Central Building, 2:30 AM [Open]

[Kissa Deactivated]

Click! 

The lock finally opened. The blonde human man smirked smugly and pushed the door open. The beams of flashlights sweeped the windowless room. 

^Gunssss!^ Bhorso howled and charged in the room, almost tossing Rox on the floor as he passed the neko woman who shot a murderous glare at the reptilian’s back. 

 

They were all quiet. 

There were no guns. There were black and thick riot gear hanging from hangers. Other equipment was on racks and shelves. Handcuffs, zip ties, disposable gloves, spit hoods, gags, shields, long batons, pepper spray, hand held tasers and stun batons, stun and smoke grenades and such.

^W-where are they? Where are all the guns?!^ Bhorso said aloud what everyone else was thinking. His reaction was like a confused child’s. The tall lizard rummaged through the boxes, but there wasn’t even one pistol and rubber bullets.

^Is this really all they have had this whole time…?^ Carina pondered aloud.

“No. There was a riot years ago and from what I heard, they were using live ammo then. There isn’t even anything to use rubber bullets… or rubber bullets.” The black fox moved slowly, shifting through their findings.

^What a disappointment…^ Alayne sighed. ^Not even proper knives…^

^We will make the most of this.^ Amao decided with determination. ^Let’s share these. Equally.^ 

 

Anjira nodded and disappointment lingered in the room as they shared items in the armory into four piles. 

^The towers!^ Carina yelped suddenly as the thought came to her mind. ^They have rifles in those towers. We must get them!^

Anjira shook her head. "We can go to check them later, but I don’t believe we are going to find anything more useful than these. I’m sure there were guns here before. Someone has taken them somewhere else…”

^What a coincidence.^ Amao said dryly. 

^It’s too convenient. This feels planned…^ Carina mumbled.

While others were doing something useful, two reptilians bounced back and forth fencing with the long and black batons. 

 

“There is more than we can carry. We should share these to our people.” With our people Anjira didn’t mean the prisoners in general. She meant their underlings. The people here with them were the higher ranking members, but there were more lower ranking members of their groups in the prison. Well, she wasn’t that sure about the lizards because she doubted they could understand such complicated concepts, but they could be used as meatshields and they would be way too happy to die. 

^You are right. Enzo and Marco, go with the Claws. Keep low and don’t make a fuss. Tell everyone to come here. The boys should be still in the East Wing.^ Anjira sent two of her girls with two Wildcats and so their numbers lowered temporarily as part of them began descending the stairs and headed back to their respective wings.  

“Since we have time, let’s check the other room more thoroughly while waiting.”

^Sounds good. Let’s meet in the break room when you are ready.^

 

Each group moved out of the armory to search the closest rooms to them, which were the open office, break room and the locker rooms with showers.

 

A scent of strong coffee lingered in the air as the mafia and gang members gathered in the break room. It was a large space with multiple desks and office chairs. Amao sat at one of the desks, sipping a freshly made espresso. 

^Seriously? You didn’t make any for us?^ Rox snapped.

^You are free to make some for yourself. There is a working espresso machine over there.^ The man with the glasses nodded towards the said machine. 

Carina filled a kettle and began boiling water. Gina ripped a blade of a paper cutter off, seemingly happy with her new makeshift sword. Two lizardmen had already taken two dull kitchen knives into their possession and ate most of the food in the break room, or smeared it across their faces. It was hard to say which one. 

One of them found an unopened cookies in the tin and set it in the middle of the table. Now that they all were gathered around a long table like more or less civilized people they could discuss their findings.  

^Now that we are all comfortable, let’s talk. I found these.^ Amao shoved papers further on the table and others shone their lights on them. They were work shifts for both the prison officers and other staff. There were names and when shifts began and ended, where and when one was supposed to work. 

“There should be people at work tonight. From the looks of it, today wasn’t even swap day.” With that Anjira meant the day when the boat brought employees on the island and took the others back to the mainland. Amao nodded. “I noticed something else at the locker rooms. There are only uniforms. No civilian clothes. Nothing personal. No pictures on the doors of the lockers, no wallets, no bracelets, clocks or something like that. Yet there were plenty of keys.”

As the black fox said that, Gina scattered the keys from a little bucket on the table so everyone who wanted could take as many as they wanted. Tom, the same man who had picked the armory’s lock, took some keys and inspected them more closely under the light. 

^Same thing here. No family pictures anywhere. I haven’t seen cell phones anywhere either and I’m sure the employees aren’t allowed to carry them in the same space as where we can be.^ Amao continued the conversation. ^I’m sure we could find more information if we only could turn the computers on… and we had someone who could bypass passwords.^

^There is something else. Usually there is a lot of traffic outside when the shift changes, but it’s been quiet tonight.^ Carina said. ^It’s like they disappeared in thin air.^ 

“There are too many coincidences. This isn't an accident. This is planned. I don’t know by whom or why, but this is definitely planned.” 

^We should talk to trustees, the ones who are still alive, when we have a chance. Someone of them might have noticed something out of ordinary.^

It didn’t matter how well Anjira and other members of organized criminals behaved in the prison. Because of their connections they couldn’t get the position of a trustee and so they couldn’t get to places where the trustees worked. 

 

GM Post (The Head Warden's Office | Archer)

 

Just like the group elsewhere in the fourth floor, Archer was up for a disappointment. There was nothing that could be considered as a weapon, unless he was going to improvise a chair leg, a pen or something similar. Jijii had already looted everything edible, and drinkable. There was no diary and nothing else too personal property either. 

On a shelf there were some binders. The man could guess that most of the information was on a PC that was useless without electricity. The binders were about recreational activities, files of arriving convicts, records of weekly meetings and such. File trays that were reserved for incoming and outgoing post and documents were empty. There was a big rolodex with cards filled with contact information. The desktop charger of the radio was empty.   

On a wall were some A4 papers containing work schedules of the employees of the Prison Island for this week and two upcoming weeks. There were shifts of both prison officers and other staff and despite the staff missing, the lists were made like they were supposed to be here normally. 

 

[Gardsorm]

"Hrm... I guess I've got to hand it to little Pinkie, she might have knicked the most useful things from... Oh, crap, she still had the booze too, didn't she?" Archer lamented as he flashed the light back toward the door, before he sighed. "Well, that's one less vice I get to partake in, I guess. Let's see... No, that's useless to me... Come on, this must have been the most boring warden in existence. Not even a dirty magazine or a DVD player to play movies? Sure, it would be useless, but maybe someone will appreciate it when the power is back on..."

Rubbing his chin, he flashed the flashlight toward the binders, taking one off and opening it on the desk to speedread through it. The majority of information has no relevance to him, and there was bound to be something more useful on the PCs, but that simply led right back to the problem of a lack of power. Alas, nothing looked like anything close to a schematic of the prison, so he was still going to have to blunder his way around until he found something noteworthy. 

