A Cala-mitous Meeting [CalaXIgen]

Cala relaxed like a slowly deflating balloon as Igen assured them they wouldn't go to Hueco Mundo alone. The gentle pat to Cala's shoulder earning a small, careful nod from them as they drew their hand back and slowly went back to finished their sushi. Cala was... not a great conversationalist at the best of times and over the course of their conversation they had at least convinced themselves they were hungry so the rest of the sushi tasted quite a bit better. It was only while eating and in soft, passing comment that Cala would add.

"O-Okay. I just umm.. wouldn't want you to get hurt. I-I could keep you safe."

It wasn't until Cala had spoken that they realized it might not have been the best idea. Perhaps now, in their present state of mind they would protect Igen, but right now they were also unfathomably weak and their more powerful form.... was unlikely to share their mindset on the subject. Even so as Cala finished their sushi they set their jaw and didn't take back what they had said as, as far as they currently knew, they meant it completely. After all, if Ariadna could be their friend and stronger than them, and even a stranger Arrancar in Kizuna could mentor Cala without devouring them... then surely Cala could at least be a friend to Igen. Right?

Shaking their head Cala would respectfully set his chopsticks down and regard Igen for a moment, before asking.

"Umm... Igen? Also..."

This time Cala began to fidget their hands together, lightly touching on a subject that made them more nervous than any sort of hopeful or curious.

"... h-have you felt anything umm... odd lately? W-Well not recent I-I don't... I don't think.... ugghhh.... I-I'm not making much sense am I?"

Igen paused for a moment at that and chuckled lightly. It didn't take him much to kinda figure out that Cala definitely seemed to be taking a liking to him. Poor thing, it was certainly a question that wether Cala simply...didn't have many friends, or perhaps they just really liked Igen. He liked to think he was personable, and he honestly was always happy to have another friend. All the same, he gave an appreciative nod. "Well I don't know if the Gotei would allow me a Danava escort, but I'm certainly happy that you'd want to protect me. Kinda rare these days honestly. But don't worry, I can take care of myself pretty well." He noted and ....hmmm...paused. Thinking. Probably a lot better if he could get his Zanpaku'to to speak up again. Hopefully he'd be much safer in his own hands before he had to head back to Soul Society.

Hearing his name again, Igen turned his attention back to Cala and paused. "Uh.... it depends on the day. Sometimes its weirder than others." He paused, eyeing Cala for a moment. Certainly there had been some....funky things as of late. A lot of odd reports from some people in Earth Affiliation. It was ...just a couple isolated incidents. But ... a few Danava DID seem to have altercations around Shinigami, some of them having gone a little funky as of late. Talking about something that sounded a bit like what this fellow was talking about. Honestly, it had only been two reports, and they had been on different sides of the WORLD at that. Honestly if he had'n't seen two of the reports he wouldn';t have even commited it to memory. Hell, he only THOUGHT of it now that Cala brought it up.

"Well, I have heard about ....something like this regarding a few Danava. I never really got very into studying Danava. Or ...you know...how they work. I'm sorry I can't really say I probably know exactly what you mean. But if you want, I could probably ask around. I'm sure one of the smarter fellas probably know enough about Danava that I could see if it sounds familiar." He offered.

Cala could see the consideration, the thought, taking place behind Igen's eyes as he seemed to consider something. This caught Cala's attention doubly so due to Igen's usual quick-thinking and quick-speaking manner. Cala would watch and wait, intently, only for it to nearly result in what they had feared since lying to Igen. Swallowing thickly Cala would look down, a small kernel of burning shame alighting in their chest at Igen's sincere offer, and would open their mouth to speak, pause, before stammering softly.

"A-Ahh no that... that's okay. It.... It uhhh.... It's... personal."

Cala emphasized the last word, hoping it was enough to close the topic, but in case it wasn't Cala at least knew enough about Shinigami to know there was one thing almost all of them could be counted on to want to talk about or, at least, boast about. Turning their head Cala would look at Igen's waist, regarding their Zanpaku'to and ask.

