Espada don't DO Blind Dates (Open)

(Despite the premise, the thread is not exclusively a date.  It's also open to becoming a fight thread)

The week had started so wonderfully simply, thought Esmerelda Romassa to herself.  She had stolen the shadow of some bandit Adjuchas out in the wastes, waited for him to show her where his bandit gang met, then seduced him (complicated, but manageable), killed him in his sleep, skinned him, tried to wear his skin like a costume.  Ha.  THAT didn't work.  Killed the rest of them.  Come back to the lounge, find out that there's no BOOZE there, Gigai up and go to the human world to drink all of their alkyhol, find out that there's something called a 'dry county', get into some fights with the police, go to jail, got an admittedly bitchin prison tat on the gigai... not sure how to get rid of THOSE... Eventually caused enough trouble to get put into her own cell, left gigai, went and stole someone ELSE'S gigai, posted bail, did some gigai shuffling, maybe returned the other gigai?  Finally found somewhere that served alcohol, start drinking, got told she couldn't drink that much....

Well, that was where the events stopped chaining together.  All she could really recall was that she made friends with a biker gang and... and... She remembered... Oh goodness.

She had awoken that morning reaching to her face and realizing that yes.  She was wearing her cat burglar mask... Ssssshhhiit.  What did she steal?  It seemed that every time Esmerelda managed to reach blackout drunk, she had about a 1 in 3 odds of deciding she was a catburglar, leading Esmerelda to nickname this alter ego, Blackout Cat.  Now... What had Blackout Cat stolen this time... Rolling off of the pool table she'd awoken on, she stumbled around and eventually located a black satchel that was bigger on the inside that she usually came and picked up for some heavy duty thieving.  She picked it up and took a glance inside.  Welp.  That was interesting.  She was about to close it when she saw a sticky note stuck to the inside lid.  It was poorly written and riddled with spelling errors, but she was fairly adept at reading her drunk-writing.  Roughly translated, it read

"Dear Sober-Esmerelda:  I have stolen this.  Be a dear and go to the meeting point listed below.  I have left a note in the item's place telling them they will only get it back after suitably entertaining you.  I would tell you who it is but, well.  It wouldn't be a blind date.  Haha.  I hate you.
                                                                                 -Love, Blackout Cat."

Ugh... What a bitch.

Which is how she wound up standing in front of a rather splendid fountain plaza in the human world, waiting to ransom this item back to someone in exchange for... Well... She didn't know what yet.  She was prepared for anything, wearing a Nice dress, with the satchel at her side.  Inside, in addition to the ransom item was her zanpakuto... Just in case.  She had no idea who would show up..

What if a hobo showed up.  Did she want anything from a hobo?  Okay.  If a homeless guy showed up, she was taking his bum wine... Wait.  Crap.  What if it was the Head Captain or... Her face went a little more pale then it normally was.  What if Blackout Cat robbed Saraiyu.  She would be deeeaaaaad...

For probably the first time in her life, Esmerelda was nervously waiting for someone to arrive.  Stupid drunk-Esmer.

He was gone.

He'd been taken while she'd been asleep.

Just like that...

He'd been taken right from her.

That 'He' being Hato-kun, the beloved plush resembling a fantail pigeon belonging to the lieutenant of the First Division, Narue Ueno. Hato-kun wasn't just some old plush doll though, as he held much more importance than that. He was the only remaining thing the young lieutenant had in remembrance of her late brother, Riichi. They'd made him together so she'd have someone to play with while he worked. Hato-kun was all she had left of those times...

If she didn't have Hato-kun...

The normally chipper, happy lieutenant ran through the streets of the Human World, her expression quite upset looking; which was an extremely rare sight, as she made her way to the location that had been on the paper she'd woken up to. She'd dressed rather quickly, wearing a black, over-sized, off-shoulder sweater and blue plaid shorts that stopped just before mid-thigh and black boots with small heels; the same thing she'd worn last time she'd been assigned on a mission to the Human World a little over a week prior. If she wanted Hato-kun back she'd have to spend the day with someone? Spend the day with them and hope they have fun? Why her of all people? How had they even known she was here? She'd just been on an overnight mission and had been staying the night in a hotel only to wake up to find Hato-kun gone...

The location on the note led her to a fountain and immediately her eyes started darting through the crowds before her eyes landed on a somewhat familiar face. She'd been at the Grand Ball at the Seireitei...They hadn't spoken, not once, but Narue had recognized her face. She was an Espada...

That knowledge certainly didn't help her already frazzled nerves. Not one bit...

