Cuffs and their Dilemmas (Tobias)

[Zodiac]

The bathroom was quiet. In the silence, only the clinking of handcuffs could be heard, followed by the creaking of taps and the sound of running water. Then came the sound of a young man’s casual whistling as he commenced the trivial task of washing his hands. Mind you, this seemingly simple task, with the handcuffs, had added complexities. He (he being Zodo) would often forget their presence, and when reaching for something with one hand, he always seemed to be irritably surprised when the other hand followed. Like now, for instance, when he had reached for the paper towel—he had completely forgotten that his hands were bound together, and sighed once his left hand involuntarily followed the path of his right. And the frustrations didn’t stop there. Once he had finished drying his hands, he attempted to toss the damp and used paper towel into the trash can a few metres away, but alas, this was a failure of epic proportions, as an over handed shot didn’t exactly work out when he forgot to add the handcuffs to the equation. This produced yet another sigh of annoyance from Zodo, but he shrugged it off, preparing to depart and leave the balled paper towel on the floor…

At least, this is what he thought he would do until he realized that he wasn’t alone. Zodo must have been so preoccupied with his cuff dilemmas that he didn’t notice this other fellow’s presence, but now that he had, a vile smirk of unmistakable joy came to Zodo’s face. Company. Thank God.

The fellow bathroom attendee didn’t seem familiar to Zodo, although this was unsurprising. He had spent most of his short time here locked up in his cell, after all, so he hadn’t exactly been able to meet many people.

But now was his chance.

“Hey, you,” he called, making some sort of gesture toward the stranger, the usual smirk still present on his face.“Be a pal and throw that in the garbage for me, willya?” He then gestured toward the misfired wad of paper towel that lay on the dirtied floor, and his smirk grew larger. It wasn’t the littering Zodo cared about. In fact, quite the opposite; he merely wanted to test just how intimidating he was over the other risk levels. Based on his earlier examination of this stranger, Zodo realized that Fellow Bathroom Attendee was not at high risk, like Zodo himself was, considering Fellow Bathroom Attendee’s lack of cuffs and guard. Therefore, he must only be here because of petty crimes—not murder like Zodo. And thus, Zodo was simply experimenting. If this fellow here complied to Zodo’s completely unreasonable request, then it would mean that Zodo being a murderer gave him superiority over the other ranks. But if the fellow didn’t… well. That sucked.


In the words of the Zodo... that sucked. I'M SORRY *sob* Oh, and I didn't really talk about a guard, so... if there's s'pose to be one, you can add it in there.. *shifts eyes* rofl

[tobias]

so, the tobester had been foolish enough to think it would be easy to get in there and get out without some kind of hassle. he had only been in this hellhole (were all prisons like this?) for a few days, and he should have known by then that nothing in--what had that arsonist called it...the quack shack?--was easy.

without giving him much of a second glance, tobey scoffed, “am i the janitor?” and disappeared behind a shower curtain with his wad of clothes.

well, he had learned by now that the showers here were never hot, as he preferred them. because he despised the cold water so, he spent less than five minutes in the shower and forced himself not to think about where the soap supplied for him had already been. as quickly as he had gone in, he came out dressed in a button-up and cords not too unlike those he had shown up in.

tobey took about two steps before he realized the stranger and the guard had not left.

“still here?” he muttered, raising an eyebrow.

after a moment, he continued to one of the sinks--incidentally, the one farthest from where the other criminal was standing-- where he spent a few seconds tidying his hair. but, of course, he felt the stare piercing his back and eventually glanced over his shoulder at the stranger. face scrunching up in a slight grimace, the thief hissed, “do you mind?”

[[ lol, you said yours sucked. ]]

[Zodiac]

Gee. Talk about buzz kill.

