Kuchiki meeting (Social closed/Anthony and Hotaru)

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Hotaru had heard through the grapevine at the manor that there was a new Kuchiki in the family. Her eyes lit up at that. As far as she knew, she was the last newbie in the family. So, it was nice to see that the family was starting to grow again, after Sozen, his wife and his sons seemed to disappear without a trace. She was still curious about why they left, but she was sure that they had their reasons. She didn't know what the reasons would have to be, but she they were there.

She had made it back to the Manor and started to ask around to see if the new Kuchiki was here. The only answers she was getting was that he wasn't here, but staying at the Division 1 barracks. Interesting since she herself had started out in the First Division with Kagami. She still thought about the man once a week, but her work kept her busy enough to distract her from thinking about him too much. If she did, she probably would get no work done.

So, she would quickly walk towards that division, Haori billowing behind her with her Zanpaktou strapped tightly to her belt. She felt Rivu~aiasan moving around in there, but she patted the blade in reassurance. She wasn't going to do anything too stupid, but she was curious as to why he hadn't even been by the Manor yet. It was known that all Kuchiki, as far as she knew, stayed in the Manor.

After finally arriving at the First Division, waving hello to everyone she met, she made her way to the barracks. She looked around and tried to find one of the officers of the division, who she figured would know every member, new or otherwise, that was there. Once she found an officer, she would speak semi loudly, in the hopes that he might be able to overhear her. "Hello. I am here looking for one of your newest members, the name is Anthony Mortifero Kuchiki. I wanted to come by and talk to him, if at all possible."

[Deleted]

Anthony sighed to himself as he finally put away the cleaning supplies he'd borrowed earlier. Someone felt that it was necessary to have over eaten in the dinning hall and ended up vomiting out their lunch over the table and everything on it. Needless to say the borderline mind numbing and meanial jobs like this were given to the youngest of the division. And who else would it be but the ever obvious Anthony. If the fact his speckled 4 legged companion didn't make him stand out enough then the fact he held no rank and clearly looked like he didn't belong only made him that much more the prime target for this. Honestly though Anthony wasn't too upset as he was more hungry, he hadn't even gotten a chance to eaten yet given his tasks of cleaning, moving things, more cleaning, and then dealing with the vomit left over by a higher up. By this point Anthony had been hunched over some with his hands in his pockets showing off a small frown. Smokey, the ever constant companion, was by his side and "accidentally" bumped his leg a few times. Glancing down at him Anthony took the unspoken message of "Let it go and lets get food."

With a quick nod he'd started making his way towards the dinning hall, which meant he had to pass through the main office building because ironically it held the hall. And yet the cleaning supplies were in another building. So he had been told anyway. There was probably some in the same building but he felt it more necessary to get the mess cleaned quickly and without question for the time being. Straightening up his posture he thought back absent-mindely to the manor he used to live at. His life there was quite literally the complete opposite. No work, aside from any duties his mother had tasked him with and it was far cleaner and friendlier, even if only because of his noble status. He could only chuckle at that. As much as it was a nuisance he genuinely enjoyed being counted on to do something and talked to as a person. Though he could tell most were still wary with his "noble" status. That however held to the more reserved, the more out spoken had no qualms pulling stunts, albiet well controlled, such as the menial tasks.

With another shrug and a deep breath Anthony opened the doors into the main building, Smokey at his side. Vigilant as ever and instantly turning his attention towards the newcomer. Smokey may be color blind but his nose was not. Of all the scents that resided here, this females was not one of them. This put him on edge but only enough to keep his eyes on her. Anthony in the meantime took note of his companions posture but since Smokey made no inherent move he decided it probably wasn't worthwhile. The cause he already knew had to be the female standing around looking for an officer, probably someone of rank given she held herself with an aura of authority. Hell even her hair stood out as it was oddly colored. Had he been quicker he'd have missed what was spoken but sadly he was moving at a slow pace and his hearing, even if passive was more than capable of hearing her. "Hello. I am here looking for one of your newest members, the name is Anthony Mortifero Kuchiki. I wanted to come by and talk to him, if at all possible."

Anthony stopped dead in his tracks and could swear his blood suddenly was replaced with ice cubes. Under normal circumstances he'd have been nervous but more capable of handling the situation. This seemingly random woman with an aura of someone FAR higher ranking than him, calling for him by name specifically? Anthony wanted nothing less than the earth beneath his feet to consume him whole. Smokey of course picked up on this and his eyes narrowed, with ears tilting back. He wasn't about to growl yet but the signs were showing he was taking a more aggressive stance. Taking a shaky breath and leaning down to pet Smokey brought Anthony back to a more stable ground. He still had Smokey, he wasn't alone in this, and really what was the worst that could happen? He hadn't broken any rules or been disgraceful to the Kuchiki so he should be fine. Another deep breath though much more stable this time and he turned around giving a soft spoken command to Smokey to relax himself. He did, but Smokey wasn't entirely convinced yet not until he'd see Anthony closer to his more relaxed nature. 

"Excuse me, my apologies for interrupting both of your conversations but I am Anthony Mortifero Kuchiki." He took yet another deeper breath as he started walking towards the 4th seat and Hotaru. Looking at her face he still didn't recognize her but quickly took note of the fact she had a haori. His face visibly paled as he noticed this. W-w-w-w-w-w-WHAT THE FUCK DOES A CAPTAIN WANT WITH ME??!! Gods above strike me now, I was under the impression I was dealing with another divisions officer. NOT THEIR CAPTAIN. Smokey by this point made sure he sat next to Anthony with his body leaning against his leg. There wasn't much that could be done until Hotaru spoke to him but it would be a nice reminder for Anthony, yet again, that Smokey was with him. In the meantime Smokey was still tense, though he wasn't in an aggressive stance he certainly wasn't looking upon Hotaru with anything positive. If anything his eyes looked more like he was sizing her up more than anything. Anthony in the meantime stood stock photo still breathing just enough to continue using his lungs. He was absolutely tense and it didn't help that the others walking by were also fairly tense as well as watching the entire interaction with avid interest. No doubt later on there would be word of this. 

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reference picture for Smokey}

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Hotaru was talking to an officer when she heard someone start to speak. She turned her head as Anthony happened to come by and interject. Well, this made it much easier for her, since he must've been walking by. She smiles towards him and speaks, "No problem at all! I must be extremely lucky to have you walking by right when I came in asking for you! My name is Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao, Captain of the Tenth Division and from what I hear, you're one of my new family members! It's a pleasure to meet you!" She would extend her hand for him to shake.

