Forging Ahead (Open Social to Captains and Vice-Captains)

[Col Arana]

A Hell Butterfly had been dispatched to all Captains, Vice Captains or stand-ins for the said rolls in the Gotei 13, summoning them to a meeting at the First Division Barracks. In a rare move, almost unheard of by a dictate from the Captain Commander, Kyousou Ningen, attendance was not mandatory. Still, a full thirty spots had been prepared around a massive table in the central meeting room of Kyousou's domain, and the Captain Commander was seated at its head, politely kneeling, hands folded on his hip. The seat to his immediate right, which would have been occupied by his Vice Captain, was empty, as a new lieutenant for the First Division had not yet been determined. A steaming pot of tea was set at regular intervals along the low table Kyousou had arranged to have set up. 

Now the Captain Commander sat patiently, his massive frame visible to anyone even passing by the room slightly. The huge man gave a small sigh. This battle took its toll on us. He contemplated in silence. Even he, Kyousou Ningen, such a proud and powerful man, was forced to bow his head at the tremendous losses the Hell invasion had incurred. He had directed the attack as best he could, and believed that Soul Society had acquitted himself admirably. Still... The responsibility placed upon the man was heavy. Long gone were the days in which he could have thrown himself into the fray with reckless abandon, reveling in a carnage of his own making. Rending the foes that threatened his beloved Soul Society asunder with his bare hands.

Alas, such days were behind him now. He as the Captain Commander of Soul Society, and exposing himself to danger on the battlefield unnecessarily was unacceptable. For some corrupt souls this would be a blessing. An invulnerable shield-- after-all who could conceive of piercing a shield comprised of no less than fourteen (okay maybe not the Onmitsukido) Captains? But Kyousou was no such man. Indeed, among the First Division, not a single one would consider such a thing. Kyousou had beaten such thoughts out of his squad long ago. The First Division of Soul Society were the true steel. The bedrock. The foundation on which all the other Thirteen Court Guard Squads depended upon. Such a foundation was not permitted to rot, or to put personal desires and aspirations ahead of what was right. What was just. What was duty.

And much as he loathed to admit it, Kyousou's duty and place was here. Directing the battle from afar. To enter only as a last resort. He wished now to know from those who had fought what they had experienced. What their thoughts were. This matter would cause great unrest and perhaps shatter the morale of those more feeble-willed and not as just as Kyousou's own. Kyousou now sought the thoughts of the other high ranking officers in the Gotei 13 so that he could determine with certainty what they believed should be the next steps for Soul Society, and how to bolster the spirits of so many of their broken comrades. [/i]

[Nakajima Kimiko]

The last few days passed like a blur for many of those who resided within the Soul Society. In a moment that could really only be described as a single instant, the celestial realm - "heaven", the one place in the spiritual world which Souls consider as their home, be it for the better or worse - had been turned into a warzone. Houses and businesses had been razed the ground, gone from wood and stone to nothing more than reishi ash, and their inhabitants had been viciously butchered, massacred. This complete destruction of the flesh and bone of the dead had been achieved to such a terrible point that the most of the bodies recovered from the ruins could not be recognized by those closest to them who had somehow survived the horrible event. Not even the Shinigami were spared this faith, as many of the bodies which had been found once remained as officers of the Gotei 13. Thus, for many of those who resided in the realm, this invasion was a complete tragedy, an event that would mark the history of the Soul Society's as one of its bloodiest and cruelest. However, for Kimiko... it was different. 

There was much of what unfolded for the past few days that the Third Seat of the Eleventh Division could not remember. She not recall everything that's happened, or even most of the key points of the battle. In fact, she could barely recall who had been lost in the battle and who had survived. It was as though, from the very beginning down to the very end, the entire invasion had been nothing more than a blur, mere flashes of reality that she could barely consider as being true. At times, she even found herself wandering if it had all been another sickening nightmare like all of the others she had witnessed in her sleep, something that had been supernaturally prolonged by whatever remains in that world beyond the veil of sleep. Yet it was all true. All of it, else she would not have been receiving report after report giving her so many minute details of the losses, and task after task requiring her to patrol both the Living World and the parts of Rukongai which had somehow been left unscathed by the attack.

Sometimes, as though driven by curiosity, she found herself beckoned to remember what happened during the invasion, the reports, and the patrols. She would try to recall everything in detail: the blood, the corpses the destruction. However, every time she would attempt to do so, she would find herself facing foggy memories. It was as though her mind, in the wake of the violence and carnage, had prioritized only certain elements and decided to completely ignore the rest. Thus, much of what she could recall was death. She could remember the sight of bodies, the sight of herself turning many into bodies, and then the sight of the search for more in order to repeat the exact same process. Some of them were bodies that were not of her making, those of Souls and fellow Shinigami officers who had perished in battle. There was no way she would have been the one responsible for their demise. No, those bodies were definitely of her making. Those which had been were of another nature altogether. They were Hellion, Hollow, and others too.

The Third Seat wanted to say that seeing so much death had hurt her in some way or another. It wasn't like her to be like this, she thought then, to be so hungry for battle, for war. However, each time she recalled the bodies of her enemies, the way they had been sliced and diced by her blades in so many different pieces, she felt joy. Plain, unadulterated joy, with seemingly no hint of regret for her actions. There was concern mixed in the positive emotion, worry, but those negatives were not at all related to what she had done. Rather, they were there because they were related to her lack of regret. Even now, despite the tragedy of the situation, she was not sure if she would actually be unhappy if it would occur before her eyes... and that scared her. It scared her deeply. It was as though the violence had reached such a dizzying height in her career that she was beginning to turn into something that could not be considered as a Shinigami proper. And the worst part about it? She could still hear Taishokukane's words, his criticism, his judgement. It was torture.

Despite these feelings of dread, doubt, and self-horror, Kimiko had remained strong enough to keep these things away from the public eye. The Gotei 13 administration had not noticed anything that could be considered as troubling within the officer, and apparently, neither did Tsukuyomi. What they had instead noticed during the invasion and the subsequent days was a Third Seat which had gone far and beyond what should have been her normal capabilities, all so that she could accomplish her main goal: to protect the Soul Society at all cost. A countless amount of Hellions had fallen after being confronted by her blades - so much so that her presence on the battlefield had been perceived by many survivors as being downright intimidating in the demons' eyes - and she had participated in many of the Hollow hunts which occurred all around the Living World thereafter in order to restore the balance within the Cycle of Souls. She had even eliminated some of the Hellions which had somehow survived the attack, as well as a few criminals which had escaped confinement during the invasion.

In normal circumstances, Kimiko should have rested. She should have just remained within the headquarters of the Fourth Division with the other wounded, and regained her stamina there. Yet, she hadn't felt any exhaustion then, and she was still fine now, partly because of Shizukakane's mending ability and partly because of the strange adrenaline she felt then. Although the Third Seat did not believe this to be as such, the Gotei 13 thought of her efforts as being quite commendable. So commendable, in fact, that it appeared as though it was deserving of a reward. In so doing, she, a simple Seated Officer who should not usually be part of such important activities, was invited to a meeting held by the Captain-Commander himself, the respectable Ningen Kyousou. This meeting is usually held for Captains and Lieutenants, but given the circumstances as well as her latest performance, it appeared as though she would be treated as an exception just this once.

For many, this should have been a great honor. Even though these were desperate times, most Shinigami never once even meet the Captain-Commander himself, as they instead typically only hear his name or words once or twice during their careers. However, the officer did not feel this way. She did not feel as though she really deserved this invitation, especially given that she hadn't even achieved Bankai yet. With that said, she also understood that her Captain, Francis Grin, was most likely not going to be there. He was never around with his own division, so it was doubtful that he was going to be with the other Captains alongside the Captain-Commander. Thus, alongside Tsukuyomi, she was technically the one true person that could currently be referred to as the second strongest warrior of the Eleventh Division, and therefore, it's second best representative. In other words, she would have to ignore her own turmoils for the time being.

It was with this in mind that Kimiko headed towards the headquarters of the First Division. Traveling from the barracks of her squad to the location of the meeting wasn't really difficult: all it took was a couple of Shunpo, something which she is starting to progressively become much less tired of doing now. The speed at which she reached her destination didn't help her with the rain, however, as she found herself with robes that had been left somewhat wet by the time she arrived to the meeting room. It appeared as though she was among the first officers to actually reach the room, seeing as there was nobody else in the room upon her entrance to it other than herself and the Captain-Commander. This realization was... naturally daunting to her, to say the least. She may have proven to be somewhat uncaring about military ranks due to her time in the Eleventh, but there was a difference to her between a typical Captain and the literal Captain of Captains.

