The Fear principle (Accepting)

Jaguar, no matter what pretenses she put up, was never very happy to see Jeremiah. To her it meant he was going to 'interfere' with the way she worked, even if he rarely ever felt the need to do so. Even more so now, she was going to despise his presence. It didn't bother him overmuch. He didn't expect the employees to like him, only to respect his authority. If they did not, they were penalized until they did, or simply fired.


He ignored Rinji's question, as the young woman had answered it herself, and just turned his attention to Bailey. "If we may, a step out into the hall should be sufficient. It won't take very long, and then you may return to your conversation." It was best he leave the room, lest Jaguar's animosity towards him continue building at the sight of him. Something told him she hadn't taken his advice, though he had been true to his word and hadn't 'spied' on her.


When Bailey stood, he gestured for her to follow and led her out into the hall, just far enough from the doorway that no one would overhear. "Due to the pressing nature of Jaguar's current cases, I've decided to give you two of your own. Dakota, and the the new inmate coming in soon, Matthis Westerfield. You will be supervised, still, but from a distance. If you are not comfortable with this, I can accompany you on the first few visits." He would inform Jaguar seperately so that her reaction didn't frighten Bailey.
 
The shock and relief that Bailey felt at not being called out to receive some sort of discipline for her actions in Cooper's cell would be easy for someone who wasn't sensitive to the emotions of others to pick up on. Though the surprise of being asked to take on a case of her own quickly overshadowed that relief.


Would she be ready for that? Sure, she'd been shadowing Jaguar long enough to realize what might work and what wouldn't as far as her own methods go, and Jeremiah was offering to sit in on the first few sessions if she felt uncomfortable. That alone was a relief, but, well, she couldn't have someone watching her her entire career there, now could she?


No, she would take this on her own.


"I can do it," she said finally, perhaps a little more stubbornly than she'd intended. "I don't think someone accompanying me will be necessary, but if I feel otherwise after my initial assessment, I'm not proud enough to say so." Bailey tried to smile at that, though she often felt too intimidated by Jeremiah to express anything other than compliance. "What time should I be expecting Matthis Westerfield to come in?"
 
Jeremiah wasn't generally a friendly person, for the most part because he was too busy monitoring the emotions of this facility to show very many of his own. Nevertheless, when she gave him a hesitant but sincere smile, he gave a small, brief smile of his own in return. She was relieved by the subject matter, clearly. Most everyone seemed to think he was going to lynch them every time he asked to talk.


"Very well." He said, when she had finished 'reassuring' him of her capability. "He should be arriving some time within the hour, depending upon traffic and procedure." Transferance paperwork sometimes took a little bit of time, more than some expected. "I will notify you when the transport arrives, and when Mr. Westerfield has been settled in his new room."


It wouldn't take more than fifteen minutes after arrival, if all went well. This new inmate was more passive than some others the Eyes of Man had, for the most part. "If there is nothing else, I will let you go." She was clearly more comfortable speaking with Rinji. Everyone was.
 
Of course Rinji would point out her presence to everyone anywhere within earshot. Jaguar shouldn't have expected any less.


She holds back an instinctive groan or eyeroll which might have emerged and instead gives her a small smile, stepping forward where she could more clearly see her. If she did not it would not be beyond Rinji's nature to take off after her, wondering why she was leaving so soon, and Jaguar couldn't afford to draw even more attention to herself.


"Hello, Rinji."


She steeled herself to face off to Bailey and Jeremiah as well, but the man was pulling Bailey out of the room instead. She watched them leave, confused, but suspicious as well. Undoubtedly Jeremiah wanted to talk to Bailey about what had happened in the room between herself and Mason. What he couldn't sense he must be asking her to provide visualizations to go along with, and she tried to think back to what Bailey may have sensed or seen in her. How had her face looked? How had her tone of voice sounded? What might both of them be figuring out between them?


It takes considerable will not to follow them, to instead tune in to Rinji, who is waving a manicured hand in front of her face.


"Jag? Jag? I was saying, you look like you could really use some girl time. You ought to go out with me after work tonight! Say, six?"


Rinji neglected to mention that Bailey had already been invited and would also be present. Absently Jaguar nodded, agreeing without really caring what she was agreeing to.


"Sure."


"Great! This is gonna be so much fun! Too bad we can't have prisoners out too, I know Jack would want to come!"


Somehow, Jaguar really doubted that. But at least Rinji didn't seem to know about the incident with Jack, so maybe that much hadn't filtered through to everyone yet.
 
