[Invite]Mitsu & Shiro - An Unexpected Meeting

Since mastering her own ability to jump between worlds, Shiro had begun to frequent the human world more often during Theo's absences. She didn't always have a reason, nor did she think she actually needed a reason to return to the world she'd actually been born into.

Today she was in the middle of browsing the town for fun and enjoyment. Browsing stores, watching the newly released Movie drama that'd come out. Intentionally avoiding the snacks and condiments of the theater, the girl now approached a restaurant she'd been meaning to try out since she'd last seen it in passing. It boasted a great selection of quality foods and even ranked near the top rated among restaurants with desert options considered too good to pass up.

She entered, a small bell chimed to announce her entry, followed by an employee greeting in response. "Hello miss. Just one today?" The hostess asked as Shiro walked over the threshold. "Yes please." Shiro respectfully replied. As she'd heard the place was one leaning towards fanciness, she'd chosen to wear a black dress and hat adorned with a matching black ribbon. It was one she'd obtained about a week ago, and at the recommendation of a Shinigami no less.

The hostess brought her to a table near the center of the restaurant, setting up a menu for Shiro to browse. She inquired to the girl's choice of beverage before leaving Shiro to examine the menu's many select options. She'd unknowingly been seated not more than one table over from Mitsuoki. The Shinigami sat at the adjacent table facing the girl's back. There was much to this view that Mitsuoki might recognize with the set of clothing and the one who wore them.

"Hm...?" Shiro set the menu down and looked to her feet where she heard the barking. It was then she noticed the noise was coming from a young fox. "What's a fox doing here..." It was when she heard the voice speaking to apologize for the fox's behavior that the puzzle pieces clicked into place and she looked up. Her eyes met with Mitsuoki's. "...It's you!" Shiro blinked. Once. Twice. She'd given up on trying to find the Shinigami about three days ago. It was a funny thing how when she stopped looking for someone or something they usually showed up when she was least expecting.

"I've been fine. You seem to be doing well... I see you've still got the fox. Did you name it?" Shiro greeted Mitsuoki, starting at the end when she picked up on the fact Mitsuoki had given the critter an actual name. "Didn't think I'd see you again so soon." Shiro lifted her menu pretending to look over the list of entrees while purposefully neglecting to include the fact she'd actually been looking for him.

Shiro peeked over the menu to Mitsuoki who held his now pet fox named Akane. "I can't believe you actually chose a fox over me..." Shiro placed her menu flat on the table in curt irritation. Anyone listening in might easily misunderstand the meaning behind Shiro's words. "You said there was no way to take living things with you without killing them... But from what I can tell, that fox is still very much alive." She accused, though her tone carried no significant emotion behind it. She'd actually forgotten to ask Mr. Rose about Mitsuoki. She couldn't find the interest to be truly annoyed with Mitsuoki when she was equally annoyed with herself. Shiro chose to keep quiet and surprise her teacher with the new technique she'd developed once she'd actually gained access to Soul Society. She was fairly certain that was the only way she could bridge her ability and make it capable of taking her their on her own... "She's gotten bigger" Shiro noted, getting up from her table and moving over to the one Mitsuoki had been seated at.

"I understand your concern..." Shiro sighed. Mitsuoki's explanation still sounded to her like an excuse. She'd never been one to foolishly give away people's secrets, but to some degree she understood the issues Mitsuoki had with her wanting to go with him. She'd already decided to drop her efforts to force Mitsuoki's hand anyway. Shiro was more interested to know why Mitsuoki knew Theocelese and what kind of connection the two actually had.

Finding Mitsuoki's ignorance of popular beverage options funny, Shiro stifled a laugh as she moved in over the Shinigami's shoulder and responded to his inquiry. "Soft drinks are bubbly drinks flavored in various ways. They have an interesting sensation if you're not familiar with them but taste quite good. Milk shakes are like a super soft serve ice-cream and you can even drink them through a straw." Shiro physically pointed out the flavor options on Mitsuoki's menu for both types of drinks during her explanation. "I'm thinking of getting a strawberry parfait myself." Shiro's finger moved over to a different section of the desert menu which listed parfaits and the different fruit and flavor options that could be ordered.

Shiro returned to an appropriately distanced seat at Mitsuoki's table. The waitress arrived and asked if the two were ready to order. She didn't seem bothered by the fact Shiro'd switched tables, likely because both tables were in her area anyway. Shiro looked to Mitsuoki, indicating he should order first. She didn't want to be rude by being the first to place an order at his table.

