forum One Upheaval After Another (Closed with phantomflame) (1/1)

Started March 07, 2023 by @RhysTheFirebird group

tune

Cyris smiles at him, “Well, you didn’t prick me, and I trust that, if it ever does happen, that you’re not doing it with malicious intent. I trust you, Oliver.” He leans back slightly, still keeping his grip around Oli’s wrists. He would have taken his hands, but he didn’t want to agitate the burns on his hands.

He grins when Oli meets his gaze, “Well, I’ll try. But no promises.” He laughs softly.

Oli's heart fluttered as Cyris laughed, wishing that the sound lasted longer. He had only known the other boy for a short amount of time, but he had a feeling that Cyris wasn't one who laughed or smiled often, so the fact that he was doing both of those things because of him made Oli happy.

"I would never intentionally hurt you," he promised, meaning it. "And I know I can't stop you from doing anything you don't want to do, but it would help if you rest for as long as you can."

Cyris leans back, his smile fading into a grimace. He slowly lets go of Oli’s wrists, slowly slumping back onto the bed, sighing softly. “How is the bed so comfortable. . ?” He closes his eyes.

“It’s been so long since I’ve laid down on a bed. . .” He mumbles. He stretches out, rolling onto his stomach and staying like that, still tense, but it looked like that tension would fade. . . Eventually.

Oli felt a slight pang of disappointment when Cyris let him go, his wrists becoming cold after the warmth of the other boy's touch. He smiled softly as Cyris lay down on the bed, his eyes filled with sadness and a dark, hot anger that was steadily igniting with him.

The bed that Cyris was on was far from comfortable. It was lumpy and some parts of the mattress had been duct-taped together to keep the thing from unraveling, but it served its purpose enough for Oliver and Damien to not throw it out.

What monsters would deny someone the right to sleep on a small bed? He wondered, hating the people that Cyris was running from even more than before. I'll make sure he stays safe from them, even if it's the last thing I do.
"I'll leave you be now," Oli whispered softly, going towards the door and opening it. He paused, glancing over his shoulder. "Sleep well, Amber."
He stepped out of the room and closed the door gently behind him before making his way back to the hidden entrance to go up to his room above the bakery to get his stuff ready.

Cyris thought about asking Oli to stay. To not leave him alone in the room, but he'd giving the boy a time limit. It would be unkind of him to keep him from getting ready. When the door snicked shut, he tensed, not wanting to be alone. He stares at the ceiling and closes his eyes after a while, falling asleep.

He would sleep the hours away, and when the time came, he knew his body would wake up at the time he'd given Oli, and be ready to go in minuets and then wait for the boy.

Oli went back up to his room and flopped onto his soft bed, sighing. He glanced out the window and was surprised by how much time had passed. But that meant he needed to get started packing now otherwise Cyris would leave without him.

He reluctantly got up, went to his closet and grabbed a sturdy, decent-sized backpack, and began stuffing some clothes in it. He paused, the events of the day finally catching up to him, making his face pale and his mind fill with dread. How long would he be gone? Where even were they going? Would he ever see his uncle or his boring yet safe little town again? He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. It didn't matter how long he was gone, or even what the destination was. What mattered was making sure Cyris was safe and had a traveling companion, and to help other runaways and refugees in any way he could.

With this new thought now in mind, his thoughts cleared and he began stuffing more things into his backpack, doing his best to think of the present instead of all of the unknowns that the future would bring.

Cyris sleeps until dawn, and wakes easily, feeling a little better. He sits up and pulls his jacket back on. He makes sure all his weapons are in place before leaving the room. He walks back the way they had come. He pushes his way into the bakery, the feeling of safety vanishing completely. Something was coming, he could feel it. He and Oli needed to leave now.

But. . . Would Oli have had enough time to say his goodbyes to his uncle? He was tearing this boy from his family, and he was sure Oli’s uncle didn’t like it. But then, this was all also Oli’s choice. Not Cyris’s choice.

He sighs and then walks outside, and he could taste it, something was coming. They needed to leave before it got here. . .

He stands in the bakery front, quiet.

Oli was busy looking over his supplies, taking a moment to glance out the window and cursing under his breath. It was already dawn. Did Cyris leave already? He zipped up his backpack and hoisted it over his shoulders, looking around his room. Would he ever come back here?

He heard his door creak open and he turned around as his uncle walked in, holding a huge cloth bag.
"Hey, kid," he said in greeting. The older man smiled, but Oli could see that it didn't reach his eyes at all. He looked exhausted and worried, but he was clearly doing his best to keep it together for his nephew.

"Is that the food?" Oli asked, taking the bag gratefully when Damien nodded. The two of them stood in front of each other for a moment, the silence between them heavy with words and emotions that felt impossible to say out loud. Finally, Oli opened his mouth to speak, but his uncle beat him to it.

"Oliver, let's not do goodbyes, okay?" The older man closed the distance between them and wrapped his nephew, the boy he had raised for nearly twenty years, in a tight embrace. "Goodbyes are for people who will never see each other again. And deep down I know that you'll come back home one day when you're ready." He tightened his grip, even as a stray tear ran down his cheek. "Just promise me you'll be safe. Can you do that, Olive?"

