Quiet is Best

Once Mia headed back towards the bench, he followed shortly after, returning to the spot he'd been sitting in earlier.

So the afterlife wasn't as pleasant as everyone thought it was? Huh, go figure. He wouldn't have thought anyone could be...born there either, but...he guessed that wasn't something anyone would just assume considering it was...the afterlife.

Their birthdays were a day a part, it seemed, though that probably wasn't anything important...

"A-Ah..."

"Its... weird..." Mia smiled shyly and shifted to the side a bit, placing her finger on the bench and drawing on it. Purple flames appeared that did not burn or give off heat though, as she drew an infinity loop.

"Th-The Soul Society is more like... just another...um not...universe but... another side of it? I-Its not just...where souls go when their life here ends it seems but...th-that's theoretical... When...souls in Rukon die, they g-go back to be reborn on earth..." Mia murmured... and then reached up and tugged her hair. "...F-For some reason its like...h-historical Japan... H-Hence the uniforms..."

Using the flames she had made, she pulled them from the loop and then made a small circle and then four spokes coming from it. "Th-The seireitei... the Rukon spreads out...from here... Lots of people want to be...shinigami but... only those who can pass the entrance exams get in.... o-or people like me...who just..."

She flared the flames, looking away. "Wh-Who manifest powers and n-need help..."

Aito listened quietly as Mia went further into explaining things, glancing back to the bench as Mia drew an example to help with the explanation.

Occasionally, he gave a small nod; he understood the gist of it. It seemed like life there was harder than life here, unless you were a shinigami, for normal people...

"Mn..."

Mia decided that was enough...she had...just told him all these things...without wondering if he wanted to.

Blinking away her blush, or trying to anyways, Mia looked to the side for a moment. "S-Sorry... I-I rambled about it... H-Here, cup your hands like this..."

Holding out her hands in a cupping motion, she decided to let Aito experience something cool... At least maybe... She felt bad, even if he was a...Tsunish person for bugging him like this.

"...s'fine..." Aito muttered again; it was information...not really rambling, still, he did as asked anyway and cupped his hands out after situating the kitten in one of his arms.

He wasn't sure what to expect, she'd already given him a ton of candy so it wasn't like he needed more...

Mia smiled softly and held her hands over his without touching, her eyes shining a bit as she formed some violet flames in his hand. They wouldn't burn at all, just give him a soft warmth as they danced in his cupped hands. If he pulled them apart, they would cling to his hands and would feel soft movements from them but no pain.

Aito's eyes widened slightly as that purple fire from before appeared...this time in his bare hands; he'd moved them apart slightly out of instinct upon seeing the fire, but after a short second he realized it didn't burn, it was just warm...

Mia watched his surprise with a small smile, happy as she noticed the slight signs he gave off. "It won't hurt you... I was...nervous earlier... that's why it flared up..."

"I-I hadn't...been like that in a while... s-so they overreacted... Y-You can play with them if you like..." Mia fidgeted a bit, shyly looking away as the flamed seemed to dance on his hands.

"A-Ah..." Aito gave a nod, cupping his hands together again as the flames continued moving; he was relieved it didn't burn...especially after seeing that bush catch fire earlier...

Regalia watched the fires curiously, the kitten just itching to jump at the tempting things since they didn't seem harmful.

"D-Do you mind...i-if I ask you some questions? I-I've...never really...met humans before I-I could ask questions..." Other than Muika, but they had had other things to talk about and she had been very shy. "I-I mean I could ask Captain but... he died not too long ago so... I d-don't want to bring up bad memories..."

The flames were safe for Regalia to play with and hopped around more, tempting the kitten.

Aito gave a small nod, though he wasn't sure if he'd be able to answer everything she might ask; whatever, if he knew, he knew, if not then oh well...

Reglia squirmed some in Aito's arm just enough to swat at the dancing flames.

"U-Um...start with...how old you are...your birthday... Where you were born... What's your favorite animal... um..." Mia trailed off, thinking of more... She had so many and just they spilled out. Maybe they were silly and innocent, but she'd never really talked like this with a human before...

Making the flames dance out of the kittens way, they teased her more as Mia also played with her.

He'd expected...questions on other things, not small personal ones like those...well, they were hardly personal, just little things...

