Just a Nice Night (Mizu, Celes)

[“Mizu Tsuraiko" Orina]

Ugh, how long had it been since she'd ran into the Captain? A bit too long now that she'd thought about it. No less, with everything that was going on, she couldn't help but sense a bit of distance in the way the Captain conducted herself. Something of a strange look to her brows whenever she saw the woman Maybe it was her own imagination. Or even more than that, perhaps a projection of her own concerns as of late. But it came to her attention that she aught to try and socialize a little. After all, she'd been the woman's third seat for...how long? Okay well not that long. Hell she'd only recently been promoted.

BUT THAT WAS ALL THE MORE REASON TO LEARN NOW!

And that was how Mizu wound up standing outside the Captain's barracks, a bright, friendly smile on her face as she knocked on the outter door. Having specifically chosen a section of time that the captain wouldn't be busy. And ...frankly....she DID enjoy meeting with officers in her own division so much more than others. For some reason, they seemed to be....well...incompetent. Aggressively incompetent. For whatever reason, a NUMBER of the officers she went out of her way to interact with could often be found under a mountain of paperwork. IT was inefficient, and it was disgusting. The very idea of having to deal with any sort of pwperwork that couldn't be hashed out before the afternoon made her skin crawl.

And so, she had SPECIFICALLY been paying attention to the Captain's workload. Making sure that almost nothing wound up on the woman's desk that wasn't necessary. She'd made sure that the Captain had a free evening. Fufufu. She was quite clever wasn't she? She smiled, patting herself on the back mentally as she waited for the woman to answer her knock. Ah, why couldn't it be this easy for the other members of the gotei? Honestly sometimes she wondered about moving to the First division. Maybe then she could give the other divisions a proper audit so that they'd run properly. Thoughts for later.

[Celes Shindazu]

It appeared as though things in Soul Society were returning to some semblance of normalcy. Sereitei was not under attack every week, patrols in the Rukongai were pretty standard, and the barracks of the Tenth had finally been restored to their former glory. As if things couldn't get any better, Celes wasn't plagued with stacks of paperwork! For the first time in a while, the girl was free to leave the Tenth to its own devices without needing someone to stand in for her. And so she had spent most of the day in the outer districts of the Rukongai. She had found a calming little spot by a waterfall to meditate and train her body.

That... was twelve hours ago. The Captain returned from her training session with bags under her eyes. After all, she had a habit of overdoing it more often than not. So here she was practically stumbling into her office, weakly greeting her Officers who passed by her. Throwing her bag which she often brought into the Rukongai across the room, the woman stared longingly at the couch that sat in the corner of the office. "Oh... how I missed you~" Without a second thought, Celes practically crashed on top of the couch. Her mind drifted and her vision went dark shortly after. She was going to sleep well tonight! Or... so she thought.

Not even five minutes had passed and the girl already heard knocking on her office doors. One of her eyes flicked open as she let out a soft grunt. "What the hell... who is it now?" Eyeing the door, she declared, "It's open. Come in..." The Captain always kept the door to her office unlocked. She believed in being approachable and she encouraged her Officers to come and see her if they had concerns. It was at times like this though that she began to regret it. Nevertheless, she kept her eye on the door, still slumped face-first on the couch.

[“Mizu Tsuraiko" Orina]

Mizu blinked for a few seconds and sighed. Somehow, her Captain still sounded exhausted as she called out, rubbing the back of her head. Maybe she should have just made a damn appointment. Still, she opened the sliding door and gave a sheepish smile. "Ah, hello Captain, sorry this isn't a bad time is it?" She asked softly with a slight tilt of her head. That pretty little face poking in through the door before walking into the woman's area and taking a moment to glance around, getting a sense perhaps of what the Captain had been doing that had her all tuckered out.

Naturally this was hardly unusual. Mizu often approached the Captain for work purposes, but now and then she DID try to start small talk. Certainly Mizu stood out in that regard. When it came to her duties, she was very stern and strict. She had a firm voice and a fair ammount of authority in how she carried herself. But when it came to something outside of that? She was actually almost shy, very soft spoken, despite how sociable she was. As such Celes no doubt would know VERY well wether Mizu was here for work or other stuff, simply by the tone of her voice. No doubt a relief when she didn't hear that terse tone she so often had in the last month or so.

[Celes Shindazu]

As she focused on the door, Celes caught a glimpse of blue hair and a soft voice to accompany it. "Ah, hello Captain, sorry this isn't a bad time is it?" Celes blinked for a moment as it appeared to be her own Third Seat, Mizu. The Captain turned her hand over and gently bounced herself up so she was sitting straight. She rubbed her eyes and stretched her arms and legs outward as a soft groan escaped her lips. "No no. It's okay." Her eyes met Mizu's as she continued. "Just decided to take advantage of the reduced workload and train, but I guess I must've overdone it..."

