Twice The Spice [JT]

[Ishikawa Seiji]

A week in, and he was pretty sure his superiors were sadistic bastards. Not that being such was a necessarily bad thing, in some cases it could even be useful. But it seemed he, like the other few that had joined that totaled no more than half a dozen, were being put through the ringer. Both physical and metaphorically. Maybe even mentally too, if you counted the number of incantations they were required to study and learn by heart, it felt much like learning a second language. He had thought his final exams were bad enough, but apparently he did not know the true meaning of the word, to stare at pages until you passed out. Woken by another only an hour after he had, feeling like death. It wasn't all terrible of course, but that strict discipline seemed worse than what even his instructors had done previously. Maybe it was the burden of wearing such a uniform, a representation of what they would face now as not mere students, but soldiers apart of a massive military force.

Of course, people such as he were nothing in the grand scheme of things. The lowest rung on the totem pole, so to speak, and that was fair enough. Well deserved even, but that still didn't explain why such work was front-loaded onto them. He supposed it might be due to the mere nature of the Kido Corps as a whole. They weren't exactly known to get new members too frequently, so to get six newcomers within a few weeks of one another was likely a massive deal for those that had been here decades already, especially for a squad that seemed so very selective in who was worthy to be admitted. Perhaps even more than the 1st Division. Still they'd all done quite a bit since their transition from students to actual Shinigami, the uniform itself often felt heavy upon his form when compared to the lighter academy attire he was used to each day. But perhaps that was due to the weather as of late. Having gone from somewhat bearable to freezing within a week, it had soured almost everyone's mood.

Including his own.

Typically he loved this time of year, cold nights spent somewhere warm, icy enough that you could see your own breath as you walked. But adjusting to a new schedule, hell, a new lifestyle and pairing that alongside hours spent out in such cold. Running from place to place, delivering both documents and reports that were needed, wasn't exactly the greatest way to greet the new season. That morning he'd had much rather preferred to stay curled up in his new futon, the room just as small as his old one, he didn't mind. In fact he preferred it to anything spacious, more of a room to simply rest rather than anything lavish. Yet still he had dragged himself up from that warmth regardless, readied himself for the day and dressed with his asauchi still on his right hip as he stepped out. They had said he wasn't required to carry it around everywhere, but he had thought he better ought to, at least until he learnt it's name. Leaving it in his room all the time was hardly going to get him closer to that goal any faster.

With his early morning spent training with those that had joined a few weeks after his own graduation, followed by a hearty breakfast, duties began. A reliable rhythm of sorts he'd gotten into across the past few days, studying briefly in between rounds of running half across the Seiretei and back, it was doing wonders for his stamina, even if his lungs felt like they were on fire and about to burst when he came back. Gradually his own times were improving, which for the moment was all that mattered. Extra time once spent training by himself had paid off as he moved through the barracks swifter than some of his peers, though the paperwork was quite a drag. But everyone had to do it, so at least their suffering via form filling was a mutual one and not something he had to push through alone. A joint workload it may be, but that did not stop it taking forever. Almost two hours passed before they were done, and his wrist felt about as limp as a wet noodle.

By the time the rest of his duties were done for the day, it was already late afternoon, slowing his pace after he returned. And heading straight away to clean himself up, a towel thrown over one shoulder as he tried to at least get the majority of the water out of his hair. He knew strands would still stick up a little, much to his displeasure, but there was nothing he could do about that after running around for half the day. No matter how much he tried, some things just wouldn't stay stray, likely why so much of his bangs so frequently fell into his face. With a huff and soon disposing of the towel, he made his way gradually through the now familiar long hallways, a slight bow of his head here or there whenever he passed one of the seated members before heading out. Out of the Seiretei in fact. As much as he rather liked the food served as standard issue to the Shinigami on duty, something different wouldn't hurt, and his stomach would thank him for it too.

Stepping out of the Seiretei proper, to him, would never not be refreshing. Even if he simply passed through the gate and into an area of Rukongai that resembled the various barracks of the Gotei 13 more than anything else. Places fit for nobility, he knew how many of them resided here and as such, had no reason to linger. No, his destination was a little further out. Not as much as he would like, but he needed to be able to return swiftly if called for. Shunpo would not get him out and back to someplace like the 50th in time. So, he settled for the third district instead. A place he gone between a fair few times, stopped at sometimes to peek into the various establishments spread about that seemed to cater to the wealthy, or more accurately, Shinigami willing to spend some of their paycheck on food or frivolous items. It wasn't that he'd minded, graduating had landed most with more than they'd ever earned in their lives, him included. So he wasn't going to complain, once would not hurt, loathe as he was to spend money on anything, in light of the freezing winds it was better than just wandering for an hour or two.

Ducking into a ramen shop that was close by, the atmosphere a quiet one and the place clearly warmed as he stepped from icy air to a soothing abode. What he found upon entering however, was that one of the few working recognized him, a young woman he recalled who used to live in the 64th. She'd found good work clearly and smiled as he came in. "Ishikawa-san! It is you, right? I never knew you'd become a Shinigami, since when? Sit down. Oh, what would you like?" She jumped from one topic to the next, he would've huffed at the sudden interrogation, were that not thought to be rude and likely get him kicked out. Instead he did as she bid and took a seat at the bar, nodding in agreement when she asked of who he was, quietly observing as her colleague worked to fill orders for a moment before he found his voice. Well it certainly smelled good if nothing else, though not busy for the time of day, but perhaps that was normal.

"A few weeks ago, never knew ya ended up out here, real luxury compared ta back there eh?" The response and clear accent got the young woman laughing quietly, ah, Mitsuri as he recalled her name. Obviously it was a rare occurrence to see someone with such tone, evident by the cook glaring at him from a short distance away. It went ignored completely. "As fer that, whatever ya recommend, I ain't picky ya know?" He never had been and never would be, a useful trait to have when not a few years prior, he'd been surrounded and given foods he'd never even tried before. A quick nod of understanding was all he got, before Mitsuri left him in peace to return to her work. Probably a good thing, before he was called an annoyance for distracting the staff, it wasn't his fault she'd always been the friendly type. Still it gave him plenty of time to think and look around while he was waiting, could even people watch the few that were wandering outside at this time of day.

[Nakajima Kimiko]

There are a few religions in the Living World which describe Heaven, the realm of the being supposedly only known by Humanity as "God", to be locked in what one could assume to be the most comfortable climate a Human could ever possibly experience. The greatest medium between heat and cold, with no rain, no snow, not even the slightest bit of wind, for they were all creations of "God" on Earth: an infinite rendition of the transition between spring and summer. Those who described this Heaven fashioned it so by assuming that it was designed to enhance the rest of its inhabitants. Heat brings tiredness and is often used by the ruler of "Hell" to torture sinners, and so "God" made sure to not bring it anywhere near the domain of his most loyal followers. The same could be said for cold, which brings not only tiredness, but also pain and frigidity. Without these extremes, there is no need for rain or snow, and so it is why the heavenly climate is at it is.

The disappointment must have been great for those who followed these stories, as quite unfortunately, there is no such place. Instead, there is the Soul Society. While it is true that the civilians of this society do not need to sustain themselves through food or drink like the angels in the stories, it is not a place that could be described as perfect, to say the very least. A part of that is due to the climate of the spiritual realm, which is a far cry to the one so dearly described in those many books written by prophets and other charlatans. Here, there is no such thing as a perpetual transition between spring and summer; rather, it is instead a recreation of what one would assume the climate to be on an island country of the Living World such as Japan. There are such things as spring and summer, yes, and they are themselves more comfortable than any temperature felt in the Living World, but there are also winters. Such as it happens, today was one of those days of that seemingly-inescapable season.

A cold breeze swept through Soul Society this morning. For now, snow did not come, only ice in some parts of the land here and there. Those who were disgruntled by this new climate quickly started raising their usual concerns the very moment they felt the few degrees they were so used to drop a few numbers below the typical ones of the last few months, but for the most part, people were satisfied with it all. This was especially the case for the children of Soul Society, who still awaited the dear arrival of snow with innocent excitement. It made for something new, a change to their mundane afterlife in which all they could do is simply wait for their reincarnation to eventually occur through the common chore or marketing activities. Some who were once frantic followers of a Human religion even found the experience to be rather soothing, refreshing even, as the thought of their so-called "ideal" and "heavenly" climate sounded slightly boring if it ever ran infinitely until the end of times.

There was another thing this season brought along with it, and that was the opportunity to train. Indeed, for many Shinigami, to be prepared against any situation is a prerequisite before entering battle, and in so doing, the cold is a way for them to test the limits of their bodies. There have been many legends of soldiers of the Gotei 13 fighting in intense climates to kill their targets. Among these stories is included the tale of Jerome Morgan, the officer who braved one of the most powerful typhoons to have been recorded in the Living World to hunt down aquatic Hollows in the Pacific Ocean, and the story of Kuchiki Charlotte, the noble lady who defeated the massive Icelander, a Vasto Lorde who could control the very essence of cold, deep into the mountains of Tibet. Inspired by these legends, the soldiers of today thus make sure to always train even when the temperature is at its worse so as to attempt to simulate their deeds. Kimiko, of course, was one of those soldiers.

A few things have happened to this particular swordswoman ever since she was appointed to the Fifth Seat of the Eleventh Division. Most notably, she met an Arrancar in person and survived, and was somehow capable of discovering the existence of a massive Hollow black market ring in the Living World that was much bigger than the last one she took down. These two things were both very interesting events which deeply impressed her superiors, to the point that they are now willing to give her more work. Unfortunately, this work tends to often translate into paperwork that she is not at all interested in, but they also sometimes took more interesting forms, such as patrols into the deepest parts of Rukongai - like the one she's completed about a year or so ago - and hunts of powerful Hollows much stronger than the norm. Apparently, according to Jin at least, she has reached a level of expertise in her swordsmanship that matched her with the likes of the common Adjuchas. Knowing this, the only thing she needs to do now is to make sure this strength is maintained.

As usual, the woman trained seemingly without stop every day. The only difference between before and now was that she now trained outside, in the cold. From morning to evening right after the end of her paperwork, she practiced her swordsmanship to both enhance it and her natural speed. For the first hour of the day following her annoying paperwork, she accomplishes katas and other stimulating techniques so as to awaken her muscles from their paperwork-induced slumber, and for the next hour, she attempts to reach the highest speed she can possibly achieve with Shunpo and Shunpo Karin so as to properly awaken her arms and legs. Once this is done, she then practices against the dummies she borrowed from the training grounds of the Eleventh, and then she spars with the others to gain some combat experience until the evening comes, in which she then conducts Jinzen to train with Shizukakane. Every day, without fail, she trains in such a way. It is what keeps her alive, what keeps her going in this strange afterlife she is now a part of, and somehow, the adrenaline kept her from ever feeling this cold even during Jinzen. When she returned, she had no frostbites. It was rather impressive, especially considering that she was not wearing any sort of proper attire for the reason, but rather her usual sleeveless outfit, the one she wore to achieve her optimal speed.

Then came the evening. By then, it was her time of the day to go eat, and as usual, the training had left her starving. Her stomach practically guided her out of the barracks all on its own in direction of Hikashi's Terakawa, the ramen shop she was now so accustomed to visiting on a daily basis. After all these years of heading there with her master Celes, she was practically friends with the owner, and so, it was always nice to head there to eat and chat with him whenever he was available. Since winters were the best time of the year for ramen shops, she was fully expecting the shop to be open just like it was during the last few weeks. Unfortunately for her, once she reached the place, her excitement dropped like a boulder in the ocean. There, on the front of the shop, was set the infamous "CLOSED" sign she oh-so feared to witness. There was set the very thing which will force her to search for another shop for the night. Nooo! Not again!! Her mind cried dramatically as her expression twisted into comical sadness before the sign, and soon, this poor Shinigami started searching with disappointment and an empty stomach.

Time passed by as she searched the higher districts of Rukongai with tired eyes. Wherever she went, the establishments were somehow always inaccessible. It was always a different reason for every one of them: they were full, they were closed because they had a small fire, the owner was sick, etc. It was so bad that every time she'd see one, she'd immediately assume that she wouldn't be able to get inside of it. For at least a good hour, she walked through much of the first and second districts without any success at all. At times, she would see something akin to a modern convenience store, but what they were offering was nothing in comparison to what she would usually eat. There just isn't any way she is going to settle for some candy bars or fruits for the evening, not after a hard day training in the cold. Fortunately for her, or perhaps miraculously, she would finally find an establishment after this long and somewhat-painful journey.

