melodiesoflife | Better Than Ikea

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Better Than Ikea

WHO: Raven, Rukia Kuchiki
WHAT: Raven's room sucks, so Rukia decides to do something about it before she leaves for Esdham.
WHEN: November 12th
WHERE: Aqures Ixen

Tomorrow, Rukia was boarding an airship to Esdham. She wasn't as sad about it as she thought she might be; perhaps that was because she had Yuki now, making travel between the two cities relatively easy. She also had her letters, and with the restless spirits no longer plaguing the city, it seemed she had nothing more to truly fret about. It was time to perform the duties she'd signed up to do.

She sent in the letter surrendering her room to a new hero in need, packed up what few belongings she had, and said her goodbyes to her roommates. Ichigo seemed like he would adapt well to this new place, and she'd told him to call her if he needed anything. He would do fine on his own, and meet all kinds of new people that would befriend and support him, just as they'd done for her.

There were still a few loose ends Rukia wanted to take care of, especially where her friends were concerned. She purchased a few small gifts to leave on doorsteps or in mailboxes. Good chocolate, colored markers, fancy stationery...little things, really.

But Raven was getting a lamp. She doubted he was at home, so she'd made up her mind to pop open his window, climb in, and leave it on his dresser along with a vial of oil, so he would have a nice warm light for his room in the evening. Every room should have at least one of those. The lamp she'd found was lovely, the crimson glass elegantly fashioned into a tapered bell and painted with little black fireflies. She'd been hoping for one with ravens or crows to match his name, but the glassworker had indicated that she found such a design to be a bit too macabre. Dragonflies would have to do. There was no need to leave a card; she was sure she was the only one who showed any kind of protest to his spartan room.

Cradling the lamp carefully under her arm, Rukia stood on the tips of her toes to peek into the room. It was empty, from what she could tell, unless he'd decided to stand to the wall right next to the window for some bizarre reason. Good! Maybe this would encourage him to write to her, instead of simply saying goodbye and leaving her scowling at an empty mailbox.

Glad she'd kept her Ninja job, Rukia hoisted herself up to sit on the windowsill, twisting at the waist so she could wedge open his window, and slipped inside. Situating the lamp on his dresser, she took a step back to admire it. Hmmm... Yes, it would do nicely, she thought with a smile. She patted herself down until she found the pocket with the vial of oil, then she tucked that into the lamp basin. Mission: Accomplished! Now to leave before he discovered the surprise, and her along with it.

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Too late, she wasn't as stealthy as she thought she was. Raven had been in the kitchen making food when he heard some strange noises coming from his window. He decided it couldn't hurt to check. To his surprise, it was not some stranger, but a familiar face. Raven didn't notice the lamp, not with Rukia stealing all the attention.

"Aren't we a little close fer ya ta be sneakin' into my bedroom?"

At the very least, Midna might not care, since it was still within in the dwellings of his own room. He never had company over either, so she was not just his first, but his second as well.

Rukia jumped with a squawk, then turned to see Raven standing in the doorway. She put a hand on her chest and exhaled.

"Tch." He was home? Maybe she should have checked the living room window too. Too late now. Her expression went flat, both in annoyance at being caught and tolerating his weird remark. "Don't say it like that, you'll make it weird."

Weirder than climbing into his room through the window?

"I figured you wouldn't do what I requested." There was clearly no vase in his room, and she'd specifically asked him to at least get one of those. "So I thought I'd leave you something before I departed for Esdham tomorrow. What do you think?"

Stepping aside, Rukia folded her arms and turned her head to regard the lamp proudly. "It was supposed to be a surprise, but no matter. I hope you will write to me nonetheless."

"I'm not the one sneakin' into bedrooms." He noted in an antagonistic, but playful manner. That in of itself already made things weird no matter how she tried to mask it. Not that he minded, as Rukia was nice company to have around and he appreciated her sentiments no matter how awkward. Eventually he'll notice the lamp, but not just yet.

He kept to his word and added a new piece of furniture. By his bedside, a large bottle of liquor could be found. It was the closest thing to a vase Raven could find. (Not that he actually went looking for one.) How he ended up with the bottle instead of the vase was because when he sought to find a vase, he got distracted by a bar, and bought out the unopened bottle.

It had been over a week since her suggestion and he's already consumed about 1/3 of the large bottle. Alcohol did well to distract him from the cold and it was easier to sleep while intoxicated.

"I'm makin' some Miso. Are ya hungry?"

