Flayer watched Judis's retreat silently, no doubt enjoying the fear in the bold man's eyes as he realized that he did not have the power to back up the threats he had made.  He mimicked Blair's mock-bow as the guard ran to the safety of the floors above, a short wheezing chuckle melding into the chorus of rattling metal and jeering prisoners.  But as soon as Judis was out of sight he turned on the grime-ridden masses below and fixed his eyes upon them.  At once the air went silent, their resolve fading as quickly as it had risen and forcing them back into the shadows below.  Judis was but a man, and hardly better than some of the more brutish criminals detained within the Slam.  Flayer was something else entirely.<br/><br/><em>"Be wary, my children, that you do not become as bold as dear Mr. Furion.  While he must bolster his confidence by spitting in your faces of his supposed skill, I need not tell you what <strong>I</strong> am capable of."</em><br/><br/>A few of the other lingering men and women disappeared at that, afraid of being picked out now that the throngs had faded away.  Immediately he focused on the pair of Yrec and Blaire, though he remained just beyond the range of his whip.  For the moment.<br/><br/><em>"As for you, Mr. Yrec: there are no celebrities on Crematoria.  Just men and beasts.  And <strong>you</strong>, Miss Blaire!</em>Flayer's mouthpiece clicked several times, admonishing her.<em>"With your seniority I expected better!  An actual threat against a guard?  Why, if I believed in solidarity amongst those with authority I might feel inclined to <strong>punish</strong> you."</em><br/><br/>Flayer went silent for a moment, allowing the tension to rise slightly.  Then it laughed, high and cold and jittering.<em>"I jest, of course!  Meat like that needs to learn its place, wouldn't you agree?  I look forward to the day when Mr. Furion no longer has the protection of his position to reassure him.  I think, for your little display of confidence...I will remember your name,"</em>it decided.<br/><br/>That was it.  The phrase dreaded most by any prisoner in the Slam.  The reason Flayer was avoided was less to keep from getting whipped and more to assure that it did not have the time to commit names and faces to memory.  If he remembered you, that was just the beginning of a new obsession.  Everyone knew what happened if Flayer found you interesting.  The worm-eaten man on the bottom floor was a testament to that.