[Douman doesn't enjoy the way the hopeful expression crumbles from the young man's face. It's a look he has seen plenty of times already, each time when one who considered themselves on top of the food chain ended up realizing that what they had thought an easy target might be a number too big for them. No, scratch that, it's when they know.

This is the insidious power of the Nurarihyon, something that suited the former reviled Onmyoji and admitting sadist to a T... But it should be reserved for those who truly deserve it.

He shoos the unnecessary emotion away with a quick jerk of his head, just to stop and raise and cautiously take a step back when Scott changes his tactics. The ground? What effect are the red rays going to have on that? If it does something like melt it and turn it into lava, it'll- Oh. Ahhhh.]

....what an ingenious young man you are. Very good. It is important to not lose hope and keep searching for new ways when your initial plan doesn't work.

[The praise in his words rings true - freezing up now would have been a death sentence for an aspiring warrior. But so would have charging in blindly. (Several pieces of small debris end up hitting his pants and bouncing harmlessly of the fabric.)]