Day 27: Lunch

[norainu]

Renji wasn't so certain what this grilled cheese thing was all about, but he liked the sound of some soup. Even if it was strange western soup, well... there wasn't anything bad people could do to soup, in his experience. His good mood was starting to fray at the edges, a little, from the strain of dealing with the Ichimaru issue, and even more from what had been on the bulletin board earlier.

He'd never had difficulty simply writing something before. But...

He shook his head as he entered the line. He didn't want to think about it. He wanted to hold on to the tenuous equilibrium he'd managed to find.

Renji got himself a large bowl of soup, water, and even one of those sandwiches, just to try it. Old habit, recently awakened, had him over to one side of the cafeteria, where the fewest people possible would have the chance to pass behind him. He sat there with his back toward the wall and started eating.

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[haiiro-no-chou.livejournal.com]

"Normal human spirit threads look like white ribbons," she explained, "Yours is sort of shiny, and green, and I caught a glimpse of what looked like sparks coming off of it. Like Renji said, never seen anything like it."

Rukia listened to Keman's story, fascinated. It was like something out of a Western fairy tale - dragons and elves and a war against the evil tyrants - but a good deal more grim. She wondered what it had been like for Shana to grow up among the dragons, and was abruptly reminded of her own life, as a commoner in a noble family. Rukia decided that she would have to meet Shana.

"That's... amazing," she said finally, finishing her sandwich and moving on to the remainder of the soup. "And did you win the war?"

Rukia glanced sideways at Renji, giving his hand a light squeeze. Suddenly she felt like a kid again, and Renji's hand over hers made her blush, just a little.

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"A way...to look at my...soul...?" Keman's eyes went wide. Was that even possible? And it was green?

"Well..." he said with a crooked smile. "At least it's unique!" He liked being unique. All of the two-leggers looked so similar! It was nice to know that there was something that set him apart.

"I know how you feel, about being stuck in a body," the dragon said, frowning. "I don't know how this place is doing it, but it's completely sealed off my ability to shift back to my natural form. So...I'm stuck too."

He watched Rukia react to his story with a funny little smile on his face. It surprised (and amused, just a little) him that people were so fascinated with it. He hadn't had time, while everything was happening, to reflect on it, but now that he was so far removed from the events...

"I guess," he shrugged. "That's just how it happened."

As for winning the war? Keman sighed. "I've been wondering that myself. I think we did, but I was taken before it all really sank in. Valyn died, and then--"

He froze. "Oh know. I've said something I shouldn't have again. P-please, disregard that last bit." If Valyn found out that he'd been spreading rumors about his apparent demise, he'd probably get upset.

The dragon smiled at Renji, still rather pink from his slip-up. "He's very kind. And...for what it's worth, it isn't just me anymore." He pointed to a red-haired girl sitting a few tables away, holding a rather one-sided conversation with Valyn. His poor hand. "My sister arrived during the last shift."

[norainu]

Renji nodded. "We're used to being able to walk through walls. And flash step. And..." ...pretty much destroy anything they wanted with minimal effort. He shook his head. "It's... weird."

He was unperturbed by Keman's slip, such as it was. As far as he was concerned, Valyn was quite obviously alive, and that was what counted. "Did he actually die? I mean, do you know for certain?" He shrugged. "Not that it matters. He is obviously alive here. His soul is strongly connected to his body. Don't worry."

Renji looked at the girl Keman pointed at, making a mental note of her face. "I see," he said. "I am sorry." It seemed the best thing, any more, to offer condolences when someone's friends showed up.

Under the table, he squeezed Rukia's hand, moving his thumb lightly against hers.

"Have you decided what you will do tonight?" he asked Keman.

[haiiro-no-chou.livejournal.com]

She smiled at Keman. "Yes, very unique. Unless the spirit threads of all dragons look like that!"

Frowning in concern, Rukia hoped that Renji was right, and Valyn hadn't died back in his own world. "Yeah," she said, "Maybe it was just a close call." She looked up at Renji, adding, "We've had plenty of those."

Rukia looked at the girl Keman pointed out. For some reason, she had taken it for granted that Keman's sister (obviously not by blood, but no matter) would be here. Perhaps it had been the way he talked about her, or perhaps Rukia was simply getting used to more and more people coming here. It was not a heartening thought.

Reaching for her glass of juice, Rukia edged a little closer to Renji. Despite all their worries, his presence was reassuring. She kept her attention focused on Keman, though; hopefully he would stay with friends during the night.