Parallel Bars (Joint Training, Hotaru and July)

[July Kasumi'Oji]

{OOC: July is training for CTP. And so the long road to Class 0 begins.}

This area of the Rukongai was dusty. In fact, the word dusty was probably understating it. The winds had caked the dirt from the roads into the houses, giving everything a look as if it had been passed through a sepia filter. The residents’ skin was as brown as the landscape in which they worked, and indication that they had spent many hours toiling away in the harsh sunlight. How different life was out here compared to the Seireitei. One would hardly have guessed that they represented separate aspects of heaven itself. But the difference between the polished marble of the Seireitei and the dusty wood of the Rukongai was as large as the gap between heaven and earth.

However, the faces of these labourers had relaxed from the furrowed brows of exertion to easy smiles. The reason was plain to see. A spectacle like no other had arrived to the forgotten district of the Rukongai - a simple wooden climbing frame, paid for generously out of the finances of the Seireitei. At first, the residents had been totally opposed to the idea. They didn’t need anything as superfluous as a climbing frame. They wanted better tools, sturdier houses, better facilities. They wanted to live in luxury, like those in District 1. And a climbing frame was not going to help them attain that luxury.

However, the Shinigami had been quite persistent, saying that it was orders from above. At first the district residents had cursed this mysterious “benefactor” - why did he see it fit to waste money on an item that wouldn’t hope to make their lives better? But eventually, the Shinigami came in the middle of the night, where no-one would obstruct them, and constructed the frame. The residents had come out the next morning, thinking about how they could best repurpose the wood. It made no sense to leave it as a climbing frame. They had no need of playthings like that. They agreed to break up the frame the day after, after a short meeting. It was regrettable, but necessary.

However, it wasn’t their desire for comfort that roused them in the morning. No, it was the screams of their children - they were yelling at the top of their voices in delight, as if cheering on some mysterious athlete competing in a race. And so, the labourers went out to see what was causing all this ruckus. What they saw was something inconceivable. This was a small district of the Rukongai, and received little to no attention from the Seireitei. They were wealthy enough not to be considered for financial help, but poor enough not to be lavished with the attention of the upper districts. Such was the limbo in which this district existed.

And yet, the whirling green and gold blur - that danced between the bars of the climbing frame with practiced ease - could be none other than the Captain of Squad 8, July Kasumi’Oji. Not only was he a Captain of the Gotei 13, but he was also a member of the illustrious Kasumi’Oji family - one of the Seireitei’s great noble houses. The labourers made a mental note of the day in their heads. This was likely going to go down in the records of the area. Such an occurrence was incredibly unusual. Let alone the fact that he would be playing on the climbing frame that… The labourers wouldn’t be long at putting 2 and 2 together. It was immediately obvious why Squad 8 had insisted on the climbing frame - for the amusement of their Captain.

But the labourers could not begrudge July for what he had done. The smiles and laughter of the kids were so genuine that it brought smiles to the faces of the hardened labourers. July had the attention of everyone in the area completely fixated on him. He would enter a complicated of series of spins, and pretend to falter - drawing gasps from those watching - before effortlessly correcting his balance, and continuing the technique as usual. Occasionally he would swing up to the highest bar, and then motion to the children to try and catch him. They’d clumsily fumble their way up the frame, only for July to elegantly backflip off, land expertly on the ground and giving them a mocking wave.

The game was simple, but immeasurably enjoyable. July didn’t regret the purchase one bit. He had whiled the way the entire morning at this rate - and these kids were a source of endless entertainment. They only played simple games, like Tag and Hide-and-Seek (in July’s experience, trying to complicate games with children only led to dissatisfactory results) but that didn’t stop July enjoying himself. There was something beautiful in the way children played games, especially those who lived in areas like this. They didn’t begrudge the winner when they lost, which was often (July was not taking it easy on them), but rather praised the winner for their skill - and then used that loss to fuel their own desire to win in the next game.

Oh, the other Captains could stand to learn a thing or two from these kids.

July allowed himself the brief thought, before his mind was swept up again by the frenzied excitement that the children leant to these games.

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

OOC: Hotaru will be training for CTP as well.

IC:
Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao was heading towards the Rukongai district based on what she had heard around the Seireitei. She remembered a few days ago, at Division One, where all the current captains welcomed to their fold a new captain. His name was July Kasumi'Oji. She didn't know much about this Kasumi'Oji family member, but then again, she didn't keep up with the politics of the nobles. 

She wasn't in line to lead her family and from what she could tell from Sozen's children, they would do fine. But, if anything rubbed her the wrong way, she would definitely mention something about it. But, as it was right now, she was content with how things were. But, this new Kasumi'Oji would be interesting to learn more about. The last Kasumi'Oji that held the Captaincy of the Eighth Division was Taiho.

Hotaru had met the woman once, as far as she could remember, and she was ruthless. Her power was incredible, but she herself was an interesting person in general. She didn't learn much about her and thinking back on that, she was a little glad she didn't learn more. She was almost afraid to see how someone like that would act around normally. The only other Kasumi'Oji that she remembered was Azumi.

