(This thread starts after Sara has left Customs, 7 weeks later . Feel free to jump in.)

Sara had made her way back to the laundry pool. A fresh pile of dirty cloths lay near the pool side. One wouldn’t think that laundry would be so much work but when two people are cleaning the guards cloths, the residents’ cloths, sheets, towels, linens, what ever else managed to be thrown into their pile, it was a full time job. Unlike some there wasn’t a time limit. Just you get things done when you get things done.

A group of guards a good distance to her right, turned so they could watch her, but they didn’t speak to her. Nor were they in easy ear shot. Just easy shock shot. As far as Sara was concerned they could keep that distance. She didn’t want to deal with another guard personally for a bit. Hell, she didn’t ever want to deal with another guard. Then again, who did.

She pushed a pile of darker colored guard cloths to the side and a pile of lighter mutant cloths closer to the pool. Then dumped the lighter pile in and let her fur covered hands literally dive into her work.

It was nearly an hour before Neena got back to the Laundry. The extended trip to Customs put her behind schedule, so her escort had dragged her around to pick up extra loads to cut down time. At least that's what he said. Personally she didn't see how the extra stops were supposed to help her catch up.

It was hard keeping the little package Doug had slipped her hidden, but she put her rib injury excuse to good use, favoring her side and using jerky motions. By the time she returned her rib was actually hurting again, so she didn't have to completely fake the pain.

Very few of the guards actually came into the Laundry shack, except to oversee cleaning supply distributions, including her watcher. That made it a good place to secret things, here and there, small items. So when she returned, and her escort went to light up his second pack for the day, she carefully dropped the little package into the box that held the generic bars of soap distributed to the privys.

Finally she deposited herself next to Sara at the water's edge. In the past two months the water had become an ugly, murky greenish-brown color. Lovely....

"So, lovely little show back there, wasn't it?" she asked cheerily under her breath, just loud enough for Sara to hear. "Anything odd strike you about it?"

Sara didn’t need to look up when she heard Neena coming. She chose to use her other senses rather then look up and end up looking odd or doing something stupid with her eyes. Like giving away the package she could still smell on Neena. That had to be a good sigh. That the other girl hadn’t gotten discovered and so hadn’t had what ever it was lost.

She waited till she heard Neena’s escort leave and listened to the shuffle of his feet outside before she looked up at her. She’d hear if someone was approaching, even smell them, making the laundry area even more secretive. You’d think the guards would have thought of this. So far many of the guards had just written Sara off as unintelligent. Someone who just happened to get lucky when thinking up comebacks and giving them lip. The last few weeks, her stomach had assisted in that allusion as well. Growling randomly.

"So, lovely little show back there, wasn't it?"
"Anything odd strike you about it?"

“Other then the invisible turtle tripping all of the girls? Yeah a few things.” Here eyes drifted from Neena’s face to the box. “The hole way he worded things, he doesn’t have the normal male manly guards BO,” For instance guards like James had become proud of his sweat. “But the thumbs up completely takes…” She ended her sentence as she heard the rhythm of boots shuffle outside. A shadow passed the front of the laundry pool then kept going as James’s voice chimed out asking to bum a siggy from the other guard, then going into a long explanation, with slurred words, on why he hadn’t been able to escort Sara back and how she was such a good little kitty. Better then a his puppy, at home, Skooter, who goes weewee on the furniture.

Sara’s lips pressed together. If her fur could blush it would have, though her nose seemed to get darker. “Yeah, I noticed a few odd things.”

“Other then the invisible turtle tripping all of the girls? Yeah a few things. The hole way he worded things, he doesn’t have the normal male manly guards BO. But the thumbs up completely takes…” Sara paused as several guards came within earshot, made another stupid comment, then passed by again. “Yeah, I noticed a few odd things.”

"Mmm hmm. Think I'm going to look into the oddness a bit further. Smell anything, by any chance?" She stretched and yawned a bit, checking to see where the guards were, then continued her work.

