Rogue Sloth

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

When Iris said she didn’t think she would be able to get them out of the prison, Cas didn’t say anything. He hadn’t expected that she would be able to do it. When she had helped him escape from her father’s basement, she’d had a much easier task. He had already dismantled his cell, there had been no other people around, and the had been familiar with the building and the area. All the factors had worked in her favor. In this real prison, the opposite was true. If this place had been built by licensed penitentiary designers employed by the crown, as most were, he wouldn’t be able to simply unscrew and pull up his cell bars. There would also be guards around every corner, and as far as he knew, neither of them knew anything about the layout of the building nor the surrounding ones. It was practically impossible for them to get away without getting caught and killed by the rebel watchmen. It also would have been too much for him to believe that she could do it.

At her following apology, he shook his head. “You have to stop blaming yourself,” he murmured, side-eyeing the guards near the entrance of the prison. All of the men were armed to their teeth, and he didn’t know what might set them off, so he kept his voice down as low as he could. “None of this is your fault, and taking the blame for it isn’t doing either of us any good. Just focus on getting yourself out of here… no matter what happens to me.” The sentence was difficult to vocalize, and he stifled a wince as it left his lips. Speaking about his own demise out loud made it feel more real, and cold dread began to wrap its tendrils around his heart. This was it. There would be no escaping from the rebellion this time. They were going to kill him, and there was nothing he could do to stop them. Thinking about it made him feel lightheaded, and he took a slow breath as he focused to keep himself from stumbling.

The sound of Iris’s spoken name made him look up, and he caught sight of the guard who was looking at her with unexpected glee. He wondered if it was an old friend of hers from before she’d lost her memories, but he didn’t get the chance to ponder over it for long. As Ethan gave the order to shoot her if she ran, he ground his teeth. For a moment, he was tempted to jump to her defense, sick of letting her ex speak about her that way. It wasn’t like they could threaten to do anything to him that they weren’t already planning on doing. He fully expected that they would torture and kill him as soon as he was behind bars. If someone shot him now, at least he would spare himself the pain. However, there was always the risk that they would hurt her too, so he quelled his tongue and walked silently into the building.

The inside was even grimmer than the outside. It looked almost identical to the penitentiary in the capital with narrow hallways and rows upon rows of cells that the rebels seemed to have transformed into different kinds of rooms. His dark eyes skimmed each one they passed with idle curiosity until they came to a bare, empty cell that had been left open. Stopping beside Iris, he watched Ethan point at it in a wordless command to get inside. He didn’t move to follow the order right away though. Hesitant to trap himself in the concrete and metal cage—especially one in which he was expected to stay without Iris—he willfully planted his feet.

“No,” he said before he could think through his actions. Narrowing his eyes at Ethan stubbornly, he held his ground. In the back of his mind, he knew he wasn’t going to get anywhere by protesting, but he had nothing left to lose. Backed into a corner, he wasn’t going to let them take his life without putting up a fight. It wasn’t like he would be rewarded for good behavior, after all. Committed to his decision, he went on obstinately, “I don’t trust you twisted bastards alone with Iris for a single second. Either she comes with me, or I go wherever you were planning to take her.”

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Yeah, we've been planning to move and just got pre-qualified for a loan from the bank ^^

The house isn't old old, but it's on the older side for my city because it's a relatively new city, so most places were built after 2010. This one is 2002

Pic

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Ethan’s laughter caught Cas off guard, and he blinked confusedly. When he’d mentioned Regis’s name, he’d thought it would instill fear and respect in the rebel, but instead, it seemed like his comment had been taken as some kind of a joke. Unnerved, he held onto Iris’s hand tightly, wondering why her ex was so amused. Perhaps Regis was even crueler than he’d thought, allowing others to abuse his daughter just like he had. The thought made him feel sick. No one deserved to be treated like that, used and pushed around for everyone else’s benefit, and he couldn’t stand the thought of her being put back in that kind of life. Even worse, he hated that he was powerless to do anything to stop them from doing so. The rebels were the ones with the manpower and the weapons. All he had was his will, and that hadn’t even been enough to carry him to victory in a one-on-one fist fight.

