The recruit(Shio)

The headquarters for the first division was...perhaps a bit neater than most, perhaps a bit more polished up, but the people in it seemed much like any other shinigami.  As soon as Aoi stepped inside a few shot glances towards him, one or two leering in what could only have been poorly-concealed excitement at the notion that someone so unassuming could possibly be in such a prestigious position.  One of them rose, scratching at his cheek idly as he approached, and then placing a hand on Aoi's neck, perhaps a bit more roughly than was necessary.  His voice sounded professional, a bit gruff...but all in all, likely a man that it wouldn't have hurt too much to know or spend a day talking to.

"Shio?  He's...yeah, I think I know the guy you mean.  Don't think I saw him go out on a mission today.  He's probably in his room.  Reading up or boiling a bunch of tea or something.  Don't even know what goes on in there, just know he always comes out reeking of strong stuff.  I'll give him a call for you."

There was a faint bustle of motion as two other shinigami rose, one darting down a hallway in a spastic spray of limbs that looked much like it should've left him slapping himself in the face, but was oddly effective.  He was down the hallway and around the corner in about two seconds, out of sight.  The second shinigami approached to join the other, giving a glance that was...not quite angry, but perhaps a bit more exasperated than seemed appropriate.  As if he were well aware of something Aoi wasn't.

"He's almost always in.  He might need a few minutes to get down here, but he'll probably have a cup of something strong for you to drink if you're thirsty.  We're not exactly the best company..."  At this, another meaningful glance at the one whose hand was resting on the child's neck; this time it seemed to get through, convincing him to withdraw the grasp and scratch at his head sheepishly.

"But we're mostly good people.  Who should we tell him is looking for him?  Should any of us be worried?"

There was a second of silence as the 'dirty' man's face knit into a latticework of muscle that spoke of impending violence, as if he were about to smack Aoi right across the face and watch him fall over.  But a moment or two later, the slightly more reasonable of the two stepped between the two, crouching down a bit and meeting the short shinigami's face.  His smile had turned just slightly more crystallized now, as if he was going a little too far off script, as if this entire situation was leaving him a little uncertain of his footing anymore.  All the same, he seemed to rally quite well.

"A transfer.  To where, exactly?  Shio was very fervent about joining this division, you know.  I'm not sure he'd be okay with you just trying to steal him away like that.  He's a good man, and we'd all hate to see him go.  So if you wouldn't mind telling us just who you are, and what you're planning on doing-"

He paused, his nostrils flaring ever so slightly, and his eyes growing distant and hazy for just a moment.  He rose, running a hand through his reddish locks, and pointing towards the hallway.  A moment later Shio approached, indeed carrying a cup of tea that was lazily spiralling off steam.  The shinigami moved slowly, without any sense of hurry or excitement.  In fact, given the way he was looking at a spot just below Aoi's earlobe, it was hard to say if he was even capable of being excited.  His outfit did indeed seem to fit the traditional shinigami robe, but there were a few small adjustments made; chief among them, there was a fairly large piece of what looked like metal covered in leather strapped across his chest, giving him a look rather like a samurai.

He drifted down the hallway silently, a smile flickering across his face as he seemed to notice the messenger for the first time, lifting his free hand to his forehead and touching it before gently flicking it towards Aoi in a lazy gesture that may almost have been called a wave.  He walked forward a bit closer, and he was just within earshot when the smell would've finally managed to leak beneath the mask.  Shio's very presence seemed to bring with it an irresistible sense of warmth and comfort, a palpable aura around himself that settled nearly everyone present.  Even the 'dirty' shinigami looked like he was ever so slightly mollified by the presence of his comrade.  Shio moved slowly, cautiously, his free hand extending to probe around slowly, carefully.  Finally it caught onto a chair's edge, pulling it towards himself and plopping into it in a smooth motion.