"Thank you, sir." Bailey said quietly and excused herself after Jeremiah dismissed her. Though a little hesitant to rejoin the ranks now that Jaguar had entered the room, she still figured it would be best to pretend that little to nothing had happened.


She eased herself back down into her chair and gave Jaguar an apologetic look, hoping that it would be enough to take care of the situation at least until they could hash it out privately. It was bad enough that Rinji was aware that there was now conflict between them. Though they hadn't necessarily been friends before the incident, but now... well, it was probably safe to say that Jaguar would have a grudge for a while.


Bailey took a deep breath and ran a hand through her hair. She glanced down at herself briefly and wondered if she was dressed to go to get drinks with Rinji right after work, or if it would be best for her to change. It's not that she was dressed modestly, really. Her usual work attire consisted of a pair of dress pants, usually pinstriped, with a tank top and blazer or something of the like. She could easily just remove the tank top if it was required, but -


Eh, it didn't really matter.


"How long does it normally take you to do your nails, Rinji?" She asked finally. "They always look so good."
 
(anyone want to time skip ahead some? We could do the after work scene, pick up after with the next day of work, and Bailey could go in to see Matthis while jaguar makes her rounds, perhaps. If you want to introduce Matthis earlier you could just post for him as being checked in, maybe)


Jaguar hears Bailey returning to the room before she looks up to see her, and for a moment considers walking out in icy silence, or perhaps ignoring her presence entirely. But this would be a childish behavior, unprofessional and ultimately embarrassing for herself, and so she ignores the impulse, instead giving a slight incline of her head to acknowledge having seen Bailey before turning back to Rinji, who will no doubt fill the silence. It is usual for Jaguar to choose to work late, but today has been such that this doesn't seem either appealing nor wise. She supposes it wouldn't kill her to go with Rinji; maybe it will even be fun.


At any rate, she's seen most of her prisoners for the day, and she's had enough.


"Oh, it takes about an hour," Rinji said carelessly, in response to Bailey's question, waving her hands around as if this is proof of Bailey's question. "Thank you!"


"You spend an hour on your nails?" Jaguar's lips quirk in spite of herself, and Rinji nods, taking this as a request for how.


"Of course. First you put on the initial coat, and then you let it dry, then you have to have two more. Plus then you have to have a coat of the glitter, and then another to make sure it's really sparkly. Then you have to have one final coat, the clear kind of protect it and keep it smooth, and if you mess up you have to start all over again, and I usually do twice. Sometimes it's more!"


Jaguar looked down at her own ragged, bitten nails wryly. She predicted that if she didn't keep her hands well out of sight, one day, Rinji would pounce on them.
 
The girl’s thin shoulders were hunched forward slightly in an almost defensive manner as she let herself be lead from the escort vehicle and into the great windowless building that the courts had seen fit to banish her to. Cold, steel blue eyes flashed over the inner walls of the prison with a coldly calculating gleam for several long seconds before she lowered them again to study her feet as she walked. The jury had decided that she was a murderess. That was what she had become: a most murderous murderess. At this thought a frail grin managed to twitch the corner of her lip before her expression faded to one of stoic boredom again.


As she was lead through the odd metallic hallways, Dakota didn’t spare so much as a glance for the minions of this organization which was now holding her captive. In time she would deal with them. For now it better suited her purposes to be seen as a rather pitiful excuse for a creature which might deserve their pity. If she should be able to convince her captors that she was merely a broken youth requiring only guidance and love to set her straight it would be easy enough to manipulate them to her whims after a time.


This was where her thoughts were, at least. The girl, only fifteen, hadn’t been alive during much of the killing times when empaths had been far more widely known. Now, due to the fear expressed by the general populace, they were much more careful about being seen. As such the girl had it in her head that she was quite a unique creature with her ability to manipulate others by empathic means. With this power, she knew full well that she would be able to survive and flourish in whatever environment they put her in.


Finally being left in her room alone for the time being, the fifteen year old girl curled up into a tight little ball in one of the corners. Hugging her knees tightly to her chest, she tried to calm her breathing and keep a coldly calculating outlook on her current predicament. “You’ll be fine,” she whispered to the air around her as she rocked herself slowly in place. “You’ll get through this and move on . . .” In truth, she felt that this was another rejection. Honestly, it was more of a rejection than even the bastard ex she had driven to suicide had dared to offer her. Being sentenced to this place meant that society as a whole had wanted her gone and locked away … “It’s fine,” she whispered again, a cold smile playing at her pale lips as she closed her eyes and laid her head against her knee. “I’m fine . . .”
 