The place was what one would assume to be a typical ramen shop in the third district. From the outside, it didn't seem to be too remarkable or as poignant as Hikashi's shop. Even so, the smells that came from the shop combined with the warm embrace of the heat inside as she stepped into the shop was nice. Better to be here than outside in the cold. Not bad, her thoughts commented as she quietly took a seat at the bar and found a menu nearby. It was a paper with names on it, nothing as fancy as the typical plastic sheets with images you'd find in the Living World, but it was something that Kimiko had gotten used to by now. At the very least, just looking at the names was making her quite hungry. Miso, tonkotsu, tantanmen... The menu was just extensive enough to make her completely ignore the world for a moment and just imagine the bowls standing before her, ready for the taking. Their power was such that among the things she ignored was the one man that sat not too far from her at the bar, the one with green hair and strange accent

[Ishikawa Seiji]

As much as he griped, as many of his colleagues did, about the change in weather. It was not a complain he was truly serious about. This time of year was always an interesting one to behold, all too soon snow will cover the landscape of the Soul Society, blanketing their realm of death and souls in something that so many see as so very innocent. Trudging through the snow as a child had never been his idea of fun, but watching it fall from within the warmth and safety of his own home was something he'd always enjoyed. Not that he'd get to do much of that this year, duties for a Shinigami often meant no breaks, across any time of the year whatsoever. Which considering their occupation, he could understand, even if he had to listen to the seated members complain about it now and again, he supposed it might be the extra paperwork that did it. That stuff was bad enough just being unseated with fewer duties to attend to throughout the day, let alone anymore than that.

Generally speaking, most he'd met were nice, if a little clearly worn down from working such long hours. Without a leader, it was a difficult task, shoulder work rather obvious meant for an individual with more experience. While he never commented upon it since his arrival into the Corps, he had spent perhaps a little too long observing the more senior officers slogging through near mountains of paperwork and books alike. To a degree he understood, there was a certain amount of secrecy maintained within the squad, given assignments working with others in the Gotei 13 were rather rare. It seemed a little sad, at least in his eyes, to watch a group so isolated that he was now apart of. Had the Captain Commander not wanted them interfering? Or were they merely seen as a backup unit until things really went sideways? Though the thought was rather disconcerting, he kept it to himself. Did what little they allowed of him to pick up the slack and said nothing if perhaps his paperwork was far more than a usual unseated member, even if he loathed such forms, it was better than others passing out at their desks.

With that said, it gave him far less time for training than he'd like. Saying that, sparring each morning with those who were like minded helped. Even if most of them seemed to want to flee in abject terror every time he came near them with something that wasn't some kind of Kido, especially his asauchi. One poor thing had quite literally run once she'd discovered that he wasn't only limiting himself to the avenue of magic, but including blade-work as well. Something that, given those around him and their general inclination to sacrifice everything but the singular Shinigami art, he was left alone quite often when working on such a thing. Not a bad thing for sure, he'd gotten rather used to wielding a Katana over the past few years, as much as he still preferred a slightly smaller weapon, he had learnt to work with what he'd given. Adaptability, Shin had once said, was paramount to any solider getting anywhere with their career. If you couldn't learn new things, you'd be useless.

Words he'd taken seriously ever since he'd first joined the academy, and even now. Of course the one downside to such progress, were his Jinzen sessions. They'd be taught how continuously since his first year studying and yet still, every other day he tried, he was met with nothing but darkness and a rather disturbing amount of his own thoughts coming to remind him of everything terrible he'd ever done. It wasn't something he really looked forward to, even if he forced himself through such things, he had heard not a peep from anything even remotely resembling a Zanpakuto Spirit in years. Not since that one time, and Shin being inside his head mocking him for his failures didn't really count, he simply took that as his trauma and grief speaking for him, because he wouldn't say such things aloud. Not to anyone. It was simply too much of a risk in his eyes. So he kept his concerns to himself, surely in due time things would figure themselves out, hopefully.

After running around all day, a short session hadn't exactly helped, but it had let his legs rest. Enough that he let his stomach drive him to prepare to head away from the barracks and out into Rukongai, it wouldn't hurt. Asauchi at his side, stopping by his quarters only briefly, a deep grey scarf wrapped twice about his neck, not cold enough for anything more, but there was enough frost out there that he'd rather not start shivering within half an hour. Especially if he wandered for a while. He'd get no breaks if he came down with a cold, that much he was certain of. Swiftly leaving the compound was no trouble, given most were either relaxing if they had such free time, or the seated members still at desks filling out paperwork. He pitied them, just a bit, even if he knew one day he might be in the same position. But for the moment, he wouldn't waste time when his stomach kept growling at him so viciously. He had skipped lunch, so that was probably why.

A brisk walk out onto ice covered streets certainly wiped away any trace of tiredness, frozen winds waking him in a manner that wasn't exactly pleasing, but he supposed this as better than going back to his room and merely drifting off for a few hours. He'd miss dinner by that point, no this was better, even if he could feel the frost biting into his fingertips and feet with each step he took. For a short while he merely wandered, seeing various shops still open was nice, hard working despite the weather. Meandering along he found very little however, in the way of actual restaurants, or at least any that served a half way sizable meal that wouldn't leave him starving an hour later. Though perhaps that was simply due to how much food he was capable of consuming, a touch embarrassing frankly, but maybe Shin had been the same, he hadn't asked if his habits had changed. They got whatever they could find in Rukongai, but this was a little different. Training and running around all day had done wonders for his appetite.

So upon finding the small little shop within the 3rd District, he was rather relived and even more so when he stepped inside to a warm and at least reasonably comfortable atmosphere. The icing on the cake as it were, was finding Mitsuri here, a young girl, now woman he had not seen in at least a century, if not more. Always meeting whenever he was out stealing scraps from unsuspecting shopkeepers, she'd often joined in and while such tendencies had faded since his arrival at the academy, it was nice to see another from the 64th had made some kind of better life for themselves. No matter what they did. Even as she took his words to make up whatever she thought was best, she did briefly return, water given and poured out into a small glass. "Ignore Nobu-san, he doesn't like me talking to customers, or well... Shinigami." He was offered an apologetic smile and he quickly waved her off with one hand, the slightest incline of his head as thanks for her service and the tip.

"Don'cha worry 'bout me Mitsuri-chan. He ain' no bother, long as he don't start throwin' knives at me, yer fine." He reassured as best he could, offering the cook in question a wide mocking smile as she turned away to return to working. It only seemed to infuriate the man even more, enough that he quickly turned away. Leaving Seiji in peace to drink quietly as he observed those around him, there weren't many here in, so it was no wonder she got a little bored and wanted to talk. Not too surprising given the hour of the day, or the time of year. Though as he observed, something caught his eye, or better yet someone. A familiar figure that breezed past him as she entered, too focused on the food by the look of it as she sat down, to bother checking her surroundings. He'd call it sloppy, except no one dared attack Shinigami so close to the Seiretei, it was practically a death wish in every sense of the word.

For a moment, he kept silent, even as he saw Mitsuri greet the young woman and ask for her order. A hidden gaze observing, she hadn't appeared to have changed too much, though from what little he could gather, her spiritual pressure was stronger than before. Training then. Curious. "Well if it ain' miss prodigy herself, certainly been a while, hasn't it, Kimiko-chan." He threw caution to the wind really, formality dictated that as someone of higher rank he should be respectful, but he really saw no need in a place like this. His words voiced with an amused tone and that same familiar accent she had heard once before, one hand raised slightly to wave in greeting. Perhaps her being here would make things a little less dull this evening, or complicate everything even more, either way he was willing to risk it. Including having something potentially be thrown straight at him for being so casual.

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Kimiko's eyes remained on the menu that was available to her with focus and perhaps a tinge of excitement. Her stomach was hungry, so hungry, and just reading what was there on that piece of wood was already making her almost salivate at the mouth. It was a short menu, or at least short at a first glance, with a few bowls that were perhaps less extensive as Hikashi's, but none of them seemed to be unappetizing at a first glance. Just from their names, she could imagine it all: the wonderful tastes of the spicy soups, the tenderness of the meat, the addictive nature of the noodles... They probably don't have her favorite meal in here, the Spicy Shoyu Pork Ramen bowl, which sealed her first visit to Hikashi's shop with Celes that faithful day, yet she was pretty sure that whatever she would pick, she would most likely enjoy. From what she has learned from all of those years wandering about the Soul Society in search of its delicacies, it is that you can't really go wrong with ramen. The people making it are simply just too dedicated to their craft to allow for it to go wrong.

The realization of this specific piece of information, upon reflection, almost somewhat made her pause and laugh about it. To think that the one thing that Celes' teaching would have had her develop would be her taste in food... It was rather comical. Ever since she became her apprentice, she practically became aware of most of the meals offered in lower Rukongai and some of the restaurants in Seireitei, so much so that one may as well refer to her as a sort of amateur culinarian. From one end of the spiritual plane to the other, she visited many, many shops after training to get a taste of the food they serve, something which drastically enhanced her knowledge of food. Where she once only really knew about American and Japanese food back when she was a simple Human like hamburger and pizza, she now knew of a great deal more to the point that she could recognize a meal now simply by staring at it. Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian, Italian, French... As long as she can see, smell and taste it, she'll probably know exactly what she is eating.

The best part about it was that she always typically liked it. She had her preferences, of course; after all, she'll never get tired of fast food. However, even to this day, it was hard for her to understand how much she has been missing out by simply relegating herself to what she'd typically decide to eat in the Living World. There was ramen, obviously, but there was also chicken piccata, beef stew, meat balls, and baked lasagna. If one totally discount the meals which contain meat from this list, there is still an ample amount remaining, such as enchiladas, falafel, wild mushroom risottos, and even veggie burgers. All of them taste great in their own way, and all of them push her to find even more of them so as to further acquire new tastes. In a way, it was perhaps a good thing that she was training so much every day, else she'd probably have gained a significant amount of weight by now, and who knows what would have happened to her speed if that would have became reality.

Perhaps fortunately for her, her mind felt the need to immediately interrupt this pondering on alien tastes by forcefully bringing her attention onto the ramen shop's waitress. Instantly, the swordswoman was returned to reality, and once she did, she felt a part of her crack inside. Her reverie had totally prevented her from choosing a meal yet. "U-Uh, good evening," she quickly greeted back so as to not appear too impolite before she turned her head back at the menu again. The embarrassment coupled with the need to answer rapidly was admittedly quite stressful, more so than she would care to admit. What to pick, what to eat? Argh, damn it... Well, as she concluded earlier, all of those meals are most likely amazing, so she might as well pick one of them at random. "... the Gyokai Tonkotsu Ramen bowl, please," she eventually decided, and by then, her order was away. All she can do now is hope that she hasn't somehow made a mistake and took a bad meal.

With her order complete, the girl let out a sigh of relief as the brief stress she suffered was washed away as rapidly as it came. She was glad that she was not worried about appearing too indecisive before the waitress despite having chosen her bowl rather quickly, though it admittedly completely broke her previous thought process, leaving her somewhat reticent in returning to it for fear of being almost caught again. As such, rather than look at the menu again and fantasize about food, she instead started analyzing the area in more detail. With her stomach now not leading her body anymore, she had an easier time taking in the details of the store. Although it was definitely not as nostalgic as Hikashi's shop, the style was definitely similar, aged and fitting with the Ancient Japan-like theme that is so synonymous with Soul Society as a whole. She couldn't quite tell how old it was from a glance, but she could bet that it was at least maybe a hundred or so years of age, much older than a recent Soul like her. Regardless, it made her smile a bit. Despite the grumpy chef of which she could not explain his current behavior as of yet, she felt right at home...

... that was, until she then heard a familiar voice call towards her. The honorific alone was enough to make her turn her head towards the source of the voice with a light gleam of confusion in her eyes, as though she could not understand why someone whose voice she did not recognize spoke to her with such an epithet. No one could blame her for it: Shizukakane was after all the only person of Japanese origin that used the word "chan" without making her feel strange or borderline annoyed, with the only ones that she wouldn't them using it being non-Japanese such as Celes and perhaps Binita, one of her squad mates within the Eleventh Division. However, once she saw who she was talking to, the confusion disappeared only to be replaced by understanding. The green hair, the weird eyes, the odd accent, and the sarcastic, perhaps sassy tone... The traits were so unique to this very person that she was able to recognize him rather quickly.

