InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Do YOU know the muffin man?"

Jyuushiro Ukitake (stormblades) wrote in makebelievelog,
@ 2014-02-15 11:16:00

Entry tags:

joan watson, jyuushiro ukitake

Who: Jyuushiro Ukitake, Joan Watson
What: Meeting around the castle
When: Afternoon, February 15th
Where: Library
Warnings: Probably none.

Today was one of Ukitake's better days. He'd been a little under the weather two nights ago, and so had been taking it easy to avoid a full blown episode. The strategy appeared to be working. He still appeared a little pale and worn, but that was normal, for him.

With rest in mind, Ukitake had decided take a leisurely walk in the warm halls of the castle, headed for the library. It wasn't all that far from his quarters, and he could find a few books to quietly while away the time. He struck a peaceful if unusual figure amongst the shelves, tall and broad-shouldered, with haori and hakama in winter blues hanging loosely on his gaunt frame. Long, sword-calloused fingers ran down the spines of the books as he examined their titles, wondering which he should pull to read.

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womanwithastory
2014-02-15 08:55 pm UTC (link)

Despite the fact that Sherlock wasn't there, Joan thought that going to the library to read up on certain things was probably a good idea. She wasn't actively using her detective skills, but if he showed up he would be annoyed that she had been letting everything lapse. And there was a small part of her that hoped that if she did this, then maybe he would show up.

There were several things she wanted to look up, so she headed into the library and looked around. There weren't that many people in here. She headed to the shelves and rounded the corner when she saw him. Oops. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you." She looked him up and down. There were all sorts of types in this castle, weren't they?

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stormblades
2014-02-15 10:56 pm UTC (link)

Absorbed in his examination of the books, Ukitake failed to notice one of the other library patrons had come close until she spoke up. He looked away from the books at her softly spoken apology, and smiled. "It's all right," he assured her. "You aren't interrupting at all. To be honest, I was delaying a little. I'm not sure what title on want." His smile was warm and welcoming. "I haven't seen you here, before. Do you come to the library often?"

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womanwithastory
2014-02-16 01:21 am UTC (link)

Joan was all too aware that some people liked to have their private library time. And that talking a bunch was a bit frowned upon. Still she smiled back at him. "I always have that same problem," she agreed with a nod. This time though she was looking for something kind of specific. "Most of the time I come in here later on in the day. Not too often, but this isn't my first time."

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stormblades
2014-02-16 05:24 pm UTC (link)

“It’s a little overwhelming,” he confided in her, voice still soft out of courtesy for the other patrons. “To think that the books here tap not only your own world, but potentially countless others. So much knowledge and so easily accessed … There aren’t many places where I’m from that can compare.” Ukitake knew better than most in his world just how much there was to be found in the depths of a library. He spent far more time amongst the various scrolls and tomes that filled the shelves of the libraries in Seireitei. His illness often kept him from the field, and also provided him with an excellent cover for gathering information while others were busy elsewhere.

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womanwithastory
2014-02-16 09:06 pm UTC (link)

"Books tend to do that, I think. There's so many about the same subject. It's hard to tell which ones to read and which ones not to. It's definitely overwhelming," she said with a nod of her head as she looked over all of the other books that were in front of her. "I've never been in one this big, that's for sure." Though she did like to have a look around and read up on things. It made her solving cases easier. "Are you looking for anything in particular?"

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	stormblades 2014-02-16 11:49 pm UTC (link)
	“True enough,” Ukitake agreed. He tucked his hands into his sleeves, folding them together, as he spoke. “I’m actually looking for a few reference materials. Botany and herbology. There are a few teas and medicines from home that I’d like to duplicate, if I can.” (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	womanwithastory 2014-02-17 03:23 am UTC (link)
	Joan gazed up at the stacks of books just briefly. "That sounds nice. I think all I've ever found in the kitchens is some off brand of tea that doesn't even taste like tea." And that was just the worst. "Is there a place to grow herbs here?" Another thing she didn't know. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

stormblades
2014-02-17 10:03 pm UTC (link)

"I'm not sure," Ukitake said with a shrug. "The castle has gardens, of course, but I haven’t spoken to anyone about using them. I'm afraid most of the gardening is left to the gardeners back home. They know better than to let me anywhere near a truly valuable plant. I'd hoped to find sources for the supplies I'd need, perhaps to help formulate the medicines. My expertise lies more in knowing what to look for and how to use it than in how to produce it." He offered a wry smile. "I'm more often the patient than the doctor."

