melodiesoflife | Cleaning Up the Town

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Cleaning Up the Town

WHO: Rukia Kuchiki, OPEN
WHAT: Rukia returns from Esdham, dons her Ghostbuster job, and starts pursuing ALL OF THE GHOSTS.
WHEN: October 11th - 30th (not the 15th, 19th, or the 27th, since those are event days)
WHERE: Aqures Ixen and the neighboring areas
NOTES: Rukia will be on the move nearly non-stop. The later you encounter her, the more tired she'll be. That said, you don't HAVE to tag in to fight a ghost; grabbing generic CR with her somewhere along the way is also perfectly acceptable.

Scenario A: Return From Esdham

The airship's propellers had scarcely begun to slow when Rukia, clinging anxiously to the ship's railing, spotted Chappopo making a beeline straight toward her. She'd received word that a new job had been shifted into their crystals that would actually allow them to fight ghosts, and the news had been electrifying. It had been called a 'Ghostbuster' job. The title may have been different, but Rukia was convinced that this would be the job that perfectly mirrored her shinigami abilities. It would be wonderful to have her spiritual senses restored. Perhaps she'd regain her flash step as well!

"Chappopo!" she shouted, taking the crystal out of her robe.

"Rukia!"

Not wasting any time, Rukia threw the crystal to her partner. While she'd very much wanted to keep pursuing the Ninja job a bit longer, she had a feeling Red Mage would give her more versatility just in case she ran into anything that wasn't ghost related. She'd promised to investigate those sewers, after all. Besides, if she turned back into a shinigami, that would be close enough to being a ninja. "Switch out the Ninja job! Now!"

"Got it!" Chappopo saluted, and concentrated her willpower on adjusting the jobs that Rukia had equipped. The shinigami didn't wait for the gangplank to be lowered. Planting her hand on the railing, Rukia vaulted over the edge. A soft glow of light enveloped her as the job switch took effect, illuminating her clothes into a shroud of pure white. She would land elegantly, she knew, holding Sode no Shirayuki in her grasp once more. Landing nimbly, the glow turned into a sharp burst of light...

...And she was in a baggy navy blue jumpsuit with red trim, wearing thick rubber boots, holding a particle beam thrower in her hands.

"...This isn't what I had in mind," she grumbled flatly.

"Me either," Chappopo confessed. As small as Rukia was, she looked like she was practically drowning in that jumpsuit.

She blew out a sigh. "No matter." It may not have been the most fashionable job, but it would allow her to do her work, and that was what was important. After taking a few moments to examine her equipment, the PKE meter she held in her hands suddenly lit up, displaying a small dot on the screen.

Smiling triumphantly, Rukia lifted her head. "Yosh... There's one nearby. Let's get it!" The meter wasn't all that dissimilar to the equipment she'd used to track Hollows when stuck in a gigai. Adapting to this job would surely take no time at all.

Scenario B: Early Ghost Hunting Days (First Week)

[In the hours and days that follow the job switch from Ninja to Ghostbuster, it's incredibly likely that anyone could find Rukia darting through the streets, following a flashing PKE meter, or catch sight of bright bursts of light through the windows of half-ruined buildings where she's tracked down a spook and gone for the capture.]

[Those who know her will see that she's actually...really happy. Determined, yes. Focused, very much so. But the look of pure, undisguised delight on her face can't be missed when she holds up another smoking ghost trap. It doesn't matter if she's smeared with slime or covered in dust. She's doing what she once did (mostly), and it makes her feel whole again.]

[Or, perhaps, you run into the ghost before you run into Rukia. Whether you were looking for it, or it came looking for you, she will find you to lend a hand in driving off any vengeful spirits threatening the peace.]

Scenario C: Later Ghost Hunting Days (Second and Third Weeks)

Rukia's dark eyes studied the PKE meter, and she frowned. There was definitely a spirit somewhere around here, but it was choosing to hide itself. She couldn't get a lock on it. The carpenter assigned to work on restoring the houses destroyed by the Imperial attack had nearly lost his life, assaulted by his own tools just because he'd been hoping to get a little overtime.

