Give and Take

[Caine Thresher]

When in a place like this the thought could often be wondered why the inmates chose to steal? It was a question he pondered on a few occasions, mostly when he was the one pilfering and not another he witnessed taking what did not belong to them. Some, he suspected, did it because that was what they wanted to do, like some kind of personal test to see if they could get away with it. Others may find stealing impulsive, like a lust, simply to give into and feel up until it was over, leaving them feeling empty again. Caine, like others, knew exactly why he stole things. He needed them. What ever they were for when he took them he would only divulge to certian people here but in some way or another he would make use of what things he took. Not to say, on occasion, he would not give in return for those things that went missing. This was not done often, mostly only for a singular reason. Giving up precious things wasn't difficult, as a matter of fact it was more a matter of tactic than sacrafice. He only gave things after he took when he believed there was a high risk of being caught.

One of those situations happened to be in the Infirmary for him. Though it was the middle of the day, when inmates were out and about, Caine had chosen to spend his meal time not eating but working diligently towards his own goals. Those required potion ingredients he did not have normal access to. Things that could not be substituted and others he could not seek out or scavenge elsewhere. That was why he had chosen to come to the infirmary this fine day, collecting what was needed. While he had checked to make sure that Marshal O'Dair was not in at the moment Caine knew full well that the man could appear at any moment in time. Meanwhile, he went through the cubbords and shelves in the back, not taking blindly, or pocketing anything he found valuable or interesting. From the look of it there was a purpose, selecting with care, slipping what he needed not into his pockets but in other places, up the sleeves of his robes and such. how they stayed in place was anyone's guess, most who had come into contact with him enough times knew that Caine had some tricks that even the magical world may never fully understand.

With one last packet spirited away to where ever Caine saw so fit to hide it that he closed each cubbord in turn, taking a quick look through them to make sure that he hadn't missed anything. He had not taken anything more than what he needed and nothing was left out of place or strewn about in a sloppy manner. Cleanliness was next to Godliness, or so they would say. To Caine, there were no Gods and if there ever were they had forgotten this world long ago. However, he stopped at the last cubbord. Smirking, he reached into his sleeve. When it was extracted his thumb was folded against his palm and three vials were held between the fingers, one each between index and middle, middle and ring, ring and little finger. Inside each, held back by corks of different color and shape, some whittled down to fit, one looking as though it belonged to it's vial, was a brown liquid. Setting the three in a line, a short distance back from the shelf edge, he closed the cubbord mostly, but he left it open just a crack. He wanted the healer to find them it seemed.

[Pier Meschelle]

One flight of stairs stood between her and the infirmary, she wished nothing more than to get something, anything that would make her feel better. Her fever had reached a boiling point and the worst was that instead of feeling horrifically chilled to the bone she felt on fire and close to death. Stair after stair she climbed from the chow hall she had just disembarked from. At first, her intentions had been to crawl back into bed and sleep the day away but she was stubborn and refusing to keep giving up her time to her illness, there was a healer that worked in this place and she knew that she had to find him instead of wallowing away in sleep. Her fingers grasped tightly at the railing, her upper body slumping over. Oh. come on, you ridiculous girl, pull it together for just two seconds, you're almost there. Her blue eyes were fluttering and she took heavy breaths when she reached the top of the stairs, she should have just gone to the infirmary the day before. Pier was far too stubborn for her own good and now she was paying for it in the worst kind of ways.

Her hands ran across the walls until she finally reached her destination and almost clumsily tripped over her own feet on the way in. At first she took no notice to the other person in the room, walking over to one of the nearby beds and unbuttoning her robe which felt much too heavy on her shoulders. Pier made a small noise as she shrugged it off, letting it fall to the floor. Wrinkles be damned. Pier leaned her hip against the side of the bed her grey skirt a contrast to the white, crisp bedding, she wondered faintly if the bed here would be softer than the ones in the barracks. Just as she was going to call out for assistance, figuring that the healer would not simply just leave his work space vacated, she saw the other figure in the room and abruptly closed her mouth. Pier was a nervous personality and that was clearly coming through as she bit her bottom lip and thought that it really wasn't too late to get out there and make her way back to another day of suffering in the barracks. No, she had her resolve face on and was going to stay there.

