Envidia's Crest [Veralia/Open]

As if dancing in a sea of light and color, the emerald flame of Veralia's ball clashed against Sabriel's sphere of plum energy. The collision of these two forces caused a small explosion of envy and lust to fill the air, radiating particles of these vivid hues of power across the field.

Coming out of the plum of smoke, Veralia was hot on Sabriel's trail, smirking and aiming to deliver a swift double-palm strike to her gut. Regardless of its effectiveness, she would keep her movement going and jump back by ten feet, allowing her to circle Sabriel and attempt to send ten balas in all directions to gauge how she'd deal with a full 360 threat.

"If you want, I can always push you to get stronger. You never know when you might need a bit of muscle!"

With a wink of her eye, she'd let out a teasing laugh as she felt her own blood heat up as her body got to move around and push its weight.

"After all, it's what I'm doing with Stellie~"

The taller of the two Arrancar was a little slow that time and took the palm strike directly, feeling an unpleasant feeling of pain from her stomach. She was not made of paper though and Sabriel was durable enough to take such blows although the lavender haired woman might have to think carefully about what she was going to eat next. Her regeneration was also rather good so she was not overly worried and kept her guard up as well as she could. Veralia was rather hard to catch though and Sabriel mused that she was going to have to use her other powers, sooner rather than later.

“As much as I love my form, I must admit that a little more muscle would not hurt. Maybe I could actually end up on top for a change.” She replied in good humour once again. Sabriel wished that she was actually joking but the truth did seem to be that she was playing the submissive role more often than not. “You have certainly done a good job bulking Stella up.”

There was no time for anything else though as the balas were soon closing in. Clicking her tongue, Sabriel was forced to use her Sonida again, in order to get away. The problem was that using it took a fair amount of energy as well. There was no real option though.

As a counter, she would unleash one of her favourite techniques, summoning a pair of purple chains that would attempt to grasp hold of the swift moving woman. They were coated with lust and should Veralia feel their touch then she might just find an assault on her emotions rather than her body. Such were Sabriel and her abilities, one and the same.

"Aye, thanks. I'm pretty certain I can do the same for you with enough time."

Her tone was more reassuring than before, and her eyes narrowed as she observed Sabriel's movements. While the speed of her attacks and movements was sound, the woman's soindo could use more work in her mind.

However, her attention quickly shifted back to the immediate threat as she noticed the chains whipping towards her. Instinctively, Veralia tapped into her renowned agility, dodging with graceful speed. As she maneuvered, she sensed an unusual aura enveloping the chains, prompting her to ponder their potential effects more deeply.

"I think we need to improve your energy efficiency."

With her remark clear and resounding, her gaze remained on Sabriel; watching her closely as she continued.

"When I noticed your movements, you use up a ton of energy, and that’s not sustainable in prolonged combat. You'll tire out quickly and that's something you'll want to fix sooner rather than later."

Her feedback was direct but constructive, intended to guide Sabriel towards better conservation of her strength in battle.

“Sonido has always been rather taxing for me.” Sabriel answered honestly, confirming Veralia’s observation. “I can cast my abilities with ease but when it comes to movement, I just find myself winded after a few attempts. It should be graceful but for me it just causes problems. It is something I must improve though as I struggle with close range combat anyway. A kiss and a cuddle cannot get me out of every encounter, I know that much.”

Attempting to use her high speed movement again, Sabriel would briefly vanish, appearing to the side of Veralia in order to fire a purple coloured Bala in her direction. The latter was far easier to do than the former, with Sabriel feeling another kick in the energy reserves. There must be an easier way of using the ability without her having to cripple herself using it. Was it even her body that was the problem? What if it was something in her technique or mind? Whatever it was, it irritated the dark haired Arrancar just a bit. A little more speed would be so useful for her if she came across any enemies in the future.

As a plum of purple smoke echoed out around them, there were a few burn marks across Veralia, but she managed to endure the attack and use it as a chance to grab her wrist swiftly. Leaning slightly toward Sabriel, her eyes narrowing as if studying and dissecting the woman before her.

"Yeah, you’re expending too much energy when using Sonido. Work on building your stamina so your body can handle the demands of high-speed movement. It’s not just about speed; it’s about precision and control. Clear your mind and concentrate solely on your movements."

