genessia | Prelude to Despair

Entry tags:

★ orihime inoue

Prelude to Despair

WHO: Orihime Inoue [Closed]
WHAT: The city of Everglade has a bad reputation of people going missing. Today, that situation doesn't improve.
WHEN: September 24th, 2018
WHERE: Everglade
WARNINGS: Some descriptions of injuries may be graphic.

Orihime stepped through the gate leading into Everglade, tensed for rain, relieved that the streets turned out to be dry. She hadn't had time to check the paper's weather forecast when she got the distress call. The person sounded panicked, asking if she was in charge of Heals on Wheels. She wasn't (nor was she really sure who was running the volunteer organization now that Colette was gone), but she promised to be there. A lot of people got hurt in Everglade, and the person didn't seem to know what had attacked them.

It sounded an awful lot like something a Hollow would do if she were back home, and Orihime knew there were plenty of angry or malevolent spirits in the misty gothic town of Everglade. She told her coworkers not to wait up for her, since it might take a few hours to heal everyone and get them to safety, and it was almost time to close shop anyway.

She checked her communicator and lifted her head, scanning the streets as she followed the directions at a quick jog. She'd forgotten to take off her apron before leaving, she realized too late, but no matter. What she wore didn't have any impact on her abilities. The directions lead to the west side of town, several blocks away from the gate and over the old stone bridge that spanned the wide, sleepy river. It wasn't near any popular shops and it was a good way out from the busier parts of town, but it wasn't on the very outskirts of Everglade either.

There were definitely some spiritual signatures up ahead, so Orihime quickened her pace, not sure what she would find waiting.

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Junko couldn't really say what it had been, exactly, about Orihime that had made her the catalyst for dipping a toe back into old habits. Perhaps it had merely been that, at a point where Junko's boredom had hit its worst the fighting tournament had sparked some inspiration.

And besides. Everglade had been good to her in keeping the edge off her despair addiction. About time she returned the favour.

Naturally, a human girl couldn't survive long in Everglade without a degree of protection, but Junko had always had a knack for charming people to her cause. Or breaking. Matter of perspective, she supposed, but all that mattered in the end was having the tools she needed for the job, where no trace of the hand of Nova City's newer big name models could be found.

Which is why, now, as Orihime passed the bridge, she would be met by a rather frantic man who seemed jittery and out of breath, as if he had only just reached her in time. "You're here! Please, we still have a little further to go but I couldn't risk anything happening to you."

As he spoke, he moved to grab her arm to guide her, though he would allow for lack of contact so long as she showed willing to follow him without that.

Nothing about the situation was unusual or suspicious to her. His fear seemed absolutely genuine, and Orihime took that seriously. "Thank you," she told him, not seeming to mind at all that he'd tugged at her arm. It might have seemed strange if he'd kept holding on, but he let go easily enough as her footsteps echoed his.

"I'll keep my spiritual senses open," she told him. "If something dangerous approaches, I should be able to feel it. How many are there? Did you see what happened?"

The man shook his head, stumbling as if over his own feet in his apparent haste to get back to where he had just come from. "I don't know. I just came home to find them...my family were supposed to be safe behind closed doors."

He offered nothing further, every inch the distraught husband and father who had failed to protect his family. A man who - based on how far they walked - had hoped that distance from the main city would buy the safety they needed to get by in a place like this and had seen that hope dashed to pieces.

As they got closer, an opening door would clue Orihime into where they were going, along with a young teenage girl limping out as though she'd been watching them from afar. She looked at the man with what would seem to be trepidation mixed with hope, casting glances at Orihime which would allow her to see the cuts and bruising to her face, the torn clothing dark with drying blood that spoke to the attack that had taken place.

"Is that her? Is she going to help us?"

The man simply nodded; all he'd been told had suggested to him that seeing the injured youngster in such a state would be all the prompting Orihime would need to go inside.

A faint sound of unease came from Orihime's throat. They were supposed to be safe... How awful. It made her wonder if she were running for the wrong city. Was Satou going to lobby for the guardian position? She'd have to ask, because if not, this could be a good place for her to work and better protect people.

As the man slowed, Orihime shook off her thoughts, determined to focus on the matter at hand. What could have done this to them? And why? It didn't seem like anyone had died, so the culprit had attacked only to harm, maybe with the intention of scaring them. Orihime put on a smile to reassure the girl, who couldn't have been more than a year or two younger than Orihime herself.

