Envidia's Crest [Veralia/Open]

"You are right, Sabby. Hueco Mundo can be a shithole at times, but that doesn't mean the place you call home has to be one to."

Veralia snorted as she replied to Sabriel, her arms folding before she gave her a nod and turned her gaze back to Sabriel. Her right eyebrow rose in response to her questions about the paintings around them. Tapping her chin, she would walk next to her companion, thinking for a moment before narrowing her focus.

"It does serve a meaning, in a way. It reminds me where I came from, how hard I fought for my strength, and the investment I put into having a relatively safe space."

As she explained herself, her voice carried a mix of nostalgia and pride.

After a moment, she rubbed her chin again, curiosity coloring her tone as she posed her own question to Sabriel.

"What about you, did you build your own place, or did you have your subjects handle it?"

“I bet your opponents were certainly green with envy when they saw you in action.” The lavender eyed woman answered, knowing full well just how awful that attempt at humour was. Still, it was out there now and as she glanced once more at the tapestries, she would add. “It has truly been difficult for you and I can say with quite a lot of confidence that your path was far more bloody than mine. I am definitely glad that it was not on the fields of battle that we met.”

When the question was asked, Sabriel would muse for a few moments before offering an answer. “I planned out the structure of my palace but it came down to my subjects to actually bring my vision to life. In truth, it was almost exactly the same as how your lands are being built now. I did have the occasional headache though as many of my band were not quite as easy to convince as they are now. My powers had not sunk in yet in some cases. In the end though, it all worked out fine.”

Smirking, she would add. “Lirael certainly enjoyed whipping them into shape.”

Veralia rubbed her chin, taking in Sabriel's comment regarding her strength and power. While it was true she had her means of maintaining her kingdom and spreading her influence, Veralia couldn't help but be curious about her offensive capabilities. So, when Sabriel finished explaining the origin of her castle, she nodded along as she figured Sabriel wasn't the type to build something lavish on her own.

"It's the perks of having followers, huh? But that makes me curious about something."

Turning around to face Sabriel, Veralia's head tilted to the right with a hint of intrigue behind her eyes.

"Your place is large, and you've lived a long time, so what are your powers even like if you were in a straight-up fight? Are you vaporizing people with ceros or something?"

“It is true that I have not mentioned my abilities all that much.” Sabriel answered after a moment, musing about how to explain. “I suppose one could say that crowd control is my game. Most of my abilities have effects which attack the mind and hearts of my opponents. I can manipulate my aspect in order to bend them to my will, similar to what I can do passively. The more opponents that are near me, the more damage I can cause and if I use my more advanced techniques, I can turn a small army against themselves. Direct damage isn’t my game in truth but I can scar my foes in just as painful ways.”

Pausing a little bit, she would then add, touching the whip at her side. “One lash of this is enough to corrupt a weak minded person for a little while although for a stronger soul, I have to use something a little more potent.”

"Ah, so you're less of the brute type and you are more of the long-range, distant fighter, eh?"

Veralia, rubbing her chin, seemed to chuckle before gears started turning in her head.

"If we are allies, then why not spar a little? You never know the day when we may have to synchronize our attacks together."

Speaking in a matter of fact tone, she was two parts curious to see these abilities in real time and pragmatic as well. As her blood eyes darted to the sandy dunes outside, she reflected on the reality that they do not live in a peaceful existence, so it would be wise to ensure both herself and her ally are fit for battle if the need should arise.

"Course, I ain't lookin' for blood. So it's not anything to the death."

Veralia spoke rather swiftly, her tone light yet firm, making clear her intentions were about preparation, not aggression.

Tilting her head at the suggestion, Sabriel mused to herself for a few moments, wondering whether she should indulge her friend or not. It was true that they always needed to be at their best and frankly the taller Arrancar probably was a little rusty when it came to such things. Too much rolling about and not enough actual sparring, she supposed although if she actually managed to win then it could be the end result anyway. When mental and emotional powers were your strength, the temptation to meddle was always there.

“Mmm. That sounds like a good idea to me and I would like to see how you use your envy in battle. You probably have a fair idea of what could happen if you fall prey to my powers though, as my little band of Hollows are a perfect example of their effects.” She would reply with a chuckle, giving her ally a teasing look. “Do not worry though, I will not have you perform any embarrassing feats if you do fall victim.” It was all in good fun though.

