Beneath the Waterfall [Gaoh/Lilith]

Sunlight poured over the mountaintops, shadows cresting to give way to sparkling water. A river cut through the landscape below, flowers and boulders lining either side with the keptness of weeds. The water's roar drowning out the sound of wildlife. At the river's base, tumbling, rumbling down, down, down, water fell from above. White foam erupting as mist, miniature rainbows blinking in and out within moments. To look closely underneath the falls, one would find Gaoh; sat on crossed legs, arms draped over his knees with clasped fists.

At peace in body, to be at peace of mind. A lesson learned long ago, carved from memory into muscle.

With eyes shut, he breathed - hour after hour, meditation having worn the wheel of time. From sun to moon and back again, the arrancar had found momentary peace. A long moment, disciplined, tightening and relaxing his body piece by piece, muscle by muscle. Even a man of violence and blood needed to re-center, from time to time. But all peace must end, when its time comes. As with most of Gaoh's life, curiosity would lapse this day's peace.

In the distance, on the far edge of his senses, the telltale sign of spiritual energy opened the man's eyes. A long breath exited him as Gaoh stood, slowly, methodically, stretching and bending himself all the way. With little more than a scrap of cloth around his midriff, he stepped from under the waterfall. Crimson scanned the horizon, loosely pulling back soaked hair from his eyes.

Gaoh was not the only one finding peace and relaxation. Lilith did not know how far she had drifted at this point. In fact, she wasn’t even aware that she had been drifting. What was a nice relaxing nap on a stone some ways upriver, turned into a ride down the water toward the edge of a cliff. Wearing little more than a normal black bikini and her eyepatch, Lilith was still asleep as she casually floated down river, conveniently missing every rock and limb she passed by.

Suddenly, she dropped. She change in direction and the strange gravitational pull finally woke Lilith from her comfortable water nap. She looked up to the sky, noticing it was getting a little farther away. Before she had a chance to look around, PLOP. Lilith’s body had fallen on something hard. Luckily, her durability made it where this wasn’t an issue. She rolled over off it and stretched, a crack snapping from her lower back as she took a look around the area. “AH. I fell asleep!”

Gaze slipping over the landscape, Gaoh's head swiveled as the surging water was interrupted - from above? Certainly unexpected, as one falling down a waterfall tended to be. Be it rock of streambed as her destination, the arrancar held no envy; but plenty of curiosity. "You okay?!"

A hand cupped the side of his mouth as he shouted, walking back upstream to the sudden arrival. A hop and a skip across the slippery terrain, and he'd find himself situated at the water's edge. Across the stream, boulders lay at the waterfall's base, a woman's figure obscured within.

"Hard to hear over the falls!!" both hands cupped his mouth this time, oblivious to his near nudity as he yelled, louder than before."Wave if you can hear me!"

The falls were loud, but Lilith could have sworn she heard someone yelling. Maybe it was the group she had initially been with? First, she looked up, a fish falling right on her face. “Rude…” Turning away, she heard it again, and her one visible eye landed on a half-naked dude yelling toward her from the shore. Raising an arm, she waved and made her way his direction. As she got a little away from the falls and near the shore where he was at, she could hear a bit better.

Lilith held out a hand in hopes he’d help her up. If he did, she'd give him a quick thanks. "I fell asleep floating down river..." she said, laughing at herself before reaching around to rub her back. No injures she could feel. Good, but also kind of expected. A fall like that wouldn't hurt. "Were you going for a swim or somethin'?"

Gaohs brow knit for a moment, unsure that he heard the woman correctly. Surely, it wasn't strange that she survived falling down a waterfall - more that she fell down one in the first place. Who the hell goes swimming in the mountains?

Reaching out a hand in turn, he'd pull her up, a grin taking over his expression as he'd laugh. "Ah?" Absentmindedly wiping a hand against his side, speaking.