Edited 2015-11-16 01:27 (UTC)

"I was leaving a gift!" she protested. There was nothing strange about that! Was she supposed to leave it on the doorstep? Someone might decide they liked it enough to steal it for their own, and she couldn't just hand it to him or it would ruin the surprise.

Her gaze did linger on the liquor for a moment, but didn't stay long. That was not furniture. It was also not a vase. If he'd tried to claim as much, they would have words. Nonetheless, she wasn't going to lecture him over how much alcohol he did or didn't drink. That was his own business, and she'd never known him to act the part of a drunkard.

But she perked at the offer of miso. That actually sounded pretty good, and while she'd followed his directions as to how to cook, she'd never tried his own cooking. She nodded, then smiled. "I am," she confirmed. While she hadn't meant to stay, she had no objections to lingering. She bent down to remove her sandals so as not to dirty his floor, holding them by the straps. "Thank you for your kindness."

The plain color of the extra sheet cause it to nearly escape Rukia's attention. But when she realized he'd at least added something to his room, she smiled, pleased. Granted, he'd probably done it for the sake of the encroaching cold of late autumn, but a change was a change. "I'm glad you picked something out. It's a good start," she said, nodding at the bed.

He wasn't really sure that was worth acknowledging, but he wasn't going to challenge it. More importantly, it was best he actually did the treating for once since he tended to show her how to do things rather than do them himself. Raven wasn't that big of an eater, so it's not as if he would eat two servings. Rukia didn't seem like the type to overeat as well.

He guided her to his kitchen, there was a dining area not far off if she wanted to take a seat. She could always loom around the kitchen and watched how did things too, it didn't matter what she chose to do, he could accommodate to any preference.

"I just started prepping." Raven mentioned. Half the ingredients were prepared, while the other half remained untouched. Soup was always good for the cold weather, and you could generally add in and leave out what you wanted without altering the taste too much.

She could take a seat, but that made her feel odd, as if she were with one of the manor servants from home instead of with a friend. So she decided to remain close by, ready to assist with the preparation or cleanup as needed.

Rukia pushed up her sleeves so they wouldn't get soiled. A pity she didn't have her apron or a way to tie back her hair, but her hair was likely short enough that it wouldn't be a problem.

"What can I help with?" she offered. "And did you like the lamp? Was it suitable to your tastes?"

Well it was a little odd to be offered help as well. Normally who was assigned to do the cooking generally did it all themselves without the aid of the rest of they party. Regardless, it wasn't an issue and he could handle it by himself. Though her offer was appreciated. Raven resumed the steps to creating the soup.

"There was a lamp?"

He never noticed! But you couldn't blame him when Rukia was the start of attention in the room. He would have to double back and take a look when he wasn't cooking.

"You just sit back. I can cook."

"You're sure?" That was nice of him. In that case, if he truly insisted, she wouldn't want to get in his way. Sometimes a chef just needed to be the master of his or her domain. Besides, she was curious to taste his own cooking, if he was as experienced as his lessons led her to believe. Rukia smiled and took a step back. "Then I'll set the table. Thank you."

She was surprised he hadn't noticed the gift, though. "There is. Just something to brighten up your room. I liked the design, so I hope it suits you."

Maybe the color was a little too bright? But it would add a warm and pleasant glow, in her opinion. Orange and red light always seemed comforting to her.

If she insisted on helping, she could set the table. He wouldn't stop her. With all of the preparation drawing to a close, he could focus on other aspects of the dish. Like the broth that it would boil in, for instance. Another great thing about soups, they require very little babysitting. Less so since the meat had been precooked.

"I'm sure it's fine." If Rukia's home had any of her influence involved in it's display, he was sure the piece was tasteful. "Thanks fer that." His gratitude wasn't so much insincere as it was casual. Raven wasn't really a fan of formality. Hence his slang.

That made two of them. But she'd had to change her speech habits for several decades, ever since being adopted into the Kuchiki clan. It wasn't so easy for her to revert to the way she'd been in the Rukongai. It would take something truly drastic for her to drop her formal tone of speech entirely.

She still felt strange sitting at the table alone, so she found a spot of wall near the kitchen where she could recline and fold her arms, keeping up a conversation without getting in his way.

"It's starting to smell good," she noted with a smile. For a few moments longer, she fell silent, studying him closely. He appeared much as he ever did, relaxed and easygoing. But she wondered...

Rukia dropped her gaze thoughtfully to the carpet, then back at him. "I imagine it's probably been tough for you since Yuri went into stasis. Are you doing all right?" Did he need anything?

