Behind Bars

[RainDash]

"Tch. It seems that I'll have to break your face too. I am giving you one last warning." Xen padded over to the guard and Alice. "Stop." she laid her hand on the guard's wrist, facing him. "Because you either let her go, or you get a broken wrist." her threats were serious, her slotted eyes lending to her angered face. Her ears were flat against her head, her tail was puffed out, and every muscle was tense. She hated abuse of power, and she was going to kill this guard. Those unfit to serve, should be removed from duty. She probably would snap his wrist anyway.

[Narath]

Menzak

 

"Just give it to the person behind the counter. They'll get your food." Menzak said.

Suddenly, his HUD showed an alarm for five minutes left on his breakfast time. He let out a curse in Venozan. Why couldn't he have had more time with Safira?

"I'm sorry Safira, but I have to leave now. I'm out of time, but would you like to meet up again later?"

[pinkieseb]

Flague saw a tiny whole in the wall and poked one and a half eyes through it, looking at the other prisoner. Ha, humans.... Flague examined her cell for any cards he could try to steal, he couldnt see any in plain sight so he said "You wanna trade for anything? I could use a screwdriver made out of anything, or wire... I'll give you as many shop cards as you could dream of!" Flague was bluffing of course, but it was a human. He could easily outsmart this person.

((Helloooo, Jazz?))

[Narath]

((OOC: Mipuppy? You there?))

[chicbecause]

Jazz looked at the alien through the tiny hole with a glare.

"Are you zarkin' kidding me?" She asked. "You honestly think I'm going to believe you? That's like me believing a snake when he tells me eating a poisoned apple will give me infinite knowledge. But pretend for a second you did have all those shop cards, why would you offer them to me?"

Jazz rolled her eyes at the creature and sat down on the floor, looking very put-out.

She needed to get to the shop to get supplies. That would be a tricky endeavor considering all the serial killers and gang-banger that guarded the shop entrances like creepos.

"Yowza." She said. Just for the hell of it.

 

 

Nervana carried on in a similar manner to what she had been doing previously, oblivious to the danger Alice was in at the time. It would probably be a very good idea to learn the other girls name, she couldn't just carry on referring to her as 'the other girl'. By the time she finally found the will within herself to stand, the commotion had already passed.

She didn't even try to figure out why there were two(or was it three?) guards lying on the floor as she walked over them and over to whatever her name was. She suddenly realized her headache was gone, which did a good deal to improve her overall manner, but it still left the sleepy grogginess behind to say goodbye.

[pinkieseb]

Flague rolled all four eyes in different directions toward Jazz, "Screwdrivers let me mod HUD's duh!" This human was to stupid for Flague to even bargin with, he gave up and attempted to pull loose bits of rock out of the hole in the wall to use as weapons or tools.

[Omen]

By the time the guard had returned with his ration of food, Varan had returned the remaining food cards to their place beside his clothing in the box under his bed. Confident with the knowledge that he wasn't going to go without food for today, Varan had settled to pacing across the centre of his cell, contemplating whether or not the guard had in all actuality, been serious with his threats. His thoughts were interrupted when the sound of a food tray being slid through the small opening designed precisely for that reason brought him back to the present, stomach rumbling mutinously despite his attempt to remain nonchalant.

 

The guard sent him a knowing grin, for whatever reason, Varan did not want to find out. As entertaining as it was to rile the guards, this one in particular knew how to reflect the jibes and barbs back towards him. Aware that if he continued to delay, the guard would simply drop the plastic tray of food, Varan collected it, sending the guard a dark look, suspicious of whether or not his food was edible.

 

"Please, if I wanted to poison you, I certainly wouldn't poison your food." The guard said with a disgusted snort, as if to say merely having to hold the tray of food went against his principles.

 

Regardless, Varan dashed his tongue out, scenting the tray of raw to rare meat, clearly scraps from the Middle Ring if the disparate selection of meats were anything to go by. While he could smell the strong scent of sheep's liver and the appetite dampening smell of not quite spoiled beef, Varan couldn't determine whether or not it was in fact poisoned. Trusting the guard's word, the Venoza took the tray before settltling himself onto the floor, knees resting on the concrete in a kneeling position so that his tail wasn't bent at a painfully awkward angle.

