A Quiet Meeting~ {ShibataTim}

Haru led the way, with Tim by her side. While they walked the unfamiliar path to him he took in the sites. It was remarkable how all of the buildings resembled his home, Japan. Just before entering the cafeteria building he took in a deep breathe and smelled the variety of foods within. Though he knew already what he wanted.

As the two approached the counter he allowed his new friend to go first. To much surprise to him, she had ordered almost the same thing as he was just about to do. Waiting for his turn, he then went next after her. "Ramen please, with two pieces of pork on top. Oh and a cup of tea please." He said in kind to the woman at the counter. He only had to wait a few moments before the woman at the counter had brought both of their meals and drink.

Tim would then turn to Haru and smile. "Let us find some chairs then." He said as he turned from her scanning the room.

She smiled at him as he ordered Ramen and nodded her head once “good choice,” she said with a smile taking her cup of coffee in the hand that wasn’t occupied and turned to see the fairly busy hall. She scanned the room in search of an empty table, having no immediate luck, but eventually spotting a small, yet vacant table towards the back of the room.

“There’s one over there,” she said looking over to him before beginning to make her way over to the table, turning to the side to fit between chairs that were closer together. She put her bowl down on the table and sat down with a sigh before realising that she didn’t have a spoon or anything. “One second,” she said to him with a smile before going to get a spoon and some chopsticks, and then returning the same way she had entered the mass of chairs and tables before sitting back down in her seat, “sorry about that,” she said with a smile as she slid a spare pair of chopsticks across the table. “In case you didn’t get any,” she said with a bright smile, before snapping her own chop sticks and dipping them into her ramen.

Indeed she had better luck in finding a table than he. With her leading the way once again, he followed. Slipping past the tight-nit tables and chairs only by a few inches. Managing to perform a balancing act between his own books, ramen bowl and even his glass of tea.

Tim then rested his glass of tea on his side of the table first. Followed by the bowl of ramen and then the stack of books. How he had managed to carry them all might of annoyed the librarian, but he would of never told her. He then watched as Haru left him alone at the table for a moment; with all of the food cooling off a bit.

When she had returned she had brought them both a pair of chopsticks. Something that he too had forgotten. "Thank you Haru." He said as he snapped them apart, from one single stick now into two. Fitting the chopsticks within his grasp he pulled the one of the pieces of pork off of the mountain of noodles and took a big bite out of it. Within a few more seconds it was grounded up and down his throat.

He then took a sip of his tea before speaking to Haru. "So, you were born here in the Soul Society?"

She smiled at him as he thanked her and nodded her head “that’s alright,” she said before beginning to manoeuvre the noodles in her bowl around the chopsticks before putting them onto the spoon, her odd yet preferred method of eating anything noodle-related. She blew on the spoon a little before placing the slight mound of food into her mouth, covering it slightly with her hand as she chewed and swallowed.

She nodded her head as she finished her second mouthful, pausing for a brief moment to take a small sip of her coffee. “Yes, I was indeed born here in the Soul Society,” she answered his question, not entirely sure if he wanted to know any more so she decided to let him pry the information out of her, rather than supplying him with things he didn’t want to hear, “and you were born in the world of the living?” She said, this to her was not a particularly strange notion, but she had never visited the human world and she did find herself wondering what it was like. She dipped her spoon into the broth of her ramen and placed it in her mouth, enjoying the taste with an appreciative nod.

After a few more bites he had finished the single piece of pork. Once again taking another sip of tea. Haru answered his question while they were eating and then followed by asking one of her own. In kind, he smiled at her. "That's interesting. I didn't know such a thing was even possible, though I have seen things now with my own eyes that I would of never thought possible back when I was 'alive'; in the world of the living."

Tim took another sip of his tea before speaking again. He was just making idle chit chat with his new friend. "I've yet to see the rest of the world of the living, but where I am from, Japan, it looks very similar to the Soul Society and in-particular the Seireitai. From the building architectural, to the trees, plant life and even how the majority of the souls dress here; it all seems so familiar."

She nodded her head a little, half concentrating on what he was saying and half concentrating on manoeuvring the noodles onto the spoon yet again. Upon her successful feat of getting it into her mouth she washed it down with the coffee again, almost a sort of routine. “Oh yeah, see most of the people I know were born in the soul society, the district I grew up in was filled with the families whose houses had been passed down through generations, my own included, so I’ve never had much of a chance to meet anyone born in the human world such as yourself until I came here, to the academy,” she said raising the coffee to her lips once more.

“I would like to visit the world of the living,” she said with a small smile as he spoke “Would you go back there? To where you were born I mean?” She asked as she picked up a small clump of noodles, bypassing the spoon stage and just placing them with less grace intended into her mouth as she waited for him to answer. She wasn’t the sort of person who hated eating in front of people, but she wasn’t always comfortable as she could be, especially when she picked something to eat that had potential to messy.

