The Strays [JT]

[Deleted]

"What's with the get up there? And what happened ta the third one? Ya didn't eat them did ya." This comment notably made the corrupted Shinigami laugh the same horrendous laughter they'd been using the entire time. "Well," they started, "let's just say that Cami ain't all here, get what I'm trying to say~?" Upon finishing their statement, Camila knocked on the hollow mask that had been forming for good measure, which was met with a sound similar to someone knocking on wood. "As far as that last Arrancar though, you can thank that kid over there for making the girl disappear. Well, what's left of 'em, anyway."

"They were no trouble fer ya I assume..." Naturally, this was met with a 'lighthearted' giggle from the girl. "Correct there, Mr. Alacrán!" Looking around, she couldn't help but smile. While unsure if it was because of Albin's influence, she head a feeling of morbid satisfaction upon glancing over the skirmish that had just unfolded. Both of 'em successfully taking care of their own targets, and making effectively short work of the group of Arrancar was certainly nice, but at the same time left her with a feeling of disappointment. She'd only wished that the fight itself could've gone on jussst a little bit longer, that way she could've gotten even more of a thrill out of it.


"They must've been guards or a patrol group. We'll no doubt run into more when we get closer." With that, Hollow Camila pumped her fist rather aggressively. "HELL YEAH!" she shouted, "I cannot WAIT for another fight! I'm beyond pumped to make some more Arrancar purée!" While normally they would've broken out into another laugh, things were a bit different this time around. Taking a quick second, Hollow Camila seemed to feel as though something was wrong. Very shortly after, they let out a shout and moved their hands up to the mask fragment forming around her face, doing what they could in order to pry the damned thing off.

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Camila shouted at the top of her lungs, her voice seemingly returning back to normal as she pried the mask fragment from her face. As the fragments of bone-like substance flew forward into the sand, Camila fell to the ground with a huff, seemingly out of breath. "If ya don' mind, that took a lil' more out of me than I coulda imagined. I'd like a moment ta rest and regain mah strength before we continue. The ones closer to the entrances are no doubt stronger than these ones here. We'd be foolish not ta rest although I doubt ya need it." Camila did what she could to laugh through her loss of breath as she allowed herself to fall over onto her side.

"I, uh, don't think that's a bad idea," she started, laying on the cold sand as she turned over to her back, "I think I'm going to need my rest too. Especially after that." Even if she wanted to move, Camila couldn't really bring herself to do so. Takeovers like that were an incredibly exhausting experience for her in every sense of the word, even if they were incredibly fleeting. "Sorry about that, by the way, sometimes that's a little hard to control. Yet another reason I need to seek out Kouhai, I suppose, huh?" With that she chuckled as she allowed herself to close her eyes. She wasn't in danger of passing out, but she certainly wasn't in any condition to fight. At least, not too soon. "I don't think I've ever asked you, Alacrán, what's your story? What's pushed you to get thus far? You've certainly got me curious."

[Alacrán]

Alacrán noticed the change in how she talked and acted but he didn't say anything about it. There was something about her right now that raised every alarm of caution in him. When she screamed and pried off the bone fragments he wasn't quite sure what had happened and just contiues on with his train of thought. He truly did need the rest or he might not make it through this next leg of the journey.

"Sorry about that, by the way, sometimes that's a little hard to control. Yet another reason I need to seek out Kouhai, I suppose, huh?" He let out a tired grunt as he dug out some sand from the side of a dune and sits in the whole, muttering, "Perhaps. Not sure what he could do for you though..." He glances down at her and decides to ask his own question right about the same time that she asked hers. "I don't think I've ever asked you, Alacrán, what's your story? What's pushed you to get thus far? You've certainly got me curious." "What in the hell exactly was that anyway? Some sorta split personality?"

He pauses as they both finish and frowns at her question. He couldn't, for all his worth and might, figure out what the hell she was aiming to do with him. Why was she so eager to learn about him? He was just another Hollow that wanted to survive. Fortunately he had been one of the more physically and mentally stronger ones to survive as long as he had. He simply shrugs in response to her question before she could answer his. "I want to survive. It's my nature...even before I was a Hollow I feel like I survived for as long as I could."

