& all i see is you - - ( open )

[cyrus]

THE TRUTH COMES OUT IN THE BREAKDOWNS
( • M E M O R I E S M Y G O D T H E S E M E M O R I E S • )

The young man’s posture never seemed to change. Every day, he sat on his hard mattress, slumped with his back against the wall. His knees bent up slightly and his arms roosted upon them. Ice blue eyes were almost always downcast and filled with a feeling of strong sorrow and regret. Every now and then he would look up at his hands. They would start shaking a little and he would look away, lost in whatever world of thought he was in again. Cyrus’s mind was always on his brother and the life he stole. It wasn’t right, it wasn’t fair. Why was he still alive when he was the stupid one, the one who couldn’t control himself? It should have been him that was slaughtered, not Callum. He should have taken his anger out on a wall, not on a defenseless soul. It shouldn’t have come to death at all…

He sighed and broke his statue-like vigil. Putting his feet on the ground and lifting the rest of his body, Cyrus rolled the stiffness out of his shoulders and neck, welcoming the few small pops he heard as his bones protested. He paced around the small cell he now called home a few times, absorbing every detail. There wasn’t much to take in, to be honest, but he noticed the little things, like the slightly discolored patch on the floor and the spider web in the corner between two walls and the ceiling. He stretched his arm up while standing on his toes and destroyed the spider’s home. He hadn’t seen an arachnid on it, anyway. And if it got mad, tough. It could find a new home.

Rolling up the web in his fingers, he flicked it into the corner where it had been before and resumed pacing. Sadly, that had been one of the most exciting things he had done in over a week. His previous cellmate had been purchased recently, which left him even more alone. He hoped he would get another one soon. Well, either that or that he would be allowed to fight someone before too long. It wasn’t that Cyrus enjoyed the fighting, but it gave him a release of pent-up energy and whatever emotions he could conjure up. The audiences disgusted him, though. The fact that people would place bets on another human’s life as though they were animals was sickening. Hell, even having animals contend was wrong. Cyrus had little control over any of that, and even less now. He wasn’t considered a person by most of society any longer. He hadn’t been for a few months now, and he probably never would be again.

Cyrus finally ended his short, circular walk and sat on his bed again, holding his head in his hands, palms over his eyes. His mind traced the same patterns it always did, beating him with guilt, regret, sorrow, anger. It never ended! Why couldn’t his brain just shut down for a little while, staying active enough to keep him alive but nothing more than that? He wanted all the repercussions of his actions to stop haunting him for a little while. He craved some peace with himself.

Well, he gained a distraction, though it wasn’t quite what he wanted. His ears picked up sound outside in the hallway. Footsteps and muffled voices, growing louder. He sat up, training both his real eye and his mechanical one on the door. He was half-expecting the sounds to grow faint again, just waiting for whoever was walking this direction was going to head right past and pay his cell no mind. Nevertheless, he watched. He was really wanting some interaction with another living being, and his hopes were up slightly that maybe, just maybe, this would be for him. He might be getting a new cellmate or something.

The voices didn’t just drift past. They stopped outside and Cyrus could see movement out of the little window on his door. His eyebrows perked up a little bit and his posture straightened a bit more. There were keys jangling and scratching against the doorknob, he could hear that clearly. Who was on the other side, though, was a complete mystery. One that was about to be solved as the door was unlocked and pushed inward.

THEY DON'T MEAN ANYTHING OH THOSE MEMORIES
( • A S Y O U S P O K E Y O U R F O R K E D T O N G U E S H O W E D • )

W O R D S • 715
T A G G E D • open
L Y R I C S • memories by lion if ido
T E M P L A T E • PANIC! ITS LAUZ of CAUTION
N O T E S • let's see what happens..

[ESTELLA INCA ERIS]

Estella was a big fan of the gladiator fights that happened every so often. She owned her own gladiator, and although it was sort of wrong, she liked to pit him against other gladiators. There was really nothing else to do in this city, so she had to get her kicks from something. Gladiator fights were the only exciting thing and the gladiators were so for a reason. It wasn't the best punishment, but if they deserved it, they deserved it. She knew that her own gladiator did. He had committed treason against the Perfect Nation and that was just terribly wrong.

