Hatsu seeks out Roku for some bidness.(private)

Hatsu had contacted some of his resources within his family to find a fellow named Roku. He had heard certain guards of the family talking about the child that had evaded them. Of course, this child was twice his age but that was irrelevant to Hatsu. Anyone who ran away from his responsibilities like Roku did was a child to Hatsu.

Hatsu had some curiosity related to the fellow. Not only did he evade the Rose house, which is tough to do in the first place, but he became a shinigami through special means shortly after. Between Roku's history with the Rose house and his background, Hatsu had to figure out the details about the guy.

Hatsu would use the information he got from his family to find Roku somewhere within the Soul Society; specifically somewhere within Squad 2's location. Hatsu would be rather blatant about approaching; wearing his normal black kimono.

"Enzoka. I have something to ask of you, if you don't mind?" Hatsu would ask this, his body language betraying what he thought to be an urgent question.

Roku had been lying on the surface of a picnic table outside Squad 2's barracks, a book about magic and dragons in his hands. He was enjoying the evening, relaxing after a long day of duties. As a still rather lowly ranked Soul Reaper, he was tasked with the most distasteful tasks. Today, he had cleaned toilets all day. He wasn't sure what he expected to get out of joining the Gotei 4, but it wasn't toilet cleaning. He'd been pondering that day about possible desertion... his talents were far more utilized in the Rukongai, and he was quite tired of working menial tasks. The Gotei 4 was the most wealthy organization in all of Soul Society, and there was absolutely no reason the poor Rukongai residents couldn't be hired for these things. Those people wouldn't have to resort to thievery for survival like Roku did. But of course, that'd make too much sense.

When he was approached by the fella named Hatsu, Roku sat up, his open button-up exposing his bare chest. He eyed the newcomer with his amber eyes, sizing him up. He looked familiar, though Roku didn't know how or why. He measured his words when speaking, mostly because he didn't wanna offend someone he knew by not remembering their name, since he apparently knew Roku's, and approached so strongly. "I'm an open book," he said, glancing at the open book next to him, betraying any level of wittiness the joke may have had.

Hatsu rubbed the back of his head as he saw Roku make a joke. He was going to compliment the man about his joke until it became painfully obvious that he made it situationally.

"I'm wanting to extend a branch of hospitality between you and the Rose family. My name is Hatsu; perhaps better known as the Prodigy of the Rose clan." Hatsu would say, standing straight up and acting somewhat proud. "And if there are some in the family who say that this isn't official, tell them to talk to me. Anyhow, I wonder if you would mind if we sat and talked? I would like to gain the knowledge of one with your skillset."

Hatsu, being the terrible liar he is, would show no signs of lying. That's because he wasn't! He really did want to talk and learn from someone with Roku's skills. Who just so happened to be Roku.

Roku tensed at the name of the Rose family. He had evaded countless captures and attempts on his life by these people, and was uncomfortable around one who seemed to have high esteem in their ranks. Just before Roku decided to bolt, Hatsu went on, however, and seemed genuine enough that Roku eased a bit. He was still on edge, and eyed Hatsu with suspicion, but Hatsu showed no signs of aggression or disdain or anything of the like. "What would you need from me? And moreover, of all the resources your clan has, why me in particular? Don't you think it could cause problems for you?" It was true. Roku was unaware of Hatsu's stature in full, but an average member of that clan might face great punishment for making business with Roku, one of their greater dishoners.

"Causing problems for me? My father fawns over me because of my potential." Hatsu states, though there's some grief behind his eyes. "I'm only curious about one evades us like you did. If nothing else, it'll allow me to improve security when I inevitably take over. Not to mention, if you help with this, you'll be considered family when time comes" This seemed a measure faker than the rest, though not a complete lie. After all, he did intend to both reward and keep Roku around if he agreed to this.

Hatsu would move forward, to sit on the bench seat of the bench that Roku was sitting on. Hatsu's posture would be rather straight and prisitine, due to his uprising. No concern for assassins or such, since who would do such a thing in Squad 2's barracks? It's an awful idea to go for a mans head in a den of assassins and stealthy people.

Roku relaxed slightly more. He was typically a confident guy, but was unaccustomed to culture in the Sereitei. For example, he knew murder was typically punishable in the Sereitei. In the Rukongai, while it was "against the law" it wasn't really punishable. There simply wasn't enough resources available to the Soul Society to police the mass that was the Rukongai. As a result, only large or repeated crimes, such as Roku's theft from the rich people of the Rukongai, were ever enough to garner the attention of Soul Reapers. "Well, what do you need me to do, Hatsu?" Said Roku, more agreeable now. He didn't trust Hatsu, but the sudden shock of Hatsu's appearance had worn off and Roku did find it advantageous to command the good graces of the Rose family. He didn't expect for things to get better for him, but perhaps to at least open the door to them would be worth it.

