Realistic or Modern Block Four

[Blakie13]

"Thank God," Demetrio said with exasperation. "Come on Vivian, let's make sure you wash your hands. How do you always end up in these messes..."


--


"Maybe he was just in a bad mood your first day?" Bastien asked hopefully. He had heard about the journal incident, but to be honest it wasn't the worst guard experience he had heard of so far.


Aurelio, upon hearing their conversation as everyone was dismissing, hung his arm around the boy and the Russian both. "Come on, amigos, let's ignore the big scary guards and go get something to eat, si?" He turned to the Blaire girl as well. "You too, you need some meat on your bones, or else you'll never be big and strong like me." He said with a playful wink.

 

[Jaghasta]

Vivian said nothing, but walked out and towards the nearest restroom, trusting Demetrio would follow. The man was cruel to the prisoners but she had no problem with him, as he wasn't excessively mean to her.


--


Blaire looked up at Aurelio and nodded, smiling. She loved being included! "Big is a given, but I don't know about strong..." She teased, immediately feeling the tightening in her gut that came with saying something that could be taken in a negative fashion. "I'd love to come. What about her?" She jerked her head towards Alexis, who was loitering in the back and checking herself for any splashes.

 

[cataleerc]

"My words are my life," Azrael insisted, "he just symbolically killed me on my first day. Now I can't get another. How am I supposed to practise my English?" The threat of Demetrio gone, her English was much better. The accent remained in full, but she spoke in sentences rather than fragments. She only lapsed into the crude English when anxious or irritated.


A heavy arm landed on Azrael's shoulder, and she recoiled with a hiss. "Don't touch me."


"What," Daniel smirked, drawing up alongside the soviet girl. "Like this?" He jabbed her cheek with his index finger. She reflexively snatched the finger, bending it back upon itself until the idiot cried out in pain.


"Next time, I break it," she promised.


"Jesus Christ," he whimpered. "Someone keep that thing on a leash."

 

[Blakie13]

Aurelio laughed good-naturedly. "I am pretty sure she'd be the one holding the leash, my friend," he said with a suggestive smirk. "Ah, but so anti-social, Azrael! What's breakfast between friends, yeah? And Daniel, hands to self, especially Bastien and Blaire. They're sensitive souls!" The Spaniard finished with a dramatic pout and a hand held to his heart.


While the loud Spanish man was distracted, Bastien whispered to Azrael, "If you want, I can give you my journal. All I have done with it is...eh, how you say...'doodle', that's the word. I have only used it for doodling on the first couple pages. It's not much use to me, I guess..." He was rather against the idea of the Russian getting herself in trouble, but he was also against the guard being in harm's way, for whatever reason, so any way to lessen animosity even in the smallest way could be seen as a good plan.


--


Demetrio followed Vivian to the restroom, but waited outside. "You better hurry so we don't miss breakfast. Guarding prisoners when hungry is not very pleasant, amiga," he called out to her.

 

[Jaghasta]

Vivian washed her hands, and scrubbed her face simply to stop feeling so disgusting. Stepping out to Demetrio, she gestured in the direction of the cafeteria. "Lead on. I don't believe I'm particularly hungry, but I will eat anyways."

 

[cataleerc]

"Damn right," she sniffed. Azrael was the sort of girl who might allow one to think a leash would work on her--for a time, at least--but once normalcy set in, she would have that length of rope around his or her neck before the events could be processed. Perhaps she had actually done this. Maybe that was why she found herself in prison.


To Bastien: "You'd do that for me?" she was astounded. She did not consider him a friend. They spoke occasionally, but they did not know each other so well as to garner favors simply out of the goodness of his heart. Her eyes narrowed. "What's in it for you?"


--


Daniel puffed out his cheeks and released a gust of air in the world's loudest sigh. "You guys are no fun," he pouted while simultaneously eyeing the crazy girl across the room. She wasn't unattractive after all. She just pissed all over the floors. Sigh. If only she were sane, they could have so much fun together. He watched Asher leave, and couldn't help but notice the similarities between the two. So then that made two pairs of what? He'd had an ongoing suspicion that Aurelio and Demetrio were related somehow. They were identical, yet neither seemed to recognize the other. And now those two? Hero often insisted that he was her brother. Could she know something to which everyone else was oblivious?

 

[Blakie13]

Aurelio began leading the group towards the mess hall, joking about one stupid thing or another as they went.


