Rukia Kuchiki (sleevedsnow) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2013-11-09 16:18:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, orihime inoue, rukia kuchiki |
Who: Rukia and Orihime
What: Hanging out
When: Halloween
Where: At a party
Rating: G
Status: Complete
The Halloween party that Orihime had invited Rukia to was really a small affair in a beatnik hole-in-the-wall coffee shop. But there was music and everyone was wearing their unconventional costumes, including Orihime in her pumpkin-ghost costume. People were laughing, enjoying hot cider or lattes, and it seemed like a fun enough group. Minus the people who asked Orihime for her undies so they could - and we quote - ‘compare the difference between American underwear and Japanese underwear’.
Luckily, Orihime had been schooled by Rangiku and knew to use her karate chopping action against testicle monsters and underwear thieves.
She hoped the directions to the place were easy enough for Rukia to find, since she was new to the area. Every so often, Orihime would look anxiously toward the door, to see who was coming or going.
Mostly Rukia just wanted to get out of the house. It was her first holiday in America and while she was sure it wasn’t going to be like home, she didn’t get how weird it was going to be. How different. She had thrown together some kind of bunny costume and then went to where Orihime told her to go for this little party.
In fact she did get lost, but that was because the driver was kind of stupid. She didn’t know how to drive on American roads yet. She must have looked like an ass coming out of a car that was being driven by someone, but she tried to act like it was someone dropping her off. Like a parent or something. Like that was better.
When she spotted Orihime at the door, she waved and wandered over. “Thanks for inviting me.”
"Hello, Kuchiki-san!" Orihime called out, waving to her and looking like she was over the moon to see her there. In fact, as soon as Rukia drew near enough, Orihime bowed to her and then gave her a big ol' smushy pumpkin hug for a second or two. "Oh, sorry, I shouldn't do that. Heh heh heh? But your costume is so cute, I couldn't help myself!"
With a grin of her own, Rukia bowed back to Orihime and then let herself be smushed by her friend. Well now. That was definitely some kind of greeting. She shook her head and smiled again. “It’s okay. I don’t mind.” Maybe just this once. Somehow she figured that was the way Orihime greeted someone every time. “Yours is adorable too.”
It wasn't the really polite way of doing things, but Orihime put an effort toward being polite and happy toward everyone she met, and then hugging the stuffing out of them if they seemed like they might be open toward it or in need of a hug. Given a past conversation on the internet about her brother and her situation? Rukia needed a hug. Big time!
"It's really nice and thank you very much," replied Orihime with a huge grin. "Would you like something to drink? It's not even cold out, but everyone's drinking hot chocolate and things. And there's tons of candy all over the place. Feel free to grab some! I've been mixing these caramel cookie ones with some coconut dark chocolate ones, by eating one of each at the same time? It's really yummy!"
She is fueled by sugar.
Hugs weren't completely awful, but they weren't something she did ever. So Rukia mostly just stood there and let herself be hugged. Yeah she supposed it was the polite thing to do. At least she hadn't pushed her away.
"Oh sure. Hot chocolate sounds good." She can definitely see that Orihime has had way too much sugar. But Rukia doesn't say a word about it. Instead she grabs some candy from where she sees it and takes a bite.
Yes....join in on the sugar ruuuuuuuushhhhh. Do not resiiiiist.
That was probably good that she wasn't pushed away, because Orihime would have given her the wibble face, which is really only a good thing when she's eating the yummiest donuts ever.
Orihime smiled and nodded a lot, before she ran off and came back a moment later with a hot chocolate for Rukia.
"I know it's probably not the most exciting party and there's no real alcohol or anything," Orihime apologized, with a sheepish smile. "But a lot of us have classes tomorrow morning, and wanted to celebrate. So this is it! The rest of the school went out to drink, which is scary to think about. Most of them were the sculpting students and they have to play with blowtorches and pneumonia chisels!"
It was pneumatic chisels. Yeah.
Definitely no reason to give the wibble face. She liked candy, but not nearly as much as the others did. Rukia could shut up and act like a friendly nice young woman once in a while. This was one of those times.