Esmerelda had sensed the lieutenant coming before she got there. Shinigami, it felt like. Well that was a relief... It didn't feel strong enough to be Setsuna. She still wasn't positive, however, until she spotted someone scanning the crowed, looking concerned. Aha... That was her. Not Setsuna. She waited for the girl to find her before she turned, locking eyes with her and reflexively grinning deviously, although in her mind, she wasn't smiling at all, scanning a list of faces mentally to match the girl's to one. Ah. Narue Ueno. Lieutenant of the 1st Squad, UNDER Head Captain Setsuna. Well. That was a close call, in a way. And... If that was Lieutenant Ueno.. This, her hand brushed the satchel on its way up to move a strand of hair out of her face, must be the doll she always carried around...

She walked slowly... purposefully, through the crowd, one long step after another, her grin growing with each step, until she was within arm's reach of the girl. "SO! Narue Ueno, is it?" Her hand struck like a snake into her satchel, before pulling out the doll. "I believe this is yours?"

To say she was a bit intimidated as the Espada approached her was an understatement, but she stood her ground despite that; she had to get Hato-kun back.

She gave a small nod when she'd addressed her, now that they were in arm's length of one another. Her eyes were drawn to her hand when it moved down to her bag, widened as the Espada pulled out the very thing that was on her mind.

"H-Hato-kun!" She exclaimed, her body stiffening as she prevented herself from outright reaching for him; figuring that would be a bad move to make. "Wh...D...Please, don't hurt him..."

She did a little sideways frown, lifting the doll for a second as if to hold him in the air before seeing that wasn't necessary. Jeez louise, this girl was terrified of the doll getting hurt. Hato-Kun? She looked at the doll. Odd name. She looked back at the girl. Wow... she looked... close to hysterics... because crying lieutenants were awesome at entertainment, right? She looked at the doll again and held it behind her back, "Well... I assume you know why you're here, but if not, let me lay it out for you... You're here to provide me entertainment and company for the night... " She stepped forward, awkwardly close to Narue before starting to circle her.

"Now... Normally... I would hold something like this.." She held up Hato again. "Hostage until the end of the night... But despite my reputation, I don't get particular FUN out of the suffering of others... And it looks like you won't be able to relax without this.." She looked at the doll and Narue again, finishing her circle and winding up in front of her. She held the doll out. "So.... How about this... You may have your doll back now..." she dropped the doll into Narue's torso so she could easily catch it. "But..." She moved her finger out, pressing a nail to Narue's sternum.

"In exchange, not only will you go on this little blind date with me, but you will jump through any EXTRA hoops I think of...." She dragged the finger slowly up, stopping below her throat, before lifting the finger and tapping her chin gently. "Does that sound reasonable?" She smirked, tilting her head to the side, thoughts running through her head.

She was still as the espada circled her, listening as she spoke of what she needed to do to get Hato-kun back safely; just like the note had said. Narue felt her heartbeat quicken when Hato-kun was held out to her, listening to Esmerelda's conditions rather than blindly moving to grab at him from her just before he was dropped into her arms.

When Hato-kun was back in her arms she almost felt like crying, out of relief that was, but she held back; instead hugging him to her tightly before pulling back just in time to feel Esmerelda's nail against her, running up her neck until it tapped at her chin.

Her eyes on the espada, she swallowed a breath before giving a nod against her finger. It wasn't like she had much choice in the matter, but as long as she had Hato-kun back she'd be fine...If Hato-kun was in her arms she could be her usual self again, just as soon as she got over the shock of everything...which shouldn't take too long, she hoped. She never acted like this, she always wore a smile no matter the occasion but this time a line, in a sense, had been crossed; effectively shattering her usual facade.

She frowned. Rather than being directed at the girl in front of her, she was frowning at herself. Wow... This doll was like... a serious Linus' Blanket deal. She actually felt BAD... Well... She felt sort of bad. It's not like she'd meant to take it or been even sanely drunk. Still... She didn't quite feel like she had to make it UP to the girl... but... she supposed... she could take some small steps towards making sure the evening was fun for her too. Not that she was going to be allowed to know about it.