One more sweep of the flashlight, and he moved toward the sheets on a nearby wall. Work schedules... Now this had some relevance to him. Knowing when shifts were supposed to change and who was supposed to be here. He worked to take the papers off of the walls, collecting them into a little collection to be held by a paperclip. "Schedules for this week and later ones tells me that something must have happened with the next crew arriving... Maybe even those that left. The fact they didn't return to the prison when something happened... Hm." Anything could have happened, but the more he thought about it, the more he didn't want to think maybe there was something more sinister about this island than the fact it was meant to hold them.

When the power was back up, he could go through the information on these sheets, maybe see who was registered as clocking in and clocking out, and try to figure out a point all of this could have gone wrong. He rolled the papers up and his then behind himself, held by the band of his prison slacks and hidden by the shirt, before he unlocked the warden's office door. Getting power back to the facility was important... Plus, if he could do it without others seeing, then the prisoners would probably focus longer on beating the stuffing out of those they COULD see. While he could head somewhere less... Spicy. All of this depended on having the luck to not run into anyone problematic, as he navigated the hallways with flashlight in hand to head for the stairs down. 

Yet, as he moved down, he almost didn't manage to catch the sounds of others approaching, the only ambient noise he could hear being his own footfalls and hushed breathing. Yet once he got to the bottom of the first flight, he could hear several people coming up the stairs. 'Cripes, I stayed here too long. Need to go back up... Maybe to the fourth floor. I can hide and wait for them to leave to try to make my way down in a bit.' He resorted to internalizing his thoughts as he turned and tried to quietly make his way back up the stairs, taking steps in pairs just to hurry his way up to the top. Past the third floor he was just on, he climbed further up and made his way to the fourth. He was in mild panic mode, trying to sweep the muted flashlight around to find an open, suitable room without being too obvious. One room a few steps in seemed open enough, so he approached and quietly shut and locked the door with a relieved breath. Yet, when he turned to survey his surroundings...

He realized it was not as empty as he hoped when he saw other presences within it. 

"... Just... My ... Luck."

Edited August 21 by Gardsorm

[Kissa Deactivated]

As far as Lucas could tell with a quick check on the closest cars, there was nothing out of ordinary with them. There were no keys in ignition and there was nothing special inside them. A packet of paper tissue, a box of breath mints, cigarettes and a smoker. Small things like that were left behind, but the doors were locked so even if the man wanted to loot some of them he had to give up on that thought for now.

“Are you in a hurry to go somewhere?” It sounded like a polite question, but the man could hear a streak line of sarcasm beneath her words.

^You should be grateful that she is taking care of you.^ The croco lady said with a tone that sounded like the redhead would get smacked at the back of his head if he didn’t show appropriate respect.

“Light please…”

 

If Celestine hadn’t worked as a doctor she would have been disturbed and extremely awkward about being in the presence of a half-naked man she didn’t even know. Now this was a routine measure. “This might sting a little…” The fox lady opened a bottle of saline and poured it generously on the open wound to wash off the excess blood and all dirt that might have got inside the wound. Usually Celestine would have upkept a polite small talk to take her patient’s thoughts away from what was happening, but this patient didn’t seem nervous and there were only questions that would dig up bad answers. Sometimes silence was the right answer.

She unwrapped a pair of nitrile gloves. They snapped as she pulled them on. “This is going to sting a bit more, but remain still nevertheless.” Her sound was the epitome of calmness as she took iodine cotton swamps and wiped the wounds. “Hm… This one could use a couple of stitches, but the kit doesn’t have supplies for that.”

^If it’s that bad we could just glue it shut. I’m going to get a super glue!^ A helpful badger said and walked away from the group.

Celestine couldn’t help a small smile creeping from creeping to her lips. “Let’s consider that as a plan B.”

The fox doctor took a package of wound closures and gently but firmly placed one near the edge of the wound, pressed the edges of the wound together before securing the other end of the closure in its place. Each of the wounds took four closures before Celestine began wrapping a bandage around Lucas’ arm. By the time she was getting ready with taking care of the man, the badger returned victoriously with a super blue tube. 

^We can use this, can’t we?^

“If the situation requires that, yes.” Celestine replied. She reached for the tube and slipped it inside the first aid kit. Just in case, she thought. “All done.” The vulpeculan said as she peeled the gloves off.

Edited August 21 by Kissa

[Warning]

Fonfon watched Ao but mostly their back as she said she would. When told that she and the mouse seemed close, she couldn't help but tell the truth. "It depends what you mean by close... I don't know what is going on through her mind and she might just be a worse threat than what I mean to protect her from but I don't mind... I've gone through worse. I decided to protect this cutie, whatever she decides to do with me as reward.", she said, looking at Jiji knowing full well she could listen. Her doubt was legitimate but her voice was honest. "Being killed by you would not be so bad, in comparison... I'll still make damn sure you're not hurt by anyone.", she said.

Perhaps an obsession or a need to protect someone for whatever reasons she had, Fonfon still decided to title herself Jiji's guardian. Her intentions didn't seem to be to find anything by any means as she didn't even try to search Jiji or the room she was inside. She didn't care. She made protecting Jiji a game for herself and it was a game she didn't want to lose. What she would get from it would depend of how much Jiji gets to trust her, IF she even cared... Such naivety would probably get the wolf in troubles but  it was not like she wanted to do something else. "If anyone gets the food before this girl does, I'm going to scratch someone...", she groaned a bit.

For now, Fonfon followed while keeping Jiji close, giving her a smile from times to times but also checking their behind again and again. Wherever it would go, she wanted to get some food as much for Jiji as for herself as well. There is only so far that a wolf could go before hunger would make them lose their mind. It would not stop her from throwing kicks if someone dared to approach the girl. A bit of her looking at the mouse was to see if she could detect her intentions as well. She saw her before but did not know much about her. She might be smart but she remained quiet. It made communication difficult but Fonfon was glad to have her tail do the talking.

[Gardsorm]

"Perhaps... What business of mine is not yours though, and vice versa." Inquisitive or not, Lucas wasn't about to tell her about anything he planned to do, nor did he care what she and the others planned to do. If they wanted to escape the confines of the prison, he wasn't of the mind to stop them. His allegiance to peacekeeping and maintaining order ended the day they thought he was fit to be placed among the very same people he fought to consign to prison before they continued to destabilize natural order. Besides, most of these people must have been in here long enough... 

Lucas looked to the older crocodile woman, inhaling a sigh and nodding wordlessly. He didn't need the medical attention yet in the first place... But if he continued down his current course, there was a chance motor functions would not be as fluid and efficient as they should. Which would have spelled trouble if he came across anyone else from his past.

"Do what you need to, it shouldn't bother me too much." Lucas shrugged, watching as she moved the saline forward to dribble down his arm. The liquid washed away dirt and excess blood with ease, with only a mild twitching eyebrow to show Lucas was affected by it. It seemed like he was trying to make a conscious effort to not break his facade. Once that was done and over with, he could let himself relax some... Before Cele spoke once more. "Wait, what do y-eeaargh!" Lucas suddenly let out a surprised, mildly painted growl as he tried to bite down on his tongue and cheek to keep from making a louder noise that might attract trouble.

