Trash Duty [Eiji/Natasha]

Karakura Town? Natasha had heard quite a few stories about this place. She had never actually visited the place, but it definitely had history that couldn't be ignored. Come to think of it, hadn't this place been at the centerfold of a lot of spiritual action in the past? Several warriors fought for and protected this place with their lives. She would certain love to entertain herself with the scenery, but she's on recon duty at the moment while her soldat are searching around for any hollow activity.

There had been several reports indicating something was here, and Natasha simply wasn't going to ignore it even if it was simply a hunch. In the meantime, though, she might as well sit down for a moment to take a breather. She's already neutralized a few so far. If anything else came up, she'd simply be alerted by the soldat exploring the area. Grabbing a hot dog and drink from the nearest vendor, Natasha occupies a seat on the bench, not entirely mindful of the young man sitting beside her. Once she noticed him, though, she turned around to wave at him apologetically.

"Oof. Sorry about that, honey. I didn't notice anyone else was here till I sat down'."

"True, but there are those who prefer sitting along every now and then, you know? Didn't want to risk steppin' on any feet. Far as the hotdog goes, you're not wrong. I'm hungry, and it was the closest thing I saw before they closed up.... now that I think about it, if I take it out of it's box now, it'll be soggy. Shoot."

Natasha chuckled sheepishly at her minor mishap, leaning against the bench as she crossed her legs. She hadn't actually paid too much attention to the weather until he pointed it out. Eiji's words were enough to remind her of the rain, and Natasha couldn't really provide any answer out of a humorous "whoops" of a grin. Shrugging softly, Natasha would erect a barrier of solidified reishi to push away the rain. Neither one of them needed to be out here drenched in rain, and it would be easier to host a conversation this way. Her gaze would travel to young man curiously, observing his appearance.

"Hotdog blunders aside, I'm takin' a break from duty at the moment. Word has it there's been a few hollows roaming around the area, and I'm aimin' to nip em' in the bud before they get out of hand. Name's Natasha. What's yours, sweetheart?"

"Trash boy, eh? Well, I'd say its honest work. Hopefully, it's puttin food on your table, too. Anyway... Pleased to meet cha', Eiji."

Natasha would whistle softly maintaining the reishi barrier to push away the rain as they spoke. He certainly had every reason to inquire about hollows, and his reaction was quite warranted. After all, for a man who was simply throwing out trash bags, who in the world wanted to be attacked at random by a gluttonous soul-eating beast? Fortunately, she was here. As long as her and her soldat were regulating the area, there was no particularly need to worry about harm coming to his person.

Worry would only really set in if a Menos Grande or some other grade of hollow came roaring into existence, but that was somewhat unlikely given the total lack of spiritual sources to feed from. Even Eiji didn't really stand out as something Natasha would consider "Hollow Chow" unless they were truly desperate. At least, not offhand. Nothing stood out about him all that much.

"Hollows are strange creatures, sweetheart. Nowadays, with almost half of the populace of earth bein' spiritually aware, and a smaller group of them possessing actual spirit abilities, I reckon they tend to pop up whenever they're attracted to what they consider the most attractive source o' sustenance. I've heard reports of somethin', but so far, rest assured, we haven't found anything. I actually don't think you'd be a target at all, honey. Unless your hostin' some type of special ability, I think they might walk past ya unless they're really desperate. A small hollow, for example, might lunge at ya' like an animal would, but anything bigger'? Nah."

Natasha blinked softly as she listened to him stubbornly deny what she viewed as factual evidence. Her words were far from an insult, but oddly enough, whether steered by misguided hubris or some prideful nature that ignored facts, he seemed to take her words as a strike against himself. What human in their right mind would feel insulted by being told they weren't on a soul-devouring creature's radar?

For a moment, Natasha remained silent as she allowed the childish young man to rant at length about his extraordinary potential as hollow chow. Finding it difficult to resist holding back her mirth, she chuckled heartily as she held her sides. It was really hilarious, everything from his reaction to expression. It reminded her of one of those bratty rival characters in a shounen manga series. Of course, once her laughter died down, she leaned against her chair as she parsed his request.

Entertain him with it? Wow, he was genuinely serious, huh? Brash for a young man, foolish even. Fortunately, Natasha was the adult in this situation, and so she wasn't particularly prepared to humor him by displaying what she did on duty. Compromising a life so casually was the last thing she wanted on her resume. In turn, she played coy, posing a question.

"Whaddya' mean entertain ya' with it, sugar? Most men and women would be over the stars to know they ain't hollow-chow material, yet yer treatin' it like it's an affront against your pride. Cleaning's honest work---it's safe. Endangerin' yer life like a damn' fool is just plain' crazy."

He was truly serious, huh? Natasha was honestly quite impressed with what she could only describe as the foolish insanity of a prideful mind. In lesser words, sheer idiocy. There were several other ways one could approach the situation, but he seemed stubbornly set on entertaining the idea of throwing himself into danger. Running a hand through her hair, the southern woman regarded him with a curious gaze.

His personality seemed reckless, something that seemed to fit the perceived age of his appearance quite well. Part of her wondered if he wouldn't just pursue the idea himself if she left him to his own devices, and that naturally played a part in her decision.

A few of his words, while not resonating entirely, earned an arch of the eyebrow from the blonde-haired woman, an exasperated curve of the lips as she ruffled her own hair. Young men truly did have a habit of wearing their pride on their sleeves, even to their own detriment. Rising from the bench, Natasha clapped her hands together a few times before motioning for him to follow her.

"Yer a bossy lil fella, ya know that? Fine. Listen up, since yer' so invested in humorin' your curiosity, I'll show ya' what the spiritual side of the world looks and feels like. Do not, and I repeat, do not leave my side or wander off at any time. Seein' as I gotta handle the hollow issue in this part of the town, I might as well kill two birds with one stone. Oh, and for the record," she motioned to herself, sticking her tongue out in a childish retort to his earlier words...

"I'd make more than a good snack. I'd be a whole meal."