“We’ll see how long it lasts, once I’m Captain I’ll have to start answering to her directly too.” Hayate figured that would be better than having to worry about listening to his current Captain boast and crow his way around the barracks. “She seems steady enough, maybe it’s what the Gotei needs.” Ika’s approximation of the Commander was about accurate as far as Hayate knew, so he wasn’t going to argue the point. Rather just share his point of view on the matter.

Hayate managed to fill a final cup without spilling a drop, as unsteady as he had gotten with the drinking thus far, he wasn’t about to waste the good stuff. While Ika went in his rant about legacy and getting one up on his brother, Hayate took his time to enjoy the last of the whiskey and just let the Captain just ramble as he liked. “Well, he’d deserve it from what I’ve heard.” He found himself chuckling at the idea but in the end, he was unable to think of a way to make that happen without ending up locked up in the Maggot’s nest right alongside him.

“If he’s anything like the others it won’t take long for that sword to get to him. If he manages to keep it.” Hayate in the end wasn’t going to concern himself with future plans, it’d only matter if he succeeded after all. “Think the Emperor of Rukongai would really just keel over like that?” He smirked “Kosuke is hardly that old, if he was going to die someone would have to do it. Might be beyond me though.” He shrugged, as far as wishful thinking went hoping the old man would just pass wasn’t likely. But who knew.

“End of the day the plans in motion, I’m not stopping now. Shinsuke will die, Jinno will handle whatever comes after. And is anyone stupid enough to challenge you to a fair fight?” Hayate peered at the empty glass and set it aside finally. “Doesn’t seem like the sort of thing to worry about really.” As unflappable as ever it seemed.

"Ah what a charmed life that'll be for you, consider yourself lucky and blessed to answer to our newest nobility. I'll continue leaving her guessing, the fewer questions I have to answer directly to her the better off I'll be at avoiding the hill. But maybe you're right, my tactics have always been considered.. questionable by those who'd call themselves Mazi-skeptics, perhaps assassinating my political enemies would've been a more efficient path to power and maintenance. The old fashioned way like my dear old uncle did right?"

Ika chortled a bit, referring to a tale lost to time to those less studied before continuing on. "My brother deserved to die on the hill, but dear old dad couldn't stand to watch his chosen successor die so he gave him an arguably worse fate. Make no mistake, there are some in the Gotei to this day who think what he did was justified and would see him freed if they found even the slightest hint of power to do so. He was more powerful than I was in his time, and far more ruthless if you could believe it."

Ika opted for a cigarette, deciding that intoxication had taken ahold of him plenty by this point and would probably only get worse. His fingers dug their way through his pockets greedily, desperately trying to find purchase before gleefully retrieving the cancer stick from it's hole. Once it found purchase between his teeth, Ika would light it gleefully and smile softly before continuing on. "No, the old and evil seldom die at a time that's convenient for the rest of us. He'll probably live long enough to be an inconvenience to all of us a few more times, his story is hardly finished though I wish the epilogue were a bit closer at hand."

Ika took a drag off his cigarette, enjoying the flavors in the midst of his spell of intoxication for a moment before continuing on with somewhat loosened lips. "I make a habit of worrying about the inevitable. You're a better fighter than Shinsuke, I've matched up with both of you in my time and if I didn't believe that in my marrow I would've never volunteered you. There's a certain flair for combat, a tenacity you have that someone who sleeps with satin sheets simply can't hope to replicate. As far as that fight is concerned, his death warrant was signed the minute I volunteered you."

Ika smiled, genuinely compelled by his friends moment of glory to come. "Well, there is one, but she's probably got better things to do than squabble with me. Still, it isn't the fair fights I worry about. After-all, if you find yourself in a fair fight I'd suggest your tactics are a bit shit. I'd hope thieves and crooks aren't so battle starved these days that they'd forget that particular rule of engagement. Still, I've been known to play dirty with the best of them.. I reckon I'll be just fine. Jinno will be as well, I've got plenty of folks working to ensure that is the case and have been laying the groundwork for that over the course of the last couple decades."

Ika eyed the bottle and his glass, opting for one more pour for the road. His hands seemed to wobble slightly as he filled his shot glass to the brim, then filled his friends as well before raising it. "A toast to conspiracy and happy endings old friend."