The various members of the First Division stopped and looked over at the man walking down the hallway purposefully towards the office of the Captain-Commander, before scrambling to continue their duties. The Captain of the Eight Division, Okami Shiba, had a blank, purely professional look on his face and was carrying a disturbingly-thick stack of paperwork along with him. The noble was arguably one of the more experienced Captains in the Gotei, similar in age and rise to one Ika Mazi, although his own growth had stagnated due to the duties of his position. At this point, he had been incapable of actually training beyond maintaining his own skills for longer than he'd care to admit, and the silver-eyed Shinigami was getting a bit tired of it. Hell, he hadn't slept in the last three days attempting to get this packet of intel together.

He'd never admit it to the woman he was here to see, however.

Raising up a bare arm, his sleeveless Shihakusho and haori perfectly-pressed and his Zanpakuto tucked into his belt to present the epitome of tradition out of respect for his commanding officer's preferences, he knocked for a moment and waited, only stepping in when he was called for. Bowing briefly, he'd lift the stack and set it on Bashira Kinoshita's desk, stepping back politely and clasping his hands behind his back. "Ma'am, here are the reports you requested on the Eighth Division's current patrols of the World of the Living, our records of any Hollows slain in the last month and a half, along with an assessment on the piece of Hueco Mundo that has managed to encroach."

After he'd finished, he managed to stifle a yawn without actually breaking the carefully-crafted mask of "nobility and professionalism" he'd been forced to learn as a child. He hated having to actually act his station, but if the Captain-Commander decided that traditionalism and courtesy were what she wanted, then that's what she'd get.

Bashira looked up from her work, eyeing the stack of papers that had just been delivered. Perfectly organized for not only neatness's sake, but for ease of reading. Excellent, just how she liked it. She'd come to expect a certain standard of work from her subordinates, and Okami never skimped on his work. That was especially important given the sudden turn of events in the world of the living. As Okami had said, a chunk of Hueco Mundo had somehow broken through the barrier between worlds. While this was important, she didn't want to act unless she knew what she was getting the Gotei into.

Then there was Okami himself. Tired seemed to be the norm for this man, but today he looked even worse than usual. Given recent events, it was likely that usual lack of sleep would only be exacerbated. Bashira gestured at a chair before her desk as she started reading through the documents. "Sit down for a moment. It looks like you haven't stopped moving for weeks."

Taking a drag from her kiseru, Bashira eyed the documents specifically related to the Hueco Mundo incursion. How something like this could've happened was beyond her. Perhaps the Gotei had long underestimated the hollows and their capabilities. There were always strong ones out there that they'd manage to slay, but those were just the ones they'd been able to catch. There were always bigger fish dwelling in that horrid world of theirs, and it was likely that they were making some kind of move. Without looking up, Bashira reached over and turned on a small desk fan, blowing the smoke she exhaled behind her to be caught by the breeze out the window behind her. "Hueco Mundo emerging in the world of the living... I'm reading the reports. But I'd like to hear your opinion on the matter. Not on an official capacity, but your personal thoughts on the matter."

Okami let out a grateful sigh and sagged into the chair that the Captain-Commander had gestured to, doing his best to maintain a polite bearing while simultaneously letting the tension in his shoulders slip away. Waiting while Bashira took a puff from her pipe and looked through the various reports, the Shiba let silver eyes wander slightly as he collected his thoughts. She hadn't been wrong, as he'd been far too busy over the past couple of weeks to really take it all in. The entire affair with the chunk of Hueco Mundo popping up in the Pacific along with his normal duties had turned the usually soul-crushing amount of paperwork into an absolute nightmare. At this point, he wouldn't be surprised if the pages had started breeding when they weren't looking.

He snapped back to attention the moment that his commanding officer spoke once again, only to turn a bit introspective, his brow furrowing a bit and mouth slanting downwards in a light frown. "My official opinion on the matter is present in the reports. Unofficially, however..."