Fellow Bathroom Attendee hardly glanced at Zodo, and merely gave the curt reply of, “Am i the janitor?” to which Zodo’s mind mused, ‘Well, damn. That did suck.’ It seems the fact that Zodiac was a higher rank didn’t do much when it came to intimidation. At least, not with Fellow Bathroom Attendee. But this hardly mattered. Zodo had other methods in his arsenal. “Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning,” Zodo remarked in mock offence. “Yeesh.” He gave a casual roll of his eyes and smirked, but not soon after did Fellow Bathroom Attendee disappear from view, receding behind a shower curtain. Zodo smirked once more, amused. Most people would find being in the same room with a complete stranger as they attended to their daily hygiene as awkward, but mind you, Zodo clearly was not most people. And it seemed, neither was Fellow Bathroom Attendee.

However, boredom began to set in, smothering him the same way a large amount of dirt would smother a fire, and he fidgeted around, waiting. The only reason he stayed in that godforsaken bathroom was because, well, to be honest, Fellow Bathroom Attendee was his first human contact for the entire day. The guard didn’t count.

In his boredom, Zodo wandered over to the misfired balled up paper towel, but instead of throwing it in the garbage like the responsible Quack Shack residence would do, he held onto it. He couldn’t waste a perfectly good, albeit used, paper towel, now, could he? Nah… he had plans for this bad boy.

His task done, Zodo hopped up, clumsily, onto the counter in which the sinks were located. His legs swung back and forth, much like a child, and he began whistling a tune that had an odd resemblance to the Jingle Bells Christmas carol. He never was good at waiting.

But, at long last, Fellow Bathroom Attendee emerged, and Zodo could hardly contain his sudden excitement. In contrast, it seems, for the few minutes they had been apart, Fellow Bathroom Attendee’s mood had not increased any, for he merely said, in what Zodiac could only guess was an unimpressed tone, “Still here?” Zodo, however, simply smirked in response. “Gee, and I thought I asked stupid questions,” he replied, then commenced whistling once again. Did Zodo always go out of his way to be particularly annoying? Maybe. He, however, said nothing more and allowed Fellow Bathroom Attendee to make himself look pretty, watching him as he did so. I mean, it’s not like there was anything better to look at.

Then suddenly, Fellow Bathroom Attendee’s face seemed to contort into an angry expression as he muttered, “Do you mind?” But Zodo just offered what looked to be a smirk of triumph and shrugged in response. Yet another stupid question from Fellow Bathroom Attendee. Of course Zodo didn’t mind.

But then came the time when Zodo could hold onto his excitement no longer. His hands rose, and in a single motion, he tossed the paper towel wad at Fellow Bathroom Attendee, this time aiming properly and hoping to hit his head. Zodo’s smirk itched to become a laugh as he yelled, “HOT POTATO.”

[tobias]

[[the minkster apologizes profusely for taking so long to post. she deserves to be shot. here's a shotgun.]]

it was all good. really, it was. all tobey had to do was ignore this very strange stranger, and he would get out just fine. no contact, no conflict, no wadded up paper towel projectiles.

the damp wad hit his cheek with an audible splat, stuck there for a second, then fell off onto his shoulder and rolled down his back, finally landing on the floor.

it was just a paper towel. no big deal. he could just wipe the water off, easily. he could just run a hand through his hair to calm the spot that had been ruffled by the missile. there was no need to give the other man what he wanted. tobey could stay calm. easily... no problem...

the medium risk whirled on his aggressor. "what the hell is your problem!"

goddammit.

tobey's scowling face was flushed, deathglare aimed right at the other criminal. he threw his neat pile of clothes at the sink, but his aim was off and it fell to the floor in a messy wad. he paid no attention to this at first and, for a minute, looked like he was ready to run at the funny guy and attempt to claw his eyes out.

but he didn't. the thief had a temper, but no physical aggression to back it up, which was all fine and dandy in the long run considering the last time he had actually taken up getting physical with another human being. rather than repeating that unfortunate mishap, tobey kneeled and picked up the fallen clothes [poor dirty things. where was the laundromat in this hellhole?] at once. he threw an annoyed glance at his bathroom buddy with, "you should get back to the psyche ward now," and made for the door.

