[IC] Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

[Rogue Sloth]

-Duplicate Post-

[sukikyoufu]

The interrogation hadn’t gone on too long, the crazed man had spilled all of his secrets to the questioner. No location to any sort of body, but he had given up names.

Iris Nox-Fleuret – Daughter.
Ethan Williams – Second in command.
Thomas – Partner to Ethan.

Regis had also listed off all the names of the district leaders that had rallied against the King and the monarchy, that had aided towards the death of the Prince. Locations had been listed, the men that had betrayed the Capital and helped route the supplies to the Districts had been listed. On top of that it had listed the main base of operations, the main meeting place located in the seventh district that they’d create their plans in. Regis had given it all up, although he was a tough cookie to crack the pain had overcome him. Memories that he didn’t want to remember haunted him, plaguing him and the already crazed man could not take it. Everything had been given up in a heartbeat.

Dragged back this cell Regis had curled into a ball to sleep for the night, delirous pained and broken. It was clear that even though he was crazed he could still be broken.

--

It was very early in the morning when Iris had stirred, something felt very wrong and she couldn’t sleep no more. Tossing and turning in the bed she frowned groaning slightly as she opened her eyes. Sighing heavily when she realised she was in Maisies room, nothing had changed. It wasn’t a bad dream she was still very much having to sneak Cas back into the Capital, but again she had this horrible feeling in her stomach that something was wrong.

Pushing herself from the bed she touched her head feeling the warmth, she could feel the headache and she wasn’t feeling great. “Not now.” Whispering to herself as she tried to wake herself up and push past it.

“Not now what?” Maisie asked walked into the room with a cup of tea handing it to her friend, “Somethings wrong… are you okay?” Frowning as she moved forward placing the back of her hand against her friends forehead feeling the warmth, but before she could even say something she felt Iris push her away.

“You have a temperature. Iris! No, what are you playing at? Sit back down you can’t push yourself.” Maisie tried, but failed as she watched her friend get ready for the day. “One more day of rest can’t hurt. Please.”

“I’m fine.” Iris snapped placing the cup down before brushing out her hair frowning, “That day is what we need to get a head start. I want to get him back to the Capital tonight.”

“Tonight!? That’s ridiculous! He is injured, you are unwell and will only make yourself worse pushing yourself Iris and him too! You have to stop that.” Maisie pleaded, but it was falling on death ears as she watched Iris leave the bedroom determined. “You’re going to get yourself killed… idiot.” Sighing to herself as she shook her head left in the bedroom, glancing to the bedside cabinet where Iris had left her tea.

Moving into the front room Iris glanced over at Cas on the sofa before kneeling down next to him, gently placing her hand on his good shoulder she shook him gently, “Hey Cas. Wake up, we should look at heading off for the day.” Speaking softly not glancing back at Maisie who had walked into the room frowning, clearly unhappy.

[Rogue Sloth]

Caspian slept soundly through the night. Maisie’s sofa made a comfortable bed, and for the first time in days, he wasn’t afraid of being snuck up on while he was unconscious. The peace of mind allowed him to relax enough to make it until morning before he began to stir again, and even then, he didn’t fully wake up. Rather, he stretched languidly and rolled from his side onto his stomach, his injured arm dangling limply over the edge of the couch. Distantly, he was aware that there was hazy light filtering into the room through the window, but he was far too comfortable to get up. He exhaled slowly and drifted off again until he was roused by the feeling of a hand on his shoulder.

Recognizing Iris’s voice, he shifted on the sofa and mumbled something incoherent, lifting his limp arm to rub his eyes. The motion caused his injury to ache, and he winced, suddenly reminded of the wound’s existence. The pain wasn’t quite as bad as it had been the day before though, so at least it seemed to be healing. He had to believe that was a good sign.

“Wha’ time is it?” he mumbled, his words slurring together lazily as he forced himself to sit up. The hair on the right side of his head stuck up at random angles, ruffled after he’d slept on it for most of the night, and he blinked tiredly as he tried to gather his bearings. He saw Iris kneeling in front of him first, then Maisie who was standing behind her. The latter had a disapproving look on her face, and he wondered if he’d missed something while he had been asleep. The others looked like they had been up for a little while longer than he had, so he wouldn’t have been surprised to find out that they’d been talking and he had slept through it.

“Did I miss breakfast?” he asked, stretching his arms. He’d decided not to ask about Maisie’s sour expression. If they’d had a fight about something, he probably didn’t need to poke his nose into it. Chances were, it had nothing to do with him, and even if it did, he assumed the subject would come up on its own. It was safer to play dumb until one of them dragged him into it, because right now he barely had the mental capacity to remember why they needed to hit the road again that day.

“I think I made the right decision by choosing to crash on the sofa,” he said, glancing past Iris at Maisie with a smile in the hopes that he could try to lift the mood. “This thing is hella comfortable. I slept like a rock.”

[sukikyoufu]

“No, you haven’t missed breakfast, I’ll sort something out. You can both at least eat before leaving.” Shooting a glance at Iris before heading into the kitchen to rustle something up.

“No, sorry. Did you want to rest some more a bit? I just thought we should head off was all. It’s going to be a long trek, especially getting you back today.” Smiling as she stood herself up looking over at Maisie who was now in the kitchen sorting something for breakfast, she felt her stomach churn at the idea of food knowing it wouldn’t be easy to stomach. That could have been because she felt off, something wasn’t right, and it wasn’t her feverish skin.

“Oh, I know! It’s not a bad sleep.” Maisie smiled placing a cup of tea on the table for Cas and passed him a couple of slices of toast. It would hide the fact the bread was stale at least and make it taste just a little better. “Eat up, I’ll work on those supplies you’ll need if you are adamant on leaving today.” Looking back over at Iris before she sighed and moved to the bedroom to gather up what little she had to assist them in their journey. “Food is in the kitchen Iris. Help yourself.” Waving her off as she headed into the bedroom closing the door behind her.

“You don’t have too…” Trailing off as her friend disappeared, she shook her head before moving into the kitchen to grab some food at least. Even though her stomach wouldn’t agree she’d eat something because who knew how easy it would be to find food again after today. Shaking her head as she looked at the bread in the kitchen, she placed her hands on the side to keep herself upright, her head was swimming with what she needed to do. How to get them out and what was the best route to take to the Capital.

