The office of one Okami Shiba itself was rather well-appointed. Scrolls with poetry about warriors and death adorned the walls tastefully, a table behind the counter held his zanpakuto along with a small bonsai he'd cultivated out of a sakura tree, and a cabinet locked in the corner kept a small collection of liquor that he had just in case. This was his sanctuary, finally clear of paperwork for once in his job, and the noble himself was sitting at his desk, plotting out his own training. He'd been having an odd premonition recently, and despite his meteoric growth when he was younger he'd plateaued due to the busywork he was expected to do as a Captain. Thankfully the new Captain-Commander had promised him a bit more assistance in the matter of office work, and with his newfound free time he intended to make the most of it.

The Shiba were known for routinely producing excellent Shinigami. Some called them prodigies, some called them high-born assholes with too much reiatsu for their own good. Either way, as their head Okami felt like he was falling a bit short of where he should be, and the only person he could think of that could drive him to the level that he needed to be at was an old friend.

Letting out a sigh, the Captain of the Eighth Division leaned back in his chair, bored out of his mind. The conversation with Bashira was stuck in his head. Hueco Mundo encroaching on the World of the Living...Something needed to be done, and at this point he wasn't sure that the Gotei was quite willing to accept that as a whole. The added pressure from Central 46 to just do whatever they say and act as if nothing was amiss was infuriating as well. A bunch of stuck-up fools, that have forgotton exactly what they were meant to protect, all of them.

Ika's reverence for any nobles could be charitably described as "fleeting", but a more accurate description would probably be "non-existent". He judged men by their merits as men, he judged women on their merits as women, and he judged animal folks on their ability to hold their growls when they were in his company. Ika had recently returned from a little adventure into the World of the Living, the stench of Tokyo smog and human decadence could be seen like a haze pouring off his visage as he waltzed his way into the Captains office. Some unfortunate nameless face tried to stop him from barging in for reasons unknown to anyone but the man himself, but Ika moved forward undeterred, taking a seat at the Captain's desk as he reached into his pocket for a cigarette.

The point of this meeting was more to touch base, Ika had never really had any negative feelings for Okami but couldn't help but to see him as being a bit underwhelming. Once his cigarette was retrieved he'd smile, lighting it with a snap as the smoke began to trickle between the two of them. "Forgive my lack of manners Captain, but a smoke to help ease my frayed nerves after a visit to the Human World is about the most helpful trick I know currently."

Ika would smile, placing his feet on the mans desk as he leaned back and took a drag off the cigarette. "So, what do you think of the shit show going on downstairs huh? Seems crazy how willing we are to let it fester."

The smell of the human world wafted through the office, pollution, sweat and blissful ignorance filling the room before Ika himself stepped in, long black hair draped over his shoulders and a certain uncaring vibe that he wore well. Sitting down in the chair in front of Okami, he popped open a pack of cigarettes and apologized for his lack of manners. Smirking a bit at the man's antics, the Shiba reached under his table and pulled out a bottle of plum wine and two glasses, pouring one for himself and leaving the other on the desk as an open invitation. "I can't really blame you, and you should know by now that I don't really care all that much about manners. They're just another weapon."

Taking a swig of the sweet liquor, savoring the flavor and ignoring the feet on the table in front of him, he'd look thoughtfully into the distance as the question he'd been pondering was asked a second time, this time by someone he respected on a more personal level. "I think it's going to get a hell of a lot worse if something isn't done, and I don't think the general opinion of the Gotei is leaning in a productive direction. We're way too reactive, and it's highly concerning."

Looking back over at the unwilling nobleman he was speaking to, he'd continue. He wasn't worried about speaking candidly. Ika was the Captain of the Second Division, and he controlled the Eighth. The Onmitsukido wouldn't be spying on them, and any reconnaissance reports would be coming through him, so they were just about as safe as they could possibly be. "I'm getting especially upset about the condition that we're kept in as Captains. I haven't been able to actually push myself in ages, and don't get field missions nearly as often as I need to actually improve. It's all paperwork, and it feels like any time I sneeze there's three forms that need to be filled out just to report the incident. How are we supposed to deal with this situation, if our so-called "greatest fighters" are all struggling just to maintain their own strength, let alone actually grow stronger?"