Once he, hopefully, shook her hand, she would quickly look down and notice his dog. The dog was adorable, but it seemed like the dog wasn't too keen on her. Well, maybe the dog wasn't too keen on anyone new, so she decided against trying to touch/pet the dog. She then looked around the area and then back towards him, fidgeting with her wedding ring. "So, I did want to talk to you, but is there a place here where we can have more privacy?"

She would leave the question open for him to answer and for him to lead her to a more discreet area. She watched him as they walked through the division. He looked extremely young, one of the youngest shingami that she's met, which made her curious as to how old he actually was. She didn't know that pets were allowed in these divisions like that but maybe he needed his for some reason that she didn't know about. It was odd but she wasn't going to judge him on that.

Making it to the private area, she sat down and breathed out a sigh of relief. She unties her Zanpaktou and lays it next to her, keeping a hand on it, just in case something happened. She then looked towards him and started to speak. "I'm sure you're wondering why I was looking for you, based off how you acted when you realized who was asking for you. I swear that it's nothing bad. The main reason I came looking for you was to get to know my newest family member. I was also curious as to the fact that you're not staying at the Manor when all the other Kuchiki are." She would look at him, waiting for an answer.

[Deleted]

Eyes. So many eyes watching them, they both needed to go to a new spot. A place that wasn't the main entrance for the barracks because if they remained here much longer Anthony was certain he'd cave in on himself from both the presence of the captain in front of him and the curious gazes of those around. Though in all honesty Anthony was already having his mind spin in circles at how to further communicate with Hotaru thankfully her smile and words didn't hold any bite to them. If anything she was genuinely glad to have found him, which meant either she was faking it or things really weren't as bad as he was currently imagining. Until he was proven otherwise however he'd stick to the latter just to attempt to prepare himself for what could be coming. In the meantime he'd just listen quietly regaining some control over his body but still visibly tense. "No problem at all! I must be extremely lucky to have you walking by right when I came in asking for you! My name is Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao, Captain of the Tenth Division and from what I hear, you're one of my new family members! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Though Anthony was still concerned the mention of Hotaru being a family member was much more relieving than a random captain coming to meet him for god knows what reason. He let out a larger breath than even he knew he was holding, and he'd been certain it was at least a good bit of air. Smokey seeing this began to relax a bit himself while still maintaining his focus on Hotaru, eyes ever unchanging. Once Anthony learned to breath again he quickly accepted the handshake and proceeded to bow to Hotaru afterwards in an attempt to be respectful. As he was brining himself back up he took note of how she looked over at Smokey, which prompted him to glance at Smokey also. For the first time in a bit his companion changed where he looked and relaxed a bit, especially when Anthony reached down to pet him so he'd realize everything was fine. Still listening in the meantime he caught Hotaru's next comment about a more private area, promptly reminding him of how many people were still here.

Anthony had to think for a moment. A private area? He could think of a few lounges that were around but they weren't exactly private. It actually took him a good few moments before he realized just where a private area would be. There was a meeting room normally used by those of at least 5th seat and higher. Given the circumstances he was certain he'd get no questions for why he would currently take that room despite there being only himself and one other. Looking over at Hotaru he nodded and spoke clearly and a little bit louder than perhaps necessary so that the others around would know to stay away from the room in particular. "Yes, there's a meeting room on the second floor of this building. It should be empty right now as I haven't heard of any meetings going on currently I'll lead the way." With a quick gesture towards Smokey, who promptly got up Anthony quickly turned around and started the short trek to the meeting room. 

It was a blessing to have a moment where he didn't have to look directly at Hotaru, and it showed. His movement though rigid initially was actually relaxing the more they walked. Especially when he looked down to his four legged companion. A couple more deep breaths and his color returned to his face as he continued to think over why such a high ranking member made the trek to come visit him. Try as he might to think on a reason he couldn't come up with one as to why she'd have searched him out. Before he could even get to the next thought they were at the room however. Opening the door he'd let Hotaru enter first before entering himself, it was a fairly basic layout with a few chairs circling a small round table in the center. There was a slightly bigger chair that most likely was meant for the captain commander, assuming he'd be present at the meeting. Anthony glanced at a chair before sitting down on the edge of it and directing his full attention at Hotaru. Smokey in the meantime laid down in front of Anthony, doing the same as he had prior. Keeping an eye on Hotaru.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I was looking for you, based off how you acted when you realized who was asking for you. I swear that it's nothing bad. The main reason I came looking for you was to get to know my newest family member. I was also curious as to the fact that you're not staying at the Manor when all the other Kuchiki are." Anthony nodded at her as she spoke but waiting until she was finished to answer. His nerves though calmed were still present but his tone as he spoke never broke, mostly due to her reassurance of the reason for their meeting. "I...I felt that it would be a better idea to integrate myself into my new squad. I may not be the sharpest mind but even I can tell there's a good deal of awkwardness with a number of other squad members and myself due to my being a noble. You saw it just as you came in yourself, everyone grew very tense. It wasn't just that you're a captain, though that doesn't help, it's the noble lineage that you hold. The combination makes everyone on edge. The same happens with me, though the more obnoxious members act on it even their gestures ride on the edge of "withheld". They don't want to make an enemy of the Kuchiki rather than be worried about myself as a person. To fix this and remind them I'm just another squad member I thought it best to stay in the barracks here and continue doing my best with the tasks given. Perhaps that's not the smartest tactic but it's not been wholly ineffective, at least a few members are starting to talk to me already or are at least comfortable enough to ask to pet Smokey."

Before Hotaru could respond after Anthony's answer he'd continue with his concern more evident. "However if I'm disgracing the family or not taking the correct action I will fix that immediately! I experienced some push when I first expressed the idea, let alone followed it, however I didn't think it to be a largely negative action. My apologies if it is." At this point Anthony would be quiet letting Hotaru speak her piece if she had any to give on the matter. Without realizing it Anthony had begun to pet Smokey with his right hand, scratching him behind his ears. A sort of obvious coping method for Anthony which even Hotaru could probably guess with ease given how much Anthony interacted with his companion up until now. 

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Hotaru smiled at Anthony while he thought of, and led her to, a more private area. She didn't truly realize what would happen if they talked in public until he turned to lead her away. It was then that she saw all of the people staring at them while they had been talking. She glanced around, looking at all of them and slightly glaring at a few before she remembered what the saying was in the human world. "I believe the Human World saying is 'Take a picture, it'll last longer.' Don't you have work you should be doing?"

She then started to follow her family member, watching as everyone else started to mummer and go back to whatever they were doing. It was one of the things that she hated, people just milling around when there is work to be done, especially in the First Division. She had worked here before, and knew just how busy this division was. For them to be noisy about what nobles are doing instead of working bothered her. While thinking, she had to stop abruptly before running into him.

