Esmerelda and Lakshmi

Esmerelda's meeting with Levi had gone to some degree along conversation of some nature or another. Who knows, it was hard to remember. Not because Esmerelda was drunk. She had only had seven glasses so far. Barely even buzzed. No no.. Just because it seemed fuzzy. Oh well. She wasn't missing her shoes and she wasn't bleeding so how eventful could it have been?

Grabbing glass number 8 of .... whatever this was, she started sipping at it as she made her way towards the snack stand. Time to get some crackers! The fine, ladylike, food of etiquette. She gracefully walked over and plucked just two crackers from the table. All, a simple two crackers. All that a woman of her stature needed to be sated. She 'hmm'd and 'haa'd.

And then, placing one cracker on a little paper plate, she went to work. Cheese. Of course. Mini-Salami, yes. Olive? Ewww, hated olive. Okay. Cheese? She said cheese. Yes more cheese. Pepperoni? Are you kidding me? Five pieces of pepperoni! Is that macaroni over there? LET'S PUT ON SOME MACARONI.

It's around now that Esmerelda began staring, eyes wide at the table, her mouth twisted into an upturned grin. Those very very close could hear a silent, intentionally subdued noise that sounded an AWFUL lot like a maniacal laugh.


Shrimp? Sure. Pepper? yes. Little bit of turkey? Fold that up! Ham? YES. Cheese? Of course! Pepperoni? MORE PEPPERONI! MORE SHRIMP! NO MORE CHEESE THOUGH! ANOTHER OLIVE! UGH. NO. OLIVES ARE BAAAD. GET RID OF IT. PULL THE OLD OLIVE OUT! WHY DID I EVEN PUT THAT IN THERE?! NOW! MORE CHEESE! YES! YEEEES!

Finally she placed the second cracker on top. placing a finger gently on top, her shadow slipped up, slowly lifting the tower of... various food items up, she tipped her head back before dropping it into her mouth, biting around it with a loud chomp. She made a low, satisfied, particularly muffled, laugh as she chewed (mouth closed, of course. She was a lady.) the food. So good. So... good....

Now where could she find a drink to wash it down with?

The Fourth Division Taicho was slightly tipsy, however she kept it well in check. The bottle of booze she had been bequeathed to her by the ever delightful Primera. It helped keep her calm and sane in the mess that was this Ball. Gigi knew what she was doing, of that Lakshmi was quite sure.

However that didn't stop her from worrying and that worry cut through at least a bit of her drunken state. Knowing food would help keep it from getting too bad too fast, while also protecting her from awkward things she was known to do while drunk, Lakshmi made it to one of the tables. She took a plate, there were a few others there, and filled it with delicious delectables after she set the bottle down for a better ability to fill the plate.

Esmerelda was still in the midst of chewing her hors d'oeuvres tower when the lone shinigami approached the table. Her eyes snapped open just a touch. Well now... And she thought these shinigami were all rather plain... She swallowed as much of the remaining food as she could before gliding over to the girl, resting one hand gently on the table. "Hello, you must be one of the shinigami." She said as pleasantly as she could with cracker bits trying to invade her windpipe. Her shadow snuck along the ground, slipping up to wrap around the bottle of booze the woman had sat down before discretely whipping around behind Esmerelda. "I'm a member of the Espada. But you can simply call me Esmerelda." She extended her hand daintily, her other hand behind her back.

Behind her back, her shadow quickly slipped two glasses from the table and poured them, placing one on the table and the other into Esme's hand before scurrying to replace the bottle. "Can I offer you a drink?" She asked, pulling the glass from behind her back to offer to the girl. As soon as she had a free hand, she would pick up the glass on the table and take a sip, washing down her snack.

"Hmf?" Lakshmi had put a few tasty snacks in her mouth as she finished filling her plate, so when she turned to see a lovely arrancar, her mouth was full and her eyes widened. She held up one finger, turning away and quickly chewed and swallowed the food before turning back with a smile. She took the hand firmly and shook it with a bit more enthusiasm than she wanted but...heck she was a bit drunk still.