It wasn't that hard to identify the smell clinging to Shio, even if it hardly made sense coming from a shinigami.  He smelled like a busy bakery, like a pastry chef had just opened the doors of one of his ovens.  There was a sweet, faintly choclatey edge to it, but mostly it simply seemed to be a...doughy smell.  Like he was carrying a tube of cookie dough on himself, or had somehow slathered it all over himself before coming out.  He didn't seem to notice it, simply rested his hands in his lap and let the cup of tea rest on a crook expertly made by the crossing of his legs.

"Hellll-loooo~.  I don't think we've met, but...well.  My ability to recognize faces has gone down a bit lately.  You are?"

Shio tilted his head slightly, staring at the child for a few long, silent seconds.  This one was...obviously a bit new at this.  And clearly he hadn't been around much lately if he hadn't heard the stories.  There were...what?  Twenty, that he'd heard of?  Everyone was curious about what he'd done.  About what he -might have- done.  And all of it revolved around that stupid woman, that wretched Kidou Corps woman that had kept -badgering- him.  But he still couldn't find himself losing his temper, couldn't really find time for anything but faint surprise.  He waved vaguely towards his face, even leaning forward so the boy could get a better look.

His face, especially around the eyes, was remarkably reddened, the skin there looking almost...rough.  It was a very bright shade of pink and a few places here and there had small blotches that looked like they could've been bruises or very recently healed bleeds.  All in all, it looked as if he'd just had a very hot cup of tea thrown in his face.  This, however, wasn't the most interesting thing; his eyes, both of them, were covered in an ever so slight film, making it hard to discern the color beneath at a glance.  They began to water as he placed his hands on his knees, trying his best to get a good look at the child in front of him, to make out his...form.

"A mask.  Well, to me right now, -everyone- is wearing a mask so it's hardly any change.  And I'm afraid reading is also a little bit beyond me just this moment, so...if you wouldn't mind reading it for me?"

He leaned back in his chair, letting the uncomfortable air grow just a little bit thicker.  The boy had decided to step in here and start mouthing off immediately, and he couldn't begin to imagine what his comrades were doing right about now.  That was the beautiful thing about being unable to read faces, though; he didn't have to imagine.  He in fact couldn't have if he wanted to.  First he would've had to imagine their faces in general, and that just felt like...such a waste of time right now.  Best to focus on the words.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience.  I'm sure we could find someone else to read it if you prefer.  But seeing as how you're already heeee-re~"

He very nearly sang the last words, before raising the tea cup slowly; on that front at least, he seemed to have no trouble reaching it.  He took a long, deep sip, and seemed to stare at Aoi with those blank, sightless eyes just a bit too long to be comfortable.  He hardly even blinked this time.

Shio had to pause for a second at this, his head tilting to the other side...and a few of his comrades could almost be heard snickering under their breath.  If there was anyone that would make a better target than Shio, it was this little child.  How could he not have noticed?  Wasn't it obvious to everyone?  Certainly none of them had needed more than a few seconds to notice that something was different with Shio.  The eyes...those cataracts were quite familiar to anyone who had seen combat.  And Shio's expression never changed, but he let the faint elation of knowing someone -else- was the center of ridicule give him some buoyancy for a few seconds.  And then the horrible crushing realization fell down on him again.  He was letting it happen all over again.  However tempting it was to make this child feel some degree of shame or humility, doing it like this was no good to anyone.

"I'm perfectly capable of reading when I can actually see.  I think right now my vision is something like 20-1000.  I literally can't make out my hand in front of my face.  Or your face in general.  I am, for all intents and purposes at this moment, sightless.  Now, if you'd care to continue with these hilarious misinterpretations, I invite you to do so in private, where none of my associates will feel tempted to make some inappropriate outburst.  But seeing as how you're here on official duty, I might suggest you save us all some time and just read the letter.  Out loud would be ideal, but I don't particularly mind if you read it yourself and then just tell us what it says.  I give you my consent; I don't plan on getting anyone in trouble over tampering with the letter."

