A Leisurely Afternoon [Hanako/Turushino]

[Hanako Nozawa]

The later afternoon sun set just above the skyline of the Seireitei. A cool wind blew, rustling the leaves and brushing away the day's stresses for just a moment or two. The last of her training classes had wrapped up for the day, leaving Hanako tired and sore and with several hours to herself before lights out. Still, there were things she'd wanted to do, people to meet, or even simply a nice, hot bath to take before then.

She had yet to decide, really.

"Mmm-gnnh~" Her voice groaned out from her closed mouth as Hanako stretched her fatigued arms high and back, working the strain and the tension out of her shoulders after several hours of practicing her zanjutsu. Dressed in the red and white of the Shin'ō Academy uniform, she had let the collar open to have the breeze air herself off and help dry the sweat underneath her clothes. Her zanpakutō hung at her waist, as quiet as ever, as she slowly made her way through the streets of the Seireitei leading from the academy to the nearby mess hall. Or rather, maybe she would have that bath first? After all, she did smell like she'd just spent the day training.

"Bath... Food... Food in the bath..." She thought aloud to herself as she considered all the options available to her. However, as she continued, a conniving smile spread across her cheeks before breaking with a throaty chuckle. "Could probably find a cutie to enjoy the bath with, too~" A soft sigh brought her expression back to a gentle grin, and she swung each arm to latch behind her back as she continued at her leisurely pace. Her eyes wandered from one side of the path ahead of her to the other, then up to the trees and the rooftops before glancing ever higher at the sky above.

Yeah, she thought. That sounded like fun.

Her attention fell back to the road as she neared an intersection. One path lead to the mess hall, another to the bath house, and the third to somewhere she quite couldn't remember at the moment. Without much thinking about it, she let her feet guide her wherever they will...

[Turushino Ronjiro]

Turushino sauntered down the bustling streets of the Seireitei, a bottle of sake clutched in one hand, its contents sloshing gently with each step. The late afternoon sun cast a warm glow over the scene, infusing the air with a sense of tranquility that matched his easygoing demeanor. With no particular destination in mind, he let his wanderlust guide him, content to explore the winding paths of the Soul Society.

A loud yawn came from the man as he lazily raised his hand and scratched the back of his head. He proudly sported the traditional shinigami uniform as he wandered the streets aimlessly. While not exactly beaten or bruised, it was clear that he showed signs of having taken part in some of the usual responsibilities that members of his squad would have to endure. Regardless of what he might have endured the man seemed all too happy to take some time to himself and with his trusty bottle by his side. With a grumble, he stops for a moment humming softly "I suppose I could hit a gambling hall for the night...or a bar? Eh...I can do both if I have the time."

He slowly takes one exaggerated step forward as he mumbles something to himself. In the blink of an eye, he disappears and reappears on a nearby rooftop using Shunpo to move up there in an instant. "Despite having a literal eternity ahead of me having to work regularly makes it all such a drag~... If I ever become a captain I am giving myself plenty of time off." He states with a long drawn-out sigh before taking a swig of his bottle only to realize it has been empty for a long time. With yet another sigh he rests his head on his hand watching the passersby come and go. Eventually, he spots someone wearing the Shin'ō Academy uniform. A sly smile would adorn his face as he once again seemed to simply vanish and reappear back on the streets using his speed to his full ability. "A rookie! Look at that! You sure don't see many of you lot walking around in uniform."

[Hanako Nozawa]

The walk had been going by quietly. After all, the Shinigami passing by on the street had their own duties and business to attend to, so stopping to converse with a wandering academy student wasn't the norm for many. That being said, it clearly wasn't true for everyone enjoying the nice day.

Hanako's mind had been preoccupied with thoughts of snacks and who she might run into in the bath house. She had hardly been thinking to scan nearby rooftops for anyone watching her, or to keep her senses open for wayward spiritual pressure. So, when someone did appear from exactly that location, the odd sensation of a presence hitting the nape of her neck first before the voice had reached her ears, she reacted as one normally did when startled:

She shrieked. Loudly.

"What the fuck?" She had stopped, given pause by the brief jump such a jolt had caused, and breathed deeply to slow her now racing heart while she turned to see whose voice it was that had come so suddenly from behind her. Her eyes were wide, and one hand rest flat on her chest as though that would help to calm her excited nerves. When she realized that the sudden newcomer was not, in fact, a threat, however, she exhaled into a brief giggling fit that did help to flush her of her surprise. It was only a Shinigami, after all, and by the look of it, one who was busy enjoying some time off of his own.

