Out of date order rp - locked to Renji-sama

[ladyabarai]

Hisana knew that her husband did not celebrate his birthday conventionally, he would take High Tea with the family as a matter of course, but he did not receive presents or expect them. She had always found this a little sad, imagining a boy Renji simply continuing his lessons on his birthday and never knowing the simple joy of a birthday party

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[scatteringred]

[ Even with the peace Seireitei had been, Renji still worked overtime at the offices, doing needless paperwork and sometimes patrolling the borders though he found it debasing of his rank and class. It was early evening when he finally decided to hang up his haori and call it a night, stepping silently into the house. He moved silently through the halls into their shared bedroom before seeing their bed made up. Could she be up so soon...? He turned back and wound through the dark wooden halls to the garden and spied her beneath their sakura tree surrounded by--party things? He really had no idea. ]

Have I forgotten some occasion...?

[ Even nobility can be a little dense. ]

[ladyabarai]

[She stood when she saw him and ran lightly over the grass to smile up at him, taking her hand with hers and curling the small, cold digits around his.]

Happy Birthday, Renji-sama.

[scatteringred]

[ His usual collected--even cold--expression cracked, the flaw making his mouth hang a little too open before he cleared his throat and spoke with mindful neutrality. ]

Ah... I didn't... recall the date.

[ His wife was really was the only person in his life who could put him at a loss for words. He gathered himself up enough to pull her close and bring up one of her too, too freezing hands, brushing his lips against her soft fingers. The closest to a show of intimacy that he could normally muster. His voice was soft and murmured, as if talking too loudly would ruin the moment. ]

Thank you, Hisana.

[ladyabarai]

[Her smile just widened at that brushing kiss and his words, her pale face flushed slightly with happiness and excitement as she pulled him over to the blanket.]

I made us some food, and I gave the servants the day off... I thought... you might like to celebrate you birthday in private.

[This was her way of letting him know they couldn't be observed, that they were free to speak to one another and enjoy this rare moment together.]

[scatteringred]

[ He was discovering more and more how nostalgic he felt around Hisana, and he was over-whelmed by it now. That heaviness of the past pervaded through his mind even beyond happiness. He could reel back to sift through the memories like antiques in a jewelery box, each one dusted over, missing ornaments and the goldleaf peeling but still with their original luster. Which is why he followed after Hisana to their little dinner date with the feeling that he was fumbling through another recollection of a birthday. After all, he hadn't celebrated a birthday for nearly fifty years. But the smooth blanket underneath them and the smell of their meal mingling with Hisana's own perfume was reality enough for him. Even the stillness was tangible. ]

...Are you feeling well enough to be out of bed? We can take this inside, Hisana.

[ladyabarai]

[She nodded in answer to his question, knowing in her heart that she would have dragged herself out here for this even if she had been on her last breath. Uncovering the first dishes, she served him rice and stew, a receipe of her own she had adapted from her days in Rukongai, and sat with her legs curled up underneath her.]

I am well enough for this, Renji-sama. Please, enjoy your meal.

[scatteringred]

[ Renji hesitates for a moment, looking over his wife with near-fatal criticism as he checked for the barest hint of illness to send her back for bed rest. What his harsh gaze found was only a sheer determination to celebrate today even if it was just a quiet supper alone together. ]

Of course.

[ He knelt down beside her and picked up the bowl, its warmth flowing into his hands. It was a little brisk, and again concern was just barely glinting off the glance he gave Hisana. Stil he took a sip of the soup, and nodded as if he were giving it a pass to enter the semi-finals. He remembered this stew--taste and smell really are just a hotline to memory. It was so rare his wife would fix a meal (he never let her, honestly), but her way of cooking was different from the multi-course spreads the chefs of the Abarai household would prepare. There was a simple and earthbound aroma of her cooking was unforgettable and Renji took a little too long for a sip just so he could take it in again. He understood now better than ever why the years

[ladyabarai]

[As Renji takes his first sip and nods, she smiles and ladels a little out for herself, unusual because she mostly eats broths these days and not that much of them. But her happiness at being here with him on this day has given her a vigor which is hard to ignore, even letting her regain some of her long-forgotten appetite.

Gently, she pushes one of the small parcels towards him with a bashful smile - it's nothing special, much finer kimonos could be bought in a heart beat by the Abarai coffers. But she has sewn this one by hand, and it has been made just for him.]

[scatteringred]

[ He's working through the rice when his wife offers him the package demurely. He sets the bowl down, absently pulling his gloves off and setting them down beside him as well. Renji pulled the parcel closer with another gentle tug, hands poised to unwrap the gift before he paused again. ]

There is no need for you to exert yourself for this one day, Hisana.

[ Words, he didn't realize, he had told her every year on his birthday for the five years of their marriage. ]

[ladyabarai]

[She watches him eagerly, although her smile becomes something softer when he says those same words to her yet again.]

I will always want to celebrate the day you were born.

[scatteringred]

[ The pause grows a little longer and then there is a rustling of paper as he peels off the modest wrapping to reveal the brilliantly cobalt silk of the kimono. His eyes are a little more tender and his fingers run over the fine material and he sets it out on a clean spare area of their blanket to appreciate the stitching. ]

[ladyabarai]

[She has become an expert at reading the subtle changes in his demeanour over the years, and she can easily see the tenderness in his eyes that proclaims the gift a success.

Slipping her hand over his, she squeezed it gently, a simple gesture that said she was happy her hard work was appreciated, even if he never expressed it with words.]

Would you like to try it on?

lmfao ICON FAILURRRE D8;;;

[scatteringred]

Of course. ...After I have enjoyed your meal more thoroughly.

[ There was a moment of quiet as he relished her touch before he moved again to arrange the kimono back into its tight fold, albeit with apprehension as he had no idea how to do this. ]

No icon fail

[ladyabarai]

[She gently takes the stiff material from him and folds it expertly, placing it to one side and refilling his tea cup.]

I am pleased you were not called to take extra duties this evening.

♥♥♥~

[scatteringred]

The entirety of Sixth was given an evening off whether we had a choice or not... it occurs to me that it would be because of this very occasion.

[ If he had insisted on staying though, how long would she have stayed outside here, in the cold, with these all prepared? he wondered. ]

♥♥♥♥♥♥

[ladyabarai]

[A soft smile tugs her lips upwards at his simple naivety where this date was concerned, and she knows she would gladly have waited out here all night just to make sure he was given some tiny measure of happiness on this day.]

I am pleased the soutaichou remembers his subordinates birthdays.