Rogue Sloth

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Today has kinda felt like that, but that's probably just because I have such an irregular schedule in general. Not being in school or working is a weird time in life xD

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Cas smiled when Iris told him that being their prisoner was much better than being locked up in the penitentiary. He was glad that she was comfortable staying with Miles, but he still wished he could do something to make her feel like she wasn’t a fugitive running from the law. He couldn’t bring her into the streets with him when there was a warrant out for her arrest, but maybe he could think of some other secluded place where they could go, just so she could get out of the house? He chewed on his lip as he mulled it over. However, before he could think of any ideas, he was distracted when she told him she’d gotten invested in a reality show.

Hearing her say that made him eye her with amusement. He hadn’t forgotten how she’d gone on and on about thinking reality shows were stupid the day before. Apparently she wasn’t as immune to the addictive charm of the shows as she’d thought she was. The show they were watching wasn’t one of his personal favorites, since he wasn’t interested in fashion, but he was glad that she had found something on TV to watch with Miles. His friend was a sucker for any kind of show that had competition built into it. “I don’t think you’re giving yourself enough credit,” he disagreed. “Remember when I took you shopping a couple weeks ago? I think everything you picked out looked really good on you.”

“This is the show where the contestants have to dress up the other person,” Miles corrected. “But I agree with you. I think she’d do better than she thinks she would.” He casted her a waggish grin.

“Oh,” Cas blinked and then shrugged. “I don’t really watch this one, so I don’t know how it’s supposed to go,” he explained, turning back to Iris. “I’m glad you like it though.”

“Maybe I should sign up for one of those dating shows,” Miles mused aloud, resting his cheek in his hand as he watched the episode playing on the TV. “I’ve had shitty lucky in the romance department for a while, and it always looks like the bachelor has fun being surrounded by beautiful women. Think I should submit an audition?”

“I think it would be way more dramatic than you’re expecting, but if that’s what you really want to do, then why not?” Cas replied noncommittally.

“Easy for you to say,” Miles rolled his eyes. “You’re already surrounded by beautiful women all the time. If you weren’t such a prude in the sheets, you could have anyone you want. It’s not fair that the rest of us guys have to work so much harder and still might be rejected.”

“It isn’t as great as you think,” Cas told him dryly. “Most of the time, I can’t tell if a woman likes me for me or if she’s only interested in my status. I’m not going to be with someone unless I know she doesn’t see me as just a steppingstone to be queen.” Subtly, his eyes flicked to Iris, and an affectionate smile pulled at his lip. “Honestly, I don’t care who she is or where she comes from. I just want to be with someone who lets me be myself and who loves me even when I’m not easy to love… because I’ll do the same for her.”

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

That's such a mood xD

And okay! I have no preference about how or when that plays out, so you can integrate the texts from Ethan whenever you want to

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Cas lifted his hands in a hapless shrug when Iris said he couldn’t stay away. It was true, but probably not for the reason she was imagining. While his affection for her played a major factor in his newfound obsession with Miles’ house, his father was the one pushing him into their arms every day. He wouldn’t have felt the urge to get away from Atlas if they’d been on better terms. Instead, he couldn’t even stand to be in the same building as the king. Not until something changed, at least. He wasn’t unwilling to reconcile, but it was going to take effort on both their parts in order for the relationship to heal. As long as his father continued to brush off his feelings as the result of being “brainwashed,” he was going to keep avoiding him.

“Hey, I do not,” he defended himself with an incredulous smile when she lumped him in with Miles. He was definitely expected to think he was better than everyone else because of his royal status, but only his father was that conceited. By contrast, he still wished he had been born as a regular citizen of the capital with no crown looming in his future. He also felt ill-equipped to take over as the next king after his father passed, and he certainly didn’t feel like a better fit for the job than most other people in the city.

“Speak for yourself,” Miles grinned. “I’m fucking awesome.” With that, he strode over to the chair across from the sofa and took a seat, leaving a little distance between himself and Iris. After she had told him she wasn’t interested, he planned to put more space between them, so she would see that he was true to his word about backing off and also so he could move on from his crush without torturing himself.

