"Is creepy and dangerous a package deal with you?"
"It's my buy one get one free sale of the week."
Lana watched Aaron's fangs glint salaciously, sinful humour failing to lack what his movement did. His arms were shackled to the table that lay in between the two of them, his ankles free only for the time being. There was little chance of him escaping so it was more of a precaution than it was that he was a threat. If there was anything that Aaron was, it was a lying, thieving sneak; however, he was very little someone whom Lana worried about. Physically, that was.
"Is there anything useful you can tell me before I have you thrown back in your cell for another three years?"
"Yeah. Do you think I could get a cell-mate? I prefer red-heads, though I suppose anyone would do."
"I don't believe they allow sex-addicts bunk beds, Aaron," she rolled her eyes.
"Of course not. Bunk beds rock, the neighbours would complain."
Shaking her head in an attempt to remove the smile from her face, Lana gave him one last glare before walking out of the room, her documents folded in her arms. The two guards whom had been waiting outside for her to finish her "interrogation" entered before the door even shut behind her, and Lana knew that within the next hour Aaron Catcher would be back in his cell, comfy and cosy and unfortunately within access of pen and paper. No doubt by tomorrow morning there would be a small, fancy letter addressed to her sitting on her desk.
Normally she burned them, but hopefully this one would have something useful to say. Unlikely. If anything, Aaron only liked to toy with her, not help her. If only she could break that sick obsession he had with her...
"So how'd it go?"
"Goodness gracious, Benny, you gave me a fright!"
Benita Walter gave her friend a look. "What is this, the Continental Congress? Stop talking like a fore-father and tell me what happened."
"Fore-fathers spoke very differently."
"Fore-fathers are dead and we don't have any radio broadcasts of them, either. They could have spoken French and written English and we wouldn't know the difference."
"You're so splendid," Lana deadpanned, her eyes narrowed. Benny only shrugged.
"So?"
"So," she sighed. "He's as useless as ever. Why did I even bother?"
"Because if he helps anyone, it'll be you," Benny pointed out. "He's in love with you. Or so he claims. Honestly, though, if anyone hand-wrote me a letter every day for three years I would believe it, too."
"Please don't use the 'l' word," Lana groaned. "It gives me goose bumps."
Benny rolled her eyes, gazing at Lana from the corner of her eye."If I'm splendid, then you're a bucket of daisies."
"Funny. Damion called me a bucket of sunflowers yesterday."
"No doubt with a vicious sarcasm."
"Maybe I really am a bucket of sunflowers," she insisted with little effort.
"And maybe you really are the child of Thorin and Bilbo Baggins!"
"Ew. Please don't cross species, Benny, that's not right." Yet Benny simply laughed.
The two of them had been walking through the narrow corridor as they conversed, now coming upon Lana's office to their left. The wooden door was small in comparison to the one next to it, but she was still rather low in the ranking system. Even so, everyone knew that having the general personally put your office next to hers meant that you were favoured.
"Have you seen Rick today?"
"He's still studying those documents you sent him," Benny said. "So he's probably in his office right now."
"Alright, well, I need to see him to let him know that Aaron was a bust."
"All men are useless," Benny said simply, shrugging.
"Rick's not useless," Lana replied gibbly. "Neither is Mack, or Doran, or--"
"Alright, alright. Not all men are useless, I get the point." Benny rolled her eyes, but got the point just the same. "I was just joking anyhow. There are some pretty useless women out there, too."
"Exhibit A," Lana mumbled low, glancing at Benny as she spoke. The girl heard her nonetheless and glared.
Just as she was about to open her mouth with a class-A retort, a speck of white against the green-tiled floor caught her eye, successfully breaking her train of thought. Bending down, she picked up an envelope which had been placed carefully under the edge of Lana's door. The other girl's eyes widened a fraction with confusion and surprise, and she took the envelope from Benny's hands. She held it up to the light for a moment to see if there was anything worth noticing through the thin paper, but found it normal ink and paper. Somehow, that was disappointing. She ripped it open.
I'm not stupid, Lana. You wouldn't have pulled me out of prison if it wasn't extremely important. Still, you're not stupid either. (Congratulations. That makes you the only intelligent one surrounded by ignoramuses! Welcome to adulthood, kiddo.)
So here's the deal. I'll give you what you need to survive this world on one condition.
But I won't tell you in here. Instead, you can come visit me. I look forward to your visit, darling. No amount of prison privileges are worth one minute of my time with you. But I'll do what I can no matter.
See you then.
With love,
Aaron Catcher