Life is a battle

"Noted. Though I'll admit it seems like it suits you much better than it does me." He had that sex appeal about him that was raw and unbothered. Having a piercing like that simply added to that she thought. Halibel did really want to feel what that was like. Her mind was being awfully uncooperative with her it seemed like. "That is awfully sweet of you to say. I am glad that I would stay in your favor, Grimmjow. I always want to make sure--that all of my customers---have the utmost best experience when they sit with me." Grimmjow especially. She would certainly do her best to keep him entertained and charmed at her table.

It'd be pretty hard for her to lose his favor, actually. She was gorgeous and smart, easy to talk to. She was checking all his boxes. Of course, he knew that getting into a relationship could be dangerous with a high profile Yakuza such as himself, but that was fine. It wasn't the idea at the moment anyway. A relationship? Him? Please. "Yer the one I picked because out of everyone who was available on that list of yers at the front, yer the one who stood out." Gender didn't matter to him, she could have been a man and he'd still have sat with her without any sort of issue.

Touch it? Ichigo felt his face briefly blush at the idea of touching him. Sure, they casually touched each other. A brief hug or casual things like that. But an intentional caress on that sexy chest? Ichigo briefly wondered if he was even worthy of touching that plane. Obviously there was a reason he was so successful as a model. He would reach oh so casually and trace along his upper chest. "Wow. You really gotta teach me your work-out routine. You're like super chiseled you know." He would tell him, eyes obviously drinking in his physique as if he hadn't seen it before.

He chuckled at Ichigo's words about his chest and wanting to know his workout routine. "I can show ya what I do when we go to the gym together. Somethin' tells me it'll work pretty good for ya too." Ichigo's trunk was thicker than his own, he'd been told he had a 'snatched' waist that made most women jealous, but the routine he used wasn't something built for women. It was built for a healthy young man. Such as himself and Ichigo. It'd help Ichigo build muscle if he really wanted to do so. "I'm just imaginin' us goin' to the public pool, and ya havin' to do somethin' to keep people away from me. Not that ya would need to. I'll just grab ya and make out with ya in front of the whole group of other students from the campus." They'd know the stay away from him after that, right?

"Nah I'm fine with being shirtless. I mean I do sometimes do my morning runs shirtless sometimes. Plenty of people have seen me like this." He would declare with a bold cross of his arms. Though he won't lie--his eyes were briefly wandering around the span of Grimmjow's exposed chest. Sue him, he knew that his best friend--now boyfriend--was insanely attractive. Many of the girls and even guys he would talk to would often ask if Grimmjow was seeing anyone. Ichigo had never been that popular--resting angry bitch face--and all that. "Besides if your my boyfriend now, then you should get use to you know---seeing my bare chest right? It's your chest now too."

They really were roommates now too. Well, dormmates, but it was all the same in the end when anyone thought about it. "We really should start runnin' together like I said before. Now we have a bit of an excuse. Let people ogle us shirtless but knowin' they can't touch us." He'd grin and wink at his boyfriend before he went back in for more of that cake. He was going to have to find some nice recipes for cakes like this one. It was cheaper in the end to buy the ingredients and make cakes homemade but there were times where they wouldn't want to bake. So buying one was just fine.

"Just like mine is also yers. Ya can touch it or whatever ya want." He'd lick his fork to get the chocolate and cherry flavor off before eating another bite of the cake. He was savoring it. It was very enjoyable. It was well made too, the frosting didn't leave a weird film on his tongue which meant the market made the stuff in house. "I can give ya massages and draw ya baths, whatever ya need, Ichigo. I'll be there for ya as yer boyfriend." Sure, he'd offered those things even when they were just best friends, but that was beside the point. Now he had a real excuse. They were dating.

