New Guy and the Old Lady [JTT, closed]

[Jonas Zaraki]

OOC: This is a training including Jonas Zaraki and Rin Minamimoto.

IC: The day was just becoming hot. Not that it was hot actually, but Jonas was sweating like he was in a desert heat. It was because of the investigation he was included in, as a part of team of investigators, and truth to be told, he was sweating, trying to somehow reach the conclusion how could a man be killed without any visible traces if the act at the scene. Also, a pile of reports and notes that he had first to go through and sort them out so that Ninth Seat Shi Nikima, his superior and leader of the investigation team could properly review them and hopefully draw conclusions. And among those piles of papers, Jonas was sweating from pure discomfort, coming from the fact that the murder investigated was a murder of a Shinigami. Yet, regardless of the fact, Jonas kept on going.

However, at one point, door panel to the office slid, and Ninth Seat Shi Nikima walked in. He was serious, as usual, and even had Zanpakuto sheathed on his belt. He looked at Jonas, and then looked at all the papers. And then back at Jonas. He sighed. "Damn, these piles are not decreasing Zaraki. I was expecting you'd be faster. At least twice as fast. But, in life, we don't always get what we expect. Anyway, on your feet. I'll take those over, you go grab your Zanpakuto and get going. Order has come. Your presence is required by Vice Captain in third training courtyard. Now rush, you do not want to make her wait." For Jonas, these words were both salvation and uncertainty. Salvation from this tedious paperwork. And uncertainty, for why would Vice Captain want to see him? Nonetheless, he complied. Getting up on his feet and grabbing his Zanpakuto, he dashed out of the office.

While he was running through the compound towards the third training courtyard, his mind raced as well. Jonas was a fresh addition in Squad 7, joining less than a year ago. He already knew all the legends and history of the Squad, and he knew about the time when Enma was Captain of the Squad, supported by Vice Captain Rin Minamimoto and Third Seat Kaen Youji, both being elite, Bankai-wielding officers. However, that gold era was long gone when Jonas joined the Squad, it was even captainless for a prolonged period of time, and out of the above mentioned trio, only Kaen remained in the Squad as Vice Captain. Enma, even when he returned after a period of well, being gone, did not retake his old Squad, rather he took over Squad 5, while Squad 7 was first taken by Kimiko Shihoin and afterwards by Himitsu Kasumi'Oji, who is still the Captain today. But things changed shockingly recently, when Rin Minamimoto, who was considered KIA, returned to the Squad, very much alive. This led to her retaking her old rank, while Kaen stepped down and became third seat again.

Now, during the golden era, Enma was mostly out of the picture, doing his own thing, so Rin and Kaen were basically leading the Squad in day to day matters. Because of this, many veterans of Squad 7 thought that for sure, golden times are coming back, as the legendary duo is back in action. But as he raced towards the third training courtyard, Jonas couldn't but wonder, what was Rin Minamimoto really like? He heard the stories, of course, but the real person - that could be way more different. However, it was a question that would be resolved shortly. As he dashed into the third training courtyard, where he was summoned, he expected to find Rin already there. However, it was entirely empty, that flat, tiled area of one hundred square yards enclosed by walls and entirely unremarkable. Nobody was there, that was no surprise to Jonas, third courtyard was for seated oficers and above only. But, where was she?

[Deleted]

It was her first week back and already, she was working like a dog. Squad 7 was always amazing. It was the only squad this particular dame was interested in and in her mind? It was vastly superior to the others. Squad 7 policed the others. They made sure others were held responsible for their actions and on top of that, they were comprised of some of the strongest warriors. Even their unseated officers were some of the fiercest she’d seen. Of course, not as fierce as an Empress but… what can you do? Her subjects were efficient and they were strong. She was perfectly fine with that~ Rin Minamimoto was proud of her squad. Her place in Squad 7 felt… correct.

However, thanks to decisions that were beyond her control, Rin was gone. She was gone for longer than anticipated and things deteriorated. Kaen certainly didn’t do a terrible job. No no no! He did terrific in her absence but Enma’s abandonment of the squad coupled with her own ‘death’ was a blow no squad could get away with unscathed. It was thanks to Kaen that he played gatekeeper. Keeping the idiots and the waste out and keeping their Squad running in near tip top condition. Why, she’d even heard of a student of Enma himself, walking away from a fight from her own third seat. Utterly pathetic. Such insolence… It was so utterly distasteful that it left Rin clutching her pearls. Just the thought alone was infuriating.

To prevent such disgusting behavior, Rin saw to it that she would manage and train the lowest ranking shinigami. It was only right, ne~? To learn from the best? What more could they ask for?! She would handle them personally and when one was good enough, she’d let that one handle the others. The problem was picking someone who was good enough to rise up in the food chain. Rin’s first few days were spent observing the unseated shinigami, scouting, looking for someone who had potential… Someone who stood out amongst the masses! Her notable hawk-like gaze fell on one particular shinigami and with a snap of her fingers, she’d requested to meet him.

The time came for the pair to meet up and Rin was… Rin. Stray hair here, chipped nail there.. Ugh! It was a mess after a hard day’s work and it was simply unfit for her to show up looking like a train wreck! She wouldn’t be caught dead looking like a mess. Not in front of anyone. Not even Enma saw her in anything less than her normal, perfect appearance. Of course, due to this, Rin was late by about 10 minutes but to her pleasure, he was already there. The Empress strode into the training courtyard with confidence, her chin held high with her hair flowing behind. Good. She didn’t have to wait on him. She hated waiting on others. She’d approach him and as she’d come closer to him, Rin would inspect him. He had potential to get out of ‘nobody’ status. He just needed a push.

Her red lips would curl into a small smile and she’d offer a small bow. “Good to see you’re here, ne~” Her eyes darted between him and his zanpakuto. “I am Rin Minamimoto~ Surely you’ve heard of me.” her smile grew as she said that. He’d quickly learn that she was a bit of an egotistical brat. However, she pulled her weight and more around this place. In her mind, she was allowed to be the way that she was. “Who might you be, dear~?” Her hands were folded neatly on her lap as she’d watch him, waiting for his response. Rin didn’t know anything about this individual after all. All she did was let her instinct take the lead and picked him out of a crowd randomly one day. She was going to restore her beloved squad to glory. Rin would do whatever it took to get back on track… and she was going to start with him.