Silus awoke after several hours to the sound of a woman cleaning the cells. He looked at her through groggy eyes and was a little hypnotized by the repetitive motions of her mopping the floor. His mouth tasted like crap, and his body hurt from the beating he received yesterday. The woman looked over and eyed him curiously, her green eyes catching the light for a second. She then turned and stood back, as two NCR officers walked through the wet floor making a mess of it. Silus scowled a little bit as he realized it was Lt. Boyd with one of her male lackeys.

LT. Boyd looked in at Silus with her standard blank expression. Some days he thought he'd give everything he ever owned just to make her show some emotion. She lit a cigarette, reached behind her, took a food plate from the private, and set it down more than an arm's reach from Silus's cage. Silus then grumbled and said "Playing this game again...Between having an outsider beat me senseless and refusing me food, I think your NCR would be rather ashamed of you."

"What's the problem Silus?" Lt Boyd said with a casual tone, "Not hungry again? I keep leaving your food right outside of the cell. This hunger strike really has to stop, it causes me extra paperwork."

Silus then groaned and rolled forward on the bed slowly. "Of course I am hungry, you parasite. You seem to think leaving the food with in my reach is acceptable. Trust me, when Caesar over takes this place I'll return the favor. I have a marvelous plan for when you come up for purchase. See I will purchase you and leave you in a small cage to starve to death."

Lt. Boyd then rolled her eyes and began to walk off, remarking to the private "We'll give him 20 minutes to eat his food, and if he doesn't touch it this time...well…little we can do. Silus must miss his boyfriends in the Legion so much he just can't bring himself to enjoy the food we provide."

Silus looked over at the plate, and debated reaching for it. It would no doubt be as fruitless as trying to reach the plate was the last two days. So long without food had made him start to feel pretty desperate. Hunger was eating his guts up more than any abuse ever would, and he wondered if he'd make it much longer if he didn't eat something soon. He then turned and was once again absorbed into watching the repetitive movement of the woman mopping up.

The cleaning woman sighed then pulled the bucket close and looked over at Silus. She locked eyes with the legionary, and they seemed to exchange some kind of understanding. She then took a few steps across the wet floor, and slid the plate over to the edge of his cage with her foot.. Silus then looked over at the janitor, and realized she didn't wear the uniform of a NCR solider.
"I suppose if I lean down and reach for that, you're going to kick it away at the last minute, because of some chip on your shoulder against the Legion...So I'm not even going to bother."

Then woman then smiled at him and said "Or I'll just smile to myself, slide you the plate, and be satisfied you got a meal in revenge for them walking across my wet floor."

The woman then bent over, and used the tips of her fingers to slide the plate to him. He looked at her a long moment, surprised anyone this side of the Colorado would show him any kindness.

Silus quickly moved forward and pulled the plate up through the slot in the bars, and began eating with great zest. It was prepackaged, poorly cooked military food, but he had spent just enough time hungry that eatable meant way more than taste at that moment. He then watched the woman fish up moping over the footsteps of the soldiers. She then turned and opened the cell next to him and started to clean inside of it.

"You know, if an NCR pig such as yourself saw fit to let me out of this cage, the favor could be returned when Legion finally over takes this profligate trash."

The woman then stepped out of the cell, still holding a rag in her hands, and cocked her head to the side and looked at the man. Silus straightened himself at the front of the cell and looked down at the small dark haired woman in front of him. She then pushed her lips together and said "NCR pig? You sure know how to win a lady over with compliments...You'd be more accurate to state: Crimson Caravan Bitch. Next you'll be telling me how little I smell compared to Lt Boyd...well with such accolades, how could I resist ignoring your request"

Silus sneered as she returned to cleaning, still uncomfortable with the way women in Profligate lands addressed men. He then huffed and returned to his cart, tossing the plate out carelessly. "So the NCR is pulled so tight, while fighting Legion they are hiring people out of the Crimson Caravan to clean up. This news pleases me, dissolute girl."

He then heard laughter from the cell next to him echoing out into the room, and she remarked "Well, I guess you're not stupid, just an asshole. Seems suiting for what I've heard of Legion soldiers. Now if you'll excuse me, I have other floors to mop, and spending time with you won't get me any closer to my nightly ritual of knitting before bed."

He watched her leave, his golden brown eyes noticing the curves of the woman as she walked past with her supplies. He then sat back down slowly on his bunk and looked out of his cell at the wall across from him. He remained like this for several minuets until Lt. Boyd returned and picked up the empty dish in front of his cell. "Well look at that Silus, I guess you were hungry after all. I wonder how you reached that far? Hunger must really motivated you. Maybe the warm glow of a full stomach will motivate you to tell me something I want to hear."

Silus scoffed at Lt. Boyd and then sneered at her "It's only a matter of time till Cesar finds out where I am, and sends an assassin to end my miserable life. Your constant harassment will do nothing to hold back the wrath of Cesar. All your rude mouth is going to earn from me is a smile as I muse about how the future only holds death or enslavement for you."

"That again Silus? I swear half of our conversations end with you threatening me. It's like you don't care anymore Silus. Well I guess that's fine, after all I'm not really sure I care about a Legionary who doesn't even have the courage to kill himself."

Silus then snarled and moved towards the bars of the cage like a pinned tiger. His eyes narrowed into slits when another private came in and command him to prepare to move cells so that his could be cleaned. Under the watchful eye of Lt. Boyd he was hand cuffed through the bars and moved into cell next, which smelled vaguely of bleach. Boyd then walked over to the newly locked bars and smiled in at him and said "Enjoy your time off Silus, I'll be back tomorrow, and my friend will probably join me. I mean we wouldn't want you to feel to lonely for your new conversational companion."

"Keep him away from me!" Silus barked at Lt. Boyd's back as she walked out of the room.