She loved the fighting so much that instead of just one gladiator, why not have two? It was genius, truly. It was doing whoever she picked a favor, too. Estella wasn't like some owners, who were absolutely terrible, heartless people. No, she had a big heart, in fact. Sometimes that didn't shine through her large character flaw: her temper. If she didn't get what she wanted, she always got upset and threw something or hit something. It wasn't very proper, but who was nowadays?

She had decided to travel to the underground, where she knew the gladiators were kept and sold. She slipped on some clothes and some shoes. Her hair was kept a little messy, but she didn't care. She was going to be underground, where it was dark. Not to mention, she would probably be the only good-looking person there. Estella took one look in the mirror, ran her fingers through her hair once, and then started out the door. Although she was quite wealthy, she decided just to talk to the underground. It wasn't that far, and it would also be a little more inconspicuous.

Estella walked down the street, taking every step cautiously. There always seemed to be people who were begging or something on the side. They usually liked to grab her ankle as she walked by and she would trip. She really hated those people, which was why she was being so wary.

As she approached the entrance to the place where the gladiators were held, she looked around her. Her eyes shifted back and forth, making sure no one was watching. Stealthily, she slipped down the stairs and continued until she saw the jailkeeper. She gave a small, warm wave. He didn't seem to respond. He simply began walking down the row of cells, motioning for Estella to follow.

"Is there anyone in particular that you'd like to get rid of?" Estella asked casually, staring at the faces behind the cell doors. They all seemed rather angry or rather sad. It was their fault for being in there, so they should just accept it.

The keeper eventually led her to a particular cell and stopped in front of it. Estella peeked in before he opened the door, a bit stunned at what she saw. She stepped back as he told her to move away from the door. He placed the keys in the lock and twisted it. His hand pushed the door back and he stood sentry at the door as Estella walked in. She stared a moment at the man in the cell, just savoring it for a moment.

"You want to get rid of him? I can't imagine why," Estella commented slyly. "How much will it cost me?" The jailkeeper grunted out a number, just barely audible. Estella narrowed her eyes at him. Sure, she was rich, but the sum he had named was ridiculous. "No, no, how about I give you half that? Surely he's not worth that much," she said, looking over at him with a wry grin. He grunted again and Estella sighed, digging through her purse. She grabbed her wallet, and pulled out a large wad of cash. The keeper held out his hand, and she placed it forcefully into his palm. He closed his hand greedily and pocketed the money with a creepy smile on his face. Estella knew she had gotten robbed, but it seemed worth it.

Once he had pocketed the money, the keeper left. Estella wasn't sure if that was so safe, to leave her here with this man. But she figured if she was friendly enough that he would have no reason to hurt her. "Hello there, I'm Estella," she said, with a hand outstretched toward him. "I hope you're not offended by what I said earlier." She smiled innocently at him, trying to patch everything up so he didn't decide to add onto his list of crime.

___________________________________________________________________________

_{Word Count 774
Inspiration Bang the Doldrums by Fall Out Boy
Tags Cyrus
Status Complete
Template By Arro @ Caution 2.0}
[/size][/blockquote][/i][/sub]

[cyrus]

THE TRUTH COMES OUT IN THE BREAKDOWNS
( • M E M O R I E S M Y G O D T H E S E M E M O R I E S • )

The ugly man who stood, keys in hand, in front of the door was familiar. He was the reason why Cyrus was trapped in this room, as opposed to being free to roam the place. Aside from the fact that it was his own fault in the first place, of course. Cyrus wouldn’t leave the prison, however. He simply wanted more room than a nine by nine square. The man was someone that just didn’t seem trustworthy. His smiles held something sinister behind them, and his eyes had that glint of evil intent, and when one looked into them, one just couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. Not to mention he was entirely unattractive. All of his days as a prison warden in the underground of the city most likely had something to do with it. Cyrus wondered how one even ended up with such a job. It had to be terrible and just a little frightening. He wouldn’t want the job of guarding all of these men (and a few women) who had done wrong and had to fight to save themselves. Really, if it came to a prison break, he would be dead.