Speaking in a stern but well-meaning tone, the woman's eyes flickered with fire before she turned on her ankle and aimed to hurl Sabriel back toward the sands below with a fast toss.

“Let’s try something simpler,”

Veralia continued, drawing a fire circle in the air with her power and wherever Sabriel ended up.

“Move from that to point within this circle, focusing on precision and control. Don’t think about speed for now.”

Landing on the sand with about as much grace as she could, Sabriel would glance up at the circle of fire that Veralia had created. It seemed a simple enough task although rather than just rush into it, the dark haired Arrancar would simply pause and wait for a moment or two, thinking deeper over what she was about to do. Doing her utmost to take Veralia’s advice to heart, she would focus completely on where she wished to be rather than how quickly she could get there.

Taking a deep breath, she would then vanish again, moving towards the location, her eyes focused entirely on her journey rather than the destination. It would end up being a rather slow attempt in truth but when she did reappear, Sabriel was almost directly in the centre of the circle, feeling just a little less winded by the attempt. The desire Arrancar certainly did not think it was a perfect Sonido by any means but maybe it was a start.

Turning to Veralia, she would comment. “It did feel rather different that time.”

While it was a mild difference, it was a difference nonetheless. Noticing the lessening of energy used to move made Veralia affirm that focus, efficiency, and control were the problems holding Sabriel back.

“Good shit, Sabriel. You’re beginning to understand the importance of focus and control over sheer speed. Remember, efficiency is key. It’s not just about how fast you move, but how well you control your energy.”

Tapping Sabriel's shoulder, Veralia gave her a brief, encouraging nod before glancing back at the fiery circle on the ground. She contemplated for a moment, then chuckled, a glint of mischief in her eyes.

"I suppose a demonstration could help, eh? It may be best if you synchronize your breath with your movement. Think of your energy like a river, flowing smoothly with your breath. Let’s practice that."

With a gentle inhale and exhale, Veralia had moved in the blink of the eye from the top of the air, to the depths of the sand before looking back up and waving at Sabriel.

"Try it. Take a deep breath, visualize your path, and as you exhale, initiate your Sonido. Let your breath guide your movement."

As she spoke, four emerald fire bala's began hovering around the edges of the circle. Veralia winked, her playful smile turning into a challenging grin.

"Oh, and I'll introduce some obstacles this time."

The example was useful and Sabriel was more than willing to try what Veralia was asking of her. Anything that could help her with her most dreaded of all skills was worth considering in her opinion. She had to admit that her friend was rather gifted when it came to teaching and the dark haired Arrancar could begin to understand just how Stella had developed so well. The petite woman was direct but not overly harsh, seeming to have found the right balance when it came to instruction.

Following her friend’s advice, Sabriel would take a breath, visualise her path and then exhale, attempting to activate her Sonido at that moment. She felt more at ease as the ability took hold and in those moments where moved, a sense of calm fell upon her. Until those blasted Bala came into range anyway, when it became rather more difficult to control what she was doing.

This part might just be a pain.

Veralia's eyes were fixed on Sabriel like a hawk, so she knew they could start to get somewhere with a few more tweaks. So, in a stern but reassuring tone, she called out to Sabriel once more:

"It takes practice. But I saw you start getting the hang of it, so push through that shit."

Even if she ran into the balas, they shouldn't cause too much harm other than perhaps to her ego. With the balas still surrounding the air, she continued to have the obstacles in place but gave another key piece of advice.

"Feel the energy around you and let it guide your movements. This will help you anticipate and dodge attacks like the Bala more effectively, letting your instincts and subconscious take over."

Using Veralia’s advice to her advantage once more, Sabriel would rely on her senses and the energy around her in order to weave her way through the bala. She was still not particularly graceful just yet but the Arrancar was able to at least avoid colliding with every obstacle in her path. The dark haired woman should have studied Sonido years ago, she knew that but her attention had always been captivated by the other Hollow arts. She considered herself fortunate that up until now, her lack of training in the speed art had not come back to bite her.

It was after the third or fourth bala that she began to truly connect with the idea and her movements began to change from clunky to more like her usual casual way of behaving. She would start to dance around the bala with more confidence although she did almost regret it as one passed awfully close, singeing some of her hair and causing an annoyed look to cross her features.

“These bala are a real pain in the backside.” Sabriel commented as she moved.