He trailed after the red-head, still not thrilled at the idea that the man thought he couldn't be left alone but, oddly enough, he had a feeling he didn't want to be left alone. At least, not this week. It didn't occur to him that this friend Kurama was going to see was probably the jerk that had started the damn party earlier until they were already inside the suite.
He didn't even have a chance to register anything out of the ordinary before Kurama was moving. Russell turned just as quickly, fear thrilling through him and he hesitated following the red head, wondering just what he sensed. The door was wrenched back by the other man and for a moment Russell thought they would be attacked but then Kurama just stopped, staring into the room in wide-eyed horror.
The vibrant color of Kurama's hair contrasted sharply with the deep crimson spray across the door. That should have been enough to make him stay where he was. The ruddy cast to the light, the thick dark scarlet pooled in front of him, saturating the carpet, should've been enough. More than anything the look on Kurama's face should have told him to stay exactly where he was.
But his feet seemed to move of their own accord, until he was standing, directly behind the man. It took a long moment for the horror of what he was seeing to really set in, his mind refusing to make sense of what his eyes saw, trying to protect itself from the atrocity laid out in the room. The sharp mineral smell that could have easily been the result of a dozen different transmutations. The crimson dripping down the walls like the red water he'd spent so much of his life around...
But the body splayed out like some horrific centerpiece made bile rise in his throat. His eyes burned from staring too long and when he finally closed them he found himself unwilling to open them again.
"What happened?" His voice trembled and the stench on the air it took to force out those words was almost enough to make him ill.
Kurama had all but forgotten about Russell's presence until the boy spoke up, even though he made no motion that he had heard anything. Only through sheer willpower was he maintaining his composure, his cool demeanor that never failed to act as a shield. He had seen horrors much worse than this--committed horrors much worse. But...
But this was Kuronue. Kuronue, who only hours ago had been drinking merrily at the party out in the biodome. Kurama had seen his friend, watched him, even defended his merrymaking. He couldn't understand where this had come from... Kuronue never mentioned any enemies.
"I have no idea," he finally responded, his voice hollow even to his own ears. He forced himself to release the doorknob, only to step past the thresh hold and into the room. The smell was even worse inside. It pressed down on him, smothering him. He held his breath and crouched down next to the body, his eyes scanning for that familiar red trinket in the sea of red. How he would find anything, he didn't know, but he had to try...
Finding nothing in plain sight, Kurama reached for the body. It was warm, still. He could feel the heat as he pushed Kuronue's corpse onto it's stomach, turning him over--a slippery task, considering the blood that coated his hands as soon as he even touched the body. A fresh pang of guilt ripped through him. This body couldn't have been here longer than a few minutes. Had he missed Kuronue's murderer by so little? Would his friend still be alive if he'd only moved just five minutes sooner?
Even with his determination to remain calm, Kurama felt sick to his stomach with both anger and regret. He couldn't stay here any longer. The amulet was missing, and Kuronue was... There was nothing he could do. Standing again, Kurama turned away and exited the room, shutting the door behind him.
"Give me just a moment, then we can leave." His words were still empty of emotion, directed towards Russell as he moved to the bathroom. He couldn't stand this blood on his hands, soaking into his skin. All the water in the world wouldn't be able to wash the feeling away.
Russell blinked his eyes open, staring after the red head as he moved into the room. It was so wrong, as if Kurama stepping into that scene somehow made it more real, more awful. He couldn’t force his eyes away, though, even as he cringed with each squelching step the other took. What did Kurama expect to find in there? Part of him wanted to rush in there and drag the red head out, just close the door and pretend it never happened but he couldn’t bring himself to set foot in that blood spattered room.
He could only imagine what the other must be feeling. Kuronue had been a jerk, true, but he was Kurama’s friend. A very close friend, from what the red head had said earlier. The door shut with a quiet click and Russell slowly focused his attention on Kurama. It was almost as though everything were happening in slow motion until that point. Then, with the click of the lock his mind caught up with time and the gravity of it all hit him like a ton of bricks.
