've told me at length how your time in Soul Society was marked by people who mistrusted you. Who judged you before you even said a word. That's not who I am, and it's not who I want to be. So yes-- I would trust your word. You haven't given me a reason to doubt it. If you had truly defected because of a lust for power, a desire to fight alongside Soul Society's enemies or something like that, we wouldn't be having this conversation. Scabbard or no scabbard, you'd have drawn your sword the moment I identified myself. But you didn't, and now we've had a lovely philosophical discussion over the nature of Soul Society over breakfast. So yes. I trust your word, that you only want to retrieve what's yours, and then live free." He stated.

"Maybe you are lying." Kaen shrugged. "In that case I'm taking a risk on you. But, it's a risk I think is worth taking. I told you, that I don't necessarily agree with everything Soul Society does. I also disagree with large parts of its image. I will do what I can to change that image, even if it's just one or two interactions with people." He stated.

"Also-- as for why I'm "supporting" your endeavors? The same reason that I was arguing against you revealing your survival. I can gather at least two things from this conversation with you." He held up two fingers. "One-- you want to live free and to be left alone by Soul Society." He dropped a finger. "Two. You are a very determined individual-- one that will do what you believe is justified, regardless of the potential consequences of your actions. This second piece of information leads me to believe that you'd try to break into Soul Society no matter what I said to you. In which case I have three choices here. Draw my sword and try to stop you here and now-- a fight that would result in one of three outcomes: You dead, me dead, or you captured. I don't want the first or second outcome, and the third outcome would reveal your continued survival and render Ludwig's actions moot-- which I also don't want. So there is absolutely no reason I would want to fight you right now." He looked to his meal, but in the course of the conversation had somehow managed to devour the whole thing. A look of disappointment at this realization flickered across Kaen's face.

"Choice number two is simply ignore it and leave you to your own devices-- in which case any attempt you made to invade Soul Society would almost certainly be destructive, and probably end in your demise. That leaves choice number 3. Point you in a direction that might allow everyone to win here. You get your scabbard, you get to live in peace, I don't have to hunt you down." Kaen replied. "Which, as I've mentioned-- I really don't want to have to do. You seem a decent person, Camila." He stated. "It's also why I'm a bit uncomfortable with your secondary objective, to be honest..." He sighed, and then a lightbulb went off.

"Actually..." A look of concentration cropped on his face. "There might be a way for you to get your scabbard back without needing to break into Soul Society to get it. I'm actually... a bit embarrassed I didn't think of it sooner." He murmured. "I'm the Vice Captain of the internal affairs division. If the Onmitsukido or the Central 46 haven't already issued a claim on it-- and I don't see why they would, I could probably demand the scabbard from Squad 13. This is technically our jurisdiction, as would be declaring your file officially closed. I might be able to retrieve the scabbard for you and return it to you." He noted, not quite looking at Camila, but rather seemingly looking into the distance as his mind visible turned, in an attempt to work out the specifics of his idea.

[Deleted]

Camila listened intently to what Kaen had to say. Ultimately, he'd given her a lot to think about; a lot to break apart and analyze. For starters, she smiled more notably than she had up to this point when he'd mentioned the fact that he'd trusted her. In truth, she was glad to hear it. Not necessarily due to a manipulative backing behind it, but because it was a somewhat foreign feeling to the girl. She was only able to name one person thus far that had actually been willing to put their full trust in her, and that had been Celes. To have someone else so readily willing to put quite a bit of trust into her was a nice change of pace. She felt the need to return the sentiment with that. "I... I genuinely appreciate that, Kaen. For what it's worth, even with situations being vastly different, I can say that I definitely have trust in you as well. I'd like to genuinely believe that you're not looking to deceive me, and am pretty much taking your word at face value. Your willingness to put that much faith in my word despite who I am, what I've done in the past, and what I could do in the future is comforting, to say the least. Thank you for that."

