I HATE FASHION!
This is something that has absolutely no excuse, why do I have suffer because of the way I dress? Why is it a person's personality can be washed away by a simple article of clothing?
All you want is to make a good, not necessarily great impression to the people that you meet, and no matter the level of your skills, your polite conversation, your wits or any amount of good disposition nothing is going to leave a better mark then the eye grabbing, mind shocking, attention screaming cloth piece that is hanging from your broad shoulders.
I was on my way over to Rukia's place to spend some time with her before the upcoming exams the following week. I spent the night preparing for the morning to come. Nothing special, just making sure I had everything ready for the morning which was to come. Dog's food and water: check. Dishes washed, check. Bedrooms clean: check. And as I was barely standing, with my eye lids pressing to come down, thus plummeting me into darkness, leaving my body to rest, I summoned what last remaining supply of energy I had left to prepare the clothing for tomorrow's sunrise.
I never did really care much about what I wear, so long as it keeps me warm and lets me breath, but I'm not blind either to go in the daylight with three pairs of pants, a diving helmet and underwear on my elbow. So relaxed as I was I simply took my everyday blue jean, a pair of socks, not even visible because of the length of the pantaloons, a nice new pair of black shoes and a grey, wrist long shirt.
All nice and ready to go, right? So I put on my pajamas and went to sleep with the ever face-licking, puffy, smelly dog which kept barking at me to come to her in the bedroom to slumber.
The following morning I awakened at the greeting sound of my mobile phone, which at the break of dawn sounded like screams of a thousand hollows. Took the dog out for the morning walk and…oh right I forgot to mention the late night soup I had eaten the night before, for all those that think that there's no such thing as too much food, be advised: do not consume more then two bowls of soup when it's nearly midnight, cause the effects WILL be with you the next morning arguing with your brain to tell you: Why in the name of the soul reapers were you thinking? Were you mesmerized by the sheer diminishing amount of will power that you practically chucked an entire cauldron filled to abundance with soup? Get to a bathrooms NOW or the dogs won't be the only ones howling this morning in the park next to dozens of people watching!
At the return to my parent's house which I have lived within most of my life, I rushed towards the "porcelain fountain" to break free; but can one do that? Of course not, the family pet simply must lick you, stare at you and even after throwing her out of the chamber of potentially lethal odors still will scratch on the door diminishing any amount of concentration you had mustered up to that point.
After this little escapade was over, I put the dog in her bed, closed the door, changed clothes, making sure I hadn't forgotten anything and went out the door, wondering all the way to the buss station whether or not I had locked the door, as it happened a few days back I actually left the keys outside an entire afternoon.
My electrically dependent transport had arrived at long last and I embarked past it's pneumatically controlled doors just to have to wait to what seemed a very annoying amount of time at the intersection, until such time as I passed the last remaining traffic light and got out of the vehicle to walk to Rukia's, not so known to the great majority, house.
Being alone as she was I sprinted towards her door, bad timing however as her phone was ringing at the same time as I was ringing the door bell.
-"Come in", she said revealing her shoulder long, chestnut hair.
-"Hey".
She let me in as many times before, locking the door behind me; unable however to answer her phone as she had another mobile phone conversation.
Jumping to the other phone after ending the previous conversation she sighted as she lifted the receiver just as the called hung up the phone at the other end.
-"Maybe I should have answered it."
-"Yah and I'd be dead if they knew you were here with me."
-"It's only a matter of time you know."
We left the dining room and went into her room, where we sat next to each other, contemplation upon our targets aspect and behavior.
Sitting along side her puts me in a trace, my universe consisting only of that chamber. The felling of her warm skin against the edges of my fingers. The resonance between our legs as they were laid beside one another. But this paled in comparison to the sheer uniqueness of her face…that face…that ever glowing, mysterious face that I dare say the very beings of Heaven would descend but for a moment to admire. Her lips, fragments of a majestic ruby that merged to form a very witty smile. Her hair, a strand that not even the rarest of horses ceases to bear; it's natural lay, like the forests themselves shaped it's beauty, that glows bright red in the sunlight, only to hide her ears and her glistening neck. Of all that she has to offer to those that have the sheer bliss to notice her, the most captivating part of her aspect are simply…her eyes. Not by their color, nor clearness, nor darker then ebony iris is what makes one want to freeze time and lose one's self into them. It is only their gaze, the moment of joy across her face, happy smile and sun shining bright that takes you, and you wish never to blink again, so that those moments of absolute peace would last forever.
We spent a short amount of time together as we weren't going to be alone for very long, additional occupants of the apartment were on their way over to escort us to a meeting with a historian as we were in need of information on how to defeat an unfamiliar hollow.
The door bell rang and I was pulled from my daydream.
-"I'll get it", she said
Moments later and old woman entered Rukia's residence and said greetingly:
-"Hello child, how are you? I brought you a new pillow to try out."
-"Another one? You gave me one last week."
-"Well you said you didn't like it so I made a different one for you. Oh hello boy."
-"Good morning."
-"This one's even bigger then the last one."
-"Yes, but it's comfier too", said the old woman.
Fluffing it with her hands Rukia handed it to me.
-"Ahh it's like a wet sponge, you'll sink in it. She won't like it." I said as I handed it back to the old woman.
