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Who: Abigail and YOU
What: A day in the life of a new prisoner
Where: Around Obsidian
When: July 23rd

i. Common room

[ Abigail hasn't taken to coming in here often, but this afternoon it was relatively quiet, so she ventures in, sitting in a corner with her back to the wall. She glances up at the television for a while, in relative disinterest, before something else catches her eye - a ragged page from an old magazine. Through the stains and scribbles on the paper, someone's left her a half-finished crossword. She lights up a little - this will the time for now, at least. ]

Five across: Hillary's challenge as first lady: to do nothing (7).

[ She frowns a little, then quirks an eyebrow up at whoever's nearby, in case they want to have a go at the answer. ]

ii. Bathrooms

[ It would be just her luck to be assigned janitorial duty. At least it's something to keep her occupied, even if it's pretty grim work. She tries to finish up quickly, though she's worried she'll be reprimanded for not being thorough.

She jumps out of her skin when someone bangs on the door, but before she can scurry out to let them use the facilities they're already off down the corridor, laughing at having startled her.

In another stall, she finds someone's drug stash hidden under the rim of the toilet bowl, and frowns as she turns it over in her hands, wondering whether to flush it, or whether that would end up getting her in trouble with whoever it belonged to. ]

iii. Meal room

[ She's managed to queue up early today, hoping for a shot at the better selection of food. When she's nearly at the head of the line, however, a rather burly inmate sees that she's about to get the last of the good stuff - and that she's rather small and unintimidating. Without further ado he storms up and grabs Abigail by the scruff of the neck, dumping her unceremoniously on the ground and taking her spot in the queue. ]

iv. Recreation area - Closed to Rook

[ She's slowly walking circuits of the running track when she sees Rook, and saunters over to him, offering a small smile. She doesn't spend too much time outside, but it makes a change, and that's as much as she can ask for here. ]

Hey, how's it going?

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[AM isn't entirely sure they'll buy what happened, given that AM has pulled some rather horrible things on the guards before, and has certainly gotten in unprovoked brawls.

This had damn well better be worth it.

Still, he pretends to look relieved when Abigail says she wasn't hurt.]

Oh good. Yes, that man is a nuisance. I've run into him a few times.

[He has seen that guy push others around, and AM usually didn't pay much attention as long as it didn't affect him. But there were a couple times when he tried to push AM around and it didn't work.]

His name is Marshal. If he gives you any trouble again, let me know.

I'll be sure to.

[ There's a glint in her eye as she promises. She isn't sure what AM would do to him, but she knows it wouldn't be pleasant, and quite frankly if it means that he'd leave her alone, she doesn't care. She has enough to worry about here without being bullied in the lunch line. ]

Do you mind if I sit with you? Just in case he comes back.

[A glint indeed. AM is able to spot it, something he would cultivate in some of his victims of the past, to lure them in. He smiles.]

No, I don't mind at all.

[Where he sits changes over time, so he doesn't have a usual group of people he generally eats lunch with. A new person he's trying to corrupt? The perfect person to eat with.]

You can even have my fruit cup if you want.

[He leads her over to a table then, where they can sit across from one another. He props an elbow up on the table and looks at her, observing any signs of wariness or trust or anything along those lines.]

So have you made any friends here besides Marshal?

[ She offers a grateful smile and seats herself opposite him, glancing around to make sure they'll be left alone before tucking into her lunch. ]

Mostly people leave me alone.

[ She had Flagg to thank for that. From the moment he'd told her he'd look out for her, the few people who had been trying to aggravate her had given her a wide berth. ]

There is this one girl who tried to corner me in the corridor the other day, but I think she was just trying to show off rather than actually hurt me.

[ She hopes so, anyway. ]

[AM does glance at Abigail's uniform, knowing that she's in the same block as Flagg. It would hardly surprise him that Flagg similarly saw an opportunity in her. (He hates how similar they are, after all.) But she doesn't mention him at all, so he doesn't bring it up.]

Oh, that's good.

[Almost surprising, given how many serial killers and rapists there are here.]

Oh? Who was the girl? [He lifts his fork as he chews his food in the side of his mouth. It's bland, but he's certainly used to it.]

You'll find the showing off rather commonplace here. Most of the prisoners are pathetic, insecure things, after all.

[He speaks so nonchalantly about it, as if it's something everyone should agree with.]

Peony, from A block.

[ She glances over to a rather feral-looking girl sat at the middle table with a couple of her friends. It had rattled her at the time, but she hoped that her bark was worse than her bite.

She frowns a little at that statement, though, wanting to agree but still feeling wary of many of the people here. ]

I mean, they managed to get sent to this place, so they can't be all that pathetic, right?

