Trash Panda

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

I’ve just received word from the soldiers that two of the prisoners have been recaptured, Jacob’s voice projected crisply through the earpiece Caspian was wearing. It appears that they split up in the city. One was found taking cover in the downtown district, and the other was attempting to scale one of the border walls on the east side. We suspect he was trying to retreat to the provinces on the other side. However, it is still unknown whether these provinces are the location of the Scourge’s headquarters, so the soldiers shot him down before he made it to the top.

“What is his status?” Cas asked, climbing the stairs that led to his room. As excited as he had been to finally cross the line from friends to something more with Iris, all of the joy had fled from his visage as he spoke with the security guard about the updates. According to the bedside doctor who had come to check on his father, the king had fallen asleep as soon as his medicine had worn off. That meant the crown prince was left in charge of the handling of the prisoners for the rest of the night, and he needed to take his job seriously.

He survived the fall and was taken in alive, Jacob answered through the device. However, he sustained a number of serious injuries from both the gunshots and the impact with the ground that require immediate medical attention before he can be handed off to the interrogators. The estimated time of his awakening from the anesthesia is 23:00.

Cas glanced at the time on his cell phone and winced. It was only half past eight o’ clock. At this rate, it looked like he was going to be pulling an all-nighter in order to stay in touch with the soldiers throughout the interrogation process. “What about the others?” he asked next, pushing open the door to his bedroom and stepping inside. “Any sign of them in the city?”

Negative. Based on the intelligence we have received until this point, there are two terrorists left that have yet to be recovered. The soldiers believe they are still somewhere inside the walls, but their locations are unconfirmed.

“Okay,” the prince mused, sitting down on the edge of his bed. “Thanks, Jacob. Keep me posted as you learn more.”

Of course, Your Highness. Soft static followed the statement as Jacob severed his end of the line, and Cas fell back on his mattress with a groan. After the past few days of peace and quiet, he supposed he should have known that something would go wrong that demanded his attention. He just hadn’t thought it would be something as major as a terrorist attack on the mansion. The rebels were getting bolder. It had been years since the last time they had invaded high born territory. He hoped the soldiers that were fighting against them in the provinces beyond the capital were faring alright.

For the rest of the night, Cas alternated between laying on his bed and pacing to stay awake as he took intermittent calls from Jacob and one of the interrogators handling the prisoners. According to both of them, the two rebels they had in their custody weren’t budging, and the only information they could get out of them were details they already knew about the Scourge. It was better than nothing, since their prior intelligence was confirmed, but it was still frustrating to know that the terrorists were so loyal to their cause that they wouldn’t give up any crucial information. The two missing prisoners were never found either.

By the time he was no longer needed—a little after four in the morning—Cas finally turned off his com device and collapsed on his bed, exhausted from the long day. Not everything had been resolved the way he would have wanted, but he was too tired to spend any more energy on trying to fix the issues. Unable to stay awake any longer, he passed out on his pillow, still wearing the same clothes he had been in since the morning.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

She got Crow nervous too xD He didn't think about the possibility of mercenaries, since they were focused on fending off an attack by the Younisians.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

As Penelope explained that she had been thinking about their last mission in Younis, Crow frowned. He supposed she had a few good points about the similarities between the two assignments, but he wasn’t convinced that the trip they were going on now would be completely the same. Whoever had hired the mercenaries had succeeded in taking the staff last time, and the war had happened. What more could they want? As hard as he tried, he couldn’t think of any reason why anyone would keep meddling in the affairs between Brerra and Younis. The group of noble rebels would have made some sense to him, since they had wanted to start a war to spread the defenses thin at the castle; but they had all been imprisoned or executed by his father after they had assassinated the last king in an attempt to usurp the throne. If they had been the ones behind the attacks, they were gone now.

However, Penelope seemed to think there was something else going on. The viceroy contemplated her theory that someone else was trying to stop them from succeeding in making peace with Younis. It was hard for him to wrap his head around the idea that there was an unknown player in the game, but it did make sense, given the prophesies they had heard from both Aeklora and Toreus. He felt a chill creep up his spine as he suddenly recalled the mercenary he thought he had seen at the marketplace in Bellmare. After everything that had happened since then, he’d almost forgotten about the man whom he could have sworn was watching him. He had also forgotten about his resolution to tell someone else about it instead of keep it to himself.

