Turtle & Canary; Wednesday [11/20].

[sake_shinigami]

Once the word got out that Shunsui was back in the Seireitei yesterday, it hadn't been long before Rangiku Matsumoto had tracked him down to drag him out to buy her drinks...despite the order from Retsu Unohana that he was to remian on strict bed rest for the evening. Now, Shunsui was actually a really big fan of strict bed rest, to the point where he had Unohana write it down so that he had something to wave at Apu-san when he got back, but he was also a fan of Rangiku and her ample, generous...personality, so maybe he didn't put up too much of a fight about it.

Of course, Rangiku was also a beautiful, terrible, horrible, incredible monster, who could put away drinks in a way that could almost make Shunsui himself blush, and had absolutely no difficulty at all drinking a man who sipped sake like it was water under the table. Especially when she wasn't paying for them.

Needless to say, Shunsui was perhaps just a tad bit, just a touch, just a smidgen hungover that day, when he came into Turtle & Canary because it was Wednesday, albeit a bit later than usual, even though he never really came in all that early, either. He came in, waved his 'doctor's note' at Apu-san to inform him that he was obviously under strict orders to take it easy and not do too much work so he was not to be disturbed as he just sort of slumped at the counter, cheek in his hand, hat pulled down low over his eyes, trying to doze off and dream about the many days of bed rest he'd take up as soon as this was over. Doctor's orders!

Trying being the word here.

He was fairly certain Apu-san was finding literally every noisy thing in the store and dropping them on purpose.

Today's Squishy Flavors
Peanut Butter Fudge
Peanut Butter & Jelly
Red

Turtle & Canary is open!

Comments

[okteiviakom]

Now, Octavia could have come in yesterday to get her coconut oil. But she'd been too busy avoiding everyone and everything, and, anyway.

It was Wednesday.

Though even today, she took note of Shunsui's slumped form at the counter and chose to do her tour of the store first, getting both the coconut oil as well as a peanut butter fudge Squishy (possibly out of morbid curiosity) before bringing both up to the counter. "Morning."

No, it wasn't morning.

[sake_shinigami]

It never was.

But Shunsui appreciated the time he had while Octavia did her pursuing to sort of work through the hangover-induced fog that was his head. He'd noticed her come in, of course, and had been mostly expecting her (it was Wednesday, after all), so he'd been prepared to push through it quickly if needed to, but...it was nice to not need to. So, by the time she'd finished and come back around to the counter, he'd managed to push his hat back a little (just a little; so easy to forget just how harsh modern flourescent lighting could be), pushed himself up a little, and let out a faint grunt as, somewhere in the distance, there was the distinct sound of what was possibly a whole pallet of canned beans tumbling over. Shunsui shook his head a little, and finished pouring the sake so that he could have it ready to hand to Octavia when she reached him.

With a smile that was just as wide and lazy as ever, with perhaps just a touch more sleepiness and distance to it.

"Ohayō gozaimasu, Octavia-chan~ ♥," he sang, but much quieter, much softer than usual, with a faint chuckle that seemed to at least recognize that he wasn't exactly his usual bright and chipper, go-getter self today, but that, even despite all that, some things just wouldn't change. "Sake ♥?"

[okteiviakom]

He was still much closer to his usual self than he'd been the last time Octavia had seen him. She'd take it.

And also the cup of sake, yes.

"Thank you," she nodded. Lucky for him, her voice was pretty quiet to begin with. And she wasn't feeling very inclined to be even her own version of chatty, even if she did ask, after a pause for a sip, "Long night?"

[sake_shinigami]

"Long day," Shunsui amended, with a faint little chuckle and a rueful little rub of his fingers on his poor abused ear. "Met an old friend for drinks. And she's an absolute menace."

He may have clung a little to his own sip of sake that he took just then, and then he laughed, just slightly.

"I think you'd like her, Octavia-chan ♥."

Or they would absolutely despise each other. It would depend very strongly on exactly which Mastumoto she'd get.

[okteiviakom]

"Really?"

Octavia sounded faintly amused. She just assumed she generally gave off the kind of vibe that made people feel surprised whenever she did seem to like anyone.

