Making Plans
Characters: Ryan and Susanna Setting: Her room, morning
Ryan left Violet with a nod and a smile, his face settling back into something of a little more serious nature as he slipped back into Susanna's room with a light knock to precede him. "Hey there, Susie Q," he greeted her, lips curling back up, the appearance the same but the underlying emotion a little more genuine. "How're you feeling?"
After Cal left the room, Susanna finished gathering up her things. There wasn't a whole lot, and she was going to have to throw her dress away, which was frustrating as she'd really liked that one a lot. But hopefully with the new credit system she would be able to replace it soon. Of course, that meant she was going to have to figure out how to perform her job now that she couldn't physically do any exercises. That could be figured out another time, though. For the next day or two, she was just going to focus on taking it easy, and hopefully it would speed up the healing some.
She was leaning against the bed when Ryan came in, and her lips turned up in a small smile at the sight of him. "Darling," she greeted him, pushing away from the bed to move toward him. "I'm just wonderful," she answered dryly. "More than ready to get out of here, though. Cal set me up with my supplies and medications, so I am good to go," she added, motioning to the supplies stacked at the end of the bed.
Ryan slipped an arm around her, cautious not to squeeze. She was currently his partner in crime, and while concern wasn't something he truly felt, well, there was something present with Susanna that was out of the norm. "I will grab those, then, and we can head upstairs. I'm sure food and a shower are on your wish list right now. Violet gave me some instructions to help you out," he said as he went to the pile and started to gather it up.
As his arm went around her, Susanna tucked her own around him. While she was still in pain, she could move her arms just fine. “Great,” she said with a faint smile. “Oh, I do, but Cal instructed me to wait at least another day before showering,” she told him with a sigh that spoke volumes to how much that wasn’t something she was pleased with. “Are you going to carry me to my room?” she asked teasingly as she picked up a couple of her supplies.
Ryan wrinkled his nose at that. How unpleasant. Well, at least she wasn't filthy. "Well that sucks, though we could always give you a sponge bath," he suggested with a glint in his eyes. He grinned at her. "I could, but those fine legs there are probably bored after a night down here," he said, teasing her.
It amused her that he seemed as enthusiastic about her instructions as she was. Susanna’s expression turned intrigued at his suggestion, and she smirked faintly at him. “Don’t tease me unless you’ve plans of following through, darling,” she purred. She would happily let him give her a sponge bath. Letting out one breath of laughter, she shook her head slightly in amusement. “Hmm, excuses, excuses,” she accused lightly, but she did go on to walk ahead of him to leave the room. Although she wasn’t able to give quite the same sway to her hips, she was able to give a little bit, and she did so love the idea of him watching her walk, especially since her face was a bruised, still slightly swollen mess right now.
"Darlin', have I ever offered and not followed through," he drawled. Okay, so the no rigorous activity thing was probably going to be a fair measure harder than he expected, but they'd figure it out. They'd have to, because there was nothing wrong with that ass or those legs he was watching with appreciation ahead of him.
She wanted to laugh at that very much, but she was quite aware that it wouldn’t be a good idea given her injuries, so she just let out a soft sound of amusement. “Touché,” she agreed, opening the door to head out through the main medical area, to the basement hallway. “I am famished,” she admitted more as a way of making small talk that wouldn’t seem odd to anyone they might come across rather than an actual expression of hunger.
"Then we can drop this off and we can go get food, or I can bring you some to your room," he offered. It couldn't hurt for him to be seen as being solicitous to a female, and he was hungry too. They would need to talk here soon, though, and he wanted to see what she was thinking about Meg.
After a moment of deliberation, during which she fought the instinct to wrinkle her nose, she decided which she would prefer doing. “Hmm, door number two, I think. I’d much rather not attempt socializing with the others today,” she admitted as they walked to the elevator. In truth, the only person she did want to be around was the one she was currently with. She was really hoping for an opportunity to go over things with him, and they wouldn’t really be able to do that in the kitchen.