If she had to guess by the behavior of the spirit, it was likely to be a Hue. Someone who had died in the attack? Possibly.

With a quiet sound of frustration, she put the meter away and raised her dark light, slowly sweeping it through the gutted home. The halo of pale purple light trembled as it swept slowly over singed curtains and rubble-dusted furniture. Odd... Rukia's gaze shifted momentarily to her hand and realized it was shaking.

Maybe she was more tired than she realized. It had been at least 24 hours since she last rested, and that was only a brief nap she'd stolen during the short trip from Aqures Ixen to Balicea. She couldn't remember the last time she'd stopped to eat anything.

It was impossible to consider her physical needs now, though. She had a job to do. Once it was finished, she'd go pick up something from a restaurant and rest for a few hours...just like she'd said she would do with all of the previous jobs, just before another specter popped up on her PKE meter. There was always one more ghost.

A broken chair hurtled toward Rukia's head. Her breath caught in her throat as she ducked and rolled to the side, dropping the light in favor of her particle thrower. She blasted the chair as it clattered to the floor, but whatever had possessed it had retreated once more, patiently waiting.

"Tch..." Rukia grit her teeth. That had almost got her. She would have to be more vigilant.

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"I think I would like that." That one rainy night had been heart wrenching, but it wasn't her only memory. There had been so many moments she'd shared with Kaien that left her warm inside. His casual mannerisms with her, his promise to stand beside his troubled subordinate, his proud smile when she overcame her adversities...

"I'd like that very much."

Rukia removed her hand, feeling an odd sort of peace she didn't expect to embrace after that encounter. Between Yuffie and herself, a little more heart was forged.

"When this is over, let's make it happen." There was still a great deal of work to do, and she didn't feel like she was allowed to rest just yet.

But later... Later, she would like nothing more than to share Kaien's memories with someone else.

Yuffie was always a little awkward with emotional stuff but she tried. There are a lot of things that she hadn't talked with others about and somehow the prospect of having the chance to do that lifted her spirits some.

"AH, yeah. I've been ghost hunting. Trying to get some for the arena too." She smiled the cocky smile that Rukia was no doubt used to.

Non-emotional stuff was easier, of course her offer would always stand with Rukia.

"Do you feel lighter? I do... it's weird."

She bounced a little bit on her toes as if it might display the weird lightness that she felt.

"Arena...?" She wasn't sure she liked the sound of that, but of course she wouldn't, given her propensity to help souls pass on. Keeping them around for the sake of combat seemed foolish. But as she didn't know how to get these souls to move on just yet ~~or so we assume~~, as long as they were contained away from the public, she probably couldn't protest too much beyond a furrowed brow and a frown. "Well, keep up the good work, then."

She took a step, and hesitated, suddenly woozy. Lighter? Yes...but probably not entirely in the sense that Yuffie had indicated. Rukia put a hand against the wall of a building to steady herself.

"I...yes...it's better." She smiled tiredly. Maybe she just needed to lie down and close her eyes for a little while. She wanted to keep going, but if she was too tired to think clearly, she'd be little more than easy prey. Besides, she had a feeling that something big was coming up, though she couldn't say what it was, or why. But she'd made a promise to find the source of all this spiritual unrest, so she needed to be prepared.

"Excuse me, I haven't slept--" GRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU Rukia's stomach interrupted with a loud complaint. She paused, her face turning red. "--in a while," she finished, putting a hand on her middle. Patience, you.

Yuffie almost fell over laughing. She was trying to stay serious and for a moment her expression was one of worry and little else but after hearing Rukia's stomach protest in such a loud fashion she just couldn't hold back.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Let's get you something to eat." She didn't even like sharing food but after an argument like that she could hardly refuse.

Yuffie moved to the girls side with a smile. "There isn't anything open this late but I can make something at my house. Do you need help?" She really did look tired and Yuffie didn't want her to push herself. Though while talking she was thinking about what there was to make at the house. She'd probably just whip up some fried rice and tea.

