Taking a Day Off (Open)

"I don't...say bad things about people..." Mia frowned and looked away, he was teasing yes but.. She felt like she should be defensive about it. She had never said or really thought about the Captain that much before, other than how annoying it was attempting to deliver birthday cakes...

Her frowned softened back into a smile as she gave him a nod. "O-Of course, Captain. You'd get bothered and annoyed, I would never tell anyone just in case it would make your work harder. I promise no one will be told, even Masaru."

Alexander was maing himself comfortable, so Mia settled in as well on her legs. Even if it was getting a bit later she would be fine getting back, no one would bother someone as strong as her out here.

At his question, she hmed and smiled. It was true he could look up records, but why bother when she could just answer him? He shouldn't waste valuable time on someone like her when he could be doing other things. "I've been Lieutenant month at most. I was the third seat before Captain Hideki took over, I-I was promoted soon after he took the position. How long have you been a Captain, Captain? You've been one as along as I've been in the Seireitei..."

"Masaru, hm? Is he another one of your friends? Bit of a stick in the mud if you asked me, but I suppose given his heritage that can't be helped." Alexander chuckled a bit. "I am glad that I do not come from any sort of nobility, it is unnecessary societal pressure." He finished, fidgeting a little bit until he was fully comfortable.

"Only a month? I feel ancient now. I've been a Captain for...around eight hundred years or so? It did not take me long to rise through the ranks, given my focus on science. We're not as common as your average musclehead warrior." He laughed, before turning towards Mia with a light smile. "Don't be intimidated by that. You seem like you're destined to lead yourself. With your gentle demeanor, you would be the most beloved captain in the seireitei."

Mia's face turned a bright tomato color as she nodded, though whether it was from embarrassment or a bit of grumpiness she was not sure. "H-He's not a stick in the mud. He's really nice and kind of shy. L-Like how you are nice but its hidden from others? A-And yes. I am glad I... am not either."

Did it count if her uncle had married into one? They didn't know her of her existence though so...

"Eight hundred?!" Mia stared, startled but a smile grew on her face. It was normal here, even if she wasn't used to meeting people above about three hundred or so. Laughing slightly, she ruffled her hair. "You don't... l-look a day over three h-hundred. Y-You have a point though... most people are more...combat orientated..."

His words had her flushing once more and looking away, her hands tugging on her hair nervously. "I-I thank you... Thats nice of you to say... H-Hopefully it'll be far in the future if th-that happens?"

Leading anyone would probably be hard if you couldn't talk to them. At least she felt so...

"He's got his head on straight at least. Seems to me though that he is not allowed to do anything that might offend his family's prestige. Like I said, coming from nobility is just a hassle." Alexander laughed, nodding to her words. He might not be any friend of sorts to the other Captain, but being a fellow colleague and senior Captain, he extended Masaru that much respect at least.

"Ouch, like I said, you make me feel old. But I appreciate the compliment." He laughed again, noticing that she became withdrawn again at his compliments. Was this the normal reaction for most women? Well, all he really had was Lakshmi's reactions to go on, and she was far from withdrawn or shy...

"Am I bothering you with what I say? Apologies, miss Nezo. I tend to speak my mind if the situation allows it." The captain asked, his demeanor in its usual problem-solving state. Now he was just simply curious and wanted an answer. He was getting better at talking to other people in a casual manner, but he still had some work to do.

"H-He works himself to death is all. No time for much else... Being a noble really does look like a hassle, you are right." Mia nodded and looked away, but then smiled softly, thinking about small rumors she had heard about the Science loving Captain. "You normally work a lot too, don't you? Is it because you have lots of work to do or do you just enjoy it a ton?"

She didn't have too much work, even as a Lieutenant. It was easily done within work hours and while she adored running the library, it wasn't her passion. She didn't seem to have one, unless it was making others happy. So maybe if she could understand those two's drives?

Mia ruffled her hair more and looked down, her face still red as she blushed. "N-No its... fine. It was really...sweet. I just... don't know what to say in...reply is all... Speaking your mind is fine Captain... So please don't say sorry!"

"I suppose you could say I enjoy it. Ever since I was young, solving problems placed in front of me was always something I was adept at. Working on all sorts of inventions assuages my own mental desires as well as fulfills the duties of my occupation. I lucked out, it seems." Alexander laughed a bit in response. He did just enjoy inventing things, and the challenges that came with it. This was also the reason why he hardly ever turned down requests. "What about yourself? Do you enjoy reading for the sake of it, in your case?"

