Setting the Sea on Fire (Tier/Ignacio)

Solitude was all he had known for so long in his time on Hueco Mundo, living a strained existence amongst the other Flaming Rings. They had some semblance of consciousness, but ultimately they had never been companions only underlings.

"Our kind are not often known to be reasonable. Violence and cannibalism do not endear one to camaraderie."

At the mention of his experience with water, though, there was the first crack in his stoic visage as Ignacio actually flinched away in response. He understood the concept, certainly, but the thought of submerging himself in the ocean was so offputting and unwelcoming. He was not familiar with the liquid in the slightest, it felt dangerous in a manner that he could not quite place.

"I cannot say I have ever had the urge to experience such a thing. The endless desert is my home, this aquatic paradise may well be pleasant upon the eyes but I am content here upon the shore."

"You have loftier goals than I imagined, Tier Harribel. A functioning society in Hueco Mundo is not something that will come to pass overnight, such is the scale of systematic change required. But I would welcome such, at least. So perhaps you have one supporter."

Looking towards the ocean again, his gaze hardened with resolve. He wanted to trust her words, he wanted to believe that change was good, but even still he was not completely sold on the one matter before them. Gingerly, one foot moved forwards. Edging closer to the tide little by little.

"You intend to guide them on this path? Our brethren? Then guide me now. I am satisfied with my ignorance, so show me why I should want to do this. Why I should change my ways, and how."

A hand raised to loosen the fastening of his swordbelt, if anything else that was definitely going to get in the way should he be directed into the waters. It was all a metaphor, and yet he was deathly serious. Her enjoyment of the water was so alien to him, but there was no denying that a part of him did want to understand. To venture into parts unknown for curiosity's sake.

It was simple enough to leave his sword behind when it really shouldn't have been. He was defenceless now, unarmed even, and forcing himself into a situation that put himself at a severe disadvantage. But Ignacio was not above going out on a limb for a cause that he believed in, that was why he was here in the first place after all. So, he advanced whilst Tier moved behind him and then continued to do so until near half of him was lost to the depths.

"It sounds ever so straightforward when you say it. Very well."

Falling backwards into her arms, it would be hard to call the movement graceful as an icy embrace wrapped around all of his body. Spreading up from his already submerged legs, his body grew tighter and tighter as she ordered him to relax. It felt so utterly unnatural, as his arms splayed out on both sides and struggled against the force that was dragging them deeper still. His legs, which had once supported him but had been replaced by Tier's grip, soon followed suit and flailed against gravity in some feeble bid to tread on water.

The water was only a few feet deep and yet, was it not for her, he would have plunged into the depths. Admittedly, he could have forced himself back to his feet but that sensation of placing his life in the hands of another was not lost on him. Slowly, bitterly, as if it went against every core function, Ignacio began to loosen up. The flailing slowed until it was just a gentle paddle, he was no longer twisting awkwardly. He was still. And so his lips curled into a smile as he found himself gazing upwards at the sky above.

"I still think I will sink if you move. But I can feel the water trying to lift me too."

"So I should not think about it, or should I think solely about it? Those are two rather different paths."

It surprised Ignacio that he was being even this talkative, and yet perhaps it was the connection of two spirits that had swum in the same ocean for so long and never before crossed paths. How few of their kind there were that could actually hold such a conversation. The memories clawed at the back of his mind, those beasts that had fallen upon him without reason or logic. That was why he had hidden away in the furthest reaches, to try to ensure that those who sought him out had a reason to do so.

At the mention of her continued support, he could not help but feel guilty. Her selflessness was admirable, but was he preventing her from enjoying the waters as she had previously expressed? Equipped with her guidance, he set about losing himself further. Stripping away the thoughts of resistance one-by-one until his head was as empty as could possibly be managed. If his sin was to burn so strongly, then how antithetical was it to submerge himself in blissful ignorance?

The evening sun was setting beyond the horizon, the night sky coming alive with lights the like of which Ignacio had never really seen before. He had passed through the Earth realm so rarely that its beauty was easily overlooked, but there was nothing else in his head to occupy his mind and so he latched upon it. Golden eyes darted from star to star with a genuine sense of awe before they rolled further upwards to look at Tier as she posed him a question. It was still almost impossible for him to tell, but he wanted to believe that she was smiling as he was.

"They make a mockery of the sky of our homeland, do they not? Illuminating even the depths of the night with their celestial lights. Ever bright but ever distant. Is that what you see too, Tier, or do they paint a different picture?"

Her view on the stars was much more contrasting than he had assumed when she had called it into question, but there was still wisdom to her words that he could respect. The sky of their home was a great constant, unchanging and oppressive, but perhaps there was a comfort to be gained in that perpetual state. He was not a man who enjoyed standing still, even when circumstance called upon him to do so. That was why he was at his best when moving forwards, that constant drive to seek out and find an answer to his problems. Their eyes met as she looked down at him, taking note of something that he certainly had not.

"There is more to a fire than just how hot it burns."

And for a single serene moment, Ignacio pondered on exactly what she had meant by that last comment - preceded as it was by a muffled laugh. Then he took note of the feeling of his body in the water, which was slowly creeping higher up his chest as he slowly began to sink, and realised that Tier's hands were no longer at his back. His body grew stiff as he tried to keep balance in a similar manner by remaining deathly still, but he could feel the tide slowly dragging him under. Instinct took over again, despite her prior advice, and he tried to correct himself.

After that, everything was rapidly lost as he descended into a flailing mess before finally finding his feet on the seabed and pushing himself to his feet. Sweeping the wet clumps of hair off his face, he turned to face Tier once more and took note of her amusement at his expense. For a second it seemed Ignacio might have pouted and then a bemused smile spread across his lips.

"How long was I managing on my own? I really had it for a bit there, before I lost it."