The woman who was with him, however, was a new face. She had a fierceness about her, something that warned him that she was not a force to be reckoned with. He chose to watch her instead of the prison guard. She was the more attractive option. Then again, anyone would be less of an eyesore. He slowly stood, careful not to make any sudden movements for fear of causing alarm. The last thing he wanted was to come off as frightening, at least when he wasn’t in combat. Especially when he had someone who wanted to buy him. She didn’t look like a prisoner, anyway, not with the way she was being treated. Not to mention the fact that they didn’t put male and female gladiators together. They didn’t want any more fighting than necessary, no matter how intimate said fighting was. Besides, two troublemakers could only make more troublemakers, right? Exactly.

It was shocking when she actually did purchase him, though. His face didn’t betray his surprise at how much he cost, or that she had that much money with her in the first place. He was more interested in why she wanted him in the first place. He found very little about himself intriguing or impressive, and it wasn’t as though he was the star of the arena. He won some, he lost some, and thankfully the ones he lost weren’t to the death. Actually, he hadn’t ever been in any of the lethal ones. He hoped that since he had a master now, she wouldn’t try to kill him just for her entertainment. He wondered if she knew what he had done.

After the exchange, master and gladiator were left on their own. Her name was Estella, it appeared. She seemed nice enough. Then again, so did he. He gingerly extended his own arm and took her small, delicate hand with his own large, rough one with great care. He didn’t want to cause her any harm. "Cyrus," he returned. "I’m supposed to be Gladiator 404, though." Breaking eye contact with her, he dropped his hand as well. What had she said earlier? Something about bartering his price down, which he found perfectly reasonable. The amount was horrendous as it was. "It’s fine," he said back, offering a very small smile.

He was wondering, again, why he was a person of interest to this young woman. He figured it wasn’t his place to ask, but he was rather curious. She could have had one of those bloodthirsty lunatics down the hall, after all. They always put up a fight to remember. He certainly remembered his run-in with one of them. Breathing had hurt for over a week and he was sure that if it wasn’t fake already, his right eye would be in ruins.

Looking Estella in the eyes one more time for a brief moment, two words darted from between his lips. "Why me?"

THEY DON'T MEAN ANYTHING OH THOSE MEMORIES
( • A S Y O U S P O K E Y O U R F O R K E D T O N G U E S H O W E D • )

W O R D S • 686
T A G G E D • estella
L Y R I C S • memories by lion if ido
T E M P L A T E • PANIC! ITS LAUZ of CAUTION
N O T E S • hmm.

[ESTELLA INCA ERIS]

Estella was absolutely intrigued with this being. Not only because he was a gladiator, but because he was, well... not unattractive. She didn't care if he could or couldn't fight. He was still here and alive, so he probably could, but that didn't matter. She had enough money so if she lost a bet or two, it wasn't a big deal, as long as he didn't die. What mattered was that he fancied her taste.

Her eyes followed his hand as he reached to grab hers. She tensed up for a moment, half expecting him to do something violent, but instead, he was very civil. She was a bit taken aback, but smiled gently to disguise her surprise. "I think I prefer Cyrus. Gladiator 404 sounds too formal, don't you think?" she questioned with the same smile on her face. "I don't think it's right replacing names with a number, even if you are a slave or something."

Well, he seemed nice enough. At least Estella didn't have to worry about him coming back to stab her in the back while she was sleeping. That just wouldn't be pleasant at all.

"It's nice to know that I didn't offend you. Of course, I suppose in your position, it doesn't really matter," she said simply, shrugging her shoulders. She looked at him for a moment. He certainly wasn't like the other gladiators. He seemed to have some sense about him and he wasn't one of those out for blood. Or, at least, that's how he seemed. In the ring, he might be completely different person.

Why him? Why had she chosen him? Well, the answer was clear to her, but it might sound shallow to him so she... gave him a different truth. "Well... you seem to have your wits about you, you know? I don't want some bloodthirsty, brainless monster," she replied, raising a brow at him. She wondered if that was a good enough answer. It was true, but she didn't know how much he would believe it. Most people who came in here were looking for someone who would win. Those barbarians in the cages to the left and right of Cyrus could probably pulverize someone easily, but sometimes, you just had to outsmart your enemy. Estella didn't know how well that applied to gladiators, but she hoped it did, or else her reply wouldn't make much sense.

