You Figure? [Emil/Ulquiorra]

The perception others had to her had become annoyingly relevant. As she had come to engage more and more with the general populace of the City, so too had she come to understand that she was becoming something of a known element. The denizens remembered her, and slowly, ever so slowly, she had begun to grow familiar with some of them. Shop keepers recognized her fairly quickly whenever she visited their stores, and even the occasional passerby that she would pass frequently enough, began to greet her as she went about her normal day to day activities.

It was, ultimately, exactly what she had intended to foster. And yet ther was an apprehension that came with it. When would her own feelings kick in? At what point would she begin to feel protective of these small things. To know that there was potential for this to become something far more than a simple project. That was the goal. That this experiment would become more than that. That she should experience this newfound heart of hers. And as much as she specifically walked toward that path, it loomed so very ominously.

Even her interactions with Cyrus had proven to become a bit more...erratic. Her mind flashed back to her last conversation with the headmaster and her own abrupt departure. It was simply in her nature, they had exhausted conversation, and so she had left. And yet some part of her snared on the notion that she had been cold to him. That she might have entertained his casual small talk a bit longer. It seemed that a very large part of having a heart meant second guessing yourself. Or perhaps that would iron out in time.

However, distracted as she was. The presence of someone such as Emil did not go unnoticed. She took notice of his approach, and while she had no knowledge as to who or what he was. She could sense through her pesquisa that he was a fair bit above the normal human.

"I don't believe we have met before." An abrupt sidestep of the topic, turning to look directly at the man.

After all, her being an arrancar was almost painfully obvious. The physical signs were VERY present. And yet the man spoke to her casually, without gawking or that occasional look of 'have I seen her before?' that many denizens regarded her with. If he were not familiar with her, he would not likely be so casual. Which meant he was pretending not to know her. Or he was simply that friendly. And if he was simply being friendly, she wouldn't stand to lose much by being a bit prickly at first.

He was being friendly.
He was also being rather careful with his words. His description of her was neither too forward, not disparaging 'Distinguished' was she? She supposed that was rather apt, i nothing else, and as he reaced out to shake her hand, she reached out and gently shook his in turn, a relaxed grip, almost dainty.

"You may. My name is Ulquiorra Cifer." She introduced herself, despite having some doubt that he might already know it. " You've caught me at a bit of an odd time. I was about to have lunch, but you're welcome to join me." She offered calmly enough. A sufficiently casual offer for the man to join her for a meal. The man was being polite, if nothing else, and despite her suspicions, had done nothing to bring any particular concern. Not only that, but he had been prompt enough to approach her out of nowhere. She knew he could sense her spiritual energy, he knew what she was.

He was either interested because she was an arrancar, or ambivalent despite it.
And as a creature that was, presently, exploring sociability. It was an opportunity she did not intend to pass up.

Ulquiorra's gaze seemed to steel slightly as she made note of the man's comments. She made a few observations of her own as she listened to his idle banter. Well, at least he had accepted the offer. All the same, that sudden exclamation of recognition elicited no reaction from Ulquiorra as the man recounted his own daughter's experience watching the fights. A daughter, presumably. One that seemed to have enjoyed her fights enough to make mention of her. She supposed that might be interesting, she had made sure to instill a sense of awe and showmanship with her own showing at the event. It was only natural that some admirers would be spawned from the event.

All the same, she was already using a fairly lively stride as the pair of them made their way toward where she'd intended to eat. Certainly she had made no indication that she was offering to let him pick where they could eat, but still she noted his comment that they could eat where she liked, as if it were some kindness he were extending. She made no comment on that particular matter. "So you have a daughter. I certainly hope that your partner does not mind me borrowing you for lunch." The comment was delivered flatly, pausing as she stopped just outside a restaurant. Some sort of ..Panera shop. She'd been recommended the place by one of her Todgestalten contacts. It seemed a fitting place to take someone to.

"I do apologize if I am not quite as energetic as my fights might have led one to believe. I'm sorry to say that I've been told I can be poor company."

Hm. A soft noise from the arrancar in response to the reveal about the man's wife. So he was a single father? Passingly, she considered this a motive behind his friendly behavior, but she didn't seem to get that impression from him. His eyes weren't lingering over areas that would suggest as much. No, she didn't get an impression of attraction from this man. Much less much a sense that he was attempting to be attractive either. His choice of clothes certainly didn't lend her the idea that he was trying to impress someone.

All the same, the pair of them made it to a small table and it wasn't long before someone came to take their orders. Food was something she'd gotten into the habit of enjoying, at least in moderation since she didn't have much a need for sustenance in terms of Kishi. But all the same, she'd gotten into the habit of it. She ordered herself something light, a salad.

"I can imagine it is challenging to raise a child as well as maintain a job by one's self. But you certainly seem to be managing well enough.An admirable trait." She pointed out, pausing to take a sip of her tea before glancing back up to the quincy in consideration of his prying.

"I should be dead. A considerable time ago, I was killed in battle, and that should have been the end of it. However, thanks to the actions of some unsavory parties I survived, in some fashion. That which had previously given me purpose is now gone. Once upon a time, someone saw fit to entrust something very important to me. And until very recently, they had spend much of their time in this very city." She glanced toward the window to consider. She hadn't been here for all that long, and yet, Inoue had saw fit to call this place her home for some time. No doubt, if she were here, Inoue could have told her any number of reasons why.

Was it the desire to protect these people?

"I hope to find out why."

Hm.

She'd seen her fair share of children about. The Picaro had certainly been a group that required a fair amount of attention in the past, and some small part of her wondered if the collective Arrancar were still scouring the realms for playmates. "Independence can sometimes be a double edged sword. But I'm glad to hear that seems not to be an issue as of yet."' She noted calmly, something of a knowing tone to her voice as she recalled a number of incidents that had occurred when the Picaro got more..... adventurous thoughts into their collective heads.

The man's reaction was ..... expected. Ulquiorra's gaze shifted toward Emil at that concerted response. How very composed this man was. Not only that, but certainly he seemed to have quincy on the mind. His soul gave that away fairly early on to her pesquisa. She supposed it was only natural for the man to affix to those specific members of the Vandenreich. She had certainly run into a number of varying races among their ranks. Quite a few even having the scent of hollow about them. Cyrus' offer made more and more sense as she had come to know more of the members.

"I've no doubt. Inoue Orihime was the type of woman I imagine to have been swept up in such things. If nothing else, she could not see something broken and leave it unmended." She stated simply enough, closing her eyes a she took a sip of her tea and a bite of her food, chewing idly as she considered a response, only responding once she'd finished doing so. And of course, as it pertained to that final question. About finding some singular universal truth? Or the rather interestingly framed portrayed ultimate alternative of a pointedly ceaseless meandering which seemed to very pointedly display his own personal preference between the two? Her response was simple.

"No."