Bittersweet Memories (Character App Purpose RP)

[Niijima Izumi]

if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you tagged: Col

It was painful…

It was not physically painful, but more so mentally, at least for Izumi. The silhouette of the eighth division captain walking along the half-deserted streets of Seireitei. She had adorned a straw hat, one of the many accessories she loved to wear when she was ‘off-duty’. The woman was wearing a black silk kimono, with dark red roses printed, a dark red obi sash keeping the kimono together tightly. Her sword was sheathed underneath her sash. She had replaced the traditional straw shoes with a slightly elevated version. The sound of the wooden shoes tapping melodically against the pavement was the only sound audible in the dark night.

In her hand was a bottle of umeshu, one of her favorite alcohol drinks and somewhat of a guilty pleasure. Izumi never drank in front of her division members, and rarely drank in other social interactions. A lightweight, she was careful about how people saw her, how she would be perceived, and a drunk woman was the last way she wanted to be perceived. She preferred only to drink when she was alone, or in perfectly comfortable company, which was very difficult to find. Tonight was a drinking night, the moon shining brightly above her as she tried to find a place of solitude.

OWL

[Kaen Youji]

Even if Izumi was not on duty anymore, the nearest other Shinigami in her vicinity still was. Kaen had found yet his fifth excuse of the day to avoid the mounting piles of paperwork on his desk-- work that had mounted immensely since taking on the duties as a Vice Captain. Forced to wear the badge of office which he still felt uncomfortable wearing. It was the Empress's badge after-all. He was still just holding it for her. But soon enough... Soon enough he'd have a rather different badge to offer up when the Empress made her return. Hoshi Shouyu was going to receive a proper Squad 7 welcome. He'd make sure of that. At any rate, Kaen had found an excuse to have a breather out in the evening air. His breath fogged up in front of him as he walked around, on a patrol. Just to get some air in the labyrinthine corridors of the Seireitei. His own mind on a dozen things at once.

As Kaen walked along, his ears picked up the sound of someone else. A clacking sound as of wooden sandals on tiles. Kaen looked up, noticing a figure ahead of him. The wide straw hat made it difficult to make out her features at first, but he tilted his head to peer under it, noting Izumi's features. Like himself she seemed deep in thought. A Shinigami off duty, by his guess. ...Eh. Couldn't hurt. And I could use the company. Kaen tried to smile at Izumi as he approached. He didn't recognize her, but what the hell. Learn new people and new faces. Kaen spun on his heel as Izumi would pass him and tried to walk alongside her. "Well then good evening miss. You mind some company?" He asked genially. Kaen tried to match Izumi's pace, walking alongside her. "Kaen Youji. And you are...?" He inquired with a cheerful smile. Kaen was planning on tagging along even if Izumi told him she didn't want company. If anything, that could spur him on even more. But his gut was telling him that this newcomer could use some company tonight at any case. She had that aura about her.

[Niijima Izumi]

if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you tagged: Col

She had sensed him before she had seen him, her footsteps gradually slowing as she heard a faint sound that was none other than someone walking behind her. She was aware that there were people still on duty, and technically she should be as well, although not officially. A captain’s unwritten duties included always keeping patrol no matter the circumstance. It was a given that the moment they chose to step out of their offices and division barracks, they were automatically expected to be on patrol. And Izumi didn’t mind, as she quite enjoyed having an excuse to do something while being deep in thought, an excuse for her wandering mind to be concentrated on other things.

The woman was quite taken aback at his congenial attitude, or even being addressed, although judging from the way he spoke to her, he had no idea who she was. This didn’t bother her at all, since she had only recently been promoted to Captain. She would give him a small smile, a smile that she gave to strangers all the time, one that was rather formal and distant. She was not one for conversation, at least not initiating them, simply nodding her head at his inquiry of joining her. He had introduced himself as Kaen. The name…it was unfamiliar to her. She would glance from underneath her straw hat, her right hand tilting it slightly so that most of his features were in view, before responding. “Niijima Izumi.” Her introduction was short and sweet, her tone light and barely audible as she uttered her name. There would be no mention of rank, of status or of division.