"... Uh... Good morning. I didn't think I'd be the first one to show up..." she would eventually let out shortly after she entered the room. Usually, she would've been fine with that kind of response, but given who she was talking to, the realization that she had spoken so familiarly and awkwardly to Ningen Kyousou almost made her freeze over. She was not wearing the customary haori or even a Vice-Captain's badge, and yet she said that like the man was just a stranger! Well... hopefully, he won't take it too badly. She was a bit tired from all the work she's done in the last few days, so her behavior could be excused. Regardless of what the man would say or do in response to her words, she then knelt down to take a seat for herself that she believed was for those that were part of her squad, trying her best not to be too impressed by the presence of Kyousou as she placed her Zanpakuto to each of her sides. None of the seats were branded, so it was admittedly a little bit difficult to choose which one was the right one she should've gone to. Hopefully, she didn't get it wrong by accident. "Kawada-fukutaicho should be here soon."

[Celes Castellanos]

"Is this Hell? Did Orobas actually kill me and drag me to Hell?" The Captain quietly contemplated as she sat at her desk. Stacks of paperwork rested atop it and slowly dwindled out as she filled out form after form. A stamp here. A signature here. Damage reports. Rosters and death reports. It was all so much. It had only been a few days since Hell had stood at their doorstep. Spearheaded by the Akki Orobas and Alastor, Celes had seen untold destruction. Millions of demons had been summoned and ran amok throughout the Rukongai. A collection of Captains, Lieutenants and Seated Officers who weren't engaged with the leaders of the invasion were swiftly mobilized to deal with the threat.

Celes could hardly believe it. They had survived. Hell literally came to their doorstep and they survived. She sighed for a moment. She became lost in thought as she thought more and more about the events of that day. She had worked together with a Hellion. A Hellion! Ludwig was nowhere to be seen after using a strange form that seemed to be mirrored by Orobas. The maggots nest lay in ruins, destroyed by the Akki, allowing countless criminals to escape and wreak further havoc. One could scarcely believe that it all happened in a single day.

"Captain Celes. Captain Celes? Celes!" The Captain's eyes briefly shifted over to the woman who was sitting before her desk. One of her own, Viola was a veteran of the Division. Serving under both Captain Amara and even Captain Hotaru before her, she had been there far longer than Celes. Despite that, even when Celes took command of the Division as Vice-Captain, Viola was quite receptive of her. With Miranda doing training exercise, Celes just had Viola help her with paperwork. She vhad assisted both Amara and Hotaru after all.

The Shinigami's eyes lit up as she spoke. "Yes, Viola, what is it?" The Seated Officer simply chuckled and responded, "You're lost in thought again." Celes only tilted her head in response. "W- what? How can you tell?" Pointing at her desk, Viola giggled. Celes looked down at the form she had been filling out. The ink had trailed off the page as she actually just kept writing. Celes sighed and put the pen down before laughing. "Well. I suppose it has been a long few day. Lotta chaos." Viola nodded in response and the both of them sighed briefly.

Celes slid the form away from her. She reflected on her own words. Just yesterday she visited the graves of all Shinigami who had a body to bury. She hoped to pay her respects to each and every one of them. After all, Celes felt that she had failed them. She should've been more prepared. She should've acted sooner. Try to avoid all this death and destruction. She blamed herself. For her squamates death and for those of other divisions. She felt severely deflated, tapping the desk as she stared at it, feeling melancholy. 

Viola seemed to take note of it. "Captain, why don't we take a break? We've been at this for a while. You ca-" The girl stopped talking as she saw a familiar black critter flap its way into Celes' office. The Captain looked up and hummed. "A Jigokuchō? What's wrong now?" Shifting over to Celes, the black butterfly landed on her shoulder and relayed the information as instructed. Celes' eyes widened for a moment. "Hmm. I need to go." She stood up without little warning and walked over to the wall. Tying her twin Zanpakutō to the obi of her Shihakusho, Viola called out to her. "Is everything okay?" Before Shunpo'ing away, Celes roared, "Keep chipping away at the paperwork, Viola!" The Shinigami looked back at the stacks of paperwork and groaned. "Ugh... this is gonna be painful..."

Dashing out of the Barracks at incredible speeds, Celes made her way over the First Division. It seems that the Head Captain himself had summoned all available Captains and Vice-Captain's to a meeting. Strangely enough, the meeting was not mandatory. As she dashed towards the Division, she briefly thought to herself, "Not mandatory, huh? Well seems like the old man isn't going to yell at us... I hope?" There was little assurance in her thoughts. She could never quite predict the Head Captain. 

Nevertheless, Celes' trek to the First Division would not take long at all. She was among the fastest Shinigami in Soul Society. The Shunpo were largely unnecessary, but she didn't want to keep him waiting. The last thing she needed was to be late like to her first Captain's meeting. It was not a good first impression. She felt a chill scale up her spine just thinking about it. Much like Kimiko, it would not take her long to get there. As usual, she was greeted with deference by every Shinigami there. She just smiled and waved, not even bothering to mention she lack enthusiasm for it.

A few moments later, she'd find herself entering the meeting room. She looked around. Thirty evenly spaced seats lay around the table. As expected, the Head Captain sat at well... the head of the table. He was imposing, but much of it was masqueraded by a seemingly calm attitude. It made him very hard to read. More surprising, however, Celes would find that she was not the first to attend. No instead someone had already taken their seat. It took but a glance for Celes to recognize her. It was Nakajima Kimiko, her disciple. 

A smile touched Celes' lips. She was surprised to say the least. Kimiko was a Third Seat of the Eleventh. It was a bold move to show up, but then again... Celes knew how much of a ghost Francis Grin was. Next to Tsukuyomi, Kimiko was effectively the 2nd strongest of her Division. If the old man didn't mind, Celes wouldn't complain. Speaking of which, Celes turned to him shortly after entering the room and gave a polite bow. "Greetings, Head-Captain Ningen. It is an honor to attend today." The greeting was so... formal. It was completely unlike how Celes usually acted. Nevertheless, the Captain knew just who she was addressing.

After taking care of the pleasantries, Celes took her seat at the table. Kimiko would find the blond-haired Shinigami to be sitting directly across from her. Upon taking her seat, Celes untied her Zanpakutō from her sash and set the sheathed twin blades next to her. Reaching over, she'd pick up a steaming kettle of tea and pour it into her cup. Setting it back, Celes took a sip of the tea. It was excellent. She hummed contently before looking at the Shinigami sitting across from her. Locking eyes with her, the Captain simply winked at her disciple with a small smile before setting the cup of tea down. She was certainly curious to see who else would show up to this meeting on such short notice. 

[Col Arana]

The Captain Commander looked at the first to enter. "Welcome child! I don't believe we have properly met before! I am very pleased to meet you." He took a moment to pull a paper from under the table and looked at it. "I suppose that must make you Miss Nakajima. A pleasure I'm sure. My officers tell me that you acquitted yourself admirably and with great courage. I understand you took it upon yourself to hold the line at one of the least defended Gates of the Seireitei. Your loyalty and devotion are laudable." He stated with a kindly smile-- the sort a grandfather might give a grandchild that had just done something well.

And then the next to enter and he nodded at Celes. "Captain Shindazu as well. I am glad you could make it. I understand you two are acquainted." He stated. "Please be seated. I hope that others will come too. Mmm. Though I doubt many of them will. Too many of our number are overly concerned with petty things, and cannot spare the time to discuss the larger picture. I am pleased the two of you have greater wisdom than that." Kyousou poured himself a cup of tea and drank deeply.

"While we wait, I would hear your accounts of the battle personally. I have read far too many reports, but they are nothing but words on a page. The true nature of an event like this cannot be summed up in mere words, I am sure you'll agree. Let me see your eyes as you tell me what you saw. What you did. What you experienced." At the mention he closed his own for a moment, as if in contemplation, then opened them again. "Then I would hear your thoughts on what our next steps should be, that this tragedy does not happen again."

That was, after-all, the purpose of this meeting. To discuss what had happened, and to determine what steps needed to be taken going forward. Though Kyousou Ningen was a staunch traditionalist, that did not mean he was completely immovable. Only that whatever suggestions posed by Kimiko or Celes would require strong support and rationale if they were too unorthodox, to have any hope of swaying the Captain Commander of the Gotei 13.

