Turn Tears into Hope [Beetle, J]

As he relented, the fear in Beetle's voice vanished, as if it had never been there in the first place. That smile returned, and it was as if all her energy had magically returned. She did, however, puff her cheeks again in mild annoyance as J refused her offer to carry him back to the Seireitei. As he asked about finding something decent to eat, Beetle looked around awkwardly.

"Um...I can try. I don't really know the Rukongai very well."

Then, he pulled out a handful of money, causing Beetle to take pause. Her jaw dropped at how casual the motion was. Body language was so simple, yet it also said so much about a person. At first, she was hesitant, but, she gingerly took the money. She had no intention of buying something for herself with his money, even if the thought was admittedly really tempting.

"I'll be right back!"

With a burst of Shunpo, Beetle shot off to try and find something for him to eat and drink. Thankfully, she was able to find a few small places selling street food not too far away. Buying from multiple, she brought back a small variety of food for J to eat and get his strength back up, including multiple bottles of water. Yakitori, menchi katsu, daigaku imo, and yakisoba.

Was it the healthiest? No, definitely not, but, Beetle had made sure that there was a variety of foods to draw potassium, carbs, and other things that would at least help him get back on his feet.

That smile grew even wider at J's thanks, and Beetle sat down a small ways away from him to give him space. She rocked back and forth, bobbing her head from side to side at the thought of a melody from a song she listened to. However, despite how carefree she seemed, her senses were on high alert, keeping in mind their surroundings on the off-chance that the Hollows that were retreating got any braver and decided to attack while their guards were down.

Her attention glued itself to J as he asked about her. Beetle just shook her head, raising her hands and making a small pushing gesture toward him.

"Nope! You're the starving one. You're the one who needs to eat, especially if you don't wanna be carried back to the Seireitei."

Beetle set her Zanpakuto in her lap, idly playing with the small tanto as she waited. However, as she stayed around the tempting smells of the street food, and, in an ironic twist of fate, her stomach now betrayed her. She immediately froze in place, her face slowly turning redder than the leaves of her Inner World, and Beetle tried to slowly turn around to hide it.

At first, Beetle tried to resist. She had gotten everything to make sure that he was able to have the energy to get up and walk again. She didn't need it! Even if her stomach had betrayed her, she would hold out and make sure that he got the nutrition and energy he neede-

Nom.

Before she even knew she'd done it, Beetle had taken a bite of the crunchy coating of the menchi katsu. Her eyes widened, stars seemed to shine in her eyes, and she let out a soft squeal as she relished in the taste. It was so unhealthy, but it tasted so good...the flavors basically exploded to life in her mouth. With a light pout, Beetle wordlessly continued to take part of the katsu, eventually reaching to take it in her hands.

Despite the boundless energy and positivity, she ate with a notable amount of modesty, though she still had a wide, beaming smile as she took slow bites, savoring every last bit. A voice quietly called out in the back of her mind, causing Beetle to perk up and open her eyes in response.

'Don't forget that you need the energy just as much, little popillia.'

'I was fine, Ochibamaru...he needed it a lot more. He was starving and couldn't stand.'

'Two fed Shinigami are stronger than one working on an empty stomach.'

As she spoke with the spirit, her expression shifted throughout. First, it was little different, with a light pout, but eventually turned to one of begrudging acceptance. Beetle let out a quiet huff from her nose as she swallowed, mumbling to the spirit -- which, really, was more her just talking to herself.

"I know, I know...but still, he needs it more."

...Uh-oh. She hadn't realized that she was talking aloud. As J mentioned it, Beetle froze up, before awkwardly shuffling in place. A light shade of red briefly permeated her features before she settled down, rubbing the back of her head a little.

"F-Force of habit...I don't like when things get too quiet."

Once she finished eating, she fidgeted with her Zanpakuto in her lap, idly sliding it in and out of the sheath, tapping her fingers quietly against the sheath itself, anything to keep herself busy and prevent everything from going silent. When J thanked her, though, she felt a bit of comfort, easing a bit of the antsy-ness.

"No problem. Um...random question, is 'J' really your first name?"

So it wasn't his real name! Beetle perked up on hearing that little tidbit of information, but that energy died down quickly when he affirmed that he wasn't going to tell her, that he didn't tell anyone that. But, that wasn't going to stop her brain from running through every possible male name starting with "J" and seeing which one would fit the best in her head. She wasn't gonna tell him that, though. Jeez, even his sister doesn't seem to remember it...what kind of thing happened to him that made him so avoidant to his own name?

"Because" wasn't a good excuse. It wasn't the real reason. There was always something deeper, even if it ended up being a really simple, basic reason, such as him not liking his name. She wasn't going to press it, though...he clearly didn't like talking about it. What else could she talk about while she waited for him to be ready to move back to the Seireitei?

"...Do you think insecta-style Hollows have more in common with the creatures they take after than we realize?"

When in doubt, science-y question!