Azumi made a much bigger impact on her life that her relative did, since she's the reason Hotaru is a Kuchiki in the first place. She only told a handful of people about how she really fits into the family, but she was curious of Azumi told anyone about it. She was also curious of the former captain of the Technology Division told her family anything else about what she might know about Hotaru before she disappeared.

Azumi had a reputation for knowing just about anything she would want to know on a person. Hotaru had always been curious if she had known about her relationship with Asmoskon before anyone else did, if she happened to tell anyone and if she didn't, why she would keep it to herself. There was always an air of mystery surrounding the woman. But, she needed to concentrate on the new Kasumi'Oji.

July looked like a fairly level headed man. He didn't talk much during the ceremony, but he seemed nice, from what she could tell. After that meeting, she took care of her division's business, but heard of something that was going on in the Eighth Division. It seemed like he had already decided to use the money of the Seireitei to help with something. She didn't think too much of it until she heard from her squad.

It seemed like a huge set of wooden bars had gone up in a section of the Seireitei in the middle of the night and the residents had no idea how it had got there and they thought about tearing it down. Her squad walked back towards Seireitei when they saw the captain walk towards the bar and start to actually play on them. It piqued her interest enough to go see what it was about.

This is what led to her walking through Rukongai districts, looking for the right one. It didn't take her too long. She could hear the yelling of playing children easily enough and saw the huge wooden posts in the ground fairly easily. She walked up slowly and watched as the captain was playing on the bars with the children. She stood in the back of the crowd for a moment, hoping she wouldn't get noticed. 

She watched the man move and he was pretty quick. He had done something like this before. She could tell from the way he moved. Though, it seems that the captain put up these bars more for his amusement, since the children obviously couldn't keep up with him. She started to speak, excusing herself while she walked towards the front of the crowd. She did wear her Captain's Haori, but thankfully no one noticed.

It wasn't until she spoke and people turned to look at her that they realized who it was. People immediately started to give her a bit of a berth, but nothing too wide thankfully. She was still trying to get used to all the attention she could get from her noble house when she grew up normally. Once she got to the front of the crowd, she clapped her hands to get their attention. "Nice moves, July-taichou. However did you get so skilled?"

[July Kasumi'Oji]

Wood to air to wood to air to wood again. The sensations beneath July’s palms were constantly changing, altering - as if there was an ebbing tide that he had been firmly pressed against. It followed the rhythm of his motion - the feeling of wood assuring him that his position was stable, while the feeling of air reminded him that he was free. He grinned - acrobatics was certainly poetry in motion. He had forgotten that they were even playing Tag - and so had the kids, evidently. Instead, the gazed on the bizarre Captain clad in his green coat - twirling among the wooden bars with practiced ease, a blur of green, white and gold. However, a small disturbance caught his attention.

To his right, the crowd had parted slightly - and at a glance, July could see who it was. It didn’t take long for him to recognise most people, and everyone knew the beautiful Kuchiki Captain of Squad 10 - Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao. The people started to turn, whispering in hushed voices about the new arrival. It had been some day for the people here - a quiet corner of the Rukongai that had seen no drama in recent generations, and now held not one, not three, but TWO whole Captains of the Gotei 13. But… this posed a completely new problem. July’s mood darkened. A very severe problem indeed… Decisive action would have to be called for.

There was no way he was going to let Hotaru take all the attention just because she showed up late.

July swung himself up the bars with simple, gracefully movements before entering a handstand on the uppermost bar. Of course, this wasn’t enough to distract people from the new arrival - July had been performing such feats for nearly the entire morning. They had tired of his antics, and were eager to move onto the next thing - what sheep they were! (July did not make a note of the hypocrisy he was practicing - he was in no position to call other people flighty). They eagerly consumed what was put before them and moved onto the next meal. It was tragic, but July wasn’t ready to be thrown away yet!

”Gasp!”

Although he actually said the word “gasp”, rather than gasping, his acting skill made sure he was able to pull off what he wanted. He let one hand slip, as if he had incorrectly distributed his weight among his supporting arms. With that, his entire body weight tumbled forwards - hence the gasp - and the scene immediately drew all the eyes back onto him. Where they belonged, surely. Their hopes and expectations were pinned on him as he fell, raising his excitement. Would he fail? Of course not, but they didn’t know that. He could easily die, or seriously injure himself off the thick wooden bars. But July would never risk ruining his coat like that, now that would be truly tragic.

As he fell, he tumbled into the nearest bar, wrapping his arms around it. Although other would have performed the move inelegantly - as if they were using the bar as a life-raft, July somehow made the motion look effortlessly elegant. The Kuchiki’s were not the only ones who could look beautiful under duress. The Kasumi’Oji had to deal with lifetimes of political and legal pressure, and yet they somehow had maintained the fair haired dignity of their ancestors. Beauty was in plentiful supply in the Kasumi’Oji gene pool too. But, it wasn’t as if July was envious of the dark Kuchiki hair and pale skin… No, not at all. Gold went far better with green anyway.

July flipped himself around the bar, throwing himself high into the air so that he could perform a double cork-screw before hitting the ground. It was a standard dismount, but an extremely impressive one. July’s coat swung out around him, making him appear akin to a spinning top falling through the air. However, he had built up far too much momentum to execute a perfect landing - it was unlikely, even with his level of skill, that he would make it stick. However! July had a devious plan - one that was a win-win situation for everyone. Fun times! It had been a good day so far, and it would only get better!

