Morning After [Rabirria/Shizu]

[freshstrawberries]

When Shizu woke up she might not realize where she was.  She'd certainly had a ton to drink the night before, and that tended to make memories foggy.  It of course varied from person to person, she might remember what happened very well, or barely any at all and there wasn't really a way to tell without testing out where on the spectrum she'd fall.  Still hopefully it wouldn't be too negative a reaction if she'd forgotten nearly everything given she was going to wake up warm and safe.

She was tucked into a bed, big, comfortable, with lots of heavy blankets resting on top of her and a multitude of pillows around her head.  It all seemed like the good stuff too.  There was also a smell in the air, a pleasant smell of toasted bread and butter.  If she lifted her head she'd find a tray next to the bed.  Compared to how nice the bed was, a stand for eating food in front of a TV was a bit unexpected, but the tray on top was silvery and nice, with a plate covered in a cloth.  Beneath was a stack of buttered toast and a tall glass of water next to that and...a note?  Cardboard, scrawled with some kind of pink ink. 

'Dunno if you'll be feeling up for eating when you wake up, but if you're feeling ill trust me, toast and water helps a lot.  Got more robust food waiting outside if you're feeling particularly hungry too.  Don't worry I put some signs up.

Fate's Favored Fool

Rabirria.'

Well that was...nice?  The toast was nice, thick well toasted, well buttered too, the water was clean and...it was water.  If Shizu looked more around this room, it was clearly a cave.  Not unusual for Hueco Mundo.  This meant they weren't in one of the cities, well they probably weren't in one of the cities which also wasn't that unusual.  The light though came from a lamp set on a fancy dresser on the other side of the 'room' from the bed, the kind one brought camping with its own internal battery supply. 

There were some pleasant paintings hung up around the room too...and a statue of a woman holding a bouquet of flowers to her chest in one corner and...the decorations were a bit...eclectic, but there were decorations.  No sign of Rabirria though but she was clearly somewhere in this home of hers.

[Smiley]

Slowly waking from dreamless sleep, the murky lump in the pile of pillows stirred. Her arms reached straight up. Defying gravity, she sat up stiffly like a long-dead corpse. She looked like death warmed over. Her hair was a wild mess, sticking out in random directions. A raspy groan scratched at her throat. “Graaaah...! Hack eugh gah bleh...” A coughing fit stopped her dead in her tracks. Her tongue felt like sandpaper...

Shizu blinked with one eye. The other one had crusted shut. She took in the unfamiliar surroundings one glimpse at a time. Last night was a messy stain on her mental notebook. She vaguely recalled meeting... Someone? And singing with them? Then she had said... Something and... A-and... Gah, she just couldn’t make out the details from the foggy blur.

The gloomy goth’s nose twitched. Something smelled good... The lovely scent drew her attention to the tray next to her. Tentatively, she lifted the cloth... And found a pile of treasure! Drool dripped from between her sharp teeth. With a shaky hand, she reached for the note next to the edible gold. Who was so kind...?

Reading the note jogged the lonely ghost’s memory. Rabirria! Miss Jester! Yes, she recalled now. They had gone to karaoke together. Sure, the details were still hazy, but she distinctly remembered having a great time. She had told something... Something... To the jester too, but the details still escaped her.

Hunger clawed at the ghastly woman’s insides. She wasted no time in devouring the entire pile. It sounded like someone was stuffing bread into a garbage disposal. Crumbs sprayed all over the bed. She washed it all down with one huge gulp. When it came to eating, she was something of an expert...

Once the undead lady had finished the first course, she staggered out of the bed. Shyly she wandered around, admiring the lovely cave. It had a dresser, a lamp and everything. For someone who was used to haunting abandoned buildings, this felt like a palace. She took her time appreciating the art, especially the statue. “Pretty...” She mumbled beneath her breath to no one in particular.

Eventually, the pale zombie peeked nervously from the cave. She glanced around, searching for those signs mentioned by the nice note. After a moment of gathering courage, she dared to step out. Finding Miss Rabirria was the first thing on her mind. She had to thank her friend properly. A-and apologize in case she had done anything unsightly last night...

