Fake City of Lights (Tier/Shaoling)

Another match in the arena had passed, but Shaoling found little genuine satisfaction in it. It was just a battle, another showing of her ability, but for what? She'd come to the city alone this time, and that thought was the only thing that stayed at the forefront of her mind. Was she a poor excuse for a teacher? Her pride refused to accept that, yet her own experience said otherwise. It was a bitter pill to swallow, and one that left Shaoling both tense and displeased with herself.

Even caught in her own brooding thoughts, however, she was an attentive woman, always aware of her surroundings. Arrancar were relatively common in the City of Lights, she'd found, which she couldn't help but think was a foolish decision after what had happened with the Kurosaki boy. But this was a more impressive presence than was usual, and her gaze moved to the side, the briefest flash of surprise crossing her eyes as she stopped in her stride.

"Surprising to see you here."

Of course, there were plenty of reasons that would be the case. She'd assumed the Arrancar at Karakura that day were all dead, and even if they weren't, seeing one of them so casually in a city on Earth wasn't exactly the norm. Then again, Shaoling was self-aware enough these days to know the same could be said of her. An ex-captain, former commander of the Onmitsukido, here simply fighting with people who were willing enough to throw themselves against her. Maybe that was the only reason she'd even felt compelled to say anything in the first place.

"I assumed so. I'd also assumed you were dead. Reports said Aizen cut you down."

There was a certain tone of annoyance to Shaoling's tone, not necessarily at seeing the woman here, but rather at the fact that apparently those reports had been annoyed. Even now, the idea of a duty having been done poorly didn't exactly sit right with Shaoling. Not that she cared one way or the other anymore, it wasn't her life. She'd made every effort to live as her own woman, detached from the Sui Feng who had been at Karakura that day.

"If you want it, buy it."

Shaoling wasn't especially concerned with why the woman was staring at some toy for children, but it was a straightforward matter in her mind. It seemed like she was just going to stare at it in the window for who knows how long, otherwise.

Shaoling wasn't anyone's mother, and it wasn't her concern whether an Arrancar who'd been on the same battlefield as herself a century ago wanted to purchase some toy. This entire conversation was already well outside the norm for her, but that was par for the course in her life these days. There was something that irritated her about that sad way of talking about the stuffed shark, like it was some distant dream that Tier could only long for.

"Make space, I'll buy it. Stop looking so sad."

It really wasn't her concern, but she was in a mood these days. Whether it was just the annoyance at someone being so accepting of unfortunate circumstance, or a way of trying to act against her own thoughts of failure, Shaoling knew she was only going to be in an even worse mood if she left this interaction with Tier just longing after something so immediately achievable. She wasn't even waiting for a response, she'd already walked into the store and bought it. It wasn't as if she used her money for much, and she had plenty in her savings from those few years at Urahara's. She came back out just as quickly, handing the shark over with a remarkably stern expression.

"Have money if you're planning to spend time on Earth. People expect it."

It wasn't really very interesting at all to Shaoling. If anything, she found it pretty straightforward. If Tier wanted it, she should buy it. If she didn't have the means to buy it, then she should fix that. It hadn't been intended as a gesture of kindness or compassion on her end, it just would have made her irrationally angry for the rest of the day if she let it go unaddressed.

The shark being unceremoniously pushed toward her, however, had been unexpected. Did she find it cute? Shaoling only stared back at the toy that was suddenly meeting her gaze, that same dour expression never leaving her even as she seemed to genuinely study the object. She could have just answered "no" and left it at that, and that would have been the most expedient option by far. But she wouldn't have actually felt any confidence in that answer, it would have just been an immediate response. So she studied it with a genuine and sharp eye, until her gaze then moved up to meet Tier's once more.

"I suppose so."

Shaoling didn't really have much of an eye for what was or wasn't "cute." It wasn't a trait she had any immediate appreciation for, but she knew what she'd considered cute in the past. Even putting that distasteful memory aside, though, she knew what Rukia had always talked about being cute, and with those in mind, she had at least some metric to judge by.

It seemed like Tier was done talking. That was fine, honestly. Shaoling wasn't one known for being a social butterfly by any possible stretch of the imagination. It wouldn't hurt her feelings if the conversation ended here and now, and she didn't have anything else that needed saying. There were plenty of things that she imagined would have been socially normal, but she didn't feel particularly compelled to offer any of it. At the same time, however, simply telling the Arrancar to go away didn't exactly strike her as correct, either.

She was getting soft. Well, that was inevitable. If anything, it was what she'd wanted when she left the Gotei.

"Enjoy the shark. I won't buy you another one, regardless of its cuteness."

Shaoling didn't actually know whether or not she'd ever see Tier here in the city again, but the idea of a repeat incident of this was enough to make her feel compelled to emphasize that. She turned to leave, offering only a nod rather than a wave or anything of the sort, though she allowed the briefest pause in case Tier actually wanted to say something.