'Crazy ass... Tch. She's only trying to help, working with what she has... Rotten luck with foxes seems to be a recurring thing for me.' 

Now able to collect and compose himself, Lucas no longer needed to try and keep himself quiet as Celestine managed to wipe the wound away. From here, he could maybe just wrap something around it to staunch the bleeding, but everyone else has other plans. "... What kind of doctor uses superglue to seal a wound?" He narrowed his eyes. He was starting to understand maybe this was why this one got sent to prison, if she was enacting medical malpractice like this. Nevertheless, she took a more natural way to close his wounds and seal them off. He didn't dare try to roll his shoulder to test it, but he gave it a quick look and nodded. "Thank you, Doctor, that was more help than I expected to receive today. I guess you were all planning to escape?" He asked, looking over at the others, before back to Cele.

"If you want to leave, don't let me stop you. But from what I can tell, power to the entire facility is off... There's no telling how far off the blackout might have affected the whole island. At the least, most of the crooks in this place should still be here, so if you can all get far enough, consider yourselves blessed. There's... Someone here I have to make sure that doesn't leave."

[Kissa Deactivated]

GM Post (Basement Floor | Ao, Fonfon, Jijii)

 

The trio descended down to a hallway that was completely dark. In the light of their flashlight they could see signs on locked doors. One of those signs had exactly what they had been looking for: Foods. If they used one of Jijii’s keys they could open the door. Otherwise they would have to break the wooden door somehow or pick the lock.

Inside there were shelves from floor to ceiling filled with foods that had a long expiration time. There were sacks of flour, cardboard boxes full of grains, pastas, cereals, muesli, chocolate, spice bottles, different jam jars, canned foods and soda bottles. If one of them examined the place more closely they would find out mice had gnawed open one of the flour sacks and ate part of the contents.

On the same hallway were more doors, that by the signs had things like office supplies, kitchen supplies and hygiene products. 

Edited August 21 by Kissa

[diogora]

Ao had indeed seen Fonfon locked outside, but everything that had happened after, especially with Jijii holding her tail, made them seem close. He'd figured maybe Fonfon had just been locked out after a disagreement or something of that nature, but at the very least he believed they at least knew each other. This was something Fonfon somewhat corrected though. He glanced back at the wolf and mouse for a small moment when Fonfon revealed she knew practically nothing about the little one. She was even ready to be killed by Jijii if she was that bad...an outcome Ao hoped wouldn't be the case. He looked back ahead, calmly descending further and responding "I've seen many willing to die by someone else's hands...but never a pair of strangers." he admitted. "I won't question your reasons though. We have a deal and I'll protect you...but I won't let you or little Mousey kill me. I made a promise to stay alive"

On their way down, they would cover each oother to avoid a small crowd on their path. Jijii and Fonfon could hear them, maybe one better than the other. When they seemed alerted, Ao would focus to find their scent so they could be avoided, and while he lead the way, Fonfon could watch the dark stairwells behind them to make sure no one was following them. The three of them, all with their own honed senses, made a good team somehow. "Just let me check if the food's expired before either of you put anything in your mouth.." he commented after Fonfon's final remark. For now, they could still move in relative safety, and the odds were good that nothing had been raided yet, so they ventured further down to reach the basement floor.

When they made it downstairs, Ao could tell a few different fragrances. Someone had definitely been down here already, recently...Honestly, there was a chance they still were. Should they avoid them too? Perhaps they had already found a food supply though, and they would eventually encounter other inmates...so for a moment, Ao considered following their trail, considering the option to find some potential allies...but there was also the threat that they may have been a hostile group. Perhaps they could check out that other room later, but food was their first priority, and with so much of it stored in one place, Ao's nose picked up a strong scent that would lead them to a door, clearly labeled for FOODS. 

Despite the bold and large letters, Ao approached the door and whiffed before saying "This is it...there's food in here...I don't think anyone's inside. We can fill our stomachs...and having food could give us a bargaining chip against other inmates" he told them, at least not picking up any fresh human smells from the room. He tried to open the door to this treasure trove, but "Damn it, it's locked!" he said while fiddling with the door handle a bit, but it didn't budge. If they could just get inside...Ao looked back at the two girls that were with him. "I don't suppose either of you can pick locks?"

[Kissa Deactivated]

Anjira

“If we assume this is all planned, this is going to end sooner than later. We have people outside who will start asking questions when they can’t reach us. It affects everyone here. Whatever is the goal of this, it has to happen soon.” Anjira said as nodded her thanks to Carina who set a cup of tea in front of her.

^That is likely, but it’s better to create a long term plan even if we are never going to use it.^ Amao said. ^The most important thing here is surviving. For that we must remain united. If we allow this place to fall into full anarchy, only a few will survive.^

^Perhaps that’s what they are hoping to see…^ Carina pondered.

^Without electricity all cameras here are useless. They can’t keep an eye on us.^ Tom noted as he stopped examining the keys. ^These little keys… They are for the collars. The rest of them are for door locks, inside here or outside somewhere else.^

^The employees… They stay somewhere on the island during their shifts.^ Amao understood.

^Maybe they are hiding somewhere on the island…^ Rox finally said something, before reaching for a little key.

 

The reptilians were like bored ADHD kids that were more interested in playing with their food than listening to what the adults spoke. Others were in the middle of their conversation and beginning to open their collars when Archer stormed in the room. A couple of them turned their flashlights at the man, blinding him with the light.

 

“One of yours?”

^No… I don’t know this one.^ Amao said hesitantly, looking at Tom for assurance and he shook his head.

“Well then, take a seat and introduce yourself. I insist.” The black haired vulpeculan said with a commanding voice. It was all just thinly veiled threat. She made it sound like a polite, harmless suggestion, but it didn’t take a rocket scientist to know that as soon as he stopped following their rules they would show their true nature. 

They looked like they were just a bunch of people enjoying some tea, coffee and snacks in the breakroom… that was dark. Archer probably didn’t know about the Wildcats or Vanlith, but the Galliards and the Green Claws could be parties he knew. Most likely not on an individual level, but at least the figure heads, which were in this room right now. 

 

Celestine

Rude, Celestine thought when Lucas gave his vague answer to why he was in a hurry. She could have been petty and shove the cotton swap harder than necessary against the wound, but the vulpeculan remained civilized. In her opinion the human’s question about glue and doctor wasn’t worth honoring it with an answer. 

 

“Try to not to move your arm too much or you might make it bleed again. Then we might have to glue it to stop the bleeding.” It was impossible to tell if this was the kind of an empty thread one would give to a badly behaving child or if she was dead serious.

^We are on an island! Where could we escape from here?^ The grumpy cat asked like Lucas had made an extremely stupid question.

