Trainwreck of a Family

[Deleted]

Knock knock knock

"mmmgh..." with a groan and a grunt, the sleepy Kawada managed to open his eyes, interrupted from his dreams by the gentle knocking at his door. Amber eyes peered with a daze at that door, before the young man managed to pull himself free of the amazing warmth of his covers. The coldness of his wooden floor when his feet touched down sent shivers up his legs, instantly waking him up a little more. What time was it? He blinked, covering up an escaping yawn with his hand as he pushed himself off from the bed, drawn towards the door by the continued knocking on his door. Once he arrived he paused, blinking once before placing his hand on the handle. Rather than just open it all the way, he slid it open just slightly to get a look, leaning his head over to look through.

The maid at the door jumped slightly at the sudden appearance of Rays face, though she regained her composure quite quickly. "What's up?" Raygin asked, the sleepiness still rather apparent in his voice. He didn't respond with his full blast of excitement or enjoyment, still waking up from however long he had been sleeping. The maid bowed lightly, before a smile adorned her face as she answered "Thank you for answering, Raygin-sama! I wanted to let you know that in a few hours a large meal will be held in the dinning hall! The family is celebrating the return of one of its members, and you have been asked to attend!"

Raygin blinked. This was...different. First off, the young soul actually didn't like being referred to as "sama". It made him feel more important than he really was. But more importantly was the fact that someone was returning to the family? The young soul blinked, his thoughts dancing to the numerous Kawadas that had vanished over the years. Could...could it be Shade? If the return of the former head of the family returned, then the Kawada would be on the right track to restoring itself to its former glory. But if it was Shade...then this was going to be weird. But...could it be Shade?

If it was Shade then the entire house would be exploding right now. Raygin would have been told it was Shade, not left in the dark. But, whatever, at least Raygin was being invited to a family get together for once. More often than not Raygin ate alone, not wanting to be seen by the other members of the Kawada household. To be honest, it didn't bother the little man very much. The Kawada weren't very important to him, especially after the two years he spent locked in this room slowly dying. But now his health was better, and yet even still the Kawada shunned him. Ah well. Family was shit anyways, he was looking for a way out.

Shutting the door back and returning to his bed, the young man decided to just go back to sleep until it was time. He had been up all night training, trying to get back in touch with his reiatsu to begin learning Kido again. As a result he was exhausted, and didn't get in bed until the sun had cleared the horizon. With a yawn he wrapped himself back up in his warm sheets, shutting his eyes, and letting himself get sucked back up into his dreams.

Knock knock knock

And yet again he was awoken the exact same way he was before. Opening his eyes back up, he was relieved to find that he was more awake than he was before. "Raygin-sama! The others are gathering together! You don't want to be late, do you?" The maid announced from behind the door. The Shinigami sighed and got to his feet, heading into the private bathroom he had. Washing his face till he was satisfied and convinced it was clean, he dressed himself in one of his robes that the Kawada so loved. A black robe with blue trims, that thankfully lacked the obnoxious golden eagle insignia on its back. As he dressed himself his fingers gently scrapped across a collection of deformed skin along his neck and chin. Splotches of burns, as if acid had been poured on his face. Well...it was more like burning oil. He had chosen to keep the scars to remind himself of that day, a constant reminder of his weakness and goal of moving forward. Since then the Spirit had been silent, ignoring Ray just how he had ignored it. He blinked for a minute, having a swell idea. Summoning up one a Hell Butterfly, Raygin whispered his commands to it and set it free to fulfill its goals.

Walking down the same halls he'd walk down a hundred times already, the sound of his sandals against the wood floor, Raygin scratched his head as he continued to walk. His mind began to wonder what sort of meal was going to be served. Honestly, he hoped that it was going to be seafood. It would fit the Kawada, as they were a salty bunch. "Heh" chuckling at his own joke, Raygin put his hands in his pocket and kept going. Reaching the door that would lead to the dining hall, Raygin sighed as he heard the voices behind it.

Well, here we go..