"Ummm... Igen.... can you tell me about your Z-Zanpaku'to? I'm... curious. I've never really seen one be used....."

Internally Cala winced, not that that in and of itself was a lie. In fact what Cala had just said was the truth. Rather it was Cala's kernel of shame and guilt at trying to redirect the conversation so bluntly that made them fidget just a little in their seat. In that moment Cala held the rather absurd wish that they had bothered to study a species they didn't even know existed until Igen mentioned them. It had even been pure dumb luck that these Danava could also come from humans like Hollows and Arrancar and Cala was beginning to develop a strong distaste for lying. It was... too complicated to keep track of but now? Now it felt too late to go back, especially with a new friend like Igen.

Igen raised his brows just a little and .... nodded. "Fair enough, I can understand that." He noted with a gentle smile, certainly he could see why they didn't want other shinigami looking into his situation. He well...he knew enough of soul societys history to know why people would be ancy about that. the PEOPLE in the Gotei were usually pretty cool. The organization as a whole throughout history? Not so much. So that he understood completely, even from a Danava standpoint.

He DID however blink in surprise. "Oh ..... uh.... I don't...actually know." He noted with a sheepish smile. "Or well...uh...I know what they sound like. They ....DID .....alright so follow me on this. I uh.....decided to go meet my friend's Family. And uh...wound up fighting his mom. And uh, while I was fighting his mom.... my Zanpaku'to spoke to me. But I kinda.....ignored it? And well. Since then it's been quiet. I dunno if I ...insulted them or something. But uh...yea. I don't know much else about it." He noted sheepishly.

Cala internally breathed sigh of relief that Igen both respected their excuse and was more than a little surprised that Igen.... was surprised? Needless to say Igen's answer surprised Cala in turn and Igen's attempt at an explanation only left Cala staring at him with wide, blank eyes. Well, at least at first, but from what little Cala knew of Igen as a person, and what knowledge they had gleaned about Shinigami over the years, Cala pursed their lips in thought for a moment. Resting her hand under their chin as they hummed quietly and leaned over the table, their eyes flitting up and down Igen as if his body held the answer, and even though it did not Cala did speak after a moment.

"Well... umm.... from what I understand your Zanpaku'to is supposed to be you. Err... or.... a part of you, a twin of spirit or.... something kinda similar?"

In hindsight, Cala thought, the explanation of fighting his friend's mom was very weird and if Cala was not actually focused on helping their friend they would likely have been flabbergasted by the explanation even more than they were already confused by it. As Cala tucked their hair back they couldn't help but note how they were likely the LEAST qualified individual in all of creation to advise a Shinigami on what to do with their sword but....Cala did at least have one piece of advice they could give.

"The only thing I can think of that you could do next is to learn it's name...."

Drawing the false form of their blade from their hip Cala presented the blade's own Sealed Form for Igen to look at as they nodded to it.

"This is Ceniza.... f-for example...."

Cala returned the sheepish smile, not quite realizing the potential blunder they had made out of simple, sincere want to help their new friend.

It was kinda cute to see Cala.....go through all these little hoops verbally. Anxiously saying what they could. "Hm, sortof? Guess I just don't know myself as well as I'd like. Maybe I'll cill at a mirror sometime." He joked, chuckling a bit before....humming a bit to himself. Looking thoughtful. Yea, Cala was not really hiding the fact that he was an arrancar very well. Igen had kinda.....allowed them to think that he was in the dark. But he had been pretty much putting it together throughout the process of the conversation, especially that little spanish bit and now....well...kinda...outting themselves in some ways. But he wasn't gonna go bringing that up or anything.

For whatever reason, Cala seemed intent on keeping that a secret, and for the time being that was fine by Igen.
"Hm, makes sense. I guess I could just ....meditate with it. That's what we're supposed to do at least.." He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. Ah well. He placed his chopsticks over his bowl as he finished his food, Smiling fondly. "thanks for the advice though, It's been kinda nice hanging out with you. You come around here often? Just thinkin where I'd find you if we wanted to hang out again. You got like, a cell?" He ventured.