When Estella looked over her shoulder, the jailkeeper was giving her an evil look. Perhaps he suspected something was up, but when she made eye contact with him, he began pacing back toward the cell. Estella turned back to Cyrus and grabbed his wrist. She began to drag him behind her, toward the keeper. "Come on," she growled back at him. The keeper stopped in his tracks and watched Estella storm past him. She led Cyrus up the steps, pushing him toward them first. She followed behind, but not without giving the keeper a cynical smirk. He didn't seem very amused and simply went back to his post.

Once they reached the surface, Estella smiled at Cyrus. "I hope I didn't scare you, barking at you like that," she commented sarcastically, "but I'm sure that man was going to add some bite to my bark if we didn't leave."

___________________________________________________________________________

_{Word Count 573
Inspiration All Around Me by Flyleaf
Tags Cyrus
Status Complete
Template By Arro @ Caution 2.0}
[/size][/blockquote][/i][/sub]

[cyrus]

THE TRUTH COMES OUT IN THE BREAKDOWNS
( • M E M O R I E S M Y G O D T H E S E M E M O R I E S • )

She certainly wasn’t what he was expecting as an owner. Cyrus had seen some other gladiators’ owners when he was up for a fight and they were… less than kind. They treated the contenders as though they were expendable pieces of meat, not living beings with thoughts, dreams, and hopes… it didn’t matter what crime they had committed, they were still people. At least, that was what Cyrus thought. Then again, he was one of them. Perhaps to those with better standing, people of his sort were simply property and bargaining chips, a cheap thrill. Something easily replaced when killed or beyond repair.

He still watched Estella carefully, trying to catch any sign that he was making her uncomfortable or nervous. He saw nothing, but he didn’t want to put himself in a bad light. He belonged to her now, and would rather not bring any wrath she might inflict down upon himself. Some of the scars on other gladiators weren’t the marks of battle, after all. Humans could be cruel, cruel creatures. That, he knew for himself.

Another tiny smile appeared on his face. ‘Formal’ wasn’t the word he would have used to describe his number, but he wasn’t about to disagree with her. He preferred the name his parents gave him, as well. Cyrus had a good ring to it, he thought. And she was right again about numbers. They were assignments, nothing more. They held no meaning, no history, and there was no love or caring behind them. Names were chosen specifically for a person for them to carry with pride for the entirety of their lives by the people who brought about their existence. They had meanings and expectations, connections to things past and possibly things to come. “I agree,” he responded, casting his gaze out into the hallway. He caught sight of the keeper of the keys, fully aware of the glare he was receiving.

Cyrus nearly laughed when she gave her reasoning as to why he had piqued her interest. Most people wanted the most brutal killers they could possibly get their hands on, no matter how dim-witted they may have been. Now, he wasn’t the smartest person in the world but he could study an enemy in a way that made him a force to be reckoned with. He didn’t have the biggest muscles or the most strength, but pinpointing a weakness and exposing its flaws did wonders. Then again, so did sheer brutality and pulverizing someone until even thinking about moving hurt. It all depended on what type of fight one liked to watch, he supposed.

He was about to open his mouth to reply when he was being forced out of his cell. If she hadn’t caught him so off-guard, Cyrus had a feeling that Estella wouldn’t have gotten him to move at all. Her slight stature didn’t seem to really have much strength behind it. He half-stumbled out the door, then regained his footing and followed her away, noting how strange it felt to be traveling in this direction and not the other. The opposite end of this hall connected onto the network of other corridors that led to the arena. But this time, he was walking in the direction of freedom… in a way. He would have a new home and new rules to obey, and had a feeling he wouldn’t have very many more leisurely activities than he did in the underground. But he wouldn’t be in prison anymore. Anything was better than that.

Sunlight. He hadn’t seen that unadulterated in a long while. Cyrus’s eyes squinted against the harsh rays for a moment before blinking profusely. It was so bright up here. Somehow, he’d forgotten just how strong light could be. “It’s fine,” he responded, gently freeing his hand from her grip to rub his eyes. “Very few things frighten me anymore.”

THEY DON'T MEAN ANYTHING OH THOSE MEMORIES
( • A S Y O U S P O K E Y O U R F O R K E D T O N G U E S H O W E D • )

W O R D S • 645
T A G G E D • estella
L Y R I C S • memories by lion if ido
T E M P L A T E • PANIC! ITS LAUZ of CAUTION
N O T E S • freedom at last?

