The Lion Sleeps Tonight[Amaranta, Ajora]

"Man with white hair... Ah, you mean, Klein? There's no need to worry about him. He isn't even here anymore. Even if he were, the worst I could imagine him getting up to is flirting with you and the other women in this village - that is, if any of you struck his fancy."

An exasperated sigh brushed forth from her lips as she reflected on the woman's words prior, like a lingering echo that persisted in her mind. Momentarily, her sapphire gaze swept back to the village in the distance, observing the villagers from afar. What were they still here for? There were certainly rescue teams still present across here that could bring them in, individuals who could escort them to a better place. What did they intend to do moving forward? Stabbing the blade into the ground, Amaranta rubbed the back of her head, chuckling sheepishly as she gazed at the descending sun.

"Give yourselves at least some credit, will ya? I guess the reason I found you all worthy of my help... was the unity you've all shown despite how difficult your situation is. This conflict might be exciting to me, but I imagine it's probably been terrible for you guys. And yet, even in spite of all that... when I entered, some of you were still willing to defend and protect your young despite the disadvantage you faced. In truth, I want to understand them. The villagers, and maybe even humans in general..."

Turning back to her with observant sapphires, the woman posed a question of her own, pointing a finger against her shoulder.

"What do you all use to keep going? How do you perservere? Without spiritual power, without ability... Where does that strength of mind come from? I don't get it."

"That so? With the way you commanded them with your voice, ya certainly could've fooled me."

The bronze woman was hardly offended by the raven-haired woman's action. Prideful as she was, her attention was focused wholly on her current train of thought, and perhaps, the woman's opinion on her question. As expected, there was no definite answer to sate her curiosity. Did she expect one? Of course not. What would a mere woman caught up in this know about them to answer questions like these? Gazing up at her with curious sapphires, she leaned in to gleam a closer look at the object in the woman's hand. Ever so slowly, she carefully took the item from the woman's hand as she observed it in silence. They were relative strangers, so what was the purpose of giving away something so important?

"Why're you giving this to me if it's important to you? I don't quite know how a lucky charm will give me any of the answers I'm looking for."

"I can't promise I'll be able to keep it on me at all times, but I'll hold onto it. Luck? That's a concept I can't understand no matter what answer I get."

Rising from the ground, Amaranta gazed at the woman as she began heading back to the village. Clouds were gathering in the sky, rumbling quietly, indicating the inevitable arrival of rain and perhaps thunder. Snorting softly at her comment about cats not being fond of water, the leonine arrancar started following her. The likelihood that she would gain her answers from this woman was nonexistent, but that didn't entirely mean she desired to go off into the distance. After all, part of her intention was interacting with the villagers. If she had to endear herself to the people, then so be it. This train of thought wouldn't abate until she gained an answer she found suitable.

"Probably will be, yeah? Luckily for you all, I can manipulate fire. What, you thought you were gonna be rid of me that easily?"

"Another cat quip, eh? Someone's getting bold and testing their luck, but that's the type of energy I fuck with anyway, so... you get a pass, for now."

Exchanging that playful and relatively harmless(for now) threat, Amaranta tilted her head at the ravenette's next words. Klein again? What did she want to know about him? In much the same way she wasn't exactly eager to air her own secrets, she wasn't exactly keen on mapping out his whole life's story. That wasn't her style. Of course, that assumes he told her anything noteworthy to begin with. All he had done for her was lead her here to this country after telling her that she'd have fun, but that was it. Nothing else. For a single moment, she idly wondered if this was one of Klein's girls he toyed with in the past, one who might be assuming some guise to hide her true identity. Or maybe she was simply curious about him since she saw them together. That one probably made the most sense, but she could never be too sure with him. With all these women he loved making moves on, there was bound to be some vindictive woman who had it in for him.

"Mm, there isn't that much history between us, honestly, but I guess I can tell you what little we share. What makes you so curious about him, anyway?"

"Nah. I don't mind it that much. Comes with the territory with an appearance like mine. That said, I'm a little too prideful to be called a stray."

Exchanging a playful wink of the eye, Amaranta quietly observed the woman as she explained the leonine's woman presence here and her intentions. Expressions that seemed tense seemed more relaxed now, and there was even the curious child or two that approached her as though they were gazing up at some mythical warrior. Patting the curious children on their heads child, Amaranta flashed her typical cocksure grin as she watched them return to their prior activities. When Ajora returned, Amaranta nodded her head affirmatively. That answer made perfect sense. Sitting beside the woman at the top of the hill she currently occupied, Amaranta provided her with an answer of her own.

"Heh, you're not wrong there. In terms of combat, he's certainly a dangerous fighter, but as an individual... he strikes me as far more relaxed. Hell, I'd say he's pretty nonchalant, too. From what I've seen, he doesn't seem like the type who'd start trouble here unless it benefitted him. Far as my looks go, yeah. You hit on the nail," Amaranta noted with a lopsided smile, her ego stroked by the small compliment. After all, that was precisely why Klein seemed to be so enthralled with her, to say nothing of her strength.

"He liked what he saw. I challenged him to prove he was worthy of sharing my company. He won. We banged. And we had a relationship of some kind, I guess. At some point, he told me about all the conflict happening here, and how much fun I could have testing my mettle against hollow and other opponents, but I ended up walking away pretty dissapointed. After that, we fought pretty intensely. Ever since then, I haven't heard a peep out of him."