As Ethan went on, Cas’s initial nervousness gave way to simmering anger. Listening to the rebel speak about Iris in such a degrading manner made him want to deck him in the face. However, one of the things he said didn’t make sense. Retirement? The prince puzzled. Just a week ago, military intelligence had learned that Regis Nox-Fleuret was the leader of the rebellion. It was an undisputed fact. Leaders didn’t just ‘retire’ in the middle of a war. That would be chaotic and destructive to his cause. He studied Ethan quietly from the back seat of the car, wondering if it was a lie or if something else was going on that they didn’t know about. Maybe Iris’s father had been forced into an early retirement after he’d lost their prisoner? It was possible, but there was still something fishy about it.

Knowing Ethan would never tell him anything more than he already had though, Cas didn’t press the issue any further. Instead, he turned his head to peer out the window again as he noticed belatedly that the vehicle was slowing down. As soon as his gaze landed on the building ahead of them, he paled. His last “cell” had been Nox-Fleuret’s basement, so he hadn’t been prepared for the rebels to take him to an actual prison. The enormous gray building loomed ominously over them, a massive representation of security and strength. If he’d had any hope of escaping from them before, it was draining quickly now.

Ethan’s flippant threat didn’t help either. He’d already been somewhat prepared for the fact that the rebels were probably going to beat him again, but he was sore and exhausted and had hoped they might put it off long enough for him to get some rest first. Unfortunately, it seemed like he’d set his expectations a little too high.

Reluctantly letting go of Iris’s hand, he climbed out of the car at the new rebel leader’s instruction. The armed guards standing by were daunting, and he kept them in the corner of his eye as he made sure Iris was keeping up with him and followed after Ethan. Behind them, Thomas provided additional security, making sure they didn’t try to run.

Cas rolled his aching shoulders and let his gaze roam the property. By all appearances, it looked like they were going to be kept as prisoners in a real prison. “This isn’t promising,” he whispered, keeping close to Iris out of both protectiveness and apprehension.

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Cool! We can go with that unless one of us has another idea later.

And sorry that one took a little while. We might be buying an old fixer-upper house, so I've been taking phone calls with realtors and designers all morning. We're all gonna see it in person tomorrow afternoon to figure out how we can remodel it if my husband and I end up going for it ^^

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

For a few minutes, the car was quiet when everyone stopped talking to each other. Caspian fidgeted absentmindedly with the door handle as if it would eventually unlock if he tugged on it enough times. Of course, it didn’t, but it was an outlet for his pent-up energy, so he kept at it anyway. Sitting in the back of the rebels’ car felt surreal. Just that morning, he’d been happy and hopeful that his enemies had stopped looking for him since his father didn’t seem to care about his disappearance. It had seemed like his close encounter with death was behind him and that he wouldn’t have to go through it again.

Apparently, his impression had been very wrong. As Ethan drove on to wherever it was that he was taking them, a flurry of emotions stirred inside Cas’s chest. He didn’t know what to think. What was someone supposed to think when he was being escorted to his execution? He’d never been close enough to any of the crown’s prisoners to ask. Part of him was afraid, but another part of him was oddly calm. He couldn’t tell if it was because he’d accepted that he was going to die or because the reality of the situation hadn’t struck him yet. It felt unreal that his life was going to be cut short at the young age of twenty-four, and he still had a sliver of hope that he could make it out alive.

When Iris spoke up, he glanced at her again, curious to know where they were headed too. Ethan’s reply was oddly hostile, and it didn’t do much to give him any clarity. Perhaps his vague response meant something to Iris, but to him, it gave no clues as to where he was going to be held this time. The only thing he got from it was the allusion that he wasn’t going to be killed as soon as he set foot outside the car. He let out his breath in a soft sigh of relief. Being made into the rebels’ prisoner a second time sounded more than unpleasant, but at least they weren’t planning to have him murdered right away.

As Ethan threatened to “prepare” something for Iris as well, Cas squeezed her hand possessively. The rebel was most likely talking about throwing her in a cell too, but he didn’t like the tone of his voice when he said it. They had a history together of some sort—the exact details were beyond him, since even Iris didn’t remember—so he suspected that her ex-boyfriend wanted revenge for the fact that she had run away with another man. The prince had no idea what he was capable of, so the cold words hung ominously in the back of his mind. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to do anything to protect her while they were at the base, but he was going to try his damnedest to make sure they didn’t hurt her, even if it meant taking her place in the beatings.

