I love the smell of soldering iron in the morning!

[Tabby Whitman-Foster]

Time: 7:00 a.m.
Date: August 9th
Place: Arkin's Cell-block
Status: Tagging Arkins, maybe Kasim, open to Passerby.

Tabby Whitman bent over the console that she was attempting to install into the door of Arkins' cell. It was a fingerprint and PIN number lock that would only allow one or two certain fingerprints along with a unique PIN number to access the cell. And the installation was taking longer than Tabby anticipated.

She had been there since a little after five-thirty that morning. She should have been done by now, but the entire door needed a few holes drilled into it so that the console didn't compromise the integrity of the door, and Tabby challenged anyone to drill a few holes into a quarter-million dollar door. It just wasn't going to happen. Tabby was dressed in regular blue jeans and hiking boots. Over her white tank top was a long sleeved denim shirt, because Tabby had to use a soldering iron on several of the wires and she didn't much like being burned, thank you very much. Her bright red hair was pulled back into a ponytail to keep from getting in the way. She checked her watch anxiously as she plugged the motherboard into the mounted console and ran a diagnostic. Almost there, but Tabby was short on time. The prisoner who inhabited the cell would be back shortly, and Tabby wasn't quite sure if he was the friendly sort.

[antonarkins]

Arkins let out a loud sigh as he approached his cell, flanked by a series of far too stern looking guards. He was nice and tired and sweaty, two hours of exercise was a nice way to start the day.
He was dressed in simple black shorts and a black tank top. All the clothes the B.P.R.D. had deigned to give him were black. He was barefoot, holding his shoes in one hand, and there was a white towel draped around his neck.

But what was this? Some young lady was hunched over his cell door, working meticulously on what Arkins assumed must be a new lock.
He watched her awhile, always one to study a person. She was another young girl, from the body shape, and smoothness of her skin.
At least, he assumed as much.
He couldn't see her face, but as far as he could tell, she was just another worker down in the Bureau. Nothing special about her, unless she had some sort of magic fixing up new locks power.

"Heya," he said finally to get the girls attention, "What do we have here?

[Tabby Whitman-Foster]

At the arrival of several people, Tabby cursed under her breath. "Damnit." She hadn't finished in time, so now she'd have to do the work while a possibly dangerous occupant was there. Great. She turned to greet whosoever's cell she was working on and was spoken to.

>>"Heya," he said finally to get the girls attention, "What do we have here?<<

The man was a few inches taller than Tabby, and scarred in the face. 'Great, probably some psycho path who cut his own face up.' She thought before speaking, "I'm just installing a new lock on your door." She said, tucking a strand of red hair behind her ear. "I won't be more than forty-five minutes, so...If you've got a problem with that, talk to the people who didn't give me all the info about your lovely accommodations." She nodded and went back to her work. Hopefully her little speech didn't make the probably dangerous guy want to kill her.

[antonarkins]

>>"I'm just installing a new lock on your door." She said, tucking a strand of red hair behind your ear. "I won't be more than forty-five minutes, so...If you've got a problem with that, talk to the people who didn't give me all the info about your lovely accommodations." She nodded and went back to her work. <<

Arkins looked at her questioningly, one eyebrow raised and a smirk playing slightly across his face.

"Another pretty young thing with all the spit and fire of a hardened criminal," he said lazily, moving to lean against one of the corridor walls.

"You seen my file too eh? Or is it my impressive countenance and clear criminality that brings forth all the rude behavior?" He continued, idly peering down at his rough and dirty fingernails.

"I'd offer my help. But I get the feeling you'd say no. By and large electronics don't fall into my impressive skill set, so I'm not sure how much help I'd be anyhow eh? Unless you needed something heavy lifted," Arkins continued with a wry smile.

[Tabby Whitman-Foster]

>>"Another pretty young thing with all the spit and fire of a hardened criminal," he said lazily, moving to lean against one of the corridor walls.<<

"I uh...don't know about that." Tabby said, turning away from her work. "Just, you know...you never know which lovely crazy thing might want to kill you."

