open post |

[nineteentwelve]

action | text | prompts | open

Comments

[bonecannon]

[ Nothing could stoke a totally unreasonable spark of temper like the source of that irritation appearing by contrast wholly unruffled. Renji's face turned an even more saturated red as the young man took another look at him and found something amusing enough in his examination that he cracked a smile. In another life, a look like that was as good enough excuse for a decking as any. In this one, where Renji was technically on the job and also theoretically too old to be getting in scraps with school boys, he restrained himself to a deep scowl.

The furrows on his brow grew like faultlines the more he listened. Renji tried to follow the rationale of this request, struggling between giving in to his aggravation to dismiss it all out of hand and allowing his morbid curiosity to be pulled along the garden path of his very singular logic. He found himself caught in the brambles of technicalities instead. That and the... questionable phrasing that this human employed. ]

Look, let's get some shit straight. [ He leaned forward, gathering himself back into some semblance of authority. Very much relying on his ability to loom over this weedy, just-barely-adult man to make up for the feeling that somehow he was the one who had points to make up in this verbal sparring match. ]

First off, the only thing touchin' you even if you dropped dead right now is this.

[ Renji gestured to the blade at his hip, acknowledging it with the sort of casualness that a man might use to tip the brim of his cap. ]

Second. [ His eyes fell to the outstretched hand. After a pause, he took a breath of his own, letting it out as a rough sigh. ] Even as humans go, you're somethin' else, you know that?

[ As quickly as the anger ignited, it burnt itself out. Maybe it was that small wave or that moment to breathe, the olive branch or the chance to resurface for air. Maybe he just had no fuel for it besides his bruised ego which, like the rest of him, could take a beating and shrug it off. Either way, the scarlet in his cheeks seemed to fade. In the clarity of his spent irritation, it occurred to him that this human must have, in some way, a bizarre kind of courage to willingly extend a hand to what he must see as death itself. And a weakness to giving in to intrusive thoughts. Renji could relate to that.

Well, maybe one impulsive turn deserved another. ]

But if this is gonna keep things fair to you...

[ Renji reached out to catch the young man's wrist. His calloused fingers moved to close over the slim curve of his arm, his still-suppressed aura radiating an unnatural heat along with his palms warmed by his racing pulse. ]