For what he had said next, Kaen really made Camila ponder just on what was going on regarding his choices in actions. Truth be told, he was right; she was undeniably stubborn when it came to just about anything and everything. Once her mind was made up, there was very little anyone could do to change it. That being said, though, it generally took her a lot longer to come to that point than most. That much was evident with the amount of inner turmoil this entire conversation had been forcing her to endure; was pursuing Hueco Mundo at this point the best option for her? Should she just abandon getting the vengeance she felt she so desperately desired? Frankly, even she didn't know herself. She knew she needed to take the time to herself in order to actually decide that. Though, while that was the case, she couldn't help but think back to Ludwig's words to her. "If you’re going to continue down this path a word of advice. You need to change your target from the general populace to the leadership, including the head captain. You won’t get anywhere with them around.” She sighed.

Being thrown back to reality, Camila smiled at Kaen's compliment. "Thank you for that," she said, "you're pretty all right yourself." With that, she gave him a lighthearted giggle. She wasn't exactly the best at expressing herself when it didn't relate to her own convictions, but she certainly tried to where she was able to. She didn't want to leave that comment unnoticed. Though, at the mention of his idea to return her scabbard to her, Camila's face seemed to perk up as she heard him out. "Hmm..." she started, now somewhat lost in thought over this plan he spoke about, "wouldn't something like that be stealing evidence of sorts? I feel like you could potentially end up in one hell of a bad situation from doing something like that, and frankly I don't think I'd be able to live with myself if someone like yourself put there neck out there for me like that. I appreciate the offer, but I don't think I'd want to somehow end up seeing you behind bars if I return, y'know?" She chuckled. In truth, because Kaen hadn't made it out to be impossible, the idea was still there for her to do something as crazy as that. Even if that was her way of directing her vengeance for a better cause, ultimately that might not have been so bad.

Letting out a deep sigh, Camila continued to think about everything up to this point. Her conversations with Ludwig, her constant pressing from numerous people and even her own conflicted desires. Ugh, why did everything have to be so difficult? She was starting to get an actual headache from the thought of everything. Placing her elbow on the table, she let out a groan as she held her left eye and forehead. "Lord, why does everything have to be so damned difficult?" She let out a melancholic chuckle, followed by a pause. She'd wanted to take a bit more time to think on it all, but first she wanted to make sure the option wasn't entirely off the table. "Kaen, I've one more question regarding a past topic. I apologize for bringing this up again, but I'd like to know; say you were someone like the current Captain Commander. Someone with the same mindset, moral compass, and everything else that goes along with that, yeah? In your honest opinion, what do you think it'd take for someone like me to return and take a position where I could make a change? Something where I could personally make sure that nobody has to deal with the same shit that I had to?"

[Kaen Youji]

Kaen smiled back at Cami, and chuckled at her comment about him being alright. "It's fine. "Be the change you want to see in the world" and all that. I think that's a Human phrase, but I guess it's fitting for this situation." He replied. And indeed, Kaen wasn't deceiving her. He was upfront and honest. Maybe too upfront and honest, especially for a noble. He didn't even like the way he'd phrased his earlier breakdown of his reasons for why he was telling her what he did. It made him feel overly clinical and even manipulative. Like he was picking out the right words to advance an agenda, and he wasn't particularly fond of that feeling. "In any case... I form my opinions about people by interacting with them. I'm not going to do it just by your status, or what others have said about you."

When she mentioned asking about him getting in trouble, Kaen shrugged. "Someone could make an argument for that. If we're being plain, yeah, that's basically what it is, but given what that sheath is allegedly evidence of I'd say I have much stronger contradictory evidence talking to me right now." He replied with a tiny little smirk. "Besides. I doubt anyone but Ludwig will ever ask to actually see it. Even if he does, I have a certain small mastery of the system. Well enough to make it disappear and be "misplaced" under a mountain of paperwork. I'm valuable enough to the Seireitei that I won't face any serious consequences over misplacing a single piece of evidence." He replied.

Kaen laughed at her comment about everything being difficult. "You tell me-- that's a question I've been wondering for years myself." He answered. But grew more serious when Camila asked him the rather pertinent question. "....No, that's alright. What would it take, were I in the Captain Commander's place, with his mindset. Hoooo..." He took a deep breath as he thought. "Considerable support from other Captains would be a bare minimum. The Captain Commander may oppose, but even he might be concerned about openly denying the intention of multiple Captains without his own support. Secondly-- a reason to accept you back. We both know what Seireitei is like, and even were all twelve other Captains aligned against him, I doubt that the Captain Commander would accept your return with a simple: "Sorry, I didn't know what I was doing." You'd need to have something. Information, strength that we can't ignore, some kind of artifact.... I don't know, just... something. It's not a perfect shot, but it's a damn sight better than just walking back in through the front door and saying: "Hey sorry everyone." He sighed. "For what it's worth, you'd have my support-- I'm only a Vice Captain but I speak for my division louder than our Captain does at this time. So that's probably one... maybe one half a Captain you've got on your side for starters."