((When Izabella comes back, should we go to outside time for inmates? And by 'outside' I mean the exercise room or whatever it was called. Can't remember))
 
Bailey jumped slightly when she was paged on her telebadge and immediately stood up, stepping into the hall. Dakota was in. Taking a deep breath, she began the walk toward the elevators hoping that Jaguar hadn't heard it. It took a small amount of self-affirmations to talk herself into walking to the elevators, but when she did, she hit the floor number and waited patiently for it to land once she stepped in.


The walk to her cell was quiet, and Bailey wondered very briefly if she could really do this before she hit the button on her intercom. "Dakota?" She said through the speakers, tentative at first, but gaining strength. "My name is Bailey Foster, I've been assigned to be your teacher while you're an inmate here. I'm going to enter your cell, but first, I need you to step into the corner, facing the door with your hands in plain sight."


She waited while the girl followed her orders and went through the procedures of entering the cell and closing it behind her. Bailey turned to look at the girl, shocked to see how young she really was and cleared her throat. "Afternoon," She said, stepping into the cell closer to the girl. "This isn't going to be a lesson, more of an intake assessment before we start classes. Why don't we start with you telling me why you're here?"
 
Dakota had done as the voice over the speaker demanded of her hesitantly, a certain amount of defiance making the movements seem forced and unnatural. Once the speaker was quite confident that she was a nonthreat for the time being, the woman entered the room before glancing over the girl in surprise.


"I ..." stumbled the girl at the initial question presented before she again sunk down to a seated position in which she could hide somewhat behind her knees. "M-my boyfriend killed himself because of me ..." As she spoke she kept her words meek and defeated even though the emotion primarily plaguing her was one of rage. "He c-cut himself quite badly and bled out while I w-was getting groceries ... but ..." The girl looked away then, unwilling to make eye contact with the "teacher" present. "I'm here in order to be repaired like some broken piece of trash ..." she finished after a long moment of silence as she examined the walls of her cell.


Steel blue eyes flashing back to the face of the woman who had dared to enter her room after she had managed to admit that ugly sentiment, a complicated mess of emotions crossed over her young face. Overall, the strongest of these seemed to be one of confused befuddlement colored with an almost muted hopefulness. "So, teach," she asked, her broken voice going a bit more flat as she spoke and emotions drew closer to the surface, "am I even repairable? Or just a waste of facility space?"
 
(that's fine, Nala, except they already did that, so probably meal time. Actually we can do that while Bailey and Dakota are playing to give the rest of us something to do...girls' night out can be after Dakota scene and the inmates meal)


Jaguar did hear Bailey being called and looks up at her, curious, then somewhat suspicious. It seems that she and Jeremiah have already concluded their discussion, so what could be going on now? Then again, it is likely not her business, and it's not her place or desire to ask currently. Maybe she is having supervision of some kind; she sometimes does without Jaguar present.


It is drawing close to dinner time for the prisoners who have been cleared to do so outside of their cells now, which includes all prisoners except for those who have been present less than a week or those who have had recent offenses or punishments given. Jaguar can already see Rinji perking up even before she announces this, tossing her hair back over her shoulders and making her way down the hallway as if she has no other duties except to go spread her cheer as far as possible among the prison population. Sometimes, Jaguar thinks wryly, she really does wonder if Rinji might have latent empath abilities that even she has no awareness of utilizing. If she wasn't so entirely clueless as to her own personal risks, and less than gifted intellectually, she might actually make one hell of a teacher, as positively as many of the prisoners respond to her.


Jaguar decides after a few moments to tag along with her, following her down the hallway to the elevator, which took them to the third floor where the cafeteria is located. It makes her a little uneasy for Rinji to continue to associate with the prisoners, even with the guards present, and even though Rinji has had no previous trouble, so she might as well watch her back.
 
Bailey listened calmly to the girl, gradually pushing her mind out toward her, though keeping a slight distance when she caught the hint of defiance and rage in the girl's mind. She had to admire the girl's pluck, at the very least. For being so young, and being in a place like The Eyes of Man, which was far from a comforting environment, Dakota was displaying a good show of confidence.


"Everyone here can be helped, Dakota." She told her, something that she fully believed. "But not if the teacher is the one doing all the work. If you want to be fixed, if you really want to get better, you will have to work with me to do it, is that clear?"
 
"So," asked the girl from her rather balled position on the floor of her cell as she watched the woman who had come to save her coldly, "you think I'm just another broken thing as well?" Her tone was smooth now that the logic trap had been completed successfully.


