•Name: Setsuko Hayashi
•Age: 230, mid 20s in appearance.
•
Gender: Female
•
Height: 5'4
•Division: 9th
•Rank: 4th Seat
•Personality: Observant and
meticulous, Setsuko seems to be the perfect fit for Seireitei's security force. A
distrustful person by nature, she's become adept at watching people and scenarios, picking up the smallest details from what she can see. While often believed to be distant and maybe even cold by many, her squad mates, and those whom truly know her understand that she's simply a person that takes time to form connections.
Unfortunately, Setsuko does have a habit of being
critical of others, and often it reveals itself in her speech, tone or even expressions, rubbing people the wrong way in the process. She tends to be
vindictive, holding a grudge against those who slight her until justice has been served. However, it is this vindictiveness that contributes to her
strong sense of justice.
•Biography: An only child, Setsuko lived with her father Haruto in the 60th District of the Rukongai. While nowhere near as dangerous and unruly as the districts above it, the 59th district had such a foul reputation that no one would even wear sandals for fear of having them stolen. Keeping a watchful eye of their surroundings and having an attention for detail didn't keep them from being robbed or attacked, but it reduced the number of times they faced such trouble. While her father was just as careful he was far more kind about it than his daughter. Often they'd be told they were as different as the seasons of winter and summer.
Both often dreamed and spoke of living in easier, better conditions, but Haruto believed that they could do so by bringing law and order to the 60th district. With enough hard work and time, they could reverse the sandalless 60th district and improve its living conditions. He reasoned that the best way to achieve his goal was to become a Shinigami, the embodiment of law and justice. Unfortunately, even he knew he had to get into shape before he could truly hope to become a Shinigami, and soon after him, Setsuko. They both had large Reiatsu, but not much else in the way of combat. Luckily, he had little Setsuko to cheer him on, but sadly his dream would be shortlived.
Not long after he succeeded in becoming a Shinigami, he was frequently sent out into the world of the living, often leaving for months at a time. On one such mission he never returned, assumed to be dead. However, word of her father's fate never got back to Setsuo, who for the longest time believed her father was simply on an extended mission. As she waited, her faith turned to doubt, and her doubt eventually into misery. She realized her father wasn''t coming back. As her heart filled with sadness a biting cold wind would blow around her constantly, her reiatsu leaking in response to her misery. Eventually, it became enough of a problem that Shinigami came to handle the issue. It was this encounter that lead to her becoming a Shinigami and finding out what little she could about her father's fate.
Determined to bring his dream to fruition, she worked tirelessly, improving her skills and climbing her way up the ranks of the Gotei 13's 9th division, where she now sits as its 4th seat. She takes her job of protecting the Rukongai seriously, and hopes that one day she can bring the law and order her father sought to the outer districts, starting with her home of 60.
•
Skills:
- Shunpo: Sestuko is proficient in Shunpo. She's not going to blow anyone's mind with it, but it's enough for someone of her position.
- Strong Spiritual Pressure: Setsuko's spiritual pressure is quite large. It's white in appearance and creates the sensation of a piercing and freezing cold wind surrounding her.
- Kenjutsu: Setsuko is well trained in the use of her sword, her preferred method of combat. She's considered one of the better swordsmen of her squad.
- Kidou: Her kido is below average, as she hardly relies on it. She can cast low-level Kidou without incantation, but middle-level kidou spells and up are beyond her grasp.
- Hakuda: Setsuko is a skilled combatant without her sword. While she isn't a technical fighter, she's an intelligent one. Most of what she knows comes from living in the higher numbered Rukongai districts.
•Zanpakuto: Her Zanpakuto, Hyoga, is a slightly elongated Katana with a dark blue hilt marred with white. The guard is a simple oval shapes guard. Hyoga's spirit itself is a white, shimmering owl. (Like in her picture!)
•
Shikai Release: Bring forth the northern winds, Hyoga.
