The scarlet blush deepened on the dragon boys cheeks. "Heh ... love you, too." He then playfully ruffled Riley's hair. "Shorty."

Riley smiles, not minding that Shade was calling him Shorty. It annoyed him slightly if anyone else called him that.

Soon Shade awkwardly tries to fix Riley's hair, but it was clear it wasn't something he usually would do.

Vicky kind of felt awkward now, still not meeting her eyes

They were all herded to the showers. Same procedure as normal. You know, the abundant supply of cool liquid would've kept things civil in the showers, but in Furnace, you can't have more than a few minutes without cruelty of some kind.

There was jeering again, wolf whistles and laughter that seemed to be both muffled and amplified by the vapor in the air. The same kid from earlier who had been licking up food off the floor was pressed up against the wall while a pack of inmates sucked up water with their mouths and spat it at him. The poor kid was trying to cover something on his upper arm, and when he raised his hand to block a spout of spitwater it was visible. It was a brown birthmark the size of a grapefruit and the shape of a heart.

"Nice tattoo, lover boy," one of them shouted through a twisted grin.

Jack ignored everything that was going on, just showering and getting dressed. He knew better than to get involved. The hole wasn't a very nice place, and he would know.

"You don't have to do that." Riley says, taking Shade's hand in his, sticking out his tongue slightly in a playful way. It didn't matter if his hair was combed and neat or not here. Nothing really seemed to matter here. And that was sort of why Riley was heading into a more depressed state at times. He wasn't wanting to eat - though he did for Shade - and something of a helpless outlook - I mean, who has a perfectly optimistic outlook in this place. Of course, Riley tried to act cheerful and just absolutely peachy but there was something gnawing on the inside of him, something other than hunger.

Doubtful he'd ever know, but that's what Shade felt in his heart all the time. He'd been abandoned and then taken back, thrown about and yanked apart only to be put back together for another playing session. In the dragon realm, you either knew how things where or you learned the hard way. He'd learned the hard way, and he'd been filled with rage and anger. But he only allowed Riley to see his real self, his old self. That's why he gave a sweet smile to Riley, shrugging and sticking his tongue back just as playfully.

Aaron, as usual, was quick to get done with her shower. She despised the showers. The people acted like animals in there.

An armed blacksuit stood in front of the tunnel that led to the trough room so nobody could get in. Things definitely get heated when the trough room's out of bounds. Hundreds of prisoners all starving and thirsty and bored is like dynamite waiting to go off. However, it was unlikely that anything would happen, not with the warden's warning and all. Anyone who knew what was good for them wouldn't blow if they've been promised one week in the hole.

There was a door tucked beneath the stairwell, the gap in the rock so narrow that it was almost invisible. Two inmates stood outside, casually leaning on the wall. One was a Skull, the other had two black lines across each cheek.

Aaron looked at the two kids. They were definitely being rather suspicious. She walked towards them. "Eh! What are you two dimwits doing? You better not be about to cause more trouble for everyone in the Furnace." She growled at them. She didn't want to deal with any more group punishment.

They both ignored her. She could see through the tiny opening that it was a gym