Inescapable

When Varian came to, he was pretty shocked to find that he was indoors, laying on a comfortable bed. Above him was... A human face. The guy had olive-colored skin and curly black hair. His brown eyes frantically searched Varian for any sign of life. His face lit up when he saw that Varian's eyes were open.

"Craig!" the boy called, "our patient's awake!"

"Okay, Jonah," another voice, sounding pretty irritated, replied, "I really needed the update."

Jonah rolled his eyes in a manner worthy of Cassandra before returning his focus to Varian. "I apologize for Craig's attitude. He's often a little... Hostile at first. But the more you get to know him..."

"Oh, shut up!" Craig retorted.

Just then, a second face came into view. This guy had straight, reddish-orange hair and startling grey eyes. He was grinning, and his eyes twinkled mischievously. Varian couldn't help but think that this guy could not possibly be Craig- whoever Craig was. He looked too... Friendly.

"How ya feeling, kid?" the redhead asked, "you took what would've been a pretty rough fall there."

Both guys looked to be about Varian's age, so he was unsure as to why they had just called him "kid." Despite this, he tried for a smile.

"Umm... Yeah, actually," he admitted, "I'm feeling pretty... Great."

"See, Craig?" Jonah said, giving Craig a pointed look, "he's fine."

"Shut. Up."

Craig and Jonah looked about ready to start attacking each other, so Varian decided it might be best to interject.

"Okay, so... Who are you? Where am I? And why am I here?"

Jonah grinned. "One question at a time, man! He's Craig and I'm Jonah. We're inside a servant's quarters near the ruins of the Old Corona palace. You're here because-"

"He doesn't need to know everything, you nitwit!"

"He wants to know," Jonah snapped back, "so I'm telling him. You're here because someone has given us specific orders to... Take care of you for the time being."

Varian's throat constricted. "Wh- who?"

"Says she's an ally of yours," Craig put in, "has answers for you or something. You'll see her soon, I promise."

Varian didn't know what to think or feel about this news.

Just then, though, he could hear a door opening and closing.

"Is he awake?"

Varian sat up to look at her. "Cassandra. To what do I owe this pleasure?"