Fresh Scars, New Blood [Asuka, Lerna]

Lerna perked up as she looked over her shoulder at the voice that cut in. "Ah, thanks." She smiled as she followed Asuka back to the room itself, the scent of the tea certainly catching her attention as she seated herself. Watching as the woman poured out some tea. Accepting the cup with a polite nod and taking a brief sip of the stuff. It certainly tasted nice, though she was aware that the subtleties of the flavor perhaps might be lost on her serpentine tongue. But all the same, she did her best to enjoy it, taking a few sips before setting the cup down and looking up to the woman that had invited here.

"Thanks for the tea." She smiled a bit awkwardly, not really sure if there was something else she was supposed to be saying here. Even in her interactions with Asami, she hadn't really latched onto the expected ebb and flow of these ... things. And so she decided just to be direct.

"Asuka. If you don't mind me calling you that. If you don't mind me askin. What did you want to call me here for?" She asked, attempting to get her curiosity across without seeming like this was any sort of inconvenience.

Lerna was... surprised to say the least. Her ...shell? She'd never imagined Asami with something like that. HAd she really helped her with that? But more than that, the pieces began to slip into place. Asami had certainly not been the most social, but she did get out, but this young little thing. She no doubt had probably not seen the outside of these walls. Indeed, a family that was noble might hide her away. A frail child might be seen as a point of weakness for the bloodline, or any number of targets for ridicule.

Likely, her only contact with the outside world was her sister. And now... there wasn't anyone. This girl was .. all that was left. Looking around, towards where she knew most of the destruction had been, she felt...conflicted.

And afraid.

The curling edges of those instincts in her mind, whichs he kept at bay by simple merit of her own resiliance. But she had ... managed it only enough. It still haunted her, and she spent a lot of time, meditating and working so that she could be ....so she could FEEL safe around others.

"Asuka. I....I don't know what Asami told you. But I'm not a normal soul reaper, I'm not even a normal human. And ... during the attack. I was... changed." She noted quietly, thinning her lips as she took a steady breath. She SHOULD just tell her it wasn't possible. As much as she might desire to be able to help this girl ... survive the loss of that bubble. SHE was just as much a danger to the girl as anything else.

But that refusal never left her lips. She'd already shamed Murasaki with her outburst. She would not abandon what Asami had left behind. She furrowed her brows and her mind raced. Thinking of what she could plausibly do.

" I don't really know what I can promise right now... " She trailed off, thinking. She couldn't stay in soul society as it were. Anti Hollow sentiment was going to be through the roof. And as much as Lady Shishiyuki might permit it. If SHE had any sort of outburst or ... lapse. Then it would only hurt their family. She needed to get whatever that little bastard did to her under control. So many stupid ideas went through her head. But she had to be careful and not let those ideas get away from her. But she also didn't want to just.. leave Asuka here.

" I'll speak with Shishiyuki. I don't know what sort of promises I can make. About ... you seeing more of the world. But I want to help you. And if theres a way that can happen, then I'll figure it out. I promise."

Lerna raised her brows a little at that ... uh.. calm dissection of the situation. It was a little amusing, certainly. But more than that, she couldn't help but smirk a little as Asuka promptly became a bit flustered at her resolve. "There's noithing to get ahead of. Given the situation, leaving you alone is unacceptable. All that's left is figuring out how to make it happen." She stated confidently, raising her cup and downing the rest of the tea before she stood up and walked around the small table that separated them.

She didn't really have any kind of grace to her. She was sure that any number of nobles might have been able to make this feel more...solemn or ... well. right. But she couldn't really help that. Crouching down next to Asuka, she settled down and rested on a knee, looking the woman straight in the eyes as she continued.

"I don't really know a lot about yer condition. But I'll learn. Whether I need to keep you here and just visit you now and then. Or if its better if I just carry you around on my back. One way or another, I'll do everything I can to help ya. Even if I gotta steal ya away to the world of the living." She grinned, making a little joke as she winked. Only to pause as she stood back up and sighed.

