[color=#b97703]“You should still try to eat something,”[/color] Cas shook his head when Iris objected to his offer to make them food. [color=#b97703]“If you don’t, you’ll take longer to get better, and I’m sure you don’t want that.”[/color] He didn’t either. The sooner she was on the mend, the sooner they could keep moving. Plus, selfishly, he wanted to keep his hands busy, so he could keep himself distracted from the fact that he’d found out whose apartment they were staying in. If their lifeless faces continued to appear in his head, it was going to drive him mad. He preferred to give himself at least a sliver of a chance to get a good night of sleep without any nightmares about the corpses in the plaza.

So, ignoring her request, he kept fiddling with the can opener until he figured out how to fit the grip on the edge of the can and twist it until the lid popped off. It was a simple task that most people knew how to do already, but he was still proud of himself for figuring it out without any help. Setting the can back down on the counter, he rummaged through the cupboards until he found a bowl, which he poured the canned vegetables into to heat up in the microwave. He’d never used a microwave either, but he was tech-savvy enough to know how to push a button, so it didn’t give him any trouble.

While the food was cooking, he took out the bread that Maisie had packed for them along with two plates and forks from the upper cabinet where he’d found the bowl. He laid out two slices of bread on each, and divided up the vegetables evenly between them once they were ready. Once he was done, he looked over the dishes with a pleased expression. It was a simple meal, but it was the first meal he’d made in his life, so he couldn’t help feeling like he’d accomplished something impressive. Members of the royal line rarely lowered themselves to taking on such meager tasks.

[color=#b97703]“Lunch is ready,”[/color] he announced, bringing the plates over to the sofa and setting them down on the coffee table. [color=#b97703]“Just eat slowly if your stomach is tender, but you have to have at least some of it. Trust me; you’ll feel better if you do.”[/color] Taking a seat beside her, he picked up his own plate and set it in his lap. Really, he didn’t have much of an appetite either—not after everything he’d seen in the plaza—but he still forced himself to follow his own advice and eat the bread and vegetables. Even though he wasn’t sick, he was going to need to keep his energy up too. Sacrificing his breakfast to the porcelain throne hadn’t helped him with that at all, so he needed to replenish the strength he’d lost.

While he started on his lunch, he kept an eye on Iris to make sure she wouldn’t leave her own meal untouched. He knew how unappetizing food could be when one was unwell, so he wouldn’t have put it past her not to eat.