Buenos Dias Santa [Tier, Santa]

Santa paused for just a moment and uh.... kinda began to question her decision. Her soul was incredibly weak after all. But ...wasn't this a bit ... much? Did she really need a Near Death experience to bring her soul up from what it was toward something half decent? True, it was the hollow way of doing things, and she realized that perhaps she should have ...gone to someone else before Tier. And some small...small part of her was hurt at how ...easily and quickly Tier shifted to such a dynamic. That such extreme harm be directed at Santa. But she pushed those thoughts away.

Reaching to her waist, she grasped the hilt of her Zanpaku'to and drew the weapon.

She would not be backing down. Even if it was scary. Even if she doubted Tier in many ways. even if she would once again feel that fear from before. It wasn't going to get in her way. Santa knew fear well enough. She'd had a very long life. Longer than tier most likely.
"I trust you."

Santa couldn't help but smile softly as Tier offered that comfort. And she knew that once upon a time, she'd have been over the moon to hear it. She brought her weapon up to bear and pointed it toward Tier. "I know. Let's get started." She invited, as her own diminutive spiritual pressure flared within her, and that aura of energy that always crackled around Santa began to hitch in response, expanding outward as she waited for Tier to make the first move.

She probably should have moved in and struck first. But she didn't really have it in there to be the first to attack. She just needed Tier to take the first step so that she could be spurred into action. Memories of that sword. f her resureccion still fresh in her mind. She knew that attacking first was a risky move around Tier's explosive abilities.

Santa's eyes widened slightly as she sensed that tingle, the sudden jarring shift of motion before her eyes. Buit Tier would indeed notice a difference from when they had last trained. When they had trained before, Santa had not even been able to register the woman's movement. But in this instant, her eyes shifted in response to the Sonido, and she twisted ever so slightly.

Alas she still wasn't able to stop that hand aiming toward her back. And as Tier unleashed that sudden blast from her palm, she'd slam straight into Santa's frame! And Santa skidded a few inches. She'd also become much physically stronger. Santa was always the type of woman who was a bit on the physically strong side, especially with how she hefted Tier around. But the extent would become abundantly clear as the woman's frame budged far less than it would have back the last time they'd tussled. Eyes snapping over her shoulder as Tier would then feel a sharp stab toward her ankles.

The garden surging from the platform they were on. Flesh, muscle, and bone slicing upward, aiming to jab into Tier's ankles, only to try and grow up the length of the woman's legs as Santa twisted about and aimed to SLAM her fist into the center of the woman's chest. Her frame flexing as her energy coursed through her frame, amping up her own speed and strength in an attempt to catch her off guard and deliver a vicious punch to the Espada, with enough force to send Tier through one of the nearby trees! A strike that would also likely snap her wrist and crack the bones in her wrist and knuckles in the process. But those were injuries that would heal as quickly as they formed.

A hit!
Satisfaction crackled across her mind as she felt the woman's frame get slung from the platform following her attack! A sudden budding well of pride coursing through her frame as her hand instantly recovered from the strike, and she watched as Tier suddenly shot around the arena. Fast, but she had no issues tracking her as she shot about, eyes narrowing as that sharp focus caught the gleam of Cero. The sudden barrage causing her to shoot up into the air! Away from surfaces where those cero could detonate and catch her in a blast. Though as those bursts peppered the forest. Santa's garden spread across the surfaces enriched by the blasts. Flesh and bone weaving aggressively as Santa circled, flying straight up, aiming to draw Tier's attention as several skeletal hands pointed in the woman's direction. Loud crackles sounding as Bala were promptly fired from her garden, peppering Tier with fast, rapid bursts from the surrounding garden. Nothing that would actually even hurt as much as that punch. But it would be harder to move around while being pelted from all sides, not to mention harder to track Santa amidst all the fire.

Meaningless really. As if Tier actually needed to worry about her hierro being worn down. But Santa didn't care. After all, this was about growing. About fighting. About wearing herself down to the bone, right? And yes, perhaps Santa in her simple mindset also wanted to prove to Tier that she wasn't QUITE the same helpless woman she'd been before. That if nothing else, Tier wasn't wasting her time. That Santa had potential worth cultivating.

Her ploy had worked! Being peppered with Bala, no matter how incapable they were of seriously injuring her, no doubt STILL were not pleasant to endure, and as Tier promptly shot out from the main area they had begun their fight, Santa pursued. Keeping high up, as her garden spread out. Giving Tier's senses a number of avenues from which Santa's spiritual pressure was radiating, muddying her ability to figure out where the woman was. And with a sudden sonido, she promptly shot in behind the woman, arm cocked back, energy coiling along the back of her elbow, charging before BLARING out. A massive, wide area Cero, but not one that was focused on damage. But rather, like a rocket, the recoil of the blast adding force behind Santa's fist. Sharp bony armor covering her arm now.

Santa's regeneration after all, wasn't normal. Rather than healing as it was. Her physiology had grown along with a slither of bone covering her knuckles. Sharp points reinforced with her spiritual energy. Not enough to puncture Tier. But enough to hurt, as that Cero rocketed her fist straight into Tier's shoulder.