Brown, Black, and Red [Closed]

"She what?" Tsubine asked in disbelief. Shorter-stuff had been arrested. For treason. And attempted murder. And arson. And disturbing the peace. And there were countless little charges. Those he wasn't caring too much about, as he knew exactly what they were—charges to bring upon a poor Shōjin girl to keep her frightened. That just pissed him off. The fact it happened while he was gone just further pushed his suspicions that a third party was goading the two sides into war.

Tsubine got the directions he needed and spent the next two hours trying to find that place. After failing to get in three times with two different ruses, he just decided he'd break in. Tsubine had a knack few people ever really got to see. He could find ways into places that no one else paid attention to. It's exactly how he was able to make it to the cells in the 6th Division's grounds. This was a day or two before she'd normally be transferred to a higher-security cell.

The little thing was lying down, facing away from the door. That was honestly sad. From what he'd seen of her, she was energetic. Now she was just... boring. Tsubine leaned on the cell door, smiling. He tapped his finger on the metal bars to get her attention. "Your really not making us from the Shōjin look too good by bein' all arrested. You just happen to be lucky enough to have done this while I'm alive... since I can stop this from escalating further... probably. I ain't here to break you out though. Probably safer for you with guards around. So, how's it goin'?"

Tsubine would have thought she was hungover. He felt bad for her. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a pre-wrapped fruit pie. He tossed it through the bars. "If you haven't eaten, try this. It might help. But anyways..." Tsubine reached into his jacket again, palming the charm Kanna gave him. "You're not nobody. You're a good friend with a good friend of mine." Tsubine dangled the charm Kanna had given him for a moment, then tossed it to Kaminari. "Think of it as an unspoken favor for our mutual friend."

"And as for what I want from you... well, I want to know what you know about what happened. You see, I would not be surprised if you're in someone's web as a pawn. Someone who is trying to, well, cause a war between the Gotei and the Mikazuki. I wanna stop this war, and you may be a key to it."

Tsubine shrugged. If he got in trouble, so what? He'd be in trouble just for being in here. There was a genuine smile that flickered onto his face. He was now curious about their history. If he could get this girl on his side, Kanna would probably follow without question. "You're gonna have to tell me about your relationship with Kanna. Anything I can use to pick on her more is useful." Tsubine chuckled and continued the conversation.

Tsubine listened intently to what she said. Truth be told, he didn't get much of it. Her story was a pretty standard blackout story. The rash was only touch that wasn't standard. That was either just a personal touch to a lie, or it might just be the key to this. Rashes weren't his specialty. He wasn't a doctor, and he wasn't that much of a player to have to worry about them himself. "Hmm." Tsubine gestured for Kaminari to come closer. "I think you probably did the right thing in going to the Fourth then. Where was that rash? What'd the docs say about the rash?"

"A bug, huh? That... might just be it." Tsubine nodded to himself. That's something to look into. He then listened to her thoughts about her Captain. She was probably right. "Yeeeah, your Captain is one to stick up for his subordinates." Tsubine chuckled, then let her ask her question of him. He had to think on how to answer it, but in his mind it was satisfactory. His introduction was brief. "Tsubine. Kanna is a... former colleague and friend of mine. Your Captain, since I know you're thinking the same thing, is not a friend of mine, but I am good friends with Lilith, who I imagine you know of—if not outright know."

"I'll talk to J. on your behalf. As I said, I think someone else is pulling the strings of... this," Tsubine gestured around them. Tsubine began hearing some guards talk to a thick-accented man and heard thudding footsteps far down the passage. "You got anything you want me to say to anyone for you? This is a favor from one Shojinian to another."

Kaminari was panicking. It was sad, but he couldn't blame her. Hell, he's still afraid of Lilith even with their friendship. Tsubine sighed as he didn't know exactly how to calm her down. So, he began to leave. "If it were her, you'd already be dead. And don't worry," Tsubine turned around as he began to leave, "I believe you're innocent, and I won't let them kill an innocent girl." With a wave, Tsubine hopped back up and out of the building the same way he came in.

Tsubine knew his next destination. This time, it only took him an hour to get there. He didn't have to break into J.'s office this time since he was already in there. Tsubine just knocked a couple of times, didn't hear a "Go away" and walked right in. "I have returned." As a sign of respect, Tsubine took his glasses off. "I hear you had a bit of an arson problem while I was gone. I went and spoke with 'er, and I think some things are starting to piece together based on what I found out back home. Anything else happen in my absence?"

Tsubine would always shake J's hand. He normally didn't do handshakes, but J. was an exception. It was like shaking hands with the emperor. He knew the guy, so why not shake his hand? Tsubine sat down right as J. gave the gesture. He'd been in the motion to before J. gestured. He knew J. would do that. He was a little bit worried about the plural of incident being mentioned, but he had a bigger picture in mind for now. "Yeah, you could say that. Found out some... stuff." Tsubine crossed his legs. "First, I've got a question or two I need answered, J."

"Did you or your brother order an attack on the Mikazuki by the Second Division before the attack on the Ninth? And if so, would your brother send out Shinigami stupid enough to leave behind identifying marks?" Tsubine was being quite frank with J. He knew what the answer would end up being, but he also knew how politicking sometimes worked. "I don't want any of the whole 'how do you know of it' yadda yadda. I just want to know what I asked. That'll help color the rest of the information I gathered."