"I'm Lakshmi, the Taicho of the Fourth Division. Yes, thank you." Lakshmi wouldn't say no to more booze, not at all, and took the cup while sipping. Oh! This was as good as the other Espada's liquor. Wow, they all must be so good at making it. She had a faint blush on her face as she spoke, her voice carrying a soft hint of an accent. "Welcome to the ball, if you haven't already been welcomed properly. I'm sorry to say I haven't been doing as many rounds as I liked, though I spent some time with the very kind Levi."

She blinked once or twice. And here she'd been worried about having her own face stuffed. Then again, she'd been worried about making a bad first impression and now that the Shinigami was doing it, it mostly just looked sort of cute... Not that she was the cute kind of girl... Or at least, she didn't like to think she was. Her blank stare spread into a delighted smile when Lakshmi turned back and shook her hand. Esmerelda's other hand came up to clasp the woman's. Goodness, but her skin was soft..

"Fourth, hm?" She raised her eyebrows a little. "I'm a fourth too. Quatra Espada Esmerelda Romassa." She had said her name earlier, but it couldn't hurt to give a more formal introduction. "I have a number to prove it, but it's a little hard to display in formal wear." She spread her nice, white teeth into a grin. Hmm, so Lakshmi was performing welcoming committee duties? Well, she couldn't have her just wandering around the room... "Oh? I know Levi well. Did she give you- that bottle of liquor there?" She stopped herself from saying 'this' bottle in reference to the glass she was drinking. Speaking of which, she finished her glass, placing it on the table between the two of them. "I've received some hellos, but I've yet to get such a warm welcome from such a pretty captain. Tell me about yourself, and your squad." She gently crossed her arms, intent on listening. Her eye did, however, drift once or twice to her glass and the bottle beside Lakshmi.

"Oh! Yes! I remember hearing about how the Espada were structured and heard that you number according to power levels. If you are the Fourth, then that must mean you are the Fifth strongest, yes?" Lakshmi rambled a bit, the drinks she had had making her tongue loose still. "Mine merely states what job I do best and what Division I run. Mine is the Division that deals with medical and healing. Hehe, I heard about the numbers too! I saw the Corona's number through her dress. It was very pretty. I dearly wish I had been able to get a closer look at it."

"Oh, dear me I am rambling. Levi was a charm, I loved her liquor so much I had to ask for some. She was sweet enough to share some with me." Lakshmi hiccuped a bit from the latest glass, forgetting all about her wish to get food in her excited talking. Seeing the empty glass, the taicho poured Esmerelda some more and then set the bottle backdown. Her face was heating up from the compliment, so Lakshmi fanned herself.

"Is it all right if I call you Esmer? Quatro Esmerelda Romassa is a mouthful. I am Division Four Taicho Lakshmi Mehra, but honestly you can call me whatever you wish."

Esmerelda stared blankly at the woman as she talked... and then... continued to talk. She poured Esmerelda a glass and kept talking. Esmerelda went to finally open her mouth and... found herself blushing just a little. "I..." Her eyes fluttered and she gave Lakshmi a little smile. "Yes, I'm the fifth strongest. It doesn't sound impressive, but I'm proud of the statistic...And my number. Mine, unfortunately is covered by more then see-through fabric." She gently placed her pointer finger to her thigh, still keeping eye contact with Lakshmi. "RIGHT around here."

She picked up the glass and pressed it to her lips, sipping at it. "And please, ramble away. I didn't expect to find anybody so... energetic... at the ball." She said, her smile broadening a little. "Hmm... Esmer, huh?" Her smile slid into something of a smirk. "I suppose I CAN fumble tongues occasionally. Esmer will be fine... As for you... Whatever I wish?..." she leaned forward just a bit, taking another sip of her glass. "How about cute." She said simply, seeing if she could get another blush from the woman.