Celes chuckled a little nervously. She had to admit that she was a little surprised by Mizu's presence. The girl appeared rather shy which felt different from how she normally presented herself. "Guess I don't have to worry about needing to do work...", she chuckled quietly. In her experience, Mizu was a damn good Shinigami. She helped out where she could, displayed leadership, and had a knack for paperwork. Celes could vaguely recall her combat prowess from a mission to Karakura when Celes was still Third Seat of the Eleventh Division. All in all, a model Officer.

None of that helped Celes divine the exact reason that the girl had come to her office. Pushing herself up from her seat, Celes briefly stepped over to her desk. Producing two cups, she looked over her shoulder. Can I interest you in any tea, Mizu? Peppermint? Jasmine?" Even despite her moody and frankly diminished mood, Celes tried to be somewhat pleasant to be around. Despite her attempts to hide it, the girl was a terrible liar and was overtly guided by her emotions. Nevertheless, she didn't wanna scare Mizu off.

Pouring herself a cup of tea, Celes turned around and leaned backward into her desk, taking idle sips as she swished the cup back and forth. "So. Is there anything I can help you with, Mizu? To what do I owe the visit?"

[“Mizu Tsuraiko" Orina]

Mizu perked up slightly as she was assured that the timing was fine. Offering a gentle smile of her own and making her way into the woman's quarters. "Oh! That'd be great actually! I'm glad you're not busy, I actually had something I wanted to run by you." She explained, taking a seat at the mention of tea and watching with intrigue. After all, she'd never seen the Captain make tea. Still, she took a moment to glance around the area. She'd been here plenty of times, but she took a moment to take in the decour, curious if Celes had redecorated or was keeping it tidy.

"As you know, we've been pretty busy. Especially with the mess that was left in the Rukongai recently. Well, I was a big part of the cleanup. And I've been a bit exhausted lately. Aaaaaand so some of my friends made a suggestion. To take a uhhhh bit of a little day off? And well, given you've been a bit worked as well. I was perhaps wondering if the Captain would be interested in joining me." She noted with a sheepish little smile. "After all, it's been a couple years now since I've been working under you, and I admit, I'd like to get to know you a bit better." She pointed out.

All the while, a very well-meaning smile budded on her lips as she folded her hands in her lap. Alright sure she wasn't usually the most sociable or relaxed. But hey, this would be an opportunity to be a bit more familiar with her captain. Right? Well, from Celes' position it definitely would still be strange. Mizu had certainly never asked such a thing before. Hell she might even wonder if Mizu had ulterior motives for wanting to spend time with the woman, but fore now, that at least seemed to be outside of the limelight. Just an earnest desire to spend ab it of time with her Captain.

[Celes Shindazu]

Hearing Mizu take her up on her offer, Celes made another cup of tea. Her fingers briefly danced across the packets. Damn it... she didn't say what she wanted." Celes hesitated for a moment. What if she picked something that Mizu didn't like? A grimace crept along her face as she just picked randomly. "Pomegranate. Works for me." As Celes brewed the second cup, Mizu would have a chance to have a look around the office. It wasn't pristine, but there weren't big messes littered around the room either. Some splintered wood, a few papers scattered around the floor, and other miscellaneous things laying around. Most interestingly though, Mizu might have noticed that Celes' Zanpakutō rested in the far corner of the room, leaning against the wall unceremoniously.

It would take Celes a few moments, but eventually, she'd have it ready and offered it to Mizu. Now for the moment of truth. What brought Mizu here? Simple. She wanted to... hang out. Celes couldn't help but give her a dumbfounded look. She crossed her arms for a moment and raised an eyebrow. "Wait... you wanna hang out with me? Like... just a girls' night out?" In some ways, Celes felt that this took a lot of courage on Mizu's part. Celes had gone out drinking with Kimiko and Miranda once, but those weren't her officers. She couldn't recall a time when any of her Officers asked her to tag along after work.

The Captain tapped her finger on the cup of tea. "I guess it could be fun. Just not sure whether it's, y'know... appropriate." She contemplated declining the offer. However, she had felt like a wreck when alone with her thoughts. The little torments of her Inner Hollow, the isolation that she felt from Yunorashi's death, and her deflated mood were alot to juggle. Reconsidering, she let out a brief sigh and hummed. "Well. Maybe a bit of time away from working and training could do me some good." She flashed Mizu a brief smile.

The girl lifted her cup, quickly downing the rest of the tea. Setting the cup aside, Celes absentmindedly undid the sarashi which clung to her arms. Removing the white cloth revealed a sizeable number of cuts, bruises, and burns in various stages of healing. Once she removed it, the girl slipped into her shihakusho, fastening the obi tightly. She didn't even bother with her haori, opting not to wear it most of the time. After taking a deep breath, Celes looked at Mizu and spoke softly, "Okay, did you have any particular place in mind? Or did you just wanna wing it?"

