River really had come to look forward to meals.  With the cells being so small, there was little she could do to stave off boredom or keep herself from going mad.  The chill and lack of bedding were not so different from when she slept under the stars as she travelled.  Even if her wings hadn’t been bound in such a way that she couldn’t reach the clasp no matter how she stretched, there wouldn’t be enough space in her cell to move them properly.  Despite the cuffs on her wrists and ankles, the restricted movement felt less so; she could still walk, although probably not run, and she could move her arms surprisingly freely despite the chains.  Being escorted to the cafeteria was the only chance she had to test these ranges, and even then, she had to be careful not to catch a guard’s eye. 

Food was food, and while her body craved the fresh meat that she’d gotten it used to, anything to keep her going would have to do, even if that meant eating watery porridge for days on end.  The most she would allow herself was to silently say that their captors could at least spare some vegetable scraps.  Otherwise, she would just sit there eating what she could, while she could, until the guards decided that they’d had long enough and they were forced back into their cells. 

Normally, River didn’t have much reason, or chance, to observe the other prisoners.  The room was large enough to suit a large platoon, and their captors filled it with all types of people that she’d never seen or even heard of before.  Her line looked mostly Human, with the exception of the Corpse.  However, today, their guards seemed more inattentive than normal.  When she was first brought here, the guards were almost constantly breathing down her neck as she ate her meals.  Today, prisoners on one side of her were able to whisper to each other.  Prisoners on her other side had started tapping out some sort of code.  If they were planning something, she would have to act quickly.  Mimicking the masked-man’s rhythm, she started tapping her foot on the leg of her stool.  She took glances at the guards as she did so, willing them to maintain their lack of focus.