Rogue Sloth

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

We did! Also sorry it took me so long to write back! Plans completely changed for the weekend. We ended up hanging out Friday afternoon/evening and all day on Saturday, and then we went hiking and got brunch today. Weekends tend to be socially busy for me because it's the time most of us in the group don't have to work ^^;

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

“Sounds like we made a good decision to order from Luigi’s then,” Miles nodded gladly when Iris confirmed that she liked the pizza. “After we run out, I can order some more for us in a few days,” he leaned toward her on the floor and lowered his voice, “when these two aren’t around to eat any of it.” Indiscreetly, he gestured at Caspian and Jay, who had both been close enough to hear his not-so-secretive whispering.

At his gibe, Cas shook his head subtly and took another bite of his food. Aside from his friend’s ridiculousness, the comment stirred envy up inside of him. He wished he could be the one to share private meals with Iris or even just be alone with her for more than a minute at a time. Unfortunately, he couldn’t hide her anywhere on the Maydestone family’s property without someone noticing she was there. There were just too many servants and security guards prowling the premises. He was sure they wouldn’t last two days before someone stumbled upon her while they were cleaning or keeping watch for intruders. Then she would be sent back to the penitentiary immediately, and all their hard work would have been for nothing.

With a low sigh, he finished off his first slice of pizza and chased the last bite with another sip of his champagne. At least I still get to see her at all, he reminded himself, trying not to let the seed of jealousy ruin his mood again. If we hadn’t saved her or if we’d had to send her back to the districts… He trailed off with a faint grimace, not wanting to think about what could have happened in either case. With the soldiers and the rebels after her, Miles’ home was the safest place she could be. Getting jealous over the fact that his friend was going to be sharing food with her was unproductive, and the bitter emotion only hurt himself.

So, doing his best not to dwell on it, he spent the rest of the afternoon participating in conversation and games with the others, purposefully pushing aside all thoughts of the fact that he would have to part ways with Iris again before the day was over. As far as he was concerned, all that mattered was the present moment. He was with her, and they were having a good time together. All else was moot.

While he had limited himself to drinking just one glass of champagne, Miles and Jay went all out with the available substances. They split the rest of the bottle between the two of them and then shared a bong from Miles’ stash, smoking it with the window open to air out the room for the others. Without pacing themselves, they grew stupid on the alcohol and drugs, giggling over jokes that only made sense to them and lounging around in various odd positions on the sofa, the bed and the floor.

Around four o’clock, the two had ended up back on the floor, trying to make out images in the textured paint on the ceiling. Cas watched them amusedly for a few minutes before his eyes wandered to Iris, involuntarily drawn by the scarlet fabric that wrapped her body like an unopened present. He curled his fingers against his leg, restless with the desire to pull her aside and make good on his promise to spend a night with her. Technically, he couldn’t get away with it when his father expected him to be home by midnight, but he wondered if he could at least steal a moment with her before he had to go back to his own manor.

He glanced at the other high borns, who were thoroughly ensnared in the combined effects of alcohol and weed, as an idea came to him. Leaning over to Iris, he whispered while the others were looking away, “Make an excuse to go to the bathroom but don’t turn on the lights when you go in. I’ll meet you there… Those two are too high to notice if we disappear for a little.”

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Nice! I think I'm going for another hike tomorrow, but I have no plans for Sunday!

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Cas said a quick ‘thank you’ to Iris as she handed him a plate, eager to dig into his portion of lunch. It had been weeks since he’d last eaten pizza, so he was looking forward to devouring the two slices in front of him. The gourmet food in the capital was perhaps the luxury he’d missed the most while he had been stuck in the other districts. It had been a blessing that he’d been able to scrape together meals at all, and he wasn’t ungrateful for the help he’d received from Iris and Maisie, but there was no comparing to the rich flavors he enjoyed when he was home. He hoped Iris would like it too, since he knew she hadn’t been able to eat food like this for most of her life.

Lifting the first piece to his lips to take a bite, he chewed slowly as he watched his friends battle over the sofa across the table. Miles had almost managed to overpower Jay, pushing him off the edge to secure his old spot, but Jay was still stronger than him. He threw an arm around Miles’ neck and pulled him down with him roughly. As soon as the sofa was clear of bodies, he jumped back up and laid down again, looking at Miles with a victorious smile, “Wanna try that again, small fry?”

“I hate you,” Miles rolled his eyes, rubbing his sore tailbone, which he’d landed on when the other high born had thrown him from the couch. Giving up the match this time, he turned his attention to the food and filled up a plate with three slices of pizza to eat on the floor.

“Good effort,” Cas teased him unsympathetically. “I think I’d give that one a seven out of ten.” Almost every time Miles challenged Jay, he got his ass handed to him. Their car-obsessed friend was built stockier than either of them and spent even more time at the gym than the prince did. The only times Miles managed to win was when he caught Jay by surprise.

