"You're -" Daniel makes an abortive hand gesture at his back. "I didn't realize they'd -"

He takes a shaky breath and looks away. Assigning Seth a number title in lieu of a name was a very deliberate act of dehumanization but going ahead and tattooing the number on him goes even farther. It's a constant, active reminder, an implication that Seth can't ever fully escape that place and the people in it.

They branded him. Like property.

"I'm sorry," he mutters, rubbing at his mouth with one hand and wishing he hadn't noticed at all. "I'm sorry, I just, I didn't realize they'd - done that. To your back."