I'm Only a Little Homesick [Beetle, Rose]

There was always something going on at the Eighth Division barracks these days. Things had been quiet for a little while, just after Rose had opened his doors, but once the recruitment had begun everything had kicked into gear. So, at the sound of knocking at the door, he was hardly surprised. Had he the luxury of a greater number of seated officers, he might not have had to answer it himself, but he did not mind handling the occasional inquiry himself anyway.

Wavy blonde hair was still in motion as Rose opened the door and looked down at Beetle, an innocent smile resting on his lips before they parted. If anything, at least his Captain's haori identified his status, complete with his usual frills and baubles.

"Good Afternoon, Miss. Are you here about a transfer, or is there something else that the Eighth Division can help you with today?"

Propping the door open with his frame, Rose's welcoming smile grew broader as he watched Beetle bounce in place as he greeted her. He couldn't help but be amused by the idea of another returning Shinigami finding their way to his Division, he was hoping to amass quite a collection now.

"Captain Otoribashi, at your service, and recently returned from a rather long absence myself. That was what prompted the Head Captain to create this Division, actually, which is probably why you haven't seen this place before. As I had this place built up all special."

She looked like an earnest girl, at least, but that was only the tip of anyone's iceberg. There would be time yet to make a proper judgement call, though, he certainly did not have to rush to fill his squad up. Pushing the door open further, he made a little gesture for her to enter.

"The Eighth Division is the first one not to have a specific function. We instead support every other specialised Division, spreading our influence across all elements of the Gotei. So if you want to be somewhere that needs you, the Eighth will find where that is."

The name Yuudeshi rang a bell or two in turn, though his mirthful expression might have belied any such knowledge. They were important people back in Karakura, although their influence within the Gotei was nonexistent in the current age.

"They already had some structural plans to hand, apparently for an intended Seventh Division barracks that never came to fruition, so I just made a few improvements."

Rose did not mind a little bit of showmanship, a more creative retelling of the facts than was quite accurate, though it was still grounded quite heavily in the truth. But it was an entirely well-put-together building, the craftsmen had been some of the finest in Soul Society after all. One with a finer appreciation for architecture might find some subtle nuances particularly appealing, but Rose enjoyed his new office even if he lacked such knowledge. He didn't sit though, allowing her to lounge as he continued to lean.

"Saying 'Any time' is perhaps an exaggeration. We still have some measure of cohesion and organisation, after all, but if there are particular tasks that you are better suited for or more interested in then it is possible to have priority on such assignments. That is the strength of my Eighth Divison."

"Well, that's the spirit of the Eighth! My Division members don't need to limit themselves to a single aspect, they can shine in whatever environment they find themselves in. That is where I believe true strength resides, unpredictability."

Rose was certainly happy to know that there were always more recruits out there that did not feel attached to one particular discipline. There were the people he could cultivate into the next generation of the Gotei, building up core strength across the board so that they had a solid foundation upon which to define themselves. But there was something else that Beetle had said that caught his ear, a note that struck a different tune.

"Forgive me, but you said you were created? That is not a claim that many make. Forged perhaps, raised more often, but this means something else doesn't it? Would you forgive this old rose for inquiring after a little of that story in return?"

Beetle's response did draw a nod from Rose as she began to explain her origins. That would explain what oddities he could sense from her, or at least give some reason to them. Her nature was not that of an automaton though, she seemed very much alive and that made this an intriguing prospect to the Captain. He had dabbled with modified souls in the most limited sense, most of his exposure to such being due to the machinations of Kisuke Urahara many years ago, so he did imagine that it would only be a matter of time before the man became aware of this latest potential project. It was strange, he almost wanted to protect her from that fate.

"That does sound dramatic, I admit, but life can be so boring without a little exaggeration and stimulus. So, Beetle Yuudeshi, a fragment of God you are."

He could tell, though, as she spoke of her past and the other Beetles that had been lost along the way. Loss was something that Rose was all too familiar with, it was what had driven him away in the first place. Not the fear of losing people, but rather the dull pain of forgetting what it was like when they were there. He had too many of those stories, songs that no one would hear him play again, and yet he was back here again.

"Your creator's powers do sound as terrifying as they are awe-inspiring, though. There are some things that most people should not dabble with to such an extent, for the sake of the rest of us. A life like your own is not something I would want someone to be mass-producing, even if it is for benevolent purposes."