Of course she had seen him around before, he was hard to miss and obviously the marshals noticed his intelligence, just earlier that week he had led a discussion in one of their classes, or made a speech more or less. She held no real opinion of him and had never spoken a word to him in all the time she had spent at Furiae though she did find him fairly attractive, most certainly not an eye sore. Most people here were actually kind of nice looking but his eyes were fetching. Instead of continuing to stare she let her pair drop back down to the floor beneath her, her right foot making small circles on the ground, she was such a child and she knew it. Pier shifted so that she could stand up straight, her frame still seemingly small in comparison. She lifted her head back from the ground trying to give some impression that she wasn't completely ill but most certainly her pale skin and flushed cheeks could give it away to anyone easily. "Umm, hello..." Her voice was so shaky and close to cracking, "have-have you seen Marshal O'Dair?" Maybe he was waiting for the healer as well? The Alecto’s head was spinning just a bit so she leaned on the frame of the bed once more. This standing up thing was much harder then it appeared.

[Caine Thresher]

He heard someone coming long before he saw them. However, he did not think it was the Marshal returning to his work. These steps were off balance and much to light to be an adult male. Slowly he moved away from the cabinets, taking up a position near the corner. He had only just reached his chosen position when the young woman entered. Alecto, a newer face, at least to him. Of course he could see the way she moved, the way she staggered about. It only made sense that she was here. Unlike him, who was here to take the things he needed she was here for a genuine purpose. Medical treatment. His eyes swept over her as she shed her robe, not in the way that a male eyes a female, more as if he was taking measurements and making calculations about her.

Then she noticed him there, his eyes meeting hers for a moment. A plesant smile was on his face, hands folding neatly behind his back.
"Good afternoon." he replied in greeting, stepping away from the corner and moving slowly towards her. "I have not, though I have been expecting him." As he drew closer he could see more clearly the ruddiness to her complexion which certianly did not seem her natural skin tone, not to mention the obvious weakness in her limbs. One hand came out, gesturing in a sweeping motion towards the bed. "Why don't you sit down?" he bade her, coming to a halt at about arms length from her. "What seems to be the trouble?" he asked, simply sounding so plesant, like the family doctor, "I can see you have an elevated body temperature, serious muscle fatigue and a loss of balance. Any nasuea or a feeling of vertigo?"

It was clear through his line of questioning that Caine had some knowledge in the medical field. Mostly he used what he knew about it for causing harm, which was easier by far than the opposite end of the spectrum. However, he did see the use in everything. Not only would this particular favor earn him something through this girl but perhaps the Marshal may be much more willing to overlook that which he had pilfered in light of the gift he left behind and the treatment of one of his patients.

[Pier Meschelle]

As he stepped closer she instantly wanted to step back, her natural instinct. But instead of doing so her fingers grasped the bed rather tightly to stay tall through she merely wanted to crumble. "I suppose I could just come back later when he's in." Her voice light and trailing off as she neared the end of her sentence. If she could even make it back to Alecto. Pier had every intention on reaching down to the ground to retrieve her robe and get out as quickly as possible, but on his gesture for her to sit she did so rather easily and without further persuasion. Honestly, she was in no condition to deny help even if it was coming from a stranger. Pier sat on the edge and slowly moved herself back onto the bed her legs almost screaming at her as she did so. Gosh, she could almost cry from the general weakness she felt but instead just took a few breaths to calm herself, her eyes lifting from the white sheet back to his features.

"I've been running a fever off and on for a few days." Swallow. "I know I shouldn't have let it get this bad but usually I don't get sick so I figured I could just... sleep it off." The girl pushed some of her hair out of her face, nervously fidgeting on the bed. Pier wasn't exactly used to anyone being especially kind around here like he seemed to be, maybe he was training here with the healer a bit? Honestly, she was completely unsure of why anyone would help in the first place let alone just another inmate who had been waiting to see Marshal O'Dair as well. Pier shook her head 'no' when he asked if she was feeling any nausea. "Slight vertigo, but it goes away... my lungs ache..." She placed one of her hands on her stomach, the other on the bed sheet, letting her back be propped against the pillow and wall. Pier rubbed her lips together, "maybe a little dehydrated." What a mess.