"Understandable," Ryan said. It was his preference, as well, and they were going to have to talk. They'd have to be careful about it, of course; who knew about the role of the administration these days, and how much they'd tattle on people, and if they wanted out, they would have to toe the line. There was revenge and then Paris, after all, if they could figure out how to play by the rules well enough to get out. He pressed the elevator button and the floor number, and they started going up.
Susanna fell quiet on the way up to her room. They would have plenty of time to catch up on things once they were settled into her room. It wasn’t a long walk at least, and the silence was relatively comfortable with him. She liked how comfortable he was to be around, and she did hope that wouldn’t change. Once they reached her room, he helped her to get settled, reclining on her bed, and then he left to get them something to eat. Not wanting anyone else to disturb her or to have to get up to let him back in, she gave him her key and settled in with a book to wait. Hopefully he wouldn’t take too long, because she really was hungry.
Ryan went back out and gathered them some leftovers, warming up two plates and making sandwiches for later while he did so. He also grabbed several bottles of water and cans of soda. That way they could, essentially, hole up for the day and not have to bother with anyone else, or worry about the rest of the world coming to get them. And they could talk in private and not worry about being overheard by anyone except the administration. That would be a plus as well, since they had to decide what to do. He came back burdened with the food and drinks, using her key to get back in because leaving the door unlocked without being sure exactly what had been done with Meg wasn't a good thing to do.
When Ryan came back to her room, and really it had been much quicker than she’d anticipated, Susanna marked her place in the book with a piece of paper she was using as a bookmark and smiled over at him. Patting the spot next to her, she said, “We can eat in bed and catch up,” with a small but genuine smile.
He made sure the door was locked behind him. He took the time to unwrap and set her food up on the bed so she could eat easily before he slid up onto the bed next to her with his own food. "Yes, it has been so long, darlin'," he drawled teasingly. "So are you feeling all right?" he asked with some curiosity.
Looking at him with a faintly amused expression, Susanna countered, “Since we’ve spoken in depth or frankly? Yes, it has.” Though she hoped that they would be able to rectify that now. Sure, they would still have to be careful with the Administration listening in, but it was more private than the clinic at least. “I’ve been better,” she answered dryly. “There is much to talk about.” Though where she should start, she didn’t know. “Have you seen the post that Cal put up the other day? About that poor girl who was assaulted during the blackout?” she asked, schooling her expression to one of concern, presumably for the girl.
Ryan's lips touched and he nodded at her. Touche, he thought. He dug into the food a little, opening the drink he'd gotten. "There is, yes." He was going to segue into what she wanted to do about Meg, and how they should try to handle it discreetly, when she continued on. "I haven't seen it yet. I don't always look at the computer unless they make me do so with the alarms and flashing things and all," he admitted, keeping his face smooth and innocent. So everyone knew, huh? Well, that might be a challenge for him...
It was all related, which was why she’d started there, and she had every intention of getting to her altercation with Meg. “Ahh, understandable,” she said with just a hint of the opposite in her tone. She actually looked through the computer at least twice a day, thinking it was important to keep up on what the others were posting, and she rather thought it was foolish of Ryan not to do so. “Well, the night before last, Reece came to my room to question me about it. He was quite upset and doubtful that you were with me the whole night. I don’t think he would hesitate to pin anything awful that happens here on you,” she said with a sigh, appearing upset about it. Of course, it all went back to the whole stocks fiasco, and damn the Administration for that.
