Try-Out: Kyousuke Tsukimiya; Tsukimiya [APPROVED]

[Ravilin Asura]

• Try-out Role-Player: Tsukimiya
  
• Try-out Character's Name: Kyousuke Tsukimiya
  
• Try-out Character's Race: Shinigami

[Tsukimiya]

The late afternoon sun was hanging lazily in the sky, bathing Seireitei in orange light, long shadows stretching out from the brilliant white spires and towers. The evening was approaching fast and already the majority of the occupants of the Gotei 13 compounds were settling down into the peaceful languor that often accompanied nightfall. The odd group of Shinigami could already be seen patrolling the crisscrossing lanes and avenues, and mess halls all across Seireitei would no doubt be starting to see the slightest trickle of people arriving for their evening meals.

For Kyousuke Tsukimiya, a meal was the last thing on his mind. An hour ago, he had been a third-seat in the Fifth Division, and now he found himself wearing the captain's haori, sitting in the captain's office, and holding the rank of captain of the Fifth Division. He found the situation quite surreal, and as he lounged behind the massive black granite slab that formed the desk, he toyed absentmindedly with a single high-caliber revolver round he had found on the polished surface five minutes ago. The round was unexpectedly heavy for something so small, and Kyousuke knew that it was symbolic and had been left here on purpose—the former captain had never required actual bullets to fire the two revolvers she always carried around—but the meaning of it eluded him. It had been resting in the center of the desk as he had sat down in front of it, and he had regarded it cooly for a full two minutes before leaning forward and scooping it up. It was a message, of course, but what was it trying to say? Was it a warning? Encouragement? Was it representative of his role? Was Kyousuke the bullet, an instrument of warfare, something to be aimed at someone and let loose? He didn't know for certain what it meant, and perhaps that's precisely why it had been left there for him. It was his very first puzzle as captain, a parting gift of sorts from his predecessor.

It wasn't the first time he had been in this office, but it had been the first time he had been inside it and been able to call it his own. The subtle aroma of cigarette smoke, rum, and ferocity still lingered, as if the room was having trouble letting go of its previous occupant, and perhaps Kyousuke was having difficulty, too. He knew the Fifth like the back of his hand, but was he really the best choice for leading it? He could follow orders, but could he give them?

He turned the bullet over in his hands, twirling it in his fingers as he stared absentmindedly into space, reflecting on the events of the day. The inauguration meeting at the First Division Headquarters had been solemn and sincere: he had arrived to a full assembly of the captains of the Gotei 13, and they had passed the vote to raise him to the rank of captain before the new Captain-Commander had draped the white haori of the Fifth Division over Kyousuke's shoulders as he knelt in front of her. Something as simple as that was all it took to gain complete and utter control of an entire division, and now Kyousuke had it. The meeting had convened shortly after, as the captains—now no longer his superiors, but equals, thought Kyousuke—had other tasks to attend to, but he had received congratulations from all of them before they went their separate ways. Some had certainly seemed more sincere than others, but Kyousuke had never cared much about others' opinions of him—respect was earned, after all, not freely given. Not many of the captains present had ever heard of him, let alone met him before. Kyousuke could imagine that some of them would regard him as some sort of upstart, and he was certain his age didn't exactly help his case.

"But you don't care what they think, do you? You know you'll do your job well."
Kyousuke's gaze fell to the desk, which had been empty a moment ago. Now there was a feminine figure lounging lazily on it, subtle curves visible under the white kosode and red hakama. Her eyes were smoldering, and everything about her seemed exceptionally vivid, as if she wasn't quite real. She had no reflection in the smoothly polished surface of the granite desk.
"I'll do it as well as I've always done," he replied softly, shrugging and leaning back in the chair. "They can judge my performance once there is a performance to be judged. Until then, they will simply have to—"
"Yeah, yeah. Wait and see. That's your answer to everything, you know that? Your patience is incredibly irritating, Kyousuke."
"It suits me, don't you think?"
The girl rolled onto her side to face Kyousuke and propped her head up on her hand. She blew hair out of her eyes and affixed him with a curious gaze, a tiny smile playing on her delicate lips. "So what does the bullet mean?"
"Don't ask stupid questions, Kannaduki. I don't know what the bullet means, and I'm probably not meant to ever find out."
"That doesn't mean you're gonna stop thinking about it, though."
Kyousuke looked into her eyes for a moment, seeing the color shift and flicker like hot coals, then smiled wanly. "No, I'm not going to stop thinking about it." He swivelled away from her, closed his eyes and leaned back, more out of thoughtfulness than sleepiness. The bullet was still in his hand.

"So what are you going to do next?" Her voice was still in front of him, and he opened one eye ever so slightly. Kannaduki was now perched on his lap, staring at his face intently. Outside of the inner world, she weighed nothing.
"I'm going to act the part of a captain, because that is what is expected of me," he replied, closing his eye again.
"That isn't really what you want to—"

She was interrupted by a knock at the door, and Kyousuke opened his eyes. His sword spirit was gone, and he sat unmoving for an instant before turning back toward his desk and slipping the bullet into his sleeve.

"Come in."