"By the way, I have a present for a few of the guards that might not be friendly to your nose. So I'll handle tonight's load, 'kay?" She smiled devlishly.

"Mmm hmm. Think I'm going to look into the oddness a bit further. Smell anything, by any chance?"

“I know there’s some sort of food in that package he slipped you.” Sara said nodding in the direction. “There’s a few other things as well but I can’t put my finger on them. Must be sealed better.”

"By the way, I have a present for a few of the guards that might not be friendly to your nose. So I'll handle tonight's load, 'kay?"

Sara returned the smile. “I know. Last I delivered one of your gifts I learned real fast to breath through my mouth. Convinced James I was allergic to him.”

“I know there’s some sort of food in that package he slipped you. There’s a few other things as well but I can’t put my finger on them. Must be sealed better.”

"Mmm. I'll take a closer look tonight."

“I know. Last I delivered one of your gifts I learned real fast to breath through my mouth. Convinced James I was allergic to him.”

Neena stifled a laugh behind a cough and sneeze. Her first experiment, using vinegar, had definitely been interesting, for quite a few people. Interestingly enough, it had done a fantastic cleaning job on the side.....

(OOC: Sorry, writer's block. )

(No problem. Sorry I was MIA for a day. Homework.)

"Mmm. I'll take a closer look tonight."

Sara’s expression suddenly switched to something more serious. “How close do you think we should let this one get?” She asked. Keeping her voice low as she referred the guard, Doug. Her gaze had traveled to where she knew the package was. “and just where will you keep that till we know what ever he gave is safe.” Personally Sara would have opted for burning it but burning created lots of smoke, particularly if things were inside plastic, and could attract too much attention.

“How close do you think we should let this one get? And just where will you keep that till we know what ever he gave is safe.”

Neena was silent for a moment, contemplating the question. She went over in her mind her actions over the past two months, and those of the others she knew of, those who had been either plotting for future escapes, or longer survival in the Camp confines. Up until Shrapnel and Jason's escape, she didn't think anything had been given away, other than a few pranks here and there. Since the Escape the guards and Stalkers had been more attentive, so she had slowed her own activities down a notch, but she wasn't sure of others. If supplies were being noticed missing, it was very highly possible that Doug was attempting to catch someone red-handed. There had been quite a few deaths resulting from abuse and beatings, but no outright executions just yet. Yet.

On the other hand, to refuse help simply because of dislike of the source would be foolish.

Neena sighed. In answer to both questions, she replied, "I'm not sure. Sad thing is, sometimes you don't know something is lethal 'till it kills ya. But then scientists would be out of a job." Random sounding, perhaps. But that was Neena.

She stood and took a wet load to the mangle, her expression thoughtful.

"I'm not sure. Sad thing is, sometimes you don't know something is lethal 'till it kills ya. But then scientists would be out of a job."

“Yeah Scientists.” Sara replied. She knew all about scientists. Way too well.

Her lips pressed together as she stared at the place she knew that box was. Debating on saying something or not. She didn’t like her past, but she also didn’t like the idea of something that could possibly kill someone just lying around. And what if it was found? Then again there could be help. But she didn’t trust the possible help.

“I could test something from in there.” She offered.

“I could test something from in there.”

Because of the guards proximity, Neena didn't reply right away. But when she returned for another load to dry, she said,

"If I told you not to, would you actually listen to me?"

The area was silent again. Sara wondered if her low words had even been heard. That and she didn’t want to repeat herself. Using the same pattern in speech, eh… Could draw attention.

"If I told you not to, would you actually listen to me?"

Sara shrugged shaking her head. “No, Not on this one.” Her eyes moved off of the box to meet Neena’s. “Look,” She started keeping her voice still low. “You don’t know what stuff I’ve lived through eating before.” The corners of her eyes flinched at that memory. “If it is something that will be a problem right away, We’ll know.” Her cuff would hopefully tell them.