[ESTELLA INCA ERIS]

Estella gave Cyrus a quick look over. She was glad she had bought him. However, her parents might not be. She lived in a huge house with her wealthy parents, and they were not as kind as her. At least, not toward the gladiators. They, like most people, saw them as nothing more than a husk of something that once was, to be thrown away if broken. Therefore, her parents treated them as so. They made Arkin, Estella's other gladiator, live in a small shack beside the house. The door was locked after a certain hour and it was a wonder he didn't go stir-crazy. Estella felt bad for him, and she was feeling a little guilty about putting Cyrus through that. Surely a shack was better than a prison cell, though, right?

Well, he probably didn't expect much to begin with. He was practically a slave, so he didn't have much freedom, especially underground, but Estella was nice enough to buy him. That was enough to make someone happy, surely. Her kindness was probably a little misleading, as it wasn't preparing him for what was in store at her home.

Estella grinned, amused, as he responded to her sarcasm. "Those big, scary gladiators are nothing, right?" she questioned with the same satire.

She turned in the direction of her home, motioned for him to follow, and began walking toward her destination. "I must warn you: my parents are not nearly as nice as I am. They don't care for your types. On the bright side, you'll be roomies with another gladiator. Arkin, is his name. I think you two will get along," she explained whole-heartedly. She was trying to make the situation a little better by adding a plus in there. Well... it might have been a negative thing. Maybe it wasn't a good idea putting two criminals in one room. Hm, perhaps they would need another shack. "Well, at least you won't be tied up to a post," added Estella, in good humor.

As she was walking, she paid decent attention to Cyrus, watching him from the corner of her eye. It was probably a risk letting him out here with no kind of restraint, but perhaps her svelte would keep him on follow.

All the while, Estella was still watching for people she might know. She was a noble in this city, and she didn't want anyone to see her. It would completely ruin her reputation. Most of her friends had large, strapping barbarians for gladiators, and already made fun of Arkin. Imagine what they would say when they say she had bought another like him. It made her shudder to think of the hard time they would give her.

Her wary eyes combed through the crowd in the street, and what did she see? A friend of hers with her bear-of-a-gladiator shackled and walking beside her. Her friend always loved showing off her money. Estella looked over at Cyrus, and again, without warning, pulled him into an alley. She ducked into the darkness, and peered out behind the building. Her friend hadn't seen her, which meant she was safe for now.

She turned to Cyrus, a witty smile on her face. "I... there was... a bug," she replied, turning back to monitor her friend. Estella gave a sharp huff as she walked by without noticing Estella.

"You know..." Estella started, moving back into the darkness of the alley, "I have never kissed anyone of the gladiator type. I would think that it would be such a thrill. You can't get anyone as bad as a criminal. I'm just saying." She shrugged casually, but the look she gave him was anything but. Estella moved toward Cyrus, just close enough to be able to fit a thick magazine between them. She wasn't going to do anything to him; no, she expected him to do that. However, he seemed a bit shy, and was probably confused by her sudden attraction. It wasn't sudden for her, but perhaps it was not as obvious to him. "So?" she said, looking up at him, smiling cynically.

___________________________________________________________________________

_{Word Count 706
Inspiration Love Games by Lady Gaga :x
Tags Cyrus
Status Complete
Template By Arro @ Caution 2.0}
[/size][/blockquote][/i][/sub]

[cyrus]

THE TRUTH COMES OUT IN THE BREAKDOWNS
( • M E M O R I E S M Y G O D T H E S E M E M O R I E S • )

As soon as his eyes adjusted, the gladiator looked around, his blue eyes a little wide. He hadn’t been separated from civilization for too terribly long, but things still surprised him. A person tended to forget what things were like when deprived of them. The air smelled so much cleaner than he recalled. The sun, no longer blinding him, felt incredibly warm on his skin, which he welcomed. It was about when he felt the dirt between his toes that he noticed he wasn’t wearing shoes. Then he noticed the people. Not everyone was dressed to impress, that was for sure, but any of them would have looked like… well, much better than they already did compared to Cyrus. And they all had shoes on. He was suddenly feeling very self-conscious about his slightly grungy attire. It wasn’t that he never had clean clothes, it was just that he had three sets and hadn’t been able to change into the cleaner one before surfacing to society.

