(OOC: Hope this works okay Librarian. Let us know if not.

(OOC2: Continued for Neena from Infirmary)

Not too far from the Mutant Barracks Neena was already working, up to her elbows in water and soap. There was a man-made pool, about the size of a small lake, in the corner of the camp. It's purpose, from what she was experiencing, was to replace a decent washing machine.

Why was she not surprised?

The toilets, while lacking privacy, at least had indoor plumbing, as did the Guard Barracks, Main Office, Mess Hall.... basically every building other than the Mutant Barracks had indoor plumbing in at least the sink version. And none of that plumbing was designated for washing clothes or linens. That was reserved for the mutants. To do by hand.

<"Lovely.... Hmm.... I use that word a lot, don't I?">

The thought occupied her mind as she waded at the water's edge, washing out the blood from the Infirmary bedsheets. The water was cold; good for washing, not so good for a body who was used to the 100+ degree heat of Eastern Africa. Especially since she had to sit in the water; her knees wouldn't allow her to kneel for as long as it would take to do this amount of laundry. At least there were no crocodiles in the clear water.

<"I wonder how long this water will stay clear? Is it filtered or cycled? Sure hope this isn't what we're drinking....">

Those thoughts added themselves to the ones already preoccupying her mind. She began to whistle idly.

Mean while Sara was un aware of what James was saying or doing inside. She’d gone outside for her job. The camp’s laundry. After gathering a load that had been brought from the men’s side of the camp she followed the guard’s instructions to the pool where she found Neena, elbow deep in the cold water.

She gave the other a nod before grabbing a gray shirt from her own pile and beginning onto to instantly pull back out of the water. Not because it was cold or wet, but because of the shirt, She held it up to examin where her left hand had just been gripping and found five puncture holds where her claws had been. “Ah crap!” she said dropping the garment and biting at her claws to shorten them.

At the Laundry Pool, lost in her own thoughts, Neena didn't realize she had company until they spoke up.

“Ah crap!”

She glanced up, and blinked behind the makeshift sunglasses.

"Ya know, any other time I'd be telling the kids not to bite their nails. But I'm guessing this time its a good thing." Her voice was light-hearted, despite the current locale.

She remembered catching a glimpse of the feline-featured girl in the Mess Hall, but hadn't had a chance for any formal introductions.

<"Does formal really apply to anything 'round here?"> Yet another thought to add to her long list of nonsense floating about in her mind. The stuff was beginning to pile up.....

"Neena. Nice to meet ya m'friend."

Sara preformed a fast unlady like show of biting good sections of her claws off and spitting them out. To the side where they were lost in the dirt.

"Ya know, any other time I'd be telling the kids not to bite their nails. But I'm guessing this time its a good thing."

Sara gave a one shoulder shrug as she bit off a portion of her claw on her pinky. Jumping when she accidentally bit too far down. “Well at least they’ll grow back fast enough. It’s been a while since anyone’s called me a kid anyways.”

She moved to her other hand. Tearing more bits away and running the pads of her fingers along the tips till she was satisfied. It felt odd having her claws that short but at least she was less likely to snag them on the cloths.

"Neena. Nice to meet ya m'friend."

“Sara extended her hand, before starting her own pile of cloths again. “Sara, And it’s good to meet you as well.” At least there were come decent people here.

“Well at least they’ll grow back fast enough. It’s been a while since anyone’s called me a kid anyways.”

Neena chuckled a bit. She was used to being the oldest in most groups, so she'd developed the habit of calling everyone 'kiddo'.

“Sara, And it’s good to meet you as well.”

Neena wiped a wet hand on her shirt, a silly gesture since her shirt was soaked, and shook the girl's hand.

"Are they assigning everyone jobs now?" she asked curiously.

Again aware of her surroundings, she searched around to see if anyone else had joined them. So far all she saw were guards, and none of them were paying attention. Despite her initial assumption upon arrival in the camp, Neena was beginning to see a split among their captors; the vocal majority of sleazebags and 'something-wrong-in-the-head's, and the not-so-vocal minority of 'don't-give-me-problems-and-I-won't-give-you-any's. Now if she could just find one in the latter category that would be willing to talk.... or even just listen.....

"How fast will your nails grow back?" she asked Sara, adjusting her glasses and returning to her task.

