Fantasy &nbsp; Thesta Penitentiary for the Wicked

Zenpai · Apr 23, 2018

Alastair looked up from the pebbles by his feet. Their meager supply of entertainment for him had run dry. He gazed around, seeing the two who bothered him during lunc, now accompanied by Silver and a man he saw in the workshop. He saw that silver was covered in blood. Something didn’t add up, considering the fact that the man and the woman weren’t bloody scraps of meat. In fact, why aren’t they dead? He mostly stopped paying attention to Silver once she left to go attack them. He didn’t want them dead, neccisarily. He was just confused. He had gotten over what they did, really. He got his payback and that was that. He wasn’t really one for holding grudges, and it usually took a lot for him to actually develop one.
The he saw his roommate. He was visibly drinking and chain-smoking like a madman. Alasdair sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. I swear, it’s like he’s trying to run himself into a grave. All of this could have been avoided if he hadn’t been such an idiot and talked to that moaning mess of a snake woman. She hadn’t seemed to have come out of solitary, and that was probably for the best. Even though Cahone would probably disagree, she and all she brought with her was bad news. Just thinking about the situation made him angry. Knowing that if he doesn’t get rid of that anger, it would know at him and end in a even worse situation. Better to confront it now. He sat up and stalked over to his roommate, his face contorted into a scowl. After he approached Cahone, he shouted, “What the high holy fuck where you thinking?! As far as I can see, you knew she could do that to you, and look where it’s gotten you now! Maybe, next time, don’t get close to the poisonous psychopath who froths at the loins every time she sees you!” His face was red and his breathing was a bit heavier than normal. Realizing he’d probably gone too far, he rubs his temples. “Shit. Sorry, I didn’t mean to get that out of hand. I shouldn’t have said those things. Just have some damn sense of mortality, okay? Next time it probably will be worse, and you're not invincible.”

KasperXIII · Apr 24, 2018

|:| Warden Edward Brookes |:|

By far, a fight club would be the most controversial idea introduced to Thesta Penn. Would letting all of hell break loose be a release to benefit the overcrowded prison, or just a cruel method to kill off some inmates and make their lives easier without much of the blame? It seemed like the Warden was the only one thinking of both sides of the story, carefully thinking of how to approach this. His strange concept of morals and his strict form of discipline coming into conflict and tearing him in two, almost like he had Gentian as the angel on his shoulder and Jason as the devil on the other. He huffed a dissatisfied sigh and spoke; enough is enough. Time for him to lay down the law, officially at least.

"What you are trying to get at here, Jason..." he said, "Is justification for population thinning and advocating murder. If we quite literally allow for inmates like Mister Pyrite to go on killing sprees in a fighting ring, it will make us no better than the mass murderers we lock up in here. That's not what our job is. We aren't killers, and allowing the inmates to kill each other doesn't wash our hands of that blame. And let's not forget... it won't be a 'few' deaths. A great deal of blood will be spilled, and that's going to be on us for opening Pandora's box. I agreed to a release, not permission to turn off inhibitors and put everyone, including us, at risk. Because you know the second that happens, inmates like those who've violated today will certainly strike again. Getting them to lash out at each other instead of us and using them as circus animals doesn't solve the problem. We end up just feeding it."

His words became less directed towards Jason, and moreso towards the entire group, now taking into consideration Sam and Gentian's rebuttals. "There's two things we cannot allow here for rehabilitation: using the very abilities that got them locked up in here for evil, and reinforcing that crime and murder is the answer. There will be no extreme fighting club where we have superhuman abilities coming head-to-head with each other, and certainly no more tolerance for inmates being able to use their powers at will in the prison. If we are going to implement a release for the negativity within them, we will have to do it the right way. A proper fighting club without their powers with a way to stop them from killing each other. Sam, your idea for SWAT-type water hoses would work quite perfectly here. We station two of theme on each side of the playing field, and we carefully monitor the vitals of each fighter. If we feel like they're going too far, we call the fight off before anyone dies. It will be heavily supervised, and matches will only be set up between fair contenders so we don't have impossible pairings that could lead to injuring others. We will also provide some physical training, no matter how little, simply so they can let their frustration out into a punching bag in the yard instead of us. If you want a release, we can do that. But as far as I'm concerned, we are not going to cheat the system and the paperwork just to lower our inmate count, because I'll tell you right now - it's not going to solve our problem."

Edward thought to himself.... You're one hypocrite, now aren't you? Not like any of them know yet. At least he was on the more humane side of this debate, much like Gentian was. No way he'd knock the young guard for that.

"We will also work towards security reinforcements during our non-lockdown phases, as you proposed, Sam. Also... Have the inmates in solitary after the events of this morning been released smoothly? No resistance, they've accepted their newly-designed collars peacefully?"

This conflict would not settle well with the guards. What Brookes feared most was this rivalry between Gentian and Sam versus Jason escalating and affecting their day to day jobs.

Mentions:

SidTheSkid [Guard Characters]

--

|:| Jasper Bent |:|

What started as just two friends talking out a bad experience in solitary turned into quite the crowd once Alice returned, as well as this new man who apparently knew his cellmate from work. New face, clearly. Jasper had never seen Will before, but just by appearances and the vague mental vibes, the mind reader could sense some form of hidden talent within him. Maybe they'd instinctively flocked for the warm spot; maybe they were all looking for buddies and all just so happened to gather here. Whatever this was, three was a crowd; four was becoming a bit noticeable, which he did not need if were going to propose something as absurd as escape. Especially to a man he'd just met.

