A Day In The Life Of A Prisoner

[lightning]

Ferris was lying on his cot, flat on his back with his arms to either side of him. He still hadn't gotten used to the amount of work there was to do around the prison. Today had been harvesting. It was ironic that the imprisoned were the ones who ensured that there was enough to eat. Of course, the free couldn't possibly be bothered to do anything besides sit on their lazy asses all day. That didn't include the dragonriders, though. They were imprisoned almost as much as the real prisoners. And they actually did things.

Shards. He began to feel the familiar sensation of Dust withdrawal. He reached across with a hand to pinch his other arm, but stopped as a dark blue blur leaped onto his now-moving hand and began to gnaw on it. Ferris smiled at the pain. Sadist was a bit more aggressive than he would have been to himself, but that was all right; it broke the agony of withdrawal all the better. Once the blood began dripping down his arm, however, he felt it was best to stop the insane firelizard before he hit bone. "Sadist! Shards, you're brutal today! Leave me at least half an arm, will ya?" The blue glared at him, eyes and mouth bloodred, and hissed angrilly. Ferris swatted Sadist off the cot and into the corner of the cell. Standing and walking over to the blue, Ferris had to smile once more. He hadn't craved Dust as much since Sadist had entered his life. Pain really does help. He grabbed the hissing blue and held him near his new wounds; far enough away that he couldn't bite, but close enough to lick the blood off his arm. They'd worked out a system. Ferris had a craving, Sadist nearly chewed his arm off, then Ferris forced him to lick the evidence off. Flit and owner were content.

[Spiffy]

This was unusual for Bellatrix, this being up during the day malarkey. 'Specially recently. For one thing, being a natural night-owl and being a wherhandler, she normally slept through the daytime, and for another, keeping two young whers cared for and out of trouble (well, as out of trouble as her pair ever got) left her too exhausted to be anything more than comatose during the day.

She must be getting used to the work then, either that or she was becoming an insomniac, and she'd rather that not happen. But with nothing more to do around the wherhandler complex during the day and an odd desire to do something familiar, her two options were to wander around the prison on the pretence of being a guard, or to raid the kitchens while everyone else was in there preparing for dinner and bake a cake.

She chose the former.

Wandering through the barracks, she was pleased to see some familiar faces among the inmates, those she had spoken to before on her rounds whom she hadn't seen since the wher hatching, and also some new ones that she didn't recognise at all. A couple of the familiars she stopped to chat with, catching up on some of the news and gossip that she missed out on in the wherling barracks. On her way down the corridor she briefly checked on her two whers - fast asleep. Bellask was dreaming too, by the feel of her mind.

It was then that she was startled - well, not that she wasn't used to it by now, people shouting being a regular thing here and all - by a loud voice from one of the cells. Sadist? Odd name for a cell mate, unless that was his nickname. She peered around the door, though trying to hide was rather pointless when her hair gave her away from a mile off, to fie only a single occupant of the cell. Then she saw the little blue flitt, cradled in his hand. Well, not quite cradled, more like restrained. And licking his arm. Which was kinda red and ragged.

Hmm, interesting.

"That's a strange name you got for your flitt there, Sadist," she said, voice floating almost mockingly into the cell as she stepped around the door, leaning against the frame. "He do that?" she asked, in her half-demanding-an-answer tone hat came quite naturally to her, nodding her head, hair bobbing, indicating his arm and the blood welling from it.

[lightning]

Ferris looked up at an arrogant voice from his cell door, keeping Sadist in a death grip to keep the flit from attacking either of them. A strange name? For a normal flit, he supposed. But Sadist was different. "Yeah, he likes pain. And blood. Thus the name." He grinned at her. Was he a sadist too, for almost liking it? A masochist, perhaps. They fit each other. "What about it?" The little blue lizard strained against Ferris's restraining hands, his eyes glaring at the newcomer with a heat that Ferris had only seen used against him once, at the Hatching. Maybe being the owner of this beast gave him a sort of prestige? A step up from the rest of the world?
"Looks like he wonders if women taste different. He's only eaten my flesh before." A part of him wondered what the woman thought of him, before he realized that he really didn't care. Not since he'd been imprisoned, anyway. Not since he'd started Dusting, even. Nothing mattered much anymore. He smiled at the thought, petting Sadist's head absently. He felt a prick and looked down. He'd put his finger in the reach of the blue, who was sucking at his newly wounded finger. Ferris carefully extracted his finger and watched as a bead of blood slowly formed. "Guess he likes me best."

