[color=#b97703]“No, that’s exactly what it is,”[/color] Cas chuckled when Iris spoke about driving. He enjoyed having the chance to decide how he spent his own time. Being able to go wherever he pleased without adhering to anyone else’s schedule was a good feeling. It was why he took every opportunity to get out of the mansion that he could get. When he was with his father or other members of the royal court, he pretty much belonged to them. Sometimes, he felt more like a figurehead than a person. As the next heir to the throne, he technically had more power than everyone but the current king, but he had to be mindful of the consequences of every action he took. When he was with his friends or among the other high borns in the capital, he could do what he wanted with only the paparazzis to worry about.

At her following question, he shrugged. [color=#b97703]“Sort of. Most people know how, but since cars have an auto-pilot option, they don’t often practice the skill. I’m definitely in the minority when it comes to volunteering to get behind the wheel.”[/color] It was the reason why he had bonded with Jay, he remembered. His friend was equally as fond of driving, especially when he could operate a luxury model like the ones the Maydestones owned. The two of them had had quite a few late nights joyriding and drag racing around the edge of the city when everyone else was off the roads.

[color=#b97703]“Always,”[/color] he glanced at Iris with a grin and rolled down the windows, turning up the volume on the stereo so it was still audible over the rush of the wind that flooded into the car. It had been a bit of a test when he’d asked her how she preferred to take the drive to the historic district. Most high borns were safety-conscious and might have been nervous to accept his proposition to knowingly disobey the traffic laws, but she wasn’t like most people. He was thrilled to find out that she might have been an adrenaline junkie like he was.

Since they were having fun, Cas took a longer route to get to their destination than he’d originally planned. Blasting music and speeding with the windows open with a friend was a nice change of pace after sitting through a boring lesson that morning. By the time they got to the old district, he was in a great mood. He dragged his fingers through his unkempt hair while putting the car in park, attempting to straighten it out a bit after the wind had ravaged it. His dark locks were cut short, so it didn’t take long to fix the damage.

He climbed out of the vehicle first and trotted around to the passenger side to help Iris with her crutches and offer a hand if she needed any assistance getting up from her low seat. [color=#b97703]“So, does this place ring any bells?”[/color] he asked hopefully, looking at the park he had chosen for their first stop. The scenic area was quaint, with a few trees and bright green grass. He’d always thought it was like a hidden jewel in the capital, a small piece of nature tucked away between all the surrounding skyscrapers and other elaborate, manmade works of architecture.

All around the park, across the streets that bordered it, were rows small shops with antiques and products made by old-time artisans. The little district as arranged in a rectangular shape, so visitors could walk through it in a loop and end up back where they started when they were done exploring.

[color=#b97703]“My mom used to bring me here about once a week when I was a kid,”[/color] he recalled fondly. [color=#b97703]“They have a lot of cool, old stuff to look at. If you want to, we could walk the circuit and stop at any of the shops that catch your eye.”[/color]