With a sigh, Ray slid the door open and looked at the, surprisingly few, number of Kawada who were attending this meal. The food wasn't out yet, he noticed, and the others were sitting at the three tables put together. One at the head, horizontal, and the two two leading down from its sides. Ray blinked, nobody seemingly noticing him, and making his way to one of the empty chairs he found and sitting himself down. He'd eat for a bit then go out and train for a few hours, burn the calories and exhaust himself so he'd be able to sleep for the rest of the night. After all, it was just dinner right?

[Deleted]

((OOC: This thread will be reintroducing Katrina to the Gotei as a class 4 unseated officer.))

It was the soft breath on her neck and the smooth skin against her body that woke the girl. The sun pooling on her face, despite the thick curtains pulled close, did little to discourage her from waking, and with a groan she sat up, covers exposing a bare chest. ”Hey … Richy …” Her voice, like the wings of a hummingbird, beat softly on the shutters of her husband's unconscious. In a futile effort, he tried to pull the covers over his head, but Katrina wasn't having any of it. ”I don't think so, sleepy head. It's six o'clock, if I have to wake up so do you!” Her voice was sharp, if sweet, and he just couldn't resist a voice like that. It also helped that she yanked the covers away.

”I was having such a good dream, Kitty-Cat … why'd you have to go and wake me up, huh?” He sounded so sad and desperate that Katrina couldn't possibly be mad at him. She tried to suppress a smile as she slid her legs around his hips, capturing his lips in hers. His body stiffened against her as he, suddenly, grabbed her, his hands gripping her hips as his lips pressed against hers. ”Three guesses to what your dreams were about …” She joked breathlessly, eyes a bit misty. A huge grin was her only response, so with a roll of her eyes she climbed off and started rifling through drawers. ”I woke you up “early” - which, by the way, six o'clock is not-” She cast a glare over her shoulder; Richard, for his part, had the good sense not to try and correct her. ”Because we have a dinner tonight, to welcome a returning family member-” Richard groaned, throwing himself backwards. ”-and to get all our affairs together. What is wrong with you?” The last few words were sharp as wire, with none of the accustomed sweetness that was previous. Any regular man would back down from such a voice, but not Richard; he remained in blissful ignorance. ”Seriously, Kitty-Cat?” He threw a look from underneath his arm that failed to capture that she was, indeed, serious. ”But they're-

”-My family.” Her voice was ice now, eyes steel, arms crooked at her side. It was a look tempered in the fires of combat, one that spoke volumes, mainly about the severity of the injury one was about to receive. Thankfully for Richard, he caught some of that and promptly shut his mouth. ”You don't have a choice her.” Her voice had lost its deadly quality, instead becoming light and airy, almost playful; but, Richard knew, all the more dangerous for it. ”You are going to wake up. You are going to take a shower. You are going to take me out to lunch. Then you are going to get dressed and accompany mean and Rayray to dinner. You will be on your best behavior. And, and I really can't stress this enough, you will not call me Kitty-Cat.” She punctuated every demand with a jab from manicured nails, and after the first couple he started to look uncomfortable. But it was only the last one he disagreed with. ”Wait, what? Don't you like Kitty-Cat?”

”Aww. He genuinely looks upset. Poor baby.” With a smile on her face she kissed her husband, her lips melding against his. It astounded her; even after a year of marriage, his kiss still took her breath away. ”You know I love your little nickname. But my family might not be so forgiving.” She clambered off him then, pulling on a thin wrap. ”But up! Enough stalling, you stink!” She scrunched her face at him in mock disgust and Richard laughed. ”You're cute when you're insulting.” A smirk bloomed across her face. ”Oh, so I must be cute most of the time then?”

Leaving her husband to shower with that parting remark, she paused in front of the mirror. She seemed ….different. Since marriage, she hasn't been able to recognize her reflection. It was as if a stranger was mocking her through the glass, copying every movement but remaining … off, somehow. It was something intangible, something she could read in the slope of her face, the curve of her bust, the spark in her eyes. It was her, she knew that. But she had become someone she didn't recognize. ”But it doesn't matter, right? I have Hiroki and Richard. No responsibilities … This is the life!” The high pitched crying broke her respite and she hurried to her baby.