Smiling towards him as he opened the door for her, she walked in and glanced around the room. It was a normal meeting room but she eyed the bigger chair. She immediately started towards the chair, sitting in it and relaxing. This was such a comfortable chair that she would slightly wriggle in it before she would lean back slightly, watching him take his seat. But, he sat at the edge of it? This dude really needed to relax a bit.

He started to answer her question rather quickly, saying that because he was a noble, there was a bit of awkwardness between him and the other members of his division. It made sense for him to stay here instead of the Manor with the way he was thinking. When she was here, she didn't even think about it this much, staying here in the barracks until she felt she was a part of the family. In that respect, he was like her.

Nodding as he went, she completely understood how he was feeling and why he would do this. "First off, you can seriously relax, like sitting back in your chair. Second, I completely understand why you would want to stay here based on what you've told me. You're not disrespecting the family by staying here, I was honestly just curious. Third, just remember to not let people walk all over you. You have to stand you for yourself.

That's just a personal opinion of mine, not really reflecting the family stuff. Fourth, you should come by the Manor every once and awhile to say hi and check in! We are your family and some of us even worry about you and other family members. Fifth, I meant what I said. I do want to get to know you better, since you're new, like how did you find such an adorable dog! But! This goes both ways. You can ask me ANY question you might have about me to get to know me better. And I do mean ANYTHING!"

She smiles back towards him, waiting to see how he would respond to her.

[Deleted]

Anthony was completely caught off guard if he was honest. Hotaru wasn’t exactly a terribly special individual, almost to be expected as far as Anthony was concerned for a Kuchiki but it was what she said that hit true for him. For one thing he really did let people walk over him because he overthought how to even talk to people, especially the higher ups, in his attempt to not propagate any further weirdness between them. However that mixed in with his constantly staying around probably wasn’t helping as Hotaru was right yet again with how the family was. His adoptive parents for one did care quite a bit, hell he’d even been forming a relationship with the family head as well, not to mention the various servants there that he’d come to know in the past 20 or so years of being a kuchiki. Though his idea might not be bad if he was the only one not visiting his family that would be pretty strange wouldn’t it? I mean seriously everyone else made some attempt even in his short time here, to visit their own family.



Yet here was the family, reaching back out and trying to remind him that he was still apart of them. For the first time since he’d met Hotaru he just chuckled to himself, smiling wide for a moment only to rub over his face with his hands. It was obvious once he moved them he was tired if only from feeling stressed out of late with his whole new transition into squad 1. Glancing back over towards Hotaru he simply gave a nod at her before resting his arms on his legs. “I’m sorry about being as rigid and awkward as I have been up until this point. I didn’t think about how awkward I was acting but honestly I’ve just been a bit stressed out about the whole coming to squad 1 thing. I want to do well for the family but I want the people here to just see me as one of them so I’m just doing what I think is best. Though I’ll admit I haven’t been looking at bigger picture so perhaps my actions have been just as awkward as I’ve been. I’ll have to do better at that, starting with some time away from this place. Heh I’m sure Hisano will give me an ear full about how I should have come home sooner haha! Moms though am I right?”



Anthony just laughed to himself before transitioning to a yawn, showing just how tired he’d been from the whole ordeal but at least now he was visibly more relaxed. Even Smokey had picked up on it and had decided it was time to sit by Anthony, thus he just glanced at him once before jumping up onto the remaining area of the couch. Anthony just looked at his dog with a look of “Oh so that’s how it goes, stealing the whole couch from me eh?” Smokey merely huffed and rested his head on the other arm rest. Shaking his head and forcibly moving his dogs hind legs some Anthony moved himself into a more comfortable position, partially laying on his dog. He could only imagine how it looked to Hotaru but their close relationship was almost more akin to siblings rather than master and pet. Once he’d stolen a hug from his dog he’d returned his attention to Hotaru again now having had the time necessary to mull over the remaining things she’d said.



“I guess I’ll start by answering your question before I start with one of my own.” Glancing over at Smokey Anthony started to comb through his fur as he spoke. This is Smokey, he’s a german shepherd albeit not with the normal coloring since the human world feels the tan and black are the more “pure” breed. As for how I got him? I initially joined the family about 20ish years ago though at the time it was kept a secret from all except Kyomei. Cyrus and Lady Hisano felt it would be best to get me up to speed with the soul society let alone how to be a noble before showing me off to the rest of the family. At some point about a year or two in however Stress had been eating at me and I was slipping a bit just because I felt so overwhelmed! Can you imagine, a noble in his cushy life stressed to that point? I had no reason to be but that’s how I felt.



So I took a night walk, against the wishes of my adoptive parents and took another stroll through the rukongai. I can’t even tell you how far or where I went because I’m still not certain however eventually I found someone who was fighting Smokey for some food. Smokey clearly had gotten it from some wildlife but that didn’t matter to the other and so he was going to use a terribly rusted knife to attack him in order to get it. Smokey of course wasn’t doing too well himself either but I don’t think he had it in him at the time to really fight someone else. Weird as it sounds but I felt more akin to Smokey than I did the aggressor so I walked up and broke the fight. Gave the person my current allowance which I didn’t understand at the time but was enough for them to drop their knife and run off. For Smokey I just tried to pet him really. He was not having it as you can imagine haha! And then he promptly ran off. Like that any hard work I’d done just disappeared and I had nothing to show for it. With nothing else to do but prepare for the next day I went home.



Over the course of the next few days I came back to the rukongai in different areas and just walked around, half hoping to find him again but not expecting it. Eventually I did find him again, or more like he found me. I’d gotten lost and had no idea how to get back until I saw him. Say what you will but I just went after him. I was uhh...kinda desperate. Thankfully I always had him in some line of sight and he brought me back towards the main gate. It took another year of interactions like this where I’d bring food and ask around to find him. Eventually somewhere along the way he just kept popping up around me more. Helped me not get mugged amongst other things with a well timed bark or “luckily” walking off towards a safer area.



The day he and I really became companions I didn’t see him, hadn’t seen him for over a month. I didn’t know the rukongai but I knew what could happen so it weighed heavily on my heart about losing my “guide” of sorts for the rukongai. But when I went back to the gate, which I’d known how to get back to by now, there he was sitting out in the open. It was late so there was no one else out and he just waited for me to come over to him and without my having to say anything he just walked with me right up to the gate. Thus I now had a companion, it was a bit of an uphill battle explaining where I had found him, why he was sticking around me, and just what the implications were for me to have a pet as it doesn’t seem the norm for those in the seireitei but eventually Lady Hisano caved and allowed him so long as he didn’t harm anyone. I “trained” him but honestly Smokey was intelligent enough to know what to do I merely looked like I trained him in my spare time. And here we are today. He’s my companion and comes everywhere with me, aside from certain missions.