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Ningen Kyousou... The Strongest Man. It took a few seconds for Kimiko to properly realize the sheer amplitude of that name once she found herself alone in a room with its owner. When she was but a student of the Academy, she had heard of his name many times and read about it even further in the books that she had been granted access to within the institution's library. His exploits as the 35th Captain Commander of the Soul Society were all nothing short of absolutely ridiculous. They were all the kind of tales that you would find being told by charlatans, liars, or plain storytellers, things that he should not have been remotely capable of accomplishing on his own, and yet he did, seemingly without even breaking a sweat. Moreover, he was the one who succeeded another man who was perhaps just as famed for his strength, the reputable Aryuu Juuken who had perished in battle. The list of achievements went on, and on, and on in Kimiko's head, without an end in sight. At a point, she found herself forced to put an end to the recalling.

He was most definitely old now, most likely too old to fight as he once did against those who threatened the realm. As far as Kimiko could remember, he had not actually been present during either of the latest invasions, which was enough to suggest that his physical condition wasn't what it once was. It was also possible that he simply had not wanted to act when even the walls of Seireitei had been breached by the creatures of Hell, but somehow, the Third Seat did not believe that Ningen could allow himself to do such a thing. Despite all of this, however, she felt as though she was inferior to him in every way. His achievements as both the 35th Captain Commander of the Soul Society and possibly the strongest Shinigami to have ever existed left a great shadow over every single one of her accomplishments. She liked to believe that she had done some things that were somewhat great, even if she did not think of them as being incredible... yet Ningen's presence alone was nullifying this belief.

But then, shortly after she sat at the table, he spoke. All it took for the weight of his achievements to be removed from Kimiko's person was a few words of respect. At a glance, it was really nothing much, just an introduction and an acknowledgement of what she had done to fend off the demons, but the kind smile he carried as well as the praise he gave her the things that she perhaps had been needing during the last few days. Hell, even some of the worries she held for the being in her dreams and the nature of the adrenaline she had felt during the invasion were gone. Perhaps this effect was due to how similarly the man spoke in comparison to how Shizukakane, her first Zanpakuto spirit, spoke to her. Perhaps it was instead because the words given to her came from a man that occupied an extremely-high position within the Soul Society. Either way, her appreciation for them was enough to make her remain quiet for a bit before she rubbed the back of her head with a bit of a smile. "Thank you, Ningen-taichou," she replied then, still as awkwardly as ever. "It's... really appreciated."

Almost as though fate itself wished to award her all so suddenly, the door then opened, revealing a familiar lime-haired woman entering the room. It was Celes. Though her master's presence here was not mandatory, Kimiko had been somewhat expecting her to come, namely because of her position as Captain of the Tenth. Even so, seeing her was enough of a relief to cause her to smile back at her friend. It had been some time now since she had last seen the one who could technically be referred to as the head-defender of the Soul Society, especially given that she has had to do so much work since the brunt of the invasion came to an end. Therefore, her presence did fail to be appreciated by the Third Seat in this moment, even if there were previous times where she believed her lack of misunderstanding of things to be rather frustrating, and even if their last meeting together had been more... intense that she had wished for it to be, to say the least.

 

With all of that being said, there were only so many pleasantries that could be shared - both audibly and quietly - before they would find themselves focusing on the matter at hand. Celes' formal greeting before Ningen was a testament to that. In so doing, once the introductions were finished with those who were present in the room, Kimiko would attempt to straighten herself a little bit so as to prepare for what was to come. Well, not before picking up the cup of tea that was standing before her on the table and filling it up with some of the contents of the nearby kettle. Since she was taken aback only moments ago by the Captain Commander's presence, she had completely forgotten that tea had actually been made available to all of the people who would come here. It was a good thing she had just enough time to take a sip: it was just about as delicious as the tea Shizukakane always prepared for her every time she came to visit him.

Due to the number of Captains being available for the time being in the room - or rather, the complete lack thereof - Ningen decided that it would be best if the conversation of the day first began with a vocal summary of the reports that had been granted to him. He was also open to suggestions in regards to what needed to be done now that the invasion was over. Kimiko supposed that his logic was fair. Sure, one could write down all that's happened, much like how she has written down everything she could possibly cover whenever she was not out there accomplishing the tasks both Jin and Tsukuyomi had to her; ultimately, however there was only so much that could be accurately portrayed with words alone. They also obviously needed a plan to move forward, especially now that the Soul Society has been left weaker than ever, and therefore left vulnerable in a time during which it really could not allow itself to be as such. With that said, Kimiko was but a Third Seat. In her eyes, it was... strange to suddenly be granted the ability to even make a suggestion, even if Francis Grin's absence made this permission somewhat logical.

Either way, at this point, Kimiko did not wish to disappoint the Captain Commander. Her presence here was not something that would always be tolerated, and so it was up to her to prove that it wasn't a mistake from Ningen's or the administration's part. As such, shortly after Ningen spoke, she would let out a brief sigh as she briefly looked down towards the cup of tea. Eventually, once she felt the pressure on her shoulders was gone, she would raise her gaze to towards the Captain Commander's. "I can't say for certain how it went for those who were guarding the other gates, but... a lot happened in front of the Shōryūmon," she began, trying her best to approach this in a way that didn't come out too awkwardly. "There was a lot of demons there. They weren't as strong as that worm or the one I've been reading about in the reports, but there was a lot of them. It was kinda like... fighting a wave, in a way." She took a pause for a moment as she tried to find more words to say, then continued: "I don't know how many demons I killed. To be honest, I just... lost count after a while. All I know is that I eventually started scaring them, and that made them back off. It was enough to let some of my soldiers push forward until until Mason-taichou showed up and froze everything. Then, there was an... explosion, I think. I don't know where it came from, but I know it launched me pretty far away and it killed a lot more of the things. Honestly, if it wasn't for my Zanpakuto's abilities, I think the pain I felt from the explosion would've knocked me out."

The recollection of such memories should leave a typical officer frozen in fear. It wasn't the kind of stories one should be able to tell so casually. Yet, as Kimiko spoke and stared at the Captain Commander, it would become clear that the woman did not feel fear from the incident. Far from it. She felt many emotions - notably disappointment and regret of not saving those that fell, and a great fury for the fact that the invasion happened at all - but there was not an ounce of fear. Instead, there was excitement and frustration. Her slaughter of the demons had pleased her, and Wycliff's actions on the battlefield had interrupted her massacre with enough strength to cause her to be angry at him. In a way, it made what had been so far a rather-meek Third Seat appear to be much more than meets the eye, something which Celes would most likely be easily able to identify; after all, they had both trained enough for her to be capable of recognizing Kimiko's ferocity in battle.

In any case, after she covered the main part of the invasion, Kimiko would take another pause. The emotions that came with this recollection had been more intense than she thought they would be, and it showed, leaving her a bit embarrassed by the fact she had almost showed her true self to both Ningen and Celes. Nevertheless, since she had already begun speaking, she couldn't stop now. So, not long after, she resumed: "The Eleventh and I have... more or less been trying our best to fix what happened ever since. We patrolled the Rukongai for any demons who survived, and we also went to the Living World to hunt Hollows to try to fix the balance. We lost a lot of people here, so we needed to cut down a lot of Hollows... Fortunately, Squad 12 helped us not lose count of that." Another spark of excitement then appeared in her eyes. It was clear that she had participated in all of those things too, giving credence to the reports she herself had written.

Eventually, however, the excitement in Kimiko's gaze would completely disappear to instead be replaced by reflection. She had reached the end of her recollections, and it was thus now time for her to make her suggestion to Ningen. For a moment, many ideas came to her, many of which were much to brazen for her liking. Some of them included the likes of invading Hell itself as retribution and killing the one responsible for the invasion, and hunting down a few of the Espada of Hueco Mundo to make sure they would not attempt to strike the Soul Society while it was on its proverbial knees. After a time, however, she came to what would be the most logical to give in this context. As such, she spoke again: "Personally... I would suggest that we try to ramp up our recruitment efforts from now on. Since the recent attacks against us, our numbers have been rapidly dwindling, and if this goes on, I feel like we're going to start running out of officers. All of us are strong in our own right, but... I just feel like we need more, somehow."

[Celes Castellanos]

Celes couldn't help but sigh as she set her tea down. She looked around the room at the empty seats, reflecting on the Head Captain's words. Soul Society was in a state of ruins. At least the Rukongai was. The Maggots Nest had been broken open. Countless Shinigami and bystanders had been slaughtered by the overwhelming numbers of Hell. They needed to regroup. To rebuild. She understood that the Captains who didn't show up may have their reasons, but this was important. She hoped that her fellow Captains would eventually sense the value in it and show up sooner rather than later.