"Are they assigning everyone jobs now?"

Sara nodded. “Yeah but I didn’t see what anyone else had. I only ha time to see my own name.” She said. Not that she would know anyone’s names on that list other then Amp’s or Isabel’s. Not tat she was going to give out Amp’s name.

Sara accepted the other girls hand. Feeling the coldness from the water.

"How fast will your nails grow back?"

“A day at most.” Sara answered. She examined them one last time before kneeling down in the water and beginning her work. Her blond fur immediately took in the water’s weight and she wondered if the guards had given her this job on purpose. “Fast growing nails is, unfortunately part of this.” She waved indicating herself. “That and the fast metabolism rebuilding cells thing that was once explained to me in depth but I’ll never really understand it.”

“Yeah but I didn’t see what anyone else had. I only had time to see my own name.”

"Hmm... And here I thought summer camp was about having fun and learning new skills. Pfft! I figured out I didn't like laundry when I was four." Neena spared one more glance at the guards before lowering her voice. "Though I suppose 'moron-sitting' might count as a new skill," she remarked, indicating their escorts.

“A day at most,” was the reply about the nails. “Fast growing nails is, unfortunately part of this. That and the fast metabolism rebuilding cells thing that was once explained to me in depth but I’ll never really understand it.”

Neena snorted. "Details, details. Everyone always wants to know the details. They ask you 'what's your mutation', then when you tell them, they call you a freak. Wouldn't have saved ink and time just to write that on the paper? For that matter, why bother with the paper at all, since they class us all in the same category. Next they'll be saying 'You all look alike anyway'."

Okay, sooo.... that wasn't really pertaining to what Sara had said, but her comment had reminded Neena of the Registration process. So that's what popped out of her mouth.

"Sorry. I tend to wander of topic. Don't mind me." She shrugged and smiled with no hint of apology, and waited to see how the girl would react to her oddness.

"Though I suppose 'moron-sitting' might count as a new skill,"

Sara couldn’t help but smile at those lowered words. She resisted the urge to grin up and the nearest guard. Instead she kept her eyes lowered on her work as if nothing was happening. “Hey, It’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it.”

"Details, details. Everyone always wants to know the details. They ask you 'what's your mutation', then when you tell them, they call you a freak. Wouldn't have saved ink and time just to write that on the paper? For that matter, why bother with the paper at all, since they class us all in the same category. Next they'll be saying 'You all look alike anyway'."

“basically it’s history repeating it’s self.” She couldn’t help but think of that. "Sorry. I tend to wander of topic. Don't mind me." “It’s ok.” Sara brought the shirt up she was working on and looked just past the hem of the collar to see the guards on the other side and scan for a camera. She still intended on finding out what she could about this place for later reference. “You get off topic I can follow.”

Satisfied with the shirt she went to dry it. (Do you think it’s ok to say there is a laundry mangle there?)

(OOC: Sounds good to me. Go for it.

“Basically it’s history repeating it’s self.”

"Yeah. Someone needs to smack the player so it'll stop skipping," Neena sighed.

“It’s ok. You get off topic I can follow.”

Neena grinned. She liked Sara; the girl seemed pretty easy-going, a good quality to develop in order to avoid total insanity.

She stood up to eye her work. Bloodstains were always a mess to get out. She sure hoped the expectations were low....

Now. Where to put them....

Neena looked around for something to drop the wet linens in to keep them from getting dirty again before drying.

"Wonder what they'd do if we starting singing? Something like, 'It's a Small World After All'...."

"Wonder what they'd do if we starting singing? Something like, 'It's a Small World After All'...."

“No not nearly annoying enough.” Sara said standing, Her tail flicked letting a stream of water fly out to the edge of the water. She moved over to the laundry mangle and began running the shirt through the rollers. Watching the water run free from it.

“How about hennery the eight, or the song that never ends from lamb chops. Better yet 100 bottles of bear on the wall.” She ran the shirt threw a second, then third time, each time lowering the top roller so that it pressed the fabric more and freed more water from it. At least this would cut down on dry time. “I like that one. 100 bottles of bear on the wall.”

“No not nearly annoying enough. How about hennery the eight, or the song that never ends from lamb chops. Better yet 100 bottles of bear on the wall. I like that one. 100 bottles of bear on the wall.”

