Big Cat Hunting [Kanae, Igendai]

CAPTAIN NAGOSHI KANAE

Save me from this boredom, Tosatsusha.

Captain Nagoshi Kanae was standing still as a statue in the barracks of the Fourth, the squad she governed over. She was currently observing members of her division participating in group drills, something she had turned into a daily ritual of sorts to instill a sense of urgency in her subordinates in their training. This wasn't something she did as Captain a millennium ago, back then every single member of her division relentlessly sought to improve themselves with or without her. If not, they would die.

I've already suggested we just kill all of these idiots...

Tosatsusha, Kanae's trusted Zanpakuto companion, detested this daily ritual. All it wanted was for Kanae to let loose and have some fun, but she refused so as to not risk her greater plans. At least they got to slaughter that facility of people in the living realm, thought Tosatsusha. That was a pretty fun day for both of them. This day however, was going in the opposite direction.

MURDER QUEEN | END POST

Certainly he'd had a lot of food for thought when it came to the Fourth Division captain lately. Certainly his friends in other divisions had had some experiences revolving around the captain. Not only that, but her performance in the City of Lights Arena had been....interesting. There had been an energy about the fights that was a little out of the ordinary, which had given the woman an air of mystery. And so Igen had decided to see more about the woman directly! After all, why not?

spotting the woman far off, he raised a brow ever so slightly as he made note of the Captain watching their division train. And yet, the expression seemed a little.... distant? IT seemed almost idle, passive, it wasn't the studious gaze of someone looking for anything to correct. It wasn't quite ....engaged. All the same, a big smile formed on the young man's face as he'd walk into view. And certainly he cut an ...interesting figure.

The backless uniform had certainly been useful with his training. But given his frame, he'd found that having his back and shoulders exposed all the time was a bit ...so so. And thus he'd come up with a solution! A cropped jacket, covering his back and shoulders, fastened very loosely along the arms, easy to pry off for training, but allowing him to walk around without too much hassle! Though his bright pink hair and long braid still caught a lot of attention. Well...that and Ko. Walking by his side was his Zanpaku'to spirit. Or rather, his Shikai. A short, blond haired woman with perked tiger ears perched atop her head, humming gaily as she munched on a rice ball. No real sense of urgency or care as the pair approached the woman.

"Good afternoon, Captain!" He greeted the woman. A little...surprised when he actually saw her. She was much .....cuter? Than he expected.

CAPTAIN NAGOSHI KANAE

Letting out a sigh, Kanae responded to her Zanpakuto's idea to kill her boredom with assurances they would have their day in the sun Tosatsusha, give it time. Things are beginning to come together. It won't be too long before you will get your wish. Until then, we must play the upstanding Captain and Zanpakuto.

Out of the corner of Kanae's eye she noticed a couple of her subordinates lower their swords and turn to look in the direction behind her. They seemed more perplexed than anything, and so she turned her frozen gaze onto the visage of a strangely dressed....Shinigami? And a small woman with animal features who appeared on the surface to just be the Shinigami's companion, but Kanae and Tosatsusha knew better. She was a Zanpakuto spirit.

Another fruit.

More surprising than the duo's appearance was their apparent seeking-out of Kanae. Since becoming a Captain again, those outside her Division largely kept a safe distance from her; a double edged sword for a woman with no love for the rest of the Gotei, but who's plans are made more difficult by wary eyes. Kanae's violet eyes met the stranger's as he greeted her, frankly much too happily for her tastes. "What is it that's brought you to my Division?"

MURDER QUEEN | END POST

Igen certainly noticed the delayed reaction from the woman. Hm, she really HAD been lost in thought huh? He offered a friendly wave to the division members that had stopped to look in his direction, before glancing back to the Captain themselves. "Oh I actually come here fairly often! I have a few friends in the division I sometimes come to train with. Normally I usually come a bit more prepared and call in ahead of time, but uh, it seemed nobody really seemed to know your schedule for availability. My name is Igendai Gyakusuma, Third Seat of the First Division." He introduced himself calmly enough, pausing and gesturing toward the fleine at his side.


