A Daytime Wander (Lerna, Armina)

Her own recovery had taken some time. After her ...failure in attempting to push toward Bankai, she'd been focusing all the more on her training. A sense of indignity about her that usually wasn't present when handling her blade, panting as she stood in the midst of a courtyard, chunks of sliced and melted Dummy littering the ground. It was hard for most to tell, but she was in fact in Shikai. In fact, she HAD been in Shikai all day. Her Zanpaku'to had decided to be a punk about Bankai. So she would just double down on what she could do.

Still, it was work. It wasn't simply as if she could brute force her way through it all. And working with her zanpaku'to had come with it's share of hazards. The effect it had on her body was exhausting for extended periods, especially trying to keep it in check. A thin sheen of sweat covered her when the unannounced visitor made their way to the training area, the blonde not even noticing the new arrival as she took a moment to rest after the latest bout of practice. The smell of alcohol strong in the air around her, perhaps raising a few brows for those not familiar with her abilities.

"Fuck, alright, take ten buddy." She gave the training dummy a little pat on the head, slumping to the sand and rubbing the side of her head as she caught her breath. Still unaware that she now had an audience.

The sound of someone else in the training yard caused Lerna to perk her brows and take a glance over her shoulder at the woman that had spoken up. Flashing a smirk on her features and chuckling as she turned to face the woman and gave a slight roll of her shoulders before holding her hand out and spreading her fingers. A soft gush of fluids spilling from her palm, dripping into the ground.

"Fermented Venom, its my zanpaku'to." She explained, that drip promptly halting as the fluid stopped in midair and promptly beganflowing upward to collect in her palm, forming a plump bubble of alcohol which then changed colors, turning a richer amber color as she coiled the fluid through the air only to slam into the chest of the Dummy. Punching a hole clean through it's middle as the fluid frothed, the wood being chewed through by the poisoned alcohol.
Turning her attention back toward the woman, she flashed a smile and canted her head to the side.
"Sorry about the smell. Kinda unavoidable when I'm training with it." She clarified, now turning her attention fully toward the other woman as she took a moment to look them over.

"Don't recognize ya. You from another division?"

Lerna smirked slightly at that, her jaw tightening at the comment. "More people die because of it than you'd imagine." She stated simply enough, gently tilting her head until the joints in her neck popped softly, "And I'm the Fourth Seat of Seventh Division, Lerna. Still, seated officer huh? Color me surprised. Wouldn't have guessed you were Fourth. You struck me as more of a Fifth kinda gal." She noted with a calm smile, closing an eye as she squinted slightly at the woman infront of her.

"Oh? And why's that? Looking to take a break?" She ventured, popping a squat and resting her elbows on her thighs as she relaxed her ankles, getting in a good stretch as she eyed the Fourth Seat. Huh, well not like she blended into the crowd even back in the day. She supposed if this girl really was from fourth division, they'd no doubt key in on a seated officer of her position. Was she about to be challenged Kurata style?

SNRK!

A soft snort escaped her and her smile widened a bit as Armina let her claws out just a little. "True! I'm pretty weak so far as Fourth Seats go matter of fact. Still in the academy as a substitute shinigami as it were. Was unseated until not that long ago. So gotta say, If I had to guess. I'm probably the absolute weakest of all the fourth seats." She stated with a calm, casual smile on her face.

"But hey. If you wanted to find out we could always have a round." She offered, flashing a toothy smile towards the woman. Not like she had any pride to lose~ She was barely even an officer until recently. Not like she had any clout to protect. But hey. If the Fourth Seat of the COMBAT division wanted to find out how they matched up. She was hardly gonna say no. Besides, what was Armina gonna do now?

Back out of a fight with the self proclaimed weakest of the fourth seats?

Huh. That last comment, as it were, did raise her brows a bit. Reminded her a little of that one woman she fought ages ago in a bar. She sure hoped they wouldn't wind up similar, that shit had hurt.
"I get that a lot." She stated simply.

A brow raised at Armina's reply.

"I mean. I'm pretty sure you would be. Can't say I ever got that whole, pride shit. Shinigami really like to hinge things on pride in something that's not even themselves. Can't say I ever really got it though. Probably why I never wound up in fourth. Sounds like a pain in the ass to have to deal with every shmoe that waltzed up for a fight." she hummed, crouching down as Armina got into position. Resting her hand on the sandy floor beneath them, there was a tight, crackling hiss as the sand was broken down and pulled into her skin. The sound of glass heralding the slow creep of a hard shell slithering up the length of her arms, a compacted armor made from the absorbed sand, armor which compacted itself along her hands and forearms.

All the while, coils of that fragrant venom coursed around her, slithering similarly around her through the air like translucent serpents, forming a veil around her. She'd had her Shikai going all day, and she had been fresh off practicing. But if nothing else, this was the kinda match she needed.

Was it perhaps.... Petty? That ever since Sōteiken had fucked her up that she'd been working her shikai to the bone? She certainly didn't think so. All the same, Lerna's spiritual pressure would well up, weighing down on her opponent.

"That said, I'm gonna reccommend that you pull your Shikai out." She pointed out before turning and gesturing toward one of the spectators nearby. Promptly, they nodded and a few of them circled the area around the two Fourth Seats. Promptly beginning to erect a Barrier around them.

There had been a LOT of incidents lately with a LARGE number of spars escalating. And so nowadays, there was almost always a few members of Squad Eight or Two around the training areas for these kinds of bouts.

With that out of the way, Lerna turned her attention back to her opponent with a lopsided smirk.
"Ladies first."