R R I - REHABILITATION & REINTEGRATION INITIATIVE

Characters: Adam and Kyle
Setting: Basement - bar, then laundry room; once the basement level opens

With nothing to do but wait, Adam made a real effort in getting ready. Call it his version of primping but he showered, shaved, and spent way too long in a pair of boxers trying to piece together the clothes he had, to figure out something that wouldn't be wrong. He wound up in a pale blue button down that fit far better than the one he'd brought with him over to the block and wasn't even sure if it worked on him since he was used to wearing plaid, but really it was the nicest thing he had so he added his jeans to it and went with it, hoping for the best.

As soon as he could get downstairs, Adam was there and headed straight towards the bar. It was weird, thinking that just a few days before he'd actually worked down here which he figured gave him permission to just wander behind it and fiddle with drink options. He also wound up serving a few other people who had already come down, watching the door for Kyle.

Kyle had hit the elevator the moment that it was clear - and given that his room was right by the thing, he was the first of his block down to the basement. Sure, he was in a hurry to go meet Adam, but he also had a stop to make first. Or maybe it was just that this was the first time that he would be in the presence of the other man since they decided to make a go of it. Possibly he was nervous. Either way, he stopped at the laundry room first and put a load of washing on before taking a breath, trying to check out his reflection in the surface of the machine, and then heading for the bar.

Nerves or not, he couldn’t stop the wide grin that broke on his face as he walked into the room and saw Adam there, behind the bar. And there was a definite bounce in the artist’s step as he walked over. “So, how am I meant to buy you a drink if you’re serving?” he asked, teasingly, leaning on the bartop and resting his chin on his knuckles.

( As the customer said to the barman... )

Characters: Adam and Kyle
Setting: Phone call, morning

Adam had slept fitfully, in and out of dreams, whimpering and making noises in his sleep. They were awful things, flashes of memories and worse. When he finally woke he was crying softly, gripping his pillow hard, body hurting from the dreams and how real they’d felt. For a long few minute he just lay there, waiting on tears to subside. When he finally got up he headed straight to the computer, rubbing at his face, feeling closed in on himself.

( Wakey Wakey )

Characters: Adam and Kyle
Setting: Their rooms / via phone, late

It was late, the sun having long set, when Kyle sat down at his computer and brought up the call app there. He stared at it for a while, his heart hammering, his palms sweaty. He had no idea of what he was doing. He was terrified, and yet... He knew part of his problem was that he didn't trust his instincts. It was being governed by his instincts, his wants, and his emotions that had led him here in the first place. Now his instincts and emotions were all over the place, trying to drag him in two directions. He had no idea what to do, as though he was going to fuck up at every turn. But everything else was falling apart anyway, so he felt like maybe he couldn't make things worse now. Not when he had screwed it all up anyway. Maybe it would even make things better. That didn't stop him from being terrified about everything else surrounding it. He knew he could go round and round like this all night, so in the end, he simply pressed call.
( What feels natural )

Characters: Kyle and Adam
Setting: Courtyard, just after 7am

Kyle was one of the first out of his room and into the courtyard when the alarm sounded. Swearing loudly, and dressed in cotton pants and a white t-shirt, he wasn't certain whether he should be rubbing the sleep from his eyes, or covering his ears. He hardly even realised that the door had unlocked before he was standing out in the dawn light and his bedroom door had closed and locked behind him.

Once he caught onto all those facts, he hesitated for a moment and looked around at the other people doing the same. That was when he saw the screen and walked towards it. He didn't need more surprises today. Yesterday had been one huge ball of shit. Today he looked like a mess: his hair was all over the place, he hadn't shaved, his eyes were red from hours of crying and he had the worst headache. Now what?
( and we're bad at goodbyes )

Characters: Kyle and Adam
Setting Kyle's room, very much pre-dawn

Sleeping with Ru had been fun, that much Adam couldn’t deny. But the moment it was over reality was filtering in and he couldn’t quite handle things. Which meant as soon as her breathing evened out he was bailing, pulling on enough of his clothes to get out of there, leaving her a note that said thanks and he’d see her later. There was no way he could trust that sleeping next to Ru would keep the nightmares away. Not even close. He was sure if the moment the door to her room closed behind him and he already had flashes of Ella dead. Then Ru dead, taking Ella’s place, the scar on her neck that he’d noticed but hadn’t asked about turned into a gash.