"Please don't mind her, This is my Zanpaku'to, Ko." He added, though the feline seemed to regard Kanae with what might almost be considered scrutiny. They weren't the eyes of any sort of usual spirit. There was something much more ....scrying about them. As if the felilne were judging no Kanae herself, but something INSIDE of her. Those bright, golden eyes almost seeming as if they were intent on seeing into the woman's soul.

"I was actually hoping to speak with you, if you aren't too busy. Of course, if this is a bad time, I'm happy to schedule a proper meeting at some later time." He pointed out placidly enough. His voice was calm, friendly! But also professional, making it clear that he wasn't going to just errantly impose himself upon her free time.

CAPTAIN NAGOSHI KANAE

If it was Ko's plan to gaze into the abyss of Kanae's soul, she would be greeted with naught but the putrid darkness she and Tosatsusha shared as partners. For others, this predatory malevolence is hidden by a veneer of icy civility Kanae kept up to avoid being truly seen, like a monster lurking just barely within the shadows at the edge of one's vision. In all likelihood even a Zanpakuto spirit like Ko could only glimpse below the depths of her exterior. Yet little could prevent the goose bumps and hair-tingling those around her often felt.

As Igendai continued speaking, Tosatsusha begged its partner to cut out the man's tongue so he would just shut up already. The slightly-more patient Kanae did not acquiesce to its demands, however. She hoped, somehow, he could alleviate her boredom. Or, at the very least, provide some information on and insight into the First Division and its Captain.

When the Third Seat offered to schedule a proper meeting, Kanae casually waved away his concerns. "Don't bother, Igendai Gyakusuma, Third Seat of the First Division. I typically ignore requests not from other Captains and my own squad members. If you have something to say, you might as well say it here while I'm still available."

MURDER QUEEN | END POST

Igen quirked a brow and glanced at Ko, frowning just a little. If Ko seemed to notice anything within the woman's soul, she certainly didn't seem to react to it, keeping that calm, even stare. All the same, as Kanae assured him that he should just spit it out, he gave a sheepish smile. "It wasn't anything urgent. I honestly heard a lot about you and wanted to say hello. The old Squad Four way." He pointed out, a bit of fire behind that warm, cheerful tone of his.

For all of his earnest good boy energy, at his core, Igen was still the girly little twink who met most of his best friends in the middel of bard fights. Nothing too dire, he was hardly here to CHALLENGE the woman. But a good clash of swords and fists? In old Squad Four fashion? Or well, Eleven from Kanae's standards? It was right up his alley.

CAPTAIN NAGOSHI KANAE

He wants to fight me...? Kanae raised an eyebrow at Igendai's apparent challenge. She could understand her own subordinates seeking to see what she's made of, though after defeating that axe-wielding oaf even that was a bit annoying. They should realize they stand no chance. At least some of them were competent enough to let her stretch her legs and stay nimble, something she had to keep in mind given her plans. Kanae's icy gaze never left the duo of interlopers from the First Division as she considered her response.

"Hmph." Appearing unimpressed, Kanae may have even given off a vibe of disinterest. Yet not a moment later she raised her voice and spoke to her subordinates "Clear the training yard! Drills are over!" What helped Kanae make the decision to accept Igendai's "greeting" was the fact he served almost directly under the Captain Commander. Perhaps, she thought, he's made of a different sort than these mongrels in the Fourth and rest of the Gotei.

Kanae took several paces away from Igen and Ko then turned to face the duo, her face stony and serious. "We'll see if you're gutsy, or just arrogant, for challenging a Captain, Igendai Gyakusuma."

MURDER QUEEN | END POST

Igen blinked. A bit surprised to see that the woman was actually just clearing out the whole yard. Certainly a bit more dramatic than he was going for. Wasn't this just how Squad Four casually went about things? He was beginning to see what perhaps the others were mentioning. This woman certainly had a different..... vibe than Shishiyuki or Lady Ai did. It almost felt like this was being construed as some sort of formal challenge. "Ahah, I wouldn't call it a challenge. Just a bit of good ol fun." He noted with a smile, Ko herself giving a lopsided smirk before canting her head a bit to the side.

"I think the enjoys the spectacle Igen, just play along." She noted over her shoulder before strolling after the Captain, leaving Igen to hurry to catch up as they made their way into the training area. The both of them taking a moment to note the woma's stance. Ko of course giving a sheeky smirk.