"It'll be okay," she promised. "If anyone is able to move freely, try to get everyone into the same room. I can work faster that way."

She scanned the house again for spiritual activity, but there was nothing there. That was good. While she was sure she could heal and attack at the same time if necessary, it was a relief to know the family wouldn't be attacked any further. They'd been through enough.

Once the girl moved aside, Orihime took that as an invitation and moved quickly through the door.

"Here, I'll take you to mom, she was hurt really badly trying to protect us."

The teenage girl wasted no time in leading Orihime through the house - which in itself, was not very big. It appeared at first to all be on one floor, though as she was led beyond the first room they set foot into Orihime may notice a trap-door set into the floor.

In one of the doors leading off to one of the other rooms, another girl stood - a year or three older than the first, whose expression suggested she was still somewhat in shock. Only when she moved, with an effort, to make room for Orihime to get past would it become apparent that the particular way she'd been leaning was because of an ankle injury and the angry slashes across her legs that could well have been caused by claws.

Within the second room sat an adult man, a little older than the first, his back resting against the wall and his limbs splayed broken and awkwardly - but still alert enough, at least, to cast a brief look at their visitor. Which is more than could be said for the woman lying motionless in a pool of blood, skin torn badly enough to allow bone to peek out.

The first girl, the youngest, turned to Orihime again. "Can you really help her?"

Orihime nodded once with quiet confidence. The injuries looked painful, and it led her to wonder what had caused all of this. The claw marks seemed to indicate that the culprit was more tangible than a ghost. A werewolf, maybe? They didn't usually attack during the day hours, though, so maybe a more spirit-like monster that carried a knife, or had long claw-like fingers.

She had time enough to speculate. Two pairs of petals morphed into small fairy-like spirits of her own, invisible to anyone who didn't have supernatural or magical abilities, and she cast them far apart to create a dome of gold light that was just as conditionally visible as the tiny beings she'd summoned. She made sure to cover as many people as there were in the room other than herself, keeping her palms raised. This wasn't the first time she'd healed multiple people at once, and the injuries were far from the worst she'd personally witnessed.

The effects were immediately visible, and required no spiritual power for the sake of observation. Blood spatters lifted from injuries, floorboards, and clothing, dwindling into nothing, as wounds closed, bones knit, and flesh became whole. Even the ruined clothing would be mended as if nothing had ever touched the victims. The rejection of damage was not painful, and brought a warm, gentle relief with the application of her powers.

Orihime furrowed her brow, focusing intensely, and a trickle of sweat slid down her temple. Using her powers like this might attract creatures that were drawn to spiritual energy, so she had to keep her senses open and aware of any other unusual presence nearby. The faster she healed them, the better, since any such creature would be likely to follow Orihime than hang out around a home with ordinary people.

"What attacked you?" Orihime asked, turning her head toward the father or youngest girl, whoever seemed willing to speak. "Has the guardian team been alerted about this?"

One thing Orihime would notice, once she was able to focus on something other than the injured, would be that the man who led her into the house had apparently not followed her into the room. Rationalised easily enough, perhaps, given the carnage she had walked in on and the distress he had previously shown.

For the four still in the room, their recovery prompted looks between each other, a silent communication masked by apparent relief. The man and youngest daughter moved to help the woman stand; the girl turned to regard Orihime at the question but was interrupted by a giggle from the older teen who had thus far remained silent.

"Nothing, not even a scratch! Like nothing ever happened!"

She ran from the room, still giggling in a manner that maybe spoke to something a little more than relief. The younger girl offered an apologetic smile to Orihime, coupled with a shrug and a simple, "She's always been like that."

"Please, young lady, let me get you something to eat and drink, you've done so much for us." The older woman moved forward, then, shrugging off the support of the others as she went to place a guiding hand at Orihime's back. "It'll take some doing to explain so we might as well be comfortable."

The younger girl was already going out ahead, as though this were a done deal. The man said nothing, simply observing the situation for the time being.

"Oh no, you don't have to do anything for my sake! I ate earlier," she said with a sheepish smile, relieved that not only had their injuries healed, but it had been miraculous enough to restore their spirits as well. She never really knew whether her abilities would be received with awed gratitude or wide-eyed fear and revulsion. In a place like Everglade especially, things could go either way.

