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The life of a good day had already settled by then, in fairness. Pulled from his joy, given away, he welcomed the darkness of reality yet again. It stung. Bad. He had pondered the possibility too many times for his health at first, and had forced himself away from the mere thought if only to sleep better at night. But indeed, he was right. Zed sat there, a shaking hand grasping his lips as Cinder unveiled the horrid truth. The same night they parted first, after a day of joy and a controversial reprieve to give way to sweetness, all had come aground when the monster they both lived beneath struck again. That sandman had forced her asleep and taken her dreams from her. Where Zed had nightmares of chance, Cinder had lost everything. Or, so she felt, at the time.
Zed's watering eyes lacked the strength she had. Cinder explained this all under the leaves that broke off trees like slow rainfall, and she didn't falter once. She held a paw to her chest, thumping her beating heart, inspiring herself and letting in a brisk bout of blearing yet bright resolve.
By the end of her sentences, of her fragile truths, she cut herself off by tossing herself into his arms. Those around witnessed a man comforting a fox. Zed saw an angel take flight amid her descent. Treasuring her like diamonds and gold, the man wrapped his unstill arms around her frame and held her tight against him, feeling the pain she carried and sharing it with her, taking some of that burden for himself.
Her eyes, closed, welcomed resolve.
His, open, stung with a vengeance.
"This was the last straw," he decided then. This would end, one way or another. Pulling her back, he took her paw and his restless eyes shot all over her. Faced with reality, he broke and took the tumble on a roll-and-stand.
"Cinder," Zed whispered. Her ear twitched with his coarse voice.
"Yes…?" Cinder whispered back.
"I know someone who can save you."
"Yes. You," she replied with that infallible smile of hers.
"Someone who can save you. Who can take you from him."
"Yes. And it's you."
"It's not me. But it will be, one day," Zed stood up, taking her weight into his hands. "One day."
"I can wait," Cinder said.
"No. No, you cannot."
Cinder's head tilted, confused and partly amused. She hadn't quite registered the possibility that he might be serious.
"We're getting you out of here."
"But Zed… I can't…"
"We have to."
"Zed, the chip," the fox hurriedly said, not wanting the man to lose his head.
Zed shook his head, beginning to walk away from the bench.
"Zed, the chip!"
"It can be removed."
"You have no idea how to! Zed!" Becoming desperate, the Braixen began to softly pound on his chest.
"I don't, no. But he does."
"He?!"
"The Dismantl'r," he wanted to say, but he resisted. He knew that that word might set off a bleating bell that could have her slaughtered. He just shook his head some more, trying to discard his growing anxiety as the coup began out of schedule. Reckless as it may be, it had to be done.
"Never again," he practically growled. "Never."
"Zed, what are you saying?! You'll get me killed!"
"No. We won't."
"Who is we?!" When he said nothing, she bit into his hand harshly, forcing him to let go of her when his blood began to fall.
"God damn it, Cinder!" Zed shouted, grabbing his injured palm. "Why'd you do that?! Now's no time, we have to go, now!"
The Braixen stood before him defiantly, teeth bared and ready to defend herself. "Zed, I need you to come to your senses, now. I'm not about to risk my entire life on a mental breakdown of yours."
Zed felt the stinging burn of the bite mark, feeling its hurt, and breathed deep. Part of him felt ill, nauseous, as he came to understand the fullest implications of his sprung-up plan. The odds were entirely against the two of them. No real part of the plan had yet been put in motion, and to derail now might prove fatal for their future success. But…
"I… I can't let you go through that again. I can't just sit idly by, waiting on the chance he does that to you again!"
"I can take it!" Cinder shouted, her chest rising and falling for a while after. "I can… I can take it, okay?"
"You shouldn't have to—!"
"And here I am! Alive, aren't I?! It's degrading but… but if I can stick it to that piece of… by just showing him how it doesn't affect me, I'll win!"
"But Cinder, I—!"
"Is this a jealousy thing? Are you jealous that he had me before you did?"
