IC contact for wethelost

[devoutish]

Solomons & Melborn
1108 Sweet Cream Street

[Feel free to use this space for letter/package deliveries as well as visits/knocks on the front door!]

Comments

[devoutish]

I can see that, yeah. And what are you gonna do to pay them back for it?

[bywolves]

Nothing. [ Royce says, looking at Alfie like he's lost his mind. ] There's ten of them. One of me. I'm staying away.

[devoutish]

There's no way to be tricky? Punish them indirectly?

[bywolves]

[ He scoffs. ] You're an idiot.

[devoutish]

No, I'm a tricky bastard, mate.

[bywolves]

No. Not here, you're not. Tricky bastards die their first day.

[devoutish]

Then I suppose--

[He pulls his body in a little tighter, glancing around warily despite himself.]

-- that I'm gonna die.

[bywolves]

Yeah. You're going to, with an attitude like that.

[ He pulls in closer, shivering, staring down the hall. There's a pause - and then the voices start to get louder, and Royce's head snaps up. He stares down the hallway - and then he gets up and takes off. Bye. He's leaving. ]

[devoutish]

[Alfie swears under his breath, struggling to his feet. Sorry bud, he's sticking with you - as well as he can, anyway. Royce might be well ahead of him at this point.]

cw: cannibalism

[bywolves]

[ Royce runs, and he's out of sight almost immediately. Behind Alfie, the voices get louder and louder until suddenly they're upon him. A group of ragged and disheveled prisoners, a scattered collection of people more beast than human, cackle as they come around the corner and spot him.

Nice clothes, one of them says, and another giggles and comes up to yank at his shirt. Mine, she says, and a third one shoves Alfie, eyeing him. That same third one says, almost thoughtfully, take clothes, I want an arm. Leg.

A fourth one whispers right against Alfie's ear as they surround him like a pack of hyenas, giggling and yipping at him: meat good, you're going to taste good, fresh! ]

[devoutish]

[Well, fuck.

Alfie doesn't even have his cane, so he starts lashing out purely with his fists - aiming a kick here, a gut-jab there, and trying to grab two of their heads and knock them together hard.]

[bywolves]

[ The favorites are not full on brawlers - they're scrappy, and they're not used to people fighting back like this. Alfie's kick connects with the jaw of one of them and he yelps, knocked back a few steps. The two that have their heads knocked together fall back, dazed and nearly out, but the rest of them let out a series of angry, animalistic noises as they rush Alfie. They jump on him, all trying to knock him to the ground, to get on top of him and tear at his clothes and skin.

There are footsteps running down the corridor, just barely heard above the din. ]

[devoutish]

Royce!

[Alfie calls out, knowing it's probably hopeless - but maybe, maybe he'll get his memories back. He'd had them in other dreams. It's not impossible. He'll keep fighting too, though they do get him to the ground, and he loses a couple of sizable chunks of skin from his arms. Cannibals, honestly.]

[bywolves]

[ It's not impossible.

In fact, the footsteps get louder, and then all of a sudden, one of the girls with Alfie's arm in her mouth makes a noise like a kicked dog as she's knocked several feet away. There's confusion - a sharp rock comes down and stabs right through the neck of a Favorite that's trying to bite off Alfie's nose. The Favorite falls, and the rest of them shriek and scatter, trying to get away.

And then there's Royce, expression tense and upset as he tries to yank Alfie up. ]

Get up. You need to run. [ He's scared. He's really scared. ] You owe me so run, get up.

[devoutish]

Fucking hell, Royce--

[Is this regular Royce? Memory Royce? It's hard to tell - actually helping him would indicate yes, but "you owe me" indicates no. Regardless, he stumbles to his feet, stumbling as he tries to break into a run.]

[bywolves]

[ Royce helps. He helps as much as he can, dragging Alfie off with him into the dark. The Favorites are screaming and wailing at the loss of one of their own and Royce knows, he knows somewhere that this isn't right. This isn't how this happened, and now he's going to face the consequences of it, but for right now, they just need to go.

Royce pulls Alfie down a hall to the left, then the right, the left, right, right, right, left, and then suddenly to the right where it doesn't seem like there's anywhere to go. But there is, there's a little cave, only just big enough for the two of them. Royce drops Alfie in here, and then grabs a cloth (bloodstained and disgusting) to hang up over the tiny opening. ]

Idiot. Told you to run. [ Royce breathes, trembling. ]

[devoutish]

And I fucking ran, didn't I.

[For a certain definition of running - he'd followed Royce, anyway. Stifling a groan, he prods at one of the wounds on his arm.]

I'm not as young as I used to be. Why did you come back?

[bywolves]

[ Royce turns and grabs another roll of cloth - it's also dirty, but that can't be helped. It's better than nothing. Carefully, he wraps Alfie's arm with the cloth. ]

Because I feel like I know you. [ He mutters. ] We'll see how long you stay when Nim comes back.

[devoutish]

Nim will like me.

[He mutters, watching Royce do his work.]

I'm a very amiable sort of man.

[bywolves]

[ Scowl. ] You don't know Nim.

[ But - Nim likes most people. He only ever had nice things to say about the Favorites, aside from the fact that they're cannibals. Royce ties off the cloth. ]

And we'll see if he finds us before they do. I killed one of them. They're going to hunt for me.

[devoutish]

Let's find me a weapon, then. I'll help protect you.

[bywolves]

[ It's very, very dark, but Alfie can probably see the light of Royce's eyes look up right at him, and squint. ]

No. [ Simply enough. ]

[devoutish]

I'm not gonna kill you. I owe you, yeah?

[bywolves]

Means nothing. Don't know you.

[devoutish]

You saved me.