[Zodiac]

“Man, y’suck at that game,” he stated, making it quite clear that he enjoyed pointing out the obvious with the mocking smirk plastered across his face. The wad of paper towel had rebounded off the side of Fellow Bathroom Attendee’s face and plummeted to the ground, when obviously, in a game of hot potato, the potato was not meant to touch the floor. “Yer not s’pose to—”

The lovely sound of Zodo’s voice was interrupted by Fellow Bathroom Attendee’s angry outburst: "what the hell is your problem!" Such a reaction had surprised Zodo for a moment, as Fellow Bathroom seemed to have been composing himself only moments earlier. Moreover, it was clear as water to Zodo that he wasn’t the one with the problem—he hadn’t let the hot potato fall. It was Fellow Bathroom Attendee and his lack of reflexes, and not to mention his short fuse. Zodo now decided to share this aloud. “Hey, I’m not the one with the lack of reflexes here,” he said with a smirk. He, however, then opted for one of his rare moments of silence where he simply waited. Zodo did not know what exactly he was waiting for, but Fellow Bathroom Attendee did appear quite angry, as if he were ready to strangle the life right out of poor Zodo. Zodo had even braced himself for such a thing to happen, but it didn’t. It seems what he was waiting for was for, however, was for Fellow Bathroom Attendee to say, "you should get back to the psyche ward now," and make his way toward the exit.

But poor Fellow Bathroom Attendee didn’t think he could get away that easily, now, did he? No, no, no; the Zodiac was like a parasite, and once he chose his host and latched on, it was quite the task to get him off. Fellow Bathroom Attendee had much to learn.

Besides, Zodo was just a bit desperate for human contact.

“Where y’goin’?” he asked, sounding much younger than his actual age of nineteen. Perhaps Zodo really was a ten-year-old in disguise. “You can’t possibly think we’re done yet. I mean, we got the whole day t’get t’know each other.” Zodo paused then, as if in thought. Then he said, “I’m the Zodiac Killer.” He smirked, obviously proud of the title.

Now his smirk grew even wider; he had always wanted to say this next line. “So what’re y’in fer? It’s only fair t’answer now.” His head fell to one side, and his smirk transformed into what could be mistaken for an innocent smile. Zodo was merely curious—and besides, the ‘getting to know each other’ had to start somewhere.

(Ahah, nah, don't worry about it. But srsly, PLZZZZ MAKE HIM INTRODUCE HIMSELF. DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH EFFORT IT TAKES TO KEEP TYPING 'FELLOW BATHROOM ATTENDEE'?

...

rofl juuust kidding... maybe).

[tobias]

[[insert more apologies here]]

"good for you," was tobey's immediate reaction to this annoying stranger's introduction. the zodiac killer? like he could be expected to know this. tobias didn't make a habit out of poking his nose into murder mysteries--he was much more interested in economy. and as far as this whack job went, young master lestat had either rarely or never heard of him. it was apparent as tobey looked this "zodiac" up and down, handcuffs, guard, and all, that he wasn't afraid of him, either.

what are you in for?

could no one in this hellhole restrain himself from asking that damned question? forget "hello" or "good day," this hackneyed inquiry was the standard greeting here. if he had to hear or answer that one more time...

"nothing that would entertain you, i'm sure," said tobias, who was clearly very uninterested in entertaining zodiac, as he made his way out the door. he was almost home free and able to escape his cruel fate, but lady luck decided to frown upon him once more and sent a guard in front of the bathroom just as he exited. the guard whirled on him immediately and demanded his name.

sure that zodiac would overhear, tobey was reluctant to give this information out loud. but when he was ordered to surrender both his name and his id, or he would regret it, he could do nothing but comply grudgingly. he surrendered the id and muttered, "tobias lestat," under his breath, hoping his stalker wouldn't hear. well, regardless of whether he heard that...