"Well. The first thing is first... I can't be seen cavorting around the human world with some shinigami who's dressed so...Plebian.. So your first task..." She walked over to a store display map. "Pick a clothing store." She leaned up against it and gestured for Narue to pick one. "You'll be going there and picking out an outfit which I..." she sighed, dramatically, "SUPPOSE I'll have to pay for. It's not like you have any money, I'm sure." She tapped the sign again. "Choose wiiisellyyyy~"

She was dressed...wrong? Well, she supposed in comparison to the other woman she was rather under dressed. Her clothes were mostly just casual teenager-looking things she'd seen younger people wearing. Human world style was a lot different than what she was used to back in the Seireitei, even if they had adopted some of the modern style...most still stuck to traditional.

Following Esmerelda, she glanced at the stores located on the map; holding Hato-kun in both arms, his head covering the lower half of her face as her eyes scanned all the different locations and names.

"Mmmm..." After a moment, Narue pointed to one of the names. "That one sounds nice but still cute, so...maybe that one?"

Esmerelda leaned forward, sliding alongside the map display, till she was tipped enough to meet eyes with Narue. "Well... Classy." Her mouth stretched into a wide grin. "If you couldn't tell, I like classy." She rolled her body back to a standing position, keeping a keen eye on Narue to see where her eyes went when she did so. "Well then, I suppose we'll be off. I've more then enough money to pay for an outfit for you there. We can figure out the rest of the evening once we've found you a proper wardrobe." She sighed, as if bored.

She unfurled her arm, holding her hand out, palm up. "Well then... The store is right over there... Shall you lead, or shall I?" Her lips were pressed together, but she chuckled regardless.

Narue gave a nod, "Okay."

She was still getting over having Hato-kun taken, but she was beginning to feel like her usual self again. She never broke her usual character this long, but never before had she had to worry about Hato-kun getting stolen either. She had him back now, so once the shock wore off she felt she could act herself again.

The store was just ahead, she saw as Esmerelda motioned to it. She wasn't quite sure what she'd come across in there, or if anything she noticed would match up with the espada's classier tastes but she'd try her best.

Narue let out a breath before burying her face behind Hato-kun for a moment and then suddenly popping back up, her usual smile back on her face. "I can lead if you want, it doesn't matter to me."

She blinked a few times, a little confused about this doll. She wanted to know what its deal was... She'd find an opportunity to ask about it later. At the moment she was just curious about the girl's disposition. She seemed upset still, but after burying her head in the doll, she seemed... okay... Hrm. It was obviously some level of front, but it didn't look like a completely fake smile. Esmerelda's mouth turned up at the sides just a little. Good. She was going to try and enjoy herself.

"Oh, you'll be taking charge?" She had expected her to take Esmer's hand and lead the way, but she supposed she could help her along if she was trying to jump the hoops. She reached out and purposefully snatched Narue's hand and walked towards the store with her. "So... I know you're name, Miss Ueno... but I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Esmerelda Romassa, Quatra Espada..." She gave a little curtsy with her free hand as they walked into the store.

"And... since you're in charge..." She chuckled deviously. "That means that you'll be picking out your own outfit... But.." Her smile spread into a devious grin. "I tire of this dress. So, Lieutenant. You'll pick out something suitable for your date, right?" She let the poor girl's hand go and crossed her arms, resisting the urge to give an evil cackle.

She gave a nod, "It's good to know your name, though I guess since you already know mine I suppose there's no reason to repeat it."

Once inside the store she felt Esmerelda release her hand before she began speaking. She could pick out her own outfit, though she wasn't quite sure their tastes were the same...

The fact that this was being considered a date was a bit strange to her though, as they were still rather unknown territory to her despite her trying her best to research them...

"I-I can do that!" Narue piqued up. "Though, I don't know if I'll match your taste in clothes right away..."

She smirked. "That's all right. I'd like to hear your name from you anyway." She tried. Really. VERY hard not to smile, but one slipped out. An actual nice smile. The girl was silly. She pursed her lips. Almost too silly. She'd let the little dress test she'd concocted be the judge of that for her. Her self satisfied smirk returned. She was so clever, coming up with things like this on the fly. She was fantastic, truly. She leaned back against a counter, slipping one leg over the other and crossing her arms.

"Oh, that's okay." She crossed her arms a little tighter. "I offered to let you be in charge... and I don't want us to look radically different." She stood up before leaning forward until their eye levels met again, placing a hand on Narue's shoulder. Her grip was eerily firm, but not squeezing into the girl's shoulder. "I want you to pick out whatever you would like to wear for yourself.... and whatever you'd like me to wear for me! Simple as that!" She clapped her on the shoulder once. "I have faith in you, Lieutenant."

"Then I'm Narue Ueno." She smiled, introducing herself properly as Esmerelda moved to the counter.