“I don’t think Regis would like it if you treat his daughter like a criminal,” he warned, trying to make Ethan think twice about touching her. In reality, he had no idea if Nox-Fleuret would care if anything happened to Iris, but it was worth a shot. Maybe he was the kind of father who didn’t like it when anyone beat up his daughter aside from him? God, that’s a horrible thought, he wrinkled his nose in disgust.

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

It'll be trickier. Maybe one of the other rebels knows Iris and would be sympathetic? They'll probably need help to escape

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

While Ethan dragged Iris over to the car, Cas took a moment to lick his wounds. In retrospect, he knew he could have come off much worse, but his body had already begun to ache now that the initial surge of adrenaline was beginning to wear off. His jaw hurt where Thomas had punched him, and the open cut inside his mouth throbbed where it seeped blood. The rest of him was sore wherever the rebel had managed to land blows on his arms, legs and torso. Worst of all was the deep pain in his chest though. He’d landed awkwardly when he’d fallen, and two spots under his skin hurt quite a bit when he inhaled. It was hard to tell if he’d broken his ribs or just bruised them badly. Either way, he couldn’t help but press a hand down over the area, trying to will away the sharp, stabbing pain that had started to plague him as he breathed.

As Iris was thrown into the back of the car beside him, he looked her over silently to make sure she was okay. Aside from the end of the fight, he hadn’t seen much of her skirmish with Ethan, so he didn’t know if the rebel had hit her or done anything else to injure her while they’d scuffled. To his relief, she seemed to be okay. He would have liked to take a closer look at her neck to see how badly she was bruised, but her long hair concealed the spot from his vantage point, and he didn’t want to provoke their captors by moving around too much and drawing attention to them. There would be time to inspect her wounds later, so for now, he kept to himself, so Ethan and Thomas wouldn’t have another reason to beat them any more than they already had.

Sliding down in his seat, he subtly reached across the middle to find Iris’s hand while the car bumped down the road. With his other hand, he tested the handle of the door he was sitting beside in a halfhearted check to see if it would open. Of course, it didn’t budge, and the lock wouldn’t open while the vehicle was set in drive. They were stuck there until the rebels took them to wherever it was that they were going. Back to Regis’s house? He wondered, letting his gaze roam the surroundings beyond the window. The theory was quickly squashed as he calculated that they were heading closer to the capital rather than away from it. If they were going back to Iris’s father, they would have needed to head in the opposite direction.

They must have another hideout further west, he decided privately as he intertwined his fingers with Iris’s. Thinking about her father, a cold shiver trickled down his spine. Regis had already tried to murder him once. He had to think that the only reason Ethan hadn’t shot him on the road was because the rebel leader wanted to kill him personally. Now, they were heading straight to him. The further they drove down the street, the more convinced he felt that he probably wouldn’t live long after they got there. He closed his eyes, hearing the roar of his hammering heartbeat in his ears. He wasn’t ready to die, but how were they supposed to get away from the psychotic man this time? If Regis shot him upon arrival, he wouldn’t even have time to think about escaping. It felt like he was marching to his death.

Quietly drowning in his panic, he almost didn’t hear Iris when she apologized to him. His eyes fluttered open, and he glanced her way. “For what?” he whispered back to her, shifting his weight on his seat as he leaned into the side door. “It isn’t your fault… I was the one who said I didn’t want to go back to the capital right away.”

“Shut up back there,” Thomas snapped, peering over his shoulder to shoot him a warning glare.

Cas rolled his eyes in response. Compared to Regis, Thomas didn’t scare him nearly as much. The most the rebel could do was rough him some more. Their leader was the one who was going to pull the trigger. He was tempted to make a scathing comment about the other man’s broken nose but held his tongue for Iris’s sake. If her ex-boyfriend was willing to choke her almost to death, he wasn’t sure what the other guy was capable of doing to her. So, he squeezed her hand silently, trying to assure her without words that everything would be alright.

