Through The Trees [Veralia/Stella]

With a casual shrug, Veralia let out a tranquil sigh. Those blood eyes of hers lingered on the uncertain expression of Stella as it was obvious the training was hard on the Quincy. Baring those thoughts in mind, Veralia effortlessly levitated off the ground and gave the taller woman a reassuring pat on the head. Soon after, her head cocked to the right side; reflecting a relaxed, yet observant expression.

"Eh, sure. We can work on that. Don't beat yourself up over it."

The tone of Veralia's words was drenched in a lax nature; almost encouraging the woman to remedy some of the self-doubt flowing from Stella.

After a brief pause, where the only sound was the gentle rustle of the air around them, Veralia's eyes fluttered shut. In this moment of quiet reflection, she considered Stella's potential and the direction of their training. Upon reopening her eyes, now sharpened with focus, she inquired, her voice laced with a hint of curiosity.

"What would you say is your strongest attribute? Your durability, or your strength? Judging from your build and what I've seen first hand, you seem to have a solid foundation for physical conditioning and endurance."

Leaving her words to linger in the air, Veralia moved her hands back in her pockets as she invited Stella to explore her strengths instead of hammering down on her weaknesses.

Veralia gazed around the surroundings as she appeared to not be distributed with the environment they were in. Her stare was lost in the trees as there was a serene beauty to them that could not be put into words. The lush, green nature is something these humans take for granted.

"I'm not worried about them. What I have in mind won't harm the area like our previous conflict to gauge where you were."

Her eyes soon drifted back to Stella as a sense of purpose was held in her gaze.

A tap on Stella's shoulder from Veralia ignited the next phase of their training. In that action, Stella's body would be enveloped by an emerald-hued light. An invisible force seemed to press down upon her, akin to an additional hundred pounds burdening her body. It was Veralia’s spiritual power, materializing itself as a loathsome weight to test and enhance Stella's physical prowess.

"I guess the first step to improving your strength will be to conditioning your strength and stamina. Given your current level of strength, running, sparring, and strength training exercises should see some gains."

She beckoned Stella with a curl of her index finger, a smirk playing on her lips.

"You've got about one hundred pounds of pressure weighing you down. If that's too much, let me know. Otherwise, come hit me and we can train and spar with our fists. Feel free to pick up your axe if you wish as well."

Her tone held a challenge, an invitation for Stella to push her limits in the face of this new obstacle.

"What's the cliche saying: no pain, no gain?"

Veralia couldn't help but let out a half-amused snort, her blood-red eyes fixed intently on Stella. Perhaps it was a bit to expect her to wield a weapon that was already heavy even without the added effects of her spiritual pressure weighing the Quincy down. With a thoughtful pause and a roll of her shoulders, Veralia eased up the gravitational pull on Stella, reducing the weight to a more manageable 75 pounds.

"Alright, I dropped it to 75 pounds. I think you'll be able to handle that better. Focus on throwing punches, kicks, and blocking to help build strength with your body."

After brushing the beads of sweat away from Stella's forehead, Veralia gave a playful flick of the woman's nose and spoke up further as she stood on her tippy toes as she spoke in a playful and challenging tone.

"Think you can manage that?"

"Don't I know it."

A wry chuckle escaped Veralia, tinged with the memories of her tumultuous past as a hollow — a time marked by weakness and a desperate yearning for what she couldn't have. That if she took that which she did not have, maybe it could fill that void within herself.

Her snarl briefly surfaced, a fleeting reflection of that struggle, before she directed her attention back to Stella with a more composed demeanor.

"Trust me, the way I became an Arrancar wasn't a fun one. You'll get there with time."

Although her fiery envy was like an endless inferno, Stella wasn't the cause for it and it was pointless to take that out on the woman unless she gave her a reason to harm her.

So, rather than dwell on the past, Veralia's eyes narrowed on Stella before she started to deliver a series of punches at her gut. They were measured, not intended to overwhelm but to challenge Stella — to coax her into a defensive stance and adapt to the added weight. Each strike was a calculated push, a test of Stella's resolve and readiness to evolve.

"Think you can keep this up?"

Stella seemed to be dealing with the unideal circumstances rather well. She was blocking, throwing punches, taking punches and pushing herself. This made Veralia further into the moment as her gaze reflected less anger and more concentration as she needed to watch just how hard she pushed the quincy. There was a breaking point most people had, but you had to push far enough to where they would grow, but not enough to slaughter them.

As Stella gathered herself and addressed Veralia, a contemplative silence fell over the Arrancar. Her crimson gaze lingered on Stella thoughtfully, processing her words. Finally, Veralia broke the stillness with a shake of her head, her expression softening slightly.

"Don't beat yourself up over it."

Her voice indicated a sense of assurance as her face softened from her previous intense gaze.

"Yeah, you brought up some unpleasant memories, but I ain't gonna hold it against ya."

A low chuckle, more genial than before, escaped Veralia’s lips as she regarded Stella with a renewed sense of respect. The brief respite had given her a moment to reassess the situation.

"You good to go for another round, or do you need more of a breather?"

Her tone now carried a blend of encouragement and a readiness to resume their rigorous training.