Rogue Sloth

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Caspian felt like his heart had stopped. They knew. Or, more specifically, Jacob knew that he was the one who had pioneered Iris’s escape from the hospital. The instant the words had fallen from the guard’s tongue, a simultaneous sense of alarm and despair had washed over him. He couldn’t believe how quickly Jacob had realized that he was the culprit behind the prisoner’s disappearance. Even though the other man was observant, he’d thought he would be able to get away with it because the military would set their sights outward toward the other members of the rebellion. Instead, it had taken the head of security less than twelve hours to catch him red-handed.

“Your Highness,” Jacob prompted him, interrupting his spiraling thoughts. “All I need is Nox-Fleuret’s location. She’s the one the soldiers want, so if you tell me where she is, nothing will happen to you. I can easily sweep your involvement under the rug so your father doesn’t find out.” Technically it would have been a breech in protocol to leave out such a major detail, but he knew the prince wasn’t thinking clearly. He was obviously infatuated with the girl, so this was his chance to cut ties without suffering any consequences. In his mind, it was the best and more gracious way out that the royal was going to stumble into.

To Cas, though, the mere thought of giving Iris up to the military made him taste bile. He cared about her too much to let them kill her when she’d done nothing to deserve it. She had saved his life and treated him with the love and respect that he’d been yearning for all his life. So, rather than giving in to Jacob’s demand, he set his jaw and met the guard’s gaze unwaveringly. “I can’t,” he said, dropping his act. There was no point in pretending to be innocent when the other man knew he’d done it. “Jake, you know they were going to kill her. I had to get her out of there before they took her back to the penitentiary.”

“You didn’t ‘have’ to do anything,” Jacob corrected him, crossing his arms. “I understand that you’ve gotten close to her, but she committed treason, Prince Caspian. She has to face the penalty for her actions.”

“Why?” Cas challenged. “She knows she was wrong before, and she’s already apologized profusely. Why should she still be executed when she’s trying to move on from her past?”

“It’s the law,” the guard answered shortly. He let out a sigh. It seemed like the prince wasn’t willing to see reason, which meant that he was going to have to go over his head with this. “I’m sorry, Your Highness, but if you won’t give her up quietly, I’m going to have to tell His Majesty and let him make the final decision about how to proceed.”

At the mention of his father, Cas choked. Jacob could be stern, but the king was absolutely ruthless. He dreaded to think what Atlas would do if he found out that he was the one who had helped Iris escape—not for his own sake but for hers. The monarch already thought he’d been brainwashed by the rebels, so he would be merciless in his retribution if he got his hands on her again. He couldn’t let Jacob turn her over.

“Wait,” he said quickly as the guard turned to leave. “Stop. Don’t—” he scrambled to get out of bed, ignoring the churning in his stomach and the pounding in his head from the sudden movement. “Don’t tell my dad anything,” he pleaded, reaching out to catch hold of Jacob’s arm. “You know what he’ll do if finds out I did this, right? He’ll blame her and have her killed in the most brutal way possible.” As he spoke, his voice cracked beneath the strain of the emotions he was barely keeping in check. “Jacob, listen to me. Iris is not an enemy. I can swear it on my life. She made some mistakes before, yes, but she regrets every single one of them. I saw the look in her eyes when we talked about it after she helped me get away from her father. She wasn’t lying to me, and ever since then, she’s continued to prove time and again that she wants to make up for what she did. That’s why she helped me get back to the capital too. She knew what could happen to her if she showed up at the border with me, yet she came anyway.”

He searched the guard’s eyes desperately, “Please, she’s not one of them anymore. It would be unjust to have someone killed who’s already begged for forgiveness, wouldn’t it? Please let her go. Tell the soldiers that she escaped from the capital already. I don’t care, just don’t let my dad know what actually happened. This is my way of paying her back for all the times she’s saved my life… I can’t let them kill her.”

For a moment, Jacob was silent. He was surprised by how passionately the prince felt about the issue, but more so than that, he was surprised by the hesitation he felt to disregard his pleas and go to the king anyway. He had always respected the monarchy because it was his job to do so, but the young royal clutching his forearm had earned his admiration with more than just a title. Watching the heir to the crown grow up and turn into someone worth following, he felt an odd dissonance at the thought of turning him over to King Atlas—as if he was being disloyal. He pursed his lips. A few minutes ago, his plan had been to go straight to the reigning king if the prince refused to comply, but now, he was uncertain.

Deciding to give himself time before he made up his mind, he asked, “How are you so sure she’s really changed?”