"As for a position where you can make a change? Good question. First you'd have to wipe your desertion off your record, which, to be fair, could be done with dedicated service. After that, you'd hopefully be assessed based on merit." He concluded. "There is an "easier" road, you might take, but I can gather by now it's not one you'd take-- seeking favors or help from the upper class of Soul Society. Something I realize you wouldn't do. You'd be taking the longer, harder road, but... in a way, that might give you a stronger voice if you succeeded anyways." He frowned a little. "We've talked earlier about how I was treated differently because I'm noble blood. Maybe that's something that weakens my voice in bringing about my own change. Other Shinigami won't accept that I've worked as hard as they have, and therefore, my thoughts and opinions are worth less to them."

[Deleted]

Camila found herself giggling over Kaen's comment about "misplacing" evidence. She couldn't help it; she appreciated small acts of rebellion like that when she'd heard about them. "Very, very clever," she said, "glad to hear that you've got something like that down to a science, though. That, and I'm also glad to hear that I happen to be talking to someone with such a strong place within the Gotei. Certainly something that helps, all things considered." She smiled. In truth, she was absolutely glad to be in a situation like that; her chance of arrest - at least, regarding Kaen - seemed to be nonexistent. If she hadn't already, she'd be more than able to let her guard down now after having gotten to know him a bit better.

Upon asking her rather difficult set of questions, Camila went on to listen to what Kaen had to say about it all. Being a path she was heavily considering for the time being, she'd need to know what needed to get done in order to, well, make all of that happen. In truth, a lot of what Kaen had gone on to say didn't particularly surprise her; she fully expected to need a large amount of support if she were to bypass the Captain Commander's own gripes with her existence. That much was a guarantee. In turn, while she didn't inherently expect it, she was surprised when she realized she'd completely forgotten about the fact that she'd need a reason to be accepted back into Gotei. Letting out a sigh, Camila spoke after he finished his thoughts.

"Well, I'm certainly grateful for the fact that you're willing to back me in all this. Truly, that does mean a lot. Can't say I'm surprised by needing a backing, but I will say, it completely slipped under me that I'd actually need a valid reason to get back in there. Definitely a bit of an oversight on my end. That said, though, I might have a bit of an idea; truth be told, I've got a bit of a... well, let's just say a bit of a hollow-y asshole within my spirit that I'm trying to deal with. Perhaps I could use that to score a bit of information on Las Noches, and return to Soul Society as a bartering tool? I'd like to think something like that'd probably work, but what're your thoughts?"

From there, she continued to hear Kaen out about his next line of thought. There were a few things that immediately caught her attention regarding what he'd said, but before she commented, she wanted to let him finish what he was saying. As he did finish up, she finally spoke. "All right!" she exclaimed, "that all doesn't sound too too bad, all things considered. Definitely beats being locked behind bars, that much is for sure. Though, what did you have in mind for dedicated service? Have people tried to get back into Soul Society before? You're absolutely right, though; I'd like to avoid being indebted to a noble family if I can prevent that. Though, that does beg the question; what do you think an endorsement from a noble family could do for me? Like, on top of the effort, getting the backing of a majority of high-ranked members of the Gotei, and a bargaining chip? Ugh, I just wish all of this was much more clear-cut than having to leave this up to assumptions." She sighed. "Do you by chance know any way I could get in contact with other Captains? Like, something that I could use to check interest regarding my returning? I'm not too worried about the consequences of this; might as well do what I can to get back, yeah? Hell, I'd be okay with ending up as a lab rat for Squad 12 if it meant I can their endorsement." She chuckled.

