fandomtownies | The Park; Monday Afternoon [07/15].

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The Park; Monday Afternoon [07/15].

Shunsui Kyōraku floated back onto Fandom Island in the manner in which he floated through his afterlife in general, idle, oblivious, mildly amused and faintly buzzed. He wasn't sure exactly where this particular whim had come from; where did such things truly originate, anyway? A thought, an idea, a gentle whisper on the wind or a faint scent in the air that captures the imagination just so? Whatever it was, he felt that funny little island off in the sea calling to him again, as he found himself bored and restless in the halls of the Seireitei, where there was little to do but sit and wait for the next threat to come. Normally, he wouldn't mind such a thing, but perhaps he knew that something was just around the corner, so the need to get away before it really went down was what drove him to consider a blip of his past.

He wasn't doing anything else, after all. And that book of his clearly wasn't going to write itself in the Soul Society. It probably wouldn't write itself in Fandom, either, but, from his experience, it was significantly more likely to do so in Fandom than pretty much anywhere else.

How long had it been, anyway? When one had been around for hundreds, if not more than a thousand years, it didn't seem that long at all, but clearly, the place had gone through changes, some of them so subtle he might not even really notice, others much more significant and substantial...that he still might not notice, because he'd never been one to pay much attention or bother to remember. But there were also some things, still, that would be the same, and Shunsui was incredibly pleased to find himself back at the park, discovering that one thing that hadn't change was the comfort of the benches there by the pond.

Perfect still for naps!

What? He'd had to plan all that portal business himself, because he thought it would be exciting if he didn't alert Nanao-chan to his intentions; she loved fun surprises like this! And...maybe he knew she wouldn't let him go if she had known, but that was such a middling little detail! Planning those things was far more exhausting than he had ever imagined they would be, and he had this brand new gigai to get used to! That was awfully tiring on its own, too....besides, now that he was here, he wanted to make sure it was good and rested if he really wanted to give it a good quality test run for the....important things later on...

...heh.

So, flowery pink haori spread out beneath him, wide straw hat pulled over his eyes to block out the sun, using his arm as a pillow, Shunsui was pleased to discover that, yes, the park benches were still quite comfortable for naps. He dozed there lightly, while pondering if the old Bachelor Pad was still available. Wouldn't it be so...serendipitous if it was? And wouldn't it be even more so if it wasn't, but instead was occupied by a lovely, beautiful woman who would be ever so interested to hear about all his previous exploits and adventures in that nice little apartment...

This, he decided, as he gave into that last bit clinging to wakefulness, was going to be a great decision ♥.

[[ cautiously, optimistically, maniacally churns out posts while the oppressive weight of the inevitable workload hangs precariously overhead! But I couldn't not have Shunsui show up during no-sex week *cackles* open park is so totally open! ]]

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Octavia had this whole plan for her afternoon. Get one of those dumb iced coffees from the Perk, then make her way to the park so she could sit by the pond for as long as it took for her to get through the coffee. Just watch the birds and think for a bit.

Well, at least the first part of her plan had been successful? But she'd really counted on there not being anyone in the general vicinity of the pond, for the second part. And definitely not napping. And so she stopped, awkwardly, when she got there. For a moment. Which was exactly as long as it took for her internal debate to tip over to how there should probably be some kind of a limit to her antisocial tendencies, and also, get a grip, O.

Still took a seat at the far end of the next bench over, though. With her gaze towards the pond and the flamingos, and not the man.

See, now, when it came to naps, Shunsui was an expert, especially when it came to napping when he wasn't exactly supposed to be. Granted, he wouldn't imagine anyone would take an objection to him napping now (except, perhaps, those who would take an objection to him even being here to nap in the first place!), but part of being an expert napper was knowing when someone else was around, because then you could prepare yourself for a rude awakening...or even sometimes prevent it, but the rude awakening was half the fun.

Either way, though Shunsui might not yet be fully awake, he was certainly aware of another presence there by the pond with him, and that roused him, slowly, into wakefulness again. Somewhat reluctantly, at first; it had been such a nice nap, really, but the moment he cracked open one eye and tilted up his hat for a better look at this presence, he was reminded that some things far surpassed even the pleasure of a good nap.

"Ara ara," he said, his low voice emerging softly as to not startle the woman, pushing the hat up a little more to offer a faintly sleepy smile, "I hope this vision isn't merely a dream, because all dreams, alas!, eventually end ♥. But surely, I must be, because such beauty could not possibly exist beyond the realm of dreams ♥."

Because regular hellos were for chumps.

It got Octavia's attention, for sure!

Even if it was her vaguely baffled, vaguely wary attention. She blinked, before turning her head slowly to look over at the other bench.

"Hi," she said, flatly, because it seemed like the thing to say. "I'm Octavia." Just in case he thought she was someone else? Because Octavia didn't tend to encounter a lot of that kind of language directed at herself.

Basically ever.

And it was pretty much the only language that Shunsui spoke.

Well. And Japanese.