--

“As hard as you want,” Miles shrugged, smiling as Iris good-naturedly when they joked about shoving him when he snored. “I probably won’t wake up. Once I’m out, I’m dead to the world.” It wasn’t an exaggeration in the slightest. It took nothing less than a life-threatening emergency to drag him out of the depths of a REM cycle. He wasn’t worried about getting interrupted sleep if Iris chose to take him up on his offer and push him over if he woke her up the next night.

Settling down comfortably in his seat, he nodded when she asked if she could continue to borrow his clothes. “Yeah, I don’t need ‘em,” he assured her. Plus, he secretly liked the thought of her wearing his oversized shirt and shorts again that day. The thought made him shift his weight, and he looked away, reminding himself that she was a refugee that he was harboring. Nothing more, nothing less.

“My sister probably left to go do another photoshoot this morning, so I’ll steal some clothes from her while you’re washing up,” he added as an afterthought, glancing back at Iris. “I have no idea if you wear the same size or not, but it’s worth trying. That way you at least have… uh, some stuff that will fit you better.” More specifically, underwear made for women, but he couldn’t bring himself to say that.

When she asked about the towels, he nodded again, “Yeah, the extras are in the closet by the shower. Feel free to take whichever one you want.”

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Yeah, Cas is definitely prone to jealousy, haha. They both have different strengths and weaknesses, which is good at least, because that makes them more complementary to each other.

It'll be really interesting to see what happens between them as the story progresses, because so far, they haven't had too many personal issues. Most of the time, it's them vs some sort of external stressor, but when things calm down, they'll have to learn how to handle conflicts amongst each other.

That's cool! My brother is a 5 :) 5w4, specifically. I'm a 7w8, which is very opposite in a lot of ways, haha. I'm pretty extroverted and confrontational xD

Anyway, I was running errands, but I'm home now, so I'll try to get another reply up!

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Yeah, pertaining to the negative side of 2s in relationships, (spoiler alert) Cas is going to get jealous when he starts to notice that Miles has a thing for Iris too cx He already showed a little jealousy when he first learned about Ethan (and before he knew Maisie was a girl) but Miles is a genuinely good dude, so he would worry that Iris would become interested in him since Miles is also more readily available at the moment. He's more codependent than he realizes, which is something he'll have to work on later.

2s are really interesting in romantic relationships. They're either really great together or really self-destructive. Sometimes they flip flop between the two, but there's rarely an in-between because they're so emotionally volatile.

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Honestly, Iris seems like the same type as Cas to me. She's quick to help other people but also withdraws when she's stressed (2s do that to conserve energy when they don't feel like they're able to be there for others). She agreed to assassinate Cas to please her dad just like Cas follows orders to make his father happy. She struggles with feeling unworthy of love and affection, which is what all 2s feel on the inside even if they don't admit it, and tries to earn approval from other people to fill that void.

Here's a blurb on 2s in relationship with other 2s: clicky
I think it describes Cas and Iris pretty well, but maybe you see it differently :)

As for the prison thing, I don't think she would end up back there again. At least, if she does, it won't be for a while. Cas would never give her up to the military even if it means he has to suffer, so she's safe with Miles at the moment

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

As of right now, I've got these down:

Caspian is a 2 (Helper)
Jacob and Atlas are 3 (Achiever)
Miles is a 7 (Enthusiast)
Jay is a 8 (Challenger)

I have two books one the enneagram, so I use them when I'm developing characters a lot, haha

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Jacob is a sneaky bitch xD

Yeah. Fun fact, Miles shares the same personality type as me, hahaha. If you're into these at all, he's a 7

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

“What sort of questions?” Caspian asked warily. Having hoped that Jacob had just stopped by to tell him that Iris was gone, the guard’s desire to ask him more about the incident made him nervous. He’d never done anything illegal before—well, nothing to this extent—and he didn’t know how he was supposed to act. What would make him come across as innocent? What would make him look guilty? Being forced to think on his feet was even more difficult with a raging hangover. He swallowed anxiously. His already dry mouth felt like it was full of cotton.

“I just noticed some peculiarities about the escape,” Jacob mused calmly. “I was hoping you could clear them up for me, since you probably know more about the rebels than I do at this point.”

That’s all? Cas felt himself relax. He could handle a few questions about the rebellion. Forcing a smile, he nodded, “What do you want to know?”

Jacob’s eyes narrowed for the briefest moment. The prince’s response to that question had been all he needed. He was absolutely certain now. Caspian had done it. “I just find it strange,” he clasped his hands between his knees. “That you would turn her over to the military so readily when you insisted she did nothing wrong.”

