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Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

I had fun writing that little exchange. Cas is thoroughly pissed because he still doesn't know the soldiers think he's dead lol

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

“I hope not too,” Cas agreed with a tired smile when Maisie said she hoped he wouldn’t stay for a month. “You’re nice company and all, but I want to get home as soon as possible… Wouldn’t want to intrude on your ‘guy free zone’ any longer than I have to.” He winked at her jokingly as he added on the last bit. In all seriousness, Iris’s friend was more pleasant to be around than he’d expected. He had nothing against the amnesiac, but given her track record with Ethan, Regis, and whoever else she knew that was part of the rebellion, he hadn’t had the highest hopes that he would get along with anyone else she knew. Their hostess was turning out to be someone he could have seen himself becoming friends with if the circumstances were different.

When she brought over his tea, he laughed along with her. “Today’s been hectic though,” he shrugged one shoulder. “To be honest, I’m pretty sure I forgot cellphones existed for about twenty-four hours.” Going a few days without access to one had definitely shifted his priorities. He’d gotten so used to relying on things he could see in front of his face that the thought of finding more tools like electronics hadn’t really crossed his mind. He was just glad he’d thought of calling his father before he and Iris left her friend’s place tomorrow.

“I’ll just give them a meeting location to pick me up somewhere outside,” he assured Maisie as he took the phone from her hand. He didn’t really understand why she was so concerned about the soldiers when he’d already told her that they would listen to him, but he was too exhausted to waste time arguing about it. Instead, he dialed the number he knew by heart to reach the royal family’s residence and lifted the brick-like phone to his ear while he waited for his tea to cool.

It wasn’t his father or a servant who answered the phone though.

Who is this? An unfamiliar voice demanded through the speaker, masculine and hostile in its tone.

Cas blinked, thrown off until he realized that his call must have been intercepted by capital security, since it was coming from an unknown number in the twelfth district. His initial surprise was replaced with a wave of relief. He’d needed to get in contact with the military anyway, so this was much faster than speaking to the king first. “Oh, thank god,” he sighed. “This is Caspian. I’m stuck in Tongsen, and I need—”

Alright, I’m going to stop you right there, the soldier interrupted in a growl. I don’t have time for this nonsense right now. Do yourself a favor and don’t call this number again. The warning was punctuated with a dial tone as the other man hung up.

“Um, what the hell?” Cas stared at the phone incredulously. He hadn’t known what he was expecting when he’d tried to call home, but this grumpy guard definitely wasn’t helping. With a twinge of annoyance, he punched in the number again and lifted the device to his ear.

The same soldier answered: Listen, kid, if I have to tell you one more time—

“No, you listen to me,” Cas snapped. Under normal circumstances, he would never have lost his temper with a disrespectful soldier this quickly. However, right now, he was tired, achy, and didn’t have the patience to put up with anyone else who would delay him from getting back to the mansion. “You’re going to send an escort team to the gate between Tongsen and Bel Bicis to pick me up tomorrow morning. I expect them to be there no later than eleven. That should give you plenty of time to organize whoever and whatever you need to carry out your orders. Are we clear?”

To his bewilderment, the soldier just laughed. You’ve got balls to try telling me what to do, kid. I know you’re not really Prince Caspian. In fact, I’ve traced the signal of this call to your exact location, and if you call this number again, I’ll send a drone in to blow you to pieces. Just try me if you don’t believe it. I’ll enjoy proving you wrong. He hung up the phone again.

Cas gawped at the device in his hand, in disbelief about how certain the solder had been that he wasn’t who he claimed to be. “What the fuck!?” he squawked. “He thought I was a prank caller? When I’ve been missing for five days? How stupid can he be?” He moved to dial the number again and then froze with his thumb still hovering over the keypad. Knowing that the military actually had the capability to trace calls and send drones to strike enemies remotely, he couldn’t risk trying again and getting them all killed.

With a frustrated scoff, he set Maisie’s phone down on the table and picked up his drink. “Well, that was a waste of time,” he muttered, slouching down on the sofa and taking a sip of the warm tea. “Looks like we’ll have to go with your idea after all, because my own guards can’t recognize my damn voice.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Finally got something done!

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

“That’s assuming I survive the trip there without anything good to eat on the way,” Crow pointed out obstinately, taking another bite of his dinner. For as many mixed feelings as he’d had when he’d struggled to decide if he should become a nobleman, he had gotten hooked on the fine food almost as soon as he’d been given his new title. He was exaggerating about not making it all the way to the Younisian castle, but he was going to miss the meals he’d been able to eat in the inner kingdom. Maybe, if he was lucky and the peace treaty was a success, his father would consider throwing another banquet to celebrate the end of the war. It didn’t seem difficult to convince him to do it. Nobles liked their parties, after all, so it wouldn’t be an unpopular decision.

As supper carried on more peacefully than it had in the beginning, he chatted off and on with his sister while finishing the rest of his meal. As usual, he was the first to clean his plate, but he stayed seated until the others were done eating as well. Next on the list was sneaking away from the rest of the group with Penelope, but they needed to leave at separate times to keep from rousing Otto’s suspicions. He already knew that the baron would figure out they had wandered off together after they were gone for a while, but it was better to deal with his reprimand after they returned rather than have to convince him to let them go in the first place. So, he bided his time until the knight announced that she was going outside.

“Okay, see you later,” he smiled as she feigned kissing him on the cheek. He found it amusing that even though they had gone public with their relationship, they still had to sneak around behind the backs of some people. Their food was good, but nobles had too many rules to govern everyone’s lives. In this case, he knew Otto would be angry if he found out he was taking a risk by leaving the inn without more protection than just one knight. However, he was his own man, so he was going to make the final decision on whether or not he had to stay with the group every second of the day. The baron would just have to learn that he wasn’t going to let him dictate their entire trip.

