So What'cha Want [Rukia, Kaminari]

Hm. It seemed like someone was trying to apply for the vacant vice captaincy again. Rukia couldn't exactly help but be a bit cynical at the thought of going through this interview, but that was at least in part because of who she'd had to consider before this. It wasn't like her seated officers were incompetent, or bad people, but...well, a vice captain was supposed to be the captain's right hand, someone she could trust to handle things exactly as she wanted them done.

And she sure didn't quite trust anyone to do that yet.

Well, she wasn't nearly so bitter that she was going to turn down anyone that'd be coming by. She might have felt like a tired old lady these days, but she wasn't as jaded as Sui Feng was. She ought to go check on her when she had time, now that she thought about it... Ah, one thing at a time. Pouring herself some tea, from a bunny-patterned pot into a matching cup, Rukia waited for this shinigami to come for her interview.

When Kaminari submitted her application for Vice-Captain, she was not truly expecting a call. Though she wanted the position, her previous absences may cause doubt in her capability. She was confident still, and wore a smile that had become familiar among the lower positioned shinigami of her Division. She wore her less used shihakusho today and followed a strict list of things she needed done to keep punctual for her interview. All she had to do now was knock.

Kaminari stood like a marble statue outside Captain Kuchiki's office, her knuckles a small distance from letting her presence known. She was only a couple minutes early, right on time to some and too early for others. Captain Kuchiki never seemed a stickler for perfection, but it caused Kaminari to hesitate all the same. Finally, with a few eyes watching her curiously, she tapped the door three times.

"It's Kaminari Hatakeyama, Captain Kuchiki. I am here for my interview. Can I come in?" Kaminari said, her voice confident and loud enough to pierce the door.

Rukia appreciated the punctuality, at least, and sat down her teacup as she briefly rubbed her temple. She hadn't really planned to be a captain any time soon, and while she didn't feel overwhelmed by it by any stretch, she certainly would have preferred all this happen in less troubled times. Then again, the situation on Earth was exactly why she needed a vice captain she could trust.

"Come on in."

Her voice wasn't exactly enthusiastic, but it wasn't irritated, either. It was just the voice of someone who was obviously tired, and who hadn't had much time to relax. If anything, this felt just like 100 years ago. No time to rest, and far too much at stake to even worry about it.

"I'd offer you tea, but this was the last cup, and it's kind of cold by now anyway. I'll get right to it, what made you apply for vice captain?"

In hearing Captain Kuchiki's voice, Kaminari stepped in and closed the door behind her. That quick moment sped her heart up and created a pit in her stomach. The confidence she kept slipped away like stepping on a banana peel covered in grease. Still, she focused and kept her outward appearance as calm as she could.

"I do appreciate the thought," Kaminari said, though the words came unnaturally. The Captain's decision to get straight to the point was unexpected. She had thought of dozens of other questions she would have to answer before that specific one would come up. Kaminari cleared her throat, her gaze at a random spot on the floor.

"I'd have to say," Kaminari briefly hesitated, "I don't know. I could say the status, the power, the ability to help more people, but the fact is I applied on a whim. I saw the opening and went 'Hey, if I did that, I could kick a lot more hollow butt and fewer of my squad mates would be in danger', and so I put my application in. I guess, if that's what I thought at the time, my reason is to protect those guys, our Division, I mean."

There was a brief pause as Rukia thought about that response, really ran it through her head once or twice as she sipped her lukewarm tea. From a professional point of view, that had been a terrible answer. But it reminded her of herself when she was younger, in a way, and while it certainly would have irritated plenty of captains, she had to imagine that Captain Ukitake would have liked that answer too.

"I see. And you think you can lead in my place if something made that necessary?"

It was mostly a hypothetical question, but only because Rukia almost immediately followed it up with another, more elaborate this time.

"Let's say Soul Society is under attack by a dangerous Arrancar, and I've told you to make sure the division grounds stay absolutely secure while I ready a kido ritual that's going to take all of my attention. In the middle of my preparations, someone from the 6th Division comes to request your aid for emergency medical help on the frontlines, because losses are staggering. What are you going to do?"

Truth be told, Rukia didn't have a right or wrong answer in mind for this question. She just remembered how things had felt 100 years ago. She wanted an idea of how this woman might react in those sort of situations.