Not only was a crowd a big crowd-attraction, but so was Silver's lack of cleanliness, still covered in blood. He sighed in dismay as Will brought it up, his eyes looking past their shoulders. Fortunately, any guards there wouldn't be able to see them clearly; the courtyard was just too crowded. Perhaps yet another advantage for his grand plan: there being too many people. Of course, Jasper couldn't break them all out, but the more the merrier for interference, whether they know it in time or not.

"Greetings," he spoke. Another detail he noticed as Alice introduced him and Silver... she was rather hyper, unable to hold back her energy. As if electricity was about to come shooting out of her. It made him question his choice of allies even further. If he were going to recruit Will... he could only hope he was a step more stable. He stood up properly from his leaning stance on the warm vent, feeling the chilly wind hitting his back now. "You must be new here," he continued to address Will. "Never seen you around before today. Alice clearly likes you, though." He let the last bit out with a chuckle, commenting about how hyper she was to introduce her new friend. "Feel free to enjoy the warmth here, I suppose. Just don't bring too many of your buddies. It's like a campfire, but the kind that can only fit so much. Not to be that... elite. I just wouldn't appreciate my wise idea being stolen like that, is all."

He shrugged in his odd, socially awkward attempt to be friendly. With so many new inmates, the friendly approach might've been the best way to get by. Antagonizing the masses and staying in a shell? Not so much. Because change was coming, change nobody was going to like. "So... What are you in for?"

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Dana Zane · Apr 24, 2018

Lilith seemed to be busy as she was emptying her mask in the back of the room into the waste hazard container as she then looked at the warden "So yea we let the powerful inmates thin out the weak inmates but yea that will probably leave a nasty mark on us if any outside source found out. But then again this is prison full criminals and monsters who are stuck here for the rest of their life like Calamitas!" she said as smile but with dead eyes seen but she then turns attention back to the container and cover it. She then puts the mask back onto her face as she got up with the container of liquidified plague nanomachines.

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Flowiest D · Apr 24, 2018

Jason made a chuckle at Lilith’s Contribution, she had the right idea it seemed.
The plan is good for the guards, but public opinion would certainly drop if word got out...
then again.
this is a place for the very worst of the worst. Eight people out of ten want these people dead. And five out of ten people would pay to see them beat each other up like it was real life WWE.
three out of ten people would pay to see them die as well...

“That’s what I’m saying, there’s no rehabilitation for at least three quarters of thesta... why not take some of the big names, make a example out of them.
Say giant George is the first contestant, he wins a tournament or whatever we want to call it, and he becomes champion, we let him have it a bit easier,
The inmates will hear about how the guys who play nice get treated nice.”

Charlotte the second magically refilled his mug, Jason had a long slurp.
“ a bit of Irish cream in there to, delightful.”
The guard purred softly as he drank.

“Sorry, what I mean to say...
Make it obvious we are rewarding those who play ball.
And make it even more obvious that those who don’t play by our rules...
play the fight club rules... and the guards make those rules as well...”

Charlotte fed Jason information, some of it made him look at brook with a sly smile before he turned to the the guards again.

“When cahone was thrown in here rape and sexual assault dropped 49% that’s because ‘boss hone’, literally burnt the more... rapey inmates, and the word spread fast. If he sees you attack a woman, or rape anyone
He will murder you.”
He looked at all in the room

“Could you imagine if the inmates thought we would just throw them to the wolves to be beat or killed infront of a crowd? I reckon that would scare them, and it’s easier to get submission, or ‘respect’ if they fear us.”

WillfulWren · Apr 24, 2018

Silver frowned, thinking of Alice's compliment. Cute..? Children were cute. Pets were cute. Silver...Apparently also fell into the category of 'cute'. She wasn't entirely sure how she felt about that, but she just tilted her head to the side, looking faintly confused. Which, of course, made the shapeshifter look even more cute.
"Cute...Is that a good thing?" She asked Alice, but was then distracted by Will.

"Oh, you can keep that, I don't need it." She smiled, wicked looking fangs catching the light. "I don't mind being covered in blood. It actually reminds me of home."
Such a strange child.

She had caused terror in many small communities around the pine forest that was her home, corpses of humans and animals alike being found dismembered and eviscerated frequently. She had first killed a person at the age of seventeen, and by the time she had been captured at nineteen, her kill count had grown to fifty three humans.

Gentian
The gentle boy gritted his teeth as Lilith spoke. His sister was one of those weak inmates, and he had to fight the urge to punch the living plague. He's had a bad day, hence why the boy is easily getting riled up by the other guards. Nature boy is unamused.
"As I said earlier, fear isn't the answer! Making the inmates fear the guards is counter-productive, and will only lead to more unrest!"

Flowiest D · Apr 24, 2018

Zenpai said:
Alastair looked up from the pebbles by his feet. Their meager supply of entertainment for him had run dry. He gazed around, seeing the two who bothered him during lunc, now accompanied by Silver and a man he saw in the workshop. He saw that silver was covered in blood. Something didn’t add up, considering the fact that the man and the woman weren’t bloody scraps of meat. In fact, why aren’t they dead? He mostly stopped paying attention to Silver once she left to go attack them. He didn’t want them dead, neccisarily. He was just confused. He had gotten over what they did, really. He got his payback and that was that. He wasn’t really one for holding grudges, and it usually took a lot for him to actually develop one.
The he saw his roommate. He was visibly drinking and chain-smoking like a madman. Alasdair sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. I swear, it’s like he’s trying to run himself into a grave. All of this could have been avoided if he hadn’t been such an idiot and talked to that moaning mess of a snake woman. She hadn’t seemed to have come out of solitary, and that was probably for the best. Even though Cahone would probably disagree, she and all she brought with her was bad news. Just thinking about the situation made him angry. Knowing that if he doesn’t get rid of that anger, it would know at him and end in a even worse situation. Better to confront it now. He sat up and stalked over to his roommate, his face contorted into a scowl. After he approached Cahone, he shouted, “What the high holy fuck where you thinking?! As far as I can see, you knew she could do that to you, and look where it’s gotten you now! Maybe, next time, don’t get close to the poisonous psychopath who froths at the loins every time she sees you!” His face was red and his breathing was a bit heavier than normal. Realizing he’d probably gone too far, he rubs his temples. “Shit. Sorry, I didn’t mean to get that out of hand. I shouldn’t have said those things. Just have some damn sense of mortality, okay? Next time it probably will be worse, and you're not invincible.”

