[ This is why Ichigo is the best! She's not biased at all! ]

I guess I should do some research before I take a bunch of pictures that I can't do anything with, huh? This might be a good excuse to explore downtown more! Have you had a chance to get out yet?

[ Arriving is tumultuous enough, she wouldn't blame him if Ichigo has mainly stuck to the Halls. It's a place where they're expected and accepted at all hours, at least.

Orihime nods. ]

I've done one, at least. They gave us a little time to train and prepare beforehand, but it was only a couple of weeks later that they brought us to a different kingdom. The Noir Empire was attacking their border, which was actually a very large stone wall. We were all assigned to different teams--there were... [ She counts them off one by one on her fingers. ] Attack, Defense, and Support. I was on the Support team. We were stationed at and around the wall and tended to any sounded soldiers.

[ She let's her hands fall to her lap. Her smile is a little wistful, but not non-existent. ]

I've never see so many people on a battlefield before. It seemed like it was organized at first, but as more and more people fell, even the Noir Empire started getting a little...chaotic? I'm not sure how to describe it. There was so much going on...But we successfully defended the wall in the end and Gammon is still its own nation. That's what's important, right?

[Clearly, she isn't.]

You might as well take the pictures just in case they can develop them, right? Can't hurt anything. [He's so encouraging!] But, no, I haven't really gone out and really explored the place, not yet.

[He's been kind of reluctant to really do anything that might get him attached to the place, honestly. As unrealistic as it's slowly becoming to him, he's still holding out that they might be able to get out of this world and back where they belong sooner rather than later.

He listens without comment (aside from the occasional nod) as she describes her adventures. It sounds like she handled herself okay, and sticking her in a place where she can take care of the wounded with her magic leek stick makes sense, but he's still stuck feeling a little peeved he couldn't be there to make sure she was okay. It's dumb, he knows she can take care of herself, but leaving friends to deal with this wild crap on their own doesn't sit right with him.]

Yeah. That's right, you guys saved the day, and your team must have done a lot to get those soldiers back home. Can't really ask for a whole lot more than that, can you?

[He's a little proud, he'll admit it.]

[ So he leaves himself open for an all out friendship attack! ]

Would you like to come with me, then? O-Only if you have the time! There are some neat places I could show you if you're interested. There's a bakery and a bookstore and a wizard's shop and a store with fish swimming around...

[ All the important things to keep track of, really.

Orihime did feel most comfortable being on the support team, to be honest, with a real lack of understanding how the magic in this world works. She has to think about others who had only just arrived and were told to stand on the front lines. What was it like for them?

She'd be lying if she said she hadn't thought about what Ichigo would have done in that situation. Really, Blanc is lucky to have him here.

At his assurance, she brightens up a little more and nods with a smile. ]

Mhm! I hope the rest of our missions go well, too. They don't always send us into battle, though. They give us jobs that we can do if we'd like to earn more money, or on quests to retrieve items or discover new areas! I haven't done much of those, but I've heard about them. People here really want to rely on us, Kurosaki-kun. I--

[ She pauses. ]

...I want to go home, but I can't help but feel like it would be turning my back on people here too. I know it's impossible to do both at the same time, but...

[Press X to accept press O to cancel?]

I don't really have anything but free time, so, sure. Show me around.

[A bakery... well, they need food, same goes for the fishies. And the other places might be good for information, clearly. Wizards are known to be wise and full of knowledge, it's a fact. Plus, they get to walk around and catch up on what happened in the month she's been here, while he, er... considers telling her about what happens in the future. It may or may not be a good idea to do so, still weighing it.]

They're definitely keeping us busy, aren't they...

[Which is. Not necessarily a bad thing, but not automatically good, either. Learning more about this place is more than likely a positive thing, but this isn't their world. Their home. They don't belong here, they shouldn't be wasting time earning money that won't be of any use once they leave, everything he's doing is done so darn begrudgingly.

But, then-]

I know, I know how you feel.

[It's frustrating! He cares, because he's a big hero dork, and leaving people behind to suffer is obviously a bad thing. There he goes, being all begrudging again, and he definitely has the thin-lipped, resigned half-grimacy look people get when they're grudging, but of all people, he would know best that he's going to relent and make sure the day is saved before going back and saving another entirely separate day.]

We're going to have to figure out a way to keep all these people safe before we go. There's so many of us 'heroes' here, someone's gonna come up with some bright idea, then we can get back where we belong without worrying.

[ Something like that...

Still, she's overjoyed to hear his response. Getting to spend time with Ichigo is always a good thing! But getting to spend time with Ichigo when it isn't directly related to a current mission or battle or whatever is even better! ]

That's great! [ Yes, she is pleased. ] There are so many places I want to show you!

[ She doesn't want to usurp too much of his time, but she could easily spend a day showing him around to all her usual haunts, even if a lot of them are food related.

Orihime knows that he would understand. Ichigo is a very caring person who always wants to do the right thing. He wants to help people, it's like he's made to help people, and nothing gets in his way when he's set his mind to something. He won't let anyone down here, not if he can help it, strangers or not. It's one of the many things she admires about him. ]

...You're right. I'm forgetting that there are other people here for the same reason. It's not like we have to do this alone, huh? Some people even want to stay!

[He might as well face it, he's stuck in this joint and he can't be On at all times. Sometimes, he's gonna have to just hang out and relax, and who better to do that with than his oldest friends?]

You've been scoping the place out, huh? [He laughs. Why wouldn't she?] Alright, we can set aside a day or two and just walk around. Not like there's school or anything to worry about.

[And when she doesn't have his attention, he'll... probably be slamming his face into books at the library looking for something useful for their situation. The good library, not the cursed one where people get charmed and students get lost forever. Let's never go back there again.]

Mm. [Nod, nod.] I've talked to a couple people around here. A lot of them are smart, and they've been around here a while, they can figure this out if we can't.

[Not that he's giving up and letting them do all the work, of course! He's going to do everything he can to find a way to end this war, save the day, and get everyone- well. Almost everyone back. His expression sobers up a bit.]

Someone mentioned... there's people that get brought here before they die, back in their own world. I guess they wouldn't be in any rush to get back where they came from.