[Spiffy]

She shrugged, keeping an eye on the struggling blue. "Makes sense." She grinned back brightly, not at all phased by the blood. "Oh nothing," she said, waving a hand. "Just thought that was a strange name for a cell mate. That and if it were a cell mate attacking your arm then I'm probably have to do something about it," she added, pulling a face that said plainly she'd prefer not to. "I'd probably get in trouble if I stood by and watched the show. But since it's a flitt, and he's yours, I'm not obliged to do anything!" she said cheerfully. Alright, if it had been a cell mate having at him, she'd've intervened, eventually. No harm in having a little entertainment first, at least, no harm to herself.

If Bella had known what the lad was thinking, that having a violent flitt gave him some sort of standing in the prison, she would likely have laughed in his face. A bloodthirsty flitt? Pfft, she could top that. Twice.

"I'm sure my Bellatrisk would be answer that one for him. If, y'know, she could be bothered to wake up to talk to a flitt," she said, thinking back to the hatching. But somehow Bella didn't think the gold had been paying all that much attention to what Z tasted like at the time.

She watched the fellow smile for a second, before following his gaze down to where the blue had started gnawing on his finger. "Can't say I'm all that disappointed," she supplied, honestly. Sure, a bit of blood and pain spiced up the day a bit, but only if they were someone else's. Hers, not so much.

[lightning]

Ferris nodded briefly at her comment. "Good. He'd probably bite you if you tried. Not," he added, sizing her up with a quick glance, "that you couldn't take him on. You seem like the kind of person that could do anything you feel it neccessary to do." Unless it's too much trouble on your end, he added silently, gazing down at Sadist for a moment before meeting her eyes again. Eyes that bluntly told him, 'I love watching people in pain.' Well, good for her. There's plenty to go around.

He grinned, silently thinking, Ah, a wher handler. No wonder she seems used to this. Whers must be even worse. He glanced at Sadist's eyes for a moment, then responded, "I don't think he's much of a talker. But, I'm sure he'll find out eventually." He couldn't hold the flit forever. Who knows what trouble the blue could get into if he betweened somewhere? By the look in Sadist's eyes, Ferris was sure the 'lizard would do just that, as soon as he could figure out how.

His smile widened madly. So, she liked pain, but only if it was someone else's. They were polar opposites, connected by their differences. "Neither am I."

[Spiffy]

She didn't mind the comment about her trying, she wan't going to so it didn't matter. She straightened slightly, unconsciously, under his scrutiny, eyes working their way to a frown, before he spoke again. She smiled at that, a feral, almost wicked kind of smile. "I like your style, kid," she drawled, eyeing his reaction from under her lashes. She liked complements. And it wasn't even untrue: she'd surprised several men with a knife at their throat who'd thought she made an easy target before now. She was fairly sure that at least one of them had never tried it again.

She returned his grin, or rather she didn't get rid of the last one, but the corners of her mouth twitched up a little more briefly. Yes, Bellatrisk, that's it. He's caught on, she thought. "Oh quite likely, judging by what I've seen so far," she aid, chuckling. "But no, I don't think dear Bellatrisk is much of a talker either," not unless she wants something from you, she added mentally. She could make quite the sweet talker when she wanted to, Bella knew. She wasn't sure of the rest of the wherhandlers knew that yet, but she'd certainly had that voice turned on herself. If they hadn't, she doubted it would be long. The young queen was learning, and learning fast. Bella was proud of her, despite the precarious position she'd put herself and to some extent her handler, not helped at all by Bellask's actions. She was having to tread carefully, and was glad that at least one of her whers was learning that fact too. Bellask would get there eventually, the two of them would make sure of it.