She did want to hear what happened here, though, so she didn't hesitate to follow the family along. Her only glance back was toward the trap door, and that was more due to idle curiosity than anything. Probably food storage, or a panic room.

Combing some of her hair back from her face she looked around, but her first escort really wasn't there, was he? "Anou...should we get your husband? I don't want to leave him alone outside if it's still dangerous out there."

As they walked through the house, the woman remained close to Orihime, as though not certain that her willingness to follow indicated a willingness to stay. Something she, of course, expressed as concern.

"Well even so, you've spent a lot of energy on us, we should at least make sure you have your energy. This isn't somewhere to walk through without being fully alert."

While she spoke and herded Orihime to a seat at the kitchen table, the younger girl was already getting a kettle set up for hot drinks, remarkably cheerful for all that just happened. Even through her cheerful humming, Orihime might hear the odd scuffle here and there from somewhere - but then this is Everglade.

At Orihime's question about her husband, the older woman blinked as though confused - but it was soon gone, as she shook her head with a soft smile. "No, no. He's just fine, I'm sure. Probably gone back to one or other of his little basement projects."

"I'm surprised he hasn't made a bed down there yet." The younger girl smiled, setting down a plate with a sliced lemon drizzle cake atop it. "Even if you ate already, I figured there's always room for cake, right? I hope you don't mind it's shop-bought."

And even before Orihime could respond, one of the slices was plated up and placed before her before the girl went back to making tea.

She did like cake. Lemon cake in particular was one of her favorites, and it would be rude to refuse when they'd been so insistent. "Oh no, I don't mind. I run a bakery myself! I guess my apron kind of makes that obvious," she grinned down at the garment with the colorful icing stains and smears.

It did seem weird that the man had just left, especially after being so concerned about his family like that. Orihime glanced toward the window to see if she could spot him, but no such luck.

"Well...thank you very much!" she smiled, and cut a piece with the fork before enjoying a bite.

"What kind of basement projects does he do?" she asked, curious. After all, they did have a trap door, so that was one little mystery that could be cleared up more easily.

"Your own bakery! That sounds like a lot of fun!" Even as she spoke, the girl remained focused on her current task - more an observation than anything.

The woman, meanwhile, took a seat next to Orihime, taking a slice of the cake for herself. "You must be very busy, with the bakery and the healing service. You do take time for yourself, don't you?"

By now, the older man had wandered out of the bedroom, just in time to catch that last question. "What does any man do with a basement of his own. If he'd finished anything worthwhile he'd have shown it to us by now."

"Oh don't mind him." The woman tsked sharply at the man who seemed happy to wander off again once he had his tea in hand. "He's right, though, that what goes on down there is a mystery even to us. But then, who doesn't have their secrets."

As she said that, the girl set down teacups in front of everyone, her attention focused on Orihime. "I hope you like it. I don't think this blend's available outside of Everglade."

Hopefully, that would be temptation enough - but just in case, both the girl and woman took their own cups, sipping at the hot brew without a care. If they were lucky, by the time Orihime realised what was in this special brew, it would already be kicking in hard enough for it to be too late to matter.

"It is! I always dreamed of having one back home. It's much easier to open any business you like in this kind of place. Thank you," she beamed as the tea was placed in front of her.

She was surprised they hadn't at least taken a peek at the secret basement. They seemed curious enough, and he definitely wasn't around to stop them from poking into the trap door. But it really wasn't any of her business.

Orihime took the cup and blew lightly on the surface, chasing away the steam before sipping lightly. "Oh yes! I don't work as many hours at the bakery as I used to, but I still find time for training. And I have a boyfriend now, so I wouldn't want him to think I'm neglecting him, ha ha!"

It still felt weird to say that, and it easily brought color to her face. But it made her happy too, putting a warm swooping feeling in her stomach. Or maybe that was just the tea. She sipped again before setting it down on the table once more.

"What about the thing that attacked you?" She really shouldn't be talking about herself like this, not when she had a report to make. But wow, talking about Bakugou even momentarily made her feel kind of light-headed and woozy. Was this lovesickness? ...Why were there two teacups...?

