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Comfortable silence was not something that C.T was used too, the silent pauses she was used to were a mixed bag, the silence of her solitude was just that, silent because she was alone, and deliberating her next moves.

Silence with Jacob Bradley was filled with anxiety and trepidation, it was just waiting, for either the next beating, or the next harshly shouted orders.

With Mag the silences were usually filled with her grinning at C.T like she had some hilarious joke to share, most times she was just waiting for the perfect moment too annoy C.T, which she did rather well, but those silences weren't so bad, she thoroughly enjoyed Mag's company even if she wouldn't admit it.

However the silence with Esther was different, there was nothing to it. Nothing needed to be said or done in that moment between them, and C.T was content to just sit for a moment. Even with everything going on around them, she didn't feel like there was any urgency in her life for a few moments.

The illusion was ruined a bit when Esther stood, asking C.T if she was hungry and offering to make a trip to the kitchen for her. C.T thought for a moment, she didn't feel hungry, but that could just be the sickness numbing her senses, so she should probably eat

"Sure, I'll go with you, if I leave you alone, there is no telling what Mag will do." C.T spoke easily. She didn't want to stay in the room and 'rest' anymore she was afraid to go back to sleep because she knew what would happen.

Slowly she stood up, and was suddenly reminded as to how weak her body really was for the moment, but she managed to balance. Albeit a bit shakily, leaning a hand on her bed side dresser for a bit of support. Before pushing off and moving towards the door.

It was natural for C.T too make her self appear strong in front of the men and the women that looked to her for guidance. Yes she felt like s**t, but the only people that knew that were Esther and Mag, the only people that had saw her in her distraught state to it's fullest extent were Esther and Mag, and that secret would stay with them.

It was strange that C.T felt safe enough to show so much weakness to Esther, but the girl wasn't abusing her knowledge so C.T didn't think it a mistake just yet. In fact Esther was taking the trust they shared in stride, and being a little more hands on in how she dealt with Connie, it reminded the C.T of Mag a bit, once Mag and C.T had found a middle ground the woman than realized that she didn't really have to be intimidated around C.T because Connie, despite her rough exterior and constant scowl, was harmless, until angered. Now while C.T was fairly confident that Esther hadn't gone that far along in the thought process, she could see that the girl was confident around her.

Telling me what to do huh?

C.T thought absently as Esther instructed her to sit down, while she got the food, of course it wasn't a real command but in a round about way it was. Esther felt confident enough to give C.T a little push, and C.T..... didn't feel threatened at all by that pressure, she felt no need to push back.

"Ok." C.T nodded her eyes scanning for and spotting an empty table, before she answered Esther's following inquiry. "I don't know, honestly. I'm only eating because I feel I should. Just pick up whatever you see fit, or just ask Mag, I'm sure she'll have something in mind." C.T mused before walking away to the seats she had picked out.

"You've got quite the family here,"

C.T heard the sarcastic bite in Esther's words and fought down a smirk before it could appear on her face, it wouldn't help to antagonize the girl. Instead C.T pushed her plate back to Esther. "Take it," C.T said easily, it was as she mentioned before, she was only eating because she felt she should, she didn't feel hungry in the slightest. "And don't mind them, honestly you should be relieved, for the most part the teasing just means they like you..... Hold on a second." C.T spoke, standing up and walking towards the counter to Mag who looked like she had been waiting for her approach.

On her way to the counter however, C.T passed by the table where the boy who had pranked Esther seemed to still be celebrating with his friends. He had no idea that his boss was standing right behind him, but his friends noticed, as they quickly stopped laughing and starred up at her wide eyed and expecting some sort of punishment for their actions. The boy in question seemed to finally read the situation and turned slowly to regard C.T wearing the same expression as his friends, he opened his mouth to speak, undoubtedly to defend his honor, but was silence immediately as C.T plucked right on the forehead. Sure the hit might of stung just a little but it was a love tap more than anything else, but the boy had been caught to off guard that his hands instantly flew to his forehead, and he squeaked a little "Ow!" in a not so manly voice.

C.T left them after that, and no sooner had she turned around could she hear laughter erupting from his table, and from a few tables surrounding him. C.T herself smirked, as she continued her pace, that smirk however fell when she reached Mag, who had been watching her the entire time.

"So what are you her guardian now?" Mag asked with a grin, knowing very well that C.T was being very uncharacteristically protective.

Ignoring that question C.T gave Mag a very simple order. "Stop meddling." In response Mag groaned, loudly.