Pier was helpless when it came to her health, when it came to magic, she was always on point. Well at least until her wand was taken away from her and that replacement thing had taken its place. "Are- I mean, I don't know." Her train of thought was just completely screwed as she let herself sink more into the bed, she adjusted her clothing accordingly almost embarrassed by how un-conservative she was at the moment, if it wasn’t for the heat she felt she would probably be wrapped in her robe and not daring to take the damn thing off. Her fingers balled into small light fists as she returned them to her previous positions. "I'm pretty sure it's just a cold or something, I just feel exhausted like I got ran over by heard of buffalo and they thought it would be funny to circle and run over me again." She produced a small smile and a muffled laugh, her shoulders slightly lifting from the wall.

[Caine Thresher]

She was right about him in some senses, wrong in others. He seemed so willing to help but the fact was that nothing in life was free. This kindness would be set upon her now and later he may very well ask something of her, using this very instance of his helpfulness as leverage to get her to doing what he wished. That and the second thing that drove Caine. The challenge of it. Call it his own way of testing himself on a daily basis, sharpening his skills. Experience was, by far, the best teacher. When she sat down, even saying that she should come back, he just smiled. Now it was time to put his knowledge of medicine to the test. They all said that healing was easier than harming and it was high time he tried his hand at it, the latter he was already much too familiar with.

He nodded when she answered his questions, watching the way she sat and fidgeted. Slowly he moved around the bed, seeking to stand slightly behind her. Long fingered hands slid out from behind his back, held up at about chest height, "May I?" Though he didn't exactly know that she would give a positive answer he sought to place his left hand on her shoulder, his right in the middle of her back, just to the right of her spine. "Breath deeply and slowly." If she did as ordered he would listen and let touch do the work for the moment. Still, he half way expected her to do as she was told, mostly because when it came to anyone seeking medical treatment they tended to follow orders from whom ever that doctor might be, so long as they acted like they knew what they were doing. Afterwards he let his hands slip away from her, moving around so that he could be in front of her again.

"While the Common Cold could cause an aching sensation in the lungs it does not explain the fever, dehydration and vertigo." he moved to get a small glass and fill it with water. Only then did he move to the cabinets, opening them and looking through them to add something to the water. What ever he put in made the liquid swirl slightly, becoming a lavender color. His fingers held the rim of the glass around the edges, wrist turning a few times to mix the tonic, holding it out to her. "Drink this. I will not taste particularly good but it is far better than some things. Afterwards I suggest rest and that you constantly hydrate yourself." as for what, exactly, he had mixed with the water he did not say. Caine seemed to have skill in many things but the fact was he simply thought of things differently. Most who had used magic all their lives seemed to believe magic was the solution for everything. Having lived in both the magic and Muggle worlds, Caine knew the tricks of both and used them to his advantage. Hence, he always seemed to know what he was doing.

[Pier Meschelle]

Pier watched him carefully as he walked around her, politely asking if it was okay for him to touch her. She nodded and turned her head to the side, doing as he said, the girl lifted her shoulders once more from the comfort of the pillow. Once his hand was placed on her back she did as instructed, taking deep slow breathes, she could feel herself wanting to cough once again but held it in, her orbs swelling with water. She had been so curious about him for so long yet Pier felt like she could barely say anything at all. Possibly because of the circumstances of their meeting and the fact she was still constantly on alert around people. The boy seemed to make his assumptions about what was happening with her quickly. As he emerged from behind her she looked up at his, more questioning then anything else. Pier was more concerned he would say something she didn't want to hear, like her lung was going to fall out of chest or something gruesome. But instead he gave news of how her theory had been wrong, common cold obviously wasn't a big deal. The rest was but only somewhat.

"So I guess I'm not going to die today? That's a small comfort." She muttered as he walked towards the cabinets and returned to her was a lavender liquid. The Megaera didn't even offer an explanation as to what she was about to drink, wasn't that something people had to do when offering someone medication? Honestly, while she wanted to question it, she felt rather comforted by him and didn't see any reason to poke and prod when she could be feeling better already. Pier was blindly trusting him even though she never did that with anyone else, it was probably the sickness laced with the desire to once again be healthy. "Thank you," She spoke before pressing the glass to her lips. The taste was awful, and she could feel features slipping into a grimace as she drank it down quickly. If she hadn't already felt ill her stomach probably would have turned harshly from the taste. Setting the glass down on the side table. Pier gave a small smile in his direction, almost instantly she felt relieved, the ache in her muscles subsided and she felt like she would be able to walk again if needed.

