Both Cereals and Flour [Abalia, Kazuya]

Prior to the changes in her life, it was tremendously unlikely that Abalia would have done anything personal for those who worked under her. However, she understood more recently that there was a rapport that needed to be built between people, and more pertinent, she understood that she had asked a rather tremendous favor of Kazuya Koga. She could have done any number of things to repay him for that, but in the end, she felt it would be smart to wait until the work was finished.

In the meantime, bringing him lunch would at least suffice. A pair of neatly organized bento, carefully curated in the Kyoraku kitchens, and of course a bottle of freshly made barley tea to cool down after what she knew was undoubtedly a good deal of work. She found a place to set them down, then gave a short wave to call Kazuya's attention.

"Good afternoon."

“Oh! Captain Commander!”

BOOM!

All you’d hear was the awesome power of an explosion going off from within the Kenpachi Foundation, it’s structure crumbling from the inside out. Downward did it fall, the roof cratering from its center, bricks and metal, broken and dismantled, came crashing down, kicking up dust and debris as the large man stepped from his ongoing handiwork. He seemed less than worried about any possible mishaps, possibly cockiness or a lack of self preservation. Either way, he approached the woman who cared enough to visit him. Could it be that she wished to see his progress? What is that near her foot? A meal of sorts? His stomach growled, the empty vessel dangerously malnourished. However, he could never relay such drastic information to her or anyone. It already proves troublesome when a certain female bugs him over such.

“What brings you this far out from home? Be careful, the dust is enough to clog one’s lungs for weeks.”

He couldn’t help but laugh, boisterously as chaos continued behind him, but he made sure to stand between the woman and his handiwork. It would be horribly rude to ruin her clothing. That is why he only kept the bare minimum on his person: a dirty white T with black pants. The helmet on his head looked strange, considering the two horns that broke from his skull. Hands on his hips, he looked down at that miniscule woman who could bend him over with just a whisper, a much different strength from that of which his people cherished, yet, fascinating all the same.

"Ah, thank you for the warning."

Abalia pulled a handkerchief from her coat pocket and placed it over her mouth, not especially wishing to deal with any adverse health effects from visiting. Of course, that did nothing to dissuade her from being here. It simply meant that they ought to go somewhere else.

"I've brought a meal. I imagine your work leaves little time to focus on much else beside the work itself, yes? And you have done me a tremendous service in doing this. I feel it is the least I can do."

Direct, to the point. Abalia wasn't the sort to dance around her reasons for coming, after all.

She reads him like a book, or, better yet, she simply understands the importance of a good work day. He wonders if she understood his situation through experience, but he shouldn’t place her anywhere similar to his own standing. The Captain Commander is obviously a woman who knows to never let herself go hungry. Though, his body does remind him of the importance of lunch by making his stomach growl, a thundering noise that dwarfed the ongoing destruction behind him. Now, that’s embarrassing, but his only response was to give a wry smile. Oopsie.

“Who can eat when there’s work to be done, eh? My last meal? Mmm… Was it a week ago?”

Ah, he found himself pondering that little detail as the dust finally settled around them, the Kenpachi Foundation nothing but rumble. For how long it took him to plan and plant the required explosives, the end result proved rather lackluster. However, good work is subtle and requires no grand exposition to get its job done. That is how you know one is capable of much, and he is truly a capable man… Not to toot his own horns.

Abalia seemed almost unsure of how to even respond to the idea that he had not eaten since last week. She herself rarely ate, of course, but that was simply because she rarely needed to do so. Her spiritual power was so little that the need almost never presented itself. But this man quite clearly exerted himself more than she, if only in the physical sense.

"That is unacceptable. In the future, look after your health more."

Gesturing for him to follow her, Abalia went to look for somewhere suitable to eat. Admittedly, there wasn't much, but she had at least brought a blanket in the event that there was only dirt. Just as well, because the only thing to be found was a flat-topped rock that could serve as something resembling a table. Setting the two highly-stacked jubako onto the rock, Abalia then unfolded and laid the blanket out next to it.

"Sit. I will ready the meal."

She spoke in a way that blurred the line between a request and an order, and before there was any opportunity for him to respond, she had begun unstacking the layers of the jubako, laying out the extravagant meal as if it were simply natural.

“...But, I have deadlines to meet!”