A new question, yet one of the last Kaminari rehearsed. All of her answers were flipsy flopsy now. She now knew why others told her rehearsing was dumb... Even so, she was able to relax and was ready to answer, but a scenario came flying her way. That excited her. She couldn't rehearse those, so they were more fun.

"My gut instinct is ask your permission, since I'd assume we'd still be in communication. However, if I were unable to quickly contact you," Kaminari explained and thought for a moment, "After setting up four, two-to-three man teams a the four cardinal points around the grounds and setting up timed patrols within the grounds that knew to report in, at intervals of ten minutes, I'd be like 'Captains orders. I can lend you a few men, but I am staying here.' Because, well, I need our division to know I have their backs. Who trusts a Vice that just books it?"

Kaminari took a deep breath. "Well, that's the kind of plan I come up with on my own. I don't think I've ever learned from anyone at Captain level before, so I want this for growth too. I have ideas on how things could be run, but I would never call them masterful. I think solid Bs. I'd watch and listen to you for future stuff."

"I don't think asking my permission is a good idea if I'm using all my focus."

Rukia's voice lacked most of the bite it could have carried, but a faint bit of that characteristic sass still came into her tone. The rest of Kaminari's explanation took a little more thought, and she wasn't quite sure how she felt about it. It was well thought out, sure. Maybe that was exactly where the disconnect was. Rukia couldn't say she'd ever planned things too far in advance in her life. Even taking up this captaincy had just been because of Ichigo, because she knew she couldn't keep sitting around as an unseated member anymore.

"People may not trust a vice captain that leaves, but just as many might want one that trusts them to handle things. Besides, I think people would understand if it's a matter of protecting the Seireitei."

Emptying her teacup, Rukia moved it to the side, though she was still looking into the eyes of the little bunny cup as she thought about this interview. She hadn't exactly planned for it, even though she probably should have. There was a lot going on right now, after all.

"Are you looking to be a captain one day?"

Kaminari felt like was was bombing the interview. She was not good at sitting under someone’s spotlight and being asked questions that were meant to dictate her future. Since all the preparation she made - failed question rehearsing - was all out of the window, her anxiety raised with every sentence the Captain spoke.

The next question was asked and Kaminari held her breath until lungs asked for more air. She needed a bit to think, but any silence felt heavy if it lasted more than a couple of seconds. She couldn't let Captain Kuchiki wait too long for an answer.

“Ah, okay, well, that’s a hard question. Part of me says yes, part of me says no,” Kaminari explained, pretending her hands were a scale and gesturing as if she was weighing the options, “Right now, the answer is probably no, but five years from now? Ten years from now? That may all change. While I do prefer to have some plans for my future, something as drastic as a captain position feels out of reach, at least currently. I mean, I only just started thinking about bankai.”

Well, Rukia wouldn't exactly call that "ambitious." It more just sounded wishy-washy and unsure, and as much as she entirely sympathized with that sort of worldview, it wasn't quite the best answer to give when it came to interviewing as a Vice Captain.

"What sort of plans for your future would you say you have right now?"

She wasn't quite so harsh that she was going to point all of that out to the woman directly, but Rukia wasn't quite as friendly as she'd been a hundred years ago. She was looking for someone to seriously work at her side, after all, and while she knew she needed someone like that, it would just be a waste of time if she picked someone she couldn't trust, and then needed to handle things later.

Kaminari looked away from the Captain. She needed another moment to think. She couldn’t really piece together a reason for having some big plan for the future in a world where everyone could live hundreds of years. She had places where she thought she could end up in the next ten to twenty years, such as having bankai or married, but she did not consider them plans. Planning for a big future felt wasteful when you hadn’t finished current plans. She didn’t plan on becoming Captain because she hadn’t become a Vice-Captain first. One step at a time... However...

“If I were to consider anything as a plan, or at least imagine where I’d see myself in a decade or two,” Kaminari said, placing her fingers on her chin as she imagined it, “I guess it would be hopefully succeeding here and then at your side, learning to be a person that people can trust. I would never claim to be the strongest, the smartest, or the best leader, but I am reliable and pretty consistent in my results, especially after being given some time to learn the tricks of the trade.”