At Mia's flustered response, Alexander couldn't help but laugh again. Not at her, of course, but the fact that neither of them were experts at making small talk.

"Its funny, isn't it? I could say the same thing. What irony that you and I, the opposite of social butterflies, meet each other and have a conversation like this."

"Are there any problems you haven't been able to solve? You are a genius, so if you haven't they must be...really tough." Mia's eye lit up as she listened to Alexander, interested in the many things he had solved or figured out, as well as a bit awed. Here was one of the smartest people in the Seireitei, just conversing with her. He must know tons...

Smiling, she looked down and fiddled with a bit of extremely long black hair. "Sort of. I like learning about things as much as reading, but I mostly like skills that let me use my hands. Cooking, sewing mostly. I... like making things that make others happy."

Alex had a nice laugh and she let out a soft laugh herself. It was odd wasn't it? They both had their secret sides... "Its pretty funny, we both stay away from others... But you are doing...really good? I-I mean no...disrespect. You are doing better than me at least. Hehe."

"Problems I haven't been able to solve...well, there are certain records and such that have been expunged from my division, most likely by the former Head Captain. They were buried deep, painstakingly so, but I have been able to recover them. I haven't been able to decipher why they were erased yet, though, as I've only recently discovered them. At any rate, my other work usually takes precedence. My best assumption is that it was taboo research, which just piques my curiosity even more, because now I wish to know what they discovered." Alexander explained, fidgeting again. It was a little hard to get comfy on a roof, he was finding out.

"Hm...Likes to learn, good with your hands, like making things for good reasons...you could have easily been an officer in my division then. It gets annoying at times when the only one you can trust to handle certain objects, liquids, or materials is yourself." The captain smiled a bit, paying the young woman a compliment again. To him, it seemed as though she wasn't used to getting them, which was a shame, given her demeanor and personality. He smirked a little bit, in a somewhat playful manner. What? Alexander and the word playful in the same sentence?

"Also, you are a bit incorrect. You approached me, Mia. You are the one who is winning this competition of socializing."

Mia's eyes widened as she listened, that seemed highly bad for Alexander if he dug too deep into hidden work. "You'll get... in big trouble if you do though won't you? A-And telling me that you are looking into things like that.. That's trusting of me... Thank you."

She seemed perfectly at ease on the roof, no fidgets or extra movements that were attributed to anything but Alex's words. Those seemed to cause enough, her hands playing with her hair as she looked away. "I-I am sorry. I've been in the library always... If Captain didn't need me..."

Having never thought that R&D was an option for her, she felt a bit bad for the poor alone Captain. However, Hideki needed her where she was. Huh was that a playful smile? Her eyes had moved to the Captain finally and she had to look away. Was he teasing her?

"Y-You gave them things! I had...to see... Who... I-I am getting better. A bit." Turning red again, her eyes glanced to Alex before looking away again. "You seem to have no trouble talking... at least."

"Well, I haven't had a chance yet to discuss this with the new Head Captain, but yes, you're right. One false step and I could find something that would get me court-martialed or worse. Caution is the best way to proceed." The Captain nodded to the Lieutenant as he turned to face her, his demeanor serious for a moment before lightening up into a slight smile.

"No need to apologize. One should always go where they are needed. Hideki is young and will need someone like yourself to help him along the way. Like I said, bright kid, but he has a ways to go." Alexander replied with a friendly chuckle, before noticing she became withdrawn again. Another soft laugh escaped him.

"Only because I've had to learn how to converse with others, being a Captain and all. When I was young, I don't think I said a word to anybody." He paused. "But don't sell yourself short, Mia. You aren't bad at this yourself. You seem a bit uncomfortable being paid a compliment though...doesn't Masaru ever pay you some?" He teased, the same sort of smile from before returning

"Its good to hear... It would be bad to see you get put in jail..." Mia shook her head at the image that appeared in her mind of the Captain in chains, though she did give a relieved smile. He hopefully would be given permission to, that way both his curiosity would be assuaged as well as be allowed to learn more.

"Captain does have a lot to learn, but he's really trying. It'll just take time now for him!" Nodding enthusiastically, she smiled brightly at Alex. It was good of him to see that too! He had seemed a little hard on Hideki earlier, but it seemed like Alexander saw the young shinigami's potential. "I'm helping as best I can. He ends up...taking care of me sometimes though still..."

It felt bad admitting that, but her Captain did look out for her a lot. Her smile turned soft and she nodded. "Does...it get easier? Y-You do so well, I would have never thought you didn't talk... Maybe one day I'll be as good as you..."