Bastien followed along, as he replied to Azrael, "Uh, nothing really, I just...don't want anyone to get in trouble, or for anyone to get...hurt, I guess. So...I'm hoping a free journal might be a good peace offering." He trailed off when he felt the blush covering his face, knowing that Azrael would catch on to his softness for the somewhat cold and cruel guardsman. His embarrassment increased as he realised his nervousness was making his accent come out even stronger.


--


Demetrio began walking towards the cafeteria with Vivian, moving rather quietly with a great tenseness to his movements, like a nervousjungle cat. "They really should set up a separate place for us to eat. I mean, I realise they have a break room, but going from the cafeteria to there...a rather annoying hassle... Are you sure you're okay, after that little...incident? I can't believe she hasn't been put in solitary yet. Crazy bitch..." His eyes flickered back and forth as they walked, as if watching for any sign of trouble from the prisoners still in the halls.

 

[Jaghasta]

Vivian waved the hand on Demetrio's side in a what can you do gesture, "I just can't believe she didn't have the damned carton. I know the bitch took it. I'll watch her more carefully though, and I'd advise you do the same." Many of the inmates were obviously not criminals, Vivian doubted some of the more nervous looking inmates had so much as jaywalked before. Hero, however, had an air about her that led the guard to believe that she actually belonged here.

 

[cataleerc]

Kseniya trailed a little behind the shuffling mass of prisoners, keeping an eye on the heated discussion between Hero and Asher. The Ukrainian knew the others did not like the girl because they believed her to be crazy, but if people would just take the time to truly know one another, the animosity would be gone in a heartbeat.


--


Daniel joked with Aurelio the entire way to the cafeteria which, admittedly, was not that far, and took a seat at the middle table, too busy talking to grab good right that instant.


--


Azrael kept a narrow gaze trained on some point between Bastien's eyes, above the bridge of his nose. "What goes on between the two of you at night?" She murmured softly, half threat and half curiosity. The way Bastien thrilled ever so slightly when Demetrio entered the room... It was strange. And very obvious. Everyone knew something was going on between them.


--


Asher caught up with Demetrio and Vivian just as they reached the mess hall. His appetite had dissipated at some point between the removal of clothes and the cleaning of the floor, so he took a solemn post in the far corner, overlooking the expanse of the room.


--


Hero remained in the same position that Asher had left her, halfway down the wall and slow long sliding to the floor. Her bottom lip trembled slightly, and silent tears trekked down her pale cheeks. Why did he treat her this way? They were twins, they two halves of one soul, yet he beat her and denied her and allowed her to rot away in this confined hell.


Soft hands brushed her shoulder. Hero jerked away, startled. Roman towered before her, all six feet and four inches of lean, coiled muscle. She stared, a deer caught in the headlights.


"You're supposed to be in the cafeteria, Williams," the guard admonished, but she could tell there was no threat behind it. He motioned to the expanse of wall next to her. "May I?"


Dumbfounded, Hero simply nodded, sliding the rest of the way to the floor. Roman took a seat an appropriate distance away from her. "Why do you do this to yourself, Hero? You've been here the longest. I remember when you just wanted to get out, like the rest of them. You interacted with the others, made the best of it. You know, people liked you. So what happened?"


Hero released a world-weary sigh , and with it went all her pent up energy. Shoulders sagged, and it seemed all the tension in her body vanished at once. "He came here," she replied. "And I remembered." She shouldn't be sharing this, she knew. Every fibre in her body screamed no, but her brain urged her on. Roman could be trusted, she knew. He was putting up a front, just like her. Because he knew things. They both did. And if anyone found out, they would both die.

 

[Blakie13]

Following Daniel's example, Aurelio sat down without first grabbing food, watching as the rest of the group filtered into the food line. "Amigo, you are one crazy son of a bitch. I saw you cop a feel with that Asher guy. Cute little Brit, yeah. Not really the guarding type though, if you ask me...too pretty. Now, not to jinx it or anything, but are you accepting bets on how long it takes you to...ehh, English words...'fuck', yeah that's the word. I'd turn it into a competition, 'cause that boy has a sweet ass, but I respect you too much. Who do you think I have a good chance with, I'm having a...God dammit...A...Uhh. Hmm. A DRY SPELL! That's the English phrase, yeah?" All through his ramblings, Aurelio keeps a constant watch on the line of fellow inmates and the incoming guards. The tension from the incident earlier with the carton and Hero was still palpable in the air. He kept a special eye out for the quiet Ukrainian girl towards the back of the line. That girl was much too silent during today's events for his comfort. Maybe someone should check to make sure she's alright and not in shock or something.