"Christ sake Connie! Nothing happens around her, I'm just trying to be in on some gossip." Mag argued, and C.T could see now that she didn't get it, she didn't understand what C.T had meant when she had said that the two had been discussing the past, Mag had underestimated the gravity of their conversation.

"Mag. I told her about what her father did. To me."

...

"Oh."

C.T nodded solemnly instantly seeing the regret on Mag's face, and now C.T grinned. "Not the gossip you were hoping for?"

Mag chuckled. "Well seeing as you've already told me all about it, not really. So what about her?" Mag asked nodding towards Esther, and C.T shrugged.

"That's is off limits to you unless she feels the need to tell you, She trusts me, and I wouldn't feel right betraying that trust. That's all." With that C.T made her way back to Esther passing by the pranksters table, the boy ducked his head cautiously, when she passed by eliciting another laugh from his friends.

"Mag won't be bugging you about our talk anymore" C.T announced as she sat down. "But as I was saying, they like you. If you haven't noticed this isn't exactly the most.....homely environment and everyone here has there on way of coping with that fact. People like Mag chatter, and some people like to play pranks on each other, some of us are more keen on getting into fights, but all of it is just establishing a bond." C.T was struggling to find a way to explain her argument in a way that would make sense. "That boy, wouldn't have pulled that trick on you, if he didn't feel safe around you. Mag wouldn't bug you so much if she didn't think you were fun. And those people who get into fights, tend to fight amongst the people they group themselves with, they knock each other senseless and laugh about it after."

"I don't just bug her, I make conversation, there is a difference." A voice spoke up behind her, C.T instantly recognized it as Mag's. She was standing there with a plate of food in her hands and looking a bit out of uncomfortable. "But she's right, I do like you, and I owe you an apology, I'm very sorry for trying to dig reach into a subject that is personal for you, I meant no harm." Mag spoke genuine regret in her voice. "I hope you can forgive me for this."

"An apology? From you? Wow." C.T spoke sarcastically, Mag wasn't one to apologize, it wasn't because she was a jerk or anything of the sort, it was just that she never had too. It was clear that she was new too the gesture.

"Hey, I'm just trying to save a friend! Any way here." Mag pushed the plate in front of C.T seeing that she had given her food to Esther. "Eat this and I mean it. you better eat all of it, or you'll be in trouble. Anyway! Yea. real sorry Esther, no more pestering about you two's best talk from me, see ya."

C.T wasn't entirely sure what that phrase meant, but she knew it didn't apply, she shot a glare at Mag's retreating form, before shaking her head.
"Anyway, don't look at it as teasing, look at it as welcoming you. As it is, some of them are being a lot nicer to you than I am."

C.T didn't understand it, the sinking feeling in her gut when Esther mentioned leaving. She didn't understand why the girl speaking of leaving made her feel so strange, made her feel sad. It shouldn't, if the time came for Esther to leave, then that would mean that their plan had been a success, C.T should be happy with the prospect of success, but it wasn't like she was wishing for failure. It was that, she thought that she would be a little lonely.

Of course that was ridiculous C.T had just spoken about the people around her being close to her, being her family. But at the same time she did keep her distance, she spoke with each of them on occasion and she was close too all of them in her own way, Mag especially, but besides Mag, C.T had never spent so much time with an individual like she has with Esther. She hated to admit but she somehow she had formed a bond with the girl, and she didn't know how strong it was yet, but as far as she was concerned, any bond formed with the girl was a mistake. It could put her and her people at risk, if she thought of Esther as anything but an asset, but how could she? How could she just barcode on the girl and pretend that she was an item. Not after Esther had been so nice too her and taken care of her. Was still taking care of her.

C.T shook her head roughly, shaking the thoughts loose before she blurted out something irresponsible. She was dangerously close to extending an offer of housing for the girl, and she didn't think that would be appropriate. At all. "I trust you'll be fine where ever you go, from what I've seen you are very resourceful." C.T said a bit stiffly, looking Esther in the eye, before looking away. The girls smile and eye contact was making her feel....weird.

Esther's question did return the smirk back to her face, it wasn't really as complicated of a story as it may appear, it wasn't that they had found each other, no. It was more like they had found her.