Cas stiffened, realizing his mistake too late. “I-I wasn’t…” he started and then trailed off, biting his lip as he fumbled to think up an excuse. Apparently Jacob did suspect him after all. He had to throw the guard off his scent, or he and his friends were as good as caught, and Iris would go back to prison. Heart hammering, he went on meekly, “I don’t care what happens to the people who rescued her. I just don’t want her to be arrested again. If she made it out of the capital alive, then I’m happy for her.”

“Mhm,” Jacob grunted, unconvinced. “Then why didn’t you say anything about it before I brought her up? If you were really concerned about her safety, you would have asked me right away if I was going to have her arrested again.” He rose from his seat. “I think the reason why you’re not worried is because you know we aren’t going to find her amongst the rebellion. There’s nothing for you to lose if she’s perfectly safe inside the capital, right?”

Cas turned his head away, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Pardon me, but cut the crap, Your Highness,” Jacob said dryly. “I know you were the one who took Nox-Fleuret from the hospital. My key to the building is missing, and the only people who had access to it are those who either live or work inside the palace. A rebel couldn’t have stolen it.”

Inwardly, Caspian swore. He’d been so drunk the night before that he’d completely forgotten to return the key to the security head’s office. It was still inside the pocket of the jeans that he’d thrown in his hamper before he’d gone to bed. Despite his best efforts, he hadn’t been able to completely erase his trail. “How do you know it wasn’t one of the servants or a guard?” he challenged. “What if the rebels have an inside man? I think we should have the staff vetted again—”

“One of the men in the security footage walked with a limp,” Jacob added, playing yet another card from his hand. “Favoring the same leg in which you were shot.”

Cas paled, straining to think of an explanation even though deep down, he knew he couldn’t win. “It isn’t impossible that a rebel could have been injured in the same leg…”

“Prince Caspian, we both know what happened last night,” Jacob said sternly. He was done playing games. King Atlas would be waking up soon, and he needed to have his answers now. Meeting the prince’s gaze with a hard stare, he demanded, “If you don’t want me to get His Majesty involved, I suggest you tell me where Iris is, so I can have her returned to the penitentiary quickly and discreetly.”

--

Miles nodded when Iris told him that she was feeling fine for the most part. She looked like she was doing alright, so he believed her. “Oh, he will,” he laughed when she mentioned Cas. “He won’t admit it, but he’s not even close to a heavyweight drinker. He’s not really a lightweight either… Just close enough to the middle that he gets horrendously sick when he has too much liquor.” When he and Jay had stayed overnight at the palace before, they’d seen the prince hungover a couple of times. They’d also seen the king reprimand him for letting himself go, but he didn’t say anything about that.

“I was?” Miles cringed when Iris revealed that he’d been snoring. “Sorry… I hope I didn’t keep you up. If I snore again tomorrow night, feel free to give me a shove. I’ve been told that I stop if someone rolls me over.” Far from a stereotypical playboy, he didn’t have overnight guests very often, but the few women that had slept in his room had confirmed that he wasn’t a quiet sleeper. Jay had complained too when they had shared a room at the palace while visiting Caspian. In his inebriation, he hadn’t even thought to warn Iris about it though.

Clearing his throat awkwardly, he nodded in response to her request. “Go ahead and use my shower,” he told her with a gesture toward the bathroom door. Not fluent in assuring someone that they didn’t need to say sorry, he didn’t respond to her bumbling apology. “It’s just around the corner, so you’ll have the whole nook to yourself. It isn’t visible from the bedroom at all.” Since the door leading into the adjoining bathroom was made of clear glass, he felt the need to make sure she knew the shower was private, at least.

“I’ll wait out here until you’re done,” he added, planting himself in the chair in the corner of the room.

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Cas has no idea he's already being interrogated xD

Also, Miles is such a character. He's really energetic and fun to write.

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

After a night of less than restful sleep, Caspian awoke the next morning to a splitting headache that made him want to crawl into a hole and die. He groaned painedly and refused to open his eyes, hoping that if he tried to go back to sleep, he would wake up the next time feeling a little better than he did now. He no longer felt the urge to vomit, but his stomach was still tender, and his whole body ached in tandem with the migraine. It had been a long time since he’d last made himself this miserable by drinking excessively. Usually when he went out, he cut himself off earlier to avoid getting so sick. Unfortunately, his friends had already roped him into it this time, so he could do nothing but wait for the agony of the hangover to pass on its own.

He let out his breath in a slow exhale and burrowed further beneath the duvet, starting to drift off again, only to be interrupted by a crisp knock on his bedroom door. The sound made him hiss, sensitive to any noise in his current state, and he mumbled, “Not right now.” Assuming the person on the other side of the door was a maid, one warning should have been all it took to ward her off. However, in the next moment, he heard a male voice call out from the hallway.