--


Bastien froze as everyone filed into the line-up, the blood draining completely from his face. "I...Nothing...nothing goes on between us at night...Nothing at all...He hardly knows I exist. I'm just another filthy inmate in his eyes... At best I'm a well behaved inmate to him..." And with each word his voice got softer, the disappointment, defeat, and sadness dripping from every accented syllable. "It's just... c'est juste un faux espoir....All the same, I don't want to see him hurt, even...even if he can be brutal, and cruel...and angry..." Bastien started breathing slowly, as his speech teetered off, and his nerves went into overdrive over this admission of emotion. His eyes shifted to where he expected Demetrio and Ms. Vivian to walk in at any moment, her face cool and collected, and his like a brewing storm, ready to strike.


--


Demetrio nodded in agreement. "I'll keep that in mind. To be honest, I'm sure she hid it somewhere. The whole thing reeks of one of her games. Still. Someone needs to convince the Commander to put her in solitary, at least for a little bit. Perhaps she will learn her lesson there. I don't know why she gives us such trouble, she could be in an American prison, or Mexican, or Middle Eastern, or some other prison system. But no, she's in a fancy, plush, Parisian prison, and some of these prisoners act as if it is the worst thing to have ever happened to them..." He trails off, thinking of some of the prisoners who could not harm a fly, wondering how they landed themselves in this mess. "Anyways. Shall we pick up some food, and move on with our day, si amiga?" Demetrio questioned Vivian as they entered the cafeteria.

 

[Jaghasta]

"The Commander is too soft on them, he'd never do anything without proof." Vivian surveyed the cafeteria, a frowning slightly as she failed to spot a familiar head. "She goes through all that trouble to steal a carton of milk that was probably near-spoiled, and now that bitch doesn't even show up to eat. Marvelous." Knowing Hero, she'd probably done it for the laugh. Vivian prided herself on maintaining a cool head around the prisoners, but Williams made her want to scream and punch things. Preferably Hero.

 

[cataleerc]

Daniel clapped Aurelio on the back, his face breaking out in the most dazzlingly devilish grin this side of the Moon. His grin might be a little too wide for his narrow face, but he found that added a sincerity as this was a sincere reaction. He liked this kid--was it appropriate to call him a kid? Aurelio was older than him, though by how much he did not know. He wasn't so close to anyone that he knew more than their names and where they came from.


"Bet away, mate. I've got him scared now, which is exactly how I like it. It makes them cautious which leads them to pay more attention to you. I guarantee I am the only thing he sees whenever he's in the same room," Daniel paused, eyes flicking across the faces in the room. "If you want a challenge, I say go for Azrael. I can't guarantee your life, but it would sure be an interesting show."


--


Azrael tugged Bastien's ear as a form of soft admonishment as much as a show of affection. She wanted to say it was what her mother did whenever she came home with her clothes in tatters from a scuffle with the boys at school, but the more she thought about it, the less certain the memory became. Her brows furrowed slightly. She hated this uncertainty. It was as if an eraser had trailed through her mind, leaving gaping holes in her precious memories and allowing only insignificant fragments to comfort her at night.


"He's bad news" was all she said.


--


Grace had taken a seat across from Daniel and Aurelio, and she instantly regretted it. She looked on in horror , mouth agape, as she listened to their talk of seducing guards as well as other prisoners. Her stomach churned. Could they be in here for rape? What if they noticed her and decided she was an easy target?


"Oh Christ," she breathed. What had she done to deserve this?


--


Kseniya moved purposefully through the food line, carrying her tray over closest to where Asher stood, glowering over the clusters of prisoners. She sat in silence, eating her food thoughtfully. He stared at her for a moment, unnerved by both the woman's silence as well as the fact that she would choose to sit so close to a guard. For as long as the brunette had been here--a solid three months--he had yet to hear her utter a single word to him or anyone else.


"So what are you, some kind of mute?" He'd had enough of this girl. He needed to know.


Kseniya raised doe-like eyes and held his determined gaze. They stood there for what felt like an eternity, her eyes penetrating his souls, unlocking all of his secrets. In that moment, he felt more exposed than he had in his entire life.


Quietly, she took in a breath and replied, "Can you remember who you were, before the world told you what you should be?"

 

[Blakie13]

Aurelio let loose a great laugh at his companion's suggestion. "My friend, I am a Spaniard. A romantic people, at the heart. What is the point of the conquest if there are no real emotions and passion? And that woman, as attractive and feisty as she may be, is not my type. There's no click there, just my jokes and her seething glares. And no, no, no, before you say it, I'm not looking for a relationship in this hell hole, I just don't see the point in an emotionless, solely lust-based lay. Much too dull." He paused for a moment, and grinned ear to ear. "Plus, if I even approached such a topic with her, I think I might lose my manhood, and then where would I be with life, eh?" He let out another laugh, admiring Daniel's handsome grin and nice figure, making it rather blatant. As soon as the other male noticed the appreciative looks, Aurelio makes the biggest show of a suggestive, and very very much teasing, wink. Much too soon in their companionship for such thoughts, after all.


