Lost In The Rain [Saiko/Cala]

Well, Cala seemed to be lost in his thoughts. It wasn't a bad thing; it was almost cute, in a way. He was practically not acknowledging his feelings and trying to avoid stumbling over himself. So, Saiko giggled, took another bite out of her burger, and just enjoyed the moment before cutting through with her own words.

"There is no sense in worrying ourselves about what if's anymore. The fact of the matter is: we are here now and should enjoy the moment before something chaotic happens. This life always has twists and turns, after all."

With a happy hum in her voice, the woman relaxed for a moment, closing her eyes as she took in the ambiance of the distant muttering of people, the warm air of the restaurant, the feeling of fullness in her belly, and having someone to keep her company. When her eyes opened, the whole world just felt nice.

But she lost track of that thought and soon focused on Cala sheepishly eating his food. Even if Saiko wasn't the beacon of social skills, she could still see he was not confronting his feelings. Who goes through this extent with a girl they met if there weren't any intentions of getting to know her better? Not being one to be a fool, Saiko sipped her fruity drink, let the cool strawberry slide down her tongue, and decided to nip this thing in the bud.

"Hey, Cala. Don't take this the wrong way, but...do you have a crush on me?"

She wasn't holding back and would take the lead and get to the bottom of things. So, Saiko continued with a soft smile and held her hand on her cheek.

"It's fine if you do. I'm not mad at you. It just seems apparent enough, and I'm not sure if you even understand the gravity of flirting."

Cala seemed to take Saiko's words about living in the moment in stride, for the moment, and seeing how much she enjoyed her burgers Cala began to nibble at their own food. They didn't necessarily have Saiko's appetite, at least for mortal food, and ate much slower than her. In fact Cala was still eating when Saiko took a big sip from her drink, set it aside, and leaned a hand on a cheek. Her words... both did and did not make sense to Cala. They could vaguely recall what a 'crush' was in the scattered remains of the various Hollow's memories that comprised them but they simply blinked and wondered at how exactly asking that could be taken the wrong way.

Granted, this did not mean Cala didn't blush as obviously as an erupting firework of rose-colored petals and take another bite of sushi, chewing it quickly, as they were more than a bit anxious. Though as if on cue Saiko simply... assuaged those anxieties with casual effort, and Cala felt oddly... exposed. Truthfully Saiko had the right of it mostly as Cala did understand bits and pieces of what it entailed, being kind, comforting, Ari had even done things that faintly echoed the same feelings so if holding Saiko and comforting her when she was sad was also on the list then they added it as well. Swallowing down their food Cala would hum quietly, more to themselves than sending the noise to Saiko, and tapped their fingertips on the table gently. Staring at the table as, suddenly, the thought of saying these things while looking at her made Cala's stomach tie into a knot and the would begin quietly.

"W-Well... I don't know EVERYTHING involved. Ahh... W-We-..."

There was an odd, unnatural twitch from Cala as their irises fanned out like lightning bolts through the lavender of their eyes, blackness seeping into the white sclera as their voice changed tone drastically, in a tone of gentle correction.

"I...."

As quickly as it happened Cala slumped forward and shook their head gently, blinking rapidly, and frowned. Their eyes having returned to normal nearly instantly. Confusion evident in their features as they muttered quietly.

"I-I...? Uhh... well.... I... I guess I haven't had one before but I believe it involves taking care of the other person, being there for them, protecting them and helping them when they feel down. To see if you belong I-I guess."

In truth Cala had reached this synthesis of an explanation by how Ari and their other self treated them, in the better ways, and hoped it was enough. But absolutely after this Cala would have to go and ask Ari how to go about having a crush one someone the right way and.... their eyes flicking to the devoured burger crumbs.... maybe also take up cooking if Saiko enjoyed mortal food so much....

Hmmmmm~

This was odd, but not in a bad way. It looked as if she had caught a kid in the cookie jar, and Saiko couldn't help but have a playful snort at Cala's initial reaction. Though, that soon turned to concern as Cala started to drift off. With darkness filling the male's eyes, the hybrid knew this must've been the other half and kept a close watch on whatever happened before the gentleness of the hollow came back.

That -- was off.

No. That was something she couldn't ignore.

As Cala explained his feelings, Saiko nodded and decided to address them.

"It's fine to have a crush, and you aren't bad for having those feelings of wanting to care for someone. You seem nice to me, so why don't we see where things go before jumping to anything where we have to commit?"

Tapping her chin for a moment, Saiko figured she'd be brash and take after others in the Gotei by being upfront with her feelings.

"You look similar to my previous partner before he passed away. So maybe that's where the deju vu came from."

