A Small Token [Kisuke, Shaoling]

Inside the box was a simple wooden key, along with several other weights that had been added simply for the sake of weighing it down appropriately. No sign of a keyhole or lock or anything.

"Tessai said you would just open it, I figured it was going off the cliff for sure. He sure has an impressive skill at gauging people, right?"

And there he was, emerging from a shadow like the spectre she knew him to be. Kisuke wore the politest of smiles he could muster. No games to play here, just a straightforward exchange between friends. He approached the bench and took a seat, inviting Shaoling to sit opposite if she wished, before producing a pair of bento boxes. Declining to open his own yet, in fact, it remained in a position that he might just as easily scoop it back up, he motioned that she could do what she wished.

"The key is for a new room in the basement of the Shop. A whole new training area and that is the only way to get in or out. You can get some peace and quiet, away from even my incredibly helpful advice, or use it however you want. On my honour, that place is a safe haven just for you. I also brought lunch, as I did imagine you worked up a little bit of an appetite this morning, but I can leave you in peace if that's what you'd prefer. I know it's not perfect, but you have been a great help and this was the least I could do to repay that. So, happy birthday."

She should have been more irritated by all this, and in a way, she was. Shaoling wasn't the sort of woman that liked surprises. They didn't carry any special meaning for her, and in most cases, they were an active hindrance to her everyday goings on. But maybe she'd just gone soft. She took the key from the box, sliding it into a pocket before joining her employer on the bench.

"Even if I'd thrown it away, something tells me I would have found it in my hands again sooner or later. I might as well get it out of the way now, right?"

Shaoling didn't say anything on the matter of his staying or leaving. She didn't care either way, if she was being completely honest. She'd come to terms with his presence in the loosest possible sense, at least with regard to the idea that she had to deal with it. It was a far cry from considering Urahara likeable, certainly, but it was something.

"Thank you."

Her pride demanded she at least offer that most basic courtesy. She was many things, but ungrateful wasn't one of them.

"Oh, yeah, it was coming your way. It would have been rather inconvenient to lose the only key to an entire area of my house. Precautions and all that."

Taking the opportunity, given that he had not yet been dismissed, Kisuke popped the lid on his food and got to work. It was a methodical process, but he had committed himself to this course of action and he did genuinely want to share a meal with Shaoling every once in a while. She reminded him of a different time, even with her icy indifference, and he didn't mind remembering. Back to those halcyon days when their struggles had been so comparatively small. Before their little trio had been divided and broken apart in ways it would never recover from. Now she loathed where she had once loved, and he doubted what had been so ironclad.

"So don't go losing it, alright? That's an order from your boss, but also a friendly request. It would really mess up the place's feng shui."