"Give me just a moment, then we can leave." The words were cool, distant even. Russell shook his head, this couldn’t be happening. Kuronue was dead, they were all powerless and this psychopath was running around giving anyone prone to violence their powers back. The faint semblance of order they’d had in this place was crashing down around them, Kurama’s best friend was now little more than a smear on the wall and he was worried about washing his hands?
His breathing was just a little too fast, his eyes a little too wide as he tried to fight down the rising tide of panic within him. There was so much they should do but so little they actually could and here was Kurama, just as calm and level headed as ever. Didn’t her care? That was supposedly his best friend. If something like that happened to Fletcher he’d be a wreck. How could he just calmly continue on like that.
The little rush of hot anger chased down his panic and Russell clung to it, desperate for something, anything, to keep him from losing it. It was so much easier to be angry, and in this place it was probably safer to.
“What is the matter with you?” He found himself saying through clenched teeth, part of his mind noting the unnatural pitch of his voice. Perhaps panic was not so far off as he’d hoped. “Don’t you even care? I thought he was your friend!”
Russell's words brought Kurama to a halt, his hand resting on the knob of the bathroom door. Red smeared against the metal fixture. His hands were tainting everything he touched.
The words spoken aloud struck a little closer to home than Kurama would have liked. Kuronue was his friend--a dear one, at that. It wasn't that he didn't care. He knew the pain was there, but he refused to feel it. If he allowed himself to succumb to it now, it would tear him apart. This was the second time he'd lost something so precious before he had a chance to realize what he had. How many times had he wanted a second chance? More than half a thousand years of regret, and yet nothing had changed. He still couldn't save Kuronue.
Kurama half turned to look back at Russell, his emerald gaze drilling holes into the other boy. His mask slipped ever so slightly. There was barely concealed anger behind those eyes, a look of murder that only a handful of people had ever seen. He was fighting back an onslaught of emotion, rage at the forefront with guilt following swiftly behind.
"Do not even think to lecture me." The words spoken slowly, calmly. But this time, the restraint behind each word was almost tangible.
Russell clenched his fists, wanting nothing more than to shout at the red head, get some kind of reaction out of him, as if that would make his own excusable somehow. The clipped tension in the words made him bite his tongue, the effort showing clearly on his face. He drop onto one of the couches and hunching forward, hands in his hair, elbows on his knees. If he ignored the red head and took a minute to just breathe maybe he could get a hold of himself. It was bad enough that they had no control over the situation for the week, he had to calm down and think rationally but his mind remained stubbornly blank, filled with nothing but the image of scarlet walls.
A quite sound of frustration, something between a growl and a whine, escaped him and he bit his lip.
“What the hell are we going to do?” At least he didn’t sound as desperate as he felt right now.
For once, Kurama was almost glad his powers were restrained. At least like this, he was certain that if a harsh word from Russell did manage to snap through his restraints, he wouldn't be able to beat the boy to death with just his fists before he got a hold of himself.
Turning away again, Kurama entered the bathroom and went straight to the sink. The water ran cool over his hands as he tried to wash the blood away, scrubbing his skin mercilessly. It took nearly a minute, but even after the last of the red tint had been washed down the drain, Kurama could still remember the feel of the body in his hands. Gripping the edge of the sink, the he took a deep breath, muffled by the sound of the running water. Nothing would make this better, but the thought of visiting justice on Kuronue's murderer was enough to give him a handle on things. Revenge was something to work towards, something he could deal with instead of feeling helpless. He concentrated on that.
Turning the water off, Kurama caught the tail end of Russell's question. It was a valid one, one that Kurama was still trying to find an answer to. He wiped his hands dry against his pants as he exited the bathroom.
"Hide, for now," he said simply as he came to a stop behind the couch that Russell was seated on. He didn't feel much calmed than a moment ago, but he had a goal now--something to focus on. Survival and revenge.
"We should head to my room first to gather the food I have stored there. If this experiment only remains in effect for one week, the rations will be enough for the both of us. As for our bunker... Your room would be a safer choice, considering mine shares a wall with the Biodome. I would rather not run the risk this week of being caught in someone else's crossfire."
