"Hello, Castiel," Rukia echoes back in return, her shoulders pulled back straight in formality. Only, a second later, she feels a touch ridiculous for it. Like a child trying to wear shoes too big for her feet, stumbling around uncertainly. It's not that Rukia can't keep up formalities when the occasion calls for it — if there's anything that her adoptive family drilled into her, it was that — but Castiel is something different to her. A friend and a peer.

More importantly, there's no proper way to go about dealing with a disappearance.

"Please, come in. Have a seat and make yourself comfortable," Rukia adds, waving towards the flat cushions on the ground. "I wanted to invite you over to let you know that Urahara Kisuke has left the city. And, to start talking about what may need to be done now that he's left."