Metallic Genealogy

"You call this food?!" the prisoner yelled, throwing his tin plate against the wall; bits of dehydrated bitsmum and shredded, malformed hurdnit hanged there for a few moments before eventually plummeting to the dirty floor.

The guard, a giant lizard-thing named Rogetta, grimaced. "You'll have to live in that from now on," he growled in a fashion akin to his species. Rogetto was a Belfand Lizard -- some might even say sentient -- who stood eight feet in almost every direction. He was a huge, sweaty, green hulk of a creature who had no other desire than to torture and tease other living things. It was a description which made him wholly perfect for his line of work. "And don't think that wall's getting any second helpings, either."

"I don't want any more food! I thought I made that perfectly clear when I threw it away."

It was a classic prison-system standoff. One which Rogetto usually rather enjoyed, at least when he was getting the better of it. In this case, however, the man opposite him seemed sadly more intellectual than most of the prisoners he usually dealt with, and he wasn't entirely sure how to respond.

"Perhaps if you smiled, and begged me for more food, I'd..."

Bilford stepped towards the bars. "Are you completely mad, or just stupid?"

Unbeknownst to Bilford, the entire Belfand race was stupid -- cunning and wit absent from their genetic makeup. It was only because of their great size that the species had ever survived at all.

"No," Rogetta said firmly. "Are you implying that I am so?"

Bilford leaned forward and stuck his head through the bars as much as he could. "Incredibly!"

Rogetto's eyes became huge, and he took a step backward. Never in his life had another being acted with such disrespect, especially within reach. He would have to adjust his thinking about this Bilford Clarigone. Undoubtedly, the prisoner had been through much, but he would have to be almost suicidal to act in such a manner.

"I am now off to put great thought into how best to torture you for your brashness," Rogetto said. His eyes narrowed.

"Do that," Bilford said. "And when you have completed the task, give me a call. I'll probably have served my full sentence by then."

"That's enough out of you," the guard said with finality. He angrily breathed in a lung full of air which puffed up his damp lizard body to uncomfortably fierce proportions. "Quite enough out of you, indeed."

Bilford tore one of the shoes from his foot and threw it at the aggressor. The footwear danced around bars for a few moments, but ultimately fell to the floor near Bilford's toes. It was enough of an effort, however, to effectively silence the beast. "No," he told it. "That'll be enough out of you. If you don't mind, I'd prefer to spend my solitary solitarily."

"I don't at all," Rogetto sputtered. "And you can also do it hungritarily," he said, smiling indignantly "Without fooditary!" His smile turned into a laugh.

"Guard!" came a voice from beyond the dark hallway. "Stop teasing that prisoner and come up here."

Rogetto grunted as he turned his huge, lizard-like body to look down the hall.

"Help you with what? And while I'm on the subject, just who are you?"

"I think you know."

Rogetto bit at his lip, thinking. "No..."

"Well, think real hard."

The lizard brought his hand up to his chin, and strained his face. "I don't..."

A sudden blast of white light came from the darkness and brought Rogetto to his knees.

"Auntie Brageous?"

Another blast, obviously more intense, ended the conversation.

Bilford stared at the body lying on the ground. Eyes saucer-like, he bent down and quickly began to clean up his cell.