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（ he's still mulling that strange conversation over in his mind when he makes his way down to where she'd suggested they meet. she already knows what he looks like, and he at least knows to be on the alert for a similar enough hair colour for it to have caught her eye, so he's not worried about that half so much.

he's just — a little on edge. he hasn't left his room much, has talked to people even less. he's a little skittish, jumpy in a way that speaks more to trauma than anxiety disorder. when he sees her, she somehow looks just how he was expecting.

maybe a few centimetres taller??

but he does raise a hand in greeting, a brief flash of the diamond insignia tattooed on his right wrist, worryingly darkened, and then stuffs his hand back in his pocket. he's wearing all black, more because it's a familiar comfort, a callback to his shihakushō than any dramatic propensity for hot topic. ）

Hey. Nami?

[ The hair is hard to miss - unless a person has hair of a similar shade and is used to the constant presence of bright orange. Even so, Nami sticks out, notebook tucked under her arm and a flashlight lifted from a maintenance cart she encountered on one of her trips snooping through the resort hanging from a belt loop on her shorts.

Notably, he is also taller than she expected, and, considering she doesn't actually know what kind of danger is lurking down in the maintenance tunnels, she's glad he seems like the sort she can put between herself and peril. She's not as formidable without her staff, and even if she had it - Nami's the type who would rather not.

Eyes darting to his tattoo when he waves she returns the gesture, nodding as she tries to recall if she's run into someone with such a dark tattoo so far. Interesting. ]

And you're Ichigo. [ She steps to the side, cocking her head at the door she's been standing in front of. ] Ready?

Yeah.

（ clearly, he's thinking along parallel lines, because he moves to step in front of her as they go through the door, one hand held out to ward her back. ）

I've only been down here once. Stay behind me just in case, okay?

（ local man, 18½, possessed of a protectiveness complex a mile wide and at least that high again. while he knows, rationally, that people can usually defend themselves as needed — he's also been the one that's been called on time and again to defend the world. it's mostly a habit by this point. ）

[ Letting him go ahead, Nami shines the flashlight over his shoulder, illuminating the dark stairway downwards. ]

So you've been down here already and suggested coming here? [ Her tone might be flat (as it usually is), but she gets her insinuation across.

He's weird.

Once they're off the stairs Nami settles the flashlight in the crook of her shoulder, keeping her head tilted to one side so she can get her notebook and utterly crap pen lifted from the coffee shop out to start a few preliminary sketches and notes. ]

Must be quite the place.

It's not like I was exploring the last time...

（ we aren't going to talk about sasuke just grabbing him by the wrist and dragging him into the basement, okay. we are Not. ）

It's mostly a maze. Just — have you ever been in a maze?

[ She raises her eyebrows but doesn't pry. This casino leads people places, and nobody ever needs to talk about it at any point. ]

In one? [ Speeding up enough to fall into step beside him, Nami nudges his arm before handing over the flashlight for him to carry. She's got notes to take, the club tattoo on her hand lighter than his had been, but present enough to call attention to the thin lines and nicks scarred along the finger her pen rests against while she writes. She's thankful it's dark. ]

Not that I can recall. Why? Have you before? [ A beat. ] Is that where the numbered people thing came up?

Edited 2024-01-14 03:29 (UTC)

（ he takes the flashlight without complaint and while he's not exactly unobservant, he doesn't comment on her tattoo any more than she did on hers. it does make him frown, though, one corner of his mouth tugged down in an unhappy line. ）

No — the trick is just to keep one hand against the wall. As long as you always do that, you can't get lost because you can only go certain ways without taking it off or switching hands. Unless the rooms move.

（ which. welp. ）

But that's only if we get separated. I can get us out otherwise.

（ it's a little unfair of him to rely on sasuke that way, but as long as he can sense his chakra he has a beacon. ）

Edited 2024-01-14 03:34 (UTC)

[ Lifting her head from her notebook she looks from him to the wall on her other side, putting a hand out ]

What do you mean unless the rooms move? Do the rooms move down here?

