Creeping Darkness [Murasaki, Urahara]

This definitely wasn't the first time that Murasaki had hosted someone for a meeting in her office, but she felt fairly confident saying that having Kisuke Urahara was not even slightly the same as hosting the delegation they'd had from the Vandenreich. She definitely didn't think that this was something she needed to get too fancy about or anything, of course. She'd met him more than a few times over the course of her tenure as Earth Affiliation Captain, but this was far more political, wasn't it?

Well, not that much more. It was just business, she supposed, same as always. Pouring herself a cup of sake, she left a second, empty masu on the desk for whenever he arrived. She didn't necessarily think that he'd actually accept it or anything, but even having the offer on the table (literally) made it clear that she wanted to maintain the casual, friendly air that she always did.

Now she just had to wait for him to arrive. Honestly, Murasaki was fairly positive that Urahara could have made it to this meeting even if she didn't tell her guards to expect anyone, but she'd still made sure that they knew. The last thing she was trying to do was cause some sort of scene.

Kisuke was more than familiar with the new Captain-Commander of the Gotei. Kagayaku no Murasaki had been one of the few Shinigami to make the effort to liaise with him on matters concerning Earth, and for that alone, he had enjoyed her tenure as Captain of the Earth Division. Her replacement, well, he was a little more wary of that one. Regardless, Kisuke had been glad to see Murasaki stepping up when the time came. The lukewarm politics of her predecessor had never quite sat well with him, though he was far from brazen enough to make such an opinion known to anyone outside of his own thoughts.

Slipping through the winding streets of the Rukongai and the Seireitei was a pleasant reminder of the life that he had left behind, keeping to the shadows where he could just to avoid any undue attention. Though more eyes did eventually begin to fall upon him as he drew close to his destination until there was little point in even attempting to hide anymore. Not that he had been trying particularly hard to remain incognito, but the illusion that he had been might give them some small comfort.

There was a brief moment of tension as it seemed like the guards might not let him pass before a gentle bout of laughter tumbled from the shopkeeper's lips and he strolled on by without any further disturbance. Upon entering the Captain-Commander's quarters, he offered her a polite tip of his bucket hat as he too tried to maintain that air of informality even despite the situation. There was serious business to discuss, which was why he had come all this way and made all this unusual effort, but this was perhaps only the opening salvo in a prolonged engagement.

"Been a little while, Captain Murasaki, and I dare say you've been busy."

With a casual nod in the direction of the masu, he moved to pour himself a modest cup. It would be rude not to at least sample what she was offering, and perhaps it might just take the edge off that cold disposition that seemed to linger in the air.

Ah, yep, that was definitely Mr. Urahara. Well, Murasaki was glad to see that he wasn't coming here and acting grim or anything like that. This was a serious matter, naturally, and she wasn't going to pretend otherwise when it came down to it. But there was a difference between taking things seriously, and simply acting dour about it.

"I've been real busy, for sure. Having to deal with changing a lot of policies, getting things in line with the new Captains and all that. It's been nice to get things changed, of course, but that doesn't mean I've had a ton of free time. I miss stopping in now and again."

Of course, she knew it was much more important discussion to cover her new policies than anything else, but she did genuinely miss being able to come visit now and again. She took another long sip of her sake, thinking for just a few seconds, before she continued to speak.

"Well, I guess there's no point jumpin' around the issue too long. Abalia might've been the sort to stay political and on shifty, but that's not my way of doin' things. I wanna make sure we're on the same page about Hell. I think it's only right we get that back under Gotei authority."

Slowly filling his cup, careful not to spill any of the liquid even whilst listening to what Murasaki was opening the conversation with. Straight to the point, but in an honest enough way that he could appreciate her earnest nature. The Gotei were in more than one tight spot, she knew it as well as he did, and not having to dance around that little complexity made matters a little easier for both of them.