Too late, she realized something was wrong. Quickly she stood up, but her knees buckled and the floor rushed up to greet her. Something was wrong, something... She had to reject whatever it was with Shun'ou and...

...and...

...

She would, at least, not hit the floor. Someone would catch her, which may be the last thing she would recall.

By the time she would rouse, Orihime would find herself in a small room, windowless and not looking like any of the rooms she would have seen so far. She would still be clothed, but whatever other possessions she had brought with her - like, say, that pesky communicator all outsiders were given - would be nowhere to be found.

Which may not be her immediate concern, when she first wakes. The only other thing of note, besides the room itself, would be the older teen stood leaning against the door. She wouldn't be the first to speak, but the glint to her eye and the wry grin dancing across her lips probably wouldn't be the first thing Orihime would want to see on waking.

Orihime decided it would be wise to remain still for a while longer, and not betray that she was awake. She was careful to keep her breathing slow and deep as she struggled to fight off the last clinging remnants of the drug-induced fog surrounding her brain.

She had a strong suspicion that she was underground for one thing. The lack of windows seemed to indicate that, as did the mention of the 'basement projects,' she remembered that. The smell of earth, too, might clue her in if there was more dirt and dust around. She inhaled slowly and carefully to see what she could tell.

But most important of all was whether or not she had her hairpins. She moved her head as subtly and slowly as she could to see if she could feel the resistance, or scrape of a metal point from one of the petals.

Finally, she extended her spiritual senses, to see how many people were nearby, and to see if she could recognize anyone's reiatsu. It seemed pretty obvious that she'd been captured or kidnapped, and if she was going to have her best shot of escaping, then she needed to know as much as possible about what she was dealing with.

While her stillness would buy her a moment or two's reprieve, the movement of her head was enough for Orihime to attract the girl's attention. In one fluid movement, the girl had moved to be right in Orihime's face, her gaze intense and sharper than her demeanour might otherwise suggest her capable of.

Beyond her, Orihime might be able to note that everyone else of the 'family' was accounted for - but if she was able to tell as much, their signatures wouldn't be as strong as they had been just hours (though with no clocks and no windows, to tell just how many hours would be difficult) ago.

If she was about to question that, however, the girl would spare her. With the ever-present grin at hand, and eyes still focused on Orihime's every move, her voice still held an oddly calm quality to it when she spoke.

"I hope you're nice and rested. A lot of bad things happened while you were asleep. But they won't happen to you, so long as you're a good girl and play along like you should."

And only as she moved back to give Orihime just a little more space would it become apparent that her clothing was spattered with blood and that around her waist was a toolbelt currently filled with plenty that could find use as a weapon.

Orihime was quiet, her dark eyes regarding the girl with a strange calm. She was taking in as much information as she could from her senses alone and weighing her options carefully. If she suddenly sat up right now she was pretty sure she could headbutt her captor in the face, surprising her enough to throw her off guard and pin her with karate. The dimness of the souls troubled her. Had the other people been injured again? Had something drained them? It was possible that this girl may have forced them all to play along by holding some sort of leverage over their heads.

She couldn't be sure. There was still too much she didn't know. Her hairpins were missing, that she did know, so destroying the door with Tsubaki wasn't an option.

Since her eyes were open, she cast her gaze around the room to find the light source and anything else that she might be able to use if she needed it. "Why--" Orihime tried to speak, but her throat felt thick and syrupy. An after-effect of the drugs, probably. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Why did you bring me here?"

What lighting the room had seemed to come from embedded bulbs in the ceiling, dim but still illuminating the room well enough - at least as far as the girl was concerned. All the better to enhance the shadows in the room, or at least so she had been told.

She didn't really get stuff like that. But that didn't mean she didn't have talents of her own, or so she'd been told.

If she heard Orihime's question at all, she didn't let on. Sure, there was a moment where her gaze flicked back to the captured girl, but it was fleeting and apparently less interesting than examining the kitchen knife she'd retrieved from the belt.

"Did you ever play hide and seek? I was never good at being the seeker but I guess you'd find it really easy."

With that, she turned to walk out of the room, leaving Orihime with no answers but - apparently - no guard, either. And beyond her footsteps walking away, echoing in the dimly-lit space beyond the room, there wouldn't be much in the way of sound to give much clue either.

