The Lonliest Number (Tier, Santa)

How long had it been since Santa had been among these sands?
Stepping out into the sand, she couldn't help but feel a slow, sweeping melancholy fall over her shoulders. She'd spent so much time in the word of the living. In the Valley of Screams. That the plain blaring sands seemed so very alien. And yet still so familiar.

Those eternal, unfeeling sands, and that apathetic moon. They were exactly as she remembered them.
Even having lost all the people she'd lost.
Having suffered as much as she had.
Hueco Mundo was still just the same.
It was the same feeling that the rest of the world seemed to have. But somehow, this was a kinder landscape. The sands didn't remember anything, and so the man who had sacrificed himself did not feel so out of place in her mind here. Here, she could clear her mind.

Here she could figure out.
Just what was she supposed to do from here?

She wasn't sure.
So for now, she simply began to walk.
And Think.

That familiar voice. A voice that had, at one point, inspired .... a good many things in her. Affection. Fear. Admiration .But now, Santa just gave a tired glance in the shark's direction as they spoke out to her. And for a moment, she was confused as to what she meant about how she looked, before she realized how ..... zoned out she probably seemed. She felt worse than she probably looked. And Santa stared off into space as the thought crossed her mind.

And she felt guilty. After all of that bravado. How ashamed Mazda would be if he could see her now. She took a slow breath and straightened herself a little. But she didn't try to fake a smile.
"I'm not lost. I'm just walking." She responded softly. Closing her eyes for a moment before looking back to Tier. "I don't want to cause any trouble."

Santa smiled tiredly as she glanced at Tier up and down. "I guess. But you seem to be a little different too. And not just your outfit.I like it. Even if it does hide your mask." She smiled, a shadow of the warmth it used to hold, but still, it wasn't as cold as someone else. Even as she was, Santa would never be without that glimmer of warmth to her. She looked around and chuckled softly. The idea of being in danger in Hueco Mundo still was a little funny to her. But she understood that Tier was being nice. And so she nodded and moved closer, so that they could walk together.

"Sounds like a good idea to me." She noted softly. Frankly , Tier was probably the greatest danger to her well being. But ...she was just too tired to care about that. She'd sent Ajora away. Verdada had chosen her own path. And ....well. She didn't quite feel like she belonged with the Vandenreich. As much..... as that would have been a continuation of Mazda's wishes. She just didn't have it in her. So, Tier making her offer, she simply accepted it without question. Though, as they started to walk, she couldn't help but giggle a little to herself.

"So, why the change in outfit?"

Santa nodded lightly and giggled once again as Tier gave her explanation of why the white stayed. But she was ....happy. Sortof.... She WAS happy for Tier for moving forward. even if she felt as if she herself were stuck. If nothing else, she was happy for the woman. "the white does look good on you." she affirmed. And almost stopped in her tracks as Tier mentioned the Quincy.

And ....

What was there to say?
Her involvement with the quincy had revolved around a man whom no longer existed. And Likely, tier would not even recognize if she were to explain it. There was.... really nothing she could say about the man she'd fallen for and lost. She would sound crazy to say the least. And so she ...hesitated. "I .... learned a lot. It wasn't what I expected. But .....I didn't belong there. I thought about joining them. But .... it didn't work out. They want the same thing I do. Even if it's not for the same reasons. ..." She stared off into the distance. "For all the talk I had. I've wound up with nothing to show for it." She noted softly, a small rueful smile on her face as she looked to Tier.

"I didn't get stronger. I didn't get closer to any of my goals. I didn't ....accomplish much of anything."

Santa couldn't help but smile fondly at that. She looked down at Tier and couldn't help but be a bit enamored. For all of the ....strangeness about the woman. Santa had always felt that tier was trying to help. Even when it had come down to threats.... she had still understood that in some way, Tier was trying to look out for her. That, frankly..had been what had hurt the most. But well...now everything hurt. So it was easier to look back on. As the two of them came to a stop, Santa .....stared at Tier for a moment. As if truly looking at her.

"You mean that...." She murmured softly. As if only just now realizing it. She wasn't sure how to feel about it. But ......well. What did she have to lose in trusting Tier now? A faint smile crossed her lips and Santa sighed, taking a few steps toward the other woman, and if allowed, gently wrapping her arms around the other woman. Her eyes closing as she, for just a moment, tried to just....forget. As if this woman could be some shelter in the storm of her life. However small. However brief.

At least.... it was something.

"Thank you, Tier." She murmured softly, doing her best not to smother the smaller woman with her chest by accident as she took a moment of comfort.