Squad One Spirit! [Kei, Igen]

WHEW! Igen let out a soft sigh of enjoyment as he emerged from the little pub, fresh off a nice lunch, he felt PUMPED!
"Thanks a ton! Later!" He called over his shoulder to the barkeep, that cheerful smile earning him a wave back before he promptly started heading back to the Squad barracks, that rather large tiger following along at her own pace. Certainly a pair that drew a lot of attention between the both of them. Certainly Igen had always had a bit of a problem with...androgyny. However, with his new training regiment somewhat ...requiring a change in uniform, Igen had been forced to adopt a uniform that wouldn't get in the way of his training. And so, Igen had switched to the backless shoulderless shuhakusho. Which not only drew attention, but also further obscured how people perceived him. And of course, his Shikai walking beside him. A whole ass tiger prowling beside him as the two headed for a destination in particular.

With all this energy, it seemed a shame not to get on something he'd been kinda putting off for a while. Getting familiar with some of his superiors! Supposedly there were a few promotions int he work which hadn't QUITE been finalized yet. Igen himself was supposedly among the candidates! So it only stood to reason he get to know some of his new potential peers right? And one woman in PARTICULAR actually had a pretty good track record, despite Igen having never met them before. Something he figured he'd fix posthaste!

Making his way to the officers barracks, he paused for a moment as he glanced at the piece of paper. Uhhh, hm. Was she even on duty? He frowned, rubbing the back of his neck. Well, if she wasn't in her barracks, he could always check her office, right?

It was certainly auspicious that the first thing that Kei ran into was Ko. Deciding to wander a little from Igen in order to scout the area. Surely this woman couldn't be all THAT hard to find. Though as the tigress stalked about, not minding the occassional pat on the head or her back that came from the division members more familiar with her, ignoring the few that avoided her. It was another response that drew her attention.
Ko turned to look at the officer and promptly raised a brow when she noticed the sudden swell of energy. And immediately, the tiger paused it's stroll, peering for a moment at Kei before turning in her direction. "Why yes I am." Came a casual voice, and in that very moment, as if a trick of the eyes, the Tiger was gone. And a rather short girl with tiger ears atop her head was standing before Kei. A generally unamused look on her face as she stared the woman down.

"Little jumpy aren't you?" She murmured.

A brief instant later, Igen promptly appeared with a shunpo, having picked up on the shift in his Zanpaku'to's reiryoku frm getting irritated, he promptly turned to Kei and gave a sheepish smile. "Ah! Miss Saionji! Sorry if Ko gave you a little shock or anything. I keep forgetting not everyone in the division has met her yet. She's my Shikai." He hurriedly attempted to explain. Whew! What a situation! from a search to a sudden intervention, the androgynous fellow would promptly deliver a firm bow to the woman. "I'm very sorry if she startled you."

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Ko glared a little over Igen's shoulder, as if challenged by the officer. Though Igen was quick to smile and give a sheepish laugh. "Admittedly it was harder when she couldn't talk. But uh, sorry. And uh..... Nnno? I mean. Yea. Normally you're not really supposed to but well...I kinda don't have a choice? Ever since I learned Ko's name she;s always been out and about. Which definitely was..... a problem. It's not as bad now that she learned how to change her looks." He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck, Ko making zero effort to offer an explanation or the like. Simply folding her arms and leering a little at the Kei.

Though when Kei asked for his name, Igen perked up a little. "OH! Well, uh,yea I guess you probably don't know me. My name is Igendai Gyakusuma. I'm the Twentieth Seat! I was uh... actually promoted to a Seated officer. ....pffff....It must have been five months ago. So I guess I am a bit of a fresher face. But I make up for it with a passion for the work we do here in First Division." He noted, a very clear positive outlook on this fella. Certainly he was a glass half full kinda guy. "And like I said, this is my Zanpaku'to, Ko. She....CAN be sociable when she wants to be." He added to the introduction. Ko herself just giving a brief leer over her shoulder before turning her attention elsewhere. Clearly feeling a little slighted by the way Kei had been talking about her.

"Eheh, well anyway. I was actually looking forward to meeting you! Did you transfer to this squad recently or have we just not run into eachother?" He ventured curiously.

Igen raised his brows a little at that and brightened up, a soft chuckle escaping him as she spoke about what she'd heard about him. "Oh! Well that's good! I certainly try my best to make a good account of myself. It's been a little busier than usual. Especially with what's going down in Africa." He sighed just a little and rolled his shoulder a little. Somehow he felt a bit anxious, knowing that big hole was still out there, spitting out hollows. Hm.

"Dour? Huh, that's a bit surprising. I mean sure we have a few like that. But I don't think I ever really got a kinda....down vibe from most of our squad. Well... aside from just one or two odd ones out." He noted thoughtfully. Erika certainly did seem a bit down. But well, he'd been informed that that was just how she was. Oh! It looked like they were going! He perked up and followed briskly as she made her way to her office. A brief look around certainly raised a brow of his as he noticed it wasn't very decorated yet. She really WAS fresh in huh? Now he was feeling a little bad about seeking her out so soon before she had time to settle.

All the same, he found a seat and perked up at her question. "Oh uh.... Well I've been in First Division out of the Academy for .... maybe a year now? Though I did get my promotion to Twentieth Seat back in october, like I mentioned! So I'm doing better than I honestly expected." He noted with a bright smile. Certainly it had been an interesting year. "I admit, It was a little surprising getting a seated position. I wasn't exactly the best when it came to how I performed in the Academy. But once I was actually out and working on missions and working alongside officers and other strong individuals, I feel like I've really hit my stride!" He pointed out. Ko in the meantime settled off to the side, once again in her Tiger form, lounging in the corner of the office and seeming intent on taking a nap.

Surprise was written across Igen's face. Woo? The idea of being flirted with so often that it was an issue was .... well... a bit foreign with Igen. "Oh I see... Hm." He murmured and folded his arms across his chest, considering the notion for a moment and drumming his fingers along his bicep. But well, he didn't dwell on it too long. A bit of a sheepish smile forming as the woman pointed out his own merits.

"I certainly hope so! I know my strengths at least. I know I'm maybe not the uh...most clever guy in the squad. But I've been working hard to make sure that I do my duties as best I can! A lot of people really just kinda focus on getting stronger. But honestly, I've always felt that competence is more important than just how much you can throw your weight around. It's why I've always done my best to go above and beyond just what I HAVE to do. If I ever want to be the Captain Commander, I can't just be strong, I need to be able to make sure that the Gotei won't suffer being under my administration." He pointed out. Certainly working under Abalia had been ...enlightening. Certainly she was, in a way, something he aspired to, in so far as being someone who didn't NEED to be the strongest to run things. But he also understood that she hadn't been....perfect in the slightest. He couldn't just be strong. He couldn't just have determination. He also needed to have a good vision and understanding of how things worked.

"Eheh, sorry I didn't mean to get all preachy there. But hey! I'm certainly glad you came here. Wanting to help is a good place to start. Id you don't mind me asking, what sort of experience do you have as a seated officer?" He ventured.

Oh? He paused and glanced at Ko. Right, she'd gone back. "Uhhhhh, she does it on her own. I mean, I've asked her to and she's done it. I don't think I've ever tried to like...command her or anything. I like to think of her as a partner more than something to go pushing around."