Hyoroshi Iwamura dismissed himself from the 6th Division barracks, itself currently hosting a skeleton crew--overachievers and procrastinators, as the rest of the Division had retired for the evening. The night was a mild one, placid and still bright with the sun, welcoming enough for any Shinigami to spend their off-duty hours in earnest. It was evident in the streets; those with somewhere urgent to be, to the parlors and the markets, were long gone, the few souls discernable to Iwamura instead walking with their own purpose. Like him, they were probably on their way towards something of great brevity. For in a similar vein, Iwamura was ordered in official capacity to meet with the 2nd Division Captain.

A Hell Butterfly had even been sent, its black body and purple-black fringes fluttering upon his window sill as he chowed on his favorite steak udon, the one with the shiitake mushrooms and sprinkled with mild paprika. The message was simple, almost terse: 'Iwamura. Meet with me once your duties for the day are done. My barracks.' The message had addled his nerves for the rest of the day, and he was unable to get to all the tasks he'd planned on. For what he was shipped such an order he did not know, but he ultimately refreshed himself of his place. He was not a feral beast, in spite of his nature combining the qualities of both man and wolf; he knew the leash attached to his neck was a finite one. As such, he set off without further delay.

Little of note occurred by his arrival to the 2nd Division. Hyoroshi did notice some things: stares and double-takes from the uninitiated, a couple disconcerted whispers, and a baby bird that had fallen from its nest (thankfully unharmed, he had scooped the miniscule thing up in his brutish hands and, with utmost care and precision, returned it to its home upon the street wall). Still, it was all a near-daily occurrence, and now standing before the entrance to the 2nd's barracks with cautious intrigue on the mind, it was little to note. He strode forward and slid the front door open, letting himself inside.

Iwamura looked around, not particularly focused on any feature of the entrance hall except for the possible routes Ika Mazi may emerge from. He heard nothing indicative of the man. A huffed exhale rushed from his jet-black nostrils.

"Captain? Are you here? You wanted to speak?"

The bearish voice of the pup he'd helped save all those years ago...

A small smile would part Ika's lips, a slow drag off his favorite cigarette would precede the newest entry into the lingering smoke that danced in the air around Ika's office. It seemed that Iwamura had come quickly, more quickly than Ika had expected though he supposed it was hardly a surprise given his.. unique situation. "I am here, and you are more than welcome to come in and join me Iwamura. I sent for you myself after-all. No need for the formalities and all of that nonsense."

As the wolf man entered the room he would see Ika was.. about as relaxed as one could find a way to be. His feet were kicked up haphazardly on his desk, his chair was leaned back as far as it could be without falling over, Ika's eyes were towards the ceiling while his teeth continued to fiddle with the cigarette perched between them. He would glance up long enough to greet the man warmly, his cold blue eyes searching the beast for any signs of apprehension or discomfort that might be readily visible to him. Much to Ika's bemusement, there were none. The pup he'd vouched for all those years ago had grown into a man. A beast of a man, but a man nonetheless. "I just wanted to visit for a while if that's quite alright. We're not exactly strangers even if the powers at be seem to be conspiring to make us that way.."

Ika would slowly slide his legs off the desk and lean forwards, his posture straightened and the cigarette that had been perched between his lips a few short moments ago had been converted to ash in a nearby trash can. "I've heard plenty of testimonials to the man you've become, so I guess I just wanted to see it for myself. Hard to believe you're the same pup I vouched for all those years ago, Bashira should be thrilled that you've made it your goal to prove her right." Ika smirked, his eyes still locked on the man to try and gauge any reaction that might be had. "How has the adjustment been since she promoted to Captain Commander? The new captain is treating you well I hope."

As Captain Mazi posited about Bashira's replacement, Iwamura lowered himself into one of two modest, Western-style chairs which sat straight and parallel to the ornate desk before him. He had, indeed, been expecting something unpleasant; the sentiment was a meek one, peering with its beady black eyes from the very back. It was nothing more than the disorderliness of an unhindered imagination, and it was making just enough of a racket to tingle the back of his head and curl his fingers as they rested in his lap.

No longer did any trepidations whisper when Iwamura observed Captain Mazi's behavior. He did not know the man in his entirety (and he had no particular inclination to do so, he would figure soon after departing), but he had been joined with Ika long enough to know that it was mere honest-to-goodness selfishness that brought this meeting about. Selfishness, Iwamura fully expected--simple, boisterous honesty, fully developed and ready to take flight, seized Iwamura with such bewilderment as to lift his nonexistent brows.

