Unfamiliar Ground [Kita/Klein]

Her nose wrinkled a bit with Klein throwing out one too many terms she was confused by; they all must have been things within a soft human’s life, no wonder she wasn’t incredibly familiar with what he meant. She’d always rejected the comforts of humanity, not out of repulsion but feeling as if life would grow dull and quiet - she hated the sensation of silence, of feeling tied down and rendered enslaved to something else. Wouldn’t be any better than a caged animal at that point, or at least that was her impression.

“..If a massage is something akin to your cuddling or fondling, I will tolerate it,” She’d sigh, dragging herself to her feet. Klein’s odd desires didn’t make much sense to her mind, but it never appeared out of any desire to harm or take, so even if she wasn’t entirely familiar with it she would at least give it a chance, “..I am unsure of what the contents of a ‘movie’ may be, but I am willing to attempt it..”

"Well, it is kinda like when I do that, but it's more for making you feel good too. I think you're probably pretty tense, gotta loosen up those muscles a little bit. Lucky for you, I'm good with my hands."

Klein naturally had more than just a massage in mind, but that was something he'd have to work toward here. Couldn't just jump right to that after all, no matter how much he'd like to. Keeping an arm around her as he stood up with her, Klein made an effort to genuinely support her, even removed from the fact that he just liked keeping that contact with her.

"As for the movie, it's uh... It's like getting to watch a story, I guess? People act out stuff. You'll get it when you see."

He didn't really know if she actually would, but it was hard to convey to someone with no concept of it, so he just led the way to his room where the bed and the TV were.

Thinking was far too much of a pain at the moment, so the tigress elected not to dawdle on the thought for too long, slow blinking as she would follow Klein's direction to his room, her posture being rather terrible as she was a little hunched over with her arms hanging limp, as if she were a doll fighting gravity to remain upright, her steps shuffling and awkward, but surprisingly had no issue with balance. Making her way into the bedroom, she would attempt to do her usual instinctive habit of scanning the room.

The floor underfoot still felt uncomfortable and alien to her, the room temperature bizarre, the decor confusing to her limited knowledge of human conventions, until her golden gaze finally landed on the bed, squinting as she approached it, as if inspecting to ensure it wasn't something dangerous or alluring, even placing a hand on it as if to test it.

"..You rest on this?" She asked Klein, sounding as if it was a bizarre idea that anything would sleep on a mattress, finally collapsing her nude self on top of it, "..It's not stone..."

"Nothing here ever makes sense..." Despite her lethargy, she sounded somewhat distressed, her brow furrowing.

Popping a movie on without much thought, Klein made little effort to think about the subject matter other than not picking something she'd find too weird. He figured a straightforward action movie was probably fine, and he let it play before returning his attention fully to his lovely guest.

"Well, no, stone's not very comfy, so I try not to sleep on it."

As Kita collapsed onto the bed, Klein practically slithered onto it beside her, his hands moving confidently but gingerly to begin offering some of his signature ministrations. Of course, he was making an earnest attempt to help her relax. Her being lovely as could be just made it much more rewarding on his end, and he hummed a quiet, repetitive little tune to himself as his fingers worked into Kita's muscles.

"Well, ya know, humans and the living realm aren't really much like us or Hueco Mundo. I dunno if I'd call it a good thing or a bad thing. It's different, I guess. People usually act like all the sand in Hueco Mundo is boring and Earth's a lot better, but half the time I think all these cities and jungles and whatever are just as boring."

Of course, that wasn't really speaking from any aesthetic standpoint. Klein just didn't get much out of them any more than he did out of the sands of Hueco Mundo. Maybe they offered a little more cover for him to hide in, but that was about it, and he wasn't going to try and explain all the intricacies of life on Earth to Kita when she was in this state. He had more important things on his mind, anyway.

Normally she would reject such comforts being offered, she had been well convinced that things like that would make her soft and vulnerable, able to be snuffed out with a touch. Her body was kept rigid and active, her mind alert, her claws bloody... Yet, she was lying on the soft surface, and didn't feel terribly compelled to move. It was different than the numbing feeling in her body, evoking a strange warm feeling within her that she didn't often experience, feeling the little arrancar's hands working to relax her knotted, stressed muscles, her eyes half closed.

Did she... Like this?

Her body seemed to be quite still, to such an extent it would've seemed like she fell asleep, though her eyes were fixed on the flicker of the television before her, watching the strange forms dance across the glass screen. A strange feeling of sinking and twisting formed in her chest as that unpleasant thought came by her once more, but rather than be silent she'd feel the strange compulsion to speak it out loud,

"I wonder if my tribe misses me," Her voice was low and drowsy but definitely comprehendable, "I did all I could for them, and all they ever did was bite back. I told myself that was what silly dumb cubs did, they would learn better.. I do not think I understood what that 'better' was, or how to even achieve it. My instincts told me to nurture, and they were all I had ever known, so I did so. There is so much I don't understand..."