"Quite the changing on the guard that you have had to oversee since taking up the Commander's Haori, and the work is not yet done if your Vice-Captain was talking truly when she came to visit. Though I would not have minded hearing the news from you directly, I appreciate that time is a little sparse these days."

Kisuke was hardly going to outright regurgitate Erika's thinly-veiled offer as he did not wish to be so presumptive as to think that he was about to be called to action, but it would be equally remiss of him not to bring it up at the first port of call. He too sipped away at the freshly poured sake, musing now upon the real meat of the issue. Hell was a grand old point of contention, even before all of the recent changes, but now there was an opportunity being presented that allowed Murasaki to cement her place as the top dog. Doing what her forebearers had been denied for so long and seizing control once more of the home of the damned.

"Getting Hell under control is an easy thing to say, but I can assure you that it is anything but in reality. The landscape is shifting, recently even more so, but for years it has been a ticking bomb waiting to explode. Now you want to send your people in and try to pick through the wreckage. It's a gamble, but I want to do what I can to minimise exposure."

"It's really tight, a lot more than I'd like to say it is. Barely even have time to say hi to my boyfriend now and again, let alone come down for a visit like I used to. Hopefully I can get things straightened out soon, but you know just as well as I do that the Gotei's not exactly known for listenin' when it's time to get down to business."

That was, ultimately, one of the greatest reasons that Murasaki had always trusted Urahara, even in spite of his undoubtedly shady nature. She knew, certainly, that his morals didn't align with hers, and she knew that he had designs she'd probably hate with all her heart and soul if she were ever able to discern what they actually were. But, in spite of that, he was also one of the only people that likely understood her exact view of the Gotei. He was someone who had been wronged by them, and who had still worked in their favor even without going back; she supposed the only difference was that she'd eventually still stepped back through that gate.

"I don't want to put anyone into more danger than I have to. I want this to be an operation with the absolute best of the best, and I want the Gotei to have the best they can. You know I'm willing to cooperate with you, probably more than most people are. But I'd be lying if I said I wanted you on just as a consultant."

Another sip of sake went past her lips, and if she were a more weak-willed woman, it might have been for the sake of bracing herself. But in this particular instance, she spoke with confidence. Maybe it was the weight of the commander's haori reinforcing her-- no, it wasn't anything like that. Murasaki had just become the sort of woman who was willing to say what needed to be said, do what needed to be done. She didn't want to avoid the issue. She wanted Urahara in her Gotei, and even if she knew that wasn't something he'd particularly like, it'd be spineless of her not to make it clear.

"Of course, I do miss the occasional visit but do give my regards to Alistair. Next time he is visiting Earth to go digging deep I wouldn't mind a little heads up."

Kisuke smiled at that, an unsubtle hint towards where this conversation was going. Placing down the cup, he steepled his fingers in front of him and let that settle for just a moment. She had been guarded about it too, but there was never going to be a situation in which he left without once more throwing down the gauntlet.

"I am more than happy to combine our efforts as something more than an innocent little consultancy, for this operation or perhaps even longer, but that comes with a price. I want access to a select item currently in the possession of the Research Division, and a choice cut of the spoils found in the wreckage of that hellscape. There are some things that no one should dabble with down there, better they disappear than fall into ill hands."

His smile remained, though Murasaki might notice that some of the prior playfulness had faded. He was driven by a desire to protect innocent lives, and this was certainly one path that would steer them in that direction. One spinning plate that he could control and counterbalance, even as near a dozen more continued to spin.

"I can't afford to let that sorta thing away from the Gotei for any period of time. And you know I'm not the kinda girl that's willing to take a step back on what I think's the right thing to do, even if it's for someone I'd call a special case."

Murasaki certainly did notice that Urahara had grown more serious, even if most likely wouldn't have. Perhaps it was her own trained eye, or perhaps it was simply the fact that she'd dealt with him enough already that she was somewhat used to the distinction. Either way, she wasn't in much a playful mood herself, so it didn't bother her much at all.

