You Show The Lights That Stop Me Turn to Stone

[snowwhitesoul]

Characters: Kuchiki Rukia, Kurosaki Ichigo, Shiro, Kuchiki Byakuya, Kuchiki Hisana, and maybe more
When: Jan. 16th
Where: Gentleman Jims, aka Headquarters of Abax Blanket Fortress Construction, Inc, aka the Bleach Blanket Fort.
What: Belated Birthday shenanigans. 
Open or Closed: Open
Rating: PG-13

Between recovering from near death via poison, two very

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[scorchingheaven]

Madsen had slept pretty hard after everything, mostly so that her body could have the time to destroy the remaining poison in her system. It was still weird adjusting to the fact that thanks to Nithal's power transfer, she actually had a regeneration rate. Granted it probably wouldn't save her from some severe hits, but with time, maybe.

Right now, though, she's sitting up in her own little section, blankets wrapped around her waist, hair tied back loosely, and looked as if she were in some sort of meditation. It was surprising, she wasn't much of one to meditate usually, but after everything that had happened, she found herself doing it at intermittent periods. Perhaps it was some sort of lasting influence from Nithal after all.

[snowwhitesoul]

The rest of the store is quiet, most of its members sick and recovering, or exhausted from the worry and care of their housemates. Its something Rukia took advantage of in order to sneak out of her cube and raid the pantry. There wasn't a tremendous amount of food there, but there is a box of off-brand pop tarts. Taking a foil-wrapped pair, she grabs a bottle of water and tip toes back out into the store proper to devour her meal.

Half way into opening the wrapping, she glances over at the half-open door leading to Masden-san's cubicle. Curious, she stands up, padding over to the door to close it when she sees the half-dozing scion inside. A twitch of sympathy flickered in her - Tsunade-san had seen to her healing, but Madsen-san...

Carefully, Rukia goes to shut the door, wincing when the hinges creak.

[scorchingheaven]

Her eyes snap open at the creak, but her expression immediately softens when she sees Rukia there. "S'alright, just meditating a bit."

Her cubicle was bare for the most part, just some blankets and clothes she had hoarded folded into piles, along with the crowbar that Shiro had found for her leaning against a wall. Though it was a bit difficult to personalize this sort of place when there really was no way to personalize it.

[snowwhitesoul]

"Sorry."

Madsen's cubicle was sparse in comparison to the one she shared with the boys. Theirs had shelves, hanging arms for planting pots supporting some battery powered hurricane lamps and strings of tinsel pinned to the walls to give it some sort of decor. Maybe she should offer Madsen some, maybe see if she wanted shelves and such as well.

"I didn't mean to disturb you."

[scorchingheaven]

"It's fine, it's fine. Not like I was going to make a habit of doing nothing but meditating anyway." She waved a dismissive hand. Though you could suppose another reason for the sparse environment had to do with the face that Madsen never really had much to decorate with in the first place. Moving around constantly while fighting didn't give much chance to personalize either.

"How're you holding up? I know the boys have been acting like mother hens, but they're just idiots like that."

[snowwhitesoul]

"They're sleeping now, thank goodness."

The Kuchiki practiced austerity like a religion. Even her brother's suite was spartan and spare of decorations, and her room was no different. There were closets for practical storage and a table for a mirror and a few books, but she was expected to keep nothing else out in the open an that meant that nothing else could really be kept there.

Ducking into the room, Rukia slowly draws the door closed so as to not wake the pair of lay-abouts on the floor just a few feet away. The second they awoke, they were going to be all over her with the mother henning again.

"Im fine. My strength is not what it was, but I feel much better. You?"

[scorchingheaven]

"Burned out the last of it, I think. Definitely not 100%, but definitely better than I was. Guess I have Nithal to thank for the quick recovery-"

Oh.

Crap.

She told Ichigo about what had happened with Nithal back home, but she hadn't mentioned hide nor hair of the phoenix to anyone else since then. She fell silent, clenching a fist. "Might end up starting to do kata again in the next day or so. Depends on how I'm feeling."

[snowwhitesoul]

Rukia, at first blush, had taken it to mean that the fire spirit was still dwelling within her, and had assisted in her recovery as Sode no Shirayuki did. But the sudden silence and the tension that suddenly wracked her frame, was an alarm that there was more to that statement than she'd guessed at. And for a split second after, Rukia didn't say a word either.

But then, she took the other pastry out of her package and offered it to Madsen. Strawberry with sprinkles and white frosting.

"If you'd like to spar, let me know. I could do to keep in practice myself."

You don't have to explain yourself to me.

[scorchingheaven]

The whole situation wasn't as bad as it could be, but at the same time, she wasn't used to having to mention one way or another about the phoenix's fate. Hence why she tensed up every time there was some sort of mention.

"I'll probably take you up on that once I get started."

[snowwhitesoul]

"Good, I wonder how long we can get away with it before those two show up." She's smirking, though, because...really, the two of them would throw fits over a paper cut if they felt like it threatened someone. "Even if this place hasn't inundated us with monsters, I'd still like to keep my skills sharp. Especially if what I've been told about the shadows is true."

[scorchingheaven]

"You and me both. This place gives me the creeps one way or another - ... shadows?" She raised an eyebrow at that, frowning as she re-wrapped the blanket around her shoulder. "Don't tell me there's something in the shadows." That was something all too-familiar from back home, and caused her to tense again as she took a bite of the pastry.