---

Post 1
freshstrawberries

[freshstrawberries]

It was hard to say if Rabirria had made this herself, but it was definitely at least from a bakery, someone had made this bread by hand.  It was a good appetizer, and toast and a tall glass of water were some of the best ways to deal with a hangover if someone had one.  The room was nice, and that lamp was just bright enough to see easily enough without being so bright it would aggravate a headache.  If Shizu looked up there was an actual lightbulb hanging from the ceiling and wires fixed to the roof of the cave that went out of the room.  The door was just a bead curtain, but it was thick enough to not be seethrough.

Heading out, she'd find a tunnel, this was a cave network, maybe just a small one but multiple caves at least.  There were lights strung up on the roof, and they were set to a very dim setting, enough for her to see the piece of cardboard fixed to the wall opposite her door at least.  Once again it had pink ink to scrawl on it.

'Company and more food (assuming you're still hungry) this way!

R~'

Below the text was a big pink arrow pointing which way down the tunnel to go.  The tunnel itself had more paintings, some movie posters, and a few small recesses carved out to set things like a bust or vase.  Where had she gotten all this stuff?  She'd pass another doorway with a bead curtain but at that point she'd be able to smell more food, the unmistakable scent of bacon among other things, but that was the most powerful.  It wasn't coming from that room but further down the tunnel and if she kept going?

She'd hit a rough approximation of...it was like if someone carved out a living room and kitchenette combo out of a cave and didn't do quite enough to polish it up.  There was a sofa, a set of armchairs, behind the couch was a dining table with chairs around it.  No TV but there was a big stand with a projector and a laptop set up next to it, and a big screen against the wall that one could project onto.  Part of the cave had been carved out, shaped so that the counter was just the natural stone, the sides rough but the surfaces polished and smooth.  No actual stove of course, but portable camping stoves and a fireplace with tools nearby for cooking over it.  On the dining table were a set of platters with silver domes covering them, the smell of bacon coming from the dishes used to cook, but the food was undoubtedly under there. 

As for Rabirria she was in an armchair, newspaper in one hand, a mug of what smelled like coffee in the other.  "Ahhh you're awake!  Honestly thought you might be sleeping a bit longer.  How are you feeling?"  There was friendly enthusiasm in her voice, but she kept it pitched low just in case, "Head hurt at all?"

[Smiley]

Sneaking around with soundless steps, Shizu occasionally sniffed the air tentatively. She was being lured by the scent of something enticing... Without it, she probably would’ve gotten lost. In fact, she had almost walked the other way, before noticing the helpful sign. A little embarrassed, she shuffled in the offered direction.

Along the way, the anxious ghost’s gaze swept the walls. So many treasures and trophies had been gathered here... It was rather overwhelming and intimidating for someone who owned nothing, besides the clothes on her and a weapon concealed within them. Even those were more of... Manifested parts of her... Well, it was a long story, one that most Arrancars knew already.

Finally, the creeping shadow found the source of the scent. She was astonished by the room. It must’ve taken a great effort to carve and collect all this... Hunger clawed her insides distractingly. She stared at the mysterious silver domes with glassy eyes. Yeeesss... Something smelled heavenly...

Shizu visibly flinched, when a familiar voice addressed her. She cast a startled glance at the friendly face. “A-ah... M-miss Rabirria... I... didn’t see you there...” Sheepishly, she dropped her gaze to the floor. Hm, yes, the floor seemed so very interesting right now.

The gloomy goth twiddled her fingers nervously. “I-I... feel like I died last night...” Her answer didn’t quite match the fond, little smile forming on her features. “It felt... nice...” A wistful sigh left her lips. She was only mildly disappointed to wake and find herself still alive. ...Sort of, anyway. These days, it was hard to tell where life ended and death began.

Speaking of last night...

Unfortunately, deep fog still covered Shizu’s memories like a gray blanket. “Um... A-about last night... Did I... Did we... Uh... Erm...” Before she could finish the stammering sense sentence, a loud growl crawled from the depths of her gut. It sounded like a caged beast thrashing about. She promptly flared bright red.

---

Post 2
freshstrawberries

[freshstrawberries]

Rabirria wasn't dressed the same as last night, or perhaps it was more accurate to say she was dressed in less.  All her jewelry was gone, as was that pretty pink robe and the belt that kept it on.  It made it much easier to see the hollow hole where her navel should be.  It also made the winding golden snake tattoo on her left arm a lot more visible and prominent.  Her bright pink hair was also down, messily strewn down her shoulders. 

