Verse: A Lick And A Promise - Blog Posts

A Lick and a Promise

@knot-ee Yuji's head was pounding as he came to, a cracked stone ceiling swimming into view. Where was he? Something beneath him creaked unpleasantly when he rolled onto his side- a thin dirty mattress. He blinked a few times and rubbed at his aching eyes with the heels of his palms before looking up to take in his surroundings properly. He already knew what he'd find before it all came into focus. Another damn jail cell. "Oh come on." The complaint was voiced to no one in particular, except for maybe whatever capricious and mean spirited god oversaw his existence. He sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the cot, and running a hand through his hair-fisting it at the back in frustration. At least they hadn't cuffed him this time- but that also meant whoever brought him in felt pretty surely about the security of his cell. Sure enough- the bars looked just about brand new and the lock on the door appeared equally as up to date. No one was even standing guard, so either they were positive about him staying where he was put or no one much cared if he did or not. Yuji didn't feel like testing which it was. Nothing made a man look guiltier than trying to break himself out of prison.

Heaving a sigh he cast a cursory glance around and was relieved to find a tin cup of water along with a plate of some meager offerings sitting on a rickety stool beside the cot. He eagerly emptied the glass and then allowed his attention to extend beyond the bars to the rest of the immediate area. It was a typical jail- not a prison, thankfully. There was only one other cell beside his- empty and a desk in a far corner beyond that. Yuji recognized from past experience, the settings of an attached sheriff's office. Odd to find it empty, but he didn't mind having a moment or two alone to collect his thought and try to piece together what had happened. A few hazy images crossed his mind- the warm interior of a well kept bar, a few friendly faces turning sour. The barrel of a gun between his eyes. And now it was rushing back all at once. Another bank robbery with his name smeared all over it- and this time it hadn't been clean. Three people wounded and one dead. Never mind that Yuji had been two towns over at the time- it was his face people remembered, clear as anything. Just like last time, and the time before that, and the time before that, and- Shit. He really couldn't go anywhere these days. A certain someone had made sure of that. He buried his face in his hands again and wracked his brain for a better excuse than "It wasn't me."