[Ravilin Asura]

It had been awhile since Kasumi had wondered what Kyousuke was doing to gain his power. Most people didn't do a single thing to gain it yet she was pondering over it. The second division haori clung to her petite form while her raven hair was pulled back into a delicate looking knot. The tips of the long hair played across her neck but beyond that she looked perfectly content. The harsh crimson eyes swept over members of the fifth division, nodding to them when one would glance to her nervously. It seemed that to anyone not in her division the woman instilled fear. It was probably the whispers about what she did to those who even disobeyed for a second. After all she was merely an extension on the sou-taichou's will. She did as told and never questioned it. Questioning such a thing was dangerous. The soft patter of her feet down the hallway was all the noise that came from her. Tucked under her left arm was a basket with sake, some red spider lilies and treats she picked up. Despite the other captains not doing much for the man she wanted to celebrate her former squad mate ranking up into something more. The man hadn't lasted long in the secret operatives. It was a surprise that someone who looked as delicate as she did lasted even.

The soft whispering of Kirin rung out lightly in her mind, he was a bit frustrated in the fact that the captain was ignoring him. Constantly he'd warn her against getting too close to Kyousuke. He was dangerous, not someone to be trusted much. Kasumi looked over to the office door as she stood in front of it. The crimson eyes held a light look to them as she reflected the day she first met the shinigami. She had known he didn't belong there. It was easy to tell, that was why she had talked to Ruby at one point about the man moving there so he was some where that wouldn't get him killed. If your heart wasn't in you job you ended up dead without someone there to care.

Knocking softly on the wooden doors, Kasumi waited for Kyousuke to tell her to enter. Once he told her to come in Kasumi pushed the door open with a soft push, peering to the fifth division captain with a faint grin. "I thought I'd stop by and say congratulations." Closing the door behind her the second division captain walked to the desk before dropping the basket to the table. The eyes held amusement as she watched him for a moment. "This is for you. How are you enjoying the fifth division, Tsukimiya?" The other captain questioned, moving to one of the seats in front of the desk. Sitting, she folded like a doll, before waiting for an answer.

[Tsukimiya]

Well, this is certainly a surprise, thought Kyousuke as he rose from his seat. Kasumi entered the room and set down her basket of gifts on his desk, looking as stunning and as lethal as ever. Kyousuke couldn't help but think back to how he had respected her when he had been a member of her division all those years ago, despite not caring much for the things they had done. It was odd, suddenly finding himself on an equal level, no longer her subordinate but instead her peer. A momentary feeling of relief passed over him as he realized that at least Oukami still outranked him: that much, at least, had not changed.

"Fifth is treating me as well as ever, although the Captain practically gutted it before she left," he answered, smiling a lopsided smile and spreading his hands in a resigned gesture as he sat down. "I suppose I'll be appropriating some new assets from around the Gotei 13, fresh blood might be useful. I mean to take the Fifth in a slightly different direction than my predecessor, though the spirit will still very much be one of intelligence-gathering. Suffice to say, you won't be the only one directing covert operations in the future, though I suspect I won't be responsible for quite as many fatalities." He slid the basket closer to himself and picked through it interestedly. The treats looked delicious, as expected from the sweet-loving captain of the Second Division, but Kyousuke had never been a big fan of sake.
"I'd offer you a drink, but I'm afraid I don't have any glasses." It was a lie, of course: there was a perfectly good set of rocks glasses hidden behind a sliding panel on one of the walls, but drinking sake out of rocks glasses wasn't exactly proper, and he couldn't well offer his colleague a different drink.

A lying, manipulative sociopath he may have been, but he did have a shred of decency.

Besides, he wasn't even sure Kasumi was one to drink on the job. Kyousuke's predecessor had been happy enough with her rum whenever the mood struck her, and Kyousuke didn't mind the occasional glass of bourbon, but he had not once seen the special forces commander drink anything but water. He made a mental note to add that to her file, and to look into it further.

Still, he could offer her one of the treats. He knew she'd appreciate it. "Please, help yourself," he said, motioning toward the basket as he settled into his chair. He was captain of Fifth now, he may as well start acting the part. "So, tell me. What's new in the Second?"

[Ravilin Asura]

Try-out Profile Evaluation Section - Sub-Total: 30/36

• General -Total: 11/12
  
• Thoroughness - 3/4
  
• Organization - 4/4
  
• Cleanliness - 4/4
  
  
• Character - Total: 10/12
  
• Originality and creativity - 5/6
  
• Character depth - 5/6
  
  
• Zanpakuto - Total: 9/12
  
• Originality and creativity - 4/6
  
• Zanpakuto depth - 5/6

Try-out Post Evaluation Section - Sub-Total: 54/64

• Creativity - Total: 14/18
  
• Setting - 4/6
  
• Action scene - 5/6
  
• Character reaction -5/6
  
  
• Grammar and Sentence Structure - Total: 15/16
  
• Punctuation - 4/4
  
• Sentence structure - 4/4
  
• Readability - 7/8
  
  
• Storytelling Ability - Total: 4/4
  
  
• Flow and Overall Structure - Total: 7/8
  
• Post flow - 4/4
  
• Post organization - 3/4
  
  
• General Detail - Total: 14/18
  
• Setting detail - 4/6
  
• Character action detail - 5/6
  
• Character interaction detail and integrity - 5/6

Total: 84

Conversion: 10,000

[Sponsored content]