"I don't know, it is very impressive. Especially when you consider how many others are below you even outside of the main Espada rankings." Lakshmi had asked so many questions of as many arrancar she could, so the captain had some knowledge from this ball as well as prior knowledge the Seireitei had picked up.

Looking down at where Esmer pointed, Lakshmi giggled and fanned herself more. She really was rather curious about the numbers... Especially how they were put on. "Oh my, that is hidden very well. Are there others who have theirs out I can see? How are you all tattooed like that? Is it some special mean or is it just how they do it here and in the Living worlds?"

"Please don't let me ramble, I will spend hours asking questions. Knowledge is something I adore..." Her darker skin was definitely flushing now so she set her glass down. This really wasn't good of her. She didn't need a super loose tongue around the Espada. "You are rather pretty... It probably happens a lot. Oh! Thank you Esmer... Well... yes, if you really...want to."

Lakshmi flushed more, knowing the alcohol was making her more susceptible to this kind of flattery.

"Well, I suppose it is RELATIVELY impressive." She said with a bit of a confident smile. She very carefully reached over to pour herself another glass. She gave Lakshmi a look as if to say 'if you don't mind' before doing so. She took another sip and listened as Lakshmi asked about the numbers. "Hehe. Yes, I keep it nice and hidden." She mused for a second, before reaching out and tapping Lakshmi's nose playfully. "I only let those who are REALLY nice to me see it. And tell you what, I know who all has them, so... if you stick with me, I will point out the visible ones." She suggested, ever so helpfully.

She found herself smiling as she responded to the flushing Lakshmi. "I really do..." She went quiet for a moment before she reached out and, surprisingly gently, took a hold of Lakshmi's wrist with her thumb and forefinger. "C'mon... My legs are getting tired of just standing." She reached down with her free hand and gave her upper leg a short little rub through the skirt. "We should either go dance, or we could find somewhere a little quiet to sit down." She reached her hand up and very quickly, very softly, brushed a strand of hair out of Lakshmi's face. "Y'know. So I can listen to you ramble some more. I happen to like it."

"I shall accept your offer of introducing me to the others then, Esmer. At a later time presumably? You are very nice company and I'd rather not have to share just yet." The captain's flushed face was slowly returning to its regular color, not as quickly as she had been hoping for though. This Arrancar would be able to play her like a puppet if she wasn't careful, drunk Lakshmi ending up in another's bed was fine as long as it was the right one.

Pulling her wrist out of the arrancar's grip, the still drunk woman grinned a bit silly and took her hand instead. "Oh my, I would like to dance, no one has been brave enough to come ask me. I had practiced for this, all those hours gone to waste would be a terrible sin." Her smile widened as Esmer brushed a lock of hair away. "I can definitely ramble more since it pleases you so, of that you can be sure. Lead on, kind Esmer." Lakshmi gave her a one handed curtsy, a bit wobbly but still managed to get it done right. Yeah go drunk Lakshmi! Wooo!

Oh, she was becoming QUITE enamored of this one, this Lakshmi... Her sharing line earned a little flutter and a grin from Esmerelda. "Convenient. I'm not yet sure I want to share you at all." She she said, responding to Lakshmi taking her hand by giving the other woman's a little squeeze. In some situations, she might have been more direct, chatted less, tried to cut the middle man, so to speak. But it wasn't entirely common to find someone pretty who was actually any kind of delight to be around. She was enjoying herself just too much to hurry.

She gave a tiny look of shock when Lakshmi informed her she had yet to be asked to dance. "WELL! Robbing the ball room, especially yours truly, of seeing you flit about in that dress, WOULD be a tragedy." She said it all just quickly enough that Lakshmi might have only caught the gist of what she said. She pulled the held hand up and gave it a quick peck. "Well then. Let's dance." She said before giving the girl's arm a tiny tug, stepping forward herself, so they would just barely meet in the middle, her free arm slipping around Lakshmi's... bafflingly perfect waist. "So... feel free to ramble," she said as she began to lead them to the dance tune that happened to be playing. "How DID someone as cute as you wind up here alone?"

