Food Fight (Tag Senar)

[lithle]

In the two years that Spins had been at Warden's prison, he'd developed something of a reputation. His habit of picking fights with whers and generally getting himself in stupid situations hadn't exactly endeared him to the guards. It hadn't even endeared him to the other prisoners. But, then, what could a man do? He got so bored, sometimes.

It might have been a good day for chaos. The southern sun was not so hot as it had been a month ago. Without the constant sapping heat, prisoners and guards alike were finding renewed energy. Frayed tempers were healing. It was, well, a nice day. It wasn't even raining!

But, for all that, Spins was miserable. Sometimes Spins was almost as good at being miserable as he was at being manically energetic. At the moment, he was doing well at both. It wasn't a good combination.

He'd gotten his leg broken by a wher who couldn't take a joke and, though no longer tied to a bed in the infirmary, he couldn't move nearly as fast as he'd like. Limping about was horribly boring. He was only at the mess hall through sheer force of will. Jaden had wanted to simply bring him a meal, but he'd insisted. If he spent one more day laying in bed he was going to eat his own arm.

And that wasn't good for anyone.

He had a plate of food now. Soup, meatrolls. The usual dull prison fare. He was examining it without excitement. It'd been boredom, not hunger that had drawn him out. Now, with the meal in front of him, he couldn't even imagine eating.

Finally, giving up all hope of finding the meal itself exciting, Spins picked up one of the meatrolls. He tossed it into the air. Caught it. Looked at some of the other dining prisoners. And, with one of his wide, wild grins, he tossed it at the head of a man one table over.

[firebird]

For the past few days, Senar had been in a near-constant state of general nervousness. This probably had something to do with having been sent to a dragon-guarded prison and strapped to a cot for detox. Possibly. He was quite sure the straps had been overkill, in any case. Yeah, he had been in a Dust smuggling ring for a few years, but that didn't mean he was an addict! Well, maybe he had tried it a couple of times. Maybe even more than a couple of times. But he still wasn't an addict!

Well, at least he had food here. He had heard that some Holders starved smugglers, so he guessed Warden's Weyr was all right. He had food, a place to sleep, and it was isolated enough that he could pretend his mother didn't know of his arrest. Senar poked his meatroll dubiously. Well, maybe it wasn't particularly good food, but it was food and that was good enough.

It was almost sad how oblivious he was to his surroundings. He certainly wasn't aware of the other prisoners until a meatroll bounced off his head and landed on his slice of bread. His yelp of surprise could probably be heard by the entire mess hall.

There was only one proper response to flying food, and that was to throw something of his own. Senar tossed his bread in the general direction that he thought the meatroll had come from, admittedly after a pause in which he forced himself not to look for the exit.

[lithle]

As the target of choice yelped at the attack, Spins found himself recognizing exactly who he'd picked. Or more specifically, the sort of person he'd picked. Jumpy. Nervous. With his hairless head a clear sign of his recent arrival at Warden's. Now, Spins wasn't nice. But he didn't tend to be deliberately cruel either. If he'd been more attentive, he might have chosen someone else to lob a meatroll at.

If only to save the young man the looks that other prisoners gave him when he yelped, drawing attention to himself. Well, no hope for it.

He stood as the bread, falling short, landed in the middle of the table. It took him time to stand. It hurt, to stand. Still, he was happy for the ability, happy to be up and moving. Sure, he wasn't exactly skipping, but anything was better than a week spent in bed against his will. He grabbed the bread, then, using the crutches he'd been given, he made his careful way over to where his target sat.

He settled himself heavily, not asking for permission, simply collapsing beside the stranger. For a moment after, he was busy, resettling his crutches and turning awkwardly so that he could face the table. He winced in discomfort, but the expression quickly faded. He might not like pain, but he was accustomed to it.

"I think you lost this," he said. He set the bread back on the stranger's plate. He was smiling his broad, wild smile. It was an expression that showed a few to many teeth to be comfortable. "And you look like you could use the feeding. Don't you know tossing food around here could cause a riot?"

