Talk To Me Bud [Liltotto, Solomon]

Smushing up one of the gooey pieces of dough between her fingers, her thoughts were broken away from by Solomon's attempt at humor. While it didn't do much reassuring and more displaying of naivete to her, she wasn't going to get snappish or chiding with him over a what if, even if she felt like such a thing was entirely plausible to come true. Plenty would think a small, innocent action wouldn't lead to anything, but ultimately led to them dying in a ditch and left to rot, forgotten beyond a statistic.

"Short answer is yes, I still think of them as a threat in a way. Long answer is... Complicated," A slow exhale left her nostrils as she'd be forced to reflect on that whole host of issues. Considering how to put this as any way aside from 'my ugly, rotting, grime-coated ball of war trauma with a great many feelings that I dunno what to do with', she'd put the mashed glob of sweet dough in her mouth, "..I just think this formality of 'bonding' is useless in the long term. The Gotei aren't our buddies, and you need to keep that in mind. If they, at all, determine we're a problem to have around, we're gone. That could change at any time, that could change at any moment, there's no telling what breaks the camel's back. They're sitting on high off in Soul Society, away from the troubles down here, doing whatever dumb shit they do while we gotta deal with whatever they aren't willing to, which is a lot. They can't... Fully relate to us and our struggles. I doubt most of them have lived a 'human' lifestyle."

Fingers fidgeting with a utensil on the table, her eyes were off Solomon, as if she wasn't entirely sure- no, wasn't entirely in belief of what she was talking about. There was a level of uncertainty towards her own feelings as she spoke, emotions she couldn't prescribe a word to,

"..They're just a bunch of gods playing kickball while we're ants on the turf, I guess."

Sipping away at the second cup of coffee, Solomon quietly nodded as he listened to the woman with silent focus. As brutal as her answer ultimately was, she was undoubtedly correct. In truth, he could not find any fault with her declaration. The stubborn aspect of his soul desperately wanted to find something, of course, considering the joy he felt in his battle against Mizu Morikawa - yet the realist reminded him that there certainly wasn't anything to keep the Gotei from marching in and striking them down as they did in the past.

He wondered, then, what was the point behind strengthening bonds if they held no meaning in the grand scheme? Solomon remained silent for a moment, contemplating his next words with a quiet sip. She had certainly experienced far more than she did, but perhaps that way of thinking was outdated. Or, perhaps the proclaim was unfailingly true and he simply wanted to deny it out of brash stubbornness. What a conundrum. In wishing for a beneficial outcome, he found himself conflicted by her words. Of course, he was his own man, and so it stood to reason that he ought to follow his own point of view overall. Her advice certainly didn't fall on deaf ears, however. He was just decidedly neutral toward them. Nothing more, nothing less. The City Of Lights and the Vandenreich remained as his utmost priorities. If the Gotei stood in the way of that? Well...

"I will keep that in mind. As much as I hate to admit it, you aren't wrong. Since you've lived well before my time, I can't find a single fault in your words. Still.. I don't recall the Gotei being nearly as heartless as they were in a past. To that end, I feel our Grandmaster has employed every method at his disposal to avoid earning their ire. On the other hand, I hate that it feels like we are walking a tightrope in a sense. From a veteran to a rookie, do you think it's wrong to think we can't change history for the better? Learn from the past, and finally work together for the better? Try as I might, I always end up feeling neutral about the subject. My battle with my opponent doesn't make things any easier..."

Eyes studied and gauged the young man's reactions to her words, even she wasn't blind to her own biases, but bringing it up to another and seeing how they received it was an entirely different beast than her personal determinations of her perception and opinions. She had a great many decades of thinking to herself after her devastating experiences, her mind was made up but she wanted others to come to their own conclusion, hence her gently gesturing with her hand in a 'hold on'-like motion.

"Don't let this stubborn old relic warp your perceptions. Your experiences aren't mine, Solomon, and vice versa. My defining interactions with the Shinigami were me, from about your age onward, on the war path as they killed everybody I knew. As far as i'm gathering, you've only ever had friendly meetups or matches. I'm... Don't let me poison your worldview. I'm just saying, careful; I don't want you or anybody else getting hurt, is all. Maybe you'll never see a conflict with them. Maybe they'll decide to wipe us out five years from now. I don't know, and neither do you, so if it's working out so far just try your best to keep the peace."

Eating the torn remains of a cinnamon roll, she'd sigh, "You guys got it real good right now, but if push comes to shove, don't blindly play follow the leader if something doesn't feel right. You'll end the way a lot of older Quincy did - fallen off a cliff right into jagged rocks while the jackass watches the carnage, acting as if he was the first to go down. Question and think about everything, any less might get you killed one day."

