A Dark Beginning [Group, Closed]

Kiriko gazed at her counterpart, the perfect image of statuesque authority in her immobility and formidable gaze. In truth, her recent ascension to Lieutenant didn't quite fit with her actual skill level, and as always she found herself acting out a part that she wasn't yet ready for in all ways. It didn't matter though, because her Captain said she was ready so she would act in such a manner until he told her otherwise. Eventually her power would reach a respectable point for someone of her ranking, and Kiriko had no compunctions about fooling the people under her into subservience. She understood the psychology behind an intimidating figure, and she used that to her benefit during this interview.

Kiriko as a lieutenant played many roles, but being a leader meant being above your constituents. She wasn't supposed to be their friend, or their pal. Kiriko was at best a teacher and at worst a taskmaster. There was nothing frivolous or kind about her relationship to recruits or full members of the Nibantai. If they needed encouragement, she could provide it, but only through calling on their pride to man up and serve properly. This kind of duty went well with her personality, because while Kiriko was purposeful and utilitarian she also had no small amount of pride and ambition which set her on a different level from a normal member of her division. This barrier, unseen as it was, wasn't helped along by her general inability to interact with her peers on equal footing. Everyone still remembered what it was like when she had been just a member herself, the animosity and the discomfort. Most people accepted her rise to power gratefully, happy that at least Kiriko was filling the mold now instead of trying to control things from a position of no power – all that had achieved was dissidence.

Thus under her current situation, Kiriko didn't feel badly about staring down a new recruit. They would be faced with tougher eyes than hers when they went on their first mission. She did cringe a little on the inside when she realized her mistake, glancing back down at his file, that she had mistakenly used his first name in passing. That was certainly rude, but she couldn't back down from such a thing or else she would be admitting a mistake. In her first dealings with a new recruit, mistakes were better left ignored. Losing face here meant not knowing if she could control him later in the field, and that was not permitted.

When the answer to her question finally came, it was not some quaint little homily about war and death. In fact, while not the most expansive description of duties, Kiriko found herself nodding along with the listing. Feeling her own vigor rising, she leaned forward with a sharp intensity, “Do you understand that truly then Tsume-san? We of the Nibantai receive no reward for our service, no recognition, no honor. Your ambitions end here, your glory ends here. The efforts of your work, should you be successful in this field, only serve to strengthen the influence of the Nibantai. The Nibantai becomes your honor, it becomes your name, it becomes your family. If you can't put aside your own rising star, then I'll say it now: get out.”

WC: 554 | GP: 11 | Total: 29

Tsume-san again. Ryutai believed the first mention of him name to be a mistake; with the second mention, Ryutai was beginning to believe Kiriko was testing him.

The answer Ryutai received was not a warm one, not comforting or friendly, but cold and concise: just the way Ryutai preferred dealing with Shinigami. But it was clear Kiriko did not know Ryutai on a personal level, as the understanding she was pounding into his brain was greatly redundant. In life, Ryutai had known no glory and no honor. His close friends had been murdered and the last of his short life was bent on vengeance. Even after death, Ryutai was granted no recognition for his deeds; being hunted as an animal would by the very people he risked his life for. Not that he expected his superior to know him on this intimate level. It wasn't until his final moments in life that Ryutai realized how wrong he had been. He needed purpose.

“The Nibantai” Kiriko kept saying. “The Nibantai.” Ryutai shivered every time he heard that word, “Nibantai”. In life and in death Ryutai had desperately craved to belong, willing, nay, wanting, to forgo every aspect of outward individuality to belong to a group of like-minded people. A group that would properly and effectively use his skill. A group that would respect him.

There were, however, several things about this confrontation very uncomfortable. The first was how intently Kiriko stared at Ryutai, unwavering and unblinking she stared. Ryutai hated being the center of attention, preferring to observe from a dark corner in social situations, and clinging to shadows while working. Ryutai always felt awkward and out of place when prompted to speak with anyone other than Hakumei. Despite this discomfort, his cool gaze never left the woman sitting across from him.

The second point of his discomfort was far more difficult to push from his mind. ”If you can't put aside your own rising star, then I'll say it now: get out.” The meaning of this ultimatum is not what bothered Ryutai, he knew that she meant for him to put all personal interests behind serving the Nibantai. What bothered Ryutai more was her phrasing. Ryutai often considered Hakumei to be his guiding star. Did this mean putting her aside as well?

”Do not worry, Ryutai, whether or not that is what they intend, I will not and can not leave your side” a calm voice said.

The warmth of Hakumei comforted him, her voice enveloping him like a breeze. That small push gave Ryutai the confidence to return Kiriko's stare and say the two words that would be his first steps into a dark beginning.

”I understand.”

