To Caspian’s relief, Iris didn’t seem upset with him for kissing her without warning. He supposed she was the type to like spontaneity after all. Good news for him. As she told him not to apologize and suggested that they hang out and “forget about everything,” he nodded in agreement. [color=#b97703]“That sounds amazing right now,”[/color] he sighed. Getting his mind off the stress of all the running around he’d been doing, his speech, and the fact that he had, once again, gotten his hopes too high about his father’s reaction to his hard work was all he wanted to do for the rest of the night. A drink at the bar would certainly help him achieve that goal alongside her friendly company.

[color=#b97703]“Really?”[/color] he mused when she went on to say that the sentence for the two terrorists had been shocking to her. It was common knowledge that treason against the crown was punishable by death. Then again, she’d had weird gaps like that in her knowledge since the day he’d picked her up in the woods. He supposed she must have forgotten about some of the laws in the capital alongside her memories of who she was. [color=#b97703]“I don’t like it either, but it’s what we have to do to make the Scourge think twice about threatening us again,”[/color] he shrugged, bringing a hand to his mouth as a weary yawn escaped his lips. [color=#b97703]“If we give them any leeway, they’ll just take advantage of it.”[/color] It was a cold fact that his father had drilled into him since the civil war had escalated. Since he had an empathetic streak, Atlas had been worried that he wouldn’t be hard enough on their enemies if he took over as king before the feud was settled. The monarch had explained the importance of bringing any offenders to justice extensively to make sure he understood.

When they reached the bar, Cas sat down at the booth across from Iris and met her gaze with a fond smile. Her praise was definitely welcome after the neglect from his father that evening. [color=#b97703]“Yeah, it takes a lot out of you,”[/color] he confirmed sagely. [color=#b97703]“There are a lot of little nuances to pay attention to, and knowing that everyone in the city would know if I made a mistake didn’t help at all.”[/color] As he spoke, he saw the bartender quickly organize his station and begin walking over to take their orders from the corner of his eye.

[color=#b97703]“That would be nice, but unfortunately, this whole place is still on lockdown until those missing rebels are captured,”[/color] he exhaled, unbuttoning his suit jacket and shrugging the heavy fabric off his shoulders. Once the jacket had been set down somewhat haphazardly on the seat beside him, he slipped his tie off and added it to the pile so that he was left in only his maroon shirt.

More comfortable than before, he settled down on his side of the booth and laced his fingers together, pushing his arms over his head in a long stretch. [color=#b97703]“Scotch sours are my weakness,”[/color] he replied with a smirk when she asked what he would be drinking, letting his arms fall back down to his sides. [color=#b97703]“And no. I’m just going to have one glass tonight. Something to celebrate the fact that all this madness is finally over and done with.”[/color] Earlier, he’d been tempted to drown his feelings in alcohol, but he tried not to ever become dependent on substances to cope with tough days. It was a bad habit to get into, so instead, he usually compromised by having one or two drinks and catching up on seasons of the various sports he liked to watch or going to bed early.

“Good evening,” Martin bowed politely when he reached their table. “What would you like me to make, Your Highness?”

[color=#b97703]“The usual for me, and whatever she’s having,”[/color] Cas replied, turning from the bartender to his company with a smile. He figured that she’d tried enough cocktails last time they were here to have a better idea of her own palette, so he didn’t make any suggestions.