I have to avoid Ethan and the rebels. They could be anywhere; I have to keep us hidden. Ergh… can I get him back in one day? It’s going to be a long day if so. Thinking to herself as her gaze fell on the bread, she wasn’t truly there though. Lost in her thoughts as her gaze locked onto the bread, not even making herself something to eat as she was just focused on figuring out the plan. It felt strange, she could feel her own breathing, the rise and fall of her own chest. It was like everything was going in slow motion for her and she didn’t like it, she couldn’t be going this slow. Not right now. Right now, she needed to working on the plan, escorting him home before anything else bad could happen to him. Heaven forbid what would happen if her father got a hold of him.

Father…

Wondering what he was doing now, how he had reacted to the Prince going missing. Cringing at the idea he was probably on his own warpath trying to find them at any cost. Iris had began to grip the sides so hard her knuckles turned white in a daze of her own.

[Rogue Sloth]

Today? Cas blinked, suddenly much more awake than he had been a second ago. After Iris had made it sound like it would take a long time for him to get home, he’d lowered his expectations quite a bit. He had thought that he had at least a few more days in the other districts before they made it to the border of the capital. So, when she said that she was going to get him back today, his heartbeat quickened with excitement. “No, no. I’m already up,” he shook his head, tossing his blanket aside and standing up from the sofa to get his blood flowing. If there was a chance that he could be back in his own bed by dusk, he didn’t want to do anything to delay it.

When Maisie gave him toast and another cup of tea, he thanked her and sat back down to eat. Already, his thoughts were racing, injected with fresh energy as he fantasized about returning to the capital. He appreciated everything Iris’s friend had been doing for him, but it couldn’t compare to the comfort of being safe in his own home. He missed his room, his father, the gourmet food, the in-house bar, and everything else he hadn’t had access to since he’d been abducted. Looking forward to having everything he’d lost since he’d woken up in Regis’s basement, he ate his food with haste, so they could leave more quickly, and he could get back sooner.

Chasing the toast with his tea, he glanced at the kitchen, only noticing then that the room had fallen oddly quiet. His gaze landed on Iris, and he frowned. Standing still by herself, she looked like she had fallen under a trance. He recalled the depression she’d spiraled into the night before and wondered if she was still struggling with everything that had been going on inside her head. She certainly didn’t look like she was doing any better today.

He hesitated for a few seconds before he got up again and made his way over to where she had turned into a statue. “Iris, are you okay?” he queried tentatively. Although he was in a hurry to get back to the capital, he didn’t want to rush her so quickly that their efforts worsened her condition. If staying at Maisie’s place for a little while longer would help her recover from the demons that were plaguing her mind, then he was willing to do it. “This doesn’t have anything to do with what you said last night, does it—?” As he spoke, he reached out to touch her arm and then froze. Her skin felt warmer than usual, as if she was running a high temperature.

“Whoa,” he exclaimed, retracting his hand. Is she sick? Stepping in front of her, he pressed his hand against her forehead without asking for permission, his eyes widening as his palm heated up instantly against her skin. Now he was certain: She definitely had a fever. “Iris, you’re hot,” he observed aloud, only to feel his cheeks grow warm with the realization of what his statement had sounded like. “I mean, your face is hot… like, burning up. I didn’t mean you’re hot... Although, I wasn’t implying that you’re not hot either! I-I just…” Aware that he was rambling, he pressed his hand against his own face in embarrassment and leaned back against the edge of the counter to put distance between them. Smooth, Cas. Very smooth, he thought in humiliation, taking a deep breath to compose himself.

“Are you feeling okay?” he asked, awkwardly dragging his fingers through his bed-messy hair as he tried to will away the redness in his cheeks. “It feels like you’ve got a fever.”

[sukikyoufu]

“Huh?” Iris stammered being pulled from her trance as Cas walked over to her, “Oh! No. Gosh. No, I’m okay. Don’t worry about me.” Shaking her head rather quickly as Cas asked if she was okay, if it had anything to do with last night. Well partly, she was still a mess, but he didn’t need to know that. After all, right now she had to get him home and focusing on that pulled her away from her dark thoughts even just for a moment.

“H-Hey. What are you?” Frowning as he stepped closer and before she could even bat his hand away or move back, he had touched her forehead. “S-Sorry?” Stuttering her own cheeks flared up, the redness evident against her pale skin as he fumbled around his words on how she was hot, but not like hot hot well apparently, she was. It was kind of cute and she felt her heart twinge, the way he would fumble just like she would and the way he would get embarrassed over the little things. It didn’t help her trying to get over her feelings for him because things like this just attracted her to him. “No I didn’t think you meant it like that… well. No. I… ah…” Feeling herself stutter around her words she cringed at just how pathetic she must have sounded.

Seeing him step back from her, pressing his hand against his own face in embarrassment she smiled softly. Even though he was awkward, well she could be quite awkward too it still warmed her heart. The rise and fall of her own chest had quickened, not just because of the brief closeness but also because of the fever she had developed. Iris was falling unwell, but that would not stop her. He didn’t need to know how she felt, she could brush it off and just say she had a hot shower? He had been asleep, dead to the world he wouldn’t know.

“Oh… no. I’m fine. It’s nothing. I’m just warm. Wrapped myself up in plenty of layers last night.” Laughing nervously as she turned her back to him to get herself some toast, biting the bottom of her lip hoping he would buy it or at least play along so they could get moving. “Let me just eat something. Maisie is just getting us a few things and we can be on our way. I will get you back. Tonight.” It was quite the promise, she wanted to get him back tonight and it was doable provided they had no problems. Right now, she was the problem, she couldn’t let the fever take over and ruin the plan of getting him back.

“It’s going to be quite the walk. I hope you’re ready~” Trying to be playful and keep the mood light in hopes he would happily latch onto the subject and not bring up the temperature of her skin. “It will be worth it though. It means we can get you home. Were you belong.”

[Rogue Sloth]

Great, I made her uncomfortable again, Cas thought dryly when he heard Iris stutter. He really needed to learn to think before he opened his mouth. It would have been easy to brush it off like a simple slip of the tongue had he not already confessed to her once before that he’d developed feelings for her. Unfortunately, given the fact that she knew he found her attractive, he was sure he’d just drawn her attention back to the brief history that they both needed to forget about. Inadvertently reminding himself of the same thing, he averted his gaze as the memory of the night they’d spent waiting in her bedroom before they snuck out of the mansion resurfaced in his mind. It was bittersweet because it was the night he had felt like she was someone he could see himself falling in love with, but it was also the night she had betrayed his trust.

