Unpaid Dues [Kanae, Hisana]

The Fights certainly seemed to be a spectacle. How long had they been going on now? And it seemed to still draw quite a crowd, it was something interesting to be sure that such a notion of ...opposition between the factions would bring them together. That Members of the Gotei being pitted against the Vandenreich would be used to forge some sentiment of comraderie between the groups. It was novel to be certain, and though Hisana's participation in the event was very limited, it was still quite entertaining to watch, and the rare opportunities she'd had to enjoy a fight herself had certainly been exciting.

It was in the aftermath of such a fight that she found herself people-watching, settled near one of the railings and watching people move about to relax between matches. Of course the area she was in was reserved for combatants, keeping her away from the general populace. Not that she HAD to, but she simply enjoyed the lack of crowds, it was a bit much to be around so many people at once for her comfort. A glance out to the field itself showed staff from both sides already peparing the arena. Having gotten the restoration process for the arena and the pagoda at the center down to a science. It was rather interesting to see done so often. But even so...

She turned to look down the hallway. A lot more shinigami had signed themselves up for the games than she expected. Seemed they really were about it. And so, Hisana made her way toward the locker room. She had missed the most recent fight, but perhaps she'd get a chance to run into whomever had just finished their match, or possibly one of the others relaxing in the lockerroom.

Any excuse to socialize was generally a good thing in Hisana's book.

CAPTAIN NAGOSHI KANAE

The only real reason Kanae found herself in a place as reprehensible as the Quincy capital was to gauge the capabilities of the Vandenreich. Thus far, she remained unimpressed. From the fights she had either observed or participated in, no Quincy or Vandenreich member had managed to impress her. She was certain with just two divisions she could lead an offensive against the Vandenreich and bring it to its knees. Perhaps Murasaki will be open to such a thing. she thought. Then again, given how lax she was about the Gotei United, probably not.

Now Kanae was sitting on the floor in the Gotei contestants' locker room. Her Zanpakuto, Tosatsusha, rested across her lap as she sat in communion with it. At least this way even with her Captain's haori draped across her shoulders, she could dissuade others from coming up and talking to her. This continued for a while until a strange spiritual scent filled her nostrils, one almost certainly alien in this city full of Quincies and Shinigami. This scent belonged to...An Arrancar?! In a flash Kanae leaped to her feet and placed her hand upon her weapon's handle, prepared to strike this invader down. She had never encountered one in the living realm before, and was confused by its presence here of all places.

"Who are you, Arrancar? Why aren't you stumbling about in Hueco Mundo?" she demanded of the tiny woman marching down the hallway from the stands.

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The sudden shift in movement really didn't bother Hisana, nor surprise her. After all, some of the .... less observant in the Gotei certainly had reacted in a similar manner to her in the past. And Kanae also likely would not be the last individual to react to Hisana in such a way. It was simply the nature of the matter. Though certainly she would have been a little surprised to find out that Kanae had only reacted as a result of practically sniffing her.

All the same, Hisana's gaze shifted without alarm or worry toward the woman and her head canted a bit to the side. Her gaze shifted toward the woman's face, to the haori on her back, and then to the Zanpaku'to that was at her waist. Certainly interesting. But all the same, Kanae wasn't greeted with fear or alarm, but simply a calm, warm smile as the Arrancar spoke up. "Good afternoon. You must be....... the new Captain of the Fourth, perhaps? Captain Nagoshi. You're just as pretty as I've heard." She chuckled softly before gently gesturing lightly downward with her open palm, a passive indication that there was no need for Kanae to be going for her sword.

"My name is Hisana. I'm a Professor at the Shino academy. I'm here in the city of lights to participate on the Gotei's behalf. I do apologize if I startled you." She noted warmly and sincerely, the slightest tip of her head, well aware that er presence could be a bit jarring.

CAPTAIN NAGOSHI KANAE

.....This has to be a joke. As usual Kanae was in agreement with her Zanpakuto. After all, not only was this Arrancar claiming to be on the Gotei United's side, but also that she's a teacher in the Shin'o Academy?? There was no way that could be the truth. An Arrancar? A teacher?! And yet, Kanae didn't detect any rumblings in the woman's spiritual presence. Could she actually be telling the truth...?

At minimum the Arrancar knows about her. Though, Kanae considered, that could just be because news travels quickly in this era. Those strange wireless communication devices made it so even random viewers in the stands recognized her. Even with all this information pointing to the woman telling the truth, or at least the possibility of it, Kanae remained suspicious. "Yes, I am the Fourth Division Captain. Anyone could tell just from looking at my haori. What I want to know, Arrancar, is why should I believe you are what you say you are?"