She kept walking noticing that he kept in stride with her. The night air was slightly chilly, but the clear sky above was comforting at least. They would walk in silence for a few minutes, her inability to continue conversation evident. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to make an effort, it was simply that she wasn’t sure what to say. Once or twice, the woman’s gaze would rest on his features, her eyes sweeping over his form as she tried to recall if she had ever seen him before. There were simply too many people in Seireitei, even more people in the Gotei 13 that it didn’t help her memory. Izumi had an innate problem with connecting a name to a face.

OWL

[Kaen Youji]

As Izumi surmised, Kaen indeed had no idea who she was. Her face was completely unknown to him! But at least he now had a name. "It's nice to meet you Izumi!" He chirped in reply. Studying Kaen's features, there were a few things that set Kaen apart from his peers. Depending on what Izumi valued the first thing she noticed could have been any number of things. The bright, clear blue eyes, possibly-- for someone in Soul Society, while there were plenty of Shinigami that maintained a chipper attitude and optimistic disposition, many eventually got disillusioned or sterner. More taciturn, but in Kaen's eyes there was no trace of that, unless one looked very deep. Deep into the parts of himself that Kaen had by now, come to terms with, but chose to exclude from his life. Maybe she might notice the prominent cross-shaped scar on Kaen's cheek, a mark of his experiences as a soldier and warrior (or mayhap just the mark of a bar-room brawl that got out of hand?). A different set of eyes might first notice the very casual way in which Kaen had adjusted what was clearly his formal uniform. While most Shinigami favored long sleeved Shihakusho's with their Zanpakuto on their left hip, Kaen instead had quite noticeably torn the sleeves off of his uniform exposing his arms to the night air (which, due to the cold were developing goosebumps, but shush), and wore his short-bladed Zanpakuto slung across his back. Or maybe her eyes would be drawn first to the badge he had affixed to his left chest, denoting him as the Vice Captain of Squad 7. When Kaen was on duty, he bore this responsibility to the division after-all.

Whatever Izumi picked up from Kaen's appearance was inconsequential to Kaen. Kaen simply regarded her with those crystal clear eyes. "Not much for conversation? Alright, I'll start then. So where are you from Izumi?" He inquired. "Tell me about yourself. You must have a story. An attractive woman like you doesn't go out drinking alone on a night like this without a story, does she?" He nudged further in an attempt to prod a little more information from her. This woman seemed quite reserved. And the smile seemed... hmm. Not quite forced, but not genuine either. An obligation. That wouldn't do at all. Just like Izumi was to him, Kaen was trying to get a measure of her.

Kaen for his part wasn't much for boasting about his rank. Vice Captain... while it would be patently false to say it didn't matter to Kaen, because of his particular views, he didn't like the way that "Kaen Youji, Vice Captain of Squad 7" rolled off the tongue. That title belonged to someone else, in his mind. A mind he was working hard to change, but one step at a time. "In any case, where are you off to tonight Izumi? If you're looking for a good place to have a drink, the Seventh Division's got some nice places around our Barracks we could check out. Or do you have a favorite haunt?"

[Niijima Izumi]

if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you tagged: Col

As Izumi tilted her straw hat upward, the first thing that caught her eye were his hues. The exotic color was one thing, and as she allowed her own dark brown ones to fixate on them for a brief moment, something about them seemed...mesmerizing. The woman paid great attention to detail, noticing the facial features of people she met as well as their mannerisms to differentiate them in her mind. One could think of it as a compensation for her inability to remember people’s names. It was as though she would go out of her way to at least remember something about the person’s face so as to help her commit the person to memory. Izumi didn’t have a horrible memory in general, but one of her major weaknesses was remembering a person’s name. Although their eyes would meet only for a fraction of a minute, it was enough for her to question, if that was even the correct word. She was no psychologist, and definitely didn’t study people’s features on a daily basis to be called any kind of expert, but her attention to detail and emotions surprised even herself sometimes.