Not wanting to think about it, he happily latched onto the subject of her wellbeing to push the memory back down into the recesses of his mind. He frowned as he heard the nervous edge to her laughter though. He would admit that he wasn’t the best at spotting lies, but even he could tell that she was downplaying her condition to him for some reason. “Okay,” he said, not pushing her to explain herself. Whatever the reason was, she must have deemed herself to be in good enough condition to make the rest of the trip to the capital. So, trusting her judgement, he stepped out of the kitchen to recline on the sofa while she ate.

Usually, he was quicker to concern himself with other people’s physical and mental health, but it felt too weird to him to be so considerate of a woman he was trying to move on from. It was almost like traveling with an ex-girlfriend, even though they had never put labels on whatever had been going on between them in the capital. Despite the informality of it all, he’d still gotten more attached to her than he had with pretty much every other girl he’d dated. There had just been something about her that drew him to her like a magnet. She was sweet and funny and always seemed to say the right thing to him when he was in need of support or encouragement.

And I have to stop thinking of her like that, or it’s going to drive me crazy, he shook his head, frustrated with how easy it was for him to fall back into old patterns. He really needed to get better at letting go of people. Trying his hardest, he focused on the people he would reunite with when he got home. His father was strict, but he was family; and Jay and Miles were the closest people he had to brothers. Of course, the relationships he had with them were all far from romantic, but they still made him happy. He didn’t need to hold onto Iris just because she gave him something the three men couldn’t. It wasn’t worth the inevitable heartbreak.

“I’m feeling a lot better than I was yesterday,” he nodded when she asked if he was ready for the long walk. With food and water in his system and a full night of sleep under his belt, he felt like he could handle anything—barring anymore psychotic rebels with knives, that was. “Are you ready for it though?” He posed, unable to help himself even though he was trying to back off. He didn’t want to leave unless Iris was confident that she could make it all the way to the capital.

[sukikyoufu]

Stop it. Stop thinking on what could have been. That night. Iris couldn’t help how her mind strayed back to their last night together, how close they had been. How foolish she had been. It can never happen. As much as she told herself it could never happen, she couldn’t help but wish for it, the memories of the time they spent together were as clear as day. Those memories however were the easiest to remember because everything else hadn’t returned fully, what had returned were hazy and not fully put together even with the breakthrough. It was a miracle she could remember how to get back to the Capital, but then that was one of her most recent memories.

Even something as simple as them going for ice cream was by far one of her favourite memories, but she knew she had to push that away. I have to forget. It will only hurt. Trying to will herself to forget but the more she pushed it aside the more she just wanted to return to those memories when she had felt truly happy. Something she was easily forgetting with her current mindset because she couldn’t push past on how she had betrayed him, how she had single handedly broken his heart when he had without a doubt been one of the most decent human beings she had met.

“Good, as long as we don’t have to divert or encounter any problems, we should be alright. We can push through.” I can push through this. For Cas. Smiling as she nodded to signal that she was ready, another lie she so easily told but she was learning when it came to her own health, she was bad at admitting she wasn’t okay. It made her wonder if she had always been like this before the collapse of her memories. “I’m ready for it.” Keeping the smile in place as she turned to sort herself out a slice of toast, more to just busy herself because she didn’t want to falter and delay them any further.

“Right. I’ve sorted some more bits out, fresh water, some food. I’ve scrapped together a little bit of money incase you don’t manage to do it in a day and well if you do, you’ll need it for the journey back here Iris.” Maisie smiled walking into the room with the backpack all packed for their trip, her eyes lingered over Iris knowing she wouldn’t be able to stop her.

Turning around to see Maisie there she smiled, it felt good knowing she had a friend on her side and the fact Maisie had said back here was a blessing. There was no way she could go home; she could stay with Maisie until she sorted something out and it was a little bit of relief. “Are you sure? I’ll pay you back. I promise.”

“Of course! This is far more important than anything else. I want to make sure you are both safe.” Maisie nodded as she pulled out her phone, “I’m going to message Ethan in half an hour. It should give you both time to get to the gate and wait until he leaves. Then you can slip past.” Sighing as she looked back at the pair, “Oh, Iris. I’ve found you both some hoodies you can borrow again, Go grab them for me? I’ve put them on the bed.” Smiling as she watched Iris go do that, eyes waiting until she heard the bedroom door shut before she turned to Cas the light-hearted tone had dropped. “Don’t break those promises to me. Please.”

[Rogue Sloth]

She should be a politician, Cas thought as Iris flashed another fake smile at him. Since it looked like they really were going to be leaving Maisie’s apartment, he gathered up the blanket he’d borrowed for the night and folded it into a small square. He had never spent the night anywhere outside of his house before—with the exception of a few overnight stays at the hospital when his father’s health declined—so he didn’t know what their hostess wanted him to do with it. Doing his best to help out, he set the folded blanket on top of the pillow she had given him and placed both on the table, so she could do with them what she pleased.

The gesture was small, but he still felt proud of himself for contributing to cleaning up after he’d stayed for the night. Back home, he always had servants to do everything for him. When he left his bedroom each day, the hired staff always cleaned the room and made his bed for him, so everything was pristine by the time he came back to sleep the next evening. He liked that the servants took care of menial tasks, so he didn’t have to think about them, but there was something rewarding about doing some of the tasks for himself, even if that meant just folding a blanket and tidying up the sofa he’d slept on.

Hearing Maisie return, he looked up to find that she had packed Iris’s backpack full of all the things they might need. It was reassuring to know that she’d given them money too. He was probably going to have to keep changing out the bandages on his arm at least once a day until the wound healed enough that he could stop covering it. Since they didn’t have any more medical supplies, that meant they’d have to stop by a pharmacy to buy more if he didn’t make it back to the capital by the evening. He was still hoping to get home before nightfall, but even Iris had said that their success depended on not encountering any problems along the way. His experience outside the capital so far had consisted of nothing but problems, so he was trying not to get his hopes up too high.

As Iris walked off to get the hoodies that her friend had set out for them, Cas got up from the sofa again to put his shoes back on. He was just wondering what he should do with his old, bloodstained clothes when Maisie’s voice caught his attention. At her words, he shifted his weight. He really wanted to keep his promises to her, but since the last evening, he’d started to notice a few details here and there that were making him question if he would be able to. The soldier on the phone hadn’t listened to him at all, so he was starting to worry that he didn’t have as much authority as he’d had before he had been abducted. If he didn’t, he couldn’t protect Iris.