"If it's all the same, you're a Captain," he stated with a pleasant little grin forming, "and as you say, I am a man. A man with a debt I doubt can ever be fully settled. But that doesn't mean I can just leave it to gather dust. So, I apologize for tossing in a few coins when I can."

Iwamura leaned back a bit and set his arms upon the armrests. His hands limp over both edges, both indexes and middle fingers idly tapped upon the armrests' metal underbellies, one and the other, one and the other. He was staring back at Mazi, meeting the gaze halfway with a glint neither afflicted nor oppressive. That pleasant little grin was gone, usurped by Mazi's brief flippancy and replaced by a dubious fervor.

"You know my position about making those disparaging comments, Captain Mazi. It is what it is. I'm grateful we get to do what we can at all, if they even are still trying to be frustrating. Which I don't think they are, not actively. They can't ignore the facts." It was true; perhaps by merit of Iwamura's mere presence in Internal Affairs--itself certainly based upon the simple truth of his physiology--the levels of violent crime throughout the Seireitei and Rukongai alike had fallen precipitously and remain notably diminished.

Hyoroshi paused for a moment, searched Mika's face, then glanced at the trash can. "I do miss Captain Kinoshita, sir. And maybe this other item is a bit of a residual effect of that, or maybe it's me not adjusting well enough, but in my view, I do not believe Captain Lisola to be a strong fit for the Sixth Division." He shifted in his cramped seat. A frown was now splayed across blackened lips as he continued at pace, his eyes trained back onto Captain Mazi.

"I have zero ill will towards her. I'm sure we could get along well enough outside of our roles, and she's relatively inoffensive on a moment-to-moment basis. But as a Captain in her official duties, with all due respect, she does not reach the expectations any reasonable person would have of the head of Internal Affairs. I'm not sure how she can be expected to maintain the order of all of Soul Society when she cannot maintain the order of her own office." Hyoroshi crossed his arms. "From what I've seen of her, she might see what I'm saying as a challenge or a threat--my personal opinion of which doesn't matter, by the way, but I've avoided mentioning any of this until now because she might very well take it as a threat. So, now that you've brought it up...no, I haven't adjusted very well yet."

"What are coins to a man like me Iwamura, I hardly have the time or need for them. Your continued participation in this conversation and in the Gotei will serve as restitution enough for me."

Ika leaned forward, smoke still idling off his lips as his mouth curled into a smile. "After-all, Bashira is hardly the only noble who vouched for you that day pup. I get the same tingles of satisfaction she does, even if I'm perhaps less motivating for you." Ika would offer the man a moments reprieve, letting him situate himself in his seat as Ika himself seemed to take inventory of his demeanor. His poker face had improved, that much was clear in this moment as his contempt for the words Ika was saying didn't seem to scream it's way into the conversation through presence alone.

"I know your position, I just happen to reject it. Without Bashira's interjection and my weight behind it you would have been strung up from a leash and paraded around the Rukongai by whatever delinquent squad found your corpse first. Your gratitude should be reserved for the life you now lead and Bashira for letting you lead it, not to those who would've seen you as a disposable beast and little else."

Ika would lean forward across the desk, ensuring eye contact for the next few lines he could muster. "I'm not convinced they'd have let you live if you hadn't provided the service you've provided thus far Iwamura, your loyalty and service still haven't seen you rewarded the way they would be if you were someone of.. well my stature for instance."

Ika's smile was playful and coy, yet the venom and contempt for those Iwamura revered was evident in the way he spoke.

"As for Ms. Lisola.."

Ika leaned back in his chair, silently reflecting on the girls promotion. It was sudden, that much was clear and the fit within the 6th squad was always a strange one to those who were less initiated. "I can certainly see an argument that that position was a strange one for her, yet I'd struggle to see a better one available. I suppose she could have tried to kill Captain Moriyama for the Kenpachi spot but unfortunately that can be a bit messy, and we both know how the noble clans feel about their blood being shed for sport. Cowards the lot of them I say.."

Ika would continue to reflect on what the man was saying, leaning his head back in his hands as his elbows stretched outwards and his eyes looked past Iwamura into the void or god knows what else. "You and Captain Lisola being a poor fit does certainly present it's fair share of challenges to you I'm sure, and yet.. well it's no secret you could easily fill the role you're currently filling in any squad, and some would say you may even deserve more Iwamura."

Ika's eyes would head towards the ceiling, a sign that his brain was fighting evil notions no doubt. "Have you yet been considered for a Vice Captain position Iwamura?.."

