CHILDREN OF THE WILD ONES [P]

[Ace]

The sun had just started to peer through the trees into the small clearing of the park. The night had been relatively quiet, which was a strange thing for the dome. Ace, of course, was more than happy to welcome the peace. He had walked down to the park the evening before, trying to find a good place to sleep for the night. All he had been told was that he was meant to be meeting one of the Fulsi hunters in the morning to help identify supplies. He hadn’t collected herbs in a number of weeks and he knew they were gradually depleting the supplies they already had. It didn’t help that more and more viruses were bringing with them hard-to-cure diseases that were also incredibly difficult to identify. They eighteen year old hadn’t even finished school when he had been dragged into the Menagerie; he hadn’t had any training in the medical field at all. The shifter slowly rose from his little alcove in a tree root and walked towards the rusty swing set in the centre of the main park area. The only noises were the bird and a few crickets; unusual for autumn but perhaps the Keepers hadn’t bothered to check on the native species before throwing them into a new season. The shoulder bag bumped against his side, and placed a hand on its top, almost as a way of reassuring himself. Sitting on the swing, he listened to its rusty hinges as he moved slowly back and forth. Ace wondered which hunter would be sent to go with him; he only knew a few of that section of Fulsi. Being Chief Medic meant that he never left the southwest tower, where the medical wing was located. Ace ate and slept and worked in that tower and he was really only able to leave when medical supplies were needed. A few weeks earlier he had been lucky enough to stumble upon a stash of supplies, which were now in one of the main pockets of his bag, carried close to him in case there was some kind of emergency. Due to his healing he was able to heal himself from injuries, but it took a lot of energy to heal others. The kit he carried with him was used whenever he needed to help someone else, but didn’t have the strength to use his ability. Wind rustled the trees nearby and Ace turned to look carefully. Slowly, he reached his hand into one of the outer pockets of his bag and rested it on the handle of his knife. Watching the source of the sound, he slowly strengthened the image, his vision allowing him to look closer into the trees. However, he couldn’t see anything, so he went back to his quiet thoughts. The hunter was due around now, and Ace was eager to head out as soon as possible, so they could get back as soon as possible. He didn’t like leaving his medics alone for too long in case something terrible happened. He knew that most of them were more than capable, but many still needed a firm hand to guide them. At eighteen, the boy doubted he was right for the job; he was too young and inexperienced. He should have just stayed a scout. Then again, he was a lousy scout, and most people seemed confident in his medical abilities. Besides, his alpha never would have given him the rank if he hadn’t have been ready. Pulling his hood over his head, Ace continued his back and forth motion, trying to keep his growing anxiety at bay. The hunter would come, no disaster would strike, and he would be back in his tower of safety before he knew it. He had survived the Menagerie three years already; surely he could keep on going. But the thoughts did not soothe him. He had seen too many people die to ever find solace in mere fantasies. It was better to be realistic, especially in a place like the M. OOC: I'm gonna say this is before he got electricity, but after he sorted out his vision problems. Because it just makes life slightly easier... EDIT: Also changed it to the new table xD

[Ethan Graff]