Alas, Celes couldn't dwell on it. She listened to the Head Captain's words carefully. Simply put? He wanted to hear their experiences on the battlefield. He wanted them to paint a true picture of the atrocities committed during the invasion. Furthermore, he wanted recommendations on how to prevent another catastrophe. It was a sensible thing to seek council from what were effectively his highest-ranking subordinates. She had a few ideas, but it seemed that Kimiko would jump at the chance to detail her experience. 

Celes was never at the gates. After meeting Orobas and Alastor in direct combat, Celes delved into the Rukongai to rally survivors. Shinigami and residents of the Rukongai alike. As she listened to Kimiko's words though, the Captain picked up on her sense of glee. Celes hummed softly. This was not a new development. She had known of Kimiko's hunger for battle for a while. It even eclipsed her own. However, whereas Celes liked the thrill of battle for the chance to hone her abilities, it began to seem that Kimiko enjoyed cutting into her opponents. It was... troubling.

Nevertheless, it provided valuable insight into the defense effort at the gates to Seireitei. Kimiko then revealed further efforts to rectify the balance of souls that had been disturbed. After leaving some room to digest all of it, Kimiko put a sensible idea into motion. Recruitment. They needed more forces especially after losing so many to Hell itself. Celes tapped her finger on the desk for a brief moment. If the Head Captain had something to say on the matter, she'd leave him to it, of course. Otherwise, Celes would begin with her report.

"As you may already know, Head Captain, myself and Captain Odayakama moved to repel the top brass of the invasion. We came across Orobas Price and unidentified target, both Akki." Even as Celes began speaking, it wouldn't be difficult to tell that she was restraining much anger when discussing them. After all, Orobas and her had history. Nevertheless, she continued. "Shortly into the engagement, Orobas utilized a form unlike any other I've seen. No energy to sense. It certainly was no Sasei Oni. As I understand it, they came in an attempt to assassinate you, Head Captain." 

It was... shortly after that Captain Odayakama, Senshi, fell to the Akki after attempting to take them down with her." She paused. Celes remembered the feelings surging through her. The fear that Senshi had been killed. The pure anger towards Alastor. She sighed, attempting to calm herself for the moment. "We were, however, aided by another. They appeared as Captain Kuchiki, but they were not Kyomei himself. I would later come to find out that it was Kitai Yoru, a Saika." Celes had her own copy of the Bingo Book and she peered through it at times to identify certain threats to Soul Society. Kitai was prominently displayed as a S-Ranked bounty. There were former reports she had read of him assailing Soul Society.

"Shortly after is where everything began to fall apart." Her tapping became a little more frantic. "The next few moments were over in what felt like a flash. After we repelled the other Akki, Orobas became something otherworldly, skewered Kitai and was promptly intercepted by Ludwig. Much like Orobas though, Ludwig was using anything unlike his Shikai or Bankai. Before I knew it, several Kidō detonations went off and that was that. Afterwards I scoured the Rukongai in an effort to rally any survivors towards Seireitei." 

"Shortly thereafter, I was intercepted by the current Noveno Espada. She claimed to be here on a reconnaissance mission." Celes purposefully left out the offer that Lagos had made her. The Arrancar had offered her Fracción, but seemed to want something in return. Getting aid from a hellion like Kitai was enough for one day. Overall, it seemed that the Captain had her fair share of misfortune. The company she was forced to keep, after all, was less than ideal. 

"Since the invasion, I've had my Division assist the Sixth with restoration efforts. Aside from that, patrols and strategic defensive positions have been bolstered as well." Pausing to take a sip of her tea, the Captain cleared her throat before hoping to contribute to the general well-being of Soul Society. "Head Captain Ningen, I am deeply disturbed by the events of late." She was likely not unique in this regard. Everyone certainly had their feelings about the boldness of Hell to attack Soul Society directly. Nevertheless, Celes eleborated.

"The Rukongai is, by far, our least defensible territory and, unfortunately, also our largest. I've seen portals to Hell be opened at our "doorstep" with my own eyes. The seeming ease of the Noveno Espada and her Fracción to enter Soul Society also has me worried." Once more, Celes took the time to collect her thoughts before continuing. "While I believe the scale of this invasion to be unique, as it stands, the Rukongai is too easily breached even at its closest districts. The size of the Rukongai can make it difficult for the flow of communication to be effective." 

As Celes continued speaking on the tactical nature of the Rukongai, her ideas would slowly become clear. "I'm not sure how, but I propose eliminating or, at least, mitigating invaders' ability to bring a mass force into Soul Society at once via Garganta and the like. Additionally, improving response time of my and other Divisions' forces would be beneficial to establishing a defense effort much quicker. I suspect that the Tenth would need to collaborate with the Twelfth and Thirteenth for this effort to become a reality." It was an incredible undertaking that Celes was proposing. Would the Head Captain see eye to eye with her on it? That was yet to be seen. 

[Tsuyoshi Minamoto]

Ichibantai - the first squad of the Gotei 13, the center of Soul Society and the headquarters of the Soutaicho, or the Captain Commander, Kyousou Ningen. It was rare enough for the Soutaicho to call together the Captains on a full meeting and it was rarer still for him to call them together for a non-mandatory meeting. These were unprecedented times. Not too long ago, Soul Society had been attacked, specifically the Seireitei, by the armies of Hell itself. The fighting exchange was brief, one that took many lives and returned many Hellions to their chains. It was also an attack that saw the strongest that Hell had to offer and one of the greatest Captains of the Gotei 13 give their spiritual powers up to the aether in order to combat one another, leading to unforgettable changes and events that certainly impacted all members of Soul Society.

Much of the Rukongai felt the after-effects of the invasion, albeit to varying degrees, with the districts immediately outside of the Seireitei feeling the worst of them. Buildings had been destroyed, Shinigami and Rukon citizens alike had been torn apart and left for dead, and smoke and char were all that remained of much of the buildings outside of the gates. Thanks to the Shinigami, however, the gates of Seireitei stood insurmountable against the tide and the Hellions were thrust back to where they came from.

Of them was Minamoto Tsuyoshi - one of the newest additions to the Gotei 13 and, by far, one of the most violent, predictably destructive, and reckless of them. While he was older than some of the newer Captains, Tsuyoshi had spent much of his time testing only his sheer, raw might against the strongest that the three realms had to offer, causing a number of high-value casualties amidst the other divisions in the process. As of his promotion to Captaincy, however, he has taken a staunchly different stance in his approach. While his personal recklessness has not been assuaged and he has made no effort to improve his control over his spiritual energy (a deficit that has since been forcibly corrected by a spiritual seal), he has found new vigor and new purpose in leading Sanbantai to a new era of greatness and prowess under his authority.

At the Northern Gate, Tsuyoshi and the combined efforts of Sanbantai and Jubantai fought with new academy students to hold back the Hellish tides, with a couple of notably powerful academy students, as well as some previously unknown unseated Shinigami, making a name for themselves alongside him. Aside from a brief entanglement with a particularly powerful Hellion near the end of the invasion, the casualties of Sanbantai had been self-limiting, with the Shinigami of his division able to rally behind him and work together in order to not only hold off the Hellions alongside Jubantai’s Vice Captain, but also to secure many of the Rukon citizens from the nearby Northern districts. While Sanbantai’s casualties were certainly noticeable, they were sizably better than expected.

“Ehhh. I hope he doesn’t make us talk too much.” Tsuyoshi spoke, looking sidelong to Tala. Tala, a subordinate underneath Tsuyoshi, had received an almost immediate promotion at the end of the invasion, with plans to formally promote the Seated Officer in front of his comrades once things had recovered and he could make announcements of some new additions to his squad at the same time. Because of Tala’s efforts during the invasion, Tsuyoshi had chosen him to accompany him to the Captain’s Meeting, believing that whatever Kyousou wanted to know about the engagement, Tala would be able to elaborate somewhat on the carnage seen further away from the Gate, given that Tala had been the one to prompt the rescue attempts of the Rukon Citizens.

Tsuyoshi was… impressively dressed, at least for Tsuyoshi. Unlike literally any other period of time, Tsuyoshi was wearing a proper shihakusho, with his Uchigatana and Zanpakuto resting one on top of the other on his left hip. Draped around his neck, ceremoniously, was his haori - surprisingly worn properly. There was some additional bulk around the left side of his torso where bandages were wrapped, though whatever injury they hid did not seem to hinder the Captain in any way. As they approached Ichibantai, Tsuyoshi neglected to provide any kind of acknowledgement to the Shinigami in front of the squadhouse as he entered, nor did he provide any explanation as to why Tala was with him. He continued down the squadhouse’s corridors until he came to the Meeting Room, grunting and craning his neck slightly.

