Rogue Sloth

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

“I feel a lot better,” Caspian confirmed with a smile when Iris asked how he was doing. He’d caught the slight waver in her voice, so he wanted to assure her that he had almost fully recovered. His injuries had been severe, but the medicine in the capital was unmatched by any other countries on the continent, so even though only a week had gone by, he was practically healed. All that was left to remind him of the wounds were the slight ache in his leg that formed when he spent too much time walking on it and the white scars that were developing over the worst of his surface injuries. For the most part, he could scarcely tell that he’d been stabbed, shot and broken just recently.

As she went on to tell him about when she and Miles had been up to during the lockdown, he nodded along attentively, glad to hear that she had stayed busy. The one thing his friend was good at was providing distractions when times were hard. His chipper attitude and eagerness to take everyone’s minds off their troubles were appreciated by both himself and Jay. “Oh yeah?” he mused. “What games did you play?” He was also relieved that she was still gaining memories back. It may not have been much, but to him, it was a sign that she was still recovering from the head wound that had given her amnesia. Any progress she made toward recovering the person she had been before that night was important to him.

“We had a whole week, so I taught her a few different ones,” Miles answered. “Rummy, Hearts, Spades, Blackjack, even Go-Fish.” He glanced at her with a smirk and then scoffed when she accused him of cheating. “Whatever. If anyone has been cheating, it’s you. I’ve never lost at Rummy that many times in a row in my life! I know you’ve been pocketing aces, Iris. Don’t try to deny it.”

Watching the two banter as if they were old friends, Caspian felt another sting of envy that threatened to wipe the pleasant expression off his face. He wished he could have been the one to be locked up with Iris for a whole week. He’d had that much time with her when they had been in the districts, of course, but their time together hadn’t been all fun and games. They had been running for their lives from the rebellion. Absently, he leaned into his chair and folded his arms over his chest, struggling to mask his jealousy. He knew he shouldn’t be upset. It had been his idea to hide her with Miles when she’d left the hospital, after all. To be frustrated that the two had bonded would have been hypocritical. Yet he couldn’t help himself. Insecurity bubbled up inside of him, and he remarked flippantly, “I believe her. You know you don’t always play fair, Miles.”

His friend turned toward him with a frown, catching the subtle passive-aggressive tone of his voice but not understanding what had provoked it. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Inwardly, Cas cringed, knowing he was letting his emotions get the best of him again. Miles didn’t deserve that. Even if he had taken interest in Iris, it was because he didn’t know they were together. But are we still? He wondered suddenly, stricken with a flash of worry. Before the lockdown, he’d thought he and Iris were on the same page, but what if she had only fancied him because he was the only eligible man around? Now that she’d spent a week getting to know someone else, what if she’d decided she liked the other high born better? They had never talked about being exclusive with one another, so she’d had every right to explore other options while they were apart. He swallowed hard, wishing they could be alone so he could find out where her head was at now that she’d spent time with someone else.

“You’re safe now,” he confirmed in response to Iris’s question, dodging the one his friend had asked by latching onto the other subject. “I talked to the head of security about it… Jacob. He figured out that we were the ones who helped you escape, but he agreed not to say anything after I explained the whole situation to him. He said he would tell the soldiers that you were taken back to the districts already. I know him well, and I’m sure we can trust him to keep his word.”

“Wow,” Miles whistled. “That was lucky.” He turned back to Iris. “Looks like you’re in the clear, rebel girl.”

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

I like that idea :) Were you wanting Jacob to go along with it and help her leave or have him tell her she's wrong and refuse? His response would depend heavily on when Iris asks him. The sooner she does, the more likely he would be to go along with the idea, because at this point, he also thinks she's bad for Cas

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

When Iris answered his question by saying that Miles had been boring, Caspian blinked, not expecting to hear those words come out of her mouth. Out of all the ways a person could describe his wild friend, boring was far from the top of the list. He would have thought that she’d call him overwhelming or ridiculous before she would ever accuse him of not being entertaining enough to keep her occupied. So, when she clarified that she had been joking, he nodded, not at all surprised.