[ Without thinking Nami shifts a half step to the side, walking closer to Ichigo while she frowns at the tunnel ahead of them. ]

（ girl do u maybe mind not getting so close to him right now actually it's a terrible idea. ichigo sort of sssssssidesteps the same distance away again with a surprising deftness, if we ignore the fact that this promptly smacks him into the wall on his left side.

#smooth. ）

I have no idea if they do or not. I'm just saying this place is weird, and it wouldn't surprise me if there was something like that. I've heard there's ghosts down here, too.

（ which. hahaha, well. does he technically count? he probably technically counts. at any rate, he's bound to be the strongest of them. ）

Look, you're the one who said you went down here already.

[ She minds a lot if the walls move, doubly so if there actually are ghosts, thanks.

He smacks into the wall, and she spares a glance in his direction, rolling her eyes and looking back down the corridor ahead, the pensive frown on her face deepening at the upcoming fork in the path. ]

Or was the last maze you happened to be in full of moving walls?

Uh.

（ wow, she really just does not let go of things, huh? dangerous woman. usually, his default method of watching his mouth is just not talking much about anything, but she doesn't like giving anything up once she's caught the scent. something about blood and sharks come to mind. he's secretive by nature and by design, but if stygia taught him anything it's that keeping information to himself isn't always the right move.

he gives her a sidelong look, the beam of the flashlight steady ahead of them. something shifts in his expression, and then his gaze chases the light. his jaw is set, there's a brief jump of a muscle there, and then: ）

Yeah, a little. And traps.

（ he toes aside some suspicious piece of debris, and then they come to an odd juncture where there are bare pipes in the wall, obstructing their path. he squeezes through to the other side, and then turns the beam around so she has light to do the same. ）

You asked about the people with numbers. They're called Espada. （ the most awkward pause, and then he just decides to volunteer: ） I'm not really human. It's why being down here doesn't bother me.

（ being down here with a girl is entirely another problem. especially given that her hair is almost exactly the same colour as inoue's. ）

[ She could, she would more readily if this was about her, but he's said enough, been strange enough that Nami wants to keep asking questions, choosing not to consider the eventuality of the tables turning on her at some other point. Thus far, he's been interesting. In a sea of crazy encounters, some of which forced her to confront things she would have been fine leaving alone forever, ambling around in a dark basement prodding at a relative stranger feels, somehow, normal. ]

You look human. [ Even in her world, that doesn't mean much. Not yet moving to climb through the pipes, she eyes him through the barrier, the ghost of a smile passes over her face and she has to stop herself from bringing up the whole strawberry thing again. ]

Are you an Espada too? Is that why you asked about my number?

[ Not waiting for him to answer, she passes her notebook to him to hold with a muttered 'don't lose my page' before climbing through to join him on the other side. ]

I'm a pirate. [ She offers, apropos of nothing, as she takes her book back. ]

（ he is just the most obliging packhorse to ever live. look, he's got two younger sisters and one of them is an avid shopper. following her around holding bags has occupied a not-insignificant portion of his teenaged years. ）

No, I asked because of the ranks. I know the rooms are shitty for the folks with a low rank, so if that was where you were I was going to offer to let you use my shower or something. Communal bathrooms are pretty crummy for women.

（ well-meaning, sexist chivalry. whoops. ）

I'm not an Espada, I'm something else. What does a pirate do?

I'll still take you up on it. It's not like I get a luxurious bathroom or anything. I bet you get free room service too.

[ Because she is, if nothing else, an opportunist. ]

Are you going to say what you are, or is this about to get weird and you change shape into a water buffalo or something?

[ Honestly, totally the kind of thing that might happen where she comes from. ]

Most pirates are assholes, honestly, but, my captain likes helping people, instead of ruining their lives. We're going to the Grand Line. Or we were before most of us ended up in this shithole.

