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

[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.

[bywolves]

And? Doesn't matter. Could save someone and turn around and have them harvest you for meat.

[devoutish]

For meat; fucking hell, there are a lot of cannibals here. Is that normal?

[bywolves]

Not a lot of food down here. [ He shivers, pulling away and scooting as far from Alfie as he can. ] You never know when someone might snap, is all.

[devoutish]

How long have you been here?

[bywolves]

Months. [ He doesn't know why he trusts Alfie to tell him so. Or why he's speaking to him at all. ] I think.

[devoutish]

And you haven't snapped.

[There's warm approval in his voice.]

[bywolves]

No. I'm not going to eat other people. [ He is... very confused by the warm approval. ] Rather starve.

[devoutish]

Why? Have you got moral standards, or is there something else?

[bywolves]

... Guess it's moral standards. [ Royce says, glancing over at Alfie again. ]

[devoutish]

[This is where he'd make some sort of crack about human meat tasting terrible, if this were regular Royce. But he's not so sure this Royce wouldn't take it as a hint or a threat of some kind, so he doesn't.]

Well - if you're gonna have those, that's not a bad line to draw.

[bywolves]

Don't usually have them.

They generally kick in if I can remember whatever I killed screaming at me not to kill it.

[devoutish]

Ah - I'm sorry for that, mate.

[bywolves]

[ He shrugs. ]

Doesn't bother me. Just don't want to eat that. Don't want to be them. They lost their sanity.