Marketplace :: Golden Hall The marketplace is half open-air, half scattered buildings in a maze of narrow roads and back alleys. It's a disorganized hive, the natural reaction of a city that grew up around a single structure over time and without any direction. Buildings nestle close only to suddenly have wide gaps between others; still, there are plenty of roads that one can take, and they all lead down the center--the road up the hill. From that singular road--the same one that leads to the Phoenix Gate and all the way up to the Castle on the Hill--there is one other distinct branch; while the market wraps around one side of the castle, the village, where most folk live and some farm is found to the other side of that great thoroughfare. One just has to cross it and leave the warrens of the marketplace to get there. On the other hand, in the opposite direction, through the twisting roads, one can eventually find the Parade Grounds, where the Field of Tourney is and those who have a martial streak can find others of their own ilk... Contents: Rukia Obvious exits: Thoroughfare The Hill Village Parade Grounds Phoenix Nest Madam Kuchiki's It may have been several months since Rukia last showed up in the shop where Ishida works, but little seems changed about her. Well, except possibly that cheerful little look on her face, something that was decidedly lacking thanks to her worries last time. There's also her power, though her reiatsu is definitely under control. She's not Ichigo after all. And of course she's wearing one of her new outfits, one of those tailored by Ishida himself so she looks a little more girlish than boyish. So okay, much has changed... but only in little subtle ways. Coming in to the shop, Rukia glances around looking for her friend. And for other customers as well. Seeing an outfit on display, a pale yellow dress of all things, she gets distracted and starts eyeing it. Could she be considering buying it? Fortunately--or maybe unfortunately, depending on one's perspective--the shop is almost empty, it being near closing time when most people are going home or already eating dinner. Ishida is just puttering about right now, engaging in closing tasks. His boss has already gone home, as Uryuu has the key and pretty much knows what to do by now. As the bell over the door chimes as someone enters, he sighs. He'd been hoping to be able to close up a little early--not that he had anything waiting for him, but hey, better to be hanging around at home doing nothing than hanging around here doing nothing. Pushing his glasses up his nose in resignation, the boy turns about. "Welcome to the shop... Kuchiki-san?" His customary greeting trails off in confusion as he catches sight of just who it is. Her reiatsu felt different. His sense isn't nearly so refined as to be able to tell people apart, but the strength of it is markedly different from last time--now it feels like a real shinigami's, rather than a normal person's. And, he can't help but notice clinically, she looks a lot better in his clothes than in what she'd had before. Of course, the clothes she'd had before were premade. Sized for a child. Tailor- made clothes ALWAYS look better than off the rack. "Ishida-kun~" she greets cheerfully, turning around to smile as she realizes he's there. She hasn't been this cheerful since school-days, seemingly. And even then, it was a cheer more worn for the benefit of others. Perhaps that should be no surprise. It's the first time, in all the time Ishida's known Rukia, she's been truly herself. With her full powers and her freedom. "I'd have come back ealier... but it's been difficult travelling." she claims. Which might well be an understatement actually, if Ishida's been following the news. Since she left, Thunderbird's minions practically shut down all travel. Then after that little problem, there was the destruction wrought when Roc defeated Thunderbird. The understatement actually elicits a dry snort from Ishida, as he turns about and goes back to taking care of closing--folding up spare fabric, dusting counters, and the like. "To say the least." He was outside when Thunderbird came crashing down, and... well, that was probably the most momentous event he's ever witnessed. Perhaps even the destruction of the Soukyoku is lesser. He can't help but dart the occasional glance Rukia's way, though. Aside from the increased spirit pressure, there's... she's... really cheery. In that fake-cheer she'd used while they were in class. It's weirding him out a little bit, but he refuses to admit it. "Ah... how have things been, Kuchiki-san? You seem well," he says cautiously. Well, Rukia got hit on by a total fool, and got a job offer from a soul-drinker - an offer she's seriously considering. Neither of which she intends to mention to Ishida. "Oh, things have been good." she claims instead with that smile firmly in place. She's about to mention her good fortune in clearing matters up with Griffin Vulture, and about her regaining her powers... when she stops, a frown starting to creep up on her. "How have things been with you, Ishida-kun?" she asks cautiously, in that tone of voice one might use with a friend or relative who just went to the doctor and may or may not have been diagnosed with a terminal disease. She'd just realized it after all. Now, with her own powers their normal strength and Ishida being no stronger than any other human, the contrast is obvious. And Rukia is far from spirit-blind after all. Only her own difficulties the last time kept her from realizing the problem. At least Ishida didn't get hit on, admittedly. Oh, and the other thing too. No, life has been fairly dull for him of late. Which... also admittedly, is driving him