Still he knew that wasn't true. He didn't just survived. He lived as well...what would be the point if he didn't. He just doesn't know what he's living for until he's thinking about all the souls he's devoured up to this point. The thrill and satisfaction he got from witnessing the fear and terror on their faces. He doesn't realize he's grinning as he continues, "And the thrill of the hunt and the kill."

[Deleted]

As she asked her question, Camila was surprised to see Alacrán's own desire to ask something of her almost at the same time as her. "What in the hell exactly was that anyway? Some sorta split personality?" Welp, she couldn't say she was surprised to have gotten a question like that. After that little 'display' she'd just put on (most of which she couldn't quite remember, despite it just occurring), there was very little chance that it wasn't going to come up at some point. She sighed as she pondered how to answer the question. She didn't exactly want to share her entire situation with him, given she wasn't looking for something like that to just get out, but she wanted to tell him part of it.

"Well," she started, "I suppose it's a sort of an inner struggle that I'm dealing with. Call it what you'd like; a curse, a parasite, I'm for it. Whatever you call it though, it's a being of sorts that's effectively plaguing my spirit. There are times where I can't keep it under control, and it sort of goes buck-fucking-wild. The reason I'm headed to Kouhai is because these're getting even more frequent and even more out of control. I'm pretty sure that Shinigami can't do much for me, so I'm on my way to Kouhai to see if he's got anything up his sleeve to help fix the problem at hand, y'know? While not something that's guaranteed, it's certainly a hope."

As she finished up her answer, she'd taken note of what Alacran had gone on to say right after her. "I want to survive. It's my nature...even before I was a Hollow I feel like I survived for as long as I could." She liked that. Simple, to the point, and conveys everything that she felt was needed. Nodding to his response, she gave him a smile, completely unaware of the fact that he had more to add on. "And the thrill of the hunt and the kill." There it was. The thrill of a fight was something that Camila herself had lived for, and she was more than able to relate to something like that. Chuckling to herself, Camila let out another sigh before speaking.

"Lord, I absolutely felt that second part," she said, "there's nothing more exhilarating than the rush you get from a good fight. I live for that adrenaline high; the feeling of teetering between life and death, unaware if you'll be able to push forward... That's the shit that keeps me going." She laughed. In truth, Camila saw true combat as a sort of drug; something she almost actively sought out, constantly looking for her next quick fix. In truth, it was one of the reasons she was glad to be around Alacrán for the time; if not because they kept meeting, and to make friends with the hollow, it was because both times so far she'd met with him, she'd been given a good fight. She threw herself back into the dunes to lay down as she took a deep breath.

[Alacrán]

As Alacrán listened to Camila explain the situation and the irony of it occurs to him as to how similar it sort of seems to his own situation of struggling to keep control of his Gillian form while he grow his strength and aims to become an Adjuchas. However he didn't really like how she seemed to be going about handling the situation. He didn't like the idea of going someone, expecting them to be able to help with his situation although it sort of what he was doing at this very moment in using Camila to lure out prey.

He knew what she meant by the feel of battle. It very much was addicting but for him it was also the challenge as well as when he's won and it occurs to his opponent that they've lost and what that'll mean for them. The look of fear and terror on their faces as they realize that their life was at an end and to him no less. It gave him shivers.

Still he shakes his head as she finishes speaking, "Ya were right not ta trust the Shinigami to solve that issue of yers. If I remember correctly they wanted ta kill ya simply for being spared by the Arrancar and returning from here. As I see it, they'll just kill anything that has ta do with us Hollows. And this seems ta have that aspect ta it as ya've mentioned."

He continues rubbing the sand into his body and around the areas where he was hit with the Ceros as he speaks, "I doubt Kouhai will have be able ta solve yer issue. I also think it's weak of ya to seek out someone else's help for yer own issues. Ya said ya have trouble controlling it but do ya even deserve ta do that? It's like when a Gillian is formed, which I'm sure yer aware of."

He lowers a finger into the sand and draws a crude picture of the Menos Forest and of his mask. He then draws several more non-descript mask that around his. He draws another image of the mask meshing together and then an image of his own Gillian form and of it eating other Hollows, "I'm sure ya know how Gillians and Adjuchas are formed but I doubt ya knew that for the Hollow that has control of the Gillian, it's the one that has come out on top."

