Hollow Shores[Kenichi, Sabre, Priscilla]

The path forward for Priscilla was simple enough. All she wanted was friends, and if that meant getting married or doing whatever other human ritual, she would gladly follow along with nary a complaint. At the end of the day, life wasn't any more complicated than that for this crimson-haired Arrancar. Complicated was boring, and often led to disastrous consequences. Humans might look at this trio and call their relationship complicated, but in Priscilla's eyes it was as simple as anything else. All they had to do was be happy.

When Kenichi grew closer and grasped one of her hands, Priscilla's mind was still wandering, thinking about wedding dresses. As far as she knew they were usually white and grandiose, but they didn't look particularly comfortable. Her cerulean eyes looked down at her own current beach-appropriate attire, an outfit she made herself and had worn in Hueco Mundo too. Can I get married in this? she asked herself before being brought back to reality by Kenichi's speech.

Tilting her head, Priscilla looked at Kenichi like he had said something confusing. Hadn't she already answered this? "So long as you two are happy, I'll be happy." Not quite understanding the seriousness of what Kenichi was asking, or the situation they were in, Priscilla just stood waiting for the others to decide for her.

"I don't know..."

Sabre was undoubtedly correct and he found no fault in her words. Finding the clarity required in a conversation like this, Kenichi genuinely pondered his thoughts on the matter. Somewhere deep within his mind, he felt that bitter pang of regret sweeping through his mind. Sabre's current existence. The countless battles, his unbiased loyalty despite her viciousness. And then he flashed back to his time spent here and the "engagement" he ended up in after a single night of unbridled drinking in an attempt to let loose.

For a moment, he wondered. Did he know the meaning of love? In its truest sense, could he dare say he was capable of even dating two women and loving them both? Again, based on his perception, the average man would have said yes with resounding conviction, but that had no application here whatsoever, and he didn't exactly welcome the idea of treating any woman as a prize, let alone two. He had noticed, in his own words, that he didn't quite voice his thoughts with declarative force.

He came here convinced one would say they hated him, going so far as to attack him out of rage, but that wasn't the case. One damnable truth presented itself during the silence. Neither one of them was human - they were hollows that evolved into Arrancar. He was a human with overwhelming gifts of physical might and martial prowess. He understood human customs in right and wrong. Understood how severely complicated this was, how indecisive he was being... once again.

He genuinely had no idea how arrancar functioned outside of what they displayed. Having met only three, he could only evaluate them based on their actions. Sabre did her fair share of wrong apologized for it, and displayed nothing but genuine attempts to improve since then. He barely knew Priscilla outside of her bubbly personality and affectionate actions. Kenichi didn't comment on it at first, but Priscilla simply didn't give any answer he could call definitive. He didn't know how important this was to her.

He didn't catch what Sabre recognized, but her answer remained the same. Was it her default? Did she want to love them? He did not understand her. Kenichi hadn't even bothered to attempt to do so during his time here. resigning himself to a foolish habit of drinking his inner turmoil away. If he hadn't shown any commitment then, would he do so now?

If Sabre couldn't trust herself all that well, that meant she'd be burdening herself to understand another woman who, by all accounts, was a complete unknown, someone he saddled her with because he wanted to make everyone happy. On top of all that, did he want to resign her to that fate? No, of course not. He stepped back for a moment to look at both of them, his gaze defaulting to Priscilla, his intent to address her first.

"I'm no expert on every human custom and culture in the world, but I can at least discern right and wrong. The short of it is, that I didn't bother to get to know you while we were here, despite us getting engaged. I was distant and didn't bother forging a bond, and now I'm here. I don't know you all that well, Priscilla. I know that you're a pleasant woman with an upbeat spirit that matches my own, but..."

He paused, planning his next words carefully, scratching his head as he ruminated on his next words.

" But... that's just it. This is all one big mess I've created. And I can see now that you aren't upset about anything that's being said, or anything that's happened. At the same time, you haven't said much, either. It's a little unsettling. I love Sabre. I'd like to make a genuine attempt to understand and care for her properly. I don't want to be her burden, and I don't want you to be a burden to her, either. That would make me unhappy."

Turning back to the woman, again, he exhaled softly, his expression somewhat bothered by how much of a mess this was in retrospect. A mess he created, no doubt, but a mess nonetheless.

"I don't know you much, but we are engaged, and some small part of me does want to get to know you, but if I get the idea... that you aren't going to treat this seriously, I don't want to pursue this. I can't exactly bear the thought of making another mistake. I want to avoid that."