Hide and seek...? Orihime waited for a few moments before she eased herself upright, resting on her palm, then rising to her feet. Her head still felt a little light but she was sure that would fade soon enough.

There'd been no click of a lock as far as she could tell, so was she free to go? What a strange, crazy little family. She felt uneasy and vulnerable without her hairpins but she could search for them later. For now, her first priority was to leave this eerie place.

Rather than dwell on the giant (and growing) pile of unanswered questions, Orihime kept her senses on high alert as she tried the door and, if it opened, slipped through. At least it wasn't too hard for her eyes to adjust to the low level of lighting. She kept her steps as quiet as possible and tried to keep her back to the wall where she could.

The room Orihime would step out into was much bigger than where she was before; it would be hard to tell just how big in the dim lighting but certainly vast enough to be noticed by one hugging the walls as she was.

For such a vast room, what sparse lighting there was would leave much still in shadow - but what lighting there was appeared to be almost deliberately spaced, a path towards something. With her abilities, Orihime would be able to recognise the older girl's presence somewhere from within the room, though depending on how sustained her attention was on that one signature, she may or may not notice how the presence never seemed to stay in one spot for long.

The other signatures were far weaker; most would appear to be somewhere above but there was at least one other on the same level as them. Whether the lights would guide her true in finding them...well, that was another question.

This was someone's idea of a game, that much was easy enough to figure out. As to what her role was supposed to be, that wasn't as clear. It'd be easy to assume that the crazy girl with the kitchen knife darting around in the darkness was the seeker and thus the one to be avoided, but...

Orihime's brow furrowed and her jaw tightened. If that was the case, then she didn't want to play the part of a frightened victim trying to stay alive. The dim signatures she felt could be the result of people who'd been injured, and might also serve as traps to lure Orihime to them. She really hoped they weren't hurt, because if they were, she couldn't do much to help them in this state. She needed a strategy.

Glancing at the ceiling, she decided it would be best to avoid the lights for now. It might help her spot someone if they moved through a lit space, but the reverse would be true if Orihime got too close to such a spot. Better to rely on her hearing and spiritual senses for now.

Most important of all, she knew the first person she should find was the girl. Because Orihime lacked the ability to heal, finding an injured person would be exposing them to risk if she were to be attacked. But if she took on the mantle of seeker and ambushed the girl first and disarmed her, then she'd be able to move far more freely in finding the others.

Mind made up, she focused on the older girl and made her way in that direction. She used the wall as her guide, not wanting to leave it until she was as close as possible.

From the way she hummed in the near-darkness, the girl wasn't taking many pains to disguise her location - if anything, she appeared to delight in darting into a beam of light, a suggestion of movement before she melted into the shadows once more. Almost as if she weren't a part of the game at all.

"Or maybe I was wrong. Maybe you're just as bad at this as I am." Her voice, though soft and sing-song, seemed to echo through the room. "Oh well. At least you won't get bored if this game takes you such a long time."

From elsewhere in the room, a weak groan sounded - from the sounds of it, one of the two men. The groan had been somewhere between pained and confused, though the girl acted as though she hadn't heard it at all - certainly, she was already moving further away, enough to make sure she wasn't too close to any of the walls while it seemed Orihime was clinging to them so utterly.

That did seem to be a problem... If Orihime was going to ambush this girl, speed was not on her side. The girl didn't care if she were seen, so she could move freely. But she guessed that the girl probably didn't know where Orihime was either.

She ducked down to one knee and slipped off one of her shoes, keeping low to the ground. Judging by where she'd last seen the girl, she was ahead, so... Turning in that direction, she tossed her shoe just ahead into the darkness, making a light scuff sound against the floor. Then she held herself still and waited to see if the noise was enough to draw the knife wielder after it as her muscles tensed, prepared to pounce.

Orihime really hoped this would work. If it didn't, well... Maybe she'd give up on stealth altogether and just hope that the little bit of karate she knew would be all the surprise she needed to give her an edge.

The noise certainly got the girl's attention, enough that her movement paused for a moment. Soon after, just a couple of footsteps sounded through the room as she took just a couple of steps forward.

And then, a flash of metal as something was hurled in the direction that Orihime had thrown the shoe, followed by a harmless clatter to the floor.

"Hmm. Interesting."

