Twice The Spice [JT]

[Nakajima Kimiko]

It took a moment for Kimiko to process the name that had just been told to her by what she presently assumed to be the leader of this group, and during that moment, she remained quiet, staring at him in comical disbelief. It caused the entire ruined restaurant to be suddenly entrenched in an air of pure, unadulterated awkwardness. "... What?" She eventually finally muttered in her confusion as she stared at the man. If disbelief was somehow tangible and was attached to her soul, she would have potentially been dragged down to the core of the Soul Society. Did she seriously hear him right? Rukon Burgers? Is that really how she and Ishikawa are supposed to call them? What, are they fighting some kind of food chain? Oh, wait, it is seriously a food chain? What? When did food chains start hiring bandits to go and destroy other food chains? What has that ever been a thing and how come she has never heard of any of this happening during her evenings?!

The more she thought about it, the more her disappointment and disbelief started to be replaced with just pure awe. This... This was stupid. This was so stupid. She could be eating right about now, enjoy her evening with a now-properly introduced acquaintance she hasn't seen in a while, but no, instead of doing just that, they were stuck fighting these low-life idiots who seem to be very proud of brandishing their stupid name. They were not even strong too! They were not even as strong as the weakest Hollow she can find in the Living World, or some of the bandits that roam the deeper parts of Rukongai. They were quite literally the equivalent of restaurant staff members going around with swords and knives in hand all in a desperate attempt to scare away their competition. "Dude, seriously, just... just wow, man," she could only say in astonishment as the man threatened her and Ishikawa without even so much as understanding how ridiculous he and his comrades were. "You really are just amazing..."

Some people really do enjoy making poor life choices, huh? It reminded her of some of the stuff she'd see on the Internet or public television while she was a Human of the Living World. Even now, she can still recall how astonishingly stupid many trends that she had seen taking shape on the World Wide Web really were, with the grand majority oddly being Western in nature. Many of these trends were relatively simple despite their stupidity, like standing on train tracks and dodging at the very last moment, or skateboarding in the middle of traffic; however, there were a few which had much greater implications, like that one time she saw a video of someone setting the trash canisters of his office on fire. That's not even mentioning the people forming cults on the web about aliens, and others trying desperately to convince others that the world was conquered by lizard-people. Even Japan wasn't safe from those people... with some somehow doing even stupider things than them.

Well, in any case, it did not make much longer for them to take care of the remaining bandit. By the time she and Ishikawa both openly started mocking him for both his status as a "Rukon Burger" warrior and his absolute lack of strength, the man exploded and attempted to deliver several cuts to the Shinigami officers, especially the greenhead who had taunted him the most out of the two. Despite his sudden burst of speed, his technique had lessened even further, and the man had become completely predictable for Kimiko. It was so bad that even Ishikawa could dodge him perfectly without even so much as a scratch. What a pathetic sight. Eventually, the scarlet-eyed warrior could not take it and simply put an end to it by delivering a sweeping kick to his legs. The wizard found her involvement a bit boring as it, in his words, "ruined his fun", but she really could not take all of this anymore. She just wanted it to stop and for this little group to leave, hence why she showed her sword to the man without any hesitation. Of course, she had no wish to use it, and so she brought it away from the man after Ishikawa gestured her to, but it was a big-enough indication that she was getting tired of this.

She did not say anything while Ishikawa threatened to kill the bandits if they ever returned to the restaurant. Although it was a bit of a serious threat, she knew that it was not going to be delivered... or at least, she hoped so. As such, she did not add anything and simply allowed the miscreants to run away. After they had fully left, she would sigh quietly, return her blade to her scabbard, then head towards the fallen tables. "They've made such a damn mess..." she huffed before she would then attempt to raise them back up. Some were definitely too broken to be returned to the position they once held, and she obviously could not do anything about those, but others were fortunately still intact. As for the food that had been spilled all over the floor... Well, those were lost for sure. There was no way anyone would want to eat cold, tainted meat and noodles. At least the bowls were still intact, something which she also made sure to pick up and put back on the tables. "What a waste."