"I'll have the strawberry Parfait please." Shiro told the waitress after Mitsuoki was done ordering. She decided to go light on her desert. Too much would ruin her appetite and she still wanted to enjoy one of this restaurant's proper meals.

At Mitsuoki's words, Shiro's eyes drifted to the resting Akane. "Really? That's actually quite adorable!" The girl smiled, resting her chin in her hands. Some people might see the act of having her elbows on the table as a rude gesture, but with this cute creature's apparent acceptance of her, Shiro couldn't really be bothered about what others thought in the moment. "Well I'm glad she's not mad at me for thinking she was a boy when we first met." Shiro joked.

After a long moment staring at Akane, Shiro sat back in her seat and shifted her gaze towards Mitsuoki. "So... Last time you ran away before I could ask any proper questions about it but, how is it that you know of Mr. Rose?" Shiro held up a hand to keep Mitsuoki from responding too soon before continuing. "And about the name you used for him when we first met... Please refrain from using it while you are in this world. Mr. Rose seems averse to being addressed that way while he is here." She emphasized Theocelese's alternate alias to make certain Mitsuoki got the hint.

Based on his explanation it sounded like there were circumstances revolving around Mr. Rose's involvement with Mitsuoki... If Arrancar were derived from Hollow, and Mitsuoki hunted hollow, then she could understand a little bit why a Shinigami might not look to Theocelese in an overly positive light. Shiro was really starting to think that her relationship with an Arrancar might actually be hindering her from any real answers Mitsuoki might offer... Hell this was even the answer he'd given her... Ask Theocelese. Though she did notice he refrained from using both his name and the one she'd told Mitsuoki he aught to use...

Come to think of it... Shiro wasn't really sure what she could talk about with this guy besides topics like the fox or continuing to try and acquire answers from him... "So... Aside from your work what exactly is it you enjoy doing?" With nothing better to ask, Shiro set her sights straight on going personal. It was a bold leap and one that could be easily avoided if Mitsuoki didn't want to say, but it was a line thrown and Shiro didn't have any other lures to make use of. "I mean, this doesn't exactly look like something you're supposed to do while on duty..." Shiro stated, bluntly indicating the restaurant they sat in the middle of. "Was becoming a Shinigami a choice you made or was it something decided for you?" A question following a question. She was curious but it might have been more appropriate to ask one at a time...

Shiro listened closely... then pouted disapprovingly as Mitsuoki chose not to go into depth about his personal interests. The girl mistook his claim of knowing for an excuse to simply not tell her. How guarded was this guy? Could she not actually get close enough to him to talk about things normally? Sure she'd only spent one afternoon with him in the past week but still... Shiro was beginning to feel a little discouraged...

He switched topics... While she wasn't particularly happy about this fact, she listened just as closely as before. "I knew the hollows had a strange hunger drive but I didn't realize even regular souls could become hungry..." It was news to her, though not entirely unbelievable. Based on these facts it seemed like the hunger the spirits felt was based on the conditions of their spiritual existence. It kind of made Shiro sad to think the hollows had to eternally suffer from the kind of hunger they had to endure while those fortunate enough to get to Soul Society were blessed with a hunger that was at the very least, manageable.

Dipping her spoon into the Parfait, Shiro took a moment to enjoy the desert she'd ordered. The flavor could be said to be in a class of its own. She hadn't had much in- no that thought was wrong. It paled in comparison to some of the treats Theocelese prepared and they were obviously better than anything the restaurant could likely come up with, but it was still quite a delicious treat. "This is good! you should try some." Shiro offered her Parfait for Mitsuoki to try. It was intended for her but appeared it was intended to be shared as the parfait itself included a second spoon which sat partially embedded into the opposite side of the desert.

"I dunno if I should say..." Shiro shrugged, teasing Mitsuoki by pretending to consider whether she should tell him or not. "To be honest what I mostly do now is train myself to become stronger. After some incidents and Mr. Rose taking me in I figured it would be best if I can get to a point where I don't need to rely on him all the time. Other than that I like to watch animated shows, but it's not easy doing that where I'm living now so I haven't really been able to catch up on the latest episodes." Shiro went quiet, She was only sixteen but thinking about it... her life hadn't really amounted to much as of yet. By now if Mitsuoki had tried and returned her parfait, she would take another bite of it, savoring the strawberries and creamy flavors of the ice-cream.

