[Hmm... I guess I just have to start a new thread...]

He had been here for a quite a long time now and he had already familiarized himself with the situations in the camp. After the combination of the male and female camps for the most part, things had been... subtle. Was this just another calm before the storm just like how they came in force without warning?

He was a bit confused then, but he had understand his situations, and those they were in. But the strange thing was, he only wanted to live... Yes, he was selfish. But he could only meet her again if lived on... If he died, then that's the end of it.

As his thoughts wandered, he found himself once more within the walls of the encampment, out from the cafeteria. Tomorrow would be a day off for him, so he wouldn't be here for that day. He pulled the collar of his white coat and pinned the ID above the pocket on the coat. Last time he forgot to do that, a soldier almost blew his head off.

He walked aimlessly as he was supposed to patrol other places as well instead of just the infirmary.

(OOC: Hope you don't mind me jumping in.

Neena sat in the corner of the cafeteria, and finished her lunch very quietly. Her usual Pollyanna smile had been replaced by solemn pension. She stared at the wall, and the numerous knotholes and cracks in the wood and drywall. Her gaze wandered to the floor, stained and cracked. Her eating utensils; tarnished, worn. Her hands, and her cast-wrapped arm. Dry, cracked and worn as well.

<"Everything is cracked and worn these days,"> she thought. Her thoughts were not necessarily negative, but realistic.

Shya's death had affected Neena in a way she hadn't expected. She was no stranger to death and suffering, nor to malice and hatred. She knew they existed, but for the most part, she simply accepted them and avoided them, going on with her own existence. But this..... this touched her much deeper than anything had in a long time.

Shya had given strength to many, proving that mutants were meant to exist, to live, no matter what opposition they faced to do so. She inspired quite a few to fight longer than they would have. Someone had seen that, and decided that she was in the way. The cruelness of her murder pulled up an anger in Neena she thought she'd long buried, as well as a certain amount of caution.

It didn't take long to realize breaking the spirit of the mutants was a priority from the beginning. If death followed, all the better. Neena didn't think.... scratch that. She had fooled herself into believing something would be done before things got out of hand. But this murder definitely qualified as 'out of hand'.

From here on out, the rules had changed.

She stood, leaving her half-eaten food on the table, and walked outside. Her next shift was at the infirmary. She spotted a man in a white coat. Because of her broken arm, her duties now varied. Often her next 'boss' would be waiting for her after meals. Assuming that's who he was, she approached him.

"Excuse me. Reporting for duty." To her own ears her voice sounded cracked and worn like her hands, and the rest of the soulless objects in this place.

[OOC: I'm happy that someone actually dropped by. ^_^]

"Excuse me. Reporting for duty." The young adolescent turned and looked upwards as a woman approached him. She was tall, much taller than him, but he tried to gave her a smile, but decided to gave her none. Staring in the camp had its toll, and he was paying it every time he saw a mutant... and their battered form. Just like hers.

"I know you... You are... Nehanda Jenkins, aren't you?" He asked her coldly as he looked at her with his black, lifeless eyes.

"I was supposed to wait for you in the infirmary, but since you were here anyway, perhaps we should patrol the encampment? I need someone to watch over my back this time around as I do my work."

Last time he patrolled, he was beaten by a fellow mutant from behind, spit on the face and called him a traitor. When he tried to get up, nobody bothered to help him... Nobody. And so, he had no sympathy for anyone else now unless it was required by his 'job'. Sometimes, he was so tired...

"I know you... You are... Nehanda Jenkins, aren't you?"

Hmm.... She hadn't heard her full name in quite a while. She nodded simply in reply.

"I was supposed to wait for you in the infirmary, but since you were here anyway, perhaps we should patrol the encampment? I need someone to watch over my back this time around as I do my work."

Neena reached up to lift her glasses, revealing her colorless gaze. He sounded almost as weary as she did, sad considering how young he appeared. Her gaze softened a bit.

"It's sad when a worker needs protection from his own jobmates."

"It's sad when a worker needs protection from his own jobmates."

He turned and stared at her pale, almost white eyes. Then he gave her a smile, although it looks more bitter than the look that was already on his face. "True... More so when you're a mutant and you can't even depend on your own kind." His hands inside the pockets of his coat became fists, tightening. He could feel his not-so-long fingernails buried inside his flesh, but healed as he released the pressure.

Anger management was one of his issues, but he could control it now, just like he could control it in the past. He let out a sigh. "Sometimes, everything seems just so wrong... Let's go."

He turned again and started walking, signaling for the woman to follow him.

(OOC: Apologies for the delay.

"True... More so when you're a mutant and you can't even depend on your own kind."

Ah! That explained the sour face and bitter tone.

"Sometimes, everything seems just so wrong... Let's go."

Neena couldn't help it. Out came the 'big-sister-slash-mother' figure. She reached out to ruffle the much-shorter boy's hair with her uninjured arm.

"Kiddo, sometimes it seems this world is always wrong way up and wrong side out." She shrugged. "Life's fickle that way."

She was ninety-percent sure there would be plenty of time to find out what had happened to Shya, and why, and then to do something about it. However, as likely as this boy seemed, because of his attitude, to be able to help her, caution now had a closer place to Neena's steps. Her thieving fingers had already been pulled out of retirement; now was her thieving mind's turn.