[sake_shinigami]

"Really ♥," said Shunsui, his soft smile taking that gently genuine glow of admiration, since he was generally of the opinion that she liked people much more than she cared to let on. Then he glanced over to what she'd brought to the counter for her purchases, which wouldn't take long to ring, which he felt was all the more reason to make sure to take his time with it. "This all for you today, Octavia-chan?"

[okteiviakom]

"This is all," Octavia confirmed, glancing down at all of her two things. "Oil for the tattoo, and the Squishy for... a whim."

Morbid curiosity. Just call it what it is, O.

[sake_shinigami]

Shunsui's smile ticked up just a little at that. As far as whims went, she could probably do much better than a Squishy, but his preferences were running a little specific toward simply more alcohol at that very moment.

"How is the tattoo doing, by the way ♥?" he asked, punching in a code, scanning another. "Not too bothersome, is it?"

[okteiviakom]

"Starting to itch." Her nose wrinkled just the tiniest bit. "It's not too bad yet, but --" And here's where her tone got very dry. "-- Duke assures me it's gonna get much worse."

She appreciated the warning, of course. But obviously that didn't mean she was looking forward to it.

[sake_shinigami]

"Mmmm." Shunsui's hum was soft and sympathetic, studiously ignoring the burning from his own wound on his side, which Unohana had also said was likely to get much worse before it managed to get better.

Especially if he kept, you know, studiously ignoring it existed.

"Well," he said, with a small breath of a laugh, "if you find yourself needing significant distraction, Octavia-chan, you know where to find me ♥. Or even not so significant distraction, for that matter...♥."

[okteiviakom]

"Maybe," Octavia said mildly, though not entirely without something hard to define in her eyes, in the way she looked at him.

Possibly thinking about distractions.

"We'll see how it progresses."

[sake_shinigami]

Ahhh, she was always so good at inscrutable, wasn't she? Shunsui's head tilted slightly at that look, wondering if it was just because he was off his game that he couldn't quite pick out any of the nuances there, or if Octavia was just particularly on her own, or perhaps some unfortunate balance between the two of them...

...the his head gave a nice little throbbing reminder of the fact that it wasn't nearly as balanced as he'd like to believe right now.

"We'll wait and see ♥," he agreed softly, with a smile to match, and a very slight nod of his head, and a lift of his cup in a toast to just that. Followed by a slight sigh, once the sip was had.

"But other than the impending prospect of your upcoming discomfort, Octavia-chan," he ventured, since the items were rung and now all they had was conversation, "how has your day been? Good, I hope ♥?"

[okteiviakom]

Octavia was having kind of a Week of trying to find her balance after the weekend's reminder of who she'd been before she was... this. Which was somehow different from how she'd also spent the past couple of months trying to find her balance in being whoever the hell she was these days.

It made for being even more reserved than she usually was.

It also might make for some swings into the opposite direction, too, though.

Octavia downed the rest of her sake, and set the empty cup on the counter. "The usual," she said, digging through her pocket for the money. "Nothing to report from the patrol."

[bookbeltof_love]

Was Nina still wallowing in terrible tragedy?

…

Of course she was!

Nina moped into T&C with her usual grace but not her usual demeanor and, with a side-long glance at Shunsui, she disappeared into the aisles before joining him at the counter with big, sad eyes and a pint of ice cream.

[sake_shinigami]

Shunsui almost winced when he saw who was coming through the door, because, as lovely as the little gosling might be, he was hardly in any condition to handle much squawking at the moment. But when she continued to sweep in without so much as a chirp, he couldn't help feeling just a tad bit concerned. Grateful, yes, and he didn't feel bad about feeling grateful, but also a little worried, as she went through her sweep to collect the things she needed.

Which seemed to be a theme, today.

But then she approached the counter, and Shunsui got one look at little Nina, and he couldn't help but laugh. Softly, lightly, and not unkindly, but a faintly amused chuckle all the same.

"Ara, Nina-chan~ ♥," he said gently. "An expression like that on such a pretty face and matched with ice cream, no less, does not bode well! What's the matter, my dour little duckling?"

[bookbeltof_love]

If anything, her expression got even more tragic at his laughing at her.

"The island," she said, in tones of direst dooms, "is an enemy of romance."

[sake_shinigami]

And he expected that was exactly what it would do, which didn't really help with the whole trying not to laugh part, especially with a hangover, but for this next part, Shunsui did what he could, though he couldn't keep it out of his smirk.