"...Twenty-one, March fifteenth...dunno the others..." He didn't remember the city he was born in, it wasn't this one, as for animals he didn't really have a specific favorite he didn't think...

Mia seemed really pleased with his response, though her mouth opened in shock as she heard his birthday. Turning bright red, she realized it was the day after her own...

And though he didn't know where he was born or his favorite animal, Mia accepted his response with her small smile. "Thank you... You are just a little younger than Captain... He's twenty-two. Um... What do you do for a living? Do you live alone? Do you have...um...apartment?"

Most shinigami either lived in the barracks or had their own places if they weren't nobles... She hadn't wanted to mess up the word, it was unfamiliar to say and use although she knew of it.

"...C...Cafe..." No way in hell was he gonna say the type, instead, he gave a nod to her last two questions.

Worked at a cafe...just...cafe...and he lived alone in his apartment. That was basically it, her questions hadn't really required any explaining, just straight answers...

"Oh! What kind? Do you cook too?" Her nervousness has disappeared gradually, her flames tickling his hands in happiness as she smiled. It seemed she was more at ease around this man now and it showed with her brilliant smile. Stronger men than Aito had fallen before that smile. Could he withstand it?

He lived alone in an apartment! That was cool...

What kind? No...

"O-Okura's housewife handles most of the...the cooking there...though simple things for me, I guess..." He did simple things but definitely didn't too much cooking or baking, he could do those things with average skill though...

"Oh so you make drinks then?" Mia's smile was still that bright as she asked more, rather pleased with all of this. She could ask things and it was okay... Tilting her head to the side like a large curious cat, her violet guileless eyes shined with enthusiasm and curiosity. "What kind of cafe is it? So...Iyuki is her housewife?"

"Ah..." Aito gave a nod, as for the other questions...

He'd been hoping she'd missed his not answering on what type of cafe it was. It...It was a cafe! That wasn't enough!? "A...A cafe...as for him, he acts like a housewife so he's a housewife..."

It was a cafe!

"That sounds nice... I never get a chance to really try making fancier ones... I-I don't have the equipment... I think my... s-stepmother...has it in her...ma-house. I-I should...try it...sometime... C-Could you teach me?" Mia seemed rather...odd as she spoke those words, nervous annoyed and just...feeling weird calling her that.

It... was true...pretty much... Ugh...

"Th-That makes sense... if he acts like one then he is... U-Um what kind is a cafe cafe?" Mia's head tilted again, those violet eyes staring right into his hazel with utter curiousness. Would he lie to the woman again?

"A-Ah..." What was he even supposed to teach her though? She already knew how to make sweets, he knew that much...

"C-C...afe..." Why didn't she just believe that it was a normal cafe and that be it!? This was humiliating! She was just staring at him with no signs of giving up either! Gh...

"...utler...maid..." Eventually, he muttered that, the words coming out very, very quietly.

Humiliating.

"Thank you... I've always wanted to learn how to make the coffee drinks and stuff... but never...never learned... so thank you." Mia's brilliant and pleased smile was so bright it could blind as she pushed back some her her almost impossibly long hair that had fallen out of her cloak.

Aito called it a cafe but she was confused until... he spoke... The reaction was visible easily...

"...Th-The ones...y-you...call them..mistress and master in...? A-And...butler...out...fits?" Mia's voice squeaked at the end, her face the deepest red shade. B-Butler? He...was a butler?

H-He was handsome... s-so she could see it... She looked away, her hands covering her face as the flames on Aito's hands disappeared utterly.

"...A-Ah..." Humiliation...

What was with that reaction!? A squeak and she just... Gh...

The flames disappeared from his hand, and Regalia was confused on their sudden disappearance, her eyes moving around to see if they'd moved, but there was nothing...

Mia tried to get ahold of herself but... a real live butler... in...those...Maybe...Masa would...

Mia squeaked more as her face turned a deeper shade of red than what she previously thought possible. He probably felt weirded out... Mia shook her head a bit and tried to calm herself before speaking. "S-Sorry... I-I just...d-did not...expect it... Y-You are so...quiet..."

"I-I needed a job...so he stepped in to help..." Aito's free hand that wasn't holding the kitten moved to his hair, finally able to rustle it some out of habit like it's been itching to for what felt like forever now.

He...He'd needed a job...