He the draws the Gillian's body with all the masks in it and looking quite angry and upset with his own at the very top pushing back down on the others, "The one with the strongest will. It's the one that wanted to survive the most out all the Hollows that make up the body of the Gillian. However it turns out, as I've come to learn although I can't quite say it's the case for all Gillian and higher, that this control is a constant battle. Ta prove that yer the one who deserves to be in control and ta rule the body and ta grow."

He glances and then points at the bits of the bone fragments that laid in the sand not to far from them, "It seems that the same could be said about the bit of Hollow reiatsu inside ya. Ta me it is in all Hollow nature ta struggle for control and survival. For the strong ta rule and live one while the weak are food for their growth. Even the foolish Arrancar are subject ta this although they allow themselves ta be ruled. Yer Hollow reiatsu does not wish ta be ruled. It wants ta rule."

[Deleted]

"Ya were right not ta trust the Shinigami to solve that issue of yers. If I remember correctly they wanted ta kill ya simply for being spared by the Arrancar and returning from here. As I see it, they'll just kill anything that has ta do with us Hollows. And this seems ta have that aspect ta it as ya've mentioned. I doubt Kouhai will have be able ta solve yer issue. I also think it's weak of ya to seek out someone else's help for yer own issues. Ya said ya have trouble controlling it but do ya even deserve ta do that? It's like when a Gillian is formed, which I'm sure yer aware of." Camila simply nodded. She was certainly aware of the fact that Kouhai might not've been the largest of help with her inner hollow, but she felt it was something she simply had to try. If he knew anything, she'd need to get that information. Even if it meant sticking out her neck for the time being, she needed to see what she could get done in order to get this thing resolved.


"I'm sure ya know how Gillians and Adjuchas are formed but I doubt ya knew that for the Hollow that has control of the Gillian, it's the one that has come out on top.The one with the strongest will. It's the one that wanted to survive the most out all the Hollows that make up the body of the Gillian. However it turns out, as I've come to learn although I can't quite say it's the case for all Gillian and higher, that this control is a constant battle. Ta prove that yer the one who deserves to be in control and ta rule the body and ta grow. It seems that the same could be said about the bit of Hollow reiatsu inside ya. Ta me it is in all Hollow nature ta struggle for control and survival. For the strong ta rule and live one while the weak are food for their growth. Even the foolish Arrancar are subject ta this although they allow themselves ta be ruled. Yer Hollow reiatsu does not wish ta be ruled. It wants ta rule."

Camila simply shivered at the mention of Albin potentially taking over. That wasn't something she could allow. Doing something like that'd... no, she didn't even want to begin to think about it. Just the very thought of it made her head spin once more. Gripping tightly at her forehead, Camila groaned. The world around her quickly began to spin. She knew exactly what was happening, and needed it to stop. Unfortunately for her, though, within a few short moments, her vision went black as she seemed to freeze up in the real world. While that was going on, likely without her moving an inch, Camila opened her eyes to see a familiar area; a rather regal ballroom.

Looking around, she'd been surprised to see that a large majority of the damage done had been cleaned from the last time she was here. Everything seemed to be... fixed. She sighed upon remembering her struggle for her Bankai. She couldn't believe that a year had come and passed since then. Just the thought of it seemed to freak her out. Though, that was neither here nor there. She needed to figure out exactly why she was brought here. Well, she knew why, but she didn't know why Albin had done so. Whether for better or worse, she'd immediately taken notice of him as he seemed to charge her from the seemingly non-existent shadows of the well-lit room.

The moment he was in front of her, and through the use of a simple shoulder check. Camila was immediately thrown to the ground. Albin placed his foot on her chest and pressed heavily, digging the heel of his boot into her ribs. Unfortunately for her, she wasn't in any condition to fight back. She simply winced and stared back up toward Albin, doing what she could to lift him off of her to no avail. He stared down at her with a rather concerning smile on his face. "Did'ja hear 'em, Cami? That hollow you've been talking to seems to have given me a pretty good idea, don't you think~? Instead of trying to help, because we all know how that's been going..." He said, pressing his heel harder into her chest, "I think I'd like to take the wheel. What'cha think about that?"

