Naren stood, his vision hazy. There was a woman in front of him who he couldn't make out. A woman with no face. He looked at her and then put up the number two, before falling forward.
Then there was absolute darkness.
His eyes opened to darkness, with the dripping of water. He laid there a second, as if he was forgetting something.
Naren sat up, tilting his head as he tried to figure it out. Trying so hard to reach for it, but there was nothing to grab anymore. It was gone.
He began biting on the bars of the cell, shaking it to make as much noise as possible.
"Shrimpy! Cairo! Get me out!"
A footstep approached, placing a hand on the bars. It was too dark for Naren to see, but he felt the gaze of the stranger right on him. Siobhan's voice spoke.
"Quiet."
"I don't suppose you're here to let me free?"
All Naren could hear was the shallow breathing of Siobhan as he felt her gaze on him intensify. And he could swear her heartbeat began to increase slightly as well. But it was strange, like she had several heartbeats in one body.
Without uttering another word, her footsteps grew quieter and quieter. Though Naren could still hear it long after leaving the dungeon, just muffled and consumed by all the foot traffic above ground.
Naren sat down, leaning on his hands while putting his legs up on the bars.
"Not much of a talker, huh?"
He yawned. His ears perked. There was still her lingering breathing and a slow steady heartbeat. He turning to his right where the noises came from.
There, in the dark, he could feel air blowing onto his face.
"Ya wanna kiss."
Naren's feet fell from the bars with a thud as he flipped over. His voice was shaky
"Who's there? D-don't tell me you're a ghost?!"
An ember flickered through the air, an orange glow illuminating a sharp face with bandages wrapped around one eye. The flame's burning from Cairo's hair.
"Nah not dead."
Naren blinked. Then he struggled to his feet. His shackles clinking along the way.
"Ya good, Naren?"
Clinking and clanking, Naren stood before Cairo. Before diggin his heel into Cairo's head, putting the fire out.
"Fuck you bastard! Throwing me under the bus!"
Cairo grimaced, flopping around with his hands behind his back. He rolled onto his back and did a kip up, landing on his feet. Driving his forehead into Naren's.
"Ya dumbass! Think! I'm in here too!"
Naren staggered back. Swinging his legs at nothing.
"Come out here! Put a light on so I could kick your ass!"
A slow ember crackled into reality, Letting Naren get a good view of Cairo. This time the flames were on Cairo's nose.
Naren burst out laughing. Cairo threw his head at Naren, but Naren fell from laughter, landing on his shoulder, yelping in pain in between bouts of laughter. As a result, Cairo drove right into the wall in front of them.
"Holy, you look so stupid! HAHAHA OW! What're a clown! Ow!"
Cairo sucked air in through his teeth on the ground right next to Naren.
"Ahhh, you bitch."
Naren finally calmed down, leaning up against the wall to keep from hurting his shoulders.
"Do a little trick for me."
Cairo leaned against the wall as well.
"Yea, I'll cook ya."
"What're you so angry about? You two are the ones who put me in here."
After the voice ordered the capture of Naren, Cairo and Vera stood their ground at first. Cairo grinning ready to fight the two, and Vera trembling, but making sure her body was in front of Naren's.
Well that all lasted a good minute. Cairo and Vera began looking around like they were seeing ghosts, before they both turned on him. Pretending to be on his side and backstabbing him at the last moment — Well that part was mostly Cairo. Vera just grabbed onto Naren's leg trying to keep him from moving.
In the dungeon, Cairo slunk into the ground, his hair now on fire.
"Then that weed-head drugged my booze and I'm down here."
"Musta been while I was sleeping. You were enjoying a nice night out."
"Ye, well she was gon gimme somethin."
Naren turned his gaze to Cairo.
"You ever get it? What was it?"
"Nah."
"What was it?"
"Nun."
Naren slunk down on the wall as well.
"Least you got to eat dude. I'm starving."
A beat of silence passed by, before Cairo spoke up.
"I'm gonna burn that wench."
'I guess that's the voice from the crowd.'
Naren stood up, using the wall as support, walking towards the bars. Now that he could see, he noticed how pale and white it was.
"Why don't ya just burn these."
Cairo followed Naren, placing his forehead onto the wall. The white bars glowed bright orange, but that was it. They didn't melt or burn.
"Tried before. These don't burn."
Naren pursed his lips, his golden eyes looking around, first landing on the shackles on their hands. Looks like it was made by the same thing. Then it landed on the dripping water from the ceiling. It dripped just outside the bars.
A slight grin grew on Naren's face as a mischievious expression appeared. He turned to Cairo, nudging his head towards the water.
"Yo, bring your light here. I got an idea."
Cairo walked over, bringing the orange glow along with him.
As the water dripped from the ceiling it fell. Through the air, it reflected the golden glow of Naren's eyes. With a SPLASH it landed on the stone floor. A pair of bare feet stepping out of it, just before it landed.
Naren faced Cairo from outside the bar. Staring at his sharp grey eyes. Then ran away.
Cairo kicked the bars.
"Yo! Naren! GET YER ASS BACK HERE!"
Naren turned back as he ran, letting a smile grow on his face before sticking his tongue out.
"Stay here in timeout."
————————————
Vera sat in a room completely devoid of the twilight light of day. Windows shut, with one hanging lantern casting a blue glow over them.
The walls were smooth, polished, and white. The room itself seemed to be carved directly into the mountainous pillar.
Thick fur carpets covered the floor, layered pelts stitched together, dark and heavy, muffling sound. The walls were lined with mounted animal heads: wolves, something with curved horns, a massive bird with its beak frozen mid-cry.
A long table sat at the center, carved from dark wood reinforced with animal bone. Chairs surrounded it, mismatched but sturdy, their backs etched with symbols, the same symbol could be seen etched into the wall behind the table. A symbol of a curved rib, with six small marks drawn perpendicular at various intervals.
It felt important. Like a symbol that brought about meaning. Vera couldn't help but stare at it. Well, before a cough from the further end of the table.
A woman, Tall and muscular. Her mask was different from the others she'd seen. It was as if it was still alive. The creature caught in it's final moments. Though, it wasn't an animal. Instead it was carved out in the shape of a very crude human face.
"So you weren't a fairy tale..."
The hollow eyes of the mask reflected no emotion.
"...Vera."