Rukia couldn't pretend she wasn't interested in the ingredients, or in the actual cooking. It was a hobby she'd grown to enjoy, and though the recipes she knew were fairly limited in number, she liked to indulge in a cookbook from the library now and again to try some new things.

"This dish uses eggs and cucumbers?" There was no hiding the pleasure in her voice, and she was smiling in open approval. "Interesting. I hadn't known of anything like this." She rolled up her sleeves and dug out a small tie from her pocket, using it to pull the loose strands of her dark hair back and off of the nape of her neck. She washed her hands, flicking the water from her fingertips.

Though she was eager and willing to help, she did find herself studying Jade more than the food. He was such a fascinating man, with so many new things to discover every time they met. There wasn't much that he legitimately hid, but there was a lot that he just didn't bother to announce.

Getting to know him was proving to be a lot of fun.

When he finished with the knife, she rinsed it off before replacing it, just in case he had need of it again. Bowls that contained seasonings and sauces were washed, dried, and put away.

After rinsing off a spoon, Rukia paused.

And looked at Jade.

And flicked water from the dripping utensil at his shoulder.