Paranormal Sector - Karakura Town

    Truth be told, this town looks as one might expect of a modern Japanese suburb. The streets are clean here, and the homes usually look neat and tidy. It has a sort of small town charm, with its small, locally-owned businesses - some of which operate out of houses. The local landmarks include a large open market on the end of town close to Tokyo, a large high school, and the family-owned Kurosaki Clinic.
    Indeed, if one cannot see ghosts, Karakura Town seems normal. However, those with supernatural senses may realize this place is out of the ordinary. Hollows, ghosts infused with evil energy, are sometimes on the prowl here, and they are combated by the Death Gods - invisible warriors fighting against these accursed ghosts.
    For those who know better, this place may idyllic, but it is still a battleground.

Just glancing at Orihime, one would have no clue how frantic and terrified she'd been last night, nor how tired she is now after calling on her powers as much as she had. She's still all smiles, all cheerful greetings, all eagerness to enjoy the last day of the weekend. She's returned from the market with a sack of grocery odds and ends, which may or may not all be dumped into one pot for consumption. She's taken great care to bandage her own shoulder and make sure it doesn't show beneath the sleeve of her purple blouse. Spring is well on its way to Karakura Town, as evidenced by the pink cherry blossoms practically exploding on the tree branches. The sun is out, there's a cool breeze, and birdsong fills the air. Orihime couldn't be happier.

Yasutora Sado wasn't around last night to help with the trouble. He has a good reason, though! The Lion King was on TV. And he happens to like lions. He was far enough away from the disturbance that he couldn't get a good sense of it, and he was also so engrossed when poor Mufasa died. Of course, by now he's heard through the grapevine that he missed something, and he only hopes no one got hurt due to him not being there. So he's out walking around, making the rounds, so to speak. Just to see who is where.

And having no idea that anything out of the ordinary was going on at all last night is Tatsuki Arisawa. The young tomboy is wandering the streets with her hands in her pockets, pondering...things she's seen over the last few days. She can't see Orihime yet, but that red hair is hard to miss; she'll be zeroing in pretty soon, no doubts, if only to get her mind off her problems.

Orihime Inoue has a natural talent for running into people. No really, literally running into them. Or maybe...just MAYBE...she has a talent for drawing people in her direction to act as walls FOR her to run into. For it just so happens that she's taking a curving path that intersects with the paths that Chad and Tatsuki are about to cross. She steps forward boldly, and collides shoulders with Tatsuki. "Eeee..." she recoils, wincing just a bit as she backpedals. "Ah, sorry Tatsuki-chan!" And stumbles into Chad, what are the odds? "AH! Sorry, Sado-kun! Heh!" she hugs her bag of groceries, coming to a direct stand-still. It's safer that way. "Are you both doing well?"

Yasutora Sado is unphased as Inoue bumps into him. It will take a lot more than that to throw him off balance, afterall. He offers a wave in greeting. "Mm." His typical friendly grunt. "I'm fine." He pauses, thinking that if there was any trouble at all last night, chances are Inoue was drawn to it like a moth to a flame. Luckily, though, she seems unhurt at first glance. So he decides not to bring it up, especially with Arisawa nearby. "Grocery shopping again?"

Thmp! Tatsuki gears up for her usual 'extreme violence' problem-solving technique, but then realizes just who she's bumped into. "Oh! Orihime..." She drops her former thoughts, not wanting to bother Orihime, and furthermore reasonably sure that all Orihime could contribute to her confusion is some poppycock story about heaven being set in ancient japan. "Hello. I...uhm, sorry, I didn't see you or I would've called out to you. I'm fine, just out on a stroll. Are you OK? Just out shopping?"

'Just.' Tatsuki is almost positive that bag contains a completely brain-breaking combination of ingredients. She makes a note to get Mom to cook some extra dinner tonight so she can bring it over.

"Oh! Yes!" she nods with a bright smile, answering both questions. Woo hoo, that was an easy one! "I just finished! I got some Pocky, too..." She sticks her hand in the bag and rifles about, withdrawing one of the chocolate-dipped biscuits and popping the end into the corner of Tatsuki's mouth by means of a friendly offering. "You want one, Sado-kun?" she beams up at the gentle giant, holding up another chocolate stick.

"... no, that's alright." He's not about to take candy from someone who can barely afford it. "I'm not one for sweets." He also eyes the contents of the bag, warily, having caught a glimpse of the inside. Well, she eats stuff like that all the time, so clearly she'll be fine, right. Right?

Tatsuki Arisawa makes no objection, because Pocky is good. She doesn't start eating yet, so the stick follows the motion of her lips. She's not totally sure how to follow up that line of questioning. Finally, she asks the dread question which only she has the guts to dare ask: "So what'd you get? Not just the pocky, I hope."