He pondered on the question and mulled over it for a little bit while he continued to ready the meal. He didn't feel like Yuri being in crystal stasis was crippling. Raven wasn't incapable of performing tasks without him, and was independent enough to carry out the need of the guild without supervision. Sure, it was disheartening, but there was nothing he could do about it. It didn't make sense to have it slow him down when the best thing he could be doing, was helping the active heroes.

"It's nothin'." He reassured her, in a relaxed tone. "If he's anythin' like the Yuri I know, he'll come out of it." Even if it took years. Raven was a patient guy, he's already been through years to be where he is today.

"Do ya miss him?" It was a genuine question.

"Me?" That surprised her. He'd seemed genuine with his reply, so that gave her some peace. But she wasn't expecting the question to be turned around like that. So it raised the question. Did she...?

"...I'm not sure I'd put it quite like that," she mused. "If he were on a mission, I don't think it would be like this. Maybe 'worried' is a better word for it."

He didn't seem worried at all, though. That should be reassuring. But she didn't trust this crystal stasis phenomenon. It was so strange, and unnatural to her, particularly for those who died. Yuri hadn't perished, Acrisius assured her, but it still left her wondering why he'd gone into stasis at all.

"...I glued a moustache to his face."

She seemed to be coping with his absence well then. If her reaction was to glue hair to his crystal, then there wasn't a lot to worry about. The older man gave a short, hearty laugh.

"Did ya?"

He wondered if it would fall on him after he comes out of the stasis. Whatever provoked the joke in the first place, Yuri likely deserved it. He wasn't what one would call polite. His unorthodox nature landed him into all sorts of trouble with people who understood him, and even more so with people who didn't.

"It's almost done."

The fact that he laughed was the last reassurance Rukia needed to know that he wasn't lonely without his teammate. She turned her head to grin at him, her eyes twinkling with dark mischief.

"The marker wouldn't stick. I had to resort to alternatives." And she dearly hoped that it continued to remain on his face after he awoke. Then she would know when he emerged out of stasis, as she was certain he would remark on it.

And he did deserve it for calling her 'shorty' all of the time.

When he announced that it was ready, Rukia pushed herself away from the wall. She was looking forward to trying his cooking, especially if it tasted as good as it smelled. "Is there anything left I can assist with?"

"Just get yer own portion. Have a much as ya want." He wasn't really a good host and didn't make a lot since his initially cooked for himself. Raven gestured to the bowl that she had set. In the middle of the table, sat a table pad, meant to resist heat. He carefully set the pot on it and handed her the utensil to serve herself with.

"Don't be shy." He encouraged.

"Thank you!" She picked up the ladle and filled her bowl. She was neither a light nor a heavy eater, and one cup would easily drive away her hunger. She pushed the ladle's handle toward Raven so he could do the same, waiting until he'd taken what he liked.

"Thank you for the meal," she said, placing her palms together in brief supplication. Then she ate.

The first bite was enough to raise her brows high. The flavor was rich and hearty, not heavily salted. She hadn't even seen him taste the broth, and it still came out this good? She stared down at her bowl, surprised. "This is excellent," she remarked, and took another spoonful. It was hot and perfect winter comfort food, warming her up from head to toe. "Is it complicated to make?" Perhaps he'd teach her sometime.

He wasn't much of a big eater, even less so when it was food he disliked. Raven took it after her and gave him a roughly similar portion. It was just enough to give him his fill and warm him up.

Raven gave his usual smile as she went on. He wasn't a brilliant cook, but better than most. "Not really. I can teach ya how ta do it next time?" Next time he gave a lesson, that is, whenever that would be.

Without further delay, he began to eat it. He was hungry enough to make it, after all. He spent a considerable number of his years cooking, so he didn't have to try and much and had some recipes memorized to a T.

"Please," she nodded eagerly. Although that begged the question, when would she have access to a kitchen again? Her barracks didn't come with one. If she came back to town for a visit, she'd either rent a room at a hotel or...what, sleep in a closet again? Borrow a couch?

As she drank the last of the broth, her face grew somber in thought. She would have friends with her in Esdham, but most of the faces she knew were here in the city. Including Raven's. She looked at the man thoughtfully, remembering how Yuffie had asked if he was lonely or lacking in friends. Yuri was sleeping, and Rukia would be transferring to another city quite some distance away. He knew Zelda, but how well? Were there many others he could rely on if he needed help, or just a friendly face to talk to?

"Oi," she said, cupping her chin in her hand. "You'll write, won't you? I'd like to know how you're getting along after I depart."

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Better Than Ikea

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