There was something more than what met the eye about Kaen…

At least that was what she thought.

“Tell me about yourself. You must have a story….” She would turn her attention back to him as she heard him speak, trying to engage her in conversation. Perhaps he had picked up the fact that she was not very social. Well, to be honest, she didn’t go out of her way to hide that fact either. But he had asked her one of the most generic of generic questions, her eyes shifting left and right a little as she continued to listen. Where would she begin? Her human life, the part of her that molded who she was or the life after that which shaped who she had become? Neither were particularly good starting points, since it required her to give him a real story. She wasn’t uncomfortable with sharing any part of herself, but having just met the man, she would hate to be caught over sharing. A person should never make another uncomfortable with too much or too little information, that was her belief. And she was unsure just how much was a good balance. She smiled a little more warmly at his lighthearted remark after that, having remembered that most guys were quite good with words, whether they willed themselves to admit it or not. After some careful consideration, the woman would open her mouth, her voice having the same melodic yet softness to it that it had just a moment prior.

“I come from a samurai family, at least in my human years. I’ve lived in one of the more privileged districts of Rukongai after that. Gotei 13 has also treated me quite well over the years, and now my home is within Hachibantai.” There was not a single word that was extra or irrelevant, although she deliberately did not elaborate. She had merely summed up hundreds of years of living, both in the human realm and Soul Society in four short sentences. She would leave it up to Kaen to ask which parts interested him, if any at all. Perhaps it was this rather efficient way of speaking that had landed her the reputation of being a somewhat cold person within Soul Society, but she would never disclose too much. Her word choices were also quite on point, for that matter, often stopping to think of the presentation of what she was to say before uttering them out loud. She was certainly a very careful individual, in more ways than one.

Nanabantai? Her eyes narrowed slightly at the mention of the seventh division. So Kaen was a seventh division member. That was interesting, since she barely knew the seventh division captain at that point. Of course, she was dutiful and attended all the captain meetings, an obligation that she dared not skip or miss. But other than that she knew very little about the division itself. It was almost as though she was quite removed from the Gotei 13 in general, having only been a member of the eighth division for as long as she could remember. There were instances where there were joint efforts between divisions, but she hardly ever participated. It was not a surprise that she had never met Kaen before, or that he had never met her. “Hachibantai is not as lively I believe. It intrigues me how your barracks is but I am unsure whether I would be welcome into them by your taichou and fukutaichou.” She was very serious when it came to rules and politeness, and dared not overstep her boundaries without explicit permission even if the person in question was the same rank as she was. The idea that she was to go into someone else’s division quarters without invitation went against her code of conduct. “I don’t usually have a specific place to drink. Would you know of any?”

OWL

[Kaen Youji]

Samurai family huh? "I'd ask your age, but that'd be rude~" Kaen teased with a grin. "I get it though. You lucked out. We could do a lot more for the Rukongai to be fair..." Kaen trailed off with a frown. He definitely would like to spread some of the wealth and security of the highest districts of Rukongai to some of the lower ones. But the very bureaucracy that Kaen helped to uphold made it very difficult to make any lasting changes. "So you're from the 8th Division? How's Senshi been lately?" He asked, inquiring about the 8th Division Vice Captain. "Last I spoke with her she was having a rough time... to say the least." Ever since their last chat indeed, Kaen had tried to check in on the girl whenever he could. Kaen didn't mind the efficiency of her comments though, he brushed it off and used it as an excuse to dig a little deeper.