Ryan repressed the urge to sigh. He did not enjoy being scolded, however surreptitiously, for not doing something. He did, however, make a note to look at the computers more often. He had never been a very social-media-oriented person, preferring the 'hands-on' approach to the 'watch-at-a-distance' angle. It wasn't nearly so fun from far away. His eyebrows raised slightly. "Ah, Reece, ever nosy when it comes to me in your life," he said a little archly. He didn't dismiss the threat the other man could pose, though he thought he understood the man's motivations better than Reece might himself. "He needs to get over his jealousy. You two don't have an exclusive arrangement, right?" he said, though obviously even if they did, she felt free to be with him. "What about that poor girl," he said, face falling into concerned lines, for he knew they were acting for the camera at this point, and in a way, this was fun, as much as he enjoyed the plain-speaking of the other night. "Is she all right? Did they say who it was?"
Susanna didn’t even try to hide the fact that she was rolling her eyes at his comment about Reece. As it so happened, she shared in Ryan’s annoyance of Reece’s odd jealousy. “No, we absolutely do not have an exclusive arrangement, and I’m not certain I have any more interest in his company at this point,” she said with a little huff, her chin tilting up. She wouldn’t have gotten stabbed if Reece hadn’t meddled, after all. Her expression matched his concerned one, and she frowned, shaking her head. “They didn’t say who it was, and I’ve no idea if she’s all right. I hope she is.” Although she looked concerned, she couldn’t care any less about the girl.
Ryan was tempted to snicker. Though he really didn't care who she slept with, so long as she stayed clean, he couldn't say he'd be sad to see that particular arrangement come to an end. Because obviously the other man didn't like sharing, though if he didn't, he should either put up or shut up, in Ryan's not so humble opinion. He settled for an amused snort. "I can't blame you on that front, darlin'," he said, lifting one shoulder. "Should he be a bother to get rid of," in the non-bloody way, he obviously meant, "you can call on me." Might even be fun. "I do too. It's really too bad," he said, looking like he meant the words, even though he really could care less. "A facility full of criminals though, something was bound to happen. Especially when not everyone will even say what they've done."
It didn’t surprise her that Ryan wasn’t against the idea of her ending her physical association with Reece, although she was just a little surprised by the subsequent offer. She smiled at him and gave him a small nod. “Yes, of course I will.” And she couldn’t deny that it would be quite entertaining to see what Ryan would do should she call on him for that. “It is, yes,” she agreed before leveling a look at him at his next comment. “Really, Ryan?” It was a rather ridiculous statement for him to make considering she knew he’d lied about what he was in for, and the Administration had to be well aware that she knew. “Though even I’ve been honest about what I’m in for. There’s no telling just what kind of monsters are roaming the facility with essentially free reign.” Considering the Administration had basically made it clear that they wouldn’t interfere.
It was mostly a good excuse to get into a fight, something she might know a little something about. But no one would probably remark much on it, he thought. He couldn't be the only one who knew Susanna and Reece had an occasional thing together. His lips twitched as she called him on his statement. "At least I gave a credible story," he said mildly. "Some people refuse to say at all. Makes me wonder what they don't have the guts to properly hide." The means or the guts or perhaps simply the brains to tell a proper lie and stick to it. "Speaking of monsters. This one girl, ran into her just after I left you the other night. She likes to twist a person's words around and play little psycho-analyst twit. Keep an eye out for her. She's a bitch, just like Jae, I think," he told her. Considering the last thing he needed was Susanna's words about him being twisted around in any fashion.
At least he seemed amused when she called him out on that, and she did hope that it would lend credibility to the rest of their conversation with their watchers. “Touché,” she agreed with a slight tilt of her head. He had given a credible story, right up until he got landed in the stocks. Quirking a brow as he segued into warning her of someone else, Susanna had to wonder at how he seemed to be dealing with those types a lot. Somehow she’d managed to avoid them for the most part. “Ah, I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Jae,” she replied. “So, who is she?” Since he hadn’t actually said the girl’s name.
"Trust me, avoid the pleasure if you can," he said dryly. His eyes rolled slightly. "Believe it or not? She never actually gave me her name," he said, the memory striking him as very rude all over again. He was a charming guy. While it didn't work on everyone, the way it utterly hadn't worked on her to even a small degree shocked him.