-"Let me just cover it and put it in your bed darling."
After a quick breakfast consisting of a assembly of cooked ham, some tomatoes and a few peppers we gathered our necessary files with the information that we needed to show the historian and left.
We parted ways with the old woman at a short distance from where we took off, only I and Rukia were on our way to the meeting. The trip was not difficult, but it consisted of several routs and passages not indicated on an everyday map.
We finally arrived at the place where we needed to meet, sun's blaze refusing to dim even for a moment, not a single cloud dare give us refuge beneath its shadow. After a few minutes a woman came, Rukia seemed to recognize her walking towards her.
Covered in light this woman was, braces, dress, even her shoes matched with the sun, only her hair refused to look alike the sphere of fire for it had the darkened color of the earth.
-"Greetings." She welcomed Rukia and set her eyes towards me." I see you've changed your escort, no longer the old woman you were with the last time."
We followed her, I not knowing where we would stop.
-"Will you be staying with us boy?"
-"Actually I have to gather some supplies, I want to prepare a meal for my family. They are returning for a long trip and I think it would be nice if they'd be greeted with some cooked food at their arrival."
-"Such initiative, I never got my son or husband to do such thing for me. When I came back my trip to a nearby city I was parched, but all the soda pop within the house was as heated as a fruit left outside to rot in the summer, not even mentioning the water which was nowhere to be found except a few drops in a few already empty bottles. I could only find was one flask of water in the cooler, took it and raised it to my mouth, drinking it's entire content. Sad for me, it turned out to be brandy."
-"I know how it is," I said in agreement," I did the same thing to my grandfather, twice."
-"Here we are."
We stopped at a tall building, common within these parts, cleverly shielded by the shade from the nearby trees.
-"When you will return here remember these numbers, for the doors are locked under code: 65-84-22. It's the only way you're getting in past the guards" said the woman.
-"Will do", I replied.
-"I'll wait for you inside", said Rukia and left with the woman, only to await my arrival.
Returning from whence I came, I located a nearby store. Inside I bought more things then I had upon my list, but for some reason I felt like people were staring at me.
As I left with plenty of food and drinks I looked upon the road to make sure I was going the right way, for the historians place was easily past by if one did not pay attention. I found it with ease and went towards the door. As I entered the code I got confused, the doors to the nearby chamber did not have the numbers from the code, so I checked each, they were dew in number.
Locked, locked and again locked, each door I came by refused to open before me, I was beginning to this I entered the wrong building. Suddenly some1 appeared from a door I just passed.
-"How are you?", the young man at the door asked.
-"Hmm, I'm looking for the room that leads from the code 65-84-22, do you know where it is?"
-"This is that room."
-"Oh, hmm, sorry my mistake. "
The boy, not much older then me, closed the door from which he entered and with doubt in mind I picked up my phone and called Rukia. As the phone rang the door opened again and the historian stepped out this time.
-"This is the place, come on in."
-"Oh, sorry mate, thought you were some homeless guy."
I didn't give much thought to the comment at the time.
Within the historians chambers I saw a table and chairs built from the times before my existence. There were drawings on the walls, some I know some were unfamiliar and some just made me wanna look away. The woman had already begun instructing Rukia upon the history of the hollow we were up against. The lore behind him was grim and sad, by the time I had arrived his currently known abilities were explained, something called "heart rush" I believe she said.
My phone kept ringing over and over, but we needed to find out all that we could so I ignored the constant screams for answers from it.
With final instructions in hand, after about a couple of hours of chants, tactics and other bits of advice we left her premises and were on our way home.
We each went to our houses and I took my clothes off because of the increased heat, laying on my back upon the sofa watching the screen after playing with the dog who greeted me as if she hadn't seen me in ages.
I receive a phone call minutes later, it was Rukia:
-"Hey, you home yet?"
-"I'm here, yah."
-"You have got to take that shirt off!"
-"What?" I said with wonder in mind.
-"I didn't say anything cause I didn't want to criticize, but everyone said you looked like a bum."
-"What?" Now perplexed at the horror of the statement.
-"The old lady at my house said: ah too bad for the guy, he doesn't smoke, doesn't drink and has such a cute face like yours, did his mother leave home and forgot to dress him?"
I was speechless.
-"And remember the guy who opened the door, he called you homeless because you looked homeless."
-"I don't believe this, all the good remarks I've gotten and good reputation has been washed away by a shirt? And that's one of my favorite shirts, it's so comfy and stretchy. Why oh why…"
-"Even the historian thought you looked brain damaged."
-"Now I get why the people at that grocery store were looking somewhat questionably at me."
-"Yah, you gotta take that shirt and burn it."
-"Noooo, I don't want to, I won't, I'll keep it safe in my closet, no harm shall come to it. It's my precious."
-"I told you, that shirt is bad. Take it, say goodbye to it and set it in flames."
-"Ohh my poor shirt. Why must you be judged so. And I was looked upon so fondly, and because of THIS, of this small insignificant thing I'm being thought upon as being no less then blind. A little criticism is appreciated you know. Damn it can't someone just pull off the street and scream-For the love of all humanity get rid of that shirt man!"
-"Alright alright calm down, it's just a shirt, doesn't change who you are."
-"Ah, guess you're right, still not cool though, I feel so stupid right now. Homeless, really? "