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"I could eat."
The voice is low and ominous, and his gaze remains locked on me. I shiver, because it occurs to me that he's not talking about cookies at all. I suspect it's all bluster, though. Wouldn't I do the same if I was locked up with a bunch of people staring me down and acting like I'm a monster? It's like poker, and he's calling my bluff.
Well, I've never known when to fold my cards. So I smile triumphantly and hand the package of cookies to Riffin. "Please give these to Crulden." When he looks reluctant, I pat his arm encouragingly. "Small steps to victory, Riff darling. Small steps."
"Right." Riffin doesn't sound so convinced, but a moment later, the reinforced door into Crulden's quarters is unlocked and Riffin steps inside. The awful stink of unwashed flesh and dirt hits me, but I do my best to ignore it, smiling cheerily as Riffin takes a few wary steps toward Crulden's cage and then slides the small, cloth-wrapped package toward him.
The moment it gets close, Crulden shoves the entire thing in his mouth, cloth and all. Oh. Oh dear.
Okay then, I decide as Riffin races back out of the room and slams the door shut behind him. Crulden chews, bits of fabric visible between his tusks. Tomorrow, unwrapped cookies.
It's the third day of cookies when I notice the men are getting careless. I make a comment about how Earth people like to have their cookies with milk, and practically all of the guards head out for the mess hall in search of milk to have with their treats. I'm left alone with one junior guard outside of Crulden's cell.
It's Riffin's day off or he'd probably be here with me, but instead, I've just got a stranger shoving cookies into his mouth and Crulden, double-locked behind his doors and no one to give him his treat. He's eaten the cookies every time I've brought them, and I know he's aware of when I arrive. This could be my chance to talk with him quietly, while the others aren't paying attention. It's hard to have a conversation with someone when you can't even enter the room, after all.
So I put Crulden's share of cookies into his metal bowl and hug it to my chest. I gesture at the locked door. "Go ahead and open that so I can give him his food."
The junior guard gives me a look of terror. "You're going in there?"
"I did yesterday," I lie. "And it was just fine. Now, come on. Open up." I give him an impatient look and put a hand on the door handle, bluffing my way in. This could either be the breakthrough that I need, or a really, really bad call. I'm running out of time, though, and if I can't make progress with Crulden, I'm going to be doing garrison laundry for the rest of my life. Besides, I'm reasonably sure Crulden won't attack me.
Reasonably.
The guard hesitates for a moment longer and then makes a low sound of protest in his throat even as he types the code in to open the door. I watch him type, trying to memorize the keys. The alphabet they use is nothing like an English one and all the squiggles look the same, so I try to remember the pattern of his fingers on the panel instead. The door opens with a quiet buzz, and then I step inside.
The stench hits me like a slap, and I breathe through my nose as I take a few steps inside. "Hello Crulden," I say softly. "I've brought your food, and I've come to make you a deal."
I jerk backward when he hops onto his feet, pressing up against the bars as he glowers in my direction. He's terrifying to look at, all animalistic and looming. He's enormous, and the spikes that cover his arms and back look deadly, as do the wet tusks that jut from his mouth and frame his ugly face. His nostrils flare and his eyes narrow as he watches me.
"I've brought you food." I set the bowl down at my feet and crouch on the floor. "But that's going to end soon, because if I'm going to keep this job, I need to show progress. That's where I need your help."
His eyes look fierce and alarming as he watches me. His pupils dart and I realize for the first time that his gaze is so unnerving because his eyes are like a cat's. He doesn't even look at the bowl, just watches me.
"My job is to help you become a part of society here on Risda III," I say, deciding to throw my cards on the table. "I have a week to show progress with you, and that week is almost up. If I don't show progress, I'll be sent back to the laundry and no one will bring special foods anymore. But if you tell me what you like, I can bring it for you. If you prefer fruits to nuts, I can bake something with that. If you prefer meats, I can figure something out. I would like for us to work together, because we're both kind of screwed unless this works out."