“You don’t have to rub it in,” Miles complained, stuffing a bite of pizza into his mouth. He shook his head. “This is my goddamn room. Why am I the one sitting on the carpet?”

“Because you have to earn sofa privileges,” Jay replied with a grin.

“Ass,” Miles scoffed. Chasing his first bite with a swig of champagne, he turned to Iris. “So, what do you think? Is it great or do I owe you two hundred credits?” he asked, changing the subject. “And don’t you dare tell me you hate it just for the sake of winning the bet!”

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

No worries! I was out running errands anyway :)

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

“Because it would be cool to be famous for something,” Jay answered matter-of-factly when Iris asked her question. Despite what she and Cas said about Miles, he sprawled out even more on the sofa with his hands behind his head and both feet kicked up on the opposite armrest. “I wouldn’t mind getting word out about my autobody shop and being recognized for it. If a producer came along and said he wanted to make a show out of what I do, there’s no way in hell I’d turn that offer down.”

“Being famous is also overrated,” Caspian pitched in, wrinkling his nose at the subject. “You lose a lot of privacy, and everything you do has consequences because people are watching your every move. It gets old fast.” If he’d had his choice, he would have preferred to be a contestant on a reality show over being the heir to the crown. At least that way, his lack of privacy would have been temporary rather than something he would have to put up with for the rest of his life. There were some perks, he couldn’t deny that, but for the most part, he found himself dreaming of escaping from his fate and being a regular high born.

“Yeah, yeah,” Jay rolled his eyes. “We all know how you feel about it.” He and Miles had heard the spiel many times before, since the prince was fairly vocal about his distaste for the spotlight. They knew he would have preferred to live his life under a rock rather than put up with paparazzi, reporters, nosy supporters, interviews, and all the other things that came with being royalty in Aspiria. Neither of them understood it though. To them, being a member of the royal family sounded amazing, and they would have traded places with him in a heartbeat if they could.

Cas didn’t bother to reply. He knew his friends didn’t understand the weight that came with being the crown prince. Even if he’d liked the attention—and he didn’t always enjoy it—he also had to take into account the responsibilities, private classes, meetings with dignitaries, involvement with the military, and all the pressure he was under to meet the expectations of the monarchy’s main ring of support. It was a lot for one person to handle.

Glancing down at Iris, his smile returned as she carried on the conversation about TV shows in the capital. “Oh yeah?” he mused. “What was the film about? Now that you’ve said that, you’re gonna have to tell us the details.”

At her mention of going outside, Cas followed her gaze to the window. He wished he could assure her that she wouldn’t be cooped up much longer, but in truth, he had no idea how long it would be until she could leave the Kinders’ home. The soldiers might believe she had left the capital, but they still knew her face. If she suddenly reappeared in the streets, they would arrest her immediately. He paused in his absentminded tracing of her shoulder blades, perplexed by the thought. Maybe he could talk to Jacob about it. Surely the guard would have some ideas as to how he could smuggle her from Miles’ bedroom to a safer location—

“Who’s ready to eat?”

Abruptly, Caspian’s thought were interrupted when Miles burst into the room carrying two large, cardboard boxes in his hands. The smell of hot pizza wafted through the space, and his stomach growled reflexively. Closing the door with his leg, Miles strode over to the coffee table and set the food down on the surface along with a set of four plates. Dusting off his hands, he turned toward Jay, “Move over, jackass. You’re in my seat.”

“Make me,” Jay winked at him challengingly.

Without hesitation, Miles dove for him, and the two began wrestling over the sofa just as Cas had predicted. The prince snorted and leaned forward in his chair. “Mind grabbing me a couple slices while they’re occupied?” he asked Iris, placing his hand on her collar. “One of each kind of pizza, please. They’re both great.”

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

They're so good, they've honestly ruined all other pizza for me xD I still like it at other restaurants, but none of them are as good as that place is. They also compete in food competitions internationally and have placed! Never 1st, but they've gotten 3rd a couple times, which is still insanely impressive.

Yeah, I'm hoping so too, because talking about it only makes me want to go back even more haha.

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

While Jay and Iris talked, Caspian sipped idly at his drink and glanced at Miles, who was also listening to them talk. The other high born’s gaze was fixed not-so-subtly on Iris’s face, making it obvious that he was still enamored with her. He fought the urge to roll his eyes. Even though he’d just talked to her and gotten confirmation that she didn’t want to be with anyone other than him, it was annoying to watch one of his friends become infatuated with her too. He was even a little surprised by the strength of his frustration. He’d never guessed that he would be the possessive type, but then again, he’d never had feelings for the same woman as Jay or Miles before, so they’d never competed. Now that he and his friend were both interested in Iris, he felt the irrational urge to lay claim to her even though nothing would happen between her and the other man.

