Vibrant Scape of a Thousand Shiro Blossoms (Shiro/Byakuya)

He knocked on the gate, as if anyone could hear something that silly. Well, either way, someone's bound to notice the hobo-ish looking man outside the well-kept lawn and fancy gate, if not for his startlingly white hair or dashing looks. Though, pensive, it did seem as if there was something of interest here at least.

If a certain someone dared pay any attention to his surroundings, what's going on should be perfectly clear. It's not like it was much of a secret anyway, and Nobles have a way of hearing every gossip around. Shiro's sure the great Kuchiki himself knows that Rukia's got a guy, and that he's that guy. Now, all that's left is for the big brother to finally give this big boy an audience.

Whoa?! Is this one of those, uh, butlers or whatever they talk about? Shiro, being a poor man, has no real idea what to expect. He's been around Nobles before, but he would never call those experiences anything like this. Those were mostly one-night stands or a friendship that barely recognized their different backgrounds. Knowing something of the Kuchiki, he couldn't even expect to understand what he's walking into, but walk he did, up until he made it to his destination.

The big man himself, sitting, waiting. Why, it felt entirely wrong to be here. The simple walk to this spot felt like an alternate dimension where he could feel himself growing suave with every step. However, now that he's here, he felt as small as he actually is. Bummer.

Still, he took his seat, his lips tight and his eyes hard but curious. He's probably about to mess this up, but what's one to expect from street bum, yeah? Well, whatever. Here goes nothing.

"Uh... Byakuya Kuchiki... Nice to finally meet'cha, I guess..."

Considering the situation, is it really that nice?

"Yeah, man. She's doing alright. She's-" He paused himself before his open mouth spat anything else out. Byakuya would see the silly nervous smile Shiro put on slowly fade as his nerves settled into a more depressive state.

"She's seen better days. That Ichigo guy's running her ragged."

His eyes fell to his lap as he sighed.

"And I'm not cut out for the emotional peptalk gig, not to this degree... I can't even pretend to understand."

He's been through Hell and back himself, but this is something greater than that. This is your best friend, the hero of the whole world, suddenly appearing and destroying everything you stand and believe in. This shitty situation isn't fixed with pretty words and smashing bodies together, but that's why Shiro's here.

Shiro blinked.

"I'm not asking you to approach her. I'm not even here for her, honestly, not entirely," He revealed, looking at the man across from him, letting his resolve steel itself a bit. "Family fight. Sometimes they fight so bad, it's almost impossible to fix, but caring about someone shouldn't come with the expectation of their approval. I know that much..."

He blinked again, realizing he's being a bit crass, so he coughed into his fist, faking obviously. This isn't what he's looking for. He could have gone on about what he could do for Rukia, but that'd get nowhere. If Byakuya really wants to help Rukia, it shouldn't take much for him to figure out how. For all it's worth, Rukia's kept the Kuchiki name.

"This might come off as pretty stupid, but I came here for myself. I came to ask you for help. I don't need to tell you that I'm pretty lame in terms of fighting."

He laughed, his wounded pride hidden behind his fake emotion, but it's pretty hard to hide the way his eyes flicked to the ground, devoid of light.

"Maybe call it a favor or maybe call it a reach, but I guess I figured even you would have preferred Rukia found a more... reliable person..."