"Heh, yeah drinking has that effect on people."  Her eyes shifted like they did when someone was smiling, but of course that leering skull mask didn't shift at all.  She folded the newspaper and set it aside on the arm of the chair as Shizu started stuttering in an attempt to ask an important question.  "Let's see, last night we got extremely drunk, sang a bunch of songs, some employees threw salt at us thinking it would exorcise us and overall had a pretty good time."

Whether Shizu remembered that little confession or not, or whether she wanted to pretend she had, Rabirria would play along regardless.  People said all sorts of things when they were drunk after all.  "There's food on the table under the domes.  Bacon, eggs, sausage, and hashbrowns.  I don't know if there's one of those you don't like so they're on separate plates."  There were indeed four platters and domes, there was also a big pitcher of water and another of orange juice. 

"Help yourself."

[Smiley]

The fashion contrast between the two Arrancar was stark, to put it mildly. Shizu looked -and felt- like a mangy alley cat that had taken a tumble in a dryer. The stench of alcohol clung to her like a thin veil. She rubbed her crusty eye enough to pry it open.

Much to the anxious visitor’s relief, her new friend didn’t seem to mind. In fact, it sounded like last night had been fun for both of them. And nothing... untoward... had happened. “Oh thank goodness...” She sighed beneath her breath. A small smile found its way onto her features. “I do recall enjoying your company so much that I... uh... N-never mind...” She quickly clamped her big mouth shut, before it could blurt out anything embarrassing.

Fortunately, the best kind of distraction was provided just then. The hungry ghost didn’t need to be told twice. In fact, the mere mention of the delectable breakfast foods set off a waterfall of drool. She didn’t really have any foods she couldn’t or wouldn’t eat. Rather, food was the question and the answer was yes.

Shizu shuffled over to the table, occasionally glancing at Rabirria. She was trying to read the jester, to check if it truly was okay. However, her hunger quickly overpowered her anxiety. She peeked beneath the first dome and was struck with the scent of fresh bacon. It was enough to bring tears to her eyes. “T-thank you...!” She sniffled and sat down.

Then...

A massacre ensued.

Calling it eating would’ve been an understatement. The ravenous ghoul devoured the breakfast. Opening unnaturally wide, her jaws chomped like a bear trap. The monstrously sharp teeth tore through every last morsel. Not a single egg or sausage managed to escape. It looked like she ate one of the plates too...

After slaughtering the breakfast, the monstrous girl took a swig of juice and let out a satisfied sigh. “Ahhhh... Heavenly...” It was a little odd... Usually, she still craved a soul or two after a meal... But right now, she felt blissfully full. Perhaps there was something more to this place. Or maybe the Fate’s Favored Fool was also an amazing chef. Could be either, really.

---

Post 3
freshstrawberries

[freshstrawberries]

"That you...?"  Rabirria asked trailing off deliberately.  Thank goodness she had that hollow mask for a jaw, otherwise the huge smirk would probably give away that she fully knew what had happened.  Still Rabirria wasn't going to push too hard, just that cheeky little question because it was fun, and besides Shizu had something else to occupy her mind.

The girl could eat, Rabirria would give her that, that was an impressive display, enough to get her eyebrows climbing up to her hair line as she just watched the other arrancar devour practically every last crumb.  It made her want to ask if Shizu planned to lick the plates clean but, "Damn, someone was hungry."

She'd hop up from her chair and walk over, a hand on the table so she could lean against it, the other on her hip.  "So!  What now?  We're in a bit of an unusual spot of the ol' Hueco, so if you've got a place of your own you probably won't be able to get there from here on your own.  Of course, you don't gotta leave, but I'm ready to help when you need to."

[Smiley]

While recovering from the feast, Shizu shyly reached for one of the bacon plates. She was about to lap up the leftover grease, when the sudden comment stopped her. Meekly, she set the plate back down. “I-I am almost always hungry...” Almost was the keyword here. Usually she only felt this satisfied after eating a particularly potent soul. It tugged at her curiosity, but she didn’t know how to put it into a question.

The gloomy goth was entirely unprepared for the follow-up question. Eyes widening, she simply gasped for words like a beached fish. “O-oh, uh, um, erm, I uhhh... D-do not have... a place of my own...” She eventually managed to stammer, with a great helping of quiet shame. The closest thing to a home she had was an abandoned building she haunted back in the world of the living.