As far as Izumi's comments about her barracks' versus the Seventh. "Considering I am our Vice Captain, I don't think there'll be a problem~" Kaen replied with a cheeky little smirk. "So consider yourself welcomed!" Kaen was guiding their movements towards the Squad 7 Barracks and surrounding areas. "It's honestly pretty nice. We can steer clear of the training grounds unless you want to have a look at that. I work the squad hard, so I expect there'll be a bunch of them still training even now." He informed her. "But there's a nice place for eating. Maybe a little traditional, but it's nice. The Empress had it set up when she returned to the squad. Cherry blossom trees, a koi pond... I'm sure you know the type." He offered, as he moved along, the Squad 7 barracks looming in the distance-- though still a decent amount of distance away. More than just a few minutes of walking.

"And anyways, as far as our Captain is concerned.... eh. Nobody will give you grief if I vouch for you, whether or not the Captain's okay with it." Kaen was confident of that. As one of the longest, most prominent members of the division-- the guy who raised, trained and got to know each member of his division, Kaen found he had a decent amount of loyalty from the division. Besides. The current Captain, he didn't expect would be in power for very long.

[Niijima Izumi]

if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you tagged: Col

Izumi would nod her head, agreeing silently to what Kaen had said about Rukongai. It was true, there was definitely a lot of improvements that needed to be made to some of the districts of Rukongai, and the fact that there was not much being done no matter the efforts to drive them forward was more than exasperating. The woman knew that though she had been privileged enough to have spent some of her years in a moderately established part of the area, she had seen and experienced the other more disadvantaged places from partaking in missions and patrols. She aspires to try and help those districts, hoping that her new position of captain could give her words more weight where they mattered. An amateur thought, but one she hoped to pursue. Her mind was still wandering when she heard the familiar name of Senshi, her fukutaichou. Izumi closed her eyes for a brief second, understanding exactly what he meant. Izumi was very protective of her subordinates, and it went against her morals that she had been unable to help the other girl in time of need. “She has struggled, no doubt…” her voice trailed, as she allowed silence to engulf the rest of her unfinished sentence. It was not that she wasn’t willing to admit she had not interacted with Senshi as much as she would have liked, but it made her feel guilty that the relationship she had with her fukutaicho was now seemingly so much more distant than the other divisions.

Especially when he mentioned he was the vice-captain. The woman’s eyes widened at the mention of his rank. She gave him a smile and a nod, acknowledging it silently. “That sounds like a good place. I love flowers.” Izumi would not tell Kaen just how much she liked cherry blossoms, having planned the plantation of ten miles of cherry blossom trees within her own division. Of course, she would have to get the consensus of the rest of her division members, especially her fukutaichou. She was not one to do things without discussion and despised people who were not receptive to other people’s opinions. “You and your captain…share a close relationship?” This was more for her knowledge than anything, as she was still thinking about her relationship with Senshi. She made a mental note to go and visit her, or even just casually talk to her. Izumi did care, just not as openly as people would imagine. Perhaps it was the way of the samurai, but it was odd for her to voice her concerns for others. Instead, she preferred to care about them in her heart, always thinking about them in the back of her mind. But she knew that this was not helpful for her interpersonal skills and probably didn’t make her seem like an approachable person at all. The woman aimed to change all of that…one step at a time.

“You seem to be a very well-respected member of your division…Youji-fukutaicho…” She had made a conscious effort to remember both his given and family name, addressing him with his title now that she knew of it. It was a practice of hers to always use the correct honorifics to address people regardless of their rank, out of respect. She would give him another smile, indicating that she truly thought what she had said and that it was in no way a disrespect to him. “Also, you are welcome to come to the eighth division any time as well. I’m sure our fukutaichou would love to have you visit.” And with that she would give him a genuine smile, as she saw that they were nearing the seventh division barracks. Although slightly uncomfortable still with the idea of barging into someone else’s division, a part of her she was still trying to adjust. This was also due to her not having many friends in general, something she hoped to change at some point. But for now, she would remain silent, simply walking alongside her new…acquaintance.