"Well, it wasn't too long after, I had escaped from your father. I had finally wizened up to what he was doing to me, and got tired of it, so I decided to run away, it was easy. Your father had kept me around for a reason, I'm strong Esther. Physically at least. None of them could stop me, but no sooner had I escape did I realize just how weak I truly was on my own. One day away from him, and I started to suffer from withdraws, what happened to me earlier was nothing compared to this. I was on the street in some random alley detoxing on the spot. I thought I was going to die there, and that's when Mag found me." C.T turned to look for Mag where she was working behind the counter oblivious to the fact that she was being watched at the moment.

"Before all this, she was a nurse, she looked at pathetic old me, and decided that I was worth saving. I remember trying to kill her when she got close to me, I didn't trust her, or anyone for that matter, but I was too weak to do much of anything to stop her. She brought me here. Back then she was in charge and there was a lot less of us, 7 if I remember correctly. She nursed me back to health, and invited me to stay. I didn't have anywhere else to go, so I accepted her offer." C.T said with a shrug, she pushed her now empty plate away from her she had been a lot more hungry than she thought she was.

"Somehow, the role of leadership was passed to me, and Mag went from just being a nurse to our cook, I told you about her lover, well the woman was a cook and apparently she taught Mag a thing or two. And...." She was rambling now, she didn't think there was anything that she needed to add to answer Esther's question, but she did have something to say.

"I know she can be a bit much. But Mag's story is much like your own in a way, she's been forced away from the person she loves, because of foolish discrimination. She doesn't think I know, but she's contacted the woman multiple times since the separation and I can tell how much this hurts her, even if it doesn't let it show.... What I'm asking is, that if you want to talk, talk with her. I think it would really help both of you.

"I'm feeling better, thanks for the help Esther." C.T said standing up from her seat, they were done in the mess hall, she supposed there was no further reason for them to stay there, nodding towards the door C.T turned and made her exit.

(Time Skip, morning)

Jacob Bradley had made contact during the night while C.T and Esther had slept, he had contacted them through the web, on a site that was famous for it's supernatural traffic. He wanted another phone call it seemed, and C.T had been waiting for this, she knew the kind of person Jacob was, he wouldn't just sit idle when challenged.

The orders in his letter had been to contact him again at 5:00pm to further discuss. C.T wasn't stupid, news of Esther's kidnapping had reached the media and it was all over the net, he was probably going to have authorities listening in, but that was ok C.T and her people had ways around that. All they had to do was wait.

And the waiting was killing her.

C.T sat on her couch. where she had slept last night, having been awake for hours now, it was only 6:00am and already she felt like she had been through a full days worth of work. She was worried, she didn't know what Bradley would say to her, and she really did not want to speak with him. She knew he would try and manipulate her, and she wasn't so sure she would be able to stand strong against him. She looked over to Esther still sleeping in her bed, and slowly found her resolve, this wasn't just about her and her fears anymore, she had to do this for Esther...

And there it was again, those foolish thoughts that were getting the best of her.she was unsure of why she kept trying so hard for the girl, too just be normal for Esther, to be more than herself. It was confusing. But it didn't feel wrong.

C.T kept watch over the sleeping girl debating on waking her up or letting her sleep. She settled on the latter, knowing that the girl was going to be dealt a bit of a blow when she woke up.

(Rambly post is rambly)

C.T smiled at Esther, that was another thing. She found herself smiling more often when she was with Esther, she didn't use to smile so much, or at all really. But now, it's almost her go to expression.

"Yes, Though it's not as much waking up as it is not sleeping. I usually skip sleeping. But I was sick so last night was an exception." C.T said with a shrug, standing up and walking over to Esther's prone form, sitting carefully on the bed. C.T took in a deep breath preparing herself for what she was about to tell the girl

"Your father contacted us not too long ago, we will be making another call with him at 5." C.T spoke evenly.

"He did recover quickly, but this probably isn't the call we are looking for, we think that's he calling to stall, or to try and force our hand and look for escapes. He will probably have the police listening in." C.T said calmly, she was completely level headed. She had admittedly had a bit of a panic attack when she had been informed that Bradley had made contact but she was over it. she knew she was not allotted the luxury of panicking every time he was brought up.

"He contacted us through the web, using a forum site that is known for it's supernatural traffic. It was an obvious route for him to take in contacting us." C.T took a deep breath, blew it out slowly, and sighed.

Esther was rattling her, the girls nervous chatter was making it harder for C.T to keep her cool. "Calm down, it's going to be fine. We still have leverage, and right now that's all that matters." C.T spoke softly placing a steadying hand on Esther's shoulder. "Just keep in mind, that we have the advantage and everything will be ok.