Calloused paws thudded against the cracked pavement, footfalls silenced by the soft carpet of grass crowing through the gaps. It was slick with dew in the early morning and usually the leopard would pause and take a moment to reflect on the beauty of the moment; but as it was he was running late and barely had time to register much more than that. He'd been running for hours trying to make it to the Park for the meetup with the Chief Medic, frustrated that he'd allowed himself to get behind schedule. He was a punctual type of guy and held himself to rigorous standards, so it was frustrating when his schedule was thrown off. He didn't like showing up late because it looked irresponsible--and though he was a fairly easy going guy he hated to be seen as irresponsible or unprepared. It was the kind of thing that could get you or your partner killed in his old job, and the habit was hard to break. But he decided to allow himself this one instance, as this assignment was kind of a weird last minute task the Brass had shoved his way. The Hunter who was supposed to go had come down with some sort of stomach thing and couldn't hardly get out of bed. So they'd sent him instead, which honestly he didn't really mind. He liked Ace, they'd met and hung out a couple times and Ethan didn't like the thought of the kid out there on his own. Hence the hauling of ass. The longer it took him the more he worried that something would go awry (like it always seemed to) and Ace would be left to handle a Rogue or some Keeper puppet by himself. Not that Ace couldn't handle it, Medics were pretty well trained for combat...but in the dome it was always better to fight with someone at your back. Ethan let out a huff at the gloomy thoughts threatening to cloud over his focus and sped up, practically flying over the remains of the city. It wasn't long before he reached the Park, and he came skidding to a halt on the outskirts. He stood for a moment, spotted head held high as he scented the area, breath coming out in silent puffs of white in the chilled morning air. He was shielded from sight in the treeline, but it didn't take long for him to pick up on the faint traces of Fulsi, and he followed his nose to the playground. He heard the faint squeak of the rusted hinges on the swing before he spotted Ace, swinging gently back and forth on the swing-set. Ethan padded forward quietly, shifting as he came into Ace's line of sight waved a hand over his head, a big smile plastered on his face. "Gooodmorning, Ace!" he called out in a surprisingly chipper voice. He broke into a trot, already covered in a bit of sweat from the run over, but didn't want to keep Ace waiting a moment longer. He stepped onto the weed-choked sand of the playground, coming to a stop just to the side of Ace's and his swing. "Sorry I'm a bit late, brother. There was a bit of a hold-up, a last minute switch. Lance is out sick, some kinda stomach bug or summat. Nothin' too serious, but he won't be scouting for a couple days at least." Ethan paused and squeezed himself onto the swing, carefully lowering his weight onto the cracked plastic seat, testing to make sure it would hold him and not snap in half. He cracked Ace another smile. "Looks like your stuck with me today, Chief! What we got on the agenda today?" ooc| wow, I am such a slow poke HARASS ME MORE WHEN I OWE YOU THINGS OK

[Ace]

The young shifter had a habit of being dragged into a reverie, especially when in such a nostalgic place. The park, of course, was not an exact replica of any from his childhood, but it was still close enough to bring back a fair few memories. Distant cries of falling off the swing, thinking he was invincible and able to keep his seat without holding on. They were all things that seemed so clear in his mind and yet so far away. Thoughts of being outside the Menagerie, back in California, were alien to him. Three years had flown by so quickly for the teenager; and yet some shifters had been there for so much longer. Ace hesitated to ponder how long the strange and elusive Manic had wandered the dome for; he was almost a mythical being to the youth. As the swing creaked under his weight and movement, Ace forced his brain to ignore the nagging thoughts of whether they would ever escape. It was best not to think of such things. Ever. At that moment a shape caught his eye and Ace glanced up, placing his arm above his eyes to block out the sun’s glare. A familiar figure bounded towards him, waving and calling out. His stomach churned first, the slow fear that he hadn’t been notified of any changes to his escort. Shaking it away, Ace instead allowed a smile to play across his features, relaxed by the memory of his first impressions of Ethan. The hunter had always been easy to get along with; he had a natural flair for relaxing the young shifter. Although they hadn’t had a lot of contact in the past, Ace still knew enough to be able to trust Ethan to get him through the day’s tasks. “Hey there stranger,” Ace joked as the man finally made it to the old swing set. He looked up at the hunter as he explained the delay, a frown creasing his brow as he thought of Lance. Hopefully it really wasn’t anything serious, but Ace hoped one of his medics was looking into it. There was always the off chance that it was the first stages of a rude virus; thankfully Ace had never had to deal with any large outbreaks in his career. “Nah that’s fine Ethan,” he consoled, throwing a smile up in the hopes of dissipating any negative thoughts the other shifter might have. After all, it wasn’t Ethan’s fault that he was late; he wasn’t meant to be there in the first place anyway. “I’ll check Lance is alright when we get back,” the boy mused, more to himself than the company. A tentative laugh filled the air as the word ‘chief’ repeated in Ace’s ears. He wasn’t used to being called as such, despite that being his given title. As a mere boy of eighteen, he felt less than deserving of such a high rank. Often he was simply referred to as ‘boy’ or ‘medic’ or ‘help’. Rarely did anyone pay proper attention to his rank; Ace was used to that and he took it with a grain of salt. As long as he continued to save as many lives as he could it shouldn’t matter what people truly thought of him. Still, it was a weird feeling to actually be addressed with a title, and it made Ace pause awkwardly. Eventually he was able to move his mouth again and get some words out, hoping his expression hadn’t given too much away. “Not a lot on the agenda today. We just thought it’d be best for me to head out while there was an all-time low of people dying back in the complex.” Ace paused, throwing a look in Ethan’s direction to check he hadn’t caused offense. Generally people didn’t take to well when Ace spoke of death so lightly. Of course, it all just came with the job. You can’t save everyone and Ace watched people die on almost a daily basis. Sometimes the only way to cope with that was to be able to make light of it. “Uh, we’re especially down on mint and cilantro. In general though it’s best just to hack our way through the grounds and see if we can spot any other helpful herbs.” Ace snapped his fingers over and over, trying to flick through his brain and remember the most needed and easy to spot herbs. It was a habit he had developed a long time ago and he’d never been quite able to shake it. Still, it helped him think. “Lemon balm would be good, maybe some rosemary.” In between each one Ace stopped quickly to urge his brain onto the next thought. “Mullein, if you’ve heard of that one? It’s good for respiratory infections. Thyme, in case we get any nasty infections floating around. I think any others will be much harder to find. If I see any though I’ll let you know and we can stop and pick them up. Other than that, if you see any plants you think might help let me know.” Looking up at the sky, Ace noted that the sun had risen quite considerably since he had first arisen. They would need to make a move if they wanted to both avoid the heat of the midday sun, or any unusual folk. Taking one more swing back, Ace leapt off the swing as it swung forwards, sticking the landing well enough. Standing up straight, he turned back around to grin at the hunter, picking up his bag in the process. “Ready for an adventure?” ooc: yah that took a while... I IS SORRY! made a killer playlist for these two though xD