For a split second Shio seemed put off guard by the child's suggestion.  Yes, it was true that he had expected the boy to be a little dim at this point, but that suggestion was surprisingly insightful; especially given how quickly these people seemed to enjoy singling inw on whatever interesting little tidbit was going on and make it their own personal rumor mill.  The words would find a way to leak through, of course; if there was one thing Shio knew about his division, it was that they somehow had a way of finding all the interesting tidbits and clutching onto them like a miser.  He nodded ever so slightly, plucking up his cup of tea and draining the contents in a single motion, and then rising.  He gestured for the boy to follow him, walking in silence for almost a minute, until he was reasonably certain there were no reaitsu signatures close enough to hear them.

"So why would Soshi Hirashi send you to speak with me?  I understand she's likely very busy and can't spare time to speak to an unseated shinigami, but if she can spare a little time to deal with a simple hollow invasion, you'd think she could at least speak to me personally.  I can't help but notice you've refused to identify yourself...twice now?  Possibly more, if you were asked a few times before I got here.  It's not really a very good way to deliver a message if you won't even identify yourself.  I may have to lodge a complaint with your superiors, after all."

Now that they were alone, the slow and cautious motions seemed to be dissolving by degrees, leaving him walking down the hallways with the same ease as one who had done it for years, one who had already memorized in excruciating details the layout of his living space.  He turned back towards Aoi, those empty eyes still clouded over, a few tears still escaping from the sides every once in a while.  Shio's hands reached out ever so slightly, trailing over the walls for a split second as if reorienting himself, before he spoke in a low, weary tone.

"And what does she need from a humble man such as me?  Is she hoping to blackmail me into private lessons, or something of that nature?  Or does she just want to see me squirm while she writes up the official report, and requests I be court martialled?  What wretched fate does Soshi Hirashi wish to place upon my head at this point?"

"Yes.  Yes I can."

Shio had frozen in the hallway entirely, his hands balled by his side, and his shoulders squared off.  He had expected the letter, certainly.  He had expected...some sort of unpleasantness attached to this entire situation.  But he hadn't expected her to try and sound so -nice- about the entire thing.  He hadn't expected her to try and pretend that she understood what he was thinking.  And most of all, he hadn't expected her to be so straightforward about all of this.  'Exceptional' for a member of the Gotei 13?  Really?  He had spent the first sixty years of his life trying to be 'exceptional', and all it had done was proven that the world abhorred exceptions.

He rose a hand slowly, not even bothering to turn back towards Aoi.  They said not to shoot the messenger, but in this case he found himself sorely tempted.  The boy was being remarkably unprofessional, and more than anything else he was -commenting- on the nature of the letter.  What sort of fool did that?  He breathed slowly, carefully...trying to calm himself.  Trying to clear his mind, and prevent himself from doing something reckless.  Clearly Blodeuwen was hoping to draw this out, to bait him into...something.  Shio wasn't entirely sure at this point.  All he knew was that he couldn't let this come to pass.  He wasn't going to throw himself into the flames once again, now that he'd managed to turn the pan down to a reasonable heat.

"Thrice I ask and done.  Tell me your name, Kidoushi.  I'm in no mood for meaningless banter, or unwarranted commentary."

"No.  I'm not."

It took a second to register, but the faint miasma of tantalizing scents around Shio were changing, ever so subtly...and then less so.  The faint, sweet smell of cookies browning in a pleasant heat stuttered and shifted, quickly turning into that of dough blackening into coal in an oppressive flame.  And as Shio turned to glance at Aoi, as his spiritual pressure unfurled entirely, filling the room with a suffocating sense of weight, making it feel almost as if the entire place was being squeezed ever so slightly in a vice, even the doughy smell didn't seem all that notable anymore.  It didn't even smell of charcoal anymore.  Everything that Aoi's senses were alluding towards was impossible, was completely nonsensical, and yet it seemed to be happening all the same.  It touched upon his nose before anywhere else, and yet its impact was oddly diffuse.