^The boat might be there though…^ The crocodile pondered.

^Stress on might.^ The badger reminded.

^We are going to the beach. I’m going to swim.^ The grey crocodile revealed.

^This is a chance to enjoy our time here. Spending a night at the beach sounds like a good time.^ The old fox continued. 

 

They seemed to remember they were about to leave and like they had wordless agreement, the people began heading towards the bus. Celestine packed the first aid kit and threw used items in a trash can. “You can put your shirt back now.”

^If you are looking for someone who wants to leave, wouldn’t they go to beach too because all the boats are there?^ The crocodile asked as she waited for Inga, in front of her, to climb in the bus. The lizard looked at Lucas but it felt like she didn’t see him properly. 

“Perhaps that person is similarly looking for you…” Celestine suggested. 

[Chiyako]

I think Miss Fonfon might be crazy.

A declaration from a stranger that they didn't mind being killed by her? Or perhaps this is what people referred to when they mentioned 'love at first sight'. Maybe it felt romantic before, but here it just felt weird. A bit frightening, even. Of course maybe that was just due to her more recent relations with other women. Those hadn't been very pleasant. A few firsts stolen from her. This was certainly more pleasant, at least in a few ways, but still. Was it crazy? She thought so, although it didn't show.

Better than her trying to hurt me.

When they had finally reached the basement floor it was decided that they would first check out the storeroom. Alas, it was locked. They were all hungry, but sticking around for too long would be dangerous. Other inmates would surely be making their way here. How were they to control the food with just the three of them? Perhaps Mister Nightvision had a plan.

With a hesitant shrug of her shoulders Jijii reached behind herself. From the base of her tail she retrieved the ring of larger keys, carefully sliding them off of the lengthy appendage. If anyone would have access the warden would, right? She hoped and made her way forward with the assistance of the flashlight. One by one she cycled through the keys, trying each until the correct one turned with an audible 'click'!

Yay!

For a brief moment the mouse actually smiled, spinning the ring of keys a couple of times upon a finger! Her tail then lifted to her side, whereupon she slid the large key ring back into place. The appendage wiggled, scooting the ring of keys back down to the base. Reaching back Jijii tucked it away beneath her pants, concealing it once more. The smaller key ring was returned to be gripped at the end of her tail and was dragged in close to her body, stuffing itself up into the back of her shirt. Not that the most important key she'd found, the collar key, was stored on either.

With that she tugged on the door to the storeroom, popping it open after a couple of tries. A hand extended inwards, offering the others first dibs.

[Gardsorm]

Archer

 

Lights were shone on him almost immediately when he entered the room, narrowing his eyes and holding his free hand Infront of his face as he clicked his own flashlight off and pocketed it. "Alright, alright, I get it, you have all the light. Now get those lights out of my eyes please, I still have things I need to see!" Archer grimaced. However, the little bit that he could see did not paint a very good picture. Women and men were here... A whole group, more organized than just a few runners who managed to befriend one another like he did with Mr. Nightvision... Arguably Fonfon and Pinkie too, but he doubted they considered him anything more than an acquaintance. However, these... They were dangerous. The guys, he definitely recognized a bit as some of the bigger troublemakers on East Wing.

If they were working with these women, then the women were likely the biggest troublemakers on West Wing, and this was an uneasy alliance to keep something resembling peace instead of all-out war between the two Wings.

As the black-haired vixen made her suggest, Archer could already tell from her voice that she wasn't ordinary. He'd seem a similar kind of faux geniality once before in his life... One that didn't last long that time. This time, however, he was outnumbered and outmuscled, so he wasted little time in nodding. "As long as it keeps me from going blind, don't mind if I do. I've been running long enough." He sighed, pulling up a chair and sitting at the table alongside the others, but very clearly not at all part of the going-ons.

"Can't say I'm entirely surprised to see two infamous East Wing groups here... But at least I can rule out them or anyone else here of having caused all of this." Archer began, folding his hands on the table as he looked to the others present in the room. "Being honest, looking at you, you seem as lost as I do in the moment, trying to figure out what happened. I'm going to assume that you've realized similar things that I have: Shift changes for this week and onward, the strange and unsettling disappearance of our wards without rhyme or reason, and a distinct inability to gather more information without a certain quality of life that I'm convinced no one can live without in the modern world: Electricity. Am I in the ball park?"

He waited for a moment, knowing several were probably waiting for a chance to punch him in the face, or worse, for talking like they were on equal footing, before he continued: "Which brings me to my query: Which of you is, or knows, a certified engineer who works with electricity, machinery, and technology?"

===

Lucas

 

"Depending on what happens from here to your destination, I will have no choice but to do it. However, you will not be using that super glue on my wounds because I won't be seeking medical treatment a second time. You've done more than enough for me right now, and I have no further business intruding on your kindness." Lucas spoke up. It seemed like he was being considerate of her time and skills, but in truth he didn't want to have to find out if she truly intended to use that super glue on his injuries or not. "I've been injured plenty of times while working, and I've come back from each of them. Now won't be any different." Anything to make sure she didn't try to make him regret seeking her services a second time.

Lucas turned to look at the grumpy cat, before he nodded. "As your friend said, the boat might be there... However, if it is, that's only going to raise further questions. Namely, the boat only comes for shift change, and it brings prisoners and new staff. We haven't gotten a staff change yet, or we wouldn't be here. If the boat is there, however... It may be wise to consider moving on."Afree all, it meant something must have happened to the staff... And if something happened to them, there was no telling what might happen to mere prisoners.

He reached for his shirt when instructed by Celestine, relieved to put it back on, while carefully grabbing the shiv he hid within it to hold on his good hand, just below the sleeve. He had no intention of using it right now, but he certainly wasn't going to part with his only weapon either. "Enjoying our time here... I never thought of it like that. Far be it from me to dissuade them, though." He remarked quietly, moving toward the bus as the lizard tried to see him. The redhead merely scoffed at the words, as if the mere notion was laughable.

"If they are, then it'll be to finish what was started. Either way, your company has convinced me. Let's get down to the docks and see what waits for us." He finished, climbing into the back of the bus. "I have to ask, since you all made it this far... Did you find keys for the bus, or even these collars?"

[Warning]

Fonfon smirked at she was told an observation about her own words, "I would not simply let myself killed... That still would not be as bad as what can kill me in this place. I suppose she does remind me of someone... Someone more talkative, though.", the werewolf simply said but shrugged. She had been forcing her protection on the mouse because she had picked her interest but also because she looked helpless, she knew this much. There was something about it that she missed from her old life. For now, she didn't want to insist further more but she still would not just let anyone try and get their way with her if they approached, out of principle.