"Oh, hey. It's... been a while, yeah," she greeted as she returned his wave, not too sure how to react to this reunion. This young man was the one she met a year or so again during that patrol. He was a student at the time, someone who was heading towards the 64th District of Rukongai all on his own to pay respects to someone named "Shin" who she assumed at the time of being close to him. Considering the robes and the way he spoke to her now, it would seem that his academical days were now behind him. It would also seem that people were still talking about her over there as though she was some sort of legend, given how he specifically referred to her as "miss prodigy". Back then, it would have made her blush with pride, but now, she had somewhat grown passed it, both due to the time, work, and admittedly... the fact that she still believes this strength isn't totally her own. Better to not speak of it now. Fortunately, the man's own graduation kept her from thinking about that too much. Although she had a few guesses as to where he might have ended up considering the brief glimpse of his combative skills she witnessed back then, it was perhaps better of her to ask him directly. "Congrats for graduating... Not everyone can go through the Academy. Which squad were you assigned to...?"

[Ishikawa Seiji]

Time moved slowly.

Or perhaps his perception of time had simply been shifted, washed away with daily duties, only noticing the difference when he actually took just a moment to stop and think clearly. Though he knew pondering on his own existence was never a wise idea, quiet was needed occasionally. The limited intake of customers within the small, yet quaint ramen shop and the design of the entire place that seems strangely familiar and comforting, gives him plenty of time to simply sat back and watch. To observe rather than dwell on things he cannot and will not change. The soft billowing of boiling water, the air filled with wondrous scents of meats, broth and various noodles, all to make a variety of dishes that kept people returning day after day. Who knows, if it was good, he might just have to come back, or return simply to see a familiar face in a place that was filled with so very many unlike him. Not that he can blame another for that, but it is difficult not to see the obvious signs.

Reflecting on it all, he could see the rush of people back and forth from beyond the window that shows the ice covered streets and those who dare venture through them. From an individual alone, to small groups huddled together and rushing ahead. Most are simply citizens, the terribly uptight and wealthy sort that he utterly loathes, but still mere people nonetheless. Very few possessing power, though he did spot the occasional shinigami darting about. Far quicker on their feet than the rest and thus easy to notice, some with their Zanpakuto and the odd few without. Understandable, he guessed it was lucky that in all this weather, he had not been assigned to travel out somewhere far to pick up something for the squad. Or worse yet, sent to the world of the living for days at a time. As much as he enjoyed the colder months, even he had a limit of how long he would wander within it, thankfully he'd seen a few already head out that morning.

Which likely meant more archival work for him come tomorrow, in these temperatures, that was probably for the best. A tilt of his head, chin in hand as a hidden gaze moved from left to right, only occasionally returning his focus to the environment around him to glance at what was being prepared or see Mitsuri point something out that made his grin widen just that little bit more. A certain frustrated cook went completely ignored in favor of people watching, grumpy though he seemed, he wasn't here to be too much of a bother, at least not until after he'd eaten a good meal. After that it was anyone's guess. Despite the fading light of the day peeking through glass, it did not stop him spotting various hues and a somewhat familiar face that was gone within an instant. He thought he was imagining it, quite frankly, sleep deprivation stirring on images of those he'd met over the years into the forefront of his brain.

Well, until she walked through the door.

Usually one to keep to himself, and stay that way when out alone, that did not mean he would not poke his way into matters should they spark his curiosity and this most certainly did. Fortunate perhaps, that she had chosen here and now to wander in. More questions than answers really, things he had no right to know. Not that it would stop him from asking a least a little bit. Of course it was rude to interrupt while she ordered, a questioning look thrown at him from Mitsuri, she'd noticed his interest shifting from the world outside to someone within. Returned to her with nothing more than a knowing smile, likely to press for details later, but they were not his place to give. The slight stuttering was new, as far as he recalled, was she always so nervous? Only when she was finished, did he wait a moment more before finally speaking up. Given the lack of customers, they were the only two at the bar for the time being, so it made things much easier.

Quite honestly, the confusion in her gaze was a relief. Reacting to the unknown not with frustration or anger at being referred to improperly, but merely watching her seek out just who had said such a thing. "Ya look as though ya ain't used ta people sayin' hello to ya out in public. Ya don't mind, do ya?" It was as he spoke that he moved from his seat at the bar, a short nod of his head towards Kimiko's general direction given to Mitsuri before he stepped across the small space, a question asked in regards to sitting beside her. If she refused, he would return to where he was, but he wasn't quite without manners enough to not ask before invading her time and space just a bit. If she accepted, he would soon take a seat beside her, to her left more specifically as to not get in the way of her own Zanpakuto. With no desire to be on the sharpened end of such a blade, it was for the best, though before he could say more, a certain voice pipped up.

"A friend of yours Ishikawa-san?" She questioned with a raised brow, hands working even as she addressed the emerald haired Shinigami, getting naught but a small shrug in return. At least at first. He knew she was just needlessly trying to poke him for information of some kind, and knowing that he simply let out a sigh as she smiled ever so sweetly at him. He'd seen others fall prey to such charms before, and he'd weathered that storm himself, they had no affect on him now. "Somethin' like that I guess, do stop battin' yer eyes at me like that Mitsuri-chan, ya ain't getting nothin'." All he got from the dark haired woman was a dramatic huff before she left the two alone, such rumors were always in short supply back home, so he was sure she'd had plenty to work with since arriving and working in the 3rd District. Hardly his place to claim friendship when Kimiko barely even knew his name.

Only with his acquaintance now out of the picture for the moment, did he properly turn his head to look at the young woman, and in turn ponder for a moment on her question about his assigned position. Or well, compliment was perhaps a better term for it, a little facet of social interaction he had never been great at. Accepting praise when given. "Glad at be outta it. As fer that, wasn't really assigned nowhere, the 13th an' the Kido Corps offered me a place if I wanted ta join 'em, ended up with the latter." The offer for the former had been nice, and he suspected Ludwig knew full well why he hadn't accepted, he couldn't. It felt wrong, to stand where he had, to move through the halls as he had, it wasn't his place. At least, he didn't see it that way. The relief in his tone in regards to the academy was obvious, still carrying that casual and almost playful note in his voice as he explained; albeit briefly about his choices. Wasn't much point in going into detail, she likely wouldn't want to hear about anything relating to Kido, from what he recalled of her comments on the art previously. "Ya ever been here?" Might as well ask, no harm in doing so, right?

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Contrary to what one may believe, Kimiko was not used to meeting people from the Gotei 13 very often while she wondered about the restaurants during the evening. More often than not, she would not meet a lot of people at all. She preferred to eat alone in the quietness of the night, with only but the owner of restaurants to accompany her. Not even those from her own squad are often invited to eat food with her. The last time she ever ate anything with somebody in particular, it was with Celes, the one person she trusted most, and some people of the Eleventh that she considered to be the most trustworthy. However, the latter group knew of this preference, and so they do not very much attempt to ask her to come with them, leaving her to wander about Seireitei or Rukongai on her own. As for the former... Well, given that she has been promoted to Captaincy a few years ago now, it is needless to say that she is not always available, and so she is not often invited herself. Then again, it is doubtful that that particular person really needs to be invited to begin with.

It is selfish, of course. She knew that it was wrong of her to not cultivate her social skills. As a soldier, one must absolutely make sure that they are well with their comrades to assure optimal performance in battle. Even so, she did not do it. The reason was simple: she could not do it. Even if she wanted to, she could not bring herself to do it, and the fact that she was unable to explain why that is was perhaps the worst part about it. At times, she would bring it up to Celes in an attempt to get answers for this inability, this sort of handicap set upon her soul, but more often than not, she would most often not receive any conclusive answers. Shizukakane believed it to be simple innocent shyness, something which he attributed to "youth", yet the swordswoman did not believe it to be so. It was something else, something deep, something that griped her heart every time she tried to talk to anyone. At times, she wondered if it was fear, or perhaps a worry that whatever beastly side comes out of her during a fight would instead appear during a conversation. She couldn't say.

With all that in mind, it was thus completely unsurprising that she was not used at all to the mere idea of people greeting her in public. It confused her, made her wonder about what to say and do. The young man's overall attitude was obviously problematic as well, as it mixed that confusion with slight embarrassment. Someone else from her squad would have already be insulted or borderline outraged by the assumption that came out of him, but she instead merely stood there as she desperately tried to find some kind of reply to give to him. For a moment, she almost wanted to do just that, to proclaim that his guess was a complete farce to a soldier of the Eleventh, though that was shut down almost as soon as it appeared in her head the very moment she remembered that they were not alone. Eventually, the clashing between the possible responses that came in her head became too powerful for her mind to handle, and with a simple light nod, she gave up.

"No, it's fine," she just answered as her gaze quietly followed the once-student as he moved closer to her. The swordswoman did not like that response at all, and quite frankly, the fact that she wasn't able to come up with something better bothered her immensely soon after. However, just like her time with the shop's menu, there was nothing meaningful that she could really do about it: all she could really do was just let it what is going to happen proceed without interruption. It was exactly what she had done the first time she interacted with a social interaction that she found to be too difficult to personally stop on her own, and knowing herself and how awful she can be when it comes to interacting with other people, her last social interaction will most likely occur in a very similar fashion. She was at least glad to see that the man was knowledgeable enough so as to not sit on the seat on her right, as it would have been bothersome to readjust her weapon solely to allow him to sit by her side.

What she was less glad about was the waitress' comment. It didn't take the greatest mind in the world to figure out that she was trying to guess if she and that student had some sort of romantic relationship going on. In a way, it was a good thing that the question wasn't directly asked to her, but rather the young man himself, else she would have probably reacted shut that down rather poorly. Although, this didn't stop her from comically raising an eyebrow from the mere assumption that was lifted here. Of course, after the shock settled in, she then understood why she may have thought this way. People in her native country commonly use the honorific "chan" with their lovers. Either that, or in a sort of teasing fashion, at the very least. As such, it was possible that the waitress simply thought that they were that kind of friends simply because of that. From that perspective, Kimiko was thus rather glad that the matter was dropped as quickly as it came.

There ironically was at least one thing that she learned from that little interaction: the young man's last name. Apparently, it's Ishikawa. Ishikawa, Ishikawa... Nope, nothing came of it. Kimiko simply never heard that name before. Not even the name of his past brother which she could now form without any further difficulties, Ishikawa Shin, rang any bell. Then again, given that he was not at all in her squad or in the Tenth Division where Celes would have perhaps mentioned the name while they trained, and neither was anybody else named like that, maybe that wasn't so abnormal; after all, she never really tended to follow the usual gossip very well. The last time she actually did listened to rumors, it was back during the Living World where she would excitedly scroll the Internet for information about the latest fighting games coming out in the arcades. Never has she ever done that again since, has there... is simply no Internet in Soul Society, or at least any kind of way to connect to it in any shape or form.

Before the depression of not being able to play any more video games again would come to her mind, the matter of the young man's division came. The fact that he was offered a place in two squads did not surprise him, as it was possible that his dead brother was a Shinigami like he is now that was part of the Thirteenth. What surprised her instead was the fact that the Kidō Corps specifically requested him to join them. She did not know much about them, but she was aware that they typically do not recruit a whole lot of people in their ranks presumably due to the sheer level of efficiency they ask from their personnel. To be invited to join them was a great honor for many students of the Academy, and in a sense, a great deal of the soldiers that form the Gotei 13. Even now, she could still remember many people that she passed by in those hallways considering directly applying into the corps because they thought of themselves as being proficient enough to become one of their members.

She could also remember that the word "Kidō" was in their name, and that they were thus supposed to be ultimate magical warriors. The mere thought caused that expression that she had so hopelessly tried to turn into a casual one while talking to Ishikawa into one of dismay. "Oh... them," the words automatically came out of her mouth, and for a moment, it almost seemed as though her weapon shared a similar aura of disappointment. "The lamest one..." In all fairness, this reaction was potentially one of the best Ishikawa could have gotten from someone that was part of the Eleventh Division. Anybody else from that division could have said something far, far worse if they were here in the swordswoman's place. Those that came from that squad simply don't appreciate magical users. There are outliers that are part of their forces like Shawn, but they were exceptions to the rule, not the norm. All soldiers have their reasons ranging from one extreme to the other. In the case of Kimiko, she outright hated them because she believed them to be cowardly tricksters, both attributes which makes them intrinsically dishonorable.

Upon speaking of the ramen shop specifically, her expression of dismay immediately subsided back to what it once was: a simple casual expression. Her hatred for the magical arts dissipated instantly with almost-comical rapidity. For anyone that was staring at her at that point in time, it was like watching a switch in the Shinigami's mind be turned off in real-time. "Oh, no, not really... This is the first time I came here... I typically head towards another place, but it was closed for the night," she answered calmly with honesty as she turned her gaze towards the menu again. Just staring at them was reminding her of how hungry she was, and now that she was conversing about it with somebody else, it was making her feel a bit excited, just enough so to make her crack a bit of a smile. "The menu looks really good, though. It's been a while since I ate a tonkotsu bowl..."