“I intend to,” she replied with a faint grin. In truth, she wanted nothing to do with most of the people here. “Oh, well wasn’t that polite of her,” she said dryly. It really wasn’t going to help her avoid the bitch, though. “Anything noteworthy about her that would help me pick her out in a crowd to better avoid her?” she asked. After all, he’d implied that she ought to, and she wasn’t going to question that.
"Asian chick, reddish sort of hair, a little odd coloured. Or should I say, another Asian chick." He rolled his eyes. Not that he gave a flying fuck in general, but it was easy to categorize as such. One sheep was as good as the next, and he'd never had a specific genotype beyond 'beautiful woman.' "I think you'll know her when you see if, if only by the obnoxiousness when she opens her mouth."
Asians tended to have odd coloring, Susanna thought but didn’t say. Though the reddish hair seemed a bit unusual. Perhaps that would be a good indicator. And well, there didn’t seem to be a whole lot of Asians here, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to spot her. “Oh, how charming.” She definitely had no interest in meeting this woman. And then she recalled that she was supposed to be catching Ryan up on things and tried to remember where she’d left off. “So, Reece came and questioned me the other night, and the next morning I got a couple anonymous messages. Apparently my reputation is in danger of being tarnished by the company I keep.” And she didn’t sound as if that concerned her in the least.
Ryan rolled his eyes slightly, chewing his bite of food. "Tarnished, huh? Is this more of the jealous talking?" he asked once he'd swallowed. He still was far from surprised that Reece had a poor opinion of him. Those damned stocks did a lot of damage, yes, but Reece had a personal grudge, he suspected. "So what did he want to know, anyway?"
Tilting her head slightly, she considered his question. “Hmm, no, I don’t think so. It didn’t seem like it was sent from him, but when I asked him about it, he swore that he didn’t tell anyone what we’d talked about, so I don’t know. Whoever it was told me to ‘Stop protecting him,’ which I took to mean you as just the night before I’d told Reece about you staying with me during the blackout. I’ll let you read the full messages after we finish eating,” she offered.
Ryan's eyebrows rose. "Well, I don't have much of an idea of who else it could be," he said. "I know the stocks were damaging, but no one knows any of my specifics beyond that." Unless she told. He appraised her with a gaze. No, he doubted she'd have said that, and then still been talking to him. "I'd like to see them, yes. Maybe the writing style could reveal someone." Though he didn't completely keep up with the journals, so perhaps not.
Susanna highly doubted that those messages were referring to anyone but Ryan, so she didn’t argue his comment. “The stocks were quite damaging, yes, and though I don’t think anyone knows your specifics, I doubt it’s difficult for people to place the blame on you for anything awful that happens here.” She just hoped that the truth never came out because she didn’t want Ryan to go down, but more than that, she didn’t want to go down with him. “I’ll show you, then,” she promised before bringing another bite to her mouth. The act of chewing was uncomfortable with her broken nose, but she was dealing with it. “Hmm, so, after dealing with all of that yesterday morning, I was pretty pissed, and I went up to the activity room to see about getting some art supplies, and who should I run into there? Meg.”
"Just what I've always wanted, to be the facility scapegoat," he said dryly, sighing. If he had it to do over again, he would have done things differently; transition time had been hard, though, and the immediate temptations too much to handle right away. He hmmmed, looking at her contemplatively. "I take it she didn't just jump you completely on her own volition," he said, raising his eyebrows at her. It wasn't a criticism, merely a statement derived from knowing her, and himself, and knowing when pissed it was hard to keep from provoking the stupidity of others.