Oli chuckled at the nickname; Damien had given it to him as a child, and for some reason, toddler Oliver loved eating olives. A lot. The nickname had followed him around ever since. "I will. I promise."

Damien finally let go of his nephew, his smile softening and looking more genuine. "I think your friend's downstairs. You probably shouldn't keep him waiting."
Oli nodded, a sad smile of his own crossing his face. "Right. I'll see you soon."
Damien stepped out of the way and Oli gripped the bag of food in his hands even tighter, refusing to look back in case he started regretting everything as he walked out of his room and down the stairs to the bakery, where he saw Cyris by the front.

"Sorry for the wait," he said once he was beside Cyris. He held up the cloth bag. "I got the food for us. Do you want to leave out the front or through the bunker area that goes to the woods?"

Cyris nods, “Yeah, it’s fine. . . Though we should get going. I feet trouble coming.” He shifts on his feet, looking back outside. “We can go out the other way, it’ll be easier.” He pulls his hood up, covering his hair. He pulled the hood low, keeping his eyes shadowed.

He looks at Oli, sighing, “I’m going north, towards Canada. You can come however far you want, but if you ever want to turn around, you can, I’m not going to keep you from here.”

He starts walking back the way he had come, looking back at Oli and smiling slightly.

"Canada sounds good," Oli agreed, giving Cyris an easy grin. "I've never been, so better late than never, right?"

He moved over to the wall that the bunker was hidden behind and lifted the familiar book that would make the wall shift, stepping back as it did. He walked in after Cyris, a sense of excitement flowing through him as the wall moved back into place and locked itself again. The sense of adventure both thrilled and terrified him all at once. He had his daggers and the one Cyris gave him, hidden in the folds of his clothing, and knowing that he had some protection with him relaxed him a bit.

Cyris pauses, quiet, looking back towards the door, “Oliver. . .” He takes a moment, “I’m not sure your uncle will be safe.” He turns, “I’m not sure it’s safe to leave yet. I feel uneasy about leaving. I’ve felt it since I woke up, but I always feel a little uneasy when I wake. The feeling hasn’t gone away though.”

He looks at Oli, quiet for a long moment, thinking.

(Brain still go burr)

(Lol mood)

Oli's smile immediately left his face and his hand went for one of the daggers he had.

"Are you saying there's someone here right now?" he asked quietly, his eyes full of alert. "He knows how to defend himself, and we have a pretty good security system, but…what do you think we should do?"
He couldn't hear any commotion outside, but then again, this place was meant to be soundproof. "Should we go back out?"

Cyris was gazing at the door, “I don’t know, I know I could certainly get into here without triggering any alarms. And, I’m sure they would have sent well trained people after me. Your uncle wouldn’t really stand a chance.”

Cyris looks at Oli, hesitating and then sighs, “We should.” He takes a deep breath, “But stay behind me, okay?”

Oli nodded, forcing his heart to slow down. Being afraid wouldn't help him.

He followed Cyris, steeling his nerves and doing his best to get rid of all of the worst-case scenarios that were running through his head. He just saw Damien, less than five minutes ago. Surely nothing could have happened during the time he had left him upstairs…right?

Cyris walk to the door pushing it open and walking out. He looks around, quiet. He sighs softly, relaxing slightly. He looks over his shoulder, “It’s fine for now, go find your uncle, I’ll stay out here and watch.” He smiles slightly, though it looked more like a grimace.

He walks to the bakery front, leaning back against the counter and holding a silent vigil., watching the doors.

Oli hesitated, not moving for a while. He didn't know what he would say to Damien, or even if he could say anything. But he felt like his uncle wouldn't react well to 'Hey, I know you thought I just left but apparently there are some people who could come in and kill you at any moment, so I thought you should know. Bye!'

Yeah, that wouldn't go over well at all. He took a deep breath and nodded to Cyris, leaving the bag of food next to him as he went back up the stairs.

It was only when he reached the top of them that he heard a pained whimper coming from his room, the door left slightly ajar.

Damien.

Taking another dagger out, the blade glinting in the early morning light, he slowly crept closer to his room and peeked in, his eyes widening at what he saw.

His uncle was on his knees with a gag in his mouth, a thin trickle of blood streaming down his throat as a jagged knife pressed against him. Oli could see the fear in his eyes, but he could also see the stubborn glint in there as well as he glared defiantly at his captor, who was a large figure wearing all black and was facing away from Oli, so he couldn't see his face.

"Where is he?" the figure practically growled, pressing the knife deeper into Damien's neck which made the stream of blood flow more quickly down his neck. "The next time I ask, you won't be leaving here alive. Just tell me where he is now and I'll spare your pathetic life."

Oli stood, frozen in terror. He knew his uncle would never say anything; Oli had that exact same type of stubbornness. He didn't know what to do, and he certainly couldn't call for Cyris without the person knowing that he was there.

(Sorry that took a dark turn, if you want me to change it/if you had another scenario in mind then just let me know)