I own nothing save my original character. Tite Kubo is the one who owns Bleach. I'm just doing this for my own enjoyment...
The bright white light soon blocked out the world she was leaving behind and parted before her to reveal the new one she was going to be joining. Soul Society... had you told her a few months ago that she would be ending up in this place - that it existed she would have thought you a bit crazy and avoided your presence... But here she was. So much had happened in the span of a few short months.
She was not clad in a kimono this time. She had on jeans and a t-shirt and tennis shoes. She looked every inch the modern girl she was in reality. Of course she didn't even have her Academy uniform yet so what she had was what she was bringing with her. It certainly earned her more than a few strange looks from those who'd been near the senkai gate when she'd emerged.
There was only one person she was hoping to see when the senkai gate opened for her to step out into Soul Society... However she did not see him and grew slightly worried... She did however catch sight of familiar red... She made her way over to the one person who seemed at all familiar. "Hello Lieutenant Abarai-san..." She says softly.
"You can call me Renji. The Captain sends his apologies, there was an emergency captain's meeting. He sent me to make sure you got through the gate okay. You can come back to the 6th squad and hang out until he gets out of the meeting." He says simply. She was relieved that she'd not been forgotten but she was worried by the fact that an emergency meeting had been called.
"Why was an emergency meeting called?" She asks as she follows him when he turns to head off back to the barracks.
"There was an attack... some Arrancar -that's a smarter, meaner, stronger Hollow. It attacked some shinigami stationed in the real world. Seems Aizen's making another bid to either draw us out or find a way to get his forces here. Hate to break it to you, but there's a war going on Nakayama-san and we're right in the middle of it." Renji says as he helps her with the other suitcase she'd been towing along behind her.
Smarter, meaner, stronger Hollow? That did not sound good at all. She blanched a little at the thought of it. Why did she choose to come here again? It would figure that it was just her luck to end up in the middle of a war. Still she had made her decision and she was not going to turn tail and run just because of this. She had been told about the traitors, she should have figured there was a lot more going on with such things. She should have asked more questions.
"Oi, you okay?" Renji asks.
She blinks coming out of her mental ponderings... "Oh sorry, yes I'm fine... I was just thinking..." She explains.
"Well, can't say I know where to put you exactly, so you can just stick around the office until the Captain gets back. I've got paperwork to finish but if you need somethin' just ask."
She nods, "Thank you Renji-san." She says with a polite bow.
He chuckles. "You're a lot like the Captain with that formal stuff you know." He muses.
"Thank you, I think." She says with a little chuckle. Renji noticed how much cuter she was when she was smiling. She didn't look so lost or sad... He just shrugs and settles back at his desk and starts working on the paperwork.
She arranges her things, putting them along one wall where they seemed like they would be out of the way. She tries to be quiet and stay out of the way, but she does notice the things to make tea and decides to make some for herself and Byakuya's lieutenant. When she's finished she brings him a cup and sets it on his desk. He looks up... blinking a little shocked that she made tea.
"Thanks." Comes the slightly gruff response. He wasn't upset or anything he just hated doing paperwork.
"I figured you might like a cup. And it did not make sense to bother you about it when I'm perfectly capable of making tea." She says softly with a slight chuckle and she takes her tea and sits down on one of the seats in front of Byakuya's desk. It would not be proper after all for her to sit behind it. Renji noticed how she seemed to avoid sitting at the desk even though Byakuya wasn't there. Girl sure was a lot more respectful than some people he could mention.
She grabs one of her bags and brings out her sketchbook and charcoals. She didn't know how long Byakuya was going to be so she might as well busy herself somehow and sketching was a decent enough way to pass the time. She sat there, thinking about what to draw and she decided that Byakuya's lieutenant was an interesting enough subject. She wondered idly if she'd have the ability to capture the tattoos...
So she sits there, leaning against Byakuya's desk, with the sketchbook in her lap. She looks up over the edge of it to take in the subject she's chosen. Of course she likely should have gotten permission from him but she did not see any harm in it. She captured Renji's side of the office... and she'd managed to capture him sitting there at his desk, bent over his work. She tried not to chuckle when he started muttering in frustration at a particular document...
Renji was very animated... which made him an interesting artistic subject. Byakuya was much more subtle and the nuances of the Captain were harder to discern and harder still to capture. She figured that Renji had ended up Byakuya's lieutenant because he was the man's opposite. She remembered how Byakuya had described him. Though he did not likely often agree with how spirited his lieutenant was, he was proud of the man's loyalty. It was interesting getting a glimpse into the world Byakuya was immersed in daily.
She was so immersed in her sketching she had not noticed someone enter the room. Renji had been silenced before uttering his customary greeting to his Captain. After all it would not do to interrupt the young woman who seemed so engrossed in whatever it was she was working on. Byakuya moved behind his desk and observed what she was working on. He was slightly surprised to see her sketching... He knew that she was artistic in nature, he did after all have a piece of her artwork in his private office. He just hadn't expected her to be sketching when he returned to his office at the 6th squad's barracks.
"You have quite the artistic eye, Nakayama-san." He says quietly so not to startle her completely. He had waited until she had paused in her sketching just to ensure he would not cause her to ruin her work. Mentally he chuckled as she jumped ever so slightly... She had to have been completely absorbed in her sketching to not even realize that he was there.
Renji watched the interaction. When Byakuya had raised a finger to his lips to signal him to silence he hadn't really questioned it. He knew better than to question his Captain. But it seemed like his Captain was almost being... playful. Especially with how he'd kept quiet and moved behind his desk... only to speak up and slightly startle the young woman. Of course Renji wasn't aware of just how mischievous and fiery his Captain had been once upon a time.
"Hello, Captain Kuchiki-san. Oh... umm... thank you." She says softly, blushing just a little. She wasn't really used to people watching her during the artistic process.
"What did you sketch, Nakayama-san?" Renji asks, curious now. He hadn't realized she was sketching... He'd been too lost in his own work.
She looks down... "Well... there isn't much... around here, in the office to sketch really. I... I know I should have asked, Renji-san... but..." She trails off as she turns the sketchbook around. Since she'd been called out about it she didn't see the sense in hiding it. Renji's eyes went wide with shock as he saw that she'd been sketching him...
He chuckles. "Don't apologize. Never been anyone's art subject before. Wish you hadn't caught me grumbling over paperwork though." He laughs.
She smiles. "You were just so animated and lively, even while working on paperwork...sorry."
He shrugs "It's alright, Nakayama-san, really I don't mind."
"You can have it if you want... I mean it's done..." She offers. "Call it an apology for not asking permission first." She says with a light chuckle...
He nods. "Fair enough. Thanks, Nakayama-san."
"Call me Erisia." She says with a soft smile as she hands the sketch over.
"Why don't you finish up what you have in front of you Renji and then call it a day." Byakuya suggests. It was almost 5 anyway.
"Thanks Captain." Renji says as he quickly wraps up his work, takes the sketch and gets out of the office before anyone can tell him to stop. His hasty exit has Erisia laughing.
"You'd think he was fearful you were going to change your mind." She says with a light chuckle.
"Usually we stay until the work is finished. Since he was kind enough to see you to the office I figured it was only fair that I allow him to leave early." Byakuya says simply. Eri nods, that made sense.
He looks over the papers on his desk. "After I finish this little bit of paperwork, I will show you where you will be staying until you go to the Academy." He says simply as he sits down and begins to go over the work. She just nods and decides to busy herself by sketching him. It was only fair since she'd sketched Renji at work.
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