"But well, I wouldn't wanna do that just top have you get sick or something. So I'll be talking to Shishiyuki about all this. There a uh... chart or medical records I should be lookin over?" She ventured.

Lerna paused and went quiet for a moment as she listened to Asuka. Eh? Had she misunderstood something? She watched patiently as Asuka settled herself and offered a bit more information about her situation. But even more than that.... she tensed slightly as Asuka made something else .... clear. And Lerna furrowed her brows slightly as she looked off to the side. No, she supposed she really aught not to be surprised. She had, perhaps foolishly, presumed that the girl would ....well...operate in a way she might understand. This girl, who had only ever experienced the world through her sister's stories.

If she'd been a human, then well. Lerna could only ever imagine what the best course of action was. So much, that when one particular phrase left Asuka's lips, she was downright confused.

'would not want either of us to run away'.

Run away from what?
But just as quickly, the sensation felt... familiar. The very same sensation she'd felt when Asami spoke about why she and Kyo were no longer together. The same sensation about when Asami had discouraged Lerna's own profession of feelings. The sense that the woman before her, simply did not operate on the same priorities and foundations as she did. Her family was ... gone. What could there possibly be to run away from? But even more than that, what did Asuka think LERNA had to run away from? Then again... HAD she ever really told Asami why she became a shinigami? Or rather,. what had inspired her to change the course of her existence? No she .... supposed she probably hadn't. And so it made all the sense in the world that Asuka probably came to the conclusion she did. That both of them should stay in soul society.

She closed her eyes and sighed softly, rubbing the back of her head as she took a moment to ... consider her words. "Staying here... would be the same as me running away." She noted quietly. "I'm a member of the Seventh Division. The only reason I ... spnt most of my time here... is because of the Academy. MY place... is on Earth." She explained softly.

Lerna canted her head a bit to the side and furrowed her brows as Asuka spoke. "I think that's probably something a lot of people who have never been a part of Seventh Division might think. But that's a mindset that's built on the idea of the gotei being some kind of brand. That shinigami are all just soldiers. Maybe a hundred years ago that was the case. But you ask anyone in Seventh Division and that's not what you're going to hear." She made her way to the nearest out of the room, be it a window or a doorway, she looked outside.

"Sure, maybe a lot of them start out that way. And theres probably a few in there who still feel dedication to the Gotei above anything else.But I've heard it plenty of times from my divisionmates. And I have a feeling, even the old Captain herself, Murasaki, felt it too. She murmured quietly, looking over her shoulder to the woman who... in all actuality, would probably not know the slightest about what that feeling was.

"Soul Society is stuck. Even though people from the modern era come here constantly. Nothing ever changes, nothing ever develops. For all of the scientists and visionaries. Even the brick and wood this place is made of. It's the very image of itself from years ago. Even renovated buildings in soul society are in a style that's been obsolete in the world of the living for more than a hundred years, at most it's used purposefully to give an antiquated look. Soul Society barely changes. But on Earth, it's so different you wouldn't believe it." she looked over her shoulder, and she felt a pang of frustration.

"Gimme a chance. A week. A day if it has to be. I want a chance to show you earth. Zefa or Hisana I'm sure would be more than willing. Even if it's just once you gotta at least see it!" She insisted as she turned to face the woman. "Your sister didn't tell you about me for nothing. If this place...this ... duty of yours, was the only thing she ever wanted for you. Then she'd have never told you about anything else!" She folded her arms stubbornly. "If you still want to return here and look after a bunch of old books, thats fine. I'll even come back here and talk to you when I can. But at least once. I wanna get you out of here. You deserve to see more than just.... your family's mosoleum." She insisted. Well aware that she may have overstepped her bounds. Hell, if Shishiyuki heard about any of this, she might even stop letting Lerna see the woman. But this.... THIS she couldn't stand. All this talk about duty and obligation. Even when everything was destroyed, Shinigami still couldn't stop talking about it. She couldn't MAKE Asuka let all that stuff go. Frankly she didn't even KNOW what the hell her family's archives where. Archives of WHAT? Some... old ass hakuda scrolls? Asami hadn't even ever made mention of them to her, and so they meant nothing to her in this moment.