The mouse was more interested in Ao, anyway. For now, Fonfon would simply watch their back until they reached what seemed to be a good spot for food. The only problem? A locked door... That was annoying but the mouse girl proved to be smart once more and reliable. Right under her nose, the girl had a ring of keys ready for this. It made the wolf grin but she would go sit somewhere on her own for the time being. She was not needed right now and she preferred the two others to dig in before she did. Not because she didn't trust them or anything. It was simply Fonfon's odd nature to be on her lone self. Maybe Jiji would be fine with Ao there.

[CuteKitten]

Leona pushed the door open with a grunt, her muscular arm bulging slightly as she stepped into the Central Building. The atmosphere inside was just as oppressive as the W Wing had been, with darkness swallowing the narrow corridors. She could barely see her own hand in front of her face, let alone anything further ahead. 

When Nadia mentions that the men could now also have access to the central building, Leona paused for a moment and looked back over her shoulder. Her eyes glittered with amusement as she took in the words. “Fight them off?” She snorted softly, a cold smile playing on her lips. “I almost hope so. If there was a strong guy there, maybe I would finally have a challenge.”

Leona continues and sighs, navigating through this pitch-black maze was going to be a challenge, but she wasn’t one to back down. “Damn it,” she muttered, placing her hand on the cold, damp wall to guide herself forward. The rough texture of the concrete under her fingers reminded her of the countless fights she had been in, each one leaving its mark on her body as scars, just like the prison walls had their own stories etched into them.

Lizzie, Nadia, and Trish followed closely behind her. The sound of their footsteps echoed through the silence. Although Leona's senses were sharp, heightened by years of fighting and survival, the darkness around her felt almost unnatural, as if something was lurking within it, waiting for the right moment to strike. But she didn’t let that bother her too much. There were more immediate concerns on her mind...

Her stomach growled—a deep, resonant sound that only she could produce. "Fuck," she cursed herself for not reaching her daily calorie count yesterday; she had been too absorbed in her relentless training. That was her—always pushing, always striving for more, and sometimes neglecting the basics. "Focus, Leona," she whispered to herself, but the gnawing hunger in her belly was becoming harder to ignore. She had really overtrained yesterday, pushing her body to the limit without compensating for it with enough food. Her strict diet was something she rarely deviated from, but today, she was paying the price for it. “I need to eat something,” she grumbled, more to herself than to the others. Lizzie, who was walking just behind her, gave a nervous chuckle. “I think we all do,” she replied, her voice trying to hide the unease she felt in this place.

Leona huffed in agreement but didn’t slow her pace. She was on a mission—to find out what the hell had happened to the prison. The blackout, the malfunctioning locks, the eerie silence—it all pointed to something far more sinister than just a simple power outage. She needed answers, and she needed to get rid of this damn anti-magic collar that was restricting her freedom.

Leona, drawing on the bits and pieces she’d gathered over her years in the prison, led the way through the dark corridors. She didn't know the entire layout, but she had a rough idea where the basement might be—something she'd pieced together from overheard inmate conversations. The air grew colder as they descended, the scent of dampness growing stronger.

After a few turns, she found the door she was looking for: slightly off-center, just like the stories mentioned. “This should be it,” she muttered, pushing the door open. 

Edited August 22 by CuteKitten
accidentally hit enter, FUCK

[SataiRolePlayingGuy]

The collar was the biggest concern for Nadia, and hopefully finding something more secure.  At least Leona wasn’t starved for sex, her interest in running into men being a different sort.  Perhaps she was someone worth testing the pheromones on, f she could get the collar off.  Trish and Lizzie were possibilities of course too, but less important.  She also wanted to wait to see if there were more appealing targets.  She could go it once tonight, if she got the collar off.  She just hoped Leona would not get too excited from the pheromones.  This was not a woman who she could take charge with.  Not quickly or easily at least.  She had to be very very careful, if she tried to teach that one Futa supremacy.

It was not easy to follow anyone in the dark.  But she her best.  Listening more than watching.  She as not bothered by looking for food, hopefully they could find weapons, or the keys.  When they found their way to the new door, Leona’s immediate destination, she quietly waited. Listening for any hint of anyone else, and whether or not they would be hostile.  Even with Leona, without a weapon, she did not intend to fight anyone in there, unless they attacked first.

[diogora]

Fonfon gave a small explanation, to which Ao would shrug. If he was reminded of someone, perhaps he would act in a similar way...but he had not met anyone that evoked those kinds of feelings from him, so he could not relate. It was fine though. As long as she didn't prove a threat to him, Fonfon was free to have her own reasons for protecting Jijii.

When they made it to the storage room, Ao asked if anyone could pick locks, and although the little mouse girl remained silent, she gave a little reaction and he would see her revealing a set of keys. Was that what she'd found up on the 4th floor? He stepped out of the way and shone the light at the door to let Jijii try the keys, a moment of relief when he finally heard a *click*, signaling that one of the keys had worked. Without much thought, the man crouched down to give the girl a short pat on the head "Good job, Pinkie" Jijii was about to put her keys away again, but Ao would interrupt "Wait, since that key worked, I'd like to check out the other rooms around here too. You can hold onto the keys if you'd like, but it might be dangerous, so I can take them off your hands if you want...You'd need to trust me though" he suggested. Having the keys on him would attract unwanted attention to him more so than the mouse girl. He wouldn't force her though, so the decision was hers.

Regardless, Ao lead the way in with his flashlight and waited for the mouse and wolf to follow him. He watched as Fonfon went to take a seat for now and, if he had been given the keys, would lock the door for the time they were in here. It was better to keep any unwanted company outside. Inside was everything a cook could have dreamed of. He shone a light around and, instead of reading the expiration date, Ao would grab a few ingredients and take a whiff from them "Everything's still fresh...good, I can work with this." he said with a nod of his head, despite being Mr. Nightvision.

"Now...if Handy Man actually figures out a way to get the power running, we could find a kitchen and I could make us something better...some fruit will have to do for now, but I could at least make us a sandwich if we found a knife" he said. Realistically, he couldn't really cook without electricity. Not having the necessary tools also added further limitations. That being said, he tossed an apple over at Fonfon and handed one to Jijii "and once you're done, we can have these" he told them with a smile as he showed off some chocolate bars, figuring that something sweet to look forward to could keep their morale up. It was a shame that he couldn't cook them a proper meal right now, but hopefully the possibility would be available in the future.

After biting into a fresh apple himself, he would let out a refreshed sigh. "We might want to think about where to go from here. We obviously can't carry all of this around with us...and we don't know how long until someone else tries to raid the place. I say we stuff our pockets, look around the other rooms, then head out. They make us work at the farm sometimes...might be a good place to make shelter"

[Chiyako]

Jijii's gaze turned towards Fonfon as the woman took a seat. She was surprised that the wolf wasn't digging into the food herself. Surprised and a bit confused, perhaps even a hint worried. But all of this was wiped clear when she felt a hand pat atop her head, snapping her attention with a soft squeak towards Mister Nightvision. She was again thankful for the darkness, and her fur, both of which concealed her flustered embarrassment.