“After everything I’ve done for you, I’d be offended if you didn’t think I was lovely,” Miles chimed in with a roll of his eyes, stepping across the room to plop down on the sofa next to her. “You minx. You make it sound like I made you sleep on the sofa every night.” Turning back to Cas, he shook his head adamantly. “I swear, I offered her the bed, but she insisted every time that she preferred the couch. It was all her decision.”

“Sounds like her,” Cas chuckled, recalling how much Iris had fought with him whenever he’d wanted to do something kind for her. He had always liked helping other people, but she made simple gestures in veritable competitions. Any time he proposed to do anything for her, he knew to brace himself for pushback and excuses before she would begrudgingly let him come alongside her. It sounded like Miles had learned the same lesson during their week together, except his friend hadn’t been persistent enough to convince her to sleep in the bed.

Despite the warm atmosphere in the room, the prince felt an odd twinge in his chest as he conversed with the others. Noticing the way Miles had seated himself at her side, he found himself wondering involuntarily just how close they had gotten during the lockdown. A subtle frown tugged at his lip, though he managed to stifle it before it took over his features. He was probably just reading into things. It was only natural for Iris to have found friendship in Miles while they had spent so much time together. He couldn’t be upset with her for getting along with the other high born. Reprimanding himself silently for distrusting them without reason, he strode over to the empty chair adjacent to the sofa and sat down.

As Iris went on to tease Miles about his snoring, the other man balked and turned to her with wide eyes. “You said I wasn’t bothering you!” he gasped. “What the hell? Did you lie to me?” As he spoke, he nudged her jokingly with his elbow, making it clear that he wasn’t actually offended by the remark.

Telling himself that his friend was just treating her the same way he would behave around him or Jay, Cas did his best to shake off the discomfort he felt by focusing on her question to him. “Not too much,” he answered with a shrug, his eyes idly roving her red dress. “I spent most of my time watching TV while I recovered, but I also hit the gym a few times, so I wasn’t a total couch potato.”

He wished he could comment on how good she looked, but with Miles sitting right next to her, he kept the observation to himself. “What have you two been up to?” he asked instead, careful to keep his tone in check. He didn’t want to clue either of them in to the hint of bitterness he felt, especially when he was sure he was just being paranoid.

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Cool cool. I'm excited ^^

I also can't wait to see what you come up with for Iris and Ethan.

Yeah, Cas is also gonna feel terrible that he let his emotions get the best of him and didn't come home. I could see that leading to some interesting interactions between him and Jacob later on when they discuss what happened.

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Awesome! And my idea was that Cas would get a hotel room for him and Iris.

I had a little timeline of events:

1. Cas notices the way Miles is behaving around Iris and starts to worry that something happened between them while he was at the palace. This would also delay his initial plan to spend the night with her, because he would be uncertain about her feelings about him. He'd probably go a little over the top trying to win her affection back, to which she could notice and assure him that he doesn't need to earn it.

2. Cas would have to come clean about his relationship with Iris to Miles, so his friend would realize she's taken and stop trying to flirt with her. Miles isn't a douchebag, so he would back down as soon as he knows she isn't single like he'd thought.

3. Something happens between Cas and Atlas that pushes Cas over the edge. He leaves the palace in a rage, telling his father that he needs space. He goes to Miles' place to calm down, taking comfort with Iris and his friend(s). Losing respect for Atlas, this is when he decides to get a hotel room to spend the night with Iris. Instead of going home at midnight like he's supposed to, he stays out with her all night as a form of passive rebellion.

4. The next morning, he turns his phone back on to find a storm of missed texts and calls. While he was gone, Atlas had another severe episode, had been taken to the hospital to be treated, but didn't make it. He needs to report back to the palace immediately to be prepared for his coronation as the next king.

What do you think? ^^ I enjoy lots of action and drama, so I think it'll be good. I don't have much for Iris's side, but I figured you can find some ways to fill in the gaps. Maybe even give some updates on Ethan's side while she's still stuck with Miles?