For Caspian, the distance was a welcomed change of pace because it meant he could sit right next to her on the sofa without making it obvious that he wanted to be in close proximity to her. He stepped over to do just that as she explained how she had been feeling lately. Settling down next to her, he offered her a sympathetic frown when she described how difficult it was to be cooped up. He wished he could offer her better accommodations, but at the moment, this was the best they could do.

“Don’t say that,” he shook his head. “Your feelings are valid. I know it must be tough not being allowed to go outside, and I’m sorry we’ve pretty much turned you into our prisoner.” He drummed his fingers on his knee. “If I think of a way to bring you outside without getting caught, I’ll let you know.”

When she asked about why he’d come back, he stiffened involuntarily. It was an innocent question, but thinking about the answer just reignited all the emotions that had been stirring around inside of him when he’d left home. “I, uh, I just needed to get out for a while,” he replied, giving her the same vague response that he’d sold to Miles. If they had been alone, he might have been willing to tell her more, especially since his fight with his father had everything to do with her, but for now, he changed the subject. “So, what were you guys watching?” he asked, gesturing to the TV that was still playing. “Anything good on?”

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

I was gonna go back in March, but COVID happened, so yeah xD I'm glad I was finally able to get it done! And I relate to that. I usually only go to salons like once every 4 months or less because I get lazy about scheduling. I wait until my hair bothers me enough that I make an appointment lol

And that sounds good to me! I'm eager to see what you have planned with Ethan

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Waiting outside the door for what felt like twenty minutes, Cas shifted his weight from his left foot to his right. While he felt like it was unlikely that his father would send the royal security to bring him home, there was still a chance that he’d been followed. He wanted to get inside quickly, so he wouldn’t be standing in plain sight if the guards showed up at the Kinders’ house. It would be far easier to tell them that he wasn’t returning until midnight from the foyer, where they couldn’t drag him back against his will.

Fortunately, even though time seemed to pass much slower than it actually was, he didn’t have to wait long before a maid opened the door from the inside and stared at him in surprise. “Your highness, I wasn’t aware you would be stopping by today,” she said bemusedly, leaning forward in a polite bow.

“I didn’t call ahead,” he said vaguely, stepping past her to escape from the open perron. As soon as he passed through the doorway, he relaxed a little and glanced down the hallway that led toward Miles’ room. His friend was already approaching and raised his hand in a casual wave, though he seemed just as surprised by his unannounced appearance as the maid had been.

“Hey, Cas,” the other high born greeted him, stopping a couple meters away and raising a brow. “What are you doing here?”

“I had to get out of the house for a while,” Cas shrugged.

At that, Miles cracked an amused smirk, “Geez. You really have something against being in the palace, don’t you?”

“You could say that,” Cas agreed without elaborating. Truthfully, it was his father that he had issues with, but he didn’t feel like sharing that with Miles. He’d come to visit because he needed a distraction from the ongoing fight with the king, so talking about it was the last thing he wanted to do.

Walking over to head down the corridor to his friend’s room, he noticed belatedly that something seemed off about the other high born. He studied him with a subtle glance. On the surface, Miles was acting like his usual, carefree self, but there was something melancholic about him today. His smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Are you doing okay?” he asked curiously. It hadn’t been more than twelve hours since they’d last seen each other, so he couldn’t help but wonder what could have happened during that span of time that would make his friend look so crestfallen. Or, well, as crestfallen as the excitable man could be.

At his question, Miles rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Uh, yeah. I’m fine… I sort of told Iris that I was into her, and she rejected me.” He waved a hand dismissively. “It’s cool though. Now I know where she stands, so I can move on.”

“Oh,” Cas blinked. “I’m… sorry to hear that.” A boldfaced lie. He was ecstatic that the flirting between Miles and Iris was over. Watching his friend try to hit on her had been endlessly frustrating. Still, he had to keep up appearances, so he rested a hand on his shoulder. “Once we get the mess with her sorted out, I’ll take you out to the club, and we’ll find someone else for you. How does that sound?”

“Can’t wait,” Miles grinned.