[Ishikawa Seiji]

Social interaction was a strange thing.

It was never something he had aspired for, nor actively sought out be it in his youth or centuries later now as a full blown Shinigami. He never had been, nor ever would be a socialite, as much as he could certainly pretend to be one and blend in with that crowd. That was all it really was, an act, a mask to keep people from asking too many questions that would chip away at his own mental and emotional barriers. The social one had always been his twin, numerous occasions he'd be dragged along for the ride, simply because Shin had thought it fun. It was for a time, but even he had a limit. He knew most of his own interactions with others were on a whim, exactly as this was one. He was surprised to see her here and had become curious about the matter, sought to inquire, to find out why and then leave things be. Or at least that was the plan behind it, the fact that it was at least somewhat familiar company throughout his evening meal was a nice bonus.

Perhaps it was why he got along so well with those in the Kidō Corps, though they were even more aloof and introverted than he was, which was a problem at times. While he was content enough to talk and converse if approached, most of his colleagues actively attempted to remove themselves from such situations. There was no blame to be had upon them, he could understand why to a certain degree, so much so that he had taken to speaking slightly softer when around them. Not that it helped much, despite his low rank, many were still very nervous around him. His nature did not help he supposed, such a constant smile did not inspire confidence from the majority, but fear and uneasiness instead. He knew that adjustments took time, and he held no expectation that any would trust him for quite a number of years yet, maybe even a few decades until any would dare to listen to a single word that left his mouth. A perk of being a soul he supposed, he had time to spare and wait.

Still, as much as he did not crave speaking with others as a few of his peers did, this young woman. Nice though she seemed, appeared far more nervous about the whole ordeal than even he had been as a boy barely half a century old. Certainly, if he had a mother, he was sure such a person may have scolded him for speaking to bluntly to someone he barely knew. While yes, he knew such words could have been said in another way, it was merely an observation and little else. The emerald hair Shinigami saw no reason for her to comment upon it, only to think on it, something to ponder on. If nothing else, it got some sort of reaction from her, one that he could see Mitsuri trying not to watch from the corner of her gaze. A complete gossip that one. But he'd known that for years, no use trying to stop her, especially if it meant he wouldn't get a meal as a result. Though he wasn't about to encourage it and instead returned his focus to Kimiko.

Someone who, given her rumored skill and presumed high rank that went along with it, at least outwardly did not seem like the type to lead. Well aware as he was, that people sometimes changes entirely when in the heat of battle, as he occasionally had when back home against useless thugs. Still, the contrast was a rather interesting one to consider. "Thanks," he chirped out as he took a seat. If he was thanking her for allowing him to join her, or for not shouting at him, or for not trying to start a fight as he expected most to do when seemingly almost insulted - well only he knew the answer to that. Regardless of what precisely he was thanking her for, he would most certainly not be thanking a certain someone behind the bar for her exceedingly unneeded line of questioning. Yet instead of slumping and pouting as he might when by himself, he only straightened ever so slightly in his new stool as he gave his reply.

Quick, brisk and judging by her expression after the fact, she had gotten the point conveyed in the honeyed and cheerful tone he'd spoken in. Drop it. It wasn't the sort of question to ask and while he might decide to enlighten her as to why later, now was not the time. Doubled words and doubled meanings left Mitsuri near pouting at him in disappointment of no new juicy tales before she turned on her heel swiftly to return to her duties. It was better that way, things had been bad enough at the academy, he wanted no rumors started, about himself or because of him at all if he could avoid it. Fading into the background and letting others underestimate him as a mere stray and rather odd child? That suited him just fine. Even if he was nothing of the sort.

The fact that she had given away his surname bothered him little, given his lack of rank at present, no one would bother looking for one such as he. For the moment anyway, and such rank quickly became the discussion topic as he answered the young Shinigami. Just like before, when he spoke of Kidō, it was almost as if she deflated from boredom. Or perhaps loathing, he couldn't quite tell, either way, bringing up anything about the art, from what he'd seen thus far did nothing but sour Kimiko's mood from anything remotely upbeat to downright depressive. To him, it seemed almost sad that she couldn't see the potential in such an art. Not even trying it for herself, but allowing allies to use such skills without purposefully having to avoid her, something that surely must be a hassle. As much as he pondered on the topic, he said not a word about it, as much as he teased, it wasn't his place to comment on other's styles. Even if she did for his own.

Her instinctual responses however, brought out a snort from the elder, a hand quickly reaching up to lessen the sound at her blunt descriptive. Well, at least she was honest! That if nothing else, was refreshing in comparison to most others he'd met. "Honest one ain'cha Kimiko-chan? Not that it ain' a bad thing. Still can't entirely argue with ya 'bout 'em. Some of 'em are much too stuffy fer me, but ain' many other places ta really experience that kinda thing ya know?" The Gotei 13 each had specialties after all, and if he wanted to learn anything useful, then the Kidō Corps would be the best place to start. Perhaps one day he may even move on from them, but not yet, there was still too much he had to figure out. Mainly how to avoid being blasted into tiny bits during each training session. But he doubted she'd want to hear about the seated members flinging spells at him constantly, to see how he reacted, to train his reflexes. No, it was a topic best avoided for now.

As amusing as watching her switch of mood was, he decided not to comment on it, sure that she was not even truly aware of it. Of how easily she expressed herself, a vast contrast to his own ever smiling mask, of how obvious her dislike and enjoyment of any one thing seemed to be. Though he had yet to witness her truly content, perhaps food would do the trick, as it did for most. "Shame. Ya peeked in here on a whim then? Can't be sayin' that I didn' do the same though, better than wanderin' fer ages freezin' to death." His sadness, or apparent lack thereof about her first choice being shut was gone as swiftly as air traveled through the atmosphere, replaces instead with a small shrug as he admitted to his own stumbling upon the establishment. Likely to return given Mitsuri was here, if for nothing else then a drink and a chat every so often, given she'd probably start asking other Shinigami for his location otherwise.

"Ya know, been a while too, don' remember the last time I got one." Years ago at the earliest if not decades, they had rarely been served at the academy, and caring little for what kind of food he ate at the time as he had, the elder could barely recall just what had been served. Only that it was far better than anything he'd have gotten out of the 64th, even with money in hand. Yet as if by speaking such words cast some kind of spell, Mitsuri soon returned either their food, first Kimiko's to place before her gently. Then spreading out his own, a fact he took with a small nod of thanks, it really did smell good - there was even a side of miso soup. A much needed staple in this sort of weather, warming enough that he wouldn't freeze on the walk back later. That was comforting.

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Kimiko's response to learning about Ishikawa's squad was not untruthful. It was automatic, even downright reflexive, but it reflected her thoughts about them and their Kidō rather well; after all, as previously told, she was a member of the Eleventh Division, and so was seemingly bound to naturally dislike them. There was a myriad of reasons as to why she hated them and why she thought of them as dishonorable. For one, they are inherently dishonest as there is no way one can simply guess what kind of spell they will launch in any direction. For two, there is a grand variety of these spells, allowing for extremely dishonorable and sneaky tactics to be used by those that invoke them. For three, they most often fight from very far away, preventing anyone from reaching them with various tools so as to keep bombarding people at their leisure. For four, this latter fact tends to make a good number of Kidō users full of themselves with arrogance and extreme self-confidence. That geezer of a teacher she had back when she was at the Academy couldn't be a better example of that.

Perhaps in a more primal fashion, the part of this modern swordswoman that still once played fighting games in the Living World also contributed to this hatred. In these games, those who wield magic, guns, or any other kind of weaponry or skill that allows them to fight from afar represent the architectural form of the loathed "zoner". She could still remember them incredibly vividly, for although she was great in those games, she never had fun playing against them. These gunners, mages, throwers, cowards prefer to remain very far away from their opponent, constantly sticking close to one of the far ends of the screen to do exactly what was described. Since the grand majority of  characters in these games are tailored to stick close to an opponent, this causes one's strategy to change completely, including her own. She would have to act quicker than usual, with more resolve than usual, just so the cowboy would run away and start playing a completely different game with her. 

Of course, she was not going to bring this up to this mage. She had no idea of how old he was, given how the rules of this Soul Society work, but most of the people she knows around here tend to not really be aware of the existence of most modern devices. There isn't a whole lot of them that know what a video game is in Rukongai, let alone a television. It was like living in a retirement home which somehow took the scale of an entire realm. Fortunately, there are a few modern devices in Seireitei, but even so, not a whole lot of the people of Gotei 13 care to give it any attention due to training and other duties. Most of the time, only nobles do such a thing, since their homes have electricity compared to the ones out here. The only people she believes to have interacted extensively with these devices are a few members of the Twelfth Division she has met in some restaurants. It was no surprise, obviously, due to their relations to research and technology. However, she did not meet them very often and they tended to steer clear of her because of her squad's reputation, causing her to do the exact same for the most part.

All that aside, she was a bit glad that the man wasn't taking her opinion too badly. In fact, all things considered, he fared a lot better than the other mages she has met. In their case, it was always just some insulting remark in a pitiful attempt to shoot her opinion back at her, but in this one, it was instead taken with a surprising amount of understanding. Well, not understanding; rather, it seemed more so a case of him respecting her honesty more than anything else. Then again, that wasn't exactly a bad thing: better that than some veiled threat or a need to insult her. Not that it did anything to visibly change his opinion, as he still looked very much optimistic about learning spells and what-not, judging by the way he described the experience "that kinda thing", to put it in his own words. "I guess...?" She spoke in a tone that was still very much annoyed in response to it all, highlighting how ineffective Ishikawa's argument seemed to be against her hatred for the art. "It's still lame, though... and the people of the Eleventh agree with me on that."

It was childish of her to react this way, but she simply could not help it. Kidō is something she hates, and as such, she wants to make this hatred loud and clear. She was a woman of the Eleventh Division, therefore a woman of the sword, of the blade, and so it was only normal of her to loathe magic and the art of ranged combat. Worse yet, she was also - just like the rest of the soldiers of her division - admittedly quite stubborn in her ultimate beliefs. Even worse still, her master Celes does not appreciate ranged combat either. Finally, she also had a negative academic history with Kidō, both from her inability to cast spells correctly and the fact that she had a terrible teacher constantly berating her for it. Considering all of those things, they can discuss it or at least attempt to bring it up in a conversation, yet the interlocutor must be able to understand that it would take a great effort for her opinion to be moved ever-so-slightly from its original position.

Thankfully, it did not take long for them to move on, for they then started talking about the establishment. Despite his apparent disappointment of the fact that this was the first time Kimiko came here in this particular ramen shop, Ishikawa made no attempt to conceal the fact that he did not come here often either. Without much knowledge of what the young man appreciated when it came to the culinary arts, the swordswoman couldn't really find any fault in his response and his true reason for his presence here. "Yeah... it can get pretty cold around here during the winter," she acquiesced with a light nod as her gaze turned towards the entrance of the shop. Although her body was far from it, and so the cold could not naturally reach it, she nevertheless could almost feel it from here. Well, perhaps this was due to the fact that she was literally wearing a sleeveless Shihakusho, but that was beside the point. "It's good training, though... It helps you get used to it before you end patrolling in Russia or whatever." 

As she found herself about to converse further, she then heard a gentle thud in front of her, and with a blink, she looked down towards the bar. Instantly, her eyes widened. There it was... her Gyokai Tonkotsu Ramen bowl. The sight alone impressed her, but the smell was just sublime. In the matter of seconds, she took it all in: the gently cut fish and pork, the fine bits of green vegetables, the noodles spread around it all in a great embrace, and then the yolk bathing in a great sauce. It was enough to cause all thoughts, all woes, all problems to immediately vanish. This... This looked good. This looked really, really good. This was Gyokai Tonkotsu at finest, something that she didn't even think could be possible outside Hikashi's shop. By the time the fifth second passed, she would put her palms together and lightly bow her head forward. "Itadakimasu," she declared not too loudly yet not too quietly, just enough to be heard by perhaps the waitress who wasn't too far from her when she served Ishikawa, then went on to enjoy her meal.