Turning to the newcomer, Grace. "Hey, amiga, you're around a hardcore Catholic boy, so leave the taking the Lord's name in vain shit for later, alright? And what has you all panicked, anyways? Oh, I know. It's my good looks, yeah? No need to be so uptight, it's not as though we bite. Well. Usually don't. Can't speak for Hero. Or Daniel here even...." Aurelio momentarily lost himself in his musings on what inmates might be biters, and which ones aren't.


--


Bastien blushed slightly at Azrael's touch, not used to seeing any form of affection from the woman towards...well anyone, really. "I...I know. I know he's bad news. Horrible news really. I just can't seem to help how I feel... I don't even know why I even like him. Just...the way he treats prisoners... I should be appalled. Part of it must just be the thought of what's hidden behind all that hatred and anger. Part of it is surely his looks. I just...je ne sais pas...je ne sais pa, je ne sais pas...It's not like it matters though anyway. Like I said, he probably isn't even aware I exist, and even if he does, I'm just...a prisoner. I'm such...such a complete mess..." Bastien ended his ranting with nervous shakes of his head, all the while noticing the sudden presence of the subject of conversation, looking for a place to eat along with Ms. Vivian.


--


"True enough," Demetrio sighed in reply. The Commander was a respectable man, yes, but too much mercy was handed out on his part. "And what did you expect, even? She near had a meltdown after her confrontation with Asher, she's probably back in her cell or something whining. Anyways, where shall we sit?" He questioned, after grabbing his tray from the guard's line, of course. Oh, perfect. French toast. And an omelette. These damn Frenchman cooks the prison hires couldn't try a new breakfast for once in their life, could they? Fucking France...

 

[Jaghasta]

Blaire looked between Grace and Aurelio, chewing on her toast and trying to keep very quiet. She had no idea why she'd agreed to sit here. She had no interest in what the men were talking about, and the girl Aurelio had said they should be kind to was being just as ignored. She had been trying to figure out a way to talk to Grace, but then she'd started looking like Aurelio and Daniel were going to kill her puppy! It was probably better to just sit there. Less chance of being yelled at, that way.


--


Vivian sat down away from the main body of prisoners and started cutting up her omelette. "I doubt you want to join any of the groups of prisoners, so here is fine." Looking around, the guardswoman jerked her head in Asher's direction. "Unless you'd rather we stood over there like bats." Vivian hoped not, Asher wasn't very good company in her opinion.

 

[cataleerc]

Daniel cut a glace across the room to the woman in question. Oh, there would certainly be emotion. He had formed the opinion that Azrael was incapable of containing her emotions long enough to win a round of poker, and it was known that her default setting was anger. Everything set that girl off, as he had experienced just minutes ago.


"Hey, at least you make her look," which was more than he could say for himself. His first week, the attractive Russian had caught his eye so naturally, he made it an obligation to chase after her. Despite all his flirtatious charm, she never graced him with so much as a glance. Eventually, he got the message and backed down. Still, he'd love to watch someone else give her a try. It would be a scene fit for the silver screen and popcorn for sure, maybe in the future as it seemed no one was getting out of here soon, but at present it seemed the Spaniard had another person in mind. Daniel smirked, Aurelio's once-over so overt and followed by such an obvious wink that Daniel just knew he was going to see some action in the near future.


--


Grace's horrified expression instantly changed to one of rage. "Do not tell me when and where I may use the Good Lord's name. I dare say I am a more devout Catholic than you could ever wish to be, sir. I do not go about trying to fuck the guards or, or other people of the same gender, for that matter! I am saving myself for marriage like I'm supposed to. I pray every morning and every evening, and I follow the rules set before me by the Bible."


--


Azrael sighed, pinched her nose between thumb and forefinger. "The Russians have a saying: Где любовь и совет, там и горя нет. Where love and advice exist, there is no grief. So I will give you my advice, for you are in love and grieving." She took a seat at the nearest table, pushing her tray away. Suddenly, she was not hungry at all. "Demetrio is no good for nice boy like you. Do not compete for him. A cold heart is one that kills, so all I ask is to be weary. Do not reveal to him your heart, or better yet, change it. Suppress your emotions; do not be the fool." Her heart ached for the boy. It was an impossible thing to ask of anyone, to change how he or she feels. But it was better this way. For everyone.