“Your Highness, I need to speak with you now,” Jacob said, folding his arms impatiently over his chest. It was already eight o’ clock, and he didn’t want to wait any longer to question the prince about his involvement in the prisoner’s escape. Atlas would most likely be waking up within the hour, so he needed to find out where she had gone as soon as possible.

At the sound of the guard’s familiar voice, Cas furrowed his brows and cracked open his eyes, then grimaced immediately as the hazy morning light seared his overly sensitive vision. He didn’t know what Jacob wanted, but surely it could wait. “Come back later,” he moaned, closing his eyes again and pulling a pillow over his head. “I’m hungover as fuck.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that,” Jacob replied, bracing himself to face the moody royal as he took the knob in his hand and opened the door. “It’s about something that happened last night.” In truth, he was already convinced that Caspian had everything to do with Iris’s disappearance. After he’d seen the way the prince had spoken about her and even interacted with her before the abduction, he felt certain that Cas had let himself get closer to her than he should have. He had a motive, he had the time to get away with it, and he was clever enough to do so. Last night, the guard had also found that the master key to the hospital was, in fact, missing from its hook. However, he wasn’t about to reveal his hand this soon. He was going to make the crown prince sweat first and see how he would react to the “news” that Nox-Fleuret was gone.

As soon as Jacob mentioned that he was here because of an incident that had occurred the previous night, Caspian stiffened involuntarily. He had thought the guards wouldn’t make him a suspect. It was more likely that one of the other members of the rebellion had broken into the capital to rescue her after all… wasn’t it? His heart stumbled with nervousness, and he was thankful for the pillow he’d thrown over his head that concealed the flicker of worry that crossed his features.

Calm down, he chided himself sternly. I’m jumping to conclusions. Jacob doesn’t know anything. He’s probably just here to tell me that Iris is gone, so I can’t let him know that I already knew that. I have to convince him that I was really out at the club all night, and I’m just hearing this for the first time. He forced himself to take a slow breath and sat upright, wincing again and pressing an open palm to his head as the motion made him feel like he was being slammed over the head with a chair. He wished he didn’t have to have this conversation when he was feeling so horrible, but there was no way out of it now.

“What are you talking about?” he asked groggily, glancing at Jacob with a frown. At least he didn’t have to fake how physically and mentally exhausted he was. His hangover was no joke.

The guard studied him closely as he replied, “I came to inform you that Iris Nox-Fleuret escaped from the hospital last night. She’s gone.”

Cas stared at him, feigning surprise to the best of his ability, “What? Do you know where she went? How did she get out?”

“I’m not sure where she’s gone, but she was assisted by three men,” Jacob answered coolly. Stepping over to chair by the window, he took a seat and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “I was hoping you might be able to help me narrow down our search, since you spent a week among the rebellion. How do you feel about answering a few questions for me, Prince Caspian?”

--

That morning, Miles was reluctant to get out of bed. Sometime during the night, he’d tossed from his side onto his back, sprawling haphazardly with his jaw hanging slack and quiet snores emanating from his open mouth. He had always been a deep sleeper, and even strong alcohol often wasn’t enough to change that. He snoozed for a few hours after the sun came up, only stirring from his near comatose state when someone knocked on the door of his bedroom.

“Sir, I’ve brought breakfast,” a maid called. “May I come in?”

In an instant, he went from ‘practically dead’ to wide awake, jolting upright and turning his head toward the door. He had a moderate hangover from the vodka, but he wasn’t nearly fog-headed enough to have forgotten everything that had happened before he’d passed out. He also remembered that Iris was still in the room with him. He glanced toward the sofa, finding that she was still there, swaddled in the blanket he’d given her before they’d gone to bed. For a split second, he noted how cute she looked all wrapped up in the oversized covers, but he didn’t have time to ogle when someone else was standing right outside the room.

“I’m naked!” he called back to the maid without thinking.

“O-Oh,” she fumbled, unprepared for his unabashed reply. “Should I… come back later?”

“Yeah, that sounds good,” Miles agreed, climbing out of bed. “Thanks, Cindy!”

“You’re welcome, sir.”

Once he heard the sound of her footsteps receding from the door, he turned back to Iris shoving one hand into the pocket of his pajama bottoms and using the other to tame his unruly hair. “How’d you sleep?” he asked, brushing off the odd interaction with the servant as if it hadn’t happened. “I hope you’re not as hungover as I am this morning.”

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

I'm excited for the next part ^^ Right now, Jacob is planning to recapture Iris, so Cas will have his work cut out for him when he has to convince him not to tell Atlas