"Something like that. Peaceful out here, don't usually run into anyone. Can't say I'd recommend swimming upstream." Gaoh tilted his head towards the falls, crossing his arms. "But you seem right for wear, all said." A flick of crimson across the woman, a faint curiosity dancing in his eyes. "Take it you've never been here before, miss?"

"Yeah, I’m fine, and nope! Or maybe… I don’t know. I can’t say I remember coming to this particular waterfall before, but I’ve probably been in the area at least…”

Lilith took a quick look around the area, specifically up stream from where she fell. Just ‘eye-balling’ it, she was probably a decent distance away from her original location. Oh well, she could get her things later. Her interest was with this Arrancar.

“I'm assuming that you’re one of them civilized Arrancars that are poppin’ up in places? You all are a strange bunch... So, what brings you out here?”

"Sure you didn't hit your head on the way down?" The words tumbled out, his carefree expression giving little ideation. "Don't know where you are, don't know when someone's asking your name, not that I'm much of a doctor, but -" eyebrows raised with a wider smile, "I've taken my fair share of hits."

Eyepatch left some questions, but that could wait. Gaoh was more concerned with the present; not that she actually had brain damage, but her spiritual pressure and awareness of what he was... Usually meant someone he'd fight, but it did well to key in 'who' was 'what' beforehand. Most of the ones that sought him out were psychotic, so the meeting was by chance. Might as well have fun with it, one way or the other.

"Can't say I've met many 'civilized' arrancar, myself. Most of them never really get past being a hollow, one way or another. You can imagine getting away from that kind of bullshit can take you far, far away." Gaoh gestured around them, one hand loosely propped on his hip, the other guiding their eyes through the air. A long breath in, smile wide with closed eyes. "Found this place a few decades ago. Been coming ever since."

"I might of, actually. I can't say I'd be able to tell at this point,” Lilith shrugged and then returned a smile, holding out a hand to shake. “Sorry about that… Name’s Lilith and I’ve probably taken more; body don’t give a damn anymore.”

Lilith followed the guy's gesture and looked around. It was a pretty peaceful place to be hanging around, for sure, but she was more interested in the man's smile. He seemed real laid back, strangely happy. It was kind of refreshing.

"So, this your secret hide out?" Lilith asked, the question coming off more like she thought him a child than an adult. It wasn't disrespectful or mocking, just... casual. "I can't blame you; it's beautiful. Why you out here now? Relaxation or training?" Lilith smirked as she asked, a sense of curiosity hanging in her tone.

The arrancar shook Lilith's hand in turn, stepping back to sit on one of the larger rocks that walled the stream. Bare skin pressed against the stone and its algae as he leaned forward, arms crooked against knees, clasped in front. "Is there a difference?" An eyebrow raised, matching the half kilter grin beneath. Gaoh pointed at the woman, crimson gaze boring through her.

"You sound like you're pretty tough. Not gonna fool me into thinking you've got some half-assed attitude. Name's Gaoh, friends call me Gaoh." He'd avoid laughing at his own joke, but it danced in his eyes. "And call it that if you want, just one of the places I go back to. World's a big place, lot to love to find. Trust me, I keep an eye out." Gaoh blinked, a pause as his words entered his own mind.

"No offense intended." He winked, mirroring her eyepatch.

“The difference? Uh… Depends on the person, I guess…” Lilith said, still looking up the waterfall. She wanted to go get her stuff, knowing it wouldn't be a hard find. She also wanted to continue the conversation with someone new. She didn’t often interact with Arrancar on somewhat friendly levels, so this could be fun.

"Interesting assumption,” Lilith said, raising an eyebrow at Gaoh, though her smirk stayed. She wasn’t trying to fool anyone, but her relaxed attitude might make it seem like that. She wouldn’t correct him though, and instead laughed at the wink. Raising a hand to her eye patch, she lifted it up to reveal an uninjured eye, the only evidence of any injury being three wicked scars that went from her eyebrow to below her eye lid. “None taken,” she chuckled and then put it back down.

"So, why are you train-relaxing? What's your deal?" Lilith asked, though the tone came off much more prodding, like she wanted a deeper answer.