--


Roman entered the cafeteria, trailed by Hero who found herself in possession of a new shirt. It was a few sizes too large, but she guessed this was what happened when she used her own as substitute toilet paper. The rest of the guards glared at her, passing not-so-silent judgement on her overall behaviour. Everyone her knew her as the Crazy Bitch. None of them had been around when she first arrived with a completely different set of prisoners two years ago. It had been much like this, except she had been more like Blaire than anything. No crazy antics, no hatred. But then they all died. One by one, the other prisoners were taken away by the commander and never came back. She knew they hadn't been released because Roman, sweet naive Roman, had told her as much. They's had a close friendship back then, but someone thought he was getting too friendly with the prisoners. He disappeared too for a while, but six months ago he returned completely changed. Or so she thought until today. It gave her hope, thinking he might still be on their side.

 

[Blakie13]

"Eh, perhaps I could try... Still. Angry girl, that one..." Aurelio said with a nervous chuckle. The woman terrified him. And also made him wish he was solely into men, as women were scary. "I'll approach the subject with her at some point, and if it goes how I think it will...you owe me an ice pack and some painkillers, amigo."


Turning to Grace, Aurelio looked her dead in the eye. "Look, amiga, I can tell by your accent you're American. And let me tell you, you reek much more of Protestant than of Catholic. We aren't nearly that Bible loving. Nor that prayer crazy. Also, you look to be around...what, thirty years old? If you're still a virgin, I'm the Czar of Russia. It's all in good fun, you act as though stuff would be non-consensual. Not my style, and also makes someone the scum of the earth. So calm down with the...er, what's the word...Oh! Calm down with the prissy attitude, and get used to life around here. We have few entertainments besides one another. Get over it." The Spaniard finished with flourishing seated bow. Drama queen... But hey, it might diffuse the situation, or make Daniel laugh, or best case scenario, a debate ensues and the morning can be a little less boring. Noticing Blaire had also joined their group at the table, Aurelio tossed her a quick wink, desperately hoping the poor girl wasn't going to be terrified of them all for the rest of her time here. "Sorry for the fuss, señorita. Enjoying breakfast?"


--


Bastien remained silent for a moment. "I...I hope that I am able to heed your advice... The likelihood is slim, because I'm well aware that I'm in deep trouble...My treacherous heart has led me to a dangerous place. I just hope I survive...." He trailed off, staring at his tray. He knew the Russian meant well. He was glad for her advice, he really was. But Bastien also knew that the odds of shaking his feelings decreased by the day. It didn't help that their table provided an almost direct view of the Spaniard in question. "Je suis tellement baisé..." He whispered in defeat as the man's eyes met his.


--


"Here is a fine place to sit, I suppose. We get to watch the prisoners without them being too close, and I don't have to pretend to like Asher. Lo siento... That was a bit rude. But I just don't like the guy. And that Hero has been so very desperate to gain his attention lately. Very concerning." Demetrio finished and took a bite of his toast. To be honest, despite how he may act, he did not like many of his fellow guards. Vivian was the only one who didn't make him feel uncomfortable. It's like they all looked at him with nothing but suspicion, just because one of the prisoners happened to look almost identical to Demetrio. He couldn't stand it. Being compared to these prisoners was not a pleasant experience. They were criminals. Monsters. Well. Most of them probably were. He couldn't help thinking of some of the more innocent seeming prisoners. Despite her anger and their deep animosity, the Russian seemed no more than a young woman with a lot of angst in her heart. That girl Blaire couldn't harm a fly. And that French boy, Bastien... Speaking of. There he was. Looking directly at Demetrio. Demetrio had to look away, a slight amount of pink to his cheeks, although from anger, exhaustion, or embarrassment was anyone's guess. "Estoy tan jodido..." he murmured, louder than he had meant to. Please, Dios, let Vivian not have noticed that slip up. Personal feelings are such utter bullshit...

 

[Jaghasta]

"Care to translate? I'm not sitting her chattering in Danish." Vivian caught the tail end of a blush as she looked away from her food, but she didn't know what had caused it. Demetrio didn't seem the type to embarrass easily, which made the woman confused. Confused and slightly suspicious. She didn't know what it meant, but the only other time Vivian heard the word jodido made her nearly certain it was foul language. Or bedroom language. Either one had definitely fit the situation.