She was strangely pleased when his own smile widened madly, still watching him through her lashes, and his comment, "neither am I." So he liked the pain? She struggled with that for a fraction of a second, then settled with that. She was all too pleased to have gotten rid of her limp finally, left with a lovely scar from her whers claws to show for her ordeal. "Ha, have it your own way then. You're welcome to him." This kid was strange. But, even stranger still, she was beginning to like him.

[lightning]

(sorry about the late response, I've had a lot to do)

"Really." Ferris reclined a bit, Sadist squirming a bit in his hands. "Never heard that one before." He hadn't been complimented much in the past. And why would he, when most of his life consisted of taking Dust, selling Dust, and trying to not get caught with Dust. When you score a batch, people are more likely to ask for some than to comment on your skill in getting it. There was the craving again; he let the blue flit reach his head around to open one of the wounds that had stopped bleeding. Much better. His hands grasped Sadist again to keep him off the gash.

The blue eyed the woman with an odd gaze, as if...hesitant? For the first time, Ferris sensed that the 'lizard knew that she was a wher handler (How? Could flits read thoughts? Even one with a one-track mind for killing?), and didn't want to mess with her. Much. He doubted the blue would reject the chance for a taste of blood, but he wasn't struggling as much, either. Not that he was going to relax his grip. "Well, I supose he'll just have to wait, then," he replied.

"I doubt he'd leave me anyway; he seems to enjoy my preferences." And I'd never give him to anyone, he thought, surprised at the heat in the thought. The little murderous bastard was growing on him. Funny, where life had taken him. The pleasure of Dust, the agony of Detox, and now the combined pain-pleasure of Sadist. The flit gazed up at him with an expression somewhere between grinning and bearing his fangs. Seemed the feeling was mutual.

[Spiffy]

She arched an eyebrow a little at his reply. "Really? Good lookin' guy like you never got a good response while complementing a girl?" she asked, only slightly patronising him. Well, he looked several turns younger than her, not that that really bothered her all that much as a norm. And he was a bit weedy. Not too weedy, but she preferred a bit more muscle in a guy.

But that mattered little. There was no way she was getting much closer to him with that little blue clamped to his arm, wherhandler or not. Despite his assurances that he probably wouldn't chew her anyway. Probably. If he tried he'd get a knife in the guts before he knew what had hit him, that was for sure.

He was a funny one though, eyes kept going hazy. Crazy, maybe? He sounded fairly sane, as far as someone who enjoyed pain could be called sane in her books. "You a duster?" she asked suddenly.

[lightning]

Ferris considered how to answer the question. He could say he hadn't noticed girls enough to compliment them, which was mostly true. He could tell the usual sob story he told when he'd almost gotten caught before: how he was a poor orphan whose sister was a cripple (which was a complete lie). Or, he could actually tell the truth about never being around women because of his habits. He settled for, "Nope." Oh well; he'd kept his mouth shut for this long, so why open it now?

He caught part of the woman's glance at his firelizard, seeing enough to know that messing with her would be dangerous. He wondered what it would be like to live on the edge once more. Then, her question. Right on the money, that one. "Yeah," he replied with a little grin. "Detox was hell. Still is, sometimes. Not as much now that Sadist's here. I think I might have lost something somewhere between screaming my lungs out and wishing I actually had, so it'd be over. I'm not sure I got it back yet," he added, his eyes shifting to the blue contentedly licking his wounds.

[Spiffy]

Yep, Bella decided. Screw-loose. One to keep at arm's length then, especially with that dastardly little flit (who she kept eyeing cautiously).

"You lost your sanity, mate. Anyone who gets that kinda expression when they're having their arm ripped open must be crazy." She doubted he was going to leap up and attack her for the blatant insult, but she hoped he wouldn't anyway.

"I never did understand why anyone would wanna get involved with that stuff. You'd think seeing people in detox would put them off but noooo, they still keep at it and Warden's keep filling up with those that're dumb enough to get caught." Ok, if that didn't get a rise out of him then likely nothing would.