July landed a few feet in front of Hotaru, his feet raising only the smallest cloud of dust as they hit the ground. He bent his knees to absorb some of the shock, but he could feel his body weight tipping forward again. But this was perfect! With a simple straightening of the knees, July pushed himself forward, grabbing the Squad 10 in a surprise hug. Wins all around! July beamed as he gripped the Captain, thankful for her presence as an anchor to help him stop his landing - which would have otherwise been marred by his overexcitement. She got a hug, and July got to be nice to people! What more could she ask for?

“Good morning, Hotaru-chan! ♪”

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

It seemed like, at first, Hotaru's clapping had really done nothing to get the other Captain's attention. She asked her questions and what she had expected from the fellow captain was for him to either reach a good stopping point on the bars and immediately answer her qeustions or jump down from a safe height, walk closer to her and then answer her questions. What she got was completely different.

Instead of stopping, the captain started to swing up to the highest bar and did a handstand. It was rather impressive. She watched in awe with the rest of the crowd as he stood there, just waiting for something. Hotaru was curious how long the Captain could stand there. She of course would assume that a Captain would have rather high resilience and he would be able to stand like that for several hours.

It was when he said 'Gasp' when it really surprised her. Gasp? Why in the hell would he say something like that? She didn't immediately notice anything until she saw his hand move forward. Had he lost his balance? What was going to happen next? It was then that she saw the Captain pitch forward and start to fall off the bars. Her eyes were locked with his, ready to move it needed to help him, though she assumed that he wouldn't need the help. He is a Captain after all.

It was then that he grabbed one of the lower bars and hugged it. Hotaru let out an audible sigh of relief. She noticed that the rest of the crowd around her was doing the same thing. It seemed like everyone was enraptured with the Kasumi'Oji Captain after his near disastrous fall. It was then that he shifted his weight, throwing himself high into the air. Hotaru watched all his twirls in the air before he landed.

She was not one for acrobatics, but it was a very impressive display. Though, when he landed, she was fairly surprised. He had landed a few feet in front of her. Her eyes widened slightly, surprised that he could aim a landing by spinning so much in the air. When he landed, knees bent in front of her, she smiled slightly and was going to applaud the man. Was being the key word since right when he straightened his knees, he opened his arms.

Her eyes widened again and she felt him almost fall forward and embrace her in a hug. Thankfully, the hug wasn't too tight, but she was honestly surprised. The other Kasumi'Oji captains that she had met were not this welcoming when they would meet someone. Honestly, she felt that they were cold and fairly off putting. But, this man seemed completely different than them, which she was grateful.

He would feel the stiffness in her body ease as she too would hug him, just as tight as he did her. When he greeted her with a good morning, she would lightly push him back, but keep a hand on his shoulder and smile towards him before she let her hand fall. "Good morning to you as well, July-taichou. I hope you are doing well on this fine morning. I have to ask you, how were you able to fly through the air so gracefully? Your acrobatic skill is impressive."

[July Kasumi'Oji]

{OOC: Sorry about the short post, things are a little busy for me at the moment.}

July’s grin widened as he felt Hotaru’s surprise. He positively loved surprising people, their reactions were so much fun. Hotaru was probably thinking of the previous heads of the family - Azumi and Taiho would hardly have engaged in this frivolous behaviour. But July didn’t care about that at all, he just wanted to have fun - to live in the moment and to provide life and colour to everything around him. Life was far too long to spend it being bored with a world of grey. If he wanted to hug Hotaru, he would, and not much would be capable of stopping him. Though, he was unsure whether or not she was totally receptive of his feelings.

She hugged him back, sure, but it took her a second to tighten her arms around him. Too long! Why did she hesitate? Surprise? You didn’t have time to be surprised! You just had to enjoy things as they came, you didn’t have to time to stand around in awe, wondering what had happened. Also, her body was stiff - and she had to relax. Why wasn’t she relaxed all the time? There was no point in standing around with your muscles stretched like guitar strings, ready to snap when someone tried to play a loud note. How awful! He would have to take it on himself to help her loosen up.

He let her end the hug, and as her arms slipped from his back, he skipped backwards away from her, before turning a full 360 degrees on his heel - twirling around his emerald coat magnificently. He flashed Hotaru a winning smile, and his emerald eyes sparkled like lustrous jewels. Hotaru wouldn’t need any analysis abilities to sense the mischievousness that exuded from him. He reached a hand into his pocket, and pulled out a small paper bag, brandishing it with a sweet smile. He plucked one of the small sweets from the bag, and pooped it quickly into his mouth.

”Can I tempt you to a toffee, Hotaru-chan?”

He gave her another smile, but before she could respond the children around them swarmed to July - the promise of sweets was enough to make them overcome the initial wariness they had felt in the presence of two Captains of the Gotei 13. July could feel the tension in the air snap like a broken string, and he saw the smiles grow on the elders’ faces at the sight of the children’s innocence. How nice - and they had July to thank for bringing all this joy. That would be nice - he was like a hero for this boring place, he’d remembered for a long time afterwards.