>>"You seen my file too eh? Or is it my impressive countenance and clear criminality that brings forth all the rude behavior?" He continued, idly peering down at his rough and dirty fingernails.<<

"I don't know anything about you, dude--Uh, sir. It's just, well...the Bureau gave me protocols for anyone I speak to in this section of the Bureau that isn't a suit. I really don't know what treating people like crap is supposed to do by way of respect or the not-killing-me-in-my-sleep business, but I don't argue. They're the one writing the checks." Tabby turned back to the console. The diagnostic was done. The connection of a couple more wires and they were in business. "Sorry if I come off as a frigid hag. Just following the rules, ya know?"

>>"I'd offer my help. But I get the feeling you'd say no. By and large electronics don't fall into my impressive skill set, so I'm not sure how much help I'd be anyhow eh? Unless you needed something heavy lifted," Arkins continued with a wry smile. <<

Tabby smiled and laughed softly. This guy was seeming pretty normal-ish, except for the scars on his face, and the fact he had a plethora of guards with him. "Offered like a gentleman, or something. Thanks, but this is a one person job. And even though my tool case-" She lifted the red box and shook it about, "Is quite heavy, I think I can handle it. You should be back in your room in no time, pal."

[antonarkins]

>>"I uh...don't know about that." Tabby said, turning away from her work. "Just, you know...you never know which lovely crazy thing might want to kill you."<<

"Are there other prisoners down here? From the look of my reception, I rather suspected there wasn't. No one was rightly prepared," Arkins asked, showing some marginal interest in the topic.

>>"I don't know anything about you, dude--Uh, sir. It's just, well...the Bureau gave me protocols for anyone I speak to in this section of the Bureau that isn't a suit. I really don't know what treating people like crap is supposed to do by way of respect or the not-killing-me-in-my-sleep business, but I don't argue. They're the one writing the checks." Tabby turned back to the console. The diagnostic was done. The connection of a couple more wires and they were in business. "Sorry if I come off as a frigid hag. Just following the rules, ya know?"<<

"Ah I get that, done plenty of it myself eh? Don't ask too many questions, get some solid job security in return," Anton nodded along.

"By the by, there's no need to be calling me 'sir.' Haven't been called that coming on three years now and never rightly cared for it in the first place," he continued conversationally, watching her work.

Now a regular lock, well he could pick that. But an electronic one was beyond him, and it was smart for the bureau to toss one onto his door. Arkins made a mental note, he'd either have to befriend the cute tech girl, or procure some PE4 or C4 or whatever the hell Americans called it. And with explosives not so easy to get whilst a prisoner....

>>Tabby smiled and laughed softly. This guy was seeming pretty normal-ish, except for the scars on his face, and the fact he had a plethora of guards with him. "Offered like a gentleman, or something. Thanks, but this is a one person job. And even though my tool case-" She lifted the red box and shook it about, "Is quite heavy, I think I can handle it. You should be back in your room in no time, pal."<<

"Ah right," Arkins said with a dismissive wave of his hand and a rakish smile, "I'm ever so looking foreword to being jammed back into my dreary cell, surrounded by largely mute armed guards and entirely bereft of a fine female presence."

[Tabby Whitman-Foster]

>>"Are there other prisoners down here? From the look of my reception, I rather suspected there wasn't. No one was rightly prepared," Arkins asked, showing some marginal interest in the topic.<<

"I think your official title isn't prisoner. It's more like...indentured guest. You know. The PC hounds in the government have to make sure that nothing's offensive. Fat lot of good that does for you. And I suppose you're right. The least they could have done is told me why exactly you need a lock of this magnitude. Not that I'm prying." Tabby bent down to look at the jumble of wires in the console and nodded to herself. A few more solderings and she'd be good to go.

>>"By the by, there's no need to be calling me 'sir.' Haven't been called that coming on three years now and never rightly cared for it in the first place," he continued conversationally, watching her work. <<

"My dad's a farmer. Well, also electrician. But mostly farmer. And his parents were from the South. I was raised to say sir and ma'm. And people like Manning and other government officials seem to like it, so...I'll try to acquiesce with your request." She looked up from her work and smiled. "But if I don't...don't get too angry with me, man. It's an innate thing."

