plotted started for @blacksun4ever
Rukia had her back against the gate of the school, waiting between the line of the schoolyard and the sidewalk that led home. From here, with a view of the school field if she turned, Rukia might have seemed like a sibling waiting for their brother or sister. But Rukia had her full attention on her soul pager, rapidly clicking the buttons while holding it with both hands and her head leaning in close to the screen. That was when a piercing high pitched trill of her pager would ping once more, startling her with a hop before the shock turned into renewed annoyance in the form of an aggravated sigh. This had started just earlier, and she was intent on figuring out if there was some kind of setting to disable it. This new particular ring was paired with a notification in threatening red font that conveyed that her return was overdue. It was just another little reminder that she was a fool if she thought she belonged here or that she could keep up this charade for much longer.
For a moment, seemingly given up on her task to silence her pager, Rukia would peer towards the sounds of laughter from children in the school yard, glancing for only a moment before she would peer away too quickly, as if disturbed, sending her gaze right into the ground with a sigh. Her heart was torn by this place, causing her hand to rise to her chest to quiet it, caught in its sweetness and ease. Compared to her life in the seireitei it was lightweight and easy here. Which is why it was so freeing and tempting to stay here, even if she didn’t really belong here. Taking in a breath in the world of the living felt different: the air felt lighter, and even the noise of wild children felt freeing, not as restricting as the silent pressures and etiquette of nobles she had been suffocating in.
It wasn’t as though she needed another reminder on her phone, her gigai had been another reminder that was in her face all the time with its constant freezing up and rigidness. Rukia would reach out her hand in front of her, flexing her fingers with a slight struggle before clasping it in a fist. Neither her body or her head felt like it was right. Lately, she felt like the ripples on a pond, with feelings of uneasiness settling in her stomach. Maybe she just needed to see if the synchronizer boost she had taken would finally kick in, or else it would be another trip to Urahara’s. Rukia would have just given a thought to passing off turning off these new notifications to Urahara, but that was when she saw the key words of ‘silence reminders’ in one of the menus, disabling it just as it set off one last defiant tone before being cut off. Triumphing over technology for once, Rukia would sigh with accomplishment. “Finally, stupid pager.”