Sorry for rambling on there but hopefully that answers your question and any others ya have about him. Time for a couple of my own then. How did you become a captain? Also how is it being in charge of an entire division? I forgot to ask Kyomei when I last talked to him but I do want to know how things are from your perspectives since the goal is to eventually make Vice Captain for Squad 1. Hehe far fetched though ain’t it?” Anthony just chuckled to himself as he diverted more of his attention to Smokey but now messing with his ears. Hotaru may not have seen it prior to the story but despite the odd idea that he just got a dog from the rukongai Smokey did have a couple features reminiscent of a time outside the seireitei. For one a scar, albeit small, across his muzzle, a couple at his paws both front and back, and lastly his eyes even. A normal dog held far more light-hearted eyes that seeked only to meet others or even just relax. Smokey’s brown, almost black eyes, seemed to carry a weight far more distinctive of someone who’d seen some less than good things happen. No doubt she’d recognize it from her own experience as she probably held similar eyes if anyone really cared to look deeply at them.



Almost out of nowhere Anthony all but jumped, causing even Smokey to look at him with a “What the fuck dude?” look. Anthony just pet him and gave a quiet apology before looking over at Hotaru. “I almost forgot but do you know who in the family is the one married to a...uhh..quincy I think? I believe that’s what they called em. But yea I was told ,though never given a name of who specifically it was, that someone had married a quincy. I’m honestly pretty curious about who they are but Lady Hisano and Cyrus would just say I’d figure out who it was eventually. What are your thoughts? I’m certain you’ve heard about them yea? Myself personally I’m just curious about them, I don’t fully understand the whole thing but apparently it seemed a big deal even still. I suppose I probably shouldn't ask about that though, moving on, what else would you like to know? I'll answer you to the best of my ability."

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Hotaru nodded with him as he talked about being stressed out for moving into a division for the first time. She definitely knew how he was feeling. She felt the same way when she was transferred in the First Division when she started out. She smiled at him when he realized that he eventually needed to take a break and visit family. When he commented about moms she smiled and agreed. "Yeah, but you know she's only looking out for you. My parents are no longer with me, but I carry them in my heart with me. My mother was very similar to yours. The family would love for you to visit more!"

He yawned then before she could continue and chuckled at the interaction between him and his dog. It was downright adorable. Once they found a comfortable spot, she could tell he was now more relaxed, and he went into the story of how he found his pet, Smokey. The story was extremely interesting, she was literally on the edge of her seat through most of the story. When he got to the end of the story, she started clapping enthusiastically. "Wow! That was a riveting story! Very nice!"


"It wasn't rambling, you needed to tell the whole story!" She relaxed back in her seat and she listened to all of his questions. The last question, about the shinigami that married the quincy made her eyebrow raise slightly. So, no one decided to tell him that she was the one had done it. She didn't know if they didn't approve or what, but she wouldn't worry about it. It's already happened and the rest of the Kuchiki would just have to deal with it.

"I don't think it's a bad goal at all to aim for a Vice Captaincy! Just work hard and I'm sure you'll be able to achieve it! Now to answer your questions, I'll have to go into my history in the Gotei. When I first joined the Gotei, I too was in the First Division. I made a really good friend here, who was also the Vice Captain at that time, Kagami Murai. He has been one of my closest friends, but he disappeared awhile ago. I looked for him but sadly, I haven't been able to find him. I wonder what he's up to from time to time..."

"But! Moving on from there, I transferred into the Eleventh Division after I was adopted into the Kuchiki family. Sozen-sama was the one that had me adopted me in and I am grateful that he helped me do so. There, I was the Third Seat, Takashi Kuchiki was the Vice Captain and the Captain was one Iro Kuchiki. I'm sure you've heard of Iro-sama, the family member that joined the Zero Division. From my interactions with him, he was a good man. I wish I got to know him better."

"Takashi was....something else for sure. If you want to know more about him, ask, but I don't want to get too much into rambling by talking about what happened with him. Anyway, after that, I was brought before the other Captains of the Seireitei and through recommendations of the majority of the captains, I was given one of the open Captaincies, for the Tenth Division. I was extremely honored by the appointment and I hope that I'm making my family, as well as the Seireitei proud by my work."

"As for how it feels? It can be extremely stressful, knowing that I could be sending a large number of shinigami into to danger where they could be getting injured or worse. But, I try to keep everything I do as transparent as possible, keeping my division as informed as possible. I have an open door policy, letting anyone and everyone walk in and talk to me if they need it. I also set fairly stern ground rules and keep the division disciplined, which from what I can tell, seems to be going over well with everyone. I hope that answered your questions!"

She took a deep breath before she leaned forward on her hands, her wedding and engagement rings shining in the light. "As for the shinigami that married the quincy, I'll give you my thoughts and as to why it's a big deal. Shinigami perform the spirit burial, as you know, that puts souls back into the cycle. Quincy, however, don't. When they defeat hollows, they destroy the soul. Because of this fact, shinigami and quincy have gone to war, to the point that the quincy were almost extinct. That's not the case now, but we shinigami have fought against the Vandenreich, which is a quincy organization that I'm sure you've heard of."

"The quincy in question, Asmoskon Masuaro, is what is know as a free quincy. He's not tied to the Vandenreich at all and when he fell in love with a shinigami and proposed to her, the Kuchiki family was in an uproar about it. When she told the family Head, Sozen-sama, about what was going on, he immediately defended her when the elders brought it up and thanks to him, she was able to marry the love of her life. The shinigami was me and I have never been happier in my life than when I got to marry my Quincy, Asmoskon."

"The marriage was a huge deal, especially since it was a marriage between two races that have been enemies for as long as anyone can remember. But, thanks to Sozen-sama, we had no issues and everything went off without a hitch. Though, I have to admit, we were both half expecting one of the guests to try to break it up or even hurt one of us. Though, with Kagami-senpai as my man of honor and Kazura as Asmoskon's best man, I'm pretty sure they would've stepped in."

She took a deep breath to calm herself slightly. "Sorry about that. You wouldn't believe the whispers that run around the Seireitei about it. Even when he comes here, I'm sure that people talk about it. But, we both share time evenly between here and the Human World and if you want, you can meet him and talk to him yourself if you want to know about Quincies. But, as for questions I have about you.....let's see. If you don't mind me asking, do you know your Zanpaktou's name and if so, what kind of power does it have? Also, have you ever thought about transferring into a Kuchiki division? It doesn't matter to me one way or the other but I'm just being curious."

