"GHOST!"
The startled boy wrapped in a blood red scarf jolted up, grabbing onto the man right next to him. Naren held Cairo's shirt, if that's what you could call it. His response was swift and precise as it had been before. His body had slowly gotten used to thick air.
Not to say it wasn't still injured. Even holding Cairo, Naren winced from the pain of his sudden movements.
"M-Maren told me they-they could eat your soul."
"Calm down, it's just some old hag."
Cairo burned off a bit of the rope that bound his hands, ripping it off. He similarly, lit a bit of the rope on Naren's wrist too, freeing him as well.
The girl on the floor sat up, the hair now falling to her sides and back clearing up her face. She got right up to Cairo's face, her pitch-black eyes slightly glowing from the embers on Cairo's finger.
"Run that by me again one eyed freak."
"You heard me, weed-headed hag."
Naren pushed Cairo out of the way, coming face to face with the girl.
"Yo, don't disrespect my brother like that."
"Who are you—"
A thought swam through the girl's head. The same thought that swam form Naren's head. Both their eyes widened as they spoke in unison.
"Yuna?"
"Pervert?"
Cairo pushed Naren out of the way. Coming face to face with the girl once more.
"Yo, dickhead, watch your tongue."
Yuna pushed Cairo's face back.
"How old are you? I bet you've got a decade on me fossil."
Naren pointed at himself. Glee on his face. He didn't say it, but he was ecstatic. The girl, Yuna, she remembered him. Granted it was for something he'd rather not be associated with, but nonetheless she remembered. It's been at least a week and she didn't forget him. He couldn't help but couple his tired eyes with a grin.
"Who me?"
Cairo caught himself, not moving far from the force.
"Twenty-one. How bout ya? Thirty some?"
"Who me?"
Naren was so caught up in the fact that she remembered him, that he had no intention of following the flow of the conversation. To him, it was now all about him.
"Twenty, you one-eyed fossil."
"Me? I'm nineteen."
Both Cairo and Yuna turned towards Naren.
"FUCK YOU!"
"NOT YOU!"
Naren didn't mind. He was happy as it was. That was until the concept of cold came back to him. With all the glee, he forgot how cold it was. His body began shivering as he tried to hold himself tight.
"Nah Naren, you cryin?"
"This guy's for real?"
They both looked at him like two people who just accidently kicked a stray dog. Until he looked up at them.
"It's...so...cold."
Cairo made his flamed stronger, providing warmth for the three.
"Thanks."
Yuna looked at the two of them with unfiltered wary.
"So pervert, how'd you end up here."
As Naren gazed at her, Yuna couldn't help but be drawn in by his scarf. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something about that scarf, something about the boy himself drew her in. It was like someone you had been close to once, but slowly grown apart. Then meeting them again after life took it's course.
"Dunno, I woke to falling in a big hole, now I'm here."
"I see."
They stared at each other, but nothing to talk about came to mind. In the background, Cairo was relentlessly patting around the ground,as if he was looking for something. His face slowly grew more and more panicked.
"What're looking for, Cairo?"
He didn't answer, just went back to looking. Any ounce of Levity quickly dissipating from his body. His movements only became more and more erratic until he finally clung to the white bars. Trying to pry them open with all his might with no results.
"It's no use, fossil."
Cairo looked over at the two of them, the embers on his finger getting more and more erratic along with his emotions.
"My sword. Where's my sword."
Through his panicked eyes, only one memory played: A woman in her late thirties was evidently sickly. Her body pale, skin nestled around bones. Her eyes, lost all but an ounce of glint. The woman had no legs, instead she laid barely upright against a wall. Her hands shook frantically as she handed a clothed scabbard to a little boy.
The little boy was smaller than average. Scrawniness that could only be second to the sickly woman. His face was covered in sloppy bandages, bouts of rough white hair peeking through. Only one eye peered through those bandages, soaked in blood and tears.
The woman's breath was shaking, as the little boy went right over the scabbard and grabbed her hands instead.
"What're ya talking about. You'll be fine. You told me you'd get better remember? You said it was only a matter of time. I just hadta keep training hard. I just hadta be a good boy. You promised."
The woman coughed up blood, her breath shaky, vision blurring. She picked up the scabbard and placed it into the little boy's hand. Mouthing one last sentence before hitting the ground.
"Where's my sword."
Cairo's shaky voice caught Naren by surprise. He only knew him for a day, but it was enough to get a grasp on his personality. But this was definitely a bump in that fabric of personality.
"They took them."
Yuna looked indifferent to the sudden change. Cairo grew close to her. His face was in a calm, one that only accompanied the deepest bouts of loathing. His voice now stabilized, but his eye still screamed in terror.
"Whatcha mean they took it."
Yuna pushed him off back once more as best she could with her bound hands. A look of annoyance crept onto her face. She mumbled something under her breath. Nobody was supposed to hear it, but Naren did: "Your sensitivity makes me sick to my stomach."
"I mean, we're prisoners."
She glared at Cairo, who glared back. But he decided to let it. To him, Yuna was beneath him.
"Do you really expect them to let us keep our weapons?"
"Makes sense."
Naren had assumed as much. He was all too familiar with these cells, even last time they took his backpack full of supplies. He was never able to find it again and eventually just gave up on it.
"So what, they're just going to keep us here and feed us three meals a day? Makes it seem like we're more guests than prisoners."
"I couldn't tell you. I only got here right before you two."
"Th-they'll...feed you to the b-beast."
A voice sounded from the cell across from them. A shaky familiar voice. By now Cairo had regained his composure, his mind now focused on how to get his sword back. He took the remnants of the rope that bound him, burned it and threw it towards the opposing cell.
An orange glow reflected off a short girl sitting on the floor of her cell. She had curly hair and a look of despair. A fear that hadn't had anytime to settle. Naren couldn't recognize her, he always had a hard time connecting faces in his memories. Well faces that he didn't pay attention to. Hedidn't know that this was the girl from the ship. The same one that got the last hit on Jax.
"You said they was gon feed us?"
"No."
She was already afraid before. She had been since the ship, since the King's game. But now, her fear was even greater. Something she didn't think was possible. Before her, three figures stood: A man with one eye which felt like it would stab her relentlessly if it could. A boy with a blood red scarf that emanated dread. And a girl, who was actually the most normal of the three. But even she had a glint of madness in her eyes.
The girls shaky voice resumed after a couple deep breaths.
"We're food."
Her eyes widened as her pupils dilated. A wave of anguish washed over her face as she curled into a ball, tightly quivering.
"For their God."