 

The guard remained present, he would wait for Varan to finish eating before confiscating the tray. Prisoners often thought up the craziest of ideas, and trusting them with even a plastic tray was not something Inner Ring guards were dim-witted enough to do. Varan didn't really care, he figured it was punishment enough for the guard to have to watch him eat, especially to eat foods that his human stomach would reject due to having a weaker digestive system.

 

Starting with the bad smelling chunk of beef, Varan just about swallowed it whole, not wishing to have the taste of such unappetising food branded onto his tongue. Taking satisfaction from the way the guard's expression distorted at the sight, Varan moved onto a piece of pork that looked unexpectedly fresh for an Inner Ring special. Devouring the pork with a little more self control, Varan wasn't surprised when it's flavour was dampened by a taste of brine, a preservative. Swallowing the chunk of not-so-tasty pork down, Varan finally moved onto one of his favourites, liver. Low in fat and high in protein, it made for a suitable choice in regards to the dietary needs of Venoza. Never mind that other species didn't really like it, as such the meat wasn't nearly as... conspicuously flavoured as the more often used cuts of animal protein, simply because it made its way to the Inner Ring that much quicker.

 

Once he had finished eating, Varan arose to a stand, walking to the corner of the cell with contentment only gained by eating a filling meal, even if some of its contents were questionable. The guard opened the slot, allowing Varan to place the tray in the required area, moving away after the guard sent him a cautionary frown. If the guard was a friend, Varan might have thanked him for bringing food to his cell, however the guard was neither a friend nor an enemy, he was just someone Varan held no particular fondness for. Especially when the man infuriated the Venoza as often as he did. It was easier to be mean, anyway, there were less expectations because even your friends assumed you simply weren't worth the effort. With a wistful sigh, Varan returned to his pacing, wishing for nothing more than the guard to leave so that he may be in peace.

 

"Inspection soon. Ensure your cell is in immaculate condition." The guard had clearly cooled down from their earlier battle of wits, although his bland tone left something to be desired. Leaving without a second comment, the guard's footsteps soon faded into the background as Varan was left pacing, already prepared for the inspection.

Edited November 7, 2013 by VampiricOmen

[mipuppy1]

(Waiting for Thael, I think we went a bit to far without him.)

[Thaelasan]

(( Not at all. In fact, I actually intended for Michael and Narath's Venoza to not be roleplayed until after you all had finally finished inspection.

Narath, play Stark for a bit. Take over. I'm running out of idea juice for a bit. Need to recharged. ))

[Narath]

((OOC: It's difficult to play the only guard! He's on duty so he can't really go around talking to everyone, especially if they are not under his charge. I have no ideas for him right now!))

[mipuppy1]

The guard raised a shaking blade to Alice's throat, "Call reinforcements from the middle ring." He nodded to a different guard standing by.

"No! We can't let them know that we couldn't handle a few soft female prisoners!"

"Do you want to die?! The cat seems capable of murder." The guard holding Alice snapped.

Reluctantly, the other guard nodded, "We need some experienced guards to come handle this minor riot in the cafeteria." After a few seconds the guard nodded, to show he received the answer to the message and that help was coming.

 

(I don't think this post is right, but I don't want this RP to die DX

 

If you want me to fix something Thael, just ask me and have someone else control the guards, please Q.Q)

[RainDash]

"Either give up, or die. I'm quite bored by your flagrant display of misconduct and your insulting me." with a snap of her foot, the squirming guard stopped writhing in pain. She didn't even have to look and see that his neck was broken and he no longer breathed. It was simply that she knew from experience how to kill a human. "Next." Xen said, sliding her right foot back and crouching down into a defensive position. Her palms were open and relaxed, implying that she might use open handed blows than closed ones. She looked bored though, as if she did this every day of every week. She mostly wished that her reputation hadn't been ruined, but that was easy to get over. It was just a shame, that she had to spew these dumb rules and keep up her cover.

[Narath]

((OOC: okay, please wait for a bit. I can't currently make a post, but I will make one for stark to get there ASAP))

[Narath]

Stark

 

Stark was suddenly jerked from his patrolling as he got a message on his HUD reporting that there was an outbreak or something on the outer level mess hall, and he needed to get there ASAP. The guard quickly broke into a sprint, and headed for the specified location, his stun rifle out and at the ready as he did so. As he arrived at the mess hall, he saw the body of the now slain guard slump to the floor, and the prisoner responsible now taunting the other guards.