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

I ended up taking him to Dutch Bros, but he still got his treat ^^ I posted pictures on Instagram, haha

And nice! This part is so exciting cx

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

The instant Caspian turned his head toward Ethan and Iris was the same second the gun went off. All color fled from his skin as the world seemed to stop turning for a moment. Unable to see if someone had gotten hurt in the skirmish, he staggered dizzily, silently pleading with whatever god might listen to him that she hadn’t been shot. He wished he could have been strong enough to fight off Thomas so that he could have helped her. He knew she wouldn’t be able to overpower Ethan, and yet he’d been powerless to come to her aid. If she had gotten wounded grappling for the weapon, he didn’t think he could forgive himself.

However, his panic only lasted for a few seconds before Ethan reacted. Apparently, he was the one who had been shot, not Iris. Cas felt weak with relief, his dark eyes locating the spot on the rebel’s leg where the bullet had grazed him. Spurred by the hope that swelled inside of him, he resumed struggling against Thomas’s grip, trying to get to her before her ex-boyfriend could retaliate.

His efforts weren’t enough yet again though, as he watched Ethan wrestle her to the ground and lock his hands around her throat. Wide-eyed, he felt his heart begin to stumble as the rebel choked her. The look in his eyes was frightening. By all appearances, it seemed like he was actually going to suffocate her to death. No, he thought urgently, managing to wrench one arm free in his desperation to save her. Taking advantage of the useful limb, he spun around and rammed his fist into Thomas’s face, hearing a crack as his knuckle broke the other man’s nose.

The rebel screamed and let him go—but only for a moment. Before Cas had a chance to run to Iris, he felt his breath leave him as Thomas tackled him to the ground. His head hit the asphalt hard, and he laid still, delirious from the impact. Craning his neck, he could just see Iris and Ethan, the latter’s hands still wrapped coldly around her throat. He could also see that the color was draining from Iris’s face.

“You’re killing her!” he called out in a strangled cry, writhing beneath Thomas’s weight. The rebel had him pinned once again with his knees pressed painfully into his lower back and his hands bearing down on his arms, so he couldn’t get up. Nevertheless, he fought in vain, terrified that he was going to end up watching Ethan murder Iris right before his eyes. “Let her go! You want me, so take me. Leave her out of this!”

When the other man eased up on her, a stunned expression took over the prince’s features. He hadn’t taken Ethan to be a rational man. A second surge of relief pulsed through him, and he continued to watch as the rebel gave her a final warning and turned his attention onto him. Cas’s eyes flicked to the gun aimed at Iris’s head and then back to her assailant’s face. Knowing now that his first impression had been wrong, he didn’t trust either of them to let her off easily. She was their enemy now too, since she’d taken his side. He swallowed apprehensively, his mouth still tasting of blood. He didn’t want to go with them if it meant that both he and Iris would be at the rebellion’s mercy, but they weren’t giving him any other choice.

At least this way, she won’t be killed right away, he reasoned, trying to find a sliver of hope to grasp onto in an otherwise hopeless situation. Once he stopped struggling, he felt Thomas’s weight lift from his back, giving him the option to follow Ethan’s order to get in the waiting vehicle. For a moment, he laid still, keeping his gaze fixed on Ethan and his gun, before he reluctantly sat up on his knees. “Fine,” he growled, demonstrating by the tone of his voice that he wasn’t rolling over to them like a submissive animal.

With a wistful glance at Iris, he climbed shakily to his feet and allowed Thomas to usher him over to the backseat of the car. The rebel grabbed him by the hair, and he winced as he was forced to duck inside like a criminal who had just been arrested. He just hoped he was making the right decision by giving them what they wanted. As long as Iris made it out with her life, that was all that mattered to him. I’m probably not going to get out of this one alive, he thought nervously, sliding over to the far side of the car and staring dully out the window.

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

I'm hoping he is, haha. I bought him a bone stuffed with smoked beef flavored treats, and he's been chewing on it all morning ^^
I also want to take him to Starbucks to get a puppuccino! (dixie cup filled with whipped cream and dog biscuits)

And true! I'll also have more time to write today because I'm just staying home with my fur children :)