As she explained that people were in fact born within the Soul Society and that she was one of those people, he used his chopsticks to whisk up some noodles and eat them. Chewing with his mouth closed of course, he listened more as she then proceeded to ask him a question. In truth he had only though about returning to the world of the living to protect them, never to just visit.

"Perhaps, perhaps not. I fully intend to go back and defend those that can't defend themselves against Hollows and other dangerous beings and souls, but I've never though of just visiting. Might be nice..." Tim trailed off in his thoughts as he took a newer mouthful of noodles.

She grasped the last remaining bundle of noodles from the small portion she had, plopped them onto the spoon once more and then preceding to place it in her mouth, chewing delicately then washing it all down with a swig of the coffee which was now at a nice temperature. “I think it would be nice for you to visit, without having any kind of pressure or anything weighing on your shoulders, just take it in as a person, nothing more, nothing less,” she said, before tipping her bowl so the remaining broth gathering in a deeper pool.

She didn’t know if he knew that anybody familiar to him wouldn’t be able to see him unless they had more reiatsu than the average person, but decided it wasn’t her place to tell him that. She dipped her spoon into the broth and raised it to her lips, savouring the taste for a short moment before swallowing it and repeating the action. When she was done she pushed her bowl to the side and leaned back in her chair, stretching her arms up before relaxing completely. She wondered what it was like, growing up without knowing about souls and the soul society, then dying and suddenly having all this information forced into your brain…

His next movements were predictable, dipping his chopsticks into the bowl and pulling up a bunch of noodles. Just as he got them held right, he ate them; enjoying every bite. The ramen here was just as good as he remembered back in the world of the living, when he was alive. Once he finished with that mouthful, he picked up the last piece of pork and took bites of it into his mouth. Chew, chew chew Tim went away at the delicious meat.

Once he swallowed he raised his glass of tea and took a sip. He cleared his throat before speaking. "I'm not even aware if it is allowed to go into the world of the living without an escort; I've only been there with a teacher and a class."

She leant forwards once more and cupped the coffee in her hands, blowing on it out of habit more than anything else before she raised it to her lips, looking at her new friend over the mug as he spoke. She placed the empty cup down on the table gently, pushing it away as she pursed her lips in thought. “Well, I think as a student the only way you’re going pretty much is with the academy, but when you graduate I think they’re slightly more lenient, I’m not sure though..” She said shrugging her shoulders slightly.

She felt that, before she left she’d have to get another coffee to take away, it had been a nice coffee and she was one of the types of people that could quite happily function drinking coffee alone, though she hadn’t had it in a while before that cup. She folded her arms on the table and leant forward a bit “I’m certain you’ll be able to visit soon though,” she said with a smile on her face.

Resting his glass on the table, he smiled. His new friend was both kind and concerning. Tim did wish to return home one day and see as to what kind of status the Country was in. Perhaps even see his family, if any were still alive. Who knows, his bloodline could ended already. He had no children of his own, no hiers, no sisters; that he was aware of.

"Thank you for your kind words Haru." He stated with a smile. Tim then looked outwards towards the windows of the establishment and noticed that the sun had begun to go down. "It's getting a bit late. Perhaps we should turn in? I could walk you home if you like."

She smiled a little more, leaning back in her chair once again “that’s quite alright,” she said gently before directing her gaze to the window after he spoke. “Wow, it’s that time already?” she was slightly shocked, she had thought it was much earlier in the day. She shook her head and gathered up her cup, putting it in her bowl to make it easier to carry. “Yeah if you like, I don’t live to far from here anyway,” she said with another smile as she pushed her chair back and stood.

“I’m going to get another coffee before I go though,” she said gathering up her books and waiting for him before she put her dirty items on a tray and making her way over to the counter, where she purchased a coffee in a disposable mug, paid the woman and then returned to Tim. “Right, whenever you’re ready,” she said, adjusting the books under her arm, but making sure her precious drink remained in it’s container.

She agreed to him guiding her home. After all, what kind of gentlemen would he be if he didn't escort his new friend home? Especially seeing how late it got. The two gathered their finishes bowls and glasses, along with their books and returned them to the counter of the cafeteria. He waited patiently as Haru purchased another cup of coffee, but this time it was in a disposable cup, instead of a glass one.

Tim turned to her just before he stated. "Ready Haru." A smile on his face. He, in fact, rather liked meeting new people and becoming friends with them. Though in the past many have found him hard to bond with. It appeared that here in the Spirit World, it was completely different. He had met another girl by the name of Anna, who also became his friend. In fact, he found it easier to make new friends here than in the real world.