Cahone glares so hard Alasdair can feel it. Looks certainly couldn’t kill, but Cahone was pretty damn close to it.

“WHO ARE YOU! To criticise me or her... to claim I’m not invincible whenever I have her venom in my blood... to have her burn through my veins!!”
he had stood up now and all around him quickly rolled to cover or moved.
His hair a rising flame.
Indeed Alasdair shouldn’t of said those things.

“YOU WALK UP TO ME AND SAY NOT TO EAT GODS APPLE? NOT TO BATHE IN THE GENTLE WARM WATERS OF PLEASURE AND PAIN?”

As cahone got closer he noticed his shouting literally causing the snow to melt, Cahone finished the bottle and all he had in his hands.

“you don’t know....” he tried calming himself. He took a step back from his cellmate and breathed a small flame as he curled into the foetal position and shouted. He shouted until he cried, each shout bellowed flames and each tear melted the snow and made the ground underneath scorched.

They man Alasdair May remember as tone grabbed Alasdair and moved him away from the “blast zone” that is boss hone.

“You got balls kid, but let’s make sure you don’t get roasted nuts for your trouble”

Zenpai · Apr 24, 2018

Alasdair felt bad, striking his cell mate when he was already suffering. He lashed out at a man who was in pain. When he hurt and killed those people out in the world, he did it because he was bored, he stole out of necessity, it was nothing personal. But this was. He did it out of anger, and it was intentionally hurtful. Cahone had every right to be pissed off, and Alasdair accepted his retaliation with shame. He’d crossed a line and been unnecessarily cruel.
“I’m sorry. I just wanted you to be more careful. Seeing you like this makes me upset.” He said quietly.
He almost chuckled sadly as he mentioned “God’s apple”. Cahone seemed to be breaking down. “I don’t know much about poetry, but if I remember correctly, eating that apple came with consequences.”
Seeing him finally collapse to the ground was just too much. Alasdair wished he could say something that would comfort him, but he knew he wouldn’t listen, and it would likely only do more damage. When one of his posse, the one who shooed off that man from before, approached Alasdair and spoke to him, he looked him sternly in the eyes and said, “No... it didn’t.” What he did was low, and he never should have brought it up in that fashion.
He turned away with his eyes downcast, and returned to where he sat before. He tried not to look at the poor man whom he’d just attacked. He was no longer angry with Cahone. Just with himself.

KasperXIII · Apr 25, 2018

|:| Warden Edward Brookes |:|

Even after he'd ordered for no abilities to be used for the potential fight club, Jason seemed insistent. Dangerously so, especially with the damning, true evidence to back himself up. Immediately following was the return to reason from Gentian. What to do... respect the code of morality that he, himself, had just broken? Or allow for turning Cahone into Thesta Penn's personal kraken at some sort of greater good for the prison, beyond just prisoner thinning? 49%... not a small number there. But was it worth putting Cahone as his equal? Even if it had the potential to make the inmate more miserable?

First, a response to how actively Jason was defending Cahone, a form of corruption to his own staff for as long as he could remember. "Oh, sure, and while we're at it, we might as well give Mister Pyrite a badge, a gun, a cushy office next to mine, and the goddamn keycodes to come and go from here as he pleases. Maybe a pat on the back and some women and booze for his troubles as we put him on a pedestal for murder and corruption, and all we'd be doing is stooping to his level. We give him this sort of power, and he'll beg for more. And if he doesn't get it, he might just snap while he still has a chance and send the entire prison to rubble and ash. Tell me whatever facts you want about rapists and monsters in here, but he's still a criminal. He's one of those monsters in his own right, and I will NOT give him special treatment as some sort of executor for the wrongdoers just for burning a few rapists under our roof." His own bias was getting in the way of seeing that fact for what it was. Perhaps speaking too strongly against him, but in his eyes, Jason was speaking too strongly FOR the man. "At least that's not the message we want to send. We want to show that crime has consequences, but we want them to fear us, not their peers. Especially if it's 'all power to boss hone,' as you called him. We don't tolerate corruption around here, and I'm sure as hell not giving a prison gang boss the keys to the castle."

He then turned his attention to Gentian, who began to show more of cowardice than a conscience for a moment. "You're wrong there. Fear is the key, Gentian. We need a scare tactic to enforce order, but not by using a fight club masquerading as an execution pit. Not to mention that the fight club should not be a punishment, but rather an option open to the more rowdy bunch, who probably won't refuse. I am allowing for development of this proposal, but by the book. As Lilith mentioned, we will quickly have a problem with the outside world if inmates suddenly start disappearing en mass. But even if many of the inmates here are in for life sentences, we have no authorization to bring forth the inevitable. Not to mention the board having my ass at the end of the day when push comes to shove and dozens of inmates get burned alive in what I'd have to cover up as a 'fight club accident'. We don't pit the scummiest of the bunch to face their death, and we certainly don't allow for extreme superhuman powers without any sort of control. Because if we end up using this form of punishment as often as these lockdowns are happening nowadays, you might as well execute every single inmate here."