A suggestion was made to hand over the keys. Only a suggestion, not an order. At least it didn't sound like one. And so she simply shook her head, quite content to carry them with her for the moment. Sure, it would shine more attention upon her should they be discovered, but it was better to be found with some keys than it was to be searched for them, right? It also meant she had more freedom to flee if need be. Finally, it just made her feel more useful.

Not that I don't trust him. Okay, I mean, we just met. I don't trust either of them too much. But they seem nice so far. Maybe I can trust them? Eventually?

Following the man into the storage room Jijii immediately set about grabbing anything non-perishable that she could comfortably carry, stuffing food into her makeshift satchel. Shutting and locking the door behind them was smart. It meant they couldn't be ambushed so easily. And if Mister Handy Man did get the electricity up, well, that would only help all of them much better!

Then I wouldn't be so blind!

When an apple was set into her hands Jijii took a single sniff, mostly to check it herself. Then she hungrily bit into it. Repeatedly. She needed food.

Oh gosh this tastes so much better when you're starved!

Blue orbs set upon Ao while he ran over his ideas, head nodding slowly in agreement. That did sound like a good plan. Grab what they could carry. Leave. A farm was a smart choice too.

Wait.

Large ears twitched, gaze set towards the now locked door. She could detect others coming. A finger pointed towards the door. The only warning she could realistically give in the moment.

[Warning]

Fonfon was terribly hungry, without doubt. She simply did not feel in the mood right away and would wait for her turn, watching the two from a distance, quietly. She listened but wasn't quiet focused on them right now, any more than she was lost in thought. Her reflexes would make her see the apple tossed at her and she'd catch it at the last second, finally making her move but she would simply nod to Ao and take a good look at the apple next. It was only that but it was already a lot. Without waiting too much, She started to eat all of it or almost, barely leaving anything around the core. That felt good to her belly for sure... At least for a small while.

Fonfon let them devise whatever plan they wanted, she was only the fighting power of the three. She didn't know what the two could do but Fonfon had experience in combat. It would be many times better if she had a whip of sort but she had another weapon or two... Her nails could scratch someone badly and her legs could kick. A synchronized ear twitch would bother her thoughts, making her first look toward the door then toward the others, mostly Jiji who pointed at the door. So she could hear well as well... But importantly, they were not alone. Fonfon stood up and walked directly between them and the door, keeping her distance, readying herself.

She would stand in the middle of the room, combat ready. Her tail aggressively moving around as her face was more serious than usual. This showed the less playful side of herself and the more serious one. Figuring no one would come from behind, she did not even eye toward Ao nor Jiji once. Fonfon knew what she wanted to do and she would keep her word. Her eyes would glare at the door, waiting to see who was going to try coming in... Who she would have to face for their protection. She knew too well that she could be disadvantaged quick by a lot of potential possibilities but it was not going to stop her for trying, if at least for the fun of hunting...

[diogora]

The girl only responded with a little squeak, so Ao didn't know whether it was actually a positive or negative reaction. She didn't exactly move her head away though, nor did she slap his hand off, so he opted to think it was the former. When he asked about the keys, the mouse shook her head and Ao wouldn't press her for them further, giving a simple "Alright" and proceeding to the next thing. He had no intention of forcing anything from her. While Fonfon went to sit, Jijii started to store stuff her satchel with food.

He couldn't offer a proper meal without power, but he was at least capable of choosing the freshest apples for them to eat right now. As they dug into their own food, Ao took his time eating his own. Despite his hunger, the man knew not to rush a meal and to savour it, as simple as it was. He mentioned his plans to them aloud and, while he got no vocal confirmation from either of them, Jijii nodded her head and Fonfon...wasn't declining the idea, at least. How these three could potentially help each other in the future was still unclear. The mouse seemed frail and while the wolf appeared to have some bark, he wondered if she had the bite to match it. Right now he still didn't know whether or not he was the sole capable fighter of the group, but the future might reveal them to be useful in other ways, he thought.

"Alright, we should look around the other rooms and-..hmm?" he'd started to speak, but saw the little mouse pointing at the door. Was something there? Jijii was not the only one to react. Fonfon got up and placed herself in the middle of the room, her serious posture immediately alerting him of danger. He did not even need to use his nose to know that someone was on their way. "Pinkie" he called out to get Jijii's attention, pointing towards the very bottom shelves in the room. There were large flour sacks, almost her size. He would then crouch down and pull one out "In here, we'll hide you. If you get scared...eat some chocolate, okay? Keep those keys safe for us" he said, adding some final incentive at the start as though giving her a mission that this was not just her cowering away, but she was guarding the keys to the other rooms on this floor. If she accepted, the flour bag would be put back in it's place with Jijii now sitting behind it, hidden...and if she declined, he would sigh, but would not force her for this either.

Regardless of her choice, Ao's next course of action was simple. He placed the flashlight in a corner to illuminate the room and free his hands, then grabbed the first glass bottle he could find and...smashed it against one of the shelves, breaking the bottom half off while holding it by the bottle neck. This would leave him with quite the sharp weapon. It was not a knife, but he could work with it. In the case that Jijii had hid: "It's just you and me in here, Fonfon" he told the wolf, wanting to convey the message that they should not speak of her if anyone came in here. They would wait now. Any intelligent inmates would make their way to the food storage soon...so Ao was prepared to welcome them if need be, makeshift weapon in hand.

[Chiyako]

As expected the clear fighter of the three, Fonfon, was up and at the ready when Jijii alerted them to the approaching danger. Or, rather, she was up at around the same moment. Perhaps they both could hear well? Regardless Jijii simply backed further away from the door and continued snacking upon her apple, munching it now much quicker as she hoped to finish before someone could steal it from her. Food was important, after all. Especially fresh fruit!

Her gaze shifted towards Ao when her new nickname was used, head tilting while she finished the last bite of her apple, remains tossed away into the pile created by the rats. It was a smart plan. Hide her behind the flour sacks. Knowing that others might have some sort of enhanced senses Jijii came up with another plan to assist further.

Making her way over to the flour, the little mouse opened one of the sacks tucked away in the back. Flour was scooped out as she scooted into the newly created hole and, with a brief moment of hesitation, dropped upon her head. This way the mess would be hidden. A few more scoops were applied. Then she offered the man a thumbs up and a nod. Now she could just smell like flour.

I hope they'll be okay. They're both nice enough.

Once the sack of flour was replaced she focused on calming herself. Quieting herself. Slowing her breathing. It was going to be tricky, but maybe this would work!