"I truly appreciate your help. It means a lot to me, you don't really meet a lot of people around here that would help someone..." Pier was naive in thinking he wouldn't ask something in return eventually. The brunette girl was one of those people that wanted to see the good in things, especially in someone who had seemed so eager to help when she felt like death. She pushed her hair aside and chuckled just slightly, "I didn't think anyone who cared even the slightest would be here... I guess it proves me wrong, aye?" Pier's gentle accent back in her voice instead of the rough chocked sound she was sure she had been making earlier. Pier was still ridiculously thirsty. "Is it okay for me to drink water right after?" She questioned him through her lashes while pushing herself up from the bed a ways, still not sure if she wanted to really remove herself from the comfort of the mattress. The girl still felt overwhelmingly tired though most certainty better, less like death and more like the end of a long hard day.

"Why exactly are you hanging out around here if you don't mind me asking you look-" Her eyes gingerly scanned him. "Good- I mean well. Not ill and sickly at all." She must have been feeling just a bit better if she was willing to actually check someone out. Pier needed to learn some self control her eyes instantly diverted from his frame feeling rather foolish but instead of showing it she simply stood up from the bed and reached down to the ground for her robe, placing it down onto the now rumbled white sheets. Had she really been fidgeting that much? The evident lack of her social skills probably gleamed from her, she wasn't exactly as bold as the other people she had met here. Instead she was unusually quiet for the most part and tried to be alone. Not one for making conversation in fear of humiliating herself.

[Caine Thresher]

Indeed, he could tell she was the skittish sort. One that didn't normaly take well to contact on such a level upon just meeting. However this was not a normal occasion and he was the only one within the confines of this room that was capable of taking care of her needs. At least she need not worry of him copping a feel or anything of the sort. As a matter of fact his entire attitude this time had been strictly professional, as if he, himself, was the head healer here. Caine had a way of disarming people, it was a gift in a sense, more so just his mind at work. Anybody could let their guard down and he simply found the way to let them feel comfortable enough to do it.

When she said, possibly in jest, that she wasn't going to die today Caine just shrugged slightly. "You may, you may not, the cause will just not be illness." despite the way he moved through these halls with such confidence it was still dangrous here. They had managed to pack some of the most dangerous youths in the wizarding world all into one place, danger was inevidable. Still, he would be a distinct disadvantage should he have given her something that would only make her condition worse. If anyone discovered that he had been here, not only pilfering supplies but harming inmates? Everything would be unwound for him and that he could not abide by. He just smiled at her, waving a hand in a dismissive way, "It does prove you wrong." he agreed, "There are a lot that would rather not help you, mostly depending on the barracks you reside in, signs of status and what-not." he explained, "However, there are few of us that will assist in times such as this. The reasoning for it just tends to differ." He would not go into his own reasoning, such was for him to know alone.

Then she asked, the smile on his face turning into a smirk. "Call it an aimless wandering that turned into a purpose." Stepping just a bit away to fold his hands into the small of his back in a proper but relaxed position. It would have been much more proper if he wasn't slouching slightly, giving him a hunched appearance. "Marshal O'Dair and I do not exactly know one another personaly. I tend to treat my own injuries well enough and we do not have much interaction. Hence, our relationship tends to stay to a less than personal level of give and take." Once more he did not explain his meaning. Caine wasn't the type that delt in many lies. The majority of it was the simple truth, or an equivocation. Half truths were more his style because it was not a lie but it allowed him some ability to conceal what he wished.

[Pier Meschelle]

Pier was reading a lot more into his words then she probably should have, he seemed so cool and collective, she almost envied it but it was the way his phrases could hold so many different meaning that truley made her intrigued. It was like he spoke in his own code of things while she spoke in clear black and white most all of the time. "You're completely right," She walked past him and to the sink, rinsing out the glass before filling it up once more. "What would your reason be?" Pier asked nonchalantly as possible with a slightly arched brow, he might not have wanted to divulge into the topic but she most certaintly did. All of his side stepped answers really drove her on making her perk up quite a bit. Pier wanted nothing more then to place him under her microscope but even she understood privacy, sure she had been known for breaking into peoples minds before but now as she matured it just seemed so rude. A respectful Legimens, who knew? She pracially blamed that one piece of power for why she had so many walls surrounding her at all times. Constantly guarded and always secretive, that was unless she grew comfortable around someone, which never truly happened. People put up walls to keep other people out, and that's mainly how she enjoyed her life.