Biting his lip, he glanced up at Penelope. She was already nervous enough about the mission as it was. Telling her would just make it worse, but what if she was right? If whoever had attacked them the first time hadn’t given up, there was no more staff to loot. There was only the man who had been sent to parley with the Younisian king. “I understand,” he murmured, keeping his voice down so that the knights around them wouldn’t overhear. “But you’re not going to lose me.” He offered her a reassuring smile. “When we were attacked, there were only two of us—well, three when William was there too. This time, I have four guards, and I know enough about fighting to defend myself. I’ll be fine.”

He fell quiet for a moment, his green eyes flicking toward the knights at the front of the group. Part of him pondered if it would be a good idea to tell them about the mercenary in Bellmare, but he didn’t want to speak with anyone but Penelope first. He also didn’t want to confide in her until they could be sure they wouldn’t be overheard.

“There’s… something else I should tell you,” he whispered, turning back to her with an uneasy look. “But not here. I’d rather wait until we can be alone.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Otto and Percival definitely didn't realize Crow was just messing with Preston xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow smirked at his sister when Penelope compared her to Olivia. He hadn’t thought about it too much, but the lieutenant was right. Naida and Olivia both had a propensity to stir up trouble no matter where they were or who they were with. He wondered who had been the bad influence on whom between the two of them. It seemed more likely that the princess had picked up the childish habits from the knight, since she struck him as impressionable, and Olivia’s antics were usually even more disastrous. However, he couldn’t put it past Naida to have been the one behind it either.

He was just about to put in his two cents when Penelope decided to get Preston involved. “Alright,” he narrowed his eyes at his attendant as the boy assured the lieutenant that he would keep him in line. “I don’t need any babysitters.”

“You wouldn’t wake up or dress yourself on your own today,” Preston pointed out.

Behind him, Naida snorted, and Crow reddened. “You don’t have to make it sound like I threw a fit,” he hissed, leaning sideways in his saddle to give the boy’s arm a shove. “It’s not that unusual for a man to want to sleep in, and I dressed myself without your help.” After he had fought with the boy about the feathered hat, but he kept that part to himself.

“If you say so,” the servant shrugged, looking away to observe their surroundings. “I pity Penelope though. Being your attendant is tiresome enough. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be your wife.”

“It’s a good thing you’ll never have to find out,” Crow muttered, trying to will away the ruddy color in his cheeks.

“Gods, Collin. Where did you find him?” Naida cackled, thoroughly entertained by the exchange. “All my handmaids ever say is ‘yes, my lady’ and ‘no, my lady.’ They’re so dull.”

“You would miss the dull servants after putting up with an attitude like his for a full day,” Crow rolled his eyes at Preston.

“That is what the stocks are for,” Percival mused with a frown. “There are measures in place to prevent servants from stepping out of line.”

Crow peered back at him, slightly surprised by the knight’s solution. It seemed like Percy had missed the humor in their conversation and thought he was genuinely angry with the attendant. “I wouldn’t punish anyone for speaking their mind,” he said seriously. “Even if he can be a pest, I’d rather put up with his terrible jokes than cause him to be frightened of ‘stepping out of line.’”

“A healthy dose of fear is good for a servant,” Otto spoke up this time, having been listening quietly to their discussion the whole time. “It keeps them on their toes and reminds them of their place. If you are not yet comfortable handling your attendant, I would be happy to teach you how to manage him.”

“I’d prefer it if you didn’t,” Crow said quickly, disliking where that offer could go if he didn’t shut it down right away. Deciding to change the subject to stop the knights from giving him any more suggestions, he turned to Penelope to ask her if there were any places she wanted to visit during their trip back to the border and then paused. She looked tense to him, sitting stiffly in her saddle as if she was bracing herself for something. He eyed her concernedly, unsure what could have caused the shift in her mood.

“Are you okay, love?” he asked in a low voice, reaching out to rest a hand on her arm. “You look like you just saw a ghost.”

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

I bet! I've never tried an amnesiac character, but I've written characters with other mental conditions before, and it's a lot of fun ^^ Although I'm also a psychology nerd, so I love exploring the depths of the brain in all its altered states, haha.

I like that idea! If he and the other rebels had blueprints of the palace then it would make a lot of sense for Ethan to try that.

I was also thinking that the kidnapping could come later (not too long, but a few days at least). It could leave some room to see what happens with Cas and Iris when she's got plans to turn on him. Also, if she harbors Ethan in her room, that would also be pretty interesting too!

As for the prisoners, they would definitely get left behind ^^; I was thinking that after the interrogators get through with them, Cas and/or Atlas would publicly announce their execution, which could also cause some tension between him and Iris, since those are her people.

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Same. It's gonna be a mess. I'm also enjoying writing Caspian's character, because most of the male characters I make are a lot more rough and tough xD He's very opposite since he's so compassionate, but I like navigating his thoughts and feelings.