Tsubine pursed his lips and sighed. Yeah, he was right. He leaned back, a little more tension in his shoulders. "Mmhmm. Just like you're being led to believe the Mikazuki attacked your people." Tsubine was glad J. was smart. He didn't like to explain the obvious. "The person I spoke to said they didn't sanction any attack, and that they didn't know of any radical elements that would attack like that. Plus, from what I heard about the attack from my own sources... it didn't sound like anything they'd do."

Tsubine sat up and looked J. in the eyes. "J. I know I don't have any concrete proof, but you have to believe me on this. The Mikazuki didn't do this. Whatever this is, it's trying to stoke the flames of a war that's been about to break out for as long as I can remember. Why else would they purposely let you guys find out it was Mikazuki and the Mikazuki find out it was you guys? Both sides are too concerned with being percieved as the righteous party if a war breaks out, so it wouldn't be something so blatant and sloppy." Tsubine shifted the subject after J. answered. "What else has been going on? I spoke to the little firebug, and I believe her story. I think while her body might have committed the crime, she didn't. Ya get me?"

"Yeah, I know." Tsubine gave J. a not-so-dismissive handwave. He knew what he did was wrong and could backfire. "It's why I left when I heard guards coming in. I just wanted to hear her story from her with no one else around to influence it, and I had something to give her." Tsubine held up a hand. "I checked it out myself. It's a simple charm from a necklace. Spiritually innate, but pretty. Meant something to her apparently." Tsubine then nodded more to himself. "Won't happen again though."

Tsubine listened intently. He sat up about halfway through the second part of the report. "...Fuck, man." That was about all he could manage to say. This was definitely not Asra's handiwork. The guy was a germaphobe, something Tsubine kept to himself as respect for the man Asra used to be. Kanna would need to know about this, but it wasn't a priority. "This definitely lines up with what I was thinking. I'm gonna state the obvious, the first thing you should do is figure out how to detect it, then figure out a cure. It's easier to just hold people down with chains while y'all work a cure."

"If it's related to a Hollow... could it be something from the other side of the Crimson Edge? Could the Hollows, or God-forbid, Arrancar be trying to stoke this?" Arrancar weren't that common, and each time one showed up Tsubine knew it was a big to-do. Well, a big to-kill. "I wonder if we turn that big white tower out there into a big ol' bugzapper if that'll solve our problems..."

Tsubine shook his head a little. He could tell J. was under a lot of stress, but he knew he couldn't tell how much stress. There was a lot more underneath that calm face of his. "I'll drop back by tomorrow. You look like you haven't slept, and I'd rather talk to you when you're as close to 100% as possible." Tsubine turned around and began walking away. "J., just remember one thing. Someone else is setting this up, not the Mikazuki. Don't take your anger, and don't let anyone take their anger out, on them. Not until they actually make a move. I think that kind of discord is just what whoever is pullin' these strings wants." Tsubine gave J. a final wave goodbye and began walking to his last "appointment."

It was late in the evening now, but Tsubine began following one of the few things he could feel just about from anywhere. It wasn't long before Tsubine found the burnt remains of the 8th Division. He kicked a small charred splinter of wood to a pile. Lilith was standing near a burnt support pillar, eyeing it very hard. There was a single building nearby, a quickly-made hut that read "SHOWERS" in hastily-scrawled paint. He supposed it was for the Shinigami working on cleaning the soot and ash away, but they had long-since been dismissed for the day. It sounded like there was still at least one person in the shower though.

"What are you doing out here? Babysitting a burnt-out building?" Tsubine smirked and waved, his eyes hidden behind his glasses. They were starting to show the deep lines of a lack of sleep. He had basically ran back from his meeting with Kanna without stopping. His regeneration had been all that kept him from passing out before, but that was now running out. "Got some good news and some bad news for you. ...Then some news that's good, specifically for you. Good news, Mikazuki didn't cause that attack on the Ninth Division. Person I spoke to said the Second Division had attacked them, but I confirmed with J. that nothing like that happened. So now the bad news. I think someone else is trying to push both sides into a war."

"And now... the news I know you'll like." Tsubine cracked his neck, a loud series of pops almost echoed in the ruin. "Whoever it is, I think you'll be able to beat them into a bloody pulp without consequence... and I'll gladly help with that. Because no one fucks with the people I care about's people they care about, 'cause that's fucking with the people I care about, and I ain't gonna stand for it."

Lilith caught onto that a little too fast for his liking. He'd hoped he could keep it under wraps for a few minutes more. "That obvious, huh?" He let out the yawn he was stifling, continuing talking. "I ran back from the Shōjin just to make sure the message got to J. ...and to you, frankly. I didn't want a war starting while I was in the middle of delivering such important news." Tsubine was a little surprised about the key. He'd find a corner with a rug or something to bundle up in if need be, but a house? That's always nice to sleep in. "By the time you're back in the morning, I'll probably still be snoring on your couch. You know how it is when I'm exhausted." He took the key, nodded slightly in thanks, then began to walk away—roughly in the direction of Lilith's house.

"Hey, one last thing." Tsubine turned around with a surprisingly graceful turn of the heel. "Go easy on Shorter-stuff—your kid's Lieutenant. My honest opinion is that she didn't do it. Well... more like she didn't do it, but her body did, ya get me?" Tsubine shook her head. "Kid's beatin' herself up over it, and anything you'd do is overkill. Plus, if anything, the sheer fear she has for you is enough to keep her in line. That's the biggest reason I believe her." Tsubine began cackling a little as he spun back around, waving. He was exhausted, and he'd probably sleep for the next fourteen hours...