[Ethan Graff]

ooc| a post a day! day 3! Ethan pumped his legs cautiously to gain some momentum on the swing, but the aged swing set groaned in protest so he thought it better to just sit and wait for Ace to give him some orders. He found it a bit odd when Ace laughed, a short and halting sound that said Ethan had touched on something of a nerve. A light frown creased his lips for a moment as he watched Ace's face, trying to figure out what he'd said to give the Chief Medic pause. Something to do with being Chief, obviously, but Ethan wouldn't push the kid to talk about anything he didn't want to. It was only a brief pause in the conversation before Ace was talking again and whatever had troubled him had been neatly and quietly packed away. Ethan followed suit and replaced his concerned frown with a neutral smile, content to leave sleeping dogs lie if that's what was required. Even if his conscience was hollering at him to get to the heart of the matter and make the kid feel better. Ethan would've gladly hugged the stuffing out of him if it would help--but he had long since learned that not everyone was looking for comfort. Ace's words took him slightly off guard at how he could sound callous; but really, Ethan didn't blame him. Life in the dome was hard for everyone but he imagined that the life of a Medic was a difficult one. They had to deal with the aftermath, working tirelessly to piece back together what the dome constantly tore apart. So Ethan let it slide, giving Ace a silent but emphatic nod in reply. "Sounds like you're fixing to make some Italian recipie," he said with a twitch of his lips and the added bonus of a stomach growl. He patted his flat stomach, letting out a sigh. "What I wouldn't give for a nice plate of spaghetti and meatballs," he said, longing for the days when his stomach hadn't been so hard and flat. He was a big guy, yeah, but he hadn't always been as toned and fit as he was now. He'd rather liked having a bit of "fluff" to poke, as it was. Made him feel like a teddy bear instead of an iron giant or something. But his first few months in the Menagerie had slimmed him down and now he had muscles to spare. Well, not really. It was hard keeping up the bulk when starvation always seemed just around the corner. He watched Ace hop off the swing and followed suit, nodding as he ran over the herbs that Ace had listed. "Mint, cilantro, lemon balm, rosemary...mullein," he repeated, rubbing at the back of his neck. "Those things can really be used for medicinal stuff? I never knew you could use 'em for anything but cooking," He said in earnest curiosity. "I'm not sure what any of them look like, really. And I've never heard of mullein. I'm pretty useless at this stuff actually," he said, looking quite sheepish. "But I'm a quick learner and I can carry anything you need me to," he said. "Hell I can even carry you if you get tired of walking," he said, squeezing his shoulder somewhat affectionately. he was referring of course to giving Ace a ride on his shift form. "People ride yaks in Tibet all the time, I imagine I'd be pretty comfy," he said with a sage nod. "Course I could always give you a regular old-fashioned piggy-back ride," he paused, grinning. "But I digress. Ready for action, Chief! Lead the way!"