Hyoga is capable of creating and sending powerful winter wind filled with snow and ice towards its opponent. Whatever part of its target the wind makes contact with will become frozen and useless (i.e. an arm would be unable to move). What's more, should Hyoga make contact with the frozen target itself, it will shatter.
•
Writing Sample:
"Come on, this could be your lucky day! Keep your eye on the prize and win some Kan!" A man sat on a rotted wooden stool, a makeshift table before him as he shuffled cups around, a stone hidden inside one of them. "Come on, you've all got mouths to feed, don't ya? Don't go let em' go hungry!" He goaded the crowd that surrounded him into betting as he wore his most charming grin.
The swindler was worried they'd have to move down a district. Thanks to his sleight of hand, he and his cohorts had managed to snag a somewhat decent amount of Kan from the desperate people. It wasn't as much as he could make in a lower numbered district, but the people there were far less desperate. He'd have to leave soon, he didn't desire to have his earnings stripped away from him. "Come on! This could be your only chance to have something other than rice for dinner!"
"I like the sound of that," Setsuko spoke up as she walked through the crowd, a path cleared for her. Though the sight of a Shinigami was rare in these parts, these people knew her. Some of them had known her when she was much smaller. Others had seen her strolling through the district and greeting people.
The swindler felt panic rising in his belly, but it was soon subsided by anticipation. "Oh, a Shinigami! How exciting!" He was willing to bet she had far more money than any of these people. "Step right up! Just guess which cup the rock is under and you win!"
"Sounds easy." Setsuko smiled slightly and nodded her head, placing a few coins on the makeshift table. She blinked in surprise when the swindler moved immediately, lifting a cup to show her the rock before covering it and shuffling the cups.
He moved his hands quickly, but he only shuffled a few times before raising his arms. "Okay, the choice is yours!" He declared. "Choose carefully!"
Setsuko reached out and flicked one of the cups with her finger. The swindler raised the cup, revealing the rock beneath. "Congratulations! You got it!" He placed the same amount of coin on the table next to hers. "But...why don't we try again, eh? Double down?"
"....Sure." Setsuko agreed. "I don't mind taking more of your money." The game was played once again. This time the swindler shuffled the cups much faster than before, but once again, Setsuko chose the correct one, earning twice the amount she had on the table.
"Alright, alright...one more time! Let's triple the entire pot!" The swindler declared, a smirk on his face. "If you win, you get three times the Kan on the table! I hope you're not too sca-"
"Okay." Setsuko agreed readily, her slight smile still on her face. The surprise on the man's face almost caused her to smirk a little, but she kept her cool. "I think I'm pretty good at this game."
"Yeah...so far." The man was suspicious, but still, he started the game, shuffling the cups. This time, the cups moved so fast that the crowd surrounding them "Ooh'd" in awe, unable to keep up with his hands. Ever so subtly, he flicked his wrist, raising the cup and knocking the rock onto his lap. No response from the crowd signaled that he had succeeded in his gambit. "Alright...guess!"
Setsuko was quiet for a moment, allowing her smile to grow into a smirk. "You moved the rock from the cups onto your lap." She had seen it. His hands were fast, but her eyes were faster. She didn't wait for him to deny it. She swung her arm across the table, knocking over all three cups to reveal nothing beneath them.
The crowd started to grow angry upon the reveal, yelling and demanding their money back. "Wait, wait!" The swindler jumped up immediately, raising his hands.
"Don't speak. Just hand these people back their money and leave." Setsuko demanded. To show she meant business, she placed a hand on the hilt of her Zanpakuto, earning a shriek from the swindler. She watched as he wasted no time in removing his money pouch from his waist and started to hand the crowd coins, one by one, her smirk returning to a slight smile.
She had been watching him for a game or two from the back of the crowd, having caught his movements and patterns almost right away. While she despised his little scam, she understood he was simply trying to make a living. He'd likely gotten chased off from the lower numbered Rukongai and figured this was his best bet.
"It's a start..." She murmured to herself, her mind drifting to her father. She wasn't able to make the difference she and her father dreamed of yet, but it was a start. Once she was a Captain...then she could bring security to this district, and the many above it.