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 Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2013 8:14 am
Luthradi waited patiently in the lobby of the mindhealers office. She was shackled, but the guard with her was somewhat bored.
She knew this. She also knew that the thoughts going through his head included a bit of gratitude for the break. Probably.
The shackles felt like a formality to her. She had never caused issue. And she wouldn't cause issue with them, now. They weren't horribly tight, they didn't chafe, and Luthradi could easily endure them.
Besides, it made people comfortable around her, and it meant she didn't have to go anywhere near the straightjacket, so long as she behaved. That suited her fine.
She looked at the door, swinging her feet gently for a moment. He was busy, and she had no desire to rush him. It was nice being out of her cell, and any it was extended was very nice for her.
Still, though, she looked expectantly at the door. All right, maybe she was a bit impatient in her curiosity.
She had never met this one. She couldn't remember the name, but she was happy to do introductions.
Her previous mindhealer had quit due to stress (NOT HER FAULT) and she hadn't liked him much (NOT HER FAULT).
She stopped swinging her legs and looked back at the guard.
No, he wouldn't be a talker. She would leave him to his 'break' such as it were. And not make trouble.
Even though he seemed to be nodding off, poor fellow. She decided not to wake him. Guards didn't react well to being woken.
Instead she hummed a bit to pass the time...
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Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2013 10:41 am
Jamarin sauntered into the mindhealer lobby. It was actually not bad to be back at his old patrol route. Funny, though, there really should be a guard here.
Oh hey. Someone sleeping on the job. Like that was safe.
"Hey."
He nudged the sleeping guard, an impenetrable smile on his face, "I'm takin' your shift. Run off before I tell on ya."
A good idea, right?
Jamisk slithered in, looking questioningly at Jamarin before sitting outside the door of the mindhealer's office and looking at it curiously, jaw open and slobbering like a canine.
The guard woke up with a start, swallowed, and protested.
"Its my shift anyway. I work here. Right... here."
But...
"Get." Jamarin gave the guard a good natured pat.
Something about his smile unnerved the guard and he left back for the unstable ward to report this... man. And leave out the part about napping.
Jamarin waved cheekily at him before sitting down beside the young lady who was evidently his charge.
"'lo there. Been waiting long with that bore?" He said, deciding to be conversational.
Jamisk turned around and loped over to sniff at the girl.
was the gist of what he communicated to her.
"... He's real friendly" said Jamarin, secretly taken aback, and also slightly proud, "Don't worry."
He watched her carefully, trying to asses what, exactly, she was.
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Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2013 8:38 pm
Luthradi turned her head as the new guard came in, then turned away politely, amused, a small smile on her face.
She twined and untwined her fingers demurely. Just how much would she say in this introductory meeting? Would she spill all? Would she stay formal and only give out enough to be polite?
She knew she wouldn't be sullen and uncooperative. That was for others of unstable block. She was, despite appearances, desperate for conversation, for human interaction besides guarding. It was so hard holding herself back from talking to every guard. Not all appreciated it.
No, she would talk. But how much would depend on the new mindhealer, wouldn't it. If she liked him- Or her, perhaps- she'd tell them whatever they wished to know, barring the truly deep things of course...
Oh?
She hadn't noticed the man start to talk to her, so used was she to it just being herself- clearly she needed to 'get out' more and talk more often. It was the wher that broke into her thoughts, surprising a smile.
"... Is that so..." she said, blinking a bit before awkwardly patting Jamisk on the head.
"Well hello to you too." She nodded at the guard, "And hello to you too. Forgive me, I was..." musing? Internally conversing? "... Distracted."
She frowned at her breach of propriety.
"I didn't catch your question..."
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Posted: Tue Apr 02, 2013 4:57 pm
Jamisk growl-crooned, nuzzling the hand. Nice! She was nice! Oh? but what was that? He nozed at the chains that bound her wrists together. "Baroo?""Don't mess with those, Jam." He said sternly to the Wher, who looked thoroughly admonished, "Just askin' if you've been waiting long with nobody to talk to." He looked her up and down. Kid. Looked perfectly fine and normal and sane, but hey you never knew. So did he, haha. "The name's Jamarin. I'm a guard here. Just came back to Wardens from a 'personal break'. And he's Jamisk... you can call him Jam, if you want. Yaaaa. He loves bein' petted and gettin' attention." said Jamisk, looking up at Luthradi with big blue-green whirling eyes. "See what I mean? I'm hopin' he calms down as he gets older." He patted his wher on the side. What would he have done without Jamisk. "An' you? What about you, kid?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 1:08 pm
Personal break? That sounded interesting. But not more so than the fact that he had come back from his break.
