Nightshift 32: Staff-Only Food Counter
[from here]
Lia schooled her breathing to evenness as she stepped into the darkened room, forcing herself to take in what little she could see objectively. Calm would serve her well, calm always served well. Fear would only alert predators. She ran her hand along the wall, guiding her until she reached the counter, where she brushed careful fingertips along the unfamiliar surface. "It looks like some sort of...shop?" she murmured uncertainly, wincing once more as even those quiet tones echoed in the emptiness.
There was no proprietor in evidence, though she was not surprised to see this given the lateness of the hour. Ingrained rules twinged against the idea of theft, but she reminded herself that they were prisoners here, and that common rules of interaction must be lain by the wayside in desperate situations.
"Perhaps they'll have what you're looking for here."
Lia schooled her breathing to evenness as she stepped into the darkened room, forcing herself to take in what little she could see objectively. Calm would serve her well, calm always served well. Fear would only alert predators. She ran her hand along the wall, guiding her until she reached the counter, where she brushed careful fingertips along the unfamiliar surface. "It looks like some sort of...shop?" she murmured uncertainly, wincing once more as even those quiet tones echoed in the emptiness.
There was no proprietor in evidence, though she was not surprised to see this given the lateness of the hour. Ingrained rules twinged against the idea of theft, but she reminded herself that they were prisoners here, and that common rules of interaction must be lain by the wayside in desperate situations.
"Perhaps they'll have what you're looking for here."