The deck - Early afternoon

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

Ichigo was lounging in one of the chairs on the deck, his feet propped up on the table and he was eating a blueberry muffin. He frowned when one bite tasted strange, but the next was alright so maybe it had just lain close to another pastry. It wasn't until the muffin was gone and Ichigo licked a crumb off his fingers that he tasted it again.

"Orange?" he didn't even notice he was speaking out loud. He hadn't eaten anything with oranges today. He sucked on the other finger and that was definitely orange. The back of his hand... still orange. The inside of his wrist; orange.

Did Shinigami have certain flavours and he just never noticed before?

[[Open.]]

Comments

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, smart guy, that's right, if you wanna go with that story," snarled Katchoo. It was . . . sort of close enough to the truth, if you counted 'within a 50-mile radius' as close. "You done being nosy yet?"

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

"I'm not being nosy," he argued. "I'm just pointing out that those arguments are bullshit. You picked it up so don't act as if it wasn't your decision. No one can force you to smoke."

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

Katchoo's eyes narrowed, and the next mouthful of smoke she exhaled came out in a slow, tightly focused stream. Let him think she was just pissed off about the smoking thing; he sure as hell wasn't getting the real story.

"You might want to get off that soapbox before I kick it out from under you."

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

"Ha! Like that worked so well last time," he sneered.

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"There's no bubblewrap this time," Katchoo pointed out as she took one step toward him. "And no more Bermuda Triangle crap either."

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

"And you're actually wearing clothes," he added helpfully. It was easier to be a smartass about it when she was fully dressed.

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"Beside the point," Katchoo groused. "If you gotta preach, go find some gullible TV audience to scam and make money off it at least."

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

"Why? It's a lot more fun annoying you," he pointed out.

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

She glared daggers at him. "It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye," Katchoo replied in a tone that implied that an eye might be the least of it.

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

"Yeah? Right now you're just all talk," he told her.

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"Much as it pains me to hold back, you're not worth the trouble," she said through clenched teeth. Stupid need to not get kicked out.

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

He shouldn't needle. He really shouldn't. "Right. Of course."

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

She flicked ash away with an audible snort. "I can hear your ego deflating from here, y'know."

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

"No. That would imply that I actually give a damn what you think," he said, sounding bored.

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"Right," Katchoo said bitingly. "Because all the soapbox preachy crap just now, that was for lack of anything else to do."

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

"Pretty much," he agreed. "All else requires me to get up."

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"And thank frikkin' God I don't have that effect on you," Katchoo snorted.

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

"I know, you'd miss me," he waved her off.