I'm only a seven, so not as bougie as you'd think.

（ where the fuck did he learn the word 'bougie', actually? this card carrying nerd. reads shakespeare in his free time. translates english media into japanese. the whole shebang. ）

And — no, why a water buffalo? （ just. sidetracked by that comment, it has taken him the fuck out. does... does he seem particularly buffalo-ish?? his ego cannot take this. ）

[ Staring at him like she thinks the weirdest thing about that question is that he's asking it in the first place, Nami shakes her head slowly and stops to quickly sketch out the route through the pipes before moving forward through the tunnel. ]

Why not a water buffalo? So what are you?

[ There's not even a breath between questions. He can't just say something like that, especially when she's down here in the maintenance tunnels alone in the dark with him. ]

（ peering just a little over her shoulder to watch that sketch — ）

Do you know the word 'shinigami'?

（ well, somebody isn't thinking about how a woman might feel about being in a weird place with a weird guy who's being cagey about shit, actually. ）

[ From the direction of the flashlight she can tell that she is, and pauses in her drawing to reach behind her, guiding his hand to adjust the angle of the light before she finishes it up, her book tilted so he can see the whole page she's filled up on the basement thus far - all rough sketches and neat lines of numbers. ]

No, is it like a martial art or something?

Hey, you're pretty good.

（ it buys him a second, at least, to think about it. the english translation to god of death sounds pretty scary, so a direct translation is out of the question here. ）

I can see ghosts. Sometimes, spirits... need help getting to where they're supposed to be. So I'm one of the guys that helps them.

Almost like I've been doing it for a long time.

[ Lowering her book as he elaborates on what he is, Nami turns around to look him over again, peering through the darkness. ]

And...that's what you deliver? [ So, not shady. Maybe. She's mulling it over. ] Are there a lot of people who do that?

[ Nami's walking again before he can answer, making notes and stealing sideways glances at Ichigo as she goes.

"You've delivered too." Insists a whispered voice from behind them. "But unlike him, you're heartless. Drawing those maps for Arlong so he could pillage and kill more people, delivering secrets, and stealing everything you could." The sound bounces around the corridor, and Nami feels her stomach drop. Eyes blazing she whirls on Ichigo, jaw set in a furiously stony line. ]

What did you say? [ It doesn't sound like him, and yet, having never encountered a ghost before, nothing else makes sense. ]

（ he's opening his mouth to reply to her — to tell her about the delineation between unagiya and what he does as a shinigami — but his mouth snaps shut with a click at that whisper.

he's no stranger to hearing voices. from the first moment he laid his hands on zangetsu, when both shiro and the old man started muttering in his ear. he'd thought he was going insane until after he knew the truth himself, the dichotomies of his heritage finally rationalizing the trajectory of his life, the particularity of how his skills developed. but this one clearly isn't meant for him, and he stops — at once impossibly still and on edge. one hand extends on instinct alone — yet, despite his best efforts tensa zangetsu doesn't respond to him here. being without a weapon doesn't sit well with him, so — he just. braces a foot against the wall and yanks at one of those pipes until it comes away in his hand, turning to face the direction of the whispers.

or — more accurately, to face nami, who looks like fury incarnate.

he actually takes a step back from her, less out of fear and more because he's learned it's wiser to retreat from the possibility of a misunderstanding than to stand your ground. ）

It wasn't me.

（ it's not said defensively, just plainly as his fingers flex around the pipe. the words and whatever meaning they hold for her... it's cruel, isn't it? he studies her expression for a moment, and the furrow in his brow is something like sympathy. ）

Come on, go ahead of me. （ holds out the flashlight for her to take. ） Keep moving. If it's a ghost I'll deal with it, I'll catch up with you. Stay to the right.

