[BleachITP] Episode 25: Ascension of House Satoshi

[KnightDisciple]

It was the beginning of the evening, and there was a party being held.

This was a very special party, for it was a celebration of the birth of a new Noble House of Soul Society.

The Noble House of Satoshi.

Currently, there were only 4 official members.

Tsukami Satoshi, patriarch, founder, and Captain of the Second Division of the Gotei 13.

Katashi and Mayu Honoka, two mortals caught up in everything. Their family is considered a branch of the house, allowed to keep their name, while enjoying full benefits of membership.

And Ami Honoka. Once a normal 8 year old mortal girl. Now...she's physically 16, mentally somewhere around that, and very much beyond mortal, thanks to a malevolent "god" of war.

This particular party was being held in one of the great halls of House Ryder, who had sponsored this new house. It was rumored the Patriarch of Ryder was a great admirer of the Patriarch of Satoshi. It was said this was aided by the shared history of these two men.

In the place of honor, on the central table, was House Kotetsu, headed by Hideki Kotetsu, also Commander of the Kido Corps.

Sitting next to this head, was the host, and his small family (if not by blood, then by law and by heart). Satoshi was dressed in his most formal Captain's Robes. The Honokas were dressed in their best as well.

All three of the remaining Great houses were in attendance; Ryder as hosts, and Kotetsu as honored guests. The Honoka house was there as a courtesy invite.

As well, many of the "lesser" houses were in attendance. As this was an announcement party, Tsukami intended to make sure everyone that should, knew this.

Commander-General Daisuke had, of course, been invited.

Captain Aiko Honoka had been sent a personal invitation, due to her status as Captain, Head of Central 46, and member of House Honoka.

Captain Shirubaru and Vice-Captain Cecilia. Both asked to be on good behavior.

All of the Captains and Acting Captains had received invitations, though they weren't necessarily required to attend.

All guests invited individually were allowed to bring 1 guest as well.

And of course, the entirety of 2nd Division had been invited, as they were Satoshi's subordinates.

And last, but certainly first in Tsukami Satosh's mind, Greta Gabriel was sitting next to him (between himself and Katashi Honoka, in fact) in the other place of honor.

They were all currently eating a splendid dinner.

[Quinsar]

Carmen is here, guest of Cecilia.
Well, that's what she was going to say. Technically, no one invited her. But, Cecilia-Kun was here, and she knew that if she had seen Cecilia-kun in the last few days, because they're best friend. And that's what best friends do, right?...
Right? And besides, Carmen hadn't spent time with Cecilia for a while, and she wouldn't ever miss a chance to. So, invited or not, Carmen was here, sitting near to her captain and vice captain.

[strawberryman]

Honokas

Ami was enjoying herself, and eating an admirable amount for her slender frame. She smiles at all the new faces, and especially the old ones. Katashi and Mayu seem a bit nervous, with all the Soul Societies' rich, cultured folk eating at the same table as the former middle-class citizens, at best.

[Draken]

Hideki takes his seat, wearing that headpiece with the name I do not recall. And hating it. Those tubs feel bloody unconfortable and look very silly.

And his gift for Satoshi is probably a set of the things. Hah.

Kuenai is probably his guest. Or not.

[KnightDisciple]

Satoshi leans over slightly to Hideki.

"I thank you for coming, Hideki Kotetsu. I realize we've had our differences, but it truly honors myself, and my house, that you attend."

(OOC: "A set of things"? What kind of things?)

[Draken]

(That white headpiece Byakuya wears)

"I have no quarrel with you and hold your service to Soul Society in high regard Tsukami Satoshi. Plus, it would be a great disservice to House Ryder for me to not attend."

Hideki passes on a box containing the headpiece.

"A gift. Hardly the best present you will receive in your life, but one that you will need in the future."

[KnightDisciple]

(That white headpiece Byakuya wears)

"I have no quarrel with you and hold your service to Soul Society in high regard Tsukami Satoshi. Plus, it would be a great disservice to House Ryder for me to not attend."

Hideki passes on a box containing the headpiece.

"A gift. Hardly the best present you will receive in your life, but one that you will need in the future."

Satoshi opens the box and...raises an eyebrow.

"...I'd forgotten this was formal wear. Ah well. Small sacrifices, I suppose. Um. Should I don it now? And does protocol demand it be worn all the time?"