[Deleted]

Anthony could only nod at Hotaru’s initial answer. It was straightforward and had answered everything he wanted to know. It made sense that she was stressed in some capacity with it given she was in charge of a large number of people. It was interesting however that she was made a captain through recommendation however, most seemed to be able to get away by fighting others for the position. Which while a good display of strength wasn’t exactly the best transition method for a captain. Still he wasn’t anyone to really speak on that so he kept quiet though he was impressed that Hotaru had gotten so many recommendations to warrant the position.

Before Hotaru started to talk about Asmokon her body language changed, the relaxed look faded away a bit and initially he wondered if he had hit a particular nerve of hers. However he didn’t have a moment to say anything to try and stop the conversation as she’d immediately begun talking about her view. "The quincy in question, Asmoskon Masuaro, is what is know as a free quincy. He's not tied to the Vandenreich at all and when he fell in love with a shinigami and proposed to her, the Kuchiki family was in an uproar about it. When she told the family Head, Sozen-sama, about what was going on, he immediately defended her when the elders brought it up and thanks to him, she was able to marry the love of her life. The shinigami was me and I have never been happier in my life than when I got to marry my Quincy, Asmoskon."

Welp...that made it pretty clear why she was a bit on edge by it. Or at least why things grew a bit more tense from his question. He listened to her take on the whole thing, glad at least she wasn’t upset at him for asking about the matter, however the whole thing sat a bit unwell on him. This showed a bit more than he would have liked though he remained silent as he thought through the whole thing. A quincy and a shinigami. I mean honestly as long as she’s happy with it and the others aren’t doing anything then it’s fine however he could understand why people wouldn’t be happy. He didn’t quite feel comfortable with the idea that quinces just outright destroy the souls of those they fight which made sense as to why the shinigami fought them. This gave Anthony an uncomfortable chill because he could only think of how many hollow Asmokon had killed let alone other people and the potential allone concerned him.

Anthony was honestly going to need more time to digest the entire thing. It was too big an idea to sit on and try to answer or come to a decisive decision in one day. For now he’d just hold his thoughts to himself unless asked directly by Hotaru and currently she wasn’t wanting his input so he’d be able to continue thinking over it until next it came up. If ever. Thankfully the question she’d followed up with to ask Anthony was a simple question and would take the tension from the air for at least the moment. "Sorry about that. You wouldn't believe the whispers that run around the Seireitei about it. Even when he comes here, I'm sure that people talk about it. But, we both share time evenly between here and the Human World and if you want, you can meet him and talk to him yourself if you want to know about Quincies. But, as for questions I have about you.....let's see. If you don't mind me asking, do you know your Zanpaktou's name and if so, what kind of power does it have? Also, have you ever thought about transferring into a Kuchiki division? It doesn't matter to me one way or the other but I'm just being curious."

Taking a breath and relaxing again he looked over at Hotaru as he answered. “Your fine, it’s...a unique situation so it’s going to have its fair share of negative reactions. It's a lot to take in honestly. For now though I’ll have to pass on meeting him, I want to focus more on trying to do what I can for the squad but perhaps when I’m a bit more settled in we can try and set up a time where I can meet him. It’d certainly be interesting. To answer your question I don’t know on either front. I haven’t even heard whispers from the blade itself. So I suppose the abilities or being itself is still in and of itself up in the air. I can tell you in a broad sense what power I’m hoping for though.”

Anthony took a moment to look around and even another second longer to try and listen in case he’d hear someone. There were many things Anthony could get away with but he was certain his appreciation for this subject matter wouldn’t fly with most. Once he was certain no one was listening in he’d redirect his attention to Hotaru. “Sorry I know that was strange of me but I doubt anyone, especially another shinigami who isn’t the family, would really approve. If I had any say in the matter I’d really like an ability dealing with necromancy or souls in some manner or another. I love that magic branch specifically and being able to use the dead and spirits of other beings offers so much potential it’s not even funny. Granted I understand it toes or crosses a line most aren’t comfortable with but honestly I think it depends on how one uses it, like any other power. But who knows though? At this point I could get anything but I imagine that moment of figuring out what abilities my zanpakuto will have are far off. But yea that’s my preference, it may not be the answer you were hoping for but that’s all I can give honestly.”

“As far as transferring to a Kuchiki division the thought did cross my mind. However it wasn’t something I wanted because I felt like I’d be in someone else’s shadow. Perhaps it’s a bit selfish but I feel like I need to repay the family by going down a path that hasn’t been taken, or at least one that hasn’t been taken in a long time. Thus why I felt like coming here to squad 1 was the best option. I probably can’t succede the Captain Commander but I can definitely become his vice captain and be sort of around the level of other captains while there as long as I work hard enough. That’s my thought process at least. So while being with other family would be honestly probably more enjoyable I didn’t feel like it would be the right thing for me thus I never really considered it an option. I guess my question would be to reflect that back at you, why did you want to join Kuchiki ran divisions? And what about your zanpakuto what does it do? Oh that reminds me, how difficult was it to get Bankai? I’m certain it wasn’t easy but about what did you have to do to get it?”

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

She nods with his first sentiment. "I completely understand that! Finding out all the details on that I'm sure was a lot to take in. But, just keep in mind that he's your family now too and you can talk to him if you need to. He might look scary, but he's really a nice guy. Doing what's important for your squad should be important, but please don't forget your family in your rise to the top! I'll have to show you my cat sometime."

When he said that he would like necromancy powers, her eyebrow quirked. It was interesting that he went with something that others would think are morbid. But, she had never been able to use Kido so for him to focus on it was very intriguing to her. She listened while he spoke about the powers he wanted. "No, I understand what you mean. Powers are neither good nor evil, it completely depends on how a person uses them. I hope that you get what you're wishing for, but I'm sure that any powers you get you'll use well!"

"I can see trying to step outside of the family shadow for sure! As to why I joined a Kuchiki division? I was just inducted into the Kuchiki family and I was still trying to figure out my place in the family. To me, it made sense that the best way to get to know the family was to work among them, to get to know them better, since I wasn't born into the family like a lot of other members were."

"As for how I got my Bankai, I think it's different for each person. For me, I went into my Inner World and had to prove myself to Rivu~aiasan, my Zanpaktou. We fought for what felt like days and when the fight was over, he deemed me worthy and gave me the power of Bankai. As to what he can do? My main power is fire, but water can't put the fire out. When something passes through his flame, attacks weaken based on my own power."

"When I go into Bankai, a huge ring of fire explodes out from me, causing everything in it to weaken and making it harder for enemies to leave. If attacks pass through my flames again, the attacks weaken even more. So, you can say that my power is fire that weakens my enemies. I'm proud of how well we work together." She looks down at Rivu~aiasan then, feeling the warmth from him in her hands.