"Once upon a time, I thought about---getting such a piercing. But I was talked out of it. Now I'm thinking I should've gone through with it." But this was years ago, when she was younger than she was now. She did have some piercings, along the cartilage of her ears but nowhere else. She hears his words and only nods. Of course this was her job--to push the companionship. But she also was realistic that not all of her customers could always sit with her. She also saw plenty of fresh faces as well. One's that would soon become regulars and so on.

While he was a Yakuza, even he knew that having top quality food and drink offerings helped to boost popularity. Mostly by word of mouth. That was how he'd heard of this place. It was a friend of his, one of his men, who mentioned it. Told him the name and location and that he should check it out, so he had. He wasn't disappointed at all.

"It ain't for everyone. Ya would be able to pull it off, but ya would have to keep good care of it while it healed up." He'd had his done since he was a teenager. Seventeen years old was when he'd gotten it. Now, in his twenties he still had it. It was nice. He liked it which was why he'd kept it. He would be coming by at least three times weekly but during the costume week he'd try and come by each day. As long as he could swing it. He'd get through his workload as quickly and efficiently as he could so he could show up and see her in those costumes she was talking about.

"Grow bored of ya? I don't think that's possible, gorgeous. Yer by far, the most interestin' person I've talked to lately. There's no way I'll get bored." She was too interesting. Playful too. He liked that. He liked both. He wanted to stick around and get to know her more. Let her get to know him better too. He knew the moment she got his shirt and jacket off of him she'd realize he was far more than just a normal man. Most everyone knew Yakuza ink on sight. He just had to hope it didn't scare her off. "I'm gonna come that full week. I wanna see ya in those outfits. I wanna hang with ya while yer in them too."

     “ Shame, that, ” they purred, pulling one such treat from their bag to pop into their mouth. A shrug is given in response as they turn to walk properly when he gives his response, their eyes running over to see just what was near them. 

     This place certainly had a lot of things they'd want to see more of. Maybe if they picked up what they needed sooner, they could do a bit of exploring. Getting medicine was easy enough, after all. They had the eye for what was important and what might just be useless.

     A nod is given in response to Sampo's plan and they pull up their phone to get a map of the place up once more. Best to plan the route in their head so they're not wandering or getting lost. For as fun as wandering could be for a Fool, work came first. Funny, wasn't it? To think of work while being among one of their own number. Usually that was the furthest thing from their mind when it came to being around other fools. Not a one of that lot wanted to work for even a second, Eros was sure. Yet, the vidyadhara had dedicated much of their life to the work they did. It was important, after all. Life saving. 

     Suppose it was just further proof that they weren't the typical Fool most thought of. Even if one didn't take their version of Elation into account.

The reason he'd chosen to grab the bandages, cloth, and other things like that were due to him not really knowing what was needed medicine wise. He wasn't exactly bad at choosing things but there was a chance he'd pick the wrong strength. Or the entirely wrong medicine. As a Fool, he was bound to make mistakes on purpose, which made them intentional mistakes. He wouldn't do that to Eros and Natasha though.

Some Fools enjoyed celebrating their version of Elation by drinking. Some by eating. While there were plenty who had similarities to one another in how they partook of their Elation, not everyone was very similar. Some weren't even overly liked by many of the other Fools. For good reason.

His next question made her smile then and feeling a bit less shy, Misaki gave a nod and replied joyfully. "Oh, it really is and yes, while it takes a lot longer to get the degree than other fields, I think it'll be all worth it in the end. Especially when I will finally see all the happy and relieved people thanks to my help in the future." Money had never been her primary incentive for choosing medicine. Misaki's only wish was to help others and make a positive difference for her community. She then raised an eyebrow upon learning that he'd studied a lot of things, feeling impressed by the wide range of specialties he studies. "If I didn't know any better, I would've assumed you wanted to pursue medicine too going by everything you've just listed. Sounds like you've got an in-depth knowledge of skin health and you're very passionate about this area of art that involves it!" Misaki nodded in approval, feeling her admiration for the artist grow the more they spoke and she learnt new things about him. "What made you choose art though, if you've learnt so much that could've led you on a medical path?"

