Oki paced his cell restlessly, as he was prone to doing when not in the arena. Red eyes focused on the point directly ahead of him as he stalked around like the caged wolf he was. Matches for the day had all concluded, blood cleaned from the sand, gladiators' injuries had been treated, and the slaves put away...until it was time to "entertain" for
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The man was a convicted criminal, identified in conspiracy as well as the assassination of a senator earlier in the week. Perhaps other crimes of state could be pinned on him; it had taken a long time to capture him, after all. And now he was to be set out for the public enjoyment-- blood for blood, as they said.
Chains exchanged hands, and the guard who brought the man (barely more than a boy, really, remarkably young to be wreaking such havoc) gave his new jailer the only name they knew for him: "Mello," he gruffly told the keeper of the cells. "'S all he's called. Send 'im out t'morrow morning with tha'-- tha' big guy. Funny hair."
"I'll see to it," came the response, the door shutting, and footsteps down the hallway. A minute later, the keeper was opening Oki's cell, shoving the criminal inside.
He remained tied, hands cuffed with a short chain behind his back, and a cloth gag between his teeth, tied around his jaw. Pushed into the cell roughly, Mello fell on his side with a grunt, dirty gold hair in disarray, but he sat up as soon as he could to send a indignant glare at the back of his jailer as he walked away. No explanation would be given to Oki. He wasn't important enough; he would have had to glean what he could from eavesdropping.
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He waited for the guard to move on before examining his new cellmate...this boy who was a criminal. It seemed unlikely that he'd survive the next day and Oki had to wonder if they'd even put him through gladiator school first...seemed unlikely.
Pausing in his restless pacing, he approached Mello.
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Reaching out, he tugged the gag free.
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Mello spat out the cloth as it was pulled from his mouth, tossing his head indignantly and licking his cracked lips.
"Can you untie me?" he demanded, not bothering with any preface.
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Still, he was far from willing to accept this fate. He could escape. They underestimated him. He had all night to try.
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Standing, he shuffled back to where he was pacing.
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Taking a breath, he pushed himself up to his feet, shaking his stiff arms out with the dull jangling of what was left of the chain on the cuffs.
"Good. Okay then..." He turned, going to the door to examine it carefully. "Don't suppose the door's old too?"
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Pulling a little bit of metal from his pocket, Mello began to try picking the lock. Even if it didn't work, at least there was something to be said about his perseverance.
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Someone underestimated this kid if he got here with metal. Either that or Mello was just that resourceful. Oki watched him try the lock, still prowling the cell.
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Mello just shrugged in response, twisting about his makeshift lockpick in the keyhole. "Like I said. Hell if I know. I have more important things on my mind."
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But Mello seemed pretty sharp, so there was a chance something might happen.
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The lock-picking didn't seem to be doing anything. Mello withdrew his arm from the between the bars with a frustrated exhale of breath, and began to bend his little bit of metal a different way, intent on trying again. And again. Until he succeeded.
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