Doing what she could to push him off, Camila did what she could to speak despite having that much pressure on her lungs. "Don't. You. Dare." In response, Albin lifted his foot, and reapplied the pressure to her neck, throwing her into a state of absolute panic. Her eyes widened as she struggled like she had never struggled before, though with no success to it. "News flash, Cami, you don't fucking scare me. Quit it with the tough girl act; you're not fooling anyone. I know as well as you do that deep down? You're the same scared little girl you've always been. Do you remember how you reacted all those years ago back before you even arrived in Soul Society? Back when I was taking more action? I'm sure you do."

As Albin paused, the lights around the ballroom seemed to dim as her vision began to blur. She was losing oxygen quickly, and couldn't keep herself awake. The only thing that seemed to keep her connected to her inner world was the incredible amount of pain she felt pressing down on her throat. Soon enough, that pain and Albin's voice were the only things she could perceive. "Starting right now, I promise you that I will the one in charge. Where it stands, you're nothing more than a fucking vessel for me. You'd be better off surrendering now; that'll make things much, much easier on the both of us. Save yourself the effort, Camila."

As he finished speaking, her vision returned back to the real world and she let out a horrified shout. She immediately went to feel for her throat and chest, feeling traces of the pain she'd just experienced, but without any actual damage. Her breath was ragged, and she had started perspiring from the stress of what she'd just been through. Looking around, she quickly remembered where she was, who she was with, and what she was doing here. She turned to Alacrán. "Th... That might be the case, but that's not something I can let happen. He can try all he wants, but I'm the one in charge between us. I'm not going to let him rule if I can help it." She threw herself back into the dune, trying to rest her body as best she could after that traumatic experience.

[Alacrán]

Alacrán assumes Camila had gone silent out of choice and was just deep in thought, which wasn't entirely false if you looked at it a certain way. Still he had no clue what was going on with her but he wouldn't complain about a moment of silence as he let's himself sink into the sand, enjoying the feeling of being covered and hidden by it. It was a small bit of momentary bless in the chaotic life of a Hollow. He had closed his own eyes and just focused on the sounds, smells, and feeling around him.

This would not last it seems as Camila shout upon reentering the real world startled him enough that he ended up busting through the sand, causing quite a bit of it to scatter around as he scanned the area for some unseen foe that might have caused Camila to have shouted like that. He finds no such foe however and realizes that just as Camila began speaking again, "Th... That might be the case, but that's not something I can let happen. He can try all he wants, but I'm the one in charge between us. I'm not going to let him rule if I can help it."

He shouts her a rather nasty look and scoffs as he resettles back down into the sand, "It's one thing ta say it, it's another ta actually do it. As much as Hollows like to go on and on with words, action is the primary way we deal and settle things. It'll be no different for him. They say an animal is most dangerous when it's cornered. So...which are ya? The animal or the corner?"

Before Camila can answer him however he begins to get up, dusting off the sand from his cloak and motions in the direction they've been travelling in, "I think we've rested long enough. If we keep heading this direction, they'll surely send more. If ya want to avoid another fight we could angle our path ta curve around ta the other side but it will take another hour or so. It is up ta ya."

[Deleted]

"It's one thing ta say it, it's another ta actually do it. As much as Hollows like to go on and on with words, action is the primary way we deal and settle things. It'll be no different for him. They say an animal is most dangerous when it's cornered. So...which are ya? The animal or the corner?" Camila stared into the sand as she listened to what the hollow had said. That... that wasn't an easy question for her to answer. Hell, she wasn't entirely sure herself. She knew that given everything that's happened, sure she'd be struggling with Albin's advances, but was she really going to be strong enough to fend him off? Did she even have a hope of coming out of that fight alive, let alone on top?

She was quickly pulled out of her thoughts as Alacrán spoke once more. "I think we've rested long enough. If we keep heading this direction, they'll surely send more. If ya want to avoid another fight we could angle our path ta curve around ta the other side but it will take another hour or so. It is up ta ya." With that, she sighed, and forced herself up. "I dunno about you, but I'm not exactly in the best condition to fight. Especially after whatever the hell that was earlier with me. I'll need a bit of time to recuperate, so if you're cool with it I'm all right with the longer route." She gave the hollow a simple smile before doing what she could to stretch.

