A not-so triumphant return

[grimmjerk]

Who: grimmjerk, 1stguardian, and OPEN to any inhabitant of Nueva Last Noches!
When: Early evening, directly following his post and continuing later into the night.
Where: The baseball diamond, then en route to the castle, then the castle itself.
Summary: Grimmjow finally returns from the dead - and from a trip back home. An unfortunate side-effect is a collection of

Comments

[gamuzadeclares]

[Nelliel didn't respond with her NV. Her modelling shoot for the day had finished late, and she'd taken care to escort her co-workers to their homes before turning on her NV. By then, the message was received too late to go and find him herself. Instead, she stopped by shortly after Ichigo had left Grimmjow in his room.

It was interesting how time worked in this place - how she couldn't remember Grimmjow with only one arm, but she could remember his fight with Ichigo and Nnoitra attacking him. She remembered Ichigo defending him in spite of their fight, and then finally regaining her memories when she became afraid enough for Ichigo's well being.

Grimmjow wouldn't want pity. She knew that. Perhaps he would accept a small and considerate gesture instead. She poked her head into his doorway.]

Hi. I was on my way downstairs to make myself some tea, so I thought I'd stop by and see if there was anything on you wanted while I'm there.

[grimmjerk]

[ Grimmjow didn't know how to take kindness. It wasn't just that he was more inclined to punch someone in the face than return the gesture,but who the hell would even do that kind of thing for a Hollow? Something as mundane as consideration struck him as fucking bizarre, even now, because who among their number would even bother with that?

Nel would, apparently, for reasons he couldn't even begin to guess at. When she showed her face, he didn't quite have the attention necessary to keep the surprise off his own. ]

You...what? [ Grimmjow frowned, and was able to pull off something close to a shrug. ] ...sure, fine.

[ A long pause, an awkward one. ] Is it the same tea as always?

[gamuzadeclares]

[Given the choice between fighting with a person or having a civil, or even friendly relationship with a person, Nelliel would choose the latter, every time. Just because she could fight well didn't mean that she enjoyed it. It was also preferable to get along with the people she had to live with...as best as their varied personalities would allow.]

The tea? It can be, if you would like a cup of it. Or I have a few specialty flavours I bought last month if you wanted to try something new.

[grimmjerk]

[ He could have laughed. He did, a little, letting his head fall back on the pillows and running his hand through his hair. ]

I'll take whatever new shit you've got. Doesn't matter which one.

[gamuzadeclares]

[Nelliel nodded and lingered in the doorway for a moment to ask one more question. She wasn't going to be an errand girl unless Aizen ordered her to be, but she didn't mind helping Grimmjow be a little more comfortable.]

Would you like anything else while I'm there? A book, maybe?

[grimmjerk]

A book.

[ He had a few in his room already, ones he had picked up at random after their conversation in front of the TV. But none of them had really caught and held his attention; all thoroughly human topics written for a thoroughly human audience.

Maybe she has something better. ] Only if you've got one that's interesting.

[gamuzadeclares]

Interesting is subjective, but I'll see what I can find.

[She turns and heads down the stairs, starting up the kettle first before looking at possible book choices in the library. After a couple of minutes of searching, she grabs a thick fantasy novel, The Art of War by Sun Tzu and a massive atlas that has maps and some information on the countries in other areas of the world. She has no idea if Grimmjow will like any of them, but at least there's variety

[grimmjerk]

[ Grimmjow's not sure what he expected. He's not sure he expected anything at all.

But he will pause and stare for a second, first at the items, then at Nel, then at the gathered collection of goodies once more. The expression on his face seems to indicate that he doesn't quite know what to do about it, any of it. Not how to react, nor how to thank her.

In the end, after a line of frustration creases between his brows, he makes a grunt of what could be gratitude and picks up atlas first. After all, he only knows how to read up to a certain extent. ] These'll do.

[gamuzadeclares]

[Well, it's a start. The important thing is that the books will keep him entertained and mostly stationary until he's had more of a chance to heal. She passes the tea over after he's had a moment to examine the atlas.]

Let me know what you think of this flavour.

[She had already agreed to help Ulquiorra experience aspects of human life. While Grimmjow hadn't expressed the same interest in learning and even questioned why she would want to learn more about humans, introducing him to new things he might like now and then couldn't hurt.]

[grimmjerk]

[ It's funny; maps make something seem so large and yet so contained at the same time. The living world is huge, but it has clear limits, clear boundaries, neatly outlined in front of him in ink and color. In comparison, Hueco Mundo had always given the impression of infinity.

Just the desert, going on forever.

He takes the cup with a curt nod and, after just a second's worth of obvious incredulity, takes a sip.

...it's-- ] Pretty good.

[gamuzadeclares]

That's vanilla walnut.

[She smiles briefly. Mission accomplished for now.]

I might watch television later. If you're feeling up to it, you're welcome to join me.

[grimmjerk]

Sure, why not?

[ At the very least, he seems marginally more relaxed than he did before she came in. He might not realize on his own that there's even a small difference, but...

It's there. ] Tell me if there's anything interesting on.

[gamuzadeclares]

[Nelliel has noticed that slight relaxation. If and when he joins her, she'll make certain to walk down the stairs just slightly in front of him. It serves two purposes - if the pain is making it difficult for someone to stand, she can catch him in a way that won't be too embarrassing, and it also means there's a buffer between him and Luppi if one is necessary. She'd like to keep Nueva Las Noches standing and free of cero blasts.]

Will do. Enjoy the tea and the books in the meantime.

[grimmjerk]

[ Another sound of assent, the closest he'll ever get to giving her an "I will" or, if one were to stretch a bit, a "thank you." Out of all the other Espada, she is most likely the only one to receive even half so much difference from him.

He doesn't think about it now, but he might. Later.

He'll have more than enough time. ]

[gamuzadeclares]

I'll stop by for a bit and see how you're doing later, interesting television programs or not.

[She starts to leave, but does so slowly enough that if he has anything to say, he'll be able to. Otherwise, she'll be on her way.]