Fields Of Desire [Veralia/Stella]

"Why not?"

It was a simple answer to a simple question. Life was too short not to follow your whims. One minute you can be here, the next you can be a memory.

Veralia's face curled into another smirk as she then watched Stella coming at her. Going with the flow of life around them, Veralia breathed out and caught her two-handed punch with each of her hands; licking her lips with delight as she did so.

"You are too tense and that's saying something when I'm the one carrying enough envy to drown this entire forest."

Chuckling lowly, Veralia sidestepped and aimed to kick Stella with a potent kick to her flank. The likes of which could send her flying back down to the earth so that the woman could relish the pain, push her limits, and come flying back up in due time.

"If you're a Quincy, then act like it. You gotta be like water—formless, adaptable. Mold yourself to whatever crap situation you find yourself in. You've got a whole world of energy at your disposal, so start using it like you mean it. Don't back, as I'll be sure to kick the shit out of you if ya do."

Veralia's eyes glossed over into a content gaze as Stella started seeing the bigger picture from hers. She was a Quincy, so it was only natural to leverage the world around her and flow with it. When Stella used her high-speed movements to jump the distance between them and arrive in the air with the small arrancar, a smirk came across her face before a veil of emerald energy oozed across her arm. Using it as a shield, she blocked the swing with her right wrist, but she was far from disappointed.

"Good. You are improving. But can you dodge?"

The challenge was laid out with a grin, a mix of encouragement and provocation as Veralia prepared her next move. Pulling her left fist back, she launched a high-speed blow aimed squarely at Stella's gut. The strike, while full of intent, was another layer of Veralia's teaching method—a physical question posed to Stella, inviting her to find her answer through action.

So if she failed to dodge it, Veralia would test her mental fortitude and physical durability to push ahead. If she managed to move out of the way in time, then it was a sign her speed was improving. Either way, she wasn't playing any games today and was here to be the kick in the ass Stella needed to grow.

Veralia's observing gaze had hints of amusement as it seemed Stella was beginning to feel herself a bit through this training. Sure, a good mental boost can help you haul ass in a fight, but only if you had the skills to back it up.

"Perking up are we? Well, let's see your reaction and counter speed."

As the smaller arrancar spoke, her tone of voice was drenched in a teasing nature. She recognized the shift in Stella, the readiness to assert herself more aggressively in their dance of combat, and it was exactly what Veralia had been aiming to provoke.

Wanting to push the Quincy further, Veralia moved forward as if she was going to lunge at her sparring mate, only to dart behind her through soindo; the sounds of static echoing around them. Without a moment's hesitation, she executed a swift elbow strike aimed at Stella's back, a move designed not just to test her physical reflexes but to challenge her situational awareness and her ability to adapt to unforeseen attacks.

There was a pressure of air released around them after Veralia's elbow collided with Stella's axe. A low whistle escaped the lips of the smaller arrancar before she used her instincts to jump backward by about five feet to avoid being restrained by the Quincy. Pleased with her reaction speed, she grinned as her internal thoughts were swirling with ways to keep pushing the woman.

"Now that I've escaped your grasp, let's pretend I was coming to get you, how would you out run me, Stella?"

Her voice still drenched in a taunting tone, each of Veralia's palms was held as she made rather odd gripping motions with her fingers. In time, she would begin to run toward Stella as a dagger of her fire-forged itself in her right palm. Wanting to see her evasive tactics and speed, the objective for Stella was to navigate the environment around them using Steigen, reacting to triggers with appropriate speed and maneuver, and using that noggin of hers in the process.

"Time is ticking away~"

As Veralia touched down on the forest floor, the clapping of her sandals echoed out as she giggled and twirled her fiery dagger around. Taking her time to feel the area, sniff the air, and get a feel for the land; she wandered throughout the vicinity humming a gentle tune before her bloody eyes took a glance behind her toward the direction where Stella may be hiding.

"Boo."

Sounding as playful as ever with a grin on her face, Veralia threw her dagger above a tree where Stella may be concealing herself under. This act, while seemingly whimsical, was a calculated move on Veralia's part. She was well aware of Stella's location, but the gesture served a greater purpose than merely revealing her. It was a challenge, a way to provoke movement, to stimulate thought, and to encourage Stella to engage more actively.