Truth be told, she'd always lost consciousness after having dealt with a possession, so at the very least she was grateful to not have to deal with any of that. Though, even with that said, she wasn't feeling good at all. She knew for a fact that she'd be less effective in a fight for the time being, and felt pretty bad about that; she didn't want to be dead-weight. Still, though, she wasn't about to stop going. She needed to push herself. Not only for her sake, but for the sake of those that she'd wanted to meet with again; Celes especially. She wasn't going to let Albin win if she could help it. "I'd like to say, though," she said, turning to the Gillian beside her, "I do very much appreciate the effort you've put in thus far for my sake. Even if it wasn't directly because of me, I still appreciate it."

((OOC: So! Because of how takeovers work, but due to the fact that this is a JT, I'm going to halve Camila's stats for the time being, to simulate the strain on her body, and restore 5% every post! Figured it still stays in the spirit of the takeover, alongside gives them a bit of a challenge with the incoming fights ))

SPOILER: Click to show

{Updated Stats}
Strength: 50 [25]
Speed: 400 [200]
Spiritual Pressure: 400 [800] [400]
Reiatsu Strength: 50 [100] [50]
Instinct: 200 [100] [50]
Senses: 100 [50] [25]
Energy Sensory: 0
Healing Expertise: 0

Light Aura: 0
Dark Aura: 100

[Alacrán]

"I dunno about you, but I'm not exactly in the best condition to fight. Especially after whatever the hell that was earlier with me. I'll need a bit of time to recuperate, so if you're cool with it I'm all right with the longer route." He stares off in the direction of where they had been heading with a bit of a squint and nods, "Yeah, I ain't too well off myself. My nerves are on fire but they'll heal. Just need some time for that however. We'll start heading off that way and then start curving back ta head towards Las Noches."

He starts heading off in the new direction they'll be heading, not waiting to see if she follows. He still seems to be keeping an eye on where the previous Arrancar had come from. They hadn't been much different than the Arrancar he'd faced when Camila found him appearance wise yet they did seem to be somewhat stronger. He wondered how much stronger they'd be when they got closer to Las Noches proper. No doubt they'd send more to investigate them and their missing subordinates.

This leads him to become curious about Camila's mysterious merciful Arrancar. That is until his train of thought is interrupted by Camila, "I'd like to say, though, I do very much appreciate the effort you've put in thus far for my sake. Even if it wasn't directly because of me, I still appreciate it." He let's out a heavy, creaking sigh, as he continues moving and waves aside a hand, "Ya understand that I'm not doing this for ya yet ya still insist on thanking me? Well I don't really care for it. I'm also doing this beyond using ya as bait. I've become curious about the Espada that helped ya."

He fixes his attention on her, a curious and questioning look in his eyes as he tries to gauge her reaction to his next question, "Before we were so rudely interrupted by those Arrancar ya had mention that ya planned on repaying her and how she saved ya life and all that. I'm curious as ta what she's like? I plan on meeting her when we get there but I want ta know from ya what she's like. What yer perspective on her is."

[Deleted]

"Yeah, I ain't too well off myself. My nerves are on fire but they'll heal. Just need some time for that however. We'll start heading off that way and then start curving back ta head towards Las Noches." Camila simply nodded. Truth be told, that was the best thing that either of them could really do for the time. Playing it safe was easily their best bet at the current moment, whether or not either of them really wanted to acknowledge that fact. She simply sighed at the thought, doing what she could to rest for the time being.

As the Gillian began to make his way toward Las Noches, Camila quickly followed in tow. Or, at the very least, did what she could to make sure she was keeping up with him. She wasn't going to lose pace with him if she could help it, that much was for sure. Sure, she wasn't in the best state physically at the moment, but that didn't mean she was going to allow herself to slack because of it. She'd stay strong; she had to while in Hueco Mundo, lest she wanted to end up on the receiving end of some other hollow that decided for the time that it would be a good idea to pick her off. She simply shivered at the thought, not wanting to end up as hollow food.

"Ya understand that I'm not doing this for ya yet ya still insist on thanking me? Well I don't really care for it. I'm also doing this beyond using ya as bait. I've become curious about the Espada that helped ya." Camila nodded. "Well yeah," she chuckled, "I fully understand that. I wanna thank you, though, because you're still providing a tremendous amount of assistance to me whether or not you wanna acknowledge that, y'know? Any help that I can get to Las Noches, especially right now, considering that fight was a little on the tiring side, is help that I'll absolutely take; no hesitation. Even if you were looking to use me as bait, I wouldn't really care."

