Envious Tides [Veralia/Catherine]

Location: Odaiba Beach, Japan

"Must be nice."

Muttering to herself, Veralia's blood eyes looked at the numerous families, couples, and affluent members of society taking a rest day on the beach. These people had not a single care in the world, connection and love; things which seemed to make her heart twinge in envy. As her body had a brief glow of gem-green fire flow from it, the small Arrancar eventually released a soft sigh and had it dissipate into the aether.

Grabbing a cup of Mezcal Negroni, she sipped on her bitter and smokey drink; enjoying the burn of fresh jalapeno as the relief of alcohol hitting her blood subdued her mood for now to loosen up. Nothing but a fiery static gnawed at her mind as it was hard to make heads or tails of where this deep envy came from.

Was it the longing for family, partnership, wealth, power, adoration, or beauty? These questions hovered at the back of her mind, reflective of the sin that defined her very being. However, Veralia chose to let go and simply exist for the time being. Her energy radiated outward, its fiery aura warming the air around her and blending with the natural heat of the day. This subtle barrier of warmth was enough to deter any tourists who might have thought about approaching, giving her the solitude she didn't realize she craved.

There she was, with nothing on her agenda but to sulk, brood over her thoughts, and perhaps soak up some sun, hoping for a tan or at least a distraction from the whirlpool of envy and contemplation.

The sound of footsteps shuffling sand would approach the lounging Arrancar, not even the nagging heat of her aura seeming to disturb the approaching shadow.

"Hey. If you're trying to be discreet you're doing a real shit job of it," Would be spoken with a tone of light humor, eyes would look upon a ginger woman with rather beach-inappropriate attire, a full dark suit with robust boots; the only thing that looked in place was the umbrella that hid her features from the sun, "But, at least my search wasn't too hard this time. Mind a wee chat?"

Her sitting down and pulling out a notebook and paper before an answer was given completely tossed out the illusion of courtesy. She was here for research, she would get that research, "Quite the place for you to be. A client of mine had invited me here."

Huh? Did someone get through her little heat dome? That got Veralia's attention as her scarlet gaze shifted toward Catherine. Given the lack of a malicious aura, as Veralia sat up, she remained observant before chuckling in response to what Catherine said.

"Guilty as charged. Wasn't exactly going for stealth here.

Standing up, she casually slipped her hands in her pocket before sizing up the slightly taller Quincy. Part of her wondered if she had any connection to Stella, but she was more intrigued as to why she'd be searching for her.

"I ain't got nothing else to do, so sure, we can shoot the shit. But why would you be searching for me? I have no idea who you are."

Veralia's tone was laced with genuine curiosity, tempered with caution as she sought to understand Catherine's motivations. Her head tilted, a silent gesture of intrigue, as she listened to the mention of a 'client.'

"Client, huh? Well, I'm here because the hot air and sun are to die for. Hueco Mundo can be a dark and depressing place, so you gotta get out of that hellhole and have some sunshine, y'know?"

Her words, though casual, hinted at a deeper appreciation for freedom and the joy of experiencing life beyond the confines of their usual battlegrounds.

"Well," A finger touched her chin, "Wasn't looking for you specifically, just people like you - Arrancar."

She already was up to writing, especially that interesting comment. With what she knew about Hueco Mundo, an Arrancar in the sun is probably a new, enriching experience to them. Pretty strange it had a glowing moon yet no sun - maybe the moon itself had some mechanism causing it to glow, but it'd never compare to sunlight. Some other theories danced through her mind as she looked to the horned Arrancar that decided to entertain her intrusion,

"Hellhole, huh? Mind telling me your experience about it? I've only met a handful of others that had anything meaningful to say about it."

Hmmmmm. This woman was an odd one.

Veralia's eyes lingered on Catherine, the gaze reflecting an expression of curiosity and caution before her body relaxed and she sat back down near the woman.

"Why would you be lookin' for Arrancar?"

Veralia's right eyebrow arched upward; intrigued by the way the woman wanted to look for Arrancar, but still keeping her skepticism about her tone. As the breeze around them carried a hint of warmth as it passed, there was a slight loosening of her demeanor as she prepared to dive deeper into the conversation.

"I guess I can expand further on that. But, you are an odd one as most humans don't really give two damns about Hueco Mundo as long as hollows aren't fucking with 'em."

Her chuckle was light, tinted with genuine amusement, as she shook her head slightly, still puzzling over Catherine’s unusual interest.

As Veralia looked upward at the skies; a smile came across her face as she witnessed the birds flying in the heavens. It was almost enough to want to get rid of her headache of envy; as if she glanced back at the people below the beach there would certainly be aspects of envy to pick apart and compare herself to.