"well, tobias lestat," the guard growled, glaring at the criminal's wadded up clothes and damp hair, "you're not permitted to use the showers at this hour. don't let me catch you doing it again."

with a grunt, tobey snatched back his id and took off in the hallway, hoping that he could put some distance between himself and zodiac but knowing all too well that it wouldn't work.

[Zodiac]

Well, my god. Fellow Bathroom Attendee should have his nickname changed to Buzzy McKillerson. Clearly he had some sort of oblong and extremely large object up his ass because no person was so persistent in killing Zodo’s buzz. Each reply was given curtly and in a tone of annoyance, and he was making it particularly challenging for Zodo to continue on in that jovial state of his.

But Zodo was up for the challenge. “Nothing I’d be interested in, huh?” he repeated, legs swinging back and forth as he sat on that counter. “Well, sounds like yer ashamed to me. I find even that speck of water on the mirror interesting. I mean, look at it there… sliding down… I wonder how long it’ll take to reach the bottom, eh?” he replied, yammering on needlessly. After all, he doubted Fellow Bathroom Attendee—aka Buzzy McKillerson—was even listening as he walked toward the door and proceeded to exit the bathroom. But to be frank, sometimes Zodo just liked to hear himself talk without being sent straight to the psych ward.

Zodo hopped off the counter, and as happy as always, followed FBA like a lost puppy, with the clanking of chains and the footsteps of an accompanying guard resounding with each step. How he despised the sound, but yet did his best to ignore it for the time being—that is, until he was stopped abruptly by the inert Fellow Bathroom Attendee. “Hey, what’s the hold up—” he mindlessly blurted before noticing the magically appearing guard, but when he did, this hardly silenced him any. “Oh shiiiiizz… you in troooubllllllllllllllllleee…” he whispered now with a snicker as FBA pulled out his ID card. After all, Zodo was greatly amused by prospect of watching someone other than himself get his ass kicked with a scolding.

"well, tobias lestat," the guard announced, scanning the card and shoving it back in FBA’s direction, and Zodo smirked evilly. It turns out, Fellow Bathroom Attendee’s—or rather, Tobias’—plan to evade Zodo and leave un-introduced did not work out as well as planned. Zodo found himself struggling to contain the impeding smart alec remarks while in the presence of a guard. "you're not permitted to use the showers at this hour. don't let me catch you doing it again." Once the guard departed from the scene, however, Zodo could not restrain himself any longer and released a whole-hearted cackle. “Tobias, huh?” he said, his voice as ear grating as his laugh that spurred him into a rambling jumble of nothing. “Tobey, Tobey, fe-fi-fo-foey—TOBEY. Hey, youmindifIcallyoutheTobster? I’m gonna call you the Tobster.”

By the time this was all said and done,the Tobster was already halfway down the hallway with Zodo struggling to keep up in his shackles. He was reduced to talking to a back instead of a face as he called after him. “Nooo waaaait Tobster. Our friendship has so much potential. I mean, I can be your um… own personal body guard. Yeah. See, the people here get pretty nasty, but us High Risks don’t get much heat ‘cause we got our own guards that’ll straighten everybody out. Plus,” he smiled to himself, “my doctor says I got excellent defence mechanisms.”

Zodo gave one of his rare pauses now, hoping beyond hope that the Tobster would agree or, at the very least, hear the desperate tone in Zodo’s voice as it echoed from the hallway walls and take pity on him. After all, if he didn’t do either, Zodo would have to resort to singing, 100 Bottles of Blood on the Wall…

(Blergh, Dodes sorry. Muse died. I ALMOST THOUGHT I LOST IT FOREVER *SOB* But I decided to reply because I would feel even worse if I didn't... rofl sooo you can choose to end it or continue it. As long as my muse stays muse-y, it doesn't matter to me.)