continued from here due to beta editor. @more-than-a-princess
Togami continued to click inside of his own brain as he shared the room with Sonia, the air thick with silence -- something that he typically didn’t have an issue with, but here, it felt more strangling than anything. While Byakuya was very much a person that someone could akin to anti-social, when faced with interpersonal relationships, ones between just him and another, he could at least speak a bit freer and be just a smidge more honest.
This was especially true around Sonia.
Emerald hues looked at her as she spoke her idiom, and then questioned him about it, as if she unsure. For whatever reason or another, this little interaction bought a smile to his face.
“Yes, that is how it goes,” he responded, giving her a nod, wanting her to revel in the small victory she used to fumble over. Imagine Togami giving anyone else a confidence boost or any type of self encouragement. A true testament of his change as a person. Regardless, she went right back to business afterwards.
“The translation work looks fine,” he said quietly, looking at the stack of papers. “Amazing, even. I don’t believe I could’ve done better myself, if I am to be truly honest.”
He paused once the dark topic came back up. His voice got a little low when she brought up that his power wasn’t as absolute as he made it sound. “I know, Sonia. I know. Munekata, quite frankly, can fuck himself.” Of all the people in the Future Foundation, it was no secret that Byakuya Togami was NOT a fan of Kyosuke Munakata. He very well made that expression known of his distaste of him. At the very least, he tried to stay amicable when they were forced to share the same air space, but if Togami could avoid it, he definitely did.
“Being fair, Sonia,” he took his glasses off and sat them on the desk to the left of him, “Nowhere is safe for anyone. Yes, there are safe places for some people, but everywhere else? Can be just as dangerous.”
While sounding like a broken record for repeating her name so much, he felt inclined to continue to say her name whenever he could to try and humanize her a person, and not a monster. He was aware of how she felt about herself, and how she felt about her ‘friends’ and how she wanted to be treated. As she said, he had seen her interactions in the Neo World Program. She wanted to be normal. Treated normally. It was a stark comparison to him, at least to past him, though Byakuya still had a few ego issues. He stood up and turned to the window, looking at the sandy shores and waves crashing.
“To the heart seeking freedom, this island is a prison surrounded by water. But right now, it’s your safest spot. I know it isn’t your ideal place, but all I can do is make it feel like home.... however you define that as.”
He sighed and put his glasses back on. “We’re done for the day, but I’d like to spend more time with you, if you can a) believe that, and b) would like to. Not as any of this Future Foundation stuff. Just as Byakuya Togami and Sonia Nevermind. Old... friends.”
Maybe she’d remember that. The time before despair. Even if he was stuck up, Byakuya did indeed spend time with her due to higher statuses. Maybe it was something that could pull her mind away from the hatred of herself.
