Bandages and Salt (PJO X BSD AU)

Chapter forty-nine

But today was diffrent from my usual morbid curiosity that would bring me down to the subleves to try out new methods, or my sechedualed trips to deal with the issue of Q before that particular had been resolved the day previous. Today was a visit that I wanted to make, a product of one of the calls that I had taken the time to make while waiting with the child for the car to arrive.

The cell room doors opened harshly, the locks rusted and jammed so that anyone who was locked inside and waslucky enough to escape their chains would alert the gaurds on duty to their presence long before the hinges squealed even louder as the door was opened. Some of the specialists that used more physiological tactics than physical would even leave the prisoner with lose chains for that very reason. Though the safety measures have proved to be a decent precaution that didn't rely on the flimsiness of technology -something that those in Yokohama tended not to use much of despite having enough ability users to have a great deal of it should we wish to- it often made leaning the cell's inhabitants asleep and unaware of one's presence virtually an impossible thing to do.

The three men inside of the cell jostled about as they attempted to look upon me with gazes of weak difiance that didn't quite meet any of their eyes as each of their chains clanged against the bars of the cell like a violent staccato. There was fear painted across each of the mens' faces, almost tangibly. Fear and disbelief as they each recognized just who had come to greet the three of them.

"A mafia brat," the man on the left side of the cell hissed, anger drowning out what might have remained of his better judgment. "You just had to be a fucking mafia brat, didn't you?" There was blood staining the man's thigh from where I'd take a knife to it only a few hours before. A deranged laugh bubbled up inside of the man's throat, a frantic noise that was heard in the bowels of the mafia building more often than some would probably assume it to be.

All three of the men were dirty, which had nothing to do with their current situation or even how they had come to be here as that had been a relatively quick altercation. The other two didn't look particularly pleased by the situation either. Though neither chose to speak, one still too shaken by whatever the after affects of Q's ability must be to do so, while the other physically couldn't, the dark marks against their grimy throats preventing them from doing so. The marks, that of which, were a perfect match for the hands of the still badly shaken man.

I hummed lightly in a bored tune, letting the raving man get his tantrum done with now before I chose to waste any oxygen on the men before me. Because it really would be one if he chose to speak over me and I had to get more violent than I wished. Besides, I didn't have much else planned for the day anyways, all of my usual mounds of paperwork already well taken care of by the product of another almost sleepless night, so I had some time to waste.

Not an infinite amount though.

"You know," I started once I saw that the man had begun to tire himself out. I'd been standing just in front of the closed cell doors during the whole ordeal, waiting in a way that most would deem appropriate to call patiently. I started walking towards the man on the right side as I spoke, trailing my hand across the cool stream of bars as I watched with a hint of satisfaction as the man that had been affected by the younger skill user's ability began to squirm more and more as I drew closer to him. "The Port Mafia, like many of the other organizations in the damned city, has a policy of striking back with a vengeance against those that would do even the lowest ranking members among them harm," I informed the trio as if I was giving a classroom report, something frightening worming it's way into the conversation at the flat tone of my voice. "Tell me," I commanded, twisting to look at the man that I had placed at my back, "what do you think that we do to those who try to harm the right hand of the Port Mafia's boss?"