All through this her voice was hardly above a whisper, She'd concentrated on keeping her work at the same pace so as not to draw attention.

“No, Not on this one.”

"Didn't think so."

“Look, you don’t know what stuff I’ve lived through eating before. If it is something that will be a problem right away, We’ll know.”

Neena frowned slightly. "I'd rather you didn't put yourself in possible danger, just to find out whether it is dangerous or not. If knowing one way or the other is going to put you in harm's way, I don't feel it's worth it." She spoke the words as a friend, but the decision was ultimately Sara's.

"Didn't think so."

Seemed someone had gotten to know her, somewhat.

"I'd rather you didn't put yourself in possible danger, just to find out whether it is dangerous or not. If knowing one way or the other is going to put you in harm's way, I don't feel it's worth it."

Ok, part of it was curiosity about it that drove her to even think about trying the stuff out. She knew better, but that didn’t mean she would follow what she knew. Maybe Neena was right. Not worth knowing. She fell silent, weighing the possibilities in her head. Taking the quiet time to go off and take her turn with a load at the laundry mangle. Probably best that it not be apparent that a conversation is going on. Long pauses were good for the camp situation. (That’s what Sara told herself.) Even if they felt awkward.

After a few moments Sara returned to the pool side. Grabbing for fresh, dirty cloths. “Just out of curiosity what will you do with that stuff if you don’t know?”

“Just out of curiosity what will you do with that stuff if you don’t know?”

Neena glanced over her glasses at the feline-featured girl. "Until I figure out that 'oddity', nothing." Then she added. "Do me a favor. Don't do anything rash. I don't want to read your name on Shya's list. It's already too long."

At that last remark, sadness crept into Neena's voice. The tone was out of character for the dark-skinned mutant. But she had been waking from more and more dreams about her brother over the last week or so. It wasn't fear that kept her awake. Nor was she losing hope of being free of the Camps once more, despite having accepted the fact that she and the others may never be free again. Acceptance and hope were two totally different things; sometimes acceptance made hope easier to feel.

What saddened her was seeing the hope fade in others. Life without fear was a dull enough existence. She couldn't imagine a life without hope. She didn't want to imagine. Perhaps that was why she kept dreaming of Kwasi. Perhaps.... he was reminding her that she could still feel. Sadness, hope, anger..... she still felt them all.

That meant she was still alive. She wasn't on Shya's list yet. And maybe, just maybe, through her example, others would stay off the List as well.

She turned and smiled at Sara, then reimmersed herself in the frigid water with renewed vigor.

"Until I figure out that 'oddity', nothing."

She wasn’t sure she was comfortable with that answer. She wanted to know what they had and she didn’t like just letting something that was a possible danger, just sit. She found herself swallowing hard at the thought of someone finding it. A guard. Sara could stand a beating. She had over and over and not just at this camp. Then there was the thought about someone else finding it. A camp resident. She thought of way too many ‘what ifs.’

Not having a plan wasn’t a comfort. If it had been just her, she wouldn’t of cared, she would have improvised or something. The fact that, in the past, when alone, she wasn’t even sure what she would do the next second. This had given her a strength of being unpredictable. In a group she wanted a plan. A well thought out plan could always hide her real fear.

"Do me a favor. Don't do anything rash. I don't want to read your name on Shya's list. It's already too long."

Alerted by the sad tones in the last few words, Sara’s ears twitched back. “If it were just me again, I would have weeks ago.” She was keeping others in mind. She wasn’t being greedy, and this was the truth. Had she been on her own she would have escaped. One meaning of the word or another.

“On the off chance I do get sent to Gwendolyn, please remind her about my resistance to drugs and painkillers.” Sara had been meaning to tell someone for a while. Luck had been on her side and she’d suffered some harsh times, just like everyone else. So far her healing factor managed to hide it. Yes it was slowing down, and Sara didn’t know why it would slow down, but it was still there. Her cuff told her that much every day.