Hidden 10 mos ago Post by Rogue Sloth
Raw
coGM
Avatar of Rogue Sloth

Rogue Sloth Narcolepsy Unchained

Member Seen 5 hrs ago

Cas smiled when Iris reaffirmed that she wanted to be with him. He would never get tired of hearing it. However, the expression didn’t last long as she went on to tell him what she knew about the rebels in the city. His brows furrowed in thought at the mention that they weren’t far from the safe house. That was interesting, since they weren’t very far from the harbor. He wondered if the rebels had been using the waterway to get into the capital and made a mental note to have his security team follow up on that hunch later. There were enough security cameras in the area that one of them had to have picked up something near the docks if he was right.

“One of a few,” he said with a half-smile, giving her hands a squeeze. He didn’t know where all of the safe houses were off the top of his head, since he’d been a kid when his father had flown him around to see them, but he did know there were at least four of them both in and outside of the capital city. The one they’d ended up using was one of the smallest too.

At her question, he lifted his shoulders. “I was, but not around here,” he replied, sidling closer to her on the bed to wrap an arm around her waist. Now that she was back, he couldn’t help wanting to be as close to her as he could get. “Right now, I have a couple guys looking into some officers in the military… but it doesn’t matter.” He shook his head. “You’re not going back to prison, Iris. Never again. And… after we get out of here, I want you to come back to the palace with me.”

As he pulled her in against his side, he held her gaze earnestly. In his head, it wasn’t even a question. They’d spent too much time apart, and no matter what anyone else thought about it, he had more than enough space with all the vacant rooms his family hadn’t occupied since his father had evicted them. “If it’s still too soon to share the master room with me, you can stay in one of the other bedrooms down the hall,” he offered. Honestly, he did want her as close as possible, but he wasn’t going to push it after everything she’d been through. As much as he wanted to pick up right where they’d left off, he didn’t know if she was ready for that or not.

And there was still the matter of his almost-fiancée. He could see on Iris’s face that she wasn’t happy to find out that he’d started seeing someone else while he’d thought she was dead. A part of him wished he’d waited just a little longer too—but there was no way he could have known he’d see her again. “You have nothing to be jealous of,” he promised. “Nothing happened, and we never even got far enough into it to start courting. We just talked about it.” He winced a little, shuffling his feet as he glanced away from her. “She’s, um… the princess of the Suphate kingdom. Her name’s Raine, and the only reason we even considered courting was because we were friends when we were kids. But really,” he turned back to her insistently. “Now that you’re back, everything is different. I don’t want to be with her, Iris. I want to be with you. I love you.”
Hidden 10 mos ago Post by sukikyoufu
Raw
GM
Avatar of sukikyoufu

sukikyoufu Endwalker

Member Seen 0-24 hrs ago

Iris enjoyed the touch between them, it had been so long since she’d had any sort of comfort like this. With all the previous trauma and everything that had happened it would have been nice to have someone there to comfort her. It’s not like Jacob was a comforting person, but she had missed that whilst healing. It seemed Cas was on the same wavelength as she felt the arm wrap around her waist, and she couldn’t help but movie closer to him where possible. “As I say, I’ll share whatever information to your team. I want you to be safe and free from all this rebellion.” A part of her still felt a twinge of guilt that she had been a big part of it before.

“Could I really?” It seemed surreal at the idea of moving into the palace with him, she had stayed there once before all the drama had kicked off, but his father hadn’t been welcoming. Not that his father was around anymore, and he was right to have not trusted her in the first place. “You wouldn’t get into trouble for it?”

It seemed like a silly thing to ask; he was a King and could do as he liked and they’d been apart for too long. Cas clearly wanted to just pick up where they left off, but he was still considerate of her own comfort as he offered her to stay in another room if she didn’t want to share. Feeling the heat in her cheeks she still wanted to share a room with him, she wouldn’t want to sleep in another room not whilst back in the palace when she’d be so conscious with the people around. “I would like to share. If you’re comfortable too of course.” Though she was certain she knew the answer to it already.