"Masa does! He does a lot..." Mia turned more red and buried her face in her hands, unable to look at the teasing smile the Captain was giving her. She felt like falling over and just rolling off of the roof, away from such talks. This was too much! But she didn't want Alex thinking badly of him either. "I-I just... get shy... its...new..."

"Yes it would be. I know Captain Des, though, so perhaps I would be treated well enough at the very least." Alexander simply laughed at the thought. He was much aware of the risks and potential hazards of poking his nose into things like these, but he still appreciated Mia's concern. He continued to smile as he listened to the younger woman. Even though she was rather shy, she was an intelligent person, and to Alex that meant good company.

"Good, good. A house divided by itself cannot stand, as the humans say. Hideki and yourself need to support each other at times, or else things will start crumbling down." The captain remarked, thinking to himself for a moment afterwards. At times, things would have been easier if he had someone capable to fall back on, but the man did enjoy the challenge in the end.

"Well, anything with practice becomes easier. You talking to me now is a far sight from when I used to see you out of the corner of my eye whenever I was taking books out of the Library." He paused to laugh a bit, teasing her again. "But yes, you will be. Even better. Your face and personality don't scare people away like mine, remember?" His smile continued.

"Shyness is nothing to be ashamed of, Miss Nezo. It means you are thoughtful and mindful of what others think. I am sure Masaru, given his background, is also a bit shy when it comes to women, so you two fit each other well." His smile turned into a playful sort of smirk.

"A cushy pillow and blanket for your long stay would be nice." Mia attempted to tease, her voice a bit quiet but she smiled for the Captain.

She nodded strongly, agreeing with him utterly. They needed to be able to rely on each other, and it was good they could already. The trust was already strong, she felt. His next words caused more nodding and a happy smile. "Mhm! I-I can talk and lower...the hood now. Y-Your face isn't scary! N-Neither is your p-personality... Just the...r-reputation. Like... I'm a ghost. Its not true..."

"I-I guess so... he's really shy sometimes...and turns red a lot..." She couldn't help being flustered by talk like that, turning her head so long black hair covered up some of the red. Staring at a bit of roof near where the Captain was sitting, Mia attempted to not be so shy about this. Her eyes glanced up through bits of hair and she nodded with a warm smile. "Thank you. I-I...like...your kind words. I'm sorry I get so..flustered about it."

"You talk...about being alone a lot. D-Does that mean you have no friends? O-Or just few." Was it prying...

"Its not like I am a misanthrope, but yes, I suppose those I could count as 'friends' are few." Alexander replied honestly. Most people would probably get a bit depressed at speaking those words, but to the Captain, his demeanor was its usual self. Straight-forward and logical to a fault. After all, having a lot of people to come interrupt you while you were busy at work was not preferable to the man.

"Like you said, my reputation precedes me." He laughed. "Plus, I tend not to have any time that I can afford to take off given the sorts of things I work on. Its up to me to advance the Seireitei's technology, is it not?" He smiled a little bit as he looked towards Mia, trying to cheer up the younger woman who had probably gotten sad at his words. What he said wasn't entirely true, he could probably take a few days off every so often, but what reason would he have to do so?

"Like I said before you have one more now!" Mia nodded enthusiastically and sat up, reaching over and taking Alex's hands in her. She gave them a squeeze and another bright smile. He needed friends, or at least people he could trust and was nice... So she'd be his loyal friend. "So if you ever need something, come see me and ask!"

Shaking her head a bit, she looked straight at Alex as his attempt to cheer her up just made her more sad. "That's ridiculous to think you are the only one its relying on. Take more time for yourself, I mean who are you outside of the science and work? You give kids your excess work but... What else do you like and want to do? Though..."

He probably just loved his work so much. She flushed at her assumptions and bowed her head. "I am sorry. I'm assuming a lot."

Was she actually touching his hands? This nervous young woman who could barely look at him a few minutes out of embarrassment was now making physical contact and to be honest, it took the Captain by surprise. With a slightly puzzled look to match his mental state, he simply looked at Mia a bit wide eyed as she spoke.

Her words were kind, and he could tell that she was sincere in her statement of friendship. Reflexively, he gave her hands a return squeeze before letting go and turning his head a bit away as he backed up a bit so he wasn't looking at the Lieutenant. She was an attractive young woman, one showing him real affection albeit in a platonic way. Relationships, let alone with females, were still not Alexander's strong point, despite all of his confidence towards Lakshmi previously. Even though the raven haired man knew all of this, he wasn't sure of any weakness hiding within so he backed off a bit to prevent it, retreating to his normal guarded self. No need to make things weird, the man thought, especially not to such a nice person.