[firebird]

After he flung the piece of bread, Senar had attempted to cultivate the appearance that absolutely nothing had happened. No, that yelp hadn't come from him; it was from that guy over there! What, there's no one over there? Sure there is! He's just... um... invisible! Yeah, the invisible guy is the one who yelped! Not him.

Oh, Shards, someone's coming. You don't exist. You are a speck of air. You are not here.

It wasn't working, was it? That man over there was still heading over to Senar's table, wasn't he? Senar allowed himself a quick glance at the other man before returning to poking at his meatroll. You are air. You are nothingness incarnate. That guy is certainly going to just walk past, because there is no reason to approach someone who doesn't exist.

One could almost hear Senar's anxiety as the approaching man actually sat down next to him. And talked. In a conversational tone that was undoubtedly a cover for something much more sinister. Quick, respond! Say anything that might make him not take your food!

"Riot?" he asked as he took his bread back. Well done, Senar! You almost didn't sound like a complete moron! "Those happen here? How sturdy are the tables? And, um, thank you for bringing this back. Did I hit you with it?"

[lithle]

Timid little thing, wasn't he? Well, Spins could work with that. The fragile ones could be fun, they were easy to lead. Energetic and with his reputation, he often had a difficult time finding anyone who was willing to try one of his suggestions. But if you found someone soft enough, sometimes it just took a bit of gentle nudging.

Luckily, the broken leg meant he wasn't exactly in the state to be causing any serious chaos. He'd just have to feel the kid out for when he wanted to use him later. Heck, maybe it'd even lead to some fun. Strange looking guy, though. Like that other one, the one who'd impressed. Spins had kept track of the prisoner impressions with some jealousy. He'd never be permitted the chance.

Hell, he wasn't ever likely to leave this place.

So, why not play wher tag?

"New to prison, huh? Don't worry, kid. Uncle Spins has got your back." He did something with his hands and suddenly he was holding a slim wooden disc. He rolled it over his knuckles as he spoke. "And yes, you hit me," he lied. "But, no worries. Just don't hit anyone else. Unless you're tougher than you look."

For all that he was constantly in motion, an energetic, twitching blur, he had a laid back, amused way of speaking. "So, what's your name. What brought you to my humble home?"

[firebird]

Why was this guy being so friendly to him? Even his gang had mostly just tolerated him, and even the friendlier ones had taken time to warm up to him. Senar scooted slightly away from the other man before he could stop himself. You stupid fool! Don't show fear, or the entire prison will tear you apart! You must be strong, confident, useful! Distrust is fine -it would be silly to trust someone after you just met them- but you absolutely must not show fear!

Shards, don't just sit there. Go one, make conversation. "Um... you're not mad about me hitting you? I'm Senar, from Southern Boll Hold. I guess I'm here because I was arrested?" He winced at his answer. That was far too literal. "I was a pretty big thief. And I might have been involved in Dust smuggling a bit. Yourself?" He tore his piece of bread in half and nibbled at it. If he busied himself eating, it wouldn't look strange if he never looked the other man in the eye.

[lithle]

"Kid, if I got mad about people hitting me with things, I'd be in a constant state of vendetta. And who has the energy for that?" The obvious answer to the question was 'Spins'. Spins had the energy for that. Any man who fidgeted as much as he did had to have enough energy for at least ten vendettas before breakfast.

Regardless, Spins was not prone to vendettaing. He was not a vendettaer. Yes, he did have the energy, but he had other things he'd rather be using it on. Like poking at new arrivals curiously and protecting Jaden. Sometimes the one led to the other. Jaden needed, well, call them friends. People to pay attention to him. And Spins liked to feel people out just in case they might fit the bill.

Few did. But in a prison full of convicted criminals, maybe it wasn't surprising that there weren't many that Spins wanted to bring home as pets for his friend. This particular boy certainly wasn't the right sort. But, he was amusing.

