do your best not to cry. [serina]

[Yoakashi Azayaka]

Promotion Ceremonies had never been her cup of tea, even when she herself was in the process of being granted the title of the Sixth Division Captain decades ago. To establish oneself amongst the heads of the Thirteen Divisions, and to also make yourself known to the rest of the Captains was the mission of such an event; both very important missions in their own right. Still, even during her own ceremony, Azayaka couldn't help but feel as if it was all a bit unnecessary. For starters, they were rather short, taking less than a few minutes for the actual promotion to become finalized in the eyes of the attendees. Sure, there was time afterwords that the attending Captains could use to meet their newest comrade, though the blonde herself had simply left the First Division Headquarters as soon as the process of advancement had been completed.

These gatherings also caused a fair amount of stress on the Captains, too. The Seireitei was rather large, after all, and to call for all of the Captains to meet in one place was troublesome for them. Yoakashi herself had had a good bit of work that needed to be completed, and she was not one to let such things pile up. Besides that, she wasn't too keen on being forced into the same room with most of the other Captains. Her dislike, or hatred, depending on your point of view, of men was known far and wide throughout Soul Society, and, given that the number of male Division leaders outnumbered the number of women practically twelve to one, it was going to be the most testosterone filled location, save for the cesspool found within the Eleventh Division.

Still, despite her reservations to leave her work and her complete lack of desire to meet with her colleagues, it had been a Promotion Ceremony that she simply had to attend, mostly for appearances sake. It wasn't as if they were mandatory, of course, though to neglect the call was frowned upon, but, and not to toot her own horn too hard, it was practically all thanks to her that Damara Serina was being promoted at all. Surely, it had been one of the most important promotions that she, Yoakashi Azayaka had attended thus far. The fact that the Shinigami who was known throughout the Gotei Thirteen as the Hollow Girl had actually managed to obtain a Captain's Spot was nothing short of a miracle. That, and there was no way Aza-chan could not attend knowing that it would be adding another woman to their ranks.

It had been quite a struggle, taking half a century to finally convince the Commander-General, who had had the even more difficult task of then swaying the minds of the swine who made up the Central 46, to even allow Damara to even consider taking the Captain's Exam. The candidate, who had been a seated member of the Sixth Division, had met an unfortunate fate in her younger days, according to what Azayaka had heard, that left her scarred and with the stench of Hollow on her soul. When she left the Thirteenth Division due to conflict with the Captain, the young, blonde Taichou was the only other leader of a squad that dared to take Serina in; and even that had been a battle, as many of the members of the Sixth Division had been completely against the idea.

But what could she do? With no one else to take her in, the Shinigami would be cast away. But she was capable. She had potential. To allow her to be turned away because of something that had been beyond her control, Azayaka would be rivaling the naivety of a man if she did that. And there had been no way that she was going to allow that to happen, oh no. So, to show the rest of the women within the Seireitei that they needed to stick together, the Captain allowed the one tainted with the stench of Hollow into her Division. Hell, after she proved just how capable she was, Aza even promoted her to a seated position; it was only fair. And when Damara had again proven herself to be adapted to holding the position of Captain, Yoakashi pushed for her to take the position.

Today had been the day that finally happened, though it had ended a little less than an hour ago. Azayaka had decided to not stay long, keeping around just long to be acknowledged as the one who recommended Serina for promotion. After saying a few words to the newly appointed Captain, she took her leave, swiftly returning to her Division's headquarters. She had been treated to a nice surprise, in that all of her paperwork had seemingly been completed by various members of her squad. Well, she assumed that it had been more than just one, judging by the different styles of handwriting. Still, all that was left for the soul to do now was stamp some of the forms, and then wait for more files to come in. But that could be done at anytime, and her legs were a tad weary from both trips to and from the First Division head building, as well the long time she stood during the ceremony itself.

Taking herself to the couch that had sat in the center of her office, Azayaka wasted no time in throwing herself onto the cushioned seat, burying her face in one of the pillows. It felt nice to rest her legs, though, for some reason, she didn't feel as though she'd have very long to relax. Something that Damara had said after her promotion continued to ring through her mind; something that both excited her, as well as made her dread the rest of the day. "I want to test myself, Aza-chan. I'll be by later..." she muttered, repeating the gist of the other woman's words. Chuckling, "That idiot. She's a Captain now, she shouldn't be so informal. Guess I'll have to teach her some respect ♥."