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womanwithastory
2014-02-18 01:32 am UTC (link)

"I've never been that good at gardening either. I'm just used to going to the store to get something. Maybe that's the way to go?" She wasn't quite sure, but surely there had to be an easier way than trying to grow the plants that he needed. She looked him over a moment and then nodded slightly. "Some kind of lung disease?" Belatedly she realized how that must have sounded. "Sorry, I just.. I used to be a doctor. I can just kind of tell."

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stormblades
2014-02-18 03:22 am UTC (link)

“It’s all right,” he hastened to assure her. “I don’t mind. My condition is common knowledge in Soul Society.” Another smile, one that made it difficult to picture Ukitake as a man who had lived with a long, life-threatening illness, warmed his expression. “It’s something I’ve lived with since I was very young. We depended greatly upon herbal remedies in those days, and I’ve found that many are still as effective as more modern treatments, at least when it comes to mild episodes.” He tilted his head in curiosity. “May I ask why you no longer practice medicine?”

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womanwithastory
2014-02-18 06:50 am UTC (link)

Though Joan had never heard of Soul Society, that wasn't anything new. She was pretty much used to everything by now. Nothing surprised her. She nodded her head a little, narrowing the choices down in her head about which disease he might have. She wasn't rude enough to ask though. "You sound like my mom. She never let us go see a doctor until I became one. It was all herbal remedies for the most part. It's good though. She passed them all down, so I used them a bit in my practice."

Ah yes the million dollar question. "A routine procedure didn't.. go the way I thought it would and a good man died, and it's my fault. I slipped. I couldn't do it anymore after that."

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stormblades
2014-02-18 08:50 pm UTC (link)

His expression softened with sympathy at what he heard next, in answer to his question. The loss of a life for which one was responsible was a pain he had felt many times before, and he had stood witness within the walls of Fourth Division when a Soul Reaper slipped away in spite of all of the healers’ best efforts. “I am sorry that you endured such a thing,” he said, sincerely. “It is always difficult to lose someone you feel you should have been able to save.”

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	womanwithastory 2014-02-19 01:26 am UTC (link)
	Whenever she told someone that, she always expected them to be horrified by it. That she was some kind of monster that had let someone die. Whatever it was, she was glad that he wasn't looking at her like that. She smiled slightly, but sadly and nodded. "It is. Very hard. It all went down hill from there and I quit. I've had several other jobs since then though." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

stormblades
2014-02-19 10:46 pm UTC (link)

Even without his experiences as a Soul Reaper captain, Ukitake would not have felt himself in a position to condemn the woman for her past. Her intention had been to help and to heal. She had not set out to cause harm. There were times when the world simply did as it would, and ignored all efforts to make it better. “We do what we can,” he said, his voice gentle. “Have you found some peace in your new work?”

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	womanwithastory 2014-02-20 01:25 am UTC (link)
	Joan had felt so bad about it. So bad that she had quit. It was still a burden to her, but she was learning to let go and move forward. "I have. I have a friend back home, he helps with all of that. I think I actually found what I want to do with my life. Though he's not here and having him not here makes it complicated. We're partners." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

stormblades
2014-02-20 11:10 pm UTC (link)

“You must miss him.” For his own part, Ukitake felt a pang of longing for Kyouraku, who knew him so well and had been with him so long as to be family. There were times when he felt he would be lost without the other man. No one understood and accepted him in the way that Kyouraku did, and there was no one he would rather have by his side. “What sort of work do you do now, with your friend?”

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	womanwithastory 2014-02-21 05:08 am UTC (link)
	Though of course she would totally deny it if he showed up, Joan nodded her head. "I do miss him. A lot." It wasn't the same without him there. She'd gotten so used to living with him. "We're consulting detectives. We help out the police department on harder cases. My friend has an amazing.. gift for solving things." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

stormblades
2014-02-21 07:39 pm UTC (link)

One dark eyebrow arched beneath the white fringe of Ukitake’s bangs. “A consulting detective?” Soul Society had no such thing, although Ukitake was well aware of what the position entailed. Separation from the world of the living and a distinctly feudal culture did not make the residents of Soul Society ignorant. “I suppose medicine is a form of investigation in itself,” he rationalized. “Though what you are doing is perhaps not as important as whether or not you find it fulfilling.”

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womanwithastory
2014-02-22 06:20 am UTC (link)

"Yeah. Though I think maybe Sherlock made the title up, because I'd never heard of it before." That would be just like him to invent a title for himself. "It is, especially when you're in diagnosing. And my medical background comes in handy when there's a lot of um.. murders. I though medicine was fulfilling, but I've never been more sure of anything than the work I did with him."

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