At least for now. He might have been involved with dust smuggling? Didn't he know? Did he think it might have been sugar?

"Told you. I'm Spins. I'm here because my buddy dated an asshole and I had to kill him. The asshole. Not the buddy. Obviously." He gave a little shrug, dismissing the whole event. Some things, you just had to do. Speaking of, I don't recommend dating my buddy. For, well, obvious reasons. Seem the nice sort. Hate to kill you."

[firebird]

Senar took the opportunity to finish his meatroll while the other man was talking. It didn't seem like Spins was about to spontaneously slug him or anything, so he was starting to calm down a bit. Or at least he wasn't as anxious as he had been before. Though that first sentence had implied that the man was hit by things a lot. Did he have enemies here or something? It probably wouldn't be a good idea to befriend someone with a lot of enemies...

Wait, what? He'd killed someone? Well, so much for calming down slightly. It wasn't like Senar hadn't been around killers before -sometimes fights broke out over distribution territory- but generally they didn't bring it up afterward. Anyone could be listening in, after all, and for some reason bragging about how many people you killed was a good way to get arrested. He'd known only one person who had so much as kept track of her body count, and she had up and vanished one day. She was probably lying low somewhere.

Don't get worked up. What did you expect in a prison, anyway? Just finish your food and then calmly excuse yourself. "I'd hate to be killed, too, so who should I be avoiding?"

[lithle]

"Oh, no. You can't avoid him," Spins made a quick, dismissive gesture, as if waving away the very idea of anyone, particularly Senar, avoiding Jaden. Jaden needed friends. Well, he needed something. Sometimes, Spins wasn't sure what, exactly. But he knew if he could just find it, everything would be like old times again. Sometimes he missed old Jaden so much he just had to punch things until the hurt went away. "Just don't date him. But don't worry. You're not the right sort for him anyway."

"Anyway, I'll introduce you to Jaden later. Not while I'm eating." It occurred to him then that he was supposed to be eating. But he'd left his tray over on the other table. Well, easy solution for that. He studied Senar's plate pointedly, "So, you going to eat all that? Or do you have some food to share with a poor, wounded prisoner?"

Usually, he'd just snatch something off the kid's tray but he wasn't actually that hungry. Besides, Senar looked like he could use feeding. That said, so did Spins. But eating never helped much in his case. He could eat a small country and still remain as gaunt as he now was. He was often hungry, as a result. He suspected that his current lack of appetite had something to do with the medicine the healer's had fed him. It made him feel ever so slightly disconnected.

"Anyway, what do you think of our humble prison? Settling in alright?"

[firebird]

Senar was startled by the sudden gesture, but he disguised his flinch as a move to take a bite of bread. He probably should have expected the other to ask for some of his food, since the man didn't have a tray with him. It would probably be a good idea to give him something, right? At the least because he actually asked instead of taking? Senar wordlessly passed the other half of his bread to Spins after a moment of thinking it over.

"Somewhat," he answered. He wasn't used to anything, but nothing bad had happened yet. That counted for something, right? "The Warden's pretty scary. He gets this glower like he's trying to set you on fire with his mind. Aside from that and being strapped to a cot, I've been doing okay. Is there anything I should be worried about?"

[lithle]

"Oh, the Warden'll eat you for dinner if you get on his bad side, no mistake." Spins took the half roll and with surprising efficiency, managed to cram the majority of it into his mouth in one large bite. That slowed him down, at least briefly. He had to at least pretend to chew before speaking again. "But stay on the right side of the guards and he's fine. Won't pick on you for no reason.

"Now, what you really need to know is who to watch out for." He continued, gesturing to encompass the whole of those sitting in the mess hall. "You know, your real psycho sorts, the kind who killed because it seemed like fun."