As Mazi spoke, there was no additional sound apart from the ambience of the evening. Iwamura had sat still, his arms remaining crossed across his inhuman chest, the dull oranges in his eyes fixed straight ahead. In fact, Iwamura had refrained from interjecting upon Captain Mazi at all, though not for a lack of retorts or clarifications. Several had sprung forth and began nipping at Iwamura's ankles, and a part of him long fathomless wanted nothing more than to bear his discontent and wave these issues in the Captain's face. No, Iwamura had remained quiet, very much pensive, out of a deep respect for what Mazi had set down. In this regard, the Captain was an unabashed fox of incredible consternation; he was not above throwing a few dirty haymakers.

The silence from Iwamura extended for several seconds beyond the end of Mazi's question. It was as if he was letting it all hang in the air so as to more closely scrutinize. He had been aware of the piercing truth--that the desperation of his circumstances had been reduced to a little pest without being destroyed completely. All it had to take was a single grave error on his part. Yet even now there was no fear, and Iwamura suspected there would never be. This sort of tightrope was too familiar, and he was fully aware of who occupied the Captain-Commander position. He was, indeed, in a kind of paradise.

Eventually Hyoroshi did return to life, his gaze lowering to the desk separating the two, although when he spoke again his first words were slow, deliberate.

"To my knowledge, no, I haven't." Iwamura glanced up to Mazi again. "What're you getting at, Captain? That you'll pull some strings for me? I will refuse any attempt, if that's the case."

With a start Iwamura's brows suddenly furrowed; they provided him a visage of ferocity natural for a man of his form, although the rest of his features exuded ample restraint--down to the arms that were still crossed into each other.

"As I said, I have no ill will towards Captain Lisola--and this sentiment extends to all of Soul Society. I am aware of the political games that're played, and I accept them. I know that the people here who play them can be monstrous...yet at least with them, they are still men and women. They may still be salvageable yet."

Iwamura's tone, along with his shoulders, had wilted by this last remark. His arms dropped limp into his lap.

"If they do end up putting me to death, at this point, with everything that's been done...that is when we'll know where they truly belong. The Beast Realm, or Hell--it won't matter which."

The man seemed to answer Ika's inqueries in whatever order he wanted, an odd conversational tactic that seemed to steer the conversation in whatever direction he wanted, but.. Ika was hardly going to bother getting that deep in the weeds on the topic presently. Ika's smile would continue to permeate the conversation, his fingers dancing across his leg as he glanced across at the werewolf man before he finally settled on what to say. "Shame to hear you'll refuse my attempts, they tend to be quite successful around these parts. Still, if you say it isn't my place then all I can do is take your word for it and honor your request. If you change your mind or need a reference for a future position feel free to reference me, you're plenty worthy Iwamura."

Ika's smile was genuine, there was no ill-will or intentions for his want to help, he had simply decided that Iwamura would be one of his people of interest long before Iwamura had the opportunity to say no to it. The beast furrowed it's brow in the same way a man might to look serious, but Ika himself was hardly moved by such gestures of humanity. "Well I'm glad to hear you don't have contempt for Ms. Lisola, she's something of a legend within this hivemind we live in, and you'd be unlikely to bring anyone to your side against her. You are wrong on one thing though Iwamura, these games aren't played by monstrous men and women, they are played by beings far worse than those."

Ika's smile turned from genuine to one indicating a bit of loathing and pain. "We have politicians here my dear Iwamura, and worse than that we have bureaucrats and patricians born into positions they have no merit or need for. They aren't interested in what's best for you or me or for the world we're sworn to preserve, just for what ensures they'll maintain their position until their souls fade from this place. These are not salvageable people, these people are living refutations to the righteousness of the Soul Cycle."

Still, no matter what Ika said it did appear that Iwamura was going to be resolute. "However, it does appear that your mind is made up so not much point in continuing. It was a pleasure seeing you Iwamura, you won't be on a leash as long as I'm still around you have my word."

Ika would reach out with a wry wink, offering a handshake as the conversation seemed to be coming to a close.

Iwamura's furrowed brows remained firm and were even further bolstered by the enflamed gaze that now watched Captain Mazi. The beast-man did not raise his hand to meet Ika's, nor was there any indication on Hyoroshi's part of an imminent departure, though such countenance was not based in animalistic vitriol; such would have been an affront to both men's very presence here. No, Iwamura had simply put a few pieces together and was regarding the inferred image with a scathing, though still rational, bewilderment.

"I've gotten the sense you're trying to lead me into a different decision, Captain. Why?" Iwamura's gut couldn't let Mazi answer yet. "You speak these things about the politicians and the leadership class as if I'm not familiar with how beasts and devils operate. As if you're trying to narrow my perspective down. Please tell me, sir, if you've ever found the desire to leave Soul Society for the Beast Realm." Iwamura had spoken these last few words with an audible growl, and he was leaned forward now, his hands practically planted upon the edge of Mazi's desk, a position which he only now noticed. A slow sigh drew from his mouth as he fell back against his undersized seat. The conflict warring in his chest was blatant in the full defusal of tension from his body. For the second time, he appeared visibly deflated.

