Nanba Prison (Nanbaka RP Group) discussion

The door Dureau knocked on seemed to be exactly like the ones adorning every bedroom down the corridor. A light, neutral peach color with a plack on the wall beside it displaying the dorm number. It was simple. Normal. Or at least it appeared so. Unlike the rest of the rooms down this hall though, behind this specific door was a set of voice-activated prison bars. Behind that was a laser grid. And behind that sat a four-inch-thick premium-grade stainless steel door with two voice-activated locks, three number coded locks, one eye scanner lock, a hand-print lock, and five manual locks of varying difficulties. These upgrades resulted in a room with walls at least one foot thick. And one that was two floors. On the bottom floor, where Dureau had just knocked at the door, was an almost-normal dorm bedroom. In the far right corner from the door, at an angle, sat a large round bed swamped with numerous fluffy blankets, tens of pillows—among which were strange, colorful caterpillar bodypillows—, and roughly twenty stuffed animals. Across from that, in the far left corner of the room, was a cluttered desk under a huge window that served as the main light source in the room, save for the Christmas lights strung up over the reading—complete with a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf, six houseplants, two beanbags, and a wicker hanging egg chair—nook directly to the left of the entrance and the hundreds of glow-in-the-dark stars glued to the ceiling. Between the bed and the desk was a tiny back room that held a full bathroom and, behind a sliding door, a secret little kitchen. To the right of the door was a squishy loveseat littered with even more pillows and blankets. The entire floor was also covered in decorative rugs, ranging from those simply meant to give the room color and those that were useful only for their fluffiness.

Of course, Dureau could see none of this. Umiko, who had been inspecting the nearly black bruises around her throat, jumped at the impatient knocking on her door. Fear quickening her pulse, she exited the bathroom and slowly approached the door. All throughout her dorm, on both floors, were hidden pockets, cabinets, and other storage units that were home to countless weapons. Guns, knives, nun-chucks, even a bamboo staff. As she took quiet, careful steps toward the bedroom door, she reached into one of these hiding spots and pulled out a military-grade m16a4 assault rifle. Aiming it at the door with confident steadiness, she carefully unlocked each and every one of the locks on her steel door with scary efficiency and cracked it open. She did not lower her weapon even after recognizing who stood in the hall outside her room. With a painful rasp, she demanded, "What do you want?"

Dureau stood outside the door for a length of time he deemed too long. He briefly wondered if she was sleeping or even dead. However, he knew it wasn't either of those before Umiko finally got around to opening the door. That in itself seemed to have taken a while, something he wasn't too surprised about considering who she was. Thus, when she finally opened the door and he found a barrel facing him, he didn't even bat an eye. Dureau merely gave it a quick glance to identify what type it was before fixating his gaze on the woman behind the firearm and the intense security that separated them. He wasn't concerned with it, something he likely should have. Especially since his sister nearly killed the woman just a few hours ago. Something that was acutely apparent with her blaring bruises decorating her neck. Dureau would have been impressed with his sister's prowess but he assumed it was a little inappropriate. The damage was enforced with her rasped speech.
Dureau began with one simple word, "information." It was what she promised to provide his sister, what she had pushed her involvement towards.
With one more glance at the gun, something that he was slowly becoming increasingly annoyed with. "If I was here to harm you," Dureau added, "I wouldn't have knocked." The only amount of compassion he was going to show her for her injury his sister inflicted. His gaze flicked back to the bruises then, moving to her eyes past her obsessive protection as he spoke once more. "You've reaped what you have sown."
Durea was going to end it with that but he has come to realize if he doesn't fully communicate himself to people that they tend to misunderstand. It was such a tedious task but considering he needed information from her he didn't want to enrage her. Thus, he continued, "Nonetheless, don't mistake my view- I can understand but the consequences are your own. You got off lucky," he added. If the roles were reversed and Dureau hadn't been immobilized and Umiko had acted like that when Lottie was even more vulnerable- he wouldn't have remained sane.

(Not only is he facing down the barrel of a military grade gun, but he is also separated from Umiko by a set of prison bars and a laser grid with all of the specific locks I mentioned above. He wouldn't even be able to snatch the gun out of her hand.)

.

