Long Time No See, Shortie[Hiroe, Hiroi]

It had been months in the making, but Hiroe had finally gathered the spirit to fulfill a promise she had made to Kimitsuki. That is, facing the Danava who once threatened her life not long ago. There was no longer any fear regarding the woman, nor could Hiroe say she felt much malice outside of the fear that held her spirits in thrall for an extended period. Facing one's fears head on was a step in the right direction, and if her lessons with her instructors had taught her anything, operating with not so clear mind was less than ideal.

After much deliberation, Hiroe finally decided it was time to see Hiroi face to face. She was curious, after all. Curious to see her appearance, how she interacted, and if they could befriend one another. HIroe wasn't crossing her fingers, but it was worth a shot. Of course, naturally, there was no way she could enter the Kyoraku estate without official permission.

Contacting Kimitsuki ahead of time with her intentions, an escort in the form of a familiar dragon would display itself - Kagutsuchi. Draping himself around her neck, her journey was made a swift one as she was carried forth by high-velocity flight. Arriving at her instructor's house in short order, Hiroe would enter the house since she had permission. She wasn't sure if Kimitsuk was present, but that wasn't her source of interest right now. She walked around in search of Hiroi Kiga.

Potato chips are the best, especially salt and vinegar. The way her mouth feels like it's going to start bleeding at any minute after eating them for a couple of minutes is wondrous. It gives her a reason to take a big gulp of soda and gorge on popcorn. Kimitsuki's out doing teaching things and that big dumb dragon's nowhere in sight. She's free to lay around as she pleases and make a mess. What else could a gal ask for?

It's been a while since certain things left her emotionless and empty. Almost like life had been blown into her with an air pump, she slowly became expressive and lively. There's still something missing, but there's not anything food can't fix. The only issue is that she actually gets full now, and when she gets full, she gets reminiscent. That emptiness won't go away, but it's easy to ignore at least. Stomachaches take priority.

Besides, she's enjoying her book on the couch, despite getting it all dirty with her stained fingers. It's not like it has anywhere else to be, and it was already dusty before she got her pale mittens on it. This is fine. Not a care in the world anymore. Hiroi couldn't help but find her new life appealing in many ways. Nothing could spoil how her day's been going.

Hiroe's journey throughout Kimitsuki's estate proved difficult at first, but Kagutsuchi proved a suitable house map as he directed her to the energy source that lay peacefully in a room on a couch. The presence was a far cry from the bone-chilling malevolence she felt the last time. There was simply a woman at peace in her own element, relaxing on a couch as she munched away at snacks with a drink to the side. Brushing away the dragon for now, Hiroe took a deep breathe as she entered the room quietly. Casually waving her hand, Hiroe would approach the woman as she found a chair to sit in, curiously eyeing the woman as she introduced herself.

"Long time no see, Shortie. Remember me?"

"Crunch."

Hiroe suddenly appearing didn't seem to bother Hiroi. The small woman didn't even seem to notice the intruder. Call that a bout of self-absorption, but be as it may, a voice suddenly disturbing her peace would get a reaction. That reaction was a quick jump, followed by red eyes flicking to the newcomer. Though, calling this particular person a newcomer would be ignorant at best.

"Crunch..."

Another chip is bitten, teeth slowly breaking the starched potato with obnoxious vigor. Despite Hiroe sitting right there, Hiroi didn't seem to really care. If anything, that plain look in Hiroi's eyes would only add an awkward staleness to the air, almost as if the woman could revert back to her monstrous self at any second. However, like a clock hitting noon, she spoke.

"What the fuck."

"Missed you too, twerp. Sheesh... and Kimitsuki says you changed. What gonna threaten me with devouring me again?"

To be fairly honest, she didn't know what the small woman's reaction was going to be entering her peaceful den. Here she was, enjoying a variety of snack food and soda, and now she was sitting within the company of the woman she met on not so savory terms. What a pain... this felt like this was going to be difficult. Whatever. She was here now. Sighing softly, Hiroe pulled a bag of candy from the bag she had bought along.

"Look... I'm just trying to make peace. Kimitsuki told me so, you know? I'd like to be your friend... maybe."

"Crunch."

Almost as deadly as a dropped pen in a silent room, Hiroi took another chip into her mouth. Chewing, her eyes stayed on Hiroe the whole time until she gulped. Then, she blinked. Why did it feel like the first time Hiroi had blinked since Hiroe arrived? Unnerving with nothing more than casual snacking, the tense space between the two could change in an instant. Maybe Hiroi might strike, finally finish off her escaped meal. Hiroe might have put herself in grave danger, but the attitude of the intruder didn't add up.

"Someone's bold."

Hiroi turned away, her hands in her bag of chips again. Like an afterthought, Hiroe's abandoned like a broken toy. That is probably for the best. Hiroi doesn't seem to harbor any intentions of being sociable, but when has she ever been? Not even Kimitsuki could follow the pale woman's train of thought at times.

Chewing on a piece of chocolate she pulled from her bag, Hiroe pouted softly as a sigh escaped her lips. The deadly silence didn't really seem to affect her all that much, truth be told, not nearly as much as it might have before. She was a woman who already knew what it felt like to be intimidated.

Even without Kagutsuchi's presence, someone she explicitly told to stay away concerning a matter like this, she could operate with a tranquil peace of mind, albeit somewhat annoyed at the fact she wasn't receiving much in the way of conversation. As it stood, this was going to be more difficult than she thought.

Well, she hasn't attempted any threatening action compared to the last time. That was progress enough, right? As such, she simply shrugged her shoulders as she grabbed a few more pieces of candy from her bag. Some resembling Jolly Ranchers, some resembling Starburst, and other copies of candies she had gotten familiar with based on her one trip to earth.

"Someone's not very talkative. Anyway, yeah. Bold is one way of describing it. Like I said, I can't really make amends with someone whose not willing, but you can eat your chips and drink your soda until your ready. I'll wait."

"Crunch."

Needless to say, Hiroi busied herself with more chips, rustling her bag for the last crumbs that remained. Salty chips are tasty, but they do make one thirsty, so she got up to go get herself something to drink. Hiroe doesn't need to know why or where she's going, so Hiroi didn't bother letting the woman in on anything.

In a few moments, Hiroi returned, in her hand a bottle of grape soda. Spoiled beyond belief, the young woman did, in fact, have a whole bottle to herself. With the classic sound of cracking open its top, she let the fizz die down before taking a huge gulp of the carbonated drink, half the bottle gone in mere seconds. Though, afterwards, she let moved her red eyes back to the only other person in the room.

"Want a sip?"

"Eh?"

Well, that was surprising. Hiroe didn't necessarily know where Hiroi was going off to, and it would be absolutely preposterous to think she was returning to initiate conversation, but this was progress. Or so she would hope. Softly placing the candy on her lap, Hiroe looked back at Hiroi, nodding her head. A sip couldn't hurt if she was offering it. Maybe this would be the icebreaker? Who knows. In return, she offered the woman a piece of candy in her hand.

"Sure. In return, you can get a piece of candy or two from my bag."

A fair trade. However, Hiroi has never been fair, nor will she ever be fair. In an instant, Hiroe's bag of candy was snatched, the woman's empty hand filled by the bottle of soda Hiroi held a second ago. Scavenging for something, anything, Hiroi practically dropped every piece of candy onto the couch, picking and taking what she thought pleasant. Unfortunately, for Hiroe, Hiroi found everything edible and soon left the Shinigami without her bag of candy.

"Thank you for your contribution," Hiroi said with a sneer as she sat down and made short work of Hiroe's bag of candy, kicking her feet as she did so.