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

“That was the idea,” Miles grinned at Iris when she said he was building her ego. Really it was more of an excuse for him to compliment her without giving away his interest outright. Now that the lockdown was over, there was less of a reason for him to pretend like he didn’t find her ridiculously hot, but he wanted to plan out how he was going to make a real move at least a little before he actually tried it. For now, he would just work less to hide his attraction, so she wouldn’t be blindsided when he left nothing to the imagination later on.

Heading out of his bedroom, he made his way to the front door, where one of the maids had just let Caspian inside the manor. “Hey, long time no see,” he greeted the prince in a friendly manner, then quirked a brow when he noticed the color on his face. “You okay, man? You’re looking a little flushed.”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Cas shook his head, shutting the topic down with a wince. Apparently his efforts to quell his embarrassment hadn’t worked very well. He hoped the residual awkwardness would fade once he got his mind off the events at the gas station. Seeing Iris again would help. At the thought of her, he peered past Miles’ shoulder down the hallway that led to his room, his heart fluttering with excitement. “Let’s go sit down,” he suggested to the other high born, waving a hand for him to follow as he strode toward the corridor.

“Okay,” Miles complied without question, picking up on the prince’s implied desire to meet up with Iris away from the maids that were milling about the public quarters of the building. They walked back to the bedroom, talking idly as Miles made one more attempt to ask why the prince had shown up to his place looking flustered. Of course, Cas shut him down stubbornly and took a few quick steps ahead to get to the door before his friend had a chance to pester him anymore. As soon as he opened it, he was greeted with the sight he had been awaiting for the whole week.

Stopping in the doorway, he couldn’t help but stare as his eyes landed on Iris. She was sitting on the sofa, donning a beautiful, deep scarlet dress that cinched and flowed over her body in a way that both flattered her figure and highlighted the rosiness of her fair skin. Her golden blonde hair was loose and her blue eyes were especially striking in contrast with the bold color of her clothing. It almost felt like she had been posed just for him, and he nearly missed the words that left her perfectly shaped lips as he struggled to pick his jaw up off the floor.

“Um, yeah…” he managed to splutter after a moment, proceeding the rest of the way into the room with Miles following close behind. Clearing his throat, he smiled at her sheepishly, feeling strangely nervous around her when she looked so incredible. If possible, she was even more gorgeous in person than he’d made her out to be in his imagination while they’d been apart. He was bewildered how he had gotten so lucky that a woman like her was actually interested in him. If his friend hadn’t been in the room with them, he would have been tempted to close the distance between them and have her on the sofa.

Chagrined by the direction of his own thoughts, he forced himself to speak, “Anyway, how have you been holding up? I hope Miles hasn’t been giving you too hard of a time while you’ve been stuck here with him.”

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

I was out doing more design stuff for the house (finally have all the kitchen/bathroom materials picked out!) but I'm home now so I'll get started on my next post after I eat a quick lunch :)

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

I like throwing in comedy where I can xD It also opens the door possibly (depending on how Cas and Iris go about trying to find time alone) for word to get out that the crown prince is seeing someone, which could lead to more drama around the capital.

I can try to think of some alternative ideas for how they hide Iris. I did have one, as well as a transition to get us there, but I have to ponder over it a little to make sure it actually makes sense before I suggest it.

It could be interesting if the rebellion attacks during or right after Cas's coronation. It would put a lot of pressure on him as a brand new king to take care of the threat. As for Ethan being captured, I have no preferences, so we can handle that however you want to. One thing to note is that if he is caught, he'll most likely die, since the soldiers wouldn't waste time interrogating and killing him.

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

I don't mind doing it sometimes! Miles and Cas have both been fun to write.

Also this particular post was so fun xD I had an idea and just ran with it lmao Poor Cas was humiliated at the gas station

I'm excited to see what you have planned for Ethan. I was also thinking that Atlas could pass soon, actually. I'm not sure exactly when, but I don't want to put it off too much longer.

