When Everything Changes » Places

         Even if Sasha had wanted to prevent the slight smile that appeared on her lips at Blake’s reply – and she did not – she probably wouldn’t have been able to anyway. It was an expression of genuine amusement, because here they were, two young people burned by the system, having quite a civilised chatter about the shortcomings of it. They weren’t planning riots or discussing the best locations to buy the necessary items to make Molotov Cocktails, they were just, well…talking.

Her smile faded into a more intent look as he began to fill her in on how things worked. This was by far the most useful thing she’d heard all day, and she listened carefully, doing her best to commit the various links and connections to memory. She’d know how well she’d done by how long it took for her to make the first serious error. She didn’t, of course, interrupt.

As well as the useful information it gave her about the group dynamic – dysfunctional, even a little twisted, just as she’d expected – it suggested quite a bit about the guy she was talking with. He clearly had some power here, though whether it was all in his head or something the others recognised and respected was a different matter. She had met a number of similar people during her jaunt through the system, and both types were dangerous. She’d either have to avoid him entirely or become his friend, and at the moment the latter was more tempting. She liked the occasional risk.

“Yeah, I did,” she replied, looking amused all over again, “but there’s always something going on in places like these, and I didn’t think anything of it.” She shrugged. “I’m not particularly interested in getting involved this early into my stay.”