Port Lorrel- Prison Break

[Jack Rothwell]

He was slung unceremoniously into a nearby cell by a pair of the sturdier guards the gallows had to offer. Gabriel's back slammed into the iron of a rickety cot that forced the breath out his lungs. He didn't bother to get back up, he'd seen enough of the routine abuse that took place in the establishment to know standard protocal among the guards in situations like these was to spit through the bars at the first flash of defiance and beat the convicts until their arms got tired at the second. Gabriel was hardly squeamish at the prospect of a little violence, but it would be time wasted that could be better acquired finding his mark, Samuel Riekstien, a former bandit chief who was days at best from a hanging.

Gabriel pushed himself upright against the bed, closed his eyes and let the insults from the men wash over him in a wave. He recalled everything he knew about the place and went over it in detail, the grills that could be pried open, the number of guards typically on duty during the day and night, what paths they followed, how often they needed to report in. Details, details...

"...and you're the son of a whore who fucked his..."

Thinking was a much easier task since Aleron had taken barbaric liberties with his unconscious body. If Gabriel thought hard enough about them, he could feel the pulse of a half dozen little stone-shapes lodged within his mass. The way he'd had it explained to him; the stones were woven with an ancient spell, a defensive connection of energy, an internal barrier which held it's shape with regenerative magic. The effect on the mind was clarity of thought, and an acceptance of the necessities for achieving a goal.

The effect on the body was simply a wonder.

"...not worth our time. I'd watch over both shoulders, murdering scum!"

Spit hit his boots. Meaningless. He'd kill them both later if the chance arose. Finding Samuel was all that mattered. Payment for insults would wait.

"Floor's cleaner than the bed," said a voice. Looking over, Gabriel saw a tall, thin-faced, handsome, dark-haired man sitting in a relaxed position on a cloak in the corner. His travelling clothes showed a little sign of the abuse he'd taken, but his manner was calm and aloof. The stranger waved and nodded in a friendly way. "Jack's the name - Jack Gallow. Kind of ironic, yes?"

"Indeed." Gabriel replied, watching the guards depart. He stood, walked to the bars and clasped a hand around one. The structure was well-maintained enough, and even with his enhanced strength the ex-militia captain wouldn't be able to break free with his bare hands. Then again, if he stayed long enough for his sentence to be carried out, that would no longer be a concern.

"Gabriel Averis." He said, turning his attention to his cellmate. "Convicted murderer, what are you in for?"

OOC Other writers are welcome to jump in with their characters and ideas, any villians waiting in the wings?/OOC

[Alberich]

Jack smiled thinly. "Being too merciful. Specifically, finding some wretch they were abusing down here and putting him out of his misery. If I'd just stuck with stealing their valuables, I'd be fine. Maybe that was your problem - kill the guy slower and they'd give you a job.

"Those bars are pretty solid, by the way, and the lock's inconveniently placed for picking."

[Jack Rothwell]

"Then I should endevor to get my hands on a key." Gabriel replied. "It is of little consequence either way. Prisoners are let out of their cells during the day from time to time. Sometimes to stretch our legs for the sake of 'humane treatment', other times for interrogation, or at the behest of the wealthier citizens who get their rocks off by beating on convicted felons."

He chuckled as he watched a fresh prisoner being dragged past their small cell. Memories he hadn't thought of in years were parading through his mind. He thought of all the times he'd dropped off the men he'd arrested back when he'd been on the right side of the law, the times he'd taken them to the tiny rooms with no windows and drawn their confessions... sometimes confessions for things they hadn't even been accused of.

He sized up the man he shared the cell with, assessing his potential usefulness. At the very least, he didn't look like the raping type, and that was a fair start.

"They're just thugs on the other side of the bars." He said, talking about the wardens. "A bribe'll set you free if you have the contacts and the resources."

[Alberich]

Jack smiled. "That was probably more handy than asking how you get to be 'convicted' around here. I guess they wait long enough to see if you can pay, and then if you can't, you're convicted? I can't imagine them bothering with trials.