Throwing back the rest of the drink and pouring himself another one, the noble looked into the golden liquid for a moment. "...Don't even get me started on the affairs of the nobility. We've both read the reports, and they seem to care more about their own pockets and the next time they get themselves laid than the very reason they were granted their status. Dealing with them has become a nightmare in and of itself. Between the two of us and the old Moriyama, we're the heads of the oldest families, and it feels like that's the only reason that the Central 46 hasn't cut our budgets entirely."

Ika smiled, taking another drag off his cigarette before his fingers lazily retrieved the glass of wine. "Don't mind if I do.."

Once Ika had sufficiently sampled the offering with his nose, he'd take a sip and allow himself a moment to savor it as Okami began to talk. "Manners are only a weapon to those who lack power. I suppose that explains why many of us are so apt to ignore them in more private situations."

A small chortle, and then another sip as he pondered what to say to the suggestion that the Gotei was sitting on it's hands. "Well.. on one hand I understand Bashira's position. The Hollows are acting boldly because they know we're weak relative to our peaks as a faction. Those more battle-tested have begun to pass on, and enlistment is down and those who are enlisted haven't faced the battle-testing you'd like to see. Over-extending here could certainly mean doom for our humble little operation, and our by the letter obligation is to the Soul Cycle, not necessarily the humans."

Ika would smile, letting his words dance through Okami's ears for a moment as he lazily hung a finger in the air long enough to let him gulp down another sweet sip of his wine offering. "But.. some would argue our by the letter obligation is subject to more.. modern interpretations, and the way to ensure the Soul Cycle's preservation is to fend the Hollows off at the pass before they get even more emboldened. I personally find myself on that side of things, and from what I'm hearing it certainly seems as though you feel that way as well."

Ika smirked, letting the chatter of reports and bureacracy whistle through his ears for the hundredth time. The matter of funding came up, a conversation that led Ika to giggle to himself and do little else. "The Central 46 funds us because their lives are fulfilling and decadent because of us and will continue to be. To pull funding to us would sign their own death warrant, as there would be little to stop me, Kokoro, or anyone else with a particular hatred for them from stringing them up by their necks and gutting them like overstuffed pigs which.."

Ika would smile playfully, swirling his glass. "Some might argue is an apt description, though I certainly try to exercise better manners than that."

Okami ceded the point to Ika on the matter of manners. They'd been drilled into his head as a child, and even the very idea that they were a weapon with which to throw off an opponent was a phrase most often used by nobility that had never touched a sword. Tossing them aside in private was liberating, and while the Shiba understood the need for respect in certain situations he desperately wished that he could throw them aside in others without getting in some form of trouble or another. Fucking politics.

He listened patiently to the other Captain's opinions on the affairs of the Hollow, pondering exactly what he was saying. It made sense, certainly, and the other man's opinion on their funding situation and his subsequent insult dragged a laugh out of Okami. "I don't disagree at all. Their own arrogance, however, bleeds through whenever I'm unfortunately asked to deal with their bullshit. They don't seem to quite understand they aren't untouchable, or at least many of them don't. That said, I'm sure you don't need all of this reiterated for a thousandth time."

Sipping at his drink for a moment, the noble had an odd look in his eye. "Back to your original point, however, I do feel as if this needs to be dealt with sooner rather than later. Hollows running rampant is bad enough, but there's a literal piece of Hueco Mundo in the World of the Living. That cannot continue, otherwise it will destroy the balance as we know it. The Gotei needs to be more proactive, and the only way to have our troops become as battle-tested as their predecessors is to cut their teeth on the current situation before it spirals completely out of control. The Captains themselves need to be at the forefront of that. Outside of yourself, Bashira, and perhaps Captain Nashi, I doubt that any of us are truly prepared for something on the scale that I feel is coming."

Sighing, in a voice that was devoid of the usual warmth and joy that the Shiba generally portrayed to the people he was close to, Okami admitted the thing that bothered him most about the situation in the Gotei and his role in it. "...That includes me, naturally."

"I certainly don't need to hear points I've been making for years repeated that much is true, though it's nice to see that you've come around to agreeing with me after all of this time."

A small smirk would paint Ika's features, contorting them into a somewhat cheshire shape as he watched his fellow captain drink before continuing to speak. "I candidly don't know how to interpret balancing the Soul Cycle.. To me, Hollows will exist in perpetuity and so culling their numbers is the most effective way to ensure things go the way they need to. With that being said, overextending just to protect some humans is probably not the wisest decision we can make, as it leaves us vulnerable to attacks and by proxy that weakens the position of the Humans. Sometimes losses may just need to be accepted, but.."
Ika would swig his drink, an oddly serious look marking his face as he began to speak. "This.. is hardly a threat we can allow to persist. This isn't one of those problems you can take lying down, this is.. quite possibly a sign of much, much worse times to come and I suspect you're right. Some of our Captains aren't ready for the test this might present them.. which is actually why I've decided to meet with you."