"Oh no, you have to eventually. Preferably after enough enjoyment was had though." Oh boy Lakshmi was sobering not quite fast enough for her taste. She had a rather bad habit that cropped up when she drank, though it wasn't bad by most standards. Lakshmi just truly didn't like others finding out about it, even if it wasn't something she should worry over. Any of her squad that saw her would feel a bit unease at her actions, not normally seeing their Captain like this.

Esmer spoke too quickly for Lakshmi to pick up more than a bit of what she said, though she definitely agreed. She had spent way too much time on this outfit to not be spinning in such fun. Nodding in agreement, the shinigami placed her arm on the arrancar's shoulder. The skin was soft... She had thought they had some sort of armor protecting them. Maybe she let it down for this?

As they spun in a circle, Lakshmi thought about how to answer the question. "Hm, well you see that is complicated. Over the years and during my younger ones, I seemed to scorn others company for my studies. It could be quite intimidating to finally get up the nerve to ask me to social events only to be turned down for anatomy homework." Also her grandmother's power was part of that...

"Its become habit over the years to turn down others or be without company. I suppose no one thought to ask me to come with them by now. So I took it upon myself to make G-The Soutaicho's party a success... I spent more than a bit of time with the wonderful Levi, oh my. That was so very bad of me, but she was such a delight and fun person. Please don't think bad of my efforts."

"Well, everything must end eventually." This spinning with the girl was just delightful. And she didn't miss Lakshmi examining her skin. She was more then a little proud of it, so even if the girl didn't comment, Esmer was flattered. "I simply hope that in terms of enjoyment, enough doesn't come until sunrise." She waited just long enough for that to have just barely sunk in before pulling the captain a little tighter to herself and giving her a dip. If it were a less classy woman, Esmerelda might have gone for a kiss. But Lakshmi was actually an interesting person. If she was going to have a pleasant night with her, she wanted her fully charmed with Esmerelda.

"If you ask me, they either didn't appreciate a woman with some brains or they weren't persistent enough." She said, pulling Lakshmi back up, though keeping her close with her arm. She led, taking some slow footwork around their little area of the ballroom. "I would say it was a shame, but given I'm the one dancing with you now, I can't really say I'm disappointed nobody asked you."

Lakshmi hadn't danced like this in oh... a century or more. It felt nice to spin and be dipped and she let out a gentle laugh while smiling. Her dress flowed perfectly, she was glad to have splurged a bit and made sure it was perfect for this. "If you keep dancing like this, I think we might have to go past sunrise just a tiny bit."

Noticing a shift in the movements around them, she gave a small wave to the few members of her squad who were standing nearby. People were making room for the two lovely women dancing together in perfect tandem. "I suppose they were a bit of both. Neither patient nor appreciative if you are to be believed."

About to respond to the shame comment, Lakshmi suddenly went rigid as she felt the energy and saw the entrance of the hollows. Her dancing and joy halted immediately as she sobered up rather quickly, pulling away from Esmerelda. "I'm sorry, but I have to go deal with that. My apologies but have a good night."

Without waiting for the Espada's words, she tore off into the crowd, moving her way towards the epicenter of the people gathered.

(CLICK ALONG TO THIS VISUAL POST)

Esmerelda stood there, hands still frozen where they had been.  What... She blinked... still frozen...


Just...

She struggled to find words, her mouth opening but nothing coming out....

as her face slowly settled into a deadpan scowl, arms dropping to her sides

Her mouth curled into a pout, before opening slightly, her eyebrows furrowed..

Her hands seemed to simply raise on their own, in a mix of confusion and growing aggravation.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" She screamed, flipping the nearest table over.

She looked around at everyone, still seething before deciding there were better ways to blow off steam then starting a war.  

And then she sort of just... slipped out...