Shifting a little uncomfortably as he spoke about Raine, a princess from another kingdom who was of his standard unlike some rebel. “No, I understand. Of course. You thought I was dead. You’d have to think about the kingdom.” Hearing the confirmation that he loved her was all she needed, she shouldn’t be jealous when he had started to move on with his life without her because that was a decision, she had ultimately made by leaving in the first place.

“I just hope with me now in the picture it doesn’t damage anything for you.” Iris sighed softly knowing she was about to cause a lot of drama for him, both with political people and his subjects. All that should matter was the fact they were reunited and could work things out. It shouldn’t be too difficult. Right?

“Although... won’t it be kind of awkward, this place doesn’t seem big.” Iris hinted towards the fact Raine was still here, he would have to have some sort of conversation with her about this and then there was Jacob. This brief moment of peace and enjoyment between them wasn’t going to last long.

“How much longer do you have to stay here?”

Hidden 9 mos ago Post by Rogue Sloth
Raw
coGM
Avatar of Rogue Sloth

Rogue Sloth Narcolepsy Unchained

Member Seen 5 hrs ago

Caspian lifted his shoulders noncommittally. “If it’s a problem, I’ll deal with it,” he assured her quietly. There was a high chance it would be. Plenty of people in the capital had seen Iris’s face on wanted ads when his father had listed her among the bountied rebels in Aspiria, so it wouldn’t be surprising if anyone recognized her when he took her with him to live in the palace. When word got around that the nation’s king was in a relationship with a former member of the scourge, it would be nothing short of a scandal.

But it didn’t change the fact that he wanted to be with her, and that he was done letting the woman he loved slip through his fingers.

So, when she said she still wanted to share a room with him, he brightened. After everything they’d been through, it was a relief to know that she wanted to pick things up where they’d left off. However, the expression didn’t last long as their conversation circled to Raine. It was a lot more complicated now, he knew. Even though he and the Suphate princess hadn’t signed any documents, he had technically already talked to her father about courting her, so if he backed out now, there was a chance there would be hard feelings between their families. He still had no intention of following through now that Iris was back, but he was going to have to tread carefully when he eventually left the safe house.

“I’m just happy you’re back,” he shook his head with a sigh. “Besides, even if there’s drama, it’ll blow over. It always does.” The upper echelon of Aspiria were a fickle people. That was something he could count on, at least. Whether his relationship with Iris caused quiet whispers or an all-out uproar in the capital, he was sure it would die down whenever the other high borns found something else to gawk at. The only lasting impact, perhaps, would be the fact that he wasn’t a bachelor anymore. Marriage was off the table as a negotiation tool with the kingdom’s sister nations.

And right now, it was way too soon to be worrying about anything like that. Instead, he shifted his weight when Iris brought up a more immediate problem, glancing uncomfortably at the bedroom door. She had a point. “Well… I’m sure she’ll understand,” he justified with a tentative frown. “We’ve been friends for a long time. That hasn’t changed just because we started thinking about courtship.” At least, he hoped not. Technically, he knew he couldn’t speak for Raine, but just because he wasn’t going to marry her didn’t mean he wanted to completely sever ties.

“Either until those rebels are caught or the military decides the palace is secure enough for me to go back,” he replied, turning to Iris again. For a moment, he studied her thoughtfully, then offered her a hand. “Have you had anything to eat? There’s more than enough food to go around in the kitchen if you want some.”
Hidden 7 mos ago Post by sukikyoufu
Raw
GM
Avatar of sukikyoufu

sukikyoufu Endwalker

Member Seen 0-24 hrs ago

Iris could feel the nerves settle in; she was about to be surrounded by people who didn’t want her here and she knew this would cause an uproar. Single handedly she was about to cause one of the biggest scandals and could be ruining relationships with sister nations, but Caspian knew all of that. He knew the risks and yet he still wanted to choose her over everything else. It was hard not to enjoy that fact, that she was that important to him he was willing to fight a country for her.