“Ehhh. Gomen~, gomen, Soutaicho. I know my Seventh Seat and I are…” He paused, looking about the room at the only others gathered, muttering under his breath afterwards. “... on time?” He shook his head. He was losing his touch. That, or less people came for the meeting than expected. Unlike the other two present, Tsuyoshi displayed a notable lack of starstruck nature in the face of the Soutaicho. While he respected the man’s combat prowess, he saw no reason to show any greater respect than he needed to. The fact that he was obliging by the formal dress code and not causing a ruckus was an impressive enough feat when it came to reigning in Captain Minamoto.

He gestured simply for Tala to follow and sit, taking his assigned seat at the table, crossing his legs and leaning on one of his knees. He cast a glance on both Kimiko and Celes, recognizing Celes as one of the Captains of the Gotei 13, but only in passing and not informally. Kimiko, however, he didn't seem to recognize at all, nor did he seem particularly impressed or surprised by her presence here as a Third Seat. Instead, he turned his head over to Kyousou. “So - what’s this meeting about, Soutaicho?” It was clear that he only knew that there was a meeting, and did not read or listen to the specifics of what the meeting was for.

[Col Arana]

Kyousou sat in comfortable silence as Celes and Kimiko took their seats. His eyes fixed on one speaker and then the other. It was clear, whatever his answer may be to them, he was listening to what they had to say. Their suggestions were not to fall on deaf ears. Kyousou may very well choose to consider their opinions naive, foolish or wrong and deny them, but the look on his face at least told both Shinigami that their ideas would not be dismissed without due consideration, if nothing else. He gave a slow, but deliberate nod to Kimiko as she gave her account and her suggestions. The Captain Commander of the Gotei 13 was firm in all things, even so small a thing as a nod of acknowledgement.

Celes's account was given equal attention and deliberation. So, the Akki were here to kill him, were they? Almost any other Shinigami in the Gotei 13 would have interrupted at that point. Not Kyousou. He allowed Celes to speak at length and in her entirety, patiently waiting for her to finish her full speech and making sure she had naught else to say before he would reply. His brow did not so much as furrow to give an account of his thoughts. He would refrain from judgement until the end. "I see." He said. He first addressed Kimiko. "Under the circumstances, it seems congratulations must be in order Nakajima Kimiko. A lesser warrior would have faltered or broken, if not in body than in spirit. It saddens me that I cannot count you among the ranks of my own division. But it fills me with great pride and peace of mind knowing that you stand vigil at our walls." The older man said. "HOWEVER." His praise was interjected with a sharp tone like a whipcrack. "Do not become complacent with idle praise. You have done well this day, make sure you continue your performance on the next."[/color] He said. He did not address Kimiko's suggestion just yet.

"Captain Shindazu."[/color] His eyes now fell to Celes. "Your account has introduced matters that were not listed in the official reports. And it is evident to me you are leaving important details out." He declared. "Reports from the South Gate state that the Tercera Espada was present, and was responsible for damaging much of the district. Captain Tezuka's report states that despite the danger of the Espada, in the moment he judged the forces of Hell to be a more important priority."[/b] Kyousou's brow at last furrowed as he spoke those words. "With your account now, that means two Espada were present at this invasion. But you have left out what happened in your meeting with this "Lagos." A Captain does not idly meet with an Espada and leave with no blows struck." Kyousou stated to Celes. His eyes pierced through the woman. It was clear that Kyousou believed Celes was hiding something from him.

Before Kyousou could continue, the discussion was interrupted by the arrival of another Captain. Kyousou's head steadily but swiftly turned to look at Tsuyoshi as he entered. "It is well you could make it, Captain Tsuyoshi. Please find yourself a seat. We were just discussing Captain Shindazu's report on the recent invasion. I hear you led the third at the Van. There is a popular phrase, to charge into the jaws of Hell. I do not believe those who created it ever intended it to be spoken so literally. But here we are, and from what I hear, you did precisely that. When Miss Shindazu has concluded filling in the holes in her report, I would hear your tale of the battle as well."[/b] The Captain Commander stated to Tsuyoshi. His face had hardened now, and was stern. Though it did not appear to be directed at Tsuyoshi in this instance but at Celes. For a man like Kyousou Ningen-- the Justice of Soul Society. A man who was straight and plain as could be. He was a man who spoke what he believed to be the truth as baldly and blatantly as could be, with no mincing of words. And it was well known that he could be very harsh on those who failed to follow his example.

"Please continue Captain Shindazu." Kyousou advised. "I will get to your and Miss Nakajima's suggestions in a moment. I believe what happened between you and the Noveno Espada to be important to address first. Which reminds me."[/b] He looked back at Tsuyoshi. "No doubt you have thoughts of your own on this matter Captain Tsuyoshi. I would hear your ideas on what our next steps should be going forward. This is a dire time in the history of Soul Society, and I would know where our Captain's thoughts and resolve lies in its wake."

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Kimiko's retelling of events had been more exciting than she thought it would be. Much more exciting. Every time she recalled the battles, she could feel herself coming back to them. It was all still a blur to her, the frantic passing of wild emotions that she needed to control as much as she possibly could not to make a fool of herself before the Captain Commander, but the more she spoke of it all, the more it came back to her. She could remember her wish to fight every enemy she found herself encountering, including the great wave that threatened to collapse the western Seireitei gate. She could recall her charging towards the devils, the "ink" expelled by her blades and body, and the blood and limbs that were all ripped away from the demons. Somehow, she could even recall their great fear of her and their rising reluctance to fight her, as well as that one Hellion who had impressed her most out of them all: Dokuro, the blade of Lucifer.

To remember all those things felt good. In fact, it felt too good. Now that she had been somewhat convinced to look back at it, a part of her - perhaps her conscience, for all she knew - believed that to feel so ecstatic about cutting down so many enemies was wrong, and that she should not feel happy about what she had done. It told her that she needed to be ashamed of herself, needed to be worried about the fact that she had become a kind of warrior that was beginning to enjoy killing. Her lack of regret in regards to the death of the innocent was also notably tied to this as well. However... somehow, she could not find herself becoming ashamed of it. Unlike the lack of regret she had in seeing so many dead Souls, she did not mind the lack of regret that she had for killing her enemies. To her, it was justified. They were enemies to the Soul Society, beasts who want nothing but to destroy the world and make it in their image. In her eyes, that was enough of a reason to put them to the slaughter.

Ningen did not appear to show any concern for the kind of thoughts Kimiko carried, and so she carried herself to the end of her report somewhat unscathed. However, the hum that then came from Celes was enough to catch her attention to the point that she briefly found herself turning her eyes towards her. At a glance, it really didn't seem like much. All it seemed to be was just a noise of understanding, something from the Captain of the Tenth that confirmed her understanding of the words Kimiko conveyed to the Captain Commander. But for Kimiko, it sounded different. It seemed less so like she had understood what she had said, but more like she had noticed something and was making note of it. This caused the emotions within the Third Seat to settle down and be replaced with something akin to worry. Had she said something wrong? Had she shown to both Celes and Ningen how much she enjoyed the slaughtering after all? She couldn't tell, and it was enough for her to suddenly feel conflicted.

Regardless of how she felt, it would now be Celes' turn to present her report. The conflict she was feeling was still there, but at the very least, she now didn't need to deal with the pressure of being potentially judged by Ningen any longer, and so she then went on to listen to what the Captain of the Tenth had to say. Overall, the Third Seat found herself rather impressed by the report. It seemed that, while she herself was dealing with the wave of Hellions that was assaulting the West Gate, Celes had been much busier elsewhere dealing with what appeared to be extremely dangerous threats. Well, at least she believed everything Celes said to be dangerous threats, seeing as much like almost every person that the Captain mentioned, Kimiko had absolutely no idea of who Orobas was supposed to be and she could thus only guess how powerful he was. The matter of that Orobas ultimately wanting to kill Ningen was also, unfortunately, not very surprising. It just seemed logical, all things considered.

The suggestions the Captain of the Tenth then brought to the table were both unsurprisingly centered around the defense of the Soul Society, as what was to be expected from a person occupying her position. Her first suggestion was to find a way to keep great armies such as the one conjured by Hell away from the Soul Society, while her second was to find a way to increase the response time of the Tenth Division alongside other squads, namely the Twelfth and the Thirteenth. Kimiko had no particular objections towards either of those things. She couldn't say much about the Tenth's response time, seeing as she always believed it to be rather swift when it came to its activities, but from her perspective, it was indeed concerning that the recent events had easily proven the Soul Society to be incredibly easy to access, whether it be by the enemy or unwanted passerby. For a place that was not meant to be accessed by anybody but deserving Souls and the Shinigami, it seemed awfully easy to access, especially by those who wished to destroy it.