“It will be the last door on the left in the left wing,” Otto answered Penelope’s question. Finished with his own meal, he stood up from the table. “The rest of us can head over now, so we can get plenty of rest before tomorrow’s ride.”

“Fine by me,” Crow agreed with a mask of compliance, rising to his feet as well. The others did the same, and they parted ways with Penelope, making their way to the room they would be sharing for the night.

When they got there, the first thing the viceroy noticed was that it was a very small space, even in comparison with the last inn they’d used. He stepped inside and looked around. One bed was pushed against the left wall, while the second bed was pushed against the right. They barely looked big enough to fit two people each. The Therouldes and the female members of their group were going be getting quite cozy with each other tonight. And we will be too, he thought as he dropped his gaze to the floor in the middle of the room. Once the remaining three of them were laying down, there would be hardly any space leftover to walk.

The others began unloading any supplies they’d brought inside and removing their armor, but Crow lingered by the door. “I’m going to step out for a moment,” he announced, taking off his hat and tossing it carelessly onto a table near the entrance.

“Where are you going?” Otto asked, turning toward him with a stern frown.

“Relax, shepherd,” the former thief held up his hands. “I just need to use the privy, and I have a feeling that’ll be easier to do before there are bodies sprawled all over this tiny floor.” He stepped toward the door, casting the older man a confident smile. “I promise I won’t wander too far from the flock, so you have nothing to worry about. I’ll be back soon.”

Without waiting for a reply, he exited the room and made his way down the hall, eager to catch up with Penelope for their brief time away from the others.

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Maybe in one more post? Just so I can get through Cas's call, giving the phone back to Maisie, and finishing the tea before he goes to sleep too :) He and Maisie would probably have one more short interaction before we switch over to Regis and Jacob.

And yep, Regis would be in a cell. We can pick up after he's been interrogated for a while. Atlas might even pay him a personal visit because he'll be furious that his son is "dead"

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

In regard to Cas's request, I'm thinking that he won't be able to get anywhere with a phone call. He'll only get through to border security, and when he says his name, they'll assume it's a prank call because by that point, word would have already spread that Cas is "dead"

We can also throw in another part with Jacob and Regis soon to fill in more gaps on their end :)

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

As Maisie helped Iris to her feet, Cas took over the sofa, kicking his feet up and spreading out the blanket she’d brought out for him to use for the night. He was still a little unsettled by Iris’s concerning frame of mind, but he doubted that was going to have any effect on how well he slept. He was going to be a comatose lump on the couch as soon as he passed out. It was a good thing they were staying with Maisie for now, because he was about ninety percent sure he wouldn’t wake up if Iris needed anything before morning.

Smoothing out the blanket over his legs, he looked up as he felt a hand on his shoulder. “You too,” he said, returning Iris’s smile. He could tell she was just putting on a tough face to hide her inner turmoil, but if she didn’t want to talk to him anymore, there was nothing he could do to change that. He just hoped she would have someone to confide in after they parted ways at the capital, so she wouldn’t drive herself crazy with all the self-blame. Whether it was Maisie or someone else, she needed someone to tell her that she shouldn’t carry all the weight of everything that had happened. It wasn’t fair of her to do that to herself.

With another yawn, he settled down on his back and slipped the pillow underneath his head. It wasn’t quite the same as having a bed to himself, but couch surfing was still more comfortable than he’d expected. The furniture was long enough that he only had to bend his knees a little to fit on it horizontally, and it was much softer than anything else he’d slept on in the last few days. It was even better than the mattress in the bomb shelter, since it didn’t have any loose springs to dig into his skin. He closed his eyes contentedly, This definitely isn’t the worst place to spend the night.

“I might not wake up for a month if I get any more tired than I already am,” he looked up amusedly when Maisie asked if he wanted any tea. “But what the hell. I’ll have a cup if you don’t mind making one for me.” Knowing that he wasn’t going to be sleeping at that very second now that he had a warm drink on the way, he propped himself up a little higher with his shoulders leaning against the armrest.

While he waited for the tea, he contemplated her other question. He didn’t really need anything else at that moment, but there was one thing he could think of that he wanted to do. In hindsight, he was embarrassed that he hadn’t thought of it sooner. “Also, Maisie?” he called to get her attention without getting up. “Would you happen to have a phone I could borrow?” He assumed that she and Iris had to have been keeping in touch with each other somehow. If the other girl had a cellphone, he could try to call his father or Jacob or someone inside the capital who could tell him why no one had come to get him after all this time. It was concerning to him that after more than half a week, he still hadn’t come across any soldiers looking to bring him home. At the very least, he wanted to hear an explanation as for why it seemed like he’d been forgotten.

The crown prince goes missing, and the world keeps on turning as if nothing changed, he thought with a pang of annoyance. Although he wished it wasn’t true, Regis’s words had stuck with him more than they should have. The dark parts of his thoughts had begun sewing threads of doubt that the rebel leader was right, and that his life didn’t matter to anyone else. He needed to make the phone call for his own peace of mind.

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Maybe 5 or 6 months? We're also not sure, but that seems to be about how old he is based on how many baby teeth he's lost. Visiting my parents made me want to get a second dog too xD Kai was so happy playing with their puppy that I think he'd like having a brother or a sister. The house I live in right now isn't big enough for more than one dog though, so I'd have to wait until we move somewhere with a larger lot

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

I took a lot of pictures of him xD

Here are a few cute ones:

Puppies

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

They don't know for sure because he's a rescue, but I think he's got labrador, pit bull, and some kind of hound in him. He's really cute and got along great with my dog. They became BFFs before we left to go home, haha