She took the hot chocolate from Orihime and took a sip. Oh good, it wasn't the watery stuff. "I don't drink a whole lot, so it's fine. It's better than sitting at home with my brother and doing nothing. Anything to get away from him for a night." He would have wanted her to just stay in and study and have no fun.
"Oh yikes. That sounds dangerous."
"I know! Everyone in those classes seems to get hurt a lot of the time. It's pretty bad." She was glad that Rukia seemed to be having an ok time already. "I'm happy you were able to wear a costume and come to the party. It's good to be able to go out with friends and do things. I hope he won't be angry if he finds out. He seems really...."
Orihime's voice trailed off, like she was unsure of what the right word to use was, before she settled on, "...upset."
Rukia couldn't imagine taking a class where she got hurt all the time. She supposed some people liked that sort of thing. "Thank you for inviting me. I really didn't want to sit at home, and I still don't know a lot of people around here." Yeah because that was the least of her worries.
She couldn't help but laugh a little at Orihime's words. "I hope so too, though I'm not sure upset is the word I'd use. He usually just glares and doesn't say anything. That's when you know you're in real trouble."
"Don't mention it! And I guess that's why they say BLEED FOR YOUR ART!" She struck a pose which looked a little silly, considering she was dressed as a pumpkin ghost, avenger of slain pumpkins. Before she let herself run away with her halloween costume persona in her head, with an epic storyline and pumpkin foes, she asked Rukia, "Is he really mean? Most of the time, with mean people and bullies, they're hurting inside, and that's why they hurt others. Did he beat you up, like on that one channel here that I watched one night, and it was a miniseries, and this girl had her ex boyfriend jump on her head and no one helped her and she was all messed up afterward and I cried and cried and cried...."
Lifetime Channel for Women and Orihime were not friends. It was one of her most traumatic experiences to date, involving channel surfing. She would have changed the channel at several points, had she not flailed and thrown the remote, losing it somewhere in her student dorm room, and being too blinded by tears to find anything. It looked like she was watching tv underwater.
"If he did that to you, then that's wrong! YOU NEED TO GET TO A WOMEN'S SHELTER AND TAKE HIM TO COURT," Orihime suddenly said, loudly, like that was the lesson she learned and Rukia better take heed. "HITTING AND STOMPING ON HEADS IS WRONG."
There was another small chuckle from Rukia, both at the sentence and at Orihime’s pose. That girl was something else. She just went on and on and on, didn’t she? For a moment she didn’t even know what to say. “Well he’s just more stubborn. And mean in the way where he thinks that anything that’s outside of his thinking is considered rude and disrespectful and then he gives you a stern look. He doesn’t hit anyone though.”
As far as she knew anyway. She wondered if she should tell the other girl that she should lay off all the Lifetime Movies, but she’d never watched one. And probably had no idea what that channel was about. There probably wasn’t a tv in their house, sad to say.
Yikes. She stared all wide eyed at her. “Shh! You’re loud! He doesn’t hit anyone.”
There are TVs, but Byakuya usually preferred the main part of the house to be kept library quiet, so he can ponder the mysteries of the universe while doing his calligraphy and having his nose shoved into books. What one does in their own bedroom is their own business, including watching Lifetime Movies if anyone wanted to actually watch those.
In fact, when he is in his big smushy bed with the overpriced covers up to his chin, Byakuya's own tv is turned onto those awful money making shows on cable news channels, sometimes with people throwing things around. He tends to knit his brows together and frown while watching them rant about the stock market and 401k’s and IRAs. He simply keeps it turned down so no one else knows he's enjoying watching angry financial planners being angrypants. Shh. It's a sekrit.
Orihime already had it in mind that he was some kind of wife beater in an expensive tank top with high priced jeans on, and was backhanding Rukia and telling her to do the dishes instead of the maid doing them and ahhh it was terrible!
She slapped both hands over her mouth to stop herself and blink blink blinked at Rukia, with equally wide eyes.
Her fingers parted enough that she could say, "And you're not in denial or anything? Well, ok, I guess. If he does hit you, then you can stay with me! Even if my dorm room is teeny tiny. I can make popcorn and we can watch Lifetime together on my teeny tiny tv!"
And be super duper traumatized.