The toffee was not long in going, and it was unlikely Hotaru would charge over the children to get to it. July gave her another grin, before turning the bag upside down to show that, indeed, the bag was empty.

”My apologies, Hotaru-chan - it seems there are none left for you. I’ll be sure to bring more next time.”

July almost sang his apology, and his singsong tone inspired some giggles in the children around them.

”So, to what do I owe the pleasure of a visit from the lovely Kuchiki daughter?”

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Hotaru had ended the hug with July and started to talk. After she had asked her question, July spun around, his green jacket flapping in the breeze. When it was over, he flashed her a smile and she swore that she saw his eyes sparkle ever so slightly. She could tell from the way he looked right now that there was something going on in that mind of his. He looked like a small child getting ready to do something that he knew was against the rules.

He started to reach for something in his pocket and she raised her right eyebrow. She had no idea what to expect from the man, so when he pulled out a brown paper bag and pulled out a piece of candy, she was slightly shocked. But then, she thought about it and from what he had already done, she shouldn't be that surprised about it. He seemed to be way more easy going and light hearted than the other Kasumi'Oji elders that she had met.

He offered her a toffee. "I would love--" Before she could finish the sentence, she watched all the children flock towards July. It seemed that children hadn't changed. When there was candy around, they would flock to the source of it. She wasn't going to fight mere children to get to a piece of candy she could easily buy later. So, she waited patiently with the other adults, starting to relax slightly.

Her shoulders drooped down and people would notice that she had relaxed her guard. She still kept her eyes and senses out for anything, but she didn't feel nearly as tightly wound as she had before. This Kasumi'Oji seemed like he would be much easier to deal with than the others she knew of. After the assault from the children, he smiled towards her and showed her the empty bag of toffee.

He then apologized that there wasn't enough candy left for her and he would bring more next time. He then asked her why she visited. Of course, he said it in a very well-mannered way, giving her a nice compliment along with it. She smiled towards him. "First, July-taichou, you better bring more candy next time. Second, thank you for the compliment. My husband, Asmoskon Masurao, would agree with you on the lovely part. Third, I heard about you building in the Rukongai and was curious as to just what you were building."

She looked over the wooden structure up and down several quick times. It seemed to be sturdy and well built. It was impressive. She then looked back towards July. "It seems that you built this wooden structure like a little playground for this section of the Rukongai. It seems that the children approve of it, as well as you, based on you incredible display of skill. You still haven't answered me on how you got so skilled, July-taichou."

[July Kasumi'Oji]

July gave another flourish with his arms, indicating the magnificent climbing frame behind him. He grinned wildly, like a child showing off his creation to his parents. ”Isn’t is beautiful, Hotaru-chan? And to think, it’ll bring joy to the lives of so many…” He trailed off, turning on his heels and spreading his arms - as if encompassing the entire crowd of poor Rukongai citizens. It seemed as though he was truly concerned for the wellbeing of these people. Well, he was - kind of. But Hotaru didn’t need to know that July had really picked this place because the dart had landed here on the map. The randomness of the whole thing just added to the appeal, right?

”So, so - you want to know how I became so skilled?”

July let the word drip with innuendo, slyly winking at Hotaru.

”Tut, tut. How forward. You could at least have taken me to dinner first.”

But July didn’t let the sultry atmosphere hang around for long, he just snapped it immediately with a goofy grin - as if the whole affair had been a quick, well-meaning joke. He continued to dance on his toes, twirling and spinning among the children, occasionally making eye-contact with Hotaru - just reaffirm that he was listening to her. But, he was far too bored with mundane conversation to sit still for so long. Was there a point to this visit? Could he go back to his climbing frame? Or else…

The idea came into July’s head unbidden. He disliked aggression and combat, but there was a time for everything. If Hotaru was interested in how he had developed his acrobatic skill, perhaps she could learn by testing the limits of it? But… what game, what game, what game… July wracked his brains - even momentarily halting his spinning to stop and look thoughtful. He brought a white-gloved finger to his chin, tilted his head and looked off into the distance - his green eyes sparkling with various ideas. They could do this, and this, and this… So much fun stuff, so much stuff they could do!

”So, so, Hotaru-chaaaaaaaan…”

July sidled up to the Squad 10 Captain, effortlessly weaving through the crowd of children that had come between them. He rested an arm on the Captain’s shoulder, giving her another quick smile to put her at ease in the situation. She would feel no ill intent or ulterior motives from him at all. July wanted nothing from her - except for her enthusiastic participation in whatever they decided to play. He clicked his tongue, looking away again as if deep in thought. Of everything they could play - what would be the most enjoyable? They could have an acrobatics competition, but still… July was getting kind of tired of the climbing frame now.

”I was thinking… Seeing as you came out all this way…. That you might want to… to play a game with me-me?”

The whole crowd would be shocked at the sudden transformation that came over the Captain. July had gone from the enthusiastic, flamboyant acrobat to a bumbling boy - as if he were a teenager awkwardly asking Hotaru to the prom. His eyes were cast downwards, and he had brought his hands behind his back, and was fidgeting awkwardly with his fingers. Hotaru might even have noticed that his cheeks were flushed slightly pink - from embarrassment? When he looked up, his emerald green eyes were wide - like an innocent puppy.