((I severely apologize for being a daft idiot. I wasn't getting a full picture cause my mind is a dump >.> I edited it. >~< ?? ))

(How...triggered would Dureau be if she shot at his feet??? Cause...I would in her place)

((Honestly. Super triggered. He'd seem composed despite being internally mildly surprised but then anger will set in. Nonetheless, not much he could do without using his ability again so he'd leave her to the fishes and figure it all out himself. No matter how much he totally deserves it xD))

(Agh, then we can't have that... Would he get worse if she left him outside and continued to be standoffish and rude???)

((He'd get irritated but that's clearly normal for him xD Will they be able to move past that?))

(If she let him inside and explained herself still super irritated and rude and standoffish, would he even slightly feel bad, or would he just get angry and possibly hurt her?)

((Wouldn't feel too bad, probably won't hurt her. He'd likely get where she's coming from even if she's snippy about it but still be mildly indifferent. Suggest something to help with the bruising??))

(If he did that, she would shoot him, straight up.

Would it be okay to have her threaten to keep him outside until a special guest appears and gives her the peace of mind to let Dureau in? She'll continue to be rude and bicker with him, but she'll probably be a bit softer with this other person there.)

((xD ehhehehe yeah. Would too. RIP him trying to be considerate. xD

other person as in her bestie? But sure. Sounds like fun. Though, he won't want to talk about their issue with another person present. which is a road they can cross xD))

(Muahahahahaha!!! Be prepared~~~)

((I am not sure if my body is ready xD))

Umiko could not picture herself hating another human being more than she hated Dureau after the word "information" left his mouth, and it showed on her face. How dare he?! How dare this pompous asshole show up at her bedroom door and demand something from her after his sister nearly killed her! Unfortunately for her, she couldn't cut him off as soon as she wanted to due to the state of her vocal cords, which left him free to continue on about how he and his sister were in the right and how she'd deserved to be suffocated. All five-foot-four-inches of her muscular body trembled with fury. "You're lucky...I have b-better things to do... Or else, I'd shoot your bitch ass," she snarled, lowering the gun and putting a hand on her door to shut it.

"Ah ah ah, Mikkun, wait just a second~!"

Umiko froze. No way. It couldn't possibly be— And yet, it was! Her only legitimate friend's annoyingly tall self slid up next to the man she currently wanted to beat to death. Tears pricked her eyes, and her gun fell to the floor. "T-Takara, how—?"

"I took a peek through the security footage, stupid~!" he laughed, holding up a first aid kit and grinning at her as if he hadn't been MIA for the past five and a half months. He flicked a less-than-friendly smile at Dureau. "I'm not a fan of you, but if you have business with my friend, you'd better slip in while she's distracted with my miraculous return." Umiko unlocked her security measures as he spoke. He held up a hand to keep her from leaping at him. "You're injured thanks to All-Beef-No-Brain's sister, remember? Go sit down, I'll make sure to lock everything behind me." Despite her not doing as ordered and instead glaring at Dureau, Takara stepped into the room and pinned the aforementioned guard with his sharp eyes. "You comin' in? You'll let in a draft."

There was something off about this stranger. If his eerie wardrobe—a turtleneck, skinny jeans, and ankle boots, all in jet black, a white lab coat without any identification on it, and a custom centipede earring—wasn't unnerving enough, the emptiness in his fire yellow, black-ringed eyes, the dark marks beneath them, the fossil gray of his hair, and the sickly shade of his skin probably did the trick. The fact that he, while otherwise Dureau's height, was taller than him in his boots likely didn't help his impression, either. However, aside from just his appearance, Umiko's friend gave off an aura that made peoples' stomachs churn. The way he sized up Dureau gave off the impression that he knew everything about him, and then some. Not to add how casually he'd mentioned looking through the prison's security footage. How on earth could he have access to it? How did he even know Umiko well enough to give her a nickname?!

"You comin' in or not, Iceberg?"

This would be interesting.

