When Iris said he didn’t have the authority to tell the nurses what to do, Cas nearly gawked at her before he remembered that she didn’t know who he was. Technically, she was probably right that the nurses wouldn’t listen to him without asking any questions first if he made such a ridiculous request, but by law, they had to do what he said, no matter how absurd the command was. The royal family had the highest authority in Aspiria, and the only person whose word carried more weight that his was his father. However, not wanting to ruin the lightheartedness of the evening, he kept that to himself.

[color=#b97703]“I don’t think you need to shorten it,”[/color] he mused when she mentioned her envy. [color=#b97703]“Iris is a pretty name. I like it.”[/color] Did that sound flirtatious? He hadn’t meant to flirt with her. It was an honest remark, since he did think her name was unique, but it was hard not to second guess himself when he knew he thought she was cute too. Either way, he hoped she understood that he wasn’t just trying to flatter her or anything. He just wanted to hang out with her so she wasn’t alone.

At her comment about his father, he just lifted his shoulders again in response. He wished the king was that understanding, but he had always been more interested in making sure his heir was safe above anyone else. Sometimes, Cas wondered if his father only cared about making sure his own bloodline would succeed him when he passed, but, knowing he was probably just making something out of nothing, he tried not to dwell on it much. Atlas had said before that he loved him, and he often made small gestures to prove it, such as when he had delayed his economics lesson to let his son sleep in a little later. He was just being paranoid.

When Iris beamed at the music, a grin spread over Cas’s face as well. He liked seeing her smile. It was definitely an improvement compared to the desolate look he’d seen in her eyes when he’d first arrived. He nodded at her question, [color=#b97703]“I do a lot of studying for my… trade—”[/color] he substituted the word a bit clumsily. [color=#b97703]“—and music like this helps me focus. I listen to a lot of other stuff too though—usually not this mellow, to be honest.”[/color]

Setting his phone down on the table where the doctor’s computer was set up, he leaned back in his chair with a relaxed exhale as he listened to the music play. Her grateful expression for his visit made him feel warm. He was glad he’d stopped by too. [color=#b97703]“Well, I called Dr. Emett, and he said no one else had come for you yet, so I just figured you’d like some company,”[/color] he explained with a sheepish smile.

As she brought up her dress, he chuckled. He wanted to say that she didn’t need to change for him, especially since the black dress she was wearing looked good on her, but he’d already made one borderline flirtatious comment that evening. The last thing he wanted to do was give her the impression that he’d only come back to hit on her. He hadn’t dated very many people before, but he was smart enough to know that picking up an amnesiac girl in a hospital was pretty sketchy. All he was here for was to spend time with her and nothing more.

[color=#b97703]“Well, I’m supposed to be home by midnight every day,”[/color] he said in answer to her last question. [color=#b97703]“But the hospital doesn’t usually let visitors stay past nine. The doctor only let me be here as long as I was yesterday because you had just gotten here. Now that you’re settled in, I’ll probably have to go when they ask me to leave.”[/color]