”Please…?”

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

OOC: Sorry it took so long to reply! I'll try to keep it shorter next time!

Hotaru was watching the new Captain as he looked over the climbing bars, saying himself that it was beautiful, bringing joy to the lives of so many. She looked at the children and they did look rather happy to have this playground around here. She would smile and nod in agreement to what the Captain had just said. She hoped that these climbing bars for many more years to come.

He then spoke and added some intention that she had no intention of actually conveying. The Captain was good-looking, but she was a happily married woman. When he said that she needed to take him out to dinner first, she blushed slightly in embarrassment at what he just said and huffed at him. Before she got the chance to chastise him, he displayed a goofy, childish grin that immediately lessened the heat of her ire.

She didn't know if any of the other Kasumi'Oji where all acrobatic like he was, but it would be interesting if they were. She was now picturing both of the Kasumi'Oji Captains that she had met before flipping around like July had been. She had to stifle back laughter at that. Honestly, she couldn't really see either of them doing the things that he had done, especially Tahio with that huge jacket she always wore.

The man definitely couldn't stand still as he spun around and when he said her name again, which he stretched out for seemingly no reason, he quickly came up to one of her sides, resting his arm on her shoulder. She would immediately look at the arm then up to the Captain. He definitely wasn't unfriendly, that's for sure. Almost, she would call him, extremely bold. He didn't know much about her and she could've been much more strict with noble rules.

Thankfully for him, she wasn't that concerned about the noble ways. She just knew that she needed to be polite and use common sense around other nobles. It had always helped her in the past. He then asked if she would play a game with him and it reminded her of Asmoskon when they had first started dating. He was acting so shy and bashful, she smiled slightly at the memory he brought up. He looked him straight in the eye, smiling, and said, "Of course, July-taichou!"

[July Kasumi'Oji]

July’s mood flipped like a switch. Of course Hotaru would agree to the games - he had given her no reason to dislike him, and there was no way a Captain of the Soul Society would resist the opportunity to flew the creative muscles. Was it too easy? Maybe a little. Maybe a little difficult. He’d have to try someone like Aramis or Enma - they might require a little more work to get them to join in on some frivolity. But, he’d have to come up with suitable games for that too. Tailor the games for the players, that was July’s motto. Sort of. It sounded like it would be a good motto anyway. For now.

July stepped back, his bashful acting from early gone - as if he had dropped a mask. Maybe Hotaru would be put off by the sudden changes in character, maybe she wouldn’t. July hoped she wouldn’t be too fazed. He valued adaptability in people, it was a beautiful trait. The ability to keep up with changing circumstances, to not be fazed by things constantly altering around you. Not to get salty when the rules change, to not trip when someone pulls the rug from beneath your feet…. Yes! That was what he was looking for! Would Hotaru be able to provide that for today? Would she sate his thirst for entertainment?

”Well, well, Hotaru-chan. What shall we play?”

July skipped back another few steps, twirling as he let his mind run through the possibilities… What would be fun to play? July gave Hotaru a quick glance, quickly assessing her physical attributes and abilities. Maybe she’d read into his eyes roving her body, but the aura July gave off was not of some kind of sexual predator. He was simply sizing up his opponent. It was the standard pre-match tactics. But what to play, what to play. Hotaru seemed to clearly have the advantage in terms of strength and speed, July could see the power that lay behind that feminine figure. But, perhaps there would be a game that July could turn that strength against her. A smile slowly grew over his face.

”Hmmm, how about a bit of physical fun, then?”

July completed the statement with a sly wink, before dashing over and taking the hand of the Kuchiki Captain. He led her up to the climbing frame, but stopped just before it - it seemed whatever they were going to play wasn’t going to require the frame. July let go of her hand, and turned back, beaming the whole time. This would be rather interesting. Strength versus… Well, strength versus itself. If one were to bet, the money would probably go on Hotaru, but July relished the challenge.

”Stand straight, Hotaru-chan, and put up your hands, with you plans facing forward.”

As soon as her hands were in the correct position, July dashed up stopping only a small bot in front of her - with his boots just brushing her sandals. They were close, so close that July could stare into her eyes and make a judge of her character - he had learned all he could about her physical characteristics already. Slowly, he brought his own arms up, pressing his open palms against hers. To the outside, they may have looked like a couple performing some bizarre courtship ritual. But the truth was far less serious.

”Well, miss Hotaru-chan, shall we begin? The rules are simple. We can’t move our feet, and the first person to take a step loses. Shall we make it best of three?”

July gave her a smile, but his eyes had lost their mischievous twinkle - he would, of course, take this game seriously. It was between two Captains after all - and who didn’t like a bit of friendly competition? He gently brought his arms back, easing a bit of pressure off Hotaru’s palms, as if inviting her to push. July didn’t have the strength to act, so reacting to her movements was his best option.

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Hotaru answered and wait to see what kind of game the other Captain was thinking of. She saw the change happen over the Captain, she figured that he was getting what was called his 'game face' on. She wasn't surprised. She assumed that this Captain was very competitive and was trying to get his concentration on the game. Well, it was the first thing that she could think of as well. Why else would he change so quickly?