mad. He's been taking it rather well, all things considered, and the almost soporific lack of trouble here in the Hall helps--without any crises to help out with (beyond the big ones no one could help with), the nagging sensation of being powerless hasn't hit as bad. But it's still there. And every night, when he goes home to his empty little flat and remembers the feel of the crackling spirit bow... Yes, well. Perhaps now is not the time to reflect on that. His expression, slowly clouding over the past few breaths, goes suddenly blank as he reminds himself that here is probably not the place. Finishing up, he turns back toward Rukia, noticing the sudden change in her tone of voice. "... fine. Things have been fine." Despite the evidence to the contrary. And he knows that she can sense the difference in him. But hell if he's going to admit it. "Aside from the uproar with that Thunderbird... thing. If you'll pardon me, Kuchiki-san, I have to close the store and go home..." He really doesn't want to talk about it, clearly. Rukia frowns more deeply this time. There's something wrong... and from her unique perspective, she can't help but guess at what it might be. As it turns out, her guess is right... though she has absolutely no clue how such a thing came to be. "I see." she claims carefully, her good mood soured somewhat. "... And I understand duty. I'll leave you to it." she agrees, somewhat reluctantly. She doesn't want to add to a friend's troubles, not when those troubles are personal and nothing much to do with her at least. It's that thought that makes her realize something. With her own powers newly restored, she understands suddenly that Ishida must be able to feel it. Well, assuming his senses hadn't been harmed as well. And that, because of it, she must only be making him feel worse by having her own powers restored to her. That thought alone would have sent her scurrying once, almost desperate to not make things any worse. But not now. Now, she doesn't mind causing a bit of suffering in a good cause. But she certainly doesn't want to leave a friend resentful of her own fortunes. She hurts only to help, in a very odd way. She causes pain... to those she cares for. At the door, just about to exit, she turns back around and crosses her arms under her bosom. A gesture somewhat less effective for her than it might be for Orihime perhaps, but she makes up for it with a presence the bouncy teen lacks. "Assuming there's nothing at home that's desperately important, more important than talking with an old friend... I'll wait for you." she insists, not even asking. She can't help her friend until she knows what's wrong. Ichigo gone, that's bad enough. But she had months of hoping to find him, months to get used to the disappointment. She's not going to be brushed off by Ishida as well. As she turns around and begins to exit, Ishida lets the mask of cool serenity slip for a moment. His brows draw together, and a look of naked frustration and helplessness wells up. He feels... bad, to brush her off like that, but... there is almost certainly nothing the shinigami can do, especially given as Quincy and Shinigami work in such opposite ways, and to complain of his own helplessness would serve no purpose, either. And he refuses to be pitied. He doesn't expect her sudden turnaround, though, so when she halts and turns in place, suddenly radiating immovability, the mask is still off. Eyes widening in startlement, he almost steps back for a moment, before recovering. Clearing his throat awkwardly and looking down for a second, he looks back up a second later, expression back to normal--save for a touch of confusion. "N-no, but..." Way to pull a guilt trip! When she puts it like /that/, what can he say? Except maybe, "I, er, don't want to inconvenience... you..." Oh dear. Trying to cover up his flustering at the sudden turnaround in her attitude, he turns a little too quickly to reach for the store keys, and ends up knocking over a basket of buttons on the counter. "Gh!" At least picking up the fallen buttons gives him somethign to busy himself with, though. Though Rukia approaches quietly enough, no doubt her reiatsu is enough to give her away. Yes, her words were mean and guilt-trippy. Unlike her old self though, she feels no guilt or shame for having used them. "Sometimes..." she murmurs from directly behind, a sort of half-snarling presence that would likely make Ishida feel his own butt is being sized up for target practice. "...I wonder if you're as big an idiot as Ichigo." she finishes. "You should let me help." No, Rukia isn't speaking of the buttons. Or of closing up shop, or anything even the slightest bit mundane. "I, of all pepole, have insight into what it's like, losing everything that makes you distinct." she claims. It's an odd claim really... Rukia's quite distinct, even without her powers. It's almost like she's claiming power is all that's important, something she would have never done before.. but perhaps only Ichigo would know her well enough to pick up on that. "I've had a lot of time on this world to think of a loss of spirit power, and done a lot of searching on how to get it back." she exposits, her voice marginally calmer, warmer. "You're supposed to be the smart one. Don't you think asking for my help would have been a good idea? Which is it? Stubbornness? Foolish Quincy pride? Surely you're not enough of a fool to think I can't help? Or that I wouldn't?" The approach, silent as it is, is enough to make the ex-Quincy tense. If the reiatsu isn't enough of a giveaway, her voice, when she finally speaks, is. And that feeling of having your butt sized up for target practice is never a fun one, either. His hands still in their