"We would never dream of challenging you Ma'am. We simply hope that our meager performance might amuse the First Seat of the Fourth Division." She chimed, before her entire form darkened, melting into shadowy ink before spilling across the ground and then coursing up Igen's frame, vanishing into a spot on the back of his neck, where that familiar Kanji promptly stamped the spot, leaving Igen standing by himself , facing the Captain.

"Alrighty, Captain, feel free to make the first move."' He noted with a friendly smile, putting up his hands in a defensive stance. After all, he didn't have his sword on him. Looking for all the world as if he were going to take her on bare handed.

CAPTAIN NAGOSHI KANAE

The idea of a "friendly spar" with a Captain of the Gotei was an alien concept to Kanae. A thousand years ago the only reason anybody fought Captains was to kill them, at least that had been her experience. She didn't quite understand the game these two were playing at, coming to her Division and asking for what amounts to, in her eyes, play time. They weren't some ignorant low ranking officer or unseated member either. Kanae figured they must be trying to test the "new Captain".

Kanae watched the Zanpakuto spirit melt back into its wielder, though it not taking the form of a weapon was confusing to her. Yet another thing conspicuously absent from her time, Zanpakuto with such strange features and forms like Ko.

That Zanpakuto seems to be part of the Shinigami, Kanae. I wonder, if we make him bleed will they both feel pain?
Good question, Tosatsusha. Let's experiment.

As Igen stood, apparently prepared for whatever Kanae might hit him with, her eyes narrowed out of suspicion. Either he truly believed she would put forth little effort, or he had some sort of trick up his sleeve to remain unnerved by a potential chasm between their abilities. Kanae spoke to the Third Seat with severity in her voice "Igendai Gyakusuma, we are in troubling times. You may have come here for "a bit of good old fun", but I expect you to treat this as a legitimate exercise to learn from." As if to emphasize her point, Kanae flew from her position like a rocket and swiftly closed the gap between herself and her prey, and both drew and slashed from left to right with her Zanpakuto in a single fluid motion.

MURDER QUEEN | END POST

Igen smiled as he watched the woman seem to look him over. Sizing him up, clearly for the first exchange. This was a great part of the fight~ The anticipation, the tension! It was all pretty great! And so he watched as the woman seemed almost menacing. Hmmm, interesting. He smiled and tilted his head. "Why is that?" He ventured, his eyes snapped to her as she suddenly launched herself toward him with blistering speed. That flashing blade caught in his eyes and his brows raised in surprise as that swapon lanced out to strike at him! And along his skin, black lines wrapped around his body. And as her blade WHIPPED across his frame, those black stripes wrapped around him and a sudden FLASH of sparks tore across his chest, the blade scraping along the hardened ink. And well, a woman of her perception? Would easily see them extending slightly from his body. Having almost wound around the blade as it struck him, having been intent to snare her blade and trap it.

And just as quickly as they had appeared, the stripes vanished, receding back into his outfit and out of sight as Igen slid back! Skidding just a little before brushing off his chest. "WHEW! That was actually pretty scary. You're a lot faster than I thought you'd be!" He chuckled, flashing her a warm smile before his body simply vanished, a blur of motion as he closed in towards her. His own blistering shunpo to close in and cock a fist back. A thin trail of bright lights, trailing from his eyes to the spot directly infront of her, glowing with his reiryoku as he spun and spun his body, aiming to throw his elbow toward the center of her chest. Those black stripes spilling from out of his skin, forming a blade along the edge of his bicep and over the forearm, giving a cutting edge to the strike.

Boar Hunter

A sudden explosive boost in his physical abilities from the application of Hakida as he jabbed his elbow in and then THRUST downward, slashing with that blade as the stripes SHOT out, extending the range of the strike more than ten meters to RIP a clean line through the training grounds and causing an explosive PLUME of dust and dirt to erupt as the force of the slash cleaved the soil.

Not exactly a very finesse-heavy move. It was a brutal and straight-forward sort of attack. But one that might catch the woman off guard. For one because he had not seemed to release his blade yet. No less the integration of his Zanpaku'to into the hakuda strike so soon after revealing what it could do. He hardly expected to land a proper hit, but if nothing else, he hoped to give her a bit of excitement! That was all Igen ever really wanted.

To give someone the Thrill of a good fight.