Orihime Inoue beams even brighter. "I'm glad you asked! Ano... Ginger root, avocadoes, rice noodles, sweet bean jelly, squid, and...and some cereal!" she hoists out a box of sugar puffs. "I got some milk, too, because it's supposed to turn chocolate when you add the cereal." She replaces the box, looking absurdly pleased with herself. "What about you guys? Everything going good? Just enjoying the spring air?"

Yasutora Sado sweatdrop. He's not even going to get into how she can eat all that. He both admires and resents Arisawa for asking that question. "Just... out around." He admits. "I was home for most of last night, so I thought I'd... take a look around today." Subtly hinting that he's curious about what happened last night, but doesn't want to directly say it in front of someone who really would be better off not knowing. Of course, Inoue isn't the greatest when it comes to picking up subtlties like that.

Tatsuki Arisawa does not stare, because she expected that. She does huff a sigh, scratching the back of her head in exasperation. "You always eat the weirdest stuff," she quips, but makes no other particular admonishment. "Anyway, I was just out for a walk. Nice day, all the homework's done..." Shrug! "Might as well enjoy it!" She gives Sado a look, since she's always unsure what to make of the titanic 15 year old, but doesn't say much to him yet.

Orihime Inoue looks up at Chad for a long moment, her dark eyes reflecting, perhaps, deeper concerns than she visually lets on. Her fingers clutch the bag a little more tightly as she stares ahead and down at the sidewalk, considering. She really should let Tatsuki know about these things. She didn't tell Reiji, and as a result, he was attacked by Hollows because he didn't know what they were. "Well...let's keep walking, okay?" she smiles, making to head down the sidewalk. "There were definitely some strange things going on last night! A demon possessed a spirit that lost its heart and took over, regenerating, and you had to hit it in the middle of the chest in order to kill it." The way she's going on, she may as well be describing some crappy sentai show, or maybe a video game. But that's just how it is. "But we defeated it, and it actually thanked us. I felt really bad for it, but at least it went on to a happier place, so I guess everything turned out okay in the end!" She nips off the end of a Pocky stick and offers another to Tatsuki, shifting her groceries to the crook of her arm. "I heard there's going to be a Cherry Blossom Festival soon. I can't wait!"

Yasutora Sado also is unsure of what to make of the small girl a fraction of his size that could easily kick his butt without breaking a sweat. So he's not the only oddity around. Speaking of oddities... "I.. see." He says. A year ago he would have been as clueless as Arisawa. Now, he understands perfectly what Inoue is talking about. "You're alright?" He asks that question, of course meaning if whether or not she's hurt. But it could also be interpreted as whether or not she's just daydreaming, which is likely how Arisawa will see it. Which is just fine.

Tatsuki Arisawa squints at Orihime. Fact or fiction? She can't /tell/ anymore, not since she started seeing those /things/. After a moment, however, she decides this is too preposterous even for what she's been seeing lately.

Besides, /Orihime/ fighting these things? Pfffthahahahahahahahah yeah right.

She reaches up and pats Orihime on he head, saying, "Yes, I'm sure it was really interesting. Honestly, Orihime, I don't know what we're going to do with you if you keep your head in the clouds like this." She lets the moment hang for a moment, before asking, "Cherry Blossom Festival? Wonder if they'll have the tournament again this year." She smirks, squeezing her fist until the knuckles crack demonstratively.

Orihime Inoue laughs, reflexively leaning into the pat of her best friend. "I sure hope so! You'll win first place for sure!" She heaves a little sigh of relief, though she's not sure how much longer she should keep Tatsuki in the dark. It could be dangerous. Well...maybe later, when the time seems right and they can talk one-on-one without fear of anyone else overhearing. "I'm okay, Sado-kun!" she reassures him, winking. "Abarai-kun and Kuchiki-san were there too, so we did really good! Just the same, I've been waiting ages to wear my yukata!" She hopes it still fits. And more importantly, she can't wait to see Ichigo wear one. It makes him look so civil, so serious... "Heeeeeeeee..." she shrugs her shoulders giddily. "What about you, Sado-kun? Are you going to enter the tournament?"

Sado seems somewhat relieved that Inoue is alright. He'll have to talk to the others later in order to find out what really happened. Then, he quickly becomes a bit agitated, as Inoue asks him that other question. "Erm.." If he enters that tournament, he'll probably wind up facing Arisawa. Uh.. "Sorry, I was about to go get some dinner." He says quickly, and ducks into a nearby ramen stand in order to avoid answering that question and committing to anything. Whew.

Abarai? Oh, Ichigo's...well, she knows he's not Ichigo's cousin or brother but he sure as hell acts like it. And Kuchiki Rukia...what the hell is up with that woman? Tatsuki is wondering if it's time to corner her.