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note; this is a thread that takes place in the past, if you couldn't tell. the day that Serina was promoted to Captain, to be precise. oh, but it is only open for Kan and myself. ^^
muse; a lot. this was way easy to write.
word count; 1004.

[Serina Damara]

Annoying would probably have been the best word to describe the following events. All the fluff, pomp, and ceremonies thrown in with what should have been a simple task made Rina's head spin. So many things had to be done, and in so little time! It was far from the basic 'kill Hollow, rinse, repeat' style of life she had always followed. She had to sign all sorts of things, get dressed up, so much fluff. Gaidoku wasn't that much of a help either, bugging thee poor girl just as much as the attendants around her.

"Gah, why do I need to wear make-up of all things? It's stupid, and makes my face itch!" Rina growled, dodging her head left and right as different Shinigami held her down. Of course, it was easier since she only had one arm, and Gaidoku had decided to summon himself into existence, making the sword useless. She let out howls of annoyance as different sorts of blushes, mascara, lip gloss, etc. were applied, punctured by small chuckles from the floating spirit, arms crossed, what little of his face showing filled with amusement. Sometimes, it was good to be a spirit. He would not be caught dead in anything other than his armor.

It took much longer than was expected, but eventually the huffy girl was properly makeup'd, robes being fit over her. The uniform fit like perfect, as usual, but she frowned as the Haori was draped over her. There was a floppy arm on the right side, and it bugged her. She shrugged her shoulder at it, glaring. "What is this? You can see right down it!" She complained, turning the dagger-filled look at the seamstress, who did not seem to care that she was facing against the Devil Lord shinigami. They argued back and forth for a few moments, before the designer added an extension, allowing the cloth to go down to Rina's waist, which she approved of.

"Finally, we can get this damn thing on the road..." She muttered, scratching her make-up covered forehead as she made her way to the 1st Division building. Gaidoku trailed behind her, spirit floating close to the sword strapped to her back. "And I'm ditching that sheath for you first chance we get. It looks terrible, and there's no point hiding what we are." The floating spirit nodded his head as Rina came to the door, taking the one door Rina could not get in his giant hand, both opening at the same time.

The Gotei 13... Well, technically 12 at this time, but it was really a moot point. They all looked at her, causing the fiery girl to gulp, for the first time today actually nervous. She was older than more than half of the captains, despite her young appearance. But these were people who had held a position Rina had deserved for a long time. They knew the power that came with the title, and were using it on her. Scanning the twelve, the girl caught sight of Aza-sensei, slowly starting to relax. She would not have pushed so hard for this if there wasn't any point.

With a deep breath, Rina stepped down, between the twin aisles of Captains, making sure to keep her head facing forward, and not make eye-contact. To re-assure herself, a tiny stream of Reiatsu flowed through her back, gently piercing, and entering Gaidoku. He was her partner, someone who did not judge. Knowing that he was there would help her through the events. Said events were long and boring, mostly a lot of talking from the Commander-General about how important a day this was, yadda yadda yadda. Rina paid attention mostly, keeping any yawns that tried to get out in. Good to make first impressions. After a few of this, Rina finally rose. After so many news of trial, so many years of pain, it was finally time. She was a captain.

The meet-and-great was necessary, of course. All the congratulations, promises for proper times and such were given, Rina nodding her head and accepting them all with thanks. Most of them seemed genuine though, which made the small girl within Rina happy. When it came time for Aza-Sensei, it was short, although both knew there would be celebration, 6th-style later. ”Hey Aza-chan, better get some rest from all this. Wanna test myself, figure you’d be up for it.” She commented, grinning happily. Soon after, the captain left, obviously to get rest. Rina knew this, and went back to all the others.

”That was rather long.” Gaidoku commented, floating behind Rina, who was now leaning against the wall of the 1st Divison, rubbing all the makeup she could off of her face. ”Yea, no shit. Thank god it’s over, now I just have to get this off, and I can go see Aza.” She snapped her fingers, a quick disc of Reiatsu forming, making a small mirror for her to check in. ”Bah, everything but the lipstick. I’ll get that off later.” She muttered, snapping once more to disperse the energy, turning and walking through Gaidoku, the spirit flowing back into the blade. ”Time to visit.”

