After fighting with [[Website/Limerence/Nancy]] about where I had been, we made up and had dinner together. We found ourselves on the couch, illuminated by the wan light of the kitchen and the flickering light of television, and we made love. She went to bed after showering, knowing I was planning to stay up. My head was clear, the house was quiet, and I was mostly alone. It was the perfect time to step inside. I needed to find a dark thought, and I was out of leads. Maybe the prison would have some clues. I wanted to find a prisoner. I went to the kitchen and prepared myself a cup of tea in a thermos and went to my study, turning on the reading light and some Beethoven sonatas. In my chair, I relaxed, leaning it backwards. Hopefully I wouldn't fall asleep. Ejaculation usually made me tired, but this time I needed answers. I clicked into my other body, and opened my eyes. I was in my office at the palace, leaning back in the soft leather executive chair, my feet up on my desk, the dark wood textured and unpolished, smelling of varnish. I needed to see the Warden, so I got up and walked to my door. I stepped outside and made my way through the tiled walkways, past the cliff veranda, and up a grassy hill to a large white building with high walls and razor wire. A guard scanned me in, and I trudged through the prison yard up to the entrance, taking the stairs, until I made it to [[Warden]]'s office. He was smoking a pipe, looking over some newspapers, when my appearance startled him, and he put his pipe down. I took a seat. "How are things?" I asked, plainly. "Hello sir. Not much to report. Quiet." he replied. "Good. Look, I need something." I paused, not sure if this was a good idea. "As you're aware, we have a higher thought that will descend, I don't know when. And the [[Website/Limerence/Gatekeeper]] wants us to trade with a dark thought." He nodded, and took a puff from his pipe. "I heard about that. Of course we don't have any of the darkest thoughts here. What were you thinking?" "Sure, I understand" I said, "But how can I find one? Can we... capture one?" He scratched his chin. "You could talk with the prisoners." "Okay." I said. "Let's go now." He leaned back, opened a drawer in his desk, and pulled out a key. We made our way down from [[Warden]]'s office, to cell block C. The entrance was a tall iron gate, and the guards scanned us in. The cell block erupted into a din of shouts and catcalls as we walked along the cells. Only one level tall, it stretched dozens of cells deep. Some of the prisoners were shouting, some were just watching, others mumbling to themselves. One prisoner, a tall man covered in tattoos and long ratty hair, smiled at me. His teeth were crooked and yellow. I pointed to him. The guards opened his door, and escorted him out. The rest of the prisoners hollered in frustration. He grinned at me and whispered "You want to fuck me, is that what this is? Or you want my meat? You want to kill me and eat me?" I ignored the comment, and he thrashed against the guards as we walked over to one of the interrogation rooms. I sat down, and they brought him in and locked him to the welded stainless steel table which, thankfully, was secured to the floor with bolts. [[Warden]] signaled for the guards to leave and they closed the door behind them. I placed my hands on the table and looked at him, his eyes furtive. I could see saliva dripping down his chin. I asked "What's your name?" "Fuck you" he said. [[Warden]] slammed his fist on the steel table and shouted. "That's no way to address your king!" "Well, fuck you even harder" he said to [[Warden]], and spit on the table. I interrupted their staring contest. "I'm here to ask questions. If you have helpful answers, we'll move you to B. If not, we'll move you to half rations." The prisoner stared at me with stone cold eyes, unblinking. I continued. "I'm looking for a dark thought." A whisper of curiosity covered his face. "Dark thought?" he asked, suspiciously. "Yes. I need to find one." He exhaled, and then started to chuckle, and then burst out into laughter, banging his fist on the table. I waited until he calmed down. He continued. "A dark thought. You're a fucking idiot. You have no idea what you're getting yourself into." He shook his head. "You know..." he paused, "you do know that to find a dark thought, you need blood? And preferably fresh?" I looked at [[Warden]], who shrugged. Maybe the prisoner was telling the truth. The prisoner continued "And how? You think it'll just waltz into your bedroom and give you handcuffs?" He smirked. "The last one wasn't as strong, this one though", he inhaled sharply, "this one is big. Can't you feel it? Something in the air..." I had to cut him off. "We have a higher thought descending soon and I have to offer up a sacrifice." "A higher thought? Since when?" he asked, surprised. "Yesterday." "Then you're really fucked!" he started laughing again. I gestured to the [[Warden]] that maybe we should try another. "Wait wait!" The prisoner said. "I can help you. I'll help. No sweat off my back." "Fine." I said. "What's your name?" "It's [[Website/Limerence/Kilmer]]." "Why are you here?" "Because *you*" - he pointed at me - "think I should be locked up." [[Warden]] checked his notes and replied "No, you're violent and unpredictable. Like when you flipped the table over at Christmas dinner." [[Website/Limerence/Kilmer]] smirked at the memory. "Do you have *any* redeeming qualities?" I asked, in exasperation. He thought for a moment, he probably hadn't been asked that question often. Finally he replied. "I am a ferocious protector." I was surprised at his candor, seeing that *maybe*, he could be useful. "Any family?" "The love of my life", his voice cracked with resentment, "that was torn away from me when you sent me here." "[[Website/Limerence/Kilmer]], look, you're just like every other thought locked up here. If I feed you, you'll grow. I don't want you growing, because you're destructive." "Doesn't make sense." he said flatly. "Why not just kill me?" "Right", I said, having asked the same question myself countless times. "Sometimes life calls for... different measures, and I might need you in small doses. I may need a violent and belligerent idiot to help me occasionally. For instance, now." He nodded hesitantly. "So here's what we're going to do. I'm going to unlock you, and you're going to the surface with me, to help me find a dark thought." "Wait," he said, "the surface, as in, I'm getting out?" A wide smile covered his face, revealing his yellowed teeth. I nodded. [[Website/Limerence/Kilmer]] placed his arms on the table and [[Warden]] unlocked his shackles. With a clink, they fell open and [[Website/Limerence/Kilmer]] rubbed his wrists. "That's it?" he asked. "That's it." I said. [[Website/Limerence/Night Prowl]]