That was that. Did it hurt to come across as harshly as he was right now? Of course, it did. He was killing himself internally, but he knew what he wanted. He knew that when he came here. That was all there was to it. But, they were here now, then all he wanted was a genuine answer and action.

"If I get the same answer again, I don't want to do this. I'd be the biggest fool here. I know I'm being harsh, but I can't keep forcing others to make decisions for me. If you want to get to know us, date us, and marry us after we've learned what comes along with it, then say that."

That was all he had to say on the matter.. He hated a world where he couldn't make everyone happy and put a smile on their face, but he didn't want to make things any more complicated when he, as Sabre had alluded to, didn't know them to the degree he reasonably felt he should. To a degree where he could make Sabre happy. Priscilla seemed content either way, and... he had to admit, that bothered him a little. At the very least, her next answer would decide the matter here.

Though she had actually been fine with the notion of getting married, if Sabre didn't wanted to jump into things then that was okay with Priscilla too. The kneeling woman's words were reassuring in other ways though, as she made it clear she did want them all to be together. Sabre just seemed to want them to take a small step back as her and Priscilla were still strangers, even though Priscilla didn't see it that way. To her, they're friends now, anything else didn't really matter.

Priscilla was having trouble understanding what Kenichi was saying. They "didn't forge a bond"? Aren't they friends though? What other bond is there? Isn't that good enough? Isn't she good enough? "Unsettling"? Priscilla had no clue how to respond to that. And did he think she would be a burden? Priscilla thought back to all her time spent with Kenichi so far, searching for a reason he thought these things. Hadn't they had fun together?

Confusion and sadness mixed in Priscilla's eyes as she stared back at Kenichi. Less than a minute ago they were all going to be happy together, and now it felt like he was pushing her away as if she posed some sort of threat to the two of them. Priscilla looked back and forth between Kenichi and Sabre, unsure of what to say. If she was honest he was going to kick her to the curb, and then she would be out two friends and that much closer to being alone.

"I..I want to make you both happy. Because then you'll be my friends. Is that what you want me to say? I'll say whatever you want me to Kenny. As long as we get to keep being friends. Is that good Kenny? Is that what you wanted to hear?" There was a sort of desperate hopefulness in her voice as she spoke, her eyes wide with pleading. She had lost those close to her before, and didn't want to again. Turning to Sabre, Priscilla gave a similar answer to the kneeling Arrancar. "You'll be my friend, right Sabey? If you want to date we can date! We'll do whatever you want, I'll do whatever you want. Is that what you want me to say?"

"..."

What he wanted was assurance. Or perhaps, he wanted a promise. Anything to ensure that this would run smoothly for Sabre's sake, completely ignoring how his assertive position and harsh words might have affected Priscilla. Looking at her now, he wondered if her mind even functioned to a degree where she could truly comprehend the severity of the matter. Another horrifying reminder that he was out of his element here.

Sabre had attempted to be the voice of reason, and he resorted to pressing Priscilla for an answer he wasn't quite sure she understood. In her own words, she was willing to say anything that would allow them to remain together in one capacity or another. The pleading look in Priscilla's eyes had rendered him speechless, his mind clouded with shame, even if some small part didn't regret his words. His gaze shifted between the two of them, his eyes set on Sabre and her instruction.

Her current actions seemed to indicate the intention of consoling her, and he simply did as instructed and took a step back, voicing a quiet apology as he turned his head to gaze off into the sea. Was she okay with her? Would she be alright with this? His mind, a whirlwind of questions, reflected on his current actions. What was this? Was he ill-equipped? Was he out of his element? Was he wrong? Was he right? With nothing else but his reflection, he simply created some distance between them, sitting at the sea. What a fool. Laughably so.

"...Sorry."

At Sabre's mention of them being friends, a switch seemed to flip in Priscilla. Just like that, she was back to normal, the left of being stuck alone gone from her mind. At the same time, she was no idiot; she understood there were still problems and strains with this relationship. To Priscilla, being alone was a terrible thing; but just as bad was conflict. Conflict shears apart relationships like wool off sheep, and remaining unproblematic for those around her was her modus operandi.

After a moment of thinking carefully, reflecting back on previous friendships throughout her time in Hueco Mundo, Priscilla answered the other Arrancar's question with a cheeriness that belied the terrible content of her reply "Oh, usually they'll just hurt me or have me hurt other people, which is okay cause I have regeneration and the other people aren't my friends." To emphasize it wasn't a big deal to her, Priscilla shrugged her shoulders as she finished speaking.