If It Looks Like A Monster, Walks Like A Monster... [Catherine, Santa]

Boy she was glad she got herself off the ground in such a damn hurry with a sight that'd make her agree on something with that old man for once - whatever was happening below her looked flat out demonic. If she wasn't so pissed at this one she'd cut the fire and ask how the hell that worked, it was genuinely something she hadn't come across yet, at least not at this projected volume. Again, her shield would be placed in the path of the stray bullets, pounding painfully against the shield as she was still feeling her arm popping and fixing in it's place; just had to weather through the pain on this.

Here she came, though she wouldn't have had the leverage of mother terra to stop herself from flying, the force of that strike pulling her out of her place in the sky, sending her falling down foot first, heart pounding as she'd take a deep inhale and focused the air on her feet to execute a trampoline-like effect that would take her a mere inch from being grasped by the fleshy appendages, back into a safe zone of about five feet off the ground, readying herself for another heavy strike or even to move away from this growing problem.

Turning her head to the sound of her opponent's voice, she'd narrow her eyes, scoffing, "What do you know? You weren't an animal too long ago. Should get your eyes and ears checked if that's what you think. Animals don't talk, don't reason, don't make. Last I checked, I did all three."

"I'm human. That maneater isn't."

A broad grin was affixed to her pale features in order to hide the fact she spoke through gritted teeth, a sense of deep insult and disgust toward the idea of being likened to an animal. Sure, most Arrancar were some variety of dangerous, or at the very least grating, but she hadn't met one so willfully insufferable and naive such as this one. At least most Arrancar understood that the species they broke away from were, for the most part, a pack of wild beasts - that was something that felt universal and understood.

And yet this one was stupid enough to go against the grain... Good on her that she seemed strong enough to deal with inevitably being wrong. Couldn't help but wonder how many times this one had fallen on her face as the earth disheveled several feet below her. Debris was methodically batted away with her spear or shield as she carefully navigated herself, sneakily grasping some smaller shards as she quickly made her way for cover, a makeshift holding for them made from quick molding the interior of her shield, the part she could manipulate.

Boy, if a local farmer didn't come charging in now, gun touted and dogs barking, she'd be shocked. At the same time, she'd hope that person would have enough self preservation to see this and hightail it.

Her choice of cover, amidst the dust and debris? Well, she wasn't used to manuvering the souls in this much earth, but she was proficient enough to just...

A hand outstretched, a will exerted as she came toward the ground; she went for an upheaved piece that lacked those growths of flesh along it, earth carefully parting and peeling outward as to give her just a nudge of room to squeeze herself underneath like the hollow of a crashing wave, suppressing her presence with repeated deep breathing - hopefully where she ducked wasn't visible. Couldn't stay here long, she doubted this was as stable as it looked; even if she could get herself out of a mound of dirt with little issue, she'd prefer to not be on the backfoot here.

When things quieted, she'd grab a stone and toss it into the clearing to make a quick bout of noise if the Arrancar hadn't touched down to look for her.

All she had to do, was wait for an opening... And lunge.

Hit! Retaliate.

The familiar brilliant light of a forming cero burned her retinas for just a moment before she'd throw herself backwards, narrowly missing getting a face full of burning light, only to feel the tickle of unseen touch rake her hands and wrists. A particular shudder of disgust ran through her at the sensation she was experiencing, attempting to yank the spear out of her query only to be met with a pull against her. She yanked back with enough force to splinter the earth, only to be met with the unfortunate sound of metal splintering, pulling away to only have the metallic core, chamber, and handle torn from the hollow segments.

Oh shit. She modified the weapon on the spot as she made a great pace backwards, trying to brush off the remaining roots of flesh formed atop her uniform and arms with that metallic core turned makeshift sword. Damn it, don't get on the shield too..!

There was that trick again... The telltale sound of wind that informed the opening of the Garganta, all around her...

And, step! Bringer Light would have brought her just out of the way of the incoming circle of Cero, her pace carefully circling the garden of nauseating flesh that peppered the ground. Damn it, the blade must've not been as reinforced because of an earlier hunt, she should've checked. No matter, she just had to get it back.. Out of that garden.

But boy, she did not believe what she was hearing, making quite a face to the grandstanding the blonde Arrancar was spitting her way, "Deference? Lady, i'm PAID to hunt these things! They cause issues in the area they roam, do you see any Shinigami here? Not like them being here necessarily means they're doing their damn jobs..."

Her tone deflated on that last sentence into quiet frustration, huffing as she'd quickly hoof it just three feet in the air above the garden, lunging for the sinking blade tip. What she had done to the blade in her hand required concentration, but it would leave it's mark quickly - A burning acidic quality would have been incorporated into the makeshift blade's shape, burning at the writhing masses beneath her as she yanked, and cut, and grunted.

"What, the attention of people like you? Hate to say it but you sure are the first Arrancar to ever preach this bullshit to me! The lot of your kind's actually reasonable, what the hell are you doing being so sympathetic with a bunch of lousy, hulking, stupid beasts that don't know anything more than kill?!"

She seemed... Less mad in saying this. Moreso upset. Conflicted. Saddened. Only to drown in frustrated screams, as if she wanted to convince herself.

She huffed, oh those lousy sods. Who was she to care about what a bunch of Shinigami were up to, what they wanted of her? She'd beat them all into a meaningless paste any day for looking down on her like a child. If they didn't want help so bad, she was so willing to oblige by doing her own thing. Why this Arrancar would be worried about that instead of wishing one put her in the dirt already? None of her concern... It was better to put it out of mind.

This was humiliating. Her arm recoiled with the sensation of burning fluids touching it, any screaming stifled as the pain merely gave her a rush to grasp the tip of the spear having been squeezed down into the disgusting, fleshy mass. If it wasn't her stuff being eaten she wouldn't have been touching this disgusting shit, she felt fit to vomit even as she lunged in for another go by changing the shape of the metallic core to wrap around the embedded pieces, using only her shield as a means of protecting her main body.

Burns could heal into nothing. Pain, went away. That spear tip wasn't as quick a replace... YANK!

She pulled as hard as her strength could might, ripping away the tip embedded in that sickening, stinking flesh.. Only to see that it had been whittled down too far. It was practically useless, a dull wad of bone... Angrily, she threw it down, punching the fleshy growths in a flash of rage.

"GOD DAMN YOU! THINKING YOU CAN LOOK DOWN ON ME!" A shout tore her lungs, fists tightened to the point she would've made herself bleed, "Just you wait, problems like you'll only be nuisances when I succeed you! All of you! Then NONE of you can look down on me!"

Her voice spiced the air, moving up and away from the squirming mound of flesh, on the way to take her leave, "Then none of you can take anything from me..."

Then, she would truly be free...