Stalking for Novices

Pastel detached from the group and slithered over to Yysara, slipping up her dress and popping out of the neck to wrap around her neck as she opened the door. The man had no questions thus she had no reason to reply then.

Stepping into a hallway that was white and more than a bit sterile looking, Yysara started leading him off in silence. She wondered if it would be okay to let him out into the desert... This close to the tower it was unlikely to have marauding hollows. Most she could even take care of herself, there were few hollows that could match an arrancar that came this close. The arrancar that came wouldn't want to hurt a guest of the Corona either...

Which they would assume since he was in the presence of a fraccion.

There were balconies and Yysara planned on leading him to one. The moon was gorgeous...

Aito followed silently, his eyes subtly glancing around as they stepped out into a white hallway. They were in a tower, from what she'd said earlier...

There wasn't much to really look at in the halls, but every so often his eyes continued to glance around.

Aito would notice the walls shifted slightly at times as if there were...things in it.

Large things. Moving through them.

Nothing to worry about!

It took Yysara only a bit of time to lead him to a perfectly normal section of wall, where she placed her hand and a door appeared. It shifted and opened for them, leading into a night filled balcony. Wind blew, softly for now while in the sky sat a crescent moon. In the far distance dunes could be seen and seemed to go on forever without any end. "Our eternal moonlit desert, Hueco Mundo."

Yysara went right up to the edge of the unrailed balcony, falling from heights not a problem for an arrancar. From the edge you could see the Corona's volcano, lighting up the landscape as it spewed lava. "And our Corona's volcano. It was a gift."

Aito attempted to keep his attention off the occasionally shifting walls, feeling it would be best if he just...ignored it. Ignoring it was good...

When they reached a...much more normal looking section Yysara opened a...suddenly appearing door. It led to an unrailed balcony, and while Yysara approached the edge, Aito stayed a safe distance from it. He could still see just fine from where he was...

A desert then, just as she'd said...so it was always night here too?

The volcano was a gift though...? He...He wasn't even going to think about how that was even remotely possible.

Yysara looked back and blinked, waving Aito closer to the edge. "You can come out this far. If you fall i can catch you before you hit the next level of the spiral."

He was perfectly safe with her here. Was that his worry? Maybe hollows... "Nothing will attack you. Arrancar wouldn't hurt a guest of the Corona. Normal hollows do not get this close to the tower without good cause. We are stronger. Generally."

She tried reassuring him, her eyes glancing back up at the moon.

"Ah..." Aito took a few steps closer, but not that much; he could still see just fine from where he was. Going out any farther would be...not good for him, even if hew as being promised that he'd be just fine if he did.

It was...better hearing that nothing would just outright attack him, but cautious was still something he needed to be somewhat. He still felt one screw up would ruin him...

"..." Yysara was quiet as her reassurance only brought him closer by a bit. She blinked as she turned around before letting herself fall backwards off of the edge. If he needed proof she would give it to him...

She would be standing on air more than a story or so down, looking up if he got close to the edge to see what was wrong. If not, she planned to eventually peek up over the edge.

"Gh-!?" Before he could say anything, not that he'd been meaning to until...this, Yysara had turned and had fallen backwards off the edge of the unrailed balcony.

Wh...What the hell!?

He edged a bit closer, though not on the very edge, he was close enough to see over the edge, noticing now that Yysara was perfectly fine, while also being at a somewhat safe distance.

Yysara noticed Aito's attention and then used a sonido to bring herself back onto the balcony behind him. She settled to the ground gracefully before dusting her hands. "If you fall or get into most trouble... I can catch or help. Your worried are unfounded."

She began moving towards the door after her speech, feeling a small blush as she realized how... nervous that must have made the human. She should make amends... somehow...

Aito turned Yysara spoke, hearing her from behind him; even with her saying that he'd be fine though, with what she'd just done...before now he'd never really had any nice experiences from the hollow faction, so how could he not be just a little bit on edge from all this!?

He was high up on a damn unrailed balcony high up in a tower...He wasn't scared of heights, but without a rail it was a bit unnerving!

"...Gh...tch..." Aito averted his eyes for a short moment, "...Whatever..."

"... My apologies. I didn't mean to...scare you. I am...unused to human social...and socialness in general." Yysara moved for the doorway, unable to face the human now in her shame. He had become unnerved hadn't he? "I am truly sorry. Please forgive this monster."

They were monsters in human skin, it was hard to forget at times that that was how they were perceived. "Here, I shall show you the baths and send you home"

Her shame made her talkative, mostly because she now needed to reassure the man. She had learned her lesson, words not actions...

"Gh...s...s'fine..." Aito ended up yet again averting his eyes, his free hand moving up to his hair. He'd accepted and excused the apology, but...

This...This was all just odd and new! He didn't know how the hell he was supposed to react, and it wasn't the easiest to just...throw away that feeling of...staying distant from hollows. This woman was...much different from the hollows he encountered, much more intelligent, and well...not as fueled by hunger, but...