[Kaen Youji]

Kaen raised an eyebrow at Camila at her talk about a "hollow-y asshole within her spirit", and fell silent. His eyebrow was raised, but it wasn't a contemplative look or a pitying one, it was like he was staring into the past again. He heard what she said, and listened to what she was saying, but it was apparent that her comment about her Inner Hollow had triggered a subtle change in Kaen. "Oh..." He said, breathing in deeply. He shook his head. "Sorry it's just... One of my subordinates.... had the same problem. If I'm understanding you correctly anyways. Or... he might have had the same problem, I don't know the specifics. The science of the soul was never my strong point." He murmured. "...I didn't know. I wish I had. Maybe I could have done something for him..." He continued breathing deeply. Kaen tried to get to know his division like family. He took the well being of his subordinates very seriously, such that the weight of seeing dozens of them dead during Kuroi's invasion of Soul Society had unbalanced him to such an extent that he'd been broken for months along with the other particulars of that battle. As far as he was concerned he felt guilty for not being able to help Zeich. He didn't necessarily blame himself, nor necessarily take responsibility. He was canny enough to know that with the limited information he'd had regarding the man who had held the position of Squad 7's third seat, he couldn't have prevented what had happened. Still though. He still felt guilty that he hadn't gained this information, and that guilt showed on his face right now.

Well... Maybe he could try and atone for that particular mistake now. "...That doesn't change anything here though. Camila is still Camila, even if you have a ravenous Hollow spirit inside of you. I said I trusted you, and I meant that. This doesn't change anything as far as I'm concerned, aside from some complications that... you might have to deal with. But well... It does present avenues for you all the same..." When Camila mentioned scoring information on Las Noches, Kaen nodded. "Quite possibly. It might work. But that might also be more dangerous than even attempting to infiltrate Soul Society. If you succeeded, you're right it could give you leverage though."

As far as noble families or gaining help though... "Well endorsement from a Noble family would definitely go a long way. Great Houses wield a lot of influence. If they want you back in, you'd get back in, and nobody would be allowed to lay a finger on you. But... They'd definitely want something from you in return. And they can be insidious about such things. Be wary of that. As for getting in contact with other Captains... That will be somewhat more difficult, but in fairness if what you said about what's going on inside of you is true, that would absolutely be a bargaining chip you could leverage with the twelfth division. They've done extensive research into Hollowfication. I don't know the specifics or really anything about it besides that it's done but... They might be willing to vouch for you in exchange for information they can glean from you. As for the other Captains.... I'm sorry, but I can only think of blind, dumb luck. Unfortunately I can't provide you a way to reach out to them, not without seriously compromising a lot of people, yourself included, as I can't guarantee the reaction they would have. I can make educated guesses, but that's about all... You might have to just rely on blind luck to encounter them. I'm sorry I can't be more help in that matter."

[Deleted]

Camila had immediately realized the fact that Kaen had gone solemn, but decided not to comment on it. She'd known just what that was like; to have lost someone, and have hoped you could've been there more, helped out more... she didn't want to have him have to deal with any of the stress that was likely associated with that if she didn't have to. Instead, she simply kept silent until he continued his point, giving him an affirmative nod that simply said "I understand" so that she didn't need to. In truth, she genuinely felt bad; she didn't expect someone who seemed this chipper to have that much inner turmoil. If this wasn't a perfect example of "appearances can be deceiving", she frankly didn't know what was. 

As he continued on, she smiled in learning that his opinion of her hadn't changed at all. As it turns out, holding out on that bit of information wasn't an issue after all. Especially if Kaen had felt that she could use that to get on Squad 12's good side. Even despite her joke, she wasn't all too fond of the idea of being experimented on, but if it meant she could get a bit of help from them in order to rejoin the Gotei, she'd be all for it. Didn't really matter what she'd end up subjected to; if it meant she could have that option open for her, then she'd have to take it. There really wasn't a question in her mind about that. As such, she smiled.

When it came to the topic of the noble houses, Camila couldn't help but listen with a look of confusion on her face. His answer to her question had only left her with even more questions she now had. "That's... a little worrisome," she said, "regarding the noble houses, I mean. Though, not a path I can close out just yet. Here's to hoping that whatever they've got to say isn't too too bad, yeah?" She raised her empty cup almost like a toast. "Might need to see what I can do in that regard, but I do appreciate your warning on the matter. Glad I'm not going into whatever they've got to say blind, that much is for sure. I'll definitely be keeping a lookout for anything that might seem amiss!" She chuckled.

