When Iris commented on the cost of the suite, Caspian just lifted his shoulders. Knowing how she was with expensive things, he was sure she would faint if he told her the exact number that he was paying for each night they stayed at the Sunset Veil. To him, the bill was nothing though. He had access to a sizable chunk of the Maydestone family’s wealth even though he wasn’t yet the king. Even if they stayed at the resort for a whole month, he could justify the expense because it couldn’t outpace the rate at which their riches grew when the Aspirian economy was flourishing. The royal family was the most well-off group of high borns in the country, so he had no qualms blowing sixty thousand credits to hide out from his father while he decided what to do next.

He doubted they would actually be there for an entire month though. Though it was within reason for him to stay put for that long, he was expecting to be there no more than a week. He just needed to get the point across to Atlas that he was serious about making his own decisions and choose whether he was going to go back to his duties as crown prince or flee the country. Alone in the resort with Iris, with no distractions or contact with the outside world, he had more than enough time to think through both options in seven days. However, there was no reason to start just yet, so he pushed the thought to the back of his mind for now.

He threw an arm around Iris’s shoulders as she sat next to him on the sofa. [color=#b97703]“Honestly, I have no idea,”[/color] he replied to her question. [color=#b97703]“It’s got egg yolk in it, but other than that, I’m not really sure. I’m not much of a chef, if you hadn’t guessed already, so I don’t know a lot about the ingredients that go in my food.”[/color] It was a peculiar thing to ask about, but he didn’t think too much of it. Plus, her question gave him an idea. Ever since they’d gotten back to the capital, they hadn’t had a chance to just… talk to each other. Now that they were pretty much stuck in the Sunset Veil until further notice, it was the perfect opportunity to really check in. He wanted to know how she’d been doing since she’d been arrested, and he missed hanging out with her without being in a rush. Granted, they’d had time to do that yesterday too, but they’d opted to waste the hours doing something more fun instead.

[color=#b97703]“Yeah, maybe,”[/color] he agreed when she suggested coming back when things were less hectic, smiling as she took his hand and kissed his cheek. He wasn’t sure how long it would be before they could even start thinking about doing something like that, but he knew he liked the idea of it. If things went well with his father, then perhaps they could swing another visit to the resort in a few months or a year or so. It was a far out timeline, but it was still better than nothing.

[color=#b97703]“In your dreams,”[/color] he pressed a playful kiss to her temple when she joked about beating him. [color=#b97703]“I’ve conducted more than one business meetings over billiards, babe. It’s a favorite game of politicians around here. I could win in my sleep.”[/color] Clearing his throat, he added more seriously: [color=#b97703]“But… what do you think about just talking. Instead of watching TV, I mean. We can go through movies anytime, but I feel like we haven’t had a chance to just catch up with each other in a while. I want to know how you’ve been doing after everything that’s happened.”[/color]