It never ceased to amaze her, the beauty the simple act of seeing her child caused her. Any worries about missing identity, about seeing her family in more than passing … seeing Ray …. It was all dispelled the moment Rayray looked at her, gray green eyes so unlike hers watching her with warmth, and love. She had never imagined herself as a mother, but now … she couldn't imagine life without Hiroki. Or Richard, for that matter. They're the only things worth doing in a life full of maids and elegance. So out of her mind with boredom was she that, oftentimes, she'd end up doing the housework, only stopping when the maids reminded her of her place. But despite the mind crushing boredom and monotony, she loved her life, and wouldn't trade it in for anything. She lifted the child in her arms, cradling it, letting it's eager lips feed.

---

”I cannot believe you made us late!”

”Me? What about you?”

”What about he?!”

”Well you weren't exactly screaming no.”

The small family were in their best. Katrina with her hair done, makeup on, splendid blue dress that hugged her curves (though was admittedly a little tighter than it had been a year ago.) Richard in a black suit, red tie. Hiroki matching. This, however, was only briefly glimpsed by the not-invited, as the small family was all but running through the halls. Due to a slight … interlude, their entire schedule was thrown off and now they were five minutes late and counting. ”For the record, it was your idea.” She shot at him, right as they slid to a stop outside the large doors. She braced herself; most of the remaining Kawada had only seen her in passing. Those that hasn't were almost unaware of her existence. And here she was, about to greet them with a child. Dear god.

”An idea you greatly approved of …” The whisper was nearly silent in her ear and timed. Soon as he said so, he opened the door, leaving her standing with an almost dopey look on his face. It was the smirk on his face that snapped her out of it, and she shot him a glare, one that was equal parts amused and murderous. His grin was just amused. And from there, they took their seats, Hiroki in a high chair next to his mother. A slightly sad smile on her face, she looked around the table. ”Well .. at least they'll be plenty of dessert for everyone.” It was a pathetic attempt at a joke, but even that was so unlike Katrina. Very briefly, her eyes met Rays, recognition flickering in them, before glancing at her husband.

”Anyone else thirsty? I'm parched. Can we get some drinks in here, it's as dry as ol’ Kenryoku.” Katrina shot him a warning glare, which Richard ignored - wisely.

[Taien Hadohou]

-016 Hours to Party-

"Ahh... Been ages since I was there. Think the only time I really came around was when Shade gave me the small tour. Hmm."

Taien chuckled to himself, ironing out his rarely used formal suit. It was a nice little piece he'd had commissioned so long ago only the Spirit King probably had any idea where it was from. The ensemble had kind of been sitting around gathering dust for a while, and had taken Taien a little bit of time to get it out and wonder over it. A long-sleved black coat, six silver buttons folding over two halves, the bottom left button attached to the right side of the suit by a silvery looking chain, a white undershirt, black tie, and long black pants. It was, in all honesty, a rather simple looking piece. Taien thought it looked nice, though, but he'd never really claim to be a fashion mogul.

Regardless, there was a good reason as to why he was bringing out his fancy clothes. That being, he had announced, via message, that he'd be returning to the Kawada mansion that night. He had made quite sure that, no, it wasn't Shade returning, but he hadn't given any real specifics either. Somewhat of a surprise, somewhat of a mystery. It'd be interesting to see what happened when he got there. It was, in retrospect, somewhat cruel, but it was still rather harmless. Besides, it'd be interesting to see who showed up. He didn't quite know who was still around, which was a shame, because the Kawada were once, if not numerous, than much more than they were now.

Finishing with the ironing, Taien carefully hung up the suit, and got dressed for his more normal daily activities. The dinner was much later anyway, than four in the morning. He had plenty of time to get his stuff done. With that exercise in digging through his older stuff, Taien yawned lightly, got over to his closet again, put his regular robes on, and left his room with a slight smile. So much to do today, so much to do... Well, there was reason to work quickly then, right? Quickly and efficiently. Though he'd also have to work in going to Kyomei and asking for the night off, along with working a shower into it. That wouldn't be too hard.

---------------------------

-004 Hours to Party-


Lunch had been light, since the dinner was expected to be pretty big that night. The middle of the day had gone well, or so Taien had thought. Kyomei had approved his request, seeing as he really didn't go out of his way to demand slight vacations or breaks, so a single night's, and perhaps another day, getting off duty wasn't unreasonable. After the lighter than normal lunch, Taien took the time to check on his suit, make sure it was still presentable, and iron out any creases or what have you that might have developed. Luckily for him, there wasn't much that needed to be fixed, and the stuff that did need to be fixed was rather minor as well.