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Hisana couldn't help but tilt her head a little as she made note of Kanae's visible confusion. Now certainly she had met her fair share of suspicious individuals. But this was a bit more of an ....incredulous reaction than she was used to. There wasn't simply a look of disbelief, there was some level of absolute sheer shock in the woman's eyes that was definitely a bit more pronounced a reaction than she was used to. And for just a moment, she wondered where such a woman had come from. Something felt.....different about her. And Hisana tilted her head for a moment before she reached into her robes and gently fished out a small identification card.

"I'm a little surprised you didn't see my match. But well I guess that's fine. See? You came her to participate, did you not? So you should have received one as well. Each participant is issued an Id card which indicates who they represent and their name. As you can see, I'm Hisana, as I said I was. And I'm here representing the Gotei. I suppose if you want more proof you could certainly come visit me in my office in the Gotei in the future. I'm afraid I didn't exactly bring my paperwork along for the visit." She admitted, smiling sheepishly before folding her hands infront of her.

"I understand you may be a bit confused. However, the gotei was kind enough to offer me sanctuary. But well, I wasn't really content simply lliving off of kindness. And so I volunteered to teach Hollow Studies in the Academy. My experience in Hueco Mundo and on earth is a resource valuable to young shinigami." She explained with a slight shrug of her shoulders.

"And well. I decided to participate in the arena here as well. It's not actually very often I find someone strong enough I can let loose against." She noted with a soft, appreciative sigh. As peaceful as her life had become, she still did enjoy getting in a good workout. She paused before looking back up to Kanae. "I can imagine you understand the sentiment. Is that why you also decided to participate?"

CAPTAIN NAGOSHI KANAE

Quincies scurrying about un-slaughtered. Arrancar in tthe Academy. What next? Hollow lunch ladies? Vacation resorts in Hueco Mundo? For a woman who still doesn't even know Demons exist, these were surprising revelations about the modern world. While Kanae looks at both Hollows and Quincies as rats to be exterminated, she didn't particularly hate them any more than she did other Shinigami or humans. They were all just cretins waiting to be torn apart by her blade.

Still, throughout her entire per-imprisoned life not once did she ever consider sparing a Hollow. And now a maskless one stood in front of her, having supposedly been granted asylum by Sou Society. Not even those Central 46 fools would have fallen this low. If this is Murasaki's doing, her depravity is beyond my expectation.

"No Shinigami should need an Arrancar to instruct them on how to butcher Hollows. Like swine, a carefully placed sword to the skull accomplishes the deed just fine." Before she continued Kanae considered if everything this Hisana says is true, then she would need to be at least somewhat careful with her words here. Needlessly drawing the ire of the Academy or Gotei was not a complication she was prepared to deal with yet. So, she relaxed visibly enough to send a message of calm to Hisana, though she never removed her hand from her Zanpakuto.

"I came here as a Captain of the Gotei United, to scout enemy forces. The Vandenreich is not our friend and they are certainly doing the same. If you truly are associated with Soul Society, do not be naive enough to believe otherwise."

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It was perhaps, interesting, that such similar train of thought crossed Hisana's mind. Was this really an individual fit to be Captain? She sensed strength. More than Kanae did. Her Pesquisa made her abundantly aware that this woman before her was strong.

But she wasn't a monster. Hisana could feel the strength within the woman, but it wasn't unfamiliar. She'd felt similar wells of insane might before. ueco Mundo was teeming with absurdly powerful hollows, after all. And so she did wonder what sort of skills the woman had to compensate.All the same, Hisana maintained her own gentle smile.
"Hmmm. Really? If you truly think a sword to the head is the simplest solution, then why bother scouting?" She ventured, admittedly rhetorically. In the span of a few seconds, Kanae had claimed that simple might made any intel obsolete. And also insisted that her presence here was for the ascertainment of intel. Hisana paused for a moment and considered. "IN most cases. Hollows can be dealt with easily enough. But not even particularly powerful hollows can be dangerous. I think that someone of your combat experience would know better than most that even a simple hollow that is a bit smarter than usual, or with an unexpected power, can slay many shinigami." She looked up to Kanae.