OWL

[Kaen Youji]

Kaen frowned and for a moment a shadow crossed his eyes. He knew he carried a fair bit of the blame for what had happened to Senshi. He hadn't been there when she needed it, and he'd been the one that had broken her heart. Part of the reason she had felt she wasn't worth it. He bit his lip. The past has happened. I have to accept it, and simply work to better myself. I will not let the self-loathing that consumed me do that again. Not ever again. I have failed, but that doesn't mean I give up. It means I try to do better "Still struggling?" He inquired, with a flash of a saddened tone in his voice, before he forcibly buried that sadness he moved on. A moment of weakness, and he had to keep going. This wasn't the time for sorrow and sad memories and thoughts. He was meeting someone new, and he needed to be in the present. Not drowning in the past.

Kaen at least could read that Izumi seemed to harbor similar thoughts and beliefs, and decided a change of topic was in order! Fortunately she provided one very quickly. "Freshly promoted though, not to worry. I mean. I was a third seat, then the Empress was declared MIA, so I decided to hold the spot for her until she got back, then she was declared KIA, then she turned up again, so I was demoted back to Third Seat, but she's got her own stuff to take care of, so I'm being promoted back to Vice Captain, and they just finished the paperwork on that like... two weeks ago, so here we are." He explained in probably an utterly unclear, and confusing explanation.

"But if you like flowers, you'll probably like the barracks. Empress Minamimoto spared no expense on making a division worthy of royalty." He mentioned as the barracks began to come into view. Indeed the division barracks was fairly beautiful. Picturesque, and certainly scenic. Kaen had helped Rin out a lot with the paperwork and getting people to work on this project after she'd returned, and well. It was nice. It actually seemed to help morale, a lot of officers actually looking forward to getting up early just so they could see the division grounds as the first light of dawn struck.

Izumi mentioned Kaen's reputation in his division and he offered a sheepish smile in return. "I don't like to brag much, so you'll have to just take their word for it. I've worked hard, I've trained hard, and I've tried to connect with as much of my division as I can. I appreciate the invitation though. I do mean to check in on Senshi a little more often." He admitted. "Anyways, feel free to find a spot to your liking." He suggested as they fully entered the Division 7 grounds.

[Niijima Izumi]

if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you tagged: Col

That momentarily flicker of sadness that flashed across Kaen’s face would not go unnoticed as she studies his face. But she chose to ignore it, at least for now. There was no use overstepping her boundaries or even trying to do so since they had just met. Instead, she wanted him to trust her enough so that he would open up to her on his own accord. A firm believer of never forcing people to give her information they would not volunteer by themselves, Izumi was perfectly happy to wait for that moment to come naturally. The duo would see the seven division barracks coming closer into view with each step they took. The night was still young, and she wondered whether he was much of an alcohol drinker, a thought that had now crossed her mind as she looked down at the plum wine she was still holding in her hand. The woman loved umeshu, the slight sour taste of plums mixed with sweet wine was refreshing and created the perfect balance to the tastebuds. At least to her tastebuds. It was dangerous for her to drink umeshu, as she often found herself drinking well past her limits, the refreshing taste making it much easier to drink and handle than other wine. It was possibly that reason that she chose not to drink with others if she could help it. Not a lightweight by any means, she couldn’t remember a single instance where she had not become beyond intoxicated when she drank umeshu, and her reputation as taichou made it even more difficult for her will herself to lose composure in front of others.

Would she start tonight in front of this man? Would she will herself to live a little, as the others in her division seemed to be asking her to do more and more recently?