He leaned back against the edge of his desk as he continued to develop this idea in his mind, redirecting his sights to Sam. "How quick do you think we can have those SWAT hoses installed in the yard? Out in the open is fine, but so long as we can lock them to prevent an inmate from using the hose for his own pleasure. We can spray down a fight if it gets too intense or someone's vitals are crashing."

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Dana Zane · Apr 25, 2018

Lilith started to think "If I remember correctly Calamitas does have weakening hex that only happens in Close combat which is actually not effected by hibititor. It's unknown how she keeps this but it will probably do with the hex doesn't use mana plus she knows how to fight. So she pretty much will end up in the same result as cahone but without powers as she will weaken her opponent. With her opponent weaken they will struggle to fight back or defend themselves." She said.

KasperXIII · Apr 27, 2018

|:| Warden Edward Brookes |:|

Holding his palms out in a halting manner at Lilith, he stopped her in her tracks as the subject of an inmate to punish others returned to light. "Stop right there. I may not have made myself clear. When I said we're not putting inmates on a pedestal as executioners, that means all inmates. Not Cahone, not Calamitas, nobody. The inmates remain at their level and don't get to touch our rank, and that means no special treatment, no permission to use their powers for nefarious means, and especially not for maiming or murdering their peers. Though, it does seem clear that the fight club is a rather popular idea among some of you. I don't fancy it, and I am certainly not signing off on prisoner thinning. But it seems like you're adamant about it. If this happens, we set ground rules."

He stepped back to direct his attention to everyone... what kind of bizarre world were they about to walk into? "First, no murder, no prisoner thinning, and we're not utilizing any particular inmate to act as Thesta's personal kraken as a form of punishment. This should be a genuine fight club, not a front for a slaughterhouse. Participation will be completely voluntary, but we will recommend it as a release of tension for the more... uneasy of the flock. But I swear, if an inmate dies in the ring, even so much as by accident, we shut down the fight club immediately..." His eyes seemed to float back in the direction of Jason and Lilith. "And all of the club's strongest advocates and the guard or guards on duty who didn't prevent it from happening will be written up and brought forth to the board. I've covered up enough with two lockdowns today."

"Second..." he continued, "If inmates are getting away with powers that can't be inhibited on a daily basis, we will attempt to compensate by remotely dropping the intensity of the participating inmates' inhibitors to make it fair. Do note that you only turn them down, not entirely off, and they get returned to normal intensity once the fight is over. You also should not let your guard down and prepare to neutralize an inmate if need be. If an escape plan is put into play because of this, again, the club's strongest advocates and the on-duty officers will be reprimanded for it. We will put into place measures to prevent anything too drastic if we need to neutralize a pair, a non-lethal method. Once again, we are not condoning or authorizing the inmates to murder each other. I can't be more clear on that."

"But I did say 'if'... because we're voting on it before we adjourn. The fight club happens on terms I've just stated, and nothing less. Do note... all of you who vote to have this fight club will be held accountable if disaster ensues. And if it does, I pull the plug immediately, and you might as well kiss your jobs here goodbye. So... All in favor of opening a fight club in this prison, participation non-compulsory, non-lethal fighting, mild superpower usage in a controlled environment where you will take turns supervising from 6PM to 7PM, and all infractions outside the ring reported to me and the violators appropriately punished and placed in solitary... All in favor, raise your hands."

Obviously, Brookes didn't. But he watched over the rest to make sure, even though most of the guards had already made their stances clear. But under this new terms, perhaps opinions would change, in either which way.

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WillfulWren · Apr 27, 2018

Well, lowering the inhibitors slightly made sense, and allayed the green haired guards fears for his eldest sister somewhat. He nodded slowly, already deciding. Despite his earlier reservations, he would vote yes, add his support to the fight club, even if it was more for Gail's sake then his own personal feelings. It's be something she'd enjoy after all. It seemed like many of his choices at the moment were centred around his rebellious sister. But then a problem occurred to him as he raised his hand, and his eyes widened.

"What about inmates whose inhibitors can't be properly lowered? For example, the Shifter who caused so much trouble earlier, her inhibitor is all or nothing. As well as keeping her in a constant state of pain." Under his breath, he added. " which seems rather cruel, considering how she seems to not even know her actions are wrong. "

"So how would you make a fight fair for someone like her?"

Athanas · Apr 27, 2018

Will looked at Silver, very clearly unconvinced at the girl's attempt to appear intimidating. After all, there was no way this short, cute girl could be an actual threat, right? Chuckling, he pocketed the rag, saying to Jasper in a mocking tone "Oh, this one must be the serial Killer of the group. At least now I know that the cafeteria serves tomato sauce." He laughed at his own joke for a few seconds, before Alice excitedly grabbed him by the sleeve and introduced him to everyone. Good. Least she wasn't creeped out back at the workshop. Suddenly, he saw her turn volatile again. Was it because she had gotten close to him? Hmm. She was quite shy if that was the case, but then again wasn't exactly one to speak, still fidgeting with his rivets. Trying to resist the urge to put his arms around her(from his minor experience, this tended to calm people down), he instead spoke to her directly: "God dammit Alice. Second breakdown within a couple of hours? I'll make you some sedatives first chance I get, otherwise we risk you getting a heart attack." he laughed again, trying to lighten up the atmosphere as much as possible.

Finally, he turned to the guy of the group. He stood silent for a few seconds, examining the man in front of him. He didn't look particularly threatening either, but something about his posture and demeanor... He certainly had a more organized mind than the other two, that's for sure. "Yeah, I'm new. The name's Will,by the way. And don't worry, I never had a crew to begin with."
"What I'm in for?" Jasper's question caused him no little amount of discomfort. What was he in for? He tried to remember. An idea. A plan. yelling. pain. Bright flashes. A man begging for his life. A Wicked smile. More yelling. More frustration. Failure. And that damn smile. God, he wished it would go away. He could see it, still. He..