button-gathering for a moment, before he looks up, and rises to his feet. There's no point in pretending any more; her words make it clear what precisely she's talking about. "...I would think being dead would make you distinct enough," he says mildly, looking down at her. But it's really just a delaying tactic. Taking in a breath, he holds it for a second before releasing it in a long sigh. "Kuchiki-san... I've had just as much time. Maybe longer--I don't know how long you've been here. And I can't think of any way to get it back--once the ability is burned out, it's burned out. The channels are..." He gropes after an explanation. "Dead, maybe. Destroyed. And besides... whatever shinigami know can't help me. We work in precisely opposite ways-- whatever worked for you--and it's good for you that it did--is probably not going to work for me." All delivered in a calm, almost monotone voice--reasonable, serene, and even. He's resigned himself to his loss; it doesn't mean he doesn't regret it, but he has thought about it extensively. And, perhaps, Kiwi's Gift has helped him in this acceptance. His traitorous heart, though, can't help but flutter slightly in excitement at the thought that--maybe--she might know something. Hope, something he'd denied himself for a while, raises its head briefly. After all... she /had/ been powerless last time he'd seen her, and not because of a gigai. He thinks. She's indubitably not the same now. What had changed? And if it's in the Dream... might it apply to him? Burned out... for her? Rukia isn't sure. But it's possible. Likely, even. Ishida came to Soul Society helping Ichigo, and they fought captains. They would have had to. But Rukia can't bring herself to ask. If he had... that's more than she wants to know. More than she'd ask him to admit. But it makes her that much more interested in helping, in trying to find a balance somehow. She sighs, and there is compassion on her face now as she looks up at the boy. "Shinigami knowledge didn't help me, you know. It was a human. About as far away from a shinigami as you are. If he could help me, maybe he could help you too. Or maybe, one of the other things I was working on might work for you instead." She doesn't sound overly optimistic, but she is willing to try. Dead channels? Burned out? Maybe there's something she can work with there. Maybe something that cna be manipulated, or something that can be healed. "I can't think of anything right now." Rukia admits. But there's any number of possibilities, and she needs time to think of them. "No Kidou would work, and I'm not a member of the research division..." she muses aloud. "... but there's more things to try than just what shinigami would know. You're right. There'd be no shinigami lore for repairing a quincy's abilities. We'll just have to try something no shinigami would do." A ghost of an idea comes to Rukia at that moment, and she looks thoughtful. "You have to want to try though, Ishida-kun. Are you willing? It might be risky. Might be unpleasant. Just how much would you risk, how much would you do to be your old self?" she wonders. It's a question of some interest to her... she knows how far she'd have gone to restore herself, and that had changed since coming to the Dream, but even so she never did take the one step she was fairly sure would work. She couldn't bear to bring herself to stab Ichigo through the heart, to take back what she'd given to him. But if the glimmering of an idea she has is going to be at all effective for Ishida, he has to be willing to try just about anything. To kill or die, if need be. In a sense... well, yes. Although Ishida wasn't precisely thinking of her at the moment he made that fateful decision. (Also probably not something he's going to admit. How much more embarrassing is it to say 'Yeah, I sacrificed my power for... uh... ... ... well, that guy really really pissed me off' than to say it was for something noble and self-sacrificial? Even if it /is/ the truth. He stills again, all motion halting as she reveals who had helped her get her powers back. Not even shinigami? Human? Then... Ruthlessly quashing the flicker of hope still stubbornly clinging on, he asks carefully, "...oh? Who was he?" Of course, Rukia's next words are even further reason for caution, if one looks at it in the proper light. Perhaps there's a reason no shinigami would do it. At this point, though, just the possibility of being restored to what he once was is making the normally-cautious boy miss things he might otherwise notice. "...if you can think of something, it is more than I could do," he finally admits, stiffly. "To get my powers back..." He would exile himself from the world, from his friends, if he had to. Perhaps he wouldn't go so far as to sacrifice them directly, but if it meant never seeing them again... yes, he'd do it. He wants his power back, oh, yes, he does. (Only with less Gollumness.) And perhaps it shows in the way he moves, a little more animated as he bends back to gathering the buttons. Or in the quietly intense quality of his voice as he speaks, slightly muffled due to facing away from her. Just two simple words. "My life." Rukia would understand Ishida's true motivations. Vengeance on the one who killed your grandfather? She's seen similar at least twice. Both times, she was present and helpless to do anything. No, she'd understand. She just doesn't WANT to know whether he sacrificed his power for her sake. She nods. "You may HAVE to risk your life. And I'd expect no less than a willingness to." she claims, her face serious. Of course it's not Ishida's life she is considering using, but no need to tell him that. After all, his life is quite a bit more precious than what she