"Dang right I'll win first!" Tatsuki jeers, punching the air to emphasize. "No broken arm's gonna get in my way this time!" She watches Sado skitter away instead of responding to Orihime's question, smirking. "He doesn't seem like the type, Orihime," she notes. "He's big and looks like he could lift a truck but he just doesn't seem like the fightin' type."

Aw, nuts, Chad doesn't want to eat what THE ROCK IS COOKIN'??? Who can blame him. "Oh, okay! See you tomorrow, then!" she calls out after her big friend. Then she smiles, still retaining her good spirits. "Yeah, you're right," she muses aloud after a moment's though. "He only fights when he thinks it's necessary. He's really strong, Tatsuki-chan!" she widens her eyes. "Well I'll definitely be cheering for you! I don't think I'd want to enter," she giggles. Actually, she would, but no way she'd want to go up against Tatsuki. She'd get flattened in a heartbeat, and that would just be embarrassing. "It's been a long time since we've been able to chat, hasn't it?" she says, her smile softening. "Have you been well? Honestly?"

Tatsuki Arisawa quirks an eyebrow, asking, "And how the heck do you know how strong he is? Another of your daydreams?" She's teasing, of course. She wouldn't doubt that Chad is strong; as she said, he looks like he could bench a truck. "Me? I'm...fine!" she gives her usual smile, though it does falter a little. She doesn't dare scare Orihime with the stories of what she's been seeing. Those masks...

"Just fine! Arm's feelin' good, martial arts group's all well...just fine!"

Orihime Inoue smiles. "I'm glad, then." She hugs her grocery bag. She really should tell her... But it's such a beautiful day. Everything is peaceful for a change. There's not a single Hollow's roar disturbing the chirp of the small birds hopping in the trees. Just this once, she wants to enjoy this tranquil moment with her best friend. Who knows when they'll get a chance to share another? "Have you been through the Gate yet? I saw the most /amazing/ things out there! I even got you pictures of a real dragon! He wasn't a REAL dragon, I guess, the guy could just change his shape, but I know how much you like dragons so he was kind enough to pose as one so I could take pictures."

Tatsuki Arisawa is about to pat Orihime on the head again when she reconsiders. She retracts her hand and gives her a more serious look. "The Gate's that...thing they found out on the corner of town, right? Alternate dimensions, all that stuff? It's for real? I thought it was a hoax, honestly." She walks in silence for a moment, before murmuring, "Dragons and shapeshifters, huh. Wild."

Orihime Inoue shakes her head. "Oh no, it's really real!" she says, excited. "Sado-kun and I went to New York! Isn't it wonderful? We can WALK to America whenever we want!" she gives a little hop. She'd clap, but that would result in precious groceries flying EVERYWHERE. "We should go sometime, Tatsuki-chan! There's still so much to see! OH! And I have to introduce you to Kageyama-kun too. He's so nice!" She beams happily at his mention, and small wonder. He'd risked his life to protect her, which is a sure-fire way to seal Orihime's affections.

Tatsuki grins at Orihime's enthusiasm. "Wow, walk to America? Probably not our America, though, huh. Not that it matters too much!" It's hard not to be affected by Orihime's smiley nature, really. "I'd like to go, sure! I've heard they've got some cool stuff out in New York." Not that Tatsuki would EVER admit to wanting to go shopping, even in America in another dimension. No sir.

She inclines her head at Orihime's mention of her other new friend, pondering. "Kageyama? Oh, that guy. Sorry I didn't come over and meet him when he was by the other day, there was some disturbance during gym so they asked me to stay after to help clean up."

Orihime Inoue laughs lightly. "Oh that's okay, I don't mind! Sorry I wasn't there to help out." Inwardly she feels a twinge of fear. A disturbance...? It sounded awfully similar to that day where she first realized the powers she possessed, and how scared she was for Tatsuki and Chizuru. Really scared. She turns her head, footsteps slowing. They're next to the park. "Hey, let's go sit on the swings!" she exclaims impulsively, grinning as she dashes over the grass and barkdust. "You'd probably like him, Tatsuki-chan. He's extremely kind, and very protective, too. He has such gentle eyes!" She situates herself snugly onto one of the swings, stretching out her legs in front of her with the grocery bag on her lap. "So...at the gym...everything was okay?"

Tatsuki grins at Orihime, and follows. She sets down on a swing opposite Orihime, reflexively rocking back and forth, but not beginning to swing in earnest. "Yeah," she says. "Some kids just dropped what they were doing and ran off, or something. I don't even know, but they broke some stuff so we had to bring it in so they could get it fixed. Nothin' major. I hadn't seen those kids before, though, and I haven't seen 'em since, either."

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