[DreamsnThings]

     Trish was... a little underwhelmed honestly, following along as her blue eyes slowly surveyed the room, her long ovine ears flicking now and then... she fully expected for things to be slowing down at this point but still, maybe it was the darkness, or the lack of guards... but it almost felt like things were quieting down... a tad too much... but she kept mental notes of their paths, both those they have taken and those they ignored. following along like a good little lamb, barely making a bo peep

     her ears flicked again, glancing to leona as she notes the tigress seemed famished... trish wanted to get in her good graces, but without knowing what she was in for... well she was not particularly reassured, all types end up here... some of different species... and some with loose definitions when it came to what counts as cannibalism... not that trish was assuming, she just wanted to avoid any risk when it came to that...

     subtly trish adjusted her pace, slowly slinking further back, and adjusting her gate to follow a little more behind nadia. in the darkness it probably was not too noticeable especially since the lambs footfalls rarely made a sound, with the sounds that occasionally happen barely being audible in their own right.

this was not going to be an easy night... but if things went south, she was furthest back, with an easy escape route behind them.

[CuteKitten]

Leona opened the creaking door to the basement and carefully stepped down the narrow stairs. Every step she took echoed dully through the narrow, dark surroundings, the silence broken only by the muffled echo of her massive steps. The air down here was noticeably cooler, heavy and stale, which subconsciously made it harder for her to breathe. The walls drew closer together, or at least that's how it felt as she ventured deeper into the darkness. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she let her gaze wander over the dark, narrow corridors that stretched out before her. The basement was a little labyrinth of narrow rooms and corridors, some of which seemed locked. It was even darker than above, the shadows crowding into every corner as if they wanted to devour her.

A low growl broke the oppressive silence, and Leona involuntarily clutched her stomach. "Damn..." she muttered quietly before turning to her companions who had gathered close behind her. Nadia, Thrish, and Lizzie stood close together, their faces tense and alert. "Okay everyone, its your turn to show me what you're good for. We have to find the storeroom," Leona said in a firm voice that didn't betray the slightest hint of uncertainty. "Split up and search the rooms. If one of you finds the storeroom, call immediately. It doesn't matter whether the door is locked or not." As confident as she is, she knows that she could easily knock down simple wooden doors or, if necessary and with a little more effort, tear them off their hinges.

While the other two begann to move on, Lizzie, the small and agile Lizard Girl, hesitated for a moment. She gave Leona a quick, worried look before she too went into the darkness. Leona was left alone. She leaned against the cold, damp wall and closed her eyes for a moment, letting her head fall back slightly. The pressure on her chest was obvious, like an invisible weight weighing her down. The darkness, the narrowness, the silence - everything seemed to conspire against her, to restrict her, to crush her. Her breathing was shallow and rapid, and she forced herself to take deep breaths, to control the feeling that was rising within her.

"It's okay," she murmured quietly to herself, the words barely above a whisper. It didn't help much, but it was better than letting the pressure build up inside of you. With a final, deep breath, she opened her eyes again. Her gray eyes flashed determinedly in the darkness as she pushed herself away from the wall. There was no room for weakness, not now. She had to keep going, had to open the next door and keep looking. "Let's get this over with quickly," she called to the others who had already disappeared into the various hallways. Her tone was harsh, but the speed with which she took her next steps betrayed a certain urgency. She walked to the next door and placed her hand on the cold metal handle. Her fingers felt a little numb, but she squeezed firmly, turned the handle, and pulled the door open with a sharp tug. No matter what lurked behind that door, Leona would be ready. That had to be her.

However, the room in front of her is just a slightly larger boiler room, there are pipes everywhere that supply part or possibly the entire prison with heat. The room is full of dust and cobwebs; no one has been down here for a long time. No wonder, due to the island's tropical climate, it is a little colder here at most in a winters night. She sighs a little disappointedly while her stomach continues to grumble.

[Kissa Deactivated]

Anjira

^You talk a lot for someone in bonking distance…^ Bhorso crowled, irritated by Archer’s attitude and rubbed the long baton in his hands.

^Busting your kneecaps will teach you when it’s time to kneel…^ Rox added in a threatening tone.

^Let’s not lower ourselves to such threats, yet.^ Amao calmed down the situation before it would escalate from words into acts. 

“It sounds like you have been doing little detective work… It’s quite intriguing, especially when most of people here take this as an opportunity to steal food, settle old grudges or rape. But not you. You left all that behind and started your own investigation. Makes me wonder who does that…” Anjira left her words lingering in the air. Most of the people in the room understood her hint fast. And some got it later.

^Cop! This guy is a cop! Oh boy, you better pray whatever god you believe in, cherrytop, because I’m going to haul your skinny ass out on the yard and tear your bones out of your body one by one.^

“That can wait. You can do it only once after all.” The black vixen ignored the overeager reptilian like she was dealing with a badly behaving child. “Sounds like you have something to offer… I’m willing to turn a blind eye to how convenient it’s you happen to know to get the electricity back and you just happened to waltz here, all alone.”

 

Anjira looked at others to see what their opinions were. The lizards wanted to torture and murder this guy as a possible police officer. The Wildcat girls seemed to be on edge, hesitating on which side to tilt. Amao saw this as an opportunity.

^One might consider this as a stroke of luck. At this point, I’m not going to refuse a helping hand. I take that you have the skills to fix the electricity problem hindering this facility, or know someone who can do it?^

“Nothing is free. What do you think you get in return for that?”

^He is a cop! We can’t trust him!^ Gratu shouted. 

 

Celestine

Celestine nodded on Maxwell’s comment about not needing medical aid for the second time. She doubted that, considering their current situation, but let the redhead keep up his tough guy act and false believes. 

^Long time ago…^ Ingaril started like she was going to tell a story. ^The inmates used to help unpack cargo of a ship that brought supplies here. There were too many escape attempts, and from what I heard even two successful ones. So the higher ups decided to stop doing that. The boat bringing people here isn’t the only one.^

^Yes. I remember there were some motorboats at the dock too.^ The cat added. The two nodded in agreement.  

^Enough chatter! Get in! We are ready to goo!^ Elias hurried them and as soon as the last one had got inside the bus, he closed the door and took a look in the rear view mirror to check everyone had seated. 

“We found keys to the bus but no collar keys.” Celestine revealed as she sat near the back seat, next to the old vulpeculan. 

The diesel engine stirred on with a low growl and shook the whole vehicle. The sound steadied and the bus nudged on. Elias drove around the building. Lights of the bus pierced the darkness of the night, showing them the road in front of them.

^Where would we need the collar keys anyway? We aren’t interested in harming anyone.^ Ingaril asked half-rheoterically.

“Not all magical abilities are to harm someone…” Celestine whispered, looking out of the window while she hugged the first aid kit against her chest.

The main gate was closed. The vehicle accelerated. The engine’s sound grew louder. ^Hold tight everyone! We are going through it!^ The old driver shouted with excitement.

 

The passengers held onto their seats and handles of seats in front of them. The bus sped through the night and as some of the runaway prisoners screamed, the huge vehicle collided with the gate, plunging through it. The gate fell on the ground, rumbling and bending under the wheels. They could hear it scratch the belly of their ride, but their runaway vehicle kept going despite such hindrance and soon the bent and twisted remains of the gate fell off on the road. 

The scared and excited screaming stopped. Some people cheered aloud while some clapped. The gloomier ones remained quiet. 

