The Lioness and The Serpent[Amaranta, Safira]

"Of course I do. Don't get me wrong the resort looks lovely, but I'm pretty sure I can find something just as nice, and you know, a place where they won't tear my bikini off during the trip. I'm not on the menu, but if the price is right, I'll drag some pathetic whelps along, sure."

Amaranta certainly acknowledged the rise in spiritual pressure, though intimidation was as far away from her mind as a ship millions of miles away from land. If anything, that only elicited a wide curve of a grin across her lips as she viewed the act as a sort of challenge. She bowed to no one. In no uncertain terms, if the scenario didn't fit her fancy, there was no reason to pursue it. To be more precise, her rise in spiritual pressure entices her more as the seconds grow on, but she bides her time to see where these negotiations go.

"Nothing too extreme, really. I'm a simple lady. I'm on someone else's payroll, but, I don't mind earning more cash, you know? Money makes the world go round', as they say. I think a long-term stay would be preferable, too. A nice beach house to retire in after a long day, you know? Those should suffice. I can't guarantee I'll drag every arrancar in that I come across, especially if they're elusive as hell, but if I knock em out pretty good and they stay in one place, they're all yours."

"Not so fast. I'm not finished yet. I'm still weighing the risk and reward here. Now that I think about it, I don't think money's going to cut it, either. Spending time on an island with your little minion reminded me of my displeasure with this place just now. A poor first impression, I'll say. And I never did hear about the type of experiments you'd be conducting, either... Working with you might compromise what I've got going on already."

Now that she actually thought about all this, money and a house were things she already had, albeit under the roof of an overgrown dinosaur and a bratty boss with a fixation on protagonists and anime. She knew them well enough. This lady on the other hand? She'd only met her today. What could she stand to gain from someone she barely knew?

The spiritual pressure piqued her interest, enough, sure, but something about working for someone she barely knew didn't quite sit right with her. Those two had proven they were worth standing beside. The true benefit in any of this was the sheer potential of being able to fight entertaining opponents till her heart's content, something that could be obtained regardless of her working under her. She'd fight strong enemies and turn them into her rivals. That's what mattered for her in the end. Playing lapdog for too many people would make her lose sight of that. Besides...

One had to wonder why someone with her spiritual pressure didn't take center stage herself. She preferred to act from the shadows no doubt. Her appearance and demeanor certainly spoke to someone who carried themselves with the royal air of a ruler, commanding subjects at her leisure while she sat on a lofty seat.

"On second thought, I can't say I'd imagine enjoying working under you, so I'll pass. We've only just met today, your employee annoys the hell out of me, and I have enough money to live off of in the next few years, anyway. I can get by just fine on my own. Besides, I'd like to fight strong arrancar. Not send them here for some project I know little about. Sorry for wasting your time, lady. You're plenty strong enough to add to your collection as is, though. I'm sure you'll wrap a few good men and women around your fingers."

A wide grin formed across those leonine features the moment Safira vanished from her prior position. In that next moment, she was right there firing a cero right at her head. The movement, sudden as it was, was not entirely difficult to evade, but Amaranta was bold. She didn't want to evade it. She wanted to see what this woman was all about. Shifting her arms upward to protect her head, she was blown back by the force of that beam as she crashed into the wall. Cushioning the crash with her feet, she bolted off of the wall like a bolt of lightning, roaring in with a fist to her head.

"Now that's more I like it!"

"Ha! I'll live with it. This type of negotiation is more my style anyway. If your so worried about ruining the lavished décor, drag me outside then. After all, I don't want any excuses when I win."

Boldly grinning, even as she found herself swept within the sequence of a well-timed attack, Amaranta chortled in response to the woman's words. A bold statement, to be sure, believing in an assured victory considering their differences in ability so far, but such was the ego of the Burning Lioness. Indomitable confidence even in the face of insurmountable odds. Even under the woman's heel, her spiritual pressure radiated in tandem with her excitement.

"Heh! Don't go counting me out just yet. I'll show you everything I got even if I go down swinging."

Even as she felt that foot digging into her belly, her expression didn't waver in the slightest. She was over the goddamned stars. Soaring through the air after being kicked out of the lavish room, Amaranta held her hand out as her own zanpakuto answered her call. Claymore in hand, the leonine woman rushed forward to meet the woman directly, swinging that large piece of metal in an overhead strike.

"Besides, I like when my potential superiors can show me what they're made of. Why serve someone who can't show what their made of? Forget all of the materialistic shit. I just want to keep growing stronger fighting mighty opponents. Its your fault for teasing me with your spiritual pressure, anyway."