"Do you have TV shows?" Shiro's question came out of the blue after a pause to partake of her parfait. Las Noches didn't have anything like channels or satellite TV so watching anything other than the recordings Theo had wasn't really possible. It would be interesting if Soul Society had something like TV to watch considering it was supposed to be a world of spirits.

The differences between the human world and Soul Society were beginning to stack up... With Mitsuoki's response she effectively eliminated the possibility of it being a tech oriented modern society. And based on the weapon she'd seen Mitsuoki carried and the official attire he adorned himself with, Shiro believed it could be safe enough to view his origins as a place that was "getting there" but not quite up to par with the modern times.

In response to the Shinigami's inquiry, Shiro pulled out her cellphone. "TV's now are a much larger version of these kinds of screens." Shiro indicated, noting the display portion of her cellphone alongside a common size comparison using her hands. "They pick up signals similar to how these devices do but what they pick up is more like pre-recorded visual shows. Depending on the channel you are on, what you get to see will be different." Shiro explained the details, hoping that her simplified and cellphone aided example would help Mitsuoki picture what a TV was.

"I'd love to try it! Thanks." Shiro took the milkshake and the offered straw and took a sip from the cold beverage, the romantic implications of the product's presentation eluding her in much the same way as it had Mitsuoki. Savoring the sweet vanilla flavoring of the milkshake, she almost regretted having gotten the strawberry parfait. "Do you mind if we switch? The strawberries in the parfait are good but they're a bit more tart than I would have liked..." Shiro sheepishly asked Mitsuoki, inadvertently answering his question by revealing her appreciation for sweet things. She wouldn't openly admit it, but for her, super sweet foods were to die for. From the opposite end of the spectrum, extremely bitter foods were on Shiro's list of things to avoid.

"Please don't do that..." Shiro shot an irritated look at Mitsuoki when he told her to never mind. "If you want to ask a question then ask the question. Let me be the judge of whether or not I want to answer it." The girl waggled a finger at him. A gesture which suggested she did not approve of his cutoff. "Besides, now I really want to know what it is you were about to ask." Taking a draw at the straw, Shiro took in more of the shake while continuing to stare at Mitsuoki. She wanted him to ask the question. More than anything she was curious to know what it was he even wanted to ask her and no matter how small it may have been, it would, bother her not knowing what his inquiry would have been.

"Incredibly so!" Shiro's eyes beaming in response to Mitsuoki's question about her liking sweets. "And the sweeter something is the better! In fact, the first time Mr. Rose brought me-" Shiro held up her hand, stopping herself while blushing slightly. She'd been about to say 'the first time Mr. Rose brought me home with him' She'd seen the misunderstanding happening before she'd spouted it... "Let me correct that. What I meant to say is that on the first day when Mr. Rose rescued me, we had these sweets that were so good I had to hide some away for later while he wasn't looking. They were super sweet and super delicious! ...Come to think, I swear a couple of them disappeared before I got a chance to eat them..." Shiro started to become lost in thought, making a mental count of how many of the sweets she'd hidden away in her room. Had Theocelese seen her take them and stolen them back she wondered?

"My education...?" Shiro would have thought Mitsuoki referred to her school education if it hadn't been for the fact he'd mentioned the spirit world before asking. In truth Theocelese would probably have been an open book of information to this regard if she'd shown enough interest in it. Thinking about it now, Shiro realized her primary goal had been training herself to become stronger. It'd never occurred to her to educate and actually learn more about what the spirit world was about. "Uh... well..." Shiro blushed. This was embarrassing, to think she would be pressing Mitsuoki, a Shinigami, for the answers she sought when she could have just done so with Theocelese who'd actually told her before that if she wanted she could ask him anything about whatever she wanted to know... "It's so so..." Shiro smiled. It was a half smile which indicated the girl either wasn't getting all the information she desired, or that she'd failed to properly take initiative with the opportunities allotted to her.

The girl took another drink from the milkshake. By this point it neared its end as the waitress returned to inquire about whether the two of them would like to order an entree or side to go with their deserts. Looking at the menu, Shiro picked the chicken ramen special with a side of honey oat bread. In her embarrassment she forgot to allow Mitsuoki first choice in the ordering process.