She gave no indication of what she'd been expecting or if that matched the truth of the situation. All that would come would be the casual stride of someone confident in their hold over a situation as she dropped to the ground herself, slowly inching towards the shoe and knife lying close to one another.

That was all Orihime had been waiting for. Without a shoe, she made far less noise besides as she launched herself forward. Getting the knife wasn't all that important, since she'd seen the other weapons that girl had been wearing, but it sure didn't hurt for the girl to have one less blade at her disposal.

She came in low and fast, using the same technique she had when she'd ambushed the pair of soul reapers in the streets of the Seireitei: an elbow into the breadbasket with an immediate follow up chop to the base of the skull meant to drop her target unconscious.

Orihime would, at least, get her way in one respect; though the girl hadn't dropped her guard so low as to be caught off-guard, the hit did connect.

Perhaps, with time to reflect, it might seem as though she'd allowed it. Especially in light of the high-pitched scream she managed before the second blow came - indeed, which almost came before the first hit fully connected.

And based on the sound of footsteps above, not everyone had been quite so out of commission as Orihime might have thought. Another part clearly accounted for, given how quickly a shaft of light came from above and then the beam of a torch brighter even than was strictly needed for a room of this size.

"Whatever is going on down here? Can't you girls play nicely?"

From the sounds of it, the man who had first led her to this house, the one whose basement this ostensibly was.

The way out. That was it. But where were the stairs, or the ladder? Had they all been thrown down here? Orihime wasn't about to relax. If the girl went unconscious, she would have made sure to take the belt of weapons immediately. If not, then a knee to the small of the back to hold her down with her wrist bent back just enough that it wouldn't hurt unless she flailed around was what she'd been taught to do in order to incapacitate someone. She didn't make a run for the trap door, but she did regard it thoughtfully, wincing from the sudden exposure of bright light.

She kept herself still, not answering the man's call, not yet. If he came down himself, then that might show her the way to escape this place. So she waited and picked up the knife that had been thrown -- more to keep anyone else from grabbing it than intention of using it herself, but they didn't need to know that.

From the lack of resistance the girl put up, it was clear she was at least feigning unconsciousness. Indeed, for a moment the silence was all that surrounded her, that and the bright spotlight still trained entirely on her.

At least until a determined hand grabbed for Orihime's ankle. With it, a gruff voice - the other man, the older one - directed more at his fellow than at Orihime. If she looked his way, she would notice the odd bruise or spattering of blood, but he at least retained strength enough to suggest it was all superficial.

"Selfish. Just like all damn kids today. Or maybe she intended to finish the job all along."

"And we'd heard she was such a sweet girl. Only when it suits her." The younger man sighed, shaking his head. "I'll see what more can be done up here. I trust you have strength enough for what must be done."

"Until our girl wakes, at least."

As he spoke, the older man would move to retrieve the belt from Orihime - though he seemed to deliberately ignore the knife. With that apparently all in hand, the younger man retreated once more, the basement returned to darkness and shadow.

Orihime's breath stuck in her throat when she felt someone's hand close on her ankle. Her head jerked back to look at him over her shoulder, and a further sense of unease knotted in her gut. If she'd gone for the people groaning in the dark, they definitely wouldn't have been on her side. Would he have held her in place until the girl could reach and stab her?

And why did that injury seem so real? ...No, it was definitely real. Then all the things she'd healed...had they done that to themselves deliberately...?

Her heart beat faster as the door closed to seal her in once more. She wanted to leap for it, and maybe if she thought she stood a chance of reaching that high she would have. Instead she was dealing with the older man where she didn't have the element of surprise in her favor. The last thing she wanted was to give anyone down here some kind of weapon, though, so she lurched backwards. Now she really hoped the girl was actually unconscious, because she didn't think she could fight off the both of them in the dark like this.

"Ngh...!" She tried to shove him back with her heel planted into his shoulder. His injury did look bad, maybe that had weakened his strength. He wasn't in a stable position at the very least.

But even if she got him off, where was she supposed to run to...?

She was right on one front - the man was weakened enough that he couldn't retaliate against her once she truly fought back. And so she'd get her space, for whatever she wanted to do with it; the man seemed more interested in remaining next to the girl who had still yet to rouse.