" But I admit. I'm a little curious. I've heard you're a bit of an old hand. Before Arrancar even became a common thing." She noted. After all, Kanae likely would have not been around for Aizen's rebellion, which put Arrancar very squarely on the radar with the sheer power some of them held, despite many having only been produced by Aizen within a year.
"I'd love to speak with you at length. Or, if you prefer, I wouldn't mind helping you warm up before your next match."" She offered with a serene smile. She was hardly all that pushy. A lax expression that made it clear that Kanae could very much decline the offer. Hisana hardly had her heart set on the idea, but all the same she extended it as an earnest offer.

CAPTAIN NAGOSHI KANAE

Hisana's musings momentarily confused Kanae, before she remembered she was speaking to an Arrancar. A thousand years ago she knew of no Shinigami afraid of Hollows, nor terribly preoccupied with how to deal with them. Unless things had changed drastically, Kanae was confident the same would be true today. "Hollows and Quincies are different breeds of animal. The former are put down like any wild beast. The latter is craftier and more organized, like insects. This difference is the sole reason I'm here."

One thing becoming a bit bothersome for Kanae is how much more others seem to know, or think they know, about her than she does of them. A natural consequence of being imprisoned for a millennium, which she understood, but she remained annoyed by it nonetheless. "So far I remain unimpressed by what the "Vandenreich" has to offer. Even their vile city gives me a headache with it's blinding lights, noises, and hordes of people. So, if you have something in mind to discuss, I'll hear you out Arrancar." Despite accepting Hisana's offer to converse, at no point did Kanae's lithe fingers relax their grip on her Zanpakuto's handle. To her, she was speaking to a potential enemy in another enemy's stronghold. There could be no room for loosening up.

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Hisena couldn't help but smile just a little as she listened to Kanae's reasonings. She supposed there was some merit in the fact that hollows and Quincy were indeed very different breeds. But there was also a fundamental difference that was .... interesting. Kanae didn't seem to very much grasp the difference between arrancar and hollows. Something that usually even some of her less than sharp students were able to pick up on by reputation alone. But Kanae had none of that context and she ... paused. Pondering for a moment. Simply TELLING Kanae that they were different really wouldn't do the trick.

"I really wouldn't consider Hollows or arrancar the same. And even then, hollows these days are a bit more potent. In the past, there were only some small areas that had more powerful hollows show up. You should know this. That's something that's been in place for a very long time. Most hollows on earth aren't much of a threat. It's only when energy congeals in large ammounts, enough to draw hollows from Hueco Mundo that they become an issue. Though with the ammount of spiritual activity on earth, that seems to be happening more frequently." She gently clasped her hands together and considered for a few moments, before turning to Kanae and shaking her head.

"No, it really wouldn't do. As the Captain of the Fourth Division, I can't just ignore something like this. and I suppose even watching a match from the stands may not properly give you the context you need." She murmured before she stood up and gave the woman a firm look. "If you don't mind. I feel that a spar might be in order. If you don't mind that is. I can even give proper explanations to some of the abilities you should come to expect." She added as her mind raced. Goodness there would be a lot to cover. What SHOULD someone who had never fought an arrancar look out for? Hierro most certainly. Resureccion. The stronger level of Cero. Oh and probably Sonido, high speed movement was almost nonexistent amongst most hollows, that definitely would be something that Kanae would need to be ready for. Already her mind was abuzz with how she would carry out this little Tutoring Course.

CAPTAIN NAGOSHI KANAE

Kanae's brow twitched slightly in annoyance as this Hisana was evidently confusing this waiting area for her classroom. The Arrancar was speaking to her as if she had never fought one of her kind before, which put a dent in her typically-calm, though ice cold, veneer. "You believe I have never encountered your kind before, is that it Arrancar? I admit you people seem more common these days than in the past, but you are not some recent evolution. Besides population numbers, the main difference I see between Arrancar of your time and of mine is the simple fact you have not already been cut down by any Shinigami you have the good fortune to come across."

In truth whether she was Hollow, Shinigami, or Quincy, Kanae cared little. All bleed and suffer equally. The annoying part for her is navigating the significant societal developments of this modern era. A thousand years ago none would bat an eye if she cut Hisana in half and watched her choke on her own blood, now the Captain Commander of all people would look down on such brutality! Kanae was continuously astounded by how unrecognizable the world had become.

"I will do you the favor of allowing you the opportunity to rescind your challenge, Arrancar. Do not take this generosity for granted, for if you stubbornly wish to ignore it I will not extend this offer again. Teacher or not I have no intention of going easy on you otherwise." Kanae's violet eyes narrowed as she tightened her grip on her Zanpakuto's handle, fully prepared to duke it out if Hisana wished.

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