Will managed to snap out of it. Hopefully, nobody had noticed that. Speaking slowly, and trying his best to hide his unease, he said to Jasper:"I earnestly don't care or remember. Doesn't matter now anyways." Realizing a change of subject was necessary, he added, rather quickly:"So, from what I gather, this is a place where they put all us "special" inmates. Well, what makes you people special?"

KasperXIII · Apr 28, 2018

|:| Jasper Bent |:|

It'd just recurred to Jasper that the cute yet bloodthirsty likes of Silver were the very ones that were behind the counter in the cafeteria. The same girl who'd been arrested for cannibalism and even broke out of her cuffs and ate a guard that same morning. It would make him think twice before eating any sort of meat from the cafeteria ever again. Lord only knows what, or whose, meat it was. Silver, herself, was a puzzling character. Cute and adorable on the outside, while not morphed into a beast, but on the inside? Torn between adorable and vicious. Not to mention how painful that new collar must be on her. It made him wonder if there were any humane regulations on Thesta Penn in the first place. And did they even apply to someone who, at times, wasn't even a physical human? Would the next time Silver bursts end up in her shot or something? As insane as it might've sounded, Jasper wanted to keep her on board his plans. They could use someone who could transform into animals. Maybe a rat to get into smaller areas. Even a fly if she wanted to, to just zoom away without anyone noticing.

Alice seemed way more hyper than usual, almost excited with her powers acting up and all. It might've been some sort of newborn enthusiasm after working with Will. He chuckled at the idea of giving her sedatives, thinking about the sort of relationship that formed between the two of them in their short time at work together. Alice would see a lot of Will, and vice-versa. This only tempted the mind reader even further to include this new character into the equation. Which is why he asked in the first place, what's this guy doing in the prison?

...Yet he can't remember? Jasper arched an eyebrow in confusion, getting up from his position leaned up against the fan and stepped closer, arms crossed around his chest rather defensively. Was this a sleeper? Someone from internal affairs to check on how Thesta was doing? No way; they'd have a far more convincing cover story than just 'I don't remember'. They'd need to blend in, after all. "That's funny," he scoffed. "No one just lands themselves here with the worst of the worst and doesn't care. Hell, nobody really ends up in prison and just doesn't care in general. Any guy like you would beg for his freedom back. He'd be banging on his cell doors just to get an answer. Yet you're here, rather... calm, of all things. Like you're allowing yourself to just be another pawn here. Odd. I mean, seeing you can't even remember why you're in here, why would they even throw you in here without explaining? Kinda begs the question: what if you didn't even deserve your sentence? Wouldn't you even slightly dream to be... free? I bet the ladies here would as well."

Silver and Alice's crimes were vastly different. One was a cannibal, the other a thief. The severity of each was greatly different, and the two couldn't exactly be treated as equals in this prison. But they both must have a desire for freedom. He knew damn well Alice did.

"As for me? What makes me so special?" He was going to continue on with the lie he'd told Alice before, that he was actually the culprit of his sister's actions. "I killed a judge in my home nation. I can read minds and send audio messages to anyone I can see, and I sent a high-pitched noise into his ear and watched his brain melt before my eyes. So yeah, I'm not exactly the most innocent thing here. Kinda sad I can't watch it happen to someone else with the drugs they keep pumping in to me. Reading minds is kind of fun, up until you get to the really sick sons of bitches. It gets a bit... disturbing. But in here, you tend to get used to it. I take advantage of whatever time I get when the drug wears off. Can't send any messages at that time, but I do read minds. After a year, hearing all the sick secrets of these thugs is rather entertaining. But that's my life story in a nutshell. Kinda wish I were a free man honestly. Wish I could just... walk out the prison doors, watching all their brains explode in their skulls and I just walk away like there's nothing there."

Jasper was getting ahead of himself there, and even begun to sound like a truly perverted killer with the details he'd described. In reality, he didn't think he could even pull that off without an intense migraine that'd stop him from being functional. In fact, he might not even be able to communicate one message to multiple people like that. But, whatever he could do to sell the act. At least he'd hinted towards desires for freedom to his potential team. Maybe then he could get the ball rolling.

Mentions:

Sybil · Apr 28, 2018

Samantha Fratellis and Pisha

The guard stood by, stone-like and quiet as one would expect, despite her want to curl her nose up at the prisoner being sponsored. The rapist-murderer? Still a murderer, and we do not sponsor criminal acts. I didn't serve to have this kind of shit happen... AND did she just suggest we sponsor the mage who just broke containment this morning?? What is wrong with some of the staff... When the warden asked her about the hoses, she kept it clear and concise to make it short since interruptions seemed plentiful.

"Guard towers are the best option, facing into the yard. At least 4 facing each yard. May cost a lot but it would be best to have the water tanks on the ground and steel pipes leading to the hoses from the ground up. Integrating the pipes into the towers is optimal but would take time. If we did tanks on the ground and water cannons on the ground, I bet we could have those by tomorrow or the day after."

She fell silent again, listening to all sides... until she found out there would be a vote.

A vote huh? How... democratic. Time to decide I guess.

"Regardless if some can fight or some cannot, I am against this waste of space and time. I vote no."

Just then the demon materialized in the room, behind the desk no less and looking at the back of the warden's head. She smiled, tipping her strange cap upward and hummed to herself.

"Hmmm... I like it! I vote yes, but we should do it in a better fashion! We need to do it with a lottery system, randomize the fights. Otherwise it will be the same fights over and over and rivalries would start!"