[Draken]

"Luckly no, you don't have to wear it all the time, only in formal ocasions. I personaly detest this thing but I do believe the late head of house Daikano wore his (hers?) constantly."

But he is wearing it now.

[Sucrose]

Seated in the middle of one of the tables, Siegfried was trying desperately to remember the one etiquette course that his parents had put him through before he went to the Academy. Given that the course was a century and a half ago, it wasn't working too well. As such, he didn't eat anything until he'd gotten a chance to watch others eat it, usually under the guise of small talk. Still, the food here was well worth the effort.

He'd been able to find a formal kimono that wasn't too uncomfortable. His burnt Captain's haori was draped over its shoulders. Though he didn't regret choosing to wear it, he was very glad that he was near the wall, and thus few would see the damage to the back.

His gift for the new House, a bundle housing a bottle of Satoshi's favorite sake (at least from when Yen had told it to him) and three of his own favorite books, looked rather insignificant compared to what most of the nobles had brought. He tried not to be bothered by that.

[KnightDisciple]

Satoshi sighs and dons it.

"...I see why you detest it. I daresay you detesting it improves my personal opinion of you by several notches."

He eats in silence for a time.

"Are there ever informal gatherings and occasions?"

He thinks for a moment.

"I know I might sound a bit ignorant, but...are there any items of clothing or such that I need to wear all the time now?"

[strawberryman]

Oh, yes. Clothes. Katashi and Mayu wear formal green and purple kimono respectively, with some floral pattern on Mayu's. Ami wears a cute white kimono with a short skirt. She's fairly attractive, even given the wolf ears, tails, odd wispy bits of fur, and the lightly glowing "tattoos".

[Draken]

Hideki is not amused by the comment, but doesn't betray it, just answering the question.

"No. And there are informal gatherings, indeed. They are just usually personal things."

Come on. Go by the Manga/Anime. Think about Byakuya! All we ever see him using is either his uniform (and the headpiece) or something he's been sleeping in.

[Krazddndfreek]

((Eh, Satoshi doesn't even have enough hair does he?))

Maeda enters after a man in a blue kimono, who is followed by two guards. He's wearing those headpiece tubes.

He mutters to no one in particular

[B]I can't believe they made me wear this...[B]

Yare yare, already complaining? This is a party, you should be enjoying yourself.

It'd be fine if I didn't have to wear this stupid headress...

The old man simply chuckles. He walks to Satoshi and greets him.

Ah, the man of the hour. Tsukami-san, pleasure to meet you, and this is my son, Katsu-kun.

Maeda simply groans at how embarrassing his father could be. Why was he still following him?

((I brought up this character once before I think, I was planning to do something with him but I sorta forgot.))

[KnightDisciple]

Tsukami nods in thanks.

"Thank you for coming. Your son and I are comrades; we've made acquaintance in the past."

[horngeek]

Daisuke enters.

He's wearing the Commander-General's haori...

but this one is quite obviously not the one you see him around in all the time. This one, is, quite obviously, formal.

I'm not sure how, there are ornaments on it.

[Callos_DeTerran]

The Honokas weren't the only people who looked out of place among the rich and cultured 'elite' of the Seireitei, but they were definitely the most nervous about it. At one of the tables, apart from the more...refined guests, metal boots were propped up on the table and their owner reclining back with her hands behind her head. Even though she had barely been there for longer then five minutes, she had already stormed out once growling about 'cheap-skate with his lousy liquor' and coming back with a person sized clay jug she lugged about with surprising ease.

What it was filled with was simple, what her zanpakuto produced was a very fine sake and it was only a matter of time until Tia had begun to bottle it for special/semi-special occasions. Perhaps unsurprisingly nobody sits at the table with the captain, Tia having deigned that polishing her boots was enough dress up and still in the same haori that she had confronted Satoshi with before. Or maybe people were too scared, it was an easy difference to miss. Thankfully, she had left her zanpakuto at home and more then a couple discarded plates and bowls signified to her monstrous appetite. One un-focused eye placidly watches the fancy people going about the party, though it strays more often then not to the assembled captains and to the Honokas.

Especially Ami curiously enough, with a thoughtful gleam in that one eye.

[Shades of Gray]

Alexander Ryder is not wearing said headpiece, as he lacks hair. He is wearing fancier than normal robes. He has stayed seated this entire time, and seems to enjoy the conversation with some of his old friends and relatives.