“Hopefully.” Iris wanted to believe it would blow over as easy as he said it would, in truth she wasn’t sure how quickly it would and if anyone would truly accept her dating the King of all people. However, it was a headache he was willing to take so she had to be willing to face it with him. If they stayed a united strong front, it would be okay, and she was sure she could do that with him.

Biting the bottom of her lip she saw the tentative frown of his, she wasn’t sure how this Raine would react, and it didn’t help they had just hidden themselves in a bedroom. Who knew what was going through that girls' head and she felt partially guilty for being the reason for this. “I hope so, if you’ve been friends for a long time, maybe she will understand?” Trying to be hopeful and positive about it for once, rather than worrying. Negative thoughts had only caused issues before, and she didn’t particularly want to spiral through that again.

Even with Ethan dead the rebels were still causing havoc, she had to wonder who had decided to take up the fight this time. Her father had originally started it, Ethan continued it, but surely the fact the rebels were still going someone else had to be pulling the strings. Had her father and Ethan just been pawns before? Was someone else behind this the whole time? “It’s strange to think the rebels are still causing havoc, I thought with... well. I guess someone else has decided to take the lead.” Hesitating at speaking her fathers name, and Ethans for that matter.

Iris would never forget the pain Ethan had put her through, even with her healed physically the mental scar was still there. Distracted by the offer of his hand she took it in her own with a smile, nothing else should matter right now.

“Oh, well. It’s been a few days. I should probably eat.” Iris admitted sheepishly, it was why she had been caught stealing because she had been in need of some sort of drink or food to keep her own search going. Until she had been caught red handed. Glancing at the door it did mean facing Jacob and Raine. Anxious at the thought of seeing them she shifted a little on the bed, uncomfortable at the idea but it was inevitable, and it would happen eventually.

“Are you sure it will be, okay?” Unable to stop herself from asking the burning question, she was still cautious at the thought of seeing this Raine. Jacob too, but she was more concerned about Caspians reaction to Jacob now he knew the truth behind her ‘death’.
Hidden 6 mos ago Post by Rogue Sloth
Raw
coGM
Avatar of Rogue Sloth

Rogue Sloth Narcolepsy Unchained

Member Seen 5 hrs ago

Caspian nodded. It was what he wanted to believe, but at the moment, all he could do was guess. Raine had always seemed to be the understanding sort though. Even when they were kids, he’d thought she was the more level-headed of the two of them, and she had always been pragmatic. After Iris had turned up without any warning, she would have to realize he didn’t mean to give her false hopes, wouldn’t she? He pressed his lips together as he thought about it. Of course, he didn’t expect her to breeze along with the sudden change without any qualms, but hopefully, if his impression of her was right, she wouldn’t hold it over his head once the dust settled.

More important was the matter of the continuing rebellion in the districts. As Iris turned his attention there, the king frowned to himself. She was right that it was strange. There were still plenty of missing pieces, and his intelligence on the situation had been… well, lackluster, even before his father had passed away. They had taken out multiple kingpins amongst the Scourge, and yet the rebels continued to operate like a well-oiled machine. He wasn’t sure who was pulling the strings behind it all, but clearly, there was someone in charge of the operations that they hadn’t managed to take out yet.

“Someone else, maybe,” he sighed, running a hand over his hair. “Or maybe the same someone… I don’t know. We’re working on it.” Meeting her gaze again, his dark eyes flitted between her blue. “Whoever it is, they’re done using you though. I promise. No one’s going to be taking you away again.”

Perhaps it was brazen to make a promise like that when he hadn’t been able to stop Ethan from kidnapping her last time, but he meant it regardless. Now that she was back, he was going to do everything in his power to keep her safe from the rebellion. Right now, that meant keeping her close in the bunker. Later, he planned to do the same in the palace. The hotel he’d hidden her away in before hadn’t had the same level of security as either of those places, so at the very least, he could rest in the knowledge that his security team would be looking out for her alongside him.