With the suggestions now spoken, the Captain Commander would proceed to speak, though he would not consider the suggestions just yet. To Kimiko's surprise, the old man instead first went on to downright congratulate her for all that she has done during the demonic invasion, going so far as to say that he regretted the fact that she was not in the First Division. Considering the attitude the old man has been showing to her thus far, the Third Seat had been expecting praise. However, she hadn't expected that much of it. It was... rather pleasant to be treated so well by such a powerful individual. "T... Thank yo-," she was about say then with a hopeful smile on her face before she was then figuratively smacked by the sharper words the man then told her next. At first, she was left stunned, blinking in surprise from how loud the voice had been. Fortunately, she would be able to recover quickly enough before she would make herself a complete embarrassment before him and Celes. "I will, Ningen-taichou!"

After the congratulations were done, the old man then turned towards Celes and called out a specific part of her report that he found to be rather strange. Apparently, the Captain had deliberately left out elements from her reports about the presence of the Espada within the Soul Society at the time of the invasion. At first, Kimiko felt as though this accusation somewhat came out of nowhere, though now that she was recalling Celes' report in more detail, it did seem odd to her that she had brushed off her meeting with the Noveno Espada. Sure, the Espada claimed to be on a reconnaissance mission, but it was somewhat strange to hear that that was the only it bothered to do then. Did she and Celes do battle? Did they talk to each other?  It is kinda odd, yeah... but maybe there wasn't a lot that happened then? Ailene wasn't really that bad.  Her thoughts scrambled as she tried to figure out what happened her friend and what she considered to be her enemy as of now. Needless to say, only Celes would be able to reveal more about what happened.

Just as her thoughts were about to become too confusing for Kimiko's own good, her eyes would quickly turn towards the door once she heard two people enter the room. The first appeared to be another Captain, a dark-skinned man was about just as tall as she was, while the second was a smaller officer of lesser rank in comparison to him. The Third Seat of the Eleventh was unable to recognize them and so did not have any strong feelings one way or the other for the both of them, but eventually, Ningen would reveal them both to be part of the Third Division, the Expedition Squad. Kimiko couldn't help but blink upon being made aware of this. Long ago, while she was a student of the Academy, she had read about them to an extent. Only blurbs of information remained within her brain about their activities, but one thing she could remember was their nickname: "The Cursed Squad". Upon looking back at it, it was a rather corny nickname. Yet the fact that they even held it was a bit concerning, to say the least.

With the newcomers now settled at the table, Kimiko would abstain herself from saying anything about their arrival and instead await what the others would say to the Captain Commander. She did not want to interrupt Celes, mainly because she wanted to hear more about this Noveno Espada, and she did not want to be a bother to this Tsuyoshi, mainly because he was a Captain. In so doing, she would simply take a seat from her drink and try to keep her own inner turmoils away from this table.

[Celes Castellanos]

"Captain Shindazu." Celes' eyes drifted upward, locking with the Head Captain's. "Your account has introduced matters that were not listed in the official reports. And it is evident to me you are leaving important details out." Celes clicked her tongue ever so softly. "Just couldn't it go, hmm?" Shortly thereafter, the Head Captain went into detail about another Espada, the Tercera, appearing at the South Gate. She had heard idle chatter about it in the last few days. Apparently there were more than just Shinigami fighting for Soul Society's future that day, a statement that Celes knew to be true given that she had been supported by a Hellion against Orobas and Alastor.

Nevertheless, the Head Captain's eyes were on her now. "With your account now, that means two Espada were present at this invasion. But you have left out what happened in your meeting with this "Lagos." A Captain does not idly meet with an Espada and leave with no blows struck." It took all the energy and restraint that Celes could muster not to roll her eyes at the comment. If it came to it, Celes did what needed to be done. Despite that, she didn't enjoy killing and usually did what she could to repel an opponent instead. In fact, those that didn't deal a single blow would not receive one from her. 

Before she even had the opportunity to think about getting snappy with the old man, it seemed that they had a newcomer. “Ehhh. Gomen~, gomen, Soutaicho. I know my Seventh Seat and I are…” A brief pause arose from the Captain as his eyes surveyed the room. “... on time?” A tiny chuckle arose from the lime-haired Shinigami. If nothing else, it added a bit of levity to the conversation. It gave her a chance to relax. It was certainly an interesting move to bring a Seventh Seat to such a meeting. She knew little of the current hierarchy of the Third Division. Perhaps they also had no Vice-Captain to call their own?

Fortunately, Celes' attention would be quickly redirected by the Head Captain. "Please continue Captain Shindazu. I will get to your and Miss Nakajima's suggestions in a moment. I believe what happened between you and the Noveno Espada to be important to address first." The Captain hummed softly in response. In truth, the rest of the story was not particularly grandiose. Nevertheless, she didn't want to earn the ire of the old man at a time like this. She took a deep breath and sighed. "Okay. Here goes." 

"If I may be candid, Head Captain, the rest of my encounter went as one might expect." She locked eyes with the Head Captain before continuing. "The Noveno Espada made me an offer. Her services and those of her Fracción in eliminating the rest of the Hellions. Innocuous and noble at a glance, but I like to believe that I had a good read on her. She Perhaps she wanted something in return? I didn't bother asking. Either way, she couldn't be trusted." Everything she had said to this very point had been the absolute truth. Now, however, it was time to deviate from it a little.

"Anyway, a fight broke out and the coward ended up fleeing. Afterwards, I focused on eliminating any straggler  hellions and rallying any survivors I came across." After finishing the rest of her report, Celes sat back down and took a sip of her tea to clear her throat. Hopefully this would take some of the heat off of her and the Head Captain would be satisfied. More than anything, the Captain was curious to hear input on both Kimiko's and her own suggestions on how to recover from this grievous attack.

[Col Arana]

Kyousou Ningen leaned back in his seated position slightly, and a low "Hrm" emitted from his lips. "I daresay your judgement was correct Captain Shindazu. I commend you as well. This invasion was a time that tried us from the bottom of our hearts. We all do our duty when there is no cost to it. Honor comes easily in such times. That day was one it does not come easily. It would have been very easy to bow your head and accept the Noveno Espada's poisoned offer. And perhaps she would have helped us that day, but I have little doubt there would have been an insidious cost to it, one that might poison the soul of Seireitei far worse than those foul Hell beasts ravaged its body." He stated with a short, but approving nod to Celes.

"Now, if Captain Minamoto would like to give his account, he may. Otherwise, I will address your suggestions." He stated. Beginning with Kimiko's suggestion. It was a sensible suggestion of course. "You are correct, and we are improving efforts to do that as we speak. Unfortunately, the population of the Rukongai was also severely depleted, and many of who remain do not possess the strength of body, spirit or character to make it as a Shinigami. I have been petitioning the Central 46 myself, to draft more of Seireitei's Noble class to help resupply our numbers. Unfortunately, as sound as your suggestion is Miss Nakajima, we presently have limited ways to implement it." Kyousou allowed Kimiko a moment to offer a rebuttle. Certainly if she had ideas around this matter, he would gladly give her the space to air them.

If not, he would continue on to Celes. "You propose a good suggestion, but that is a matter for the Twelfth. The Twelfth has placed great priority in developing defenses for our Seireitei. To create such a wall around the entire Rukongai would be a daunting task. Immense amounts of resources would need to be sent into it, and the ones constructing it would be at constant risk of attack. They would be a tempting target for any of our enemies. Do you propose any suggestions to counteract these, Captain Shindazu?"/color]

[Nakajima Kimiko]

The arrival of those of the Third Division had somewhat interrupted their conversation to an extent, enough so that a pause would come along with it. Said pause wasn't really long and it did not seem as though those who were currently within the room gave much thought to it. Really, it probably lasted about a few seconds at best. However, like Celes, Kimiko did not quite mind this. If anything, now that the Third Seat of the Eleventh was giving it a bit more thought, she almost appreciated just as much as Celes did. Well, not to the point that she found herself chucking about it like Celes did, but almost enough to get herself to smile just a little bit. After everything she had told the Captain Commander and the Captain of the Tenth about, and the literal compliments that she received from the strongest person to currently stand amidst the Soul Society's very grounds, the one with the lowest rank in this room needed a bit of an emotional break, so to speak. There was only so much she could take, after all, especially given everything that's happened since the last few days.