He hadn’t really expected a response from the red head. That he could think so calmly, so rationally in the face of not just Kuronue’s death but the chaos going on around them was nothing short of astounding. Russell always seemed to let his temper get away with him, often ending up putting his foot in his mouth. Just like what he’d said to Kurama a few moments ago but the man seemed content to let it go.
“Hide?” He sighed quietly, isn’t that just what he’d said he didn’t want to do? But, really, he didn’t have much of a choice. None of them did. He stood, nodding slowly but refusing to meet Kurama’s eyes. He should apologize for what he’d said, say something to try to comfort the red head but it was not something he did often or well. What could he possibly say after that? Kurama should’ve punched him but now was instead offering to help him. “You’re right. The further we are from the biodome the better, really.”
Russell didn't seem pleased with the plan to hide, but Kurama had no intention of doing anything else. Without his demon abilities, he could only rely on his martial arts, and that certainly wouldn't be enough to defend himself or Russell from anyone with a black collar.
"Further would be nice, but I would rather not trust a room to remain empty if it belongs to someone else." Worst case scenario, they could waltz right into one of the black collars' rooms without even realizing it.
Moving around the couch, Kurama moved past Russell to the door, then paused to look back. The blond boy wasn't the only one feeling a little guilty for hasty words. They had both witnessed something gruesome, and with the fear and chaos humming through the air, tensions were high. Tempers were bound to be brushed the wrong way, but it was better to move past it than dwell on it.
"I apologize for my words a few minutes ago. I know that was something horrible to witness for the both of us, and it wasn't my intention to snap at you." He couldn't bring himself to force a smile yet, but his words were sincere.
Russell dropped his gaze, letting has bangs hide his face as he fought to get his expression under control. Kurama had nothing to apologize for. He was the one who’d been a jerk first.
“Forget it. I…” He took a deep breath and finally met the red head’s gaze, offering as apologetic a look as he could muster. “I started it.” He looked away quickly, guilt making him unwilling to keep eye contact. Apologies were just something his pride didn’t often permit.
“Let’s just…” He glanced to the side, to that little red smear that bled out from under the door and shuddered slightly. “… get out of here.”
Kurama didn't follow Russell's gaze. He knew well enough where the blond was looking, and he didn't care to be reminded of that again. The memory more than fresh enough for that.
With the same level of stealth and care as before, Kurama opened the suite door. There were no footsteps, no people. Everything was still as eerily quiet as before. Regardless of the fact that it was the middle of the night, it was unsettling as he led Russell down to Suite 30.
It didn't take long to gather the food that he had stored away. There was enough nutrition bars, fruit, bags of chips, and bottles of water to last them for the week. Kurama pulled the pillow case off of his pillow and began loading it up. He also yanked the sheets off of his bed, folded them up, and handed them to Russell. The pillows he carried himself, along with one of the two pillow cases full of food supplies. He grabbed a few extra clothes as well, before finally leaving the room. He had no intention of coming back until next week... So long as this experiment was over by then.
Returning to Suite 25 was likewise uneventful, given that they were practically across the hall from one another. For that, Kurama was grateful. It would have been suicide to venture any further than this. Slipping into the suite, Kurama waited for Russell. It was his room, not Kurama's, even if the redhead had been there not even a day ago. It felt more comfortable to let Russell go first than to simply barge in.
Russell slumped against the suite door for a moment, relieved to be back in some semblance of safety. He was a fool to have left at all. With a heavy sigh he pushed away from the door, moving to open the door to his room.
“It’ll be a little cramped…” He said quietly, gesturing to the corner of the room. The entire area between the foot of the bed and the desk was boxed in, soil from the biodome filling the space and plants all but overflowing it. He dumped the blankets and food on the bed, quickly moving to the desk which was a mess of papers and notebooks. “I guess we’ll just have to make due until the week’s out…” He stacked up his notes, jamming things into drawers to make room. “I… I’m sorry about your friend.” He finally said quietly, focusing his attention on what he was doing. He didn’t know what else to say but, especially after the argument he’d had with Kuronue earlier, it didn’t seem right to just… leave things as they were.