"There's a lot of assholes in both Hueco Mundo and Earth, but at least here the skies and nature are something else. Back home, it's just endless forests, cities of sand, and perpetual night. Add to that how territorial some hollows get, and it feels like a prison on bad days. You gotta bust out sometimes, take a breather once you've got the power to do so."

Veralia’s words blended a casual frankness with an underlying layer of seriousness as she shared her perspective on the stark differences between Earth and her native realm; a reflection of her longing for something beyond the confines of their haunted world.

Still scribbling, even rough sketching as her eyes flashed up and down from her notepad, "Just for study. Not a lot of info about you lot written down and I doubt those stooges in black are willing to share with us lowly mortals. I'd rather know as much as I can put together."

As per other stories about that realm, her's lined up pretty well with the descriptions she was familiar with, though of course it was with a frustrating lack of clarity that would only be solved with her going there herself. Annoying, annoying... That was the limits of second hand accounts of places - she'd just have to figure an opportunity to go there herself one day.

"Hard not to give a fuck about something I dunno anything about, really," She'd murmur between writings, before pointing a pen at her, "Clearly the sensible kind considering you aren't going around eating people or drinking up some conceptual nonsense, what is it you're able to do?"

Waving a hand at the warmer field they were in, she'd squint, "Don't think it's radioactive..."

Veralia nodded, her understanding of the shinigami dynamics clear and articulated with a hint of caution.

"Shinigami can be hit or miss. If they aren't tangled up with the Gotei, they can be less of a headache to deal with; especially on the individual level."

Her tone reflected a sense of mutual understanding as it wasn't in her interest to get caught up with shinigami if they had ties to that troublesome group. The last thing she needed was a bunch of irritated Gotei-runts hounding her about trivial crap.

When Catherine mentioned the subject of Arrancar feeding habits, Veralia raised an eyebrow once more in intrigue before a low chuckle escaped her lips from her initial surprise.

"That's sensitive information, don't you think?"

As Veralia spoke her tone was light, yet laced with a clear note of caution. As the horned arancar tilted her head, her gaze remained fixed on Catherine, probing and intent. The question had certainly heightened her alertness as that's not the type of question you ask someone you just met.

"You're asking about the very core of my powers and how I sustain myself. So, what's in it for me if I share that with you? I mean, who's to say it won't come back to bite me in the ass one day?"

Her inquiry was straightforward, challenging Catherine to justify her request and assure Veralia that divulging such personal details would not lead to future complications.

"If they're brave enough to leave their oh so heavenly post that they're totally good at, they get a few points in my favor, but they sure aren't out of the bucket." With several clicks of her pen, she'd hmm under her breath as she glanced between the party she spoke to and the sheet of paper in her hand.

She was mid-writing details when she heard that small refrain to grant information so freely, her pen ceasing on the spot with a brief tap. Ohh, so this one wasn't so loose-lipped... That was hardly a problem to her, she certainly wouldn't want to be talking up her capabilities in this position, but if she needed a little extra insurance...

"This is purely for personal research, i'm not the type to go about searching for your, rather scarce I should add, kind with the intent to exterminate them. You lot aren't animals, no reason for it. If anything i'd rather as few of you were put down as possible, but some Shinigami don't get that little message."

With an oddly neutral expression she'd shrug, "Living World hardly has info on you guys, so I gotta go out of my way and talk to you lot to figure out how you work. Learning for learning's sake, yknow? Not like I let other people look at my uncensored notes if that's what you're worried about."

Veralia had doubts filling her mind as she continued to gaze at Catherine. What was fueling this woman's desire to want to research their kind, anyway? Curiosity into the unknown was a simple enough answer, but Veralia figured there was something more driving her. So, she'd prod.

"Learning for the sake of learning? That's a novelty that's in short demand these days."

As she let out a low chuckle, it wasn't a knock on Catherine, but rather an observation Veralia had. Most people in these cities lacked the desire to learn anything outside of their routine. If their basic needs were taken care of, it was easier to go with the flow and drown in sin.

"I think I'll neglect to share how my powers work, but I doubt you woke up one day and decided to research for the hell of it. Are you sure it's just curiosity that is pushing you?"

Veralia's question was pointed, her gaze piercing as she searched for a deeper truth behind Catherine's questions.

Her right eyebrow arched thoughtfully as she leaned back slightly, resting her cheek on her hand in a relaxed yet attentive posture.

"But sure, ask me anything not related to my powers I'll indulge you."

This offer was generous but clearly defined her boundaries, inviting Catherine to continue their conversation within limits that Veralia was comfortable with.