The Lion Sleeps Tonight[Amaranta, Ajora]

AMARANTA VALERIA | BURNING LIONESS

Africa, by all accounts, proved a recurring source of entertainment so far. From Amaranta's point of view, there was so much to unearth in this country that she still found herself returning time and again. What lay behind the nature of these abnormal hollows? How would Africa recover? How would their citizens move past this difficult period? These curiosities were truly far too exciting to keep her away. Of course, there were dull periods. In a country mired with so much conflict, social interaction was relatively nonexistent.

She had lucked out with meeting that gorgeous blonde bombshell in Candice, but outside of her and her last meeting with Sola, she hadn't quite found anyone who could keep her company here. There were the wandering villagers, of course, but those guys ran from her the moment she stepped foot into their wartorn villages. Hell, even when she offered them food she hunted down, they ran.

It was this exact situation she found herself in as she furrowed her eyebrows, fierce sapphires observing civilians running off into the distance from their home. With the large animal over her back, she placed her arm out to light a fire over the wood laid out and slowly went to cutting this thing apart.

"Even an offering doesn't win me any favor with the villagers, huh? Ah well, their loss. Now, then... I wonder how this tastes..."

END POST

Well well well. Nothing like being timely.

Ajora furrowed her brows as she promptly hissed out to the nearby villagers. ”Kaa kimyan!” resulting in the masses to slow to an unsteady halt. Many of them with eyes still locked onto Amaranta, but briefly darting to the woman in the dark ragged hood. Hers, like many clothes adorning the refugees, seemed remnants of modern clothing thrown together. Her dark hair and soft brown eyes hardened as she peered at the arrancar that sat down.

A few still hurried off. The children and the elders. But many of the adults remained present, as the dark haired woman gestured for them to settle, as she herself approached Amaranta, looking for all intents and purposes like the leader of this little village ragtag group.

Stopping a healthy distance from the arrancar, the woman gently jerked her chin upward towards Amaranta.

”I’ve seen you here before. Who are you?”

AMARANTA VALERIA | BURNING LIONESS

"Hoh?"

Amaranta observed the raven-haired woman approaching her after she tempered the crowd through their mother tongue. Where there was once disorder, now remained only the palpable tension of countless eyes gazing back at the sun-kissed lioness in silence. Whistling softly, she turns her sapphire gaze back to the woman standing before her, visibly amused by her presence. What did she have here? From her words, she says she's seen her here before, but she can't recall recognizing her amidst a crowd of multiple villagers. Of course, then again... perhaps she simply wasn't present at the time or relegated herself to the background to observe her in silence. Any of those would make perfect sense.

"Name's Amaranta Valeria. Can't recall a time I've seen you before, though. Whatever you said just now seemed to keep almost everyone in check. I thought bringing food would be the trick, but I suppose all the hollow and arrancar running around makes me something akin to the boogeyman in their eyes."

END POST

This seemed about right. The Arrancar before her matched the reports. A number of operatives, gotei and otherwise, had made not of the Arrancar around Africa, and there were a few scattered reports that while not confirmed, presented the possibility that this woman had a larger wander than most arrancar. The shift in demeanor certainly rang familiar with those she'd seen.

Ajora strode towards the Arrancar and stopped with only a few feet separating herself and them. She was in a Gigai, and so she'd seem like any other human as it were. "The few times I have, you were in the middle of tearing something apart. I saw you killing hollows. I was stuck under a car, trapped. You're the reason I'm still alive..." She let her voice trail off as she seemed to look the woman over. Those eyes searching a bit. She didn't seem afraid, she seemed ....searching. Cautious, but with eyes that seemed...hopeful.

"And now you bring us food. Are you.... trying to help now that the Boss Hollow is dead?" She asked quietly. Asher's death had been spoken of in hushed tones for some time, many were aware of the sudden shift in the hollows behavior, that boldness had been diminished, and as a result, the situation around Africa had grown much more stable. Sher turned toward the rest of the village and gestured. The lowered their makeshift weapons and seemed to settle, at least slightly.

"They're nervous. Can we talk over there? Away from our camp, so that the little ones can get inside and feel safe. It's getting cold." She asked softly, a gentle beseech.

AMARANTA VALERIA | BURNING LIONESS

"Is that so? Good to know my hollow hunts unintentionally saved your life."