“No one came to stop us…” Celestine gasped in disbelief. She looked at the treelines, expecting people to storm out of there any moment to herd them back inside the walls. 

^I never thought I would be out like this one more time…^ The grey vulpeculan mumbled and started looking for a paper tissue to pat off her tears of deep emotional outburst she couldn’t completely hide.

 

[Continued in Prison Exterior]

[SataiRolePlayingGuy]

“With all due respect, lioness.  I’m a survivor.  Of course I don’t intend to abandon any of you, will let you know if I find it, but please let me judge how to open it.  I have ideas.  We will force it open if necessary, but if I find it, let me check for alternatives to opening it.”  Yes, she could be a team player.  Whatever she thought of women, she needed help to survive, Leona especially, but she would not abandon the others just because.  She was a Futa supreamcist…rapist…murderer…terrorist.  But those actions all had a purpose, she did not hurt for the fun of it.

She slowly, cautiously shifted her way through the halls…she really wished she had found a weapon.  If she did get in danger, how quickly would Leona make it.  She was not sure where she was going, how big this area was, how many rooms there were.  She tried to ignore the air quality.  But she listened for the sound of any movement.

How long had she been wandering, she lost track.  A bunch of uselessness.  Then she found a door.  She softly tried to open it.  A door that was still locked.  Was it just a manual lock, or was someone inside.  With a sigh, she took a chance.  She was a blender, she could not do it physically with the collar, but she would pretend to be a woman, as she had her whole time here.

She knocked on the door.  “Hello?  Is there any one in there.  I am unarmed and will only fight in self defense.  We are only looking for food, answers, help.  I am part of a group of women who split up down here, in search of food.”  Was there anyone in there?  Would they interested in her, as a woman, or otherwise.  She listened and waited.

[DreamsnThings]

trish paused for a moment, listening to the lionesses words a tad... hesitantly, looking around the pitch black room that barely seemed to have any hint of light was... not exactly reassuring. especially since there was a loud crash of glass down in the direction she was starting down.

Fuck this.

figuring it would be better to play up a cleaver idea rather then aimlessly walking down a hall waiting to get stabbed, the ovine girl turned back to the lioness clearing her throat "I-If I may make a suggestion? I think a little light from a match might make reading the labels on the doors a lot easier, and you just got a lot of smokes... so if you would like to enjoy one I can... take the match to try and make this go quicker? if that would be fine madam!" this felt like she was playing with fire already even just asking this question to her, but fuck... a little light could be the difference between going into a fight blind or having a chance to run

with baited breath she waited to hear for her input

Edited August 24 by DreamsnThings

[Gardsorm]

"I'm just trying to make sure I convey what I'm trying to say before the belligerents try talking over me." Archer turned his head slightly toward Bhorso, before he gave a sidelong glance to Rox who wanted to add fuel to the fire. The red haired male breathed a quiet sigh as he understood the majority of the male troublemakers from East were absolute Meatheads who desired to be the strongest and in charge, and gods help anyone who showed them the slightest sense of disrespect. He didn't imagine the women would be any better, so he wouldn't continue speaking to give the Galliards or Greenclaws any reason to want to try to clock him one. He would have been just as happy to spite them by dying and leaving them with no way to repair or manage any kind of complex technology.

He was thankful that some of these actually seemed reasonable. He couldn't be sure about Anjira, but at least some of these looked like they weren't interested in getting caught up in a crapstorm, and so they joined bigger groups for the sake of protection. Perhaps they always belonged to them, but they weren't the outspoken, verbose types. "Thank you for that..." He nodded his head to Amao, before his eyes went back to Anjira. "Is it wrong to be curious? Lights mysteriously go off, doors open... My first thought was that it felt like a set up. Guards cut the power, see who runs out of their cells, guns them down. It wouldn't be the first time the higher powers had fun at our expense. So once I saw there was no oversight, I decided to look into how and why." Archer began, before the others seemed to think his words marked him as a cop.

"It's unfortunate you arrived at that conclusion, especially for how wrong it is, but I'm not here to debate or argue with you. I'm just here to explain why I'm in this situation right now, and why I'm offering a helping hand." Archer closed his eyes and sighed, the words of Bhorso just adding fuel to the fire. The reptilian was absolutely prone to violence, and believing he was a cop was never going to change now. At the least, it seemed like Anjira wasn't interested in seeing blood spill yet, as long as Archer could make himself useful. That meant he still had things he could do in the moment to avoid a quick end. Once again, Amao seemed to be the voice of reason, to which he nodded.

"That is correct. However, I would like to clarify that I didn't stroll in here intentionally, Miss." Archer began speaking to Amao, before he looked to Anjira. "I came back up here to hide because someone was coming up the stairs. This was the only door that was open, and the rest you know. Now... I do have the knowledge to get the electricity working again. I wasn't always a criminal." He leaned back just a bit in his seat to catch his breath. Trying not to show much fear to these people was very difficult to do. His crimes were just as bad, if not worse, but he didn't want to get in too much of their good grades. "I don't really want much. Just to avoid too much trouble... I don't have any plans to leave this facility, not like anyone else. So I may as well get comfortable, but I can't do that with no power."

"So... You take me to the systems that power this place, I do what I do to get them online, and you reap the benefits. I'm just here to live cozy." He finished, folding his hands and leaning forward. "That sounds okay?"

[Warning]

Fonfon listened but didn't eye back to the two conversing. She focused on the door first and foremost. Only when Ao approached, did the wolf turn her head slightly to look at him and his makeshift weapon. Alone, he said. Yeah, that was something she liked to hear. Only her, only him. No mouse here to be found. Just two inmates being very hungry. Her apple helped her enough to have a good fight if she had to have one. Nobody was to be trusted. Or almost. Even if the mouse who was with them wasn't truly there. She couldn't take the change to put her in danger but at the same time... Well, she didn't know how the situation would turn out just yet.

Her ears twitched... They were close now. Whoever was back there was approaching their door then something made her jump slightly, putting her in full alert. A knocking on the door... Unarmed? Yeah, right. At the same time, SHE was unarmed. Well, in a way. Her own body was more or less a weapon on its own but she was anything but invincible if whoever on the other side was strong enough. Her lack of tools for compounding made her swear quietly. The kitchen didn't seem to have what she needed for proper self-defense. She would need a pharmacy more than a kitchen for potential means of harming someone. Her eyes looked at AO, though.

The decision to respond was not ultimately hers. She was the one willing to fight with tooth and nails if she had to and while she had Jiji's protection in mind, she didn't trust many except maybe him for now. Their search for food was understandable. It was luck that her group was there first but she knew that resources was power. Fonfon was not exactly the brain of the group when it came to diplomacy. She had stood there, ready to fight but she would remain quiet and leave it to Ao to decide. If he didn't, they would either go away or bust the door open IF they knew that food was here to be found. Chances were they knew if they knocked at this door.