Trash Panda

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

When Iris’s stomach grumbled, Cas glanced over at her with a smirk. “We’ll get you some food as soon as you’re settled into your room,” he assured her. Noticing the blush on her cheeks, he pursed his lips to stifle the smile that threatened to take over his mouth. He thought her bashfulness was cute, but he didn’t want her to think he was making fun of her. “I’m pretty hungry too, actually,” he added, resting a hand on his middle. “So I’m surprised your stomach beat mine to it.”

At least Iris wasn’t upset with the strict curfew she would have to follow. he was glad about that, since he would have found it suffocating to be forced to be in his bedroom at ten every night. Then again, he had always been fond of partying, and events like those usually happened pretty late. Maybe she was fine with the early time because she didn’t have any place to be after ten. All the hobbies she had told him about sounded like things she could do during the middle of the day anyway. She probably didn’t have a reason to stay out until the ungodly hours of the night like he did—or would if his father ever let him stay out past midnight again.

However, as she talked about how the king was only being protective of him, he wasn’t sure what to say. She was probably right. His father had every reason to want to keep him safe, since he was the only close family member he had left. It was just hard not to pay attention to the little voice in the back of his head that told him Atlas was just trying to protect his legacy. He was the king’s only son, but that also meant he was the only heir who could succeed him when he died. His father might only care about what happened to him because the empire he’d build was riding on his shoulders.

Don’t, he took a slow breath, catching on to his spiraling thoughts. He was just being ridiculous. Of course his father loved him because they were family. He was more than just a tool to be used. The king had told him plenty of times that he loved him, even before his mother had passed. He was sure was just overthinking it for nothing.

“Yeah,” he said quickly, realizing he’d gotten lost in his thoughts and fallen quiet. “He’s always been this way. He’s got a lot to protect.” She would see soon enough when they reached the mansion. The power and wealth of their family was tangible.

When Iris brought up his place again, Cas nodded. “It is,” he confirmed, a grin returning to his face. He was proud of his home too. Maybe not as much as his father was, but he still enjoyed showing it off to guests. The Maydestones had all the latest up-and-coming technology, cars, indoor recreation, et cetera. Even the other wealthiest families in the capital couldn’t compete because they bought everything before it was publicly released. He couldn’t wait to show her.

“In fact, you’ll see right about… now!” Rounding the corner of a building, he turned down a private street that led straight to his family’s mansion. The massive house stood in front of them, impressively tall even though it was still half a mile away. Having lived here his entire life, Cas was used to the sight, but he enjoyed watching other people’s reactions to viewing it for the first time. He turned back to Iris proudly, “So, what do you think of your hotel?”

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

“Maybe you have,” Cas pointed out when Iris said she wished she could try all the restaurants in the mall. If she liked food as much as she thought she did, he wouldn’t have been surprised if she had already visited most of the food stops in the city. He wondered if going back to the places she had eaten at before would help jog her memory. Maybe the taste of foods she’d tried in the past would be familiar enough to help her remember more about herself. It was certainly worth a try, and there were no downsides to eating out at nice restaurants along the way. He knew he would enjoy himself if they gave it a shot.

When she brought up the pizza place again, he nodded. “That’s the first place we’re going for sure,” he announced decisively. “We need to get you some celebratory pizza now that you’re finally out of the hospital. It would be a crime not to.” They could probably go there for dinner tomorrow, since he guessed she would want to take the rest of today to get settled in at his place. The cooks at the mansion prepared good food too, so it would still be a step up from the emergency center, even if it didn’t have the same ambiance as a fancy, gourmet diner. Besides, if she really wanted that, he could just put on more music for them to listen to while they ate.

At her comment about walking, he let out his breath in an exhale. “I’ll have to take your word for it,” he said with a half-smile. As the prince of Aspiria, he rarely had to find out what it was like to lose something important to him. Usually, if he wanted or needed something, he could have it in an instant. Really, the only thing he’d lost that money couldn’t get back for him had been his mother. Aside from her passing, he had never experienced much longing. He had all the material things he could need, good friends, and an able body. He supposed he was just lucky compared to those who had suffered more.