After she would finish partially cleaning up the place, the woman would look towards beyond the counter to see if there was something like a broom they could use to collect the food and throw it in the trash, though she couldn't find any. In so doing, she simply would look on over to the remains of the restaurant before shaking her head. "So... Rukon Burgers... That's a thing, apparently. I'm gonna guess they're related to that Rukon Reapers group we've been hearing more and more about lately..." she would say as she still very much appeared to be in disbelief about the whole thing. No one could blame, her: it is not often that you see a food chain outright act like bandits. The most of them do that kind of stuff through economics, not violence. Well, at least that's how the movies tend to show businessmen and lawyers doing their work whenever it came to companies fighting each other. "I didn't expect them to go for a literal food chain..." 

Her serious mode would dissipate soon enough, as eventually, she would return to her seat in front of the counter and simply sit there with a gaze of comically-abysmal dissatisfaction. "They were so weak too... I don't even think it was a good fight even for them. Couldn't they have been at least a little bit stronger? We literally took them all out without any effort..." she ranted in disappointment before she would simply stare at her empty bowl. "At least they let me finish my food." It was indeed the minimum they could have done for her in this situation. They had no physical prowess of any sorts compared to theirs, no advantages that allowed them to have some sort of edge against them. After her complaints, she would then remain quiet for a moment so as to let her disappointment fade away. Once that was done, she would turn her gaze towards Ishikawa. "I hope they're okay... the owner and the waitress, I mean. All of this is going to be pretty bad for this place..."

[Ishikawa Seiji]

A long time ago, Seiji had once believed that the truest of fools only existed in the furthest outskirts, or for those that were the most sheltered and privileged. People who had never experienced hardship or had any grain of common sense about them. The scene before him proved such a point quite nicely and then some. So few bothered and what the pair of Shinigami had to witness felt much like a cruel joke. A way to ruin their evening rather than present any kind of obstacle before them, even if this little group were indeed utterly serious in their intentions, it was hard not to laugh at it. Torn between amusement and simply pity, the former Rukongai resident opted for the former as a more sensible option. It did not truly take long after that to dispatch such idiots, leaving the few that could still move running with their tails between their legs. Like upset puppies that weren't getting their way, it would've been entertaining if nothing else, had they not chosen to make a mess right in the middle of his meal. You simply did not mess with someone's food, certainly not individuals who could hurt you at least.

He could do naught by watch, much more and he suspected the lot would have begun to ask for their lives to be spared. But the elder was feeling generous, and a threat to their life was more than enough to put a healthy dose of fear into them. It would do for the time being, enough that should they return, he could make good on his little promise. It would hardly be the first time he'd taken a life for bringing out such frustrations in him after all. Yet for the moment, the fleeting forms of those that could run, and those that had to be carried were all that encompassed his sight. Without even needing to draw a blade, how useful that was, if this was the standard out here in Rukongai these days? Then he supposed he'd have no trouble travelling alone in future. A small upside to this mostly ruined dinnertime, well that and meeting a not quite acquaintance once again. Not friends, yet not total strangers either. It wasn't all bad.

"Couldn't jus' leave it at threatenin' could they? Had ta ruin good food." Though not an actual question, they both knew the answer, it was one he spoke aloud as now alone with the younger woman he had a moment to take in his surroundings. Frankly, it was fucking awful. The sight of discarded and now useless food, a massively damaged wall and even some furniture now outright destroyed and unusable. It was quite the sight, as if a mini tornado had hit the place and for once it hadn't been him or any other Shinigami that had caused such a thing through combat. No, it was purely the recklessness of total morons that had wrecked the place. Something that would no doubt take time to clean up. Well, no time like the present really was there? The fact that he'd managed to finish eating, rushed though it was, was enough to push the elder to help. To start with the cleanup proper, or at least what they could without grabbing actual supplies. If he had eaten here, then others deserved the chance to do so as well. Without the threat of death held over their heads.

Looking around and finding very little to work with to clean up was disappointing, had Mitsuri and that old grump taken such items with them when fleeing? Or were they all simply very well hidden from anyone poking about. Though he saw Kimiko looking past the counter, there was no use looking if you didn't go over there in his opinion, she appeared to find nothing. It was with a shake of his head that he hoped over the counter, vaulting over it easily enough to reach the back and actually see what remained. Most of the food untouched, the flame once used for cooking gone and that was just well really, the majority of it should still be fine as long as those two returned this evening. Though Seiji hardly planned to stick around all night for that to happen, he still had a curfew and much as he often broke it, for something like this? He was sure they'd manage, especially with Mitsuri bossing people about. She'd always been good at that. It took a few minutes of looking, but he did eventually find a broom tucked away beneath the counter, heading back around to at least get the shards of broken dishes out of the way, as he listened to the younger digest the evenings events.

