A Small Token [Kisuke, Shaoling]

The morning sun had barely begun to rise over the Urahara Shop, not that they got all that much sunlight in this secluded area of a sprawling metropolis. Kisuke had been up all night, as he was wont to do, lingering down in the training room working on his latest project. At least that was what he had told the rest of his staff. For today was not just a regular day for everyone in the Shop. Of course, he would never admit that he cared and she would never hear him say it. So he had chosen to work in solitude until finally he was done and traipsed back upstairs to let her know the plan.

"Rise and shine, Shaoling, I have a very important mission for you today."

He was knocking against the door to her quarters, with little regard to the other occupants of the building that was fast becoming a dormitory for oddities and lost folk that needed a place to call home. Cane tapping away against the woodwork. She was not exactly one known for sleeping in, but it was still an arduous task for him to coax her out of her room for anything other than a job anyway.

Even as the morning light was only just breaking, Shaoling had already begun her day quite in earnest. Sleep wasn't something she typically concerned her with, seeing it as little more than an inconvenient necessity of living, and she'd already gone about much of her morning training regimen by the time her employer came to her door.

Of course, she knew what today was. And, much to her chagrin, she knew what she presumably ought to expect when she opened the door. However, she wasn't going to give any of that away, and she simply opened the door with a dull, expectant sort of look. After all, he only came by when it was a matter of work.

"What's the assignment?"

Asking it that way moved right to business, even if the business ended up being something absurd on his end. She may as well get this over with as quickly as possible.

"Good morning! I hope you slept well, it's a long haul today."

He was his usual cheery self, almost like he played it up just to get on her nerves. In fact, maybe he did. Bony fingers pulled back his blonde hair from his face, revealing the face of the man that lay beneath. A smug smile resting on his face told Shaoling all she needed to know about his plans, and that was very little.

"Five dead drops all across Japan, all due by noon. I hope you haven't fallen off."

That smile grew menacing, threatening even, as he threw down the challenge gauntlet. Of course, Shaoling was such a diligent worker and this was the perfect present. She'd been asking for more work anyway, and it had taken him all night to get these custom products done for those clients.

"You know I haven't."

Despite knowing fully that he was needling her, it was just in Shaoling's nature to reaffirm her own abilities, to meet any challenge with equal confidence. She may have been just a delivery girl for this cretin, but even in that, she wouldn't allow her capabilities to be brought into question.

"I'll have it done by 11."

If he intended to challenge her, then the only logical course of action was to simply exceed the limits he'd put on her. Stepping out of the room, and simply expecting him to follow her out, she idly cracked her knuckles.

"What am I delivering?"

"I could always give you some herbal medicines. They would put you right out."

Falling in line behind Shaoling, Urahara did take a moment to gauge how she was getting on. It had been a little while since she had moved in, and, though they rarely spoke by her design, he was still trying to get a feel for the fellow retired Shinigami. He had the tools to help her if she was having trouble sleeping, but she would never ask him for help. So, in a way, perhaps he had to be more cunning. Reverse psychology was probably the most effective way to get the job done, making her think that he didn't want to give it to her.

"Well it's not a race, so make sure the packages are still in pristine condition at the dead drops. The last thing we need is the customers thinking our goods are shoddy."

He was happy to double down on the challenge aspect though. Make sure that she didn't go too fast anyway. There was still some work that he had to do, and if she went at full speed then even he might not get it done in time.

"Right down to the basement, all five packages are down there. You will need to take them one at a time to the marked locations. When you arrive there, you'll find spiritual signs guiding you to the drop zone. If you can't find one then give me a call"

"No thanks."

While she knew all too well that he would assuredly be able to solve that particular problem, she also wasn't going to rely on anything he gave her just for that. Partly on account of her own pride, her independent nature, but also simply because Shaoling knew perfectly well that she couldn't reliably trust it not to have some other effect.

"I'm always perfectly careful, or you wouldn't still be having me do this. And, for the record, people are going to think your merchandise is shoddy anyway with how you market it."

Not that she really cared all that much. After all, she wasn't the one in charge of the business. She was just the delivery girl, after all, even if she would never let it be said that way in her presence. Walking along to the basement, she carefully picked up each package, a clear precision to her actions that was almost at odds with her apathy toward her employer. Even if she didn't like the job, her pride would never let her do it poorly.

"Anything else?"

"Whatever do you mean?"

The whites of his teeth flashed briefly as Kisuke threw on an exaggerated grin as he kicked over the "low low prices special offers inside" board that had been propped up close by. Of course, he knew just when to use such tactics and when was best to present a more elegant experience. He didn't do much with it, but he certainly was a shrewd businessman these days.

"Right, I'm out doing errands too so if something really bad comes up then let Tessai know. But I'll still be a call away too, so get those drops done one at a time and be done by lunch."

Turning to take his leave, Kisuke was happy to leave Shaoling to her work. The first four packages were certainly actual deliveries that needed to be made across Japan in various cities, though perhaps not as urgently as right now that would have taken away from the experience. The fifth pointed towards a location that was a little more off the grid and was the reason behind all this planning, a secluded little plateau halfway up Mount Fuji. Still, if his calculations were correct then it would take her most of the morning. He had factored in the Shaoling work effort, accounted for a margin or error, and decided upon this exact plan.

"Right then, tick tock."

"One at a time, huh? I can handle all five at once."

But, he'd specified that he wanted them done one at a time, so one at a time it was. Shaoling knew trying to actually figure out his motives was a waste of her time, and she wasn't the sort to particularly enjoy wasting time. Picking up the first parcel, she rolled her neck almost idly, readying herself for this trip.

"Try not to run Yuujin too ragged while I'm gone. I don't need you getting in the way of his training."

It was accusatory, certainly, but there was some faint degree of care in her voice as she gave that warning. After all, she'd brought him with her when she'd left Soul Society. Maybe it had just been a matter of obligation, or maybe it had been legitimate care for her single student. Who was to say? Either way, she went to leave, glancing at Urahara one final time before she darted off, a faint breeze the only indication that she'd even been present to begin with.

"I'm sure you could. But that's against the rules."

Kisuke tutted softly, a cheeky smile lingering on his lips. That was a clue perhaps to the nature of this arrangement, but it was the only one she would get.

Four more subsequent visits to the shop were met with passing greetings from Tessai behind the counter but no sign of the eponymous shopkeeper himself. The drops were without issue, each clearly marked and left for collection by whatever inane clientele the mad scientist had managed to drum up at short notice. Only on the fifth one, as she arrived on that plateau halfway up Mount Fuji, was it clear that something was off. Of course, who else would play such games but that every scheming Urahara.

The drop marker, placed upon an ominously exposed bench was accompanied by a little note. The handwriting all too familiar.

Open the package. K.U.

It was all easy. In fact, it was all so easy that Shaoling almost hated doing it. She'd have liked to handle things as quickly as possible, push herself in some way or another, but she couldn't do that. Just one more outcome of the life she'd chosen.

And then she found herself on this little plateau, staring at a sign that part of her wanted to completely ignore. In a way, she felt she ought to just toss the box over the mountainside, go back to the store and call it a day. But that would probably just cause more trouble, and besides, he would have planned around that possibility anyway.

"Insufferable."

So she opened the package, not necessarily carefully, but cautiously, knowing perfectly well that this could just end up causing some absolute mess she'd need to deal with.