>>"Ah right," Arkins said with a dismissive wave of his hand and a rakish smile, "I'm ever so looking foreword to being jammed back into my dreary cell, surrounded by largely mute armed guards and entirely bereft of a fine female presence." <<

Tabby grinned. "Sorry, man. I'm just doing my job." With a few more moves of the soldering iron, the touch-screen of the lock glowed a bright blue. "Just have to install the PINs and accesses now..." She was talking more to herself than anyone else.

"So," She began cordially. "What got you stuck down here with no chicks," She said in reference to his comment about the lack of female presence, "And taciturn guards? If it's bloody or gory and you don't want me to be afraid of you, you might want to go easy on me in the telling, man."

[antonarkins]

>>"I think your official title isn't prisoner. It's more like...indentured guest. You know. The PC hounds in the government have to make sure that nothing's offensive. Fat lot of good that does for you. And I suppose you're right. The least they could have done is told me why exactly you need a lock of this magnitude. Not that I'm prying."<<

Arkins laughed, muttering the phrase "indentured guest" to himself.
"I like that," he said in reply, "Indentured guest. It fits perfectly eh? I'm treated a hell of a lot better here than in any of the prisons I've seen."
Arkins stretched his arms over his head, yawning slightly.
"I'm guessing, by the by, that the electronic lock is meant to deter me from breaking out. Lord knows regular locks serve little protection from me. But I'm not particularly interested in breaking out."

>>"My dad's a farmer. Well, also electrician. But mostly farmer. And his parents were from the South. I was raised to say sir and ma'm. And people like Manning and other government officials seem to like it, so...I'll try to acquiesce with your request." She looked up from her work and smiled. "But if I don't...don't get too angry with me, man. It's an innate thing."<<

"I don't get mad until someone starts breaking my ethics barrier or tries to kill me. And trust me, if someone's breaking my ethics barrier...they probably deserve a good ol' fashioned slug in the brain eh?" Arkins said with a slight laugh, miming the action of firing a gun.

>>Tabby grinned. "Sorry, man. I'm just doing my job. Just have to install the PINs and accesses now...So," She began cordially. "What got you stuck down here with no chicks," She said in reference to his comment about the lack of female presence, "And taciturn guards? If it's bloody or gory and you don't want me to be afraid of you, you might want to go easy on me in the telling, man."<<

Arkins marveled at the girl for a second. She really knew nothing about him...not that it would be hard to find out. His file was certain to be floating about the complex somewhere.
"Aye...eh...everything I do's a bit bloody. I'm a shade above your common gun for hire eh? But that shade, it's a nice one. I'm what they call a blood mage. Or well...well I was one, until I came here," he said calmly, rattling his wrists infront of the girl to show off his silver cuffs.
"Got pinched after a few years on the lamb, doing some crap job for some jackass Necromancer. Wanted me an' a couple of other like minded goons to break into a bank, steal him some sort of artifact. Didn't go entirely as planned, lots of shooting, all my pals got themselves penned in the dead book...and myself, not wanting to add my name to the list, just gave up," Arkins said somewhat hurridly, almost embarassed by the failure.
"Got the choice of prison, a plane trip back home, or here. I voted here. Was thinking it was a mistake, but all the sights to see down here certainly are changing my mind - cute techies included."

[Tabby Whitman-Foster]

>>"I'm guessing, by the by, that the electronic lock is meant to deter me from breaking out. Lord knows regular locks serve little protection from me. But I'm not particularly interested in breaking out."<<

"Shh, it's a secret." Tabby said in a stage whisper, holding a finger up to her lips. A glance of a tattoo of a Chinese character flashed on the under-flesh of her left wrist, but just as quickly disappeared when her hand left her face. "They're taking a precaution. It's bee a while since I've had to do one of these. I'm afraid I'm a tad rusty." She began tapping in sequences on the touch keypad that had popped up on the screen.