Voicing those words with genuine interest, Amaranta cast a sidelong glance back at the citizens with makeshift weapons in hand. The continued unease her presence brought was palpable, but that was to be expected. Hollows of varying natures had decimated different sections of their country. It was unreasonable, then, to expect open arms, even with an offering gift. Tilting her head to the side at her question about a boss hollow, Amaranta stroked her chin as though she quite honestly had no idea who the woman was referring to. Boss Hollow?

"Don't get me wrong. I won't proclaim I'm here as some well-meaning Arrancar trying to endear herself to the people, but these villagers have my respect to some degree. Did you see how they held their weapons up despite the fact they were afraid? To endure an unendurable event and still possess enough courage to move forward... I find that interesting about you humans. Frankly, there's probably no reason for me to remain here now that all the conflict's over, but... part of me wants to see how they all move forward after all this. Do they persevere and build anew or find their home elsewhere?"

Various rumors crossed her ears about the ringleader of this whole event. Someone the hollows with voices called Asher. Asher this, Asher that. Lord Asher. Whoever he was, he was probably dead now. None of the hollows were half as bold as before, nor did they act with any purpose as they once did. As far as she was concerned, he seemed to be some mighty enemy she missed out on fighting to the death. A damn shame, really. Nodding assent to Ajora's request, Amaranta placed the intricately carved blade she picked up along the way atop her shoulder, casting one more glance at the villagers.

"Lead the way."

END POST

"You ....what?" She furrowed her brows for just a moment and stared a bit at Amaranta. Her brows knitting together as if to try and parse what she'd just heart. The woman's blatantness was ...well, a bit jarring. She nodded very slightly as Amaranta went on to explain her actual interest in Africa. Glancing over her shoulder at the villagers that, as it were, seemed to fascinate the lioness. They were what...entertainment? It matched up with what one would expect of arrancar, and it was clear that hope seemed to fizzle in her gaze. But not entirely. She was confused, but she was still curious. Finding answers, and countless new questions in the same breath! but there was also an ...intensity there. Her hands clenched into fists as she ....struggled with what she was feeling. But she kept it at bay.

She watched as the Arrancar picked up that blade, and nodded as she was instructed. Reminded of the situation here, she turned and promptly strode off away from the village, leading Amaranta away as she hunched her shoulders, the look on her face clear that she was struggling with the number of thoughts in her head. They crested a nearby hill and continued until they were out of sight of the village itself. It was late in the afternoon, but there was still plenty of sun. Once she turned and no longer saw the village behind them, she narrowed her eyes.

"So ... let me get this straight. This ....this whole time. You've been her for...fun? Just...what you got ...bored and now you're just watching all of us struggle?! You were her efor the conflict and now you just...watch us suffer?!" She hissed, clear disenchantment in her eyes as she stepped up to Amaranta and gave her a SHOVE to the shoulder! Or well. Tried. The push to the woman's shoulder was met with practically a wall, and in that moment the Ravenette's eyes widened and she took a few steps back, as if reminded of the situation between them. No dloubt, in that moment, Amaranta would be all too aware of what had basically amounted to measley human strength. For all that was worth. But that still only partially seemed to quell the irritation on the woman's face.

"Who are you.... really? You're not some regular hollow. You aren't with Asher. You aren't with the Gotei or the Vandenreich... are you just...here...fucking around on your own?" She asked, her voice laced with exasperation as she attempted to grasp at....whatever it was that Amaranta was.

AMARANTA VALERIA | BURNING LIONESS

"Huh? When did I say that? Whaddya take me for some kind of sadist?"

No offense was present in her expression, but she certainly raised an eyebrow at the raven-haired woman's conclusion. Did she thrive on the suffering of others? Hell no. Where was the fun in observing people cry and lament their losses? Most of her entertainment came from fighting whatever she deemed strong, enemies who crossed her path looking to be felled and turned into another footnote on her path to glory. Of course, as though recognizing how her question might have been interpreted, she quietly waved her hand as she exhaled softly, paying no heed to her attempt to push her body. Humans truly were complicated individuals through and through.

"Don't answer that. Anyway, I'm not with the Gotei or Vandenreich, let alone one of Asher's allies. I'm a wanderer who came here looking for conflict and missed out on a lot of it. At one point, I returned here to rescue my boss, but now that I'm done with that... I wonder how things will play out at the end."

