Wrong Doors and Right People [Hijiri/Solomon]

Solomon's day had progressed along about as well as he would have imagined. Outside of his typical duties as Sternritter personnel, there was nothing of particular note on his plate today. On one hand, these sort of days made him restless. He was a man whose goal was to consistently prove himself in the eyes of the Vandenreich, after all. To him, it was a matter of pride and loyalty. Pride in honoring his fellow Vandenreich members by displaying significant progress, and loyalty for the people who welcomed him into their forces.

He really enjoyed his time among the Sternritter. His peers were absolutely exceptional. Of course, he greatly admired every other division and the purpose they served as well. Roaming the hallways, Solomon would project a holographic image from his mobile device, azure eyes observing and sifting through any potential duties on the docket. Momentarily, his gaze wandered forward to lock onto the raven-haired male who looked slightly defeated, slumping against a wall with a sigh. Subsequently, Solomon closed the mobile device, canceled the display, and approached the man with a curious expression. He didn't recall seeing this man around before. Was he a new recruit? Did he enlist personally? More importantly, was he lost? Such would be the series of questions he would ask the man, to gauge his presence, and naturally, learn more about him. It was nice to see a new face.

"Excuse me, but is everything alright? You look a little defeated right now. My name is Solomon. Solomon Richter. It's always nice to meet new members. I'm not gonna assume anything here, but are you struggling to find where you want to go? If so, don't worry. I got lost on my first day of the job too," he humored, gesturing a handshake.

"No need for the formalities, Hijiri. Solomon is just fine. Although, my more playful peers prefer to call me Solo. I have a former member to blame for that," he snorted softly, shaking the man's hand as he parsed his words for pertinent information. From the looks of it so far, he seemed relatively normal. The manners he displayed so far were delicately polite, his demeanor equally so. Solomon wondered if those polite mannerisms were merely the result of his first day, or if they were undoubtedly genuine. Of course, it was far from his place to think on such matters, especially if he intended to join a division other than the Sternritter. Better to simply help him along and go from there. Hijiri Aramaki? Japanese descent? Well then, interesting...

Solomon took a long look at the wrinkled piece of paper, stroking his chin quietly before clicking his tongue a bit. "Hm... not off the top of my head, no. Fortunately, I do know most of the headquarters from top to bottom, and I should be able to lead you back to the main lobby, and serve as a guide from there. This place is pretty big, so it's easy to lose direction real fast. Come, follow me, so we can find your lodging until things are made official."

Gesturing for Hijiri to follow him, Solomon would walk forward through the hallways, striding the first corridor to lead them out of the dead end Hijiri had found himself in. As they traversed the halls, Solomon turned back to him with measured interest in his eyes, drumming up a conversation as they walked.

"So, you mentioned that you don't even know if this is your official first day on the job, and your waiting till' your posting is ready. If you don't mind my asking, what division are you interested in joining, Hijiri?"

Though Hijiri struggled to articulate the names properly, Solomon's quietly turned his head in curiosity as he revealed that his fate was a tossup between the Todgestalten and the Sternritter. When Solomon made his intentions known to join the Vandenreich, he was automatically thrown into the Sternritter division. His abilities were ill-equipped for every other division, especially the Todgestalten.

He did not operate in subterfuge nor did his collective set of skills make him anything a peer would dare call deceptive. In a word, the division of stars was overwhelmingly ideal for a man of his stature and skill. Oh, there was also the fact that he wasn't exactly the spitting image of an archer or a gunman, but that was neither here nor there. He really had to work on his ranged attacks one day...

"I am apart of the Sternritter Division. Our roles are, in no uncertain terms, to fight on the frontlines. In other words, direct battlefield engagement. Funnily enough, my interviewer told me that I was basically a shoe-in. I'm not exactly the spitting image of discreet, so I guess that made their decision pretty easy," he humored, walking through another corridor.

"While I'm simply personnel at this stage, it would certainly be nice to have another Sternritter fighting alongside me. Of course, I have no say in that. Maybe they think you'll be better suited in the Tod. In fact, in your honest opinion, where do you think you'd be best suited? The man behind the shadows, working in subterfuge and misdirection or a frontline soldier with blade or bow in hand?"