This was so embarrassing. Rukia wasn't sure her face could get any hotter. But she couldn't really hold that against Yuffie, it was Rukia's fault she'd been neglecting her physical needs for this long.

"I think I can make it," she replied with a smile. Now that she had a destination in mind, it was just a matter of putting one foot in front of the other. That was far less daunting than the thought of a hot pursuit of some rogue spirit. "I would be very grateful. Thank you."

As they walked together side by side, Rukia regarded the ninja girl thoughtfully. "I wasn't aware you knew how to cook. Were you taught here?"

Yuffie laughed a little awkwardly at her question. “Nah, I traveled a lot and since I was really young. If I didn’t know how to cook I probably would have starved.” Though when she was younger things either turned out burnt or she’d visit home, just to sneak in to steal food. Sometimes she stole food from travelers but those memories were a little too bitter to bring up.

“When I was 5…er.. um, right after the war.” Which was shortly after her mother died, “I was kinda pissed with how everything went down. I went on my own little vendetta, training all day and fighting against my father. When I was 9 I left for the first time and then I was on my own for a bit.”

Until she was 13 she always ended up back home though her father sometimes didn’t know it. After that she’d take longer trips out of Wutai. “Oh, I should probably preface all this with the fact that people don’t leave Wutai. That’s not really a thing that happens.”

Much less Wutai's Princess.

Little by little, Rukia was starting to get a better grasp of Yuffie's motivations and why she did the things she did. She was incredibly independent, and strong-willed. Good qualities, when applied to the proper situations.

"That must have taken a great deal of courage," Rukia replied, impressed. "Most children lack that kind of strength. And some adults as well, for that matter."

She was glad they were talking, as it made it easier for her to concentrate on staying awake. Her foot scuffed the ground on occasion to make her stumble, but she remained upright and lucid.

[It was at that time, D chose to walk out of the shadows of the building he was standing beside. He was finishing off his own ghost when Rukia tab into her own. He was there to see how she dealt with it and there when Yuffie revealed her own hiding place. Finally, D heard both stories and didn't feel it right to pretend like they didn't know he knew.]

That was intense.

Edited 2015-10-13 02:10 (UTC)

Yuffie must be slipping because she had no idea that D had been hiding so close. She shouldn't have switched out ninja for ghostbuster but it's to late to change that now. Her shoulders tensed and she looked up at the man curiously.

"How long have you been there?!"

Her tone was a little tense but most surprised. She didn't want to admit that he had caught her off guard but he had.

Yuffie's gaze glanced towards Rukia and she was close to just carrying her sleepy friend back to her house. Or to Yuffie's house because she didn't really know where Rukia lived and Yuffie had a perfectly comfortable couch and tea. All of which were important.

How did he keep doing that?! Rukia started, looking almost guilty as her head whipped around to stare wide-eyed at D. She put her hand out to lean against the wall again, since they'd both stopped walking.

For the moment, she said nothing, because Yuffie's question took priority.

How much had he just seen...?

Since the beginning. [D eyed the tired Rukia and Yuffie's startled expression.] Rukia, are you alright?

Edited 2015-10-13 02:53 (UTC)

At his inquiry Yuffie turned towards Rukia. She hadn't noticed how tired the girl must have really been. For the moment she ignored the since the beginning part and stepped closer to Rukia's side.

"Hey, you can't be that tired. Come on. We can get there."

Yuffie would attempt to carry Rukia and then probably stumble a few times since they are almost the same height and body size.

"I'm all right," she said quickly, flustered. "I've just been pushing myself a little harder than I should. The workload is severe." She smiled a little, to assuage any concerns they might have been harboring.

As for D being there from the beginning, she said nothing. What could she say? Having old heartaches paraded openly on the street for all to see wasn't what she considered to be an ideal way to let her friends get to know her better. Fretting over it would change nothing, though.

She wanted to ask how much farther they had to go, but she didn't want to appear weak. Not right now.

[Walking forward, D picked Rukia up in his arms, cradling her to his chest. She was very light and he felt the faint aura raising off her. Then he looked at Yuffie.]

Where were you both heading? I can take her there.