"As far as getting in contact with Captains go, I might be able to do that if I go through Luca and Raphael. If they were able to get in, I'm pretty sure I can manage to do the same. I'd like to think that with enough of a disguise, I can probably just pass for a typical Shinigami, yeah? Granted, that might not be easy to acquire, but I could probably just meet with a majority of the Captains that'd be likely to take to me right then and there! Which reminds me; do you by chance know off the top of your head the Captains that might be willing to listen to what I have to say? I believe I still remember a few of 'em by name unless they've changed recently, so I can probably track 'em down relatively easily. My only issue is that I don't really know them, y'know?"

Sighing, Camila began to run over her course of action mentally. First things first, she'd need to get into Soul Society in order for any of this to work. Naturally, that'd require her interacting with Luca again. Not something she was against. Once she got in from there it'd be hunting down the Captains for a chat. So long as she managed to do so under the radar, all could go well! Hell, now that she thought about it, she had to have had a way to reach out to Ludwig. If not him directly, then someone had to have been able to hit him up for her. If she could get in contact with him, play up the guilt trip she knew he had to be dealing with right now, and get a semblance of protection from him, this whole thing could work out heavily in her favor.

"Okay!" she exclaimed, "I think I've got a pretty solid idea cemented as far as how I can make this work! I still "pick up" as a Shinigami, yeah? If that's the case, then this could be a lot easier than I had originally anticipated. From there, it's as simple as just entering Soul Society under a disguise or completely unseen, and interacting with each Captain separately. If that goes well, we can just approach the Captain Commander with that! I'd like to think that, with enough support, information to leverage, and everything else put in, that should work. One more question I'd like to ask, despite it probably being a no from you; should I have a way to disguise myself, would you be willing to let me return to Soul Society with you? Naturally I don't want you putting a target over your head if you don't need to like that, but that could absolutely be my way back!"

[Kaen Youji]

Kaen appreciated Cami not digging into Zeich's past. Not a topic for this time. Maybe another day, far off into the future. The immediate change of topic was welcome, focusing instead on Camila and what she aimed to accomplish. Kaen gave a thin smile at her thanks for warning her about the Noble houses. "Don't thank me just yet. Nobility is insidious. Take that from someone who's grew up being taught a little about how to play that game." He leaned back in his chair, balancing it on its two back legs. "Not that I took much from those lessons, but anyways..."

As Cami made her suggestion. "You might be able to yes-- but the moment you reveal your identity to a Captain, all bets are off. I wouldn't rush into anything. I would learn everything you can about them. There are resources in the Human World for you to use. Uzaki Enterprise has had some interaction with the Gotei 13 and its Captains. Think back on your own lessons and experiences as well. Figure out which Captains will be amenable to your aims. It's only going to hurt you if you go in uninformed and the Captain's a stick in the mud who draws his sword on you because of your status." He warned. He then thought about it when she asked which Captains might be amenable. "...Well. Squad 12 if you give them information about being a Vizard, may be willing. Apart from them..." He closed his eyes. "Do not approach my Captain. His focus is on the letter of justice, not the spirit. Hrm... Celes, if what you say is true, would probably vouch for you. Although she's not a Captain her word might have some weight. Senshi Odayakama of Squad 8 may be willing to hear you out as well-- she's had her own experiences of ostracization." Kaen continued to focus, his brow furrowing. "...The new Captain of Squad 5... Wycliff... I can't get a read on that guy, but besides Aramis, Celes and Senshi, he may be your next best choice. He's another free thinker in Soul Society from what I've heard and believes the system could stand to be improved. I don't know if he'd listen to someone in your position, but he's probably the next best option you have... And I guess there might be Kyomei Kuchiki as well. From what I've heard he's a very reasonable man." Kaen finished. "...Though I haven't met him personally, so I can't be sure. He and Wycliff should be your choices of last resort if you can't reach out to the first three." He suggested.


