Stoicism And Whimsy. An Unusual Mix. (Diana, Sabriel)

The Quincy listened to Sabriel's detailed answer about her travel experience and was somewhat surprised to hear that she had been to a lot more countries than she had thought, but that was her naivety talking. It was a good thing that she was capable of keeping her mouth shut because if she had voiced that thought the Arrancar would have likely labeled her an ignorant country hayseed who could benefit from thinking before she talked. That belief could be a product of Diana overthinking things, though.

The answer was not entirely unexpected, but the method of travel Sabriel had employed was a complete surprise to Diana. The dark-haired young woman informed the blonde that she could create a portal at will to go wherever she pleased without difficulty, which was undoubtedly a convenient way to travel. If Diana had that power she could have saved quite a bit of time and money plus her eardrums... thinking about the last part brought to mind the screaming children on the airplane she had taken to get to Japan and how they seemed to coordinate their screaming to ensure that there was little quiet time, if any. Moving on from that unpleasant memory, Diana chose to indulge her curiosity and ask Sabriel about Hueco Mundo.

"Hueco Mundo? What is that place like?" Diana asked Sabriel with genuine curiosity. She had gotten a barebones description from the Arrancar, but the blonde wanted to know a little more. However, whether or not she got any more information was up to Sabriel.

It was apparent that Sabriel was not only surviving in Hueco Mundo but thriving. The Arrancar had both a palace and a retinue of loyal followers to her name, admissions that were not totally surprising to the blonde. Diana got the impression that the other young woman was no vagabond who lived a precarious hand-to-mouth existence, but Sabriel's admission confirmed that she was prosperous... for her homeland, anyway. Diana wondered if there was anyone wealthier than the dark-haired young woman.

"Is there anyone in Hueco Mundo who is wealthier than you, Sabriel?" Diana asked another question of the amiable Arrancar. The Quincy did not know if Hueco Mundo had an economic system similar to Earth's or if they measured wealth by something other than currency. If Sabriel listened closely enough and paid close enough attention she might be able to deduce that Diana was of modest means.

Speaking of means, Sabriel had asked about Diana's living arrangements back in Georgia and had specifically asked if they were as opulent as the Arrancar's palace.

"My lifestyle is much more modest than yours, Sabriel." Diana freely admitted that she was not a wealthy person.

"I travel across my home state quite a bit, Sabriel. I either live out of hotel rooms or find a place to camp out in the wilderness when money is tight or there are no vacancies. I also have a house my mother left to me in Central Georgia, but it is a small one that cannot hold a candle to your palace." Diana explained more about her housing situation. None of it was a lie meant to elicit sympathy. The blonde traveled frequently and the only permanent home she had was in Central Georgia... it was a convenient place to stay, but it could hardly be called luxurious.

Sabriel's brief but thorough explanation of the Hueco Mundo "economy" was enough to tell Diana how the former had become affluent by the standards of her homeland. The Quincy could sense that her conversation partner was fairly strong, so she could see how Sabriel had acquired both a palace and the quantity of followers needed to build the structure. The Arrancar had even generously included details on the source of the building materials, which answered a question before Diana could even ask it. When Sabriel was finished with her explanation Diana had gotten a brief glimpse into another world and another way of life without having to set foot in the other realm.

The Arrancar's comment on Diana's lifestyle and the question concerning the difficulty of living a somewhat nomadic lifestyle made the blonde think carefully about how to respond to them. Life on the road was not as romantic as popular media from yesteryear made it out to be. If one did not know what they were doing they could fall prey to starvation, exposure to the elements, predatory wildlife, and the occasional human predator like a kidnapper or serial killer. Even if one knew what they were doing one still had to strike a balance between finding food, finding shelter, and traveling at the right time to avoid hostile wildlife and hostile people.

"Traveling alone is a challenge, Sabriel. When on the road true safety is hard to come by and I must always be vigilant whenever I set up camp for the night... if I set up camp to begin with. More than once I have had to travel through the night without stopping because I did not feel that a particular location was safe." Diana told Sabriel that her guess was accurate and hinted at the perils of her lifestyle without mentioning any particular danger... yet.

Traveling across the state required far more preparation than just tying a bundle to a stick, slinging it on one's shoulder and holding the other end of the stick, and setting out down the road. It required knowledge of how to find food, find or make shelter, an idea of how long it would take one to reach one's destination if the "best" route was taken, an idea of how long going to the same place by alternate routes would take if doing so became necessary, where "safe" place to stop and rest along the way were, and other knowledge that was glossed over by old media. While the paved roads were not roamed by gangs riding in beat-up vehicles like the raiders from a Mad Max movie, threats did not need to be that obvious and dramatic to be dangerous. For example, getting wet in an unexpected rainstorm could result in trouble if a traveler could not find shelter and find a means to dry their clothes and warm themselves in time to avoid getting hypothermia. The opposite could happen during summer months if care was not taken to either obtain and carry a supply of water sufficient for the duration of the journey or carry a means to purify water found along the way... the possibility of heatstroke was not to be taken lightly.

"Risk is present at all times of day, but it increases considerably at night. I stay off the paved roads at night and do everything I can to avoid people." Diana informed Sabriel that her plan for traveling at night was to stay off of the main roads. That did not mean that the woods were free of peril... predatory wildlife frequently roamed them in search of a meal, but on occasion human predators did some hunting of their own. She was fortunate to have enough training in Kreuzen to be able to summon Altes Gewehr at a moment's notice and she was even more fortunate because she had not had to use the spirit weapon against another human being yet, but if doing so meant her survival Diana would not hesitate to defend herself with force.

When asked about her race and whether or not she was part of the Vandenreich the blonde wondered why those questions had been asked but remained calm. She did not know whether or not the Arrancar had an ax to grind with that organization in particular, with Quincies in general, or with both parties. Despite her concerns it only took a moment for Diana to give her answers.

"I am a Quincy. However, I am not affiliated with the Vandenreich." Diana answered both questions calmly and truthfully.

Diana supposed that it was good that Sabriel did not bear a grudge against Quincy because if the Arrancar had decided that the blonde's existence offended her Diana would have been in deep trouble. The power gap between the two was considerable and it would have taken either a lucky shot to one of the Arrancar's vital spots, outside intervention from another person, or divine intervention for the Quincy to survive the battle. Thankfully violence did not seem to be in the cards and the conversation would remain calm and civil. Putting the concern about the encounter taking a sudden turn for the worse out of her mind, concern gave way to curiosity when the name "Stella" was brought up. Sabriel also voiced a question about whether or not the Vandenreich truly valued its members or simply treated them as expendable.

"You have met Stella?" Diana asked the Arrancar about her connection to the Vandenreich member. The blonde put the question about the organization's treatment of its rank and file members on the back burner in favor of possibly learning how Sabriel and Stella had met. However, just because she had not asked about it did not mean that the matter was not on her mind. The other young woman's remark gave the blonde something important to think about before heading to the "City of Lights" and seeking out a Vandenreich recruiting office. Diana knew that Meninas and Stella would not bite the hand that fed them, but she could not help but wonder how much the two Quincies had held back when discussing the organization with her.