[color=#b97703]“Mhm,”[/color] Cas nodded in agreement when Iris said the food smelled good. The meals that the cooks in his family’s staff made were always great, and they had so many different recipes that he never got sick of the dishes they prepared. If it wasn’t so boring to stay home all the time, he probably wouldn’t ever bother to eat out. However, he enjoyed sharing a meal with his friends when he could, so he often went to the restaurants around the capital despite the fact that he had easy access to gourmet food just a few yards from his bedroom.

Walking up to the counter, he sat on the barstool next to Iris and eagerly bit into the sandwich on his plate. As expected, it was as flavorful as always. Stella had lived up to her reputation yet again. [color=#b97703]“Nope,”[/color] he shook his head when she asked if she had taken too long. [color=#b97703]“You got here just in time. I only got back about a minute before you, so I wasn’t even waiting.”[/color] He paused to take another bite and then snapped his fingers as he had a realization. [color=#b97703]“We need drinks.”[/color]

Getting up from his seat, he circled around the counter to open up the cupboard where the glasses were kept. Technically, royal etiquette would have said that he should have waited to ask a servant to get the drinks for them instead of standing to do it himself, but it was an easy enough task that he didn’t feel like bothering one of the maids. They were probably busy with the other chores that needed doing anyway, and he wasn’t so helpless that he couldn’t pour his own water.

He filled two glasses from the tap and brought them back as he sat down again. [color=#b97703]“Here,”[/color] he slid one to Iris across the quartz countertop and took a swig from the other to chase his lunch. Already, he could tell he was right when he’d guessed he was going to like having her around. It was nice to eat with someone else instead of by himself. His father always ate his meals in his room, since he didn’t have the energy to stay out for very long, so thy never dined together anymore.

As she spoke up again, he turned to her with a frown, noticing the discomfort in her voice. That wasn’t a good sign. If she had gotten another memory back, he’d hoped she would be happy. Instead, he had a feeling it wasn’t a pleasant one, so he stayed quiet as she went on to explain what she had remembered.

When she said he mother was a casualty of the rebellion, he couldn’t help the surprise that crossed his face. How had she been a casualty? As far as he’d been told, the Scourge had never made it into the capital. Maybe her mother had been a soldier who died in the war? That made sense to him. There weren’t very many high borns who volunteered to fight, but it wasn’t completely unheard of. Her mother must have been one of the few who had been courageous enough to step outside the stronghold to protect the country. It was a noble way to go.

[color=#b97703]“I’m glad you told me,”[/color] he assured her with a halfhearted smile, feeling some pity for her since he knew it had to be hard to relive the realization that her mother was gone. It would have been a nightmare if he’d had to do the same thing with his. He shivered at the thought. Even though she tried to move on like it wasn’t a big deal, he hung on the subject, not quite as willing to let it go and let her bottle away the sting of the resurfaced memory. He’d tried that before, and it hadn’t gone well.

[color=#b97703]“You know, not everything has to be happy-go-lucky all the time,”[/color] he went on meeting her gaze with a sympathetic smile. He hesitated for a brief moment before he reached out to wrap an arm around her shoulders in a side hug. Not wanting to make it awkward by lingering, he let go again after just a few seconds, taking another sip of his water to hide the slight blush on his cheeks. [color=#b97703]“I’m sorry about your mom,”[/color] he offered. [color=#b97703]“It sucks that you had to remember that, but hey,”[/color] he looked up at her again. [color=#b97703]“That might tell us a little more about your family. Since she was involved in the war against the rebels, she was probably a soldier. Usually, if a couple has kids, only one of them can join the military so the other can stay with the family. That means your dad should still be around. He could call for you any day now.”[/color]