Rogue Sloth

New World Contention [AnnaWinters & Summer]

Hey! Sorry to hear you had covid. How are you doing?

I'm suuuper torn about picking up again because I'd love to keep going from where we left off, but I also have 9 active RPs right now so my hands are very full ^^; Would it be too much for me to ask to have a little time to consider it and see if I have enough free time to add another story? I'm just reluctant to jump right back in and find myself with an overwhelming amount of posts to write each day.

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Sounds good!

I also did a little research for this part, and a lot of luxury resorts have "secret" parking for celebrities and other guests, where they can enter and exit without being around other people. It's super interesting!

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

The feeling of Iris’s warm hand on his leg helped Caspian to relax a little as he drove the car onto the highway. Although he wished he didn’t have to get her involved in his runaway plan, he couldn’t help but be glad that she was with him now. It would be easier to hide out at the resort with another person there too. If he’d been alone, he probably would have driven himself mad with worry and despair, unable to distract himself from the knowledge that his father had been about to admit him to a mental institution. Plus, he’d missed her lately. He’d been relieved that she was safe with Miles, but he’d gotten spoiled when they had been together every minute of every day in the districts. It was exciting to know that they would have at least a few days together before he made up his mind about whether or not he would return to hash things out with his father.

“There’s nothing anyone can do,” he sighed. “He’s convinced that I’ve been ‘brainwashed’ by you and the other rebels. In his mind, your disappearance means you went back to the Scourge, and because I won’t agree with him that you deserve the death penalty, he’s decided that I’m a risk to him and to myself. I don’t know exactly why, but my guess is that he’s convinced that you’re gonna turn up again, manipulate me, and use me to overthrow the monarchy on behalf of the rebellion.” He shook his head exasperatedly. “He’s always been paranoid, but never like this… I don’t know what to do, but I do know that I needed to get out of there before he had me sent to that hellhole.”

Glancing at the side mirror, he guided the vehicle smoothly into the express lane and increased his speed. “If it’s any consolation, you actually have about forty minutes,” he corrected with a smile. “The resort is right on the edge of the city, so it’ll take us a while to get there.” If he hadn’t been worried about getting caught, he would have turned on some music for them to listen to. However, he needed to keep it quiet, just in case he caught the sound of sirens in the distance.

When Iris joked about being the disguise, he laughed softly. “Actually, I didn’t… Those are my spare sunglasses, and I just keep them in the glove compartment all the time in case I need them,” he confessed with a shrug, turning his head to look at her as she put them on. “They look better on you than they do on me.” It wasn’t the best disguise, but it would have to do. Hopefully the security guard who was waiting for them wouldn’t recognize her as the same woman that had been broadcasted all over the news as an escaped convict. There were plenty of other blonde women in the city, so someone would have to have a sharp eye to realize she was a wanted criminal.

Passing the time by talking in hushed tones, Cas drove them all the way to the northeastern wall, where an enormous, twenty story building stood majestically. It’s exterior was an elaborate combination of glass curtains, steel and concrete, arcing smoothly around a large, backlit pool. Floodlights in bright shades of blue and purple illuminated the structure as the sunlight faded from the sky.

The prince slowed the car and followed the road up to the front then turned onto a smaller side street that took them around back to a narrow, sloping tunnel that would bring them to the private, underground parking lot below the building that was reserved for guests who needed to stay out of the public eye. Usually, celebrities took advantage of it when they wanted to get out of the bustle of the city, but he also had been given the access code to open the gate earlier on the phone. Pulling up to the keypad at the front of the tunnel, he punched in the seven-digit pin and waited for the gate to slide open before he proceeded inside.

Almost every space was empty, so he parked in the closest one to the elevator and turned off the engine. “Sunglasses on?” he checked with Iris as he unbuckled his seatbelt. The security guard was already waiting for them near the lift doors, so he wanted to make sure she’d put on the glasses before they got out of the car.

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

For real xD Cas has more than enough money to pay for it though, haha. Royalty has its perks.

I'm also debating on how long it will take before Cas turns his phone on again and sees all the missed calls. We could give it a couple days, so he and Iris could have the quality time they've been needing before shit hits the fan

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

I found some reference photos for the hotel cx (bedroom is upstairs)

Sunset Veil

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Cas sighed when Iris apologized to him. He should have known she’d find a way to take the blame for this too, even though she had nothing to do with it. Neither of them could control what his father chose to do. Atlas was the king of Aspiria, and he made his own decisions. Unfortunately for them, his decision had been to lock his only son up in a mental ward for a nonexistent disorder. If he could have avoided telling her about what had happened, he would have, but she and Miles had been through so much already that he’d felt like they’d deserved at least a vague explanation of what was going on back at his home. He just wished she would stop carrying the burden of anything bad that happened to anyone. It was too much for any one person to handle, and he planned to talk to her more about it the next time he had the chance.

