When in Rome

The man arrived and initially fed her praise, while a grimace formed upon her lips. She didn't want his praise, let alone him there at all. He may have thought that she'd be hospitable and docile, like most of the Quincy who understood the pact of the Shinigami. They were to be subservient and basically play as if they were their masters. As if. Gripping the handles of the knives tightly, she refused to turn around and look at him. She was calculating at mind racing speeds, and considered numerous options of attack and defense. It wasn't easy though, she had no idea who he was or what he was capable of. She just knew that he was an enemy that she had to take care of.

She had began to turn when he had basically demanded that she stop hunting, in a cold and emotionless tone at that. That was the last straw and the last grievance a Shinigami would ever make to a Quincy. She, however wasn't one to attack someone who wasn't expecting it, so she turned around. A quick Hirenkyaku spread out the distance to a nice 5 meters as she looked at the man in front of her. Unlike most of the other Shinigami she saw he had red armor on, and seemed to have a more regal air about him. The knives still in her hand, her face was deadly and prepared. She understood the magnitude of the situation and what it meant, perfectly. The question was; did he? One thing was racing through her mind with a mix of fear and excitement. 

The pact was broken.

"And you'd do well to not speak to me as if you are my superior, scum."

It was uncharacteristic of her to act so hostilely toward anyone, and if her old friends could see her now they'd probably be shocked. But they didn't know how this man and his race made her blood boil, and how they embarrassed her in ways they couldn't even comprehend. Throwing a knife at his leg, she initiated her attack while keeping her eyes on his face. She wasn't one to go out into an offense so easily, she was just testing him. 

The man regarded her like a fly attacking a lion, and it irritated a small part of her. Even as much as she hated him, it still couldn't make her needlessly angry. Assessing the situation was simple, in some ways, but more of an issue in others. As she watched him he looked bored, but that didn't stop her from noticing the ripples around the man as he tore apart her reishi knives. Rather interesting, really, and something she didn't know Shinigami could do. It seemed more like a Quincy trait than anything else, but that didn't mean she was done. That just meant that he could indefinitely, or definitely, apply his spiritual pressure in a manner to disband the energy in an area around him. To her assessment, it seemed as if it had to be somewhat close in proximity in order to do so.

"The pact is an abhorrent disgrace to all of the Quincy and the weaklings that follow it."

Yet despite her words, it seemed that she was at an odd disadvantage. The idea was almost funny to her. Almost. Taking a deep breathe she realized how she could proceed, but it just seemed too drastic in such a situation. Some lowly Shinigami forcing her to such extremes was rather odd, and annoying, but measures had to be taken to make sure the Quincy were never underestimated again. Taking the other two knives she tossed them at his face while she began to chant.

"Allow His Grace to strike down all in my path with his divine retribution - Kirchenlied: Zorn Gottes!" And as she called out the name of her sacred Church Hymn an ability she constructed on her own, it would make the sky darken even more so than before. A single halo of light would open up in the air in a large area around the Shinigami. Within moments condensed reishi would pour down and consume him.

"Face the wrath of my ancestors rage embodied in myself, Shinigami."

He interrupted her hymn that would bring for the wrath of His Holiness, but that wasn't what impressed her. What did was the speed in which he moved it was...graceful and elegant yet still had the deadliness and sharpness of a well toned warrior. It was the type of speed one got with centuries of practice and yet, it still wasn't fast enough. Surely, for those who viewed battle simply through there eyes, most people would have despaired at his speed. But those people didn't have the skills that she did and, while she lacked in certain areas, tracking spiritual pressure was one of her best skills. He didn't slip through her defenses when he came that close to her, rather, the shock of him interrupting her technique allowed him a brief window. Feeling his spiritual pressure it was easy to feel the direction of his attack.

This wasn't much, as he could attack from any number of methods, but at least she knew which direction to watch from. His attack was swift and straight forward. For someone like her who analyzed everything, it was clear that he was toying with her or testing her. Either way she wasn't going to let him think he was the only one who was quick on their feet. A burst of Hirenkyaku brought herself behind him but, rather than attack that way, she left a decent amount of distance between them (10m) and cracked her neck. Aerial battles wouldn't end well for her, so she needed to reassess the situation. Looking down, slightly, she noted that there was nothing but clear plains beneath them. Materializing a knife, she threw it straight down and into the ground. 

"Let's go."

Phoebe figured he wasn't a complete savage and would comply - to a certain extent. Guard up, she materialized three more knives between her knuckles as she landed on the ground below without so much as a thud. Mind racing and eyes pealed on the enemy her intellect was fiercely trying to keep up with her thoughts as she tried to figure out a way to attack the man who broke down her attacks before they reached him and whose speed was too great to stay still for her ultimate attack hymn.

She could of nearly twitched at a smile as he demanded she not waste her time. Nearly. But instead she eyed him carefully, careful not to make any hazardous moves. She was clearly at a disadvantage - and not because she thought he was stronger than her, rather, because her main offense had been disabled. She had to think around it and that was where the true problem had come into play. With a rage she threw one of her knives into the ground in rage, a few inches to the right of the one she had marked their landing with, before she blinked and looked at him again. She had thought of a strategy that might work but she wasn't someone who would take chances. 

Smiling, ruefully, she tossed the two blades at him before materializing three more that she promptly threw and, with a Hirenkyaku giving herself five meters of space to his right, tossed three more at him. Stalling wasn't easy when someone could swat away your attacks but she truly had to think. She silently cursed at herself for not bringing more equipment with her to incapacitate him, but, that was unavoidable. She had made a miscalculation in coming out, thinking that she'd only be dealing with just hollows. Of course there'd be a Shinigami showing up in order to do the same thing that she came to do.

"Patience, sir, is a virtue that you would do well to learn." 

Phoebe was being cocky and wouldn't let her voice portray the tiny amount of fear she had. Her anger greatly overshadowed the fear so, one way or another, she was going to make sure that this Shinigami got what was coming to him. Crouched low, ready to move, she readied three more knives, ready to toss at her disposal.