Sam looked across the room and glared daggers at the demon, who simply smiled literally ear to ear as her lips spread wide.

"What? I am not as rigid as yo-"

"You and I both know this is wrong. Stop indulging yourself."

"Hmmmmm NAHHH, hey Eddie? How about you hold these fights after sleep hours? Be nice and dark, turn on the yard lights and the ones who don't participate can go to sleep if they want. That way they don't have to change the schedule up much!"

WillfulWren · May 1, 2018

"Tomato sauce...?" The ShapeShifter looked puzzled, staring at Will, then shook her head. "Are you stupid?!" Silver said, rather bluntly. "Or have you just never seen someone covered in blood?" Apparently, she had no clue that girls wandering around drenched in gore wasn't normal.
"Special...? Like, what makes me...Not like humans? I turn into animals! And eat people!" It seems she's proud of this. Please do not question that.
Her head tilted to the side as Jasper spoke, and a faraway look entered those beautiful slit pupilled ruby eyes.
"Free...?" She repeated, thinking of home - something far away from this grey world of concrete and steel. Her 'habitat' was a pine forest, full of life and sound, where the trees reached towards the sky and a Shifter could be any of the many mundane and magical species dwelling within.

"I want...To go home..." She murmured quietly, as if the thought had just occurred to her.

Athanas · May 4, 2018

Will chuckled at Silver's confusion, seeing that his joke clearly flew over her head. He was about to explain what he meant when he heard her explain her ability. A shapeshifter? Interesting, he thought to himself. That explained why she had blood literally smeared over her, although he had to admit she looked a tad too happy to have killed and potentially devoured someone. Well, if you turned into a horrible monstrosity and ate someone, shouldn't you be cleaning up the evidence? Or are you actually trying to get thrown into solitary?

Jasper appeared surprised by his lack of answer, something that he had anticipated. Thankfully, he did not press further, instead answering Will's question regarding his powers. Will was rather uneasy when Jasper explained that he was an empath. His natural vulnerability against psychic attacks had cost him his freedom, and was the thing that held him back here in Thersta. He could still remember her voice echoing in his mind.[/I]And don't you get any ideas, because I'd love nothing more than to turn that brilliant mind of yours into a broken mess. Understood?[/I]. He just hoped that Jasper wouldn't exploit this weakness, at least, not as long as they were allies. Since it was his turn to claim his powers, he said "My powers? Well, I can create just about anything you might need. Explosives, potions, magical runes, robots... You name it, I can make it."
"And I'm fairly certain I deserved my sentence. I can tell you this much. As for wanting to be free? Of course I'd want to be free-Who wouldn't in a prison, after all? But, I really doubt escape from such a place is even possible. They have found ways to hamper all of us, either by threats or drugs. And unless you have a way we can beat that, we ain't getting out anytime soon"

firebright24 · May 5, 2018

Alice tried to regain control over everything. She took deep breaths and leaned on Jasper. "Sorry" she whispered glaring at Will. "If you dare to sedate me I will fry you." She turned to Silver "Honey lets get you cleaned up so you dont attract so much attention. I know for you this is normal but in human life a small girl covered in blood is not normal. She took the rag from Will and held out her hand to Silver. "Will you let me clean you up?" She was trying to be as friendly and non-threatening as possible. Hoping the girl would let her help her.

KasperXIII · May 5, 2018

|:| Jasper Bent |:|

The mind reader couldn't help but be amused by the various behaviors seen before him. Alice was already a figure provoking his curiosity. Silver? He couldn't help but admire the cute shapeshifter. And Will? Seemed civil enough, and skilled judging by his description of himself. Yet also cryptic. He knows he deserves the time, but doesn't know what exactly he did. At least, he, like any other normal person, wishes for freedom. So did Silver, although for a more primitive, less civilized reason. Releasing a cannibal into the wild? Risky, but she clearly had a conscience as he'd seen before in the cafeteria. And Alice was just a girl punished harshly for one mistake which probably had little to do with her powers. An inventor, a shapeshifter, and an electric girl. Was this the ragtag team that Felix hinted about? Nothing quite on the spot with that playful rhyme, but he figured this was a start.

"They make you think that," Jasper chuckled at Will's words, practically regurgitating the popular opinion about the prison. "Security bracelets, and electric fence, a draconian lockdown system, and methods of making us all powerless. Nothing is fully... unbreakable. In fact..." He took one last look behind his soon-to-be accomplices to make sure nobody was close to their little heating circle. Coast was clear. Nobody was coming any time soon.

"What if I told you that I might be on to something here?" he grinned. "What if I had a well thought out escape plan from this hell hole with a promise for freedom and a way off of Thesta to never be seen again? A way that you can use your powers freely once again and start life anew." With those words more directed towards Will, his next went to Silver. "Or you? You could go back to whatever home you had before... not that I'm condoning you eating people, but what if you had a chance to integrate with people? Or at least go back home." Then there was Alice, his cellmate leaning up against him, which he greeted with an arm around her in the most gentlemanly way. "And you could try to start over after your little heisting incident. You made a dumb mistake once, why not try to make it right?"

Now he seemed to come off as a sort of moral guardian, but it's not like he was calling anyone innocent. But part of the key to it all was still in Silver's pocket. "Freedom could be yours. To all three of you. Of course, you can't go blabbing about this, but simply because I like you all from the get-go, and I can't do this alone, I figured I might as well engage in a sort of partnership. But I know what you're all thinking: How can we trust you? ... Silver, how about you check that front pouch pocket of yours? I left you a little present there from the cafeteria. Doesn't seem like you caught it in the moment, but one look at that, and you should know I'm not bluffing about any of this. And show everyone, too."