It is completely amazing that there are TVs in their house. She probably just stared in amazement the first time she realized he was letting her watch it. And as far as Lifetime Movies went, she would never say whether she actually watched them. Nope. Not saying. Because Rukia would never watch anything like that. She watches normal things, thank you very much.
Actually that scenario and mental image of that happening would be hilarious, if she wasn’t getting beat up in it. Thankfully that wasn’t the case. There was only one person who could beat her up and that was him. “No I’m not in denial. I promise. He doesn’t hit me or anything. He’s just grumpy. That’s all. Like grumpy cat.” Yes she’d seen that internet meme.
This version of Byakuya realized that they didn't live in the stone ages, and therefore they had tv. His early teens had him playing lots of triggerfinger one-on-one fighting games on his gaming console, until he had to go be responsible and learn family things. Oh, and not lose his damn temper and throw the controller down after cursing loudly at it. But that was younger Byakuya and the older version kept all of those tendencies very tightly - with a strangle hold - reined in.
Orihime dropped her hands down a little and looked relieved. Having come from an abusive home, she was a little sensative to the plight of people in those situations, even if she couldn't remember it. It was all stories she had been told by other people, like her brother, or her aunt.
"He must be sad or angry about something if he's grumpy cat," she replied. "I'm glad he doesn't hit you though, but he seems super strict. My parents were really mean, but my brother saved me from them and took me far away from them, with my aunt's help. I think people like that have problems and they never deal with them the right way, so they get mean or hurtful...and maybe they don't realize it. I KNOW! He needs an intervention! IS HE ADDICTED TO HEROIN OR PAIN KILLERS?"
Yes, she caught an episode of those shows too. The universe would like to apologize to you right now, Rukia, because everyone around you is pretty much...insane. Even the orange haired guy with the savior complex.
Unable to nod a little sadly, Rukia responded. “My sister.. she died. Though I think he was probably a little grumpy before that. Strict upbringing.” Of course she hadn’t really talked to him all that much before her sister had died. Sure they had been ‘family’ but it wasn’t like it was now. Where he was taking care of her. Because she didn’t have anyone else. She knew she shouldn’t give him a hard time about that, but she couldn’t help it.
So no, he didn’t need an intervention, though maybe that would have explained some things. “I think it would be easier if it was drugs. We could just.. get him off of them. Not that it’s easy. But it’s easier than bringing someone back from the dead.” Right?
Orihime was quiet as she listened. Her chin was wibbly. Her eyes were round and huge and looked watery. Truly, she was having one of those empathy moments.
"My brother died. But he was nice to me. I wish your brother was nice too, but it sounds like you both have had a very terrible time, and he is...maybe he doesn't know how to deal with it the right way. So he is doing it the very wrong grumpy cat way." She sniffled and scrubbed a fist against one of her eyes to get the tears out. It was all so sad. "When I figure out how to do necromancy, I'll bring her back from the dead, and my brother too. Just like in Full Metal Alchemist! I don't really want to give up an arm or a leg, but I would if I know it would work and wouldn't stick you in a suit of armor for most of the series."
Oh boy. Here came the water works. Rukia would be nice and not say anything at all about them. Just let her cry or whatever. “I’m sorry about your brother. You’re right though, I don’t think he knows how to properly deal with things.” Of course she wasn’t a paragon about how she dealt with things either. But it was better than being a grumpy cat, she was pretty sure anyway.
“Necromancy?” she blinked a little. “Uh.. Orihime.. I’m pretty sure that doesn’t actually exist outside of television and manga.”
Orihime managed, somehow, to not snotbubble in mid cry. It was a miracle.
Finally, it looked as though her tears were going to be under control, but then she thought about necromancy not existing, and that made her sad all over again.
"It doesn't?" she squeaked, followed by one massive inhale sniffle. "Ok. But if there's weird things happening here, maybe it would fix things for both of us if I could get it to work. Since then there wouldn't be any grumpy cat or dead family members or anything, and then everyone could be happy. Excuse me? I need a donut. Do you want one? I'll bring you one."
She wandered off to go get donuts. She is not (ever) counting calories or carbs. It all goes to her boobs anyway.