Pheo ate slowly at the cafeteria. He kept thinking about what to talk about with Ryu once he was finally able to get back up.
Due to his injuries, he was deemed unable to work efficiently enough as he had before. This made Don decide that it was best for him to rest for a few days contrary to Parquatz's wishes.
I can't believe he wanted Ryu to still mine in that state
Pheo thought about how different Parquatz was compared to Don and Warhound.
Something about the way he acts and thinks made his cruelty more malicious than the other two.
"You look like a lost kitten right now, you know?"
Pheo looked up to see that Jen was sitting at the same table as him.
She cracked a smile, "That guy you hung out with, what was his name again?"
"Ryu" Pheo kept his eyes on his food, "He's dealing with something else right now"
Jen looked to Pheo's right, it was an untouched platter. Half of Pheo's food portion was in it.
"He's still fine right?" She continued to ask questions, "From that fight you guys had with that mutt"
Jen giggled, "He probably started that fight for his own entertainment in the first place"
Pheo was sure that Jen genuinely hated their captors, but he never knew why.
Hatred could form from even the smallest things, it would be pointless for him to try and guess with all that they've done so far.
"Maybe" He responded back.
Jen got a bit annoyed, Pheo's responses clearly showed his disinterest.
She continued anyways, "What do you think?"
I think you're annoying
Pheo hated that fake smile she wore, the way she talked, that comforting tone, he knew what she was here for and he isn't going to dance in the palm of her hands.
He looked at his reflection from the water in his cup. He didn't really know, but he knew that response won't satisfy her or the people she hung out with.
"As long as it isn't unbearable, I'm fine"
The response flipped a switch in Jen.
"Unbearable?" She said sarcastically, "So you think this treatment is?"
Pheo looked at her, she was clearly mad, but could also see that she was genuinely curious.
He thought that it wouldn't hurt to say what he thought, so he responded honestly.
"I think that this treatment is unfair, but it isn't unbearable" He replied, "If you've ever experienced something unbearable, you would know"
Jen's anger continued to swell, she was about to talk back at him but his eyes prevented her from doing so.
Something about how Pheo looked made her know that he wasn't talking nonsense, that he knew exactly what he was talking about.
Jen took her time and calmed down a bit, she wasn't there to argue after all.
"Maybe you're right" She admitted, "But Ryu won't get better in here"
She gestured for Pheo to look around himself.
I know
An underground mine is no place for a medical patient. He had read of the conditions miners had to deal with. The pollution in the air that makes it thick, the unknown properties of exposed ore that could lead to disasters, and the constant threat of a collapse.
"He can make it" He concluded, "Warhound wasn't going serious after all"
Pheo knew that Ryu was a fighter, he's probably been through sparring lessons that were way worse.
Jen tried to reach out to him, to try and comfort him, but she stopped her hand before it went up the table.
"Are you sure you don't want to join us?"
She asked one last time, but she already knew what he was going to answer.
"I'll just wait and see what happens" He said before grabbing Ryu's meal and heading off.
What made him change, what turned him different from before?
Jen asked herself, she watched as he went past the gate where he was allowed to go and deliver the food to Ryu who rested elsewhere.
She smiled brightly, finishing her food quickly. She headed to another table where the others waited for her.
She went and sat down next to Jim.
"Did you do it?" He asked her
She grabbed something from her pocket to reveal Pheo's half portion that he saved for Ryu.
"I switched it" She told him, "I also spreaded it around, to make it look natural"
Jim smiled, "I knew you could do it" he went in and hugged her tight, "Now all we need to do is wait"
Jen's body tightened up, she didn't expect the sudden hug. She felt time slow down as she hugged him back, her heart racing.
Jim's wasn't however the genuine smile in his face wasn't for her, but for the thought of finally getting out.
"It better work" Mark warned Tom, "That plan of yours"
Tom cackled, "You should know by now that this is the best shot we've had in a long time"
He looked at him in the eyes, "I never fumble"
"Alright quiet down" Jim told everyone, moments before Jug went to the table and sat down with them.
He took a big bite of his bread before he started talking, "Okay guys, I have something in mind"
"Something that would definitely get us out of here" He flashed a smile as he told them.
They all looked at each other, then at Jim.
"Lets hear it then" He told him.
Everyone else followed along with Jim, listening to whatever Jug said.