Dureau opened his mouth to counter her, wanting any information about Shi's ability he could get from her. Thus, needing to prevent her from closing the door in his face.
Instead, someone else joined the picture. Dureau's growing irritated grew in stride by their sheer presence without the addition provoking they poked at Dureau. Nonetheless, the gun was left abandoned so there was that irritation gone.
Dureau eyed the tall man that had slid up beside him. His expression hadn't altered at all from the unruly sight of the questionable newcomer. His gaze flicked around, assessing his unusual clothing style and accessories. Especially the bling though his gaze lingered on the man's arms before he looked away, ignoring the less than pleasant smile he'd received. A sketchy staff member that he had faith was more suited to be in a cell. Despite his apparent access to security footage. It was things like this that something like Shi could get out of hand so quickly.
Not so surprisingly, Dureau said nothing to the insults shot his way. He didn't care what this man thought of him, a worm that seemed more venomous than most but alas... still a worm. Especially when his insults only revealed he was more petty than he appeared.
Dureau didn't hesitate to enter when the guy gave him the opening to. He just didn't appreciate the fact that Takara seemed to know way too much on the situation... him personally at the very least. Glares and sneers he can handle, but someone thinking they knew shit about him was quite infuriating.

Dureau entered the room as if he belonged there, taking a quick look around while getting out of the way so Takara could do as he'd promised. He kept Takara constantly in vision, not trusting the guy for a second. He reminded Dureau more of a snake than a worm if he was being honest to himself. It wasn't a creature he wanted to have his back to. Especially when there were way too many unknowns about him. A new variable that Dureau could honestly live without.
He turned most of his attention to Umiko after a quick assessment of the room. Dureau had yet to say a thing since Takara's arrival, arms held behind his back in a stiff, militaristic-like fashion as he waited. Umiko already knew what he was here for and he didn't want to exchange words with the newcomer. Though he'd have to admit, iceberg didn't sound as bad as bloodsucker.

((OMG your boi! This is a matchup I hadn't expected so soon xD
sorry it's short and sucks >~<))

(It's good!!! I'll reply to everything tomorrow <3)

Takara shut the first door, the gate, and the second door behind Dureau, waiting for every automatic lock to activate before securing the manual ones, his smile ever pleasant. There was no way Dureau could leave without Umiko (or Takara, considering how at home he seemed) deactivating all of the locks. This delighted Takara greatly. "I know you're just aching to get what you so vaguely phrased as information, but you'll have to wait." He brushed past Dureau to help Umiko into her desk chair. "Hands," he ordered. Umiko obeyed. What had appeared to be red fingerless gloves turned out to be blood-soaked bandages. "Mikkun, I know you're a workaholic, but you've seriously got to take care of yourself. How did you even survive without me?!" He tsked his tongue as he unwound the wrappings, but the joking tone of his voice did not reach his eyes. Umiko smiled.

"His sister, you know, the one who choked me? She said that I had to keep typing, even if my fingers started to bleed... And to think, all I was doing was distracting that freaky bastard...," she laughed. Takara did not seem to find it funny in the slightest. Despite the grin on his face, his eyes became as molten as the sun with fury.

"Ah, so Dureau's beloved little sister, the light of his life, the PB to his J, the subject of his weird complex, threatened one of my closest friends after nearly killing her, and she thinks she can—"

"Takara," Umiko whispered, cutting him off. "Don't go hurting people. Not again. How well did that go last time, hmmm? Five and a half months of nothing from you... And now I've got... What did you call him?" She snorted. "I've got the Iceberg and his sister on my ass... And the gods know he'll rip your stomach out your mouth if you even so much as look at her wrong." She leaned in close, but her voice was purposefully loud when she said, "It's annoying as hell." Sitting back, she pointedly ignored the impatient glacier behind Takara, knowing full well that he wouldn't appreciate her sass, despite her deliberately speaking loud enough for him to hear her. "No more hurting people, okay? Self-defense only!" She grinned brightly.

Takara rolled his eyes and pinched the tip of her nose. "I hate you." She laughed. Not even bothering to look at Dureau now that his hands were busy with cleaning Umiko's palms, Takara taunted, "I know you're just dying to be noticed over there and that you probably couldn't give less of a shit about what we're discussing, but if you want your information, you gotta be patient. Or, I could just kick you out of the room and make you wait in the hall."