[Deleted]

Anthony could only chuckle to himself at Hoatru’s abilities. Somehow the idea of burning everything around into a more manageable form just seemed to fit her. If nothing else she’d been actively trying to take away Anthony’s nervousness with a caring warmth so the idea she took this active “burning” approach could only make sense. Still he had to admit that was quite a power to have, it’d make anyone who fought against her have to think twice about their abilities because she could just decrease their effectiveness with ease. And she wasn’t even talking about Bankai, that was more like an extra layer of fuck you in the mix. While Anthony couldn’t stand up to her currently there’d certainly be some good that would come out of training with her let alone sparring with her later on when he was actually able to pose some threat. And even still bankai training, if he ever could feasibly make it that far.



In the meantime however she seemed to be waiting on his response to her. “That makes a good deal of sense, sticking within a Kuchiki ran division. If I hadn’t been in some form of “noble” training for a bit I’d have definitely thought in a similar way. Hell even with you working alongside the family you stood out so perhaps it's not so much a shadow as I thought. While we don’t have time now I’d definitely be interested in hearing how it was like being with the Kuchiki. As well as your thoughts on the current ones around, I honestly don’t know many too well so I can’t say anything haha! Aside from my parents and yourself, Kyomei is the only Kuchiki I know some about currently. And he’s definitely… interesting on multiple levels. While Anthony wasn’t thinking about it his expression got a bit more serious but excited. He’d not mentioned it to anyone else but he had a personal rivalry with Kyomei. Nothing malicious but he wanted to be strong and he wanted to do well as a kuchiki. If he could stand on some even footing with Kyomei he’d be doing pretty good.



Another moment though and Anthony realized where his thoughts had been heading and shook his head to get his mind off the topic for now. He was with Hotaru, rivalries were fine but he didn’t want to let it make itself known too much right now. Besides it’d be disrespectful to Hotaru, that was one thing he didn’t want to be towards her. Looking over at her he had an interesting question of his own he wanted to know. “So this may be a bit of an odd question to ask but what does your inner world look like? I don’t know how frequently asked that is but I’ve heard that each is drastically different so I’m just a bit curious. Hehe I’m curious even for myself as I’ve no idea what mine could be. Oh and before I forget so you said you were adopted in also right? How did you get adopted into the family? You mentioned Sozen had adopted you but that was all. Sorry if that’s a bit invasive of a question but I can’t help but be curious.”



Anthony had asked but if he was honest his mind was still nagging at him slightly. He wanted to continue thinking over what his zanpakuto might be able to do. When he’d learned to call out to it. His eyes didn’t glaze or dull over, hell he even paid attention to Hotaru but he was somewhat distracted. How would a necromantic power be applied? If he got that. If he didnt what power could he get? What made sense for him to get? He was told that the powers were born of him so potentially there were a number of things that could influence its decision and ultimately it’s power. And thus Anthony’s mind went off to the far flung reaches of his mind considering while he did his best to listen, occasionally missing bits here and there. With a little thought though he’d probably be able to get the gist of what Hotaru was talking about however assuming it was short. If it was long all best were off.

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Hotaru smiled, actually enjoying the talk that she was having with one of the newest members of her family. She was happy that he seemed to be opening up to her, answering her questions and relaxing around her. It wouldn't do well for a member of her family to be afraid of her just because of her station, they were all family and he needed to know that she would do what she could for him when she could. Though, when he mentioned knowing Kyomei, her eyes lit up.

"WAIT! You actually know Kyomei-sama?!?! I've been meaning to talk to him, but I've never gotten the chance and, to be perfectly honest, I'm nervous to talk to him. I mean he's the Head of the family! YOU MUST TELL ME EVERYTHING YOU KNOW ABOUT HIM!!!!" She bounces lightly in her chair as she stares unblinkingly at him, waiting to hear every detail about the man. She would be slightly bouncing as he talked about what he knew and when he was done, she would take a breath to calm down slightly.

"Sorry about that, just got really excited. It's nice to actually know a bit more about him. I mean I probably know as much as you do about the current Kuchiki, but I can tell you a bit about Sozen-sama, Takashi-kun, Souza-sama and Amagi-sama, if you're interested. I know a little bit about Iro-sama too, but I need to learn more about him... But! To answer your question about my Inner World, it's kind of a mix between three things. The first part is a beach, where I can relax next to the ocean. From there, it turns into a grassy meadow with a dojo, for training. The last part, that kind of looms over everything else is the volcano where Rivu~aiasan lives."

At the next question, she leaned in and motioned for him to lean in as well. She looks around to make sure that everything is closed and there's nothing in the room that might be able to catch what she's about to say. "Now, for this next part, I'm pretty sure that Sozen-sama didn't tell many people how I was adopted into the family. I will tell you, but you have to swear to me, on your honor and family that you will NOT speak a word of this to anyone else. If you do, it won't be pretty."

I was wounded badly in a fight with a hollow while I was in this squad actually. I crawled to the closest squad from where I was, which was the Twelfth. I crawled there, leaving a bloody trail in my wake and when I got there, Azumi-sama, at the time the Captain of the squad, answered. Before I had passed out, I told her I wanted to be stronger. When I woke up, I was in a surgery room, with her and Sozen-sama there. She walked up to me and told me what I would do be stronger.

I said, I would do anything. She looked back towards Sozen-sama, who gave her a nod and left. She hooked me up to machines and I didn't even question it, just wanting to be strong enough to not lose that badly again. I underwent a transfusion that gave me Kuchiki blood. From then on, I was part of the family. It's the reason I wanted to join a family squad, to learn about my newfound family. Wow, this is the first time I've told someone that outside of my husband. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, leaning back in her chair. She looked towards him, waiting for what he would say.

[Deleted]

Yea so that moment where Anthony started to think too deeply on his personal rivalry? Didn't happen. In fact he only barely scratched the thought before his attention was ripped back to Hotaru due to her almost squealing from her chair. "WAIT! You actually know Kyomei-sama?!?! I've been meaning to talk to him, but I've never gotten the chance and, to be perfectly honest, I'm nervous to talk to him. I mean he's the Head of the family! YOU MUST TELL ME EVERYTHING YOU KNOW ABOUT HIM!!!!" Anthony’s expression said everything he was thinking, a nice casual “WTF?” When his mind caught up after the small shock he nodded at Hotaru but shrugged some halfway through.