"Before we were so rudely interrupted by those Arrancar ya had mention that ya planned on repaying her and how she saved ya life and all that. I'm curious as ta what she's like? I plan on meeting her when we get there but I want ta know from ya what she's like. What yer perspective on her is." The girl simply smiled, and thought back to her numerous interactions with the girl. "She's awesome. Like, genuinely. One of the nicest people I've ever met on the outside, but harbors something... horrific, on the inside. Getting her upset is practically a death sentence; don't let her soft attitude fool you there. She's a force to be reckoned with, but one that pays off to stay on the good side of."

[Alacrán]

"Well yeah, I fully understand that. I wanna thank you, though, because you're still providing a tremendous amount of assistance to me whether or not you wanna acknowledge that, y'know? Any help that I can get to Las Noches, especially right now, considering that fight was a little on the tiring side, is help that I'll absolutely take; no hesitation. Even if you were looking to use me as bait, I wouldn't really care." He gives her a rather confused look as he tries to decipher what this girl's deal was. No sane person would be okay with being used as bait like this, even if they were strong or confident in their abilities. Right?

Then again, he recalls what she's probably gone through so far in her time with the Shinigami and the friends she's probably left behind. She probably finds his brutal honesty a refreshing change of pace although he still finds it irritating, "Right well don't go thinking this will always happen. After we get there, the next time we meet, I might be strong enough ta eat ya. Or ya'll be dead. Who knows."

He goes on to ask his next question without waiting for her response but what she says he finds to be quite intriguing for sure, "She's awesome. Like, genuinely. One of the nicest people I've ever met on the outside, but harbors something... horrific, on the inside. Getting her upset is practically a death sentence; don't let her soft attitude fool you there. She's a force to be reckoned with, but one that pays off to stay on the good side of." 

As she finishes, he thinks on this as to what this Arrancar's goal had truly been. Perhaps she tries to hide from her origins and rising as a Hollow by playing nice. The idea seems funny to him as he knows you can't truly hide from yourself. It's as Camila put it, they all harbor something horrific in them and for Arrancar that is their true nature.

He grins as he continues walking, not at Camila but at the path ahead of him, "So she's still wearing a mask then ey? Sounds interesting. I wonder what she was like back as a Hollow. She must have been truly terrifying if ya seem ta hold her in high regards as an Arrancar. I honestly can't wait to meet her. Should make for a fun chat." A fun chat he plans to have indeed.

[Deleted]

"Right well don't go thinking this will always happen. After we get there, the next time we meet, I might be strong enough ta eat ya. Or ya'll be dead. Who knows." The Shinigami chuckled. "Believe me, I've got a little too much fight in me to end up dead, that much is certain. Though, you've certainly gotten me interested in a fight. I'll tell you what; down the line, you've got yourself a fight, if you're interested. I'll be sure to stay alive long enough to make that happen, so long as you're willing to do the same, you hear? I'm definitely looking forward to it. I'm genuinely excited to see what you're going to become, Alacrán!" She gave him a sly smirk as they continued their conversation.

"So she's still wearing a mask then ey? Sounds interesting. I wonder what she was like back as a Hollow. She must have been truly terrifying if ya seem ta hold her in high regards as an Arrancar. I honestly can't wait to meet her. Should make for a fun chat." Camila nodded. "She's an exceptionally terrifying person even now. She's not someone I'd just mess with because 'why not', y'know? If you're looking to fight her, make sure you go into that prepared. Her being an Espada should be an exploitable weakness; you know more about her than she knows about you. If you do a little bit of research and ask around, you could potentially get something over her if that's what you're looking to do."

Camila let out a deep sigh as she continued to force herself to walk forward. The sands definitely helped her with walking when she was struggling to move, but all-in-all it still wasn't exactly the easiest thing for her to be doing at the moment. She wanted to keep herself focused on something else for the time being during the walk, as to make sure she wasn't honing in on just how much her body seemed to ache. As such, she continued to do what she could in order to make conversation with the hollow. "You've gotta be pushing for some sort of goal, yeah? Are you looking to end up in the Espada with the best of the best? Surely you've got your own plans, yeah? I won't pry on 'em, but I'm certainly curious."