Similarly, the longer he spent time with Iris, the harder it was getting for him to keep his distance from her. When he’d been locked up in a cell, all he could think about was the fact that she was the one who had put him there. Now though, he was seeing her sweet side again and continued to be reminded of the woman who had won him over in the capital. Could he really promise her that he would be able to keep acting like there was nothing between them anymore?

Of course I can, he asserted to himself. I’m not going to lead her on when there’s no chance that we’ll be together later, and I can still tell the border security not to touch her when we get to the capital. The guard on the phone just didn’t recognize my voice. That’s all. More confident with his decision, he rolled his shoulders back and nodded at Maisie. “I won’t,” he told her again. “I’ll do everything in my power to make sure she doesn’t suffer for helping me.”

[sukikyoufu]

Maisie sighed even as he confirmed that he would do everything in his power to make sure she didn’t suffer, she wanted to believe it. She had to else she wouldn’t let her friend go. Though something told her it wasn’t going to be plain sailing, she knew there was going to be trouble, but she wouldn’t air those concerns. The Prince had given his word and she had to believe in that. “Alright. I will trust you. I will hold you to that word so don’t make me come after you if you break it.” Offering a smile keeping it somewhat light.

“Oh, thank you. For folding up the blanket and that. It wasn’t needed but I appreciate it. Maisie nodded as she headed into the kitchen to check on her own supplies and to see if her friend had at least eaten something. She had seen the neat pile of bedding on the sofa and she only assumed it had been him.

“Right I have these.” Iris sighed as she walked back into the room pulling on the hoodie herself before handing one to Cas, it felt good being in fresh clothes and she was glad they had come to Maisies. It had been the right decision, but now it was time to move on and head into the next district.

“Ah good, don’t worry about anything okay. You will be fine.” Maisie smiled as she moved back into the room and over to Iris, hands grasping her shoulders as she smiled. “Be careful and try to bypass district eleven if you can. It’s still somewhat in ruins so I doubt you’ll get much resource there.”

“Still in ruins?” Iris questioned confused as her hand went to her head as if it would help her remember, had she known that?

“It was pretty recent actually, military targeted it thinking that was base of operations. I don’t think you were here.” Pondering the thought as she took a step back, finger tapping her chin before she shook her head smiling, “No matter. Just move past that one quickly. I’ll explain when you are back from your little adventure.”

“Oh. Sure. Right… Eh” Shaking her head she looked back over at Maisie smiling, “Thank you Maisie. For everything. I really appreciate it.” Eyes softened as she looked over her friend, the idea of not having her would have only made everything worse.

“No bother. Right I’ll message Ethan in twenty minutes okay. You guys need to go now.” Handing Iris the backpack before glancing over at Cas, “There’s more bandages in the backpack for that wound. Try to keep it clean else you’ll lose your arm~”

“Be careful…” Iris couldn’t help but grimace as she pulled on the backpack feeling the weight immediately, Maisie had clearly packed more into it this time. Trying to steady her own breath she could feel her heart beginning to race, the danger of having to sneak through the gates and the fact she felt incredibly warm was not helping. Determined to keep herself focused she gave a small wave to the friend that had helped them before finally leaving the house, she was going to get him back to the Capital today. I can do it. It has to be done this way as the longer he is here the more danger he is in. Thinking to herself as she begun the walk back towards the gate, pulling up the hood on her dark coloured hoodie to keep her face from sight.

[Rogue Sloth]

“You won’t have to,” Cas assured Maisie with more confidence than he probably should have had. His word were meant to convince himself too though. If he could persuade Iris’s friend that he had everything under control, he hoped he would believe it as well. Truthfully, he wanted to think that he would be able to keep her safe when they got back to the capital and that he wouldn’t slip up when it came to the feelings he had for her that refused to go away. He couldn’t predict the future, but there was obviously a right and wrong answer when it came to dealing with the latter. As long as he didn’t forget that, he was sure he could make it home without doing something stupid.

When Maisie mentioned the folded bedding, he nodded, “You’re welcome.” Their hostess was an incredibly hospitable person, so he was just happy to help in what little ways he could. It was the least he could do after she had fed and homed them without any notice. All that was left was for him to figure out what to do with the bloody clothes he’d tossed on the floor last night. He didn’t want to leave them for Iris’s friend to deal with after she had already done so much for them, so he picked up the haphazard pile that was his old garments to throw away somewhere outside.

As he did, he noticed that Iris had come back into the room and looked up. She had brought another hoodie for him to wear, and he took it from her hand with a word of gratitude, sliding the warm fabric over his shoulders. Getting his left arm into the sleeve was difficult as always, but at least he wasn’t bleeding all over the borrowed jacket like he had the last time. Assuming he actually made it back to the capital by the end of the day, it might even survive the journey, so Iris could return it to her friend.

Zipping up the front, he glanced at the two women as they spoke about the eleventh district, the one he knew as Bel Bicis. With the ongoing war, he wasn’t surprised to hear that the area had been ravaged by the Aspirian military, but he still found the subject awkward to bring up around people who called this part of the nation their home. He didn’t even know who’s side he was on anymore. Of course, he still stood firmly against the Scourge, but he was starting to wonder if the crown was as innocent as he’d thought. The kingdom outside the capital certainly wasn’t as well off as he’d been told to believe. It wasn’t that far of a stretch to guess that there had been other lies he’d fallen for over the years as well.

When Maisie addressed him with a comment about his wound, Cas paled. By the tone of her voice, he could tell that she was just messing with him, but his passive fear that his arm would get infected was still very much alive in the back of his head. “Right… thanks,” he shifted his weight, trying rather unsuccessfully to pretend like a comment that he knew shouldn’t have bothered him didn’t make him paranoid that he was going to be an amputee for the rest of his life.

Once they were ready to leave, he said a final goodbye to Maisie and headed out with Iris, pulling his hood over his head to hide his face. Even more than before, he was careful to keep his eyes down, just in case Ethan was still somewhere nearby. The only time he looked up was to toss his old clothes in a dumpster by the front of the complex. Otherwise, he kept his gaze fixed on the ground and buried his hands in his jacket pockets.

“Do you think Ethan will really listen to Maisie?” he asked, glancing sideways at Iris as they headed back to the gate. There was a lot riding on their ability to slip out of Tongsen unnoticed, so he wanted to know how confident she was that they could do it. “It sounds like he knows you two are close. What if he doesn’t believe her fake tip?”