[Ace]

Swinging his bag over his head and across his chest, Ace looked back at the hunter, still perched on the swing. It creaked against the movement and the teenager wondered how much longer the set would last. From what he gathered it had been there long before the dome was built around it; if only there was some WD-40 they could use on it or something. His father had always been more of the mechanical type, then of course he had become the alcohol type and finally the absent type. A flicker of a frown pierced Ace’s face before he regained his control and focused back on Ethan. He knew well enough that most other people weren’t aware of such strange herbs and their medicinal purposes; Ace himself had only learnt it all after coming to the Menagerie. But he had an incredible memory which at least made it easy for the medic. Genuine laughter filled the air as Ace responded to the comment. Shaking his head, he threw a cheeky grin over at the hunter. “I would definitely give anything for another spaghetti night back at Fulsi,” he said, patting his stomach as well. Ace had never been a bulky kid back in high school and when he was brought to the M he was a measly little fifteen year old. Starvation didn’t help with bulking up either but at least the kid had managed to put on a little bit of muscle during the past three years. Luckily, as Chief Medic, he wasn’t often forced to use his strength, but he still made sure to keep his scout training in the back of his mind. His combat knife sat perched in the outer pocket of his bag, just in case the pair encountered any misfits during their provision searching mission. Ace still hoped he wouldn’t have to use it. Nodding each time Ethan repeated one of the herbs, Ace held a cheesy thumbs up once he got all of them right. Perhaps Ethan had a memory to rival the medic’s. “Mmm yeah they can. They were used way back in medieval times or something.” Ace paused, a quizzical look passing his face for a second before he drew focus back to the hunter’s next train of speech. At least it would be relatively easy for Ace to spot any herbs if he was looking in the right direction. The Keepers’ curses sometimes had their benefits and Ace’s vision and healing were proof of that. Of course, he knew full well it was all part of their overall experimentation and if they could give gifts they could surely take them away too. Or worse. “I’ve got pretty good vision, thanks to the Keepers, so I should be able to spot most of them. They’re all pretty good at camouflage though so keep a lookout for anything that looks out of place. Keeper’s plant them for our benefit, or otherwise, so they’ll look out of place wherever they are.” That was one benefit of the plants not being native in any of the areas. The Keepers had planted various things in the area, changing the terrain for their little experiment. Regardless, Ace didn’t care about their plans as long as he remained alive for another day. At first, Ace looked relatively confused in response to the comment, but as soon as he remembered Ethan’s shift soft laughter once again left his lips. “Thanks man. Same offer’s up for you too. Friesians are strong horses,” Ace winked at Ethan slyly, before turning to look out at the dense trees. Stretching his right arm out, he pointed towards a slight opening between the trees. Due to the shadow created, it was difficult to see that there was a gap at all, but Ace had been through there before and knew exactly where it was. “That way I believe. There’s a little bit of a track which means we shouldn’t have to bush bash too much.” Grinning, Ace began to walk ahead, trusting that Ethan was following. OOC | eep I did the thing! Also new table coz I can.

[Ethan Graff]