Xavier is wearing fancier than normal clothes as well, sitting far away from Alexander. He slips a few bugs into his own food, not anyone else's, of course. If anyone wants to be his guest, by all means, do so. Within reason.

[Anyr]

In one corner of the room, with his back to the wall sat another of the Gotei 13's captains. Despite the fact that he was well-groomed and decently dressed he still managed to look totally out of place in the gathering. The comfortable atmosphere of the party didn't seem to extend to his part of the table; His eyes constantly flickered around the room, he kept shifting in his seat and he still hadn't touched his food. Between all this and the fact that the very wide gap between him and anyone else in the vicinity, it was clear that parties were definitely not his speciality.

[Callos_DeTerran]

The distance of another captain, especially who seemed like he'd love the chance to rub elbows and get some tasty inside info, was a matter of curiosity to Tai and something that distracted her from the fledgling idea beginning to take roost in her mind.

With the large space around him, Kiljaeran would have no trouble watching the six foot three woman approaching with sake jug in hand, the captain of 7th setting down her package on the table with a thud as she took a seat next to him. A disturbingly large and toothy grin is on the eye-patched woman's face and the moment she sits, her hand comes down on Kiljaeran's back in a hard clap.

"Haha, hey Kiljaeran! What are you doing sitting over here all by your lonesome in the middle of a party? You should be celebrating the...exshullent fortunes of a fellow captain. Drink!" A single slurred word, despite the amount of sake she has visibly drunk at the party and likely before it, Tai has the constitution of an elephant apparently but that wasn't the point. Grabbing a glass for him, Tai pours out the clear sake that was a product of Todorokasu Arashi and sets it down imperiously in front of him before taking her own swig right from the bottle. "C'mon, don't embarrass me by making me drink alone. How else will the bonds of...brotherhood and comradeship grow in these turbulent times if...**** it. Just drink, we have business."

The PR-minded member of her Divisions advice be damned! Tai would rather drop the honeyed (sorta) words and fall back to blunt force demands as she pushes the glass at Kiljaeran.

[Anyr]

Having the luxury of seeing the 7th Division captain coming had given time for Kiljaeran to mentally prepare himself for the upcoming ordeal. It obviously wasn't nearly enough; Even as he was coughing from being practically punched in the back he still hadn't come up with a way to escape from the woman who was now invading his personal space with a vengeance. He looked uncomfortably at the proffered sake while trying to subtly edge away from her.

"Uh, thank you, captain Hara, but I don't drink while discussing business. These things should be handled with a clear head, right?"

[Callos_DeTerran]

Simple denial wasn't getting that glass any further away from him, in fact Tai's eyes narrowed at his refusal and she pushed it at him again.

"I said, drink. Don't be such a lightweight." she growls menacingly, though a lightweight compared to who was never answered as she waits for her 'gift' to be received. Utterly un-relenting, Kiljearan's refusal didn't stop Tai from plowing ahead with the conversation. "'sides, I almost never have a clear head, and look how well I've done for myself. I'm a frakkin' captain! 'sides, 'sides, this ain't exactly serious business, if you know what I mean."

Nobody knew what Tai meant half the time, it came from never having to explain herself and never saying more then was absolutely needed. But she assumed the analytical mind of Darius Kiljaeran would be able to keep up with her erratic thought process.

"I need some advice from a spook, a Class-A, 'I've put radio trackers in you while you slept' kind of spook who has his fingers where they don't belong. But there's nobody that...non-morally burdened around so I came here. What's your 'pinion on the other captains? I didn't get good chances to talk to'em before I was promoted. And that couple up there with the flying nudist, who are they?" Tai asks casually, all but pushing the glass against Kiljaeran's chest even as she continues with whatever 'business' she might have besides drinking herself silly and enjoying the party.

[Anyr]

Kiljaeran quickly took the glass before it was pushed close enough to be rammed straight down his throat. The truth was he actually was a lightweight when it came to drinking. One or two normal glasses were enough to put him under the table, let alone whatever rotgut was in this one. Not that he was about to make that fact known; It didn't take a 'Class-A spook' to work out the 7th Division captain's reaction to news like that.

Apparently said captain's interests extended further than just drinking, though. Her request for information was a perfectly natural first move, as well as showing at least some degree of wisdom. It was quite gratifying that she'd come to him first, even if her opinion of him was somewhat skewed. After a second's pause to collect his thoughts and shift the glass away from his mouth, he started his account.