"Back off from her!" He ordered, rifle level with the female's chest. "Make sure the other prisoners have backed off."

Then he saw the one guard with knife to a prisoner's throat... Alices throat.

"What the hell is the meaning of this?" Stark growled. "Let her go. You aren't helping the situation."

Turning back to the cat-like prisoner, e spoke to her with a calm and cool voice.

"Miss, stand down now. I don't want to hurt you. If you calm down, I promise that I will try and lessen whatever punishment awaits you by letting my bosses know how cooperative you were."

If it came down to it, Stark could definitely fight this girl. He had a lot of experience with close quarters combat in the military, which is partially why he was hired.

 

((OOC: I am sorry for my lateness, but I have been traveling all day))

[mipuppy1]

"No!" The guard holding Alice protested as another guard lunged for Nervana.

"Yeah! We get the humans and you get the cat-girl, you can't claim all the credit!" Another guard chimed in.

"Knock her out already!" The guard holding Alice yelled to Stark. Alice gave a suddenly loud scream, as about five drops of blood rolled down the guard's blade, he had barely nicked her put he wasn't pulling the blade back out, "Stop struggling dammit!" He growled, twisting the knife just the littlest bit, he was rewarded with a whimper this time.

 

(Sorry for short post, school.)

[RainDash]

"Tch. I was stopping a crime and they refused to back down. However, I will cease unless you tell me otherwise." Xen bowed her head. "Although, you might want to do something soon. That guard who is overreacting to having food spilled on him is going to kill her." Xen continued, bored. She looked around, it seemed that she had started a riot. Huh. "I didn't intend to start a riot sir, I merely was correcting an injustice. I may no longer be a Zoran Guard, but I still have to obey the rules given to me." She pushed down the rifle with one finger and moved to her seat, her tail flicking back and forth. She stuffed down the food which was now cold, and waited for something to happen.

Hopefully the guard wasn't ignorant and knew exactly what she meant. If not, she'd have to explain it to him, and frankly, that was tedious and boring. She'd have to surrender any faith and explain it like she had when she had grown up. The Guards were part of the Elite Class. The Elite Class were the military's royalty in a sense. Anyone could achieve that rank, but it was the top. However, most didn't realize there were even ranks within that. Generals overruled Guards, and the King overruled Generals. No one had seen the King in a long time though. It was said that she was dead, and her son had taken the throne, but she hadn't been home.

She missed him. Braxiean had been one of her charges, the one who she was to guard tooth and nail, but they'd grown closer than that. He was her best friend, and now she wondered how things were going back home. She closed her eyes and tried not to imagine how he'd try to pull strings to get her back home. Brax was her age, and it was hard to imagine him being a King. However, if anyone was going to get her home, it would be him. Hopefully, she manage to escape someday.

[Narath]

Stark

 

"This isn't about taking all the credit dammit!" Stark said in frustration. "Look, you called for a more experienced guard, and here you have one. Now, in my experience, everything happens to go smoother when a guard isn't holding a BLOODY KNIFE TO AN INMATE'S THROAT (No pun intended)! Now, as a superior ranking officer, I am ordering you to stand down!"

As the guard lunged for another prisoner, Stark took the but of his rifle and smashed it into his face.

"Follow my orders, and you'll get hurt less." He growled as he pointed the gun back to the lone prisoner. "And might I remind you that disobeying a superior officer is a punishable offence.

"And ma'am, I'm sorry to tell you, but you'll have to come with me. Rules are rules."

Edited November 11, 2013 by Narath

[mipuppy1]

After watching his friend be struck across the face by the butt of a rifle, the guard smartly decided he should probably listen to Stark. He lowered the knife from Alice's throat, she had stopped struggling (which was how the knife got in, in the first place) and was now fairly still, wide, brown eyes darted around the room, begging anyone it laid itself onto to make the pain stop. The guard didn't let go of Alice as her shocked body fell limp, she really didn't feel like struggling or squirming if it meant a knife in her throat. The guard was clutching her close as if she were his stuffed animal and he was a three year old as he looked at Stark, waiting for his next command.

