I hated being arrested. It always put a damper on my day. The game was going wonderfully, switching off loaded, losing dice with loaded, winning dice and raking in the bread and loving it. Then some loud mouth had to bust it up. Police weren't my friends, and I don't like being with people that aren't my friends. We were dragged to the outside-- Marconi, myself, and the loudmouth.

As long as I could get them to let Marconi go, I'd be damn near guaranteed freedom several hours later.I wrenched and kicked and yelled and wrenched and kicked and yelled and knew Marconi was wise to what I was doing. He stood quietly while the officers tried to calm me down and God only knew what was going through the loud mouth's head, but I didn't really care about that. I was getting tired and needed to get Marconi free--- he was being good, so I knew they'd leave him for me.

Manipulation is one of the more fun aspects of life. If I could give that bull a reason, he'd hit me and to be able to hit me, he'd hafta let Marconi go and so, I looked at him and let loose.

"Hey, when I get out, I'm gonna find yeh and kill you an' yer whole family. Tha's right, I'll slit al la yer throats so you'll bleed like slaughtered sheep in yer beds," if that didn't get him, I didn't know what would.

And I'll be damned if he didn't let off of Marconi-- who lit out like there was no yesterday-- and march over to me and let a fist sail into my stomach, knocking the wind from me, and letting another one connect with my face. He never said a word during the whole ordeal, which I found amusing. They only made slight mention of Marconi's disappearance, and continued with us. One officer took the loud mouth and allowed her to step into the wagon herself and it took the other two to politely toss me in like a sack of grain. Still winded, I lay there trying to breathe. It was almost comfortable, then the loud mouth started poking me with her foot.

"What was the purpose of that?" She asked. She sounded like a kid with another sob-story to tell that I didn't really want to hear.

"Guess." I gasped out and rolled onto my back.

"Do you like being hit by police officers?"

"Do you like spending time in the refuge?"

Of course, she had no idea what I meant, and I didn't rightly expect her to, so I left it at that and tried to get even more comfortable. Imagine my surprise when we were put in the same cell at the refuge.

ch.5