do you recall when the war was just a game?

Basically the only reason to make a prisoner say that would be to give the impression that you can say basically anything. He's at least never encountered someone who could insult their superiors in public with such impunity before and if nothing else it's an interesting change. "Huh. Well, if you want to tell me about yourself, I'd be interested to hear it."

"I'm in for reckless manslaughter. Drove drunk," says the prisoner. "I picked this prison because it has the big open space thing, it's good for doing, like, scream therapy, I don't know if it's really therapeutic but my social worker is always happy when I'm like 'I got fed up so I walked out and yelled till I was cold and went back inside'."

"Well, that would have given me a different impression of this place. What exactly is it supposed to achieve?"

"It's supposed to like, give me something to do besides freaking out about withdrawal and being a nuisance. They've got me weaned down to one beer a day now and they don't even get me the good stuff."

"Normally if I wanted to give someone something to do I'd get them something fresh out of the mold and a file but I guess maybe Vanda Nossëo doesn't have jobs you can do without being very good at things or training for them."

"Oh, I have a skills training thing too, it's just not really the right fix for when I'm jonesing."

"I see. And are they planning to let you out when you're done getting sober or are you staying here?"

"When I've been sober for like a year I get out."

"Do you feel like that's the fate you deserve?"

"Wow, what a weird question. I guess it'd be more convenient for me if they'd just hiked up my insurance rates so I couldn't drive but my sister thinks being stuck here with people watching my beer intake is good for me."

Feris lights up at this answer. "What's weird about the question?"

"I don't think I've been asked it before. It's not like they needed my permission to stick me in here. Or, well, they needed my permission to stick me here in particular, I was in Facility 88 first and then moved here, but they didn't need my permission to lock me up. So what's it matter if I think I deserve it? I guess if I thought they'd fucked up my trial I'd be putting in appeals and instead I'm not doing that."

He nods excitedly. "What kinds of things do you think of as fucking up a trial?"

"Oh, like if the forensics demon didn't do their job right and conjured the wrong thing, or if they didn't get me a good enough lawyer, or if they asked me stuff they weren't supposed to while the truth song was singing, or if the judge gave me a sentence that was totally ridiculous for reckless manslaughter, or if they didn't do the truth song at all, or if there was a mitigating factor they didn't think of, or something."

"What would make a sentence totally ridiculous for reckless manslaughter?"

"Oh, like if it was for my whole life even after I paid for the guy to get resurrected and was stone cold sober."

"I guess that would last quite a while, wouldn't it. Pardon me if this is even more personal than all the other questions, but do you like who you are?"

"Wow, that's kinda personal. I haven't got anyone else to be so I oughta learn to, any road."

"Huh. That's an enlightening perspective. Is there anything I can do for you, since you've been so helpful?"

"Guess you could put in a word for me with the warden. I'm John."

"...Well, I'll have to figure out who that is and where to find him, but sure."