A Tribute of Gratitude[Giselle, Solomon]

"Huh...?"

Solomon regarded Giselle with an incredulous stare, dumbfounded by the revelation. Physically, he had been made well aware of her injuries. He witnessed her brush with death, after all. The sheer nature of his hollow energy was so overwhelming that it eliminated her Quincy powers entirely? The thought sounded almost preposterous, yet the physical proof being displayed in the form of hollow-infused flames was far too real, eliminating any notion of fabrication. Regret threatened to be a nuisance to his stream of thoughts, but he swept them away with a nod. Giselle wouldn't desire to see an expression like that, he thought, and he didn't want to sully their trip through the city with a poor air. What did he intend to say next? That was the topmost question on his mind.

"Sorry... I'm just a little shocked to hear that. I've never heard of something like that before. I thought his attacks had rendered you unable to execute any sort of ability. I can't exactly say I'm happy that that bastard's energy is connected to you, but you avoided death and that matters way more than my anger towards him. Do you think perhaps sparring with others would maybe draw it out?"

A curious venture. Since she had risked so much, it was only fair that he offered his own resources in return. His sense of honor would never allow him to leave any stone unturned when it came to assisting someone. Giselle was no exception. If anything, she was his very reason for living. Of course, he'd offer help.

"Come on. I simply hate the idea that his residual energy... you know... still lives on in you! How does that make me anything like Lukas?"

Solomon wasn't offended by any degree, much less in this context. If anything, it was more of a humorous protest than anything indicating a true state of offense. For what it was worth, he didn't exactly despise Lukas, but he definitely wouldn't be the first trying to take lessons from him, let alone copy him to any discernible extent. He respected him in the same way a fellow soldier would to their own. That was all. Judging from her expression, she seemed relatively welcomed to the idea, indicating as much through her words. There was simply the matter of clarification she required on her end. Even though he was the type to recklessly dive headfirst into most things without a gameplan, he had no intention of compromising this trip for Giselle.

"Not at all. Unless it was hollow energy was infecting me to some extreme degree, my body holds up relatively well against it. I can assure you that I won't end up having to go to the hospital outside of whatever impressive attack you might throw at me," he humored with a lighthearted jest. She may have been without her former ability, but maybe there were some tricks she had picked up that he didn't know about. Wouldn't that be a thought?

"Ha, well you've got me there. Of course, I'd argue my methods would be far more agreeable compared to his. Plus, have you sparred with that guy? He does anything but play fair in a spar half of the time."

Solomon sheepishly chuckled at his error. He misunderstood the nature of her jest. His eagerness to assist her was rooted in what he viewed as repaying a sacred debt. She was no longer apart of their forces, true, but that mattered little. Defending herself and her loved ones was important. He didn't know what would come of the improved results of that odd hollow energy, nor the abilities it would produce, but he was certainly acquiescent to the idea of helping her work off the rust. He momentarily wondered how many months she may have been in actual combat, if any, but brushed those thoughts off, drawing his gaze back to her own with a nod.

"Don't worry about tonight. This was reserved purely for treating a friend to a night out. The combat and anything related to it can easily be reserved for another time. That said, tomorrow sounds good. I'll open a spot in my schedule to accommodate you. For now, we can simply enjoy the scenery and catch up on lost time. The more I can separate myself from work, the better. Care for a bite to eat while we continue?"