Well, no matter. He’d be at his new master’s house eventually, which he assumed would have something different for him to wear. Most gladiators wore their Perfect Nation’s family colors or something similar in the ring, at the very least. Was that selfish for him to think? Oh, Cyrus didn’t know. He was grateful to not be in prison anymore, though. He had no idea of what was in store for him, however. Well, until Estella began talking of her parents. They sounded… lovely. He hoped they weren’t the violent types or else, well, he couldn’t guarantee the safety of anyone if that was the case. Pain was one of the things that could set him off, and as hard as he worked to control it, once he was angry it was a ‘God help you’ situation. His bedroom before he went to prison had many a hole in the wall, about the size of his fist.

Cyrus listened to Estella as they began walking, fully aware of the looks he was getting. He hated being the center of attention. However, the hard gazes of the citizens of Peony were forgotten as something she said caught his interest. Another gladiator? Though it wasn’t uncommon for a family to own more than one, it was certainly something he hadn’t been expecting. Many questions entered his mind, but only one was voiced. “Arkin. What is he like?” Hopefully, he wasn’t insane.

He let his gaze pick up off of the ground and Estella every once in a while, to familiarize himself with Peony once again. Not much had changed, and yet, everything seemed so different at the same time. A teenager zoomed past them on his hoverboard, throwing more of the sun’s harsh brightness into Cyrus’s eyes from the reflection off of the board. Cyrus had never mastered the art of riding one of them. It seemed that he preferred to keep his feet on the ground. Walking had been perfectly fine for him. Staring after the kid with a blank expression but a bit of disgust underneath the mask, he thought he saw a vaguely familiar face. Her eyes were on him as well. She looked like someone he had once known. She couldn’t be--

Estella was certainly skilled at abruptly dragging him off to places. For the second time in a span of less than ten minutes, he was being hauled, with no announcement of her intentions, into a shadowed alley between two rather tall buildings. Cyrus was startled once more and his thoughts were rattled momentarily before he remembered the woman he had locked eyes with. He felt like he knew her, somehow… He meant to look around the corner to find her again when Estella spoke. “A bug,” he repeated in a somewhat disbelieving tone, raising an eyebrow slightly. He wasn’t going to ask what had really caused her to take refuge here. It wasn’t his business and it wasn’t his place to ask, as a slave.

And suddenly, his senses were on high alert. For a moment, all he could perceive was his new master. She was… quite close to him and that instantly made him uncomfortable. It wasn’t that he minded other humans in close proximity, but her mannerisms were completely different than what he found acceptable. Placing his large hands carefully on her shoulders to hold her in place, Cyrus stepped back, casting his eyes to his feet. “I cannot,” he mumbled. Even gladiators had morals, or at least he did. He had only just met his master a few minutes ago. He couldn’t do that to a stranger. Not to mention, she was a member of the Perfect Nation, and that meant trouble of cataclysmic proportions. Even if she came onto him, Cyrus would surely receive the blame and face execution. Even if he felt anything for her, he couldn’t allow anything to exist. Didn’t she understand that?

THEY DON'T MEAN ANYTHING OH THOSE MEMORIES
( • A S Y O U S P O K E Y O U R F O R K E D T O N G U E S H O W E D • )

W O R D S • 820
T A G G E D • estella
L Y R I C S • memories by lion if ido
T E M P L A T E • PANIC! ITS LAUZ of CAUTION
N O T E S • -----

[ESTELLA INCA ERIS]

Estella was quite relieved that her friend did not see her, especially in the alley with Cyrus. That didn't look suspicious at all, right? Some people would wonder why the two were friends if the other only made fun of Estella for her choices. Well, despite that, her friend was quite generous and not as heartless as she seemed.

