THE VALIANT

“So what is it your association does, exactly?”

“You loyalty to each other is admirable.”

“Shini...?” Soft with disbelief, she said, “Is that really you?”

“What did they do to you all...?”

As Nelliel knelt before her, Harribel found herself gripped by a certain thrill having nothing to do with acts of fealty —perish the thought. “Are you sure?”

In truth, the request was something of a minor discomfort, even as she heard the words come from her own mouth. She was no Baraggan, nor Aizen; not one to want for an imposing throne to sit upon, or a gilded crown to rest atop her head —and was of the opinion that gestures of grandeur or great fanfare were ill-suited to the world she wished to shape. They were much alike in that regard, and perhaps that similarity is what appeared to still Nelliel’s lips in requesting something so indulgent.

Her smile was all the urging Harribel needed (exceptions could be made, especially one so particularly innocent), and what a poor leader she was, to be quietly captivated by another so completely. Her fingers looping through Tiburón’s guard, she swiftly withdrew her zanpakuto from its sheathe, placing the flat of its blade atop her left shoulder.

“I’m about to ask a lot of you, Nelliel.”

𝐓𝐈𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐎𝐍 𝐅𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐃, its edge a mere twitch from kissing her neck, and even then she felt no doubt -------- only the dawning realization of the gesture’s true significance. Hardly daring to breathe, she stole a glance to the blade on her shoulder, suddenly that much heavier. Yet it was a weight she bore proudly; one she chose, so long as she followed the Queen. Glancing back up, Nelliel said, “We’ve come this far, haven’t we?”

In her teasing words, there hid a kernel of truth: Harribel need only ask, and she’d follow. Not out of the blind devotion she once placed at Aizen’s feet, but of the belief they were at last doing something right. Hueco Mundo had an example now, a woman who refused to engage in the cycles of violence that propelled their world forward since the moon hung in the sky. And she had never found a place more right than at her side. That certainty brought a warmth to her chest, mixed with giddy anticipation. For all it ought to be a solemn occasion, she couldn’t quite hide her grin. Squaring her shoulders, Nelliel laid her arm across her stomach, leaning forward just so. 𝙰 𝙿𝚁𝙾𝙿𝙴𝚁 𝙺𝙽𝙸𝙶𝙷𝚃.

Something like the barest hint of fondness shone in her eyes, “Would you …kneel? There’s a point to this, I assure you.”

𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 𝐁𝐄 𝐅𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐃, had the request left room for little more than confusion ------- and curiosity. Skeptical, Nelliel sank to the ground, casually laying one arm across her knee. There was no denying Hueco Mundo’s new Queen had earned her trust ( her 𝙵𝙴𝙰𝙻𝚃𝚈, even ); yet the gesture felt a odd, given she seemed disinclined toward such overt displays so far. Glancing up, she searched Harribel’s gaze for some hint, a glimmer of intentions; then, finding none, she only smiled. 

“𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆, 𝐇𝐔𝐇? Guess I lost track of time.”

𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇 𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐍 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐃 𝐀 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐌, measured approached, one could not help but assume the worst in Las Noches ——- 𝙷𝙴𝚁𝙴, where her fellow arrancar were ruled by their baser instincts, and violence prevailed. Nelliel inhaled once before addressing the numero. 

HEADCANON: Aspect of Death

An arrancar’s aspect of death is a very personal attribute, possibly reflective of their personality or mortal death. Therefore, I don’t believe that just because two Espdada share the same rank, they necessarily have to share the same aspect of death. Looking at Nelliel’s behavior, I believe hers to be Justice.

Her hollowfication stemmed from a death in which she was wrongly persecuted for her religious beliefs, and executed in a crusade. In her last moments she raged against the injustice of it. Nelliel proceeded to hollowfy fairly quickly, and sought out the ones who caused her death, thinking herself to be righting the wrongs committed against her in life.

As an adjucha, this led her to largely abstain from consuming her fellow hollow unless they challenged her directly. It was fair, in her way of thinking, when they were the ones to instigate it. And as her power increased, she had no lack of them, lured by her ever growing strength.

When she was first approached by Aizen she was distrustful, but at the same time, she found herself drawn to his aura of authority. He had the potential to bring order to Hueco Mundo, to lift them from the chaos of scraping along the endless dunes. And more importantly, it gave them an opportunity to stand up to the Shinigami in a way they’d never done before.

Nelliel rarely ventured out of Hueco Mundo, but she knew lesser hollow in particular were drawn to the world of the living like moths to a flame over the prospect of fresh souls. There they were slaughtered by the Shinigami, when they were simply acting on their nature, never knowing any better. She considered it a great injustice that so few of them were able to evolve to their full capacity and regain the reason that allowed them to choose, and to live as something other than beasts. Under Aizen, she saw a future where every hollow would regain this capacity, and so she allowed herself to become an arrancar.

As an Espada, we see her behave rather self-righteously at times, particularly in her interactions with Nnoitra. She believes her own moral code to be the epitome of what is right, and what is wrong, and she is more than willing to enforce it upon others.

“There was a time where we ceased to be human and became beasts. And then in becoming arrancar, we regained our capacity for reason. One who posses reason,should require a reason to fight.”

Her most prolific quote also reflects her need to have a cause, something she considers right, worthy, and just to raise her blade. And we see she is more than willing to enact retribution should a crime be committed against her, or those she cares about, again in the case with Nnoitra and his attack against her fraccion.

On a more meta level it also goes well with her design and resurreccion. She is a Knight in Shining Armor, so to speak. It calls back to chivalry and the virtues of honor and bravery. It could even be argued her release command, “Declare”, could be likened to someone passing judgement, ringing with finality and marking them for sentencing.