Happy Synthesizer [Beetle, Koga]

"If you ever get a chance, could always ask. The worst he can say is no, after all."

Beetle couldn't help but giggle as he mentioned the guitar. It wasn't really that surprising -- she could totally see him playing either that or the drums. The coolest though? Mmmm, she wasn't too sure about that. Maybe guys just thought it made them seem cooler, and...she couldn't argue against that, really. It did make them look cool. As their orders were placed, Beetle handed her menu back to the shop owner with that same big smile, excitedly swaying a little in her chair in anticipation.

But, then the two of them got talking about the Combat Division, and her smile faltered a bit, and she quickly came to a still as she listened, reaching around herself to rub her arms. She was glad that she wasn't alone in how she felt about the place. The old Eleventh felt like as much a place of camaraderie as it did a militaristic division -- not the new Fourth Division.

The new name, the intensity, the incidents that happened not too long ago, all of it made her deeply, deeply uncomfortable, enough to make her stay away, focusing her efforts on aid in research and Earth-related assignments, should it be necessary. But, then Koga said something that caught her attention: He didn't just miss their old division friends, but also missed her.

A light shade of red came to her face at the comment as she gave a bashful grin in response.

"Aw, c-c'mon, Habaki, I wasn't that important! But...I'm glad that you feel the same. They took on that old name, and all the stuff I've been hearing about them...I think we both dodged a major bullet with that."

"Honestly? I doubt he even says no. From everything I've observed about the guy, he seems pretty damn amicable."

Koga chuckled heartily as he patiently waited for their orders. In time, the head chef and his assistants would start bringing them orders after properly preparing everything. Since they took a little longer, they gave them bigger portions at no extra cost. Since his Spicy Beef Ramen was piping hot at the moment, he decided to indulge his appetizers, pulling a pair of chopsticks apart to grab some takoyaki.

Biting into the savory ball filled with tasty ingredients, he turned his head back to Beetle as a playful grin danced across his features. He didn't really get why she was so bashful about that statement, but he decided to be a little relentless about it and pat her shoulder with his other hand.

"Bullshit. Didn't matter who was important. We all stood out in our own way, earned our keep, and enjoyed ourselves. Sure, maybe there wasn't too much that stood out about ya, but it was nice havin' a pleasant and encouragin' voice to be around."

Yeah, she could definitely see that happening. Even with just one proper meeting, she figured Rose to be a pretty friendly guy. If he did start getting lessons, she'd better get updates about that and get to see him play live! As their food was placed down on the table, Beetle's big smile was quick to return, swaying from side to side excitedly as she pulled her chopsticks apart to dig in.

But, in her haste and hunger, she quickly set them down, fanning her mouth and reaching for water, taking a bit swig. As she finished, though, she couldn't help but giggle at the situation. Setting the cup down, she picked up her chopsticks again, reaching over and snagging one of Habaki's takoyaki balls. She took a big bite out of them, covering her mouth with her spare hand as she chewed and swallowed, before giving him a cheeky grin.

"Hey! I'm not so unimportant that I didn't stand out! Besides, someone had to stay positive whenever things got bad."

Beetle puffed her cheeks out in a pout, shifting over to nudge him playfully. She had half a mind to smack him and warn him about his vulgarity, but, she knew that it was a futile endeavor. She'd done that so many times in the past, even a supercomputer brain like hers knew when to stop dedicating resources to that particular program. He'd never listen to her on that front, no matter what.

"Keh. Ya got me there. With all the rough individuals in the eleventh, I still don't know how you managed to remain so upbeat. I was always impressed by that, honestly."

Koga chortled softly as she nudged his shoulder, not at all offended at the energetic woman stealing Takoyaki from his plate. On the contrary, he found the action quite endearing and simply reached out to ruffle her hair as he found himself reminiscing on the past once more.

In a division full of bloodthirsty individuals, Beetle maintained a relatively upbeat attitude. Ceaselessly impressed by that resolve, he momentarily wondered where all that energy came from.

Thinking on it a little more introspectively, he was growing curious about how she fared after the Gotei's prior fallout. Did she do anything worthwhile to keep herself occupied? Train? Improve? Take a break? With so many questions in mind, he defaulted to the one that interested him most.

"On another subject, what've ya been doin' for the past years? Do any neat trainin'? Explore the world? Take a break? I transferred divisions after Captain Zaraki left, but I never did find time to learn about what my other former division mates have been doin'." I'd like to fix that.'

She couldn't help but giggle a bit as Koga ruffled her hair. She kinda missed having shorter hair -- it felt nice to just have it be a bit more wild than the long hair she sported now. Plus, she didn't have to brush it as often, so that was a plus, too! But, more than anything, she just missed this. Being able to sit down with a comrade and have a fun time outside of work.

But, before she could reminisce any more on the past, Koga inquired about what she had been doing recently. Beetle's eyes seemed to sparkle as she thought back to all the things that had happened -- promptly and rightfully ignoring the bad things that happened during World War Four, of course!

"All of that, actually! I took some time off in the Living World, and I ended up using some of it to discover more about myself, and the Asauchi I've kinda just...had at my side for the last two-hundred years. But, I learned her name! For a while, I was...scared of trying to use it. I was afraid I would end up destroying it."

Beetle's hands went to the short sword at her hip, drawing it and gingerly holding it as she looked at the simplistic weapon. Despite the seemingly never-ending positivity and energy that the brunette typically brought, her expression softened, shifting from a tomboy-like grin to one that looked considerably more feminine. A small smile, but that sparkle in her eyes never faded.

"It...feels nice to know that. I dunno why, but, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It feels like I've got more than just a weapon at my side, I feel more...whole when I use it, I guess."

Putting the weapon back in its place, the energetic grin returned as she turned to face her companion again.

"Besides that, I've kinda just...been livin' life, you know? I started a bunch of different insect collections when I was on Earth, but, I had to let them go when I came back. Maybe I could find some unique species of beetles or ants and try to crossbreed them with Earth ones..."

She blinked a few times, before chuckling nervously.

"Right, sorry, kinda got on a bit of a tangent there...what've you been up to, Habaki? Probably got up to way cooler stuff than I did, I bet!"