When Cyrus's voice chimed in, her attention was immediately on him. What was Arkin like? Oh, Estella had no problems with him. He was pretty nice and whatnot, but why was she only thinking her answer? "He's a good person, I guess. He's a gladiator because he committed treason, so probably not something to be afraid of," she commented seriously. "Speaking of, what crime did you commit, Cyrus?" Estella didn't know why she hadn't asked that question before. From the looks of him, it couldn't be something any worse than stealing, maybe. He didn't look capable of a serious felony. But then again, Estella didn't look capable of being one to succumb to anger issues, but she did. Looks were deceiving.

Disbelief seemed to be painted across Cyrus's face as he repeated the reason why Estella had darted into this alley. Was a bug so hard to believe? She was a girl, afterall. "Yes, a bug. A big, nasty, icky bug," she returned sternly. Her eyes shifted to look out of the alley, making sure the "bug" had not turned around and came back. Silently, she scoped the lighted world and then her gaze returned to Cyrus.

Estella didn't understand why he had decided to step away from her. Was she not pretty or something? Okay, that was obviously not an option. She knew she was downright irresistable. If there was anything unattractive about her, it was anger, not anything physical.

"And why can't you? I won't tell anyone, I promise," Estella replied quietly, a smug grin spreading across her features. He really had nothing to fear. If she wanted the kiss, why would she tell anyone? She didn't want her reputation to be ruined. She wanted to just to feel the adrenaline of doing something she wasn't supposed to.

Now, he probably thought she was insane. She was a little bit. But he had to be too, to want to do something against the Perfect Nation. Criminals always had some kind of devious mind. At least her intentions weren't evil. They were a little selfish, if anything.

Cyrus couldn't possibly have any morals, could he? He was a felon. Felons didn't feel remorse or shame. Well, it was true of most felons. But he was also a man. Why would any man in their right mind give up a kiss from her? She was gorgeous, if she did say so herself. And that wasn't vanity speaking. That was from years and years of hearing herself described as so. So, maybe Cyrus was the crazy one. All Estella wanted was a bit of a rush. That was some clean, innocent fun, right?

___________________________________________________________________________

_{Word Count 520
Inspiration Break Your Heart by Taio Cruz
Tags Cyrus
Status Complete
Template By Arro @ Caution 2.0}
[/size][/blockquote][/i][/sub]

[cyrus]

THE TRUTH COMES OUT IN THE BREAKDOWNS
( • M E M O R I E S M Y G O D T H E S E M E M O R I E S • )

Oh, good, so the other gladiator wasn’t stark raving mad and Cyrus wasn’t going to get killed in his sleep. That was always nice to know. He only had a big mouth that said things against the Perfect Nation and the leaders of Peony didn’t like that, it appeared. Peony didn’t like people like Cyrus, either, but Estella was still in the dark about it all. He found it a bit strange that she hadn’t inquired about his crime before she purchased him. In her place, he certainly would have asked. Who wants a murderer running around on their property, after all? Certainly not a well-standing family.

He wasn’t going to lie to her. There was no point. He was honest by nature to begin with, and she owned him now so he felt obligated to be truthful. It was just finding the right way to tell her. There were so many ways to twist the truth around to make it kinder or crueler that it already was. After a long moment, he went with blunt. She might as well know straight up what his anger could cause if provoked.

“I killed my brother,” he said simply but calmly, looking in her eyes with a stiff stare of his own. He wanted her to know he was serious. “I stabbed him at least six times with a kitchen knife and killed him.” His hands quivered slightly in memory, watching all of the flashbacks flood before his mind’s eye. Cyrus still couldn’t remember what they were fighting about, but it was something ridiculous. It was something that should have never cost Callum his life and given Cyrus a lifetime of imprisonment in some form. The only difference between their punishments was that Cyrus deserved his. Callum didn’t need to die. Callum didn’t have to sit there under his little brother’s insane, evil gaze and bleed himself to death, asking pitifully for help the entire time.

No innocent man deserved that.

Cyrus shed no tears, let no emotion slip past his mask of stony, calm collectedness, but on the inside he was tearing himself apart again. This excursion had been a nice little distraction but he was never going to escape the nightmares and he knew it. And, every night as he lie sleeping in bed, he would be tormented with memories. He deserved no sleep. He deserved no peaceful dreams. He deserved every minute he lay awake, covered in a cold sweat. He took another step away from Estella, feeling a little reassurance with distance. He wasn’t angry, but he didn’t want to hurt her all the same. He didn’t want her to fear him, else he may not have any freedom at all. Well, if he was going to have any in the first place.