Regardless, the pause would not last for very long, as eventually, the conversation would return to the matter of Celes and the member of the Espada she apparently found herself meeting during the attack. The Captain-Commander seemed to be quite adamant to learn more about what happened, as made evident by the way he immediately wanted to know more about that particular instance before giving more of his attention to the suggestions she and Celes had given to him. Kimiko, of course, wanted to know more about this as well. It was a bit hypocritical of her to think this way, especially given that she had spoken to and literally worked with a member of the Espada in the past in order to find a specific Hollow in the wild. Even so, Ailene was a different case altogether, and she was much more of the uncommon side of Hollowkind than her brethren. Thus, she believed Celes' meeting with the Noveno Espada to indeed be very odd, and she had to admit that she was on the side of the old man for the time being.

With that said, in spite of Ningen's insistence on focusing on this case, it didn't really seem as though much had happened between the Captain and the evolved Hollow. In fact, if Celes' words were anything to go by, the encounter was concluded in a very typical fashion. To summarize, the evolved Hollow wanted to make a deal with the Captain, and the Captain refused because she suspected that it was a trap in disguise. That was it. Although the explanation was rather simple in spite of its included details, and thus could have possibly allowed Celes to hide something if she wanted to, Kimiko did not believe that she hid anything. In fact, she believed her completely. She and Celes may have their disagreements on things, and she may even believe her mentor to sometimes be unaware of how she felt from the time to time, but she did not believe she would lie to the Captain-Commander in the slightest. If that were not the case, she would not think of her mentor as the honest and duty-bound officer she always has been since she has met her.

It would appear as though the Captain-Commander shared a similar opinion, as no sooner than a moment after Celes finished explaining her case, the man would give his approval to Celes. Needless to say, the words that he used to convey that approval laid Kimiko's thoughts bare. Celes could have accepted that offer and even perhaps profited from it in ways that would have benefited the Soul Society in the moment, but the Espada are ultimately the enemy of the celestial realm. Working with them on a temporary problem was one thing, but making deals with them - especially with those who are ready to offer their own forces as reinforcements during a military operation - was almost akin to making a deal with those who remain in Hell itself. All that would have done, in the end, is shackle the Captain of the Tenth to the Noveno Espada and possibly lead to a greater future conflict between the Soul Society and those who remain within Las Noches.

Once Ningen had finished putting down his thoughts on the matter, it would seem as though the matter would be dropped completely for the time being, as he would then go on to turn his attention towards the Captain of the Third. However, this attention was brief, given that the Captain-Commander would try to turn the conversation back towards the suggestions Celes and Kimiko had both given to him. Kimiko couldn't really criticize this. In her eyes, those of the Cursed Squad had been a bit late to the meeting, so it was only fair for the host to focus on what had been said thus far before anything else. That, and she honestly couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed about the fact that they - and practically every other Captain who were called to this meeting - were late. Couldn't they have at least warned the Captain-Commander that they would have been unable to show up at the time this meeting would begin? It was as though only she and Celes really cared about this meeting... and she wasn't even a Captain herself!

With the focus now completely returned to the suggestions given to him earlier, Ningen could now deliver his input about them to both the Captain of the Tenth and the Third Seat of the Eleventh. He would accomplish this by granting his attention in order of those which came first before the others, meaning that he first tackled Kimiko's suggestion and then Celes'. While the dual swordswoman was happy by the words she first heard form the Captain-Commander, as they appeared to be positive, she would become a bit more discouraged by what he told her next. She was not going to deny that Rukongai was currently at its weakest. Much of it had been devastated safe for a few districts that were able to somehow defend themselves from the threat, and thus, many civilians had been put to the slaughter. That was why all she has really been doing lately is slay Hollows, as the cycle of Souls needed to be corrected as quickly as possible.

With that said, what the old man would then go on to say about trying to draft nobles was enough to slightly discourage her. She highly doubted that nobles would allow themselves to be drafted. Ultimately, above all else, they did care not for the Soul Society, but only for themselves. Thus, after she heard the old man speak and eventually finish delivering his input, she would find herself looking down towards her cup of tea for a moment. Then, she would sigh and try her best to stand a little bit straighter, perhaps to force herself to show a little bit of initiative. "With all due respects, taichou, and perhaps this is going to sound out of line, but... I don't know if that's gonna work for every squad." As she spoke, she would look towards the Captain-Commander again, this time with a more serious gaze. "Kawada-fukutaichou and I have had a few nobles within Jūichibantai. Aside from Kawada-fukutaichou himself, there have... really only been one or two of them that we could consider to be ready for battle. We've found them to be just... extremely difficult to discipline, pampered beyond belief, and in some cases, hostile to even the slightest bit of work. I can't say that this isn't my fault or Kawada's, as we must take care of them as their superiors, but we have never had these issues with those from Rukongai. Not once. Or at least, not so badly."

There was a lot of bias here. That much was absolutely clear. However, Kimiko did not want to mince her words. Ever since she became a member of the Eleventh Division, she has always had issues with those from the noble class who she had to consider as her squadmates. There was Dai, of course, who was perhaps the most pampered idiot she has ever had to interact with in her life, but there were also others who were just as bad as he was, if not worse. In fact, she could still remember the time Dai had convinced many of them as well as a few other officers to attempt to beat her up shortly after she was able to release Shizukakane, all because she had proven herself back then to be the stronger soldier amongst all of them. Today, these people have been humbled by the invasions to an extent. Even so, despite the training, they remain as they are, and it doesn't seem as though the general culture of the Attack Squad is enough to bring them to a reasonable level.

After she spoke, she would take a sip from her cup of tea to purge some of the stress that had been accumulating within her as she spoke. She drank a bit hastily, a sign of her inexperience that was unfortunately shining through. In spite of this, the warm liquid would allow her to settle down to an extent. Eventually, she would put the cup of down and look towards Ningen again. "I don't know if what I'm going to say is something Grin-taichou would say... To be honest, I don't even know who he is. Still, I feel like I need to say it. The people of Rukongai are amongst the strongest people out there. I meet with them everyday, and I talk to them everyday. Well... I did, before this whole thing started." She stopped after she said those words. For a moment, it almost seemed as though showing regret about what happened. However, in reality, she was trying to see if she would feel anything about the losses, as yet another test for her strange darkened heart. But alas, she again felt absolutely nothing. It was yet another disappointing result, one that left her even a bit saddened this time. Even so, she would eventually steel herself again before the Captain-Commander and continue: "What happened was as much awful for them as it was awful for us. But even now, like us, they're fighting. I've seen people prepare food for the survivors, others working with Rokubantai to repair the damages. Lately, I've also seen anger. They're tired of being too weak to defend themselves. They want to better defend their home- no, our home." 

She would take another pause after that to drink her cup of tea yet again. It was clearly difficult for her to say so many words in a row in order to defend the people of Rukongai, especially given that she had so much trouble empathizing or even so much as sympathizing with the dead. Back when she explained her time during the invasion, she was fueled by very powerful emotions that barely challenged her usual self. This was different. In comparison, this was a battle against her lack of care, against her unwillingness to weep - if not figuratively - for the weak. "My soldiers and I will try to find potential recruits in Rukongai. If needed, Kawada-fukutaichou and I could dedicate some of our people to recruiting booths across the Soul Society. If you give us this chance, then we will also go towards the deeper districts as well." She would take another pause after that, stopping herself from talking any further then as she attempted to find something else. Upon noticing that she had nothing more to say, she would sip her tea yet again and let out a longer sigh. "I... think that's it. I've said everything I wanted to say..."

With her speech finally coming to an end, Kimiko would appear a bit more exhausted than before. Her energy had been visibly sapped away by the many words she spoke, with every bit of it taken away by the stress of speaking in such a way before the Captain-Commander and by the initiative she had taken to even say them in the first place. Truly, the fight which had occurred within her as she spoke was grand. Yet, even though it most definitely was, this was perhaps the first occurrence in a very long time within which she had actually found herself speaking in such a way. If anything, for someone who occupied only a Third Seat and not even the position of Vice-Captain, it was as though she had been occupying Francis Grin's position all along. Funnily, she didn't even seem to realize that, as instead of giving much thought to it, she instead focused on recovering her lost energy by staring at the half-empty cup of tea set before her.

The scarlet-eyed officer would find herself turning her head towards Celes after all was said and done, as it was now the turn of her suggestion to be criticized. It appeared as though the Captain-Commander was not entirely on board with the suggestion, as it seemed as though it would simply take much time and resources to properly accomplish what she wants the Tenth Division to do. That would also, in turn, leave them wide open for another attack. Moreover, it even seemed as though that wasn't entirely within the boundaries of her jurisdiction, and instead more so the Twelfth's. Kimiko wasn't quite sure of how Celes was going to respond to those things, but she hoped that she would be able to respond with another suggestion. Quite frankly, defense wasn't the Third Seat's forte, and so she herself did not have many ideas to offer in that regard.