I was also thinking that Iris would stay in the capital unless you have something you want her to do in the districts. We could figure out some things to keep her busy, since she's hiding away right now.

I like the idea of the threatening text too!

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Speeding along the highway, Cas turned his stereo up as high as he could take it and opened the sunroof on the top of the car. It had been weeks since the last time he’d gone for a drive alone, and he was milking the experience for all it was worth. Though he was excited to see Iris again, he’d never lost his fondness for taking solo joyrides around the city. The pulse of the music and the roar of the wind ripping through his hair were thrilling as he traveled at a high speed down the moderately busy road. If his father didn’t demand that he come home sooner than the usual curfew, he was tempted to take a longer drive after he left Miles’ house later that day.

He coasted between other cars, making his way toward the Kinders’ neighborhood while his thoughts fixated on Iris once again. Now that they were finally going to see each other again, he was finding it harder and harder to keep her out of his head. He’d missed being around her, talking to her, touching her. The week that they had been apart had left him feeling like an addict on withdrawal, and he couldn’t wait to bridge the divide that Atlas had unknowingly forced between them with the implementation of the lockdown. He also couldn’t wait to steal a moment to talk to her about the proposition she’d made before they had started drinking before.

As always, the thought left him somewhat flustered but also stupidly excited, and he pressed down a little harder on the gas pedal in anticipation. The memory of their night at the pub came to mind, as well as how hard it had been to cool down after things had gotten so heated between them. The lasting impression of her hands on his bare skin, her lips locked hungrily with his own, and the briefly unleashed desire that had culminated between them was more than enough to make him lightheaded. Although he was glad that they’d had the sense to stop before they’d gotten themselves into a situation that they may have regretted, he was still looking forward to being with her in a way that he never had with anyone else before.

However, amidst his rekindled passion for her, another thought appeared that put a halt to his train of thoughts: He and Iris had stopped themselves last time because of the potential repercussions that could have come with sleeping together. Swearing under his breath, he glanced at the nearest exit sign to gauge where he was en route to Miles’ house. In the capital, he had access to contraceptives, but he hadn’t thought to buy anything when he’d left the mansion that morning. It had also been quite a while since the last time he’d sent a servant to run such an errand for him—even though he’d never slept with anyone before, he’d been hopeful enough to keep some on hand, just in case—so anything he might have had was most likely expired.

Biting his lip, he groaned and turned the wheel, steering his car onto the next exit ramp. If he’d planned better, he would have paid a servant to make the trip for him, but it was too late for that. He would just have to hope he could slip in and out of a gas station fast enough that he wouldn’t draw attention to himself. The last thing he wanted was for someone to catch him in the middle of a scandalous purchase and spread rumors about his sex life. He already had enough problems to deal with without being roped into more high born gossip.

Pulling up to the first gas station he saw, he was relieved to find that there was only one other car parked outside the shop. Hopefully, that meant it would be clear enough that he could be back on the road in just a few minutes.

He pulled into a space by the door and climbed out of his car, leaving his sunglasses in place until he was inside the convenience store. As he lifted them up to rest on top of his head, he dipped to the back of the building straight away where he was pretty sure he could find what he was looking for. Fortunately, he was right and there was only one other family nearby, none of whom seemed to have noticed him as they tried to talk their daughter down from purchasing an overpriced doll by the register.

He grabbed a box from the shelf along with a couple other random items—a bag of chips, a pack of gum, and a lighter even though he didn’t smoke—since it felt weird to approach the cashier with nothing but contraceptives in hand. Not wasting any time, he turned and wove his way through the other stands until he got to the counter and set everything down to check out.

The pink-haired woman on the other side lazily glanced up from the book she had been reading. “Will that be all for you today—?” she started to ask and then froze, doing a double-take as she looked up to see his face. Recognizing him immediately, her entire demeanor shifted, and she fumbled to set her book down. “Your Highness. Did you, err, find everything you were looking for?”