“Oh, s’ghetti night…” he said with a bereft moan, tossing his head back in mock desperation. “How we miss thee.” He felt as if he could launch into an hour-long soliloquy on his feelings about how long it’d been since they’d had a good spaghetti night in the Fulsi. But alas, they did not have an hour to spare. He fell into step with Ace as they started moving towards the wooded area, nodding as Ace explained what to look for. “Now that I think on it, I think my Mom used to cook with rosemary. It looks kinda like the needles of a Christmas tree, yeah?” He said, with a small smile. “My mom said her plant was from the same plant her grandpa had been growing for most of his life. He gave a branch to every one of his kids to grow.” He paused, expression clouding for a moment as the happy memory was drowned by the sad as he remembered the truth about his mother. A truth he had been blind to. But Ace’s voice dragged him back to the surface, and he could breathe again. He smiled his quick smile at Ace’s reply about Friesians, giving him a cheeky wink in return. He trusted that Ace knew where he was going. Ethan had been through these parts before, but mostly just passing through on the way to the hunting grounds. Silence fell over the pair as Ethan went into what Henry used to call “Cop Mode,” all too aware that there were rogues in the area who didn’t take kindly to Ring followers. This was supposed to be Fulsi territory and they patrolled and escorted intruders from the turf when they could, but their numbers were spread pretty thin and people liked to try and settle and steal what prey and supplies they could. Ethan didn’t like this area much only because he didn’t know the ins and outs of it like he should. So his eyes were everywhere, or they tried to be. He stole behind Ace’s quiet steps, more keeping his eyes open to threats than herbs. The quiet was relaxing as they moved through, and Ethan was surprised when he actually spotted a sprig of rosemary. Or what he thought was rosemary. He reached down and plucked a couple of sprigs and was just about to ask Ace if it was indeed rosemary, but the sudden loud and deafening bray of a hound interrupted him. The lone howl was joined by at least four or five more, possibly six; but the cries mingled together and he couldn't quite tell a definite numbers. His ears were as keen as some of his ringmates'. "Dogs." he breathed, more to himself than Ace as he tried to think of what to do. The howls sounded again, closer this time, more frantic. "Hopefully it's not our scent they have..." He said in low whisper. "We may be able to outstrip them in our shift forms. we should head for the Inn." He said, shifting fluidly into his bulky, heavy yak form. He tossed his head and started towards the Inn, hearing Ace's heavy hooves behind him. Yaks were not known for the speed that horses had so he knew Ace would easily out pace him, but he was the muscle. The dogs sounded closer, to their right. And then suddenly the hounds were upon them, crashing through the undergrowth like fell shadows. He felt the hot breath of the dogs at either side of him, howling and snarling so loud it sounded like they were inside his head. He swung his heavy head violent from side to side as they tried to lunge at his neck, his wide, sharp horns making them keep their distance. The dogs were lunging at his flanks, trying to sink their teeth into his hide. But his thick fur kept them from meeting actual skin. One was hanging from his side as he thundered after Ace, who had passed him. Tucking his head, Ethan barreled forward and slammed his side into a tree, knocking the dog clean off with a resounding whelp. They were almost to a clearing, and Ethan put on a burst of speed and chugged onwards, still lashing out at the dogs when they came into range. They were almost there, so close, when Ethan saw a shadow moving to the right of Ace. He tried to bellow a warning to Ace as he saw the quick flash of a rope as it was flung from the treeline; he saw the lasso loop around the Friesian's neck and snap tight -- the same moment his head was jerked impossibly hard to the side, a rope lassoed expertly around his horns, and one around his back hoof. He fell to the ground with a heavy thud as the dogs swarmed around him. "Ace!" he bellowed in Shiftertongue, struggling to get to his hooves. The dogs were tearing at his legs, his face, driven into a frenzy as they managed to draw his blood. A shrill, sharp whistle echoed through the woods, and the dogs immediately withdrew. Horses slowly picked their way from the treeline, their saddle horns holding taut the ropes that kept Ethan pinned, their riders silent as they circled around their prey. "Looks like we caught somethin', eh, Kyra?" said one of the riders, a gaunt-looking man with a thick, red beard. "Judging by their stink, I'd say Fulsi, Gunnar." A woman this time, brown hair braided.Ethan watched them, breathing hard and fast. They kept his head pulled tight at a painful angle, the strength of the horses making it impossible for him to struggle. He tried to speak, but the twist of his neck made it too painful. Their eyes were smeared with black paint or soot, some of their faces hidden behind bandanas. But he could read their eyes. These were no hungry, desperate rogues. They were hunters, obviously skilled at working in a unit. And apparently Fulsi were the hunted in their own woods. "You think?" Came another voice, from where Ace was also pinned. Another woman, smaller than Kyra, a bow slung across her back and a quiver of arrows draped over her mount's neck. "The boss'll be happy about this! We'll get double rations, you think?" "Aye, Robin." the red-haired Gunnar said. "Let's move 'em out, get 'em back to Josiah. He'll want to bleed 'em himself." Kyra nudged her mount closer to Ethan, slackening the rope just a bit. He lashed out widly with his horns, trying to reach whatever he could. "Ace! Are you alright?" he shouted in Shiftertongue, but the next thing he knew, Kyra was swinging something at his skull. Whatever it was made contact and he saw blinding flashes of light as pain jolted through him. Blood splattered in a bright mist from the blow, but he didn't go down. The skull of his yak form was too thick. He saw the woman called Robin moving toward Ace, her hand holding what looked like a bat. He swung his head around in desperation, vision blurry, drool dribbling from his mouth as he flailed to get up. She swung again, connected again -- more blood. But he didn't see it, didn't feel. When Ethan's head hit the dirt, he'd shifted back into his human form and knew nothing more of Ace, of the rogues, or of the world that day.

