Wish You Well [Katori, Igendai]

Katori made her way through First’s grounds, her stride merry and casual as she carried a small bag of snacks to one destination - Her good friend Igendai’s quarters.

She had realized she went far too long without seeing him since he joined the Gotei and began work in First Division. He was funny, that one.. She was pretty curious if he was coming into his duties well enough, figuring someone like him would have picked to be in a scrapier position like the Combat division, but nope, surprising.

Rounding a corner and soon spotting that familiar head of pink hair, a broad smile on her face as she’d wave at him, “Peekaboo, guess who~?”

Katori's smile remained intact, unwavering as she'd properly stand in the doorway, "Expecting? Really? My my, I didn't expect such success with women from you."

She'd brush that joke aside, walking up to him and placing the bag of snacks at his feet, before looking him up and down with her hands placed on her shoulders, smile fading to give way to a somewhat stern expression, "Igendai, what trouble did you get yourself into, now? Honestly, you're supposed to be upholding things..."

A sigh and shake of the head, she'd chuckle, "I suppose you haven't changed too much. Let me take a look at those wounds."

Regardless of how okay he was with it, she would be inspecting him anyhow - thankfully the only fresh ones were small and manageable, half tempted to not bother healing him with how stubborn he was to getting himself hurt,

"Honestly though, not kidding - what happened to you this time?"

"Ugly language is unbecoming of one who's to represent the values of the Gotei, Igen," She'd speak to him almost like a doting mother gently scolding her overly rambunctious child, or well, that certainly was how she felt around Igendai at times - not that it bothered or irked her, someone had to be there for him after all, gently swatting his shoulder even while inspecting him, noticing how he was about to open the treat, "Also, use your hands or scissors, not your teeth. Packaging is designed to pull open for a reason."

As she listened to his explanation of how he got this set of wounds, her eyes carefully inspected them just to ensure his story added up; she knew he would occasionally spin tall tales to make things sound different or less severe than how they actually happened, but from the shape of some cuts, she was certain they were not in fact from falling on glass; too long, too consistently shaped, - definitely from a blade of some sort.

Fine, she'd do a bit of healing on the larger ones, but leave him to sting with the rest of his foolishness, applying Kaido spells to injury after injury,

"Ha-ha. I'm certain you stopped that knife-transporting miscreant in his tracks," She'd play along with his joke for a moment before switching back to her more serious tone, "You have to stop being so reckless, Igen. You're in a position of modest import, you need to set a good example for your peers. What are others to think of a seated officer getting into fistfights and clipping himself on hooks? Your more delicate appearance may give you a bit more of a pass, but you can't carry on with this behavior forever."

"I suppose you'd blindly follow your leadership off a cliff if they said 'go', then?" Her tone was matter of fact as she assisted in getting those used bandages into one easy to dispose of clump, "The death of critical thought is the death of you."

Unknown to Igen, such an idea was one she held through darker times; to blindly accept one's circumstances and roll over like a whipped pup was a fate worse than death, though her smile widened, "Haha, I wasn't entirely serious. But really, don't be doing things just because someone else is, especially if it's unbecoming."

Finishing her little healing session, she'd take her hands off the man, placing them folded on her lap, "Even the unseated soldiers have a duty to do their job well and do such a job with conviction and grace, without distraction. Just because you're in the lower rings of influence doesn't mean none have their eyes on you."

With Igen's directing of the conversation onto her, she would only laugh in response to his question, "There is nothing 'nerdy' about good behavior and maintaining appearance. But, yes, I have been getting along swimmingly in my division. I have achieved Shikai in my time apart, and i've reached 13th Seat. The responsibilities are taxing, but rewarding; I enjoy seeing everyone doing well. At the very least I can come home every night and have a brief game with my father before studies and bed."

"Good gracious, you are especially lucky that i'm splendid at keeping secrets, else you likely would have two women out for your head," She'd give a soft chuckle to her friend's careless words, "Would hate for you to get kicked in before you've properly gotten yourself started."

Igen being his typical stubborn, loud self was refreshing in a way; it wasn't like he was wholly different and she had to start over, she could comfortably just continue interaction like no time ever gapped them.

"Hahah, course not." She'd wave a hand, "We just had a little talk over tea and got to know each other a little better."

A complete embellishment of the events, but she definitely couldn't be entirely straight with Igen of how that interaction happened; During a jinzen session after a few months of service, they just.. Appeared before her, thorny vines and orchid heads greeting her with a dark request in exchange for cooperation, one she decided to not dwell on so much, "They're a lovely bunch of flowers, very insistent and passionate. I wouldn't want them to be any other way."

She couldn't admit the darker truth of her soul, in fact she hardly acknowledged it - Katori Nobuko had no darkness.