Solomon wished to assure Liltotto that she was, by no means, poisoning his worldview so far. If anything, her harsh sense of realism painted everything in a greater degree of clarity than the tales he'd been told of his family's glory and the time they spent serving under the rule of the leaders prior, overly ambitious men who lead the lot of them to their untimely deaths.

Even if she considered herself, in her own words, an old relic - she bridged a gap between the past and the present. A singular reminder of their history. To a young man, who had only experienced stories of the past, her specific point of view was integral to understanding where he stood in the Vandenreich. She spoke from a place of care, and there was nothing wrong with that.

As it stood, if the Gotei displayed anything he found disagreeable to his own sensibility, regardless of the bonds fostered, he would undeniably stand with the Vandenreich. The City of Lights meant more to him than anyone could imagine. The civilians, his peers, his superiors... they were certainly men and women he would fight beside thousands of times over. Liltotto was of no exception.

"I understand. I'd be a fool to ignore the past, but I'll do my best to maintain awareness in the present. It's all so difficult, you know? I was raised to steer clear of soul reapers, to despise them for what they did to our kind, but.. I've only ever met good-spirited individuals."

He would tap his fingers against the table, setting his empty mug down as he stroked his chin.

"Speaking of leaders, there is one more thing I must know. I wished to know some insight into the past. You talk about not blindly following the leader, and I know that must stem from the past, correct? What type of man... was he? Yhwach, that is. I've only ever heard his name in passing amongst the elder members of my family, stories of the far distant past... but I'd like to have a firsthand account, if you are willing to talk about it, of course. If not, I only have one more question..."

Rigidity came across her body with Solomon's question about that guy, that man who had led everything she had known off a cliff into the jaws of death for his own ideals. Even so much as remembering him made her feel as if she was breathing life back into his wretched corpse, and every time that name crossed her ears she swore he'd appear once more, as if he were a vengeful phantom that refused to vanish. Silence fell upon her for a few moments as she tried to figure the best and most concise, objective way she could even describe someone like that.

"I've had scarce few interactions with him in my life," Her words began, her gaze firmly fixed to her plate as her tone became much softer, as if to not wake a presumed dead beast from it's eternal slumber, "..But there is one I probably will never forget. I couldn't have been any older than twelve, I was getting sick of being mistreated by the other kids and adults, so I got mad and ran away in the middle of the night,"

Her hands were folded together tightly as she continued, "Spent a few days in the woods avoiding anybody calling for me, til I was caught by the stream by none other than him, was like he pulled up from Hell like the devil he is. I was kinda freaked out, thinking why he would go outta his way to look for a dumb, mute, accursed fae-child? Til he told me, without so much as a greeting, that if I truly wished to be alone, he could just take away my mother, my instructors, and anyone who could have conceivably grown fond of me, just like that. That the Vandenreich was the only place something like me could belong. Can't remember the word-for-word, but that scared me straight into coming back home on my own. Had a terrible time sleeping for a week, thinking he'd come from the shadows and kill my mom as a punishment or something."

A slow exhale left her, as she'd shake her head, "That's what I mean. Shit I grew up in was practically a death cult. Guy led with nothing but power and fear. Don't let somebody leading you treat you like a dog they can control and command about."

As Solomon listened to Liltotto recount that terrifying memory, an expression of disbelief had set in across her features. He had heard stories, to be certain, but not one of them quite painted the man in a terrifying light than hers. To threaten a mere child with removing what they cared for... he must have been a truly detestable man, something borne only from the deepest pit of hell. Though it was unnerving to know a man like that lead the Vandenreich, Solomon was relieved none of his peers or superiors ever had to experience that with the Grandmaster.

From the few times they had crossed paths, Cyrus only ever was a personable and agreeable spirit. He knew little of his ability, but his charisma as a leader was second to none. Even so, not knowing him personally, he wondered what type of man lied beyond that inspiring exterior. He had never displayed an iota of anything close to what Liltotto described in Yhwach, but Solomon would remain diligent as she instructed. He possessed the free will to make his own decision, and so far... he chose to place his faith in the Grandmaster.


"I can only imagine how terrifying that must have been. To know your every move, your every action, was controlled by a man who aimed not to lead with charisma and encouragement, but power and fear. I'm glad you survived that ordeal, Liltotto. I truly mean that. I haven't had to deal with being bossed around or controlled like a dog. All my superiors have been quite personable. My peers---equally so. Our current leader has never displayed anything that would lead me to doubt him, but that leads me to my last question..."

Solomon leaned forward, propping his chin up with his hands as he gazed at Liltotto, azure eyes noting her reaction, seeking one more answer.