"Look at that! A drunk asshole going around scaring women! You do see many of you around!" Turning his words around on him was all she could think to do, and as the last of her shock and surprise drained from her expression, it left a wide smirk with playful undertones. She wasn't actually sure what she'd said was true, but she was feeling a little vindictive in the moment, and had wanted to get back at the stranger out of spite. She breathed deeply again, then spent a few seconds straightening out the edges of her shitagi and kosode. When she was done, her hands rose up to clasp together behind her neck while her elbows hung in front of her, and she looked back at the towering man who had appeared behind her. "You get too excited there for a moment, or something?" She inquired with no small hint of sarcasm in her voice, seeking to diffuse the tension from the situation and go back to enjoying her afternoon.

[Turushino Ronjiro]

Turushino's jovial expression faltered for a moment as Hanako's startled shriek pierced the air, her reaction catching him off guard. His hands quickly darted up to his ears as he protected his hearing with a wince. Nervously, he looked around at passersby, noticing a handful of people looking in their direction. With and without context, it wasn't a good look for the bumbling fool. The Shinigami chuckled quietly as the judging gaze of multiple strangers pierced right into his soul, causing a single bead of sweat to roll down his cheek. It was not the first time he had made a fool of himself in public, and it surely would not be the last.

Upon hearing her words, he stopped for only a second, then immediately burst out into laughter. He raised his hands in a placating gesture. "A drunk asshole? Why, I am barely on my first bottle! You wound me~ you wound me~." As his laugh died out, he rubbed his chin, pondering over the words once again. Turning around to look at nothing, he took a couple of steps back. "Hngh...not the worst thing that I have been called, however. I suppose that is good...I think?" His words trailed off, seemingly lost in thought as his mind wandered off to all the less than stellar interactions he had with people in the past.

A few seconds passed, and the Shinigami did not move, completely lost in his own thoughts. His eyes suddenly lightened up, as if remembering something. He turned back to face Hanako, snapping his fingers as he exclaimed, "Ah!" Immediately bowing politely a couple of times, he said, "Sorry for scarin' ya! I didn't mean to come out of nowhere like that! Well, I mean I...did but not in a way that would scare ya...ah, you get what I mean, I think." Turushino lifted a thumb up and pointed to himself, his expression shifting to an incredibly proud smile. "Turushino Ronjiro! Member of the Third Squad! I was just out and about after my shift, saw an academy student, and figured I'd say hello... to varying degrees of success!"

[Hanako Nozawa]

Hanako continued to soothe herself as the stranger stumbled awkwardly through his apologies. One hand held firmly to the nape of her neck, and the other shifted to her shoulder while she controlled her breathing for a while longer. Fortunately, the stranger was not one to take offense, and her retaliatory jabs were taken in stride. Her vindictive smirk lightened at the gesture he gave, bowing as he introduced himself with full name and rank. She, of course, would now have to do so in kind, though.

"Hanako Nozawa." She neglected to give the same exaggerated bow in return, and instead nodded her head while lowering her arms back to her sides. Bereft of anything to do with them, however, they almost immediately changed course to cross one another over her abdomen. "Well, mission accomplished," she commented on his varying success in saying hello, punctuating her comment with a throaty chuckle at his expense. "I shouldn't be too mad, I suppose. My instructors would probably agree my 'observational skills' were too lax." Her voice pitched and shifted, mocking the very notion that she should be more attentive in the Seireitei, of all places. It wasn't like something was going to come out and attack her here, right? Well, nothing more dangerous than a misguided drunk, at least.

Hanako gave pause to their budding conversation to look the man over in more detail this time. He was quite tall, and the juxtaposition of a single careful and delicate braid set free from the mess of untamed hair was an interesting sight. Many scars covered the skin she could see, telling tales of battles long passed. It was the eyes, however, that caught her attention and refused to let go; they were quite striking all on their own, and she was captivated by the unique color. She let her thoughts ruminate in her mind for a little while, just a few seconds while she continued to examine the man standing in front of her, before she let herself speak them aloud:

"I was just on my way to the bath~" Her smile widened a little, baring a few more teeth as it adopted a quality not unlike something conniving and untoward. Her voice lilted playfully, as though her tongue were treating the words as a game unto themselves. "Would you care to join me? That is, if you've got another bottle to share~" That marked the return of her smirk, just as playful as before but now with the untold promise of company, for a price. Good alcohol was expensive, after all, and she'd been wanting some company, regardless.