[Narath]

Stark

 

"Did I also not say to let her go." Stark said, the question sounding more like a statement. "Now! And make sure that the cut you stupidly inflicted on her is treated. I don't want to have a prisoner with a life threatening infection or anything."

Turning back to the female that seemed to be the reason he was called down here in the first place, he lowered his rifle so he wouldn't make her nervous.

"Miss, you'll have to come with me." He said. "If you do so peacefully, I'll try and lessen the punishment that awaits you."

Edited November 12, 2013 by Narath

[RainDash]

With a sigh, Xen rose from her spot and dumped the tray. "I suppose that is indeed the rule." Xen stifled a laugh at the irony. "Well, we should get going then. I'd hate to be late for an unjust jolting." she silently tried to escape to her mind place, where she could be free from pain and maybe it wouldn't be nearly as bad. This HUD was more of a hindrance than a boon some days. Xen folded her hands together as a sign of trust, saying that she wouldn't do anything if he didn't attack her. Her. Eyes were half open, once again hiding behind to the bored mask. She was terrified. Would they take her cards? She could stand not eating for a day or two, but those fraternity cards were had won. She'd soon part with an ear than one of them.

Edited November 12, 2013 by RainDash

[chicbecause]

Nervana's mind cleared momentarily as her body surged with adrenaline. She grew up on the streets and knew how to handle herself in a fight. Right before she could do anything about the brute attacking her, he was smacked in the face with a rifle.

"Well, that works too..." Nervana said with a shrug as the situation died down.

The grogginess didn't come back immediately as she first imagined it would, but she suddenly felt just how weak she really was and needed to sit down.

[Narath]

Stark

 

"I won't be the one to do any jolting." Stark said, putting the female's hands behind her back to cuff them. "I'm just the one that brings you to administration."

As he began to walk her out, Stark stopped next to the guard that was holding Alice.

"I'll be checking up on those two female prisoners later, and if I find out that you were not doing your proper duty as a just officer of the law, you will be in more trouble than you can afford."

[RainDash]

"Oh I know. Every alien has a system after all." she smiled as he cuffed her. "My name is Xenthira Naa'ael, by the way. Thank you for stopping me. It would have been a shame to have so much lost life. I don't enjoy showing off." her ears were tilted back to hear whatever this guard had to say in reply. "Also, I can give an accurate eyewitness to what happened. I could even testify, after all, I have literally have nothing else to live for." Xen explained. Her smile was just a small twitch at the end of her lips, but she was in the right. Maybe that one girl would owe her one. Xen could use all the favors she could get in this… what was the word again? Prison?

 

[As you can imagine, there really aren't that many prisons on her home world. There's one, but it's more for Zorans who have crossed the border, less for crimes.]

[Omen]

((So I figured Inner Ring would have inspection earlier, since there are less prisoners to contend with. I'll add another post or edit this later with Varan's IC.))

 

NPC Guard

 

Inspection time was upon him earlier than he'd like, having taken care of providing food for the prisoners in his care. It didn't even feel as if ten minutes had passed since he finally sat down at his desk, revelling in the comfort the plush, padded chair offered. With an internal groan of annoyance, the guard lifted himself off the chair, grabbing the set of keys used to open the cells. As archaic as the keys were, they were handy when it came to opening things. No technical knowledge needed, no fancy fingerprinting devices stealing his unique prints. Yet, they weren't the only method of security the prison employed, it was one of many. Even with these keys, he'd never be able to open a cell without permission and the Sub-Warden's keycard, lest he incur the Sub-Warden's wrath. Speaking of which, the Sub-Warden would be present for the inspection, as he always was with these official events. Another groan of irritation, this time verbal, followed the guard as he exited the small office designated to him.

 

The Sub-Warden, a burly, sadistic looking man, taller and wider than he awaited the guard's presence, beady eyes focused entirely on the look of distaste across the guard's features. "Man up junior. We got some prisoners ta inspect. Make sure ya jolter's workin - wouldn't want to haf ta shoot our prisoners, eh?" The sub-wardens tone said otherwise, but the guard kept his thoughts to himself.