[“Mizu Tsuraiko" Orina]

Mizu smiled calmly as she watched the woman starting to make tea. Truth be told, even if Celes had outright asked her what sort of tea she wanted, she wouldn't have given a direct answer. As a creature who consumed corpses and other hollows, the finer distinctions of taste were pretty narrow. Her Lure had a sense of taste, but frankly, she was fairly detatched from it. Sometimes she just...suddenly realized she didn't feel well and it would turn out that upon paying more attention that whatever she'd been eating tasted disgusting. It HAD gotten better over the years, by now she actually DID have some small preferences. But tea? Flavored water was not somethign she discerned thoroughly.

"Ah..... inappropriate?" She blinked, clearly a bit perplexed by that description. What was inappropriate about having a drink with one's employer? A bit of a worried look crossed her features as she looked down at herself and.... gently grasped the front of her hakama. Was she showing cleavage? "Ah, I'm... sorry Captain. I'll wear something else on the trip. I'll be sure to find something conservative if you're worried." She noted sheepishly.

"My schedule is fairly open. But, I was thinking today or tomorrow. Thinks have been quiet, but you never know when something will pop up. Do you have any preference?" she ventured. Truth be told, she wasn't the greatest at planning these things. Mai and the others usually did all that shit. Some small part of her suddenly appreciated that, but still, she kept her focus on her Captain. After all, they likely had more obligations that would get in the way, it only made sense for her to set the time aside.

[Celes Shindazu]

After Celes finished offering her initial feelings on hanging out with her subordinate, Mizu gave a rather interesting reaction. Even more than before, she appeared bashful. "Ah, I'm... sorry Captain. I'll wear something else on the trip. I'll be sure to find something conservative if you're worried." Celes blinked repeatedly, a little confused herself. "W- what? The hell does her clothing have to do with this?" She pondered a little longer before her cheeks flushed a crimson cherry red. "Wait... does she mean her...", the Captain trailed off for a moment.

Reflexively, Celes shook her head from side to side as her hands rose as if to dissuade her Officer. "Nonono! That won't be necessary. What you're wearing is just fine.", she chuckled nervously. Changing subjects and acquiescing to the Third Seat's offer, Celes was intrigued to hear if Mizu had already made any plans prior. Whether she had any preferences. "My schedule is fairly open. But, I was thinking today or tomorrow. Thinks have been quiet, but you never know when something will pop up. Do you have any preference?" Celes nodded her head, mulling it over.

"An open schedule, huh." Celes looked back at her desk for a brief moment. It was, for the most part, clear of any paperwork. Thanks to Mizu and other Officers, the Captain had the benefit of not needing to dedicate entire hours to filling out paperwork. Looking back at Mizu, she spoke up, "Well, we're here now and it looks like it'll be a quiet evening. I'd say that we could head out now." The girl nodded in response to her statement.

Pivoting on her heel, Celes grabbed a sticky note from the table and brandished a pen. Making a little note, Celes placed it in the middle of the table so it'd be pretty hard to miss. "If there's a problem, I'm sure that Viola can take care of it." Now with their bases covered, it seemed they were just about ready to go. Unfortunately, it appeared that Mizu didn't know where she wanted to go. Did she not have any ideas or was she just indifferent? The Captain just let out a quick puff of air, mulling it over.

"Well, I know of a popular ramen spot in the Rukongai." She tried to think of some more. "There's a bar here in Seireitei, but not sure if you're in the mood for alcohol." Just like Mizu, Celes wasn't a good planner under the best of circumstances. "Hmm. Well, we could visit the World of the Living. There would be far more options, but then we would need a gigai..." Letting out a soft sigh, she grumbled softly at her lack of motivation to come up with more ideas. "So... any of those sound good to you or do you have a place you like to go out too?"

[Hebika Nara]

Mizu paused for a moment and looked down at herself, reaching up and closing the slight window of her haori. Should she wear like a turtleneck underneath or something? It wasn't as if she was especially full chested. She hadn't really thought about it. But the comment had definitely caught her off guard. And from her Captain no less. Enough that even as Celes backed herself down, she gave a sheepish smile. "No thats quite alright. I can .... figure something out." She assured the woman.

Though looking outside, she was a bit surprised. "Now?" She paused and then itched the side of her neck. "I'd have to still go and find something to change into. But ....that would work for me. I admit I was thinking of a trip to the world of the living. As for Gigai, well I suppose we would if we wanted to eat. Even if most humans in a lot of areas can likely see us now." After all, the obscene ammount of battles that had happened in the last ten years had been pretty effective. Not just Karakura, but spiritual awareness was popping up in quite a few places.

"We can get Gigais and go to the world of the living then. I think that sounds the most exciting. Besides, I always feel like I'm on the job in the rukongai. I think it's a bit easier to relax on earth don't you think?" She offered with a soft smile, gesturing confidently with one hand, even though the other was still keeping her haori closed. "I've heard a lot about Wester cuisine, especially in the Americas. We could get something to eat ontop of getting drinks." She pointed out. After all, why not make the most of the afternoon? Plus a little food would keep them from getting too drunk too fast.