” “Know” is a strong word. I’ve just interacted with him a bit more than I expected. See prior to my first day I’d left the academy to return home and let my mother know how everything went and where I’d be going. What happened however was I slammed my face into pillar along the way, Kyomei happened to be nearby and decided it was worth his time to talk to me. Predominantly to congratulate me for making it through the academy and being able to join Squad 1. We ended up chatting while I looked for my mother and eventually he decided to take some time out of his day to train me a bit. Apparently his version of training is a 3 in 1 idea. Mind, body, and spirit I mean. So he’ll train the spirit via kido and some combination ability? While exercising and while going through various scenarios, though I think he toned down the mind bit given I hadn’t actually fought a hollow at the time.” Anthony chuckled at himself as he remembered missing the tree he attempted to hit initially because he wanted to try a move.



“Honestly I shouldn’t have said I “know” him but I’ve talked with him some. His thought process is interesting… Always one step ahead it seems. But considering what he runs it’s not that far off to say there’s a lot to take into account so much more confined matters may be a good deal easier because of that “training” you could say. The one thing I will say however. It’s one thing to say he’s powerful, and really that’s a given for his position both as a captain AND the head. But Kyomei’s a monster of sorts. I have a kido that allows me to keep an eye on what’s going on around me and most of the time when it hits something it rebounds back. Simple right? Kyomei without trying slammed it back. I can’t tell specific but he has...an ocean? No the size is right but not the strength. It’s more like a typhoon’s level of strength with an ocean of reiatsu to use prior. It’s single handedly the most terrifying thing I’ve ever experienced. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg for his abilities, I’m almost certain of that.”



“However. That’s just more reason to get to Vice Captain. I’ll be honest, there’s no way I can beat the captain commander. Not now and probably not later. But what I can do is become the next best thing under his influence. And with the way vice captains of squad 1 are treated they may as well be pseudo captains. Say what you will but the actual reason beyond wanting to show my gratitude for the family who took me in is that I want to be at a level of power and ability similar to that of both our current head and the captain commander. There was no other place I could go to that would offer me quite the same opportunity especially given how difficult it is to make vice captain, let alone when it entails being the captain commander’s right hand man. So in order to do that well I need to get up to Kyomei and your levels.”



Anthony up to this point had looked timid, probably even weak in a way, and just as much as a kid could be. Confused and uncertain about the world around him. However the look on his current face, despite his own goofy smile would be a determination of steel. Something that probably didn’t look like it could come from someone like Anthony originally, hell if only to bolster how serious a goal this was for him even his reiatsu fluctuated. Not on purpose of course but naturally as Anthony didn’t yet have the capability to really control his reiatsu that well. Once Hotaru began talking this slowly faded until Anthony was back to his relaxed self but the stark difference would still be noticeable. However his attention remained constant on Hotaru. Especially about the story behind her adoption.



Anthony was average in intelligence but he pretty well understood what happened. Hotaru had been given not just some kuchiki blood but had her entire blood replaced with such. He quickly paled to that of a sheet but never grew faint. Smokey gave him a look of concern and gave a small bark to bring Anthony back to the current moment. Though Anthony hadn’t intended on letting a secret of his be known so early if Hotaru paid attention and noticed when he turned pale, which was strictly at the transfusion bit, she probably be able to gather that some aspect of that is what caused the sudden change in demeanor again. Specifically however it was the idea of being hit with multiple needles and injections only to support an entire resupplying of an entire bodies worth of blood. Anthony could stand seeing blood but damn if the idea of ...that.. Didn’t make him sick and weak at the knees all the same. Hell he hated needles with a passion and getting blood drawn. The reverse was just horrifying to imagine. When he’d finally managed to calm himself down some he spoke albeit a tad quietly, Make no mistake… THAT… That I don’t even think I could handle telling another. It will not leave the two of us, I promise you that. Ugh I think I’m going to need a moment though after that. That was… a lot to take in personally.”

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Hotaru was literally on the edge of her seat when he started talking about Kyomei. She had almost no interaction with him whatsoever, besides the one meeting that they both attended with her Vice Captain. She chuckled when he slammed his face into a pillar, but from what she's seen from the man, and how he's been acting, it makes perfect sense that he would do something like that. But, he just lucked out that Kyomei was nearby and offered to help him out after congratulating him on a job well done.

The more he talked about him, the more it made her think on how she came to talk to, and train with, the previous Head of their family, Sozen. They definitely had something of a relationship, since he went out of his way to make sure her wedding went off without a hitch and the training she did in that basement....She shook her head and paid more attention to what Anthony was saying. The strength he was describing that Kyomei possessed made sense if he was to lead the family. But, his power is the size of an ocean?! That is a little frightening.

She admired that he was focused on becoming an equal of a captain, the determination on his face said it all. When he mentioned that Vice Captains of the First Division were treated as pseudo captains, she couldn't help but think back to Kagami, who was the Vice Captain while she was in this division. Thinking back, he was pretty treated that way. She assumed it was because of him, but maybe getting to be the Vice Captain of this division is supposed to be able to keep on par with captains.

Once, she started talking however, his demeanor changed. It looked like he was getting white as a sheet. Obviously, he didn't like the thought of blood and/or needles. Before that, she didn't really like needles either, but after what she went through, needles don't bother her as much anymore. When she was done, he promised not to tell another and said he needed a minute. "Of course and thank you, Anthony-san. I appreciate your secrecy. There are two things I would like to comment on.

First, when I was stationed here in the First Division after I left the academy, much like you did, I befriended the Vice Captain at the time. He helped me train and became my best friend. I would suggest you do something similar. Second, I also had a run in with the Head of the family, the previous Head. Besides what I just mentioned, he took time out to personally train me as well, in a training facility at the Manor. He was also the main reason why my wedding to Asmoskon actually went through without an incident. From what you've said, it seems like we're a bit more similar than I thought we were."

She would lean back in her chair then, unhooking her Zanpaktou blade and laying it over her lap in a more comfortable position. It was starting to poke into her side and this was much better. She laid her hand on the scabbard of the blade, feeling Rivu~aiasan just under the material, slightly moving around and lightly heating up her hand, letting him know that he was here for her. She smiled slightly and looked towards Anthony, waiting for him to compose himself before they continued.

[Deleted]

Anthony’s head felt dizzy a bit as his imagination went on it’s own journey from Hotaru’s story. It took him a moment to forcibly stop it but only for a moment to breath. What actually brought him out of it all was Smokey barking at him again and smacking him with his tail. The smack was directly on his arm and it wasn’t exactly light. Anthony instinctively turned to look at his companion about to ask what that was for before seeing Smokey was already looking at him dead in the eye. Expression blank but his eyes showing concern. He kept the gaze for a few moments before laying his head back down on the couch armrest. Anthony by this point was able to breathe properly again and had started coming back to his normal self. Color slowly but surely returning to his face. Another couple minutes and he was as he was prior, relaxed and smiling.