"Ahhhh, Octavia ♥ ♥ ♥!" And he said the name as if it were a delicacy meant to be savored with the utmost care and attention. His hand danced a little in the air as if to add to the flourish, and he grinned, pulling himself up a little on his elbows, far too comfortable and lazy to sit up much more than that, and, besides, he always felt he looked his best when reclining. "I should only expect such a radiant vision to have an equally beautiful name ♥! But, before I get into something so droll as my own name, let me ask you something, dear Octavia-chan ♥...do you believe," he paused, for the effect of it all, to look particularly thoughtful as he flashed her a little something more in his grin, "in the serendipitous nature of coincidence ♥?"

"Coincidences are just that," Octavia replied dryly, after a beat. "Coincidences."

She... did not speak his language. Though at least it was less like she was purposefully being dry at him, specifically, and more like this was just her way of interacting with strangers.

"Now that's too bad hearts;," Shunsui drawled, though he didn't seem in the least bit bothered by it. Or by her dryness. Or by anything, really. He was on a beautiful island, on a comfortable bench, speaking with a beautiful woman. How could anything come even close to touching him right then? "Because Octavia means something like eighth, does it not?"

Apparently, he also knew a passing hand at Latin, too. Lucky you, Octavia!

"And back home," his thoughtful, curious expression melted easily into a proud sort of beam, "I am the Captain of the Eighth Division ♥ ♥ &hearts! Already, we have something in common ♥

"And my name," he offered, bowing his head a little, tipping his hat, "is Shunsui Kyōraku ♥. Believe me when I tell you that it is an absolute pleasure to meet you, Octavia-chan ♥"

Edited 2019-07-15 18:06 (UTC)

if he paid close attention, after he said his name, he might've caught Octavia's lips move as she repeated his name silently to herself. Because she might've been acting kind of like an asshole but that didn't mean she was one. (... Entirely, or all the time.) And it wasn't a type of name she was familiar with, and maybe, maybe she was curious, too.

Skipping a returned pleasantry was still to be expected, though. "I wasn't named after a number, though," she said, and yup, the dryness hadn't budged. Though maybe it was a touch more mild? "The Roman emperor Augustus had a sister called Octavia. That's why I'm called that."

Because, Bellamy.

"So a bit more...regal in origin than a mere number," Shunsui mused, his smile going a little wistful in its approval. "So much more fitting ♥! Though you must admit, if you are to have an association with a number, eighth puts you in excellent company ♥."

At this point, conversing in his current position was more of a nuisance than a comfort, so he shifted, moving with surprising grace for all those robes, making a bit of a show out of stretching his limbs without even so much as disturbing his hat. One arm settled, draping itself over the back of the bench, while his other hand went to fetch a jug that had been hanging from his wide pale blue belt.

"Now," he said, leaning a little toward the other bench, and nodding toward the cup in Octavia's hand, "I see you've already gotten a beverage, Octavia-chan, but might I be able to interest you in a bit of sake &heart;?"

And he gave the jug a little shake, sloshing around the sweet rice wine within, as if to make the offer just that much more enticing.

Octavia felt stiff, in comparison, on her own bench. Not that she wanted to be anything else, but -- it was just an private observation she was making, for herself, from watching him.

She was somewhere between biker and Grounder in the way she looked, all blacks and dark grays and the tough, practical material of her pants, though at least she'd ditched the jacket in favor of a tank top, today.

"Sake?" she asked, eyebrows drawing up just a tiny bit. Look, she'd learned all of one phrase of Japanese from Nathan, so that wasn't included in her vocabulary. "What's that?"

"Japanese rice wine ♥!" Shunsui answered with a delighted sort of pride. He had already procured a small bowl of a cup from somewhere in the folds of his robes, as well, and was careful pouring some in. If it turned out Octavia wasn't interested, well, he was overdue for a little post-nap pick me up anyway! "I never leave home without it! It's a wonderful drink to have with good old friends...but even better when shared with new ones!"

And there was that little cup being offered out to her, Shunsui's smile eager and hopeful. "Try some," he said, "won't you ♥?"

Octavia looked unimpressed with 'new friends' but then she looked unimpressed with most things, so that wasn't saying much. She watched him for a few seconds, considering her options. Then shrugged one shoulder, and set her coffee down on the bench.

Couldn't be worse than her first go with Grounder moonshine, or that time Magnus had made her try Cheerwine.

"Japanese, huh?" she asked, reaching for the offered cup, her voice going a little raspy to not seem too curious. "Is that where you're from?"

It was a good thing that Shunsui had never really cared much about impressing people, then, wasn't it? He was mostly just out to have a good time, and, so far, Octavia had been providing that incredibly well.

It was also a good thing that Shunsui didn't have very high standards for having a good time, either. Accepting sake, though, was up there on the list, and once the first pour was relenquished to the lady, he procured another cup and poured a little for himself as well.

"A long, long time ago," he answered with a faint smile, and he lifted his cup in a toast. "To new friends and old places and beautiful young women sitting on park benches ♥," he proposed, not bothering to wait for an agreement before drinking the sake back and going to pour some more.