As she rested her hand in his, Cas laced his fingers with hers with a smile, happy with the simple pleasure of being able to touch her again. However, the expression disappeared quickly when she admitted it had been a while since she’d last fed herself. Days?” he echoed, gawking at her incredulously. “Jesus, Iris. We need to get some food in you right now.”

Getting up from the bed, he ushered her with him by a tug to her hand, only to pause momentarily at her next question. “It will be,” he assured her with a nod. The other people in the bunker might have mixed feelings about her presence there, but he was in charge, and that meant they had to set those feelings aside if he asked them to make her feel welcome.

It might not happen right away, but he was confident the dust would settle. With that thought in mind, he led her with him back out of the room and down the hall until they could rejoin the others. When they stepped back into the room, most of the team was still crowded around their monitors, while Raine was seated on the couch by the silently playing TV, and Jacob was standing aside with his phone in hand, his eyes fixed on the screen as if busy.

It was the latter who Caspian fixated on, his eyes narrowing as the sting of his guard’s betrayal cut through him again. He’d promised Iris he wouldn’t fire the other man, but he couldn’t bring himself to pretend like Jacob hadn’t kept her hidden from him—let him think she was dead—for an entire month. His grip tightened on her hand, and he glanced at her sideways. “Take whatever you want from the pantry… I need a minute to talk to Jacob.”
Hidden 3 mos ago Post by sukikyoufu
Raw
GM
Avatar of sukikyoufu

sukikyoufu Endwalker

Member Seen 0-24 hrs ago

“I thought my father was the leader of it, I guess he was just a pawn in someone else's game. Ethan... me...” Iris sighed shaking her head confused by it all, who was truly behind this rebellion? “I’m no one special, I doubt they would use me anymore.” Hearing him promise that fact too warmed her heart, that even with the separation between them he felt so strongly about her.

“Eh... well. You know me.” Iris tried to wash it over, that it had been days since she had eaten. Food had always been a sore subject at times, especially when she had been trapped in the hotel by herself. “Sorry, I promise I’ll do better.” Hoping that would ease his worries about her, plus she had a feeling that everything would change now. With her in the picture she half expected him to wrap her up in cotton wool, ensuring that she was well looked after.

Iris was still hesitant at the thought of facing everyone, Caspian seemed to be certain it would be okay, but she was cautious. By showing up Iris had ruined any alliances and what if Raine was bitter about her showing up? She wasn’t anything special, she wasn’t any sort of class unlike Raine. Biting the bottom of her lip she followed along silently not wanting to draw any attention to herself.

Entering the room, it felt hostile, and she felt his grip tighten as he looked over at Jacob. Iris in turn avoided looking at Jacob, as well as Raine on the sofa feeling awfully aware of the silence in the room. Glancing at Caspian she nodded at his offer of the pantry, but she knew she wouldn’t eat not whilst she was worrying over what he was about to talk to Jacob about.

“Right...” Trailing off as she looked at Caspian before daring a glance at Jacob, the guilt apparent in her face because she knew this wasn’t going to end well. It was a miracle she had gotten Caspian to agree not to fire him, to make that promise as she knew he would still get mad. In truth she was surprised he hadn't directed any sort of anger towards her just yet, it was bound to happen as this wasn’t all Jacobs fault.

“Cas... just. He saved me remember.” A gentle plea to Caspian in hopes that he wouldn’t be too harsh, that he would be kind to the security guard. “Please...” Looking back at Caspian hoping he would listen; she didn’t want Jacob to get into any sort of trouble. Not after the lengths he had gone to keep her alive, it had been a difficult recovery, but he had ensured her safety and brought her back from the brink of death.