Snorting in amusement at Ika's clear enlightenment to the actual usefulness of their sovereign government, Okami listened carefully to the other man as he spoke. An interpretation into the Balance? That wasn't something the Shiba had thought about in quite some time. Souls needed to flow, energy needed to flow, and it seemed more like a scale than anything to the man. Even Hueco Mundo existed on that scale to some extent, although Hollows also represented a constant risk to the effort of maintaining that even keel. Losses were almost a necessary evil, but at the same point in time they could not be allowed to mount.

He most certainly agreed that the current situation did not fall in the category of acceptable sacrifices, however.

The Mazi's other words, however, caused the noble to look at him with an interested expression. He had just been wondering earlier if the man had any ideas on how to jumpstart his growth again, and here it was on a silver platter. His old friend was of the same mind as he was, it seemed, and was interested in making sure that the Captains were ready for anything to come. Swirling the plum wine in it's glass, Okami looked at Ika with a curious expression on his face. "Well then, don't keep me waiting. What's your plan?"

Whatever this was, the Captain of the Eighth couldn't wait.

It seemed that Ika's suggestion that Okami could grow had caught his interest, so there was little point in letting him wait with his dick hanging lazily in his hand. A small smirk would cross Ika's mind as he began to reflect on the nature of cookie dough for some reason, then turned his minds eye back to Okami's main point of curiosity. "Well before we decide to have this discussion, I think you should follow me outside. I could use the fresh air."

Ika finished his drink and wandered outside, his eyes told no story as they instead opted to focus solely on the architecture of the cigarette he was opting to contaminate his lungs with. He placed it between his lips and took a drag, seemingly waiting for Okami to wander out far enough for their moment to continue on. "Thank you for coming out with me.. The solution I foresee is two fold. One, there needs to be some small scale rebellion in the ranks. We cannot continue to act exclusively on Bashira's orders and to expect progress, I trust you feel the same given discussions we've had prior to now."

Ika would allow the man a moment to respond, wanting to be sure they were on the same page before he decided to move into the next phase of this particular discussion. "Provided we're in agreement, we can move to the next topic of discussion. Your abilities in combat, and how they must be improved upon for the coming conflicts. This isn't an easy fix, so you'll have to trust me on this.."

Finishing off his own drink, Okami stood up at the suggestion that the two walk outside, grabbing his zanpakuto out of habit and sliding the sheath into his belt. It wasn't a bad idea, as the office was rather stifling after so many hours inside. Following Ika, the Shiba elected to ignore the tang of cigarette smoke in the air and just enjoy the breeze and sunlight on his face. Once his old friend had begun talking again, he glanced over, head cocked to one side as he listened carefully. Humming thoughtfully, he weighed in on the idea. "I don't disagree that fence-sitting in the manner that we have been is detrimental. We should be let off the leash, or at least not be choked with it. If a bit of discourse is what we need to get things done, then count me in."

While a full-scale rebellion would ultimately harm more than it hurt, it seemed as if Ika had thought all of this through and it wouldn't get that far. So, the Captain of the Eighth was more than happy to back the Mazi in his schemes. The second topic, however, had Okami turning to face him completely. "I'm more than happy to trust you on this, Ika. Just tell me what your plan is, and it'll get done."

"Discourse is definitely going to be necessary, but don't be surprised if it escalates beyond that in the short-term in order to generate long-term gains."

Ika smiled a bit, letting Okami get himself all worked up for the plan Ika had prepared for him. Okami was sometimes a little too trusting, and now was absolutely one of those times as Ika slowly lean in to Okami's ear and whispered with an almost ominously soft intention. "All you have to do Okami.. is live."

In that instant, Ika would launch a straight right hand at the Captain and send them flying into the furthest corner of the training grounds as his eyes stayed locked on the boys now more panicked flying visage. A Shunpo forward would have Ika pointing a rather violent boot towards the nobles ribs as he aimed to crush every rib on the right side of his body. Provided Okami tried to lay there and recover, he'd find one of Ika's fire cards thrown down towards his head with violent intent. "Live Okami.. live."