A familiar map fragment of the prison... One even the newest of inmates can't not recognize.

Mentions:

WillfulWren

--

|:| Warden Edward Brookes |:|

On the side of the fight club: Jason, Lilith, Pisha, and even Gentian. Against? Only Sam it seemed. A look over to his head of security wasn't even needed to know she probably didn't approve of it either. But he put out a call for democracy, and the majority had to be given their wish. A fight club, as much as he was not on board, would be set up. Funding would not be an issue here, and according to Sam, neither would security measures. Managing guard brutality, corruption, and the possible death of inmates? That was going to be challenging, especially with the sinister thoughts of the people siding with the idea. The first to be addressed? The darker one proposed by Pisha, who'd decided to join the party and materialized right behind him. He gave her the time of day, not sparing her any sort of greetings because it seemed as if she was aware of what was taking place. Random fights, she proposed...

"Yes, it may fuel rivalries, but we have no right to pit inmates against their will in fights they don't want to participate in," he argued. "We can limit pairings to not face off all the time or ban some of them if it gets too extreme, but we will not force any inmate to fight when they don't want to. That's just as absurd as putting one of them on a pedestal as our personal executioner for the exceptionally bad. The idea about evenings, however..." he thought about that more carefully, realizing that wasn't the worst idea ever. "We can make that work to place the fights around the lights out time. I'll discuss it with the board and get back to you all about it in detail."

With Pisha's suggestions cleared, Gentian also had a valid concern, even if he was now on the side of the club. "If we can only take off an inhibitor in full, then said inmate will be under careful observation. Miss Felis' behavior today, for example, is one thing to be aware of. We will not allow for such an outburst in the future, but if we need to do such a thing to make a fight fair, then so be it. Come to think of it, the idea of late night fighting might be better since most of our inmates who are drugged are usually given their dosage just before they sleep. It will give them a chance to be competitive without complications with scheduling."

The Warden leaned back against his table facing the rest of the majority to address them all, even if Pisha stood behind him. "That settles it. More votes went towards the club, so even if I am not a fan of pitting inmates against each other, using this as a release is the best idea we can do. Arrangements will be made for a fenced-off section of the yard as well as security measures in case of a rogue inmate trying to escape in those moments of freedom. Fear will be the key in ensuring that slack won't be met with intolerance to the rules, and Miss Maldavo is our example. She will be left in solitary confinement until further notice, unlike the other two who were released just now. Without her, I don't think anyone else would've gotten wise and tried breaking the rules. Rather than punish the village, we punish the individual. The right way. We make an example out of her, and we bring in the fight club to hopefully reduce misconduct."

Smooth, Warden. A way to ensure nobody goes back into Zorra's cell without him finding a way to explain smashed up pieces of flesh.

"That about does it with the urgent matter at hand. As mentioned before, some inmates will be receiving new inhibitors tomorrow morning to ensure the lack of chaos. A list of who will be kept confidential until tomorrow to prevent sabotage or resistance. Thank god for the R&D team making these breakthroughs with our more unruly batch. Now, we can hopefully stop 'trusting' inmates to remain civil. With that, you may return to your posts and continue your days. Anyone with questions may address me in private, but until then, you are all dismissed."

Mentions:

WillfulWren · May 5, 2018

Silver took a large step back from the girl offering to clean her up. "No! I don't want to!" This was followed by a short snarl, more a warning not to get any closer than a true threat, but then her attention was once again distracted by Jasper. She struggled to understand some of what he said, but she listened intently, head tilted to one side.

"How could we in...Inti- How could we be with humans if we broke out? Wouldn't the people from Thesta, and the people who locked us up look for us?" She frowned, thinking it over, then grinned, eyes lighting up. "You could live in the pine forest with me! It smells really good, and there's lots of good stuff to eat! Like rabbits and deer and people!" She doesn't really understand why the others would want to return to civilization because the only 'civilization' the shapeshifter's ever known is the prison. Which she's been in for less than a day and has already killed someone and been tortured. So civilized. "There's lots of sunshine in summer, and some really nice rocks to sunbathe on, but everything gets covered with a big cold blanket after the leaves fall! And...And the wolf pack there is very fluffy! And...They don't bite as much as they used to!"

She probably would have carried on talking about home, but Jasper's suggestion to check her pocket was followed, and she took out the piece of paper, looking confused. She studied it carefully. She may have only been there less than a day - and most of that day had been spent in solitary - but it was unmistakable. "...A....Map...?"

Sybil · May 5, 2018

Samantha Fratellis and Pisha

Sam cursed inside her head as she was dismissed, no longer wanting to be in the room. Will she take the fall when this idea goes south? No, because as the warden mentioned. those in favor will be taking responsibility. Prison sponsored violence? Despicable.

Pisha just grinned as she started to watch guards file out, turning to look at the warden. "Say Eddy, what about prizes? Are we giving them drugs?... or a grand prize of a sentence reduction? We can discuss that when they leave of course!" The demon just sat in his chair, spinning it around. "You all go to your posts before you all get in trouble again~!" Seems the demon was set on talking in private.

KasperXIII · May 5, 2018

|:| Jasper Bent |:|

Jasper grinned as the shifter removed his hint from her pocket and panicked over specifics about what happens beyond the walls of the prison. All valid concerns, which he was surprised to hear from a girl who'd lived in such primitive conditions. "Oh, they would. We are some of the filthiest scum on the planet. But, you see... my job before I started my time was work in the justice system, meaning I am very well-versed in the law. And I know for certain that once we enter the waters surrounding this island, no Thestian authority has the legal right to step in even the shallowest part of the tide and arrest you. You are outside their jurisdiction by simply not standing on dry land. Part of the agreement at the end of the war between Thesta and Filincia - my home nation. Filincia became the legal owner of the surrounding waters. The problem is that Thestian criminals in Filincia are to be sent back here. But if we can find a place with no extradition laws, and certainly not where you were convicted, then you won't ever have to sleep in the cold forests again. You can have a nice cozy home all over again, maybe sleep by a fireplace as a cat if you really feel like it. All I ask of you is to trust that I know what I'm doing."