Narue glanced around after the espada had replied, speaking about the clothes they'd wear. Immediately the lieutenant's eyes landed on the more cuter things, but they were similar to the style she already had on, which wasn't the intended style to go for.

Most things she looked at were either black or different shades of blue, dresses that stopped just a bit farther down than where her shorts did. Though most that she looked at for herself were either dresses that resembled sweaters or one's that were more cute than classy. She tried though, keeping her eyes out for anything that might mash the two styles together...perhaps black would be the best color to go for? That way if her style was a bit different...black could still match it. That's how that worked, right?

"Hmm..." She clutched Hato-kun to her as she searched, looking at some longer than others before she finally turned to Esmerelda. "What about this, if I wear this it's kinda classy...right?" She asked, showing one of the dresses to her. "Sorry, I'm not really good at the whole shopping thing." She added with a sheepish laugh.

She watched Narue scurry around, chuckling to herself. Whether this turned out to be a date or not, the girl was simply adorable. As she sat there waiting, a man approached her. "Um, Miss, Excuse me, I-"

"Buzz off." She gave a dismissive wave.

"Actually, I-" He was cut off when her hand, without her gaze leaving from Narue, shot out picking up an empty hanger on a nearby rack and, within a second, had pulled the metal bar from it, held it between both palms, compressed it to a small disc and then flipped it to him. The security guard looked at what used to be the metal rod in a hanger, before deciding that he didn't need to enforce the "do not sell to this person" picture in his office. He "feh"d and walked away.

Esmerelda continued to wait until Narue got back, displaying a dress for her approval. "I think it's splendid." She thought it was cute. Classy enough on the girl. She was still reserving judgement, however. "I'll hold onto it." She said, reaching out to take it so the girl wouldn't have to carry it around. "Now... What will you be picking out for myself to wear?" She pouted a little, tilting her head.

"Okay" Narue said, handing the dress to Esmerelda when she reached out to take it. "Hmm..." She looked thoughtful for a moment before turning and facing the clothes again. She stood there for a moment, her eyes scanning the different options again before she moved in and began searching more thoroughly.

She needed to find something that matched a classy style...like Esmerelda had said she preferred.

It took a bit, just a little longer than it had to find something suitable for her. She stuck to black, just to be on the safe side if her earlier thoughts were correct as she took two dresses and turned to face Esmerelda.

"How about this one or this one?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

She raised a curious eyebrow as Narue came back with two dresses instead of one. Hm. If she hadn't decided to let Narue be in charge of clothes shopping, she might scold her. But it wasn't unreasonable for the girl to give her options, although as she approached it wasn't much of an option. The first one looked gorgeous. The second looked okay, but not like something she would ever wear. She took a step forward and grabbed the first dress, the tighter, sleeker one.

"Ooh... Classy... Sexy, too." She eyed the dress over, before holding it up to herself. "So... You wanted to see my legs, hm?" she asked teasingly, eyeing between the dress she was holding and the other Narue had taken. She handed Narue the dress she'd picked for herself and walked off, headed for a dressing room. She stopped and looked over her shoulder. "Well, miss Ueno... I had you pick my dress to see what you thought of me... I have to say, I'm happily surprised to find out you would like a good view of my figure." She gave an absolutely evil smirk before disappearing into a dressing room.

As she changed, she wondered if the girl meant this outcome. If she did mean it, did she even realize she'd done it? Oh well. Esmerelda wasn't one to question good fortune and her blind date had chosen something sexy for her. That was all the provocation she needed to set date-mode to "spicy."

"E-Eh? I...Well, I guess my usual preference interfered..." Narue replied, "I normally don't like wearing pants so I stick with skirts, shorts, or shorter dresses."

She supposed she should have asked Esmerelda about her own preferences other than just classy but the thought hadn't crossed her mind and she'd just started looking. As she thought, Esmerelda moved to the dressing room and began changing to try on the dress. Looking down at the dress she was meant to wear, Narue wondered for a moment about trying it on herself...it was her size so...

In the end, she decided to head into the other dressing room next to the one Esmerelda was in and change. Sitting Hato-kun down on the small chair inside before she began to change into the dress. She supposed the shoes she had on worked with it, as they were black as well which she supposed was good.