She set the glass back down on the counter after she had taken a few more leisure sips of water. It was crazy how she felt so good and how fast that had all worked. Maybe it was too fast, she really should have asked more questions about what that lavender liquid had been, had she ever drank anything that color before? She tried to recall but still came up short handed. Pier crossed her arms in front of her, fingers lacing as she placed them near her left hip, letting herself stand straight. "So you usually heal yourself and your relationship with him is one of give and take..." Pier pondered that piece of information. She had her own series of questions building up in her head. Most of them being the real reason he had been here, if he usually healed himself why would he come into the infirmary, maybe use some supplies? He seemed to know his way around well enough. Hmm, "That's fantastic," She replied, sure she wanted to dive right into a thousand different questions but instead found it would be better to not bombard him with her ridiculous curiosity, at least when it came to the topic of why he was here on this day particularly.

"I wander around this place all the time, usually it's better then staying around in the barracks," She sighed and took a few steps towards him, still leaving a safe amount of distance, a few solid feet. "Especially being in Alecto..." Now that she found no reason to divulge into. "How are things in your barracks? Do you all seem to get along fairly well?" Yes, she knew that small talk was fairly pointless but she wanted to know more about him, and so the questions would most defiantly begin, there was so much to be said about him, his allusiveness was of course the most obvious personality trait. Pier wanted to see what was beneath that cool front, could that really be just who he was? Underneath she was just as she seemed, curious and cautious in her reserve, sure she had her share of secrets but being too open lead to problems, thus her problems with house mates.

[Caine Thresher]

It was his way, his nature, his very being. Caine was elusive, difficult to understand though both a combination of his own methods and simple personal thinking patterns. When she asked of him what his reasons were he just gave her a smile, "Those I keep to myself." Perhaps not the answer she would have hoped for but it was the one he gave. Caine liked this part, he enjoyed riddling people, making them wonder, making them think. In his own opinion not enough people thought too much about things. Instead they looked for another way to gain the answer. They didn't want to work for it, they just wanted it. He wasn't about to give them that, he would let them sit there and mull it over until the answer came to them.

As she began and finaly just kept her questions to herself Caine smiled once again. He could tell just by the look of her that she was absolutley full to the brim with questions she wished to gush forth. Still, her restraint was admirable. Perhaps she had already learned that he would answer a few questions and only give her half answers with the rest. At any rate he was mildly intrigued at the way she would hold herself at bay. Still, Caine may not be able to simply dig into her head to discover what he wished to know he still had ways of doing it. Without magic. No, he studied her, every little detail. The way she moved, where she looked, breathing rate, the tone of her voice. Everything. Things like that could tell him about a person, things they may never suspect that anyone could figure out just by watching them.

When she spoke about her own barracks, falling short and asking him about his he smirked a little bit. One hand came out from behind his back, waving slightly in gesture. "I suspect it is similiar. All types, quiet and loud, the reserved and the blatant. Those that think they are better and their submissive counterparts." in way of how people were there was little difference between those of pure blood and those who were not. Looking at her then, his eyes went straight to hers, vivid green pools of acid that may just seem to bore into her. "No patience for their mannerisms....or no stomach for it?" while these were only the two guesses that he chose to voice there were always others. However he suspected that if neither were correct that she would end up telling him. It was his assumption, brought on by the way she did not go into details about Alecto, that she did not prefer the company to be found there, prompting his own question. Caine was no Legilimens but he was working to see into her mind.

[Pier Meschelle]

What a predicament she found herself in. At that moment she wanted to know his reasons and just understand what he meant but instead of giving her what she craved he backed right off of it, keeping it to himself. Now that was a good place for it to be kept if she hadn’t been so overwhelmingly curious. Was he the type to expect something back for the things he did, his supposed good deeds? Should she have felt worry, possibly even fear instead of marveling at his control. Most were open books, if she knew one thing about people it was how much they loved to talk about themselves yet he didn’t. It confounded her, making her reanalyze him. She wanted to tear in, see everything. Pier adored knowledge, especially when it came to knowing those around her, knowing who to look out for. Pier could feel herself swaying ever so slightly towards him but not enough to move her feet, no, the caution signs in her head were placing themselves on the back burner.

