Strength and Determination. [INV]

Shiro materialized before Theocelese, but he did not wait idly for the strike to conclude. He rushed forward to meet his enemy head on. He knew nothing else. Together, their blades met, but not in a frenzied clash like most would have expected. The flat of the girl's blade was stricken off course as he punched outwards with the legendary weapon in his own hand. His wrist turned sharply, and with the fullest extent of his agility, came down to carve into Shiro's face. It, like all the punishing wounds she suffered, and would continue to endure threw, was not a fatal strike. The very top of his sword grazed along the tender flesh just enough to leave a talon's scratch and draw blood. This had been the very first time he'd done such a thing, a sign to the human that as she'd gotten stronger, the training would become far more grueling and intense. With his other hand, he'd shoved Shiro backwards, leaving just enough space that neither one of them could strike at each other. The weapons would only cleave air. "Then face me from the front and cease your incessant attempts at a backstab" That very last word was laced with a harsh venom, and his final warning before he began imitating the tactics used against him.

Theocelese said nothing, but the stance he took was a gesture that told her to come at him again.

The guess was incorrect, but he didn't care. With is sword arm over-extended, he couldn't pull back in time to block with his own blade...so instead, he stepped into the strike, left arm closing in as he did so. A somewhat insane move by most standards, but a shield was just not a tool for defense, and defense only. Shiro fell into the trap that all who used a single weapon, two handed all fell into. The crackling energy made contact with his chest, but there would be not a continued slash upwards, but stopped completely with the Arrancar's forward movements into the blow. His shield arm thrust outwards, the very face of his Zanpakutou jutting outwards in a checking motion aimed right into Shiro's face. A connecting blow would mean an overload of the senses, this was not some love tap, and if he'd generated the proper amount of force behind this, it would have been a killing blow.

Rather, Shiro would be looking at an immediate headache, a bloody nose and being momentarily stunned if she couldn't pull back fast enough, but now she was in a position where if she pulled back, there was the very real chance he would remain in such a close proximity. One that no entity wished to be in. Then again...this is why Shiro was here. To learn from any potential mistake, to bleed and to bruise so that when the time came for a fight to be true, there would be real experience to go off of.

There was no heeding any defense posture, or retracting to a more defensible stance. No. In these moments, Theocelese always felt it was best to press the attack. That was what he was good at, that was what he excelled at. That was why his opponents always made damn sure to keep a good and safe distance. It'd take one hell of an effort to break through his prison-like skin, something very few were truly capable of. The saying, old dogs cant be taught new tricks, could not be used in this circumstance, for Shiro was not the only one spending time in meditation to strengthen the soul. Theocelese would never find himself not wanting to practice the arts of war, and for the first time, he'd put to use the thoughts and ideas of what he wanted to do.

His advance was not one built up by his own feet, rather, his form exploded outward, as fast as one of Bala--no holds barred--directly into Shiro. The shield bash backed by the extra strength provided by bracing the shield to his shoulder, form following suit with the movement. The shield bash itself would be detrimental in the girl's pursued interests in continuing this clash of blows, as even the most hardened of soldiers would, at the very least, feel robbed of the air in their lungs at this. Given Shiro's height and overall diameter of his shield, the bottom half of the Zanpakutou would meet his student's form starting at the chest near the collar bone, and end at the top of her face. This held the potential to be a literal knockout blow, one to end the session. In the case that the girl managed to get out of the way, the Arrancar's body would travel for a yard or so more before landing. Not quite what he was wanting to do, the idea was to be able to turn around, and with the same speed and force, return to his starting location for a secondary attack. Theocelese would not have turned around, anticipating a strike from behind.

During this little bit of down time while waiting for Shiro to rise and meet up with him, Theocelese did something he hadn't done in a long while. He watched a game of soccer, it was an old match, a few months old, but given how things were panning out here, he didn't exactly have time to DVR it. Rather, he watched it on a CD. What with VHS tapes now slowly becoming a thing of the past, not like anyone actually taped anything anymore. Theocelese did, and he'd always stand by his vast collection of tapes...but...he had to stop being such an old man and get with the times. He'd already gotten most of all the old family videos converted, as well as the photographs. Everything was going...digital. What a frightening time to be alive. Or...at least a sentient ghost.



Theocelese was in his office--an honest to goodness office in the back of the kitchen, yelling, and getting pretty damn heated at the game he was watching. Most of the words that came out of his mouth were in Greek, but there were a good lot of 'stupid mother fuckers' that could be heard just the same. When he felt the girl's presence not too far off, he stamped out the cigarette and did his best to steel his worsening temperament. With a few clicks of the remote, he turned the game down and waited for the human to find her way in the back.

Ever so mindful and full of questions. Good ones, at that. Reaching over, Theocelese thumbed to life the little desk fan to help alleviate the smokey room. He didn't need to be a mind reader to see the unconsciously made face of disgust at the smell. The hand gesture was the biggest indicator, and well, this was his damn office. He could hot box the shit out of it if he wanted to, with whatever smoking substance he pleased. Then he remembered the joint hidden away in his desk, which brought a growing smirk to his mind. He'd be needing that in due time. The girl spoke her questions, and then, pleaded to have her help in future endeavors. Theocelese hunched over slightly in his chair, both hands coming together and clasping lightly.



"When I was a young man, at the age of eighteen to be exact, I was given a few options, as are all young adults in the country I call home. University, or some form of public service. Uh...Police officer, EMT...something that the state have you familiar with in times of need. I chose the route of a military career, as did my father, and his father before him, dating back to the day when they used...well, what we use now." Theocelese sat back in his chair, getting more comfortable. One leg rose and crossed over the other. If Shiro thought this wasn't going to be long-winded, the poor girl had another thing coming to her. There was a reason why he always went about answering things the way he did. Context was important. "The government spent a lot of money teaching me how to kill people. In life, and even in death, that is one of the most valued jobs one can have. That made me powerful. With my hands...or a combat knife...most firearms, hell, even a bayonet, I knew how to kill someone, and keep others alive. Such kind of knowledge makes anyone powerful.