He cooed sarcastically at a hiss of pain from Umiko, which she responded to with her middle finger. Gods, why did she have to be so damn cute? If he wasn't gay, he'd be all over her. Unfortunately for her royal cuteness and the mountain of I'm-Not-Getting-My-Way-And-I-Don't-Like-It directly behind him, Takara's annoyingly observant mind snagged on a phrase Umiko had said a couple minutes earlier. Who was Umiko trying to distract before the Iceberg's sister tried and failed to teach her a lesson? His brows furrowed.

"Hey, Mikkun? Who is it that you were trying to distract?"

Umiko went uncharacteristically still in his hands. He met her gaze and found himself shocked through to see fear (along with a disturbing amount of excitement) in her eyes.

"The guy who's messing with Dureau and his sister," she said. He raised a brow, not understanding why she was being so ominous. She held her freshly cleaned, bandaged hands palm-out to him and wiggled her fingers. "The guy who wrapped these piggies. He did a pretty good job, but I guess even a psychopath can't beat a doctor."

Takara rolled his eyes and pulled on a lock of Umiko's hair. "I hate when you're cryptic, you turd. Just tell me who it is."

She paused dramatically and then whispered, "Shihainin."

Takara groaned heavily and backed away from his giggling friend. "You mean that annoying asshole with the creepy face and the fuckin' Kilgrave, You-Gotta-Do-What-I-Say-Cause-Persuasion ability is the one that's been tormenting you guys? Fuck, man, just handcuff 'im and put duct tape over his mouth, how hard can it be to get him under control?"

Umiko laughed and then sighed. "You'd be surprised."

((DUDE you have no idea how ridiculously happy I am. I literally wouldn't have understood that reference if I read this earlier since I just watched a random episode of Jessica Jones last night >.> family's currently watching it fricken coincidence))
((also note, sorry that mine will be a lot shorter >.>))

Dureau hummed in acknowledgement of Takara's words. He disliked how arrogant and full of himself the guy was but considering his current situation and the fact he was stuck here for the time being. He had the right to think of himself as in charge. Dureau knew that he wasn't in control of this situation in the least. It was an uncomfortable thing, reminding him too much of his past but ever since Shihainin became an issue, he had no choice but to adapt to it. He didn't pay much attention to Takara and Umiko as he fixed her hands.

That is until they began discussing his sister. His gaze ceased their wanderings as he stood off by a wall so he could see every part of the room. He didn't fit into the room despite his at ease posture. With so many unknown variables, he didn't want to keep his back to anything that wasn't solid. Especially when someone was still so on edge because of what his sister had done. The very person Umiko approached first.
His attention was caught but her declaration of distracting Shihainin. He didn't believe that was the correct word for what she'd done. That man had been in his element the entire time and her antagonizing him wasn't something as simple as a distraction. If it had been, then he wouldn't have bashed Dureau's throat.

Dureau's jaw clenched, knowing she was saying it loud deliberately to get at him. He didn't understand what she'd get out of provoking him especially with the less than subtle threat Takara could pose to his sister. Though, she was on the mark about what Dureau could do to that man if he did look at his sister wrong. Especially if it was someone that looked as venomous as him.

Speaking of which, Takara's words soon directed at him and Dureau rolled his eyes. Yes, he was an anxious pile of shit just waiting here squirming waiting for their attention. Pardon his internal sarcasm. Sure, he was less than patient but wasn't as thirsty as he suggested. He didn't give in to his current provocation, ignoring the guy as he continued to look around. A lot of people weren't worth the effort for words. All they needed was a glare but he doubted that would go over well with Umiko. He needed her at least tolerable of him to get the information. It was such a pain, he was tempted to just go and get the experience for himself.

Dureau's focus solely returned to them at the mention of Shihainin. He moved forward away from his spot with his eyes narrowing on the man. He didn't understand an ounce of his reference but he caught that this guy seemed to know at least something about the guy he had known nothing about. Dureau finally spoke though. He scoffed at Takara's suggestion as if it was the most ridiculous thing he's heard- which it was.