While she understood his frustration, her sympathy toward him was minimal. He’d made his bed, and if he couldn’t manage to remake it, then that was on him. She would do what she could to help, but even she knew that there wasn’t a whole lot she could do. Susanna rolled her eyes at the guess, ignoring the sting in her face as she did so. The pain medication was doing a good enough job to make it so that she could ignore the pain. “She may as well have. We exchanged some pleasantries, and there was an awful lot of name calling on her end. She called me a slut,” she said with a mock-pout, as if that was the most horrible thing in the world. “I may have returned the sentiment and thrown her precious Dominic’s name into the mix. She was most displeased by that. She feels terribly guilty for his departure and didn’t take kindly to my observation of that fact.” It made her think that Meg had no recollection of ‘sleeping’ with Ryan - the girl seemed like the type that would have gone off the rails on Ryan by now if she did - and she wanted to tell him her thoughts on that.
His lips twitched at her recounting of events. It was amusing and he could sort of imagine how it had gone. He didn't underestimate how Susanna was capable of goading someone as off her rocker as Meg seemed to be, especially these days. He might have smirked just a bit at that thought. "Tsk! What rude language from her," he said. Names generally bounced right off of him, except in certain circumstances. He patted her arm carefully, though. "Terribly guilty. Well, she was quite a naughty girl," he drawled, a small smile playing around the corners of his lips for just a second before he banished it.
“It was quite rude,” she agreed with a small shake of her head. It was rather offensive that people seemed to think it appropriate to call a woman who embraced her sexuality a slut. There were much more creative insults one could come up with. The name calling really didn’t phase her, and she’d have removed herself from the situation had she not been looking for a fight. “Guilty and maybe even a little confused, as if she wasn’t quite sure what had happened. And that is why children shouldn’t consume alcohol. I said nothing of you, though. If the little whore doesn’t remember spreading her legs for you, that’s her own fault.” And if the Administration had seen it as a non-consensual act, surely they’d have done more than put Ryan in stocks for a day.
Ryan's lips twitched as Susanna spoke, enough for her to see without actually letting himself smirk and give himself away utterly to anyone who could be watching. Okay, so he was smug. That little whore, as she put it so succinctly, had definitely been out of it, which of course was why it had been fun in the first place. "She really shouldn't have drunk so much. How embarrassing for her, to not remember what she'd been up to while she was drunk off her ass," he said, torn between smugness and dryness. "I do thank you for not mentioning it, though. Seeing as how she jumped you for just the mention of Dom, I would have to contend with her for her own doings, I'm sure."
Embarrassing was one word for it, though pathetic was the one coming to Susanna’s mind. In fact, she rather thought of Meg as one tiny sack of pathetic topped with an ugly mop of ratty blonde hair. “You’re quite welcome. There’s no reason you should have to suffer from her bad choices. I can’t say I blame her for giving into your charms, though. You’re so much more handsome than her Dominic was,” she flattered him with a little wink.
“So, anyway, Meg was very upset, and she charged at me. I suppose it was because she needed someone to lash out at with her guilt eating away at her like it obviously was. I tried to defend myself, but she pulled me off-balance and headbutted my fucking nose, the little bitch,” she bit that last bit out. It was something of a bitter pill to swallow, really. She hated that Meg had managed that one. “I took her down, and after a moment of kicking and scratching, I had her pinned. I was just going to knock her out, honest,” she said in a tone that clearly implied the opposite. “Only Reece came in and pulled me off of her, and when he was holding me back, that’s when she decided to stab me with that fucking needle.”
Ryan smirked, flattered even though he knew that was her purpose. "I would have to agree with you there," he said, not bothering with any false modesty like he would with anyone else. Dominic hadn't been that handsome, and who knew what the girl saw in him, though really, it could be questioned of Meg as well. She wasn't the prettiest thing in the world, but she was just enough to have made her a temptation to Ryan.
He wrinkled his nose sympathetically. The nose was always a sensitive thing, and he'd had his busted a couple of times over the years, though it didn't really show, luckily. And like he believed that she was just going to knock her down... he sort of wished he'd gotten to see her beat the fuck out of Meg. "Well, fuck him. He got you hurt," he said, rather put out by that. What an idiot. The man should have stayed out of it, or secured them both, rather than putting Susanna in that position. What an idiot.