So she stood and watched him get ready for whatever he had planned, no change in her whatsoever. It was then that she saw him start to actually look her over. OBVIOUSLY looking her over. What? He knew that she was married. Everyone in Soul Society knew she was married, and if they didn't she would be surprised. Since she had married outside of her race, to a Quincy of all things, the news traveled fast.

Quincy were the enemy of the shinigami so for her, a shinigami, to fall in love with a Quincy was pretty much unheard of. They probably wouldn't even be together right now if she hadn't made things right with Asmoskon and if Sozen didn't actually accept their relationship. If he didn't, their lives would have been WAY more stressful than they were now. She had no idea what lengths he went to to get their wedding on the family lands, but she would always be grateful to him for that.

Why would he look over a married woman? Did he find her attractive? If so, it was a nice compliment, but she was blissfully happy with Asmoskon. The man was good looking, but no one would compare to her husband. Was this a noble thing? She still didn't know all the ways the nobles went about things, so maybe this was the way July greeted people? But then, that didn't make sense. This was all rather confusing.

While thinking about the weird reasons why he would be doing this, he stopped and said he wanted physical fun. At that, her right eyebrow slighty raised. What kind of physical fun was he talking about? There are so many things that he could be talking about that her mind started to race again on the myriad of things he could be talking about. Arm wrestling? Tug o war? Push up challenge? Pulling heavy weights?

He winked and grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the wooden structure. They didn't actually get too close to it, so was this like the centerpiece on whatever in the heck they were going to do. He was beaming the entire time, which made her think on what he was actually thinking about. So she stood, waiting to see what he would be doing now. He then turned back to her with his huge smile.

She was instructed to stand up and have her arms and hands a certain way. When she did so, he just appeared right in front of her, barely missing her feet. She smirked a little. "Careful July-taichou, I don't wear the normal shinigami sandals. It wouldn't be nice of a man like yourself to step on a woman's foot now, would it?" He hadn't noticed that she was shoe less, the only shinigami she knew of that didn't actually wear shoes.

The palms of the hands touched and she felt the slight pressure from July's hands. He explained the rules and it seemed simple. She couldn't move her feet and would just push against his hands. If she took a step, she lost the round and it was best out of three. There had to be something to this, but she just guessed she would find out during the 'game.' She would lightly press against his palms and nod her readiness.

[July Kasumi'Oji]

”Whoops! My apologies, Hotaru-chan - I almost stood on your foot.”

July stuck out his tongue, a mockery of his apology. The gesture would have been innocent enough, except for the fact that they were now standing so close. Hotaru would be able to smell the peppermint on his breath. If she was receptive enough, she would even see how the tastebuds on July’s tongue were unevenly developed - and if she knew anything about biology, she’d know that it was the part of his tongue that reacted to sweet tastes which was most refined and developed. That’s how tongues worked, right? …maybe. July winked - a gesture which would seem rather odd unless she was following his train of thought exactly. No matter, it was her fault for not keeping up.

But, well, he could stand around here all day. Actually no, scratch that - July Danger Kasumi’Oji did not have the patience to stand around all day hand-in-hand with a married woman. Actually scratch that too - July’s middle name was certainly not Danger. Also, he had spent longer periods of time hand-in-hand with married women. Just a fact. Nothing at all for Hotaru to be worried about. July was harmless - harmless! A big kid of a captain, nothing to be taken seriously at all. Everyone else would trounce him in a second - surely, surely! Just an innocent fool, looking for harmless fun. No need to get anxious. Not really. Not at the moment, anyway.

July pressed one finger forward on his right hand - bending Hotaru’s finger back slightly. He didn’t apply any extra pressure, he just allowed them to rest. In equilibrium. Eq-ui-li-bri-um. What an exciting word for such a boring concept. Weeeeeellll, that wasn’t quite a true. Maybe a little. Dynamic equilibria were certainly exciting! That’s what July liked to imagine he and Himitsu had - a dynamic equilibrium. All give-and-take, up to the point where nobody quite knew what originally belonged to them. Fun stuff, fun stuff. But this… this was static equilibrium. Bo-r-ing.

”So, Hotaru-chan. How’s life? How are the family? Amagai-kun, Souza-kun, Sozen-san, Ajraka-chan, Kyomei-kun yourself….?”

July trailed off. The Kuchiki clan were big. Well, the Kasumi’Oji clan were big too - but this was in a different way. A very different way. They were all… so… high-profile (and all extremely attractive - how unfair). The Kasumi’Oji had a lot of catching up to do. An awful lot. They needed a manor, so they could throw parties… Manor, manor, manor… Himitsu had mentioned something like that, hadn’t he? A meeting with Sozen… Or was that something else? July resolved to throw himself at more Kuchiki in the future. Perhaps some of their relevance would rub off on him.

”The Kasumi’Oji are fine. Just fine. Fine and dandy! Thanks for asking!”