Pier wanted to believe that in the other houses at Furiae there was more calm, less bickering over ridiculous petty things, of course she was wrong in that hope, she had seen it first hand and the question itself seemed redundant. As he explained she nodded modestly but then it seemed different so suddenly, his gaze bearing straight into her, she knew his question was directly related to her distain for Alecto. Had he picked up on that so easily? It must have been just pooling off of her. She wanted nothing more than to be witty and just say something like ‘Those opinions I keep to myself.’ But instead she found herself automatically responding, “Neither, actually.” Pier wanted to hold his stare but instead found herself looking away, biting harshly into her lower lip. No matter what the situation she wanted to just hide away from it and bury the feeling so deep inside that they could never resurface. Truth was that she envied those not of pureblood, those who didn’t feel obligated to certain standards, those who didn’t have to worry about their life just cause they were a traitor. “I don’t fit with them for lack of a better term. Some are so…” Bigoted, set in their parents ways, horrid, revolting, dangerous, frightening. “It’s hard to say.” If they really knew me they would kill me. Pier constantly worried about others finding out the depth of her sentence. The part she didn’t want them to know. “You know?”

She was just as secretive in her own ways, trying not to show the fragility she possessed yet at times wanting to just reveal it all. Constantly walking that fine line of what would be appropriate to say and what would push too far, those walls were built up with reason. Pier tucked stray locks of brown behind her ear, letting her eyes drift back to his frame. His stance proper yet hunched, smile striking yet enigmatic. “I think it would have been best for them to have separated us by personality instead of blood, it just seems like such a small thing to judge people by. We’re all intricate, some more than others but still,” Pier refrained, her mouth doing that thing where it was spewing out more then she should allow.

[Caine Thresher]

If she was cautious now then she would do well never to attempt to glean anything from his mind. There she would find the stuff that nightmares were made from. Only a select few truly knew what lurked in the dark corners of his mind and of those most would be happy to forget what they had witnessed there. The truth was that thought evil things happened every day in the world they were not commited strictly by evil people. People did not have to be evil for evil to use them. It was just the way of things. However, what people found in Caine if they ever figured him out in full was not normal. It was rare to see true evil.

When she answered that it wasn't either of the guesses his head turned slightly, a brow lifting over his eye in curiousity. Then she explained herself and he smiled. "So...." he spoke, casting a glance at her from the corners of his eyes, "...the grass is greener on the other side, is it?" He had told her everything he needed to know. She was a pureblood who wished she wasn't. The life that had been set before her wasn't one that she wished to have. She wanted her freedoms but felt that they were denied to her because of her lineage. Labeled a traitor to her own kind, as if they were a species apart from the rest. Tragic really but she would be hard pressed to find any place that was not the same. In both muggle and magic worlds there were the elite, or those that considered themselves so.

"They used to sort us according to the nature of our crimes....before my time however, in the old facility." he did reveal something of himself, that he had been here for some time now. "Tisiphone...forever vengeful, Magaera...always begrudging, Alecto...boundless rage." he listed the three houses, explaining the furies they represented, how they were placed. He did not move as she watched him. Indeed, he was one whose ways seemed to contradict one another constantly. Proper yet slouched, generous yet selfish....a mystery that couldn't be solved...not yet at least. "Yes, some of us are much more complex than others but the simple fact of the matter isn't that we're not imprisoned here. Someone once said we build our own prisons and it is true. However, it's not as it seems here. Our freedoms have not been taken from us, we still have all the same things as we did before in a sense. What has been stripped of many here is the illusion of their freedoms."

[Pier Meschelle]

Was she that readable? Growing up she had always wondered if her emotions and her thoughts just seemed available to those around her, it seemed like people understood her better then she even understood herself. This Megaera included. Yes, she knew she felt out of place and lost, confused and most certainly not giddy about her choices or what her life had been before this place became her home but he knew it too and she barely even had to speak words of it. To her, it wasn’t even that the grass would be greener on the other side, she just wished she had the choice to go to that other side if she could. Instead of being bound to something she couldn’t change, could never escape from. It was wrong for a person to have so much loathing towards themselves. Had she always been this way, wasn’t there a time she didn’t think she was just some monster? That was the difference between the two inmates in the room, he knew what he was and accepted himself no questions, no guilt. Pier feared what she was and ran away from it, all regret and perpetual sadness.

