#//maybe an arrancar would pose a threat but like. a normie hollow doesn't stand a chance

[baiika]

Truth be told, Momo didn't see the pugilism coming. She should've, but didn't. God knows she's spent enough time as Jewel's warden to understand that a bloodthirsty woman like Jewel wouldn't even consider the fine art of kidou.

She can respect it. Mostly, she just envies they have an object to release their anger. Everyday, Momo has to keep herself from slitting throats, from making examples of her detractors for every fucking hyperviolent morons Sousuke and his plans birthed. Alas, execution is saved only for the most trying times. For mistakes so egregious not even demotion is satisfactory.

As Jewel wrestles the hollow, Momo shrouds herself in kyokkou, circles behind, and draws her sword. It's not hard to ascend the hollow. Jewel has it pretty well stunned and pinned in place. When Momo reached the head, she jammed it straight into its skull, eliciting a shrill, ear-piercing cry that would rupture the eardrums of any average mortal. Thankfully, she's far from average.

She digs it deeper and deeper while it thrashes and gurgles. Momo has to use sai to keep it from trampling Jewel despite her newfound confidence in their ability. She's not one to take chances on anything.

"Snap, Tobiume!" she screams. Her sword sprouts prongs and bubbles with fire. The combustion splits the hollow's skull like a squashed melon, scattering bone shards and charred tissue. It's an even simpler spell to protect Jewel from the sting of splinters.

The legs of the remains give out. Ordinarily, it would kick up a significant amount of dust, but all this is so... simple. Simple enough to create a field to keep the dust down.

Using this amount of rapid-fire spells feels like she's using old muscles. Like she's stretching after a long nap.

Momo hops off its neck into the grass. She pushes back her singed bangs. "Do I still have my eyebrows?"

Every step is measured and pathways are locked in. Prisoners, guards - noted. By the time they reach the dunes, Jewel is certain that she could navigate the underground from her cell with her eyes closed and her arms bound if that were the case.

One of her assets as a Shinigami is memorizing geography and the fighting styles and attacks of those around her. Being confined to a glorified cage for months left her mind desperately starved, so when she's allowed out, she's eager to eat up the any new information in her environment.

It will not be forgotten.

Jewel is calm, quiet, and obedient on their hunt, taking in the blanched desert all the while. Clouds feather the dark skies with an increasing thickness in the distance; the air's nice and it's comfortable. There's so much space.

The taste of freedom is so close yet so far.

When the hollow comes into view, she lurches in place but stops herself. The sight of the beast gives her system a much wanted kick of adrenaline, but she doesn't attack unless attacked first. Though, being without her zanpakuto, the idea of challenging it felt tempting.

Jewel pinches her lips and wets them at hearing Momo's order. "Done."

Kicking off in a brief shunpo, she presents herself before the hollow and whistles up at it.

It immediately lunges for her, which she dodges.

Easy enough, but she's not in the mood for cat and mouse games right now. She craves more.

Instead of running, she keeps her distance long enough to round up a packed punch right into its snout. What she doesn't expect is that her strike forced the snout to concave into its head and cause it to wildly thrash about.

Fuck, it felt good to do that.