[sukikyoufu]

Iris cringed at his words; he wasn’t far off of course Ethan knew they were close. They had been friends for years from what her memory was telling her. “I… I don’t know if he will, but I have to hope. Else it will be really difficult and then Maisie will get into trouble and I don’t want that. Not after everything she has done.” Shaking her head at the idea of her friend getting caught in the crossfire, “She didn’t outwardly say, but the money she gave us is probably her life savings. I’m certain of it because no one has that much money around here.”

Walking through the residential district not many were out, the few people that worked were in their stores trying to keep business open and the others would no doubt be doing some labour style work just to earn enough to get a meal. Thankfully it wasn’t raining, and the weather seemed to be okay, sunny with a few clouds, but it would be perfect for their walk back to the Capital. “I know it may be a lot for me to ask, I know I shouldn’t because I don’t have any leg to stand on really, but if it’s not too much trouble would you repay her? Maisie is not part of the rebellion; she never has been and is just an honest worker trying to get by… I just. I guess I feel bad taking all this help from her.” Although thinking on it she knew she had a problem accepting help from anyone, how awkward she had been when Cas had helped her giving her a place to stay and buy clothes and necessities so she could get by. She always wanted to repay that kindness but knowing who she was she doubted she could even do that anymore.

Rounding the fateful corner, she glanced towards the gate confused, no one was there. Had Ethan already gone for the text? It felt odd there was no one around, no sign of any rebel near the gate and it unsettled her. It only reminded her of how she felt when she first woke that something was wrong, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. “This is strange.” Whispering to herself as she glanced around, but again there was no one in sight. Should they just go for it? Or was it a trap? “I don’t like this one bit.” Rubbing her arm as she took a few more moments looking around just to make sure the coast was clear.

Letting out a shaking breath she finally moved pushing forward making her way to the gate cautiously glancing around with each step as she was so nervous. Mumbling to herself as she took a step into the eleventh district passing through the gate with no problems, there was no one around to cause any problems. Quickening her pace, she continued to walk into the districts already noting the rubble, the degrading buildings that had clearly been hit. Not many lived in this district and for good reason it seemed as all she could see was ruin.

--

Maisie by now had texted Ethan, enacting the plan that they had agreed upon, but she hadn’t expected the news she received back. The little text popped up on her phone and she couldn’t help but gasp, eyes widening in shock as she had to reread it hoping that she was wrong but she wasn't and there was no way she could tell Iris of this news as she didn't have a phone on her.

I can’t look, everyone is in an uproar. We are all in fourth district. Regis is dead. Everything is a mess.

[Rogue Sloth]

Cas nodded solemnly when Iris said she wasn’t really sure if their plan would work or not. It wasn’t the most encouraging response she could have given him, but she was right. The most they could do was hope that Ethan would take the bait and abandon his post by the gate to look for her. Anything beyond that was out of their control. Her next words caught him by surprise though.

As she confided in him that Maisie had given them her entire life’s savings, his eyes widened with shock. Apparently her friend had been even more generous than he’d thought. “Are you serious?” he gawked at her in disbelief. “Why would she do that? You’ll be coming back soon, and she doesn’t even know me…” He trailed off, furrowing his brows in a disconcerted manner. Even though Maisie had decided to volunteer the money of her own free will, he still felt guilty for taking it from her, especially when she obviously needed it more than he did. Knowing that the credits in Iris’s backpack were everything the other woman had owned, he was suddenly much more aware of their value. They would have to be careful about how they spent the money, so they wouldn’t waste even a single one.

“If I can find a way to do it, I’ll pay her back for everything and then some,” he promised Iris. It would be difficult to do, since he didn’t have any of Maisie’s banking information—if she even had an account open at a bank—but he was sure he could come up with a way to send money to her if he dug around a little. At the very least, he could try to figure out her address to mail an envelope to her by drone. A few thousand credits wouldn’t even scratch the surface of the Maydestone family fortune, so he intended to reimburse her for far more than the amount of money in Iris’s bag. After all, he owed Maisie for plenty more than just the cash she’d given them.

Keeping pace with Iris, Cas noticed her slow down when she rounded the corner before the gate. Her change in behavior raised a red flag in his mind, and he tensed, slowing down as well just before he peered around the side of the building to see what had caught her attention. At first, he saw nothing, but then he realized that it was the ‘nothing’ that had made her stop. There were no guards at the gate.

Assuming that meant Maisie’s text trick had worked, relief washed over him, and he took a step forward to hurry through the opening. However, Iris’s soft-spoken words made him falter. “What?” he turned to her concernedly. “Do you think something’s wrong?” Suddenly apprehensive about walking blindly into the open, he waited for her to make sure they weren’t heading straight for a trap before he followed her into the next district. Whatever it was that had made her anxious, it seemed to him like they were in the clear. At the very least, no one was jumping out of the shadows to stop them from moving on from Tongsen.

As they kept going, he subtly pressed a hand to his stomach, massaging the sore muscles. He had made leaps and bounds of progress in his recovery since the day before, but the worst of his bruises still throbbed off and on. Although it didn’t slow him down, the steady ache was becoming a nuisance the longer they walked. To distract himself from it, he risked lifting his head to look at the buildings around them.

Maisie hadn’t been kidding when she’d said Bel Bicis was in bad shape. “Geez,” he breathed as his eyes traveled over the ruined structures. The closest he’d ever been to a battlefield was the cinematic representations he’d seen in movies. Actually traversing a place that had been bombed and destroyed sent a shiver up his spine. He just hoped they wouldn’t come across any dead bodies, or he might be sick.

“How far do we need to go to get out of this place?” he asked quietly, keeping his voice down just in case there was anyone alive around to overhear.

[sukikyoufu]

“I don’t know why she did it, but she doesn’t have a bad bone in her body. She see’s the best in everyone and always wants to help.” Sighing softly as even Iris was confused as to why Maisie had done it, she didn’t want to take the money because she knew that it was the only fund she had. As much as she had a business, it was very slow. There was no way that she’d get it all back in even a couple of weeks because business was bad in Tonseng. Not dwelling on the thought much longer she was relieved to know they hadn’t walked into a trap. The sight of Bel Bicis however caused great concern, the devastation to the district was beyond repair of the people and Iris knew there was no way the Capital would rebuild it.