WC: 456

GP: 9

ΣGP: 31

Kiriko smiled, the expression closer to the unveiling of a dagger than a happy grin, but it was there nonetheless. Leaning back so that she was no longer invading Tsume's space, she waited a beat before responding herself. She was pleased so far with how this was going. It would have been relatively unlikely for Tsume to have gotten this far and answered the first question so well only to draw back at her last inquiry, but the possibility however slim was still there and Kiriko was glad to have passed that stage in their little meeting. She had a good feeling about Tsume so far, his brevity was a sign that he wasn't focusing on awing her with intellect or overwhelming her with his strength and prowess. Instead, and this she appreciated, he said only what was needed and pertinent to her questions. Kiriko liked that kind of efficiency, especially from an underling that might one day be writing reports that would land on her desk.

Despite her feelings, Kiriko had yet to make a decision about this recruit. Invested with the power to approve a new candidate, Kiriko still waited for her Captain's opinion before finalizing anything. Not that she made it known. All it took was the recruit first meeting her Captain, and any sign of displeasure from the man would result in Kiriko taking aside the new member and quietly transferring them to another division. So while she might have the notion that he was doing well, Kiriko really hadn't settled on accepting him yet and she was willing to play this game a little bit further to do more testing.

“Good, I am glad that we understand each other,” she spoke before looking down at the file in front of her and turning the page. Scanning it, Kiriko looked as if she was trying to find some bit of information to question him on, when in reality she had already memorized all of the data in the document and what really interested her was what wasn't written. Turning the page back over, she closed the file and set it back down. “I will not ask you about your history, because it doesn't matter. Results are what matter in the Nibantai and are what you should worry about. I would like you to speak on yourself. Tell me why you are here, and why you think you will fit in.” Personality was important, because they worked in groups more often than not, especially at the lower tiers of missions. But Kiriko wondered if this was where Tsume would start to falter. Would he tell her what he thought she wanted to hear? Or was he going to be truthful, and give her fact and that alone? Kiriko didn't really care if he fit in well or not. She could take a square peg and crush it into a round hole, it didn't take all that much effort to achieve. It just wasn't an enjoyable experience for the square peg, which made it better for a recruit to realize they fit during the interview and before they showed up for the first day of training.

WC: 528 | GP: 10 | Total: 39

OOC - Ugh, I lost this post the first time I wrote it, so now it came out all ugly and mashed up. Sorry.

Kiriko jotted down one final note, her slanted kanji too tiny to read from across the room. When she looked up, she nodded both to herself and to Tsume, before providing her general disclaimer. “Very well, I have made my decision. Welcome to the Nibantai.” She smiled again, this time in a heartening manner as she stood slowly and gestured for Tsume to do the same. Now that the frivolities were done with she was finally getting to the part of these interviews that she enjoyed, the conjoining of a new member into the family.

Brushing invisible dirt from her hakama, Kiriko swept towards the door, sliding the screen open with a firm hand before stepping out into the hall. Fully expecting Tsume to follow after her, Kiriko glanced around the dimly lit hallway as if she was seeing it with the new eyes of a fresh recruit. The walls were bare but clean, each screen set neatly in place to give the impression of an orderly building. Kiriko liked this part of the Nibantai's facilities, which was located in the main compound. It was without ornamentation, because no one was trying to impress anyone here. But the very alignment and artistry of the simple materials provided another reaction. It was hard not to look at the fastidious rooms and know with a certainty that the people who worked here were exceptional in their economy. It never failed to remind Kiriko of her joy at the rebirth of her division, and at how far they had come in such a short while under their new Captain.

Providing a running description of their path Kiriko took Tsume out through the main compound and showed him the grounds that were mostly empty at this time of day. Skirting the barracks, she pointed them out but instead led him down through the tunnels to their underground facilities where most of the training rooms were located. Giving a brief description of each room and where people tended to gather or at what time different events took place she also gave him the directions to the Captain's annex though they did not visit that area. Once she was sure that he would be able to find his way around so long as he had been paying attention, Kiriko brought Tsume back above ground and turned to face him. “Please report to the barracks at 0800 tomorrow morning. You'll receive your bunk assignment and training regiment then. I will be meeting with you in a few days to answer any other questions that arise and provide you with your list of duties. Do you have any questions at this point?” Kiriko tone was curt, but she had other things to do today than just watch over a new member. She wondered though, if he would have questions for her. She had had questions in the beginning, and Kiriko knew how helpful it was to have a person of reference that could be relied upon to help you settle in. They might all be a family, but that wasn't to say that new members were accepted with open arms by everyone. The first few days could be painful and lonely. Kiriko wasn't setting herself up to be a counselor or anything, but it was her duty to ensure that if there was something going wrong that she knew about it.  

WC: 565 | GP: 11 | Total: 50