He spoke against her wishes with a clear tone in his voice, whining nearly. Though, he couldn’t help but huff and empty his lungs woefully. With the excitement of before behind him, his worn being became evidently clear: his ears lazed downwards, his tall frame hunched, and his sharp eye dulled uncharacteristically. Still, with his body defeated by mistreatment, his face met the Captain Commanders with peaceful resolution. It proved hard to not smile at her exertion, watching her carry what he could have easily taken from her. He is sure she would have found him getting in her way kind but also foolhardy due to his current state.

“...Ojo… Mmm… Fine…”

He muttered a bit under his breath as he sat, his legs crossed. Hoping she did not notice, he curled into himself, his hands on his knees and his eye closed. For a moment, he sat still, a statue; or possibly just a tired man resting. The only signature of life was that of his body slowly rising and falling with the easy rhythm of his breaths. Then, his nose picked up on the scent of the meal that was brought to him.

“HUR-RAH~!”

He exploded with energy, his arms brought up as his whole body swung towards the Heavens. His hands popped down onto the stone before him, his face alight with juvenile excitement before he began clapping his hands: one clap to the left, and one clap to his right. A hum vibrated from his closed lips, its rhythm and beat tribal. It was impossible for him to not chuckle after his display of hubris, his eye opened, tired still, and focused on the woman who plated their hearty meal.

Ah… His ears seemed to bounce as he twitched and rubbed at his cheek, a silly grin plastered on his face.

“Whoops.”

Abalia was unsure of what it was that she even watched unfold before her, but if nothing else, she was glad that it was impossible to startle her. She imagined that a less composed individual might have dropped or spilled something at the esoteric and loud event before her.

"I will presume that your exhaustion had gotten the better of you. I will assume that you have not slept, either, in your pursuit of these deadlines."

Setting each box down onto the blanket, Abalia simply poured two cups of the cold tea she had brought, before sitting down herself and taking the single box that contained her own lunch.

"If your deadlines are so strict that you must drive yourself to this degree, then we will renegotiate the timeframes in which you are held to your work. Your efforts are more than sufficient that I do not believe it would be an issue to allow you more time. Your health is a greater priority than immediate expediency."

“Tired or not, it is tradition to always celebrate a feast after a day of work. Though, it has been a while since I’ve had a reason for a hurrah.”

For a moment, a brief second, his eye held the faintest degree of sadness. The momentary remembrance of what was and isn’t any longer paused his enthusiasm, but he is not the type to let his emotions pull him any direction they pleased. He should not let old habits get the best of him though. Yet, he’s unable to truly move on, and his eye closed once again. Arms folding over his chest, his stubbornness on the matter forced him to keep his issues to himself and force them away. He does not expect the Captain Commander to understand or care about issues that are unimportant. It was a problem to even allow anything from so long ago to rear its ugly head.

“You care far too much for a simple smith. My body has yet to deteriorate. I’ll have you know, I’ve gone months without eating at times. Laziness is all this is. Yep… Mmm… That’s all it is.”

Again, his boastful nature took a hit as his thoughts went back to the past. He starved, but he starved with family because not every hunt proved successful. The hard times were hard, but it was just the way of life. The Rukongai has made him weak. That’s something his father would tell him.

"I see. Forgive me then, for improperly assuming regarding your traditions."

While Abalia had no cultural attachments, she was not the sort to deny them to others. Even at her most professional, she would not have dared to insult people's life circumstances simply because it was not necessary to do so. Her role as White Gold Queen had only reinforced that.

"Do not speak ill of yourself as a simple smith, or think that you may take poor care of your body on account of your station. If you do not intend to put effort toward your well-being for your own sake, then do it as a command from your employer."

She was not so foolish as to be oblivious to his obvious emotional thoughts, but she did not particularly know how to broach that topic. Or, for that matter, even if she should.

“Mmm… Traditions… Do not worry about it, Captain Commander. It is fine.”

It is his fault for letting himself be moved by her cooking. He should know better than to expose outsiders to things they wouldn’t understand. It took him a long time to get the hang of living in the Rukongai after he fled from assured destruction. His tiredness just made it too easy to fall back to what one was used to. He would much rather focus on the Captain Commander’s insistent mothering. She reminds him of the women of his tribe that would always berate a warrior for not properly taking care of their health. Those women went as far as to starve themselves, just to make sure that the men could continue to hunt and provide for everyone.

“What? Planning on stopping by just to make sure I’ve had supper? Heh… Mmm… I wouldn’t hate such. Only customers drop by…”

He nodded his head, his expression more relaxed. He rarely has visitors due to his excessive work habits, but if one dares challenge his ambition, then he shall simply test theirs. Surely, the thought of having to check up on him constantly will end this talk of his health and leave her fumbling.