Zed's eyes tore open once more, feeling bile in his throat. His anger rose to such a point he didn't even realise he was yelling. "What?! No! Cinder, he fucking raped you, and every minute you spend in that building is a chance he has to do it again! I don't care about me! I was going to blow my own fucking brains out before I met you!"
"Zed, for fuck's sake, there's nothing either of us can do about this, okay!?" Cinder raised her voice in tandem. "Even if you wanted to save me, what can you do?! All you'd do by trying to rip me from his grip is tear me apart! Don't you realise his grip is eternal? Don't you understand he won't ever let go of me?!"
"I— I can do something! I know someone, and I have the means to just…!"
"Kill him?" Cinder finished for him as if to challenge him on his intentions. "Do you think you can do that?"
"I… I can…"
"Are you willing to give your life for that cause?" Cinder challenged again.
"That's…" Zed felt his arms slap his legs as they fell. "I am…"
The Braixen's eyes widened and then narrowed. Steaming tears built on the dam of her eyelids. "So, that's your plan? A suicide charge?"
Zed shook his head slowly, inhaling deeply through his nose. His exhalation dropped his chest entire. "I won't stand here and lie to you about our hope, but this isn't a suicide charge."
" 'Our' again?" Cinder asked, confused. "Who is this person to whom you've entrusted your life with?"
"I can't say."
"Why?"
"Because, if you heard it, he might, too."
The little fox's breath caught in her throat and she pawed her muzzle. "You mean…"
"Yeah…"
Cinder witnessed, with some difficulty, how Zed's desperation morphed slowly into a far more invigorated stance. He was firm. He was ready for action, willing to begin a coup against the most powerful force in the city. Cinder alone wasn't the only objective of this movement, of course, but to him, it might have been. That level of dedication was incomprehensible to the Braixen. She shook her eyes of their water, looking down at her arms, fascinated by how they trembled. Was she panicking? Was she ecstatic? This news was too much. She had no idea how to feel.
But it was okay.
That hitched breath left her when the man squatted down to embrace her once again, his hand no longer bleeding.
"How… Why are you doing this?"
"For you."
His answer had her tearing up again. Cinder wanted to stay close to him, but he parted from her chest to look at her, taking her chin and showing her his fretful yet honest smile.
"Well, I guess I owe some of the girls a favour too. I'm sure Carrie's just about sick of it, don't you?" Zed joked, giving a chuckle that welcomed her own amusement.
Clasping his hand in her much smaller paw. She giggled a bit more, holding her nose down as if the mere act were embarrassing. "If… If we can get…" Fidgeting with her nails, she avoided his gaze and gathered her resolve. "Zed, I really want Stacy to live a life outside of there, too. She's done so much for me, and she deserves to be happier than she's ever been."
Zed cackled. "That little vice? Well, don't worry. She'll be saved too."
"A-And Bubbegum, she's too… her, to realise what she's going through is wrong."
The human took her other paw, peering into those gorgeous amber eyes natural to her species. "We'll get her out of there, and whatever help she needs to sort herself out."
"Meia hates her life."
"We'll teach her what living's worth."
"And Mommy…"
Zed sniggered.
Cinder blinked. "What's so funny?"
"Her real name is Leonie."
"Ah…" Cinder blushed some, looking around her for a moment, tensed up by the knowledge alone. "Ahem. Well, I believe Leonie's poisoned by that man. She needs help too."
Zed nodded, getting off his knees to help her stand straight. The emotions had her quite wobbly, but she got back on her feet. With the most wishful thinking she had had since before being given her silver chain, Cinder continued to list off the people she wanted to be rescued with her as the two made their way towards the car.
"Marce drowns herself in liquor to forget where she's been for so long. I can only imagine the kind of burden she bears; it's no wonder she's so bitter." Cinder hopped over a puddle, gripping the man's arm with both her paws. "Ah, Silvia's tired of it too! She keeps a tough act up, but I've heard her weep in her room after a night rented out. I always wanted to speak to her about it, but she closes off, insisting she's fine and that I leave her alone."
