ﾟ･stars were made for falling ﾟ･ (original)

3- prince

Suddenly thrown against the ground, Leo felt the air leaving his lungs in an abrupt huff, throwing him aggressively back into consciousness. He couldn't bring himself to move, laying on the ground as the sounds of his two friends being tossed followed quickly after him. His fingers started to trace a small crack in the cold, stone floor as he mentally checked himself for any sort of damage. Nothing hurt, but at the same time, he was still pretty dazed. Honestly, he was lucky he hadn't broken anything, but the same really couldn't be said for Ivan or Halley. He should get up, he should check on them... he just couldn't make his body move. Maybe it was a lasting effect of the tranquilizers?

No, couldn't be, because he could hear someone scrambling back up to their feet, the yelling following that revealing it to be Halley. Right as she started to scream, the sound of a metal door clanging behind him made it clear that they were stuck. Slowly, he was pushing himself up into more of a sitting position, while Halley started to hit the bars on the front of their... cage? They were in an actual dungeon? A dungeon. In rural Indiana. Just where the hell are we?

Halley was firing off as many curses at the guards as she could think of, while they simply walked away, judging from the sound of their footsteps. Leo could hardly understand her- a distinct ringing had filled his ears, and was only just now starting to go away. His eyes were also adjusting to the gloom of the place, with the only light source being a dim one from behind him, most likely out in the hallway. It was barely enough to see by, and in his confused state, he mused about it possibly being torchlight. I mean, we're already in a dungeon. What dungeon would have electric lighting when torches would be much more atmospheric. He held back a hysterical laugh, balling up a little.

Leo was finally sitting up, knees tucked into his chest when he tried to look around. A few feet away, Ivan laid on the ground in a weirdly dramatic way, but not in a way that looked dead... But he hadn't moved, and in the dismal lighting, it was impossible to tell if he was breathing. For a moment, Leo felt his heart stop, but then Ivan let out a loud curse in the language he used sometimes- he wasn't quite sure what it was- and Leo let out a sigh of relief, only to grimace after. He hadn't exactly noticed how sore he was until just then, but it wasn't anything his powers could really fix. Anyway, everyone seemed to be okay, but it wouldn't really hurt to take inventory.

"Everyone alright?" He called out, before clearing his throat, and rephrasing himself. "Well, I mean, physically?" Talking felt a bit weird like he had cotton in his throat.

Halley didn't reply, but she had stopped cursing. Still, she continued to hit the bars in frustration with what Leo finally recognized was these metal, cuff-like mittens the guards had put over her hands. Whatever they were, they seemed to be preventing her from melting the bars like she had the Merryworld fence. Leo looked to Ivan, who held his hand up in a theatrical way, replying, "Oh, my body is fine. Sore, yes, but okay. It is more my pride that has been irreparably damaged."

Leo just grimaced at that, turning his attention back to Halley. "...Hey, Sparks?" He was working on standing up, but his balance, as bad as it was before, hadn't fully returned to him yet, rendering him almost completely useless. She still said nothing.

He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath and trying to remember exactly what had happened before this point. The other Keepers showed up, sudden pain in his neck, and then... darkness. He vaguely remembered falling, and maybe someone screaming, but that was it. It must have been some sort of tranquilizer dart, like in those stupid spy movies he'd liked as a kid...

He slipped a hand into his hoodie pocket, fingers brushing something cold and metal, but familiar. He gently patted it, feeling a sliver of satisfaction.

Halley had finally stopped banging on the bars of the cell, sliding down to a sit, facing away from the other two boys. She still refused to say anything to them, not making a sound. Leo contemplated trying to stand, but before he could make a move, he heard Ivan rising behind him, laughing under his breath. The sound was getting louder as he rose shakily to his feet, his long legs threatening to come out from under him. None of his previous grace was still there, and his ashy hair was matted to his forehead. His glasses gleamed in the dim light, and luckily, didn't seem to be cracked.