When Iris asked if he would believe her answer, Cas shrugged. That was yet to be determined by the answer she gave. In general, he was a trusting person, prone to seeing the best in everyone before their flaws, so being betrayed by someone he’d not only trusted but had also started to fall for had been devastating. He wasn’t going to forget about what she’d done very quickly, and he was still gauging how much faith he could put in her after she’d led him on once. Thus far, he’d decided that she was genuinely trying to help him escape from the other rebels, but it was still hard for him to see anything beyond that when the image he had of her was overshadowed by the reminder that she’d tricked him in the forest.

Her claim that Ethan wasn’t her boyfriend made him raise his brows though. [color=#b97703]“If he’s not your boyfriend, then why did he tell me he was?”[/color] he probed her skeptically, scooting back on the bed to lean his shoulders against the wall. [color=#b97703]“And the last time he came up in our conversations, you didn’t deny that you’re together. Your story isn’t lining up.”[/color] He stretched out his legs on the mattress and placed the package of bread in his lap, continuing to eat while they talked. Privately, he knew he was interrogating her pretty harshly, but he had to make sure she wasn’t lying again. To keep from being duped a second time, he paid close attention to everything she was saying, hyper alert for inconsistencies that he usually wouldn’t have noticed. He had to learn to be more critical of the things other people said, so he wouldn’t be taken advantage of for being gullible ever again.

As she went on about the motives behind the Scourge, he listened quietly. Most of it was propaganda that he’d already heard before. The rebels claimed that there was rampant inequality in Aspiria and that they were going to dismantle the crown to bring better life to everyone outside the capital. In reality, he believed they just wanted to kill all the people who were better off than they were. It was true that the capital was the gem of the country. He would never deny that. They had the best technology, the best doctors, the best teachers and lawyers and security. But the luxuries high borns enjoyed wasn’t restricted to those who happened to be born to families with old money. Anyone in Aspiria could earn the title of high born through hard work and ambition. All the label signified was a net worth of above one million credits. He was sure there were high borns living throughout the other districts as well. Business owners, surgeons, entrepreneurs, and anyone else who had made a name for themselves beyond the walls of the capital. It was the beauty of the nation his ancestors had built, and it was what the Scourge was threatening to bring to ruin.

The prince parted his lips to tell her that the rebellion had always been corrupt, but his thoughts derailed when she went on to say that had always liked him. In spite of himself, the words made his heart flutter, and he silently chided himself for getting so excited when he still didn’t know if she was telling him the truth. Still, she didn’t sound like she was lying. He sat without speaking, processing what she was saying to him. What if he had it all wrong? The voice inside of him that wanted to believe her grew louder. Ever since he’d woken up in a cell, he’d been acting like a caged animal. Everyone was an enemy, and no one was on his side. Yet, here he was in a bomb shelter with a woman who’d been telling him over and over that she wanted to help him. He contemplatively chewed on the inside of his lip, suddenly worried that he’d let his fear of being humiliated again get the best of him.

[color=#b97703]“Iris…”[/color] he started, tentatively reaching out toward her silhouette with his good arm and then faltering. As much as he wanted to believe she was the same person he’d gotten to know in the capital, he couldn’t bring himself to look past the pain of her betrayal just yet. There were still too many emotions he needed to sort through. He sighed and retracted his hand, dragging his fingers through his messy, dirty hair. [color=#b97703]“I’m going to need some time to think,”[/color] he said in a hushed tone. A brief silence fell as he lapsed from the conversation before the quiet was replaced with a soft rustling.

[color=#b97703]“I’ll take that painkiller though,”[/color] he told her with a wince as he attempted to untie the cloth she’d wrapped around his arm. The fabric was damp with blood, but it didn’t seem like he was bleeding much anymore if at all. Hopefully that meant he was starting to heal.