Upon hearing what the requested break was for, Kyomei had actually given him the rest of the day off, so he had time to do all sorts of things now. He wasn't quite expecting that, but he had thanked his old friend for the chance to meet with the rest of his adopted family. With that in mind Taien... Really wasn't sure what to do with the rest of his day, before he had to go for the party. Well, he needed to shower, so he went to do that. Changed out of his dirty clothes into a set identical to the one he usually wore. ... Training, he supposed? There wasn't really much of anything for him to do, save for paperwork, and even then, it was such a small amount, it wouldn't take even an hour.

Some time was set aside for both, in the end, though he ended up with a little more training time than expected. It was a nice reminder, feeling the increasingly familiar little sting, and he was becoming increasingly accustomed to it. The less it bothered him, the less it would affect him during battle. He could easily use up to the 60's now, though anything above 65 was apparently more strenuous on him. Or at least, the pain was. It felt like he was being dropped in front of the sun or something every time. Little by little, he'd get used to it, and he was at the point where he could keep going after casting one, the higher ranks still weren't used that much.

Unfortunately, this meant he had to take another shower. The smell of charred wood and ash apparently wasn't very nice to most people, who knew?

---------------------------

-000 Hours to Party-

He had left an hour early and managed to make it on time. That was good. His suit was still in good condition, he'd taken care of the required hygiene for the night, a small smile was on his face, and he was ready for the night. The mansion was a pretty sight to see, still, as he walked up. A servant at the door squinted at him for a moment, before his eyes widened, and deeply fell into a bow. ... Right. That still wasn't really something Taien was used to. Amongst the Kidou Corps and the rest of the Shinigami, it wasn't too weird, seeing as they were all military and such, but seeing it from civilians was... Odd. Still, Taien acknowledged the man, as he opened the doors.

As he walked down the halls towards the dinning hall, after asking for directions for some more slightly wide eyed servants, Taien briefly wondered if he should conceal his Reiatsu. It had its own merits, but... It wouldn't feel quite right. Taien's Reiatsu as much a part of him as his arms or legs. It might have been selfish, and maybe even rude, but it was something that they'd need to get used to. If he was to be a member of the family, properly, then they'd need to get used to him in general. As much as he needed to get used to them as well. Relationships were a two-way street, after all. As he got to the doors leading to the room, he nodded politely to the two servants at the door, who apparently were either unflapable, used to this kind of thing, or just didn't know who he was.

Either way, they nodded back, and opened the doors. Taien walked in, shoes echoing on the floor. His presence filled the room, a warm and inviting thing, mirroring his personality and disposition.

He chuckled.

"Well then. I'm home."

A pause.

"Always wanted to say that."

[Tsukuyomi Kawada]

It seemed that everyone was starting to arrive in the dinner area and he was running out of time. The Fourth Seat of the Seventh division and member of the Kawada nobility was sitting at the moment above the ceiling of the dining room. Above the ceiling ties that one could literally just pick up in order to get into the dining area he was diligantly working. While he had in fact been welcomed into the noble family that his mother had been apart of Tsukuyomi hadn't yet met many of his family. The most that he had done was taken training from one of the elders in the family.

He had taken on a more responsible and time consuming role in his own division under Captain Shihoin and along with all of the physical training that she put him under there was little time for him to be social. Tongiht though by some divine turn of luck that slot of time was open. He had been above the ceiling for over an hour now with a small candle beside him giving him light. All around him were sheets of paper that detailed different things pretaining to the seventh division and the criminal movements in and outside of Soul Society.

More and more family members were arriving though and Tsukuyomi letting out a sigh of pent up frusteration and stress decided that it was time for him to attend the family dinner. Gathering up all of the sheets of paper and getting them into a nice stack which was then clipped together and blowing out the candle Tsukuyomi was prepared. Just as the Vice Captain of the Kido Corps arrived through the doors and spoke Tsukuyomi pulled one of the ceiling ties aside. Moving downwards and pulling the tie back into place was something relitively easy for him. In that next moment he would fall to the floor holding his stacks of papers.