You got the most out of Octavia if you kept your expectations low. So he was off to a good start!

She didn't raise her cup in a toast, but it didn't look like that was required or even expected, so instead, after a curious sniff, she just knocked it back like a shot because... honestly, she did that with most things that weren't beer.

"It's okay." He hadn't asked for her opinion, but she was offering it up anyway, while wiping one corner of her mouth with the side of her thumb. "Doesn't beat the jelly shot things, though." Even though those had caused soem serious regret the following morning.

Shunsui seemed far more disappointed that Octavia wasn't impressed with his sake than he had been over her not being impressed with anything else, but it was fleeting, because she had still tried it and if she wasn't a fan, that would simply mean more for him, and then perhaps the pursuit of things she did like, of which she was already offering something to that nature, and so he grinned, chuckling.

"Now," he said, pouring himself a little more sake and lifting the bowl again in salute to his own tastes, "I am a stubborn man rather set in his ways, I admit, but you have me intrigued with these....jelly shots, you say ♥? If they can beat my sake, then they truly must be something ♥! Something offered by one of the local water holes, maybe? Perhaps you'll have to return the favor and introduce me ♥?"

Octavia held the empty cup back out to him. "I only ever had them at a party last year," she said, shrugging. "Don't know if it's a thing at the bars."

Because she'd never wandered in on one of Summer's shifts. Which, considering that party was one of the few times she remembered actually laughing on this island, was probably a tragedy.

"Perhaps we can discover that answer together, then ♥," Shunsui suggested breezily. "Because then, even if our pursuit proves unsuccessful, at least the company will be exceptional, so the sting of defeat may not be so bad ♥!"

Octavia seemed to mull it over for a second. Then she shrugged again and said, "Maybe." Which was as close to a 'yes' or resounding enthusiasm as he was going to get from her, under the current circumstances.

But the last few weeks had been... trying. So she would've been lying if she'd said it didn't appeal to her.

Not only was a maybe close to a yes, but, more importantly, it wasn't a no, and so Shunsui's smile took on a faintly triumphant radiance.

"Is it still just the two bars around here, then ♥?" he asked, thinking that, perhaps, knowing that it would be a short quest would at the very least sweeten the deal, though, of course, he would have no intention of keeping it merely brief.

"Just the two," Octavia confirmed. And then added, with more of a drawl, "And just one that doesn't expect you to carry your identification on a little card."

Guess who was a young person without an ID! And also wasn't twenty-one for another month or so, so it wouldn't have helped anyway.

"So it's really just Caritas."

"Ah, yes, Caritas ♥!" said Shunsui fondly, though, to be honest, the flood of memories coming back to him were an indistinguishable, sake-induced blur where he really couldn't tell Caritas from the Devil's Nest even if he tried. Which was the one with the Pantsless Wonder? What was her name, again, anyway? And wouldn't it just be wonderful if she was still kicking those long, long legs of her around?

All the memories might not be too clear anymore, it was true, but they were all certainly pleasant.

"So that narrows it down nicely for us, then, doesn't it ♥?" he added with a laugh. "Is there a time that might work best for you, Octavia-chan ♥? I assure you, my schedule is wide open now, but I'm not sure I can guarantee the same once I've been settled in for more than, oh..." He lifted his head, lifting his hat, peering into the sky as if to judge the movement of the sun across of it, "a few hours, give or take ♥."

Octavia watched him look towards the sky, but you know, that seemed like a reasonable enough way to tell the time to her.

"I work Thursdays." If she sounded a little stilted, saying that, it was just that she just found the whole thing kind of weird. Yes, even after two years of having a job. "That's all the schedule I have."

Also weird.

She offered up one of her vaguer shrugs, and picked her coffee cup back up. "Guessing you might want a day or two to settle in, though." It was heavy on the guessing, because again, even after two years, she wasn't sure she counted as having 'settled in'. But anyway.

Considering that Shunsui would have considered himself perfectly settled even in the event that the only place he could find to sleep was this park bench (unlikely, of course, considering that there would be any number of beautiful women with space in their bed, surely ♥!), a day or two was hardly necessary, though he supposed it wouldn't hurt if he ventured on over to the apartments, even if just to see if his old Bachelor Pad was still available.

But even then, even considering all he had brought with him was currently on his person just now within those robes, all he'd need to get settled there was a trip to the flower shop to see if they had any bonsai currently in stock...

"So perhaps some Thursday evening," he mused, "to help take the edge off of whatever guelling day you may have had at work ♥. Or any other day, for that matter ♥! Even if I should find myself with some pressing matter," he wouldn't, "I assure you, it would be nothing that couldn't be put off in favor of such wonderful company, in the pursuit of these fabled jelly shots that would give my sake a run for its money ♥. But I suppose I should get a bit settled, neh? And once I am, shall I just make my appearance there at any given night, with my eyes on the door in hopes that you shall join me ♥?"

Oh, Shunsui. Don't act like you weren't already planning on just trolling the bars mostly every night anyway.

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The Park; Monday Afternoon [07/15].

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