He glanced about then, his constantly roving gaze seeking out familiar dangers. But he didn't see any. Not just then. "Stay away from Machi. Jiruyno. Really, anyone who wears shackles inside the prison and sleeps in the solitary cells. Those are the dangerous ones. The ones who'll not only kill you but gnaw your bones after the fact." He frowned. "Especially stay away from Machi. Just because the two of your are both pale doesn't mean you should cuddle up to him. And he just might want to cuddle you."

[firebird]

That was comforting, but Senar was still a bit worried; the Warden had seemed pretty angry about how young he was for having gotten himself imprisoned. At least he didn't have to worry about being singled out for punishment if he didn't do anything to deserve it. Of course, that just meant that there could be any number of things that would get him on the Warden's bad side. It would probably be best to stay quiet and out of the way until he knew exactly what not to do.

Senar had expected that he would have to avoid some of the prisoners. People weren't sent to a prison guarded by watch-whers for little crimes, after all. That detail about shackles was something to keep in mind for if any of the other prisoners approached him. Hopefully he could stay under their radar despite his distinctive appearance.

"What was that about cuddling?" he asked. Really, that was an odd thing to bring up. Unless it was a euphemism, in which case Senar would have to tread even more carefully than he was already planning on doing.

[lithle]

"Cuddling is this thing people do to show affection. Generally, there's some hugging, possibly some kissing. Which is sort of frowned on here in Prison, but people will find a way, yeah?" He winked in a may that may even had been charming on someone who didn't look quite so much like a skeleton hopped up on caffeine. If there was someone less sensual than Spins in the world, well, they weren't visible at the moment.

"Rumor has it Machi has two modes. Kill, and cuddle. Cuddle's better than kill, I guess. But if I were you, I'd just try to stay off his radar, huh? See him coming, just find something to do in another direction. He's always guarded, so it's not like he can chase you down."

"Oh, and then there's the whers. Guess I should tell you about those." His expression changed, some of the tension leaving him as he smiled in a happy, genuine manner. "Now whers, they're fun. Best part of being locked away, if you ask me."

[firebird]

"Um, I know what it means," Senar said, visibly put-off by that wink. Was someone really flirting with him? Why? "I just wanted clarification. Namely, why?" Why, well everything? Why was this Machi person all about cuddling? Why was Spins saying that so ominously? And why would a cuddler be in- Oh. Apparently this Machi was a killer. Great, another murderer to panic about.

And why did the other "guess" cuddle mode was better than kill mode? Senar was beginning to suspect that "cuddle" was a euphemism for something unpleasant like cutting someone's limbs off, sewing their eyes and mouth shut, and treating them like a doll. Great, now he was going to have nightmares about that. Thanks a lot, brain! Thanks for those lovely images!

Whers, on the other hand... "Watch-whers are okay. The Lord Holder had a wherhandler where I used to live. We had two of them, a brown and a blue. The blue would slobber all over you if you let him."

[lithle]

"Listen, kid," Spins' tone was half amusement, half dare. He'd given the kid good advice, namely, avoid Machi. But he never gave good advice for long. Hell, the kid was lucky he hadn't told him the shackled prisoners had candy in their pockets. "You want to know why ask Machi himself. I'm sure he'd just love to meet you."

He scanned the area again, looking for the distinctive presence of the killer in question. But, no. He wasn't lurking about. Maybe he'd done something naughty and gotten locked away? A smirk. Now that could be fun. Spins loved wandering over to the solitary cells and baiting the killers locked away there.

But the subject had shifted to whers, "Well, my friend. The whers here don't slobber on you. They knock you down and try and rip your face off." He stood then, with less care than the broken leg demanded of him. Picking up his crutches, he balanced, looking down at Senar. "But with a little practice, you can limit the damage to just a broken leg. If you can't think of any good insults, just start running. They'll chase. They always do."

"Welcome to Warden's. You need anything, you go ahead and ask for me. I might even come." And that was apparently all the tormenting Spins felt like doing for one day. He limped off, moving toward the barracks, where Jaden would be waiting for him.