Rina gave Aza a few surnames. Chan and Sensei were the two main ones. She had alive much longer than her old captain, but there was a drive behind her that intrigued the girl. She wanted to see her go on to bigger and greater things, things that she probably would never do because of that bloody arm. Ah well, she was a damn good fighter, and it was fun to train against her. That, and Gai has such a crush on her spirit. Rina thought to herself, snickering as she quickly flash-stepped to the 6th building, opening the door slowly.

A chorus of hellos and congratulations greeted her, and she took them with pride. This division had welcomed her in when no one else would. It was good to see the people, both men and women. With a few nods of approval, she made her way to the captain’s quarters, opening the door loudly. ”Heh, what’s this, eh Aza-chan? Didn’t come here expectin’ to sleep with you in the pillows. Gotta warn you though, I’m a beast in the bed.” Rina commented, snickering and leaning on the door frame. She enjoyed the bantering with her old captain quite a bit. Rina was a pretty terrible flirt at points, especially with Aza. She walked towards the lying captain, giving her shoulder a shake. ”Come on lazybones, First building isn’t that far away.”

[Yoakashi Azayaka]

Silence, something that the leader of a nearly all woman's division, giving exception to the few men she was forced to take in by the Commander-General, did not get to experience often. The members of the Sixth Division were always gossiping, singing, or just speaking loudly to one another, and while Azayaka didn't mind it, she wouldn't deny that the occasional hour or so of quiet she got every so often was nice. When one was attempting to get in a quick rest before a training session, there was truly nothing better than but a moment of piece. Still, it wasn't as if the silence alone would be enough to help her send herself off to sleep. Her adrenaline was pumping; her eyes would not stay closed for very long at all.

Fingers moving back and forth on the smooth, glossy sheath that covered her sword, the blonde wondered just what a fight between the two powerful women would be like. It had been so long since she had ever seriously sparred with another Captain, it was almost impossible to remember the sensation. But as her hand slid to and fro, slowly pulling out the Zanpakuto from the holster, her memory took hold, and the adrenaline began to move through her with even more force than it had been just a second ago. It was set in stone now, there was no way she was going to be able to rest up before Rina arrived.

"Do you remember that, Reifujin Kuchinashi?" asked the Taichou, rolling onto her back so that she could hold her sword in the air above her. The spirit did not respond, probably asleep, as she often was, though Azayaka could just imagine her answer. The green woman was not very pleased with her wielder that day, having challenged one of the male Captains for no reason other than she wanted to. It ended in a draw, as well, which did not please the small framed Shinigami in the least. Lady Gardenia, however, was just happy to know that no one had lost their lives over something so petty; she may have agreed with Yoakashi's extremist feminist views, but things like that were completely out of line. That had been long ago, though, and the blonde had definitely matured. For the most part, anyway.

Smiling, the Captain returned the blade into the sheath; she'd be seeing her again soon enough if she decided to give into the new Fifth Division Captain's demands. Though it was doubtful that Rina would even let her think about declining her challenge, it was just how she was. Ah, and how appropriate it was to be thinking about that woman. Much sooner than she had expected, the silence that had taken hold of the headquarters was broken, the various members of the squad, rather loudly, giving Damara their praise and respects. Ah, such an entrance, she hoped that it would not go to her head too soon. She laughed at the thought; as if anything went to that girl's head. Azayaka, deciding to try and feign sleep, quickly hurled her face into the soft pillow cushion.

"Heh, what’s this, eh Aza-chan? Didn’t come here expectin’ to sleep with you in the pillows. Gotta warn you though, I’m a beast in the bed.”

Indeed, Serina was here, and with strange lines, no less. At this point, it was near impossible for the woman to not allow a laugh to escape her, but she somehow managed to hold strong. She did crack a smile, however, but it, of course, had been concealed within the pillow. Her footsteps were rather heavy, especially in the quiet of the room, so it wasn't hard to distinguish that Rina was making her way over to the couch, possibly to attempt and prove to Aza that she was indeed a 'beast in bed.' Instead, she felt a hand grasp firmly onto her shoulder, her body shaking violently as the other Captain urged her to rise. ”Come on lazybones, First building isn’t that far away.”

