Friendly Inquiry (Akira/Stella)

Stella would take the gift as she would give him a nod. Truthfully she didn't care what kind of chocolate she loved it all. However she didn't feel like she deserved a gift for what had happened. Stella had been to weak to protect the group she was with. Simple as that, and in Stella's mind she should be being punished and she doesn't deserve the empathy that this has garnered from her friends. Not only were her comrades killed, but she also made her friends and family worried for her life.

"I don't mind either or."

As she looked down at her hands she felt the stress beginning to build up in her. As the blood and the bodies flashed in her eyes as she could feel herself beginning to hyperventilate ventilate. Fighting those thoughts back Stella would take a deep breath as she tried to calm herself. Those people were dead because of her weakness. She had told them to go ahead and she could finish up. If she didn't do that, they may still be alive.

"I messed up, Akira."

Stella would try to take his advice as she calms herself down. Taking deeper breaths she would feel herself calming down as she tried to marinate his words into her brain. Truthfully it was easier for her to swallow as she listened to the living for them part. She wouldn't forget her comrades on that day, and for the rest of her time as a quincy she would do everything in her power to save any comrades she's working with. She wouldn't allow a tragedy like this to happen to her again.

"Green hair, about the same height as me, much smaller, and she's a shinigami. Said something about not being affiliated with them and she didn't wear the robes like the gotei shinigami do."

She would speak as she would recall what the goblin had looked like. The one who had caused her so much pain she would sigh looking back down at her hands. She would reach up wiping her eyes before she'd look back over to Akira. She knew he was a shinigami, so was it possible that he was aware of the shinigami.

"Do you know anything about her from your time there?"

Stella would look at the white haired man as she didn't expect him to have that answer anyway. She had no idea how old Akira was anyway, and she wasn't entirely sure if there was even an indication that he was much older than she was. Knowing the fact thaf he was a shinigami made her assume he was much older than her or at the very least a few years older. She supposed the green haired demon was in the same boat as that.

"It's not a problem Akira. Just figured I would ask to see if you had any magical answers. I don't have the slightest clue as to how old you are or how much you know."

She spoke hoenetly to him as she'd reach over opening up one of the pieces of dark chocolate. She wasn't exactly hungry, but she was aware that she needed to eat. Popping it into her mouth she would try to finish eating it quickly before she'd heard the question. She'd shiver slightly at the memory of her nightmare, but it was important to share.

"She didn't talk all yhaf differently than what people do now. She was pretty vulgar, and her reason for doing it was she said that she......."

The words seem to get caught in the red heads throat as she tries to explain the memory. Remembering the way she talked about enjoying making quincy suffer and killing them. It made Stella's stomach flip at how evil a person could be. What had they even done?

"Likes to make quincy suffer. Killing us, torture, or whatever she can do to us. She said she's not working with the current gotei and called them weak or something. That was towards the point I can't really remember, I'm sorry."

Feeling of shame crept over her as she couldn't provide much more value to the questions that Akira was asking. Had she been stronger or more durable maybe she would have been able to answer even more of the questions. Or better yet, maybe she would have been able to catch that woman.

"Unfortunately, Strength isn't the only thing that you need to protect people. I mean, look at Ichigo. He didn't manage to protect the people he wanted to. Now he's a shell of his former self."

She spoke as she thought back to the hero turned arancar as she sighed. If she's not able to beat this green haired shinigami, then what hope does she have at ever being able to stop Ichigo? Her goal seemed so far out of reach at this point that she briefly considers giving up. What's the point in trying to follow this childish goal?

"I...need to get stronger even if it isn't enough. I don't want to cause a man hunt and risk my friends getting hurt. I don't want to be responsible for anymore deaths."

Stella would speak as her resolve hardened. She needed to get stronger. So that way she doesn't worry any more of the people she cares about ever again.

Had she not told Akira about it? Oh yeah he's always in the shadows or something, and Stella never gets the opportunity to talk to him. At the very least it's not very common for the two to talk. As she thought back to the conversation she wondered if she was going to be in trouble. She hadn't tried to fight ichigo that day, but if she did that would have been suicide.

"Am I in trouble? I couldn't have done anything if I tried to have fought him. Look what that shinigami did to me. What hope would I have fighting him?"

She asked as she somewhat defended herself. Not wanting to get into trouble for not attempting to kill him then and there. Truthfully she didn't want to die in a field where he was causing no problems to anyone. Had there been someone there to protect she would have attempted even if it costed her life.

"I tried to talk him out of doing whatever he's doing. I tried to appeal to the hero that saved the world all those years ago. He seems tired. Maybe if we can find one of his friends they can do it? If we can avoid blood shed why wouldn't we?"