[ all it is is a physical manifestation of what he already know, of what he's seen happen again and again, the way the world is filled with poison, how it shapes and disfigures, how it taints the very soul, until anything pure is blackened to ash. he's seen it and he's faced it, having lost any sense of innocence when he was young, not even sure if he ever had much of it to begin with.

but he looks at alina and he remembers a young sister he'd hoped he could shield away from the taint of darkness, how he'd burned a hole through his father's stack just for the chance to preserve it, only for her to be sold away and turned into a killer just the same as him. the bones protruding from alina's collar is a reminder that nothing can be salvaged, even in those who want to do good. ]

Yeah. [ he answers quietly, bringing the cigarette back to his lips, as if remembering the shield he seeks, the wisp of smoke that can falsely veil the swirl of thoughts in eyes that don't belong to him, in eyes he still hasn't learned to know if they give too much of him away. ] I know all about monsters.

[ with the cigarette nearing its end, he straightens up, pressing the burning stick down into the nearest ashtray. ]

I'm going in for a shower. I'd offer you to join, but that'd ruin today's lesson, so — [ about consorting with monsters. his pursed lips and shrug is a signal that he's returned back to his witting sarcasm. ] You should probably get going.