[Alacrán]

Alacrán grins at the promise she was offering him. A guaranteed fight with this girl was something he would definitely agree to. She was bound to get stronger if she survived and with the Hollow reiatsu in her, she was also certain to be more than enough of a challenge. He was aware that by that time she'd most likely be absurdly stronger than him. She was surely stronger than him now so it would only stand to reason that she'd remain that way even as he grew and evolved.

Still the idea and proposition was too good of one to pass up. So he simply grunts and nods in agreement as they continue travelling. He found it odd that she took interest in his growth and didn't quite understand what the fascination was for or about but as long as she wasn't interfering with it he wouldn't care for now.

Her second bit of a speel however causes him to give her a rather held back look. For one he's not the manipulative type so her idea isn't something he'd even go through with let alone think of attempting. It was a very cowardly way of doing things in his mind and if he actually intended to fight her then he would just approach her and ask for a match.

However he doesn't intend to fight her at all but just wishes to know what her mindset was and where exactly her loyalties and goals lie. While he himself may also be helping out Camila, he was doing it with his own betterment in mind. For Ailene however, it didn't make sense. He wanted to know what she had planned for the former Shinigami.

He loses his train of thought as Camila asks him her second question, poking into the Gillian's goals and aspirations. He didn't speak for a good while as they continued moving, the walls of Las Noches starting to look closer to them. He'd had them cut across and start moving at the angled path towards it a while ago if Camila had been paying attention. It looks at most another hour or so away from here.

His face becomes expressionless as he thinks on it and then shakes his head as he begins to speak, "I just want to get as strong as I can for now. Reach the greatest heights a Hollow can on their own strengths. The Espada are strong, yes but they are controlled. I do not wish to be controlled. Still it'd be nice to have a normal human form again but if that means serving under someone, even if they were stronger than me...if they're-"

He cuts himself off as stops and stares off into the distance. Standing on a nearby hill is a small troop of Arrancar watching the two of them approach. At least four can be seen standing there, all roughly humanoid in appearance with some oddity in their look and body that makes it distinguishable that they were not of the stronger types of Arrancar. However, a fifth one emerges from over the hill that looks to be much more human in appearance than the rest.

She appears to say something to the other four that can't quite be heard from where they're standing. As soon as it appears that she's done speaking with them, they leap off the hill and come rushing towards the two of them. They land in the sand just a few meters in front of them and stare at them with no words

Finally one of them speaks up, with a rather large and physically imposing feminine appearance, "We assume you two are responsible for dispatching of the squad that was sent to investigate the large amount of spiritual pressure earlier. If you turn around now and leave, then we will let you be. Continue further and we shall be forced to take action." Alacrán sighs as he looks at Camila to see how she'd respond to this situation instead of taking control of it like before.

[Deleted]

"I just want to get as strong as I can for now. Reach the greatest heights a Hollow can on their own strengths. The Espada are strong, yes but they are controlled. I do not wish to be controlled. Still it'd be nice to have a normal human form again but if that means serving under someone, even if they were stronger than me...if they're-" As the hollow cut himself off, Camila couldn't help but start to ponder on the fact. He was absolutely right; the Espada were, effectively, controlled by Sonken Kouhai. That much was fairly well-known. To want to live freely, away from those chains was certainly admirable. Though, was doing so truly worth the amount of effort that he'd have to put in to stay unaffiliated with the Espada and Las Noches as a whole? Only time would really tell, and that wasn't a question she had the option to answer.

"Quite the interesting take," Camila started, "I'll be the first to admit that you're far from wrong on the matter. To go as far as to say the Espada are 'controlled', though, I can definitely see where you're coming from, even if I don't explicitly agree with it. I highly doubt you're the only person to think something like that, though; you could probably garner quite an amount of support because of that, too. I'm sure there's plenty of likeminded folks out there that'd-" Similarly to the hollow beside her, Camila cut herself off to observe as a rather tightly-knit group of Arrancar seemed to make themselves apparent in front of the two of them.

After a silence that seemingly lasted forever, one of the Arrancar - a rather attractive woman - decided to speak up. "We assume you two are responsible for dispatching of the squad that was sent to investigate the large amount of spiritual pressure earlier. If you turn around now and leave, then we will let you be. Continue further and we shall be forced to take action." Letting out a soft sigh, Camila stretched out her shoulder and turned her eyes toward the Gillian towering over the lot of them. "Tch," she scoffed, "seems like we've got a few that are looking for another quick fight. What say we take care of 'em like we did the last ones?"