has in mind. It'll still take some work though, some searching. She can't do it right now, and she'll probably have to do some experimenting just to see what's possible. But if his channels are burnt out, if it's something like a fuse, she can't see any good reason it wouldn't work? Then again, she's not Urahara. Or perhaps Mayuri would be the better comparison, all things considered... Not wanting to tell Ishida her plans, not wanting to scare him off, she answers his question instead. "He was... a piano player. Something about his music brought out my 'inner self'. Which was the problem, I suppose. I don't think that'd work for you though, but that was only one possibility. You'll need to give me some time to work on something, but I will do whatever I can to restore you. My word on it." And, no matter what can be said about Rukia, no matter her Darkening, her word is as good as it's ever been. Rukia sighs and straightens. "Either way, it won't be today. Soon though. I might ask you for a favor or something in the meantime, but it won't be anything difficult or unpleasant." Suddenly, she grins as a thought strikes her. Pulling her 'inner self?' That doesn't... quite sound like something that would work for Ishida, no. He doesn't /think/ the issue is having his self hiding. So he drops that line of inquiry, instead asking, "What are you thinking of?" He is, after all, quite concerned--and he'd like to know what she has in mind, to see whether he thinks it's feasible or not. After all... if it goes wrong, it might put him in worse straits. Just because he's willing to risk his life doesn't mean he's quite willing to throw it away. And since they're working with spirit-power, here, he has a feeling it wouldn't be the temporary body- death, either--even though that's something else he still doesn't want to experience. Bending back to his task, he sweeps up the rest of the buttons efficiently, placing them back on the counter, before turning back to Rukia. "Thank you." The words are simple, but no less heartfelt for all of that--even if he doesn't offer a smile or a handshake or anything of the sort to go with it. Hopefully she'll get the basic idea, though. "If you need to get in contact with me at any point... well, I spend most of the day here, but my home is on the Hill." Quickly, he gives her the name and room number of his apartment in the housing complex there. The sudden mischievous grin that blossoms on her face takes Ishida aback for a moment, eyes widening slightly in a touch of surprise. "What is it?" he asks quickly, and slightly suspiciously. Rukia purses her lips thoughtfully. How much to tell Ishida? He's a quincy. They destroy hollows. Maybe she can tell him... but no. She can't risk the full truth of her plan, can't risk him balking over some foolishness. "... I'd just be getting your hopes up. I don't even know if it'd work, and even if it will, there's a lot I'd need to do first. I don't know much about Quincys, but I do know spirit power. Just... give me some time to see what I can do okay?" she asks. She looks serious about it though, and though she's uncertain it's fairly clear by the light in her eyes she might well be on to something. By her hesitation though, it likely seems like her plan is dangerous. Very much so. As for Rukia's grin, well, it returns when Ishida calls her on it. "Oh, nothing beyond your skills~" she claims in that too-sweet voice she used to use as a transfer student. Then, more normally, she continues. "There's a man who's been harassing me." she explains. Well actually, hitting on her. After a few moments of letting Ishida believe what he will about the nature of the harassment, she continues. "I might have to get you to make him a dress if he keeps it up. Take measurements on him if he comes in? Say it's my request. He's about my height, red hair. Name's Jonah Naismith. That'll get him to leave me alone." she smirks. His lips purse for a moment, and he eyes her uncertainly, hand going up almost unconsciously to the bridge of his nose in a reflexive, telltale gesture. Then Ishida nods once, the hand dropping. He does trust her--while shinigami aren't always the most trustworthy of people, he trusts her, if nothing else. And while she may not be quite the same Rukia as the one he knows, he doesn't think they can be /that/ different. "... very well. Let me know when you've come up with it, then," he accedes. As his closing tasks are finished, he begins to usher her out, and will lock the door as soon as he steps outside. Doesn't change the slightly suspicious expression on his face, though--at least as long as she uses the too- sweet voice. When she mentions just what she has in mind, though, his expression clears. One might, if one looks closely, even see the hint of a grin twitching his lips up. He'd deny it strenuously, though. "... If I see him, I'll see what I can do," he agrees. "... how does a bit of lace sound to you?" Rukia could kiss Ishida for that suggestion. Except, well, neither of them are the type. "Lace? Yes. That would do very well, I think. Go nuts... at least, I think that's the saying." she says with that smirk. The one often accompanied by crossed arms and a loud BOAHAHAHA around Ichigo. In the meantime, she's got some planning to do. Affixing a spirit into a fuse somehow, that can't be particularly easy. A twelfth divisionist could probably do it, if one were willing. She knows no twelfth division though, not here, and wouldn't ask them if she did. No, this she'll have to do with her own wits and kidou. It won't be easy. Hopefully Ishida will appreciate the effort. If it succeeds that is. But yes, Rukia has much to do. And so she allows herself to be bustled out of the shop.