Victorian Treat

Having spent only a couple of weeks on patrol since her last break, Yuki had not been looking forward to her most recent assignment. Instead of hunting down Hollows alone she, along with a few other Shinigami, had been tasked with assisting the Vanguard with their security operations on some island in British Columbia. Not that they needed the Shinigami’s assistance. No, this was purely diplomatic. A show of good force, as it were. It came as no surprise to anyone then that as soon as she arrived she'd taken off, venturing out to patrol on her lonesome. She didn't hate people; she didn't even dislike the company. This was just more normal for her, more familiar. It was safer.

Of course this also meant that she was free to explore the area at her own pace. While she preferred to be in the thick of things even she had to admit that the occasional break was needed and, shockingly, even welcomed. In fact it was as if fate itself had desired her period of rest: not only would this place be safe, but it was beautiful to boot! The enjoyable weather certainly didn’t hurt either. Many outsiders might find it surprisingly and uncomfortably chilly, but Yuki thrived in these conditions. Her body was naturally warmer, perhaps due to the fur on her tail, or her great mane of wild and freely flowing hair. It could’ve been due to her many years spent living in impoverished conditions. Regardless, it felt more comfortable to her. If she’d been naked it would’ve improved the situation further still, but such things were frowned upon, especially amongst the Humans.

Thanks to advancements in technology, there was really no need for Yuki to stuff herself into an artificial body: even normal Humans would pick out that something was not quite right about her. Still, perhaps it might have been better. Occasionally those working on the various construction projects were distracted, taking moments to gander and whisper. The Shinigami’s uniform, from the very start, set her apart from other people. It was certainly out of place in this world. An eyepatch helped to further set her apart and might have even intimidated a couple of the onlookers. But she suspected that a majority of the strange looks were, in fact, due to the presence of her tail and her wolf-like ears. Put it all together on a figure as short as she was and you created a truly peculiar individual.

At least if I’d stuffed myself into a gigai I might have passed as a school girl.

It wasn’t as if this was new to her, however most Shinigami she worked with had already gotten over such oddities. Still, her discomfort was clear as her tail remained unusually stiff behind her. Try as she might she could not completely ignore them. Perhaps it was due to boredom. She patrolled, on Earth, alone, but the chance of running into any sort of challenge was incredibly slim. Fingers rapped with annoyance against the hilt of her weapon. How could she truly relax in such a situation? In fact, how did anyone relax in this way? Did they not find it as boring as she did, or as wasteful? She was doing nothing at the moment, when she could be doing so much!

I need to find something. I need to do something.

A soft pillowy cloud of barely visible condensation left her lips, following behind a faintly audible sigh. She needed to calm herself down. Her superiors were right: she needed to learn how to relax. It used to be so easy when Takuma was around.

Maybe I just need to find somebody to spend my time with. That would take my mind off of this.

If she’d remained with the other Shinigami then her troubles would have been easily fixed. But now, like always, she was alone, and it was her own damned fault. However she could find company even in her lonely state, as she soon ended up near another in the same predicament! There stood against a set of thick railing a single solitary man. Yuki’s left ear briefly twitched and her movements halted while she listened in on the brief conversation that he held with himself. She had to agree with him right from the onset: save for the great building project of the Vanguard there was nothing interesting here. Of course she was only a visitor, so it was possible that she’d simply not run into one of the many interesting things within the island. There was, it seemed, hope for both of them.

There she stood in silence for what seemed like a minute, staring at the man with her solitary crimson gaze. She was never very good at approaching people, at least in this sort of situation. Place her into the center of a battlefield and she could walk right over, blade freed and voice clear! But there was no focus in this situation. It was too relaxed.

Just go over.

Mentally kicking herself, Yuki quietly wandered over, leaning against the railing near the Human. She focused her gaze outwards and towards the bay area. It was, at least, a start.