Night 58: Main Hallway, 1-West

[princeofthemoon]

[ from here ]

Sesshoumaru had not been in the building for nearly long enough to really know it, and his knowledge had not been expanded yesterday as it might otherwise have been, because of the poisons that had been fed into his system - poisons that somehow worked, which had been a disconcerting and unpleasant experience. In the end, though, all

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[princeofthemoon]

Sesshoumaru watched her coldly, or blankly, or something in between. He seemed neither interested nor disinterested, and concealed the flash of displeasure when her eyes lingered on the empty sleeve, neatly pinned up. But for the mutt he would still have his arm, which was annoying - it was an inconvenience to be left with one arm instead of two on many occasions, but all the same not something he usually dwelled on, or minded except sometimes distantly. But, in his true place and true time, there were few who even realized he had lost his left arm. His proficiency - already great, and which had been pushed further by the new challenges - and the way that his sleeves hung was sufficient to deceive most opponents - even if not intentionally, because he did not care one way or another. Most did not live long enough for it to matter. Here that was not the case, and unlike usual, here the idea of being judged as crippled and underestimated was annoying. Perhaps due to the thought that it would hardly be an underestimation at all. He felt heavy, and weak, and had been drugged.

She bowed her head, as though in deference, her posture ungainly for all of the trained grace that had been in her gait, and began to stumble out an explanation.

Sesshoumaru arched an elegant brow. "And what makes you think I am a fit companion?" His voice was lightly curious.

[ultimagi]

"I don't know," she said, for it was the truth; she knew nothing about him but his appearance in the darkness, and the sound of his voice. She might have seen him in passing in the cafeteria, or the sun room, but the girl had spent so much time wrapped up with either herself or her conversations that she paid little attention to what existed outside them. It wasn't as though she knew he was some great combat fighter, or well-versed with the building's layout. Just from appearances, and from her own limited understanding of the world, it would seem more logical for her to think that someone who had been so careless to have lost an arm (or so unlucky as to have been born without one) to be a less-fit companion than someone else.

The girl shook her head. "But you're different from me."

Not in the way Edgar was, who seemed in her perception much larger than a man, and hotter (yes, there was the word she'd been searching for), like her and unlike her in almost distressing measure. And not like everyone else, who seemed distant, removed and unfamiliar. Of course, there was no closeness or familiarity with this man, either. It was like the crayons in the arts and crafts room, in a way. Most of the soldiers and many of the inmates had been as streaks of blue wax. It was to be expected, in a sea of strangers, and her without memory or understanding of people. For a brief moment, the man before her now seemed to be a different sort of shade entirely.

It was not something she understood, nor was it something she realized in that moment, but perhaps what ambiguous, truthful words she'd given would be enough for now.

[princeofthemoon]

He watched her, unreadable, but seemed surprised for a minute at her answer. The flash of emotion passed. He focused for a few moments - she smelled perfectly human, without the sharp, dangerous sunlight-scented arrow that purity tended to have. Of course, there was no guarantee that he could still smell it, but she didn't seem like a priestess. He blinked, and relaxed his focus to allow his senses to slip back to normal, and back to other things, and examined her again, eyes flicking over her. "I am more like you here than I should care to be." Sesshoumaru's voice was bland, almost dry, his face inexpressive, but there was something underneath that - annoyance, maybe, or frustration, maybe in his eyes, or his slight movements, or running deep under the emotions in his voice.

"But you are correct. Regardless of how much this place might drain me, we are different."

He wondered what this girl was, and what she had meant. Regardless of th answer to either, she was intriguing. Even if she was nothing else, perhaps that would suffice, for now. He tilted his head a little, considering.

And, perhaps she could be useful.

"Hn....

I had thought to go upstairs."

[ultimagi]

That settled that, then. The girl nodded, speaking evenly. "I had, too." It made more sense to her to check there first anyway; she had no knowledge of what was on the second floor, and few of the people she'd spoken to had seemed to either; at least, Edgar had some idea, but hadn't gone where she was intending, and Izaya hadn't a clue at all.

At least he had confirmed her hunch as correct. Did that mean what she'd felt before in the cafeteria had been right as well?

No matter. It wasn't what mattered right now. The girl's shoulders relaxed marginally for only a moment, but with a sweep of her flashlight she turned her head to the rest of the hall. "There's a staircase..."

She, of course, had no idea specifically where.

[princeofthemoon]

It did seem rational; for all that Sesshoumaru had spent the day in a drug-induced haze, it had not escaped his notice that the activities he was herded to had taken place on the ground floor. The second floor appeared to be held apart.

His eyes glowed in the ambient light again for a second as he turned. "Look to your left," he said lightly, before walking towards the staircase. He didn't turn to see if she followed.

[princeofthemoon]

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