The noble crossed one knee over the other, leaning forward slightly in a classic thinking pose as he stared almost into nothing. "The new continent is bound to drag attention from the living into the affairs of the afterlife, and the potential for incursions by Hollows who now don't need to even open a Garganta is a disturbing thought. That said, my bigger concern is how it happened. Is it an isolated event, or is the space between the realms beginning to shrink? Did someone or something do this on purpose? The balance that we protect will mean nothing if encroachment continues, as I'm not sure there'd be any survivors should the World of the Living and Hueco Mundo collapse into each other, and who is to say that the Soul Society wouldn't be the next to do so?"

The Hollows, in Okami's opinion, could be dealt with. If it came down to it, the Captains themselves would likely have to step in, but that was the easiest portion of the equation. Actually figuring out how this happened and whether or not it would happen again was the larger priority in his mind.

"There is obviously a lot going on here, something more than we've delt with before. I can't help but believe that this is a part of something bigger, that someone, or something is working for a specific goal. Now, what that goal is... that's the real question." Bashira took another drag from her pipe, setting the reports aside, though she made sure to leave the documents about the current crisis set to the side. She'd need to review those further. More smoke water from her lips as she thought for a moment before continuing. "This needs to be dealt with, but... I need more information. You've given me an excellent groundwork, but from here on our, we'll need to do more. Boots on the ground recon, more in depth scans. I need to know what we're dealing with, the strength of the hollows there. And if there's anything we're unfamiliar with lurking there. Maybe them we can answer some of your questions. The why, the how... maybe the who."

Bashira rose to her feet after setting down her kiseru, walking over to a cabinet by the window. With a heavy sigh, she pulled out a hug of ginjo and two cups."And to your first point, we need to deal with this before too many of the living are drawn into this. A piece of Hueco Mundo jutting into world of the living means hollows don't have to travel far for a meal." opening the jug, Bashira poured a cup for Okami and slid it towards him with a faint smile. She didn't pour one for herself, at least not yet. "I'll have to take these findings and call for a meeting of captains. We'll need to form a plan, deal with this quickly. Restoring the balance between worlds is of paramount importance. And thanks to you, we have a general idea of what we're dealing with. You've done well."

Okami hummed thoughtfully as Bashira contemplated the next move. All of the things that she was saying were, ultimately, things that he agreed with. They needed to figure out who or what was responsible, and what exactly the goal was. The need for more information, however...That promised more long nights, more reconnaissance, and more men pulled off their usual patrol routes to deal with the situation. Ultimately, the questions they had were not going to be answered anytime soon, or at least not soon enough and it was problematic on it's own.

Accepting cup of ginjo from the Captain-Commander with a grateful bow of the head, the noble took a sip and let the flavors dance across his tongue for a moment as he pondered her words. Giving her a polite smile, he managed to keep yet another yawn from reaching his face. "Thank you, ma'am. I'll step up activity within the region immediately, although that means that the territory that those on patrols need to cover will increase to make up for the reduced manpower within those areas. It'll be a good challenge for the men."

Enjoying another taste of the high-end sake, the Shiba's eyes seemed to glitter with amusement for a moment. "Think you'll be able to stretch your legs and step in yourself? I'm sure being stuck in the office is causing havoc, isn't it?"

"Id be lying if I told you that I wouldn't dream of immediately deploying our forces to that continent immediately. To deal with the threat head on before the hollows can do anymore damage than they already have." Bashira finally poured herself a cup of sake, taking a sip and not even bothering to taste it. She closed her eyes briefly, pondering if she was being overly cautious or not. The Cycle of Souls could be at risk, and many human lives could be extinguished. As she opened her eyes, her usually stoic expression was gone, replaced with one of concern. "But there are quite frankly too many unknowns. I'm not about to needlessly send shinigami to their deaths because we weren't properly prepared. Perhaps I'm being overly cautious..."

After another swig of sake, Bashira leaned back in her seat and pondered the other Captain's question. It had been a while since she'd needed to draw her blade in opposition to a true threat. Apart from sparring and maintenance, Hinode typically spent a lot of time in its saya. "Perhaps... it might do me some good to stretch my legs, shake off the rust. It's been too long since I've gotten into an actual fight." Bashira softly chuckled, a slight smile on her face. Okami. You've worked with commendable diligence since even before your current position. It may not be much, but you should take at least one day off. Send whatever work that needs to get done tomorrow to me. I'll see that it gets done to your standards."