And then he laughed. Sharp, barked - as though having to force out the sound - and ringing clearly in the room. "Well, then. Looks like we're going to have to get used to each other's company. Unless you think you've got the guts..."

The rest was left hanging but the meaning might be clear enough with her currently holding all of the known weapons. Either way, he didn't seem interested in pursuit for the moment, and the girl was still out cold for the moment.

She definitely didn't have the guts, but they didn't need to know that. As long as they thought she might, it was probably much safer for her. Besides, at least this way the weapons wouldn't be in the hands of someone who would attack her.

Once she had the feeling of the cold slab of wall against her back, Orihime released a shaky breath. Her eyes were starting to adjust back to the darkness, and with no one to pursue her anymore, she was less inclined to remain silent.

She wanted to know why she was here, and what they meant to do with her. She wanted to know how long she'd been here too. Lots of things. But...

"...I don't have my powers. I'm sorry I can't heal you right now."

"And how do we really know that's what you did before?" The man staggered to his feet, at least not so badly injured as to be incapacitated. "Didn't stick, did it? For all we know, you just did some mind voodoo to make us think you'd done something."

His tone gave little away as to how much belief he held in his own words. Based on his movements, he didn't seem especially interested in pursuing her; rather, they were two people sharing a space with a currently incapacitated third party.

And that bland tone continued as his words did, though one word in particular received extra emphasis. "Maybe that's why you panicked and attacked our girl. Or is that just because you know you're useless to us now?"

Finally, he fell silent; even his movements stopped until the only clear point of focus in the room was the prone girl in a dim spotlight.

Useless...? That was a strange word to use. It meant that she was here because she was meant to be of use to them? That gave her something new to chew on. She sat down slowly, the adrenaline fading now that she was no longer in immediate danger. "I attacked because she threw a knife at me," she explained quietly. It really didn't seem so strange to her, but there was definitely something that wasn't quite right with that girl.

'She's always been like that...'

It was cold down here. She rubbed at her arm for a moment, still thinking over what the man had told her, and what she knew already. The basement project...how he wanted to protect his family...the severity of those injuries, too, those were very real. And the fact that he was hurt again, blaming it on her healing not working. That definitely wasn't possible. He was lucid, and that was good, because it meant he might give her straight answers. She thought she had it figured out, but wanted to make sure.

"Your injuries," she spoke again. "How long have they been appearing?" Because she had a strong feeling that was what prompted the man to move his family across town, assuming he hadn't been lying to her to draw her into a trap.

Her response was silence. Evidently, the man was unwilling to engage her further, and the girl was still unable. And whatever the question, the response would be the same.

At least until, some indeterminate time later, there came a crackling of static and the younger girl's voice sounded as though from all directions at once.

"What does it mean to be special? Is it in the powers? But if those can be taken away so easily, what meaning is there in what's left behind?"

Just as quickly, the static sound died down. Just as quickly, the bleak silence would settle once more.

This was frustrating. She thought they'd taken her because they wanted a healer on hand to protect them from whatever was hunting the family, but why was there so much resentment in that case? Why was she chosen for this? Was she a specific target, or did they want anyone from Heals on Wheels?

Having no way to reach the ceiling, Orihime settled down against the wall, knives and instruments next to her, and she fell into silent thought. She supposed she could try to threaten them all into letting her out (she did have a lot of stabbing utensils), but that wasn't really a path she wanted to take unless it was absolutely necessary. Besides, anyone who knew her at all would see it as a bluff immediately. She wasn't much of an actress.

Instead she opened up her spiritual sense to see if anyone familiar was close by who might recognize the signature of her soul.

Before she could identify anyone, the voice crackled over...something? Speakers? She didn't know this place had that kind of technology, but she supposed it wasn't impossible. Orihime listened with a silent frown on her face. It left a stabbing little ache in her gut that she tried to ignore. The message was clear enough. It was strange hearing it come from somebody who probably didn't have any powers either, but...why say it at all?

Thinking wasn't going to get her anywhere. She gathered the tools in her arms, went to find her thrown shoe, and put it on before she resumed her explorations. There had to be something down here that she could use. A barrel, some crates, a ladder if she was really lucky!...but she couldn't believe the people thrown down here with her were victims like herself, surely they would have been given a way to leave eventually.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Prelude to Despair

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