◜ . flaming hot cheetos ┊ p , minsuh . ◞

[CASSIUS F.]

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It's close to damn freezing outside and one might wonder: what the hell is Cassius still doing up here? Anyone who wasn't naturally accustomed to the harsh mountain weather or anyone who wasn't layered in thick clothing would have likely chosen the smart idea of getting the hell down to warmer temps. Cassius was only equiped with a fleece jacket and pants... and beat up sneakers. Even with the whole thing zipped up and with his fingers shoved into the pockets, it was still frigid and almost unbearable most nights.

So, again, why was he still quartered in the mountain town? The answer was that something — or rather someone — had captured the boy's attention. For the first time in years, after so much time trudging through sepiatone plains and monotone forests joined by none other than two stone-faced hardasses and a graying historic relic of a man, someone finally washed vivid colors over his vision. It was almost instantaneous — in the heat of the moment, Cassius had shielded her from the men's guns and grimy hands. He had sacrificed his source of protection and survival for... for a sixteen year-old girl with smooth porcelain skin and eyes as glossy as pearls. It was all worth it, though. He had gotten away from the trio of bandits, who were just a bunch of assholes anyways, and he had also met Minsuh. She was the reason why he remained here, hiding in a cabin swept up in cold blankets.

The days were long, especially since he couldn't really do much out here. Minsuh had told him to keep things lowkey considering they'd both get busted if any one of her, er, friends knew he was here. It was the price to pay when he was getting free food from a pretty girl. As a matter of fact, he was expecting her right about this time. Eyes flickered towards the dusty, broken clock mounted on the wall as he sat up from the bed, letting the blankets slide off his shoulders. Cassius ran his fingers through his hair and smoothed down some messy locks; Minsuh was coming all this way just for him, so he'd might as well look good.

[MINSUH.]

[align=center][div style="width: 500px; text-align: justify; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 7.3pt; color: #333; line-height: 1.5; letter-spacing: 0.5px; word-spading: 3px;"]cassius.

he'd been in her line of thoughts for days ever since he'd placed himself between those thieves and himself , boldly acting as a human shield. to him , she must have appeared as if she needed saving. that seemed to be a trend with the men who attempted to save her , literally and metaphorically. she probably looked like nothing more than a deer in headlights , face-to-face with two grizzlies that were sure to devour her if the wolf hadn't gotten in the way.

oh , cassius , she thinks. and she'd let him have his pride. had she been left to her own devices , she knows the dangers , but she would have put up a fight. she hadn't survived this long without reason , and it wasn't because of her brother. she was a human mind reader; played on people's emotions , desires , and turned them against them. would she have beaten to men in a fight? probably not , but when it came to two thugs , they were almost too easy to outsmart. but she'd let cassius have his honor , if it meant being able to have his eyes on her.

she had a kind of . . . friend once. he was quiet , and so most of the time she found herself talking. he never looked at her any differently , though. never how she wanted to be looked at , and so when she saw cassius look at her — like she was something worthy to be looked at — she'd be dumb to push it away. he's attractive , and he could talk himself out of death row if he wanted to , and his smile. . . god damn that smile. she's glad that she decides to hide him away because bring him back to the lodge, and she's afraid she'd have some competition. but then again , she doesn't know. he looks at her as if she's the only participant and his only goal is to win her heart.

it's what draws her down the mountain , to the small village that is only pillared and very rarely lived upon. she purposely picks out a place that'd less than likely be searched upon — it's more run-down than the others , and so she knows that it'll more than likely be avoided on patrol runs. it's not as if cassius will stay , anyways. it was supposed to be a day , but then it was two , and now . . . now she doesn't know? she could come and he'd be gone one day , for all she knows. she just hopes it's not today. her adrenaline is pumping with excitement as she thinks about telling him the details of when she was gone.

she arrives at the small shack-y cabin , opening up the door quietly , closing it behind her just as light , before making her way to the room where cassius is most likely to be holed up. the door is slightly ajar , and when she pushes it open she can see through the wisps of moonlight cascading through the windows , cassius looking at himself , running his hands through his hair at his reflection through a broken clock. minsuh can't help but smile to herself as she watches him , letting silence hang in the air before she raises the question , [size=9pt]"who are you trying to impress?" she asks , smile widening in amusement as he seems to jump in his skin. she enters the room and closes it behind her.

[size=9pt]"sorry i'm late. there is a lot more activity going on now that everyone is back from the war with bluestem but," sliding off the straps of her backpack , she sets it on the dresser beside the bed , pulling out a plate filled with leftover deer and potatoes from earlier's dinner. [size=9pt]"i got you this."

[CASSIUS F.]

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Her voice is a pleasant surprise and he turns to face her. "Nobody but you, m'lady." He offers a goofy grin, the playful term he uses for her obviously ironic but endearing nonetheless.

"A war? Sheesh, what happened?" How could anybody afford to go to war now, when the world was already in the dumps? It almost wasn't even worth it. This is why Cassius looked out for nobody but himself, because getting attached to a group meant that he'd be dragged into their feuds and their politics. He wasn't going to risk his life for the sake of a group, not ever.

He happily takes the plate and takes a roasted potato in between his thumb and index finger, popping it into his mouth. Cassius could use a fork, but at this point, he's so used to eating with his hands. It's not sanitary, but hey, he hasn't gotten sick yet. "You're an angel." He says graciously and sincerely, like Minsuh was saving his life. In a way, she was. He hardly had any full meals like this out on the road, and especially not in his own deluxe cabin. All of his meals had been shared between the four loners and sleeping arrangements ranged from out under the stars to crammed into an abandoned shack. Comparatively? This was like living in the Taj Mahal.