She was very clearly experienced in eating ramen. Chopsticks in her right hand and her bowl in the other, she slowly grabbed onto a piece of pork in the bowl alongside a bunch of noodles, then put the piece in her mouth. She'd bite onto the pork, savoring its texture and flavor, and then slurp softly onto the noodles as she brought them further between her lips. By the time they were all in, she then chewed onto it all, appreciating it at its fullest. It was hot, but she did not mind; in fact, she was visibly very happy. Her eyes were sparkling with joy, and her mouth spread into a smile. This version of her was totally different than the magic-intolerant one from before Ishikawa unfortunately had the displeasure of interacting with. "Wow," she found herself lightly exclaiming as she gulped down that first bite, sighing with utmost satisfaction as she momentarily forgot that Ishikawa was even here in the first place. "How did I miss this place...? I should come here more often."

[Ishikawa Seiji]

For most, Kido was never something they considered to be worth their time. Made for those that wanted some distance, to never clash blades with another, but was felt fundamentally wrong, at least to him. If they were all trained in a similar manner, learning the same skills at the academy and over the same kind of time frame, then surely he couldn't be the only one to see it? Of course, Kimiko's reaction told the new Shinigami plenty in the fact that she agreed with the majority, yet it was even more than that. Part of the outspoken few that utterly detested such power, a purist he supposed, believing completely in the power of one's own body and Zanpakuto rather than letting their mind and spiritual capabilities assist them. While he saw no reason to try to argue with the girl, given the reaction he'd witnessed upon their first meeting, that did not mean he was not perhaps just a touch disappointed with what he'd listened to and seen.

Surely, as they were all taught the same thing, would others not think to use Kido in more than just one way? To clash blades before blasting an opponent to bits at point blank range. It seemed like a pretty effective strategy to him, if it could be pulled off, the puzzling thing was that he'd rarely seen anyone even attempt such a thing. So few ever mixed many of the arts that made up a Shinigami's most basic learning, so much so that he'd yet to observe any of those in the Kido Corps divert from the norm of keeping a distance to speak incantations before casting. Shin had spoken countless times of the impressiveness of his own Captain, a bizarre yet exceedingly dangerous concoction of his Zanpakuto's abilities and Kido strong enough to rip foes apart. Beyond that he heard very little, and his brother had never been the exploitative type in the same way as he was. Focused on raw power and speed to overwhelm, he'd seen in plenty when he'd watched his sibling train and even during a light spar. He'd gotten kicked around in the dirt so many times, but he was thankful for the experience now. If nothing else, he had some knowledge to draw from, unlike a few of those he had graduated alongside. So new and terrified, poor things.

Of course, none of that meant he wasn't in a similar situation. Unlike those that had lived out in the furthest reaches of Rukongai as he had, witnessing a death, bloodshed, or even outright murder for survival was like an old friend to him at this point. He had watches younger students at the academy crumple from fear at the inclination of a real threat. Seiji had to wonder if his own unfazed manner of dealing with both combat and the likelihood of his own demise when fighting was due to his age, though difficult to tell given how most appeared around his age. He could not help but think it might be why, older than most that bothered to seek information at the academy let alone actually finish and become Shinigami. To some it was a game, to others it was a way of escaping their parents or making such family proud, to others it was a way to pass the time. Damn nobility. For him, it was never just one reason be it about his reasoning for following his brother into the fray after two centuries by himself, or about his preferred methods of fighting that seemed to be different from others he'd encountered thus far.

Setting such matters aside was easy enough, especially as she spoke up to mention the Eleventh Division. Ah, how stupid. He really should have seen it coming, the answer itself left the older male chuckling with faint amusement. The reputation and rumors were all well and true then, by the look of it. Now he had no issues with the Division itself, it was simple enough to understand that even in times of conflict, beyond knowledge a little brute force could be needed and that was what they were for. No, it was those within the Division, and their general treatment of those who did not think as they did, that irked him so. Still, the young woman before him couldn't be blamed for that, and she wasn't shoving her opinions down his throat either. Little need to be concerned really, regardless it was an interesting bit of information to be had. No wonder she had others with her on that patrol. It all made sense now.

"Ah, Eleventh, shoulda known with how yer talkin' 'bout Kido. Can't all be lame though, if it means ya can stop someone from even drawin' their weapon. But maybe that's jus' me." His reply was one of nonchalance, not meant to start a debate or an argument either, but the talk of one simply pointing out what was in his mind - a fact. Such power could do more than just destroy, but contain as well, stopping even the most well versed with their blades from even being able to use them to begin with. There is hardly a fight to win, if those that specialize in the blade cannot draw them in the first place. Words spoken and slender shoulders shrugging subtly follow shortly after. Despite the smile on his face, her reluctance or rather outright loathing of the skill in which he practices does not deter him from conversing with her whatsoever. In fact, it only serves to make him all the more curious. Just what had caused such hatred to begin with? Perhaps one day he'd get the chance to find out if he was lucky.

He supposed, from her point of view, or just about anyone else's his own circumstance may be just as strange. Never had he been taught magic until joining the academy, seeing such spells only here and there from Shinigami that rarely patrolled so far out into Rukongai. Even then it had not been anything remotely impressive, not a large blast of power or a sudden feeling of a crushing force nearby. It was not the large bursts of pure spiritual energy that he favored, no, instead he'd found that the most subtle of spells were significantly more useful. Not overtly strong, but able to catch out anyone that might underestimate the one who cast it. Needing to avoid killers and worse, subtly was something the emerald Shinigami had long since grown an appreciation for, coupled that with what he was told was a natural talent towards the art by his former teachers. That was all he had needed before wanting to figure out more. But rather than pester the young woman further with conversation on a topic that she obviously detested, he let it fade away into nothingness.

Instead they both focused upon the world around them, somewhat devoid of patrons though this establishment was, there was little point in trying to deny that the place had clearly been well loved and taken care of. No matter how little their profits may or may not be. Even without that, it was a respite away from the freezing temperatures beyond the doors barely ten meters away. As far as he could tell, it had not yet begun to snow outside, but he knew it would not be long. Perhaps even during that very evening, if he was particularly unlucky. "Well now yer just makin' me feel cold 'gain, talking 'bout places like that. Still, rather not hafta go out that far without a good reason. Then again, I doubt anyone actually wants ta stand in a blizzard fer hours on end patrolling without being able ta see much of anythin'." If he could avoid it, he would. As much as he enjoyed winter and walking within it for a short time. Long stretches of time only reminded him of Rukongai, how he and Shin had spent days huddled up just trying to maintain a meager amount of body heat as to not freeze solid and 'die'. It had worked, mostly. Though he answered in a smooth almost lilting tone alongside his typical smile, his attention fell to the young woman beside him. Thus distinctly not the door to the restaurant itself as it opened and someone else, or perhaps a few others stepped inside.

The fact that she was wearing a sleeveless Shihakusho hardly helped matters either, if anything it only made him think more about what he would have to endure once braving the freezing winds and seemingly likely snowfall. Ugh. What an awful thought. It was just as he began to drift into such thoughts, of wandering out into a cold night and pitch black sky. That he was met with the impeccable timing of Mitsuri delivering the food they had both ordered, well wasn't that handy. A soft 'Itadakimasu.' slipping from his own mouth before he dug in, barely loud enough to be heard even by Kimiko right next to him. But that didn't really matter, what did was the steaming broth and assortment of food before him. While slightly different in his approach and using his right hand to keep a gentle hold on the bowl, his left moved with chopsticks in hand, Seiji ate slower than most around him and even the young woman beside him. Not for lack of appetite or want, simply to savor what had been placed before him. Adjusting to having money to spend on a meal each day, and not having to wait days for the next was a hard habit to break even years later. "Glad we had the same thought 'bout that." He spoke only after swallowing a mouthful of miso soup, letting out a quiet huff of air before he dug back in. Unaware of others that lurked in the shadows.

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Kimiko wasn't quite sure what to make of Ishikawa's reaction behind his newfound knowledge of which division she was a part of in the Gotei 13. On one hand, it seemed like he now partly understood why she hated Kidō so much and why she was so biased against it. On the other hand, it seemed like he just came to that conclusion because of the typical cliché which surrounds her squad, and his own opinion of the matter will not really change anytime soon. Just another stubborn magician to add to the pile. Great. Well, the swordswoman was at least glad that her say on it all was not angering him, or worse yet, encouraging him to use her status as a member of the Eleventh against her in this conversation of theirs. Even back when she was at the Academy, she had to listen to many students proclaim that those of that division were useless because of their lack of magical mastery, and that their obsession towards Zanjutsu was simply going to lead them towards their doom. Well... she still hears such things today. The only difference is that she doesn't quite hear them per say, but rather reads them in those awful letters that past teacher of hers keeps sending to her from time to time.

Still, he did have to sneak in one little comment in there about how the magical arts could prevent someone from ever drawing their weapon. Hearing that comment made her give him a look of disappointment in return. In fact, it somewhat proved her previous point about the discreet nature of the magical arts. The man was obviously right in saying that Kidō could allow someone to beat another so quickly that the other wouldn't have been able to draw their weapon. They can do so in a multitude of ways, some of which she had seen in her books while she was at a student. Elemental manipulation, constraining, the list went on and on and on. She was not going to refute that at all. The problem was that such diversity was allowed to even exist in the first place. "That, in of itself, is lame..." she calmly pointed out, though her tone wasn't hiding what she felt about it all as she then went on to summarize her view on the matter. "I don't think a battle is worth fighting if you're not gonna allow the other to fight at its best."

Though she wanted to lay her point across as honestly as possible here without going on a tangent or arguing with Ishikawa, the scarlet-eyed warrior was aware that that kind of mentality probably will not fly with someone who comes from a place where they had to survive through any means necessary. Lower Rukongai is not a place for such pretty concepts as honor and value in battle. It is ruthless, cutthroat, and in many cases, outright savage. In her patrols, she has seen many places in which the weak had no choice but to use sordid tactics in order to simply live against the strong that bully them. If they ever so much as start respecting their opponents there and act fairly, they will often be found dead the following day by the hands of the many who would rather play dirty. That is just how things work there. Knowing this, and knowing that is the environment in which Ishikawa grew up in, it was thus natural that he will most likely criticize her vision of combat. He'll probably say that "combat isn't a fairy tale" or that "Hollows are not going to be as nice as you". Despite this, that vision of hers wouldn't change in the slightest.

Fair play, honor, and virtue isn't just about being nice to your opponent. Obviously, if it was just about being nice, there wouldn't have been so many historical cases of warriors following such doctrines. No, these things are about being better than your opponent. By showing respect to an adversary both physically and sometimes verbally, you show that you are mentally stronger than them and that your heart is one of a true warrior. Moreover, it also encourages both you and your rival to fight with the greatest amount of strength that can possibly be mustered. In other words, it is a challenge, or rather a duel. By winning through this pure and unadulterated fashion, you declare yourself the unconditional victor in both mind and body. It is a beautiful feeling, and more often than not, it is so beautiful that it pushes your rival to better themselves if they have not died during the fight. That is honor. That is the true art behind fighting. If it wasn't for that, she wouldn't have gone to the arcades so many times just to experience the thrills they conveyed over and over.

In contrast, playing unfairly completely breaks that notion. Trickery is a very powerful tool. It has been used many times before, and it has also proven itself to be a very effective way to come out of a battle as victorious as you can possibly be. This is especially the case when the opponent of a trickster wants to commit to the rules of fair fighting. However, by winning through treachery, your victory is not unconditional. You have not won through fair means, not asserted your power in any shape or form. No, instead, your victory was absolutely conditional. You've merely proven that you would use any means necessary in order to win, even if it means to completely rid yourself of any honesty. In other words, you are not a true victor, just a cheater. It is not beautiful, it is not admirable; hell, it isn't even remotely awesome. If anything, it is pathetic, and why so many people absolutely hate fighting tricksters and gunners and magicians in fighting games. They turn fighting from an art of beauty into an exercise in frustration. They soil it until there is nothing left from it but something loathsome and ugly.

It is totally possible for someone that is knowledgeable in the physical arts to fight dirty. Kimiko was definitely not going to deny that. You can stab an opponent in the back, kick them in the crotch - or worse - if they are a male, strike the chin to cause them to become dizzy... and so on. If anything, the Second Division is all about fighting dirty mainly through these physical techniques for the sake of the Soul Society. However, the key difference between those specific disrespectful techniques and the magical arts is that there are ways to predict them. Those who attack from behind will hide and attempt to make themselves as stealthy as possible, while those who attempt to deck in the shnozz or hit the chin will often be very predictable. As such, they do not define the physical arts and are most often overwhelmed by honest physical techniques. The magical arts are, in comparison, unpredictable by nature. There is no honest spell or arcane work. It is fundamentally impossible for someone to know what a mage is going to cast unless they immediately react to it upon hearing the spell's chanting, which expert mages can most often outright skip.

