[10th Division Barracks] Secrets of the Seireitei

[Huang Min]

[OOC: Yes yes. A repost from DZ. But it always starts the same if the other characters are captains and VCs and whatnot, :3]

Rai lowered the pen he had been using, blowing on the paper, urging the ink to dry a little faster as he read over the letter to his mother. It had been some time since he had contacted her, and he wanted her to know that he was still fine, still content to be in the Seireitei.

While he folded the letter into thirds, he wondered why his mother had become visibly agitated when he said he wanted to join the ranks of the Shinigami. Surprisingly, she did not prevent him from going, but only warned him to be wary of those around him, and to carefully seek out the answers to his and her questions. Circumstances. That was the only reason that came to mind as an explanation. Although he had asked his mother several times about what happened, she refused to disclose anything in its entirety. She urged him to hurry and leave; the faster he left, the faster he would return.

Before he had arrived at the Academy, he had already heard about many of the current generation of shinigami. There was...[insert NPCs here]. Now that he had graduated from the Academy, there were a few others he heard about whose names eventually became recognizable faces. These were the characters he wanted to meet and know, the shadows at the edge of the limelight. They were the answers to the questions he sought.

He smiled, then laughed, wondering if anyone thought he was as mysterious as he thought everyone else was.

Pushing out his chair in an exaggerated manner, he stood up to grab his outer shinigami robe, securely placing the letter in one of the inside pockets before securing his zanpakuto. When he opened the door, he blinked a few times, allowing his eyes to adjust the light, and left the room to deliver the letter.

[Rukuya]

Narue trudged down the path that would pass the Tenth Division. She had no real destination, but she was enjoying a little walk; Hato-kun, a large dove plus, squeezed between her arms as she walked, a slight skip in her step as she hummed a tune.

"Ne, ne, Hato-kun, that was a lot of paperwork today huh?" Narue giggled, happy she was free from all of that documenting for the day and free to do as she pleased.

[Huang Min]

As he wandered out of the 10th division building, he noticed a small figure coming closer and closer. He squinted against the sunlight, before he heard a vaguely familiar voice.

"Ne, ne, Hato-kun, that was a lot of paperwork today huh?"

He continued walking towards the girl, going through his archive of faces and voices before settling on what he thought was correct. At least he hoped so. The girl with the dove. "Hello, Narue," he said with a gracious smile, observing the girl's intriguing hair color. "Where are you headed off to?"

[Rukuya]

"Rai-kun, hiii." She greeted happily. "Going? Hmm." She looked down at Hato for a moment before returning her eyes to Rai, "I wasn't really headed anywhere, just on a walk." She said, smiling brightly. "I finished my paperwork and thought some fresh air would be nice."

[Huang Min]

He nodded in response to her greeting, mildly relieved that he remembered her name correctly. He followed her gaze to the plump, worn dove in her arms, triggering an old, pleasant memory.

"Would you like to accompany me to the post office then? I have a letter to deliver to someone." He paused for a moment, still curious about the dove in her arms. "Did you make that yourself?"

[Rukuya]

"Sure!" Narue answered, giving a small nod as she walked with Rai. She smiled brightly at the question about Hato. "Mhmm! I made him when I was little, well, hehe...I had help though from Riichi-nii though."

[Huang Min]

Again, Rai nodded as they turned a corner, heading onto a main thoroughfare of the Seireitei. "Glad to have company." Again, he was still fascinated by the small, stuffed creature in Narue's arms. "Riichi?" he asked, unfamiliar with the name. "You and him have good skills in handicraft, eh?" giving her a pleased smile. "Much more than I do anyway!" he said with a laugh, briefly looking at his calloused hands. "By the way, we're going to head briefly into Rukongai, if you're okay with that.*"

[* If post offices--besides hell butterfly usage--exist in the Seireitei...my bad...will edit if that's a problem!]

[Rukuya]

"Glad to have company."

"Mhmm!"

"Riichi?"

"Riichi-nii's Riichi-nii." Narue responded, "I lived with him before I became a shinigami. We lived at a bar he ran in the Rukon." At the compliment to their craft skills she brightened. "Thanks! I've gotten a lot better since I was little. Hee hee~ Making things like Hato-kun is fun."

"Rukon? Yeah sure, I don't mind." It'd been awhile since she'd been into the districts, as the Seireitei had stores that had things she needed when she needed them; meaning a trip to Rukongai wasn't necessary most of the time when it came to basic necessities.

[Huang Min]

"Oh the Rukon life..." He hoped his mother and aunt were doing well. Rai patted the inside pocket of his robe to ensure the letter was still there. Before he left, his mother had started growing visibly agitated. He was worried, of course, but how was he supposed to bring it up? His mother wore her heart on her sleeve, but her thoughts were always her own. Circumstances.

"Thanks! I've gotten a lot better since I was little. Hee hee~ Making things like Hato-kun is fun."

"Hah, 'Hato-kun.' I like that."

"By the way, we're going to head briefly into Rukongai, if you're okay with that.

