Masochism (Amaranta/Ryo)

"Capacity to be nicer, huh?"

Reflecting on those words momentarily, Amaranta chose to remain silent. Though she was hardly familiar with the crimson-haired woman's experiences, her words held some form of merit. After all, people like her roommate existed, and then there was Santa. An arrancar with abundantly well-meaning intentions. In the past, she would have no doubt told the woman she was incorrect. Now? She simply nodded her head with a chuckle. There was nothing to disagree on, and she didn't exactly feel like incorporating her typical brand of brattiness, either.

"Don't worry. My hands are tied with stepping out of line, anyway. Fascination with the human world and a well-paying job means I gotta maintain bein' on the up and up. Good to know I've earned some of your trust. How are my chances lookin' on that offer?"

"What? What else am I supposed to say? I just told you that you don't have to worry about any of that grisly business with me. Sheesh... you really are difficult to please. Whatever, Rome wasn't built in a day."

There was no function in her mind that could allow her to sympathize with Ryo. She might have the capacity for reason, but expecting her to console or sympathize was an exercise in futility. Even so, it wasn't as if her plight had been brushed aside, or even ignored for that matter.

If she despised hollows so much, wouldn't she benefit from growing strong enough to kill them? To her, that was a surefire ticket to strength. Moving past all the other particulars, she'd gain a strong ally. After all, she wouldn't let harm come to her sparring partners if she could help it.

"Of course I do. You've got the fiery spirit for battle. Imagine if you combined that with some combat prowess. You'd make even an overgrown lady like me sweat. There's also another way of looking at it. If, somehow, we became enemies, you'd know all my moves, making it easier to take me down. Win-win all across the board. Good deal."

"Whatever floats your boat, Red. I won't pretend I understand it, though. I lived my entire life as a hollow being hunted until I got stronger."

Which was true. The sort of hideousness Ryo experienced was commonplace among hollowkind. The only difference was them relishing in the terror of humans and getting needlessly experimental with their prey. When they evolved, they did develop some capacity for rational thought, but that was few and far between. Most adhered to the timeless principle of the strong devouring the weak. Failure to measure up on the food chain ultimately meant you'd simply be someone else's meal. She hated being the hunted, so she developed her fangs until she became the hunter.

To her, strength was everything. It was the ultimate solution. Once you were acknowledged, few alone would dare challenge you unless they were brave. And then there were those like Ryo who challenged her despite being outclassed in every metric. That was why she found her so amusing. Rising from the spire, stretching her arms, she walked forward to gaze at the sun.

"And I hated it. I despised being a miserable little welp of a cub who had to rely on others to fill her belly. I figured you hated what happened to you... so why not get stronger and ensure your friend's death wasn't in vain? To tell the truth, I simply enjoy bringing others up to my level, drawing out as much of their potential as my own. Whether we come to blows or not, I'd like to see you develop some bite behind that bark. That's all there is to it. Pursue it on your own if you must. Nothing wrong with the solo approach."

"Exactly."

She wasn't wrong, and that's precisely why she couldn't relate to what happened in her past. To her, that was probably the most harrowing event of her life. To Amaranta? It was Tuesday. Shrugging her shoulders with a small "hpmh" sound, she turned back to Ryo with a grin. Now she was speaking her language. Of course, she didn't just want her using her fists. She wanted to see more of what she displayed at the tail end of their first fight. How she manipulated the earth... she found that one particularly interesting.

"Of course. I'm always down to throw down, Red. Show me what ya got."

"Heh..."

No more words needed to be said. Her ability to understand how the human mind worked compared to her alien logic was always going to be a tall order, but none of that mattered right now. Exchange blows and reflect on everything else later. Much like their first battle, Ryo dashed forward and executed the first haymaker, a strike that easily connected with Amaranta's jaw. In response, she took a single step forward, swinging her arm toward her crimson-haired opponent's stomach.