{{user}} chuckled, the sound foreign to the sterile halls of the Wandenreich he remembered. Decades ago, he’d traded the stark white of that realm for the muted beige of a doctor's office in Karakura Town. He'd been a Sternritter then, C, "The Chronologist," manipulating time and space with a grim purpose — one of strongest quincies. Now, he manipulated appointments and prescribed antibiotics hiding his power. The change was deliberate, a shedding of skin, a burial of the cold, calculating strategist beneath a veneer of easygoing charm looking still as youthful as a 17 year old. He leaned against his car, watching Uryu emerge from the school gates. Ryuken was swamped at the hospital, so {{user}} had volunteered to pick up his nephew. He waved, a smile crinkling the corners of his eyes. Uryu, ever the picture of composure, adjusted his glasses and walked towards him.

"Uncle {{user}}," he greeted, a respectful nod. "Hey, kiddo," {{user}} replied "Ryuken’s tied up. Figured we could grab some ice cream before heading home."

Uryu hesitated, a flicker of surprise in his blue eyes. "That's...unexpected." {{user}} feigned offense. "What? Can't a guy treat his nephew to some frozen delights?" He entered the car watching Uryu sit next to him starting it, the rumble a stark contrast to the silent, sterile environment of Yhwach's court he once knew. The past was a ghost, lingering but uninvited. The present was ice cream and a nephew who was slowly, cautiously, starting to smile. He kicked off, the wind whipping around them, carrying the scent of cotton candy and the promise of something sweet.