For now, though, they had a more pressing issue to tackle. He nodded when she asked about bringing clothes. He hadn’t known she had any of her own, since she’d only been wearing the hospital gown they’re rescued her in when she had gotten to Miles’ place. However, in retrospect he realized she’d had on a different outfit every time he’d stopped by to see her. Miles must have given her some stuff to wear while she was staying with him.

While he waited for her to gather her things, he pulled his phone from his pocket and switched it to airplane mode. Just in case he needed to turn it back on quickly, he didn’t turn it all the way off, but now that he was about to hit the road with a fugitive, he didn’t want to receive any calls from his father or Jacob or any of the other guards that might make his resolve waver. He couldn’t turn back now. Getting caught or giving up would mean an indefinite stay at an asylum, being fed cocktail of strong drugs to keep him “safe” and numb while he sat through hours of sessions with doctors who believed he was unstable. That just wasn’t an option.

“Well… I can’t say I was expecting this, but I’m sure you know what you’re doing,” Miles crossed his arms apprehensively. “If you need anything you have my number.”

“Thanks,” Cas turned back to him with a halfhearted, appreciative smile. Privately, he doubted he would call either of his close friends while he was on the run, since the soldiers could trace his signal if he tried, but he was still grateful for the offer. It was nice to know that Miles wasn’t upset or disappointed that he was potentially abandoning his inheritance as the crown prince of their kingdom.

He waited for Iris and Miles to say their goodbyes—his friend hugged both of them on their way out—before he headed back into the hallway to make sure there were no servants around to see them. Luckily, the corridor was clear, so he gestured for Iris to follow him as he strode briskly to the front door and down the perron in front of his parked car. Not planning to stay long, he’d left the vehicle running, so they could leave right away. As soon as the doors were closed and they were buckled into their seats, he steered them back into the street.

“I booked a room anonymously at the Sunset Veil Resort on the edge of the city,” he finally told her with a brief glance, relaxing just a little now that they were alone. He still checked his rearview mirror as he drove, but as time passed, he was starting to gain confidence that they would get away. “We won’t be able to get in and out without being seen by anyone, but the only people who will know we’re there are the manager and security guard who lets us in through the back door. I have a pair of sunglasses you can borrow in the glove compartment, so you can disguise yourself at least a little when we get there too.”

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Yep. And we're finally getting into it cx
Cas and Iris are running off like Bonnie and Clyde haha

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

On the drive to the Kinders’ estate, Cas kept the car stereo turned off and checked his rearview mirror continually, paranoid of any signs that he was being followed. A part of him was still in disbelief that he’d actually gotten away from the royal family’s security team and worried that he would be caught before he made it to his safehouse. If he managed to make it all the way to Miles’ place without being surrounded by squad cars first, he would have to move as fast as possible to get Iris out and get on the highway that would take them to the northern edge of the capital. It was a fairly long drive from where she was now, which meant she would be exposed for upwards of forty-five minutes. If they were found together on the road, he didn’t even want to think of what the soldiers would do to her.

Hurrying as quickly as he could without speeding to draw attention to himself, he pulled up to the front of his friend’s home and jogged up the steps to the door. After ringing the doorbell, he stood back, shifting his weight restlessly from his left foot to his right until a maid answered the chime. She bowed politely and opened her mouth to greet him, but he brushed past her before the words could leave her lips. “Sorry,” he muttered, feeling a little guilty for being rude, but he didn’t have time for niceties. Every second that passed was a second that his father could decide that he wanted him to come back or that a guard could notice the lacking signals on his phone and car. Even though it was unlikely that someone would realize what he was doing—because he’d never rebelled before, none of the servants or guards had seemed suspicious when he’d left—he wouldn’t let his guard down until he was safely inside the suite he’d booked at the resort.

He stepped up to Miles’ bedroom door just as his friend opened it to step into the hallway. The other highborn jumped in surprise as they nearly collided, meeting his gaze with raised brows. “Cas?” he said, backpedaling to let the prince into the room. “What’s up? We were just gonna order dinner—”

“Change of plans,” Cas shook his head as he stepped around his friend and closed the door behind him. Immediately after, he turned to find Iris and faltered when he saw the little black dress she was wearing. If he hadn’t been crunched for time, he probably would have stopped to stare, but he had to keep moving. “Iris, grab as many of your things as you can. We need to go,” he instructed curtly, closing the distance between them as he strode over to where she’d been sitting.

“Hold up,” Miles blanched. “What the hell is going on? First you send me a cryptic text and now you’re moving Iris? I need an explanation. Did someone find out she’s here?”

“No, but they’ll know soon if she stays,” he exhaled, dragging his fingers tensely through his hair. “I… My dad and I had a fight… I don’t have time to tell you everything, but I have to leave, and once he realizes I’m gone, he’s going to send soldiers out to look for me. If Iris is still here tomorrow, they’ll find her.”