>>"I don't get mad until someone starts breaking my ethics barrier or tries to kill me. And trust me, if someone's breaking my ethics barrier...they probably deserve a good ol' fashioned slug in the brain eh?" Arkins said with a slight laugh, miming the action of firing a gun.<<

"Wow. Feeling uncomfortable." Tabby laughed nervously, but her smile stayed. "If you're that bad, I guess I shouldn't talk to you. I'm sure my mom'd get pretty pissed if she knew I was talking to a stranger...A stranger whose lock I just happen to be installing. But I'll keep talking to you because otherwise, this job gets pretty damn dull."

>>"Aye...eh...everything I do's a bit bloody. I'm a shade above your common gun for hire eh? But that shade, it's a nice one. I'm what they call a blood mage. Or well...well I was one, until I came here," he said calmly, rattling his wrists infront of the girl to show off his silver cuffs...<<

Tabby listened to all that he had to say, her task forgotten. So HE was the one that those cuffs had been rigged up for. Some of the most complicated technology she had ever seen, and she had to go through a sixteen hour crash course on how to fix them if they broke because the man who invented them said something like, "If these glitch, you have maybe fifteen minutes before everyone can be dead." Tabby's eyes widened slightly as she looked from them and then back to his face just as he was finishing.

>>"...Got the choice of prison, a plane trip back home, or here. I voted here. Was thinking it was a mistake, but all the sights to see down here certainly are changing my mind - cute techies included."<<

Tabby chuckled shortly and looked down at her work and then up at him. It was hard to believe that he was that powerful...And yet so far, he just seemed like a really chatty headstrong and maybe slightly arrogant guy. She wouldn't treat him differently just because he was unique like every other agent, would she? No. "You flatter me, sir, but I am afraid that flattery will get you nowhere. Maybe." She grinned and typed in her access code, which would tap into the system and allow her fingerprints and a PIN to access the cell, and then began on Kasim's. "Just remember after this lock's installed, if you ever want to see uh...the 'cute techie,' just beak some technological crap and I'll come running."

[antonarkins]

>>"Wow. Feeling uncomfortable." Tabby laughed nervously, but her smile stayed. "If you're that bad, I guess I shouldn't talk to you. I'm sure my mom'd get pretty pissed if she knew I was talking to a stranger...A stranger whose lock I just happen to be installing. But I'll keep talking to you because otherwise, this job gets pretty damn dull."<<

Arkins laughed. Of all the people that he had met so far, the tech girl had been by far the nicest. He'd have to watch himself, he might actually take a liking to someone.
"I won't tell your mommy if you won't Miss....what's your name anyway?" He asked, coming to the realization that they hadn't yet exchanged names.
"I'm Anton, by the way. Anton Arkins. Think I prefer Arkins though," he continued, offering one of his scarred, callous hands to the girl.

>>Tabby listened to all that he had to say, her task forgotten. Tabby's eyes widened slightly as she looked from them and then back to his face just as he was finishing.<<

Arkins watched, somewhat bemused at the fact that the girl was staring so intently at his cuffs and then himself. Perhaps she had heard of him after all, or at least, knew enough about Blood Mages to feel a bit of fear.
Were she anything but nice, he'd press the subject. If you can't get people to like you, fear will do. And while getting people to fear you was far easier than anything else, it was a hell of a lot more irritating to manage. Plus, it fostered absolutely no loyalty in the relationship.

>>Tabby chuckled shortly and looked down at her work and then up at him. "You flatter me, sir, but I am afraid that flattery will get you nowhere. Maybe." She grinned and typed in her access code. "Just remember after this lock's installed, if you ever want to see uh...the 'cute techie,' just beak some technological crap and I'll come running." <<

"I'll keep that in mind darlin'. I'm rather good at breaking things. And your company is by and large the most pleasant experience I've had down here. So I suspect we may be seeing a lot of each other around here eh? Of course, you could just pay me a visit of your own volition, save the trouble of having to work," Arkins said with a bright smile.
"Hell, if you haven't eaten, and want to wait a half hour, I bet I can convince my nice little guard battalion to escort me down to the cafeteria for a bite."

