Death Knell's Toll [Vicente, Catherine]

Music and dance -- an irritating break from the endless silence of Hueco Mundo's desolate sands, as well as what this part of the country was known for. Argentina. Supposedly, there was a gathering of other Arrancar and Hollow on the same continent, but he held no interest in such a repulsive endeavor from what he had heard. Six eyes glanced around, seeing the gawking faces of the citizens.

Perhaps it was his attire, the fact that he was armed, or perhaps it was purely because they had two eyes, compared to his six. Regardless, it was of little concern. He was more interested in the howling beast that lay beyond the city limits. Even if its cries were distant, his senses ensnared its location.

The simple, quick buzzing sound of Sonido tore through the yells and screams as he slipped beyond the city's limits. The closer he got to it, the more he could tell how powerful it was -- or, rather, the opposite. His eyes narrowed as it finally came into view, with Vicente stopping in front of it.

Barely worth his time, barely worth its life. Vicente's hand, usually always rested on his sword, lifted, pointing a finger at the creature, before a green sphere of energy formed at the tip of his finger, erupting mere moments after into a large, almost liquid-like beam as it crashed into the Hollow like a wave. Immediately, the creature began dissolving, its resounding cries reducing to nothing more than gurgled groans as it died.

Perhaps it would reincarnate. Maybe then, it would be something of merit, something that could ascend and be worth his time, and worth its own life. However, his thoughts were interrupted by his senses taking hold of a new figure entering the area. A hand went to his sword instinctively, though his expression remained stoic as he kept a hand free to attack from range, should he need to.

"Reveal yourself, alimañas."

South America had been the second best place to find fresh meat nowadays, place was teeming with discord and with that came Hollows. Far enough south seemed safe to avoid whatever was going on where Brazil used to be and the surrounding countries. Crazy how you could be such a dickhead to render a whole country nothing but rubble and sea water, a passing though went by her before she commenced a thrilling battle with one such hollow, several times her size.

It was all well and good, her spear was nice and bloody, the hollow was struggling with it's wounds whereas she only got bruises and scrapes from outmaneuvering what was functionally a stupid slow animal to her quick strategy and decisive blows. It wasn't until a figure appeared in the corner of her eye, with a bright flash of green light causing her to immediately part from the battle. Hidden in the bushes, she was struck with a horrible reality - some fucker stole her kill.

Now, some fucker was calling her VERMIN?!

"Hey jackass that was my kill youuuu... Have six eyes. Alright," With a long sigh, she'd clap a hand against the grip of her spear as she came out, "I'm still pissed about the kill, but i'm a lot less eager to swing you. Hell are you doing out in the woods... Well, unless Shinigami started putting extra eyeballs on their kids, i'm gonna guess you're a Mr. Arrancar."

He knew his senses hadn't been wrong -- there was vermin nearby. Though, there was something of interest to come from them: faint traces of Hollow mixed with human. Perhaps this morsel was worth something, after all. Nevertheless, as she came out of the bushes with a spear drawn, Vicente took a half-step back, slowly unsheathing part of his sword.

However, as she relented, Vicente let his sword drift back in the sheath. She was angry about the kill? She wished to hunt and conquer something so pathetic and weak? His eyes narrowed, head canting to the side lightly in confusion as he turned to look at the bubbling mass that the creature had become.

"Correct. However, you should hardly mourn over such worthless prey. There are better, grander creatures to hunt and kill than this."

He took another look at the Hollow, cringing in disgust as all six of his eyes rolled, turning away from it for good as the last hisses and gurgles faded.

"It was weak and pathetic, undeserving of anything less than to die as it has."

Damn, this guy was a piece of work alright; whatever wasn't vaporized by the Cero was just an unrecognizable mush. Tch, she doubted she could even get blood out of it with how screwed up the remains are now...

"Yeah. But it's called working up to bigger and grander. I wanted it's insides and wanted to see if it made that fire in any of it's organs, so you right fucked that up for me, guy."

Well he had quite the ego, didn't he? Seemed like a classic headcase of Hueco Mundo Mentality; weak die, strong prevail. But he came across as more of an extremist of it, huh? Guy gunned a hollow down just for committing some ideological crime in his book. Weirdo.

"So what brings such a strong guy to this miserable armpit of the world? Don't stronger hollows mostly hang out in Hueco Mundo? I know there's been more leakage coz of the spiritual age but you know.. Think you'd piss the thugs in black off over turning every hollow you see into a pile of goo."

Wanting its insides? Well, that was surprisingly, yet interestingly macabre. A slight smile came to his lips, a surprising contrast to the impassive frown he usually had. Her mentioning that had him intrigued as well. He was no expert on his own biology, much less of the inferior racial shell that he had cast off, but as far as he knew, expression of a Hollow's powers had never come from their physical parts.

Yet, it was something he could not confirm. Perhaps he would have to learn to dissect them and see just what it was that their powers came from, internally, beyond raw energy. Perhaps, even, this idea could extend beyond Hollows -- there could be something similar that happened within her, a creature that seemed to comprise of both Hollow and Human.

But, they were questions for later. She wished to know what had brought him to this side of existence?