( very unhappy )

Characters: Adam and Kyle
Setting: Early morning, Kyle's room

( And Some Understanding )

Characters: Adam and Kyle
Setting: Kyle’s room, evening

( And posing )

Characters: Adam and Kyle
Setting: Adam's Room, middle of the night

( but sometimes it's all you have )

Characters: Adam and Kyle
Setting: Cafeteria/Adam's room

( ...and why using it can be a bad move )

Characters: Adam, Kyle, Ryan and Reece
Setting: Detention, night

Prison wasn’t fun. Like not at all. And sure, really it was just a cell in the basement of the facility, but it sucked. The bed looked kind of the same, the bars were definitely the same and the whole place was really screwing with Adam. His bravado about taking whatever punishment they gave him was seeping away quickly. As it was, he was sitting on the edge of the cot, back against the wall, knees pulled up to his chest, trying to concentrate on breathing without throwing up and keeping the memories at bay.

Kyle had hurried down to the detention centre as soon as he’d been done with Becka, grabbing his back as he’d headed for the elevator. Giving a nod to the guy at the desk, he’d indicated that he was here to see Adam and, thankfully, hadn’t had to explain himself any further than that, or argue as to why he should be allowed in. “Hey,” he said, walking up to the bars. God, but that was a horrible sight - it brought back far too many memories for his liking.

( Conversation, then Company )

Characters: Adam and Kyle
Setting: Late afternoon, outside the kitchen

Adam felt like shit. His lip was bleeding, his face hurt, his side was agony and he was sure he’d be peppered in bruises for days. His hand hurt too, though thankfully the one punch hadn’t reopened the old wounds, but they looked redder than usual. He’d managed to find some ice, plastic bag of it in a borrowed dish towel against his face as he stumbled out of the kitchen, eyes open for Ryan but mostly locked on getting back to his room.

“What the hell happened to you?” Kyle’s voice sounded out from the doorway to the kitchen where the artist stood, the apple he had been about to bite into frozen halfway to his lips.

( And the Rest )

Setting Pre-dawn, Kyle's room
Characters: Adam and Kyle

Thankfully his patrol with Grace was mostly uneventful, just more of the same and everything seemed safe for a moment. Or as relative of a term as safe got. He left Grace and with dawn starting to peek up, he wasn’t sure what to do with himself. He started back towards his room, taking the slightly longer way that took him past Kyle’s room. It was a habit, walking by Kyle’s room, one he didn’t think on too much, but he knew it better now for what it was. He wasn’t going to stop, but the light was on and given the hour...

Maybe Kyle had fallen asleep with the light on. Or maybe he was up. Adam hesitated for a moment then knocked, one shoulder against the doorframe near where the door would open, running his fingers over his hair. The morning was already warm and he was glad he’d stuck to just the undershirt he’d tried to sleep in, distantly thinking that it might actually be the right sort of fit that Kyle had been urging him to start wearing. And it had only been half intentional.

( What I really meant )

Characters: Kyle and Adam
Setting: midday, Kyle's room

( 'round and 'round they go )

Characters: Kyle and Adam
Setting: Adam's room

Adam left Cal, feeling somewhere between better and worse and was headed straight for his room again, but the crunching of glass under his feet had him stopping. The bar was trashed, like really trashed and though he wasn’t really interested in cleaning it, he couldn’t leave with glass all over the floor and wound up sweeping up the worst of it. There weren’t nearly as many bottles left as there had been, which was almost depressing. It would suck to get a bartending job, then no longer have a bar to tend.

Leaving it better than he found it, even if he was tempted to grab a bottle to take to Kyle later, he was headed back up to his room. The messages helped keep his mind off everything, but he jumped at the offer to see Kyle, starting down to his room once it wasn’t like he was running down there immediately. Though maybe Kyle wouldn’t mind that. He knocked, smiling at the prospect of spending time with his friend, a distraction from the band-aid on his arm from the shot from Cal, and everything that came with it. Or so he was thinking right up until he remembered the conversation with Wren from the night before. How she was so sure that he liked Kyle. That sent his mind spiralling out of control, and it was written all over his face.

( It started off so simply )

Characters: Adam and Kyle
Setting: Kyle's room, morning

Adam had left Wren’s room after messaging with Kyle some, apologizing for just dashing out, but thankfully she’d seemed to understand. Kyle was upset and needed someone and he’d message Adam. Despite everything, that meant the world to Adam.