Cas was drawn from his thoughts when Iris joked about the ‘hotel.’ “Oh, it’s even better,” he promised with a luring expression. “After you stay at our place, you won’t ever want to go back to a five-star hotel again.” Though he was joking, he was sure she would enjoy living at the Maydestone mansion while she recovered. He was looking forward to giving her a tour whenever she felt up for it. There were plenty of interesting rooms to keep them busy for days.

As Iris mentioned following all the rules in his home, he pursed his lips. Normally, he would have told her not to worry about it, but his father had outlined some pretty strict guidelines for her to follow during her stay with them. It was probably best for him to warn her about those ahead of time rather than spring them on her while she was making herself comfortable.

“About that,” he started, glancing at her while they sat at a red light. “My dad said that if you’re going to be staying at our place, there are a couple rules he wants you to follow.” He rolled his eyes. “He’s always been a paranoid guy, especially since that rebellion started, so he just wants to make sure you ‘aren’t a threat.’” He gestured air-quotes as he spoke the last words to emphasize the ridiculousness of the thought that she was dangerous. “Anyway, he wants you to stay in the bedroom furthest from our rooms, and he said you have to be in your room by ten every night. As long as you stick to those, you shouldn’t have a problem with him though.”

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Definitely ^^ Only happens once in a while (at least, in my experience), but it's great when it does!

Ooh, I like it! cx It would definitely make things interesting, and Cas might be a little blindsided if she tells him or reacts noticeably when she remembers. Gotta love a little drama

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Same. I love the direction it's going ^^ Plus Cas and Iris are already cute, and they're not even a couple (yet), haha

Oh yeah, it's gonna be a shock, especially if they get really close by the time it happens

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

“I wouldn’t know. I try to avoid them, to be honest,” Cas shook his head when Iris talked about the articles that had been written about him. He’d stumbled upon a few of them years ago, but they were so ridiculous that he was a little disgusted by the measures the authors took to act like they knew him. None of them had even said so much as a word to him before, so they couldn’t say why he did the things he did. Of course, he knew the writers wouldn’t stop publishing stories about him just because he didn’t like it, so he’d decided it was best to ignore them altogether. He only read the ones that Jay and Miles told him about if the author had tried to claim something especially scandalous about him or his father, and that was just so he could privately send word to the publisher to take the article down.

“Oh my God,” he laughed when Iris invented a fake headliner. “I think I just threw up a little in my mouth.” Following her over to the counter, he took out his wallet to pay for the toiletries she’d picked out. All in all, it was turning out to be a good trip. Now, when he finally brought her back to his house, she wouldn’t have to worry about missing anything that she needed, and she could rest until she felt ready to leave again—or her family came to get her. Whichever came first.

“You’d better,” he glanced at her with a smirk when she said she would remember his favorite color. “There’s going to be a quiz later, and I expect you to be on your A game.” Running his card, he waited for the transaction to go through and then added the bag of toiletries to his collection. With everything finally purchased, he was ready to head back too. He wasn’t nearly as tired as she probably was, but he’d skipped lunch to pick her up from the hospital, so he wanted something to fill his empty stomach. Maybe one of the maids could make him a sandwich or something else that was relatively quick. Since he’d been gone and his father hadn’t been eating lately, he doubted the servants had even bothered to make a proper meal earlier, so there wouldn’t be any leftovers to come home to.

When Iris spoke up again, he nodded in agreement. “The food here is amazing,” he confirmed, holding the door for her to walk into the parking lot first. “All the chefs compete with each other since their restaurants are so close together. They’re always trying to outdo their neighbors’ recipes, so you can expect a great meal every time you come through for lunch or dinner.” Plus, if he went with her, he was sure the cooks would treat them to something special. Getting the best dishes with the freshest ingredients was yet another perk of being royalty in Aspiria.

At her mention of bumping into someone she knew, he nodded again. “You could sometime,” he said, opening the back door of his car to put away the shopping bags followed by her crutches, which he laid on the floor again. “If we stay longer next time, I think it’s pretty likely.” He offered her a hand to get in the passenger side and then climbed in the driver’s side to take them back to his place. “Alright, next stop, Hotel Maydestone,” he announced, casting her a grin as he backed the car out of the parking spot.