Nodding, Saiko took a sip from her drink before letting out a soft sigh and figuring out how to best navigate this daunting conversation.

"But since I'm being honest with you, can you be honest with me? What was that just now? You seemed to zone out there. Was that the other self you talked about?"

Cala fidgeted anxiously as Saiko seemed to take their implicit admission of infatuation in stride and nodded as she suggested waiting to see how they felt as things progressed, which made sense to them, and Cala briefly pondered just how committing themselves to Saiko would work when or if the time came. Cala did not have much time to ponder this, however, as Saiko said something that made Cala simply... blink. As Saiko took a sip from her drink Cala would grimace and lace their hands together, bowing their head a bit.

"I-I'm sorry."

Cala now felt a bit odd as they could only imagine how weird it sounded to Saiko to have someone who looked very similar to your old, deceased lover show up out of nowhere and say you looked familiar. Never mind the fact that Saiko had already softly suggested the idea they met in a previous life. That made a question pop up in Cala's mind that, as Saiko asked them to be honest, they would stow away briefly before nodding to her.

"Of course.~"

Saiko was correct and Cala would nod again, sheepishly rubbing the back of their head and smiling purely out of self-consciousness.

"A-Ah yes. Though to be honest they've never really... umm... interrupted like THAT before...."

Cala's voice trailed off to a murmur over the last few words, before they steeled their shoulders, hands falling to their lap, and soft lavender met deep blue as Cala looked back into Saiko's eyes.

"Forgive me if... I am over-reaching... but... with what you said about your partner... and about how we might know each other.... d-do you think that I'm..... them? O-Or a... uhh... reincarnation?"

Cala was not quite asking in an uncertain manner, rather, they were purely asking if that was Saiko's perspective on things.

Hm.

Saiko had to wonder why his other self was acting like that. Could it be a threat? Was something changing in the hollow? These were curious questions to ask, but the woman's eyes drifted back to Cala as she figured clearing the air with what happened to her prior partner would be better for the moment.

"I doubt that. You seem like an older being than them, as they died a few years ago."

After taking a sip of her drink and letting the cool contents hit her throat, she nodded and continued.

"But I feel fate is at play. Do you believe in that? Do you feel that perhaps some god or the universe brought us together?"

Now staring earnestly at Cala, she would continue.

"Or I suppose I should re-frame this question: why do you think we both have met here? Do you believe there is a greater reason for this meeting?"

Cala nodded, solemnly, as Saiko mentioned their more recent demise and purses their lips. Sorrow evident in their eyes as Saiko took her drink and asked a very odd question. Cala considered that for a moment, thinking for a long time in silence, only to blink as Saiko rephrased the already deep question into something more tangible and Cala crossed their arms under their chest in earnest, contemplative thought. After a minute or so Cala would nod and meet Saiko's gaze again. Their answer decided.

"Y-Yes. I think there's a greater reason for us meeting, I haven't e-exactly been quiet about you making me feel.... umm... like I have Deja-Vu."

Another pause, smaller now, before they added with a slow, confident nod, followed by a very gentle smile.

"But..... I think whatever that meaning is is for us to decided. Umm.... I feel like I could like you... a lot but if there's one thing.... one thing.... we've gotten used to it's that our own choices and what we choose to remember, what we choose to act on, make all the difference, regardless of how we get into a situation."

Cala would blush softly and cradle their drink close, taking a sheepish sip, and shrug their shoulders.

"I-I hope... that was a good answer?"

Cala seemed to have his eyes set on Saiko as the woman continued to gaze at him. After he said his peace, she would nod and agree with the words spoken.

"Yeah, it's clear I make you feel many things."

After taking a sip from her drink, she finished it and continued.

"Actions are more than anything else in this life. It's more important than god, fate, or the supernatural that exists all around us. It's a web of never-ending strings that create causality and make the union of souls possible. So we struggle until we find those links as most spirits do not seek to be alone."

With a smile on her face, Saiko reached into her pocket and pulled out a card. Once she left it on the table, she motioned for a server to come and charge her for both of their meals. And when that deed was done, the eyes of Saiko locked back on Cala and asked another critical question.

"Are you ready to call it an evening, or are you wanting to keep exploring the evening?"

Cala nodded with what Saiko was saying, even before they truly thought about it, the words ringing true on a deep level they could not quite put words to. Cala also began to pull out some money when Saiko put her card down, paying for their meals, and blinked in surprise. They had been more than willing to pay what they could and a sheepish blush burned into their cheeks as Cala began to suspect their willingness to pay had been some sort of weird test by the woman across from them. Even so Cala smiled softly and nodded a thanks to Saiko, thinking for a moment as she asked if they wished to keep their evening going.