Had Jacob not been there she would have died; she would never have gotten another chance to see Caspian or another chance at life. Now it was time to face the consequences, but she didn’t want anyone to get hurt.
Hidden 3 mos ago Post by Rogue Sloth
Raw
coGM
Avatar of Rogue Sloth

Rogue Sloth Narcolepsy Unchained

Member Seen 5 hrs ago

In Caspian’s mind, Iris was anything but “nothing special,” no matter how many times she used words like that to describe herself. Even being objective, he was confident she had value to the rebellion too. Maybe a while ago, before they’d met and he’d fallen head over heels for her, the Scourge wouldn’t have seen her as useful to their operations. But now, she was back in his life; the girlfriend of Aspiria’s king. It wasn’t unrealistic for them to target her again if they ever thought they had the chance—which was why he was never going to give it to them.

For now, she was safe in the bunker with him and the others though, so it wasn’t something to linger on. As they rejoined the group in the common space, that safety was tangible. He casted her a flicker of a glance before his gaze settled on the head of his security team, and he narrowed his eyes. Jacob was about to have a lot of explaining to do.

He took a step in the other man’s direction, but before he could move further, he paused and glanced at Iris again with a frown. She was right that Jacob had saved her. He knew that. The problem was that the guy could have saved her a dozen different ways, and he’d chosen the path to send her back to the districts beyond the capital walls—where the civil war was still raging strong and anything could have happened to her. Where she was a hundred miles away, and he thought she was dead. He wasn’t going to let that slide.

“I know,” he muttered, turning his gaze back to the guard. “But I want to hear it from him.”

He gave her hand one more quick squeeze before letting it fall away, stepping away from her to get the other man’s attention. Jacob looked up from his phone as the king approached, his features as impassive as always. It was difficult to get a gauge on his thoughts, but Cas almost thought he saw the guy wince as he inclined his head toward the room he’d just left and beckoned him over with a subtly tense: “Hey, man. Let’s talk.”

Jacob studied him for a moment before he righted his posture and slipped his phone into his pocket with a nod. “Of course.”

The corner of Cas’s mouth twitched downward, but he held his tongue as he led the older man back to the bedroom and closed the door behind them, leaving Iris alone with the rest of the security team and Raine, who had turned around on the couch to quietly watch them over the back of it. As soon as Caspian and Jacob disappeared, her eyes settled on Iris, and she pursed her lips before calling over in an airy tone: “If it’s food you want, the frozen trays are better than the stuff in the pantry.”
Hidden 2 mos ago Post by sukikyoufu
Raw
GM
Avatar of sukikyoufu

sukikyoufu Endwalker

Member Seen 0-24 hrs ago

Iris bit the bottom of her lip nervous around her new surroundings and the idea of Cas and Jacob having a talk with one another. Even though she had tried to defend his actions she knew Cas would not go back on his word and fire the man at least. At least he’d still have the head of security keeping him safe, but she knew she’d caused a mass amount of tension between the two. Feeling responsible for the inevitable disagreement between the pair she couldn’t help but watch them.

Having such a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach she stood for a few minutes just watching the pair disappear to the room she had just been in with Cas. With Cas gone, even though he was still in the same building her safety blanket was also gone. Surrounded by security personnel and a woman who he had started to look at a potential courtship with.

There was also the awkwardness at the fact the only reason she had been brought here was because she had been caught stealing, no doubt that would make a headline once rumours began to spiral. King of Asparia dating a common thief from the rebellion. Cringing at the thought of the horrific headlines about to come his way she avoided looking at any of the security members, but what she didn’t expect was to be addressed by the other women.

Nerves began to fester as she anxiously looked towards Raine who had been watching the whole event. “Oh... right. Thank you.” Trying to keep her voice calm and polite with addressing her, she didn’t want to offend her any more than she probably already was right now.

