Comforting A Friend (Stella, Sabriel)

“Time spent with friends is never a waste.” The Arrancar answered gently, squeezing the Quincy’s hand in a comforting way. “Nothing is more important to me right now than spending time with you and there is nothing that I would rather be doing. I am sure that every other friend of yours would agree with me. Everyone is important, regardless of strength and I do not want to hear anything different, alright? You suffered a loss but that does not mean that you have no value. Next time, you will be ready for her and she will be the one in trouble.”

After a few moments, a smile would cross her features. “Whatever you do, make sure that Veralia does not catch you talking like that as I am sure that she will not take too kindly to it. She adores you, Stella, in her own way and such defeatist talk will no doubt irritate her.” It was meant in good humour and the dark haired woman maybe felt just a touch of jealousy over what Stella and Veralia had. Such things were…almost beyond Sabriel due to her nature. Oh yes, she had many friends but love? Well, that was something else.

The Arrancar would smile as Stalla blushed, knowing that her words had hit home. Sabriel wished her and Veralia all the best and believed that a relationship between a Quincy and an Arrancar would only benefit both races. The grudges of the past had thankfully mostly disappeared as far as Sabriel knew and the dark haired woman certainly held no contempt for the former. She did not truly feel hatred for anyone at that point, having overcome her prejudice against the Shinigami somewhat. Maybe she was just so old now that such things no longer mattered to her.

There were a wide variety of shops from books, to gadgets to clothing and the two women certainly had plenty of choice when it came to what to search for. Sabriel was a rather avid shopper when she got going but she generally managed to get what she wanted without paying, due to either her charm or her powers. Never anything that could be easily proven but perhaps just the pressing of her whip against their skin, causing them to fall under her spell.

Noticing that Stella still seemed to be a little unhappy, the raven haired woman would squeeze her hand again. “Everything will be fine. I promise.”

The anxiety and worry in Stella’s voice was rather alarming, with the Arrancar naturally concerned. Her knowledge regarding the Quincy’s fight with the Shinigami was rather limited and while she had of course seen the horrible images, she was uncertain as to the exact details. A part of the Arrancar pondered if perhaps it would be better if she tried to discuss the encounter with the redhead. She knew that it would no doubt hurt her friend to do so but perhaps by speaking about it, Stella would find some closure? It was a delicate situation though and Sabriel did not wish to upset her friend.

In the end, she sighed and wrapped a comforting arm around Stella. “She will be caught and will face whatever justice your organisation decides is appropriate for her. Can I promise that no one else will get hurt before then? No, I suppose I cannot in truth. The woman is obviously a menace and if she truly hates Quincy as much as it appears then it makes sense that she will strike again somewhere. You need to trust your friends though and believe in their strength.”

Sabriel wanted nothing more in that moment then to kiss, comfort and spend a little private time with her friend but the Arrancar of Desire managed to bury that particular impulse, as hard as it was. Stella did not need that now. She just needed a shoulder.

Nodding, the Arrancar would spend a few minutes reading through the diary, noting the detail with which Stella not only described the fight but of her companions' faces too. Considering the horrible encounter, Sabriel was somewhat surprised just how well her friend had remembered the event. It was frighteningly accurate and the dark haired woman was slightly concerned. If this was what was constantly reverberating around the Quincy’s mind then no wonder she was struggling so much.

As she read, her free hand would reach out for her friend's sympathy written all over her face. There were times where she was not all too fond of her empathy and now was one of those. She could almost feel Stella’s pain, a dark and horrible sensation that made her almost shudder. An Arrancar’s life was one where such pain was almost normal but Sabriel had always been a little different. She fed on the joys and pleasures of life rather than the pain.

When she finally put the book down on the table, her expression was rather grim. “I am so sorry that you had to go through that, Stella. That woman is more twisted than any Hollow.”

“It is alright.” The Arrancar answered after taking a few moments to collect herself. That book had left more of an impression on Sabriel than she had expected and she honestly felt closer to the redhead now than she had before, as odd as that might seem. She had always been a believer that sharing one’s thoughts and feelings with others was important although with her empathy such encounters were usually more intense. “Thank you for sharing it with me. I was not expecting to feel such things from it but perhaps it was necessary in order for me to understand.”

After some further thought, she would look back up at Stella, raising an eyebrow as she posed a question. “Would having one of your friends bring that woman or eliminating her truly bring you peace or do you wish to be the one to do it yourself?”