For What Reason You Stand (Liltotto/Elyss)

Here she is again in the City of Lights. Elyss has things to handle in Soul Society, but as the Captain of 7th, it's her job to ensure the Gotei stays in good relations with the Vandenreich. That means it's only right she come to check up on how the Quincy are doing after the hole incident. To say the least, things aren't good. They're not horrible, but the lack of moral is as clear as day. Elyss, just because of who she is, couldn't help but feel a certain way as she walked towards the training grounds.

She'll stop by the Grandmaster's office later. For now, she'd like to see if anyone's training. Even with things looking grim, even just one person training would ease her mind. Giving up is never the right answer, but she also knows how hard it is to pick oneself up after a heavy defeat. Either way, as she stepped onto the field looking for anyone else, she'd find herself ruminating on her own shortcomings.

Noticing the lack of anyone, she could only hope that she came around during a dead period, but since she's alone, she decided to try and warm up her muscles a bit. It didn't take long to set up some dummies with what's already around and throw a few punches around. All the while, her thoughts are here, there, and everywhere, but most importantly, she's wonder what exactly she can improve on to reach that necessary level to be a real Captain for everyone.

Footsteps could be heard feeding into the empty room as one other would approach; fresh from the hospital, looking as if she were never injured. Not even a scar on her features with how surprisingly well she ended up healing - something she had her own gripes about. Some of her comrades didn't make it, others had to take leave from the state they were in. Though thankful not everyone was permanently damaged, she couldn't help but feel like the overly fortunate one despite how undeserving it was.

She already had a trip planned to stay with Giselle and her girlfriend for some training, but she was intent on getting some done for herself before leaving. Couldn't help but feel like it'd end up being a waste that'd just be a tire to her previous guardian, but she just didn't have it in her to say no to that. Pushing people away at this rate just did more damage.

Duffle bag slung over her shoulder, she'd come into view, head risen as her senses had picked up on a familiar spiritual pressure. There wasn't any way she was here after that disaster... Was she?

There she was, red hair and all, going at some dummies. The blonde stopped in her tracks, her unreadable expression just about as descriptive of how she felt. A hand was raised in greeting,

"Hey. Didn't expect to see you again so soon."

Someone's approaching, but the Vandenreich doesn't have a lot of people that would probably find a problem with what Elyss is up to. It's just fixable dummies anyway, but that energy signature; there's something familiar about it. Yet, like a running faucet, there's not much expression to really pinpoint the owner, that is until she hears that familiar voice.

Well, there's no way to misplace that lame tone anyway. Her voice is still very much the same, even after everything. Though, Elyss wasn't sure if she was expecting anything either, so she turned just as plainly as she was greeted and tilted her head. One of her brows rose as the other fell, curiosity on her face.

"Yes?" She asked, her expression as blank as Liltotto's.

Something's off about this, but it's not too much different from their first encounter, so instead of a greeting, Elyss got straight to the point. If Liltotto wants something, she should say it. If this is just another happenstance, then they'll figure it out.

Those familiar shakes from detecting the mere presence of a Shinigami didn't entirely leave her, but it was a lot less unbearable the more exposure she had. Her brow scrunched a bit with Elyss' lack of greeting, but quickly checked herself - that was less rudeness and more the stony attitude of the Captain; clearly they were here looking for the same thing. Her only wondering was if she could properly follow through with it this time..

She had to. If she admitted otherwise, it was all the more proof she didn't deserve have made it out of that night alive.

Her face didn't convey any of her thoughts, thankfully, as she had rummaged through her bag for a quick bite of food before asking in that same flat tone, "Wanna have a spar? Lunch is on the loser."

She'd toss the bag to the side, stepping into the room proper. A quiet sense of intensity came from the woman, her typically suppressed spiritual pressure allowed to loose just a bit. Be it determination or desperation, the kind of fight she was looking for certainly wasn't a play around.

There we go. Straight to the point. Elyss could ask if Liltotto was apart of the battle in Africa. How she fared? How is she? All that stuff. But, there's something unique and refreshing when someone leaves out the detail for something raw and simple, like a fight. If there's anything between the two, it'll come out as they exchange blows. You can hide your words, but your body knows nothing else but to lay itself bare.

"I won't ask. I won't pry. Do whatever you want, and I'll handle it."

Fingers flexing, muscles tightening and loosening, that training mindset melted, withering into something more dangerous. Elyss has no idea what's up with her new opponent, but that doesn't matter. She's been asked to perform, and as a player on this battlefield, she has no choice but to give nothing but her best. Something tells her Liltotto's not going to hold back this time. Things aren't going to simply end as they did on the beach.

The least she can do is sharpen her eyes, take a simple stance with her arms at her sides, fists clenched. This isn't her home. She has no right to make the first move, but her entire presence exudes nothing but a crimson vendetta to win. Maybe she'll find something here herself. Maybe Liltotto's going to push her to grow just as much. Let's find out.