Scampering up, the embarrassed ghoul went to gather her belongings. “B-but I shall leave post-haste. I do not wish to be a bother.” She fumbled for a couple of seconds, before realizing she didn’t have any belongings.

However, there was still one thing weighing heavily on the eerie lady’s mind. “Um... A-about last night...” She honestly didn’t know how to word this. Unfortunately, her mouth was already on it. “I h-had a lot of fun. T-thank you.” She blurted out. For a moment, she almost scolded herself, before figuring she truly meant it. “A-and if there is anything at all I can do to repay your kindness, I am yours.” ...Stupid mouth.

---

Post 4
freshstrawberries

[freshstrawberries]

"Hey nothing wrong with being hungry...pretty sure a lot of arrancar are, it's like one of the key defining features of hollowdom or whatever."  Rabirria replied, as unphased as ever as she stayed leaning against the table, watching Shizu.

However, her eyes did widen in surprise when Shizu said she didn't have a place to stay.  "What?  Seriously?  Damn I knew the real estate situation in the cities wasn't ideal, but damn.  Well that sucks but...huh?"  Shizu's sudden insistence to leave and not bother Rabirria also took the pink arrancar by surprise.

"Whoa, whoa, hey hold on!  You don't gotta just bail pal."  Fortunately Rabirria would get her opportunity to try and coax Shizu to not just throw herself out into the vast desert when Shizu found herself expressing her thanks for the time and giving another offer.  There it was.

In a heartbeat Rabirria was suddenly in front of Shizu, and rather close.  One hand was up and forward as if pressing against a wall, like a kabedon.  Of course there was just empty air behind Shizu, but the same principle that let Rabirria make solid air to stand on let her make a teeny little wall for her hand to press against. "Well in that case, you can prevent my guilty conscience from kicking in by staying as a guest until you get a place of your own to stay."

[Smiley]

Before the shy ghost could slink away, the speedy trickster closed the distance in a blink. Even for someone who knew a little Sonido herself, the speed was unbelievable. She froze like a deer in headlights. Her wide-eyed stare slowly scaled up the lithe figure. Higher and higher... Somehow, the height difference felt a lot bigger than only three inches...

Instinctively, Shizu tried to press herself against the wall behind her... Except that the wall wasn’t really there. So she just kind of ended up leaning back stiffly. Holding her breath, she gazed into the pink eyes expectantly. Even the empty hole in her chest was throbbing with strange anticipation.

The generous offer left the creepy girl speechless. She opened her mouth to say... Something? Nothing actually came out. She wanted to protest, to insist that she couldn’t possibly do that... But at the same time, she wanted to accept it with her utmost gratitude. Never had anyone offered her a place to stay, least of all one of her own kind. Usually, any encounter ended in violence...

By now, the distracted ghoul had leaned so far back that she suddenly lost her balance. Her legs kicked up, as she hit the floor with a yelp and a thud. “Eep-! Oof...” She rubbed her head tenderly. Luckily, the biggest blow was to her self-esteem. And that thing was already in a million pieces, so... No harm done.

Scampering back up, the eerie Arrancar hurried to bow her head. “T-thank you...!” It was the first thing that popped to her mind. “I... shall repay this kindness... I swear it...” Granted, she had no idea how to do that. Lifting her gaze again, she instead voiced another question that had been bugging her for a while.

“Um... W-what is this... Ol' Hueco...?”

She wasn’t all that familiar with the Hollow lingo.

---

Post 5
freshstrawberries

[freshstrawberries]

It took tremendous willpower on Rabirria's part to not burst out laughing when Shizu toppled over and hit her head on the floor, but she managed it.  Truly she deserved a medal for her restraint.  Instead she leaned down slightly and offered a hand to help Shizu up.  "Hey, hey you okay?"  She probably was, arrancar were pretty durable folk after all, what with the hierro and everything. 

Her gambit had worked though and Shizu would be staying here, for at least a little while.  That was good, no one deserved to have to sleep out in the wilderness, against their will specifically.  However the question that Shizu had after her acceptance caught Rabirria completely off guard.  Her hollow jaw actually dropped open briefly before it snapped with a click.  "Yeah sorry, Ol' Hueco's just my weird little way of referring to Hueco Mundo?  The...dimension most hollow and arrancar live and operate out of?"

She...she had to know what Hueco Mundo was, right?