"Compared to that, how do you feel about Cyrus as our leader? I've rarely shared his company, but I commend him for what he has accomplished so far.

She almost laughed with Solomon's assessment of the former emperor, but stifled that spell of dry sarcasm with intent to be more educational than mocking, "Neh, nobody lasts long on fear and control alone. That's the scary thing about groups like that; they lift you up, they tell you you're a part of the greatest thing imaginable, that you're contributing to this wondrous, ultimate goal that can only be achieved by the mighty... But if you step even slightly outta line you're dogshit. You're one of the 'other', the lesser, you have to prove yourself worthy. It's a seesaw of bullshit that keeps people grasping hungrily for more. I've seen people maim and kill themselves trying to earn favor back. It isn't pretty."

Those memories left nothing but a bad taste in her mouth, but it was best to give it as a cautionary tale to the younger members - in hopes it never happens again. She was somewhat glad that old Vandenreich fell, but thoroughly disgusted that it took so many undeserving lives down with it. At the very least she was happy to hear that Solomon and other members were largely having a normal, unharmful experience as a part of the organization.

"Cyrus huh?" She'd murmur, softly shrugging her shoulders, "Well, guy's not perfect, but I can tell he's trying his best to do well by us. Honestly, it'd be pretty hard for anyone to fuck up as hard as being so much of a colossal nuisance to existence that it's decided your people are better off not existing. We might be weak and have taken hits, but.. I'm sure we'll be okay. I've quite literally seen the absolute worst case scenario with my own eyes."

Solomon chuckled at her genuine response. She was telling the truth in one sense. How could you do any worse than a collection of men who singlehandedly led them to their demise? Even so, Cyrus had proved to be a man, from his perspective, who carried out his actions with the best interests of those who served him in mind. He approached everything with a reasonable mind. From his observation, Solomon viewed him as a leader worthy of his respect. Liltotto's words only assured him of that, though her advice about avoiding blindly following his leaders reminded him he ought to keep his eyes peeled.

He was always the type of person to questions things simply on account of his stubborn disposition, but advice from those more experienced was undeniably sacred, something he rarely took lightly. With his second cup of coffee finished, he gazed toward the window and sighed in contentment. All things considered, this had been a significantly fruitful conversation. He had received advice on all fronts. Improvement in battle, improvement in mind, and lastly - learning to approach things with a discerning eye, to recognize when something might be amiss.

These words would remain with him for some time. Part of him wondered if she might be free to spar one day, that he might be able to test what would practice here against her. Worth the indulgence, he supposed, no? As a gift, Solomon had placed in an order for an assortment of sweet treats for Liltotto, noting her boundless appetite from the past. He'd brought another cup of coffee on the go, running a hand through his hair as he smiled.

"This conversation has been quite insightful. I'm glad we were able to meet like this, Liltotto. If it isn't too much to ask, would you be against the idea of sparring together one day? Consider it a way of me displaying what I've improved on after adapting your advice."

Solomon seemed content with what he heard - something she herself was thankful for. Occasionally she wondered if anything she had to offer would stick with anybody, but time and time again she was reminded of her place, and a degree of her importance to this newer generation. She really was one of a few who could tell anybody about the past; she didn't consider how lost a lot of things were to people. A slight smile drew on her face in thought that maybe, being whatever she was wasn't the worst thing in the world, if it's allowed her to live this long and keep strong.

Still shaking off the bout of flattery she felt from Solomon ordering her sweets - being rather easy to cave into the temptation of free food, a nod of the head would answer his question,

"Of course, Solomon. I've been working myself mostly on newbies, would be nice to be able to push it a little harder. I make a surprisingly good training partner with how hard it is to damage me, least for the weaker guys. They can go all out without being worried about putting me in the hospital."

Solomon was pleased with her acceptance towards the idea, a clear sense of intrigue in his expression at the thought of facing her in a spar. Clashing with his direct peers in the Sternritter division was something he had been intending to do for some time. There were plenty of suitable opponents to test his skills against, Liltotto included. Their missions in the City of Lights rarely gave him anything to go off of, but part of the joy in battle did lie in unraveling the mystery behind the opponent's technique. As such, the prospect of clashing blades with this woman was proving to be a source of excitement already. For now, he was content with what had taken place here. He received instruction, and he would take with him the necessary tenets she had espoused during their conversation.

"Good. I plan on giving it everything I've got. I find that much can be learned in a spar with the right element in place. Until then, let's keep in touch. Hopefully, those sweets are token enough of my appreciation for today."

Bowing politely before the woman, Solomon would grab his cup of coffee, preparing to leave unless the woman had anything else she desired to speak on before he exited the establishment.