No Patrol Today [Rukia, Shiro]

What to eat, huh? Honestly, even though she was hungry, Rukia couldn't say she'd really thought about where to actually go. She felt pretty confident that most of the places she remembered were long gone by now, so it's not like she had any real ideas of where to go anyway.

"What are you in the mood for? We're in Japan, so most of the good food here won't be too different from what we've got in Soul Society. Besides, I've been dragging you around all day, haven't I? It's your turn to drag me around for a little bit."

That sounded fair to Rukia. After all, it was true, wasn't it? She'd been bringing him around to all these places he probably never would have gone to on his own. It would be good to give him a chance to be a bit more familiar, relax a little bit. After all, she couldn't imagine Shiro was exactly enjoying all these stuffy spots she'd been taking him.

"Oh, yeah? Well thanks, I am having a good time out here. Didn't expect you to be such a softie, though. I'm sure all your friends would never let you live that down."

Giving him a smug grin, Rukia headed off through town, looking around for any BBQ spots. She wasn't sure what sort of BBQ he was specifically looking for, but there were all sorts around any decently big city. She couldn't imagine Karakura was much different, and before long she'd found what looked to be a decent Korean BBQ that seemed like it was more Shiro's speed than all the places they'd been visiting today.

"How's this look? I think this should be pretty okay."

"I don't think anyone would expect you to be that way. Not that it's a bad thing, though. I'd say maybe you ought to open up more to people, but I can't really say much about that. I didn't learn that lesson until I was a lot older than you are."

Rukia laughed quietly to herself at that, though there was something about it that seemed a bit humorless. Being in Karakura had really brought up memories she'd thought she'd come to terms with, and getting friendly like this had only made them worse. A part of her wondered where everyone had gone, but--

That wasn't why they were here. Getting caught up in all of that when she was out here trying to give Shiro a nice day in town wasn't ideal. Despite herself, she ordered a sake as well, if only to calm her nerves a bit and get her mind away from those sorts of topics. She wouldn't have much.

"I'll leave it up to you. Order whatever you like, it seems like they don't exactly have small portions anyway. We'd probably be splitting most of what we got regardless."

"Well, that makes one of us then, doesn't it?"

Rukia doesn't necessarily mind his taunting, considering the implication is entirely true. There's no way someone her size could handle that much food, and pretending she could just for the sake of her pride would only end up wasting it. Drinking down the first cup of her sake, she thought for a second about the sides.

"You guys have vegetables, right? You think I can get sliced cucumbers?"

Normally, that probably would have been an odd request for a restaurant like this, but it being Japan, she doubted it would be that out of left field. Even if it wasn't an option, she'd have just gotten pickled vegetables or something like that, but thankfully, cucumbers were an option.

Pouring out another cup of sake for herself, Rukia sipped it a bit more slowly, thinking about the situation for a moment or two.

"You can get more if you're still hungry after, you know."

"Well, if you're lucky this'll be your chance. If you can eat that much, go right ahead."

Mm, the question he's asking only runs counter to what Rukia's been trying not to think about. The last time she'd done anything like this was far too long ago, really. Sure, she got out now and again, but it wasn't like this. Calm, just for the sake of fun...like the old days. Drinking down the rest of her second cup of sake, Rukia neglected to refill it this time. For now, anyway.

"It's been a long time. Not since the old days, I'd say."

She's certainly being a bit more forthcoming with him now, but how much of that is on account of the alcohol, and how much is simply her not wanting to lie about it? Shiro was someone she'd found a certain fondness for, and she couldn't say she'd want to lie to him on an innocuous question like that.