“Doesn’t everyone at some point desire something that they know is completely out of grasp, something that they have no chance at possessing?” She felt foolish in her own self-assessment but yet there were no better words to describe it. How did small talk of barracks become her wanting to spill her soul out onto the floor? At least she wasn’t trying to expand on what she had wanted from that other side. Her breathing was growing slightly unsteady, her pulse racing. The mere thought of escape felt so liberating, she remembered the rush she used to get as a child, wandering in different places with her family, places where people didn’t rely on magic to get them through the day. It just was so fascinating, different. Her arms fell down from the resting spot of her hip, her fingers tips drawing small patterns into her skin.

The old facility? She could almost hear the wheels turning in her own head. How old had he been when he came here… or rather went there? What had he done? Those were things she was sure weren't going to be answered by him at least, she could already tell that much, he liked to keep himself all hidden away, much like her yet completely different. At his explanation of what the past houses had been and how the inmates were once separated she could only imagine the category she would have fallen under. Most certainty not someone possessing boundless rage, instead a vengeful personality that lead to all her problems. Her fury fierce when provoked. "I disagree... I think they give us an illusion of freedom, right from the start. They give us wands and less restrictions than Hogwarts... yet when they snap their fingers we're expected to jump. Do you think we are not confined what so ever? Yes, it is comfortable confinement most days but yet still, we aren't free. When someone else controls the strings who exactly is liberated?" Pier shrugged her shoulders. He was right about people building their own prisons, though she didn't want to admit it since she lived in hers, completely unready to break down the brick walls.

[Caine Thresher]

He was completely silent, as if he accepted her argument as the logical one. Then he laughed, a hideous cackling that rang out from him. For a moment he was merely amused, taking a short bit of time to compose himself. Then he looked her over, as if remeasuring her once more. "There." he said, pointing at her, "That is why you think we are so confined. You've built your own prison and it's walls are inescapeable. The very notion that something is out of grasp is proof enough." For a moment he was quiet, as if letting that sink in. "Nothing....is out of grasp. Our reach has always exceeded our imaginations. If you believe yourself restrained to a life then you will forever be a prisoner to it. The only way you will ever gain what you wish is to reach out and take it for yourself...and let nothing stand in your way." Words of wisdom if there ever were any. He was young but if he ever wanted something there was little that could be done to stop him from getting it.

Watching her for a few seconds longer he just smirked and shook his head. "That is where freedom comes from. Not from rules and regulations set before us but from ourselves. You believe yourself confined, therefor you are. Myself, I see freedom in many things, so I have less restriction than you do. You see...this world is full of things that restrain us but only if you allow them to." His hands slid out from behind his back, his right wrist flicking and with a faint sound there was something in his hand. A muggle playing card, the Ace of Spades, as if it appeared from nowhere. How he had gotten his hands on it was unknown, perhaps smuggled, perhaps transfigured, maybe even stolen. "Take this." he held up his hand to show her the card, "This is ordinary, nothing about it is special. It...to most, has no other purpose, confined to a set place in existance. However...." with another flick of his wrist the card wasn't the Ace anymore but the King of Hearts. "...to someone like me there are no restrictions with it, just what you would see. With a quick wave of his hand the card dissapeared from his right, appearing when he lifted his left hand to wave that arm. "It could be a thousand things, from the magic that we practice to a simple lie that I tell your eyes." Both hands came up, fingers splayed and hooked, his thumbs hidden behind the card as it spun between his hands, as if floating on air. Plucking it away with his right hand again, with a flick of his wrist the card was gone again and his hands resumed their place behind his back.

"The fact of the matter is....not everyone is designed to see the world in the same ways. Call me insane or perhaps ahead of the curve but I see this world in a way that few others do. It is a place without restrictions set forth by man or nature. The only thing left to hinder my progress is myself." It certianly was an interesting way of viewing things coming from him. It was no wonder he could so easily keep to himself and act so comfortable in a place like this. Things just weren't the same for him as they were for everyone else. He lived in a world of his own creation.

[Pier Meschelle]

Pier bit the inside of her cheek hard enough to break the skin when he started laughing, and not just laughing but mocking her with the ferocity of his booming noise. Her first instinct was just to leave, she felt small and pretty damn stupid. That was the best way she could even put it but before she could pluck up the courage to even move towards her things and get out he was pointing at her making his own assumptions and conclusions about her. Calling her out like he knew her or something. What did he know anyways? Other then exactly how she felt and he was just saying it. The girl felt overwhelmingly stunned and couldn't even open her mouth to object though she could feel it boiling up inside of her. She wanted to scream but instead just stood them silent his words penetrating into her mind, how was it that he could think everything was in grasp and nothing was out of reach while she knew... or at least she thought she knew not everything was a plausible goal. Let nothing stand in her way. Ha. "You- you don't even know me or why I am how I am." She spoke so softly she didn't even know if he could hear her, like he would even care if he did. Probably just mock her some more, maybe get out a few more chuckles. Sure, she could easily start taking the things she wanted but the price for those things seemed so high, she was terrified of making her severed connections with her parents worse, never seeing them again if she just ran off to do her own things.