“Don’t you think it’s strange? No one is around. At all. I don’t like it.” Shaking her head as she couldn’t help but look back at the gate, still no one thankfully. “I don’t think it was the text, something is wrong. I can feel it.” There was clear worry on her face as she looked around the destruction, the air felt thick with dust and debris that had been caught in the wind. “Such… devastation…” Not even talking to anyone in particular she grimaced as she walked forward thinking on the best way to get around to the next gate, it would be a fair bit of a walk and they had to be careful especially with the destruction that surrounded them.

“It’s a bit of a walk. Can you handle it?” Whispering as she turned to look at him, her own skin turning a shade paler. The fever was still evident, but Iris could push through it, hopefully by ignoring it she could continue on like it was nothing. She had seen him press his stomach and it concerned her, perhaps there was a wound there they hadn’t treated? Not that they could do much at the moment in this district anyway.

Passing through the streets it was clear their journey would not be easy through this district, not with the many obstacles and ruins of buildings blocking some of the paths. “This is going to be dangerous.” Feeling the chills run up her spine as she looked towards what used to be the town plaza, now in complete ruins but the smell that passed them made her hesitate. It was a stench that could only be described as death, if her body could run cold it would have because she could see the dried blood stains on some of the walls but as she glanced around she caught sight of bodies. Dead from the hit.

Placing a hand to her mouth knowing it would stop her from heaving she closed her eyes rooted to the spot. It took all her effort not to fall to her knees and break at the sight. It reminded her of what she had been fighting for, this was what the cause should have been about and not power. There was nothing she could do; nothing would change the fact of what happened to Bel Bicis but it still hurt to see it in such a way.

[Rogue Sloth]

That could be because they’re all dead, Cas thought, grimacing at the morbidity of his own conclusion. For Iris’s sake, he kept the observation to himself. If she hadn’t thought of it yet, there was no reason to tell her and make her even more depressed than she had been yesterday. As they walked, he continued to look around the ruined city, taking in the devastation that now defined the eleventh district. He hated that he was probably right in this case, but it was hard to imagine any other reason why they didn’t see any other people in the area. As far as he could tell, they were the only living things in the city for miles.

A dusty breeze blew past them, and he shivered, rubbing his left arm with his opposite hand. The chill he felt had more to do with his discomfort walking through Bel Bicis than it did with the weather. It had been easier to remain separated from the destruction of the civil war when he’d been safe inside the walls of the capital, but now that he was quite literally in the middle of it, he was sickened by the outcome. Sure, there had probably been rebels in this district, but there had almost certainly been civilians as well, people who didn’t want anything to do with the fight between the crown and the Scourge. It saddened him to think that many of them must have died during the fighting.

“I’m fine,” he murmured in response to Iris’s question, half distracted by the carnage before his eyes. The answer he gave was actually sincere this time. He was lucky that Regis hadn’t injured his legs, because the wounds on his upper body didn’t hinder him from moving very much. He would most likely be sore by the time he got back to the capital, but he was sure he could handle the long walk to get there. If it meant they could leave Bel Bicis sooner, he would even speed walk if she preferred.

For a while, he fell quiet, the pit in his stomach growing with every crumbling building they passed. Movies glamourized warfare, but the real thing was heavy to absorb. When he got back to the capital, he planned to work with the military right away to look into ways to end the fighting as quickly as they could. If they kept killing their own citizens like this, they were going to destroy their own kingdom. That wasn’t what he wanted at all, and he was sure his father would balk too when he told him what he’d seen in Bel Bicis.

Caught up in his thoughts, Cas stiffened in revulsion when a nauseating stench suddenly reached him on the wind. He gagged and lifted a hand to cover his mouth and nose, tears stinging the corners of his eyes. He’d never smelled anything like this before, but some primal part of him deep down knew that it was the scent of dead bodies. The thought made the color drain from his face, and he slowed his pace slightly, nervous about what they were about to walk into. Seeing the ruined buildings had been hard enough. He wasn’t sure if he could handle the sight of human victims.

Unfortunately, almost as soon as the thought passed through his mind, they came upon the plaza. He froze, wide-eyed as his gaze landed on a mass of corpses littering the ground. The entire area was stained with blood, as if a manic painter had dipped his brush in a can of dark red paint and started flinging it wildly about. The bodies were male and female, young and old, silently telling onlookers that the war spared no one. They were contorted permanently as if they were still in writhing in pain. The whole thing made him lightheaded, and he pressed his hand down harder over his face in a futile attempt to block out the deathly odor.

“Oh my god,” he exclaimed in a low voice, his voice slightly muffled behind his palm. His heart pounded against his ribs, and he turned to Iris, overwhelmed with the urge to get away from the grisly scene. However, when he did, he saw that she was rooted in place. Too late, he realized that the bloodbath was probably even harder for her to see than it was for him. These had been her people.

“Iris, we should get out of here,” he urged her, reaching out to tug on her hand. “We need to keep moving before anyone from the rebellion finds out we’re here.”

[sukikyoufu]

“I… what.” Iris whispered to herself as she couldn’t help but look over at the carnage before her, all she could see was the blood. The dead bodies clearly in pain, but long gone for any sort of help. Feeling herself choke at the scene she let out a wrangled noise unable to contain it, it was between a whimper and a cry because she didn’t know how to take it all in. The fever wasn’t helping, the heat was getting to her and making her feel lightheaded and she couldn’t help but look at the broken scene before her.

The stench was enough to frighten anyone, but they had to go through here to get to the gate. They would have to stomach it and be brave, but a part of her didn’t know if she could do it anymore. This was what the Capital had done, they had caused this pain and devastation and innocent lives had been lost. It was elders to the young and you could see it all in this plaza. “I didn’t think it was this bad when she said.” Whispering as she took another step forward although she flinched when a pile of rubble started to tumble down a few feet away just showing them it was unsafe.

Feeling the tug on her hand she was pulled to her senses, looking over at Cas she nodded knowing it was best to get through this part of the district. “We have to go this way. This is the way to the gate.” Pointing further into the plaza, you could see there was a pathway cleared. It wasn’t amazing but it was something they could use, “I’d take the roadway, but there’s traffic and… more danger I guess.”

Gulping she signalled for Cas to follow, her stomach churning away as she walked further in. Raising her hand, she covered her mouth and nose to hide the stench as she walked on trying not to look and the dead bodies or damage around them. Keeping her gaze firmly on the floor all she could see every now and then was the odd blood splatter which was far better than the initial picture they had seen.