Yuffie looked up at that pair and then pointed down the road. If Rukia wasn't going to argue then she'd continue to be a guide.

"My house." She still didn't know where Rukia lived. "I was going to make her something to eat and let her get some rest. It's close. Just a block away."

"O-oi!!" It wasn't as if Rukia could really do anything about being hoisted up like a sack of feathers. She tensed, and the red in her face grew that much brighter as she instinctively clutched at the front of D's cloak and tunic.

Only a block away? She could have made that!

But...she was tired, and now that she was off of her feet, she could feel how sore they were throbbing in her boots. And he was warm... It was a little like when her brother had protected her in his arms.

F...fine. She could stay like this a little while, she supposed, her breathing easing out in a weary sigh.

"Thank you..."

[D started walking to where the ninja pointed, knowing that she would lead the way. His gaze fell on Rukia, a bit concerned but not wanting to address it.]

That is probably best given its close proximity.

Edited 2015-10-13 04:09 (UTC)

[It really isn't long to her house. Yuffie walks up to the door, thinking about the time and then realizes that Vincent's probably out anyway. So without trying to be quiet she kicks the door with her foot and gestures inside.]

Lay her on the couch. I'm going to make food and tea for when she wakes up.

[If she's passing out then she should probably eat and that was sorta the plan anyway. Without must though Yuffie steps into the kitchen. The house is small, built for two which meant that the family room and the kitchen were almost the same room. D won't lose sight of the ninja as she starts boiling water or pulling things from the frig.]

You want anything D?

[She's already making something for Rukia.]

[Walking over to the couch, D gently deposited Rukia on its cushions. Then he grabbed a folded, nearby blanket and place it over her. D looked over his shoulder.]

Hot tea would be nice. Thank you.

[It had been a short distance, but somewhere along the way, Rukia had drifted off, her head lolling into D's chest. She'd meant to stay awake long enough just to toss something down to appease her empty stomach, but once he started walking, the gentle rhythm lulled her to sleep.]

[She scarcely stirs as she's transferred to the touch, other than a faint sigh of comfort once the blanket covered her weary body.]

[D looked back down at Rukia's sleeping form.] She must be exhausted. How long had she been fighting without a break?

[Yuffie looks up trying to do math in her head.]

Probably not since she got back from her test. She's been spazing about dead things and ghosts and it being her duty just before leaving.

[The tea doesn't take long and it's something that Yuffie has a lot of practice making. She passes a steaming cup to D and then places one in front of Rukia's sleeping form. With that done she steps back into the kitchen and begins making fried rice. Besides peanut butter it's what's here so she hopes it's okay.]

[Taking the proffered cup, D took a few sips, rolling the warm liguid along his tongue. He sat on a a chair next to the couch and watched Rukia.]

Even I worked on this since coming back from my tests. Yet, you need to know when to break.

[Yuffie just shrugs, she's used to not taking breaks and can understand where Rukia's coming from on that end. Sometimes it's better to just fight and sort out your thoughts later.

The rice comes together quickly and Yuffie makes three plates, not really caring if D doesn't want any. She sets one in front of him and then Rukia. Before getting to her own she lightly taps Rukia on the shoulder.]

You need to eat, hey. Just wake up for that and then you can go back to sleep.

[Yuffie will offer her bed though she'll just wait until Rukia's asleep and then as D to carry her to her room. It's probably easier that way.]

[Rukia awakes with a start, her hand flying toward her back in a blind fumble for the proton pack. ...Wait, there's no ghost. She blinks at Yuffie blearily, disoriented, before her senses start to come back to her. Something smells delicious.]

Hah...?

[She looks at D, then at Yuffie, then at the plate of fried rice. She sucks in her lower lip, fingers curling toward her palm, and then slowly sits up to bow her head in humble gratitude.]

Th...thank you for the meal.

[Rubbing briefly at her brow, Rukia slides the heavy pack off of her shoulders to let it rest against the couch. Her legs swing over the side, and she discards her boots as well before she finally allows herself to take the plate. Despite how she's completely ravenous, she eats slowly and politely.]

I cried too, so there!

GOOD!

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