They chatted more lightheartedly the rest of the way to the bedroom. When they got there, Miles opened the door and stepped inside. “Guess who came to see us?” he said to Iris with a flourish of his hand toward Cas. “We’re getting so many royal visits lately that I’m starting to feel special.”

Cas rolled his eyes as he followed his friend into the room. “You didn’t need me around to feel that way. I’m pretty sure you’ve always thought you’re better than everyone else.” As his gaze landed on Iris, his lips curved upward in an involuntary smile, and he greeted her warmly, “Hey, how are you doing today?”

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Nah, I just had the red color redone and the blonde toned, so it's more platinum. I hadn't been to a salon since November, so my hair was looking pretty weird with the roots growing in xD The stylist thinks I should get a balayage next time I come in, so I'll probably do that to blend the colors in a cool way. He's been in the business for over 30 years, so I trust his judgement.

I borrowed Miles again for this bit, since he's gonna be the one to let Cas in. I'm also thinking that when Cas goes back home later, that's when he'll have the big fight with Atlas, so the next day is when he'll pay for a hotel room for himself and Iris, and they can go there sometime in the evening.

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

With the car stereo turned up loud enough to drown out the sound of his phone’s ringtone, Cas drove himself to see his friends without looking back. He felt guilty for ignoring his father’s summons, but he couldn’t keep letting the king trod all over him anymore. For his entire life, he’d allowed Atlas to make almost all his decisions for him, always rolling over because he didn’t have the guts to stand up for himself. He’d justified it by telling himself that his father was just wiser than he was, trying to quell the frustration he felt about not having a voice of his own in the capital. However, now that his interests were directly opposed to the monarch’s, he had to take the leap and start asserting himself. If Atlas didn’t like it, it would only prove that he cared more about having a perfectly groomed successor than he did about having a son with his own free will.

The screen of his phone, which he’d set down in one of the cupholders in the center console, lit up once more as the number for the manor flashed across the top. Cas glanced at it fleetingly and looked forward again with a shake of his head. His father was probably furious with him, but he wasn’t going to pick up. “I’m not your damn puppet,” he grumbled to no one in particular, pressing down on the gas pedal with a little more force. The vehicle was equipped with GPS tracking, so Atlas could easily look it up and figure out where he was going, but he wasn’t in danger, so it would have been excessive for the king to send security to bring him back. If his father was determined to chew him out about the session with Dr. Foster, he would just have to wait to do it when he came home that night.

Making good time to Miles’ place, he pulled around to the front of the estate and climbed out of his car, veritably slamming the door behind him with simmering irritation. He hadn’t called ahead to let his friend know that he was on his way, but Miles was almost always welcoming when he showed up to visit. He didn’t expect anything different this time as he jogged up the steps to the front door and rang the doorbell to announce his presence.

Meanwhile, Miles, who had just unsuccessfully confessed his interest in Iris, tried to backpedal quickly. “God, no,” he held up his hands. “You don’t have to leave. I think you’re hot, but that doesn’t mean I’m in love with you or anything. You can still stay here. I’ll just back off a little now that I know you aren’t into me, okay?” He offered her an assuring smile. Inwardly, he was still discouraged by her swift rejection, but he was a spin doctor who could twist any painful situation into a positive one with a little effort. In this case, he told himself that now that he knew she wasn’t interested, he could move on from his crush. It was a good thing, ultimately. There was no reason to stay upset.

Taking a deep breath, he went on, “Just forget I said anything. We’re still cool, I swear.” In the next moment, the doorbell rang, and he glanced over his shoulder, secretly thankful for the excuse to get away from the awkwardness of their conversation. Standing up from the sofa, he cleared his throat, “I’ll go see who that is. Be right back.” Without waiting for a reply, he turned and trotted out of the room, heading down the hallway to find out who had showed up to his house when it was barely noon.

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

No worries at all! I was getting my hair colored at the salon and my friends are gonna be here any minute now for our game day. I haven’t had time to write at all.

Sorry to hear about work! I hope next week goes better for you

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

I have nothing to add :)

A friend came to visit today, and we're having a little game day tomorrow afternoon, so I may not be online a lot over the weekend as usual.