The woman had told her upon entering the room that this was to be an intake assessment and so Dakota had played that game. She had given the woman the answer to her question but had also decided to assess the person who was to be her supposed salvation. She had expected some cookie cutter therapist nonsense about not being broken but perhaps just needing a bit of guidance. That was apparently not the sort of answer the people of this prison cared to offer, however. It would seem that they believed the monsters that they held were indeed monsters and saw little use for censuring their opinions as they sought to domesticate the inmates.


The answer that the assessment had provided her with was rather disheartening to say the least. "'Cuz - funny thing - I never really thought of myself as truly broken ... Perhaps fragile and perhaps easily destabilized, but not .. not needing repairs ..." Her eyes, pitiful and somewhat betrayed at this teacher's apparent view of her, closed as she leaned forward and rested her head on her knees in such a fashion as would clearly imply that she was done for now ... She didn't much feel like continuing getting to know someone who could write her off as broken without even asking the simple question of why she had behaved in such a manner as she had.
 
((So, Matthis isn't one of the people that get's public mealtime, since he's new? I don't mind, just checking))


We hadn't had any sessions today, and Crane had had a headache, so List had managed to soothe him to sleep after a while. Crane had been sleeping for perhaps an hour before the announcement for mealtime roused him. He woke with a start, shifting and looking sleepily around from where his head rested on his brother's knee. They were still in their cell, the door opening with a quiet hiss.


Blinking sleepily, Crane turned to look up at List, who had simply been reading to pass the time. ". . . Time to go?"


List nodded, setting his book aside. "Yes, Crane. Time to go."


List pushed his brother up into a sit, then stood and pulled Crane to his feet. They linked hands and walked out of their cell together - always together - on their way to the dining hall. With any luck, they could find a quiet corner to sit alone, where List wouldn't have to worry about anyone being near Crane.
 
"You're putting words in my mouth," Bailey said without much hesitation. It surprised her how easy it was to keep her calm by herself. "I never once said that you were broken. I said that there was something in you that needed repairs, which is evident since you are here because you're responsible for the death of another person. This isn't a place for broken people, Dakota. Broken people cannot be fixed. Damaged people - fragile or destabilized, as you put it - can."


She paused to give these words a few moments to sink in, watching the girl carefully and just barely touched the very basic edge of her thoughts, feeling out the general shift of emotions in the girl. Bailey did not need to be an empath to pick up on the girl's doubt, though, it had been written all over her face when Bailey responded to her.


"I will not ask you to do anything that is pushing any particular boundaries until I think you are in a safe place to do it. We'll start off slow, but if you want this to work, if you want to address these areas that are fragile and to find ways to strengthen them, you have to be willing to push yourself and, most importantly, not resist me at every step." Bailey's voice softened as she watched the girl hide her face from her and she cleared her throat. "Believe it or not, Dakota, I am on your side. I want you to do well, to be able to leave this place as soon as possible and maybe have some semblance of a normal life, just as I'm sure you do. You are a strong and gifted girl, but you have to learn how to harness that to keep things like what happened with your boyfriend from happening again."


She hesitated here, seriously doubting if she was saying even remotely the right things, and cleared her throat. "Before we finish up here, do you have anything to tell me, or any questions?"
 
(Jack should be going to eat in the cafeteria. Mason would remain in cell and be served there. Jaguar and Rinji are going to cafeteria, List and Crane are as well. Dakota and Matthis would remain in cells. Jeremiah, unsure where he is, Bailey is with Dakota.)


Rinji enters the cafeteria ahead of Jaguar, her eyes bright, her smile as wide and congenial as usual as she practically bounces through the doors, greeting each person she sees. She pauses in front of List and Crane, waving and greeting them specifically as well.


"Hi guys! How's it going?" Then she cocked her head to the side, looking at them with unrestrained curiosity, in particular their joined hands. "How do you guys eat if you always hold hands? Like cutting food and stuff? I mean I know most of the food here is finger stuff so you don't like stab people in the eye, but if you had steak, how would you eat it? With your hands? That must get messy! Have you seen Jack, is she coming...oh hi Jaguar, you're here too today!"


"Yes," Jaguar said shortly as she came up behind her, suppressing a faint smile as she overhears Rinji's plunge into conversation. She nods a greeting to the twins as well before fading more obstrusively into the background to watch. Rinji, not one to go for such a thing, continues to flit around talking to everyone she sees.
 
The hours passed quickly between Jaguar's weird visit and dinner, and before long, Jack heard the clicking of her cell door unlocking and stood from her cot, waiting as the large door swung back, revealing her freedom. Ignoring the guard who escorts her, she keeps her gaze focused straight ahead, not wanting to deal with making eye contact with anyone.


