Talk Over Tea [Rangiku/Ajora]

It was quite a nice day in the Seireitei, gentle sunlight spilling into the tea house that Rangiku had frequented, finishing off a cup as she had awaited the arrival of a curious student: a rather talented first year by the name of Ajora. During one of her frequent visits to help out in the Academy, she had taken to discussing how things were going with Hisana. Though she didn’t know the woman very long, they had taken well to each other and the blonde did want to ensure she was doing OK, which thankfully was the truth. Though, the topic did turn to one of her rather gifted but rather asocial students, often keeping to herself and seeming uninterested in anything but her studies.

Her worry about her own pupil was clear, thus Rangiku decided to take up on speaking with Ajora given she was good with handling such situations in the past. Brief contact with the young lady lead to scheduling a sit and talk, and thus was what led to the present, eying the door occasionally as she was scrolling through some media on her phone, smiling and addressing the young lady asking if she wanted more tea before she heard the door open and looked to see the dark haired woman.

“Oh hey, over here!” Smiling, she’d wave Ajora over to her table, which was rather unnecessary given that the place was empty apart from one or two regulars quietly up to their business, meeting eyes with her, well one. She definitely had a curious appearance, though that wasn’t something she was going to bring up, “Matsumoto Rangiku, it’s nice to meet you! How are you doing today?”

A gentle scoff came from her, a smile and raise brow setting the tone of her words, "In trouble? Noooo. I'm not acting as the Vice Captain of Eighth here, it's all Matsumoto-sensei here. Order whatever you'd like, my treat hun." It wasn't often that Rangiku insisted on treating others, usually it was her getting treated, and as much as she liked free stuff that wasn't the objective here. She wanted Ajora to feel comfortable enough to open up, if she was as opposed to interaction as she imagined.

Her hands were lied out on the table as the server would come by with freshly brewed tea and receiving any new orders, a genuine smile marking her face as she'd look upon the woman in front of her, deciding to get down to the nitty gritty, "So i've heard you've been doing pretty well for yourself in your studies! That's really great, I wouldn't be surprised if you ended up graduating early at this rate if what i'm hearing is right. Though, I have heard you haven't really been putting yourself out there to other students or instructors, think ya can tell me what's going on there?"

As much as she could assume Ajora was just shy, nervous, or overly invested in her studies, she'd rather the student speak for herself and then give any word on it, as opposed to assuming what's going on.

A look of surprise dawned on her features when she overheard the order. She definitely didn't expect someone so sullen-looking to have such an appetite! It was no problem to pay for, she just expected her to order something small for how petite she looked. Though, she most definitely wasn't expecting... That, kind of answer to her question, a pretty extreme sounding judgement in all honestly, even Rangiku's smile shifting to be a bit more awkward, "Little... Harsh, don't you think?" but would give a wave of the hand as she responded to her other question, "Oh, me? Not much. Had to put a few guys in their place but largely things went smoothly in my time."

There was a bit of nostalgia in remembering her academy days, messing with the other students, falling asleep in class, overall having a pretty good time despite everything that preceded and succeeded those days. Stirring her tea a bit before taking another sip, she'd gingerly place the cup down, "Yknow, not everyone is so problematic. I've known a lot of those kids, and for the most part many of them are there for the same reason you are - to learn. Is there anyone you've tried to form a bond with? I'm sure you could pick out a small group to hang out with if you put yourself out there."

Oof, this girl was gonna be a toughie, but she's handled plenty of toughies. As much as she's seen similar situations to her's, it was very important that she learned to work with a unit, else she was just going to join a squad and be all off to herself while her peers knew nothing about her or could approach her for anything if they needed, and she certainly had potential to be in a seated position, so that just made figuring this situation out all the more important. Even if she wasn't her student, she didn't want any of them failing in their tenure or their potential to be squandered by something that could be resolved with a different outlook...

"So others are being weird with you because of how well you're doing, am I getting that right?" A cant of the head followed her question as she'd try to discern the best course of action here, "Now, i'm not gonna tell ya to be nice or to act in a situation you're not comfortable with, but have you tried helping your peers out? Maybe you could help with tutoring!" She'd smile and clasp her hands together, "Usually people act like that if they feel like you're above and out of reach, so maybe you should give some path for them to understand you a little better. You really need to be able to form some kind of connection with people, or else you're gonna flop once you get into a division because you'd be difficult to approach. You're a promising, hard-working student, and i'm sure none of your instructors would want that kind of future for you."

As much as she was surprised by Ajora's order size, it wasn't nearly as surprising of how quickly she managed to finish the meal, a slight grin on her face as she seemed amused, "Dang, big eater."
She'd assume the opposite for someone like her, some of her students got so engrossed into studying they forwent eating or sleeping - of course she was around to knock some sense into them but, clearly she wouldn't have to for Ajora. That was good at least.

Though her attention was brought on by the calm tone's reluctance to her idea, it wasn't quite a no but it definitely wasn't a yes, though she perked up with Ajora's own questioning of her motive to join 8th, prompting the blonde to smile widely, "Guess you could say that's part of it! Some part helping a new division get off it's feet, some part wanting to get back into my old routine, and some part wanting some colleagues to go drinking with!"

Gently adjusting some hair from her face, she'd sigh softly with a fond smile on her face, "I initially got into teaching cuz I wanted to keep myself in the loop, even with my injuries. Plus it was something new; I had my challenges at first but ultimately I wouldn't regret taking that role on instead of being stuck in my house all day!" She seemed to glow with pride for herself.