She smiled and nodded her head once before beginning to walk toward the exit to the cafeteria, the student accommodation was situated roughly a ten minute walk from their current location, so it wasn’t all that far. The setting sun cast an orange glow across the scenery and Haru admired it, whilst sipping from the coffee mug only to find it too hot to drink, much to her distaste.

“It’s not too far away,” she said after a brief period of silence “but if it’s too far out of your way you really don’t have to walk me back,” she continued after a short pause, not because she didn’t want him to, but because she was being polite, she didn’t want him to feel as though he had to walk her home. She shifted the books under her arm and kicked a small stone that was in her path, watching it roll off into the elongated shadows caused by the low sun. “This time of day is the nicest, in my opinion,” she said fondly, with a smile decorating her face. She was more of a night owl, preferring to do all her studying into the early hours of the morning when she found her surroundings were at their calmest, something her roommate was never all too pleased about..

He smiled a bit before holding the door open for his friend, Haru. As they began to walk towards her home the sun was already setting. It brought a smile to his face and then Haru spoke that he did not 'have' to walk her home. But what kind of person would he be to allow a friend to walk home all alone, let alone a female at night? Not a very good one he thought.

"It is no trouble my friend." He smiled once again as she spoke about her liking to the sunset. "Indeed thing seem calmer around this time, less people flooding the streets and less noise."

She dragged her feet slightly as she walked, smiling slightly and thinking that whoever said chivalry was dead must not have looked very hard for it. “My thoughts exactly,” she nodded, “I don’t like having to weave in and out of people who are usually too rude to move out of your way,” she said with a slight scoff “it’s much nicer when there’s only a few people about,” she added after a couple of seconds.

The sun was setting fairly quickly and the warm oranges of the sunset were slowly fading into darker blues, a few wisps of lighter coloured clouds decorating the otherwise blank sky. She drew her eyes from the scene before her to steer herself round a corner that lead into the large block filled with the student accommodation, a long row of wooden apartments stretching out in front of them. “Where do you stay?” she asked; out of curiosity after a few moments of silence.

The apartment complexes laid before them, their destination was coming to a close. Just as they drew closer Haru asked him another question. Truthfully, he lived in a different apartment complex, but yet on the same street. "I live in those apartments over there." As he pointed across the street. In fact they didn't live to far from each other. Though Tim wasn't a student any longer, he still resided in the apartments. He had yet to purchase his own. "Seems our trip is closing to an end. Where do you live so that I may leave you for the night Haru." He smiled a bit.

She followed the direction in which he pointed his finger and nodded her head slowly, “yeah that’s not so far,” she acknowledged quietly before returning her gaze to her chosen path. “Mine’s not all that far away, about the middle of this row,” she said, nodding her head slightly toward the long row of apartments they were now walking adjacent to.

“It was nice meeting you, we’ll have to hang out again sometime,” she said with a genuine smile on her face as they walked her eyes clocking onto the door to her residence about one hundred metres ahead of them. By now the sun was almost completely gone from the scene, a faint light could be seen on the horizon but small specks of light in the form of stars were starting to appear in the darker portion of the sky, she smiled before coming to a stop at her door. “This is me!” she said with a smile before taking a sip from her coffee which was now at a far nicer temperature.

They walked for another good 60 or 80 meters before Haru stated that they had arrived at her complex. She smiled and said, "This is me!" In which she took another sip of her coffee, something he'd expect to see her doing a lot of. He turned to her and nodded. "Indeed, I rather enjoyed myself. It was nice to spend some quite time away from all of the conflict. I shall hope to see you again Haru." Tim stated as he opened the door to her complex for her to enter. After she would enter, he would be on his own way to his apartment complex. To rest for the night and prepare his body and mind for the following day.

She smiled at him as he opened the door for her, "I'm sure we'll see each other around anyway," she said before smiling her goodbyes one more time and disappearing into her shared apartment. She waved briefly at her roommate before disappearing into her room and dropping the books on her bed, placing the coffee down on her bedside cabinet before sitting down, and opening one of the books, intent on studying for a while before she went to sleep...

She left with a good bye and entered her apartment complex. Tim closed the door behind her and began walking towards his complex, which was only a good 60 meters away or so. The sun was long gone now and he yawned. It was good to spend a day with a new friend rather than the normal fighting. He creaked open the door into his own apartment complex.

Making his way down the hallway he could notice many disgruntle students. He assumed that they were mad that a curfew had been put into effect due to the recent events in the Rukongai. He finally made it to his door, after a few twists and turns up a stairwell. Made it into his room, closed his door and kicked his sandals under his bed. Tim rested his blade on the bed next to him as he laid for the night.