There comes a time in everyone's life who was trained with the knowledge I was trained with, or you, that once you can find yourself back in a normal life, you pray you don't ever have to apply your training. You have the means to take care of a problem when shit hits the fan, and back then, for me that meant the shaky relations with our arch-enemy across the sea stayed like that. Especially after I met Sophia, every day I was just waiting to be told I'd be shipped off to go fight in a war. Even after my service time was up, when I went back to the civilian life of a farmer until I moved. That possibility always loomed above us." In a way, he still evaded the question entirely, but the answer was given in his cryptic ways. Theocelese thought about this, pondering if she could even decipher what he was trying to tell her, and with that on his own mind, maybe it was time to just come on out and say it. Sure. For the sake of brevity. "Return to your normal life. Go back to school, find out what you want to do when you grow up. Your power isn't something to rely upon to dictate your future. If you can use it to help others, then do so, and do not let it ruin your life like I let it do to mine. I was already on borrowed time, but I should have spent that time with my daughter and my family. Instead, I let the prospect of vengeance control me--if I could only choke out the ones who took my wife from me before I died, that's all I cared about. In the end, I turned out to be a fucking horrible father and husband." From his pocket, the Arrancar pulled out a pill bottle nearly on the verge of being unable to open again. A large pill was removed, snapped in two, and one half was set before Shiro. He nodded for her to take it. Wouldn't completely kill the pain, but it'd go a long way to let it turn into something debilitating. The other half found itself popped in the Arrancar's mouth, and chewed to a pulp before swallowing.



"In personal endeavors...you cannot help. I will not have your life taken from you from matters that would only see you dead. My past is my own, and I am in debt to a woman who died because of who I am. The war with the Quincy is not one which concerns you, either. I'd not lose another person I consider a child to them. I've lost enough already, and I don't know if I could take anymore." Theocelese sighed heavily. His thoughts going to Solinex, and immediately, the thundering in his veins became sharp snaps of agony in his own head. "I have one last lesson to teach you...and after that, if you truly wish to help me, go back home. Be a kid, make friends at school and go to University. Make something of yourself. Then, when the day comes where you are in my shoes on the day we met, you do as I did. You render aid, you teach, and you pray the one you take under your wing longs to do good. Pray, like I prayed, that you'll never have to use the most important skills taught to you. Do you understand, koukla-mou?" He'd leaned forward again, putting a hand to the girl's cheek. He hadn't used the familial term of affection since...well, since the day on the bridge. Theocelese looked right in the girl's eyes, trying to find the answer before it was even spoken to him. He didn't want Shiro to die in some bloody conflict. Didn't want her to see the fires of war, or to gutted and left to bleed out.



"There will come a day when all this is over with for me here. My vendetta, the war, my time in Hueco Mundo will come to an end, and I'll be able to go back to living the life of a regular man. It may not come soon...but rest assured, it will come. When it does, I'll give you a call, and if you find the civilian life something unable to grasp, you can come and stay with Sophia and I. That is the only compromise I can give you."

"Thank me by thriving and making something of yourself. You know when it comes to a return to a mundane life, I will help you at every step of the way." Theocelese smiled now, hand moving from the girl's cheek to mess up her hair like he'd done so many times before. Now he leaned back into his seat, resting nice and easily. "There may be a time when I do ask you to draw your blade for me, and that time will come soon, but make no mistake. You have a voice, you have a say. Do not feel obligated to draw blood and kill because I asked you to. I cannot make you do something you do not want to do."



It was a respectable stance most people could have. Only bastards and faux-kings and queens looked at others, demanding and forcing them into acts against their will. Theocelese knew he wasn't such a thing, and wouldn't ever think of drawing others into combat if they didn't want to. Things like sparring...Well, he could be a persistent bastard and poke and prod and nag someone until they finally just humored the Arrancar, but a real fight where one's life was on the line? Never. Those who took to the field alongside him did so willingly...even if he could tell a growing sense of dread clouded those folks. Least of all, he wouldn't push a human to this situation. He thought about fun things that could be done. Wasn't much time for that kind of stuff now a days, but he supposed that there actually was something Shiro could help him with. His foot began to silently tap against the neatly waxed floor, and a look of contemplation grew on his face.



"You know...I'm going to be taking one of my fellow Arrancar shopping here soon. She's returned after a long leave and is in terrible need of clothes. You still lack some taste in terms of dress so...why don't you come along?" That, of course, was a teasing comment that returned a sense of normality to their relationship. "I don't really know much about women's clothing, I think you could help her pick something fashionable out. Ikana is...an old soul like myself, so I wouldn't be surprised if all she wanted was a plain attire and combat boots." Theocelese shrugged, his broad shoulders raising and lowering quickly.



"All she's ever known is a life here in Hueco Mundo, save for her life as a human...so the modern world might escape her a bit. Then, when we're done, we can go out for a nice dinner and then..." Theocelese paused, eyes boring into Shiro's own. The emphasis he put on that last word was so sharp, she'd have to have a great deal of rocks rolling around inside an empty skull to miss. "You need to catch up on your school work and studies. Speaking of books and the like, how have you liked the Illiad thus far?" What he didn't ask, but was secretly curious about, was if she'd pieced anything together. He'd given her a good sum of information, fractured as it may be, but the answer was there in that book. All Shiro needed to do was put those pieces together.