So sure, he was still in the clothes he’d slept in on Wren’s floor, t-shirt and jeans, hair not quite long enough to look a mess, but he looked like he hadn’t done much in the way of getting ready. There was a quick and necessary stop by the kitchen, snagging some fruit and granola bar, just so he’d eat something with enough for Kyle because he was sure Kyle hadn’t eaten either, and then he was at Kyle’s door. Adam had to force himself not to pound on it, not because he was mad, but because he was worried and after a breath he managed to knock like a normal human being.

( You're gonna be alright )

Characters: Adam and Kyle
Setting: evening, Kyle’s room

( blindsiding those not ready for the thunder and lightning )

Characters: Adam and Kyle
Setting: Outside Kyle’s room - morning

Adam watched Charlie stumble towards his room, nodding as Jae followed after him, just to make sure he made it where he was going. Interesting that they got a guy before he even made it into prison, but Adam supposed there wasn’t anything that said that said they couldn’t. It just made things different. Gathering his dishes and Charlie’s glass, he cleaned everything up then started towards his room, walking across the courtyard towards the stairs he usually took, intent on checking his messages again, just to see if maybe Becka just wasn’t up earlier.

He didn’t get all the way to the stairs though, slowing as he spotted a familiar face coming out of his room. The whole kind of a blow off thing had been on Adam’s mind overnight when he wasn’t sleeping, but he was trying not to worry about it. Why would it matter? It was Kyle right? They were friends. “Hey,” Adam called, thinking of Wren’s advice to smile as he got closer, but didn’t need the reminder to remember to smile. “How you feeling?”

( I swear this time I mean it )

Characters: Kyle & Adam
Setting: Adam's room, evening

It had been a hell of a day so far, but Kyle was determined to actually make sure that he saw something of Adam. After their conversation last night, he had decided that he would give the guy some time - which was the reason he hadn't messaged him at all. Yet, when Adam hadn’t appeared for dinner (and Kyle had been watching out for him), the guy decided to go straight to the source. He knew where Adam lived, from the first day, and he headed up to his room, canvas under one arm.

He raised a hand to knock on the door, pausing for a moment as he took in the fact that there were symbols all over it. Huh. They hadn’t been there before. That was... another thing that was odd about his day, seemingly. Knocking on the door, he waiting to see if there would be an answer.

( There was certainly an answer )

Characters: Leandro, Wren, and OPEN
Setting: The bar, night, day 3

"Okay, this is is how we do..."

Leandro was carefully leaning over a pair of shot glasses on the bartop, an elegant oval-esque bottle gripped in one hand. It was full of a dark bronze liquid that, once uncorked, bled a green-sweet moss smell into the air. "It's Don Julio, fairly nice stuff. I was expecting some crap Cuervo, but you might like this. We're going to drink it auténtico, not Americano. That means no salt and no lime, not like a big baby."

He grinned crookedly at that, not expecting Wren to know the difference. Nevertheless, he wanted her first ta-kill-ya experience to be the best it possibly could be, very much minus the shredded clothes and passing out of the usual collegiate first-timer's setting. The mossy liquid went into each shot glass in a thin layer, one a little thinner than the other. He shorted her a bit off the usual level of the shot, just in case it really was too much for her to handle. Then each glass was held between his fingertips, the lesser one offered out to her.

"Alright, tip your head back a little like you're looking at the ceiling, and chug the shot as fast as you can. Pretend you're taking cough syrup. Don't worry, you will taste it." Leandro just could not suppress his grin in anticipation of drinking such a nice tequila himself. He gallantly went first, tipping the shot into his mouth and gulping it down. Naturally, it went from about 0 to 60 in less than a second, building up to a firebreathing cinnamon burn not unlike a full mouth of Indian cuisine. His eyes went wide and watered a little, and he had to shake his head, jaw swung open.

"Whew! Ya ya ya!" he punctuated the occasion. As the seconds went by it was mellowing out into the aftertaste that marked it as a nice quality – earthy, warm vanilla and pure, sweet agave.

Characters: Adam and Kyle
Setting: Midday, Second Floor


Kyle was nothing if not methodical in his investigation of the facility. He started on the ground floor and worked his way round from his room. Sure, he had a map, but seeing something drawn out on paper was not the same as experiencing it. He wanted to get a feel for this place that was going to be his home for an undefined length of time.

And yes, he was determined to try and think about this as ‘home’ rather than ‘prison’. He had tried that with every place he had been put since the day he had walked into the precinct and handed himself in for murder. Thinking about the walls didn’t help anything. This was his life now and he was determined to live it.

It took him several hours to go through the ground floor, during which time he saw others about, but didn’t actually talk to anyone. By the time he got to the second level, however, he was itching for some conversation.

( Read more... )