[When Abigail glances, AM's gaze follows, but he doesn't recognize the girl. He's obviously not as familiar with those outside of his own block. He just gives an "Mmm" in acknowledgment before turning back to take another bite of his gruel.]

I suppose. [Pathetic is a word he reserves for most here. He would consider Abigail pathetic, but of course he won't say so yet.]

But they all did get caught. [He gives a wry smile before popping a dry piece of meat into the side of his mouth.]

[ Abigail returns that smile, unable to stop herself from pressing even though he's just done her a big favour. ]

So did you.

[He did walk right into that one on purpose, knowing he was no better than the rest here. At least, not on the surface.]

I did. It was actually faulty taxes that got me caught.

[He was careful in hiding his tortures and murders, but less careful about business ventures. One of his accountants had snitched to the IRS about his attempts at tax evasion, and one thing led to another...]

So I suppose that makes me even more pathetic.

[He won't hesitate at self-deprecating humor when it suits his needs, even if he doesn't believe it.]

[ Abigail raises her brow in surprise at that - she'd expect anyone in that position to cover their tracks thoroughly in all parts of their life. But then, it had been her father's stupid error that had gotten Abigail caught. None of them were infallible. ]

That's the same way Al Capone got caught, so you're in good company.

Indeed.

[Yes, he knows all about that. But Al Capone was better still at evading detection.]

I'm afraid Al Capone was far more careful. His sentence was only eleven years, after all, as tax evasion was the only concrete evidence they had against him.

[He almost sounds bitter, though. His light-hearted tone gradually becomes more bitter, his eyes narrower, and the chewing of his food far more deliberate.

But then again, if he had only been sentenced to a few years, it still would have ruined his life. His victims and their remains likely would still have been found while he was locked up. His torture chambers would have been unearthed. Perhaps that's the trouble with working alone and not having legions of followers to cover your tracks.

If only he could have gotten his hands on that accountant and given him just punishment.]

But I suppose it doesn't matter, as he died shortly after his release. I hope to live far longer.

[ His bitterness is evident, and Abigail takes note of it - this feels like the first time she's gotten a glimpse beneath the smooth veneer he presents. ]

Far longer, even though it'll all be spent in here?

Yes.

[He won't admit it, not even to himself, but death is horrifying. Perhaps it's why he eagerly tortured so many to death - to conquer it.]

I'm used to this place, after all. Not that I enjoy being here, but there are certainly worse things.

I guess there are.

[ She can't think of many, but death would certainly top the list. It wasn't the thought of not existing for Abigail so much as it being the ultimate display of what little power she had being taken away from her. ]

How long did it take you to get used to this place?

[Not existing is something so horrifying that AM doesn't even want to think about it. After all, part of his research at his company was an attempt to prolong the human body with technology. If he lived to 500 and was a cyborg, then so be it.

But he pauses and contemplates Abigail's question. His eyes look up and to the side as he chews his food in the side of his mouth.]

Well... I suppose I'm never fully used to it.

But... To get where I am now, it took me around a year.

[So many times thrown in SHU during his first year, at least, until he learned how to skirt the rules just enough.]

[ She looks disappointed to hear that, but it's about what she expected. Time enough to stop her being the new fish in the pond, for her to get a little power over the even smaller fry. ]

Could be a lot worse, I guess.

[Of course one would be disappointed. Her upset is probably nothing compared to the absolute rage AM felt when he was caught, compared to the revenge he still fantasizes about delivering to those who put him here.

But he doesn't show it. Instead he nods as he swallows his food, before adding:]

It won't take as long for you. You're young and will adapt easier. Time moves far slower for the young as well.

[Though that last part he may have added to make her feel worse about it.]

[ Abigail takes another couple of bites, not relishing what passes for even the better food around here. She tries to just think of it as fuel to keep her going.

Her expression tightens a little, frowning at that last comment. ]

Yeah, I've heard that before. So even if it's quicker for me, it'll still feel like a slog. Great.

[He enjoys getting that dig in, disguised as a compliment or assurance. He can't help it when the side of his mouth twists again into a smirk at her comment.]

It won't all be bad, my dear.

[He shrugs. Prison could indeed be worse, but compared to the lifestyle he had before, it isn't a luxurious cakewalk.]

Make the right connections, and you could do... very well.

Yeah. I just need to figure out what the right connections are.

[ Because there's a lot of people in here claiming to be big shots. ]

[He at first doesn't say anything to that. Instead, he takes another bite of his tasteless food.

Since they're not in the same block, AM can't have as much of an influence over her as he would like. But... he knows who is in her block.]

Well, have you met Randall Flagg? I believe he's in your block.

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