Night 52: Main Hallway, 1-East

[itneverwas.livejournal.com]

[From here]

If there was one piece of vital information that Xemnas had already grasped during his short stay here, it was that the second floor's main corridor was usually one that was guarded. As the Sun room, it was a center area that was often traversed by the various patients confined within these walls, making it rather logical to position something that would cause inevitable hindrance to those that would wander within the area.

Tempting fate by using that same route would likely result in unnecessary delay, as observing the very abominations that the head doctor allowed to roam freely in these halls wasn't among his goals tonight. Perhaps his current route would have seemed like a detour to anyone else, but to the Superior who could not feel the fear likely grasping some of those part of an existence, it was merely the most efficient way of reaching his destination. That was, however, not to say that he would not find any inconveniences along the way.

It was without any difficulties that the Nobody reached the Eastern wing of the institute, though it left little reason to rejoice. The darkness was still unmoved, not yet revealing that what lurked within. There was the briefest of pauses in the sound of his own footsteps as he searched for something that may leap from the darkness.

Concluding it to be relatively safe for now, Xemnas headed for the most Eastern staircase.

[To here]

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[windstwilight.livejournal.com]

And here was the truth of everything, wasn't it? Senna could understand in an abstract way. There were certain truths--maybe one's own selfishness or maybe a murder to save yourself. Maybe something else altogether. There were certain truths that shifted the entire world. A belief of being unloved for one's actions, maybe. A need to hide the truth of what they were in fear of being rejected and abandoned.

...Yes. Senna could understand that entirely. More than almost any.

She glanced over to Nigredo, raising her eyebrows lightly, almost amused. But she smiled reassuring, nothing but ease in the expression. “I am your friend, Nigredo. You just have to choose if you want to be mine.” She watched him carefully, serious. “I’ll stand by you, if you let me.” Because no one should have to be alone. Least of all, for her reason. “I’m not going to walk away.”

[falseblack]

Nigredo could hear the retort before the response. If anything was to be said of that one, it was that he was quite efficient in conveying doubts. "Why bother?" he asked. "Everyone is the same."

They were. She probably was herself, and the chance was high Senna did not understand the consequences of those words. She, however, had not hesitated. More importantly, she had stood by her statements. So far, at any rate.

A strained silence transpired for a single minute, before the child nodded. Without further prompting, he holstered his gun, speaking quietly in the process. "I'll explain everything he said," began Nigredo, "in the morning. But please--" He inhaled, the breath taken in with difficulty. "--keep this to yourself."

[windstwilight.livejournal.com]

She almost ignored the shadow, but if it was part of Nigredo, it was something to be addressed. So she shrugged loosely, nonchalant. "A lot of people are the same. A lot of people are crappy people who'll leave you in the dust. But you know that's not always true. People have a tendency to surprise you, even people that you wouldn't expect it from. So you can't judge it till you see it."

But past misconceptions could shift behavior. Like a training device, bad experiences could set the bar for everything else. If she took that to be the fact in this case, something that made sense with the conversations that they'd had before, then a lot more fit into place. And she almost hated the understanding, because it wasn't something that the boy had given her. She had gotten the information cheaply, without his approval, and it almost gave her a feeling like she had to make it up. Or, at the very least, prove his darker self wrong.

And as if he knew her thoughts, Nigredo spoke. And instantly Senna shook her head, reaching a hand to his shoulder. "Don't bother if you don't want to, Nigredo. If you want to tell me, I'll listen, but don't feel like you have to explain anything. Your secrets and your emotions are your own, right?" The girl smiled. "I'd rather you tell me when you want to. And I'm not going to say anything, silly."

[falseblack]

Acknowledgment and clarification might have appeased the shadow, albeit the end of a continuation remained up in the air. He simply shrugged, sticking to silence.

Nigredo, on the other hand, despite staying as quiet as the other, heard more than necessary. Took in less than perhaps was intended, but it was more than enough. The child could see the effort: Senna was not attempting to dismiss the issues altogether.

As for what they happened to be addressing, he had to be taken care of. "I want to tell you," Nigredo answered, his voice dull. "I don't enjoy misunderstandings, for one. For another--" There was an abrupt silence. Something didn't strike as quite right. "In any case, it's impossible to leave...it. What do we do?"