As Cami gushed about her plans Kaen smiled a bit. "Well. I can't help you any further than I have with getting in the front door. With a disguise..." Kaen gave a cheeky smirk. "Honestly, it's something that sounds like a lot of fun. But... I probably can't say yes quite at this moment. Give me awhile to think about it. It might not be the next time I go back, but I might change my mind on it. If you don't mind extending me a bit of trust as well, where have you been staying? If my mind changes or the opportunity arises, I'll know where to go. Plus. You know. If the sheath bit works out I'll know where to drop it off, right?" He offered.

[Deleted]

Camila found herself pouting at Kaen's comment about not rushing into anything. Rushing into things was practically the one thing the girl was good at; she was certainly reckless, sure, but despite all that she'd survived thus far without much of an issue. Surely she'd still continue to survive regardless. Either way, though, she let him speak his peace. Once he finished, she'd decide to comment. "Oh please, recklessly rushing into things is sort of my specialty, s'why I'm in the situation I'm in to begin with." She smiled. "I'll take your word for that, though; better safe than sorry. Somehow I've managed to survive thus far, I'd like to keep that streak going. Thank you for the intel, by the way! I'm glad to see that there's that many people I could potentially garner support from. Truth be told, I wasn't particularly expecting that much of a backing, it feels nice."

"I understand though that Wycliff and Kyomei are more of a 'last resort' than the other three, but I'll likely need their support anyway, yeah? Did you think it'd be a better idea to just wait on them until I get support from the others? I'd like to think that'll probably be the best option, but naturally you're more in-the-know about the Gotei than I am." She laughed. "I've got to say, though, I'm fairly excited to seek out Squad 12 for this. Especially if it means I can actually keep this thing under control more often. Hell, I'm just grateful that I'm doing okay right now. I... I genuinely don't think I'd be able to forgive myself if I ended up lashing out toward you after the help you've given. I genuinely can't stress enough how grateful I am for everything thus far, Kaen. It really means a lot. If there's any way that I could repay you for the help so far, please let me know. I know I've already said that, but still; I'd like to help where I can."

After she finished speaking, she heard him out about the disguise idea. "Right? Something like that sounds a little too fun to want to pass up. If I come up with anything regarding that, I'll try my best to keep you informed on it!" She smiled. "No rush about taking me back through with you, though. Truthfully I didn't expect you to be able to do that, especially not right now. Also, I'd be glad to letcha know where I've been staying!" Reaching into her bag, Camila pulled out a pen. Grabbing a napkin, she began to scribble her address onto it. If Kaen had been familiar with Karakura, it shouldn't have been too hard to recognize that this was the address of one of the more expensive apartment complexes on the northern side of town. "I'm pretty much just north of here. Once you see the complexes you'll know you're in the right place. The gate code is one-one-one-five; not the most secure thing in the world, but enough to deter anyone from really trying to enter. Even if it's not for something related to tis, you're more than welcome to stop by any time you'd like; the company is always welcome."

[Kaen Youji]

Kaen gave a good natured chuckle. "Yeeah, that sounds about right." He replied in response to her comment about recklessness. "Not that I can say anything for that, I'm not innocent of that either~" Kaen seemed to have gotten her rolling, noticing how she grilled him with questions about the Captains. "I'll be honest, I don't entirely have a good read on that. I was just laying out your options. If I was personally in your position, I'd prioritize trying to connect with my friends in the Gotei 13--" He paused for a moment. Well. That wasn't entirely accurate. If he were in Cami's position he wouldn't reach out to those he'd been close to out of fear of getting them tangled up in the mess. But that was a difference in ideals, and it wasn't even judging Cami for it. No doubt the very people he wouldn't reach out to out of that fear, would be enraged at him for refusing to let them help. He didn't actually think either stance was better than the other. "--So many you should start with thinking of them, and work out from there." He advised.

"Well... if you're excited to seek out Squad 12, that makes one of us. I don't know if they've actually had any successful experiments with Hollowfication. Just... a warning. It's definitely some of them are looking into. I've had to make a few arrests on those charges, but I know there's ones that are better at hiding their work." He admitted. But largely waved off her statements of repayment. "It's not a d-- WHOA!" As Kaen had been balancing on the back two legs of his chair his attempt at physically motioning to wave off Cami's offers of repayment resulted in his chair falling backwards and Kaen tumbling out of it. "--Ow. Right. Not my proudest moment." He grumbled as he climbed back up and set the chair back up, ignoring stares, and stood beside his seat this time. "Err... where was I? Anyways. It's not a deal. I see a decent person, I want to do my part to help them. That's all there is to it."