Alexander simply listened to Mia as she talked, asking about himself and who he really was...well, he had never really thought about it, given how his mind was almost always occupied with work or something or other.

"I uh...I guess I enjoy a drink every now and then. Then again, that's hardly an answer isn't it?" He laughed a little, trying to ease the mood a little bit. "I suppose you are right though, I do owe it to myself to figure these sorts of things out."

Her damned stubborn nature, it made her do things without thinking! Mia turned bright red as she realized she had been holding the Captain's hand. It just felt right to take his hands and make him feel better... Its what her mom used to do to her when she was little, even now when she saw the woman.

As Alex's red eyes widened it made her realize she had probably gone too far, but he was like her... So she felt at ease and... well at least he squeezed her hand back before scooting away a bit. The violet eyed woman felt not as bad for it, though why couldn't he look at her now? Confusion shone in her eyes but he wasn't looking and she turned away.

He seemed unsure of his own likes and she reached up to brush aside jet black bangs as she thought for a moment before laughing. A happy smile bloomed on her face as she closed her eyes. "Well now...you have another project to work on. Finding out what kinds of things you like to do! Treat it like an experiment, with yourself as the subject."

"D-Did you want anymore cupcakes? I have some...and cheesecake...and regular cake... Any other things..." Maybe that would help him feel better? More snacks? Sticking a gloved hand into her cloak, she prepared just in case he wanted something else.

"Ah yes, good way to look at it. Appeal to my inquisitive nature. Looks like you already know me fairly well, Lieutenant." Alexander replied with a chuckle, recovered enough to the point where he could look at her again without any awkwardness. He had been disarmed for a moment, but now he was back on point.

"No no, I think I'm alright. Save those for the kids for later." The captain remarked with a slight hand wave. "Though what honestly intrigues me is how you are able to hide all of that in that cloak of yours...is it a special fabric? Does it have garganta-like portals inside of it where you can store things at a moment's notice? Hmm..." He asked the woman. It might have sounded like a joke, but the scientific man was totally serious in his words.

"I-Its just obvious when you pay attention to people! N-Not... I won't assume I know you well at all Captain!" Mia waved her hands in shock, the flushing face never disappearing as she stared. She couldn't know him too well, they had just met and it was something that seemed obvious to her! He was inquisitive by nature and liked to make things... so she assumed treating things like he seemed to like would help...

She'd definitely save it for the kids then and shot Alex a small smile, nodding. At his questions though she had to glance up in thought, a finger going to her lips. "Hm I don't know? I found it in the deeper parts of the Library. It just...holds things in it. They come out in the exact same state I put them in? So hot food stays hot and cold stays cold and stuff. Um, it like...tunes to the person wearing it? I'd have to... Here."

Mia reached up into the hood and did something, before untying the cloak rather nervously. It was only her and Captain Alexander so... No one else could see? Shaking slightly, it dropped from her shoulders as she pulled it onto her lap, revealing a kimono like dress that covered almost every inch of skin but didn't hide her figure much.

Not that Alex was the type to notice with a mystery like the cloak to figure out. Mia looked nervous for more than one reason as she sat up on her knees, scooting closer to Alex. Leaning forward, she held it out before shaking it slightly. "H-Here let me...put it on you and set it... Y-You should be able to use it? I-I...trust you not to take it. S-So you can examine it if you want for yourself."

And she was right. Alexander was much too absorbed in the scientific nature of this garment to pay attention to Mia's outfit or her forwardness, otherwise he might have had a similar reaction to what just happened a few moments ago. Science had taken over his mind like usual and he just simply nodded as he took off his own cloak, letting the reiatsu masking object slide to the ground. Now he had to focus to surpress his own energy levels, which wasn't too hard given his experience and power but it would be less effective than wearing said cloak. Underneath, the R&D head was just wearing the boring old shinigami uniform, although the top was a bit loose so he wouldn't be uncomfortably warm underneath his previous covering.

"Of course. This is yours, I would not dare take from a friend. You must let me borrow it to research it properly, though." The captain smiled, letting her continue how she wanted.

"I-I have another cloak I made. I-It doesn't do this, but I can...let you borrow it for a bit... Sometime. Um, here it'll attune...itself. I just need to settle it like this..." Mia nodded and bit her lip before moving forward the rest of the way. Settling it around his shoulders, she moved to tie it and then lifted the hood. The cloak shimmered lightly and grew larger, fitting the larger man's form perfectly.

