[centre][colour=#B7410E][i][h1]XAKU[/h1][/i][/colour][/centre]
[hr]
"Our Police Chief, responsible for bringing our Prefecture’s crime rate down to the lowest in our country. Xaku-sama."

Xaku stood rigidly with her arms clasped behind her back, unflinching. Her unique uniform was crisp and perfectly set on her figure as she waited without the slightest movement. She nodded as the announcer stepped back from the podium to let her go next. Without further prompting, she stepped forward.

Her intense scarlet gaze swept over the gathered crowd. Then, she began to speak, her voice clear and perfectly pitched.

[colour=#B7410E]"Good afternoon. As you have all heard, my name is Xaku. As of today, I will be serving as your new chief of police. I promise you today that I will do everything in my power to continue to defend the safety and livelihoods of the citizens of our prefecture. No crime in Osaka shall go unpunished, and all those who threaten the stability of our prefecture will be met with the full force of the law. All officers under my command will do the same. Thank you."[/colour]

She finishes her speech with a short bow as the cameras start flashing and the questions pour out.

[i]One step closer.[/i]

[hr]
[i]Rend.[/i]

The blood and viscera don’t so much as brush the edges of her uniform as demon flesh is sundered before her. Her gaze remains fixed on the pale, dismembered, barely healing demon kneeling before her.

[colour=#B7410E]“... I made myself clear. Osaka is off-limits.”[/colour]

She doesn’t allow a response. The demon is split into a dozen pieces just as the morning sun starts to rise.

Xaku watches dispassionately as the demon’s remains are turned to ash. She remains in a shaded alcove. Safe, but only just. Suddenly, her head tilts to the side, though her expression is unchanged.

[colour=#B7410E]“... Do you require something?”[/colour]

The shadow behind her shifts and speaks, low enough that only she can hear it. Xaku gives a sharp nod of acknowledgement.

[colour=#B7410E]“Very well. Inform him that I will arrive in Funachi by tonight.”[/colour]

[hr]
Xaku's arrival at Funachi was not as inconspicuous as she would have wished.

It was a given, really. The Police Chief of Osaka visiting Funachi city less than a day after her promotion? That got people curious. Not to mention, her recent achievements and her new position made her a very public and significant figure. Even then, a police escort was a bit much for her taste.

But that was just the price she had to pay for progress.

When the time comes, Xaku is the first to arrive at the Western Dragon Interior. Once there, she chooses to sit in a corner in a [i]seiza[/i] and order a simple cup of unsweetened green tea. There she stays as the rest of her associates enter the establishment. She doesn’t greet them beyond a slight incline of her head, her gaze focused on her tea.

As they all settle in, a brief altercation takes place between the one who called for her and an ignorant child. Xaku still does not shift her gaze.

She takes a sip of her tea as she processes her orders.

[colour=#B7410E]“We shall see, Tsugikuni-sama.”[/colour] Her words are polite despite not being a true agreement. Her position as the first set her on a level different from the others. Only the one above her could decipher her true intentions.

She bows her head slightly, her eyes softly shut. Then, she opens them once again, still having her gaze set on her teacup instead of looking directly at anyone.

She didn’t react to Keodis’ words towards her when she addressed him. Her gaze remained fixed on the tranquil stillness of the surface of the tea she held.

[colour=#B7410E]“Ryūnoko-san. Do not overestimate your value.”[/colour]

For a brief moment, her eyes shift towards the direction of Ryoshu’s “statues”, not quite looking, but aware of them nonetheless.

[colour=#B7410E]“I implore you to rethink your medium of ‘artistic expression’, Ryoshu-san. An artist’s work is a reflection of themselves, and yours reflects poorly.”[/colour]