Not Like the Last [Amaranta/Hana]

"It's only a job to you, eh? No wonder you rushed in like a fool the last time. Sheesh. I knew you were a greenhorn, but It sounds like you never wanted to enter the battlefield to begin with. Keh... well, at least you're honest. Dammit, now I'm curious. C'mere..."

Amaranta sat down on a nearby bench, her excitement far more tempered in comparison to the way she approached Hana at the outset. She expected the woman to attack her, to revile her, talk about how she intended to defeat her, but this? This was different. This was odd. On one hand, she didn't enjoy this one bit. On another, she was curious. Requesting two chocolate sundaes from a nearby ice cream vendor, she offered one to Hana as she shook her head. Why were Shinigami and Humans so complicated about their ambitions?

"If those were your dreams, why didn't you just pursue them, then? What held you back? Why go to a place where you could die? Don't you realize how dangerous that is? You'll never survive for long like that. This isn't a place for half-hearted will. I thought I told you that before."

Amaranta indulged the taste of vanilla as she settled into the role of listener in the conversation. Context was crucial here, and she was arguably more curious about her background than the strength that was yet to develop. From what she elaborated, her current lot in life amounted to one of being at the mercy of their progenitors.

The bronze woman's impression of Hana's mother was a woman who only wanted to use her daughter for personal gain. Rebellious by nature, Amaranta couldn't engage the thought of being at the mercy of anyone. Thus, she offered her honest thoughts on the matter, unrestrained and uncensored.

"What's keeping you away from proving her wrong? If that power is dwindling, why keep up the charade? Why not break away and never look back? Compared to risking your life for a job ya don't even like, why not stick it to the bitch and rebel? I don't get it..."

"Hm..."

What an odd woman. She wanted to risk her life to prove her worth to her mother, but she detested the current life she led. Nothing annoyed her more than observing an existence without certainty. Amaranta couldn't relate to her current frame of mind, but that didn't mean she didn't offer a compelling point as to why she couldn't break from her mother. She was no expert on the matter, but maybe they had money.

Funds that the brat needed to rely on to live a proper lifestyle. To an elegant, dainty woman like her, that lifestyle was probably safe. Convenient. It meant that as long as she danced to their whims, she could enjoy a moderately pleasant lifestyle... but she found such a charade stupid. She hated her current lot in life but wanted to prove her wrong. What did they call this in the living realm... an impasse? Or perhaps she was simply aimless. For a greenhorn like her, it certainly made sense that she had no idea what she wanted to do.

"The first problem is, you're afraid. You fear the thought of struggle. Like you said, if you leave, you have nothing but think about it for a moment. Is your current way of life any more enjoyable? Do you feel content? You wish to prove your mother wrong, but you struggle with the notion of becoming a strong warrior. It's a directionless way of life. I'm no expert on any of this, though. I never had a mother as a hollow. I've always been alone. That's how I got stronger. Of course... things are different now."

Amaranta leaned back with a sheepish grin, allowing her words to float in the air for a moment. Loneliness... she was no longer lonely now. There were people she viewed as... friends. Her boss, other Arrancar - hell, even a few humans adored admiring her as some type of mythical warrior whenever she frequented the neighborhood. What was it, then, that made her so bashful about the subject? Whatever it was, it certainly annoyed her. Turning back to the woman, spoon pointed in her direction, Amaranta posed a question.

"What do you even want out of this life now? Your dreams have long since passed, and you're miserable where you are now. Soul-searching can only help you for so long. No time better than now to pick a path to follow and see it through to the end."

"Someone like me, huh? Funny. I don't recall taking your life when we crossed paths the last time. I thought I was teaching you a lesson. Enlighten me, then, Princess. What happens if someone like me takes your life on a whim, hm? What would you do if a superior enemy faced you with the intent to kill you, or whatever else they damn well desire?"

Posing a question in retort to her confusion, Amaranta brought another spoonful of chocolate-covered vanilla toward her mouth, unfazed by the shift in Hana's mood. The elegant woman was of fragile mind, after all.

A fact of no particular surprise, she expected the woman still had much to learn in the grand scheme of life. For one, she posed far too many questions, allowed her emotions to command far too many facets of her life. To open her eyes to the hypocrisy of it all, Amaranta offered a counterpoint before she answered her question.

Directionless, just as she expected, full of uncertainty, content living a life she wasn't wholly content with. In the past, she would have laughed in the woman's face. At the moment, she pitied her. Fierce sapphires bore down on her, as she rose from the bench for a moment. Spiritual pressure flared as her expression grew stern.

"I don't know why I care. Frankly, I find most of you annoying. Everything is so black and white with you soul reapers. Hollow versus Shinigami. You guys slay us, move on, return to your realm, and act like nothing happened. Look, I get it. I don't expect you to understand. I don't understand why this matters to me, either. My simple answer is that I'm interested in your potential, okay? What are you fighting for if you don't enjoy the violence? Why subject yourself to pain? You some kinda masochist or something?"

"Tch. At this rate, we're getting nowhere. Whatever's wrong with you, fix it. Fix it as soon as possible. Living life in this aimless drift between wanting to honor your family and choosing what you desire will only kill you in the end. It might be a slow death or a quick one, but either way, I can't imagine that way of life is a fun one."

Finishing the rest of her sundae even as she stood at full height, Amaranta tossed the carton into the trash. Stretching her arms, Amaranta marched forward to ruffle the elegant lady's hair with an annoyed grin dancing across her features. Shinigami and humans truly were an enigma. There was an inherent divide in assuming everyone else ought to follow her unrepentant philosophy.

Finding a law she could find content in was a more than ideal path for Hana, but the bronze woman wasn't exactly suited to exchanging great advice. In truth, what prompted her to engage her as passionately as she did, anyway? Amaranta frowned softly and leaned down to hold her gaze for a moment.

"Do you mean it?"