Catch up n' Sweets (Aina/Verdada )

It was a calm spring day in the fields of Aina's home in Turin, Italy. Outside on her back porch, she had set out a bunch of homemade chocolate chip cookies, milk, and a pack of smokes. If nothing else, she figured her guest might enjoy the smokes, while Aina herself just had a sweet tooth for the day.

So, while sitting on her rocking chair, the woman enjoyed the grassy fields, birds in the sky, and the countryside's peaceful air. It was hard to find a sense of stillness like in this city, which made her appreciate the serene atmosphere of this remote place when she could.

Hence, with a smile on her face, she looked around and eventually heard something moving and called out:

"is that you, Ver? Come sit if it is~."

"Mmmmmm, I've been getting some training in, so perhaps the results are paying off~"

Aina giggled after grabbing one of her chocolate chip cookies and munching on the sweet treat. When she saw, Verdada sit down, she then nodded her head and added on.

"If you haven't noticed, I've been focused on building up my energy base since I'm a bit stronger than when we last met. I think I'm at a point now where I can start to try and create some unique abilities and powers since I've been training with a guy I met a few months ago."

Nodding her head, Aina seemed to smile more at that person as she hummed and sipped her milk to wash down that cookie.

"And how about yourself? How has life been treating you lately?"

Aina took notice of Verdada taking a look at the hole in her right hand. She assumed that Verdada must have been lost in thought about her own powers. So, she tapped her right hand for a moment and spoke.

"Well, I don't think there is any major rush to get there. I'm sure we'll both go at whatever pace is right for our lives."

Nodding, Aina at least seemed more sure of herself this time around. So, when the question came to what friends she had been making, Aina giggled and started talking with a bit more chipperness in her voice.

"Wellllll, I met a cool martial arts guy named Kenichi. He's shown me around a few places, we text a lot and I've cooked some good meals for him since I've been trying to better my cooking."

Now tapping her chin, she debated if she wanted to tell Verdada more of what she had been up to. So, after remaining quiet, she decided she could trust her and kept on.

"Buttttttttttt, I've kind of been clinging on to my boyfriend."

Sticking her tongue out, she tapped her head playfully before moving on from the cliche.

"His name is Cala and it's been nice spending a lot of time with him. Maybe it's puppy love, but I feel really giddy around him~"

"Hehehe, don't worry about the boyfriend much. I think I'll introduce you to him and Kenichi at some point."

Giggling a bit, Aina patted the shoulder of Verdada before speaking again.

"I'm uncertain of the specifics, but he saved my ass from becoming hollow chow. I might ask him more about it when we meet."

After nodding alongside the words flowing from her mouth, Aina tapped her chin and pondered if she could learn some essential martial art to beef up her defenses/offenses further. Of course, she wanted to learn to heal, but a bit of self-defense couldn't hurt. After all, that's what Cala was trying to teach her. And given her encounter in Brazil, that whole incident further solidified that fact.

"Speaking of hollow chow, I don't think I told you, but I had a weird encounter in Brazil."

Seeming to think for a second, she tried to recount what she could remember before spilling her guts.

"I ran into a woman named Safira since a private I was traveling on crashed there. She was a pretty scary woman; I could feel she was trying to put some thoughts n my head about the soul cycle, how only a small amount of shinigami are benefitting from how things are, and that we are just statics into this whole thing, and I was a fool really to deny that reality and try to live my own life in peace."

Not sure how Verdada would take all this, Aina looked at her and seemed more focused but not necessarily scared or disturbed. Instead, given the serious matter of the subject, she didn't want to seem like she was brushing it off. If nothing else, that's something she figured Algos would do.

"What do you think of that? It almost sounded like she wanted me to become a hollow since she mentioned something about you all.

That -- was her mistake.

When she noticed Verdada's apparent concern, there was a look of regret and lament. However, beyond the anger, she could see that the woman was just fearful of what may come as she remained silent and thought of how to approach this situation without seeming like she lacked awareness of her concern, the poor communication on her part, and the unintentional disregard of her input as a companion.

After remaining quiet for some time, Aina tried to reflect on how things could have been handled better; but she knew she was so caught up in the whirlwind of it all that it was hard to pull away from that feeling. The feeling of being loved, excitement, danger, and uncertainty filled in the hole of emptiness that this life initially brought her. To see what experiences could mold her into something different than the demon her life was spawned from.

So the answer was simple: even if she did not see herself as that demon, if Algos were still alive in this circumstance, what would she do? And if Aina knew that, then doing the opposite of that made sense.

"No. I don't want you to be gone."

Silent at first, Aina seemed tense and stiff as there was a mixture of shame, guilt, and uncertainty about choosing her thoughts, words, and actions carefully.

"And I don't fault you for being upset, as that was a shitty thing to do as a friend by leaving out all that information."

At least by this point was able to work up the nerve to look her in the eye. And when that happened, the woman held her gaze and could see the pain in Verdada's eyes. Which was hard for her to deal with, but that was just the consequence of her action she'd need to be able to face, even if it wasn't intentional.

"Fuck."

Muttering to herself, she scratched her head, stood up, walked over to Verdada, and tried to hold her hand if she would allow it.

"I do care about you, and I'd like to apologize if I did hurt by the lack of communication on my part. It's not because I disliked you, it's just..."

Trying to find the right words to explain herself, Aina froze momentarily but pushed through that uncomfortable feeling anyway.

"...it's just so easy to get caught up in things when everything is so novel and new. It's like time doesn't exist, and things slip through the cracks. And during those moments, I felt I was exploring something new in myself or not in any massive danger if I managed to get away without any long-term fuck-ups."

After a quiet pause, Aina continued thinking before asking her a question.

"I don't want to over-explain or excuse or defend the action in any way, but is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"