"I thought that more of us would be in attendance."

[Deleted]

Resting his head in his hand, Raygin couldn't help but begin to lose control over his eyelids as the other royals in the room prattled on. "Oh, I am planning a little vacation down to the World of the Living soon! This quaint little place called London, actually. Oh, London? I've always wanted to go there. Oh yes, it should be wonderful. Perhaps you'll come? Oh, I might, but first I need to-" And it just went on from there. Ray was falling asleep listening to it. The conversations of the other family members weren't interested, they were boring, and the same things he heard all the time from them. Only a small number of them were even Shinigami, and the ones in the room were low ranking ones at that. Even their conversations were dumb, nothing more than arguments about how to spend the Kawadas near infinite ryo amounts.

With a sigh he forced himself awake, cracking his neck to help himself out, as he sat back in his chair and waited for...whatever was going to happen. The sound of an opening door and a pair of new voices, one that he recognized, drew his attention. Amber eyes glanced over at the woman who was, technically, his cousin. A look of recognition in his eyes, he then glanced at the other man with her and...the hell was that? Raygin blinked, noticing the little person she had with her. A...baby? Raygin was...confused. Katrina had a baby? He was intent on asking some questions, but actually decided against it. After his last meeting with Katrina...well.

His attention was suddenly captured by another figure, literally, dropping into the room, one Raygin recognized. Tsukuyomi, the Fourth Seat of Squad 7. One of the more active members in the family. Raygin had nothing against him, didn't really know him, but hey...at least he wasn't another fat cash cow like the rest of the family. But then things began to get started, two maids making their way over to one of the larger doors in the hall. Turning his attention to them, they stood at each side and began to speak. "No doubt you're all wondering why you've been gathered here now? Well, we are pleased to announce the return...of Taien Kawada!"

Raygin blinked in surprise when those doors were pulled open for his green haired cousin. He was definitely a face that Raygin had not seen for some time. Even though he was a member of the family, and one Raygin knew, the young Shinigami did not actually know Taien very well. Still, he was a familiar face with a reputation of friendliness, so Raygin wasn't bothered to see him, unlike another person here. But now, Raygin began to wonder what sort of food was going to be served.

His question was answered shortly, when the other doors opened, followed by a good dozen of individuals pushing along carts covered in silver lidded plates. The trays were pushed into the inner portion of the three tables, and before Ray knew it food was being put out onto the tables. All sorts of food as well. Italian, seafood, red meat, fruit and vegetables. It was an incredible spread! If it wasn't a cold dish, there was an incredible amount of steam rising up from the plates.

Raygin was lucky enough to be sat right in front of a steaming plate of oysters, covering in liquid cheese that still flowed across the meats surfaces. He could feel himself drooling a bit. He wanted the oysters. He wanted them so badly. "Enjoy!" the maids announced. Raygin, greedily, reached out his chopsticks and began scooping oysters into his little plate. Lifting the glistening, cheese dripping hunk of mollusk in front of his face, Raygin let out a little whimper as he imagined what it was going to taste like. Opening his mouth and sliding the oyster on, the instant it made contact with his tastepuds there was an explosion of flavor in his mouth.

Beginning to chew, each time his teeth ground the meat there was a release of juice and flavor, brining an intense amount of joy to the young Shinigami. It was delicious! He felt like crying from the happiness! "Aaaaah~" He began scooping more of his oyster plate into his mouth, eating in happiness as he began to add more seafood to his plate. Crab, scrawfish, salmon, cod, squid, everything. Some of the other nobles at the table were giving Ray odd looks, his eating habits not being seen as...normal. But Raygin didn't care. All he noticed was the rainbow of flavors in his mouth and the crunching of his food. The smell was incredible as well, and no doubt was wafting outside of the mansion for anyone to smell.

[Ajraka Kuchiki]

She wasn't actually sure what it was that had been more surprising, that she had been invited to a KAWADA dinner, or the fact that Raygin had asked her to accompany him to the event. And at first she had been somewhat surprised. Was this some sort of date? Sure she felt bad about burning his face, but this was a bit unexpected. It wasn't until her Kuchiki mento had found her pacing in her room that she had been given a much more enlightening explanation.