“I’ll just leave it for now. I’m not really hungry anymore.” Iris didn’t want to cause any kind of inconvenience to anyone, plus with how awkward she was currently feeling she didn’t want to bring any more attention to herself. Iris was sure Cas would understand her reasoning when she explained it to him, and maybe when things were a bit more settled, she’d feel comfortable helping herself.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Iris.” Trying to be the bigger person, trying to make it less awkward she introduced herself to Raine. There was a twitch of her hand as if she was going to offer it out for a handshake, but she thought against it just leaving it by her side. Maybe the small talk would get them through it for the moment, hopefully it would pass enough time until Cas and Jacob would come back into the room giving them a buffer.

However, if Raine would rather sit in silence and not engage Iris would respect that, a part of her hoping that maybe it would be the case. Sitting in silence was easy, even if it was awkward.
Hidden 1 mo ago Post by Rogue Sloth
Raw
coGM
Avatar of Rogue Sloth

Rogue Sloth Narcolepsy Unchained

Member Seen 5 hrs ago

“Well, if you change your mind.” The words were punctuated with a half-smile and a shrug as Raine turned back toward the TV. With her back to the new arrival, the expression on her face was slightly pained, and she squeezed her hands together in her lap. Caspian hadn’t mentioned there had been someone else. By the look on his face, she could already tell things weren’t over between them though. It was a lot to process, and she was lost in her thoughts when the other woman spoke again, making her jump and immediately close her eyes as she silently chided herself for the lapse in composure. She might have been caught off guard, but she was still a princess. A lady of dignity. Now was the time to act like one.

With a deep breath, she rose from the couch and turned around to face Iris fully, smoothing down the front of her dress. She smiled thinly again and dipped her head in greeting, “I’m Raine Auclair, princess of the Suphate kingdom. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Iris.”

—.—

“You told me she was dead.”

As soon as the door had swung closed behind him, Caspian had rounded on Jacob with venom in his eyes. His hand was still on the knob with a white-knuckled grip, and every ounce of betrayal cut through his features. “I thought you were on my side. Why did you lie to me? Why did you send her away?”

The guard winced, his gaze fixed down somewhere below the prince’s eye-level. “I am on your side, your majesty,” he said quietly. “That’s why I told you she was gone.” He lifted his gaze, his jaw set with pointed resolution. They were here now, so there was no point in beating around the bush anymore. “To be perfectly candid, you need to let her go, Caspian,” he asserted firmly. “I understand that you love her, but you’re the king now. Ruling this country means making difficult decisions, not allowing your feelings to undermine the leader you have the potential to be.

“Iris is a commoner. If that wasn’t already enough to disqualify her from your courtship, she has a known history in this city as a wanted criminal. The people aren’t going to forget that overnight,” he went on, folding his arms across his chest. “No matter how much you care for her, that reputation is going to haunt her for the rest of her days if she stays in the capital, and our allies will always look at you with suspicion for choosing to forgive her of her crimes, welcoming her into society with open arms and even wedding her into the royal line. It’s political suicide, and honestly? I knew that if you knew she was alive, you would still pour every part of yourself into hunting her down to the negligence of your real duties. That is why I lied.”

Cas clenched his teeth. “So you still think I’m just some irresponsible kid.”

“If you step back out there and choose Iris over Raine, you’ll prove it to me,” Jacob confirmed bluntly.

The king took a sharp step toward the older man, his fists clenched at his sides, but stopped himself with a growl, turning his glower angrily to the floor. Everything in him wanted to punch the guy in the face. He was outraged, insulted, and betrayed. Jacob claimed to understand, but he didn’t. He didn’t get it at all. And obviously, he couldn’t. “The only reason you still have your job right now is her,” he hissed, lifting his scowl to the guard again. “You can keep working for me because I promised her I wouldn’t fire you, but as far as our personal relationship goes, we’re done.”

Opening the door behind him, he inclined his head in gesture for Jacob to exit. “Get out. I need some time to be alone.”

The guard pressed his lips together, but after a moment of hesitation, he bowed. “Your majesty,” he spoke softly, his voice terse and formal once again as he rose and walked out of the room without looking back.
↑ Top
© 2007-2024
BBCode Cheatsheet