"You've also got a sister?" Her surprise and curiosity were getting aroused more and more, Misaki feeling unable to hold back her desire of asking more about her new friend, especially learning that his sister might be studying at the same University as her. "She lives in the same town as us? Then yeah, there could be a high possibility that we study in the same campus. I have quite a lot of friends my age and a year or two older who come from a wide range of profiles and specialties." For some odd reason though, her first thought upon trying to imagine Grimmjow's sister to check if she might've known her already happened to be her best friend, Nelliel. There was something about her that kind of reminded her of Grimmjow, like the shape of the eyes or the fact that she too was part foreigner. "It might sound strange, but you remind me a lot of my best friend who's also studying art, but hers is in fashion design. She's very friendly and bold just like you, ready to jump to help those in need."

"I know. But I will give it some thought since the sapphires you mentioned really stuck with me. I do like the color blue a lot, so maybe I'll give them a try." She already owned a lot of other blue items in her wardrobe she could assort this kind of earrings with. Even the floral dress she'd been wearing before getting soaking wet by the rainstorm was a shade of baby blue that went really well with her beautiful ocean blue eyes. Even if other people hadn't appreciated the color of her eyes in the past, that didn't mean that Misaki hated it. The fact that there was someone, like Grimmjow, who thought her eyes were worth accentuating because of their color was a positive reason to do so. "In the past I was bullied because of the color of my eyes, but the fact that there are also people like you who complimented them makes me wanna hide them less." Looking in the mirror, Misaki smiled happily at the sight of her newly pierced ears, the heart-shaped studs adding a subtle yet elegant touch to her look. "They look beautiful! Thank you!"

Owning such a beautiful car model had all the reasons to be proud of and the fact that Grimmjow was able to not only keep up with the high maintenance, but also paid it in full price already was an impressive feat in of itself. It meant that his business was already doing good and he had the potential of becoming someone big. Just hearing him talk about his car like that made her feel proud of him for having such amazing accomplishments.

"Alright, then you can call me Misaki too, I don't care much about formalities. Plus, now we are friends so it's alright." And she wasn't saying it just out of being Nice. Misaki really began seeing Grimmjow as a new friend she would've loved to spend more time with and continue learning new things about him. Although the circumstances of their first meeting were a bit on the weirder side, Misaki could already see this evolving to become a close and great friendship. "I know, I won't be rushing it, but it felt right letting you know about it, since you are a tattoo artist and so you could aid me in the process." Grimmjow wasn't wrong at all to assume that he'd played somewhat of a major role into what got her interested into the topic of getting a tattoo for herself. But her decision wasn't a means to impress or flatter him, she wasn't someone like that. His entrance in her life was just a mere catalyst that sparked her curiosity and intrigue into the topic after seeing the many beautiful tattoo designs displayed in his studio. "Where did you make your first tattoo?"

It was actually ironic how much they'd already learnt about one another before the two of them even met and all because Nelliel had a pension of talking a lot about the important people in her life. They probably both knew more about the other than they'd even realized, but since the bubble green-haired girl had the tendency to leave out the important bits that would help identify who she was talking about. Some of the things Misaki knew about Nell's mysterious brother was that he was her twin, older by a few minutes, that he was tall and very handsome and that he was into edgy stuff and had a very artistic side to himself (which could've meant anything from drawing, sculpture and even music). "I've started doing morning jogs as a means to maintain myself healthy after my last surgery. Growing up I was a very sickly child who couldn't do much, but thanks to the current advancements in medicine, I was able to correct the birth defect that had prevented me from doing a lot of things growing up." Other people might've felt apprehensive about sharing such sensitive details about themselves with a new acquaintance, but not Misaki. She felt comfortable talking about herself with Grimmjow, especially sharing her newly discovered lust for life and living in the moment.