“What?” Miles squawked, all color draining from his face. “You’re leaving? W-Why? If it was just a fight, can’t you just wait until he calms down…”

Cas shook his head again, a pained expression darkening his features. “He told me he’s going to admit me to Eternity Meadows tomorrow morning,” he confessed quietly. “If I don’t go, I could be locked up for weeks or months, and I just can’t—” He took a shaky breath. “I can’t stay, Miles. I’m sorry, but this is going too far. I need to get out of here… at least for a while.”

“Jesus,” Miles breathed, unsure what else to say. “I had no idea things were getting so bad… Where are you going?”

“I can’t tell you,” Cas frowned. “If the soldiers question you, it’ll be safer for both of us if you genuinely don’t know anything.” He turned back to Iris solemnly. “I’m sorry I’m dragging you into this, but we need to get going. Is there anything here you want to take with you? We won’t be able to make any stops once we leave… Everyone in the capital knows my face, and yours has been displayed on the jumbotrons around the city because you’re wanted. If you’ve got toiletries or anything else you’ll need, you should grab what you can now.”

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

I'm very excited for the next part though cx so much is about to happen over the next few hours. It'll be a rollercoaster

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Cas didn’t pay close attention to his lesson that day. While his tutor reviewed complex principles of microeconomics, his thoughts were on his plan to get away from his father. He still hadn’t decided if he would be running for good or if he would just leave long enough to get the point across to the king that he was his own man who would no longer allow anyone else to control him, but either way, he needed a short-term plan to hide out until he could think through the steps he wanted to take next. That plan turned into the idea to book a private suite at a hotel near the edge of the city.

As soon as his lesson ended, he went back to his room and made the call to arrange it under the alias ‘Daniel Smith’—he didn’t have time to be creative—and offered to pay quite a bit extra to make the stay as anonymous as possible. All payments were to be made over the phone, he would be let in and out of the building through a back entrance, housekeeping was to wait until after he checked out before they tended to the room, no calls could go through to the suite while he was staying, and the only people who could know he was there were the hotel manager and a few trusted members of the resort’s security. With the promise of a generous wire in exchange for the accommodations, the manager agreed to his requests without question, and the suite was booked. One of the security guards would be waiting to receive him at seven o’ clock at the northeast entrance, but other than that, he was assured that he would enjoy his stay without any interruptions.

With a place to go now, all that was left was to make sure he would have everything he needed to hide out at the hotel comfortably for a few days. The servant his father sent to help him pack for the asylum was the solution to that. Just after lunch, the young man arrived with a small duffle bag to stuff full of any clothes, toiletries, and other necessities that he would need while he was away. Cas thanked him for the bag and then sent him off, assuring him that he didn’t need help choosing what to bring with him. Once he was alone, he tossed a few essentials into the duffle bag, including a reusable bottle of water and his passport—just in case. He hid the latter inside a pair of boxers for safe keeping, so it would be unlikely for anyone to notice it if his father had the bag searched for some reason before the end of the day.

Zipping up the duffle, he set it down in front of the door and then went to work on the last important precaution he needed to take before he left: making sure no one could find him.

He removed his comm device from its place on his waistband and slipped it underneath his mattress. There was no way to turn it off without triggering an alarm, so it was safer to leave it behind completely. From there, he took out his phone and manually disabled the GPS tracking on the device. There was a slim chance that the guards would notice the signal was gone before he left, but unless anyone was actively looking at it, it was more likely that the change would go unnoticed.

Leaning against the edge of his bed, he exhaled restlessly and checked the time. It was still only about three in the afternoon, so he had about three hours left before he needed to leave for Miles’ place. For a while, he’d gone back and forth about whether he should get Iris involved in his plan or not. He didn’t want to put her in any more danger than she already was. However, as he’d considered it further, he’d realized that it was safer for him to bring her with him to the hotel. If his father deployed the royal security to find him, Miles’ place would be one of the first buildings they searched, since they were close friends. He couldn’t leave her there even if he’d wanted to. She would be arrested on sight.

So, when the clock eventually struck six, he made his move. Slipping on his shoes and heading downstairs with the duffle bag slung over his shoulder—he used the excuse that he was going to put it in the car in preparation for tomorrow since he was already going out—he made his way out to the garage, tossed the bag into the trunk, and climbed into the driver’s seat. Already, his heart was racing anxiously as he felt around underneath the steering wheel for the GPS tracker that was plugged into the vehicle’s OBD. His fingers brushed against the little plastic piece and he hesitated for just a second before he pulled it out and dropped it onto the carpet. With that, there was no way for the security team to keep tabs on him. He was free to go anywhere he wanted and not be found.

Jittery with adrenaline and slightly fraying nerves, Cas steered the car out of the garage and took off down the private road that led away from the manor where he’d grown up, not knowing when or if he would be coming back at all.