The learning(Stella/Solomon)

"Don't worry about any of that. If I can provide answers to those questions, I will."

Solomon assured her. He was always a helpful man by nature, sometimes to an overwhelming degree, so the idea of illuminating Stella's mind on a subject or two was far from unpleasant. If anything, the idea that he could speak with her at length about his knowledge makes his role as her teacher that much genuine. Of course, the first question was pretty heavy. Solomon was a young man with an intelligent mind, but he was no historian. His resources of history were rooted solely in the books he was taught about in his childhood. Solomon smiled sheepishly as he provided an honest answer.

"Our people's history is complicated. Any historian will tell you about past conflicts between our kind and the Shinigami. Truth be told, there's still so much I don't understand myself..."

Solomon turned his attention to her next question, though his expression grew somewhat serious compared to the carefree smile he had worn at the outset. Reliving that attack to any degree was always unpleasant, but he wouldn't allow his emotions to cloud his answers either.

"That reporter is correct. We were attacked last year. It was a former hero of the past who protected this realm once. His name was... Ichigo Kurosaki."

Despite his best efforts, simply uttering that name came with its own form of vitriol.

"No, it doesn't. When he came here, he kept repeating that we had something we wanted and he would leave when he got his hands on it. We did not accept those terms, and well, the rest was history..."

Solomon shook his head in response to Stella's words. True, it was undeniably clear that broaching the subject still bothered him to a degree, but he wasn't going to allow that to impede the conversation. Offering a reassuring wave, he continued as they walked along, his azure gaze observing the lovely array of flowers. Turning back to Stella, he would continue.

"Though I do admit it isn't a pleasant memory, I learned much from the experience. Much like you, I have no idea what led him down his path. Part of me wonders if it could've been resolved peacefully. Either way, there isn't much detail outside of our being attacked and him being Ichigo Kurosaki, the man who fought for this realm's safety so many years ago.'

"I think the time for conversation passed long ago. That said, I don't even know where he is. Considering none of us have seen him since he's probably hiding out somewhere."

Solomon sheepishly smiles in response. There was something genuinely endearing about Stella's point of view. Thus, he couldn't quite find it in himself to disagree with her naive point of view. Ah, if things truly were that simple, the world would be at peace. But that wasn't the case, and there was nothing they could do about it. Additionally, who would serve as a third party to facilitate this meeting? Even so, as silly as it was, Solomon humored the woman as he retorted playfully.

"And just who would be the unbiased third party? You, Stella?" He humored softly.

"Don't take my poor attempt at humor too seriously, Stella."

Solomon chuckled softly, offering an assuring wave of the hand to indicate that his words prior were merely an attempt at humor and nothing more. Realistically speaking, the only ones who could entertain Stella's idea was the Grandmaster and those he called counsel. He didn't even know whether or not Ichigo would appear within the City of Lights again. There was no need to contemplate the uncertainties of an important subject that they had no control over. Perhaps it was stubborn of him to dismiss it that way, but he'd wholly admit he hasn't quite gotten over what happened, how his home was uprooted in the blink of an eye. An aromatic scent graced his nose, distracting him from his thoughts, prompting him to focus his gaze further ahead. The scent of food being prepared. The sound of vegetables being chopped. A flourish of steam. Ah, he recognized this. It was a Ramen Shop! Once he recognized that, he turned back to Stella with a grin.

"Come, let's take a break to sit down and eat. It's been some time since I've had Ramen."

To be certain, Solomon recognized the genuine altruism inherent in her worldview. It was a heartwarming trait. He did not mean to be so dismissive, of course, and as though recognizing that after reflecting on his words, Solomon sighed softly as he grabbed a menu, his azure gaze sweeping through the different styles of ramen.

"Of course, for what it's worth, I do admire how kind you are at heart. There's something to be said about wanting to solve things peacefully when so many of our forefathers went to war over differences in ideals. In truth, I don't quite know how I'd feel if we crossed paths with him again. But I know one thing; I wouldn't want anything to happen to our City."

Patting her on the head with one hand, Solomon took a moment to order Takoyaki and Kaarage as appetizers. The elder man and woman nodded assent, writing their orders down as they prepared the food within full view. Turning his head back to her, Solomon tilted his head at her words. It was such a random revelation that it gave him pause, but he quickly dismissed her worries with a hearty chuckle. He found no issue with her admission.

"I've also trained with an arrancar. It was overwhelmingly intense, looking back on it, but I think I performed well. She isn't too fond of my desire to protect everything at all costs, though. As far as Akira goes, as far as I'm aware... he's a Shinigami, no? We've met before. We clashed over a disagreement but resolved matters over a cup of tea. Don't treat your friendships with other races as though you're commiting a crime. I know what I said before about Ichigo, but my experience with Ulquiorra has brightened my outlook on arrancar to a reasonable degree. Some are genuinely good-intentioned. Since their interacting with and training you, I assume your friends are no different. All I can say is that I hope they've treated you well."