It's A Bleach Roleplay (Cyrus/Elyss)

The office of the Grandmaster was, as always, an imposing room to enter, but Cyrus ast-Auramazda's countenance certainly did not seem to reflect that. He knew, after all, that this was the most delicate possible circumstance, that he and the Vandenreich could not possibly afford to make any missteps. That was why he spoke to Captain Kishimoto in his most courteous aspect, and his voice was polite, welcoming, even as its deep baritone echoed through the room.

"Thank you kindly for coming, Captain Kishimoto. Please, take a seat. I imagine there will be much to discuss on this matter."

He had, thankfully, considered how best to lead this conversation, which was good. The last thing that Cyrus wanted was to seem ill-prepared.

"I am under no illusions that the appearance of Ichigo Kurosaki will be a matter the Gotei simply lets the Vandenreich handle on its own. For that matter, I can hardly deny that he is a force beyond our capabilities. However, I would still ask that we collaborate on this, rather than simply handing the matter to your authority entirely."

Mm. It seemed hospitality was not the way he ought to approach this, and the smile of the Affectionate Flame fell, his whole countenance quickly becoming far more stern as he changed aspects into one more appropriate for a woman of this demeanor, that of the Swift Flame. Cyrus could certainly tolerate ill speech toward himself, but regarding the Vandenreich as a whole? That he would not tolerate.

"The attack on our city was certainly a tragedy, and one for which we were ill prepared. But can you so honestly say that the Gotei would have been more ready? Your organization has already been responsible for him once before, and yet he still has gone completely unnoticed since his disappearance nearly a century ago. The reality of the situation, Captain Kishimoto, is that neither of our organizations are fully equipped to simply address this matter."

His tone was cutting now, serious, but not necessarily angry. For all of his defensiveness toward the Vandenreich, the Captain was still entirely correct. He would not deny that.

"The Vandenreich's presence on Earth is far more integrated than the Gotei's. Our networks of information are more established, and our people are more present. I am not asking that you leave the matter to us. Far from it, in fact. He is your concern before ours. But we of the Vandenreich have our own ways of assisting in this matter that I am confident the Gotei cannot replicate."

Of course, Cyrus wasn't simply going to lay his cards out on the table. He wasn't going to speak on the matter of the Arrancar currently in his city, both of whom he knew to be attached to Ichigo in a rather direct manner. Not simply for the sake of protecting assets, of course, but for their own privacy. It was not his place to speak for them.

"Naturally, I would not dare to risk the safety or identity of my people unless it was absolutely necessary. I will share all vital information with regard to Ichigo Kurosaki whenever I receive it, and as the Vandenreich regularly patrols the world of the living and makes record of all noted travel between the realms, we will certainly find Kurosaki when next he returns."

Cyrus could tell that his shift in approach had at least been somewhat effective, and while that certainly was good, he knew he was still on the back foot. Captain Kishimoto didn't exactly seem pleased, not that he would have expected that of any of the Gotei.

"Forgive my blunt statement, Captain, but the Gotei are ultimately a foreign presence on Earth, and there are certainly many people who are less inclined to trust them after having seen so much of the world ravaged by outside powers. The Vandenreich is from Earth, and operates only for the people of Earth. There is trust in us that will allow us to handle matters more delicately, in a way that will not immediately raise suspicion."