The mock lightness of his tone would, of course, raise Hotaru’s suspicions. But that was intentional. He wanted to lure her in, hook her on that tidbit of conversation… only to shut it off at the lest second. Nothing like throwing a few garden paths into a conversation to throw someone off kilter. July always kind of liked dead ends - they were so much better than endless rambling. It was always better to stop something early, and give it a resolute finish - rather than an ill-defined end which would just drag on forever. Perhaps that’s why he enjoyed games so much! There’s always a winner! And it always ends, one way or another.

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

July apologized for almost stepping on her foot, but Hotaru had curled her toes back just to be on the safe side. When he moved to open his mouth to stick his tongue out, she could actual smell his breath they were so close. The peppermint scent seemed to fit with him, however weird that might have sounded. Maybe it was his sometimes child-like quality that made the scent fit him. Or, it could've been something else entirely that Hotaru hadn't picked up on yet.

His wink was a little odd. Was this him trying to flirt with her? Or was he trying to be more easy going with that wink? This man definitely was an interesting character, to say the very least of this Kasumi'Oji. She didn't know much about this man, but this meeting was definitely an eye opener for her. He seemed rather childish, but she knew that all Captains would have to have a serious side. Why would such a fun-loving person become a Captain if they couldn't do the job.

She figured that he was this carefree around most people. What really made Hotaru think is what he would be like in a true fight? Say, if he had to fight one of the Espada. Would he still be acting like this? Or would he be acting more like the Kasumi'Oji she had already met before, cold and ruthless? It would definitely be an eye opener if she ever got to witness the Captain showing his more serious side.

One of his fingers had moved forward, the one on his right hand. Her finger bent very slightly, but he applied no more pressure than that. It seemed like he didn't want to add any extra pressure to any of the fingers just yet. They did just start after all. She would lightly push just so that the fingers were straight up and down again, no more than that. She didn't want to push him so quickly and so early in this little session.

He then started to talk, asking about how her family was. Of course, he only mentioned her family and not her husband's. It was to be expected, since Kuchiki took precedence over her other last name. Most still thought she was a traitor for marrying the 'enemy' anyway. But, with Sozen's support of the marriage, they knew that if she was hurt because of that prejudice, they would have to deal with him, which has lessened some of the talk.

Hotaru knew they all talked about it anyway, but chose to ignore them. She was perfectly happy with her life the way it was and they were just jealous that they hadn't found a true love like she did. She smiled gently towards the Captain. "My life is great actually! Enjoying my married life and my Captaincy. The family is doing fine as well! From what I gather at the Family Manor, everyone seems to be doing perfectly." She smiled brightly after saying that.

July then talked about his family. They were doing fine and thanks for asking. What? The man seemed to be lightly bored, but maybe he wanted her to talk? Well, if he was going to throw out families, she would do the same. She would have her left ring finger push on his. The pressure was just slight enough to lightly bend the finger back, like he did with her. He would also feel her wedding ring go into his finger.

"The Masuraos are doing fine as well, July-taicho! Thank you for asking about my husband's family! Asmoskon is doing well in the Human World, working at his job. He's gathering little remnants of his Quincy family to reunite in the hopes of them finally coming together as one unified unit! He's proud of what he's doing and I have to say, I'm pretty proud of him as well! Do you have your eye on anyone in particular, July-taichou? Someone as handsome as you has to have someone they're looking at." She would smile and wink at him this time.

[July Kasumi'Oji]

”Ah, yes. Ooo~f course - I nearly forgot about Asmoskon-kun… I trust he’s keeping well?”

July’s tone carried no sense of judgement. He didn’t particularly care about the affairs of others, and the idea of Hotaru marrying a Quincy was nothing more to him than an interesting quirk. Love was love was love, right? It didn’t really have to be bound by race. But still… The idea of picking one person to spend the rest of time with… How… fruitless. One only got better at things through varying opponents, practicing different strategies - to play against the one person would only dull the keen edge of life’s experience. Positively boring. Killed all the fun. Put a damper on the whole mood.

Do you have your eye on anyone in particular, July-taichou? Someone as handsome as you has to have someone they're looking at.”

”I only have eyes for my opponents, Hota~ru-chan.”

July’s response was lightning quick - it had been used before. It was a question he had gotten a lot, and this was his default answer. Did he believe in love for himself? No, not really. Permanent connections were… tedious, to say the least. Variety was the spice of life! Why were people so intent on locking themselves into the ‘best’ choice? They wanted the perfect life, but that seemed to only consist of ‘the perfect house’, ‘the perfect partner’, ‘the perfect children’, ‘the perfect job’. Travel, and variety! Games and change! Those were the things that really mattered.

Speaking of things that weren’t moving or changing, things were a little stale. Just a teensy bit. They had been standing here for a while now - hand in hand, unmoving, not engaging in the game at all. Too much time spent chatting, of course. But what to do? He couldn’t get impatient, that would end badly. He didn’t have the strength to force a confrontation with the other Captain. Best just to bide his time, and continue the way things were going. He was still rather disappointed that Hotaru hadn’t done anything yet - she did have the advantage after all. Keep it coming, Kuchiki-san…

”So, Hotaru-chan… Why are you a Captain? What made you decide to be one?”

There were worse way to pass the time.