"Shihainin has combat experience," Dureau voiced, staring Takara down as if he was an annoying fly. Which he basically was. "Trying either or both of those tasks would be quite difficult if not improbable without getting swayed by his ability. Not alone without abilities at the very least," Dureau explained stiffly, his tone monotone as he relayed basic facts. "However, the problem then will be internal strife easily caused by that thing. Hence my desire to know everything about that man's ability. Everyone has limitations and I'll need to exploit his." Dureau wasn't appreciating Takara's carelessness towards a man that has caused so many problems for them. A man that was truly, deeply unsettling. Dureau's gaze turned to focus on Umiko. "That is why I need what you may know and had experienced when he used it on you."

(I'll reply to this and the other one tomorrow)

Takara scoffed. Everyone in this entire prison, even little Emiko, had combat experience. He turned to meet Dureau's glare, not backing down from the challenge but allowing him to finish his pitch. Just how dull was this guard? Did he not think of how they got Shihainin into a cell in the first place? Many of the people in Nanba had extraordinary abilities and even better fighting skills. If the famed Nanba couldn't house one troublesome inmate, then what separated it from the rest of the prisons in the world?

"Are you an idiot or ignorant? I can't tell which one it is," he began, grinning widely. "You see, people have these things called abilities, and they can do incredible things! Do subdue someone with a powerful ability, you other people with powerful abilities." His smile fell away. "It's only a matter of catching that asshole off guard and taking him down with a few select people. Once you have him restrained and his mouth covered, he's useless. I don't even know why someone would take his gag out in the first place." He turned toward Umiko to begin treating the bruises on her neck. "I mean, feeding tubes are a thing."

Umiko remained silent as both men spoke, deep in thought. Takara made it seem so easy to take Shihainin down, that the thought of her back and forth with the Labelle siblings had her shrinking. Why did they even need to speak anymore, if Takara already had a solution to their problem? She glanced over Takara's shoulder at Dureau but flitted her gaze away before they could make eye contact. Maybe it really was that simple... And maybe it wasn't.

"Horrible," she whispered, finally lifting her eyes to Dureau's. "It felt horrible. Like... I didn't have control over anything. I was...trying to keep his focus on me, to keep him from hurting you again or turning on Charu-chan, cause he'd already scared her so much... But at the same time, I wanted him to forget I was there so he'd stop whatever he was doing... All I did was put my hands in his, but it felt like... Like he knew that I knew he would make me do whatever he wanted... He could have...made me hurt myself, or hurt one of you, or... Fuck, he could've made you hurt Charu-chan, I just..." She furiously swiped a stray tear off her cheek, now staring off to the side, not wanting to see Dureau's expression. It likely wasn't anything pleasant. Maybe her explanation bored him. Maybe it even irritated him. It probably wasn't the answer he'd wanted, either way. "He could've made me do anything, Dureau, and I wouldn't have been able to go against it. It was...violating."

Sniffling softly, she hugged herself tightly, ignoring the sharp sting it caused in her ribs, and lifted her chin so Takara would have better access to the bruises on her throat.

"Your sister strangling me didn't make me feel any better, either," she chuckled humorlessly.

She ignored Takara's concerned gaze, closing her eyes and clenching her teeth against the severe pain his gentle touch caused. Being choked was, unfortunately, not new to her, but that didn't mean it hurt any less than the first time. She wanted to punch Takara square in the jaw.

"Please don't do that, I quite enjoy my face without any bruises, thank you," Takara mumbled in direct response to her thoughts, luckily pulling a laugh from her rather than a scolding.

"Yeah, I bet Surya would be less than pleased if I ruined the one aspect of you that he actually likes."

Umiko grinned deviously at Takara's wounded expression. "You're an asshole."

"I try my best~!"

Dureau confirmed that the man standing before him was an absolute idiot as he continued to speak. The fact he was assured with himself to utter such narrowed theories was enough for Dureau. This place was filled with numerous people with amazing- world ending abilities if he were to be extreme. Things that Shihainin's couldn't even dream to compare with. However, it was for that very reason that Dureau was hesitant. That man acted like he ruled the world and even someone as sceptic as Dureau was only mildly hesitant to believe it. Dureau was aware of many people in this place that didn't have any combat experience, those which included staff members. People like that had little chance at someone who was vastly more experienced. It was irritating that Takara didn't seem to understand the gravity of Dureau admitting that someone had combat experience- experience that could exceed his own. Any 'positive' assessment on someone else was not something Dureau ever did lightly.