Why would anybody come back to Wardens? Even guards had a hard time.
Perhaps he has nowhere else to go? it was the only thing she could think of. She was looking him up and down too, but being discrete about it.
Smiling. Friendly, or deadly? He had a hardness to him, a stillness. Interesting: He clearly had seen a lot, but what could have done it? That was as far as she could get for now.
"Yes. For a while." she admitted. That guard had been at the end of his shift, and was very ready to leave. No need to annoy him with her jabbering. This one though...
"But it's fine." she said with a smile, turning to the wher who was snuggling her and her shackles.
"I don't think I'm allowed to pet you...?" she said, looking at the guard, but he didn't seem to mind. "Oh, all right, a little"
Her smile grew, a genuine grin as she scritched the wher behind the eyeridge. 17 year old inmate who had lost her childhood or not, she was still a kid. A lonely kid. She had lied when she said that 'it was fine' she needed conversation. She needed to talk to people in reality (though she wasn't going to give up her acquaintances in the nearby cells, noooo way. She needed people. Any people.).
But a lack of conversation with a tired guard would be mitigated by the mindhealer. She could endure.
"Luthradi. Unstable block." she said. He had offered his name and occupation, and it was only polite to offer her own. "...And I didn't do it" she said with a smile and with some hesitation.
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Posted: Fri Apr 05, 2013 5:48 pm
That's what they all say, isn't it? thought Jamarin sarcastically, Though, guilty and innocent aren't as black and white as people make them out to be, especially in the Unstable block... He mused, his smile fixed. Either way, he needed a conversation himself. With just Jamisk to talk to, things got dull quickly. And the other wherhandlers? He just... Didn't feel like one of them.
Sure he could pretend, but...
Ah well. He dodged away from that line of thought.
Prisoners were more interesting anyway.
"Didn't do what, Miss Luthradi?" he asked conversationally, "What brings ya to lovely tropical Wardens Weyr?" he said, relaxing.
Since he hadn't met her before (and time was he used to at least recognize most of the mindhealer regulars, since he patrolled there so often), so she had to be new.
But how new? He had two whole turns to choose from.
The relaxation wasn't as lazy as it seemed. His muscles were loose, and he could move quickly if he had to.
Jamisk, however, was not relaxed. He was delighted! The nice person with the funny things around her wrists was skritching him and it felt good. He liked her!
He liked everybody, really. Except the man with the cane. He had a scary smile like his handler, but his handler had told Jamisk not to say hi, and Jamisk didn't understand why, but Jamarin had been so insistent and Jamisk didn't want to upset him!
He wondered what about the cane-man meant he couldn't say hi? Wondered to an extent anyway. Jamisk didn't do much wondering.
Instead he rubbed Luthradi's hands in return, his mouth wide open and drooling with pleasure. He liked having his eye ridge's skritched.
"Graah" he murmured. Keep going, keep going, please?
"Sorry about him." said Jamarin, even though he knew he didn't need to apologize. See? The kid was happy, the wher was happy, and if something should turn for the worse, Jamisk was hard to hurt and pretty tough, and he was right there and could stop any funny business if he had to.
But for now she was just petting Jamisk, and Jamisk was letting her. Jamarin saw no need to interfere, though he watched her closely from behind his veil of blaiseness.
"Ya ever pet whers before?" she was getting the right spots, certainly.
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Posted: Sun Apr 07, 2013 8:17 am
He seemed very easygoing, and that set off alarm bells in Luthradi's head.
Don't trust him. It's too dangerous she reminded herself, watching his face calmly, politely, and intently. What does he want? A story? Leverage? She continued petting the wher- she knew what the long blue creature wanted at least. It wanted petting. Simple and not at all frightening (though she was certain that if she crossed it she would be dead).
"What else would bring me here but a crime?" she asked warily, dodging his question. What else indeed? Only criminals- the criminally violent, the criminally insane, the criminally criminal were sent here. The rest... were left to their own devices in the outside world. Treated with scorn and pity and sometimes with care.
Too often with neglect. And then they would turn criminal. She had the order of operations down pat by now.
The insane would fester and then -she almost thought- through no fault of their own, in a sense, commit a horrible crime because nobody thought to watch them or care... or even because someone else had done it and they were the 'most likely' suspect.
And then they would end up at Wardens. And she would hear their wails and giggles and screams in the night.
She brought her attention back to the wher as she rubbed the sides of his face and neck as best she could without throttling it with her shackles.