"Ah, Rina. Rina, stop," Aza cried, though she her words were muffled by the cushion that she had practically placed into her mouth. Arms waving frantically, the blonde attempted to shake the other Death God's hand from her body, before rolling around onto her back to face the woman herself. She smiled, slowly rising up into a sitting position, "It is further than it needs to be. And Rina, you know that you're not my type. Your breasts are barely bigger than mine, you know. Aza was, of course, just being playful, and really didn't require a woman to be a certain cup size to be with her, though it was true that she was a woman who preferred breasts to be, well, above average. That wasn't the matter at hand, though.

"You know, if you weren't a dear friend, I would not have even bothered to stay awake," she yawned, stretching her arms before crossing them over one another. Standing up, she reached for her Zanpakuto, sliding it into the sash that was tied around her waist. Expecting Serina to follow suit, she moved over to the door; they would need to head out to the near outskirts of the Rukongai if the wanted to be able to do this right. And she wanted to make sure that Damara knew that she would be taking this completely serious; to do anything halfheartedly wasn't even worth the effort.

Turning to her former Division member, her blue eyes looked into Serina's with full intentness, "I want you to know that I won't hold back just because we're friends. We will go at each other with everything we've got, okay? Do your best not to cry." And with that, she departed her office, marching through the halls of the Sixth Headquarters, a soft smile on her face.

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note; i figure you post here, and then I'll start another thread in the Rukongai. ^^

[Serina Damara]

Silence was something Serina disliked. It meant there was something everyone was looking at, and was afraid of. She had learned this quickly once she had woken up, all those centuries ago. When you walked into a room, and all the talking stopped, it wasn't hard to guess the reasons why. She was going to work her division hard, but make sure they all knew and liked one another. There would be no silence for something in her division. She knew the sort of pain that came with it, a pain no one else should experience. It was one of the reasons she had liked the 6th, so many girls made plenty of gossip. The guys had things to say as well, even if they were put down. Rina didn't quite see the point in femminism, she was more for equality, or kicking the shit out of those who said otherwise.

"It is further than it needs to be. And Rina, you know that you're not my type. Your breasts are barely bigger than mine, you know."

The new captain let out a small snort, smirking slightly. "Ain't hard to do that tiny." She retorted, sticking her chest out playfully. You could see the lump the cast made, but otherwise they were out. "Your just jealous you haven't gotten a feel of 'em yet." The teasing between the two was always fun, to say the least. Entertaining for those who watched, anyways. It would certainly make some meetings interesting to watch. "But come on, you know you wanna get a fight going on. Could even use Gai as an excuse if you want." She shrugged her shoulder nonchalantly, Aza's femminism wasn't exactly that hard to figure out. Rina had always wondered if it stopped at spirits, or maybe Gaidoku got a pass for being hers. But eh, it was thinking that could be saved for another time. Right now, the sword hand was getting itchy.

"You know, if you weren't a dear friend, I would not have even bothered to stay awake," She watched as Aza sat up, picking up the weapon and setting it into her belt. Rina never really understood why people did that. Gaidoku had always hung at her back, tied down by bonds of Reiatsu. The blade was always without a sheath, those things always got in the way. Besides, you cannot cut Hollows with a blunt object, can you? Rina tapped her weapon in response to the sheathing, her smirk turning into a grin. Aza had plenty of potential, enough to be one of the stronger captains. "I want you to know that I won't hold back just because we're friends. We will go at each other with everything we've got, okay? Do your best not to cry."

"I'll try hard not to get your tears on me. Best not to stain my haori on the first day wearing it." Rina replied, the grin staying on her face as Aza departed the room. Nodding her head, she waited until she was out of earshot, the smile falling from her face. She turned towards a window, Gaidoku appearing behind her back. "Should we do as she says, old friend?" She asked, not looking at her partner. "Not that I care or anything. Just don't wanna make the fight quick or anything." Rina caught herself, letting out a snort and tilting her head back, as though she didn't care.

"It is your choice, partner. Maybe it is time for the student to become the teacher." Gaidoku suggested, crossing his large arms. Rina nodded her head slowly, tapping the hilt of the blade in thought. After a few moments, she decided for herself what to do, stepping through her spirit, dispersing him, with a quick flash step catching up to Aza. She threw her good arm around the captain's shoulders, grinning widely.

"Normally I'd say age before beauty, but I got ya beat on both of 'em." She spoke, snickering to herself, walking with her friend. It would be an interesting fight indeed...

((Alrighty, you want to open it or shall I?))