[Senshi Odayakama (Crimson.)]

Senshi found herself getting readjusted. Finding herself surprisingly lost within the vastness of the Seireitei. How weird it was, to be stepping into an area of such high importance. She did so hope that nobody would chastise her too harshly for being late. After all, it took a bit to recollect details and find her way into the meeting room. Though, as she did, the door opening, Captain Odayakama made her way inwards with a ninety degree angle bow. "Konichiwa. It's a pleasure to make acquaintance with you all." 

"I'm sorry for being late." Though, when looking at the figures before her, she took in their faces, and tried to memorize them, before then standing along in place. It felt vibrant and lovely to see so many people, even if there seemed to be a solemn and serious demeanor in the room. She'd signed and stamped some documents earlier that day. Got to speak with several people and make good and warm relations. It felt wonderful to know she had so many people working with and under her.

She was a Captain. She remembered her name. Yet, it seemed as if a lot of other information was so foggy, she didn't seem to mind. Apparently, she was said to be a very quiet and sorrowful person beforehand, and if that was the case, she was more than happy to forget. The little redhead didn't seem to make any justifications, but instead, she sought to hug her sword to her chest, her lips curled upwards into a light smile. A light flush along her cheeks as she places an index finger along her chin.

Before long, she slid her hand down the length of the scabbard. "I've been working on distributing funds to compensate for various damages. Both to the Seireitei and the Rukongai. Both for supplies and orderly conducts." Before long, she gazes at everyone before her, before then adding a minor thought. "I believe that we are in the need of more officers in our ranks. Though from conscription senses, the forces we train are half baked."

"If I might recommend. I would hope to add greater instructors or programs of which to nurture and grow the forces under our command as well. I've set a plan for such programs that would be financially fiscal. If allowed, Ningen-Sama. I'd be happy to volunteer myself for training such individuals as well. Alongside any volunteers that would join me in their development." 

"Might I share?"

[Celes Castellanos]

"I daresay your judgement was correct Captain Shindazu. I commend you as well." Celes' tension suddenly melted away. Having the old man's attention like this was, needless to say, stressful. She took a deep breath as he briefly went on about how any other action would have corrupted the very heart of Soul Society. To some extent, Celes agreed. She couldn't trust Lagos on her word alone and, even then, she reminded the Captain a bit too much of Orobas and Alastor. Regardless of such, it seemed as though she was in the clear. 

Settling back into a comfortable position, Celes listened to the Head Captain address Kimiko's suggestion. Seemed that while he liked the Third Seat's idea, he didn't feel that enough of the Rukongai citizens were fit for duty due to behavior and lack of ability. Again, Celes didn't entirely disagree. The outer districts of the Rukongai were lawless. She had been there enough times to see the lack of order cascade into chaos. Murder, petty thievery and delinquent behaviors weren't uncommon. Integrating these recruits into the Gotei would likely require significant investment.

At the same time, Celes did not care for Ningen's counterargument either. "Nobles... really?"  As expected, her disciple would take a similiar stance. Her rebuttal all culminated in one simple idea. "My soldiers and I will try to find potential recruits in Rukongai. If needed, Kawada-fukutaichou and I could dedicate some of our people to recruiting booths across the Soul Society. If you give us this chance, then we will also go towards the deeper districts as well." Celes looked at her disciple and chuckled, giving her an understanding nod. In fact, she cleared her throat for a moment before adding to the conversation.

"If I may, Head Captain, I do believe that it wouldn't be a bad idea diversify our recruitment. I've found that the people of the Rukongai are resilient. As Kimiko addressed, they are passionate. They've been hurt and want the strength to defend themselves." She paused for a moment, taking a sip of her tea as she collected her thoughts. "My Division, perhaps more than any other, patrols the Rukongai as well. The Tenth could assist with recruitment. Individuals who have the qualities we look for. Even if they lack adequate training or capability, we could use more bodies. Besides, exposure to spiritual energies could awaken some of the less gifted. Case and point, if you'll allow the Eleventh to search for more recruits, the Tenth will contribute as well." 

Having added her piece, the Captain fell silent once more and waited for someone else to interject or for the Head Captain to finally address her proposal. As with Kimiko, the old man had his grievances with her plan as well. "You propose a good suggestion, but that is a matter for the Twelfth. The Twelfth has placed great priority in developing defenses for our Seireitei. To create such a wall around the entire Rukongai would be a daunting task. Immense amounts of resources would need to be sent into it, and the ones constructing it would be at constant risk of attack. They would be a tempting target for any of our enemies. Do you propose any suggestions to counteract these, Captain Shindazu?" Among them, however, there was one thing that really ticked her off.

She gave a soft, yet pained sigh and tapped the edge of the table. "If I may speak candidly, Head Captain, the defenses of the Twelfth provided minimal coverage for an invasion of this magnitude. This full-scale attack by Hell has showed me one thing. Our enemies grow bold. This wasn't some singular infiltrator or small skeleton crew. They amassed an entire army at our doorstep and sowed chaos throughout the Rukongai." She paused for a moment, allowing her words to sink in. 

"I will agree that, in hindsight, walling off the entire Rukongai might be too large a project. However, perhaps we don't need a true wall. The incursion conducted by Hell was made possible with portals. Interdimensional travel. I strongly believe that we need to hinder that ability. Perhaps some kind of device that can delay or disrupt the formation of Garganta, not unlike how human militaries use electronic countermeasure's such as jammers. This way, they would have to organize their forces farther away from the Seireitei and give us more time to produce an effective defense effort." She took a sip of her tea, wetting her lips. "I'll admit that while I or anyone else among the Tenth lack the ability to do this alone, I would happily meet with Captain Tezuka to see if such a project were possible. As for defending these sites, I can concentrate more of my finest men in these areas to ensure adequate protection during and post-construction." 

Having produced her own rebuttal, Celes took a few moments to cool down. After all, it seemed that had a newcomer to the meeting. Walking in from beyond the large entryway was a familiar face. Thanks to her short stature and vibrant red hair, Celes immediately recognized the woman. It was Senshi! She had survived their encounter with Orobas. This put a massive smile on Celes' face. Before she could say anything though, Senshi addressed the room quite... unexpectedly, "Konichiwa. It's a pleasure to make acquaintance with you all." Celes tilted her head. "Acquaintance? What the hell?" 

[Aramis Tezuka]

Moments after Senshi's entrance a fifth individual joined the room. His Shihakusho akew in its usual fashion-- one sleeve massively extended to completely cover his left arm, the other cut down such that it barely covered his shoulder. Sunken eyes, with deep shadows beneath them from lack of sleep, pallid skin that suggested a severe lack of sunlight. A mess of green hair. About the only thing orderly about the appearance of Aramis Tezuka today was that he at least had set his glasses appropriately upon his face, as he entered the room with barely so much as a greeting, save a short bow towards Ningen, that screamed formality above anything else. Then the Captain strode over to the seat of the 12th and sat down.

"No need to catch up. Heard everything on way here." Aramis stated calmly and collectedly. "Hastened arrival to address Captain Shindazu's concern." His murky eyes fixed on Celes, as the Captain of the 12th Division seemed to contemplate an answer. "Official report still pending. Division sensors picked up invasion 36 minutes, fourteen seconds before invasion began in full. Sufficient time to scramble division and prepare countermeasures. Not sufficient time to send wide alert. Did send notification to Ninth Division." Aramis stated, and brought his hands under his chin, his right folded overtop his left fist.

"Error not in sensors. Invasion from Hell, considered low probability. Low surveillance. Evidently, mistaken advisement. Ability to disrupt Gargantua, theoretically plausible. Will require more research. Arrancar test subjects minimal, and intelligent. Test subjects unlikely to attempt gargantua more than once or twice if initial attempts to escape fail. Will require field study." He responded to Celes. "Have different proposition for preparations." This, Aramis directed to Kyousou Ningen himself.

"At present, study of Hell. Restricted. Classified. Forbidden save extreme scrutiny. Unprepared to combat Hell. Unfamiliar with abilities. Nature. Proposition. Lessen restrictions on study of Hell. Once understood. Countermeasures can be devised." Aramis suggested.

To Kimiko, Tsuyoshi and Senshi, Aramis had not even exchanged pleasantries since he had arrived. This was unfortunately, the kind of man he was. He had nothing to say to them that would contribute to the discussion at large, and so he said nothing. To do his part, and then make his exit. For someone with as much on his plate as Aramis Tezuka, that was really the only option. To make as efficient use of his time as possible, even if it made him come off as abrupt or rude.