He couldn't help but chuckle as he heard that name again, it just sounded so silly, like something a child would make up and wasn't supposed to be taken seriously whatsoever. But they had been serious, and their delusions of grandeur were rather concerning against the regular souls that lived here, but with them fled there was nothing else they could do about it right now. It was hardly his problem, and the emerald haired Shinigami knew himself well enough to know the facts, he wasn't nearly noble enough to go searching for them in the middle of the night. Someone else could deal with that, others out on patrol most likely, if they even bothered to come out this far. He still hadn't quite figured out if many did yet. "Guess so, can't say they're impressive, but the others we met ain' all that great either. Maybe they're jus' a group of mediocrity... yanno, that jus' are thinkin' themselves the strongest 'round here?" A valid theory in his mind, thus far none of them had been remarkable in any sense of the word. They were all so boring, with such inflated senses of pride, it was laughable really. Perhaps if they were lucky, neither of them would have to run into such a group again.

Though the younger of the pair sat back down, Seiji at least intended to finish cleaning some of it up, if nothing else so Mitsuri and the grump could walk around this place without the concern of suddenly finding shards of glass and broken bowls stuck into their body painfully. "Pretty sure they thought ever'one woulda jus' given in to 'em without a fight. Makes sense though, why they're weak an' all, if we're talkin' 'bout a literal food chain. Hardly trained an' all. Least we got ta eat." In the end it didn't really matter what they wanted or why they had done it, the fact he'd had to rush his meal, to wolf it down as he used to when food was so very scare and not eating quickly meant you might not get some at all? That was what annoyed him, he'd paid damn good money to sit quietly and have his fill, instead it had turned into quite the disaster. One he certainly wasn't going to bother filing a report about when he got back to the barracks, there was no point, and he'd much rather do something more productive then paperwork anyways. Anything was better than sitting at a desk and filing in forms.

Still, it was as he finished sweeping up. Setting the broom he'd found to one side in a far corner of the restaurant, it was only as he did, that Kimiko begun dwelling on what he had already wondered about. Those two, and more specifically how they would cope after all this. "Not sayin' ya ain't got a point there Kimiko-chan, but if they can afford ta open in the 3rd District, so close ta all that nobility an' money, they'll be fine. Jus' might take 'em a bit to clean everythin' up is all. 'Sides I know Mitsuri-chan has seen worse, she'll be fine, ain' no idea 'bout the old man though." He'd seen her deal with worse and come out fine, not that anyone should have to this close to the Seiretei, but the world was never as anyone wanted it to be. There was no true peace or safety, not truly, turbulence ruled everything and it was simply a matter of surviving day by day. As this place would have to now after the attack, and only hope that there would not be a repeat of such destruction anytime soon.

It was with a shrug as he finished speaking, that the elder Shinigami gave the place a look over once more and even stepping briefly out through the back door. By his minimal sensible capabilities, they weren't anywhere super close by, but if either of them cared about such an establishment - which he assumed they did - then it would only be a matter of time until they returned. In the same evening, give or take a few hours, he hoped. Only as footsteps ambled back inside to the still semi-destroyed restaurant, back into the relative warmth rather than the bitter cold he would soon have to face, did Seiji find himself settled enough in this place rather than freezing to speak up. "Dunno 'bout you Kimiko-chan, but I ain' stayin' here ta slowly freeze ta death all night, we can barricade this place up an' leave. Or ya can stay if ya like, see if they come back today or not. Either way, best hope we don' run into 'em again ne? Have fun." Whatever she decided, he would not stay and he knew Mitsuri would understand why once she returned here to find him gone, self-preservation and all that. It was with a brief wave, before longer fingers were property places back into the folds of his uniform to keep warm, scarf wrapped all the tighter as he headed out into the snow. Who knows, maybe he'd meet Kimiko one day without having to fight something, perhaps then they could have a proper conversation.

[Deleted]

Counted 138 paragraphs, so that'll be 690 TP for both Seiji and Kimiko!