Was It Actually a Mistake? [Kaminari/Igen]

Kaminari's eyes widened when Ko actually struck Igen. Zanpakuto had different ways of dealing with their hosts, at least these two had an interesting relationship. Kaminari's was the opposite of her: calm, shy, and introverted. Ko's impatience did push them toward a suggestion. However, Kaminari had popped off a few suggestions, but hadn't memorized the order. For this little outing, the 'second to last' one was going to be the steakhouse. She smiled and nodded.

He wanted to go train... Kaminari wondered if she could join. She could use the stress relief. She might mention it later. For now, food! "Alright then. Let's get going. There's one not too far from here." Kaminari said and led the two down a few streets. They came to one of the many market districts in the Seireitei and arrived at a newly built restaurant called "The Aoyama Steakhouse." Luckily, they arrived at a time it wasn't too busy. "Did you want to order to-go or request outside seating? If you're wanting something small to go train, ordering to-go might be better."

"That's kind. Thank you!" Kaminari said. Once Kaminari got her answer, she chose to sit at an outdoor table. She ordered first and patiently waited for the other two. As she did, she felt a lot of her stress slowly fading away, which let her demeanor calm enough to seem almost normal. Once they were done ordering, they were led to a table, where Igen asked Kaminari about why she had been so stressed.

"Well, I kind of applied for the Vice-Captain position for my Division." Kaminari said and sighed. "I know I'm not going to get it. I don't know Captain Kuchiki well, she probably won't like me, and I doubt I have what it takes. I have the combat skill, don't get me wrong. I am at the technical level, but I've never been in a leadership position before. At least... I don't think. It's not like I can really be sure about that."

Kaminari wasn't quick to respond to the advice Igen was giving. He was being helpful and supportive, but there was something scratching at the back of her mind about being a Vice-Captain that she just couldn't understand. She wanted the position, badly, but also wanted something... more. Kaminari took a deep breath and shook her head, as if shaking the weird thoughts out and away.

Kaminari pushed up another smile and nodded toward Igen. "You're right. It was an impulsive move, though." Kaminari said, stretching. "You're right. I probably should be third or fourth seat first, but oh well. The application is in. Now, I just wait."

It wasn't long before the food showed up. "Woo! Looks good," Kaminari said and quickly began eating. After she finished her first bite, she looked to Ko to see how the tiger was enjoying her food. She looked to Igen for the same thing. As she finished her first couple of bites, she looked to Igen. "You think I could join you for your training session? It's fine if you'd prefer not to. No worries."

It must have been luck that brought Igen to that area she was screaming in. He was very supportive and kind, and Kaminari appreciated that quite a bit. It wasn't often that she felt so at ease these days. Her first few bites of food were delicious and helped her relax even more. Once she felt relaxed enough, she asked the question about joining them for training. She sucked her lips into a line, hoping the question wasn't too soon. Not everyone liked training with someone they just met. However, Igen smiled and welcomed the idea, and conjured a smile to Kaminari's face.

"That's great! I'm glad I ordered light," Kaminari said, patting her belly. If they were going training right after this, having a full stomach would have likely ended badly.

Right as Kaminari was taking another bite, Igen asked a question she froze over. She set her food back down and stared at the table for a few seconds, her expression mostly blank, like it was fighting to keep some hint of joy there.

"Um..." Kaminari tried to think something up. Her mind ran through what memories she could flip through, but nothing created a concrete picture for her. So much of it was jumbled, cracked, or shattered. She couldn't answer.

"Well, I... Um, I was around when we were the Gotei Thirteen, so it's been a while," Kaminari said. She was sincere, but a little vague on the information. "I think around a hundred years. I lost count." She seemed to forget or ignore his last question.

There was instant relief in her posture when the subject changed. Kaminari was someone who wore her worry on her shoulders, so she never hid that well. She could tell he changed subjects intentionally too, proving himself observant and kind. Being able to think on her training though, much better! She leaned back in the chair, tapping her chin with her index finger before smiling again.

"Well, I specialize in kido and hand-to-hand combat; I definitely focus there a lot," Kaminari said and then thought of something she might want to work on too. "I've got my shikai, but wouldn't mind advancing its abilities a bit. It's pretty immature right now, so I've been shifting over to zanjutsu some. Yeah, those three areas are it right now... What about you? What do you focus on when training?"

As Igen answered, Kaminari stopped leaning back in her chair and took a couple more bites. It was the third bite that made her realize that continuing to eat would stuff her up a bit more than she liked when she expected to go into a training session. Even if Igen didn't plan on pushing her, she likely would herself.