--


Blaire swallowed her mouthful of egg, cursing herself for taking such a large bite, and nodded at Aurelio enthusiastically. "I really like eggs and toast. I mean it's the only breakfast they serve here, practically, but at least it's something I like." Blaire scooped up another bite of eggs with a torn off piece of toast before remembering her manners. Turning bright red, she covered her face with her hand. "Uhh, you? I mean, do you like the breakfast? It's okay if you don't or don't wanna answer of something I just.. though I should.. ask?"


Mission failure. Blaire sunk low in her seat, feeling her appetite flee her.

 

[cataleerc]

Daniel nodded solemnly. "Let us have a moment of silence for all the men who find themselves without a penis due to this woman's cold-hearted nature." He placed one hand over his heart and the other over Aurelio's hand resting on the table. They sat like that for a moment, neither one moving as Daniel pretended to be offering silent prayer to all the eunuchs in today's society. Really, he just wanted to hold the Spaniard's hand. The moment passed, and Daniel retracted his hand, leaning forward with a wicked grin. "Now then. If not Azrael, then whom? Roman or Asher perhaps? Are you daring enough to pursue one of our caretakers?" He let the word roll off his tongue dripping with sarcasm.


Grace, meanwhile had had enough. Not only was he going to question her religion, but he stood to question her integrity as well. Well, she did not have to answer to him or anyone of these delinquents. She stood with as much dignity as she could muster, took her tray, and moved across the cafeteria to a table seating a quiet brunette: Alex, if she recalled correctly.


--


Azrael chewed the inside of her cheek thoughtfully. It was a bad habit that left her with a few sores on the inside of her mouth, but she didn't bother to stop. She did not know how to express the danger of his situation. Something about that man put a bad taste in her mouth and it wasn't just because he was Spanish. Just the way he looked at the prisoners as if he would gladly line them against a wall and mow them down with gunfire made her skin crawl. Every time he entered a room with them her heart seized and her stomach dropped and she reverted to primitive fight-or-flight instincts. Usually fight.


--


Asher stared at the Ukranian woman. "...before the world told you who you had to be..." he murmured, trying the words in his own mouth. His brow crinkled in confusion. He did not understand a word of it, and he questioned this woman's sanity as well if these were the first words she chose to speak after months of voluntary mutism. Not a "hello" or anything normal. No, she delivers a cryptic message that just brought him back to a previous conversation with Hero. The prisoner had run up to him close to tears one day, running her mouth about how he was "finally here to help them" and how she had missed him so much all the while hugging him so tightly that he could not breathe no matter how much he tried to pry her away. So it wasn't really a conversation, really just her going on and on about how she knew him, but her parting words had been eerily similar to Kseniya's first words. Something about how he needed to remember who he was, that he needed to find himself and fight back. At that point, he had knocked the girl unconscious and ended the insanity.

 

[Blakie13]

"Hmm... I can't say that I know. A guard would be a good challenge, to be sure..." Aurelio said with a certain wariness. The guards were all decently attractive people, much like the prisoners, but it could get very messy, very fast. Plus Aurelio's doppelganger would have no issue with beating him into submission if he so much as caught wind of the idea. The man was a sadistic bastard, at least from what Aurelio had seen of him. "Although Roman is one hell of a handsome man. This is going to require more consideration than I had thought..." He trailed off, giving a sarcastic wave goodbye to Grace as she left.


Turning to Blaire, Aurelio plastered on a big friendly smile. "Eggs and toast isn't bad, so I guess I enjoy it well enough. Not sure why these French bastards love to make it all fancy. No offence to Bastien's cute ass, but his country is so full of pompous foolishness. Plus, those cooks are the only Frenchmen who work here-and from what I understand from the name of this prison, it's somewhere in France or Quebec or even Louisiana- and they enjoy flaunting their absolute...Frenchness, in the kitchen. Sometimes a guy wants some normal toast, si? Instead it's this overly sweet and tiresome French toast. And don't even get me started on how old omelettes get..." Aurelio continued to ramble. He was a proud Spaniard, and the friction between Spain and France over the centuries showed in his rant over the silliest of things-food.


--


Bastien turned away from Demetrio's direction as the other male did the same, and looked to Azrael. "I guess I just need to...find some way to get him off my mind. Hope for the best. I don't really know... I miss my violin..." he whispered to himself. Like most of the prisoners, his memory of life before was hazy at best. But he does remember his violin, a beautiful instrument that would always act as his comfort in times of distress. "I doubt I'll be seeing another violin in the near future, unless a guard has a random streak of kindness," he muttered just loud enough to be heard by his companion. For now though, he was comforted by the lack of anger in Demetrio's glance earlier, and the companionship of the small Russian woman. Maybe you can make friends in prison...