[Tabby Whitman-Foster]

>>"I won't tell your mommy if you won't Miss....what's your name anyway?" He asked, coming to the realization that they hadn't yet exchanged names.
"I'm Anton, by the way. Anton Arkins. Think I prefer Arkins though," he continued, offering one of his scarred, callous hands to the girl.<<

"Oh! I'm Tabitha Whitman, but everyone calls me Tabby. That's just how I roll." She shook Arkins rough hand with her own. She liked that his hands were calloused, it showed the absence of a pampered life and in its stead, one working with his hands. "Nice to meet you, Arkins. And thank you for not tattling on me."

>>"I'll keep that in mind darlin'. I'm rather good at breaking things. And your company is by and large the most pleasant experience I've had down here. So I suspect we may be seeing a lot of each other around here eh? Of course, you could just pay me a visit of your own volition, save the trouble of having to work," Arkins said with a bright smile.<<

Tabby laughed. "But man... trashing stuff is supposed to be fun! And if you wreck enough stuff, they pay me overtime. Me working overtime and you to talk to? Man, it's like a win-win situation!" She typed in Kasim's access code after her own was confirmed.

>>"Hell, if you haven't eaten, and want to wait a half hour, I bet I can convince my nice little guard battalion to escort me down to the cafeteria for a bite."<<

"I've been up since like four-thirty and I am frickin' starving. Sounds ike a date, man. Figuratively." Tabby grinned and looked at the guards. "With those guys, I'm sure if we went at rush hour we could get a table all to ourselves. Sa-weet! But that might alarm everyone since you have all these guys there to keep an eye on you...and then they'll see the tech geek and be like, 'WTF mate?'"

[antonarkins]

>>"I've been up since like four-thirty and I am frickin' starving. Sounds like a date, man. Figuratively." Tabby grinned and looked at the guards. "With those guys, I'm sure if we went at rush hour we could get a table all to ourselves. Sa-weet! But that might alarm everyone since you have all these guys there to keep an eye on you...and then they'll see the tech geek and be like, 'WTF mate?'"<<

Arkins merely listened as Tabby seemed to become far more animated. Her somewhat withdrawn, if not polite, attitude faded away, revealing a far more anxious one in it's stead.

Nervous? Excited? It was hard to tell, and in the scope of things, it hardly mattered. Or perhaps Arkins hardly cared.

"Yeah, yeah alright. Sounds good to me. You'll happen to be the first person I'll have an amicable conversation with...at least without being forced to, like my handler," Arkins said casually, waving his hand.

"And if people get with staring, I'll just give em something to stare at you know? Cause a ruckus. Bet you fellas would like that eh?" He continued with a slight grin, nodding to one of the guards who shook his head 'no' quite quickly.

[Tabby Whitman-Foster]

>>"Yeah, yeah alright. Sounds good to me. You'll happen to be the first person I'll have an amicable conversation with...at least without being forced to, like my handler," Arkins said casually, waving his hand.<<

Tabby seemed to be losing him, maybe...or at least not inciting as active an interest anymore. Maybe. She sucked at judging emotions. There was a reason why she sometimes preferred the company of a busted computer or jammed handgun than homo-sapiens. "Well then, we should maybe toast to that, or capture the monumental moment of civility with a Polaroid." She smiled half-sarcastically. She finally began tapping in Manning's information as the last few steps to installing the lock.

>>"And if people get with staring, I'll just give em something to stare at you know? Cause a ruckus. Bet you fellas would like that eh?" He continued with a slight grin, nodding to one of the guards who shook his head 'no' quite quickly. <<

Tabby smiled softly. She wasn't sure in the man was joking or was being serious. "Must suck for you, I guess, being stuck down here and treated like a...I don't know, circus animal or something. Can I ask you something?" She didn't wait for an answer. "Why not just cooperate, man? Then you'd at least get free reign in this place...Even if you have to wear those cuffs. You wouldn't have to be guarded twenty-four seven. You could probably even get the chance to go to the bathroom alone."