"Oh, I don't know if I'd go so far as to say that ♥," he offered lightly, especially since his experience had quite often been quite the opposite, that was a good part of the reason he'd even bothered coming back, "though it does seem to make things a bit more...challenging at times, doesn't it? Let me guess, Nina-chan. The events of this last weekend managed to put a damper on your lovely plans for your eagerly anticipate romantic interlude ♥?"

[bookbeltof_love]

Why did everyone seem to think her pain was amusing?

"Yes," she said, looking longingly at her as yet unpaid for ice cream. "And it is the worst. Nothing should interfere with a lady's treasured first date…"

She still couldn't muster up exclamation marks about it.

[sake_shinigami]

Because it was, Nina-chan, incredibly so.

Although Shunsui was feeling incredibly grateful for the lack of exclamation points over it today, yes.

"That is tragic," he agreed, emphatically (or, at least, as emphatically as he could at the moment, which wasn't nearly as much as usual, but still enough). And he was just going to go ahead and put that unpaid-for ice cream in a small bag and nudge it forward across the counter toward her with the implication of a Broken-Hearts discount. "How appallingly inconsiderate! My poor little petunia ♥. I know it will hardly even begin to heal the grievous wound you and your budding romance has suffered just now, Nina-chan, but I do have a little sake for the time being, if that will help ♥?"

And he was already pouring some into a small cup, but, really, that was just because if she did refuse, he had it ready for himself, because now he felt he needed it, quite possibly even more than their dear disparaging heroine here.

[bookbeltof_love]

And Nina gloomily thought about taking it, too, but really...

"No," she sighed, "turning to drink is unlikely to do anything to help this pain.................."

[sake_shinigami]

Ahhh, good, because turning to drink was definitely helping Shunsui's pain right now, ironically, because turning to drink was exactly what had also casued it.

So Shunsui gave her a small smile and said, "Then this one's for me, I guess ♥." And he lifted the little cup. "Kanpai, Nina-chan ♥."

He took a sip and then looked at her again with a small little sigh and another rush of sympathy. "I'm so sorry, my dear," he offered gently. "I know how much you were looking forward to, too, only to have it ruined by such a silly thing. Is there anything I can do to help, duckling?"

Hopefully nothing too difficult or demanding, but, hangover and laziness notwithstanding, he was absolutely compelled to ask.

[bookbeltof_love]

Honestly, just the sympathy was balm for her broken heart.

"Oh, I don't know," she said, rather dismally. "No one ever writes stories of 'and then my gloriously anticipated date was cancelled due to us being turned into children'. If a date is cancelled it's usually either tragic news, cold feet, or shenanigans..."

All of which she'd have been better prepared to deal with.

[sake_shinigami]

Shunsui was trying very hard not to chuckle again, Nina, and it was a shame that the extra effort that took right now in particular would likely be completely unrecognized.

"Perhaps not ♥," he agreed, and couldn't help at least a small breath of a laugh to go with his smile. "But they do write stories of great, sweeping, unfaltering romances that have proven to withstand even the most unpredictable hardships and roadbumps, do they not ♥? And how longing only makes the heart grow fonder, and the more adversity on the journey, all the better the destination...♥.

"Also," he added, perhaps with a bit of teasing slipping in now, "I'm pretty sure expectedly turning into children certainly falls into some sort of shenanigans category, even if it isn't exactly a very good shenanigan at all ♥."

[bookbeltof_love]

"Well, when it was happening, I didn't mind it...," she admitted, appeased by his sympathy enough to not make a face at his laughing at her. "But afterwards..., like, ugh. And, like, what's the measure of true love? How will I know?"

She liked Owen quite a lot and all but she didn't like him the way she'd thought love would be like...

[sake_shinigami]

"I can assure you, Nina-chan," Shunsui said, "that true love is not going to be deterred by some minor little hiccup ♥. And it sounds so tired, but if you'll pardon the cliche, duckling, you'll know it when you know it. Which of course doesn't mean you'll know it right away! Sometimes, true love takes time, my dear, so even if there's not quite that spark at first, that doesn't mean it won't grow. Sometimes, the flames of love don't start as a great big combustion or even a flare, but instead as a soft ember, that slowly grows bolder and brighter as it's gently fanned by the ever-increasing winds of passion and desire ♥."

...

...oh, that was good. He should be writing this down...