Regalia gave a mew, her ear twitching slightly as she moved to lick one of her paws.

"s'fine..." Aito repeated.

"...she made a sound?" Blinking, Yysara turned around and looked between Aito and his cat. Pastel had been silent until this point before she decided to start up her mutters over the cat and its servant.

He... had spoken odd words and seemed to communicate in... sounds that were not actually words. "I do not...know what Sfine means. My apologies. Again."

She led them back inside, out of the desert air as she spoke. He might feel more at ease like this... maybe...

"It's fine...is...what I said..." Aito replied, explaining what he'd just said; he hadn't thought it'd been that hard to understand, then again...she hadn't understood what "I'm good" had meant either...

He looked down at Regalia as Yysara seemed to be confused on the noise that'd just come from her.

"Cats make sounds...meowing..."

"Ah..." So it was acceptable. Yysara sighed softly, barely more than a breath. "My thanks."

He seemed calm and accepting for a human...though she knew only the two now at all. Maybe she should meet more? Hm... she had almost forgotten she had been learning from him before this. He was a good subject. "Thank you for your help."

You thanked someone when they helped. Pastel and others taught her that...

She led him to an archway in the white walls, stepping into a circular alcove of sorts. "The baths are in the basement. This way..."

"Ah..."

Aito followed her as they continued walking, having given a small nod at her thanks. The baths were...in the basement? Why was he even going to look at baths anyway? Were they really something to show off?

Everyone who visited was forced to see the Corona's inner sanctum. Yysara did not explain though, returning to her usual quiet. As the elevator shifted and moved once they were both in, she continued her silence... though she shot Regalia a few curious looks.

It stopped after a few minutes, the door sliding open as Yysara led Aito out. "This way."

She wondered a bit what kind of bath it was today...

Aito was silent during the elevator ride, though he'd noticed the occasional glances Regalia received from the arrancar. The kitty didn't seem to mind though, her attention moving from her to their surroundings, or to him as they walked.

She did mew again after a short while...

When the door opened, Aito followed Yysara out from it, not knowing what to expect from these baths she mentioned.

"She keeps...meowing. Does she need things?" At the latest mew, Yysara glanced over as she led Aito down the same halls as earlier. Or at least they looked the same...

She came to a red carpet and large intricate double doors after only a few moments. Moving to them, she pushed it open to reveal an impossibly large domed chamber. It was filled with humid steam coming from the equally impossibly large bathing area that took up the center. Today it was one huge bath, with mini pillars spewing hot steaming water down into it at intervals. The rest of the room was choked with steam, but there were obviously other areas... "The Corona's bath."

"She just wants attention..." Usually that's all she really wanted when they were out, and he occasionally gave her pets as she meowed. She'd quiet again for a bit afterwards, but once she wanted more attention she'd start up again.

When they reached the red carpet, Aito looked down at it for a moment before they reached the double doors. The area beyond was....incredibly huge, the room was steamy due to the baths he assumed, which became obvious as he heard the water.

"...It's big..." He commented.

"So she is like... a child. She is your child?" Yysara commented with a tiny smile as she stepped inside. She moved towards the bath a bit before stopping and looking around. It was indeed big, that comment not requiring a reply.

"It seems she is out for now. You can relax...the baths are very soothing as well. Would you wish to get in? Most guests try it out I think."

"Ghegh...no...just...a cat, a pet..." He'd been...caught off guard somewhat with that statement, that was...

He followed Yysara inside though, and looked down at the baths when she spoke about their...Corona, if he remembered correctly, was out before she mentioned...trying it out?

"That's...It's someone else's bath though..." This wasn't some hotel or bathhouse! It seemed weird to just try it out! Plus, just...coming to some different universe and just taking a bath? He...He was perfectly clean he'd bathed earlier!

"But you treat her so..delicately and spoil her it seems. Humans are... odd I think." Murmuring to herself yysara tried to wrap her mind around the obvious disconnect between the mans words and his actions. Aito was an odd one it seemed, nothing like Jack.

"No and yes. It is here for everyone to use. She seems to like others in it... you are tense and worried. Please, you can relax." Her head tilted a bit as she reached for her obi to undo it. "If I get in will you feel better?"

"Hah?" Aito blinked; odd?

Whatever.

This was for everyone to use? By everyone though...shouldn't that mean arrancar? He wasn't an arrancar, so wouldn't it be weird for a human to just jump in!? "By everyone...you mean arrancar...?" He answered, voicing his thoughts as Yysara went to reach for her obi.

Plus he had a cat with him!

"...and guests of arrancar, the ones who live in the tower... and other Espada." Probably fraccions of high rank such as herself as well, Yysara could only assume. She undid her obi, letting her uniform dropp to a pile on the floor before tugging off her veil.

"Yes... humans are...weird. You do odd things especially." She noted this as she turned to look at Aito, finally replying to his hah.