"If your brain didn't lack some brain cells," Dureau began, his voice low despite the spark in his eyes. A glow that had a hand in instigating his lowly nickname as a vampire. "You would realize that if it was that simple we wouldn't have an issue in the first place. Without knowing the limitations of his skills. Even getting him restrained and gagged- he could already have set up a way of escape," Dureau had to annoyingly spell out for this guy. They knew next to nothing about this persuasion of Shihainin's. If he could implant orders into others ahead of time to be executed later, then all of that would be for nothing. If catching this man off guard was so simple, then Dureau wouldn't need to even be here. "A high probability now that he has made us aware. Us taking actions is an event he would already suspect we would attempt. If not, he wouldn't have been so lenient when confronting Umiko- someone he already knew was involved. Someone like that being caught off guard with the stakes substantial- would be idiocy."

Dureau shifted his gaze sharply away from Takara when Umiko began to speak. The tiny spark of irritated rage vanished from sight as he focused solely on her. Dureau silently took in her description of the incident. It wasn't as in-depth as he would have liked but he narrowed in on something she said. His expression was rather impassive, much 'softer' than when he'd arrived. Especially in comparison to the look, he'd shot Takara for being, in his words, a daft idiot. Purely because of Umiko's surprising reaction to the fact she could have harmed his sister and felt bothered to mention it. Sure, he was mentioned as well but he didn't pay that any mind.
Nonetheless, he snatched on to what she had said. The fact that she was aware of it all stood out to him. She experienced it happening but could do nothing to stop it. To the point where she believed that he could have been tempted to harm his own sister. Something he has never dreamed of or even contemplated to that degree. He'd kill himself first. Nonetheless, he kept that tucked in the back of his mind. It wasn't a lot but it was good information to begin formulating something more concrete about his ability than what vague shit they'd been given.

At Umiko's mention of the situation again, Dureau replied this time. "I apologize," he said, his tone not changing but there was a sense of sincerity that could easily be ignored or misjudged. However, at this moment, he felt it necessary to say. Everything he had said prior was in no way invalid but that had been one of the worst times of his life. It was made very apparent to him now that she could share the mentality.

Dureau waited, a bit impatiently as they dribbled on to each other before he could say his next piece. "If you have nothing else, I shall take my leave?" he said, a question in the form of a suggestion. He would much rather take her along back with him to Soranome but he didn't want Takara to tag along with them any more than he already had. That and Umiko clearly wasn't interested to even be in the same room with him let alone be dragged off somewhere else. He'd just do it on his own.

(Idk if it will poorly affect Dureau's new judgment of her, but Umiko said: "he could have made you hurt Charu-chan". Idk if he thought she meant something else or if he was addressing something else she'd said?)

((It wouldn't, not really. It just expresses how controlling she believes Shihainin's ability is. He likely would have gotten a little heated if not for the fact, the moment they are talking about Dureau was completely immobilized so he couldn't do anything anyway. Will edit it a bit nonetheless Thaanks))

(Sorry for the wait, but I'll reply tomorrow!)

Takara's expression was so flat, his eyes so dead, one could assume he checked out while Dureau was speaking. Refusing to grace him with a response, he returned to treating his patient, even going as far as to banter with her despite the wild train of thought currently chugging along in his mind. Unfortunately, Dureau was right about Shihainin having a back-up plan if he got captured and restrained. He should have considered that possibility. However, Dureau should've put more thought into the shared abilities in the very room they were standing in. Takara's and Umiko's. He could down Shihainin long enough for Umiko to hack into his mind and figure out all of his fail-safes. After restraining him, they could then go and find all of the people Shihainin would use to break free and return him to his solitary cell once they were sure they were in the clear. It sounded possible. Takara told himself not to get too hopeful, though. They needed more information. He did...


Umiko's eyes flashed open and met Dureau's upon hearing his apology. They sparkled with shock, a light blush heating the corners of her cheekbones. Since when did the Vampire of block one apologize for anything, sincerely or otherwise? For a split second, she almost mistook him for an actual human being.