[ The hardened look in her eyes dims slightly, replaced with confusion as she watches Ichigo wrench a pipe free, looking for all intents and purposes like he's posed to defend himself - though against what, she's not sure. It's a blessing in disguise that the situation's turned perplexing enough that she doesn't immediately rebuff him for denying that he's the offending whisperer but the anger on her face hasn't drained away either.

If it wasn't him, who else could it have been?

"You don't want to help her. All she does is take, and take. When there's nothing left, she'll leave you too." The voice is closer, and to Nami, it bears a striking similarity to the sound of her sister, Nojiko at her most spiteful (a thing Nami hoped to never have to hear again now that Coco Village was free, but alas).

Wincing, she backs up another step, her lips parting as though she intends to object to either the mention of ghosts in their midst or leaving him behind to settle it, but the feeling of being so thoroughly and unexpectedly exposed like this keeps her walking backward, putting more space between herself, him, and the smugly disembodied voice still whispering silkily from just a few paces behind them. ]

I– [ Wish you hadn't heard that. Was stupid for trying to make friends. Think you should leave. Murky marine colored eyes cloud with emotion, her open notebook hugged against her stomach as she hustles away, keeping to the right but not entirely paying attention to where she's going - a rare thing for someone like Nami, but she's not thinking straight, not with those whispered words ringing in her ears and bouncing around the confines of her brain. That's not who she is, that's not who she wants to be, and yet, even a world away in a basement with a stranger, it seems there's no reprieve from the past for her. ]

（ he can't see the ghost — a strange phenomenon he hasn't encountered before — but he does stay. can't perform konso without his sword, so as far as rituals go he's out of luck — he can't even use kidō like the others, so unless he wants to resort to using shiro and risking that loss of control (not a good idea, given the lividity of his suit brand) there isn't much he can do unless his quincy powers suddenly take a huge jump. he should have paid more attention to ishida, but that's a foregone conclusion now.

yet... it was as much an effort to give her space without abandoning her as it was to actually stay behind and deal with a problem. if the problem can't be dealt with, then the only other issue is her.

the whispering fades, whether she's taken it with her or not is hard to say. after a couple minutes, though:

«hey, i think it's gone.

that was pretty weird. what did it sound like to you?» ）

[ Her retreat was hasty, but Nami doesn't put that much distance between Ichigo and herself, despite ducking into the shadows as soon as she could.

Lingering far enough to not be seen while she collects herself, she keeps her arms crossed tightly over her front, staring fixedly at the ground while her mind races, working to piece together just what the hell she can even say after that ghost or whatever decided to shine its awful light on the things she's working on leaving behind her.

The dim light of her watch is enough to give her position just a few yards ahead of him away, something Nami either isn't conscious of or doesn't care about. Her face gets caught in the muted glow as she reads, her profile apparent - as is the frown weighing down the rest of her face. There's no point in responding by watch when he's close enough to hear her, but there's also no way of hiding how hesitant Nami sounds when she does. ]

My sister. [ Saying it like that is enough to make her stomach drop, leaving her cagey, like she's ended up under somebody's thumb without being aware of it, pinned down and exposed in all the ways she loathes. ] Some of it, anyway.

[ Righting herself from her leaned position against one of the locked doors marked Punishment Protocol, and gets closer to the flashlight's beam of light. ] We can just turn back now if you want. [ She's not going to take and take and leave him once there's nothing - they're essentially strangers, and Nami has no need to lean into that kind of life anymore, but, she also can't bring herself to explain, clarify, or even deny anything. Why wouldn't he want to go in the face of all that? ]

（ oh she didn't go all that far, apparently.

he follows the sound of her voice, the pipe hefted up over one shoulder like he's used to carrying something else entirely. ）

Oh yeah? （ lightly — ） I couldn't hear it very well. Sounded like a bunch of garbled junk to me.

（ he's never really learned his lesson about lying to protect other people's feelings. instead, he just gives her a wan smile. ）

You scared already? Come on, is that what pirates are really like?

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