Dearest acknowledgment to Tite Kubo. This fic occurs the Libélulaverse...kinda. This isn't really a spoiler, just a theoretical spinoff scenario.
Pepper-upper
Informal. Something added to food to relieve blandness.
"Do I smell basil in these cookies?"
Orihime beamed at her boss, Makoto. "You have a great nose! I thought it would make a nice pepper-upper!"
Makoto took a cookie and bit into it. "Not bad…a little dry, but that's fixable."
"Really?! Oh, I just love—"
A jingling of bells stopped Orihime in mid-sentence. Someone walked into the shop.
Rather, he walked in.
Three days ago, he was supposed to have left for Hueco Mundo permanently. The new basil cookies were her pathetic attempt at distraction.
As Ulquiorra's eyes locked on hers, the tray nearly fell from her hands.