Mia's smile was warm as she lifted the edge of the cloak, holding it up for Alex to see the slit. "In there... that slit. If you stick your hand into it and think about something stored in there you'll get it. I-I have things? Like the cupcakes. It'll...maybe be harder for you since you didn't put the stuff in but... General thoughts work just as well. S-So if I have something you might think of it probably will have it. A-As long as it fits into that slit it'll be in there and stay. I think there is a ladder in there...Go ahead. Try it!"

Moving back on her feet, she gave him a small smile and waited.

"Intriguing." was all Alexander said as the garment grew to his size and fit him comfortably. At the moment, his eyes were scanning all over the cloak, his demeanor intense and focused as his mind raced to analyze it. Of course, he could still hear what Mia was saying, so he wasn't ignoring her.

At the Lieutenant's instructions, he reached into the small slit and lo and behold, he started to pull out the top of a ladder. He was impressed at how this garment worked, to say the least. Retracting his hand away from the pocket, he grinned just a bit.

"Well, you certainly struck gold with this find, Mia. I would love to be able to reproduce what this cloak is capable of. I already have a few ideas as to how it works, but like I said, more study would be required before I could create another. Thank you. I appreciate you letting me take a look at it." The captain responded as he turned to smile lightly towards the younger woman. He sounded official in a sense, like a man at work, but his tone was friendly.

He began taking off the cloak, starting with the hood. After a moment, he quickly folded it in a nice manner and offered it back to the violet eyed lady.

Mia watched the Captain with curious eyes of her own. She could see how others would find him cold, but now that she had seen how nice he was it just seemed... like warm interest instead of cold and clinical. He was a curious person by nature, and shy!

She was glad even with her shyness she could help. Especially since she hadn't brought this to R&D mostly because she was afraid they would take it... But she trusted Alex not to and a happy smile seemed glued on her face for now. "I-I'll bring it in for you tomorrow. Y-You can keep it for a while to study... Welcome Captain!"

It was clear she was utterly trusting of him now and she accepted the cloak back, hand reaching up to reset the cloak from the slit in the hood. As she wrapped it around her shoulders, she tied it and lifted the oversized hood. It morphed back into its usual shape and she sighed in relief. Part of her had thought, irrationally since it was inanimate, that her cloak would want to stay with Alex.

Pulling the hood back down, she fidgeted a bit as she tried to maintain eye contact with the red eyed man but... failing. "Thank you for not...being mean. A-And taking it... You could... I wouldn't have...anyway to fight against it. A-And it would be your word...s-so thank you for being a nice person..."

"Excellent, though don't feel pressured. I always have something on my plate in terms of workload, so its likely I wouldn't even be able to start looking at it for a while." Alexander replied, a small smile visible as he looked over towards Mia. He could tell the cloak was very important to her. She was rather shy, so naturally it gave her a sort of comfort just wearing it, which he could understand. It was her suit of armor she wore to battle.

"Instead, how about you bring it to me when you feel as though you don't need it anymore? You're getting better at talking to people, we've established that fact already." He paused to chuckle. "But to deprive a nice young woman like yourself one of her most valuable possessions, well...that would not do well to dispel any of the beliefs about me, misbegotten though they may be." Another laugh. He put his own cloak back on, along with the hood, and fixed the garment so it was sitting comfortably once again. He waved his hand nonchalantly afterwards.

"Your thanks are unnecessary. Whatever is said about me, I will tell you now that I am not a thief. In fact, I believe that a thief is the worst thing a scientist could be, for then he is not a true intellect if their ideas and devices are not their own. Wouldn't you agree, Mia?" A friendly laugh and a smile followed his words.

"I couldn't. I could never get rid of it. I-Its like an old friend at this point." Mia pulled the edges around her, almost as if giving it a hug while she smiled very softly. She could never just give it up... but if he wanted to borrow it? She would be fine with that.

Shaking her head in the negative, she spoke those thoughts. "Mm, if you ever want to take it then for examining when you have time... Just come by and I will let you. I-I wouldn't let anyone think you took it! Ever! I promise. No one would think badly of you."

Feeling bad for having said those words, despite how they had been true and her worries, Mia turned a slight red and looked away once more. "You aren't a thief. I-It was bad of me to think you would before..."

Reaching up she ruffled her hair softly, moving to stand as she noticed the time. Her eyes were wide, pulling out a cell phone like device. "O-Oh! Its getting late. I-I should head b-back soon... Did you plan on staying? I-I can keep you company if so but..."

She'd rather not be stuck in Rukon at night. It was still a place that scared her.