As it were, the youths of nobility going to events together was some sort of sign of goodwill. A means of retaining inter-family relations without the more.....outdated methods. Sure it in itself was older, but still very acceptable in contemporary times. Which she supposed she understood, better at least than all of the other ass-backwards noble practices that were carried out in soul society. CERTAINLY some of the dress code was a little strange, she really was not too fond of the hairpins that the kuchiki had. Especially not how friggin many of them there were.

That aside, as she slipped into the estate, she was greeted quite nicely. She herself was garbed as instructed. A conservative robe something akin to one of the squads perhaps. Baring only the skin on her shoulders, it otherwise covered her from the neck down, a rather luxurious black robe with a deep-blue trim, an outfit she actually found herself taking quite a liking to. And it seemed to put a smile on the faces of the staff. Her instincts picking up on actual genuine pleasure as they regarded her. She wondered about that, but simply let it slide for now.

Once inside she immediately vanished, that speed of hers allowing her to materialize beside Raygin just as he proceeded to start wolfing down oysters. She smiled, rolling her eyes as her tail snaked it's way up, lightly catching his wrist as her palm lightly planted into his lower back, straightening his posture and making him bring his food to the mouth as opposed to the other way around. Just as she herself hadd been taught by her own elders. A soft, warm smile on her face as she remained silent, positioning herself such that between her stealth abilities and her speed, nobody else at the party would be privy to her presence as she blended quite beautifully into Raygin's own attire.

In the meantime she did notice a few......familiar spiritual pressures. A slight....incredulity crossing her face as she kept a bit of silence about her as well as making reservations. She smelled the one from the last party, hopefully not going to be a problem again. But in any case she kept her cool, and simply gave a silent nod of greeting to Raygin. Though she was surprised to see he was still harboring the burns from their training together, frowning visibly as she gave a tilt of her head as to why it was the fourth squad hadn't fixed that.

[Deleted]

”No … it can't be! I don't believe it! It must be some mistake …” But the reishi was unmistakable, the pressure like a familiar stranger. It was an impossibility, a million to one chance that he, of all people, would be here. But he got closer, his reishi got stronger and it was unmistakable.

She was enthralled with him, this young Soul Reaper. He was so powerful … and so kind. Before, she had always assumed to have power meant to be distant, cold, even cruel, but Taien showed her otherwise. And his magic was so beautiful - like dew drops of sunlight beading on the floor. With a small smile, Katrina gathered a handful of the reaitsu and threw it in the air, like rain and giggled as she caught it on her tongue. Her eyes glowed with the fading display, lips parted slightly in awe.

*Thump, Thump*

Her heart shouldn't be beating this fast! She should not be remembering, she made a vow, that part of her life was over. She wouldn't pine for it, wouldn't miss it. She was happy with her life, with Hiroki and Richard. She glanced at them, and as always her heart soared at the sight. ”But,” A small voice spoke up, hidden in the back of her mind. ”Can it really compare to the exhilaration of combat, or the raw energy of commanding lightning? Of knowing - and discovering - secrets that can topple empires?” She had no answer to herself, only silence as the words echoed in her head. She refused to admit she missed that life; that terrifying, dangerous, exhilarating life. She was happy, with Hiroki and Richard.

It was only after the rain faded that she noticed the hand on her, and her heart skipped a beat, a flush coloring her face. She couldn't help it, her heart felt all fluttery, and suddenly her legs collapsed, sending her directly into his chest. She needed to move, needed to extricate herself … but he smelled good. And she was injured, wasn't she? She deserved the rest, and where better to rest than in the arms of her saviour?”[/color]

*Thump, Thump*

It was a reflex reaction that drove her to her feet, driven by a mixture of excitement and politeness. Reishi propelled her forward to land silently, as light as a feather in front of Taien. It was a move she's done a thousand times before. But she was out of practice, rusty. It was only the memory of his reaitsu that sent her to flash step. As she disappeared, her husband let out a surprised hiss. But she didn't hear this. She didn't see much of anything as pain exploded up the left half of her body. ”Oww …” In a flash, her husband was next to her, helping her from the wall she had crashed into. But he was not happy. ”We'll talk about this later.” Katrina gave a weak nod, but refused his help back to the table. ”I'll be fine. Let me greet my cousin.” He allowed a small smile, but a thunder cloud covered his features as he turned his back.