"I'll be direct. Even if you taught me your methods, I wouldn't be able to do anything like what you do. My body is weak, even if my spirit is willing. Just...wow me with stories, I suppose. Give me something to contemplate in my room." Hatsu would say, moving his head into his arms; laying his head on the bench.

"I could try to wow you, but I lack the stories. I have some stories, sure, but nothing you would care about." Hatsu would continue; ending on a rather dour note. He really hoped that Roku had really cool stories, but had some relative doubts about it. Of course, Roku could've just run around and directly outran the shinigami, explaining why they wanted him in. That's not what Hatsu hoped, but rather what he feared.

At least if the story was interesting, Hatsu could have a story to tell his brother! It would be wonderful.

Roku pondered a moment at Hatsu's request, wondering what and how much to tell him. After a few moments of silence, a story came to mind that Roku was willing to share, and he direly hoped he wouldn't regret telling Hatsu this. If he did... it'd pit Roku against the entire Rose clan, and he'd be forced to find a way to exterminate them. That was a rather dark thought, but he'd have to do it. He was far too protective of the Rukongai residents to be able to afford otherwise. "Well, most of it was because there was information available to me that wasn't available to you guys. See, the best surveillance is with the poor. The homeless, even. They see everything, because they're always outside, looking for scraps and handouts, so they don't miss much. And I was what they called the Son of Robinhood. I looked out for them, stole food and chump change for them. And clothes to keep warm. So they had a sense of loyalty to me." Roku paused a moment, before continuing. "So I always knew when there were Soul Reapers in the area. And Soul Reapers didn't come to the depths of the Rukongai if it weren't for me." Roku paused a moment, allowing Hatsu to interject or digest what he had to say. "I wasn't powerful enough to repel Soul Reapers in a direct fight. So it was information that mattered."

Hatsu's face stayed dour that it had been the entire story. It was as though he was unmoved; though him sitting back up would make it obvious that was false. Hatsu thought that Roku's logic was solid, and Hatsu had been right. He would never be able to do what Roku did. He was simply born too high for any of Roku's strategies to work for him.

He would've waited until Roku had completely finished before Hatsu would speak up. "So, you simply used what you had and played the terrain. Interesting."

Hatsu's face would go through a moment of deep thought, before returning fully to its normally dour state.

"Then, since we soul reapers are rarely out there, tell me about the people of the Rukongai. Anyone you may feel interesting; or a story you feel should be heard by those like me." Hatsu would say, looking genuinely interested. This wasn't something he could research in a book after all.

Roku was taken aback by Hatsu's question.  He had a particular escape story in mind that he was going to share, but put that one on the back burner when Hatsu asked about the residents of the Rukongai.  Roku's face grew dark in a moment of temporary tension, but it went away after just a moment as he began to speak, happy to talk on behalf of the residents of the Rukongai.  "Well, that depends.  The Rukongai is vast, and a lot of the richer districts do garner attention from the Soul Reapers.  Those ones are fine.  But it's almost like, for us poorer folk... we were too much of a bother.  Gangs run the streets, and if you aren't a part of them, you're under their control.  But that's probably a good thing, because they're the only sense of order we had. They'd beat and murder, but no one beside them was allowed to, and would be punished if they did."  

Roku pondered a moment, unsure if he wanted to tell such a personal story.  "When I was younger... I got caught stealing a basket of bread from some uptight merchant in district 42.  I couldn't have been older than 9.  I tried to get away, but the crowd was thick that day and I had no ability to maneuver, so he caught me.  He beat me mercilessly, and I'm sure I lost consciousness at least three times.  But by that time I ran with a little gang of children.  They jumped in to my rescue, and though we were no match, they tried to protect me.  Somehow, the situation escalated so that this old guy was pounding a handful of children in the middle of the street with a circle of shocked onlookers.  It wasn't until some other younger man came to our defense that he let up.  The new guy gave us food and a place to stay for the night.  But the point is, those kids... we were so desperate that they knew we had no chance of beating that guy, but I was their only chance of eating... so they took the beating with just a small chance of getting me away so they could eat that day."

Hatsu was concerned that he had asked a horrible question until the story came out. Hatsu was visibly moved by the story, even getting up. He knew that it wasn't great there, but it was that bad? Disgusting how those treat others. It seems that people were disgusting no matter where or how you grew up. They were just disgusting for different reasons. Sure, the child had stolen. But...the Soul Society has rules for a reason! You can't flaunt them for no reason!

This irked him even more, as he had tasted power since birth. This made his disdain for those who abused power to beat and abuse others. This disdain extended to even his Father, who was renowned in strength and character. Not good character, but that's irrelevant.

"Tell me, is this merchant still doing things and working as a merchant? A somewhat cold look appeared on his face, and his reiatsu flared. He specifically forced it to go upwards; as to not bully those around. Even then, Roku would likely feel it. Still, Hatsu had enough wherewithal to make sure that Roku wouldn't faint.

