042408 - When First We Met
Flash-stepping back...
Dusk falls outside the light dying slowly as the sun sets giving way to the night sky. Stars slowly appearing as the sun slips away the air goes quiet of all sound as though to honor this time the hush of evening filling the air. Within this hush, inside a cell sitting upon a chair a dark haired girl watches this event solemnly, /I wonder how many more of these beautiful sunsets I'll see before my time is over..../ She thinks the light slowly dimming in her cell.
She calmly notes that she would most likely be outside watching this all from a tree if she were still a free woman. Turning her mind to something before she begins regretting the evening due to her own wistful thoughts, instead of cherishing it. So she begins humming a silly pop song she learned while in Karakura, anything to clear her head right now....
He's only begun his duties there recently, and although to be assigned to the 6th Division for janitorial tasks meant at least he'd perhaps see Rikichi a bit more often than the usual, Hanatarou is all too aware of the fact that he's in the presence of nobles here. Having finished sweeping the main rooms on this side of the compound, he'd hoped to have the excuse of it being too late to tend to any of the things within the holding cell. It'd have to wait for another day, another how many hours to stall before he would inevitably have to see the girl.
Rukia Kuchiki; there are many things he doesn't understand about her situation, and what he knows of the reasons for why she is here is even less. No one tells him these things. No one thinks he needs to know. He probably agrees with them. Hanatarou glances over at the doorway leading to the office where Rukia's cell is, hearing the faint strains of tune floating from within. Slowly his sandaled steps take him closer, and then within the room itself. She...looks so sad there...
Gulping, Hanatarou moves a bit closer, still clutching the broom he'd been toting about. "...R...Rukia-sama..? Is everything all right...?" he asks, finally.
Turning around instantly as the voice speaks from behind her Rukia's tune stops as well. The girl notes it's the shinigami that had been assinged to take care of her room, she hadn't caught his name at the time her own mind wandering due to the grave nature of her imprisonment and worry over a certain someone she'd never see again. She stands and faces him sizing him up for the shortest of moments, eyes cold and analytical before the look is gone replaced by a mildly annoyed look, "It's Rukia...just Rukia, no need to be formal with me."
She stands there considering how to answer the question before a small smile forms on her features, "I am fine." She stops, again remembering she hadn't caught his name earlier, "This may be rude of me but...I wasn't really paying attention when they introduced you, I had other things on my mind. So I hope you don't mind me asking you to tell me your name?" The smile still on her lips and curiosity in her eyes, she's found something far more comforting and engaging then humming a song....someone to talk to even if for just a short time before his concern for a prisoner vanishes.
The look that she grants him pins him in place, and even after it's softened to something less upsetting, the young shinigami can't help but flinch, clutching the broomstick all the more tightly. "I-I'm sorry!" he stutters, bowing abruptly. He's surprised to see the faint smile that appears on the girl's face though, once he dares lift his head to look back at her again. Blinking, he seems to relax a bit, and with the smile remaining in place on Rukia's face, no matter how small it is, it encourages one of his own to touch his lips.
"..oh... that's all right. That's completely understandable..." His grip eases up on his broom, and he gives her a nod before replying with his name. "Yamada Hanatarou," he says, giving another bobbing bow out of politeness.
The imprisoned girl just tilts her head and almost starts to chuckle from his reaction to her reprimand, "Be careful now, you might get into more trouble with me by apologizing like that." Her tone playfully harsh as the smile still remains fixed in place. She is further encouraged as he seems to relax and smile at her, perhaps this conversation would last longer than she thought. As he introduces himself Rukia can't help but blink, /...what a bland name./ But his friendly demeanor doesn't go unappreciated.
With amusement clearly visible on her features Rukia bows properly to Hanatarou, "As you most likely know, I'm Kuchiki Rukia, I am most pleased to meet you and hope to be little trouble for you during your duties." She straigtens as a question froms in her mind, "So Hanatarou-san....you're not part of the 6th are you?"
