Taking On The Day [Catherine/Yuuto]

"I've killed plenty of those things with just a shield and spear," She'd state with a roll of the eyes, "A weapon's upkeep is only as good as it's user's skill. You could have the sharpest, most perfectly balanced blade in all of existence but get monched by a goober because your stance wasn't effective. I've seen it happen."

She'd scoff, feeling awfully proud of her assessment over this guy. Though her tone was woven with a craftsman's concerns, she personally wouldn't have cared if he got eaten up. He just wanted to know how stupid she thought he was-

The snapping of that blade almost made her heart stop, an audible pained noise followed by her bewildered expression immediately got her to almost punch the guy, her curled fist held at bay by her instinct of survival. That was viciously stupid, but the only thing that'd top that display was her actually throwing a blow. Relax. Relax. Steady.

"You could've picked a less, offensive way to demonstrate that, but... Okay." A shaking breath was loosed. Such a flagrant disrespectful motion toward one's own weapon hit her with sudden disgust for him, but she steadied herself.

"As have I."

A weapon was hardly effective if the user knew nothing of it. A sword could not swing itself, as a gun could not fire on its own. Whether it had been through arrogance, lacking in skill, or general incompetence, he had seen countless people fall. At first, his gaze turned to the ground at the unpleasant memories, but he soon caught the scoff.

He hadn't been a fool. He had noticed her attitude toward him throughout the entire interaction, but he had pushed it aside to try and keep his composure. He had no intention of breaking that, but, the question still remained. Absentmindedly realigning the broken piece with the remaining blade, a light surge of energy brought the two things back together, and in an instant, the sword was repaired as if nothing happened.

"Do you have a problem with me? Beyond...well, snapping a piece of the sword off, have I done something to offend you? We don't even know the other's name, and yet you look at and treat me like I'm the worst thing to exist. If there's something I've done wrong, I can apologize, I don't have a problem with that...but, right now, I don't understand what your problem is."

Lovely. He could just stick it back on. No wonder he was so damn blase about it. Figures; he'd have all the liberty to abuse his blade if it did that. She was about ready to get into dissecting the corpse, regardless of if he felt like watching her or not, before that spilling question finally came out.

Oh, she finally had an excuse to tell the truth, huh? Fine, he wanted to know the obvious? He'd get it.

"Offended? By you? I'm not offended," She'd start with a wavering laugh in her tone, "Frankly, you not being able to pick out the why on your own just tells me how up your own ass you are, like how all of you are. Fine then, i'll keep it simple: This little... What, play you're doing? I see right through it,"

A gesturing hand would wave at the situation, an expression that tells of a memory resurfacing dawning on her face, "Like, hah, you don't have to pretend. Me? The humans on the planet? We're all just numbers to you, a statistic to keep in check, cattle to keep in line. Your job here, is to make sure there isn't too many souls on one part of reality - anything more than that's a farce. You can play altruistic hero! Paragon of humanity! Savior of souls, all you like! Because nobody is able to hold you wastes of oxygen accountable for your bullshit, and you all love it that way."

Her faux enthusiasm suddenly, and steeply, turned into an expression of darkness - a gloom settled on her face, not as if it suddenly appeared, but as if it were being held back by a curtain of indifference, her tone becoming unusually flat, "Because all Shinigami are, is a bunch of sociopathic children playing swords, not wanting any help or assistance in their chore designated by their make-believe god, as people. Fucking. Die, to your inefficiency."

Eyebrows raising, she'd stare at him with those soul-razing eyes, "So, what you gonna do now? Throw a tantrum and punch me? Kill me for dare speaking against you? I'm just a faceless blob to you lot - the death of me wouldn't be a blip in your stupid system. Just like all those Quincy you slaughtered, huh?"

He hadn't expected to have such a thorough and detailed story retold by the young woman. He could practically taste the vitriol in her voice. Yet, rather than anger, Yuuto's expression shifted to one of disappointment and dismay. As she finished, he sighed, returning the sword to his sheath.

"I know you won't believe me, but, frankly, it doesn't matter if you do or not. I don't care about the Gotei's overarching goal of balance. I've never cared about it. All I've cared about is ensuring that the people of this world, of Soul Society, and those I hold close can live their lives safely and happily."

Yuuto's eyes burned with an otherworldly determination as he got to his feet. It was almost infuriating how confident she was in such disgusting claims and accusations.

"Every single human life on this planet is valuable to me, and I will burn every last scrap of energy and resources that I have in order to protect them as best as I am able. Do you think I like watching people die? That I won't take those sights, those screams, to my grave?!"

Taking in a deep breath, Yuuto composed himself, yet, his eyes seemed to bore a hole through Catherine, an invisible weight seeming to press down on her.

"I was not present for the unwarranted extermination of the Quincy, but, to harp on that would be to ignore the fact that humans are capable of potentially even worse than Shinigami. The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Rape of Nanjing, the White Terror of Taiwan...to say that all of us are 'sociopathic children playing swords' is bitterly ironic on your part, you insipid brat."

Suddenly, that weight would vanish, as if it was never there in the first place, and the Captain's gaze grew softer.

"Humans, Shinigami, Quincy, even Hollows are all far more alike than you think."

Before giving her a chance to respond, the form of the Captain would disappear without a sound, without a trace, as if she blinked and he was never there in the first place. Would she think on what he said? Probably not, but, sometimes, that was just how the story ended.