| [Jun. 14th, 2009|07:21 pm] |
Tsume kneeled--and later stood--over Asuma, glaring impotently at the men who came near. She accepted more water from Whip--Gorou--tolerating his hand on the back of her skull if only because she didn't have a choice in the matter.
She tolerated another bout of silent blindness for the same reason, trying to pay attention afterward as they discussed why it affected her so strongly, and how they could do that
to others.
Hibiki informed her, smilingly, that Asuma hadn't screamed when they'd done it to him. Tsume just kept glaring, and kept the knowledge that when the weapon wasn't on, she could hear every word they said, no matter where they were on deck, to herself. The longer they left her up here, the more information she'd have.
As the sun set, Asuma's drugs began to wear off. They dumped him back in the cell, sending her down on top. She untangled herself from his limbs, cursing under her breath.
They closed and locked the grate.
Her skin felt tender. Her arms were all right, but the rest of her was hot to the touch. Not red--she tanned pretty well--but definitely a dusky pink.
"Moon-faced snot grubbers," she muttered, pressing white fingerprints into her shins. Asuma had only turned a lovely golden color. She glowered at him for good measure.
It took another twenty minutes before he was fully coherent, leaning against a corner of the cell. They both stared up toward the grate, as if something new might happen.
"Their buyers aren't ninja," Tsume said, keeping her voice soft. "They've been careful about names, though--I'm not sure the civilian crew knows who they're meeting. If we don't stop them before they make the switch, I think we're dog-chewed." She pulled her legs up, propping her elbows on them and rubbing her face with both hands. Her lips were rough, chapped. She winced and licked them. "Sometime before midnight--you got that right--but they've got a two-hour window as to when before midnight. Which doesn't give us much time." The moon was starting to rise.
If any time. She was out of ideas. |
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