Neena couldn't hide her grin that time. "Sara, I love the way you think."

And to prove it, she began humming the tune, softly at first, so the guards wouldn't immediately shock the notes out of them. After a few moments she added the words, under her breath. In the back of her mind she wondered if Sara had keen hearing to go along with her feline features?

"Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall. Ninety-nine bottles of beer. Take one down, pass it around, ninety-eight bottles of beer on the wall. Ninety-eight bottles of beer on the wall. Ninety-eight bottles of beer...."

Of course Sara could hear the little melody of the bottles of beer on the wall song. Those big awkward, dorky ears had to be good for something. Certainly not looks.

Picking up the soft notes with her own voice she began adding little off melodies and giving some harmony with the splashes of the water. She hung the first shirt and took a second that Neena had just finished washing to run through the laundry Mangle.

Mean while the song seemed to gain momentum, and grew.

“… You take one down, you pass it around. Ninety- seven bottles of beer on the wall. Ninety seven bottles of beer on the wall, ninety bottles of beet, You take one down you pass it around Ninety-six bottles of beer on the wall.”

A few guards were passing and Sara continued singing, one eye brown raised to see what they would do…

Grit was wondering past the Lundry area for mutants, inwardly he had been shaking his head for a whileGrit was wondering past the Lundry area for mutants, inwardly he had been shaking his head for a while at the state of things in the camp, some of the people here were worse than the mutants themselves, who seemed to be pretty decent aside from the outbreak at the canteen. But then again when you are in situations like this tempers do tend to flare, he reasoned. He made up his mind to do what he could to make the mutant’s life better, he may be getting on in age, but that stint in Mongolia was a chance for him to learn wrestling from the best experts in the world and he could take down all but the best people in seconds and incapacitate them with a lock or knock them unconscious.

Was that singing?
He wandered and observed fro the shadows out of sight, after a while, he calmly sauntered over to the two girls washing, he knew that the water must be freezing.
“Hey, you two no slacking eh?”
Lowering his voice slightly he continued “The sooner you finish the less the chance that you will catch hypothermia and be picked on by the majority of the perverts here. Keep your chin up.” He said with a twinkle in his eye

He returned to his stern voice that to an observed would seem like he was being mean, but the two girls would understand. “Now I want that pile done on the double, by sundown or do a double shift all through the night.”

"Ninety-six bottles of beer on the wall," Neena sung along with Sara cheerfully, wondering how long it would take for one of the human's to get irritated.

As expected.... “Hey, you two no slacking eh?”

" ninety-six bottles of beer...." Neena continued on, pretending not to hear.

“The sooner you finish the less the chance that you will catch hypothermia and be picked on by the majority of the perverts here. Keep your chin up.”

.... That was not as expected.

"Take one down, pass it around...." Neena turned around, still singing, to put a face with that bit of decency.

“Now I want that pile done on the double, by sundown or do a double shift all through the night.”

"Ninety-five bottles of beer on the wall." Neena smiled slightly and imitated tipping a hat, a salute of sorts, then returned to her task cheerily. Maybe laundry wouldn't be so bad after all. "Ninety-five bottles of beer on the wall, ninety-five bottles of beer...."

For her and Sara that was. With Neena's singing, it might not be so great for the guards....

Sara continued singing even though she picked up sent of one of the guards off in the shadow. She lifted her eyes in his direction before continuing her work and her singing with Neena. Sara only fully addressed him with a full turn when he spoke.

“Hey, you two no slacking eh?”

Sara raised one eye brow, though she still continued singing.

“The sooner you finish the less the chance that you will catch hypothermia and be picked on by the majority of the perverts here. Keep your chin up.”

Sara’s expression changed slightly. Letting her shoulders relax slightly. She glanced at Neena. Poor girl. She’d forgotten about the difference between her and others. At least Sara could stay warmer.

With a nod she stepped away from the laundry mangle to kneel and pick up another shirt that was ready to be dried. “I’ll trade ya.” She said softly. Only breaking the song long enough for the words.

“Now I want that pile done on the double, by sundown or do a double shift all through the night.”

She handed the clean shirt off to Neena and began doing the scrubbing. “…You take one down, you pass it around. Ninety- four bottles of beer on the wall.”