[lightning]

"I figured. Not sure if it was the Dust or the Detox, though. Could've been either." He paused a moment to think. "Anyway, the pain helps keep what's left together. Best pal a guy like me could have, though if I didn't stop him, he'd keep going until I was just bones. Kinda like Thread." He'd never seen Thread, of course, but he'd heard all the stories about people being eaten alive by the stuff. The blue snarled and glared up at him with murderous eyes. "What, you afraid of Thread? It's been gone for generations now, ya little wherry!" Sadist continued to glare at him for a while, then went back to drinking Ferris's blood.

Ferris couldn't help but laugh at the woman's attempt to insult him. "You've never had the stuff, have you, or you'd know!" He waited until his fit subsided to continue. "It's better than a mating flight, as life-sustaining as water, as precious as gemstones. One taste and you'll sell your soul or more to get another. Why care about detox; it's happening to someone else. And everyone thinks they're too good to be caught. I know I did." All through Ferris's explanation, Sadist hummed contentedly. He knew all about it; causing pain was just the same to him. Really good partners, the two of them. A perfect pair.

[Spiffy]

"Mmm," she mumbled, shrugging. Could've been either. Dust did some weird shit to people. She raised an eyebrow briefly when he called Sadist a 'best friend' but said nothing on it. She'd already made it clear what she thought of the little sucker. "Pfft, Thread," she said, waving it off with a hand, "who knows what that stuff did. Most don't even know why we used to be so scared of the stuff." She didn't either, for that matter, but then she'd never bothered to find out.

"Course not. I'm not that stupid," she said, as if that was obvious, scowling as he laughed. "Hey, kid, you ain't exactly had a mating flight, so you can hardly compare it to that." She hadn't either, yet, but she was looking forward to Bellatrisk running for the first time. Mmm...

"Unfortunately, most don't get caught," she said, putting a sarcastic emphasis on 'un'. What did she care, the more got caught the more she had to look after.

[lightning]

Ferris shrugged, but didn't comment. Thread had been gone so long that horror stories and rumors were the only way most people heard about it. "Doesn't matter now, anyway. No honor in being a dragonrider anymore. Just hate from hard criminals and distrust from the Holders. Who knows; maybe having a dragon makes up for it. Can't think of any other reason to be one. I know the dragon'd be enough for me."

And with Sadist as a partner, he wasn't likely to get one. "A guy can imagine it, can't he? There's enough rumors about them. You get the point, anyway," he said, waving his free hand in a sort of all-encompasing gesture. "Better than anything else on Pern."

[Spiffy]

She shrugged too. "Who cares. It's long gone."

"Dragon? No thankyou. Too much heights." Bella didn't like heights. To her, staying on the ground was a much more preferable dream. And besides, what was the fun of a dragon when you couldn't even have the satisfaction of watching it take chunks out of people? Not much.

She snorted at that. "You can try. Though if it's anything like the night I had when Semith last ran, I'm inclined to believe speculation," she added, with a malicious grin.

[lightning]

Ferris shrugged at her comment. He wasn't crazy about heights himself, but, if what he'd heard about dragons was correct, it wouldn't let him fall. And he could imagine the view from leagues above the ground... "I'd still be willing to try it, if I could get one to accept me. Before the last Hatching, I wouldn't have dreamed of it. But hey, if other crooks and Dusters can do it, why not me? Shards, I've already got a blasted murderous flit; why not a messed up dragon to complete the set?" His laughter definitely inspired questions about his sanity.

"Musta been something to see, a dragon Running. Word is that's why the colors are mixed up and the prisoners got chosen. Not to mention being caught by a sharding blue. And I thought detox was screwed up. It can't match marks to that insanity."

"I just hope I'm either dead or out of this joint next time the queen rises, or rather, Runs. Especially if its while we're in our cells. There's no way I'm getting out of here alive if Sadist gets more bloodthirsty. Might as well let him rip me open early and get it over with. They say flits die when their owners die. I figure that if I'm in bad enough shape, I'll just end it. Be nice to this sharding world and take this bastard out of it. But it's Turns till the oddball's ready for another Run."