--


Shit...Demetrio swallowed. He was going to have to be honest with his translation. He was a horrid liar, and what's more, Vivian could easily find out the truth even if he managed to convince her he said something else. He nervously looked around their table. "It means...it means 'I am so fucked'..." Demetrio's blush returned, because he knew Vivian had seen at least what direction he had been looking, and so few of the tables were populated it would be rather clear who he had been looking at. He was about to get an earful. Vivian was an intelligent woman, she'd put two and two together quite quickly. Madre de Dios, protect me...

 

[Jaghasta]

Now let it be said that Vivian was a smart woman. Demetrio was clearly talking about the French kid. The only thing she was wondering was why her fellow guard was interested in a prisoner. He hated the prisoners with a fiery passion, and now he was fawning over one? Vivian took a sip of coffee, giving herself time to think. "Fraternization is against the rules."


--


Or perhaps her attempt at speaking wasn't such a critical failure after all. Sitting back up in her seat, Blaire smiled shakily. "I like french toast and eggs together, and as long as you don't put syrup on it it's not very sweet at all." Poking her toast with her fork, Blaire frowned. "This isn't very good french toast though." Honestly, Blaire could probably make better in her sleep. Or at least she imagined she could. She doesn't really know why she thought that, she couldn't remember being behind a counter in her life.


--


Alex looked up when Grace sat down, scooting her food to the side to make more room and smiling widely once she gave a cursory check for food stuck in her teeth. "Hey, get too overwhelmed over with the flirty twins?" She couldn't remember seeing this girl before. Maybe she was new? Alex didn't know anyone newer in this prison than herself, hopefully this girl wouldn't have a stolen carton of milk hidden down her pants.

 

[cataleerc]

"Your national pride is showing," Daniel teased. "Better tuck it back in your waistband before someone gets the wrong impression." He finished with a good-natured nod in Blaire's direction, including her in the joke. She seemed a nice enough girl, a little frazzled maybe, but social anxiety was a common ailment these days.


"You know what might make that breakfast better?" He quipped, pausing for dramatic effect to set up his incredibly obvious innuendo. "Sausage."


--





"That does not mean one must hate the prisoners though," Roman commented, drawing up alongside Vivian. He had only caught the tail end of their conversation, but he had an idea about it's subject. It was no secret that Roman quite enjoyed a good number of the prisoners, went so far as to call some of them friends. The other guards hated him and it led to his being ostracized by the others, but what did it really matter when he was the one in charge ninety percent of the time. So long as they followed his orders, he didn't care what they thought of him.


--


"Something like that," Grace replied almost ruefully. "Are they always like that?" It made her extremely uncomfortable, although she guessed she went about telling them the wrong way. Truth was, she was a quiet woman, conservative in her nature, unaccustomed to such flamboyant behaviour due to the rural setting she grew up in. Probably. When trying to recall, she received fuzzy images of hay bales and long dirt roads. That's where she lived, right?

 

[Blakie13]

Aurelio couldn't help himself. He began to laugh so loud his abdomen hurt. Wiping tears from his eyes, he smiled at his two companions. "I'll admit the pride was a little much. But...but, Daniel...you, mi amigo, know what the best way to distract me is. I'm dying here..." he said as laughter built up again. Finally calming down, he turned to Blaire.


"I understand it's not that sweet, but where is the fun in no syrup on French toast? But that's besides the point. When are we going to eat some proper food, at the very least for a treat! Like some empanadas, tumpet, paellas... And we can't forget flan for dessert, or tortell, or something. And then some nice saladas, with like... xató or some good dressing like that. And ay, Dios, I miss my hot sauces. These Frenchies, they have no love of proper spice. It's a complete crime! You understand me, right, amiga? You seem to know a thing or two about food," Aurelio finished his food-related rant with a dazzling grin.


--


"Estoy tan jodido..." Demetrio said for a second time. He was definitely getting punished for his sins. First Vivian put everything together, and now Roman shows up. "Vivian! I wasn't...there is no fraternising going on....I don't even know who you're talking about...Roman, I swear she's just assuming things," Demetrio said, his voice going up an octave. He really cannot lie. Stupid, treacherous heart. Cruel creature that it was, he ended up looking in Bastien's direction again, really hoping he wasn't feeling what he thought he was feeling. "And prisoners don't exactly seem worthy of not being hated though..." he said almost to convince himself that all prisoners are deserving of his ire than to argue with Roman.