[Ace]

The walk started off nice, silence filling the space between the unlikely pair. Ace didn’t have much experience with hunters, unless he was patching them up after unfortunate events. Generally they spent most of their time questioning his abilities as Chief Medic – he was after all only nineteen. He’d been thrown into the dome when he wasn’t even old enough to have graduated high school, let alone have had any sort of medical training. Despite that, Ace was certain he knew enough to help the rest of Fulsi, and Charm had only ever backed him up. Ethan spotted the rosemary before Ace did, and the medic smiled softly as his gaze narrowed in on it, the sprigs coming into sharp focus and detail. The shifter nodded slowly in approval as the hunter plucked a few of the sprigs, but suddenly a sound was ringing through the park. Once again, Ethan was quicker off the mark and said the one word that made Ace’s stomach churn. Dogs. Either rogues or some other kind of horrible creature. There was no telling in the Menagerie what sort of beast you were about to encounter, not until it was upon you. It was that kind of terror that mostly kept Ace inside the Gospel Complex. His building was safe from the torment of others. Fulsi he trusted and Fulsi kept him safe. More words carried between the pair and suddenly the man was gone, a hefty yak in its place. As Ethan ran, Ace felt his body morph into a dark form, and then he was thundering after the hunter. It wasn’t difficult for him to catch up and then over take the large yak; Friesians were built for speed more than any yak was. Keeping Ethan between him and the pursuers was also a tactical move. Ace would never be able to take on adversaries in this form or his other, but Ethan stood a chance in both of his. The dogs were closer and Ace’s heart pounded at the thought of what they would do to the pair when they caught up – and they would certainly catch up. He heard the snarls from closer and tossed his head back quickly, catching a glance of more shapes behind him. Cursing silently, he pushed onwards, hoping Ethan could handle himself against the canines. He was barely away of one dog that had managed to sneak up close to his left flank. It lunged at him but only managed to swipe a shallow claw on his thigh. Still, it was enough to make Ace stagger slightly and slow a bit, feeling blood beginning to drip from the wound. He knew it would close up quickly since it was shallow, but even slight healing drained some of his energy. A bellow rang out but his wound had distracted Ace and it was too late. A whinny rang out as the rope slipped over his head and was pulled taught. Pulled to the side, the horse lost his footing and slipped, falling hard on his right, certain he heard a rib crack. Wincing in pain, he heard Ethan cry out but when he opened his own mouth nothing came out. A dog stalked around him, nipping at his flailing hoofs, drawing blood with each small bite. But with each bite Ace became angrier and angrier. Aware of a horse and shifter dangerously close to him, Ace stilled his thrashing and instead forced himself to pay attention to his surroundings. He heard the group discussing their ‘catch’ and heard their names, but he still couldn’t move his neck enough to catch a glimpse of any of them. The only valuable piece of information he took away from it all was that he did not want to meet the man they called Josiah. Quite frankly, he seemed like a total dick. Ethan’s voice rang out again and Ace lifted his neck up and cried out again, this time hearing noise finally escape his lips. “I’m good! I’m good!” Ace managed to call out before Robin yanked on the rope and jerked his neck back down. He heard a thump and panic took over again. The Friesian thrashed his legs, coming into contact with one of the dogs, but other than that having no real impact. Neighing wildly, Ace’s eyes were full of madness and rage, his mind no longer truly controlling his actions. He heard another whimper as he struck the dog again. If horses could smile, he would’ve smiled at that. The rage was over him and Ace was unaware of Robin and her baseball bat. Suddenly it collided with his head and ringing filled his ears as the world went black and the horse was replaced with a young man. *** Pain. He was aware of pain. Whether his left temple or his right ribs were more painful he could not discern. But there was definitely a lot of pain. His ears still rang and the world was black though he was certain his eyes were open. It was only once he started to get used to the dim room that he realised he was no longer in the park. He appeared to be in some kind of basement but the windows were all boarded up and there were no lights so he could still barely see. Trying to move, he noticed he was tight up, his feet bound together and his hands bound behind a pole. It was uncomfortable and he suddenly sympathised with all the people he had seen tied up like that in movies. It was certainly not the way one wanted to wake up. Frantically, he tried to look around the room and finally spotted Ethan, still unconscious, a few feet to his right. Other than that, he wasn’t entirely sure what had happened between their capture and his waking up. He couldn’t hear voices but every now and then he thought he heard footsteps and the creak of floorboards above his head. “Ethan,” he murmured, trying to swivel around to poke him with his feet. Unfortunately, as soon as he tried to move he became vastly aware of the pain in his side. “f***ing idiots broke my rib,” he cursed, his face falling into an expression of clear anger and frustration. Sighing, he leaned his head back on the pole and closed his eyes, trying to focus on his ribs. He needed to heal them before he would have any chance of getting out of the situation. His future seemed bleak, but he was still determined to get out of that basement. But Ace knew he wasn’t going anywhere without Ethan. ooc | mo money sorry for mega-long wait but it is here! lemme know if you want things changed or whatnot