"And theres no need to apologize on his behalf." she said, relaxing a little despite herself. It was hard to remain tense when there was a happy wher lolling about on your lap. "And I have not. Am I doing it right?"
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Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2013 10:28 pm
"Doing perfectly, though honest, he's not very picky." Jamarin let his smile extend into an almost goofy grin, a mockery of the pure, unbridled joy of his partner.
"And allright, allright. I won't pry too much into yer business." No harm done, right? Didn't mean he wasn't going to poke around after information about this Luthradi kid. For the hell of it. A guy had to have a hobby other than grieving, right?
"Baroo?"
Jamisk pulled back from his petting to look at his handler. He was getting sad thoughts!
offered Jamisk to Jamarin, staring at him with those big innocent eyes of his.
Sure he was! He was smiling, wasn't he... oh shards Jamisk looked like Suu for a moment there... Those sweet thoughts... that happy grin...
Pull yourself together man... he thought, angry at the hollow emptiness.
"Baroo?"
Jamisk began to wind over, worried. Sad! Sad was bad. Not be sad.
Jamisk flicked his long thick tail for a long moment until, finally, reassured, he went back to the prisoner.
Jamarin had to pull himself together for a moment, making it seem as if he was just watching is wher be an utter fool.
Because Jamisk WASN'T Suu, no matter how Jamarin tried to pretend things were okay now.
"You know what they like a whole lot, though? See the base of his wings there?"
It felt like he was breaking a silence, though whether that was just his perception or an actual silence. Gosh, that exchance had felt like forever.
"Ya, those stubby little things. They LOVE it when the base- yeah, right next to their shoulder blades- gets scratched a little. Not too hard now..."
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Posted: Thu Apr 11, 2013 9:41 pm
Luthradi had noticed nothing but a flicker or a twitch in the mans's face, something she wrote off as a tic. Considering where she had just spent two turns of her life, that was a reasonable assumption.
The wher, though... She had noticed the color shift in it's great whirling eyes and the way it had looked at the guard, almost questioningly.
Whers and dragons spoke in their bonded's heads, if the lore was correct. What had caused such a sudden and brief shift in the wher's emotions? She looked at the guard a moment, then went back to petting the wher, straining a bit to reach the wing nubs.
"Like this, yes?" she smiled at the wher. As long as it didn't bite her arm off, she would be fine. She was quiet for a moment.
"So, Jamarin." she said, mirroring the question, "If you don't mind me asking, why are you here, sir? Or... rather... why did you come back?" It was a bit forward for her, but... anything to keep the conversation going, but she also didn't have the luxury he did of going to the archives.
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Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2013 7:08 pm
"Ooo, getting forward are we?" he leaned forward in his seat, that smile still fixed on his face. Not that he was insulted, no, he was enjoying it. He was just surprised that the seemingly cautious and intelligent young prisoner was being so blunt. Either she was really starved for conversation or she belonged in unstable block. Or both, probably, considering frack-all had changed in this miserable hole. Which was a good thing in some ways.
"How long'd you say you'd been here?" she had that tired look about her that meant it'd been a while. Not a good look for a kid. Kid's shouldn't be tired 'less they've been through the kind of s**t he'd been through.
"Don't you know it's a bad idea to ask a guard personal questions?" He chuckled, "They might think you care" he said in a hushed tone, almost conspiratorially. "Don't you know you aren't supposed to get noticed, kid?" He shook his head with that ever-present grin. Well, not always. If a prisoner was noticed in a good way, had some favor, that was all right. It was always a good idea to have someone looking out for your back. For a prisoner, it was either slip by like a shadow or be everybody's buddy. In between is when you started to have problems, or so he had seen.
For a guard, you had to be scary and imposing, full of authority. He didn't find that hard nowadays.
"... But I'll tell you a bit. Since you're being a good girl, yeah? Why'd I come back here? Well. I got nowhere else I needed to be"
There. A vague answer. Take that, kid.
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Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2013 8:20 pm
"Two turns." said Luthradi curtly. She didn't like his tone, she didn't think she really liked this man. His smile unnerved her.
At least it wasn't the deathly rictus she'd seen on others. That was not a smile. It was rightly termed a grimace, and often followed by bulging panicked eyes.
No, his smile was unnerving in a way she couldn't quite put her finger on, and his friendly familiar manner...
Buuuut... there really wasn't much she could do, aside from being friendly back. Not to mention even his conversation was something. More than the scraps she managed to get through the screams and assorted noises back in the block.
"I should hope that the guards know I care." she said, almost haughtily, though she tried to bite it back, "I should hope that I still can care." She tried to hide the snap, tried to hide the prickliness she felt creeping up on her.