With all that aside, she wasn't going to explain all of that to her fellow Shinigami, or at least not now. She was hungry, very eager to eat her incoming ramen bowl, and she also simply didn't want to go that far in asserting her opinion. It was rather difficult to want to have such an intense conversation while all of these elements are at play, and it seemed that they were also very much affecting Ishikawa too. So, they both decided to move on to another subject of conversation altogether: the cold. It did not seem as though the green-haired man wanted to deal with the elements on patrol, or at least not that particularly-frigid element. Kimiko couldn't quite blame him on that one. Even though she tried her best to battle the cold by heading outside with this outfit, she couldn't say that it was an easy thing to do. "Well... usually, they don't send us in a blizzard for no reason. I've heard from someone that a bunch of people complained because they were being sent on patrol when the weather was bad in the Living World, so... they somewhat eased up there," she said then as she thought about it in more detail, then shrugged, "but they'll still send you in places like that if a Hollow's there. That's... just kinda how it works, really." 

The more she spoke of the cold, the more it admittedly started to give her shivers. Perhaps it is time for them move away from that conversation, and there is no better way to do something like that than to simply proceed to eat. The moment she finished speaking, their ramen bowls arrived, allowing them to enjoy their meal. Sure enough, the heat of the soup combined with its pleasant aromas and the meat that floated within it were more than enough to completely chase away any thoughts about temperature. Warmth brought her comfort and cleared her mind of all pain, causing her expression to turn into one of pleasantness, serenity, and pure happiness. She was very much enjoying this bowl, so much so that she almost paid no attention to the ones that were circulating in the shadows, away from view. They were probably just other regular customers, just other people that she didn't need to speak to during this meal.

[Ishikawa Seiji]

No matter what was said between them, the elder Shinigami had a feeling in his gut, one that told him that they were unlikely to ever agree completely with each other. At least in regards to combat and how such battles should be done. Sure, toying with an opponent could be entertaining, but there was no joy or happiness in a victory. Not to him, not really. Only relief that he was skilled enough to overcome whatever had been thrown at him to remain standing for another day and maybe a few more if he was really lucky. Likewise, losing wasn't an all encompassing despair, if he still lived even after such failure, that was a victory in his mind. A chance to grow and improve, and to ensure he never repeated those same mistakes again if at all possible. Of course not everyone could be so fortunate, or even find the time in between to retain their focus and not merely dwell on what could have been, of what they should possess to fight as they wished.

Fortunate favored those who worked for it, in his mind. Working within the Kido Corps had afforded many an opportunity to train without interruption, unless he was working on his own Kido, very few sought out to bother him. Those that did, usually were just trying to find him for his help with something or another. No one of note, another unseated member coming to pester him about a patrol they didn't want to do alone. Most of the time, perhaps far too much at this point, he had reluctantly agreed to accompany them. Be it one singular individual, or a smaller ground of unseated who had graduated sometime after he did. Though he couldn't quite be sure why they asked him of all people, some had said it was because he seemed more comfortable with a blade than with the spells that they used. Well, they were only half right about that, but he never bothered to correct them. Just as he wouldn't try to correct Kimiko.

As it turned out, his instincts were right, as soon as those words of his were spoken. The look she gave him was loud and clear, he wasn't sure if it was just disappointment he was seeing in her gaze. Frustration as well perhaps? That he wasn't like her? That he did not share the same tactical view that she did when fighting another or even a group? While such a manner of thinking wasn't unimportant, he knew better than to try to argue with her or dismiss such things entirely. She was not right and neither was he, not completely. Nothing could ever be completely right or wrong, morals were often the source of what people did, so he'd found. If they had any or many, had told him time and time again if those he met would take a more noble or darker path. Never did he like to stray into one too far, he'd kept striving to survive this far, what was a few more centuries of figuring out the best way how in the grand scheme of things? Nothing at all.

"Well then yer real different from most I've met Kimiko-chan, ain' many that wanna think like that these days. Not sayin' I agree with ya now, but I ain' gonna be startin' no argument 'bout it neither. No point. Everyone does what they think is best, nothin' more to it really." Seemingly, that was it. An agree to disagree as it were. To accept her opinion, to accept her and whatever she decided to tell him or speak of herself and move forward. He'd never been one to put too much stock in holding onto a point and continuously contesting it just because it did not fit his own viewpoint. Some might say the same of nobility, but they had proven time and time again, arrogance was their game and so he would play his. To set them on edge, to knock them off kilter when faced with those of a less dignified upbringing. Filled not with silver spoons but dirt and blood. She was not like them, but her views were just as strong, he could respect that. Even if some small part of him wanted to debate with her about the effectiveness of such arts. Now was hardly the time for that.

For once it seemed, they both seemed to be wordlessly in agreement in dropping the topic at hand. Such words and discussions were not meant for a place such as this so out in the open when anyone could listen in, not when there were still things to be done in the day, nor when he in truth barely knew Kimiko. Just as she knew even less of him. It was a fair compromise and one he was all but certain would serve them well in the long run, especially given the proclivity of many to be just a tad more emotional and frontal with their opinions if they hadn't eaten. Never would it be the whole reason why of course, but considered he'd not eaten in quite a few hours, a hot meal would certainly help with the cold weather forcing it's way down the streets beyond. Such weather it seemed, was what they turned to, in a mutual understanding that generally speaking? It sucked, quite a lot. While he did not detest the colder seasons as some others did, there was no less more than enough snow to make him uncomfortably chilly on patrols.

"Really? Huh. Ain't no use complain' 'bout it if yer goin' there for a reason. Hollows ain' gonna avoid huntin' in shitty weather." Understanding a dislike of such environments, and agreeing with those that voiced objections to even heading out on patrol regardless of any hollow sighting, were two very different things in his mind. There was little the elder Shinigami disliked more than those that appeared to want to be as lazy as possible with their duties, if they wished to avoid such hard work so badly, then why did any of them join something such as the Gotei 13 in the first place? It made no sense. Resting was all well and good, but he'd not left the slums of Rukongai just to sleep all day and do nothing. Though with the bitter winds beyond the entryway, he'd be considering it all day, even if he'd never gone through with it in the end. His superiors would have a field day with that, and the emerald haired male had no desire to give them ammunition against him for their next group training session.

Only as the two became wrapped up in their own meals, and the comfort brought forth from it on a winter's night, did the door slide open once again. For the moments in which he ate, Seiji paid little attention to anything else as he swallowed another mouthful. A hidden gaze only glancing up to spot as a ragged, dark haired male entered the establishment. A hand behind his back, hiding something? A nod from the man was given, looking elsewhere in the small place and only then did a few things happen. Three more emerged from the darkness of the small shop, now with blades drawn. Two with small wakizashi blades, another with what appeared to be a club and soon without a word smashed into the nearby wall. The dark haired male drawing forth a butcher's knife of all things, and proclaiming aloud in what anyone could plainly see as open smugness in his tone and stance. No one was getting in their way tonight.

"Alright you lot! Everyone who leaves right now, we won't kill! We're claiming this place for the Rukon Burgers so all of you scram!" It was joyous, loud and foolish. The few regular patrons within the shop quickly left, abandoning still hot or warm food and rushing out onto the streets. The elder Shinigami meanwhile, continued eating. Some thugs weren't about to stop him from enjoying his evening meal. Unfortunately, that was exactly what they seemed to intend, the pair with wakizashi already working on smashing up what was left behind. And when he glanced forward, Mitsuri had already fled, smart yes but not nearly as fun. The grumpy cook seemed intend to remain until the largest of the four approached behind the bar, club slamming into the nearest wall once more grinning like a fool and laughing as the man ran. So much for that stubbornness. Swallowing down another mouthful, he let out a sigh and turned to glance over his shoulder with a smile that rested upon his expression a little thinner than normal.

Typically, he'd have just ignored it. But this was good food he'd paid for dammit. "Would ya lot mind shuttin' the hell up? Tryin' ta eat here, and yer boastin' ain't helpful." He supplied such words with a heavy dose of sarcasm before turning back to his meal. Only to find before he could even pick up his chopsticks again, his whole form yanked off the stool. Now face to face with a blonde haired woman and more importantly, a wakizashi pressed harshly at his throat, almost enough to draw blood. He did not flinch, only stared as that smile grew a touch more feral. "You didn't hear the boss then huh punk? Guess you're looking to die, should've run like the rest." The woman all but hissed such words, seemingly unconcerned with the fact he wore the uniform of a Shinigami and was thus trained to fight back. But hell, this was quite a show, but they were interrupting his meal. And he'd really like to finish the damn thing before it went cold.

As she spoke, the others seemed to take notice. All but the dark haired leader, still blocking the only way out and smirking, now approaching the two Shinigami left remaining within the establishment. By the look of it, they were itching for a fight. "Ya know, I ain't been called that one in a while, not too creative are ya?" In fact, it stirred memories of his youth far more than anything else. With his mood distinctly soured at being bothered during such a quiet and peaceful time of the day, he saw no reason to return such threats in kind with action. Leaning further towards the weapon that could end his life, cold steel digging into his skin, but he kept going until a hand shot up. Grabbing at her wrist to twist the appendage until he heard an obvious snap, the clatter of a blade, and his own leg sweeping out to knock her down onto the ground harshly as she cried out in pain. Leaning down he simply pressed a hand to her shoulder. "Sai. Now then, what 'bout the rest of ya?" He asked as he stood, the girl now further bound as he grinned wildly.

The remaining two charged him at once, weapons raised.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Combat}
Current Reiatsu: 2,475 / 2,500

• Used Bakudo #1: Sai (Restrain).

SPOILER: Click to show

{Techniques Used}

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{Bakudo #1: Sai (Restrain)}Technique Name: Bakudo #1: Sai (Restrain)

Class: 7

Technique Type: Kido

Technique Element: None

Technique Reiatsu Cost: 25

Technique Description and Effects:

Causes the target's arms to lock in place behind their back.

Incantation and Effects:

Incantation increases the strength behind the technique by 10%. (I.E. A reiatsu strength of 100 would instead be valued at 110 for this technique.) "Man, shaped by Divine hands, revert to the form before limbs, clutch at your own throat and be afraid!"

SPOILER: Click to show

{Seiji Stats & Skills}

Statistics

Physical	Spiritual		Sensory	Miscellaneous
Strength: 50 Speed: 330	Reiatsu Strength: 200 (+25%) = 250 Spiritual Pressure: 200 (+25%) = 250		Instincts: 100 (-25%) = 75 Senses: 100 (-25%) = 75 Energy Sensory: 0	Light Aura: 40 Dark Aura: 60 Healing Expertise: 0

Skills

Mental	Battle		Body	Utility
Analyzing: 1 Strength of Will: 1	Weapons: Katana & Wakizashi: 1 Battle Analysis: 1 Pain Tolerance: 1 Kidō Mastery: 1		Mental Incantation: 1 Stealth: 1	N/A

[Nakajima Kimiko]

It would seem that Kimiko had been right in believing that her line of thinking about honor and virtue in battle was not going to be accepted by Ishikawa. He didn't have any argument to give to her at this point in time, most likely because of the aforementioned conditions that are currently preventing her from doing the same, but he was also honest enough to admit that he did not agree with her. Basically, it was an agree to disagree. The scarlet-eyed warrior was of course disappointed to hear that yet another individual outside of the Eleventh Division disagreed with her point of view on fighting. It was somewhat already creating a bit of an emotional divide between herself and the green-haired man that she was wasn't quite sure was going to be very easy to get rid of. However, once again, she understood where he came from, and so she was not going to contest him. If anything, she was just glad that he didn't immediately attempted to shove a countering argument down her throat like so many others have done before. "Fair enough," she simply agreed with his last point and then moved on, having nothing more to add on the matter.

After that, the subject was then fully dropped in favor of speaking of the weather, to which they spent a time talking about. She was not surprised about that in the slightest: it is usually something that can fuel a conversation for at least a little bit of a while. Even back when she was Human, her family and friends would sometimes talk about the weather and how bothersome it could be, especially during the winter. Thinking about it now almost made the Shinigami smile. They have absolutely no idea of how nice the Japanese climate can be in comparison to the climate of other countries. Although the terrible rain and fearsome earthquakes often caused significant damage to their infrastructure, they would only get those from time to time, not throughout the entirety of a season. There are places in which she was sent to in order to hunt Hollows that were either hotter or colder than any place she has gone to in Japan. Fortunately, she wasn't sent to them very often... but still, she could remember them vividly.