The woman before her was a Captain, one of the Gotei's strongest members, one that could crush most of their forces with barely a dent on her. Those like her were exactly the threat of which could take everything away from her with a single determination.

There was no reason to hold back against the opponent before her.

That well of emotion dried, replaced by pure focus. She didn't quite think about her first act as hard as she would normally, if anything her movement was simply the first thing that her gut leapt to; the still figure of the blonde suddenly vanishing within a blink, the next time she would be detectable being at a somewhat low position to Elyss' side, as if she were running past her, if it werent for the long formation of reishi firmly held in her grip; a rudimentary spear, appearing more like an oversized arrow than the weapon proper, even the chain-like structures of Krampen hanging off it still. It was going straight for Elyss' abdomen.

Her movement didn't simply stop however; strike or not, she'd release the weapon, using the momentum to slide backwards and away from the shinigami in the direction she appeared to be running to, forming her bow and letting loose a volley of arrows without pause between each action.

You can tell a lot about a person in the heat of the moment. You can even tell what's going through their head. For what it's worth, Elyss found Liltotto's attack patterns cute. However, a pattern is easy to recognize, and Elyss isn't kind enough to not abuse that fact. That would be an insult, wouldn't it?

Though, slow about it, Elyss didn't strike when the moment presented itself. Liltotto's construct pierced her side, but it didn't even break through her skin. As it touched her, Elyss took a single step towards Liltotto, her lips sucking in a deep breath of air. Arrows flew then, but Elyss only kept her eyes on her opponent, the ground underneath her foot, waning before small cracks fractured its surface.

Exhale.

Those arrows broke on contact, nothing more than toothpicks. Elyss pushed forward, her very step booming as she tore her foothold apart. Each volley, worthless. Nothing that approached Elyss slowed her.

'She's going to run,' Elyss brain spat at the rest of her body, nerves flaring to respond as adrenaline fueled every move.

'Stop her!'

Reaching out, the redhead had one goal: take hold of her opponent. Then, from there, destroy her. Her other hand already clenched into a fist, Liltotto should know what'd be her fate of she let herself be captured.

Here she came. Closing in on her, scoffing off her arrows like they were little more than an annoying swarm of mosquitoes. However, not even a stint of irritation welled in her, rather she didn't appear intent on moving or reacting to the clear visible warning of a brutal attack incoming, one of her hands appearing to be at her side as the redhead closed in through her attack with no difficulty.

The moment that hand closed in, her bow dispelled - a confusing act, until her other hand rose. A small knife-like formation of her Reiatsu, glowing with a dangerous vibrance. Elyss was within range to get a generous helping of acidic energy, the deceivingly small weapon suddenly bursting into a giant, forceful explosion of liquid energy, leaving it's wielder unscathed yet the opponent absolutely soaked in the defense-rotting energy.

Don't stop, no stopping, not even a moment given. Focused, cold eyes were glued to Elyss when she closed in with a second attack, her palm aglow with unstable-looking energy, seeming to suck in the very air around it with a light hiss; Reißen. Though the flash of energy would hold no force, it would serve to interrupt a coming attack or at least act as some distraction, the very ground the medium-scaled burst touched seeming to be smoothly scraped away with it's subsidence.

She didn't run.

Elyss was surprised for only a second, expecting much of the hit and run tactics from before. Well, in that case, she's somewhat excited, but excitement shouldn't distract her.

It did.

She's committed to her attack, so her hand only tightened around Liltotto's shirt, twisting to not let go. That meant her body was subjected to whatever liquid was splashed onto it, the sensation of tiny teeth biting her entire body. This is new, but it doesn't change her plan, her fist moving to deliver a blow to Liltotto's face.

That's when she noticed the energy gathering in Liltotto's hand. Elyss only turned her gaze down as it blasted forth, the area around the two woman engulfed in its glow.

It didn't work. Almost ignorant to the attack, Liltotto would come to notice her shirt still held, and that smoke doing nothing but showcasing the deranged juggernaut's eyes. Elyss spared her opponent no grace nor mercy before her attack continued like nothing else mattered, her fist sailing right into Liltotto's jaw, sending the blonde spiraling away if without contest.

Her attack didn't work.

Teeth gritted in preparation, a flourish of dread for the strike that was to come made her flinch. The blast didn't even so much as knock the other woman backwards, she was anything but deterred as that punch came for her.

Quit fighting like a human.

That instinctively driven reminder broke her flinch; she was reacting like a person who couldn't take a punch, who feared being hurt. The natural reaction to such things were normal human instinct taken to a level she didn't need. Thus, caution was abandoned.

Rather than the punch connecting with the side of her face to send her flying, her head shifted right as the punch connected - for it to instead make contact with her mouth. Sharp teeth bit down onto the hand, clenched with all her might. The force of the blow was rattling, but it wasn't injurious.

Letting go of that natural fear was the only way she'd get through a fight like this. She had to be the last to be worn down.