What did she not understand about no? He thought he had made himself clear. He did not want whatever she was offering, and if she wanted something of that nature, he wasn’t entirely comfortable giving it to her. It wasn’t just because of the fact that she was a member of Perfect Nation, either. Even if she held ownership over his head, she was still essentially a stranger. “I don’t feel right about it,” he told her. Which was true. He was raised better than to do such things. And in any case, if his feelings did happen to develop for her… well, his brother came to mind. One slip, one little argument, and he could easily do something he would regret. Again. It was better to purely avoid such situations and deflect them as effectively as possible.

The dark was now making Cyrus uneasy with Estella here. He wanted to leave. “May we carry on now?” he asked in a polite, respectful tone. Honestly, he would rather be anywhere else than this alley.

THEY DON'T MEAN ANYTHING OH THOSE MEMORIES
( • A S Y O U S P O K E Y O U R F O R K E D T O N G U E S H O W E D • )

W O R D S • 639
T A G G E D • estella
L Y R I C S • memories by lion if ido
T E M P L A T E • PANIC! ITS LAUZ of CAUTION
N O T E S • i would listen to him.

[ESTELLA INCA ERIS]

Yes, Arkin wouldn't be a threat to this guy. If anything, Estella was a little terrified for Arkin, after hearing why Cyrus was put behind bars. Perhaps a second shack was a good thing to invest in. However, as much as Estella knew that murder was wrong, she wasn't going to assume anything about Cyrus. Sometimes criminals had good intentions. Sometimes... usually that was only the case in thievery or hoarding. She couldn't see what good would come out of murdering someone, especially their brother.

"Oh," Estella returned simply with a bit of a frightened smile. "Well, as long as you feel bad for what you did, I suppose it's okay." She was trying to make this situation a little better, but a huge part of her knew that it wasn't good to begin with. Estella didn't know what his brother did for Cyrus to kill him, but she would rather not find out. It had to be something terrible or just completely out of place. Otherwise, she couldn't imagine why anyone would kill their own family.

So the first thing to do when she got home was warn Arkin that he would be bunking with a homicidal man. That was no problem, right? Estella could just imagine Arkin's expression. As serious as the situation was, she imagined his expression being quite hilarious.

Why wouldn't he kiss her? That was all she wanted. Just once. But, he claimed he didn't feel right about it. Estella couldn't understand why. And if she did understand, she probably would have gotten angry because she felt he was making up excuses. However, her temper stayed under control. It just wouldn't be very attractive to get angry, not here, not now.

"I see," Estella responded with a cold tone. "And that's perfectly acceptable." She was just a tad stunned that someone would turn her down. It wasn't something that she was accustomed to. She supposed she would respect his space, though, even if he was a slave.

"Yes, of course," she told him in response to his question. Estella looked about a moment, before stepping out of the alley. Once she was clearly out of it, she began on the path back to her home. If he wanted more time to spend with her parents, then that was fine with her. As long as she didn't have to hear them.

The walk back to her house wasn't a far one. Probably about five minutes from the alley they had stopped at. As soon as she arrived, Estella was met by her mother. Estella was wrapped in a huge hug. That was, until her mother saw Cyrus. She uncoiled her arms from Estella and her hands flew to her mouth. "You bought another one of the scum? And he doesn't even have any meat on him! I swear, you buy the scrawniest ones just to watch them get beat up, don't you? You are a cruel girl, Estella," she ranted, waving a finger at her daughter. Estella just barely managed to force a smirk on her face. "Mother, this is Gladiator 404, or Cyrus. I think you'll be happy to know that he wasn't in prison for treason, so he can hold his own. I'm just a little worried for Arkin," she replied, her hands on her hips. Estella's mother only shook her head. "Well, I'm assuming he knows where he belongs," her mother said, pointing to the shack beside the large house. Estella nodded and took Cyrus by the wrist once more. She turned to him, looking him straight in the eye. "Isn't she charming?" she asked him, just quiet enough for him to hear.

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_{Word Count 634
Inspiration I Will Buy You a New Life by Everclear
Tags Cyrus
Status Complete
Template By Arro @ Caution 2.0}
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