Cas nodded faintly, avoiding her gaze by pretending like he was reading something interesting on his phone. It was impossible to escape from the gas station without being spotted by the cashier, but that didn’t make the exchange any less awkward for him. He felt like a guilty schoolboy who had been caught trying to buy cigarettes. It would have been easier if he was just a normal high born who could duck in and out of a shop without being recognized, but he was unfortunate enough to have eyes on him wherever he went. Nothing he did went unnoticed or forgotten.

The girl scanned each item, thankfully without commenting on the sordid box, and gave him his total. “Do you want a bag for everything, Your Highness?” she asked as he took his card from his wallet to pay.

“Yeah, thanks,” he replied, trying to ignore the obvious intrigue etched on her face. It wasn’t a long shot to guess that she was trying to piece together who he was going to be seeing after he made his rushed purchase. He was just glad that no one in the capital knew he was with Iris, so she wouldn’t get dragged into the merciless spotlight along with him.

Inserting the card into the reader, he waited a few seconds for the transaction to go through and then moved to return it to his wallet. However, as he did, he stiffened as he caught sight of movement to his left. Too late, he realized that the girl he’d spotted a few minutes ago had slipped away from her parents and bounced over to the counter. She leaned up on her toes to set down the doll she was determined to get, wearing a bright smile on her face.

“One dollie please, miss!” she called to the cashier, only to pause when she caught sight of the other items on the surface. “Are you buying a toy too, mister?” she asked, and before he could react, she had swiped the box from the counter to read the label. “What are cond—”

“Not a toy!” Caspian interrupted her quickly, turning scarlet as he took the container back from her small hands.

In the next moment, the girl’s mother saw that she was hassling him and blanched, racing over to take her by the hand. “I’m so sorry, Your Highness,” she apologized hurriedly. Her eyes flicked to the box in his hands and she grimaced, giving her daughter a firm tug, “Elise, that was very naughty. You don’t go through other people’s belongings like that!”

“Sorry, mama…” the girl pouted as she was speedily ushered away.

Caspian watched them go with an appalled expression, mortified by the entire encounter. Muttering to the cashier to keep his receipt, he tossed the box into the plastic bag with the other goods and hurried out of the store to escape back to his car. Once he’d closed the door behind him, he threw the bag on the passenger’s seat and gripped the steering wheel with both hands. “Oh my god!” he yelled to no one, dropping his forehead onto the brim of the wheel in humiliation. There was no way that errand could have gone any worse. It was just his luck that a stranger’s kid would have been the one to approach him at the gas station.

For a few minutes, he stayed where he was, hiding behind the tinted windows of his car until he reigned in his embarrassment enough to lift his head and set out again.

Trying his hardest to forget what had just happened, he made excellent time to Miles’ house and pulled around to the front door. He stowed the individual packets in his wallet and left the empty box, snacks and lighter behind, still veritably glowing red as he climbed out of the vehicle and stepped up to the entrance. With a calming breath, he reached up and knocked, praying that the color would leave his cheeks before anyone answered the door.

--

“You’re not boring either,” Miles returned, giving Iris a teasing push to the shoulder as he stood near the sofa. “You might even be better company than Cas and Jay. Don’t tell them I said that though.” He winked at her and glanced at his phone to check the time. He would have thought that Caspian would have gotten to his place by now. Maybe traffic was bad on the way over? He wondered, trying to guess what could have held the prince up. Cas was usually punctual.

Looking up at Iris again, he laughed at her competitive words. “Oh really?” he grinned at her with equal enthusiasm. “We’ll see about that. I do think you’ll wipe the floor with Cas if you play against him though. You’ve come a long way, young apprentice.” Jokingly, he pressed his palms together and bowed to her in an old-fashioned, ridiculously formal gesture to accentuate the point.

In the next moment, he perked up again as the doorbell rang, signaling that the prince had finally arrived. “Oh good,” he mused. “His Royal Tightass is here. Stay put for a minute, and I’ll bring him in.” Flashing one more friendly smile Iris’s way, he trotted to the door and headed out into the hall to receive his new guest at the door.