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"Problem solving? Wow, what kind of hell training did that come from..." Hinata's voice trailed off, before an exasperating thought struck her, "- That... sounds like the kind of thing my Sensei would do." Her eye twitched; Sin-sensei simply loved putting her in dire situations and leaving her to sort herself out. Whether it be pitting her against menos; sealing her inside a building with an Arrancar in it; or setting up his idea of an obstacle course (from which she frequently emerged, sooty-faced and drained of energy, after trying to break the various spells he had blocked her way with); he always won in the end. Once, while she had been a fresh academy pupil, he had cast some weird, made-up kido spell on her which woke her up every morning by giving her a dozen electric shocks. He then challenged her to break it.

However, as much as the shinigami could not call her own training "friendly", she was pretty sure whatever had happened to Hishida had been even less so. The reiatsu surrounding his arm felt more like a curse than any normal kido, and she was almost certain it gave him a lot of trouble.

"I'd say get it looked at if its really troubling you, but I doubt anything would come of it," Hinata said, idly prodding tea leaves around her cup. "Well, not being pessimistic or anything," she assured. "In any case, you can always talk to your zanpaktou. If its any more sensible than mine, it should be able to advise you..." She grimaced; in a situation such as this, Harikaze would probably suggest some gory or sardonic remedy, such as chopping the arm off.

As the bell tinkled, Hinata glanced around to see a shinigami she did not recognise enter the room. He was tall, his face hidden by a shadowy cloak, and seemed to move almost silently to the bar. Turning back to her tea, she waited until he was seated before leaning to the side of Hishida to address him.

"Good afternoon," she said, smiling politely. "I don't believe we've met. I'm this division's Vice-Captain, Kazuki Hinata." She indicated the badge wrapped around her arm. "And you...?"

"Ah! Well, I'm sorry we hadn't been introduced properly before, seeing as you're in my squad." Noticing that Telemachus quickly withdrew his hand after offering it to her, Hinata's curiosity was immediately piqued, and as always, she relied on her senses to work for her. His reiatsu was strange- not in a strange way like a hollow or arrancar, but didn't seem to be entirely shinigami either. She often felt this way with her friend Hatsume, a kitsune, but still didn't seem to be able to place Telemachus' reiatsu.

"Hmm... Well, in this squad, we're not just ordinary shinigami either, you know!" She chuckled as she remembered MockaDash-taicho saying exactly the same thing to her when she joined. "So, Fringe-san, have you been in any other squads, or is the thirteenth your first?" she asked, absent-mindedly carving into her empty teacup with a throwing-knife.

"Half leopard?" Hinata cocked her head, taking in Telemachus' ears, face and furred hands. "Hmm... It must be rare. But as I said, we accept all kinds of individuals," she continued with a smile. "You don't have to be nervous about it- here, we're all equals! Evil-Taicho herself is part wolf. You said you'd been escorted by her. Care to elaborate?" she said lightly, scratching wings into her carving of a crane.

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Hiroko walked into the bar and looked around nervously. 'They beetter not ask me about the mask.' He held his records in his hands and looked over the crowd. He would make a comment about humans, but he saw the leopard man and dismissed it. Seeing the sparkle of a lieutenants badge he walked forward, still wearing his shinigami academy issued robes. Then he spoke his first words in a long while, and as he did his voice came out smooth as the bottom of a riverbed. "Ma'am." It was muffled by the cotton cloth covering his face, but she should have been able to hear it. "I'm the new squad member, Kurojuu, Hiroko, I was told to report to you as the captain is currently gone." That was by far the longest sentence he had spoken since the shinigami found him in the Zaraki district.
He stood there and waited, analyzing the scene for any blind spots, as well as tactical vantage points. Even the shinigami at the academy tried to remove his mask, and when they finally saw what was behind it they would beat him, but he never made any effort to stop it, because the beatings made him stronger, and fighting back would only fuel the fire. Instead he got is revenge in the classroom. They quickly learned not to make fun of the stick that he held at his side instead of a zanpakuto, because his stick was more lethal any given day of the week. It was already combat ready, no drawing necessary, and if they did break the stick they would see the sword hidden within, but what would this officer think as she laid eyes on him for the first time? The small frail looking boy in pants and a hankoma top with a stick at his side and a mask on his face. He probably looked like a child ready to play pretend shinigami, but he would quickly teach all of them that books cannot be judged by their covers. The leopard man looked fierce, but he could be as ferocious as a kitten, and the world would never know until they sat down. Hiro was the same way.

Cocking his ear back to the new arrival, the feline Shinigami listened his introduction and name with slight interest. Hearing Hinata's words about a uniform, he turned his full attention to the Fuku-Taicho and replied. "Welcome, Hiroko Kurojuu. Is a uniform required? My crea- father gave me a set long ago, but I found it hindering to my movements." Telemachus turned his whole torso to the two Shinigami. The young man's mask perturbed him slightly, as it dampened the boy's scent with something the Leopard man couldn't identify. He hoped he would not be forced to dress in a regulation uniform, but if he aas ordered to, he would.

"That is good to know. And I believe you'd look better in shorts than hakam..." He stopped short of completing his sentence and turned back to his empty glass in the awkward silence. His spotted fur quivered slightly as he awaited some sort of reprimand for speaking so plainly to Hinata. Why did I say that? How could I even think it?