Asahina's body shifted back on the bed, her back hit the wall and she pulled her legs close to her chest. She did not think that Alem would chastise her like this, she had told him as much as had come to her mind. She didn't have all the answers he was looking for. She was a tool the empire had used, does a mechanic explain to his wrench why it is fastening a bolt?

The news that the princess of this world had also been taken piqued her interest. It was more than reasonable to assume that Jasmine was in the same situation that she was. That much was obvious, but the ends to their means alluded her. All she knew was that she apparently had a heart devoid of darkness, if that was the case, then why was she covered in it right now? This darkness couldn't be from her heart, if that were true, then she needed to know where it had come from. She opened her hands, and looked at her grotesque claws. This form was not a reflection of her heart, it had been imposed upon her by the machine she had been placed in. The factories were gathering darkness, vast amounts of darkness, with her at the center. 

"This Form..." She spoke, her voice smoother than it was before, it felt as if a thick fog in her throat had cleared. She wasn't sure if she should feel blessed or worried that this body was beginning to feel comfortable. "This is a garment that does not belong to me, that shouldn't be on me... Yet it has been stitched to my flesh." She looked towards Alem behind a veil of hair. "Who I am is irrelevant." She said with sorrowful disdain. "It is what I am that is important." She hugged her legs closer to herself. "Those shadows, they are creatures called Heartless. They prey upon human hearts and are monsters of base instinct, they may follow the lead of a being with strong control over darkness, but they are monsters still. For a time I believed I was transforming into a Heartless, however, I now see it in another light." Asahina grumbled, and awkwardly scratched the top of her head with one of her knife like nails.

"I was used to gather darkness for a certain purpose, what this purpose is, I cannot tell you because I... do not know." She whispered in a barely audible tone. "Darkness is a pervasive thing, it corrupts absolutely and is impassioned towards light. Light is a threat to dark, and so a pure heart is insatiable. My teacher once told me something that I only understand now, he said that the brighter the light, the darker the shadow..." Asahina went quiet, resting her head between her knees. Feeling sorry for herself? That must be what it looks like to him, but it was wrong.

"I wish I could feel sorry for myself... But I don't. I don't want to suffer, after all I don't deserve it. But on the same note, I am not entitled to much else. I never asked for this. I've never been important, I've always been alone and that was my own fault. It was hard to do, but I accepted my fate as a reluctant recluse. Now I learn that I'm some... Princess, and what does it cause me but pain? I know I have to do something about it, I can't let anyone be hurt because of someone like me..."

[center]_____[/center]

Ryoko tilted her head at the display Salforge put on via his blocks. He had managed to succeed in what she supposed she should call bugging the man she had met before and the girl she was looking for. She took a close look at the girl named Asahina. "She barely looks human anymore, isn't that quaint..." The screen flickered for a moment to the inside of a washroom, Ryoko glared at Salforge, who tried to offer what she wasn't even sure was an excuse. "Sal, if you're feeling frustrated, there are better ways to calm yourself." She said with a yawn.

The mercenary then requested more information from her, in a fairly stalwart manner as well. It nearly caught her off guard as it seemed a bit strange for him. Ryoko looked to him with snide, condescending eyes. "You want me to respect the mercenary business? That's a laugh. The only thing I respect are results, Salforge, which luckily for you, you have managed to do." She leaned back in her chair, and crossed her right leg over her left.

"You want to know what that girl is? She is a  Princess of Heart, or to put it more simply, she is a human being that possesses a heart with no darkness in it. We need these girls because they are vital to conjuring up vast amounts of darkness from the heart of a world. She may not fully realize it, but that girl has inside her enough darkness to eclipse the heart of a world completely. Do you see why it is important that we find her now?"