It was certainly a valid question, and Solomon perhaps thought it would help him come closer to settling into whatever division he was chosen for. He seemed rather companionable and unassuming, but appearances could certainly be deceptive. Maybe there was more to him that met the eye...

As the two continue to traverse the hallways, Solomon quietly listened to Hijiri voice his opinion on what division he felt suited his talents most. From the way he expressed himself, he had concluded that the Todgestalten befitted his skills the most. That was to be expected. Nothing about this man screamed sternritter, but again, appearances mattered little. His performance on the battlefield would be the determining factor, truth be told. Though, Solomon turned his head slightly at Hijiri's next words. Not an ideal member of the Vandenreich? His interest was piqued. Did he belong to another race? A demon, perhaps? An arrancar? Solomon had only met Kokuto in passing, and the arrancar that aligned herself with their forces was someone he hadn't seen in person. He simply knew she chose to align herself with them.

He certainly didn't think any of his answers would shock him to any particular degree. Of course, when he finished, Solomon's assumption shattered like so many pieces of glass. A Shinigami... For a moment, an awkward atmosphere set in as Solomon cleared his throat. A Shinigami? In the Vandenreich? It was odd. Then again, an arrancar should've been just as worse considering how antithetical an existence they were to the Quincy. Turning towards him with a stupefied expression, Solomon found himself utterly curious as to why he wished to join their forces as opposed to the Gotei.

"Well now... I certainly didn't expect that answer. It's a good thing the two of us are alone here. I'm sure those who despise soul reapers would've reacted poorly. As for me, I guess it's just adding another non-quincy to the list who wish to fight on our side. First, it was a demon. Second, an arrancar. And now... a Shinigami," Solomon noted, chuckling as though he couldn't believe it. Even so, Solomon remained level-headed about the revelation. What was he going to do about it? The Grandmaster had consistently displayed an open-minded philosophy towards allowing non-quincy to join their ranks, especially if it served to bolster their overall effectiveness as an organization. So as long as Hijiri genuinely wished to assist them, Solomon held no ire towards his eventual inclusion. As they walked, he posed another question.

"If you don't mind my asking, what makes us so appealing compared to the Gotei?"

Solomon listened to Hijiri's explanation with a poised measure of interest. According to him, there was a clear divide between their point of views. Nothing more, nothing less. In some ways, he supposed he agreed, if only meagerly. As long as the Gotei weren't pointing their blades towards the Vandenreich, Solomon's opinion on them would remain decidedly neutral. They had made efforts to strengthen their bonds, and he viewed that as progress... but how long would it last?

He wondered. By definition, he would like to think that he was an optimistic man, but he had always felt that the Vandenreich walked on a tightrope when it came to the Gotei. There forces were clearly not strong enough to match them, and if they did anything to disturb their sense of ethics? Well, then, what would stop them from repeating what happened in the past? No, he was ruminating on this too much. The past was the past. He genuinely hoped he and his peers could learn from it and not fall victim to the hubris that nearly ended their bloodline long ago.

In any case, those were thoughts to mull on some other time. Solomon was at least satisfied to hear that how prepared he was to face judgment and be put through the ringer. He didn't think anyone in his division would do so - save, perhaps, Freyja. Fortunately for him, they hadn't crossed paths yet. Liltotto... how would she take it? Natasha? Kokuto? Hm, certainly thoughts to ponder.

Turning towards him, Solomon would offer a reassuring, yet challenging smile.

"Nah. I'm not that type of man. I've met soul reapers recently, each of whom I've developed a significant respect for. As long as you are serious about this, I'll be the last person giving you any issues. Now... if we spar, I can't make any promises," he humored, finishing that sentence with a light jest.

"Mm... well, as far as my reasons for joining the Vandenreich. Apart from it being something I felt ought to be my natural duty... I genuinely wanted to get away from my family's household---particularly, my father. I couldn't spend a day longer in his presence, though I never told him that to his face."