Comforting A Friend (Stella, Sabriel)

Leaning up against the building where they had last met up for a get together, Sabriel would be gazing down at her phone, her expression completely unreadable. She was lacking a bit of her usual go with the flow charm and instead felt just a touch of concern. The Arrancar had found herself staring at a horrible image of her Quincy friend and ever since, the raven haired woman had felt nothing but worry for her cheerful friend. The wounds had been foul from the image and while she could not visit her in the hospital due to the red tape of the Vandenreich, Sabriel had been thinking of Stella constantly.

As soon as she heard that Stella was out and about again, Sabriel had been quick to ask the Quincy if she wanted to meet up. She was so fond of her redheaded friend and the Arrancar hoped that perhaps spending some time together would hopefully help the lumberjack’s recovery. Her desires were not deviant though and Sabriel’s motives were entirely genuine and pure, wanting nothing more than to comfort her friend after her ordeal.

As soon as she heard Stella’s voice, Sabriel’s gaze would shift towards her friend, pleased beyond belief that the redhead was alright. Yet, the woman’s tone was unlike her usual one and the shrewd Arrancar already began to put two and two together in her mind. There was a distinct lack of energy from her usual cheerful friend and that was enough to cause the dark haired woman to feel rather concerned again. She knew well that mental trauma took far longer to heal than any physical wound and more than that, she could almost sense the unhappiness that was pouring out of the woman, due to her empathic nature.

“You look beautiful.” Sabriel replied gently, offering a warm smile to her close friend. They had only met a couple of times but the Arrancar had always formed bonds quickly and after their night together at Sabriel’s palace, the dark haired woman felt a connection with the red headed Quincy.

For a woman who usually talked so much, the Arrancar found herself taking on a rather quieter approach, instead wrapping her arms gently around Stella and pulling her into an embrace. “You gave me the shock of my life when that picture came through. I am so glad that you are safe.”

“You need to heal first and I do not just mean your body.” The Arrancar replied gently, holding Stella for as long she wished to be. “It will do you no good to rush into training before you are ready and for now, you need to focus on getting your mind into shape. You have been through such an ordeal and I know that you must be feeling helpless and grief stricken right now but these are emotions that you must face head on and come to terms with. You lost to that horrible woman and nothing can be done about that now. Cry, shout, do whatever you need to do but before you can move forward, you have to let it all out.”

Delicately stroking Stella’s hair, she would speak again after a short pause. “You were incredibly brave for taking her on and if you had not fought against her then who knows how much more damage she could have done that night. You did everything you could do and acted exactly how a member of the Sternritter should. Do not forget that.”

The thought of a Quincy hunting psychopath was not a pleasant one and Sabriel found herself musing about the cause of such hatred. Such emotions did not come from nothing and the Arrancar pondered briefly about just what the cause was. Whatever it was though, it appeared that all Quincy were at risk, a thought that troubled the dark haired woman. She bore no hatred for the bow wielders or anyone else when it came down to it and she found such racism to be unbecoming of anyone.

“Just take it steady.” Sabriel answered gently, agreeing with Stella’s sensible approach. “I wish I could help you with Quincy training but I am afraid those skills are beyond me but I will always be here for you if you need someone to talk things through with. It hurts me to see you struggling like this Stella and I wish to do whatever I can to help you recover. I am not as strong as Veralia but I have my ways. Mind you, I bet you have had a lot of people say the same already, given how popular you are.”

Offering her hand to the Quincy, she would smile. “How about we just walk around the town for a bit? Maybe it will help us both clear our heads.”

The Arrancar most definitely noticed the fact that she was almost tugging at the Quincy and it gave the dark haired woman reason to pause. She did not want to force Stella into anything and as Sabriel glanced back to look at the redhead, she could tell that things were not quite right. Perhaps she had asked Stella out too soon? Well, whatever it was, she wished to know before they went any further, resulting in Sabriel coming to a stop and turning around to face her friend.

“If you would like to do some shopping then we can do that but if you are not feeling up for this then you need to tell me.” There was a touch of concern in her voice and keeping her hand in Stella’s, she would add. “I understand if you are not in the mood for any of us and perhaps I was a little too eager maybe? I just want to try to help you in any way I can.” On another day, that might have sounded like a flirt but Sabriel was able to keep that part of her at bay for today, knowing that was probably the last thing that Stella needed right now.