"That's fine," Kurama replied to Russell's comment regarding the accommodations. He didn't much mind the cramped space. He had shared more confined living spaces before. Just enough room to lie down was more than enough for him.
He was just setting his things on the ground by the door when Kurama heard those condolences from Russell. He straightened, unsure of what to say in return. There was no point in the alchemist feeling miserable for Kurama's pain, but neither could he simply say it was okay. It was far from that. Feeling helpless wasn't something he was accustomed to, yet it was an all-too-familiar feeling. Except that this time, he couldn't even go after the bastard responsible. Not without his powers, and not without a clue as to who that person was. The frustration was almost more than he could stand.
Turning to face Russell, Kurama finally settled for forcing a small smile, even though it hurt him to do so. "I appreciate your sympathy, thank you." What more could he really say? Taking a seat on the ground against the front of the dresser, Kurama pulled out his Faciliberry and waited for Russell to finish his tidying. He had to keep informed, after all. Just in case.
Russell finally stopped shuffling papers, pulling out the desk chair and dropping heavily into it. The red head’s response was so formal and strained. He shouldn’t have said anything, should’ve just let it alone. Leaning back in his chair he sighed quietly, surreptitiously watching Kurama while wondering what he should do. They were going to be stuck here for days, was it all going to be so tense?
It took all he had not to fidget, though he absently began doodling arrays on a scrap of paper left on the desk. Just sitting here like this gave him time to think and if it was something he did not want to d he was certain it would be harder on Kurama. Any ideas he thought of trying to talk to the red head, distract him from what must be painful memories, just sounded so insensitive in his head though. So he held his tongue and the awkward silence dragged on.
Kurama took note of the uncomfortable silence, but made no move to break it just yet. He took his time surveying the feeds as they surfaced, noting the responses to the one Madara had made himself--at least, the ones he could access. Who knew how many people were buying into the man's ploy for power. He had been here almost a month and there were still very few people he felt he could even remotely trust.
With nothing of interest to note, he dropped his faciliberry into his pocket and looked up at one of those few people. He had only known the other boy for a few days, but so far, Kurama had gotten the impression that he was a generally good person. A bit quick-tempered and stubborn, perhaps, but that already seemed to be a prerequisite for any friend of his. What was one more to add to the bunch?
It wasn't hard to tell that Russell was feeling uneasy. Even without the fidgeting, the atmosphere in the room spoke volumes. His responses likely hadn't helped that. Reluctantly, Kurama pushed himself back to his feet and walked over behind the alchemist to observe what he was doing. Contrary to Russell's belief, he didn't mind thinking, just as long as he could keep his mind focused on something productive.
"If you don't mind, what are these?" he asked after a moment, motioning to the arrays doodled on the paper.
Russell glanced up when Kurama stood but, not wanting to seem nervous, paid him little mind. Only partially because as soon as he starts with pointless doodling it soon becomes yet another scrap of theory he’ll have to keep in his pile of notes. This is exactly why his desk was so messy.
When Kurama speaks he looks up, startled slightly, almost as if he’d forgotten the other was there. If he let himself get wrapped up in his research, his theories, it would be so much easier to deal with… well everything.
“This?” He looks back down at the paper. “These are just transmutation circles… it’s what makes my alchemy work.” He left it at that, the couple people he'd been rambling to about his alchemy here had just nodded along, fairly obviously not having expected such in depth explanation.
"Ah." Kurama lapsed into silence again, watching as Russell continued his sketches. He couldn't begin to imagine how these circles could produce alchemy, given that the 'alchemy' he was familiar with was really nothing more than shoddy chemistry. Perhaps it was something akin to Gama's power--his ability to 'draw' curses onto a person, whether with paint or blood. But even if that were the case, powers were sealed. So what point did it serve to be drawing such things now?
