Bait the Burst [Tatsuki, Bambietta]

A quiet day. There sure where a lot of them these days. Not just a matter of lacking conflict, but one of those days where everything seemed to get done particularly early.

Paperwork? Done.
Training for the day? Done because paperwork was done early.
Help out at the Academy? Students were still in class because of how early it was.

And so Tatsuki found herself simply sitting quietly in a small little spot out off the beaten path, enjoying a bit of tea. She found herself looking around at the other patrons rather than eyeing the space outside. It was interesting to see a few other members of the Gotei out and about through the area. It always amazed her to see just what sort of things they got up to. She'd been one for ...four hundred and twenty years? And even now she couldn't help but feel like just some girl among aliens. A couple hundred years ago, she wondered if it was just something that was normal. Like never quite getting used to being an adult. But more and more, she wondered if it was just her. Like something was missing. Maybe she was just stuck in the past. Unlike most other shinigami, she still had ...some memories of when she was alive. Maybe it had something to do with being a substitute shinigami for so long.

It was in that moment, just as such a thought passed her mind, that she noticed someone. Someone that because of her squad, she recognized. Was that Basterbine? She paused, raising one of her brows as she spotted the woman sitting by the window. Sure, it was well known that the woman was no longer under surveillance, but it was still a little strange to see her just there.

Huh, she seemed pretty content up close. Wait, up close? It was a moment before Tatsuki realized she had stood up and made her way over to the woman's table. Oh! That signature resting expression of hardened stare possibly giving.... an impression. Four hundred years had given her a reputation to be sure. Many in her squad were aware that she had no control over the look, but Bambi might just be new enough to mistake it for genuine disdain.

"Hey , this seat taken?" She asked, a calm confidence about her voice that to some sounded unfriendly. "Sorry if this is a little sudden, but are you an Academy student?"

A brow quirked slightly at that. Night classes, was this one of the substitutes? She supposed that made sense, all the same, her expression relaxing just a little as Bambi assured her that she could take a seat. She actually smirked just a little, a little amused at the bite that was behind the woman's response to her. All this time later she still could appreciate someone with a bit of sharpness to them. She took the seat and gave a slow nod of recognition. "Glad to hear that. Sometimes I worry my memory is going down the drain. I think I've seen you before." She pointed out. She had, of course, made not of Bambi now and then when she was helping tutor at the academy, but she wasn't entirely sure if the woman had recognized her in return. Hopefully not, Tatsuki generally tried not to stand out too much.

"So, a Night Class. Does that mean you're a substitute Shinigami?" She decided to venture. Truth be told, she was a little intrigued at the notion. Sure, she had been one herself, but that was hundreds of years ago, and she didn't really go on that many long missions in the world of the living as of late. So she had to admit there was a level of intrigue there. And certainly the interest would be evident in Tatsuki's eyes.

Tatsuki couldn't help but give a lopsided smile in response to the woman's admission, shaking her head just a little at Bambi's response. "Really? Damn, that takes me back....." She sighed, a light chuckle bubbling up as she took another sip of her tea and waved a hand. "I remember being in a similar situation. You might not think it looking at me these days. But a good couple hundred years ago I was in your shoes. A substitute shinigami.... and finding myself just sortof drifting. It's a little funny honestly. I joined up with a bunch of my friends and before I knew it, I was spending most of my time in the Soul Society. And one day I just.....stayed. Sidestepped dying and just never returned to my human body. Or well, it was converted. All that fun Jazz." She leaned back in her seat.

She eyed Bambi for a moment. She was a pretty woman, and no doubt she was feeling like she was connecting to the Soul Society. No doubt Chizuru would DEFINITELY be all over her if they ever met. Ugh....what a thought to have. Right, back to their conversation. "Hm. I won't go giving you any unsolicited advice though. I'm sure a popular girl like you probably gets plenty of it in soul society as is." She chuckled. She HAD Noticed that Bambi was fairly sociable, so she made the assumption that the girl was pretty well off in the friends department.

"Though... I'm a little surprised. This isn't exactly a social hub. This is more of the kinda place you go to relax or have a quiet chat. Having trouble with your course work?" A reasonable assumption. Balancing full time shinigami work ontop of academy work was something that was rough on a lot of substitutes. It was reasonable, at least from her position, to imagine that she might be here to decompress.

Tatsuki paused, blinking for a moment at that when she heard that. "Really? Oh I'm sorry. You seemed to be a lot more sociable lately..." She trailed off, a bit caught off guard to hear the woman refuse what she had thought was a pretty simple observation. She'd always been popular....hadn't she? She had always seen someone talking to her before... had she been mistaken? Had she misconstrued something? Hmm. She decided not to dwell on it too much. Unaware of the connotations that were usually involved around Bambi. She had written all THAT stuff off as rumor.

She DID however find herself perking up when she heard that last part. "Wait really? I mean, I didn't have trouble myself, but still, a lot of my friends had issues....." A partial lie, actually she DID have trouble when it had come to juggling her human life and the Shino academy work.... but well....that was so long ago she didn't even know if she was remembering that correctly. "That's great though! You know, if you're finding yourself doing so well, have you considered helping tutor some of the other students? It'd certainly win you over some favor with your professors, and look good to your Superiors in your Squad. S'how I landed a seated position so early." She noted with a big proud grin.

Tatsuki couldn't help but smile in response to how Bambi seemed to mull over the possibility of tutoring, pleased to see that her advice was being considered, especially given she really wasn't the kind to go out of her way to give it. But all the same, if Bambi turned out to be a good tutor, she'd be happy that she was able to push her in the right direction to be sure. "Of course. And it's not like you'll be thrown in without being prepared. You'll probably be evaluated as your suitability as a tutor, based on your grades and all that. And if it starts interfering with your schoolwork, you can always pull out of the program." She reasoned, taking another sip of her tea before smiling.

"I admittedly haven't done any tutoring in ages if I'm being honest. These days I feel like I don't really know as much as I thought. These new waves of soul reapers seem to grow like weeds, and four hundred years after I first became a Shinigami, I feel like a chump next to some of these newer kids." She sighed with a light smile, shaking her head before she gave Bambi a glance.
"And there's no rush honestly. Go at your own pace, yea?" She set her tea down.

"You're gonna be fine. Things aren't as strict as they were on earth. You may feel out of place, but you probably belong here more than you think." She pointed out.