"Buuut I do appreciate you trusting me with this as well. If I'm in the area, and I'm alone, I'll be sure to drop by!" He chirped cheerfully. "I'll keep the code in mind." 1-1-1-5... Yeah, not the most secure in the world, but at least it's easy to remember. "I imagine you don't get a lot of visitors lately, huh? Sorry about that. Well... We'll see if we can change that in a positive way, right!?"

[Deleted]

Camila simply sighed upon Kaen's comment about meeting with Squad 12. It seemed he was really going to press that point as much as he could. Truth be told, Camila was grateful for it. She was glad to hear that the Shinigami seemed to be looking out for her, even through everything she'd told him thus far. She'd been growing to be quite appreciative of him, and that much was likely not going to change any time soon. It seemed that she'd have to heed his words. Before she was going to comment, she quickly burst into laughter as Kaen fell out of his seat, and got up to see if he needed help up. As he seemed to be okay on his own, she sat back down and smiled at his comment.

"Well, I'm glad to see you're all right. That said, though, that sounds somewhat unsurprising, given what an eternity will do to a curious mind, I can't say I'm all that surprised that you've had to apprehend quite a few scientists in your time, and I highly doubt that those'll be the last of those you do, y'know? That's more so just how the world works." She shrugged. When it boiled down to it, she wasn't entirely wrong about all of that. Because of the very nature of how the research division worked, she tended to doubt that he wasn't going to make any more arrests within that squad, no matter what the reason was. Something like that both didn't sit well with her, and continued to drive her interest in meeting with the Squad.

Upon giving out her apartment number to Kaen, Camila simply smiled from Kaen's words. "Can't say I'd mind the thought of extra company around the place," she said, "the constant quiet's beginning to take its toll on me." She chuckled. "That said, you're right though. Visitors aren't exactly something I get all that much of, given y'know, the whole 'I'm a wanted criminal' thing." She smiled toward Kaen, trying to make light of the situation. She'd grown used to the quiet over the last few months; it was certainly a nice change of pace, but ultimately it wasn't something she was looking to preserve in the long term. She wanted action; excitement! Something that could get her blood pumping. Perhaps Soul Society was exactly that?

[Kaen Youji]

(Posting from phone is such a pain)

Kaen shrugged and dusted himself off. "Oh, yeah, totally. Would take more than that to do me in." He commented. As far as talking Squad 12, Kaen gave a sigh. "I'm being overly harsh on the division, I expect. Probably because I have to regularly deal with the worst aspects of the Squad. Captain Tezuka seems to encourage a very free-form division where his squad members are free to express themselves however they see fit, and be as open, strange or bizarre as they want to be. This means that those who have brilliant ideas are free to pursue them freely and without obstruction, but it also means that those who want to indulge their worst qualities are also free to do so. I guess it's a mixed bag. It's not like I hate the division or anything, only what those worst qualities tend to bring out." He clarified. "I'm sure that there's more of the division that's perfectly decent to meet with than not."

Kaen received the apartment invite and smiled about it though. "Well, I'll see what I can do. As I said earlier, I'll be sure to pass on your regards to Celes." He mentioned. "Although.... Your reiatsu aside, have you considered making any friends here in the Human World? If you plan on sticking around here for awhile, why not? Humans aren't so bad at all. Short-lived compared to us, sure, but hey, if you do end up planning to return, there's always a chance you could literally meet your friends on the other side." He postulated. "You're only a fugitive by Soul Society standards." Beat. "I hope." Another beat. "But seeing how you're having coffee in the open, I'm going to assume you're not, so you know. You could always make friends here. Someone not in the know or someone in the know... Uzaki Enterprises is right around the corner after-all." His meal completed though, Kaen gave a quick stretch.

"As it is I should probably head off, afore Soul Society takes notice of me hanging around a reiatsu like yours and asks me what the deal is. But I hope I see you around Camila." He stated as he started to head away, raising a hand in farewell. "Do your best not to get in too much trouble in the interim please? I'd hate for our next meeting to be professional, if you catch my meaning." He stated, giving her a wave as he made his way off into the morning foot traffic.