"Th...thanks," she mumbled, tucking a stray curl behind her ear shyly, her gaze flitting away.

Did her heart just doki-doki?!

She allowed Takara, who was clearly lost in thought, to finish bandaging her throat before slipping off the desk and stepping over to Dureau. Despite the strange flutter in her stomach, she remembered to keep her distance. Which was added to thanks to his sister, the strangler. Uncharacteristically shy, she pursed her lips and fiddled with her awkwardly oversized T-shirt. Stupid tall guy and his stupid pretty face. Why did all the hotties have to be such assholes?

"Um... You can leave if you want, but is your throat okay? He got you pretty good..." She raised her eyebrow and smirked in a moot attempt to hide her nerves. "Your fan club would be devastated if you started bruising, Cullen."

Sadly, Dureau had no chance to respond to her dig. Takara came up behind Umiko, brushing past her and the stoic guard.

"Umiko, I need you to narrow your focus."

"Haaah?" she hissed, all girly shyness completely gone.

"His background. Triggers. Records of family members, deaths, whatever. I need to know more about the person Shihainin is, not just the monster he's become."

Umiko raised a brow. It'd been a while since she'd seen him wear a serious expression. "Takara, what's going on? What are you planning?"

He smiled an irritatingly fake smile. "Nothing, Mikkun~! Just try and find what I asked for, pretty please? I'll dig some stuff up too. You guys have fun chatting~! Ciao~"

With that and an irritating wink, he ducked out of the room, swiftly de- and reactivating all of her security measures, and leaving her alone with the Iceberg.

(It's total shit but whatever)

Dureau, ignorant to the abilities of the people in this room aside from himself looked at Umiko. She looked as startled and surprised as he felt internal about his apology. Not that he'd admit that. It was necessary in his opinion whether she takes it to as it is or not.
Thus, once more, Dureau fell silent as the two finished up. His eyes seeming to glaze over while he was thinking of other things.

If she had no other information to give him, it made sense for him to leave as she kindly allowed. He'd just have to go see what Kasumi had managed to find in this time then. His eyes narrowed at the mention of his throat alas so those thoughts quickly shifted. "I can still use it," was his only response to it. It was scratchy and it hurt much more than he let on but it wasn't his concern. He'd suffered through much worse pain before.
Though, Dureau's brow rose in a very visual appearance of surprise. "They would be ecstatic..." he countered in an almost comical confusion. Any fans of his would be the prisoners that want him dead. No one aside from Lottie gave him two shits. Not that it bothered him. A response that was missed as Takara interrupted. An interruption Dureau had ignored in favour of replying, alas quieter.

Dureau didn't get a chance to say he had someone looking into that direction of information but he didn't get a chance before he was already gone. He could only assume that Takara was planning on using some sort of trigger or weakness to gain the advantage of that thing and he honestly felt the urge to lock the guy up and make sure he didn't interfere any further in this matter. Umiko had already wormed herself in and this was the result. Even if it allowed him to learn of the situation Lottie had been hiding from him.

Furrowed eyebrows, Dureau headed to the exit, "I hope you didn't have plans," he said, stopping to look at her by the exit. "I'll need you to accompany me." It was counterproductive if two separate people were finding overlapping information when they could be picking up information the other was missing without the overlap. At least, that was his goal in mind.

(She never suggested he should leave??? He said before "If you have nothing else, I shall take my leave?" so she said, "You can leave if you want, but is your throat okay?" Lmao)

((edited. Sorry. I'm a dumbass that seriously forgets everything I write and say >.> ))

Umiko narrowed her eyes on Takara's back as he left, but instead of bothering to retort, she returned her now annoyed gaze on Dureau. Luckily, she hadn't missed the comment he'd made about his fan club.

"Oh, gods, don't tell me you don't know. Dureau, how... Holy shit, man. There're fan clubs throughout the prison, not just anti-you prisoner clubs, but actual fan clubs. So many chicks here have the hots for you and your whole" —she air-quoted— "Edward Cullen, don't-trust-me-Bella-I'm-evil act. Lucky for you, I'm not one of them. They're honestly pretty creepy." She laughed, eyes and cheeks aglow with the girly shyness that'd shot through her after his apology.