Izumi was definitely not the type to lose composure, at least not willingly so. She had carefully crafted who she was in the eyes of others that she couldn’t bear to shatter it, especially in front of people who were not her direct subordinates like Kaen. She was still deep in thought whilst Kaen spoke about his rather unconventional promotions and demotions to fukutaichou rank. This made her think about her own journey up the ranks. She had stumbled and faltered along the way, only being recently promoted to taichou herself, surpassing that of Senshi only marginally. They hadn’t fought or anything, so she could only imagine what the fukutiahcou was capable of. In fact, she had only been a third seat, much like Kaen, and had taken the taichou title, even though she felt that she had somehow wronged the others in her division. Their own taichou had been gone for so long, and with the recent events of Senshi, it was only natural that the Gotei 13 captains would choose to promote the next most deemed appropriate for the title. But as a result, she had surpassed the fukutaichou rank altogether. There were no ill-feelings within her now-subordinates, at least not on the surface, but she was also not proud of having taken the vacancy just like that. “It seems like you’ve struggled yourself...” She didn’t finish the sentence, even though the look she gave him was of utmost empathy. Not only did she know exactly how he was feeling, she painfully recognized that she felt much more than that regarding her own promotion. It was why she very rarely acknowledged her taichou rank in front of others, and rarely wore of haori unless for captan meetings. It was probably because of this that Kaen didn’t recognize her at all, nor heard about the changes in the eighth division.

“The Empress...I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting her. But I am sure you would lead your division just as well as she did, if not better.” She genuinely believed this, even though she was not one to meddle into the business of other divisions. In fact, she was so swamped with her own problems and struggles within hachibantai that she was unable to handle more from other divisions. It was as though she lived like a hermit to other division captains probably, something that was not really far from the truth. She gave him another smile, removing the string that tied her straw hat around her neck, her jet black hair now flowing gently in the wind. She held the straw hat in her vacant hand as they neared Kaen’s division. This was primarily due to respect, something she did when she entered somewhere new or someone’s house. Izumi didn’t like wearing hats inside people’s homes and felt that it was inappropriate to hide her face underneath her hat if she ever met other division members. Kaen would probably notice the bright earring buds, something like a glow in the dark type, the only jewelry she wore. Her hair was tied back with a piece of red silk ribbon, matching her kimono. There was really nothing special about her facial features, nothing that set her apart from others. Her features were soft, skin pale and fair. The only thing that could possibly set her apart from everyone else were her dark brown eyes. They spoke what her words would not or could not convey and carried with them the stories of her past, present and future. Those who knew her often found themselves lost in those pupils, one look into them having somewhat of a hypnotic effect.

“I look forward to seeing your division, Kaen. Please, lead the way.”

OWL

[Kaen Youji]

Kaen gave Izumi a gentle smile. "Everyone's got their problems, Miss Izumi." He replied softly. "Some of us make it more obvious than others, but everyone struggles somewhere, somehow." And said no more on that, as he kept walking. The gates of Squad 7 loomed ahead, the gates opened to everyone. "It's a shame you didn't. She was... well..." Kaen struggled for words for a moment. "She was fantastic." He settled on. "I don't really have words for it, or if I did I'd take too long. She was just someone you had to meet to understand." He figured, with a smile creeping across his face at just the memories and thoughts going through his mind now.

Kaen noticed Izumi remove her straw hat, letting her long black hair flow more freely. "Well now it's nice to see your face a little more properly~" He teased. "You've got a great sense of style, by the way." He added. She at least looked like someone that the Empress could have spent time gushing with. Kaen led Izumi up to the gates of Squad 7, a simple, if elegant archway, and led her through into the garden-like grounds of the barracks (as linked above). He passed over a short bridge above a running stream that fed one of the division's koi ponds, moving towards a small island, and taking a seat beneath a Sakura tree. It was mostly quiet around here, save for the sound of the branches wafting in a passing breeze and the running of water. "What do you think? This work as a good drinking spot?" He proposed. "If it's not to Miss Izumi's liking we can try another place if you like." He offered. "What's your preference?"

Kaen was familiar enough with the 8th Division Barracks, having visited them more than once to see Senshi of late. He was interested in seeing Izumi's response to his. "For what it's worth, I'm glad I found someone fun to talk to tonight. And having a chance to drink with such beautiful company is never a bad thing~" He teased again.