He takes a few more potatoes into his fingers and shovels them into his mouth, like a little boy and his crackers. Cassius is so focused on eating that he doesn't realize that he might come off as slobbish to Minsuh. "Y'know," He pauses to chew. After swallowing, he continues, "If you really want, you can sleep here." No. He had to be more convincing. "You should, actually. It's nice 'n cozy. And it gets lonely in here." Cash isn't even seeking anything over PG-13 with Minsuh; he'd just appreciate her presence. The time they spend together feels short and he'd like it to be longer.

[MINSUH.]

[align=center][div style="width: 500px; text-align: justify; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 7.3pt; color: #333; line-height: 1.5; letter-spacing: 0.5px; word-spading: 3px;"]"nobody but you, m'lady." oh, please. she'd love to be peeved, to translate her thick-skin into her exterior— to look not as impressed at least. but the smile is there before she could stop it, tiny, yet coy. quickly, she tries to recover, making a rather flimsy attempt at doing so she sucks her teeth and rolls her eyes and if she wasn't holding his dinner, she'd make the efforts to shove him gently, but instead she mumbles, "shut up."

she'd definitely wouldn't mind if he didn't, though.

"hell if i know. my brother and i got here right when it was starting." it did seem kind of pointless , she thought. minsuh wasn't a lady of war— although she frothed at the mouth at asserting her power— as planned fights disallowed one to have the upperhand. minsuh didn't like the idea of being outsmarted, and so truly, would she have been so upset about not being drafted if her brother hadn't interfered by speaking to eddie, demanding she stay behind? no. but she should be able to have that choice. and that is what upset if nothing else. was it petty to still hold it against him? sure. but she knew that this wouldn't be the last time he'd try. and this why it was nice to have something to herself for once.  [b]"if it were up to me , i'd have eradicated them from the inside out. if fighting was the only option, that is. would have been less bloodshed that way." on flintlock's end, anyways.

but eddie's lousy idea of leadership wasn't her problem. she pushes the thought from head as she sits onto the bed, before proceeding to push herself back until she's up against the wall. she watches as cash begins to wolf down his food. she's been there plenty of times before, having to ration between her and her brother— sometimes days without anything new— and the excitement she got from finally getting it. still, his brief dissociation causes minsuh to smile to herself. drawing her knees to her chest , she watches him until he seems to remember she's here and after shoveling potatoes in his mouth, starts once more, causing minsuh to tilt her head as he goes on to make his proposition.

stay here. with him? both knew it was a bad idea. if her brother finds she was gone, he'd surely raise alarm to eddie. still, against all better judgements, she likes the idea. being here in his presence, their conversations not having to be cut short by her sudden realization that she has to head back. instead of fantasizing about their next interactions, she could live in them a little longer. "i'll have to be back early, though." she reminds him, before looking around. when her eyes land on what she's looking for, she reaches over to grab it before holding them up to him: uno cards. [b]"and i'm playing you for the bed. i've gotten better."

[CASSIUS F.]

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Ah, so it seemed that Minsuh was rather new around the mountain... assuming that the beginning of the conflict was relatively recent. Cassius begins to wonder where Minsuh had come from... had she been taken away from her family too? Did she run? He feels that they are growing closer by the day; they are two different energies that complement each other. Perhaps they would end up revealing each other's stories... when they were comfortable to do so, of course.

Cash knew that this girl was smart and quick-witted, the way she had been planning their meet-ups and sneaking out and making sure neither of them would be caught. She could infiltrate the damned Pentagon if she wanted to. The way she spoke of the war prompted a raise of his eyebrows. Her brains definitely outweighed her brawn, judging by the way he had to save her from his old "buddies". "Well I'm glad I'm on your side." He comments before biting into another potato.

Minsuh, in typical Minsuh fashion, suggests a game to decide who will sleep in the bed. He nearly lets a suggestion roll off the tip of his tongue: bed with me. He ultimately decides against it. Cassius was a hopeless romantic, but he wasn't a creep. He was persistent, but he did not want to risk being a bother to Minsuh. Besides, this is also just an excuse to play a little competitive game of Uno and he's eager to get started. He handles his deck of cards and arranges them by color. "You're on, honey." Cassius manages a smug smirk and draws a random card from the top of the deck, flipping it over and laying it face-up to begin the game: a blue eight.

[MINSUH.]

[align=center][div style="width: 500px; text-align: justify; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 7.3pt; color: #333; line-height: 1.5; letter-spacing: 0.5px; word-spading: 3px;"]"well I'm glad I'm on your side ," at that , minsuh can't help but smile. sure , she knew she was beautiful. but there was nothing more she marveled more than being noted for her wits. she knew her brother noticed it, it was hard not to. that didn't stop him from treating her like a child, though. those who seldom knew her , however , focused on her physicality to decide on whether or not she was capable. sure , she could use that to her advantage , but it sure did get tiresome. she has a feeling that cassius really sees her. [color=#ff9933]"you should be," she says. god forbid if he hadn't.

he accepts her challenge , and begins to distribute them each cards of eight. minsuh is concentrated as she does so, as if her focus would manifest her the best hand. sure , it hadn't worked before. and the last time she played , it'd been on her own. but she wanted to win. not for the bed necessarily, but because she'd really love the look on his face when she did. [color=#ff9933]
"prepare to lose , honey," she mocks , drawling out the last word at an attempt to mock him. she takes her cards after hands them , lighting up at the sight of them, though she doesn't let it reflect on her face. cash flips the card from the deck. the color is blue. perfect.

[color=#ff9933][b]"skip you, skip you, change the color to... yellow." she says nonchalantly as she places the cards down with just as much casualty , although internally , she's elated: five more cards to go.