Stepping into the cafeteria, she looks around. Up ahead she catches sight of Rinji's blonde hair and decided to go say hello, only stopping dead in her tracks when she see's who stands besides her. Seeing Jaguar so soon after that afternoon, causes the woman to turn mid step and goes to collect her food before finding a vacant seat at a nearly deserted table, ducking her head so that she'll hopefully stay unnoticed.
 
Of course, Rinji, as she is determined to see and speak to every single person in the room; heaven forbid someone escape her notice, or worse, fail to notice and acknowledge her. When she turns in Jack's direction and notices her first as a new presence, then as her "sweet" Jack, she brightens, waving across the room to her.


"Hi Jack!" Jaguar, hearing her call to her, looks up quickly to make sure that it is Jacklyn Correlli and not a male prisoner Jack that Rinji is referring to.


Seeing that it is indeed THAT Jack, she meets Jack's eyes the best that she is able. She is not one to back down usually from uncomfortable circumstances, and she will not be the first to do so now. First thing tomorrow she is seeing Jack again, so if there is to be any exchange between them now, so be it.


Rinji seems oblivious to any possible discomfort as she bounds over to Jack, giving her a friendly shoulder nudge. "How's it going? Can I sit with you?"
 
So much for staying unnoticed...sighing softly at Rinji's cheerful call, she stares silently at her plate, pushing at what she assumes (and hopes) is mashed potatoes with her plastic spoon, before finally giving in and looks up just as the blonde starts over. She offers a half-hearted wave in return, once again freezing when she sees Jaguar staring at her.


'Oh please stay the f*** away lady' Jack's mind races at how she might react if the other woman approached her now. It was too soon. 'Just stay the f*** away and let me enjoy this disgusting food in peace...' These thoughts were more to herself, but in a way she hopes that the other Empath is listening in and takes her request to heart.


At Rinji's touch, she holds back a flinch and forces herself to smile widely, allowing her usual cockiness to surface. "I don't know darling..." she turns in her seat, looking the other woman over, one eyebrow arched. "You might have to pay the toll..." she smirks and taps her cheek playfully as of asking for a kiss. Then, rethinking her actions and taking into consideration how close her teacher still is, she stops and makes herself laugh softly. "I'm just teasin' ya blondie...'course ya can..." she moves slightly to make room and drops her spoon on her plate.


"This stuff tastes like shit..." she mutters, giving Rinji a sideways glance. "How's your evening going beautiful?"
 
Renji was absolutely the most upbeat person in this institution, but not even she could make List smile. Crane, on the other hand, grinned at her when she greeted them, and waved his free hand, giving a little 'hi' but not much else. In response to Rinji's slightly annoying question, List simply let go of Crane's hand and held his own up for inspection, wiggling his fingers a bit in the air to emphasize the fact that he and Crane were not, in fact, welded together and could let go of each other. List just preferred not to stray further than arm's length from Crane when there were other people around.


When Rinji's bounced off, List took Crane's hand again, pulled him away to get their food, and found a nice, solitary place to sit down. While he ate in silence, listening to Crane chattering quietly to himself, List eyed anyone that dared try and walk near, keeping the other inmates at bay. There were dangerous people here, despite the facility's reputation as a place for rehabilitation. But no matter. So long as no one came too close, and so long as no one harmed Crane, they wouldn't have to beat anyone over the head with a plastic tray.
 
Jack is not meeting Jaguar's eyes, and though Jaguar continues to regard her for a few moments, an open invitation to either confront her or to speak with her, to return her attention towards her in some way, the other woman rather determinedly does not do so, focusing on Rinji alone instead. For now Jaguar allows this; to be honest, though she would have done so had the opportunity presented itself, she wasn't enthused at the prospect. There had been quite a lot going on today already without one more potential showdown.


She takes an empty seat that is removed slightly from the other prisoners and continues to watch them all, but keeps a close eye on Rinji in particular above all. She doesn't think that Jack would hurt her, but she has been pushed rather hard today, and it's not impossible. She keeps a light scan over everyone's thoughts and emotions on an unobstrusive level as she continues to observe.


"It's going good!" Rinji tells Jack, sitting beside her carelessly and picking up her dropped spoon, waving it absently back and forth as she smiles at her. "Jag and Bailey and me are gonna go out after work and maybe I'll do their nails, they could use it! If you earn enough privileges maybe I can do yours too one day. You have nice hands," she observed, touching the back of Jack's before smiling up at her again. "You think I'm beautiful? That's so sweet of you! Most people just say I'm cute. You're beautiful too!"


"Oh, good for you then, I was worried!" she calls to List and Crane as they demonstrate they can briefly separate. "You won't starve then!"
 
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