 

[Jaghasta]

"Of course there's no fraternization going on. Roman, I was joking when I said that. And I understand that hating them is unnecessary, I don't actually harbor any ill will towards them. I simply don't trust them. There's a reason they're here, and that's not for a parking violation. " Vivian turned in her seat to look up at Roman. Though she kept a calm face, she was cursing herself. She didn't want to get Demetrio in trouble, she liked him! And she hoped Roman wasn't going to get into a rant about the prisoner's right or some equally droll matter that would spoil her breakfast. They were prisoners. They were all here for a reason, they committed a crime.


Right?


--


Blaire looked down, grinning. "Aurelio, I'm pretty sure half the words you said there weren't English. It's just called salad. And as a dressing I think I like vinaigrettes more than those creamy sauces that linger for decades after you've eaten." Blaire scrunched her nose and stuck out her tongue in mock disgust, growing a bit more calm with Daniel's inclusion of her in the conversation. "And to be honest, what I'm really craving right now is pizza. Chicago style, of course."


--


"Pretty much. I adore Daniel, I really do, but the man does not know how to shut up! And Aurelio will flirt with anything that moves. See, look." Alex pulled Grace's shoulder to turn her towards the table she came from, just as Aurelio grinned widely at Blaire, who was still faintly red from embarrassment. "I've never really seen Warwicke talk before, and he's just chatting her up like it's no big deal that she's actually opening her mouth."

 

[cataleerc]

Azrael quirked a brow. "Violin, you say? That, I can get you." She and Roman were on fairly good terms. She might be able to squeeze this favour out of him if given the right time and circumstances. She never offered sex as a reimbursement. She was not one of those people, and besides, she had her suspicions that we played for the other team. She simply needed to catch him in a good mood and talk for a bit. Make a deal to keep the other guards off his back for a while with some constructive chaos. It was easy.


--


"Pizza," Daniel practically drooled. Oh, how he missed the American beauty of the barbecue-chicken pizza. It was by far the best pizza creation in the world. His stomach rumbled a loud agreement to the idea of the cheesy food. "I can't take it anymore," he decided, slamming his hands down on the table." I have to get outta here. Or at least find a phone and call in some Pizza Hut, lest I die." He staged a faint and landed in Aurelio's laugh.


--


Roman sighed. He could honestly say he was sick of the way these two acted around him. "A parking violation would be the biggest crime any of them have committed," he shot back, his temper running high. "You want to know why each one ended up here? Fine, I'll tell you. These people are the world's finest specimen of lab rats. This isn't a prison, it's a cage. Azrael? Survived rioting in Moscow. She was stuck in a burning building and made it out with minimal scarring. Hero was hit by a semi and walked away without a scratch. As far as I've seen, these kids have survived impossible odds, and the UN picked them for a series of tests and experiments to breed a sort of superhuman military sect with the specialised task of preventing World War three."


--


Grace frowned. "All he seemed to want to do was pick a fight with me. And I may have given into if and had my ass served on a silver platter," she released a nervous laugh, trying to view the situation from a more lighthearted standpoint. "They aren't bad people, are they. None of them are. So why are they here--why an I here?"

 

[Blakie13]

Bastien smiled in genuine joy. "You can? Would the guards even allow me to keep it? Merci! Merci beaucoup! You have no idea how much that would mean to me, if you can actually do that. I will owe you so much more than just the journal," he smiled through a stream of tears. Screw what other people say about the angry girl, she was a saint. An unexpected and well appreciated mercy in the hell that they lived in.


--


Aurelio puzzled over the exchange. "Okay...I understand what pizza is. But...what is this Chicago Style you speak of? And what is a Pizza Hut? Is this some American thing that's soaring right over the European's head? The only pizza I think I've ever had was authentic Italian made pizza...although frankly I don't remember when I have ever been to Italia..." Aurelio continued to puzzle over the two Americans and their strange pizza-related terms.


--


Demetrio could feel the floor falling out from under him. Like time and space had ceased, and he was alone in the void. All this time he had been working as a guard, he had been treating these people like they were the scum of the earth, since that is what he had been led to believe. Their trauma was on his hands. Guilt clawed its ugly way to the forefront of his brain. "But...but...Dios...Are you joking with us? Please tell me you're joking with us..." he managed to whisper out, the horror of the situation dawning on him. But then a small spark of light joined him in the void. "What about the French boy? What's his story?"


At this point Demetrio hardly cared how obvious he was being with his feelings. This meant Bastien really was undeserving of this place. There is no way the boy would ever return his feelings, not after the stories the other prisoners must have of him. The worst part? He couldn't help his nature, and he would probably remain the cold, unfeeling, sadist guard, only now with the added stress of guilt continually loading him down.