After an awkward moment, she cleared her throat (winced at the pain it caused) and nodded despite her surprise at his invitation.

"Oh, um, sure! Where're you takin' me? Someplace fancy, I hope." She winked and walked over to the door to deactivate it, attempting to bury her nerves with comedy. "Y'know, after what happened, I'm not sure I'm ready to face Charu-chan yet, so if she's gonna be there..." Umiko stopped imputing her codes. She couldn't take her eyes off her bandaged fingers. "Dureau, I can't go with you if she's gonna be wherever you wanna take me. I can let you out, but... I can't." She'd begun trembling. Charlotte had obviously done a number on her.

(Sorry it's so short)

Dureau looked at Umiko. He wasn't sure if she was making fun of him or actually being serious about this fan club that supposed thought his 'act' was something hot. His brows furrowed, trying to see if he could tell if she was joking or not on her face. Deciding that she likely was pulling his leg, he simply rolled his eyes and hummed. "Lucky for me," he agreed, eyeing her. It was good that she was capable of laughing with only him around. It didn't mean much but she was rather... nice to look at when she smiled like that. Nonetheless, Dureau still turned, ready to leave.

"Not likely," Dureau voiced at her joke, watching her as she walked over to the door. He leaned against the wall by it, waiting for her to go through the hassle of deactivating it all. It was quite chilling how much security measures she had. As she began and resumed talking, Dureau didn't notice her unease until she blatantly stated she couldn't handle being around Lottie any time soon. To the point where he saw her body trembling from the mere thought.
He straightened up and moved closer to place a hand on her shoulder. "We're not going to see her," he assured Umiko, his impassive gaze peering down at her. "I have someone looking for some information on Shi that I figured you would want in on," he stated. He lifted his hand away from her, stepping away as he recalled that he probably shouldn't be crowding her by hovering over her shoulder. Societal formalities were such a pain. "If that's alright with you," he said.

((hope that's better??))

Lost in the unpleasant memory of Charlotte choking her, Umiko flinched hard when a hand landed on her shoulder. Her big blue eyes flashed up to meet Dureau's. How on earth could this asshole manage to be both impassive and sincere at the same time? And how the hell was his reassurance working on her?! Unfortunately, that warm, fuzzy feeling in her stomach didn't last long after Dureau mentioned having another broker. Shrugging off the lingering weight of his hand, she resumed her code-inputting.

"Didn't trust me enough to let me do it myself, huh?" she taunted, mildly peeved. "Well, whatever. As long as Charlotte isn't there, I'll be fine."

She opened her doors wide enough for Dureau to slip through. Snatching up a hoodie from the back of her desk chair, she followed behind him and resealed every lock. She pulled the jacket over her head and tucked her hands into the single pocket at her waist. Inside it, she played with her fingers restlessly. With Dureau being the way he is, she should have expected that he'd go to someone else. And yet, no matter how many times she reassured herself that it was nothing personal, her heart still stung like it was. Why did Dureau suddenly have to act semi-nice? Was it the sort-of bonding experience they shared after the earthquake? She closed her hand into a fist, reminded of the glass that had been stuck in it. Takara would be mad if she let her fingers bleed again. A pout settling on her lips, she swiped her hood up.

"Where to, Mr. Tour Guide?"


(Perfect~!)

"Not really," Dureau stated honestly, not holding back at all. His inability to perceive her irritation of his admittance was lost on him. "You nor Lottie were sharing any information with me at the time. I had to investigate for myself," he stated, brows furrowed. He would rather Lottie be there but he mainly had the desire to lock her away in their room so she could be safe and away from harm. "Aside from the fact I do not know you nor truly why you got yourself involved," he added. He stared down at her, having taken her taunting very seriously. "Can you blame me?" he questioned but as he walked past the door and into the hallway- it was rhetorical than something for her to actually answer.

He stepped further out and waited for her to exit and relock her door. Once she addressed Dureau once more, he glanced down at her. "Follow me," he replied gruffly, not appreciating the 'tour guide' comment. If he was more of a speaker he would have snapped back but instead, he turned on his heel and headed to the security building, making sure he didn't leave Umiko behind in his wake.

((Imma post continuation at Kasumi's security room))