 

A quick glance at the device around his wrist assured him that yes, the jolter was still in working condition. "Yes sir, It's in operational condition, sir. Glad to have you along, Sub-Warden." Utmost respect, however fake, seeped through his voice, ensuring the Sub-Warden's overly large ego received the sustenance it needed. He dreaded inspections, almost as much as the inmates themselves. Staying in the presence of the Sub-Warden for more than half an hour was a tiring experience, his mind having to translate his odd speech into proper words. The guard understood Venoza hissing moreso than the Sub-Warden's drawl.

 

The Sub-Warden wasn't a stupid man though, he had been raised to the position for a reason. Behind his odd pronunciation a sharp mind worked, gears grinding, cogs turning - rarely so solely focused on the task at hand that requests for his attention went unheeded. To his luck, those requests were minor, and never required a Sub-Wardens opinion, some guards just wanted to be by the book, a trait that annoyed the man on occasion. Without further ado the duo set off to begin with inspections.

 

What felt like hours later, but was really only an hour, the guard stood at the entrance to his final inspection, the Venoza known as Varan Carinata. The reptilian eyed the duo with suspicion, eyes spending more time focused on the Sub-Warden than they did on the guard. A small 'hmph' emanated from the guard as he unlocked the cell, the Venoza didn't see him as the larger threat.

 

The sound drew the inmate's attention to himself, and the guard narrowed his eyes. "You know the drill, Carinata. Turn around, hands behind your back. One wrong move and I have authority to jolt you."

 

He'd yet to jolt this particular prisoner, he would hate to see what electricity did to reptilian biology, and sure as eggs didn't want to find out. So when Carinata demurely turned on the spot, hands clasped behind his back in an aggravated fashion, the guard was relieved. The Sub-Warden let out a tut-tut noise, almost as if the Venoza's decorum wasn't up to par. The guard hoped then, that he wouldn't employ the jolt, especially while he was securing cuffs around the inmates hands.

 

The guard knelt down and cuffed the Venoza's ankles as well, leaving his tail to swish in a threatening fashion. The man had once tried to cuff the Venoza's tail along with his feet, and had found out rather quickly that it was as bad an idea as it sounded. Having an unbalanced, angry Venoza breathing down his neck, wasn't the best of experiences, even if the Sub-Warden found it hilarious. "Good, the less trouble from you now, the better." The guard stated, knowing the Venoza would refrain from heckling him in the presence of the Sub-Warden.

 

"Get 'im over in tha corner, can't be inspecting tha place wit' that lizard tail swishin' about." The Sub-Warden ordered, eyes glancing from one end of the cell to the other.

 

"Yes sir." The guard responded, steering the resisting Venoza towards the left front corner of the cell. "Make it easy on yourself, Carinata, Sub-Warden's not in a good mood following the last inspection." The guard whispered, secretly grateful that the reptilian was shorter than him. A slight tick of Varan's head was all that he retaliated with, resistance falling away like a thin sheet.

 

The guard stood by the inmate who was facing the concrete walls, watching as the Sub-Warden rifled through the prisoners meagre belongings. What what had been an unbelievably tidy cell was soon reduced to a mess of unfolded clothes, scattered cards and a somewhat irate Sub-Warden. "Where did 'e put 'em. Can't see 'em anywhere." The Sub-Warden whirled around, it was comical to see such quick movement from a large man, the guard held in a snigger.

 

Varan finally spoke, the guard could almost hear the glare he was giving the wall. "You won't find them, Sub-Warden. They are my cards, I earned them."

 

"That so?" The Sub-Warden answered, right hand looming over the device on his wrist. The jolter.

 

The guard inconspicuously stepped to the side, out of range from the sparks that would surely fly from the inmates scales if the Sub-Warden followed through with the threat. "If I may, Sub-Warden,"

 

The Sub-Warden paused, eyes flickering dangerously.

 

"It'd be a waste of time to jolt him, he's a lizard remember? Jolting him would surely roast his innards and we wouldn't be able to find where he hid the cards." He couldn't believe he was defending a prisoner, but they had rights, and it was his job to protect them as much as enforce the rules.

 

"Nyuh, you have a point." The Sub-Warden dropped his hand, returning to rifle through the Venoza's remaining pile of clothing. "I'd be able ta find tha cards if he done keeled over, Junior, we'd be able ta search tha lizards cell, simple and easy."