Pushing further into the carnage she stepped over some rumble continuing their walk into the desolate district. Everyone by now had evacuated, well what was left of the people of this district. I can’t believe what happened. I… I need to push through. I can feel a headache. Trying not to get stuck in her thoughts she walked on biting her lip, the lightheaded feeling wasn’t going away, and she could feel with each footstep it was getting worse. Trying to blink it away she continued to walk trying to focus on her breathing and not on how devastated the town was.

“This way.” Whispering to Cas as she picked up her pace trying to get out of the plaza, heading towards the now demolished residential area as the gate would be a bit further on from that. Taking a moment to breathe she had to stop, her hand leaning on a crumbled building as she could feel her heart rate quicken. Breaths getting shorter as she felt like she was beginning to see double.

[Rogue Sloth]

Cas heard Iris whispering something to herself, but he didn’t quite catch what she said. He was more concerned with making sure they kept moving. For one thing, standing around so many dead bodies was making him incredibly anxious. For another, they had no way of knowing if there were any other people around who were still alive. If any members of the Scourge were nearby, even just to pass through the district, there was a chance that they might recognize him. By now, it was also possible that word had gotten around that Iris had helped him escape, so she might be in danger too. They couldn’t afford to freeze up in Bel Bicis just because they had stumbled upon the aftermath of a battle. They had to keep moving to avoid getting caught.

When Iris came to, Cas was relieved but only for a second. “You can’t be serious,” he said, balking at the thought of walking any closer to the carnage than they already were. Unfortunately, if that was their only path back to the capital, he was going to have to do it. So, after taking a moment to steel himself, he reluctantly followed after her into the plaza. He wasn’t as good at keeping his eyes off the corpses as she was though. To him, the destruction was like a bad car accident; it was awful, but he couldn’t look away. As they walked, his dark eyes roved over the bodies of the deceased that laid all around them, some strewn about the cobblestone ground where they had died and some shoved off to the side in gruesome piles to make room for a useable path through the area.

The sight made his stomach churn. All the victims around them had been sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, siblings, friends, and coworkers to other people. He could practically feel the weight of the grief that hung in the air, and he mourned that they hadn’t been properly buried or even cremated after they had been killed. Especially when his gaze landed on the bodies of a mother and daughter laying side-by side. As he looked at the pair, a part of him wanted to shed tears—he felt like their lost lives deserved to be wept over—but he was too shocked by the whole of the bloodbath to properly process everything that he was feeling. Instead, he stared at them numbly until he felt his shoe collide with something on the ground in front of him.

Looking down, he practically felt his soul leave his body as he saw that he’d walked into the outstretched arm of one of the corpses. The dead man’s eyes were open and seemed to be staring back at him, and his jaw was slack in a soundless scream. The prince staggered, fighting the urge to pass out with the sudden, dizzying drop in his blood pressure that accompanied the shock of nearly stepping on a body. It took him a few seconds to recover before he followed Iris again.

It’s official. I’m scarred for life, he thought with a grimace, carefully stepping around the limp arm in his path and jogging to catch up to her. From that point on, he kept his eyes glued to the path in front of his feet rather than on the bloody scene, horrified by the thought of running into another corpse. However, in doing so, he almost didn’t see that Iris had stopped ahead of him to rest her hand against one of the buildings. He glanced up at her with a concerned expression. At first, he wondered if there was something in the air that was causing her to lose her energy and if they were breathing odorless gas. That explanation didn’t make sense though, because he would have been feeling it too if there was something toxic around them. It had to be something else.

“Iris, what’s wrong?” he asked, reaching out to rest a hand on her shoulder. It was then that he noticed that her temperature was still elevated, and he remembered the bullshit excuse she had given him earlier. “You feel like a furnace,” he observed worriedly, stepping in front of her to see her face. Her eyes looked out of focus to him. Despite her assurance that she could handle the trip back to the capital, he could tell that she was pushing herself too hard.

“Alright, I’m calling it,” he decided firmly, hiding his disappointment about not getting to the capital that night with the authority in his voice. Her wellbeing was more important than his impatience to get home anyway. “We’re not going any further until you rest. This is obviously too much for you right now.” Without waiting for her response, he positioned himself next to her and pulled her against his side with his good arm, draping her arm up and over his shoulders with the other. If he could, he would have carried her, but he knew his wounded arm couldn’t handle that strain at the moment.

“Come on, you stubborn thing. Let’s find someplace for you to lay down that isn’t filled with dead bodies,” he said, taking one step forward to check his balance before he started walking toward the housing complex he could see up ahead.

[sukikyoufu]

“N-Nothing is wrong.” The words left her mouth before she could stop them, but the minute she felt the hand on her shoulder she knew she couldn’t give anymore bullshit excuses. Even she could feel her own heat radiate off of her. “Honestly, I can do this. Just needed a quick stop. I’m fine! I’ll be fine!” Rambling as she tried to convince him otherwise, she didn’t want to delay the journey any longer than it already had been. Iris had promised to get him back tonight and she wanted to keep it, she didn’t want to disappoint him plus he needed to get his arm looked into by a professional.

Cursing to herself she felt a pang of guilt as he called it, telling her that this was too much for her when she knew deep down, she could push through it. “Cas, we can’t rest here. Look at it. At least let us get to the next district.” Hopefully by that point she’d feel more normal so would be able to continue on and get him back as soon as. Who knows what consequences will now happen to the people over his disappearance, he had been gone for a while already and it was surprising, they had yet to find him? It only increased her worry on what kind of wrath the Capital would bring down upon the people for his disappearance especially now after seeing Bel Bicis.

Before she could fight her case, she felt him move closer, draping her arm over his shoulder to support her and it was only then did she realise her knees had grown weak and was thankful for the support. “Your arm?” Whispering as she looked at Cas, concern filled her unfocused eyes as she didn’t want to cause him any further pain. It was her fault he had been injured like this after all.

Trying to regain her focus she glanced up at where they were headed and could see that Cas was leading them towards a housing complex. “Cas, we shouldn’t stop here.” Whispering as she could feel another dizzy spell coming on accompanied by a wave of nausea because the stench of death had not escaped her it only made her feel sick. “I’m not stubborn. I know I can continue. I have to get you back… I have too it’s top priority.”