“Shall we?” Sabriel then asked, waiting for her friend to head off to wherever she wished them to fight.

"I ain't worried about it, Sabby. I know you wouldn't dream of it~"

Snickering playfully, Veralia wasted no time, her soindo being snappy and near-instant as she appeared outside. In another burst of soindo, she'd then take to the air to avoid disturbing her residence. A good one hundred meters above ground should do it.

When she stopped, she observed the heavens above, smiling as the wind blew against her long raven hair. For once, the infinite darkness lit by the dawn of their endless moon seemed beautiful up here.

Ah well, it wasn't the time to get lost in the scenery. With her body emitting a gem-green aura, it was clear she was more than prepared for anything to come her way as she struck a defensive pose. Her stance was balanced, her feet shoulder-width apart, and her knees slightly bent, enhancing her stability and agility. Her left hand was raised to forehead height, palm outwards to deflect strikes, while her right hand hovered lower, open, and ready to counterattack. The gem-green aura surrounding her pulsed with readiness, casting an eerie glow as her eyes, sharp and focused, scanned for any movement.

This pose, a blend of invitation and challenge, showcased her confidence and battle readiness. Her body was tensed yet poised for her opponent's first move.

"I'll let you take the first crack, Sabby. Show me what ya got and don't be afraid, I can take a hit."

With Veralia projecting her voice out to cover a large distance, her tone was both challenging and encouraging, ready for whatever might come her way.

Unfortunately, Sabriel’s Sonido was not quite as effective and while she managed to appear in the necessary spot, it was not anywhere as gracefully done. Arrancar knew that she needed more practice with the art and while she was improving, it was a slow and painful process for her. Still, it needed to be done, just in case she came up against someone who could outmanoeuvre as well as handle her abilities. It always bugged her that Lirael was better than her when it came to the skill too.

“First crack, hmm?” The lavender eyed woman replied, placing a hand to her hip and drawing her zanpakuto, the whip extending to its full length. “Funny you should put it quite like that.”

Starting out fairly slowly, she would crack her weapon towards her friend, the lash darting out towards Veralia. Even Sabriel’s weapon would give off the familiar aura that surrounded the dark haired woman and being struck by it would cause a rather unusual sensation although the leotard wearer did not expect to actually hit quite so soon. It was just a warm up.

Veralia's blood eyes turned gem green momentarily before going into fight or flight mode. With adrenaline coursing through her veins, the woman wasted no time pivoting to the right to evade getting hit by the whip. Looking at the whip, she assumed getting hit with that wouldn't be ideal as she could sense an odd power generating from it.

Without hesitation, she utilized her Sonido to maneuver to Sabriel's right flank. In one fluid motion, she lunged forward, her right fist aimed precisely at Sabriel's thigh in the hopes of delivering a sharp, focused strike—enough to induce pain but not to cause serious injury.

'Hm. Normally, I'd hit their kidney or something, but this isn't a blood match.'

As that passing thought flowed through her conscious, Veralia tensed, and a hot green aura radiated around her body as she prepared her powers to respond on a dime to whatever may come next as she felt Sabriel out.

"Might need to train your speed there."

As Veralia's remark echoed, there was a hint of gentle provocation in her tone as she prepared for Sabriel's next move.

Veralia was fast as expected and Sabriel’s head turned as her ally came in close to strike her. The truth simply was that she was indeed lacking when it came to insane speed although the dark haired Arrancar was barely able to evade the strike, shifting her body just enough to keep herself safe. That being said, it made the difference between them rather apparent and Sabriel inwardly sighed. This was going to be a difficult spar for her and she mused that she had definitely been focusing more on her sexual manoeuvres than her Hollow ones just lately.

She was not completely helpless from close range though and channelled a purple coloured bala, launching it from her hand in an attempt to get Veralia way from her. The effect of it was simply to do with that, her personal form of the ability having a rather large knockback effect to it. The power behind it was decent though and she hoped that perhaps it would give her a little space.

Her reply to Veralia was playful as usual, making fun of herself. “Too much sex, not enough training.”