The lack of false modesty teased a laugh out of her that was quickly followed by a wince both from the pain in her face and her stomach. Stupid fucking bitch would pay, she thought darkly. And Ryan’s remark about Reece made her realize that he had something to pay for, too. The bastard put her in the position to be stabbed, and no matter how good he was in bed, that wasn’t going to be forgotten anytime soon. “Yes, he did,” she said, her expression darkening. “I doubt that was his intention, but even so. It is unacceptable.” And who knew if she’d already shot her chances of getting out of here by the way she’d baited Meg? Perhaps she shouldn’t worry so much and just do what she needed to do to make them pay.
"As you've told me, darlin', caution is a must," he drawled quietly, watching her carefully. If he had to be careful, she should be too. He'd rather keep her as a partner than go down in flames. "What are you considering?" he asked quietly. There was plenty of things they could do, though some of it depended on how much collateral damage they wanted to do, as well. He had several ideas off the top of his head, but they would have to proceed carefully.
Susanna huffed a displeased breath at the reminder. Yes, caution was a must, but that didn’t mean she had to like it right now. At his quiet question, she looked at him blankly for a moment. “About Reece? Nothing, I suppose. Other than making it clear that I’m no longer interested in his company.” No, as good a lover as Reece was, that just wasn’t going to happen again. “As for Meg, well, I suppose that’s up to the jury,” she said carefully. She had no intention of leaving it entirely to the jury, and after a curious glance toward him, she carefully shifted closer to him so that she could lean in close and whisper to him. “I’m all ears if you’ve any ideas, though,” she told him.
He hmmmmed, lips pressed together, as she mentioned the jury. "Well, it certainly would be interesting to see what the jury ends up saying," he said noncommittally, though he wasn't especially hopefully about it. Unless they could provoke her somehow without seeming to provoke her, and make her explode while at 'court.' That would be rather risky. He hmmed again. "Well, it depends on things. She's not exactly stable," he said pointedly, winking at her over the rim of his soda.
She’d have loved to roll her eyes at that, but with the way her head was hurting still, she resisted. “Interesting is one way to put it. I’m just trying to figure out how this place is really any different now from the outside world’s justice system with the changes they’re putting in place,” she said musingly. How was what they were doing here really going to change the current practices of the general prison system? “Mmm, no, she’s far from stable, as she clearly demonstrated yesterday. A simple conversation and she decides to stab me, it’s unthinkable.” It wasn’t, really, and if Reece hadn’t come along, Meg would’ve been the one in the clinic - hopefully on her way to the morgue.
"There's probably a lot we can use against her, with that," he said, almost all innocence, though his eyes flicked up to meet hers meaningfully. "As well as using it on the jury. If the administration doesn't give footage, you can say anything you want about it," he murmured more quietly. "I'm on detention duty, but I don't know what else is going on just yet, or if they'll give over the footage or not."
“Probably,” Susanna agreed, amused by the feigned innocence and deeper meaning in his eyes. God but they were so similar, it was uncanny sometimes. “Even if the administration gives footage - it’s all a matter of perspective. Because I speak a certain way, with a diction that is so very different from Meg’s, I imagine she misinterpreted much of what I said to her,” she pointed out, her lips twitching very faintly in amusement. It could be true, even if it wasn’t in this case. “Mmm, you’ll have to be sure to do your job today. You’ve got to build up those credits so you can buy me a gift,” she told him teasingly.
Ryan rolled his wrist, conceding her point. A smirk danced on his lips. "That’s the problem with using big words people like her don't understand, darlin'," he drawled. "I will definitely see what I can do. And I am always open to suggestion," he added. He chuckled at her ploy for a gift. "And what do you want me to buy you, my dear? I'm afraid I didn't see an escape for sale in the brochure," he teased.