There were obviously people that were sent to these places more often than she ever was, though, which is what she and Ishikawa eventually started bringing up during their conversation. From the looks of it, the mage possessed a point of view that was similar to hers in regards to those who complained about having to hunt Hollows or even patrol in terrible conditions. "Yeah... That's pretty much how I see it too," she assessed then as she openly thought about it even further. "Hollows don't really care about where they go so long as there's Souls for them to feed on... I've heard plenty of stories about some heading into sandstorms and what-not just to go to a village." She would pause so as to recall a case in particular that may come to mind. "There's someone in my squad who I think can just... be sent wherever to hunt those kinds of Hollows. I really don't know how he does it, but it's like the weather is nothing to him. Honestly... it makes me kinda wonder if he Released his weapon and he told nobody about it."

She was talking about Siegfried, of course. Even to this day, she cannot understand where the man can gather that amazing strength of his. Although he is not occupying any of the upper seats of the Eleventh, it always seems as though he is so powerful that he could take out Gillians without breaking a sweat. She wasn't the only one who shared that opinion too, which is something even he must be aware of by now, since the members of her squad are hardly known to be the quietest within the Gotei 13. Nevertheless, he denies them all, always saying that his strength comes from training and sometimes bottles of mead, a mentality that he has apparently kept throughout all of his life even back when he was the king of some country. Maybe he has some kind of secret that allows him to be this strong... or some kind of unexplained occurrence that gives him strange power like hers. Surely, all that strength of his can't really be coming from the alcohol, can it? That wouldn't make much sense, even here in this spiritual realm.

The conversation did not really have any chance to go much further from that point on, for the ramen bowls she and Ishikawa had ordered then arrived. By then, all worries about the outside world had totally disappeared as she was taken by the warm tastes and pleasant smells of her meal. Siegfried was gone, Ishikawa himself was gone, the terrible could outside was gone: all that mattered was the food before her now. Her body was naturally immediately reinvigorated by the meat and noodles that she brought past her lips, both of which she munched on with happiness that made her appear almost uncharacteristically childish. The food was just downright amazing. Nevermind what she said earlier: this was just so much better than she had expected it to be. It was not quite the quality she would expect from Hikashi's shop, but it was so very close to it that it almost felt identical, and that was nothing short of an heavenly pleasure that she would not forget any time soon.

In this pleasure of hers, the Shinigami at first failed to realize what was going on behind her. In her utmost happiness, she did not hear the loud voice ordering one to scram from the store unless they were ready to die right there on the spot, did not hear the waitress that was previously teasing her and Ishikawa running away as fast as she possibly could, and did not even hear the banging of the tables behind her. Hell, she also didn't hear the club-wielding brute smash his club against the wall. That was just how delicious the bowl was to her. It was only once she decided to look up towards Ishikawa so as to ask him what kind of bowl he had picked again to maybe pick another one of it to go that she noticed what was going on. "Hm?" She'd blink in surprise as she suddenly saw the woman threatening the mage, then the rest of the thugs that had filled the ramen shop. Once she did, she would look at all of them with a look of disbelief before she gulped down her latest bite, sighed and turned herself towards them on her stool. Looks like this was a repeat of the same thing that occurred while she dined with Dai back when she had just finished attending the Academy. "Ah... Great."

She would bring the bowl towards her face to consume all that remained within it as fast as she possibly could, then would let out another sigh before raising herself from her stool, leaving the empty bowl on the counter. As she did so, she would grab her scabbard and simply look at the people they were facing. "Bandits, huh...? You'd think there wouldn't be any around here," she hummed, then simply watched as the woman that was previously threatening Ishikawa immediately found herself constrained on the ground. If she was taken care of so quickly, it is doubtful the others will ware much better. "Nakajima Kimiko, Zaraki Company, Fifth Seat. Nice to meet you all. If you don't all leave in about three seconds, I'll make sure you all remember a good fight." It was a threat, a very direct one at that. Realistically, she really didn't want to fight here in this establishment, especially given how nice the food was and how bad a fight would be for the place's image. As such, to say that there was a bit of anger in her at the moment was a bit of understatement. Still, judging by her rising spiritual pressure, the others could tell that she was unconsciously getting excited about this. Who knows? Maybe it was just that woman who was so lame.

The swordswoman's threat was unsurprisingly completely ignored, seeing as about maybe a few seconds after the woman fell, two of the thugs then rushed forward with weapons in hand. In that moment, Kimiko's spiritual pressure suddenly rose dramatically, enough so to cause a coat of red to appear around her body. It looked wild and violent, seemingly ready to crush anything that would dare near it into dust. "Alright then," she would take a deep breath before she then grabbed the scabbard of her blade, "you asked for it." In the very next moment that followed, she suddenly found herself rushing towards the two goons with a shocking speed of 432. Once she would find herself at a sufficient distance, she would grab the handle of her blade before then sending that very same handle straight towards the thugs' stomach. It was done rapidly, so much so that the hit would cause the blade to bounce onto their stomach and return to its scabbard as though it never left it in the first place. Should one of them remain standing, she would repeat the process into the thug's head just to make sure he stays down. It wasn't a slash or anything very dangerous, but considering those people were of Rukongai, she was not going to treat them that way. If anything, they deserve nothing but a bit of a concussion.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats & Skills}

Statistics

Physical	Spiritual		Sensory	Miscellaneous
Strength: 102 (135-33) Speed: 432 (320+112)	Reiatsu Strength: 30 (40-10) Spiritual Pressure: 432 (320+112)		Instincts: 210 Senses: 150 Energy Sensory: 25	Light Aura: 60 Dark Aura: 40 Healing Expertise: 0

Skills

Mental	Battle		Body	Utility
Analyzing: 2 Strength of Will: 2       Learning: 1	Iaijutsu: 2 Martial Art - Hohō: 2 Battle Analysis: 2 Martial Art - Hakuda: 1 Battle Focus: 1		N/A	N/A

[Ishikawa Seiji]

Like everyone he'd ever met, people wanted to be accepted. Wanted their views to be agreed with and embolden by the thoughts of others. Unfortunately life, or even death, given they were souls, wasn't like that. It may be a new kind of living, but the elder had the distinct impression that humans were much the same. Similar problems and issues rising up from simple disagreements. Be it about honor and battle, a choice between right and wrong, or even a person matter that many went to seek out others for advice. Sometimes helpful, sometimes not. Kimiko was no exception to any of this, so it seemed, the disappointment almost seemed to radiate off of her, even at a slight distance. He vaguely wondered if she reacted much in the same way to everyone, or if it was just his choice of wording that set her on edge, that made her want to debate with him about it all. As much as he would've been more than willing to entertain her on such a topic for an hour or two, the place and general timing of it all is just wrong. They're both soldiers, still with duties, after all.

The fact of the matter was, no matter what either of them did, individual views were often rooted in experience. Sure he could guess at an age, but that was never a good idea with just about anyone that lived within the Soul Society. Him looking and often being mistaken for a mere teenager, was proof enough that judging based on appearances simply was effective in any way. Despite that, her reactions and perceptions of the world, led the emerald haired Shinigami to hazard a guess that she was somewhat younger than he. Utterly determined and insistent in her hope, her views, not having yet been shattered by a harsh reality by the look of her. Even should she have grown up in Rukongai as he had, their lives likely would've been different. It was always easy to tell the strays from those of a more well off background, he saw it in a few friends, like Mitsuri. That underlying hunger in their gaze, a desire to prove themselves to everyone no matter the cost. For their own peace of mind, and to ensure they weren't underestimated or treated like dirt ever again. So many shared that want, even him.

Yet despite all that, they were both mature enough to move on from the topic. Put aside for now, to revisit another time? Well, he wondered about that. Instead deciding to direct their thoughts to the weather just beyond those two small doors that led out into the rest of the world. It wasn't that surprising, given how many he'd seen trying to huddle and sink further into the thicker fabrics they kept wrapped about them. A pitiful and mostly fruitless attempt to shield themselves from the cold, not that he could truly complain. He had done similar, the scarf still wrapped about his form, even as their food was delivered before them. Even as the pair tucked into their meals, the warm soothing, not just to his stomach. But to warm his hands and ensure he wouldn't leave this place a shivering wreck, nor become like that once returning to the Kido Corps Barracks either. Lucky in that regard, that most areas minus their training grounds were covered over.

"Ain't all that surprisin', if yer hungry enough people'll do anythin' ta get some food. Don't matter if it's hollows or people like us, all gotta eat ta keep livin' don't we?" Occasionally, such questions brought of a more philosophical side to the elder Shinigami, one that wondered about the marvel of the world they resided in. Slaying hollows from their hunger, yet they felt the same, the only difference being some form of ingrained restraint. But even that argument fell away when others were exposed to the ruthlessness of the further districts. It was precisely why they were both here, wasn't it? A warm meal to fight against the bitter chill outside. A mixture of raw want of nutrients and a desire for something to keep them going. Training used up plenty of energy as it was, but not many ate in great quantities. Maybe it was just him then, a young stray always hungering for more, be it for food or to achieve greater. So he never had to return to how things used to be.

Regardless of how he acted, Kimiko mentioning another in her Squad, and in turn furthering the conversation certainly peaked his interest. Many disliked or outright hated him for his turn of phrase and typical ways. She might too, he wouldn't rule that out just yet, but it didn't seem severe enough to warrant her refusing to engage in discussions with him. No matter what they may be about. "Walkin' through everythin' huh? Sounds fun, might like ta meet 'em someday." Even if whomever this colleague of her's was doesn't agree with him, or tolerate him as much as the young woman beside him appears ti. The wonder of surviving all elements without a single scratch was definitely worth looking into. Even if it ends in nothing more in a passing brief conversation, such information about how they did it, could prove useful. Given enough time, perhaps something similar could be recreated, unless it was built into the individual's own release. A thought that occurs only for a split second as he swallows another mouthful.

Unfortunately, that was the last scolding mouthful of food the emerald haired Shinigami would get the chance to enjoy in peace and uninterrupted. It was such a shame really, because at first, he'd tried to ignore it. The lingering feeling that he was being watched, that gut feeling that told him something wasn't quite right. At first, he assumed it might've been his own evening meal. But no, only those that had stormed their way in and demanded to take over, granting death to any that dared stand their ground against them. Honestly, were it any other time of the day, he would've laughed at such words. At how foolish they sounded, trying to appear weak never got anyone anywhere. It sounded more like bravado than actual confidence in any of the three's abilities to him, and soon enough he was proven right by such thoughts. Ineffectiveness evident in each step, a twist to the woman's wrist, hard enough to snap a bone before she was bound on the floor and howling in pain. So much for that.

"You'd think, ya people would use common sense, guess not." He murmured, disappointment obvious in his tone. Yet in the moments that followed, that was gone, the elder for once leaning back against the bar and observing as Kimiko took down another of the thugs. The poor fool with the club hit the deck within seconds, winded and leaving him groaning on the floor in agony. The last, well of the stupid ones anyway, kept on coming at them but rather than step in the way he kept back. Instead turning around to slurp down another mouthful and drain the still warm bowl of it's remaining contents. Just as the second hit the ground, giving him enough time to glance back and whistle. Well, that was certainly quick. Fast enough it seemed to not urge the last one standing, but to only grow more and more annoyed as the seconds passed. They were strong! How did these two nobodies beat them with so little effort?

"Y-you... you bastards! How dare you... do you have any idea who we are!?" The male roared, butcher knife in hand now drawn and openly on display, rushing at the pair wildly at a speed of 150, comparatively very little against the two Shinigami, but dammit if he wouldn't try. "Don' know, don't care." Came the swift reply from the grinning Shinigami, he had a vague idea of course, but he wasn't going to say that aloud. Such words were enough to draw more from the man, anger morphing into rage at the perceived insult. Oh dear. As he approached, it seemed such emotions had already blinded him past the point of anything logical. The elder ducking under and slipping past wild strikes with ease, stopping to briefly glance towards his raven haired companion this evening with a questioning look. She was more than welcome to take him out if she felt like it, but toying with him like this was rather fun. "Anytime ya wanna leave, ya can jus' go. Ain't no need ta keep attackin' me, yer'll only tire yerself out~'' He chimed in less than helpfully, met only by a growl and further uncoordinated strikes.