*Thump, Thump*

She was acutely aware of how loud her heart was beating as she clutched her left arm. Already a bruise was blossoming, but she ignored it in favour of the green haired man in front of her. ”I didn't know you were a Kawada …” A soft smile split her lips as she took his hand then. ”But welcome to the family. A bit belated, but the sentiment stands nonetheless.” She was a few inches taller in heels, but she would still barely be four and a half feet. Regardless of their height difference, however, Katrina fixed him with a sharp look. ”But what are you thinking letting your reishi free like?! You are too powerful for that! Not with my child here …” She glanced, worried, at the bassinet little Rayray was in. ”And I don't know what exposure to such powerful reishi would do to him.” She had spoken in an undertone, so as not to let others eavesdrop, but there was an unmistakable protective tone in her voice.

"Just until he gets used to you? Please?"

[Shōkan Kawada Ⅺ]

Shōkan was late... That irked him. For business transactions, Shōkan preffered to be on time, whilst in social circumstances he endeavored to be at the least a few minutes late. But seeing as he'd never spoken to most of these people before, Shōkan was labeling it business. The reason he was late was simple, he'd been in the clan archives --a dusty part of the huge Kawada basement-- trying to dredge up records from his time. The Kawada actually kept excellent archives, but when a thousand years have passed, even excellent archives get disorganized. Unfortuantely, Shōkan had been unable to find anyhting significant, mostly tax reports. Anyway, Shōkan hurried getting presenable, thankfully he had Joff to count on, He didn't know what he would do without that boy.

Finally presentable, Shōkan made his way to the main dining hall, the most opulent of the five large dining aread inside the huge Kawada estate. Entering, Shōkan was neither ostentatious, or surreptitious, simply a man walking into a room in his home with the utmost confidence. Everyone would know he had entered, not because of any sort of dramatics, but simply because even someone with absolutely no energy sensory could feel his massive mountain of power. Tu be fair, he did everything humanly possible to suppress it, enough to wear it didn't have a crushing quality, but still, most people felt threatened simply by the claustrophobic vastness of it.

Shōkan was wearing a simple, but as always, elegant robe og black that was stark against his pale skin and eyes. The red phoenix emblazed on it clashed harshly with his glacial blue eyes. Scanning his eyes over those in attendance, he recognized most of them, even if he hadn't met them. His eye caught that of the you Tsukuyomi however, and Shōkan moved to greet him. "I apologize for not being able to formally meet you sooner, Tsukyomi-san, I'd like to welcome you to the Kawada family on my own behalf" Shōkan said, shaking Tsukyomi's hand and giving him a warm smile.

In all, Shōkan was looking forward to this, it was time he familiarized and bonded with his disfunctional family. With a genuine smile on his face, Shōkan moved to greet and meet the others.

[Deleted]

Skipping Taien per his real life issue

For the love of all that was holy the oysters were going to drive him insane. Raygin loved it. Normally Raygin would have been fine eating anything, but for some absolutely insane reason these oysters were just consuming him as fast as he was consuming them. He wasn't paying much attention to anything else around him, even his cousin greeting his other cousin, having too much fun eating. It was because he was so consumed by eating that he failed to notice his friend suddenly appear beside him. At first he felt something on his wrist, and when he was about to turn and to give it his attention he felt something pushing against his back, a strength he really couldn't fight back against that straightened his back.

His head turned in the direction of the touching, and he was surprised to see his invited guest sitting right beside him. She wasn't there earlier, that much Raygin knew, and was completely surprised at her sudden appearance. She was even wearing a robe quite similar to his own, something he thoughts looked quite nice on her. There was a flush across his cheeks as Raygin greeted Ajraka with one of his smiles, one that his overwhelming Light Aura and Charisma could melt hearts with. His natural ability to befriend people and to open their hearts to him was a decent skill set to have, one that Raygin had not yet truly tapped into.