"Rukon? Yeah sure, I don't mind."

Rai was quiet for a moment, still thinking about his mother and her words for him before he left when he looked up in surprise. Was he being rude not talking to Narue? They hadn't really talked before so she probably didn't know he often lapsed into silence.

He offered a simple conversation starter. "How do you like being in First?" He briefly glanced away from Narue to look how close they were to entering the Rukon Districts; it didn't look too far off. He turned back to Narue, waiting for her response.

[OOC: FYI, Rai was likely just going to drop off the letter and head back to the Seireitei.]

[Rukuya]

"It's really fun! Last night I got to spook some new recruits with some scary stories, their reactions when they got scared were priceless!" She responded with a small laugh.

Which reminded her, she needed to get in some more research later on for more material to share with the next group of new recruits. She actually kind of hoped there would be a storm during on of those nights, having some nicely timed lightning strikes mixed in with a ghost story would certainly earn a perfect scare. All in harmless fun, right?

She hugged her plush close to her, "Hato-kun likes scary stories too, just like me."

[Huang Min]

Rai let out a small chuckle at Narue's prankster streak. His mother had said she was one once with the faintest hints of a mischievous smile. Perhaps he would talk to Narue more later on; it was nice to have someone that reminded him of home nearby.

"Hato-kun likes scary stories too, just like me."

"Hato too, eh? Hah." He glanced at the familiar post office nearby stationed by the ever present Mr. Nara. "Are you going to stay in Rukongai now? Tell me a scary story later if you're not busy?"

[Rukuya]

"Hmmm, well I didn't have any plans to..." She replied, she had no real business here in the Rukon, nothing she needed to buy or anything like that.

"And yeah, of course! Hee hee, I'll have to pick out some of my best stories for then!" There was definitely a shine in her eye at the thought of some storytelling, she'd need to get in some research later on to see if she could find any more good local myths or folklore on haunted areas.

[Huang Min]

"Great! I'll see you in a bit if you plan on waiting around. If not, that's fine too."

Rai walked away from Narue to the post office nearby, spotting the ever grumpy face of Mr. Hashimoto. Rai had come to the post office enough that the two had established a simple greeting of nodding their heads once.

"Anything?" Mr. Hashimoto shook his head. "Just to the usual place then, thank you" he said, pulling out the letter he had written earlier and some coins.

With shaky hands and a suspicious expression, Mr. Hashimoto took Rai's items. The shinigami was about to leave when Mr. Hashimoto spoke up. "Your mother's been quiet."

Rai was silent for a moment. "I know. I'm worried about her."

Again, Mr. Hashimoto merely nodded before turning around, a clear signal that the conversation was over. Nonetheless, Rai remained at the stall, thinking about his promise.

---

"The Academy takes time. People take time. Some of the names you'll hear you'll remember from my stories. Those are the ones you'll eventually want to meet. Don't run up to them though, no. When the time comes, you'll know when to grab the opportunity and talk to them." His mother had sighed then, a modicum of regret in her voice. "I just...there are some that I wish I could have showed my thanks and appreciation to more...and some I just wish to apologize to for leaving so abruptly." She chuckled, loosing a strand of hair into her face. He was distracted for a moment, observing the one face he knew better than his own, thinking that she had a pretty face, and often asked if he looked like her. In response, she would always smile, telling him that he looked more like his father. She tapped her nails on the table, bringing Rai out of his daydreams, before brushing the hair out of her face. "I just wonder if they remember me.

Honestly, he liked having a "mission" to go on while in the Seireitei. It made everything seem a bit more adventurous and lively. He didn't feel like he had a burden, carrying his mother's request. Unfortunately, he had not had the opportunity to actually speak to any of his mother's old classmates.

Do you think they'd tell me what happened to her?

There was no reply from Ryu at first, just ambient sounds of liquid gurgling and an occasional steam-like hiss. To receive the answer, you must first ask the question.

Fair enough. He had expected as much from Ryu. Let's hope for the best then!

---

[OOC: Assuming that Narue meandered off nearby but isn't actively engaging Rai]

He looked around for Narue, spotting her in the distance. What are the chances she knows someone, Ryu?

[Rukuya]

"Great! I'll see you in a bit if you plan on waiting around. If not, that's fine too."

"Mhmm!" Narue replied, watching Rai head inside the post office to deliver what needed to be sent off.

She gave a small giggle to herself, today was turning out to be a nice, relaxing day.

'Hee hee, it feels really nice out today, huh?'

A small jingle echoed through her mind in response to her question.

'Yeah, it's been awhile since we've been in the Rukon.'

Her conversation though was cut short as a she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Turning, she couldn't help but gain a large smile. "Kitty!"

She walked over to the small, orange kitten at a slow, careful pace so as not to scare it before she squatted down close to it.

"Hey there, little guy." She said, moving to clutch Hato with one arm while sticking her hand out toward the small animal.

She smiled when it approached her, giving her hand a small sniff before it began to rub it's tiny head against it.

"Aww, you're so cute."

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