Though even as she fought against him her voice wavered and by now they had reached the housing complex, it was partly damaged but not nearly as bad as the plaza they had just walked through decorated with bodies of the dead. Grimacing as she felt her body start to ache, she knew the fever was getting the better of her as much as she hated to admit it, but she was determined to get him home. “Okay… just an hour though. Just a quick rest and we will move again. Okay?” She was certain after she had sat down for an hour they could then move again; she could focus on getting him home because she didn’t want to delay it anymore.

Plus being around him… I know I shouldn’t but it’s hard just to ignore everything that happened between us. Lost in her own thoughts she felt herself stumble slightly limbs weakened but thankful she was leaning on Cas or she would have fallen. The heat was getting to her, it was becoming too much and all she could feel was her heart racing which to her was so loud she could hear it.

[Rogue Sloth]

Of course, Iris started protesting his decision to stop traveling immediately. As she tried to convince him that she was fine he just shook his head, unconvinced. He was learning that there was no point in arguing with her about it. For some reason, she was determined to get him back to the capital today come hell or high water, even though she was clearly running a high fever. He had no idea why she was trying so hard, but he did know that the strain couldn’t be good for whatever sickness had crept over her last night. He wasn’t going to be the reason why she became seriously ill as long as he had a say in it.

“It’s my other arm that’s injured,” he reminded her as she mentioned the wounded limb. “And besides, I know you’re just trying to come up with another excuse, Iris. It’s not going to work, so you should save your energy for walking instead of fighting me on this, okay?” As he spoke, he led her toward the buildings he’d seen. Like the rest of Bel Bicis, they were in pretty bad shape, but they were the only potential safe havens he could see nearby. Worried about Iris’s condition, he wasn’t about to wander around the district in a blind search for something better either. For her sake, this was the best they could do until she was well enough to move on.

“Why?” he asked when she continued to press that she needed to bring him back to the capital that day. “I want to get there even more than you do, but even I can tell that giving you a break is more important right now. You can barely even stand up without help.” Her stubbornness baffled him. He wondered why she was so insistent on making sure he got home that evening. It was dangerous for him to stay outside the capital when the rebels were looking for him, but aside from that, he couldn’t think of a reason why she would be so determined to keep moving.

Deciding not to get too hung up on it, he led her to the front of the closest building and pulled the door open with his left hand. The motion burned his arm, but he kept his discomfort to himself, so she wouldn’t have another reason to protest. “We’ll keep moving when you don’t look like you’re about to keel over at the slightest gust of wind,” he posed, implying that he wasn’t going to agree to her offer of stopping for only an hour unless it made sense to do so.

Making his way through the ground floor hallway, he felt her stumble against his side and tightened his grip on her waist to make sure she didn’t fall. Idly, he was glad that he’d had a couple full meals recently, so he had enough strength to half-carry her without collapsing any time she threw off his balance. Staying at Maisie’s place had been just what they’d needed, and now, he had to find another apartment—preferably an empty one—where they could hide out until her fever broke.

As they passed by each door, he tested the knobs. Quite a few were unlocked, but when he peeked inside, he found that most of them were decorated with more corpses. The sight of families killed inside their own homes made him want to lose his breakfast, and he turned away quickly from each brutal scene he came across until he finally found a room that was open, but no one was inside.

Carefully, he brought Iris into the living room and set her down on an old sofa. “Don’t move. I’m going to make sure no one else is here,” he informed her softly. He doubted there was anyone inside the apartment, but one could never be too careful. As quietly as he could, he left the living room to open each of the bedroom doors, checking inside closets and under beds until he felt sure they were alone. Whoever had owned this place was probably among the piles of corpses in the plaza.

He shivered at the thought and headed back out to where he’d left Iris. “All clear,” he sighed, sitting down heavily on the other side of the couch. The room was dark aside from the light that came in through one window across from them, but he didn’t dare turn on any lights, so they wouldn’t draw the attention of any passerbys outside.

“Did Maisie pack any medicine in your backpack?” he asked, turning to her with a frown. “It would probably be a good idea to try to get your fever down a little, so you don’t get too dehydrated.” He didn’t know much about flesh wounds, but because of his father’s poor health, he was sufficiently educated in dealing with illnesses.

[sukikyoufu]

Grimacing as he questioned back asking why she was so determined she couldn’t openly say what the true meaning was because then it would only admit to the feelings she was trying to hide. “I just… I just feel like every moment you’re here only makes it worse for all of the people both here and the Capital. You need a really doctor to look at the wound on your arm and I just need to get you back.” Because it will ease my guilt? No. I will never forgive myself for what I did but seeing him back in safety will certainly ease my mind and remind me nothing can ever happen. Another wave of thoughts passed her by as they pressed on.

It was hard not to sway, her body felt heavy finding it hard to move but she forced herself to keep on. A part of her still stubborn at moving tonight. Frowning when he posed his own option of moving when she didn’t look like she was about to keel over. Surely, I don’t look bad? It’s just a fever. Trying to convince herself as she felt his grip tighten supporting her more sending another wave of guilt through her because he was injured.

It had taken a few doors to try, each home in dismay scattered with dead. Unable to contain her shudder at the fact most people in this district was dead. It had been a stroke of luck to find an empty home but a part of her wondered why, where they just out? Would they return? Or were they just dead in the plaza, bodies they had already passed beyond help. Feeling the sofa beneath her she couldn’t help but sigh, her body felt heavy and it was just nice to sit down even though she had been protesting the idea of rest.

Although at his next comment she went to protest again at the idea of him checking to make sure no one else was here, how would he fight them off if someone was? What if there were rebels around just waiting for them? What if they had been tracked here? All those thoughts started to swim around and just panic her further. Trying to push herself off of the sofa to assist him she frowned as she couldn’t even do that, her body had weakened demanding rest as if she had overdone it but she was too stubborn to admit it. Her attempts had been feeble so instead she tried to relax after realising she was going nowhere, but it was difficult. Waiting with bated breath for Cas to return she couldn’t help but let out a shaky breath when he had given the all clear. It was empty, no one was here except them. Though the idea that they were surrounded by dead bodies in homes around them did unsettle her.

Struggling to remove the backpack from her shoulders she leaned forward finally pulling the thing off, placing it beside her on the floor as she looked towards Cas. “I don’t know. As I said medicine is difficult to come by. We usually just ride them out or push through them.” Shrugging her shoulders as she leaned back on the sofa exhausted. With little sleep and an unsettled stomach, it did feel good to sit down for a moment, but it hadn’t helped her double vision or the fact she was now feeling extremely cold even though her skin was on fire.