 

The guard frowned, sincerely hoping the Sub-Warden wouldn't enact such a breach of protocol. It was the guard's words against the Sub-Warden's though, the Warden wouldn't believe a word of his complaint if the Sub-Warden felt 'threatened' enough to incapacitate the Venoza.

 

Varan hissed, a noise sounding suspiciously like he failed to withhold a Venozan curse. Regardless, the Venoza was stubborn and didn't utter a word, risk of being electrified or not. His body relaxed, stance looking far more casual than it should, before tensing so quickly the guard blink in shock. That was when, the guard realised belatedly, why.

 

The sound was unlike any he'd ever heard, a screeching, huffing display of such sheer pain that the guard felt sickened to be in the presence of the man who perpetrated it. Venozan physiology was similar to other bipeds in that the nervous system was sensitive, otherwise protected by a thick, scaled hide. The electricity coursing through the Venoza's body caused immense pain, firing ever neural pain receptor off in a random string of screaming, huffing and yelling, slowing to stop the subject from dying before increasing to cause the subject's muscles to seize and tense all at once. The guard pretended not to notice the small pool of liquid at the Venoza's twitching body once the jolting session ended.

 

"I've had enough, get him clean up." The Sub-Warden stated, eyes blatantly ignoring the huffing pile of scale and muscle. His drawl cleared up at strange times, the guard noticed. With that, the Sub-Warden threw a keycard to the guard, a spare to the same on the Sub-Warden had used to enter the cell, before leaving himself.

 

The Venoza groaned in what the guard knew was nothing other than pain, lifting his head long enough to spit blood onto the floor. The blood was a colour the guard hadn't expected. He would have asked Varan if he was okay, but it was obvious he wasn't, and the man wouldn't be overly fond of the guard's concern, genuine or not.

 

 

Varan

 

Varan grumbled incomprehensibly, his tongue ached from having bitten it. He was glad he couldn't regurgitate food, for after that episode he surely would be laying in it. The knowledge that his bladder hadn't held through the torture embarrassed him, sending his mood into a deeper, darker pit than it had ever been. "Go away." Varan finally managed, words coming out in a hiss of distaste. He could tell from the ache at his wrists and ankles that they were raw, probably bleeding.

 

The guard stepped back, a look of disbelief flitting across his face. "I was ordered to clean you up, Carinata. I don't know if you heard that." The guard's voice sounded oddly compassionate. It sounded out of place, from a member of the Inner Ring's finest.

 

The reptilian made no effort to respond, only closing his eyes against the thudding in his head, he would have a headache soon enough, if the thudding didn't count as one yet. When the guard removed the shackles from his wrists and ankles, the Venoza let out a sigh of relief. His muscles would be aching for the next couple of days, from the stress of sudden tensing and relaxing of muscles that the jolting caused.

 

The guard was a little dubious at first, undoing the irons that bound the other man, but he hadn't shown signs of physical aggressiveness, just abject defeat. "I should get you to a physician, see if you have internal -"

 

"I'm fine." Varan interjected, bringing himself to a kneel. He avoided the gaze of the guard, knowing full well that his current state of weakness would be remembered, and used against him in the future. Blood from the small wounds on his wrists appeared on his palms as he rubbed them absentmindedly. He didn't want to see the physician. In times gone by, he'd attempted to fake an illness, just to escape the confines of his cell, but the HUD scanners his guard had equipped could instantly determine whether his symptoms were real or if it was just a ploy.

 

"You're not fine, Carinata, a jolting isn't something to be taken lightly. It's killed convicts before." His voice stressed reason, he wanted the inmate to listen just this once to something that wasn't an order. His HUD showed no signs of lasting injury, he just didn't want to take a chance, not when his knowledge of alien physiology comprised solely on what this Venoza could and could not eat.

 

Varan raised his head, this time focusing on the human guard with a look not of distrust, but of amusement. "What's this, you actually care?" The snide insinuation hung in the air making no effect to lighten the tense situation.

 

Running his hand through his hair, the guard almost snorted in disbelief. "I'm doing my job. If you die on my watch, it makes me look bad - and I'll tell you now, I do not wish to visit the Sub-Warden more often than I already have to." The last half of the sentence was whispered in feigned horror, the guard had barely taken a step away from the prisoner. "Now, let's get you cleaned up."

Edited November 14, 2013 by VampiricOmen

[RainDash]

[bump]