"To test and continue cultivating my strength. To find others who may have the potential to stand at the apex, and to stand at that very peak of existence. Whether it is to see them develop, to use them, or cut them down if that potential dies, it matters not. It has hardly been long since I came, however...and you already are a curious specimen."

Oh boy, where'd she hear that mentality before? She almost rolled her eyes, if not for the opportunity to make a point here, albeit in spirit of another. Although she had nothing against killing hollows, this guy went pure overkill on something that didn't even see him coming much less engage him - it told her enough of how he operated.

"Potential dies, huh? You hardly sneezed near that thing" She'd to the melting husk that slowly broke down behind her with hardly a glance toward it, "Before deciding it was impotent. Test and cultivate your strength? Pft, bet you're the type to intentionally go for guys who are easy to beat just to satisfy your ego and feed into your arrogance. Me? Curious? What sets me apart from that lump of acid over there with your hasty sense of judgement? Thought I was vermin a few seconds ago, shouldn't I be a smoldering pile of goo, incapable of having a conversation by your stupid logic?"

His eyes narrowed slightly as she spoke. It was interesting to see someone so brazenly and aggressively speaking to him about the matter. However, his eyes narrowed further at her bold accusation.

"Hardly so. I garner no pleasure or excitement from such a boorish act. With how many souls it had consumed, yet had not evolved, there was next to no chance that it would be anything more than a mindless nuisance.

Perhaps others would find it fun or satisfying to trample and stomp on the pitiful -- but, for him, there was no such sentiment. Perhaps when he had first become an Arrancar or when he was still consuming other Hollows as one himself -- but, no more. Five-hundred years had caused many ideas such as that to grow stale and boring, especially in events of a century prior.

"I consider you a curious specimen due to your interesting desire to try and dissect and understand the powers of a Hollow through its biología, as well as not being like the idiotic muerte dioses that see me and immediately seek my throat. Frankly, your theory seems just that, but, it interests me, so I wish to see it through."

While one hand remained at his side, resting on his sword, the other lifted, a small flick of his finger causing a thin, but razor-sharp thread to rapidly fire from his fingertip, quickly coiling around Catherine's throat, though it simply floating near, not close or tight enough to cause damage.

"However, if you think that you should join this creature, that can certainly be arranged, mocosa."

Death gods... Shinigami? After this guy? She almost wanted to laugh; they were always hyper with their so-called 'duty' when it was needed the least, wouldn't killing guys like this screw with their precious little cycle? All day she could rant about how shit they are at their supposed divine duty, but right now she was trying not to lose her head - literally. Even if it was barely shimmering to the naked eye, she could sense that wire around her throat. But her expression was relaxed, a wide smile of mischief decorating her pale features, not a drop of fear or worry toward the thought of decapitation was offered.

"Barring the... Frankly, pretty rude pet names you keep coming up with, you're my speed Sixers. But hey, you're not getting anything out of this head if it's rolling on the ground, dead meat isn't so great at talking after all. And hey, I hate those guys too, I think they're a bunch of headless dodos running around with those sharp, sharp blades taped to their stupid useless wings. See? Another thing we have in common."

Calmly walking closer til she was a mere five feet away, she'd press a hard stare into his eyes, "So unless you wanna miss your opportunity at getting to know a kindred spirit a little better, and maybe see some new things while you're at it, drop the wire and cut it with the death threats instead of my neck, kay?"

Curious. With how many Arrancar and Shinigami he had killed and eaten throughout his life, there were few that looked in the face of potential death and smiled, much less smiled like a trickster planning their next mischievous scheme. His finger curled backward slightly, eyes narrowing as the wire slowly began to tighten and constrict around the woman's throat.

There were billions of humans in the world, he had encountered not even a percentage of them. He had little doubt he could easily find another. But, would he find another truly like her? What if, in killing her, that would only sow another seed of spite? Irritation at a specimen that got away, eating at him for the next few centuries? Vicente's six eyes closed as he contemplated it, visualizing that potential future.

As vile as his own venom.

His finger slowly uncurled, relaxing as he lowered his hand, the thread loosening and eventually dissipating as the hand came to rest on his sword. He had no such visceral hatred of the Shinigami -- the ones he had fought, ultimately, were nothing more than mere annoyances. He didn't care much about her petty, pointless grudge, they were but small blights to the points of interest he sought to dissect.

"Very well, mocosa. Perhaps this will be an interesting oportunidad."

Even if she saw thought going through those eyes of his, it wasn't as if it'd fully alleviate the desire to hold her breath. Though she kept cool and confidence, a smile only deepening in it's curvature as she felt that wire tighten momentarily, keeping the physiological reaction down was a matter of slow breathing through her nose. A single crack would mean her head went down French monarch-style, but thankfully that seemed to be enough to get the guy to not to do something utterly stupid.

Arrancar truly were otherworldly, figuring how to talk to each one was it's own feeling out process, but most of them responded well to confidence and strength. She wondered what those eyes had seem to make this guy into such an ass, or maybe he just started that way. That was the thing with the beasties that crawled from Hueco Mundo she was curious of - were they a product of their environment, or was the environment a product of them?

"Catherine, my name's Catherine - Not 'brat'," Sighing, she'd pull out a notebook, "So, quick question - what does everything look like with six eyes? Can you have one set look a different direction than the other? I don't meet guys with more than one set too often."