Catalyst

XX

At breakfast the next morning, Lauren sits beside Ally, munching away at the toast and eggs served today. The rest of her girls, save Dinah and Camila, had gathered at the table and were sharing small talk about what the day might hold.

Lauren hasn't moved her eyes from Camila's form since she entered the cafeteria not long after Lauren sat down with her meal. Camila smiles over Lauren's coworkers as they fill her tray with slush, brightening more days with her charm than she should... in prison, anyway.

Lauren glares at one of the servers when they respond rudely to Camila's cheerful morning attitude, causing her to flinch back and force a smile up at Camila. Lauren falls back against the back of her chair with a smirk. Ever since she put Hamilton in the infirmary (three weeks and counting), people have become more scared of her. She can't say she hasn't been using it to her advantage; protecting Camila had become significantly easier since she got out of the SHU.

Though, if Lauren is being completely honest with herself, Camila was the one who had done the most protecting lately.

Camila is grabbing silverware when Dinah plops down across from Lauren, blocking her view of Camila. Lauren blinks and picks up her fork, nodding up at Dinah in greeting. Dinah exchanges a few hellos with the others at the table (who were starting to become quite fond of her, despite their strong dislike that had been budding for the longest time), then turns to Lauren.

"Hey, Laur?" Lauren looks to her expectantly, waiting for her to speak, "I don't mean to worry you or anything, but I heard a few people talking, and they seem to know Camila was the one that stole the file."

Lauren's outward expression remains calm, but on the inside, her eyes are bulging out. What kind of a sentence starter was that? I don't mean to worry you or anything?? Seriously?

"Something about seeing her sneaking into the cell blocks after lights out with a bunch of papers a few weeks ago. It didn't seem like new information, though. Just the spread of rumors," Dinah explains, "I don't know, I just figured I should tell you 'cause..."

Lauren zones out for the rest of Dinah's rambling as she looks over at Camila. Camila, so perfectly unaware of the dangers of prison... perhaps this is what Dinah meant when she'd said Camila was in over her head, back before all of this blew up in the first place. Camila had learned a lot about this place over the past few months, but it seems she hasn't learned enough.

How many people knew the truth? Normani...

Camila smiles at Lauren as she approaches the table, and Lauren returns it. The warm feeling she usually gets is backed by an intense urge to protect Camila from whatever dangers had been piling up while she hadn't been present.

Oh, does Lauren have a plan in mind...

-

It's quiet in the infirmary; a lot more quiet than other select portions of the prison. And it's surprisingly empty for this time of day; there's usually always a nurse around, or even just a guard standing post by the door. But today, or at least right now, it's completely vacant. Lauren doesn't mind. It makes her job easier.

Normani is awake when Lauren enters, seated up in her bed with a table tray over her lap. She straightens more (if possible) when she looks up to see Lauren towering over the end of her bed, the attempt to appear more threatening failing immensely. Lauren looks over her previous opponent; a neckbrace is secured around her neck, and her face is bruised a shade darker than her original skin tone practically all around. There are a few cuts that had begun to close over, but the cut on her lip still remains. Lauren snickers.

Normani huffs and rolls her eyes, her speech slightly impaired from the injuries and neckbrace, "What are you doing here?"

"I think you and I need to have a little chat," Lauren steps closer and leans her hip against the end of the bed.