[Smiley]

Rabirria’s answer was met with a blank stare from Shizu. The mention of Hueco Mundo garnered no response. Even the elaboration failed to elicit a reaction. An awkward silence settled between them. There wasn’t a single thought behind those big eyes...

Eventually, though, the jammed mental gears clicked. The gloomy goth gasped with a sudden sense of understanding. “...O-oh, you mean the eternal desert.” Yes, she was at least aware that her kin frequented a place beyond the mortal realm. Usually her visits were brief. And violent. Didn’t leave much room for sightseeing.

Donning an awkward excuse of a smile, the lonely ghoul did something unthinkable... She tried to relate. “S-sooo... Hueco Mundo? The good Ol’ Hueco. T-that is what the, uh, hip and happening Hollows call it, yes?” For a moment there, she sounded about six decades older than she looked.

Desperate to salvage the situation, the anxious Arrancar poked her fingers together. “I... uh... have never seen much of it... O-only the desert which never seems to end...” She cast a hopeful look at her more experienced friend. “S-so... Could you... perhaps... s-show me all the, um, coolest haunts?” She wasn’t all that familiar with any lingo, actually. Least of all the cool Hollow lingo.

---

Post 6
freshstrawberries

[freshstrawberries]

The Eternal Desert?  It wasn't that it was an inappropriate name, but who the hell called it that?  Rabirria had no idea what to think of this, and combined with the girl having no home Rabirria was starting to wonder if Shizu knew anything about Mundo at all.

"I'm pretty sure it's been called that since forever..."  Rabirria said slowly, one hand rubbing the bottom jaw of her mask.  "Sooo...serious question.  Do you know who the Hollow King is?  Do you know that there is a Hollow King?"

It felt like such a crazy thing to ask, like surely no arrancar could go around not knowing about Dantemus and his empire!  Entire generations of arrancar had been born under his rule, Rabirria was one of them!  Yet she had a sneaking suspicion that she already knew what Shizu's answer was going to be...

[Smiley]

Perhaps it was a little rude to answer a question with another question. In Shizu’s defense, her response answered both queries all the same. “T-there is a Hollow King?” As evident by her wide-eyed wonder, this was all news to her. She was completely out of the loop. A vague image, like a crayon doodle of a Hollow with a crown, popped into her mind.

Up until now, the gloomy goth never really had a chance to simply stop and chat with one of her kind. Usually it was just a violent race to see who would devour whom... So, presented with an invaluable opportunity, she found her curiosity piqued. Countless questions swirled inside her head.

Naturally, only the most important ones bubbled to the surface...

Suddenly, the ghastly girl twitched and leaned far too close. Stepping on the air allowed her to close the height gap. “Is he s-single?” She blurted out. Even if he wasn’t, well, she refused to abandon hope all that easily.

Without giving the jester much room to respond, the weird ghoul pressed the matter. “Does his court have an opening for a Queen? A mistress? A maid?” Someone with a vivid imagination could practically see her standards dropping... Until the delusions flared again. “A-princess-who-is-not-actually-blood-related-so-it-is-totally-okay?” By the end of the barrage of dubious questions, she was huffing heavily. Her eyes burned with peculiar madness... Ooor maybe that was desperation and loneliness. Hard to say.

---

Post 7
freshstrawberries

[freshstrawberries]

Given Shizu's focus on love and romance perhaps Rabirria should have seen this line of questioning coming.  However for some reason she hadn't been expecting it.  Perhaps her knowledge of Dantemus and the Espada had clouded her reasoning, prevented her from considering how someone who didn't know about any of that might respond. 

It was very, very hard to not burst out laughing, which was probably why Rabirria failed to not do that.  Her hands went to her stomach and her hollow jaws actually unhinged as she started laughing helplessly, she could feel tears forming in her eyes as she struggled to get herself under control, taking a huge deep breath as her jaws closed with an audible click, her breathing deep and heavy trying to stifle more giggles.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I don't..."  She cleared her throat, "I don't mean to be rude, it's just...look.  King Dantemus is..."  Rabirria put her palms together, fingers splayed out.  "Not the most pleasant fellow.  Rulership of his kingdom is him at the top and his Ten Espada ruling over parcels of his kingdom.  If you really want to try wooing him, your best bet would probably be aiming for taking the spot of one of the top three Espada, which fortunately not hard to tell, they're ranked from 1-10 based on the amount of power they have.  Honestly not sure if the guy has a queen...or any interest in romance at all."