"Yes.... i-it's a pleasure to meet you, Rukia-sam- err... Rukia-san," Hanatarou quickly corrects, somewhat flustered to see a noble bowing back at him. Trouble for him? How considerate she is! "....oh, I'm sure you shouldn't be the cause of any trouble, really..." Handling clean up here is much more of a relief than certain other divisions, but then Unohana-taichou wouldn't be so heartless as to send any of her Fourtth Division to the Eleventh. Perhaps that's why it's in such poor shape...
The shinigami shakes his head at Rukia's inquiry. "Ah, no, I'm not under Kuchiki-taichou." He smiles weakly. "I'm from the Fourth Division." Even though it's a lame example, he hefts the broom up a bit as if to make that point, before he scans the floor to see if any immediate sweeping needs be done. Having broken the ice here between them, he's a little less wary of trying to avoid the prisoner noble, especially upon seeing her mood seem to lighten, if only very slightly.
Turning her chair slightly so that she can still see the last of the sunset outside and talk to Hanatarou as well, Rukia reseats herself with another light chuckle as the 4th squad member stutters, "I'm glad to hear that, I hope I'm not interrupting your duties too much by talking to you too much?" She seems genuinely concerned as she asks though as he looks around for stuff to clean she relaxes again. As he replies to her question, "Oh the fourth division?" She nods to herself to hide the small flinch when Byakuya was named, "I guess I should've been able to tell, as you've been cleaning every time I saw you..."
She looks to the window again and without thinking about it begins humming that silly pop tune again temporarly lost in thought before returning to her conversation partner, "Aren't you here pretty late Hanatarou-san?" She asks as she realizes the detail that's been bugging her about this meeting.
There's a small spot that could use some sweeping, the soft bristles of his broom touching the floor to do just that. Hanatarou glances back at Rukia, pausing again, leaning against the broom some. He looks towards the window she had been watching as if to take note of the time for himself. "Well... yes... but..." Funny how eager he had been earlier to want to be done with things and head back, and yet now...
"It's not like I have anything better to do after this, and I did sort of take my time with the other rooms... so it's my fault that I have to finish up a little late here..." He tosses a sheepish smile at her, straightening to give the small pile he'd gathered a sweep towards the doorway. "....unless... well... if you'd rather I go... I can..." he adds after some consideration, wondering if perhaps maybe he's intruding on her privacy. Some people do enjoy solitude, after all.
The soft smile still on her lips grows a little as she watches him sweep for a moment before Hanatarou answers her question. Rukia gives him a moment to compose himself and his thoughts without her staring at him by looking out the window again and without really thinking about it she makes a simple comment, "It'll be a lovely night."
Her gaze returns to Hanatarou once he's obviously not as out of sorts anymore, "Oh I see, well thank you for looking after me." The smile quirking at the side of her mouth lending a mild teasing look to her face, "I get left till last, I understand...." She can't help but to smile widely at the thought of what reaction she'd get out fo the 4 squad member with that comment. She is surprised her eyes snapping to Hanatarou's at the mention of him leaving, "NO!..." She covers her mouth and gives a light cough, "I mean no....that's not what I meant, I am enjoying the conversation." She looks to the corner of her cell where here bed is and yawns sleepily, "Though perhaps I should sleep for the evening....." Yes it's early and the conversation is good but the boredom of being alone in her cell all day had been rather draining on her, so she finds herself surprisingly tired, "Goodnight Hanatarou-san, I hope we can talk some more tomorrow...if you don't mind?" A hopeful look in her eyes despite the serene appearance of her face.
"Ah- I wasn't- I mean, that's not how---!" The shinigami medic sputters and all but flails- it wouldn't be a good thing to do so when he is holding a broom. He almost panics when Rukia shouts out like that, clasping a hand over his heart as if to keep it from going anywhere. The bewildered look on his face softens into a weak smile again.
"...you did say it was late, Rukia-san." He nods his head. "...I'll let you rest though. I should..." He pauses to yawn, smothering a hand over his mouth. "...probably get going then..." he continues. The look on her face touches him, and it brings a brighter smile than the earlier ones he's displayed. Hanatarou nods his head. "Uhn. I'll come here first thing, Rukia-san, if you would like." He's curious about her, and to be able to provide her some small relief while she's imprisoned here made him feel pleased. He gives another bow towards her, stepping back towards the door. "Good night, Rukia-san."