Her cerulean eyes watched as he shook his head, continuing on with explaining freedom. Did he live with no restrictions at all? He must have and she was immensely jealous about it. His hands emerged from behind his back and she was watched as he displayed a normal card, something muggle. Pier payed close attention as it was revealed and then again as it changed, she took a step forward, somewhat intrigued. She knew it was just an illusion, a mind trick, nothing that anyone couldn't master through time yet still, it was his words behind it that were far more interesting. Things change, or they could change. Pier could change. Again, she shoved that feeling deep inside of her and could feel her gaze slipping away from the card as it vanished back to wherever he had gotten it from.

"In order to live in a world where nothing stands in your way you have to care for nothing and have no connections to anything. To have everything or think everything is attainable you have to be willing to hurt people and do it without remorse." It's human to have restrictions, right? To have things you wouldn't be willing to give up to make your personal ends meet? Maybe he didn't feel those things, world connections, true feelings about those around him. Could someone be so hollow and yet so intriguing? Yes, they most certainly could be, the voice in the back of her mind spoke, she had seen it before, knew it from history. Pier fidgeted and felt almost uncomfortable in that instance. Almost not wanting to hear anything else from his lips, yet still her mouth opened and opposed a question. "What did you do to end up here?" The Alecto didn't want him to answer, she wanted him to tell her it was none of her business so that she wouldn't feel foolish for wanting to trust him, for actually displaying her trust by letting him come within even two feet of her. But still she stalked closer to him, observing him through her thick lashes, waiting to be told to piss off. Pier halted her movements when close enough to reach out, "Tell me, did you make your ends meet?" Her voice holding no demand, just question. Curiosity peaked yet hoping to be squashed. The blue of her eyes meeting the acid pools of green he possessed.

[Caine Thresher]

Indeed, he could see the way that his laughter infuriated her. It did to a great many people. He picked at their brains, then he called them out, telling them versions of what was in their head and they let their fury build within them. Not because he was wrong but because he was so close to being right. When she said that he didn't know her, know the person she was, why she did what she did he just shrugged. He may not know her personaly but he knew her kind. In psychology there were archtypes for people, certian catagories they fit into with which to identify them and the type of person they were. Caine had discovered hers and he'd told her. Still, he made no effort to attempt to correct her or anger her further.

When she made her statement he shook his head, "Far from true. It is because you care for things that this is possible. You have to want something, willing to reach out for it, you have to care about it. While some may think in order to attain anything you want you have to be willing to kill. This is wrong. You don't have to kill but it comes at the price of having to work around it. Much more difficult yes however, in some instances, more rewarding." The fact was, Caine wasn't hollow. There was something in him, something dark and deep, the worst things humanity had to offer. He just managed to hide it so well. In his opinion everyone wore masks to show to the world and there were so very few that actualy showed themselves as they were to everyone around them. It would be a dark day when he let them see who he really was.

Her question made him look to her, staring into those blue eyes, as if he was looking to see if she truly wanted him to answer. When he found what he was looking for he made his choice. Be careful what you wish for, Ms. Meschelle. "Three counts of premeditated murder." he answered the question casualy, as if it was a part of his past that was long but over. When she closed distance between them and asked another he replied simply, "Not yet. Give it time." That was the one aspect of his planning that made the difference between success and failure. Many attempted to do things too quickly and it cost them. Caine let things progress slowly, only moving things forward when everything was in order and he was ready. Then he set to looking at her before he nodded to himself. "You know, you may be right about my not knowing you." he paused a second, looking her up and down again, "In his book, The Art of War, Sun Tzu wrote that you can spend thirty years with another person. That you can share the others food, their bed, their daily life. After that thirty years Sun Tzu said to drag them to the top of a volcano and, when you hold them over the edge, ready to let them fall, on that day they will show you who they truly are. Alas..." he said with an amused, jesting smile, "...we lack a volcano."