Trying not to dwell on it, he turned away from Miles to listen more closely to the others talk. Jay shook his head when Iris brought up the reality TV shows that were popular in the capital. “I don’t like them either,” he agreed with her. “Why watch something like that when you could be watching exciting action movies instead?”

“You just don’t like anything that doesn’t have guns, hot women and cars,” Miles debated with a scoff. “I think the drama is fun, and so do a lot of other people. It’s also easy to turn viewing parties into drinking parties really fast.”

At the sound of the doorbell, they both glanced at the bedroom door along with Cas. “Should be,” Miles confirmed to Iris, standing up from the sofa. “I’ll go get it.” He headed out the door again to get their food, and Jay made himself comfortable right away by sprawling out with his legs up on the couch, taking over the whole piece of furniture.

“He can sit on the floor when he comes back,” he justified, resting his head on the arm of the sofa with a sly smile.

“He’s gonna sit on you,” Cas warned amusedly. He’d known Jay and Miles long enough to expect that when the latter came back, they were just going to end up wrestling over the couch because of the former’s shenanigans. It happened almost every time.

He turned back to look at Iris, deciding to participate in the conversation she had started up before. “I think reality shows are popular because a lot of people here like the idea of being on TV,” he posed. “There are so many different ones with so many different themes that pretty much anyone can send in an audition to join. Especially the dating shows. I bet they get hundreds of applicants every season.” He paused, then added, “And a lot of people just like judging the cast over everything they do wrong.” He shrugged. “I like a few of them, but they’re pretty hit or miss for me as a genre.”

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Yeah, it was super good! My favorite is a white cheese pizza with brussel sprouts, soppressata, honey, and pistachios. I've been wanting to go back to the restaurant, but they reclosed recently due to COVID concerns unfortunately

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

“I have,” Cas rubbed his arm as he admitted that he’d attended formal events often. After visiting the districts—if ‘visiting’ was even the right word for it—he was a little uncomfortable talking about the life of luxury that he was accustomed to. It wasn’t something that he could feel guilty about, since it hadn’t been his choice to be born into royalty. However, knowing that Iris had been poor for the entirety of her life made it awkward to discuss things like balls and gallas that she could never attend. “Honestly, they’re a little overrated,” he went on. “I’ve always preferred the atmosphere of the bars a lot more, because everyone is so much looser and more fun. The people who show up for formal events are pretty snobbish, and they spend all their time gossiping about anyone who doesn’t look or act in ways that they’ve decided are acceptable in high society.”

“Yeah, even my family doesn’t like going when we get invitations,” Miles nodded in agreement. “I’m pretty sure my mom and dad purposefully take on jobs overseas whenever there’s a galla, just so they have an excuse not to show up. My sister is the only one who gets excited about going.”

“That’s because her life’s goal is to be a sugar baby,” Jay snickered.

“I wish I could say you were wrong, but she’s told me that almost word-for-word before,” Miles wrinkled his nose. “It’s so creepy watching her flirt with all the old men at those events like she’s trying to be picked to join one of them at their playboy manors.”

“It’ll be even creepier if her plan works and one of them proposes to her,” Jay teased. “Imagine having a seventy-year-old brother-in-law!”

Miles gagged in disgust.

When they drank their champagne, Caspian held the cool liquid on his tongue for a second before he swallowed it, enjoying the crisp flavor. He’d silently limited himself to one glass, since it would take some time before he wanted to get drunk again, so he was savoring the contents of his glass. He didn’t want to burn through it too quickly or he wouldn’t have any to sip at when their food arrived. The light champagne would pair nicely with the salmon pizza he’d ordered, and he was just enough of a connoisseur to appreciate the combination of flavors. Just because he had a hard time distinguishing between cheap and luxury wines didn’t mean he didn’t like rich meals, after all.

“This was a great choice, Cas,” Miles nodded approvingly as he set his flute back down on the table. It seemed like he and Jay were pacing themselves too, because the glass was still more than halfway full.

“Thanks,” he replied. In truth, he’d just grabbed one of the first bottles he’d seen on the shelf, but he was glad that his selection was praised. He glanced down at Iris, noticing that she had only taken one small sip of her drink. Remembering that she’d liked mimosas when they had shared drinks at his family’s private bar, he was a little surprised that she was hardly touching her beverage now. He couldn’t tell if she was drinking slowly because she didn’t like it or if she just wasn’t very interested in having alcohol at the moment, but either way, he wanted to assure her that she didn’t have to feel pressured to conform.

Subtly, he reached down to rest his free hand in his lap, touching her upper back gently with his fingers and tracing absentminded patterns on her skin.

“So, how have you been doing since we busted you out of the hospital, Iris?” Jay asked, taking no notice of the prince’s discreet gesture behind her head. “You’ve got more color in your cheeks today. Seems like you’re getting on despite the fact that you’re stuck here with Miles.”