Dusk falls outside the light dying slowly as the sun sets giving way to the night sky. Stars slowly appearing as the sun slips away the air goes quiet of all sound as though to honor this time the hush of evening filling the air. Within this hush, inside a cell sitting upon a chair a dark haired girl watches this event solemnly, /I wonder how many more of these beautiful sunsets I'll see before my time is over..../ She thinks the light slowly dimming in her cell.
She calmly notes that she would most likely be outside watching this all from a tree if she were still a free woman. Turning her mind to something before she begins regretting the evening due to her own wistful thoughts, instead of cherishing it. So she begins humming a silly pop song she learned while in Karakura, anything to clear her head right now....
He's only begun his duties there recently, and although to be assigned to the 6th Division for janitorial tasks meant at least he'd perhaps see Rikichi a bit more often than the usual, Hanatarou is all too aware of the fact that he's in the presence of nobles here. Having finished sweeping the main rooms on this side of the compound, he'd hoped to have the excuse of it being too late to tend to any of the things within the holding cell. It'd have to wait for another day, another how many hours to stall before he would inevitably have to see the girl.
Rukia Kuchiki; there are many things he doesn't understand about her situation, and what he knows of the reasons for why she is here is even less. No one tells him these things. No one thinks he needs to know. He probably agrees with them. Hanatarou glances over at the doorway leading to the office where Rukia's cell is, hearing the faint strains of tune floating from within. Slowly his sandaled steps take him closer, and then within the room itself. She...looks so sad there...
Gulping, Hanatarou moves a bit closer, still clutching the broom he'd been toting about. "...R...Rukia-sama..? Is everything all right...?" he asks, finally.
Turning around instantly as the voice speaks from behind her Rukia's tune stops as well. The girl notes it's the shinigami that had been assinged to take care of her room, she hadn't caught his name at the time her own mind wandering due to the grave nature of her imprisonment and worry over a certain someone she'd never see again. She stands and faces him sizing him up for the shortest of moments, eyes cold and analytical before the look is gone replaced by a mildly annoyed look, "It's Rukia...just Rukia, no need to be formal with me."
She stands there considering how to answer the question before a small smile forms on her features, "I am fine." She stops, again remembering she hadn't caught his name earlier, "This may be rude of me but...I wasn't really paying attention when they introduced you, I had other things on my mind. So I hope you don't mind me asking you to tell me your name?" The smile still on her lips and curiosity in her eyes, she's found something far more comforting and engaging then humming a song....someone to talk to even if for just a short time before his concern for a prisoner vanishes.
The look that she grants him pins him in place, and even after it's softened to something less upsetting, the young shinigami can't help but flinch, clutching the broomstick all the more tightly. "I-I'm sorry!" he stutters, bowing abruptly. He's surprised to see the faint smile that appears on the girl's face though, once he dares lift his head to look back at her again. Blinking, he seems to relax a bit, and with the smile remaining in place on Rukia's face, no matter how small it is, it encourages one of his own to touch his lips.
"..oh... that's all right. That's completely understandable..." His grip eases up on his broom, and he gives her a nod before replying with his name. "Yamada Hanatarou," he says, giving another bobbing bow out of politeness.
The imprisoned girl just tilts her head and almost starts to chuckle from his reaction to her reprimand, "Be careful now, you might get into more trouble with me by apologizing like that." Her tone playfully harsh as the smile still remains fixed in place. She is further encouraged as he seems to relax and smile at her, perhaps this conversation would last longer than she thought. As he introduces himself Rukia can't help but blink, /...what a bland name./ But his friendly demeanor doesn't go unappreciated.
With amusement clearly visible on her features Rukia bows properly to Hanatarou, "As you most likely know, I'm Kuchiki Rukia, I am most pleased to meet you and hope to be little trouble for you during your duties." She straigtens as a question froms in her mind, "So Hanatarou-san....you're not part of the 6th are you?"