Esmerelda finished putting the dress on, doing a little turn or two in front of the mirror, moving around to get a good look at herself. "Well, well, well!" She said aloud, unaware that Narue was already in the next room. Or at least she was acting that way. She knew the lieutenant was there, but she was happy to let the girl think she was hearing candid conversation. "I never knew I could look so good without showing cleavage." She chuckled to herself. "If she dressed me up like this, the girl must just be smitten." She gave a contented sigh, putting her heels back on before walking out of the dressing room, glancing over her shoulder at Narue's dressing room. She walked back into the shop proper and waited in view of the dressing room, looking away, so the girl would think she didn't notice her come out. I'll be waiting, Miss Ueno. Don't keep me waiting~

Smitten?

Narue tilted her head, thinking. She figured Esmerelda was just teasing her, or that was the feeling she got anyway. She didn't quite know about smitten, she'd just picked out the dress because she thought it'd fit under the espada's 'classy' preference.

She glanced over at Hato-kun once she finished changing before gathering the clothes she'd been wearing previously along with Hato-kun into her arms and exited the dressing room. She noticed Esmerelda just a bit away, looking over somewhere as she approached.

"Done." Narue replied simply, giving a smile as she came into speaking distance.

She turned her head as Narue came over. "Well. You look fetching." She placed her hands on her hips, walking smoothly over to Narue. Her eyes roamed up and down the poor Lieutenant. "I like it." She stepped dangerously close to the girl, without touching her and reached around, keeping her arms from brushing up against her sides as she reached down to pinch the highest bit of skin she could find on the back of Narue's leg. "I'm a fan of nice legs, too." She teased, before stepping away, she turned and gestured for Narue to walk along with her. She left her hand loose for Narue to take. If she so chose.

Regardless, Esmerelda led her out of the store. Behind them, a clerk moved to stop them before the security guard, silently in the background, paused him, shook his head, and showed him a small disc of metal. Both of them retreated into the store. "So... I think every good date should start with a drink. Just enough to loosen up a little. She turned to head towards the nearest bar, turning to grin at her companion (assuming she was following her). "Do you think that'd help?"

Narue was curious for a moment as they left the store, wondering if Esmerelda had paid for the dresses before they left...No one had approached them so...she figured they'd been paid for, or she hoped.

She wished she'd left the hotel room with her bag, that way she'd at least have a place to put her clothes; she doubted she'd keep Hato-kun in it after her earlier scare but it'd still have been a nice thing to have.

"Drinks?" Narue thought, she'd drank before but not much; not enough to get drunk anyway. "That sounds fine...it might help?" She replied, tilting her head in thought while she followed Esmerelda.

She looked at Narue carrying all of those clothes and opened her bag, clearing her throat. "Here. It'll fit in here." She paused, wondering if the girl suspected her of anything. "I PROMISE you will get them back." She gave a teasy little smirk as they headed into the bar. It was a little popular restaurant with a bar in it, explaining its locale in the shopping center.

She walked up to the counter with Narue. "I'll have.... Let's see... Give me a glass... Not a shot. A GLASS of tequila..." She gestured authoritatively with her pointer finger. "And..." She whimsically spun the finger in the air. "An extra fruity strawberry margarita for my.... date." She grinned mischievously, turning to Narue. She reached out and plucked at a fold in her dress to straighten it out. "Does it bother you that I called you that?" She asked, staring her straight in the eyes.

She complied, placing the clothes she'd previous been wearing into Esmerelda's bag which helped her hold Hato-kun easier at least as they made their way towards what looked like a restaurant. When they went inside they went straight for the bar counter and took their seats.

"Hmm?" Narue glanced down at Hato-kun at Esmerelda's question. "Well, I guess not really? Though I don't really know if I get dates all that much yet." She explained. "I don't really have that much experience with them."

Her eyebrows raised. She rested her chin on one hand, eyes wide as she stared at Narue, smiling. "Ohhhh... I get it now..." She started to chuckle, before it became a laugh. The girl was COMPLETELY inexperienced... Ohhh, that was just hilarious. She turned to the girl. No wonder she seemed so confused. She had no idea if she even liked any of this. She mused about how the responsible thing to do would be to guide her, let her explore what she liked and didn't like one step at a time. Never push her to accept anything she didn't already like. Their drinks finally arrived. She passed Narue's to hers, before looking at hers. She smirked, taking a loooong sip of hers, nearly finishing it off.

And then she turned, placed her thumb and pointer finger around Narue's chin and brought her mouth to the lieutenant's. She paused just a milimeter from her mouth long enough for her to startle before following through and pressing her lips softly, compassionately against the other girl's. She pursed her lips into the kiss, pressing harder with a little "Mmmmmwah." As she pulled away, still holding Narue's chin, gently but firmly. "Tell me something, lieutenant Ueno... Am I your first kiss?"