"My opinion of the captains? Certainly.

Captain-commander Daisuke is a powerful leader who has served the Gotei 13 well over the millennia. That said, lately he's been slipping and his leadership ability is getting worse. He wants the military to be united against the enemy, but his desire has turned into a fear of losing anyone from it. He tends to judge the actions of others based on his own intuition rather than by any actual evidence or law. His recent naming of a successor suggests that he may be thinking of retiring soon.

Captain Satoshi (the man of the hour) is, despite all his actions, one of the best officers we have. His high strength, intelligence and leadership ability make him one of our best fighters and a formidable captain. His main fault is that he sets his goals too high; He literally wants to save everyone and everything, and his refusal to compromise on that is a serious weakness. This also means that his pleasant demeanour evaporates in a second when he doesn't get his way. The moment someone goes against him, he'll either try to intimidate them into backing down, go over their head or...found a noble house. Luckily for him he has Daisuke's ear, so he can get away with almost anything these days...

Captain Maeda is practically the embodiment of his Division's ideals. He's a distant figure who despises war in all its forms, even as he fights in them. He's an unrelenting executioner who carries his burdens without complaint. And believe me, he has some very heavy burdens. The details are unclear, but my information suggests that he was responsible for the death of...no, never mind. Let's move on.

The former captain of the 4th was recently killed by Toho himself, and his successor doesn't even come close to filling his shoes. She's weak, driven by emotion and is currently imprisoned for helping one of the Espada to carry out his schemes. Thanks to Daisuke's orders and the fact that she had 'good intentions' she'll be out of there within a month. We can only hope that this ordeal teaches her to better herself before she resumes her command...

Captain Koujin is...let's not mince words. He's an undisciplined, scatterbrained moron. His sense of duty and desire to help don't make up for his complete lack of tactical awareness and combat ability. He was once arrested and tried for trying to willingly hand himself over to the Espada so that he could join his lieutenant (who had also willingly let himself be captured) in captivity. What he intended to do once he'd been disarmed, suppressed and thrown in with him may never be known.

Captain Honoka is one of the oldest officers in the Gotei 13. She has an outwardly gentle manner and dislike of fighting, but don't let that fool you; She's incredibly powerful as an opponent. She uses her power surprisingly little, which is good because she has a lot of it. Not only is she a captain and the head of a noble house, but she was recently appointed to lead the Central 46. A dangerous woman to cross.

Captain Vincent is a new to his position, but he seems to take it seriously. He hasn't made much of an impact on the politics of Seireitei yet, although he showed his commitment to the cause during the ryoka invasion. He seems to be a reliable captain who fades into the background most of the time.

The 12th Division doesn't have an official captain at the moment, due the previous one turning himself into a child. The acting captain, Kinkuzo Kukakya is well-suited for the position. He's technically gifted, strongly motivated and just insane enough to fit in with the Division. He's one of the few people who still understand the importance of keeping order in Seireitei. You're not likely to see much of him, since he's usually confined to the labs working on news ways to make the Universe bend to our every whim.

And finally, captain Siegfried. Despite being thrust into his position by his own mentor's betrayal, he's shown a surprising level of strength and power. He combines a good sense of tactics with a strong, fluid fighting style and decent ability to lead. At first glance his actions make him seem like a traitor, but I actually have high hopes for him in his future career.
"

The preceding comments obviously weren't delivered all at once. Breathing problems aside, dealing with the 7th Division captain's interruptions and attempts to pour drinks down his throat would provide plenty of breaks in the monologue.

[Callos_DeTerran]

A wolfish grin comes to Tai's face as the other captain takes the glass, waiting for him to drink from it before refilling it in almost an instant. Sure it was damn good sake, but it was also strong enough that even seasoned drinkers would likely only drink a glass or two. Considering she asked for the information though, Tai pauses her own drinking to listen attentively to the opinion that Kiljaeran had on the various captains.

"Oi, I said all the captains. You forgot yourself, the Kido Corp guy, 11th, and myself. Don't leave anything out. I need good info for what I'm doin'. Oh, and the family. Need to know about them..and how they got a seat next to old man Satoshi." Tai demands, filling up a glass for herself and stabbing a finger towards Kiljaeran. She doesn't elaborate on just why she needed to know, especially considering her Division's duties, but what else could be expected? "Ah! And any...sore spots between divisions. Everyone has'em. I need to know those too."