Igen's joke about the mirror went a bit over Cala's head and they nodded sincerely, actually not quite thinking it a bad idea if Igen needed help getting a better grasp of himself. So it was that Igen's thoughtful look would be met with some earnest nods from Cala only for Cala to scratch their head when Igen mentioned meditating with the weapon. Cala opened their mouth to say something only to pause as Igen complimented hanging out with them, and this made Cala's mouth snap shut and another soft blush paint their face. The fact that Igen actually wanted to continue to even be around them gave Cala... mostly positive feelings. Even adding a twist of positivity to their guilt of lying, that surely it must be successful and right that since it had obviously helped convince Igen to continue being their friend. That warm, fluttery feeling was quickly replace with absolute, complete confusion as Igen mentioned.... a cell?

Cala simply stared at Igen for a moment, expecting a joke or a clarification or.... something. Cala, features twisting in confusion and a little bit of... worry.... cautiously ventured to ask.

"A.... cell? You ummm.... mean a room or a home?"

Cala couldn't think of a different meaning to the word 'cell' besides what you kept a prisoner in and while Cala would not mind inviting Igen to their home, if they had one, as things stood they had already talked about how bad of an idea it would be for Igen to go to where Cala considered 'home' at this point. Working on this assumption Cala shrugged their shoulders and pressed their thighs together and hunkered inward, trying to think of a gentle way to deflect the idea of Igen going to their home.

"I ahh.... don't really have a home r-right now.....I umm... I cause trouble....."

Cala's expression became crestfallen and hurt, their hands balling up in their lap as they murmured.

"S-Sorry Igendai....."

Igendai blinked for a moemnt at that before bursting out laughing, shaking his head. "OH uh, no I mean like a phone!" He peeled out his own device. "These! To help communicate. IF you don't have one we can see about getting you one. But uh, yea, it helps with like keeping in contact."[/color] He explained, patting Cala on the back. "You really gotta stop apologizing my dude. You're nice to hang out with, you don't gotta worry about ...apologizing and all that stuff. Just relax. We're having a good time, enjoying food. Talkin. I'm happy, you're happy, it's all good."[/color] He assured them. Promptly finishing his drink before smiling and standing up.

"So cmon. We still got plenty of the day left. Lets go see some more of the city eh?" He offered, holding his hand out to help Cala stand up.

Cala could only duck their head in embarrassment as Igen laughed, cradling their own drink close to them and obviously feeling completely foolish as Igen showed them..... something. Some sort of device that Cala stared at with utter bashful confusion. They nodded, quickly, as Igen mentioned that they helped keep in touch with one another, though Cala had no idea how. Igen's advice about calming down didn't exactly help Cala feel any better, but when he mentioned he was happy and that Cala was happy, Cala looked up at him as Igen stood up. When Igen smiled, offered his hand, and also said they were going to see more of the city.... Cala was indeed happy. That soft, odd warm feeling in their stomach returned and Cala found themselves nodding in a very distracted fashion as they gently placed their hand in Igen's. Had.... Igen always been so warm?

Cala stood and paused for a moment, before shaking their head and letting go of Igen's hand, their throat suddenly feeling rather dry as they looked around slowly. Shuffling from foot to foot as they could not quite understand why that, in this moment, Igen's face was both the place Cala wanted to look most, and the least. The feeling almost made them feel nauseous, and they quickly turned bodily to look down one of the busier streets of Seoul before hugging themselves.

"Ummm... maybe we could go to a park o-or... umm.... a play?"

Cala offered softly, raising their lavender eyes up to look at the sky, the wind catching and lightly whipping their hair, sending it tussling softly around their head as the light caught their lavender eyes. Making them glimmer a bright off-pink that seem to glow like rose quartz. A small shrug arching Cala's shoulders as they sighed, suddenly feeling very tired, but in a strangely calm... if somewhat distressed way. The two emotions not mixing well at all and Cala turned back to Igen quickly, still not looking him in the eyes as they instead focused on looking at Igen's shoes.

"Y-You can pick, you know this place better than I do."