When it didn't seem that Russell would explain further, Kurama spoke up again. Others might not have been so curious, but the redhead held a particular interest in Russell's abilities. "How do these drawings help? Especially if you intend to draw them now, with the collars in effect."
He didn't even have a chance to register anything out of the ordinary before Kurama was moving. Russell turned just as quickly, fear thrilling through him and he hesitated following the red head, wondering just what he sensed. The door was wrenched back by the other man and for a moment Russell thought they would be attacked but then Kurama just stopped, staring into the room in wide-eyed horror.
The vibrant color of Kurama's hair contrasted sharply with the deep crimson spray across the door. That should have been enough to make him stay where he was. The ruddy cast to the light, the thick dark scarlet pooled in front of him, saturating the carpet, should've been enough. More than anything the look on Kurama's face should have told him to stay exactly where he was.
But his feet seemed to move of their own accord, until he was standing, directly behind the man. It took a long moment for the horror of what he was seeing to really set in, his mind refusing to make sense of what his eyes saw, trying to protect itself from the atrocity laid out in the room. The sharp mineral smell that could have easily been the result of a dozen different transmutations. The crimson dripping down the walls like the red water he'd spent so much of his life around...
But the body splayed out like some horrific centerpiece made bile rise in his throat. His eyes burned from staring too long and when he finally closed them he found himself unwilling to open them again.
"What happened?" His voice trembled and the stench on the air it took to force out those words was almost enough to make him ill.
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But this was Kuronue. Kuronue, who only hours ago had been drinking merrily at the party out in the biodome. Kurama had seen his friend, watched him, even defended his merrymaking. He couldn't understand where this had come from... Kuronue never mentioned any enemies.
"I have no idea," he finally responded, his voice hollow even to his own ears. He forced himself to release the doorknob, only to step past the thresh hold and into the room. The smell was even worse inside. It pressed down on him, smothering him. He held his breath and crouched down next to the body, his eyes scanning for that familiar red trinket in the sea of red. How he would find anything, he didn't know, but he had to try...
Finding nothing in plain sight, Kurama reached for the body. It was warm, still. He could feel the heat as he pushed Kuronue's corpse onto it's stomach, turning him over--a slippery task, considering the blood that coated his hands as soon as he even touched the body. A fresh pang of guilt ripped through him. This body couldn't have been here longer than a few minutes. Had he missed Kuronue's murderer by so little? Would his friend still be alive if he'd only moved just five minutes sooner?
Even with his determination to remain calm, Kurama felt sick to his stomach with both anger and regret. He couldn't stay here any longer. The amulet was missing, and Kuronue was... There was nothing he could do. Standing again, Kurama turned away and exited the room, shutting the door behind him.
"Give me just a moment, then we can leave." His words were still empty of emotion, directed towards Russell as he moved to the bathroom. He couldn't stand this blood on his hands, soaking into his skin. All the water in the world wouldn't be able to wash the feeling away.
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He could only imagine what the other must be feeling. Kuronue had been a jerk, true, but he was Kurama’s friend. A very close friend, from what the red head had said earlier. The door shut with a quiet click and Russell slowly focused his attention on Kurama. It was almost as though everything were happening in slow motion until that point. Then, with the click of the lock his mind caught up with time and the gravity of it all hit him like a ton of bricks.
"Give me just a moment, then we can leave." The words were cool, distant even. Russell shook his head, this couldn’t be happening. Kuronue was dead, they were all powerless and this psychopath was running around giving anyone prone to violence their powers back. The faint semblance of order they’d had in this place was crashing down around them, Kurama’s best friend was now little more than a smear on the wall and he was worried about washing his hands?
His breathing was just a little too fast, his eyes a little too wide as he tried to fight down the rising tide of panic within him. There was so much they should do but so little they actually could and here was Kurama, just as calm and level headed as ever. Didn’t her care? That was supposedly his best friend. If something like that happened to Fletcher he’d be a wreck. How could he just calmly continue on like that.
The little rush of hot anger chased down his panic and Russell clung to it, desperate for something, anything, to keep him from losing it. It was so much easier to be angry, and in this place it was probably safer to.