As Hatsu seemed to flare to life, as did his Reiatsu. It wasn't that Hatsu didn't absolutely have the power to stun Roku; it was moreso that he channeled it specifically away from Roku. Were it not for Roku's own abnormally high Reiatsu for his level of experience, he'd still surely be incapacitated. Even still, it was obvious Hatsu's power was many times Roku's. Though it was probably visible that Roku was shocked at Hatsu, he did his damnedest not to look intimidated. He did a good job of it too, for he had plenty of experience standing up to those more powerful than him, and while he was absolutely shook, a look at him outwardly couldn't betray that information. Roku raised an eyebrow at Hatsu as he answered the question. "I don't really know, I avoided that shop at all costs after. But like I said, it's in district 42, and he goes by the name of Shuichi Yaho. I'd assume he's still working though." Roku wasn't sure why he was compelled to tell Hatsu that, other than a surprisingly strong feeling that it'd be okay to. "Why?"

Hatsu calmed down his reiatsu, looking rather embarrassed about the whole thing. He didn't intend to do that.

Though, after Hatsu learned that the man was still doing mercantile things, he was infuriated further.

"I will simply have some of my families Shinigami visit him to make sure he's not acting up. If he still is, I'll leave the discretion to those involved." Hatsu would say, and then clear his throat. "It's nothing short of a travesty that such things continue to happen despite the overall state of the Soul Society. I wish to change that, but that's something I can't do until I get more power and more strength."

This was the truth. This outpouring of it was partly fueled by the lack of shock that Roku felt. Not that it was a surprisingly lack of shock, considering the family that had chased him. Still, Hatsu felt the need to affirm his position to Roku.

Hatsu's words interested Roku, and he wondered why the guy invested himself so much into Roku's story. It wasn't like people inside the Sereitei could possibly be that oblivious to what things were like outside the walls. But, that said, then again, maybe they were. When you don't know anything about something, it's not like you think about it very much. And why would you? You'd have your own life, loved ones, and interests. And when Hatsu spoke of ambitions for more power and strength, Roku defined those words himself. With his position in the Rose family, Roku assumed power meant political power, and strength meant combat strength. To really enact change, Roku believed a person would need both. Grateful for Hatsu's gestures, Roku had to be serious for a moment. "No. Sending goons in to deal with these guys is only going to make the problem worse. Do it the right way. Launch an investigation. I'm sure he's into something illegal. Black market trafficking, something. And then arrest him properly."

It was important to Roku that this particular thing was done right. It was the difference between bullying as that shopkeeper had bullied Roku, and justice and benevolence. That, and Roku would never condone sending people even more powerful than the gangsters into the Rukongai to cause even more chaos. Truth be told, that was the main reason Roku had his objection, but he didn't want to fully let Hatsu in on that yet. "I appreciate and respect the effort, but you need to do it right. If that's what you'll do, I'll gladly accept any help." Roku personally didn't have a vendetta against Shuichi anymore, but he had developed a reputation for doing children as he had Roku... and even more importantly, Roku hoped this might be the opening to real policing in the deep Rukongai.

"Fine. I'll use my authority to launch an investigation. After all, you're the one affected by him originally. You and many others." Hatsu would say, his anger unhidden by his tone. He wasn't calm in the slighest, despite trying to be. A Shinigami of his age being immature isn't a crazy thing; but it's almost laughable when you were in his position. Not that one could blame him, in consideration.

Still though, Hatsu had a story of his own to tell. Not that he wanted to push his story upon Roku, as that'd just be rude. Hatsu had a simple story that wasn't really filled with any pitfalls. Hatsu was a rich kid who's parent was basically the president; insofar as the world was concerned. Not that it was specifically like that, but still.

"And with that, I've got some other questions. Mainly related to how you found your skills. Did you just get them over time, or were they taught? If they were taught, I have no plans on going after who taught you."

Roku pondered Hatsu's question. "Well, truth be told, I'm not good at a lot of Soul Reaper arts. I'm fast, and I'm decent at kido. I learned a few just by seeing what your family did to attempt to capture me, and then I reversed-engineered them. I also developed my own, once I realized it was so easy to reverse-engineer a kido, I then figured it might not be much more difficult to create my own from scratch." Roku hadn't attended the Shinobi academy at all. He was also completely unaware that it was quite impressive for someone who, at the time, wasn't even a Soul Reaper yet, to have created his own Kido. Because of that, when he spoke of the Kido he knew, he didn't emphasize it or speak of it as if it were impressive at all. Hatsu, judging by his own Reiatsu, was probably pretty good at Kido too, Roku thought. Roku eyed Hatsu, wondering how powerful he was. It was clear he was somewhat impulsive, and Roku wondered if he weren't just a rookie like him. But then again, that was quite improbable for someone with as immense Reiatsu as Hatsu had.