"Yes.... i-it's a pleasure to meet you, Rukia-sam- err... Rukia-san," Hanatarou quickly corrects, somewhat flustered to see a noble bowing back at him. Trouble for him? How considerate she is! "....oh, I'm sure you shouldn't be the cause of any trouble, really..." Handling clean up here is much more of a relief than certain other divisions, but then Unohana-taichou wouldn't be so heartless as to send any of her Fourtth Division to the Eleventh. Perhaps that's why it's in such poor shape...
The shinigami shakes his head at Rukia's inquiry. "Ah, no, I'm not under Kuchiki-taichou." He smiles weakly. "I'm from the Fourth Division." Even though it's a lame example, he hefts the broom up a bit as if to make that point, before he scans the floor to see if any immediate sweeping needs be done. Having broken the ice here between them, he's a little less wary of trying to avoid the prisoner noble, especially upon seeing her mood seem to lighten, if only very slightly.
Turning her chair slightly so that she can still see the last of the sunset outside and talk to Hanatarou as well, Rukia reseats herself with another light chuckle as the 4th squad member stutters, "I'm glad to hear that, I hope I'm not interrupting your duties too much by talking to you too much?" She seems genuinely concerned as she asks though as he looks around for stuff to clean she relaxes again. As he replies to her question, "Oh the fourth division?" She nods to herself to hide the small flinch when Byakuya was named, "I guess I should've been able to tell, as you've been cleaning every time I saw you..."
She looks to the window again and without thinking about it begins humming that silly pop tune again temporarly lost in thought before returning to her conversation partner, "Aren't you here pretty late Hanatarou-san?" She asks as she realizes the detail that's been bugging her about this meeting.
There's a small spot that could use some sweeping, the soft bristles of his broom touching the floor to do just that. Hanatarou glances back at Rukia, pausing again, leaning against the broom some. He looks towards the window she had been watching as if to take note of the time for himself. "Well... yes... but..." Funny how eager he had been earlier to want to be done with things and head back, and yet now...
"It's not like I have anything better to do after this, and I did sort of take my time with the other rooms... so it's my fault that I have to finish up a little late here..." He tosses a sheepish smile at her, straightening to give the small pile he'd gathered a sweep towards the doorway. "....unless... well... if you'd rather I go... I can..." he adds after some consideration, wondering if perhaps maybe he's intruding on her privacy. Some people do enjoy solitude, after all.
The soft smile still on her lips grows a little as she watches him sweep for a moment before Hanatarou answers her question. Rukia gives him a moment to compose himself and his thoughts without her staring at him by looking out the window again and without really thinking about it she makes a simple comment, "It'll be a lovely night."
Her gaze returns to Hanatarou once he's obviously not as out of sorts anymore, "Oh I see, well thank you for looking after me." The smile quirking at the side of her mouth lending a mild teasing look to her face, "I get left till last, I understand...." She can't help but to smile widely at the thought of what reaction she'd get out fo the 4 squad member with that comment. She is surprised her eyes snapping to Hanatarou's at the mention of him leaving, "NO!..." She covers her mouth and gives a light cough, "I mean no....that's not what I meant, I am enjoying the conversation." She looks to the corner of her cell where here bed is and yawns sleepily, "Though perhaps I should sleep for the evening....." Yes it's early and the conversation is good but the boredom of being alone in her cell all day had been rather draining on her, so she finds herself surprisingly tired, "Goodnight Hanatarou-san, I hope we can talk some more tomorrow...if you don't mind?" A hopeful look in her eyes despite the serene appearance of her face.
"Ah- I wasn't- I mean, that's not how---!" The shinigami medic sputters and all but flails- it wouldn't be a good thing to do so when he is holding a broom. He almost panics when Rukia shouts out like that, clasping a hand over his heart as if to keep it from going anywhere. The bewildered look on his face softens into a weak smile again.
"...you did say it was late, Rukia-san." He nods his head. "...I'll let you rest though. I should..." He pauses to yawn, smothering a hand over his mouth. "...probably get going then..." he continues. The look on her face touches him, and it brings a brighter smile than the earlier ones he's displayed. Hanatarou nods his head. "Uhn. I'll come here first thing, Rukia-san, if you would like." He's curious about her, and to be able to provide her some small relief while she's imprisoned here made him feel pleased. He gives another bow towards her, stepping back towards the door. "Good night, Rukia-san."