For a drunk, she was getting rather specific about the information that she wanted and just expected Kiljaeran to give it to her. Then again, why not though? Tai downs her own glass of sake and eagerly refills it, settling back into her chair once more as she looks about. How often did people get a chance to see the spook-captain get smashed afterall? If this didn't liven up the party, she didn't know what would.

[Anyr]

Kiljaeran's reply was far less focused than it had been a few minutes ago. Despite all his efforts he'd still had to take a few drinks from the endlessly refilling glass, and it was starting to kick in. He rubbed his head absently and tried to concentrate.

"Oh yeah, them. Sorry, I'd forget my own...shomething if it wasn't screwed on...

Hideki's a noble with an absholuoo-absolee-total respect for the law. We see eye to eye most of the time, 'cept when tradition's involved. The man seriously likes seeing crinimals get their just desserts, so he's not happy with whas been goin' on lately.

Sharubiru's just what you'd eggspect the Kenpachi to be: He's a brawler, pure and simple. Caused a lotta trouble a little way back. Killed a whole lot of peop-Oh yeah, he hates doors! And windows. Anyway, he's back now. Forgive and forget and all that jazz...

Hey, why do you wanna know about yourself? Don't you already-then again, I don't know most of me half as well as I used to. Well, I think you're good in a fight and have a lotta talalent, but you're alsho...you know what, never mind. I don't wanna lose my head today.

You're not gettin' anything on me, so forget it. And don't 'spect any of the others to talk either, 'cause they're mostly locked in boxes. One's not, but good luck finding him...

The family're the Honokas. Not the nobles-well, they're nobles now, but they're not from the Honokas...well they are, but not the Honokas...Anyway, the girl got turned into a dog by Nukari and came with us. dunno why; Don't we have better things to do? The family sort of followed, even though nonofem are dead. Girl's a lot bigger than I remember, come to think of it. Anyway, they're not important, so don't bother with 'em. They're just part of the scenery as far as I can see...

As for sore spots, everyone's gottem. The 1st get in everyone's face just because they can. The 2nd tangles with the others over jobs because they want to do everiethin' at once. The 3rd go after anyone who messes up their books or fill their graves too fast, the 4th get tired of being the dogsbodies for ungreatfull idiots...etc, etc. I could go on, but everything's getting kinda blurry..."

Kiljaeran was looking very unsteady. He wasn't in danger of passing out, but it was definitely a good job that he was already sitting down.

[Callos_DeTerran]

"Ah hah hah. The great Kiljaeran is losing his head already? C'mon, I know you can do better then that. Just one more." Tai says, though one quickly turned to two and then three. She might not have investigative skills, but she knew when there was a secret and Kiljaeran's words of not getting his head knocked off were certainly curious. "Prove your Division has the livers to drink with at the big boy table."

Already she was beginning to needle him, and Kiljaeran might have noticed if he wasn't being pumped full of sake, that Tai herself had stopped drinking somewhere around his third glass. The captain scoots her chair closer, giving the impression of intimacy and privacy to the sake-addled Kiljaeran and leans in conspiratorially. To an outside viewer, they might even look like a couple instead of a woman pumping a guy for information.

"C'mon now, tell me what I'm 'alshou' and I'll tell you a tasty little tidbit of info too about certain members of the Women's Shinigami Association that no one else knows. Fair trade, eh? And I promise not to hurt you much." Tai wheedles with a cheerful smile that almost bordered on malevolent. She'd found her source of information in the Seireitei, she'd just have to pump enough liquor into him each time to get what she wanted...and then some so he didn't remember.

[Fan]

Vince, out of politeness, and a love of parties himself has come to the Ascension of House Satoshi. He didn't care much for the Japanese "Noble" houses, where he came from (IE. Italy. He's been a stated transfer since ever.), but they were for the most part self sustaining, and kept on the right side of justice, so he didn't mind them much.

Then he saw Kilajren, and a figure he didn't exactly recognize. He had a few choice words for Kilajren, most of them regarding the rather lax application of law, but this being a party, he lifts a drink from a near by page/bus boy/waitress, and saunters over to the two, flipping out his acoustic out onto his lap so that way he doesn't break a string sitting on it, or scratch the finish.

"Nice to see you unwinding my friend."

He says from the opposite side of Kilajren, before quirking a eye brow at Captain Tai, and saying.