Sure! Honestly, the meeting could even happen during the current night. I was thinking that since it sounds like Ethan came to the capital to find out what happened to Iris, he'd be lingering around the palace (btw, it really is a palace, but Cas doesn't like to think of it as one, which is why I refer to it with words like mansion/estate/home in my posts). If Ethan bypasses security and gets inside at night, maybe he and Iris could run into each other? Her room is on the first floor, so he could even get in through her window. That's probably the only way they could find each other, since Cas won't be leaving the palace until all the rebels are recaptured for his own safety.

As for how he could get past security, we could say that the rebels got their hands on some advanced military tech by intercepting a shipment to the capital. Ethan could have clothes that are designed to mask his heat signature from infrared cameras and stuff like that ^^

Oh also, the call that came in to Cas in my last post was going to be an update from Jacob announcing that two of the prisoners (we could say there were four total including Ethan, if that sounds good to you) were found in the city and returned to the holding cell for continued interrogation.

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

I'm one week ahead now xD I've also decided to take a break for most of today, so I don't wear myself out.

Got my post up, finally! I can't wait for Ethan to approach Iris

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Finally kissing Iris was just as amazing as Caspian had expected it would be. The feeling of her soft lips moving against his, the electrifying touch of her fingers as she intertwined their hands, the thunder of his heartbeat. As he sank into the moment, all thoughts about her condition fled to the back of his mind. It didn’t matter that she didn’t know anything about herself or even that he was just supposed to be helping her find her way back home. Right now, she wanted to kiss him too, and that was enough for him to let go of the lie that he was content with just be friends and start pushing for something more.

By the time she finally pulled back, the prince had lost track of how much time had passed. He inhaled slowly, trying to calm his racing heart as he met her bright blue eyes with an equally delighted smile. The blush on her cheeks endeared him to her all the more, and he squeezed her hand affectionately. After everything that had gone wrong earlier, he was glad he’d decided to stop by her room instead of going straight to sleep. If he had, he never would have found out that she had feelings for him too, and he wouldn’t have discovered what her lips tasted like.

“I don’t know where you got the idea that I’m old or stuffy,” Cas laughed when Iris showered him with a playful compliment. “But I should say that you’re not so bad yourself. I thought you might have forgotten how.” Despite the backhandedness of it, he was flattered that she thought he was a good kisser. Having only dated a few girls in the past—and never long term—he didn’t have as much experience in the realm of romance as most other men his age. If it had been up to him, he would have pursued more relationships or tried to make the ones he’d been in last longer, but his father had successfully stifled every attempt he’d made so far.

At the thought of the king, he cringed inwardly. Atlas was still dead set on making him wait for an arranged, political marriage, even though the concept was outdated in Aspiria. If the monarch hadn’t approved of the women he’d been with before, there was no way he would allow him to date a girl who didn’t even know who she was. For her sake, he couldn’t let his father find out that they’d taken a liking to each other. After all, he wouldn’t put it past the overbearing king to remove her from the Maydestone property to keep them from seeing each other. Until she was reunited with her family, theirs was the only roof she had to cover her head at night.

The feeling of Iris’s gentle fingers on his cheek drew Cas from his thoughts. This time, it was his turn to blush as she described the traits she liked in him. Her list was different than most other women’s too. Usually, physical features made the top as his past girlfriends called him handsome or athletic or hot, detailing the tangible parts of him that they were attracted to. But that was what he liked about her: She wasn’t like other women. A smile pulled at his lip as he held her gaze, appreciative of the different way she chose to look at him.

“You’re something else,” he chuckled incredulously as she planted a warm kiss on his cheek. “I’ve never met anyone like you before, Iris. You’re like the manifestation of a ray of sunlight, and there’s just something about you…” He trailed off, studying her face and then shaking his head. “I don’t know what it is, but it’s different. I’m glad I was the one who found you in the woods, because I’ve really enjoyed getting to know someone as amazing as you.”

Leaning in again, he indulged himself in one more passionate kiss just before his com device rang with an incoming call from security. With a sigh, he pulled back from her lips and casted her an apologetic look. “I have to take this,” he said, disentangling their clasped fingers to remove the device from his belt and then standing up from the sofa. “It could take a while, so don’t wait up for me, alright? I’ll see you in the morning.” With that, he turned to head back into the hallway, using his fingerprint ID to access the security team’s frequency as he spoke into the receiver: “Any news on the prisoners?”

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Update: I have a post started, but I'm too tired to finish it right now. I'll keep working on it in the morning! ^^