Nonsensibility [CLOSED - Xio]

Bill leant against a wall in the Hatayama Estate, it always interested him that the Hatayama’s retainers just tolerated his presence, it wasn’t a matter of letting him get away with anything, letting him exist here. They minded him, Bill was no idiot, no sir, he knew for a fact they were watching him. Maybe that was why it bothered him so much? Zenji was getting crafty, the once sweet innocent pious man he’d been had been driven nigh insatiable by a threat they barely knew anything about except from what was contained in a couple of history books.

Look at those sweet monks and monkesses, at least he assumed that’s what you called a female monk . . . a monkess? Yes that sounds about right. Hauling their scrolls from their holy libraries into other holy libraries to be repaired and sorted for some reason that Bill himself didn’t quite understand. Bill wasn’t the reading type you see, books just weren’t his jam, why read when you could act? Becoming somebody else was just so much more fun than well . . . escaping.

But why was Bill here? In this most holy of holy noble estates, why was he here, in a place where they kept an eye on him and wouldn’t let him out of sight. Quite simply, Bill knew it bugged Zenji, it was a precedent you see - to exist. To influence. Watari Suzumei was the greatest schemer the Soul Society had ever seen, to simply exist in the presence of Zenji Hatayama’s estate meant something.

So - by doing simply nothing. Watari was doing everything. It was five dimensional chess of the highest kind and Bill loved it, it was the sort of thing he went back to his estate about and got Titus to write a particular half-assed letter to Zenji about how he missed him! Of course Zenji would know that Watari was here, but Zenji himself wouldn’t want to meet the Suzumei Head as that would be acknowledging that Bill was simply lurking, an affront. Really, it was just all the sort of convoluted noble sensibility that Bill loved to mess with.

And then a servant approached.

“Lord Suzumei, would you care to meet with Lord Hatayama?”

Bill stared her down and then a smirk spread across his face.

“Nah I’m good, just going to chill and admire the woodwork, beautiful shade of puce this wood here is” Bill grinned patting the very non-puce wood that he leant against. The servant himself had no idea how to reply about that, instead a deep frown would crease his forehead and he would leave. Watari Suzumei no doubt had just tested this poor servant and he’d failed.

Ah.

Noble Sensibility.

Snip.
       

Snip.

The sound of twigs and leaves being cut away from shears was therapeutic to Xio. Most of the maidens thought she was too into her job, always there talking to the plants like she was talking to a person. It was what she enjoyed about the job. The previous Head leader saw her joy in gardening and the moment she was given the Hatayama Clan shears it was like a rite of passage; she would give all her skill in making their garden the best care it had. Once she had passed her exams and was brought into First Division, the woman would be found right back at the estate’s gardens.

Xio hummed a lullaby as she lightly ran her hand along a bush making sure it was properly trimmed and insects picked off. She was in her own little world until she noticed the frown of a man walking past muttering about a “Suzumei”. Xio stopped the man and asked who he was referring to and he just gestured where Watari was past the gardens and said he was just standing there. Xio bowed and thanked the monk before hooking her shears along her sash and made her way towards this curious man.

As Xio approached this man, she was unsure what to think of him. He had scruffy hair and beard, he wasn’t that intimidating. Was he? Ok, she barely knew of the man, heard yes, but she had never really interacted with the Suzumeis.

“Hello Lord Suzumei, may I ask why you are here? Did you need something?” Xio said bowing quickly. She wiped her dirty hands on her robe, not really prepared for such a meeting - though she didn’t seem all that embarrassed. Either he would chastise her or not, it didn’t matter. Her curiosity got the best of her and she didn’t want to rush and clean up. A twig with two tiny leaves sat embedded in her hair and she smiled at him cheerily.

You know he had to give credit to Zenji Hatama, he sure ran a tight ship. No longer than thirty seconds had passed when another woman rounded a corner and made eye contact with him. This one was different, he had sworn he had seen her before? A noble party maybe? Unsure. There was something about her that was distinctive and yet he couldn’t quite place it.

“No not really, I’m just admiring the fine grain of this woodwork. How does Hatayama-san achieve such a wonderful shade of puce?” He rubbed his finger along the grain and stared at it interested. Of course the wood wasn’t puce, why would it be puce? Puce was such a funny word though and that was why he was saying it! Also he couldn’t help but wonder if commenting about the shade of puce would bother this particular woman of the household to no end.

“And who are you anyway? The oil seller? Do you perhaps have some oils you can sell me so I can turn the wood back at my estates puce? I require only the finest oils” Okay maybe he was getting a bit carried away here but this girl seemed nice enough, maybe he could have some fun? He was getting woefully bored by Zenji Hatama not reacting in any significant way. Yes, maybe this woman here could show him something interesting.

“You’ve got something your hair by the way”

Xio held back a laugh and instead let out a snicker at the comment of looking at wood. Why would anyone come here to admire such walls? There were so many jokes she could use right now but she was unsure if Lord Suzumei was a stone or one that could be cracked by meager comedy.

“There is much better wood to admire than Zenji’s hard wall,” she stated with a neutral face. “I like mahogany more than puce anyway.” she smiled and looked at the wall a moment. Good Soul King just smite her now with that bad joke.

“Oil seller? Hmm, I can find you some good oil to slather your walls, if you must.” she tapped her chin thoughtfully. Wait maybe he wasn’t joking back? She mentally beat herself trying to make light of the situation. She just couldn’t help making jabs when it came about Zenji or plant jokes - innuendo or not. Being crass with a noble such as them would make her family’s name look bad, but she didn’t care about getting harmed, after all, the previous Lord enjoyed a good joke or two from her when she wasn’t being shy and could be herself as a person than kowtowing to High Lords.

“Oh gods, I’m going to get in so much trouble.” she thought. “Please don’t be mad, please don’t tell Zenji.” her outer exertion beamed with smiles while quickly removing the twig that was in her hair after he made note of such.

“If you’re serious about such things, I can get something better for your garden. Actually, I haven't been to your estate yet,” she said. The more she spewed things out of her mouth it sounded more like she was asking for an invitation to his room. Well, she was already digging a bigger hole over her calm slip up, hopefully, he’d just get annoyed with her and demand Zenji, or was he really interested in speaking with her? If there was such a thing in internal blushing, Xio was having that now.

Bill blinked at the response repeating the action of rubbing his finger on the wood. Mahogany? Oh, yes. Yes. Bill was certain now this woman would be able to entertain him. He tilted his head appreciatively in her direction as he retracted his finger and continued to listen to what she had to say. Note to self, bring a bucket of oil to the Hatayama estate on the next visit and make a big deal about painting Zenji’s walls in oil that’d really stir the man’s feathers.

“Oh dear” Bill purred through a smile, did she really think it was that easy? For all Watari knew she was some sort of spy. You didn’t just let spies into your estates grounds, that was purely reserved for Zenji Hatayama and making sure he was well observed. Wouldn’t it be enjoyable to just let in though? Let her run rampant? What would she run into, it would be practically like letting Yuki Kameko into his estate grounds - but he had had rapport with her and had made sure the proper preparations were prepared.

“I would love to invite you, but I’m quite preoccupied as you know with the delicate woodwork. Besides, I can’t go inviting nameless girls to my estate without an introduction now can I?” Already his mind was ticking through the staff list on records of the Hatayama estate. Now what sort of gentleman would he be without knowing the name of somebody who was so avidly keen to come visit - especially somebody who could show him some of the Hatayama Relics he had heard Memnoch croon over.