On his way to the kitchen, Cas checked his phone to find that he’d received another barrage of texts from Jay and Miles who both wanted to know if Iris was still staying with him and if she had gotten her memory back yet. He sent back a quick ‘yes’ and ‘no’ respectively and then paused as he remembered that he still needed to stop them from getting their hopes up about the mysterious stranger who had entered their lives vicariously through him. Chewing on the inside of his lip, he added:

[center][b]BTW I changed my mind. I really like her, so I’m calling dibs.[/b][/center]
Just as he sent the message, he heard Iris greet him from the kitchen. Quickly, he shoved his phone into his pocket, irrationally worried that she would know what he’d just said to his friends even though she was too far away to read the text. He had only been trying to get Jay and Miles to keep their paws to themselves when they eventually met her, but the detail that he liked her was a little too close to home. The last thing he wanted to do was freak her out by admitting he had a crush on her when neither of them even knew who she really was. It was too weird. And there was still the lingering detail that there was a possibility she was taken.

Composing himself, the prince cleared his throat. [color=#b97703]“Well, I survived, so I can’t complain too much,”[/color] he answered her question with a shrug as he stepped over to join her at the table. [color=#b97703]“There’s not much else to say about economics. It’s just numbers, the history of numbers, and the projection of numbers. Nothing you’d be interested in, I’m sure.”[/color] Sliding in next to her, he took in the smells of cooked food that the staff had been preparing for lunch. His stomach growled in anticipation. It hadn’t been very long since breakfast, but there was nothing that could rouse a person’s appetite like the aroma of fresh, gourmet dishes.

[color=#b97703]“Whatever they give me,”[/color] he said with a smile in response to her second question. [color=#b97703]“My dad always orders specific entrees, but I’ve never had a meal I didn’t like from the royal chefs, so I usually let them surprise me. It’s more fun that way.”[/color] It was a habit he’d picked up from his mother after watching her ask every server to surprise her when they ate out as a family. Before the rebellion grew and before her passing, he and his parents had spent far more time outside of the mansion. They had everything they could want at home, but the late queen had insisted on supporting the local businesses and thought it was a waste to stay cooped up indoors all the time, especially when the weather was nice. Cas had taken after her adventurous spirit, which was why he knew a few spots around the capital that were known to attract foodies like his mother.

[color=#b97703]“Was there something you wanted to eat?”[/color] he asked, propping his elbow on the stone tabletop and resting his chin in his hand. [color=#b97703]“You must be hungry, right? I didn’t see you at breakfast this morning. If you’ve got a taste for something specific, I’m sure they can make it for you.”[/color] He tipped his head toward the working chefs, who were currently putting the finishing touches on a stew for his father. Stews, soups, and breads were what they usually fed the ailing monarch, since his stomach couldn’t handle heavier entrees anymore. However, the youthful prince was always spoiled with rich spices and flavorful ingredients. Already, the workers who weren’t assisting with their king’s lunch had begun gathering everything they would need to make his afternoon meal.