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Kimiko likes fighting. That much now has become perhaps the most obvious thing someone could have gathered out of her. In every moment of her life, she is ready to do battle with anybody at her very best. It doesn't matter if her opponent is a rival Shinigami who has heard of her and wants to duel her for the hell of it, a denizen of Rukongai who believe themselves to be more powerful than she is, or some bandit who thinks that they can simply take advantage of her just because they can: all will face her blade equally if they so wish. However, there are times in which she simply wants to sit down and enjoy the good foods and drinks of Rukongai without any interruption. In a way, it was a bit of a request for a simple break from the chaos of being her celestial duties as a Shinigami, a brief demand for peace and tranquility that she has so cherished ever since Celes started showing her around the many restaurants of the divine realm. It doesn't feel like it is that great of a request, and realistically, it really shouldn't be. She wasn't asking for power or for people to even leave her alone. She just didn't want to fight during that time, plain and simple.

And yet, here she was, dealing with what seemed to be perhaps the rudest battle-oriented interruption she has ever witnessed thus far in her entire afterlife. What she had believed would have by now only been a simple evening spent with a new acquaintance over one or many bowls of delicious ramen had now been turned into an evening of dealing with what seemed to be a very petty crime scene. Tables were being flipped over and destroyed, food was outright stolen before her eyes, and worse yet, the kitchen staff were savagely chased away. The waitress disappeared to who knows where, and the owner of the shop - this grumpy old man who you would think looked so severe that he would have at least tried to fight back against these thugs - had become so powerless before it all that he was forced to leave before they would hurt him. Worse yet, the thugs seemed to have specifically targeted this establishment rather than any of the other ones surrounding it, and were enjoying what they were doing.

She wasn't quite sure what bothered her the most about them. Maybe it was the fact that they believed themselves to be the strongest in the room despite the presence of the two Shinigami, which branded them as very pitiful, imperceptive people. Perhaps it was instead the way one of their members, the woman, had been taken down in the matter of a second or two at best, thus making a farce out of whatever power they were supposed to hold over them. Hell, it could also have been how they seemingly were deliberately targeting those who they believed to be weaker than themselves. Whichever it was supposed to be, the more the scarlet-eyed warrior stared at them, the more she became frustrated by all of these things combined. It was a good thing that she was able to keep herself under control just long enough to introduce herself to them and warn them of their demise, else she would have potentially made sure to silence them right away.

Of course, such thugs would not bother taking into account her rank and her threat, and so, without any other choices to make, she dealt with those that focused their offensive onto her accordingly.

The first thug, the burlier one who wielded a club, was the one who fell first. As though in a flash, the Shinigami who was once standing near one of the main stools at the counter had appeared before him in a crouching position. He had no time to react. Before he was able to even feel the ominous feeling tied to the powerful spiritual aura following behind her, he suddenly received several blunt strikes from his stomach up to his head. On their own, none of these attacks were especially powerful; after all, Kimiko was never recognized for her sheer physical power, and she was also making sure to hold back so as to not severely injure them. However, together and with such speed, these strikes were able to cause more than enough damage to the thug to cause him to first feel the air within his lungs being violently expelled from him, then fall onto the ground while squirming in agony. As for the second thug... he himself did not as for much longer. By the time his partner reached the floor, he tried in a panicked vain to slash back at the scarlet-eyed warrior, though soon, the same fate befell onto him.

Standing before the fallen thugs, she would gaze down onto them with a disappointed glare. She had felt nothing from these thugs, not even an ounce of power. There was no spiritual power in any of them, no signs of enhanced strength and mobility. They didn't even seem to be remotely decent in wielding their very own weapons. Not only that, but their resilience was also paltry. Even though she had purposefully held back, they still fell without any additional effort from her end. Even the wooden dummies at the barracks are more intimidating than these people. How pathetic. "Really? You interrupted our meal just for this?" She asked then with a judgemental tone as her spiritual pressure grew just great enough to cause a bit of pressure to be applied to the fallen thugs. She knew her words sounded just outright mean. She didn't use them in such a way very often, not even on most Hollows, but considering what they have done, she really couldn't help it. "Lame."

The fact that they were so easily defeated alongside the woman Ishikawa restrained was enough to cause their leader - one who wielded a simple butcher knife for a weapon - to angrily lash out at them. His reaction was rather understandable, all things considered. he had entered this ramen shop seemingly thinking that he had control over the entire situation, and yet in the span of perhaps a minute at best, all of his partners had been taken care of without any difficulty whatsoever. Even so, Kimiko could not give any care about his reaction nor his words. By now, her excitement had died down to be instead replaced with simple frustration and impatience. She was officially now treating this not as a fight but as a mere cleanup. There was no way anyone here was going to give her either a challenging or even a respectable fight. "I mean... you haven't introduced yourself, so how should we know? You're just another lame criminal," She replied nonchalantly as she stood straight, then stared right into his eyes with an annoyed gaze devoid of adrenaline. "Now, come here."

Sure enough, the knife wielder eventually did come. Well, he didn't actually head for her, but rather for Ishikawa. The swordswoman had to admit that he was fast. He had rushed towards them with surprising speed for a person of his caliber, and was swinging his knife so wildly that any citizen of Rukongai who was slower than him would definitely have trouble keeping up. However, like his comrades, he had no style whatsoever. His swings were fast, but also wild, which made them extremely predictable at her speed. She could sense every single one of his attacks coming rather effortlessly, and given how the green swordsman was treating him, it seemed as though he too could do the same. Somehow, in some way, the sight made him appear so much more pathetic than his comrades. It was so disappointing. She would stand there for a bit, analyzing him to see if he had anything up his sleeve, though eventually, she would decide to put an end to this in the way she believed to be best: by kicking him. She would head towards the man's front before rapidly sending her leg against his tibia, deliberately aiming to sweep him and cause him to fall. Should this be successful, she would then rapidly unsheathe her blade and point its tip at the man's neck. To her, this was over. In no way was this going to entertain her any longer. "Alright, you're done," she would grunt with an almost-casual tone. "I can't stand this anymore."

[Ishikawa Seiji]

Frankly speaking, this was rather boring. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy a good scrap every now and then, far from it in fact. For the majority of his life, it had been a regular, almost daily occurrence if he couldn't find some other way to slip out of trouble. Or sometimes find another way to get involved in whatever mischief had caught his attention on that particular day. But there were times in which he simply wanted to be left alone, of course, he wouldn't get such a nice meal in such a setting back at the barracks. So a little forced social interaction was unfortunately necessary, though at first he had every intention of keeping entirely to himself and enjoying a good meal before starting the slow trek back into the Seiretei and back to the Kido Corps. A fair walk in this weather, not one he was looking forward too all that much either, sure a quick Shunpo would alleviate that considerably. But after a meal like that and maybe another, if these fools would leave, he wasn't sure going anywhere too fast was a wise choice.

Still despite entering with the idea of remaining alone, the surprise of the raven haired Shinigami also being here, had been a pleasant surprise. One who he assumed, based on what little past experience he had with the young woman, wouldn't ask him pointless nor stupid questions. But could engage in polite enough conversation to pass the time before their meals arrived. The little debate that faded out into a mutual agreement not to speak further on the matter in a place like this had been unexpected of course, but not unwelcomed. The food, as expected of somewhere Mitsuri-chan might visit, was wonderful but naturally nothing lasted. Nothing could simply be a nice quiet evening for him whenever he stepped out into Rukongai. It simply never happened and that irked him even more, on top of having their rare few hours of time without duty interrupted, it was that he'd seen it all before. The cockiness, the assumption that they were stronger than everyone else here. On a normal day, that might have been true, but neither he nor Kimiko were regular citizens of the outskirts anymore.

They were Shinigami.

Nevertheless, none of the four in this little group of so-called criminals seemed to care, or take much notice of that fact. It would be their downfall. Maybe they assumed that the both of them were students pretending to be all powerful, or perhaps they truly were foolish enough to think they could outclass trained soldiers. Either way, for ruining his meal, as it seemed the younger had the same idea, well they'd pad for it. In a rather painful way, not that such agony didn't mean he wouldn't make the time to mess with all of them. He would do so quite happily. The first of them, a woman who went down in a few seconds flat could then only hiss and throw obscenities at him as she struggled at her bonds on the floor. It was useless, he could sense no spiritual power of any kind from her, which meant she would never leave the binds that held her unless he wished it so. It was one way to stop her, if only Sai could keep her from throwing words at him, statements that went straight in one ear and out the next.

Simply put, he ignored her. It was only as Kimiko was dealing with the largest of the lot and sending him flying back and soon onto his ass, that he bent down onto his haunches beside the woman in question. "Now then, yer gonna be real good fer me an' keep nice an' quiet. 'Kay? Cause if ya don't, I'm afraid you're gonna lose that tongue o' yours, and that'd be just awful wouldn't it?" He smiled at her, sinister and amused his tone lowered just enough for her to hear, the slight tilt of his head and a brief flair of his own spiritual pressure was enough to leave the woman mute. Both from fear and the pressure that slithered around her, wrapped about her skin and pressed down. Not to kill, only to intimidate. It worked like a charm and he stood up wordlessly to finish his meal. Content to let the younger Shinigami handle those fools. It wasn't like she'd need his help for them, in fact even as he ate, he could see her doing just fine out of the corner of his vision. Not needed indeed, all the while he watched as the last of them observed the scene before him. Slack jawed.

Even the average hollow would have likely given them both more trouble than this, and that much it seemed, they both agreed on. The sorry state of the three before them, one closed off from sheer fear, the rest groaning in what was obviously massive amounts of pain. Poor things, had they not barged in so confidently, he would have almost felt sorry for them. Almost. Despite that, such an emotion faded, morphing further and further into pity and disinterest as the male spoke up again. Seemingly appaled that the girl hadn't been listening, that she hadn't even cared to. "You bitch, we're the Rukon Burgers, the most feared chain in the South District!. Let me show you why, first I'm gonna kill your pathetic friend here, then you." It was with such words, such bravado, that he charged right for the elder of the two. This man really was utterly disillusioned wasn't he? Seeing it wasn't difficult, the arrogance coupled now with fear for his fallen... friends? He supposed he would have to call them that. Yet he still kept on attacking, how sad.

"Not gonna give up, are ya? Yer bein' such a pain, just leave already with yer life, better than dyin'." As much fun as it was to toy with the man, to see his anger grow. To see a vein bulging in his neck as that rage only rose higher, even that had a limit. Seemingly just about reached, he'd much rather he sitting down at eating something else, maybe a little slower this time and cooler. That could not happen with these idiots still here. "Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!" The sound only grew louder as his strikes gained speed, yet they were still as if not even more frenzied then before. Even if he still wore a smile, the boredom in the his very body language was obvious, even as he ducked and weaved around one blow to the next. All too soon he'd slipped behind the fool, a sound kick right to the center of his back, leaving him stumbling forward, away from him and right towards Kimiko. Though he hadn't intended it to end up like that.

Of course, the fool turned around, ready to charge him again and seemingly having forgotten the raven haired warrior in the restaurant with him. So much so, that when she neared him and swept out his legs, he was powerless to stop it. The elder letting out an only semi-reluctant sigh as he approached, a blade already at the man's throat. Yet even on the floor as he neared, the idiot flailed his arm. "Ruined ma fun a lil' early there Kimiko-chan, but I won't blame ya for it. Yer real annoyin'." The last words directed at the pompous man, a step forward, his foot upon the wrist which held that butcher's blade. pressing down until he heard a distinctive snap. It would stop him flailing and the man at last fell quiet before he started wailing in pain. Well, so much for the idea of keeping him silent for a little while. Dammit. For a moment, he simply thought, of how best to end this, of how best to make it stop. Killing was the easier option, but he doubted Misturi-chan or that grumpy owner would let him back in if he spilled blood in the place. Darn.

Instead, he gestured to Kimiko to remove her blade, a hand reaching down as he did, to grab the man by the hair and yank him upright. Though not entirely on his feet, just enough that he could be sure the message got across properly. "Now, you an' yer little friends are gonna leave. Yer never gonna come here again, got it? If I see ya 'round this District again, I'll kill all o' ya, understand? Run along." He said simply, as if dismissing misbehaving toddlers to go and nap for a few hours. Power slithering through the air, his own, squeezing gently around their necks to emphasize his point. A simple nod was all he needed before he let go, that woman's binds falling away as she, and the rest, dragged themselves up and rushed as fast as their legs would carry them out the door and into the freezing cold beyond. Once they were gone, he hopped over the back counter popping his head out to call out to anyone nearby that it was fine to come back before he return to the bar. Now without hot food and significantly less relaxed then before, great. "Well that weren't what I'd hoped fer this evenin'." He spoke aloud, only half adressing Kimiko as he waited for those that actually owned and worked here too return. It wouldn't take long, hopefully.