"I'm sorry...I'm refusing your attempts on the basis that, knowing what I know about you, they're likely loaded with something sleezy or unsavory. Now--" Iwamura dipped his head at an angle in concession, "--if whatever you're drumming up is something that won't cause any major issues, there might be room for me to consider. But I'd need to hear details first, and then I'll decide what to do."

Ika was taken aback by Iwamura's reaction. For one, the gall of the man to be so flippant in this particular setting was.. surprising to say the least. It seemed that his time in the Gotei had maybe reduced his manners a bit, a lesson Ika found himself fit to correct. Ika pulled his patented card from his hip pocket and slowly leaned over the desk, moving his mouth towards Iwamura's ear as though they were about to share a moment of intimacy. "Watch your tone and growl pup. It's nice that you think yourself free from consequence, but aggressive dogs get put down. Growl and take that tone with me again and thoughts from the peanut gallery will be the least of your fucking concern. Are we clear?"

Once Ika was satisfied with the pup stepping back a bit, he would continue on. "I'm not trying to lead you into anything mutt, I was simply trying to help. As for your realm or my own, it wouldn't matter much either way. If I were in the Beast Realm I'd have my way, and here in this world I'll have my way. The only difference is who would be irritating me, and how they'd be accomplishing it."

Ika would frown, leaning back as he continued to gather his thoughts, lazily sliding his card back in his waistline before continuing. "You speak of men as if you know them, but in terms of tenure your time here is a vacation compared to my more permanent stay and even then, you've never been near the top of the food chain so that you can see these little jousts play out in real time. Consider yourself lucky for both my advisement on these matters, and the fact you never had to spend your time around them. As for helping you.."

Ika pondered a bit, wondering if he should let the insult slide. "I'm not sure why I'd obligate myself to help someone who feels such contempt for my character, so I'm going to ask you to leave before I begin to feel less generous and call the pound."

It was as if Captain Mazi had awoken Iwamura to the precarious bridge the subordinate had so carelessly wandered upon; now, with eyes engorged, he was fully aware of the frigid chasm he was held over. Iwamura had not pulled his gaze from Mazi once, but it had at once became dazed in shellshock by the end of the Captain's first coruscating threat. From there Iwamura sat in silence, almost statuesque, absorbing Mazi's sortie in its entirety with a quaking heart. A heart that did not wish to relent (as it so often occurred), but nevertheless saw plainly the error of its ways.

Iwamura rose from his seat the instant the command was ordered. The light-headedness of the verbal concussion the Captain had given him was wearing off, bringing the world back into clarity--and with that clarity came the sight of a much deeper, unsettling element of Ika Mazi he had presented with his tirade, one that felt vaguely familiar in its relationship to the Seireitei as a whole: something resembling pride. As Iwamura bowed below the waist, he grasped the sense that he was doing so from one side of an immutable gash in the floor, the Captain sitting at the other. Within that, he sorely admitted to himself, perhaps they were both equally as justified in their ways.

"Yes, sir." His movements and tone held no passion and barely any personality; a subordinate speaking to his superior, nothing more. Iwamura held the bow for another second and straightened up. Before he could open the door and take his leave, however, when he was standing right next to the entrance, a swelling chorus brought him back around and into an even deeper bow.

"Please excuse me, sir."

And Iwamura swung back upright and departed, headed with a lowered head for his home in the Sixth.

Nice to get some respect around here once in a while. That was the first thought that went through Ika's head when the pup tucked it's tail and quickly seemed to get the point. Ika didn't usually have to resort to being this extreme, but the disrespect he'd been receiving seemed to be fit for someone much more in line with Iwamura's rank, a place Ika himself hadn't seen in over a millennium. Ika had regathered himself rather quickly, lazily leaning back in his chair as he watched to see whether or not Iwamura would piss on the rug on the way out. In a way, Ika felt somewhat underappreciated. He'd done just as much for the pup he saw tucking tail in front of him as anyone had, and yet it still hadn't earned any good favor or even respect seemingly.

What a pity.

"Oh Iwamura.. one more thing. If you're going to be a lap dog for the Captain Commander, a bitch for a bitch, at least express to her that I'd like to see you properly house trained going forward. If she or anyone else needs help with it, they're more than welcome to knock on my door here any time."

Ika would smirk devilishly, knowing full-well the upperhand was had.