He reached over to take the scrap of paper back into his hands. He showed the paths he'd drawn between specific areas of the main building - the prison vehicle garage, the cafeteria, the workshop, gen-pop, and some low-level guard offices, along with every hallway in between - to Will and Alice as proof of his theory. This had to be familiar to the two, even if all they had was one orientation tour. "There's plenty more where this came from, by the way. But yes, this is a small fragment of a map of the whole prison, one that I've been building for a year without a single guard getting wise about my newfound artistic hobby." He folded the paper back into a few simple folds and returned it to his pocket.

"But before either of you see anything more, I'm going to need some reassurance of loyalty. And that you're not going to go tell your friends. The more people who end up in this, the more risky escape will be. We only let people on board if it's absolutely necessary for the escape. But with your individual skills and my new job in the Warden's office, I feel like my plan can finally move forward. But... again. I need to know if I can depend on you all, and that you will trust me once we're on the outside of these walls, and inside. That you won't go snitch to a guard. Because if you want to be free... that's the simple request I make before you know anything further."

Mentions:

WillfulWren

--

|:| Warden Edward Brookes |:|

Truth be told? Edward didn't approve of the decision either. He simply placed the decision in the hands of old-fashioned democracy to avoid a riot and to test the waters under controlled circumstances. And yet, more requests for twists to the tale were coming. He knew the second he took up requests after the meeting, he'd be overflooded with questions much like Pisha had proposed. He sighed and turned around to see the materialized spiritual entity seated in his desk as if she were the boss. The Warden knew he was no match for a goddess of sorts, so it was best not to argue. She was protecting his prison, after all, and had the approval of the board under a vague form of wording. So he sucked it up and replied as calmly as he could, even though he was extremely tense and uneasy.

Prizes.... Unafraid of those lingering behind, he spoke: "I never thought of prizes, but we're sure as hell not rewarding aggression with a reduced sentence. Or drugs, especially not for those who are already pumped up every night. Talk about praising bad behavior, or getting some of these scumbags killed. Too messy. But we can offer up smaller rewards like extra meals of sorts, or maybe some grace for good sportsmanship. But apart from that, nothing dangerous. You will be a big part if these fights get out of hand, you know, so keep your guard up and don't let these fights get out of hand."

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Sybil

Sybil · May 9, 2018

Pisha

The demon swirled around in the man's chair, humming to themselves as they listened to the explanation. No big rewards? Boring!

"Honestly? Who wants to fight really just for a meal? Also by limiting the pool of fighters it just creates a group of people everyone now knows to fear because they are training to fight!" The demon was spinning faster and faster in the old chair, that is until she stopped it dead in its tracks.

"Speaking of a fear, I bet Zorra is frozen to the bone in fear from being separated from the fire boy and is now in solitary confinement!" The demon just looked directly into the warden's eyes with a sly smile. Luckily for the warden, the evidence was gone thanks to a certain demon.

Oh I know your secret~

WillfulWren · May 14, 2018

SIlver understood....Very little of what was just said. She nodded like she got it, though there was a vacant expression on her face. "Umm...I don't think you understand..." She murmured eventually. "I want to go back to the forest. A warm house would be nice in winter, but for most of the year I just need some trees and my fur. Also...I have no clue what you're talking about. At all. What's ex...Extra-dition?" Slver frowned as she sounded the word aloud, her pronunciation clumsy as she stared at Jasper, complete and utter incomprehension and obliviousness clearly to be seen.
"I can help you draw, though! I like drawing! And you're kinda my only friend, so even if I had any clue what you were talking about, you're the only one I could tell!"
Oddly enough, she seems pleased about this.

KasperXIII · May 14, 2018

|:| Jasper Bent |:|

Jasper almost wanted to facepalm, now realizing the sort of being he was making his bed with. Half of what he went on about must've been the equivalent of Chinese to Silver. Well, that's what happens when a highly-educated apprentice speaks to a girl who was basically raised by creatures with the mental capacity and physical structure of squirrels. All the shifter wanted to do was go back to the wilderness, where she was before, and lord only knows if she'll go back and eat someone again or make a stupid mistake by making herself a noteworthy figure of the public eye, all to land herself right back here at the end of the day. Wasn't the fact she'd JUST decided to eat a guard enough of a giveaway? He sighed, thinking back at everything she went on about. Every bit she was confused about, questioning, or just unsure of. He needed to make sure she understood all of the terms of this operation so she doesn't accidentally cost him his one shot at escape. On the bright side, she didn't really have any other friends to tell about the escape plan, so that would work in his favor. Loyalty is all he could ever ask for.

"Extradition..." he repeated perfectly for her without stuttering, "Means that the authorities can bring you right back here if you're so much as seen in a public place by the wrong person. But that's not the case in all places. We will be going someplace where no such laws exist so that we can start over. People won't have any right to bring us back to Thesta if they recognize our faces so long as we don't break any of the laws local to the city itself." Though his vocabulary was still years higher than that of Silver, he hoped he passed on the message clear enough.

"The drawing help will go a long way, since I have some incomplete maps... Including solitary confinement. Perhaps I could ask you to draw up what you saw down there, but for now, all I need is words of approval, if you're in or not, if you will pull your weight no matter what I ask, and if you will swear to secrecy even if you're caught."

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