"There's only one way I'd ever give you that kinda access, Mr. Urahara. But I'd also be willing to give it to you right now, if you wanted it. It's not about whether or not I can trust you. I trust you enough that I'd let you do what you think is necessary if you took that offer. I'm not a woman who likes to keep secrets, and I'm not someone who's gonna turn a blind eye when it comes to things like this. I know you've got things going on that I'll never know about. That's fine. This, though, is something I have in my hands, under my eyes, and I wanna keep it that way. It'd be irresponsible of me not to as the Captain Commander."

Finishing her cup of sake, Murasaki's gaze hardened to match her voice. She had certainly grown over the past years, even if she herself didn't often think of things that way.

"When I asked Erika to join the Gotei, she didn't really wanna. She only joined because I told her that I wasn't content to just be as good as the Gotei used to be. I want to be the best. And to do that, I have to work with the best."

"You know, with an attitude like that you might just get something done around here. "

And there was all the confirmation that he needed, not that it had really been in doubt. They were down a research Captain, and there were few better candidates to replace her that had more experience than the original model. But arrogance was not a colour that suited him well, nor was this an easy request to answer when the cards were already on the table.

"I mean, naturally, I'm flattered, but my situation is a little different from that of Miss Masamune. I have responsibilities on Earth that another Captain would not have, things that could not be left to another to tend to nor would I want to let go. But I'm here because I wanted to help, so perhaps we can come to an arrangement?"

It could have easily been a joke, a little jest between two old souls, but neither of them was laughing at that moment. They were being sincere, even if they both wore easy smiles and sipped at sake, and that brought an uneasy tension to the air.

"As far as my interests go, I have no desire to keep my findings to myself. Whatever I learn will be shared with you, and then you can decide what to do with that knowledge. If you trust me enough to want me in the Gotei then I ask you to trust that my intentions are anything but malicious."

Murasaki's fingers idly tapped against her desk as she thought about what Urahara was saying. She knew he was right, better than pretty much anyone. After all, no captains had worked alongside him nearly as much as she had in a pretty long time now. But that didn't change that she didn't like the situation, and she understood she couldn't get him to just leave it behind. If she were still a more optimistic girl, in the days before she'd nearly lost herself, she might have just said he could surely be captain and keep up with all that work on Earth. But she wasn't that naive.

"Even if you aren't willing to join as a Captain, I'd still like it if you took a position. I'll come up with one myself if I have to, because I do trust you. But if I let something like this out to someone who isn't a member of the Gotei, it won't look good for me, especially not when I'm still fresh in this position. Nothing'll change, I won't make you come up here any more than you would anyway. But I need there to be something, on paper, that says this is official."

It was her final offer, and honestly, it was still a bit more lax than she would have liked it to be. True, she had ultimately only become a captain herself because they'd given her something similar to this, some sort of barely-real position. But she'd turned hers into something far more impressive. Whether or not Urahara would do the same was ultimately not really what mattered. There was precedent for this, and that's the best she could ask for.

"Don't mistake my concerns for disinterest, I can certainly appreciate the optics of this decision just as much as you. So I'll take a post, wherever you think I will be most useful to you, and do what I can to help. But I think we both know that doing everything by the book is neither of our styles."

It was awkward for her to be put in this position, to have to choose between her principles and his abilities, so he was trying to be respectful. In reality, though, there was only one outcome to this course of action. They both knew it. She was still new to her position as Commander, so she needed people she could depend upon at her side. So Miss Gamukira's sudden leave of absence was far more of a blessing than it would have been to Abalia for just that reason.

"I never expected myself to seriously consider coming back, even after all this time, but you made me think about it. You've got a real chance here. So I owe it to myself to do the most I can to help facilitate that."

He certainly had not needed to add all that extra smoke, though it did ring true somewhere deep down. But if it helped ease her mind about this then he'd try to make it as comfortable as he could for her, and if a few words smoothed things over then there was nothing he had really lost.