She wished this man would go away but oh, oh no, she needed him to stay. She was talking now, and it was good, and she wanted to keep talking.
"... Why did you feel that you needed to be here?" she said, trying to sound neutral. She'd only had so much harper training, but it was something they taught. "Do you feel that you are helping others?" from the guards that conversed with her, opinions were mixed.
Did Wardens help? Did it hurt? Neither?
"Or perhaps...?" she left the question open, an eyebrow raised.
Yes. Keep talking.
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Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 8:27 am
"Maybe 'need' was a strong word." he admitted thoughtfully. "Give it some time, kid, and you'll realize you don't need to care about nobody but yourself" he nodded, sagely, "And that time, it wasn't strong enough."
He shifted, his smile becoming a smirk, "You see," Seemed the kid still had some optimism about the world. Ha. He gave her two more turns before she became jaded, judging by the tired lines on her face. Yeah. About two more. "If you wanna help people, why the hell would you become a guard? Be a shaffing healer." oooo, look. He cursed. How would she react, he wondered. She seemed slightly tightassed. Holdergirl, maybe?
"Nah, if you're a guard, it's 'cause you want to hurt others. Usually fer a reason." his smirk deepened, "And there ain't many places where you can do that without endin' up here anyway."
Jamisk rubbed his side against her hand. Jamarin hoped that would distract her from her line of questioning. Jamisk could be pretty distracting when he wanted to be.
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Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2013 7:04 am
The curse rolled off of her like water off of a waterwherrie. If she had ever been phased by profanity, two turns in the unstable would have put an end to that. Far worse things were heard there. Luthradi bit back a comment. It would have been an angry comment, and she had no desire to reveal the depths of anger that had been let to fester in her with no real outlet. No outlet, because she refused to scream. She didn't want to be in unstable pop, not anymore. She wanted to be out. Screaming wouldn't help. Screaming meant straightjackets and, possibly the white room.
No. She bit back her comments and pretended to be distracted by the wher, scratching where he indicated. The blue was calming, and she felt her breath ease from strained to normal. Strained, because she was forcing herself not to seem angry, not even in breathing.
"So. You want to hurt people." she said, matter of factly, I'll play along she thought to herself. It was probably not the whole reason why this man- this annoying man- was a guard.
"It is certainly true that there are few places or occupations where hurting people is not criminal..."
Words. She used a lot of them to try to maneuver control of the conversation. It was the only measure of control she had.
"But there are others. Why this?"
She kept pushing, mainly because it was something to do.
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Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2013 7:42 am
Boring. Not a single outraged squeal, not a glare, not a glance. Nothing. She certainly kept her cool and oooo, good with words, was she?
a little harper brat, he bet. They were good at hiding things, like emotions and all your stuff.
"Because I'm s**t at being a seacrafter, s**t at being a miner, s**t at being a watchrider, and just right for being a thug." he said with a smirk. Harper, eh? Well he'd tried to give it a meter. Someone had tried to teach him poetry when he was an informant. It hadn't worked out well. They were probably rotting in a cell here, or dead. Fortunately, not both. They kept the cells clean... ish.
"And here, I is a sanctioned thug, got it? I can punch you and say you provoked me. Who'd believe you?"
He wouldn't actually. For Suu's memory and Jamisk's sake he had some standards.
But he wanted to see if she would react to that.
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Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2013 6:58 pm
Clearly, he was going through crafts he himself had done.
Seacrafter? His accent said as much. Miner? That would explain the unusual shape of the wher currently begging her for more attention. This one was clearly not a vicious killer. She couldn't see how it would be good in a fight. It was long, round, and smooth and had huge eyes. She could see how it would do well in a tunnel.
Watchrider, though. You couldn't be a rider without a dragon, and this man was a handler. Clearly not a rider. So Watchrider was just an example? Did that mean the others were?
Thug, though. Thug she could see. It was the smooth edge to his voice and his hands, those hands and especially those gloves. She could see them being used for harming.
And that was true. Guards were often very thuggish. And he could hurt her without provokation. Her word against his, and what weight did she have? None. She was in the madhouse. If she had nobody else to back her up, no witnesses, there would be no investigation or, worse, a straightjacket and the white room if she was loud enough about it. She wondered that, if the hurting was of a sort that could get her pregnant, would there be an investigation then? Or would she have to actually be pregnant before anybody cared?
In light of this threat, she schooled her face.
"And will you?" she said, warily, "I ask because bruises often go poorly with orange" she said dryly, looking down at her jumpsuit, hoping that the situation would be defused.
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