"Then that's the perfect opportunity to try the best ramen you'd had yet. I promise you that you won't regret entrusting me with this!" Misaki's eyes sparked with vitality and excitement as she gave him a playful wink. She'd take him to eat the best ramen in town and share with him a location not many knew about. "Depending on if there are any free tables, we could either eat there or at my place. If we end up going back to mine, I could also make us some warm refreshing tea." The rainy weather might make people seek retreat at the restaurant tables, so chances were they might have to take the takeout. But since Grimmjow didn't seem to have any issues to coming to her place, it wouldn't be an issue. "They actually are one of the very few restaurants who have spicy levels from one to five, with five being deathly spicy levels of goodness." If it wasn't apparent by now, Misaki was a huge fan of spicy foods herself.

What made him choose art? "Guess I figured out that I liked creatin' things more than what I was studyin'. The things I listed off I studied after changin' my major to art, not before." He could still become a doctor if that was what he wanted to do with his life. He was happy though. Making art. Placing the stencils onto the people who liked the pieces and then inking them in. "To become a tattooist like me, ya gotta study all those lectures I took. Ya need to know muscle, blood vessel, and nerve locations. Not to mention ya gotta know CPR and first aid, plus how to use that little machine." Not that anything had led to him needing to use any of that knowledge. He had it in his head and at the end of the day that'd be all that mattered.

"Yeah, she's a little younger than me. Not by much though." If he was asked to elaborate he'd explain that they were twins and she was five minutes younger than him. He went about getting things put away or sanitized if needed, then dried and put up. While she spoke and posed her questions. "Yeah, she's why I moved back here." He'd mentioned earlier that he'd moved back into town, he was originally from here, or something. Then he'd left to study abroad only to come back because he wanted to be sure his sister was safe. He never said that to Misaki though. He wasn't sure what his sister was studying, he'd never asked, he figured that she'd tell him at some point.

"Well, whatever ya wind up choosin' will fit ya I'm sure. Ya clearly have a good eye for fashion since ya picked an outfit that looks like it was made for ya." The clothing fit her just right not too form fitting or too loose, it looked comfortable. Which he hoped it was. He'd already told her to keep it, there was no reason for her to try paying for the clothing when it was there for people who needed it. Such as she had due to the rain. "I've never understood why people bully those who look different to them. It ain't right." A frown crossed his features. Gone was any relaxed smile or gentle expression. He wasn't fond of bullies, he never had been and he never would be.

Her telling him that she too wasn't overly fond of the use of formalities made him chuckle and shake his head. "Most people look at me like I'm insane when I tell them I don't like honorifics bein' used on me." Maybe it was because he'd been gone for so many years, who could really say? He certainly couldn't. Hearing her say she wasn't going to rush the decision was good. So he nodded in response to that. It's not like he'd let her just rush to pick something anyway. The first tattoo was usually special in some way. It was the gateway one, the one opening the body to becoming a canvas. "My first was this jaguar." He'd show her the large predator on his forearm.

Hearing about her birth defect surprised him. Most people wouldn't talk about such things with someone they'd only known for a few hours. Yet, Misaki had just come right out with it like it was a normal topic of conversation. "I like goin' on jogs and runs myself. Usually pretty early in the mornin'." Typically far too early for most people. Since he got up well before the sun was going to rise to get a nice run in while it was cool out. Before the summer heat spiked and made it feel like running through soup.

"Of that, I have no doubts," the bemusement seeps within Juushiro's tone, eyes glistened playfully allowing the liquid to run down his throat and shuddered with pleasure at the burn. Shunsui always had exceptional taste when it came to choosing sake.

His fingers held the glass, seeing the reflection of view dancing within the sake. "I do," he says, there's a warmth that's only ever reserved for Shunsui whenever they are alone like this, taking a deep breath and found his body filled. Leaning against him with an arm snaking around his bicep.

They had no risk of being seen, not that it'd matter if they were or not. Everyone knew to leave the two of them to their own devices. Unless they called for more company. Then they could join them. Other than that, they simply wished to spend time together without interruptions.