"Ah, you must be the newest captain... Tai was it?Looks like I'm not the new guy anymore. Hehehe."

He then extends a hand, proffering a handshake to his fellow newbie.

[Anyr]

Kiljaeran accepted each new glass with less reluctance than the previous one. Within a few minutes he was completely and thoroughly sloshed with no hope of recovery. He didn't even notice Vince's entrance and was only vaguely aware of his words. Ignoring him, he leaned towards the 7th Division captain, focusing on her speech because everything else was so distorted.

"If you insisis-if you like. Your problem is that you've got no...whassaword?...control. You shout and you stomp an' alla rest to get people inta line, but when that doesn' work you've got nuthin. You prolly think that smacking idiots down makes 'em look upta you...though lotsa people hafta do that anyway...But makin' everwon afraid to disagree with you isn't the same as having their reshpect. Sides, if you wanna control your guys there's better ways..."

He paused to take another drink and wagged a shaky finger in Tai's general direction.

"Haven to use force just means that you don't have the brains to make people do what you want any other way. frexmple, say I wanted to get you to do me a solid. You think I'm gonna march over there and beat you up? Nosir, there's better ways. Maybe I'd offer to swing something you were actuwalley gonna get anyway, so you gimme nothing for something...or something. I might make you think that you were the one who wanted what I wanted that you wan...wait, what? What was I...Oh yeah, methods. Or, if all else fails, there's allays good ol' blackmail. I'd stalk up all subtlelike and say 'member all the fun you had that one time in Zaraki when you were a 3rd chair? member that guy in the corner with the weird boxthing? Got lotsa good pictures...' Thas whadi'd sayta you..."

With that he slumped back in his seat. He was still conscious, but seemed content to stare at the ceiling for a while.

[MageSparrowhawk]

Kuenai is sitting adjacent to Hideki. She seems to be paying attention to the local conversation, eating slowly. In actuality, she's listening in to the 'talk' that the 7th and 8th squad captains are having. If she weren't as good as she is at disguising what's she's thinking, she'd probably be laughing right now.


((I take it this is out of direct continuity, so Koujin would be able to attend, correct?))

[Callos_DeTerran]

Tai's head snaps up from Kiljaeran's when Vince approaches and speaks up, still with that malevolently cheerful grin on her face as she stands up in the middle of Kiljaeran's monologue on her. With how sloshed he was, there was little chance he'd stop talking anyway. So, while listening, she takes the offered hand and gives it a just-short-of-bone-crushing squeeze and shake before letting go.

"Don't sound so smug about that." Tai says sourly before returning to her seat beside Darius. "'ell, I still don't even know how I was picked to be a captain. I was hoping Kiljaeran could shed some light on that, but...well just look at'em. He doesn't know nothing about it."

A loud sigh, still listening to Kiljaeran's critiscism to her behavior and by the end of it she couldn't help it. Tai started to snicker, and what started a snicker quickly turned to loud laughter as she shakes her head.

Got no other methods my foot. Who spilled his guts with a little sake in him?

'course, that was pre-blackmail threat when her head tilted up and she scratched her chin as she thought back. Fun time in Zaraki...there had been a couple of those and probably a couple she couldn't remember. Had Kiljaeran been spying on her since then?

"You sneaky hentai bastard, you've been following me around since I was a third seat? I thought the rumors of paranoia were just that, rumors but this just takes the cake." Tai grumbles aloud, the cheerful look going out of the malevolent one. Now her brain really was ticking, it'd be bad manners to interrupt the party to beat a drunk Kiljaeran to within an inch of his life..but maybe she could do something better. "Hey Vince, do me a favor. Keep him sauced up and I'll give you a parting gift."

And then Tai was up and on the move towards the Honoka's and Satoshi's table, giving them an idle wave. "Congratulations on the nobleness old man, enjoy it while it still seems fun. As for you three, also good job. Feel free to stop by the 7th any time for a visit." The last comment seemed directed towards Ami in particular, but there wasn't much time to think about that before Tai started heading for the door sans giant sake bottle. She'd need to hurry before Kiljaeran's buzz wore off.

[MageSparrowhawk]

Koujin enters the party, his vice-captain following as his guest. He brushes by the recently-appointed 7th squad captain, giving her a nod and smile.

Scanning the room for the newly appointed noble, he will make his way to Satoshi's side. Out of the range for interruption, but able to step in should there be a lull in the conversation.