“What is the matter with you?” He found himself saying through clenched teeth, part of his mind noting the unnatural pitch of his voice. Perhaps panic was not so far off as he’d hoped. “Don’t you even care? I thought he was your friend!”
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The words spoken aloud struck a little closer to home than Kurama would have liked. Kuronue was his friend--a dear one, at that. It wasn't that he didn't care. He knew the pain was there, but he refused to feel it. If he allowed himself to succumb to it now, it would tear him apart. This was the second time he'd lost something so precious before he had a chance to realize what he had. How many times had he wanted a second chance? More than half a thousand years of regret, and yet nothing had changed. He still couldn't save Kuronue.
Kurama half turned to look back at Russell, his emerald gaze drilling holes into the other boy. His mask slipped ever so slightly. There was barely concealed anger behind those eyes, a look of murder that only a handful of people had ever seen. He was fighting back an onslaught of emotion, rage at the forefront with guilt following swiftly behind.
"Do not even think to lecture me." The words spoken slowly, calmly. But this time, the restraint behind each word was almost tangible.
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A quite sound of frustration, something between a growl and a whine, escaped him and he bit his lip.
“What the hell are we going to do?” At least he didn’t sound as desperate as he felt right now.
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Turning away again, Kurama entered the bathroom and went straight to the sink. The water ran cool over his hands as he tried to wash the blood away, scrubbing his skin mercilessly. It took nearly a minute, but even after the last of the red tint had been washed down the drain, Kurama could still remember the feel of the body in his hands. Gripping the edge of the sink, the he took a deep breath, muffled by the sound of the running water. Nothing would make this better, but the thought of visiting justice on Kuronue's murderer was enough to give him a handle on things. Revenge was something to work towards, something he could deal with instead of feeling helpless. He concentrated on that.
Turning the water off, Kurama caught the tail end of Russell's question. It was a valid one, one that Kurama was still trying to find an answer to. He wiped his hands dry against his pants as he exited the bathroom.
"Hide, for now," he said simply as he came to a stop behind the couch that Russell was seated on. He didn't feel much calmed than a moment ago, but he had a goal now--something to focus on. Survival and revenge.
"We should head to my room first to gather the food I have stored there. If this experiment only remains in effect for one week, the rations will be enough for the both of us. As for our bunker... Your room would be a safer choice, considering mine shares a wall with the Biodome. I would rather not run the risk this week of being caught in someone else's crossfire."
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“Hide?” He sighed quietly, isn’t that just what he’d said he didn’t want to do? But, really, he didn’t have much of a choice. None of them did. He stood, nodding slowly but refusing to meet Kurama’s eyes. He should apologize for what he’d said, say something to try to comfort the red head but it was not something he did often or well. What could he possibly say after that? Kurama should’ve punched him but now was instead offering to help him. “You’re right. The further we are from the biodome the better, really.”
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"Further would be nice, but I would rather not trust a room to remain empty if it belongs to someone else." Worst case scenario, they could waltz right into one of the black collars' rooms without even realizing it.
Moving around the couch, Kurama moved past Russell to the door, then paused to look back. The blond boy wasn't the only one feeling a little guilty for hasty words. They had both witnessed something gruesome, and with the fear and chaos humming through the air, tensions were high. Tempers were bound to be brushed the wrong way, but it was better to move past it than dwell on it.
"I apologize for my words a few minutes ago. I know that was something horrible to witness for the both of us, and it wasn't my intention to snap at you." He couldn't bring himself to force a smile yet, but his words were sincere.
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“Forget it. I…” He took a deep breath and finally met the red head’s gaze, offering as apologetic a look as he could muster. “I started it.” He looked away quickly, guilt making him unwilling to keep eye contact. Apologies were just something his pride didn’t often permit.
“Let’s just…” He glanced to the side, to that little red smear that bled out from under the door and shuddered slightly. “… get out of here.”
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With the same level of stealth and care as before, Kurama opened the suite door. There were no footsteps, no people. Everything was still as eerily quiet as before. Regardless of the fact that it was the middle of the night, it was unsettling as he led Russell down to Suite 30.