Cala, head tilting, would purse their lips and fidget in their seat. Their natural reaction was to, of course, want to spend more time with Saiko, but they began to become more and more aware of just how.... unprepared they were for trying to be romantic with... well..... anybody. If they did continue their evening Cala began to feel self conscious about the fact that, really, they could only think of things to do that others had already done with or for them. Something about that didn't feel right for Saiko, something told them that she deserved..... unique experiences... something Cala themselves thought up. Which meant that they needed advice and, truly, they could only think of one person they could ask for that advice.

With their mind made up Cala decided to be honest, and took out their phone, an old Nokia flip phone, and offered it to Saiko.

"I-I... I would really, really love to continue, to be around you more but umm... I think I need to go see a friend of mine. Could we maybe exchange numbers? I want to keep in touch and... w-well..... I mean meet up again later."

Cala's shoulders moved in a sheepish motion not quite a shrug, nothing but absolute honesty in their gaze and body language.

....huh?

...what?

...HOW?!

Those were the only words that came into the mind of Saiko as she looked downright flabbergasted at the sight of Cala pulling out a Nokia in the year and age they lived in. What in the nine circles of hell allowed this device even to work and function? Jesus, maybe he had some black demon magic or something keeping it together.

"Uhhhhhh, I think that phone is older than me. Goodness, gracious!"

There was a playful laugh as Saiko giggled to herself and gently patted the shoulder of Cala.

"If your phone can even accept my number, sure, here it is."

And after taking the phone from Cala, she would figure out how to navigate the ancient tech and put her number in his contacts so that he could call her whenever it was ready. Luckily for him, even if she traveled between realms, reception between dimensions wasn't an issue! Ah, the perks of having money, huh?

"I would love to stay in contact with you, Cala! I hope I was able to give you a fun night, at least. You seem entertaining, at least!"

After Solomon's own reaction to the type of phone Cala used they weren't quite surprised themselves as Saiko stared at it in disbelief. Why was everyone so excited by the brand of phone they used? As Saiko commented on it's age and giggled Cala may as well have forgotten what the conversation was about. That laugh, combined with the touch to their shoulder, made them smile a genuine smile. An unnoticed bit of tenseness and worry over Saiko's opinion of their phone melting away. A burden they hadn't even realized had begun to weigh on them upon seeing Saiko's reaction. A burden that felt very odd for them, truth be told, and along with now starting to care more about their appearance did they now care what people thought of their... accessories? How odd.

As Saiko mentioned she would love to stay in contact, saying they were at least entertaining, Cala was..... unsteady all of a sudden. Emotions they had no way to process, no way to interpret and nothing to compare them to, flooded their stomach like ice water. Instinctively, without thought, a frown graced their lips. An act of pure confusion, before they shook their head, hands softly clutching their stomach, their throat tensing, before they closed their eyes and gave a nod. The attention of their other self bubbling up in instinctive worry, attentiveness, and it was only with unspoken words that Cala assuaged their other self back to subconscious slumber.

Cala, opening their eyes, did not want to worry Saiko. The emotions felt... bad.... and good.... electrifying but also as cold as a glacial iceberg.... burned like a sun.... and crushed their entire torso inwards like a small black hole. Unknown to Cala goosebumps peppered their skin, before their usually soft lavender eyes flooded with.... determination? Certainly that would be an unfamiliar thing in and of itself but no. The emotion that flooded Cala now was even more foreign, more... uplifting and strange. Like a tingling, soaring feeling that emanating from the crown of their skull down to their toes and Cala would look.... confident. An odd, androgynous handsomeness to their features, a beauty reserved for the thin sliver of indistinctness between discernably Male or Female, as they nodded and pat Saiko's hand even after it retreated.

"I'm glad... to be entertaining but....."

Why did their mouth feel dry? Why was that same twisting feeling in their gut only heightening the electrifying tingle that spread out to the very ends of their limbs? That electric-like energy burning like fire as Cala.... smiled a smile both kind and.... oddly.... fierce? Something almost a grin as they, almost.... but not quite.... as they squeezes Saiko's hand briefly, and pulled back their own.

"... next time we do something.... I have... ideas! A-At least how to prepare for it! It'll be more than entertaining, at least I-I hope so......"

Pursing their lips Cala would stand and, feeling a conflicting urge to either hug her or run away, they simply crossed their arms and averted their eyes toward the ground.

"E-Even so... I don't want to be the one to leave.... but I have to to get ready so..... I will call you, okay?"