“My apologies about taking so long. My mind wouldn’t stop thinking over how that would work or just the entire process itself...That’s definitely something. I’m impressed by your will to go through that whole thing. I don’t think I could have done that honestly. Truthfully I don’t think I could have gone through a some of the things you’ve done. But I feel that’s similar to Kyomei so I’m going to have to if I intend to meet both him and you at the upper echelon. Hehe. As for your advice with finding a vice captain or another to befriend and help me out I’ll do what I can. . . However it’s going to have to be somewhere else… The vice captain for squad 1 currently i-” The door opened to the meeting room to reveal said person in question alongside the second and third seats. The vice captain was an older man, with an appearance akin to a human in their 50’s, facial hair prominent but well trimmed and blonde enough to be white gold’s equivalent. He would look dignified if he hadn’t a resting bitch face that held a sour disgust at those currently beside him and Anthony in particular it seemed. Though given the presence of Hotaru he merely narrowed his eyes some before addressing her.

The other two were fairly plain by comparison. One being a sort of “shut in nerd” if the soul society could have such a person. His skin was pale as a sheet and he had sizable thick glasses. With a small mouth and unkempt black hair he was a bit of an awkward person to look at however he didn’t earn his position for nothing. Typical to a mage he had fairly impressive spiritual energy radiating off him despite his thin frame. The other was a far more charismatic person both in look and in vibe. She was smaller standing at about 4ft 5in with deep crimson hair and freckles sporting over her cheeks. She was also fairly thin in form but more akin to thin because of being well taken care of vs the 3rd seats starving, unnaturally thin figure. She merely waved at Anthony as well as Hotaru as she smiled wide as could be with a smile that practically warmed up the room a few degrees.

“Forgive us for interrupting your conversation Captain Kuchiki but we’ve been assigned a number of tasks that require use of this room with those of us present as well as a few members from other squads. This won’t happen for another 5 to 10 minutes so please use that time to conclude your business. As for you Anthony once your done there’s more filth to clean up around the barracks. I expect it to be spotless when I give the barracks a tour later this evening.” With that the older man and his companions walked out. Anthony caught the final look of aimed disgust from the vice captain that was given to him but thankfully he didn’t have to hear about it until later on today. He remembered Hotaru’s comment about having a backbone but in the case of his vice captain he wasn’t certain how exactly he’d accomplish that except for challenging him to a fight. And currently? That wasn’t happening.

Directing his attention to Hotaru, now with a small frown maring his face he spoke quietly towards her. “For what it’s worth I’m sorry about the vice captain. He’s that way with most but he’s very good about giving “respect” to those who’ve earned their rank. You can see why I don’t exactly feel as though I can truly ask him for help let alone talk to him.” He sighed to himself and Smokey already knowing what would happen started moving onto the floor in front of Anthony. He didn’t look too pleased either but he merely sat next to Anthony as he waited for him to get up. Anthony quickly did after looking at Hotaru and bowing apologetically. “Anyway I enjoyed our time talking as well as learning more about the family and yourself. I will come visit the manor so I’ll make certain that we can continue this when next I see you there. For now however I’m going to make sure I get started on cleaning. It’s not a glamorous job but it’s what I do currently. At least the vice captain hasn’t complained about my quality of work so that’s something yea? Thank you Hotaru. Seriously, I needed to talk to someone from the family...This has been the most relief I’ve had on a mental level since I’ve joined. I look forward to when next we can talk.

With that Anthony waited a moment to hear Hotaru out for anything she wanted to say. However with a gentle knock on the door afterward Anthony could only smile apologetically and quickly walk out with Smokey so he could start on the cleaning. The vice captain in the meantime managed to cast one last glare towards Anthony as he walked out but otherwise said nothing. He and the other three instead stayed quiet and waited patiently for Hotaru to exit. Once she did they’d promptly enter,closing off the door behind them with a quiet chatter going on from the otherside of the door. Anthony could only hope he wasn’t disrespectful but he didn’t want to invoke the anger of his vice captain either so it had been a rather small tightrope he had to cross. Still at least he was planning the next time he could give a visit to the manor. If nothing else that was the big take away and he’d made certain to learn that much from Hotaru. And if he was honest he was looking forward to when next he’d see Hotaru, he just hoped that it wouldn’t be so short as it was this time.

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Hotaru waited patiently for Anthony to continue talking. It seemed that his dog, Smokey if she was remembering the name correctly, barked and smacked him with his tail. He seemed to come back to reality for that moment and she just smiled and shaking her head, trying to tell him that he didn't need to apologize. When he said that he was impressed with what she's done, she blushes and her right hand rubs the back of her head, slightly embarrassed. She didn't think what she did was all that impressive, but it was nice that someone thought it was.

He was talking about his vice captain and before she could really say or answer anything he was saying, the door opened to reveal what she assumed was the Vice Captain that he was speaking of. She assumed that it was the next highest seated officers with him. She hadn't met an older vice captain before, so it was a little surprising, but she kept her head. She sat up straight and stared flatly at him, barely blinking and keeping some intensity on him. She also directed some of her spiritual pressure towards him.

When he said Captain Kuchiki, her face ticked slightly. Obviously, he didn't think her new last name was good enough, since he left off her husband's last name. She immediately didn't like the man, especially how he treated Anthony. Why did the Captain Commander pick an ass like that after Kagami? Did the void need to be filled quickly, or was he just as ass with everyone that wasn't ranked highly in the division. If it was the latter, he definitely needs to fix his priorities.

She waved her hand. "It's quite alright Anthony. I now understand why you wouldn't seek him out to help you, since he seems like a complete asshole. I guess my ENTIRE last name was just too hard for him to pronounce. I enjoyed our time talking as well! It was nice to talk to more family members and you're welcome! I'm glad I could help and my door is always open!" Before he completely left the room, she would use her speed to get in front of him quickly and give him a hug, he looked like he needed it.

After that, there was a knock on the door. Anthony took the cue to leave the room. She smiled and waved as he walked off, hoping that he would actually come visit more. She really enjoyed talking to someone else in the family, hopefully on a regular basis. Before she left, she stayed in the room to talk to the vice captain. "Just so you know, my appropriate title, if you use captain, is Captain Kuchiki-Masurao. I'm sure that you didn't hear that I was married several months ago, so I'll let your disrespect slide this time. If it happens again, there will be punishment."

Glaring after she said that, she would let her spiritual pressure fully release for a few seconds, punctuating her point. This asshole better take her advice or he will regret it, if or when they saw each other again. She slowly walked out and the door closed behind her for whatever meeting they were doing. She looked off in the direction that Anthony went, hoping that he'll be okay here. Then, she looked in the direction of the manor and Shunpo-ed away to relax for the night.