You're Hot and Cold

Promotions were... well a double-edged sword. The new pay and benefits were fantastic. Hono was eager to be the new 9th seat, having her own little office was better than the crowded barracks. Though the workflow was a lot more, especially with everything happening, Hono's division got the shit end of the stick. Bombsin the Rukongai... the dangers just kept ringing in the back of Hono's head as he tapped her pen against the desk as she read through her new paperwork.

Looking back to when Hono first joined the Gotei, she could never see herself at a desk doing paperwork. Guess that was a part of raising the ranks? With how busy she was recently, she could only imagine how busy those above her were. Hono's office was surprisingly tidy, though it had a light smell of various foods, she would often cook and keep her food under her desk so the smells would fill the room. To help filter out the air, Hono had her door opened slightly.

A nameplate was on the door as she twirled her pen, mainly focusing on some reports from the patrols in the Rukongai, anyone suspicious was to be reported and have a little profile formed, should two people have a similar description, Hono would hand that off to higher-ups to see if it was an suspects involved.

Hono’s ears perked up as she heard Rei knock on the door. As Rei did, the slightly opened door would open fully, putting her into view of the pink-haired girl.

Hono sat at her desk before waving Rei into her office. A face she wasn’t expecting, a welcome surprise actually, maybe it would give her a breather, a chance to catch up with a friend. Since their last training session, the woman was curious to see what Rei was getting up to. The ninth seat would wait for Rei to enter, gesturing for an open chair.

“Miss…?”

Hono would pause, letting that sink in. I guess Rei respected her? She had never been called miss before, not that she didn’t like it, it was just different.

“What can I do for you? Did you need me to fight yah again~?” She would tease, a light playful tone in her voice.

Shikai!? Was she hearing that right? Hono stood there quietly, a bit surprised Rei achieved it so quickly.

"Fuck! Good job!" She would warmly smile, her head disappearing as she sunk under her desk, rummaging around for something. After a few moments, Hono returned, placing a cookie jar on her desk. "I made some chocolate chip cookies for my sister. But I want you to have em~ Consider it a gift!"

After a wink, she chuckled and decided to ask Rei some more questions. "You got it quick! Surely it was my master teaching~" Hono would joke, leaning back in her chair and putting her feet on the desk. She got a while to speak to Rei, so she might as well enjoy this little break.

"So what does it do? A kickass ability~? Maybe it can beat me?"

Hono rolled her eyes and put the cookies back underneath her desk. Deciding to switch to small talk. "What's Rose like? I can't say I've met the guy. I know he's one of those Vizards or whatever." Thinking about it, maybe Hono should try to meet more Captains. She twirled her pen and pointed it at Rei. "Ice? That sounds pretty damn cool. More than I can do~ All I can do is cut through things~" A bit of a simplification, but it wasn't hard for someone to have a more complex Zanpakuto than Hono away.

She paused and folded her arms, smiling a little bit. "I'm proud of you. Keep kickin' ass for me, okay?" She leaned back in her chair. "Say Rei. What's your goal? What motivated yah to get your Shikai?"

Hono ensured she was directly looking at Rei as the woman gave her a rundown on the story. Captain Rose sounded like a good guy, though Hono would shoot down a bit of the self-deprecation. "Oh please. You're just as important as anyone else"

Hono would state her opinion openly. "Hell, our division couldn't run without the unseated folks. The Rukongai is so large we need all the help we can get. You're just as important to your division as anyone else~"

"Sister? Well, you and I have similar motivations. I joined to protect my siblings from the dangers in the Rukongai."

"I think you're making great progress~ I'm so fuckin proud of you!" With a soft chuckle, she thought about what to say next. "If you keep training hard I'm sure you'll get a seated position. Hell if you need a reference I can always vouch for your skills"