In a rather unnerving move she'd shift to look back at Klein, though her fierce eyes had a tinge of... Sadness? They even seemed to shimmer with tears, "..Am I a fool, Klein?"

Klein's hands kept up with their work as he listened to Kita's talking, and he had to keep from sighing as he realized where this was going. Well, it wasn't the end of the world. He knew it was good to actually listen to her if he wanted to get with her, anyway.

"A fool? Nah, I don't think so. Not any more than any other Arrancar."

That was actually a lie. He definitely thought she was kind of stupid, but he wasn't going to tell her that. It wasn't exactly her fault, and besides, there wasn't really anything to be gained by telling her that. She'd be sad, he wouldn't get to hang around her anymore, no real point. Klein had stopped as she turned around, and he simply leaned down and gave her the best effort at an embrace that he could, given their positions.

"Not much else you can do but your best, right? Don't beat yourself up over it, especially when there's no changing it now. Besides, even if you didn't know then, you learned, right? That's progress."

The mention of learning reminded Klein that he really needed to get back to the lab soon, but he wasn't in a rush to abandon Kita just yet.

The tigress had nothing but an unreadable expression to give Klein in immediate response, her usually golden eyes a dulled yellow, eyelids hanging as if she were mere inches from sleep, a slight hum in her throat in response as she'd turn her head back to rest, her body lying still as a corpse beneath the smaller Arrancar. Learned? She supposed she did in some way, that aching feeling of longing reminded her of more reckless days where she'd be humbled by wounds amidst her hunt. It was difficult to slay the beasts of Hueco Mundo with shattered arms or severed legs, so perhaps this pain she could not see was similar in that way.

As much as she was cursing that devil of a snake for inflicting such a state on her, it did quiet her thoughts enough to slow down and even consider it.

Sprawled on the bed, she was silent for a period, eyes lit by the shapes dancing across the screen's light, before her voice would abruptly break the momentary lapse in conversation,

"You are very wise for something so small. I can see how you've managed yourself."

"Heh, thanks."

Kita's compliments worked as a very genuine stroking of Klein's ego, and his smile grew as he thought about it. After all, he was a pretty smart guy, and he knew more than a thing or two about survival. Ah, he would have loved to tell her all about it, but that probably wouldn't really work right now... He could save it for later, when she was feeling better. Instead, he just continued his massage, though the longer it went, the more confident his touch grew, and the less he confined himself to what would be called "safe" or "normal" spots.

"I always try and use my smarts for people I like. All well and good to make sure I survive another day, keep eating and living and all that, but what good's that if I'm all alone?"

Of course, his idea of company and hers might have been more than a little different, but she didn't need to know that. His tone of voice lowered a bit, as if he were hesitating to speak or growing a faint bit shyer. He wasn't, obviously, but it seemed appropriate given the way they'd interacted thus far. Being totally reserved would have come off as fake, but she didn't need to know exactly what was going on under the hood just yet.

"I do really like you, you know. I'd totally protect you any time. Make sure you're safe and happy and all that."

She hadn't much care for where the smaller Arrancar had decided to touch of her body, a halfway point between the remaining sedatives being processed out and feeling comfortable with his presence. On some level, she was coming to understand him a little better - even in her most battle-craving moments she wished for company to return to, even if that company routinely fought against her and had to be dragged back occasionally. Klein at least appeared to want to be in her presence; in her mind she hadn't much to offer in exchange apart from her body and her claws - any female arrancar could fulfill those, she was nothing spectacular or rare.

And, though it was a thought she cringed to think of.. She wasn't exceptionally powerful, either. There was a craving to be strong enough to kill the one who had forced this body upon her and tied her beneath his rule, but that had extinguished such a long time ago, that Kita had entirely lost the time. She was too preoccupied with maintaining the stragglers and dipping in and out of rage that she hadn't slowed down and considered how long she felt true dedication for something.

With that in mind, she'd speak in a soft voice with closed eyes, "I shall for you, as well."

"Oh yeah?"

Leaning against her, Klein's massage paused as he simply laid atop her. She sure was a sweetheart under that scary exterior, huh? It made Klein feel a certain kind of way about her, filled his head with thoughts that only came by when he was really in the zone. Ah, she sure was something special.

"I appreciate that. People don't always take stuff like that well, ya know. Especially when it comes to Arrancar like us. Being protective, affectionate... It's not always welcome."

Of course, he'd heard stories of perfectly "normal" Arrancar going by human standards, but he didn't care much about that. Except for that one who was supposed to have some pretty huge boobs, anyway... One thing at a time, though.