Black Reign.

"A Quincy?"

The Captain's eyes widen slightly as he converses with one of numerous members of his division. He knew of the Quincy Massacre and, thus, the bad blood between the monks of destruction and the gods of death, but the only figure he was aware of that was still alive to this day was one Ishida Uryuu. Given that the report the unseated Shinigami was handing down to his Captain not only spoke of a Captain-class reiatsu signature but also spoke of a Quincy, it wasn't farfetched for him to immediately assume it was Kurosaki Ichigo's friend.

"Yes, Captain Ukitake. It's not just that, but we've also run into a different kind of problem."

When the Shinigami speaks, his voice shakes considerably. That was enough to strike urgency within the Captain, who holds a hand up to try and calm down his subordinate.

"Speak freely, Shihokaze. The matter of facing down a Quincy does not appear to be the core reason of your nervousness."

A gentle smile moves onto Ukitake's lips despite the severity of the situation, which is enough to calm the irregular breathing of the division member.

"Right... my apologies. It appears he's causing trouble for some of our younger division members. Reports have come back to us of scared, unnerved Shinigami having Hollow thrown in their direction."

Thrown Hollow? Thankfully when Ukitake's smile fades, the Shinigami before him does not grow even more upset. His tone shifts from a gentle, peaceful sound to a fierce, protective sound. The kind of tone a father might take when his child is threatened.

"I see... Inform Lieutenant Kuchiki that I am to see to this matter personally."

No doubt if this news had stricken Rukia's ears, she might have gone off to investigate the issue herself. With a nod and a 'yes sir!', the Shinigami disappears from the Ugendou Quarters to deliver the news. Arriving in Karakura Town was no easy feat, but the Kidou Corps made the task that much easier. A sweatdrop ran down the back of his head when he realized just how many members of the organization had come to assist him (no doubt hearing about his illness), but nevertheless he ends up moving from rooftop to rooftop. Shrieks fill the night air and he immediately utilizes his Flash Steps to cross the distance between himself and the source of the noise. It doesn't take long before he witnesses the scared Shinigami, who he knew as Niigata Tamane. There was something odd about the Hollow that were being flung at the poor girl. They didn't appear to be conscious! Memories go back to when he had first met Tamane fresh out of the Academy and now it made more sense as to why Shihokaze had appeared so unnerved. This girl was his step-sister, and his pride had disallowed him from practically begging his Captain to protect her. She wasn't fit for combat and Ukitake hadn't known this when he had allowed her her first patrol in the town. As soon as the Gillian gets close enough to collide with the poor girl, Ukitake appears in front of her and draws his Zanpakutou. The Gillian ends up cut diagonally, it's mask shredded in the process.

"C-Captain Ukitake!"

The worried voice of the girl rises up as do her eyes, while Ukitake moves his free hand atop Tamane's head softly.

"Stay strong, Tamane. Head back to the Soul Society and inform Lieutenant Kuchiki that you're safe. I'll handle things from here."

The same soft smile that he had directed toward Tamane's step-brother gets directed toward her and, with a small fierce nod, she disappears through a series of Flash Steps. Zanpakutou still drawn, the Captain directs his eyes up toward where Liam's signature was and his arms widen slightly.

"Oi, Quincy. You've been causing a bit of trouble for my division. Why don't you come down here so that we may talk things over?"

How many times had misunderstandings caused hapless Shinigami to cut down those who appeared to them as adversaries? How few times had the lower ranked Shinigami taken the time to try diplomacy? A confused look crops up onto Ukitake's face as the Quincy plummets himself down from the building, but as soon as he stands upon the air it's made clear to him. This must have been an application of a Quincy utilizing reishi, though this was the first time Ukitake had seen such an act in person. There's a blink or two as he watches Liam and hears his words, and once his confusion disappears his disarming smile comes back to his face.

"You've got quite an eye, Quincy. I hadn't expected one who looks so young to be able to discern a Captain of the Gotei 13 from his attire alone."

As he begins to cross the distance between himself and Liam, Ukitake brings his Zanpakutou back into it's sheath the same way an Old West gunslinger might place his firearm back into it's holster to dispel any hostility that may have been around him previously.

"I wouldn't say throwing Hollow, unconscious ones at that, at members of my division is making their jobs any easier."

Once Ukitake gets close enough to speak properly with the other man, but not so close as to be invading his personal space (and intentionally keeping himself far enough back to where, while his blade wouldn't be able to reach, a Quincy's arrows would be able to), his arms move themselves into a gentle fold against his chest.

"Still, this does strike me as odd. Why assist my division with their job of Hollow purification? As a Quincy, wouldn't you prefer destroying them yourself?"