Before she could think to stop herself, Susanna let out a laugh at his drawl. It sent a piercing pain through her stomach and face, and she winced deeply at it. “Fucking bitch,” she muttered darkly. She couldn’t even fucking laugh now? Ugh. “Suggestion, hmm.” She pondered the things they could do, her deeply rational side trying to figure out how those things might affect her chances at freedom. Everything all went back to her chances were probably fairly shot no matter what she did, as it was up to the administration, not her fellow inmates who she might actually have a chance at manipulating. She would have to think on it some more.
It was easier to remember not to laugh this time, but she did smile at him. “Oh darling, there is no escape, there is only rehabilitation and the hope of graduation,” she chided him gently, though it was more for the cameras than him. “As for a gift, well, you’ll just have to surprise me, won’t you?” She hoped he would prove to understand her taste in things with all the time they’d spent together.
Ryan laid a hand gently over get stomach, feeling for her as much as he was able. It wasn't much, but for him it was a lot comparatively speaking. "Don't worry, she will be punished," he said. "By the jury if nothing else," he added, purely for the surveillance.
He sighed gustily, purely for theatrics. "Yes of course," he agreed. "Besides, escape is impossible even if I wanted to contemplate it, and after Caroline..." He shrugged. His lips curled up more wickedly. He could think of a few things he'd enjoy giving her, and getting to enjoy himself.
It was almost sweet, the way Ryan’s hand gently lay over her stomach, and if Susanna were a different woman, she might even have swooned just a bit at it. Even so, she did give him a small smile. “I know,” she said confidently. She would personally make sure that Meg was punished, regardless of whatever decision the jury came to.
Susanna frowned at the mention of Caroline, appearing sad. “Yes, of course. It’s awful enough that she made the mistakes she did, it would be utterly foolish for anyone else to make the same ones,” she agreed. She did so enjoy that wicked smile, and she hoped that it promised delightful things, even if she wouldn’t be able to indulge in much for a while. Falling silent for a few minutes, Susanna focused on her food. Only after they finished eating did she speak again. “I’ll show you those messages, and then we can turn some music on and... cuddle. It would be so nice to just be held right now,” she said, attempting an almost sheepish tone as if she were embarrassed at admitting it. In reality, it would just give them the perfect opportunity to speak in hushed tones, and hopefully the music would keep whatever surveillance was watching them from overhearing what they had to say.
"Precisely." Besides, he suspected the way out would be blowing shit up. But that was just him, and who knew what it would really take. As much as he wanted to find out, he wasn't going to try. At least not without good and proper incentive. He finished off his food, glad that she wasn't one of those women who had to fill every moment of silence with mindless chatter. His lips did twitch of cuddling. He knew what she really meant, for he'd never been a real cuddler and neither, he thought, was she in general. "That sounds very nice, my dear," he said, content to know they'd be making quiet plans and deciding what to do. He got rid of the rest of the food and went to the computer so she could show him the messages. His lips compressed in a displeased manner upon getting to read them, and he couldn't say for sure who it was sending them. "Coward, doing it this way," he noted to her.
Finally he found the music and turned it on loud enough to hopefully keep whispered conversation from being overheard even by listening devices. He went back to the bed, getting comfortable and then coaxing her over to him to cuddle up. Plans, he thought, and it really wasn't so bad to do this every now and then.
She couldn’t have agreed with him more. It was cowardly, but more it was annoying. She wanted to know who’d sent the messages and just what they thought they knew. Ryan had been careful, she knew that much, and she doubted that anyone would be able to pin him for any of the assaults, especially with the administration clearly not doing anything about his tryst with Meg. “It is, yes,” she agreed. Once the music was on, she went back to the bed with him, curling up with him in a way that was bearable with her injuries. “So, darling...” she began in a hushed tone. They had Plans to make, and hopefully they had the cover necessary to make them.