It didn't take long to gather the food that he had stored away. There was enough nutrition bars, fruit, bags of chips, and bottles of water to last them for the week. Kurama pulled the pillow case off of his pillow and began loading it up. He also yanked the sheets off of his bed, folded them up, and handed them to Russell. The pillows he carried himself, along with one of the two pillow cases full of food supplies. He grabbed a few extra clothes as well, before finally leaving the room. He had no intention of coming back until next week... So long as this experiment was over by then.
Returning to Suite 25 was likewise uneventful, given that they were practically across the hall from one another. For that, Kurama was grateful. It would have been suicide to venture any further than this. Slipping into the suite, Kurama waited for Russell. It was his room, not Kurama's, even if the redhead had been there not even a day ago. It felt more comfortable to let Russell go first than to simply barge in.
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“It’ll be a little cramped…” He said quietly, gesturing to the corner of the room. The entire area between the foot of the bed and the desk was boxed in, soil from the biodome filling the space and plants all but overflowing it. He dumped the blankets and food on the bed, quickly moving to the desk which was a mess of papers and notebooks. “I guess we’ll just have to make due until the week’s out…” He stacked up his notes, jamming things into drawers to make room. “I… I’m sorry about your friend.” He finally said quietly, focusing his attention on what he was doing. He didn’t know what else to say but, especially after the argument he’d had with Kuronue earlier, it didn’t seem right to just… leave things as they were.
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He was just setting his things on the ground by the door when Kurama heard those condolences from Russell. He straightened, unsure of what to say in return. There was no point in the alchemist feeling miserable for Kurama's pain, but neither could he simply say it was okay. It was far from that. Feeling helpless wasn't something he was accustomed to, yet it was an all-too-familiar feeling. Except that this time, he couldn't even go after the bastard responsible. Not without his powers, and not without a clue as to who that person was. The frustration was almost more than he could stand.
Turning to face Russell, Kurama finally settled for forcing a small smile, even though it hurt him to do so. "I appreciate your sympathy, thank you." What more could he really say? Taking a seat on the ground against the front of the dresser, Kurama pulled out his Faciliberry and waited for Russell to finish his tidying. He had to keep informed, after all. Just in case.
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It took all he had not to fidget, though he absently began doodling arrays on a scrap of paper left on the desk. Just sitting here like this gave him time to think and if it was something he did not want to d he was certain it would be harder on Kurama. Any ideas he thought of trying to talk to the red head, distract him from what must be painful memories, just sounded so insensitive in his head though. So he held his tongue and the awkward silence dragged on.
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With nothing of interest to note, he dropped his faciliberry into his pocket and looked up at one of those few people. He had only known the other boy for a few days, but so far, Kurama had gotten the impression that he was a generally good person. A bit quick-tempered and stubborn, perhaps, but that already seemed to be a prerequisite for any friend of his. What was one more to add to the bunch?
It wasn't hard to tell that Russell was feeling uneasy. Even without the fidgeting, the atmosphere in the room spoke volumes. His responses likely hadn't helped that. Reluctantly, Kurama pushed himself back to his feet and walked over behind the alchemist to observe what he was doing. Contrary to Russell's belief, he didn't mind thinking, just as long as he could keep his mind focused on something productive.
"If you don't mind, what are these?" he asked after a moment, motioning to the arrays doodled on the paper.
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When Kurama speaks he looks up, startled slightly, almost as if he’d forgotten the other was there. If he let himself get wrapped up in his research, his theories, it would be so much easier to deal with… well everything.
“This?” He looks back down at the paper. “These are just transmutation circles… it’s what makes my alchemy work.” He left it at that, the couple people he'd been rambling to about his alchemy here had just nodded along, fairly obviously not having expected such in depth explanation.
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When it didn't seem that Russell would explain further, Kurama spoke up again. Others might not have been so curious, but the redhead held a particular interest in Russell's abilities. "How do these drawings help? Especially if you intend to draw them now, with the collars in effect."
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