Endless Nights [Liltotto, Ehefra]

The waves were a little less calm as the sun settled into the horizon to give way to cool night, the last streaks of purple being swallowed by the sea serving as a grim reminder of something she could never quite put a finger on. An irksome memory that never surfaced, the clashing of waves speaking to her again in a way she couldn't grasp.

She'd been having a harder time remembering her dreams lately whenever she settled into slumber, which was odd for how lucid they normally were. Well, tonight wasn't about her, it was about the woman her senses finally caught approaching.

Ehefra had been noticably worn since her outing in Miami, she didn't get many details but all she knew is that whoever she faced, she didn't seem to come out the other end unscathed. Even if they weren't working in the same division, Liltotto's daily work had some crossover with that area, having picked up the manpower of getting things delivered or sorted as the city was still out of sorts after the attack, and she definitely had notable speed, competence, and skill to get the job done, but every time she came across her, she just seemed tired and down; she couldn't help but ask to sit for a chat.

"Hey," She'd call out to Ehefra as she approached, a large towel acting as a shield against the sand where they sat, a small basket in the middle, "Sorry for calling you by here so late, it's the quietest place I know at this time. Got some sandwiches and juice pouches in the basket, if you want."

She'd let Ehefra get settled, not saying a word and watching the sea birds go about, the waves crashing frequently onto the sand, allowing some silence before speaking up again,

"I'm not one to dance around the truth if I can help it, so i'll just cut to the chase; What's going on with you? No offense, but you've been looking pretty awful lately. Unhealthy-awful, not looks-awful."

Judging by the initial offended reaction on the girl's face, she decided to be a little more careful with her wording on the spot; shit she really was exhausted. Though she raised a good point - everyone was pretty run down from recent events, herself included, trying to pick up the pieces and come back stronger than ever, her own fears and doubts of if such a thing were possible; could they even catch up to the Gotei, much less surpass them? A lot of their fighting force was on the younger and less experienced side, and even if she was trying her damnedest to help with their training, it probably wouldn't be measuring up to the Gotei for some time, she feared. It just brought a lot more sense of responsibility unto herself to do something.

"Yeah yeah, we've all taken a bit of a beating in some way or another. I literally had to haul my workaholic of a boyfriend home because he wouldn't cut it out," A soft chuckle left her lips before her eyes grew serious looking at the young woman, "..But you're definitely in far worse sorts than anybody else. I know we haven't really had a proper.. Uh, connection? I guess? But, you're a member of the Vandenreich, you're a Quincy; I gotta be concerned for everybody's well-being regardless of how little I know 'em, and you're a part of that 'everybody'."

Hugging her knees, she'd sigh as sea air brushed against her skin, "Like, you clearly haven't been getting enough sleep. What's going on there?"

Though Liltotto felt flares of irritation with the girl's attitude, her brows knitting with thought as Ehefra pressed her on her words, she kept her reaction entirely subdued - She was tired, and young; getting angry at her wouldn't help anything, so as much as her chest was hot with emotion, she'd channel it into something else.

"Don't get it twisted; i'm nothin' like the supremacists you may have heard of, or maybe even met. They're forgotten their roots, they're no better than the worst Shinigami, using their status as a means to act higher than others," Her tone shifted to a far more intent one, her golden eyes glimmering in the darkness as they stared at Ehefra head on.

"You became a Quincy, you've made Quincy, for the same reason as anyone who becomes a Quincy; you had people to protect, people to arm. Being a Quincy isn't just a profession, it's a people, it's a history, it's a point of pride - pride in that you, like many others, were tired of the world beating down on you. Before this more spiritual age, humans had no chance against Hollows. Most couldn't see them so much as fight them, they were at the mercy of the beasts if a Shinigami wasn't around taking care of them. And i'll tell you one thing,"

Her face held emotions both challenging and familiar, anger and pain in her eyes, "Nobody, should be at the mercy of those beasts, dependent on an unreliable force from up high who's concern ceases when the numbers are drawn. They are not here to protect us, they are here to uphold the cycle first and foremost, as much as they showboat their concern. The natural reaction to danger is to take up arms and dispose of it; the instinct to survive, and to protect your community. Those you trained may be dead, and that will always be a tragedy, full stop.

Appearing to relax a bit, she'd look off into the distant sea, "If you hold that innate desire, to serve and protect your community by whatever power you can harness, you are a Quincy in my eyes, regardless of where you came from or..." She seemed to trail off for a moment, looking to her hands, "..Whatever you are. Kokuto and Reida are my colleagues and I would be equally concerned for their health and well being as yours, because they too are Quincy, a part of the Vandenreich, fighting with and for humanity's right to defend themselves."

Her head would lower, memories coming on, but she'd continue regardless, "Don't get me wrong, no one should be expected to throw their lives away for some, vague greater purpose, but in the end it's their decision to take up the bow, to act on that pride, and i'm sure they fought valiantly for those they cherished for til their last breath. They deserve to live on and well in memory."

Eyes slowly closing shut, she'd shake her head, "You don't gotta accept anything i'm saying. I know it's hard. I've been in your position, i'm just trying to give what I can to help you along. But on another topic.. I wasn't taking you to be a workaholic, I just want to know what's going on there. You can't miss any more sleep."

Liltotto heard out the woman's tired frustrations with calm and composure. She wasn't going to let her emotions get the better of her this time, as much as she disliked the idea that Ehefra was beating herself up. The girl was tense, stunk of stress, and overall wasn't doing well; she definitely wasn't thinking clearly.

"Then you're already acting in the spirit of it," She'd respond with a delicate, kind tone, "I don't know your story, I don't know what could have caused that regret in becoming a Quincy, but you are acting in the interest to benefit others so that they can protect themselves. Your intentions needn't be heroic, but your actions will aid many - that's what i'm talking about. You're doing something to better everyone's survival, and that is great."

A sigh escaped her lips, shaking her head with Ehefra's insistence that her energy was best spent elsewhere, "No, Ehefra. It isn't. You are just as worth my time as anyone else, regardless of my own personal issues. I would be dead long ago if I couldn't press on regardless of how much I might be suffering. If you, no, if anyone is stuck, I can't stand idly by. The worst death, in my opinion, is stagnation, the inability to move, to do anything."

"What I want from you," She sharply cut in, her own irritation seeming to leak into her voice, from the girl's attitude and her failure to lift her spirits even at all, her shoulders angular and her gaze firm on her with a sort of intensity her normal, lazy gaze normally didn't give, "Is to know what is causing these nightmares, and for us to talk about that, OK? Because, once again, you cannot afford to keep having fucked up sleep, so could you please help me get to the bottom of this so I can help you?."

As much as she expressed her rising irritation, she kept it metered and focused, avoiding from flat out cussing the girl out or screaming in her face, "And being dodgy and sarcastic with me is not going to get you any closer to a solution."

Briefly, her attention drew to the girl's legs, a slight cringe crossing her features, "Was it Miami? I know you came back in horrible shape, that'd be enough to fuck up anybody."