It was the smell of asphalt blackening under an oppressive sun.  It was the smell of a dog that had been soaking in sunlight, only to let it out as a sort of gentle wave when it curled up next to you.  It was the smell of an oven grate left on entirely too long.  It was a smell never meant for the nose to register, but it did its job all the same, ringing the alarm bells in Aoi's head all at once.  It was all of this and more; it was a hectic, living scent that battered its way into the brain and seemed to flip switches.  There was nothing logical about it, nothing that could've been explained to anyone else.  But to the young Kidoushi, in that moment, it was painfully obvious.

Shio smelled like fury.  There was truly no other word for it.  He smelled angry.

"The first reason being that I've -already- met her.  It'd be a waste seeing her again so soon, before I can even get her face out of my head.  The second reason being that I'm -not- part of her little club.  I'm still in the Gotei 13, and she can't command me.  So go back to Soshi Hirashi, and you tell her that until the Captain Commander himself signs those papers, until the very last minute of the very last day of my time to transition, I'm not going anywhere.  I've got work to do here, and I have expectation to uphold.  And I'm not going to waste time playing nice with the people who are trying so hard to ruin my life."

Shio's hands bunched once more, his face smoothing out.  This child was...arrogant.  Beyond arrogant, he was simply disgusting in his demeanor.  How anyone like this could ever be considered anything but a failure, Shio would never know.  There was just so much -wrong- with this entire conversation.  How could the Soul Society allow anyone like Aoi to run around freely?  How far had this proud institution fallen lately, for them to become so lax?  Not for the first time, Shio felt his head pounding at the sheer venom of the thoughts trickling through his skull.  It was just...impossible.  None of this fit, none of this made sense.  And this child, in this moment, seemed to represent everything wrong with the world.

"I'm not crying.  I'm not complaining.  I'm telling you; I will -never- join the Kido Corps.  Whatever Soshi Hirashi plans for me will simply have to wait until she finds someone else.  I'm happy where I am, and I'm not going to just let her mess with my life like I'm some toy.  And even more importantly, I'm -never- going to consider you my comrade.  I'd sooner die than work alongside you.  Humans have a phrase, you know: Children should be seen, and not heard.  And since I'm blind..."

He whirled about, his voice filling the corridor with the rich, flowing tones of one who was about to perform a particularly impressive feat, his hand flung outwards in a splay of motion.  He was already bearing down on Aoi, moving at speeds that seemed entirely unlike his subdued shuffle up to now.  Something in his gait had changed, leaving him looking like a predator finally flexing its muscles.

"Oh great King, seal thy opponent in thou great demise through fate!"

His movements didn't slow in the slightest as he spoke, five thick pillars of light forming, one from each finger; they shot towards Aoi at remarkable speeds, poised to pin him in place on the floor.  Even as they were leaving his hands, Shio disappeared in a flicker of motion, only to reappear at a spot just to the younger shinigami's side, arm extending to loop around Aoi's neck and subdue him on the spot.

"I suggest you go do those other things right about now.  Soshi Hirashi will wait.  Until the end of the universe, if I have any say in the matter."

Shio's attack didn't hit home; he could feel it almost immediately, could tell that the boy had managed to avoid it.  And the mere words alone were enough to confirm his suspicions.  But what the boy no doubt wasn't expecting was that his shunpo would give him away, especially in such a narrow corridor.  The sound was beyond distinctive, the sort of thing that no one could really miss, and it gave away his presence nearly immediately.  This time Shio didn't even waste time with a commentary, simply flinging his hand in the child's direction, and shouting once more.

"Bakudo #46, Inshitsu Chōchin."

This time the effects were far faster, and far more difficult to find one's way around.  A thick greenish lantern formed around Aoi's head and torso, engulfing him, as well as rooting him to the spot; the reaitsu inside was far too dense, the sort of thing a person normally would've been hard pressed to even move around in.  For one such as Aoi, it would've been enough to force him to his knees.  His very body would've found it hard to escape the confines as Shio approached, ever so slowly, and placed his hands over the outside of the lantern.

"Don't look down on those you fail to understand.  I have my reasons for what I do.  If you wish to write me off as some petulant child, I'll just have to make you listen."