He spread his hands. "A little short on contacts and resources at the moment, I'm afraid, I could acquire some if I could get away. 'course, if I could get away, I could get away, and that would be that.

"But I should be listening 'stead of talking. You seem to know this place pretty well. I've got the layout of the town and could make it pretty far with a head start - but this place here, I don't know so well. I'm at your service for getting to know it less."

[Jack Rothwell]

"At my service?" Gabriel replied. "Then perhaps you can make yourself useful to me in kind. Do you know of a Samuel Riekstein? He was brought here a few days ago, he's an old friend of mine, I should like to talk to him."

[Alberich]

"Never heard of him, I'm afraid - I haven't been in town that long. Just scoped it out just in case. Is he one of these 'contacts' you can use to, ah, broker a deal with the guards?"

Jack was beginning to get an idea on how to turn his interrogation into an escape for them both - the kind of escape that didn't require any "special" talents and didn't make international rumor. That was how he liked it. All he'd need is a "contact," he hoped - and this man seemed to have experience getting in and out of here.

[Jack Rothwell]

"He's just a friend." Gabriel replied, lying through his teeth. In truth, he only had a vague description of what the man looked like, curtousy of Lucas Logan, his employer's sometime business partner and wealthy merchant in that very port. One of businessman's unscrupulous agents had recently been a guest of the gallows, and informed his employer of a particulary unusual object that Mr Riekstien had in his posession. It had been described as a shiv, a ebony-coloured, needle-like blade some six inches in length and bedecked with tiny, red runes that coated it all over.

Finding it's owner would hopefully be the long and short of it. However, the information was two days old, and the situation could change fast in an environment such as this. It would be better to press every advantage he could find if he wanted to see the Ralkin's plans, and his plans, come to fruition.

"Alright, cellmate, I'll be straight with you." 'Relatively speaking...' "You look like a man who can take care of himself, and has no interest in waiting to lose a hand or his... pride at the pricks of the pricks who dwell here, so I'll make you an offer."

He placed a hand flat on his own chest. It was an old trick from his soldiering days to show his men his sincerity, it usually served it's purpose.

"You keep an eye and an ear out for my friend, and I give you my word when the opportunity arises I'll get you a way out of here."

Gabriel didn't add that one of the possible 'ways out' could be by taking a bullet or being stabbed, but did he really need to?

[Alberich]

"Yer on," said Jack, clasping hands. "And let me make you a counteroffer - if you can tell me how to get hold of one of these 'contacts,' if I get the opportunity, I'll get you out of here. And listen out for your buddy as well."

[Jack Rothwell]

"Fair enough." The man's plan was reasonable, if he could dig up useful information, so much the better.

"It's been years since I was here, you understand." Gabriel warned. "But if you're looking for go-to people in this place, there are two who should still be around." He ticked off a finger. "Sergeant Jared Pullam can usually spare an ear for a prisoner with something to offer, if you're convincing enough you may be able to get on his good side. He sometimes offers work for the worthy. Getting his attention, however, is not an easy business. His quarters are in the Ivini building across the compound, you won't see him in the Arteus building, that's here, unless there's a situation brewing." The ticked off his second finger. "Old Roland is an easier bet, unless someone killed him since I was last in. Given his status among the prisoners, that's unlikely. He's a lifer, been here for going on fourty years, they say. He's well-liked by the guards and commands a respect from the prisoners, mainly because he's a vicious bastard who terrifies people into line. He's got a lot of muscle at his disposal, so don't piss him off."

Gabriel sat down on the bed, not out of tiredness, the tedium of waiting was reason enough.

OOC Anyone wants to hijack either of those characters Gabriel mentioned, or create characters likely to be in a prison go right ahead./OOC

[Alberich]

Jack nodded. "And on the outside...if I came into some funds and wanted them to be invested in a bit of you-and-me skedaddlery, is there anyone in town who could be trusted with that?"