Off In The Cold Woods [Catherine, Verdada]

Her sketchbook was squeezed with incredible anticipation, having carefully wedged herself between an opening of the cavern to look below, a whole herd of Gillian roaming the grounds beneath her, varying in size and even shape of mask occasionally as pencil scrapes tainted the fresh white page pressed into the grey terrain. That little project she was taken here for was done, she saw no harm going a way's out to do what she'd desired here most, having traveled miles away from her origin point with little concern of getting lost; she had her way back.

Though, she didn't expect this feeling from herself, this feeling of.. Giddiness? Every unique facet of the land or life she saw, she greedily recorded it - it was a sight none but her would have witnessed prior, in terms of the human population. Was the mere idea of discovery what got her so riled? Ugh, she felt like a little kid.

But wow, she didn't think they varied in size so much. Sure there was the occasional sighting in the Living World though that did nothing to inform of what she saw. Why a flock? Don't they eat each other? What a strange behavior for a bunch of mindless animals...

Well, it was time to move away from them.

Her lip curled when she heard that familiar mocking tone, pulling away from her intensive sketching and note taking to look Verdada's way. Sure yeah, she did ask, but it didn't mean she was all that pleased with her so called acquaintance; although the woman nearly killed her, she did prove to be of use and interested in what she was. Woman was kind of psychotic, but it wasn't too far a cry with the bastards she normally did work with or for; she just had to be careful.

"Ohhh Verdada, as much as i'd love to tear one of those great big brutes open, i'm sure i'd have seven more descending upon me to give me a good bite-bite chomp-chomp. I'm a researcher, not an idiot - I know when it's too hot of a situation to jump into."

An annoyed huff and eyeroll would return her to looking at the herd, only to see it had moved on. Shit... Oh well not like she didn't have millions of other hollows to carefully watch at a distance.

"...Real creepy how this place makes one feel."

Yeah, she could tell this was some kind of mind game, it hardly inspired any sort of worry or anxiety in her at this point, sitting by and occasionally looking far down beneath them for any other herds showing up whilst Verdada put up all her harrowing talk. Staring at her unfazed, allowing for her to finish up this little thought experiment of her's, she'd shrug and smile in a way that'd make milk curdle,

"Quite the awful thing to consider doing to someone you consider a friend, don't you think?" Her tone was relaxed; even if by some pure misfortune Verdada decided to be squirrely and leave her for dead, well, it was just like she decided last time she was here - she'd simply make her own way out no matter how long it took, she had hollow in her and the capacity to develop it more was made only more promising in this place. It'd only be a matter of time of her figuring out how to open a way through the Gargantua on her own, and then hunting down the miserable wet rat, "Pretty mean theoretical there, buddy."

"As for our surroundings, i'd hardly call this flora..." She'd give the holding they were in a few knocks, "More like minerals imitating trees. Quite the weird structure but I guess this world's idea of plants might be different than the living's own. Fitting, I guess - it is on the death plane... But strange considering Soul Society apparently has a sun and water cycle. Two out of three have a sun, and the only similarity between here and home is that the moon's phases seem to be inverted."

Looking at Verdada directly with narrowed eyes, she'd sigh, "I'm looking for as many things to jot down as possible. There's hardly any information on this place and even if I felt like entertaining it, I doubt those Gotei twits are too thrilled to share with a lowly mortal."

It wasn't that she was uncertain in her capabilities, but rather being faced with a situation of inexperience; she's never taken down a hollow that big before, much less a Gillian. The last high class hollow she took down, it was some Adjuchas that breached, even then she barely got that victory out... Gillian were a whole other story despite technically being a class under. But, they were in a subterranean region, maybe if one were lured into a smaller space she could pin it with her Fullbring... Still, she wasn't sure.

"Okay, first - ew, don't call it 'stimulated'," She made her disgust audible as she pushed the woman's hand away from her chest like she were a dirty towel flung at her, "But yes I have felt.. Different each time I made contact here. Like home. It's fucking creepy and I don't like it."

Her gaze wafted down below them as she heard the faint roars of another herd passing through, her thoughts mulling on the arrancar's words. Nobody but us monsters, huh? What twisted shit was she thinking of?

"..Fine. Help me lure one to a smaller space. It'll be hard to kill it otherwise," She pulled her machete from her belt, crafted from claw and bone. Had to be careful with it, thing never dulled, "Only have this."

Heartburn stung her at that memory, gritting her teeth behind her lips. She was just trying to get under her skin, she always did that, as if it was a big joke to her. She also greatly disliked the amount of feathers that were being stuck into the root-like formations; she made sure to put that sample away nice and secure so that she didn't get any surprise vibrations, she never wanted to feel that tremoring again.

Making a calm stride to one of the openings of the bark, she looked Verdada's way with that question. Curling her lip, she'd roll her eyes - not telling her would make the hunt harder,

"Stay to the outermost bounds of the space, as close as you possibly can. You'll drown otherwise."

Grabbing a few stray stones, she'd make her way down with the aid of Bringer Light guiding her path and cushioning her fall. It felt odd using her power here, like they were stronger... More lucid. Like she felt in touch with herself. It scared her in a way she couldn't place.

Down she went, quickly into a hiding space as Verdada surely followed, keeping her presence hidden as she watched the herd crawl on by. A Gillian lagged behind - that would be her target.

Positioning the stones in her hand, she'd shoot one much like a bullet into the back of the beasties' head, the massive creature halting it's progression. She was surprised it had any sort of cognition to react in such a way.

"Saw some cover it can fit into thataway," She'd point someplace west, with a squint one can see a hollow of roots that'd be big enough to fit the critter, "We just gotta run it in there."

With little other preparation, she'd emerge from their place of hiding, flicking another shot at the towering horror, the piling of souls releasing a furious growl as it's progress would move it further from it's herd and right for her.