The Magic Touch [ Kokoko x Liana ]

The relative peace of the Gotei in recent years didn't mean Liana would go sedentary. She remained hard working as ever, and made sure to maintain her division's sharpness. Any day could be the moment disaster strikes, and being steeled for it was the best you could do. That said, preparation didn't come down to just training and drills. There was an order to things, and paperwork was an essential component. And as fervent as Liana was to accelerate her division and put in 110% of her effort at all times, paperwork was not the most exciting portion of the process.

When Kokoko poked her head in, Liana lifted her attention from the desk to her subordinate with a soft smile. There was a feeling of relief, and the captain fought the urge to stretch herself as a greeting.

"Koizumi-san. Please, come in; how can I help?"

"I'm flattered to hear that." She said it with a smile, but Liana knew of the Koizumi clan well, so being told that she was 'read up on' by a member had her ears perked more than usual. Now, Kokoko had the captain's undivided attention.

She kept herself reserved, but on guard. The two seats facing Liana's desk remained empty, and though she received Kokoko with a warmth in her smile, she made no invitations to sit.

"A wonderful question, and perhaps a long one. Might I ask what sort of kido you are thinking of conjuring? The process and what to consider changes considerably depending on the intentions and functions."

Liana made sure to listen intently to how and what Kokoko precisely said, if there was anything between the lines to infer. What could be the underlying question is not a kido that allows for Kokoko to fend for herself, but an attempt to create an offensive spell guised as a defensive spell. It wasn't a conclusive assumption, though.

"I understand the concerns. Applying medicine and healing kido can leave a practitioner vulnerable. Thankfully, that is what we have teamwork for, and the purposes of training the division to learn large formations."

A flash of brilliance came to mind, though Liana was cautious to recommend it.

"Perhaps, I could offer another solution--one that will be easier for you, and a long-term learning experience? Though, it does, over time, require consistent visits with me to check on the progress, and it will be rigorous. It will guarantee you being capable of self-defense, even with your hands busy while healing, and if you gain mastery, a plethora of other utilities."

"Wonderful. Are you familiar with shikigami?"

A small mouse scurried atop Liana's table. It perked its ears up towards Kokoko's direction and stared directly into her eyes, soullessly. There was no presence emanating from it, like it was a pebble by the side of the road.

"When it comes to kido, it might be considered my trademark. And, as it is a kido, it means others can learn it too."

The mouse's body dispersed into floating, visible spiritual particles. As if a gust of wind came by, the particles moved fluidly around Kokoko like the seeds of a dandelion, eventually settling on her shoulder, this time as a miniscule ladybug.

"That said, I don't teach it to merely anyone. It's a large commitment that will take a great deal of effort. If you are able to and willing, it can become a great asset to your skillset, and inevitable teach you a great deal about how kido fundamentally works. Something like a mouse or ladybug might be mundane and unthreatening, but a shikigami can become the exact thing you're looking for. Something to defend you, fight for you, support you as you do your duties as a member of second division."

"Right now."

The ladybug glowed for a second, once more dispersing into a collage of lights. The spiritual particles danced in the air, settling in front of Kokoko's face as a rotating ball.

"To the best of your ability, try to pour your reiryoku into the ball. Just a smidge, it's nothing too demanding. Doing at least this much would surely be a prerequisite to begin learning the skillset, but as a member of the Kido Division I trust you can do this much."

If Kokoko was successful, she'd see a change in the lights to being monochromatic, in various shades of the primary colour of her own spiritual energy.

"Once you've done that, my spiritual energy will carry your own into an appropriate form. As you do this, try to imagine a simple shape, one with movement that you can control. For me, animals and humanoid bodies are the easiest things to form that are mobile."