[Alacrán]

Alacrán hadn't been paying attention to what Camila had been saying to him as he had focused so much on the approaching Arrancars and the four that had come closer to them. Then he returns his attention to her as she gives him her input, "Tch, seems like we've got a few that are looking for another quick fight. What say we take care of 'em like we did the last ones?" He grins as she gives him this proposition but his attention returns to the group and the Arrancar that stands on the hill. That leader is making him feel a little unsettled.

However he nods in response to Camila's question and before anything else can be said he disappears from her side as he jumps towards the two Arrancar in the back and kicks at one and sends a Bala towards the other. The first one gets sent flying some couple feet away, coughing and reeling back from the kick. The sand around the one hit by the Bala settles, revealing a shield that looks pretty unscathed. Alacrán growls as he sees the shield and raises his hand, as if preparing to send another Bala at them but then just brings his fist down on the shield, causing cracks to begin to splinter and spider on its surface.

He's about to raise his fist up to strike again when a Cero collides with his face and explodes, leaving a burnt mark behind as the only visible bit of damage. Alacrán roars as he turns on the Arrancar he'd sent flying, who is preparing to launch a second Cero at him. He grins however as an idea forms in his head and he turns his attention back to the one with the shield who still has it raised and is seemingly trying to gather some energy for a Cero of their own but is having difficulty doing that with the shield up. He quickly scoops them up, shield still intact and holds them in front of him just as the second Cero is launched at him and barrels straight for him. He barely raises the shielded Arrancar up in time to block the Cero with it but his plans seemed to be working as he watches the Cero begin to crack and shatter the shield, causing the Arrancar inside to panic before their skin is charred from the Cero and then they collapse in his hand, lifeless and burnt.

Alacrán grins at the shocked expression on the other Arrancar's face as they stare at the destruction their Cero caused. They then grit their teeth and cause the sand underneath them to explode as they fly towards Alacrán with a wild and primal scream. Alacrán causes an even larger eruption of sand to kick up around him as he takes off to intercept them and meet them in kind. However before they even get close enough to collide, Alacrán disappears and then reappears in the air above them, rocketing pretty quickly before he angles himself pointed down at them and begins charging up a Cero Morder between his mandibles as he falls towards them. They begin charging up their own Cero as well, then quickly launch it off at him. They don't even wait to see if it connects before they take off into the air after him, trying not to let him recover from the explosion.

However they only end up helping Alacrán as he emerges from the smoke of the explosion with a few burn marks on his mask and cloak. He ends up catching the Arrancar in his mouth and as he does, he causes the diminutive Cero to explode at the contact, leaving the Arrancar's entire body covered in burn marks as he keeps hold of them while they still fall and rocket towards the ground until they eventually crash. As the sand erupts around them, Alacrán reels his head back with the Arrancar still in it and thrashes them around for a moment as they beat down on his mandibles. He grabs at their torso however and grins as he grips tightly but is surprised to find them resisting quite well. He keeps applying pressure with his fist and mandibles until eventually he roars and yanks down with his head and up with his fist, ripping the Arrancar in half and dropping them with a vicious grin. These fights were turning out to be more fun than he was anticipating.

He turns his attention to see how his travel companion was fairing at least for a moment however until he feels a large bit of energy directed at him and with every bit of malice filled in it. Before he could even react he was hit with one of the strongest Cero blasts he's ever experienced, burning away bit of his armored skin and causing him to be flung back several hundred feet. He growls in pain and anger as he recovers, looking up to find that the humanoid looking Arrancar was lowering their hand and was looking at him and Camilla with a deadly and rage filled stare. He was right to have been cautious of this one but he was about to find out just how right he really was.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Consumed}x2 Class 6 Arrancar

[Kitai Yoru]

184 paragraphs, 920 Tp awarded, halved for Alacrán.

1 Class 8 Arrancar
2 Class 8 Arrancars
1 Class 7 Arrancar
3 Class 8 Arrancar
2 Class 8 Arrancar
2 Class 6 Arrancar

Plus 1,650 TP for Alacrán.