Zed nodded along to her talk, trying to pay attention as he'd often lose himself in that sweetness of hers.
"I never get to see Orie. She's always doing something to get on Lorenzo's bad side because she doesn't want to risk being sold out to anyone. She hates being seen by the men that come. She's terrified of them."
"Orie…" Zed mused. "I don't think I've heard of her."
"She's a Ninetails, and beautiful, too. Seeing her is such a rare spectacle that, well, I suppose you could call her dreamy," the fox tried to explain, muffled by a swollen, reddened cheek that tried in vain to hide her bashfulness.
"Sounds like you like her. Should I be jealous?" he teased.
"Oh, shush! Girls can be pretty without being… well, appealing to me that way, okay? N-Now, Puff is… I'll admit, she's the only one that definitely likes her job. Being a Vaporeon, though, she doesn't get a lot of interest from the guys."
"Quadrupeds are scant popular a choice, from what I gathered as 'Big Zee'. Eugh."
"Not at all, really. I wish Orie knew that…"
"I heard there was a new arrival, too. A Meowscarada? Ack, I can never put a name to her face…" Zed murmured.
Cinder's cheeks puffed up in feigned offence. "I would hope not! And yes, but she doesn't seem like the talking type to me. A hard-working gal. Uhm… Azzie? Azalea, I think. As I said, she's always focused on her work. I guess I haven't really had a chance to know her yet. Judging from her performance, I think she's at least… on board?"
"Makes sense. And that Gardevoir?" Zed asked, eyeing her.
Cinder looked down. "We… We don't know what she's like. She can be sweet, but that magnanimous aura is… really imposing. I think even Da— Lorenzo's scared of her."
Zed stopped right next to his car, giving her the side eye. "I can't tell if you're joking right now."
"I'm not," Cinder denied, leaning against the bonnet. "Caramel carries herself with such… I don't know, lightness? Like nothing in the world could ever bother her, ever."
"That sounds… incredibly hard to believe. I mean, she can barely tell off gropers when I've been," Zed argued, a tone more so confused than hostile.
"That's the thing, I think she hides it. She's a Gardevoir, so she can be pretty… 'pretty' about her appearance. Doesn't want to look rude and all that. But man, with someone like her? It's creepy more often than not. We're… all pretty wary of her, actually."
"And Leonie?"
"A-And Leonie, too."
Zed bobbed his head a bit. "That's… a surprise. Isn't she a Dark Type? Shouldn't have any trouble asserting superiority, no?"
"Well, maybe not, but…" Cinder tried to explain, scratching her ear at the obvious inconsistency. "Look, I'm not as good a Psychic as… well, as anyone, so I don't know. Maybe I'm misreading things, but the other girls tend to say the same, so…"
"How about we talk about this over something refreshing, hm? Besides, I'm sure you could appreciate a bit of decent sleep, no?" Zed offered, climbing into the driver's seat and closing the car.
The Fire Type clambered a bit awkwardly into her seat, being sure to apply the seatbelt, lest she forgets. "Don't get cocky, our beds are pretty good."
"But it'd feel better sleeping with a companion for once, no?" Zed shot back, a tiny smirk lining his lips.
"Hehe, you little tease. Alright, I'll bite."
"Not again, please."
"O-Oh, yeah. I'll try not to do that again."
With one last laugh from the two, the engine revved up and blared, giving the vehicle motion. Pulling into the parkway, Cinder watched as the city she yearned to live out of flew past her view. All she remembered before succumbing to exhaustion was the presence of a heavenly garden of green she hadn't seen since she was a Fennekin.
The car practically careened into the driveway and skid into position. The tenseness of Zed's hand around the wheel made his fatigue all the worse, and though hearing the fire fox's soft snores was pleasant to a minimum, his mind felt drowned by a lake of scary thoughts. Namely, what he was going to do now. His decision had been made. He just had to be quick.
Looking at Cinder sleep, he exhaled a long, deep breath. "I'm going to save you, Cinder. All of you."