If Ray spent time training in his talking skills, putting his Light Aura and natural talking Skills to the test, he could actually become a rather efficient negotiator. But, regardless, he could use it now to make Ajraka have a good time during this meal. "I'm glad you were able to make it!" He commented, playing with his chopsticks a little by opening and closing them on one of the oysters. "You should try these, they're really good." He spoke about the oysters, of course, but then noticed that Ajraka was looking at him funny. He then realized it wasn't really him she was looking at, but the splotchy burns on his face.

Was she curious why Raygin had opted to keep the reminder of their duel? Even he wasn't entirely sure why he had kept it. When the medical Shinigami of Squad Four had asked him if he wanted it removed, he had refused for some reason. Maybe Raygin kept it as a reminder, a scar that showed the cost of him rejecting to contact his Zanpakuto Spirit. Maybe also as a reminder of Ajraka herself, though he didn't really think he needed a physical reminder of someone who stood out so strongly to him.

But, regardless, Raygin only returned her confused glance with a smile. He wanted to ask her something, something that had been plaguing his mind for some time. But right now, surrounded by everybody, it wouldn't be a good time. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves at least. Katrina was chatting with Taien, all the nobles were chatting and eating, things seemed fine. "Hey Ajraka, once this is all done with, would you mind me as-"

Rays voice suddenly gave out when he felt that tremendous power approaching. Even Ajraka would feel it, like a mountain suddenly being placed on top of them. It was then that he entered the room, the current head and strongest individual in the Kawada family, Shokan. Raygin was...surprised; he didn't expect Shokan to actually attend the dinner, just like how most had assumed Raygin wouldn't as well. He really didn't know how to act, lowering his gaze slightly so to not be noticed by the Head, after all Raygin had two reputations in the Kawada. The first, for the older members, was that he was a immature prankster. And the other was that he was a weak cripple. Raygin was unaware which of the two Shokan held, but regardless he'd rather not be noticed. His friend would no doubt sense Rays nervousness, as well as his apparent lose of an appetite.

[Tsukuyomi Kawada]

Tsukuyomi at the moment was sitting at the table awaiting the food to be brought out. As he waited he had already spread out the pile of reports he had been looking over only a few moments earlier. Even if at the moment he was suppose to be attending this dinner with the rest of the Kawada family all Tsukuyomi seemed to get was that there were certain members that already were in conversation. He didn't know really any of them and had only learned that he was a blood relative roughly two months ago.

The most he had done in that time since learning about his nobility was take lessons from an elder. He had been learning the zanjustu techniques of the Kawada family and had taken a liking to them and his sword instructor. Beyond that though Tsukuyomi didn't know anyone that was here and had work that really needed to be done. There were problems spread throughout all of Soul Society and a lot of the paper work and field work fell on him now that he was the fourth seat.

More and more members of the family seemed to be entering into the room and a few of them Tsukuyomi felt were powerful and yet the majority of them didn't make a impression on him. The food was brought out and it seemed to be sea food. Tsukuyomi opened up a section of his paper work and had his plate placed there. He hadn't eaten since yesterday so actually having something in his stomach would be good and hopefully help him get his work done faster.

Reading over all of the reports and actually taking the time to write down specific problems that correlated with each specific report was what he had to do so as he ate he made sure that his penmanship wasn't horrific. He was still getting used to writing and reading, but as long as it wasn't some ridiculously long word he understood what it meant. That was when it seemed that someone approached him. The man was bigger than him and seemed to clash in appearance in virtually every other way as well.

Tsukuyomi had been looking over pictures of important members of the family the week prior only after the elder had forced him too. It had been either that or he wouldn't be allowed to continued learning the zanjutsu style. So Tsukuyomi had been left with no choice. Now though he realized who the man was that was coming near him. It was the current Head of the Kawada family Shokan. The man greeted Tsukuyomi and both of them exchanged hand shakes while Tsukuyomi bowed slightly.

The man looked like he was in the mood to greet everyone at the dinner though so after he bowed Tsukuyomi sat back down and continued to both eat his meal and work on the reports that Lady Kimiko was going to need later on. Tsukuyomi still didn't really know if he had the option if he would ever go back and not become her personal assistant basically. She had helped him grow to be powerful, but his Captain had her own streak of making things to difficult for him. Right now though it seemed that everyone was just speaking to one another and allowing him to get his work done.