That sapphire gaze looked at the village from the hill. When it came down to it, there was more she sought to learn beyond being entertained by human suffering. Voiceless questions housed by a curious mind. When she suffered, she rose above it. Thus, she wondered if they would do the same. Nothing more, nothing less.

"Elaborating on my thoughts isn't really my style, but I don't like being misunderstood. Again, I won't proclaim I came here looking to be someone's savior, but I didn't enter this country to watch you all suffer, either. I want to see how they grow from this, what capacity they develop from a terrible circumstance. No, it isn't your suffering that fascinates me, but the abilityt to move past it. Do you see what I mean now or does it still make no sense? I suppose I don't understand why I'm so curious about it myself..."

END POST

The woman furrowed her brows, incredulity clear there. She was about to push her point when she noticed Amaranta lamenting, blinking a few times as she watched the arrancar pace a little and go over what exactly had brought her here. "You said you were just here for the conflict, and now youre interested in 'seeing how we do'. What else am I supposed to think?" She murmured, though with less volume and gusto now as she ..listened to Amaranta.

She was about to ask why, but Amaranta answered that all on her own. Apparently she just didn't know. Her own expression turned..... conflicted. As if sorting through her own uncertainties with the arrancar and the situation that was being put forth. "So what you've just been....watching us pull ourselves out of the mud? But if that was true then why the food? The gifts?" She murmured, rubbing the back of her neck for a moment before shaking her head a bit. She walked around the woman until she was face to face with them, studying the Arrancar before leaning in and furrowing her brows.

"Before, you talked about how 'unintentionally' your hollow hunting saved me. There's hollows all over the place. And you hardly seem weak. But you chose to hunt the ones that were feeding on humans. And then you show up to our starving village with food? It looks to me like you're trying to help, but you just don't want to admit it." Her voice was firm as she made her own assessment, folding her arms over her chest, tensing slightly before her shoulders relaxed ever so slightly. For a moment she still looked chiding, but after a moment, she tilted her head, and that frustration gave way to earnestness. She wanted to understand this woman.

"Which you know, if you are, that's.. something that would be kinda nice. This whole aloorf act isn't going to help. If you were up front about your feelings, the village might actually be grateful. The Watoto would not be afraid of you. If you want to help us, why not just help?" What are you, afraid of the other hollows if they found out? She asked softly, reaching up and gently touching Amaranta's arm. An attempt to get the woman to open up.

AMARANTA VALERIA | BURNING LIONESS

"What's with all the questions, lady? What's it matter to you?"

The bronze woman's expression grew quietly annoyed at what felt more akin to an interrogation than a curious woman posing questions. After all, the idea that she would willingly help strangers sounded preposterous. Throughout her existence, she had grown disdainful toward the idea of becoming a foundation others could rely on. Or was that, perhaps, a fear of them growing complacent? An idea that her aid would compromise their evolution? For a moment, she reflected on a single memory.

An ever-evolving hollow by then, she had developed a rapport with those who were weaker than her. Day after day, they looked to her for guidance, while others simply wanted to ensure their survival. Some wanted to grow beside and evolve with her and others grew stagnant. She detested those who grew stagnant and praised those who thrived. Murdering those who stagnated, she was praised by those who thrived. Exhaling loudly, she glanced down at the woman's hand placed against her own. What was she trying to achieve here?

"Do I look like I care about what those inferior hollow think of me? I fought them because they were in my line of sight and made for good hunting targets. I didn't come here with thoughts of rescuing others on my mind, and if I ended up saving any of you, well... good for them, they escaped. You all get to live another day."

Of course, that didn't quite answer her question entirely, did it? Tch...

END POST

Her brows furrowed as she saw Amaranta’s expression shift. But even so, they didn’t shy from her touch. She just frowned as the lioness seemed to brush off any notion of helping them out. While pointedly ignoring the fact that she’d went out of her way to bring them food. Refusing to admit that for whatever reason, this arrancar had deemed it worthwhile to look after these humans. And for just an instant, she considered once again challenging the woman's insistence. But after a moment, she just sighed, and retracted her hand.

"Whatever. I suppose it doesn't matter. Whatever you decide to do, we probably won't be around to see how it all pans out." She looked over her shoulder towards the village. Her gaze then shifting back to Amaranta for a moment. Seeming to be thinking about something.

"That man with you. The one with the Silver hair. Should we stay away from him?" A soft and earnest question. No attempt to pry about their relation, or any real details. Just a simple relevant question: whether or not that man was to be feared.