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

We're getting so many done today cx I love it!

He's trying to be helpful, haha. He would have felt bad watching her hobble around with a bad leg and her hands full

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

“Oh, you have no idea,” Cas made a face when Iris mentioned the rumors that would spread if he got so much as a new haircut. “There are literally whole gossip articles that come out online just to talk about that stuff. I don’t understand why everyone likes them so much, but they’ve always been popular around here.” He thought it was weird how obsessive some high borns were with the royal family. If he did get a haircut, some eccentric writer would spin a whole page about where the style had originated and how clever he was for deciding to try it. They always gave him way more credit than he deserved. Really, he just looked up pictures on Google to show to the stylist, because he didn’t know the first thing about fashion trends.

As they headed into the next shop, Cas breathed in the floral smells of the soaps and shampoos that lined the shelves. This store was another one he rarely visited, since he only needed to restock on toiletries every once in a while and didn’t use the cosmetics they sold. The only time he ever wore makeup was if he was going to attend a TV interview, and even then, he only wore a little because he felt bad for turning down the artists who were always so eager to do it for him. He just didn’t like the feeling of having stuff on his face, so he chose to avoid it whenever he could.

When Iris picked up the toothbrush, he smiled, finding her excitement infectious. It was cute how happy she was to remember something so simple. He noticed that he was starting to think that about a lot of her mannerisms. Her unapologetic, childlike joy for the small things in life was appealing to him. He’d never met anyone else like her before. Most high borns, including himself, cared more about the finer luxuries, the things that money could buy. It made him wonder if he’d been looking at everything wrong.

“That’s a good one,” he commented, crouching down to grab a tube of toothpaste to go with the brush. As he stood up again, he pointed out one of the colors on the box. “My favorite is red. Well, a darker red than this, but it’s close enough.” He enjoyed talking about such casual things as favorite colors with her. It was nice to be so relaxed. He didn’t feel like he had to put on a face for her or live up to any standards, because she didn’t have any. It was definitely something he could get used to.

Looking up, he noticed that they were still bring stared at by other shoppers, but so far, all the attention seemed to be directed at him. If anyone recognized Iris, they weren’t coming over to talk to her. He exhaled. It looked like none of her friends were visiting the mall today. Maybe they would have better luck the next time they came back, if they had another chance before her family called, that is.

“What else do you want to get?” he asked, turning back to her again. “There are some bath supplies over there. You’d probably like the stuff they sell here better than what we’ve got at home, since it’s just me and my dad. All of our shampoo smells like dude.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Probably xD Or until she has to make a decision because she can't keep putting it off anymore

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

“Could be,” Crow smirked when Penelope said she hoped they would be the ones to end the war. Even though their deadline to change his father’s mind was fast approaching, he was trying to remain optimistic that they could still pull it off. After all, one of the gods believed they were capable of doing it, and he was pretty sure that heavenly beings were smarter than he could ever become in his limited lifetime. If Toreus was confident in them, then he had no reason to think that just because things were looking grim from his point of view meant their mission was hopeless.

As the knight announced that she needed to go, Crow nodded. “I should too,” he said, standing up to stretch his legs. “It probably wouldn’t look good if I show up late to my first lesson after I got a day off.” He had enjoyed being able to take a whole day to do whatever he wanted, and he didn’t want to lose the opportunity to do so again. In a strange way, it reminded him of the day he’d been released from prison. Once he’d tasted freedom again, he would have fought anyone who tried to force him to give it up again. Now, he would do the same to keep from being metaphorically tied down by endless lessons.

“I will,” he agreed when she told him to sneak his letter to her when he had a chance to write back to Hazel. At her following question, he considered his options. He would have liked to write with her for the sake of spending more time together, but with the party just around the corner, he doubted that checking his spelling would be a productive use of her time.

“I think I’ll try to write it on my own this time,” the viceroy stated decisively. “If it turns out to be too difficult, I’ll let you know, but I want to see if I can do it by myself first.” He offered her a smile, “I guess I’ll see you later, love. Good luck with the Lenz’s.”

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Thanks! I just got my post up ^^