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

"Asmoskon is doing very well thank you for asking! He doesn't visit me here as often as I would like, but I go to our home to spend time with him, so it all works out in the end!" Hotaru smiles towards one of the newest Captains. Feeling the pressure going back on her hands made her think that she might be stronger than the Captain in front of her. But then again, looks can be deceiving. This Captain was definitely an interesting man.

He then answered that he only has eyes for his opponents. What an interesting way to look at the world. "So July-taichou, you date your opponents then? A very interesting way to date. I hope you don't think that you'll get a date from me out of this, since I'm already spoken for. But, it's always nice to hear that guys still think I look good!" She then winked at the Captain. She had no idea how this would work, but she wanted to try it out.

This was starting to get a little weird, him not really pushing too far while Hotaru was content to respond to what the Captain would do. It seemed like she would have to be the one do something first. He then asked her something that had been on her mind for awhile now. Why was she a Captain and why did she decide to be one? She thought that she had the answer to that question before she became one, but things can change.

She looked up towards the sky and then looked back towards the Captain. "Well, I wanted to become a Captain to help Soul Society. When I was first here, I was lost. The Academy gave me a new purpose to life. Joining the divisions was the best thing that happened to me. It's how I met my husband and how I now have the life I do now. I owe Soul Society much and this is the best way to repay them. The family name also drove me to be better, aiming to be a Captain."

Hotaru would be looking straight into July's eyes when she spoke. She meant every word that she had said. Soul Society had given her much in her new life, and she felt like this would be the best way to repay the Society as a whole, especially since she oversaw the defense of the entire Soul Society now. After she was done talking, she would press harder on both his hands, slowly adding more and more pressure till his hands would uncomfortably bend backwards. She wanted to see what he would do next.

[July Kasumi'Oji]

”How nice, how nice.”

July regretted asking, a little. It was totally drama-free, an entirely uninteresting piece of information he had received from the Squad 10 Captain. She was happily married? No strife at all in her relationship with her husband? How pointlessly trivial. There were no daring elopements, no noble obstruction, no political strife and turmoil. It would make for a terrible novel - and it was making for terrible small talk. That was probably too harsh. People deserved their happiness - and if that happiness involved boring themselves to tears, July wouldn’t object - as long as they didn’t spoil his own fun in the meantime.

”Don’t we all date our opponents, Hotaru-chan? Playing against someone is the easiest way to get along with them, after all.”

Too philosophical. July really didn’t like the metaphor. “Dating your opponents?” How stupid. Not everything in the world was about love and relationships, why didn’t people realise that? Far more fun was obtained from conquest and competition than love and sex. Yet people constantly dragged the level of conversation down, played down human interactions into love and hate. Where was the fun in that? There was nothing to human interactions except the thrill of sport! The pleasure obtained by going all out against someone and seeing the result. You don’t love your opponents, they just need to be there.

Of course, this conversation was just as much of a game as anything else - and July wouldn’t make a blunder like revealing his real thoughts to the other Captain. They’d exchange pleasantries and return to the heart of the matter quite quickly.

July felt the tension build in her muscles as she began to bend his hands backwards at the wrists, slowly exerting more pressure - playing with the line between discomfort and pain. How wonderfully subtle her touch was, the practiced movements of a practiced combatant - yet with the fineness of touch that implied a beautiful femininity. It would have been almost alluring, if July had been interested in that kind of thing. But no, he preferred the idea that Hotaru was now playing the game, beginning to push the boundaries - working out was acceptable.

July found it funny that people tended to hold back when there was less on the line, as if they were afraid of elevating the inherent silliness of a ‘game’ to the severity of a ‘fight’. If he had challenged Hotaru to a sparring session, she would have surely come at him a little harder than this - and if he had goaded her into a fight, she would surely have not held back. But no, when challenges were framed in the context of a ‘game’, people were weirdly polite. How upsetting. Truly terrible. It was, most certainly, a huge failing of humanity as a whole. July would have understood, perhaps, if Hotaru was someone who liked ‘playing with their food’, but he didn’t get that kind of impression from her. This was a woman who had something to live up to and prove - her motivation for becoming a Captain was proof of that.

”Ooooh, the famous Kuchiki ‘name’. It must be sooooo awful, to carry a burden like that around. The weight of that legacy behind every swing of your sword… It must make you tense, sometimes?”

July was rambling a little, as if distracted by the growing pain in his wrists. He wasn’t really, but he was thinking other things. Hotaru hadn’t asked him why he was a Captain - the fact that he was little more than a political pawn was probably quite well-known. Good thing she didn’t ask him - he didn’t have a fancy answer prepared. Good thing too - because he wanted to get the game moving a little faster. He put up a little resistance to her growing push, but suddenly he caved - his resistance to her hands falling away as if she had pushed through a door. He used the force of her push to swing their arms down to their sides - keeping their fingers interlinked.

As their arms fell, they moved closer together - and July made the most of this motion. He lightly fell forward, his long golden hair creating a veil around the faces of the two captains - their foreheads were practically touching at this stage. July’s had lit up at the prospect of a confrontation - but how would Hotaru react? She was a married woman, after all. July gave a her a quick wink - and slowly began pushing forward again, pressing at the point of contact between their foreheads. He was the slightly taller one, which gave him the advantage here - as he had hoped.

”Sorry, Hotaru-chan. My hand slipped.”