For that reason, ruffling the boy's hair was as friendly as she deemed prudent to get. Mutant he may be, but trustworthy he was not. Not yet.

She fell into line behind him, keeping her eyes open, her feet and fingers light, and her mind on full alert.

(OOC: We understand.)


"Kiddo, sometimes it seems this world is always wrong way up and wrong side out. Life's fickle that way."

"Perhaps." He answered her with monotonously as she played with his black, smooth hair. He would sometime wonder because things were so wrong that God should probably call down Apocalypse a bit faster.

"Is there something you want from me?" He asked the mutant as he turned to her, his eyes were still lifeless, his tone still bitter, and a small flame flickering inside his dark eyes. He was tired of playing this type of games... Very tired indeed.

"Why don't you tell me now and be done with it? We have a job to do."

"Is there something you want from me? Why don't you tell me now and be done with it? We have a job to do."

One eyebrow twitched up.

"Well, to be honest, I'd love to leave this place behind without looing back. But I think that applies to everyone here."

Neena blinked behind her dark glasses. "Just curious though, what makes you think I want something?"

<"So lifeless for someone so young-appearing.... He may as well be an inmate....">

"Well, to be honest, I'd love to leave this place behind without looking back. But I think that applies to everyone here." That was true... Well, partially true. He knew a few in this hellhole that actually enjoyed being here... those sadistic ones...

"Just curious though, what makes you think I want something?" He almost laughed out at that question.

"Everyone here wants something... whether it's a chance to break free, getting information, or an extra chunk of meat during lunch time, or something else completely." He turned and looked her in the eyes, even though she had her shades on.

"Isn't that right? Miss Jenkins?"

"Everyone here wants something... whether it's a chance to break free, getting information, or an extra chunk of meat during lunch time, or something else completely. Isn't that right? Miss Jenkins?"

Neena wrinkled her nose; she hated being called 'Miss'. It sounded so... old.... But she shrugged and made a little 'bobble-head' type gesture.

"Yeah, guess you're right." The lady herself was in the 'information' category at the moment, though her current methods didn't involve actual requests for such.

She waited for him to move on. Realizing he didn't seem to want to move, she tilted her head forward, and blinked.

"What?" She looked around, and behind her, then back. "Are we waiting for something specific?"

There were other, more telling ways to gather data. Not to mention more interesting.

"Yeah, guess you're right."

"What? Are we waiting for something specific?"

"If you are to help me, I need to remove your cast first and remove your injuries... I don't need someone that is incapable of helping herself helping me, though I know you are more than capable." He smiled solemnly as he offered her his hand. He wasn't being kind... but he needed as many connections as possible although he hated to admit it. He needed... contacts within these wall, to keep him sane, whether these contacts were trustworthy of not was another matter.

"I am allowed to use my powers within the perimeter of the camp, and it involved repairing damaged cells and tissues." And destroying them, He added in his mind silently.

"If you are to help me, I need to remove your cast first and remove your injuries... I don't need someone that is incapable of helping herself helping me, though I know you are more than capable."

Neena looked down at his hand curiously.

"I am allowed to use my powers within the perimeter of the camp, and it involved repairing damaged cells and tissues."

<"Now there's an interesting tidbit."> She filed it away for future reference, then considered her options.

Having two fully functional arms appealed greatly to her; she was not a happy invalid. Yet she wondered if there was another reason the boy had offered to heal her besides simply needing someone to watch his back. She didn't relish the idea of being whole in body, yet control in mind by someone with a double-edged mutation.

Trying to figure out all of the possible reasonings, loopholes and consequences could take longer than pouring molasses in the wintertime, however. And Neena was never one to worry about results anyway, so.....

She shrugged and moved forward, and lifted her bound arm, as best she could.

"You're awfully helpful for someone who looks less pleased to be here than the rest of us," she remarked idly, watching his face closely.

"You're awfully helpful for someone who looks less pleased to be here than the rest of us."

"It's my job." He answered her as he smiled a bit, trying to ease himself, but he quickly frowned when he noticed that her whole hands were in cast... Not exactly the best way for him to utilize his powers.

"It looks like I need to try a different approach." Then his both his hands suddenly grabbed Nina's shoulders as light as he could, while he utilizes his healing power. He could feel his hands tickling from within as pain slowly emerged, but he had already adapt to that feeling. It wasn't so bad once you get to know it.

She won't feel pain... but he will. But oh well. He could also feel something else... Whatever it is, he cleared the residual from her body. But he found something very interesting... he let that go as there was nothing he could do about it... Once he was done, Neena was healed from her wounds, old and new.

"Feel anything?" He asked as he released her from his grapple.

He didn't seem please that her hand was bound as well. Neither did she, but she didn't exactly have much say about it.

"It looks like I need to try a different approach."

He moved pretty quickly. She watched him over her shoulder. She didn't feel anything unusual. Well, except for that infernal itch inside the cast that had been driving her crazy for the past two days.

"Feel anything?"

As he released his grip, her answer was a gigantic yawn. She stretched out her free arm and the rest of her body, until her back cracked twice, loudly.

"Well, can't really feel much with the cast still on," she quipped. Another yawn widened her mouth.