Trash Panda

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

“My God,” Cas rolled his eyes when Iris teased him by putting emphasis on his title again. “I’m starting to think I should have told you I was a servant.” Though he was only joking, he couldn’t help but imagine what that would have been like. Of course, the charade wouldn’t have lasted long, since his father had come downstairs to eat with them before she’d even spent one night at the mansion, but it might have been fun while it lasted. He enjoyed the perks that came with being the heir to the throne, but he’d also liked visiting her in the hospital when she’d had no recollection of who she was talking to. It had been relaxing to step off his metaphorical pedestal for once and talk to someone as an equal. It was too bad it was over now.

Following Iris over to the booth she had picked, he sat down across from her and folded his arms on the table in a laidback posture. From behind the counter, the servant on shift eyed them quizzically. Usually when the prince stopped by to have a drink—the king hadn’t even shown his face in this part of the castle in over a decade—he went straight to the bar, and he was almost always alone. It was strange for him to bring someone else here, especially a woman, and take a seat in a booth. However, the bartender still had a job to do, so he overcame his curiosity and stepped out to take their requests.

“Really?” Cas raised a brow in surprise when Iris said she’d never tasted wine before. “Are you sure you’re of age?” Though he was just poking fun at her, he did find it odd that she didn’t recognize wine. The tart drink was served at every formal event he’d ever been to, dinners and parties and whatever else the high borns in the capital wanted to put together. He probably drank it at least twenty times a year. “Maybe you preferred red.” That was the only explanation that made sense to him. The dom perignon that had been poured with their dinner wasn’t a favorite of everyone. It was an expensive bottle, but it had a sharper taste than the sweet red wines that some people favored.

“Your Highness,” the bartender greeted his prince with a courteous bow when he approached their table. “What can I get for you tonight?”

“Scotch sour,” he replied without a second thought. After a long and tense dinner with his father, he knew he wanted something that would take the edge off right away.

“Of course,” the bartender dipped his head in a curt but polite gesture before turning to Iris. “And for you, madam?”

Cas glanced at her as well, taking on a contemplative expression. “Do you remember what you liked to drink at all?” he asked. “If you want, Martin here could make you a few small samplers, so you could see which ones are familiar to you.”

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

It was alright. With my luck, I got a migraine when I was supposed to present, so that made it difficult to focus ^^; It's done though, so I'm happy!

I managed to get one done with twenty minutes before everyone comes over xD

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

When Iris commented that the dinner had been intense, Cas winced. He had been hoping his home would be a safe haven for her until she recovered her memories, but his father had successfully destroyed that image in less than an hour. If it wasn’t for the fact that she had nowhere else to go, he wouldn’t have been surprised if she requested to leave before the sun set. After all, who would want to stay in the house of a monarch who clearly didn’t want her around? Atlas had been unnecessarily hostile with his accusative questions. She was clearly just a girl from the capital who had hit her head and nothing more. There was no reason to mistrust her.

“It’s not your fault,” he assured her quickly with a shake of his head. Glancing over his shoulder to make sure his father had traveled far enough down the hallway that he wouldn’t hear them talk, he dropped his volume slightly as he explained, “Since the rebellion started, he just thinks everyone and everything is out to get us. Even the staff and guards have to go through months of background checks before they can start working for us. I’m pretty sure the only reason he even agreed to let you in was because Dr. Emett confirmed your amnesia. If you knew who you were, he wouldn’t trust you either.” It was also why the king had sent away the rest of the family to another estate and halved the number of servants in the mansion. The less people there were, the easier it was for the paranoid monarch to keep tabs on everyone.

When Iris said she would go with him to the bar, Cas brightened. Though their reason for wanting to drink wasn’t the most exciting, he was glad that he’d have some company. Most of the time, it was just him and whichever bartender was working that night, watching reruns of games while the latter fed the prince cocktails whenever he emptied his glass. She would be much more fun to spend the rest of the evening with.

“Gladly,” he returned her teasing with a playful smile when she said he would have to show her the way. However, when she rested her hand on his arm, his expression wavered slightly. The lack of distance between them for that brief moment derailed his thoughts and made his heartbeat quicken with uncontrolled eagerness. He silently reprimanded himself, even though he knew trying to tame a crush was pointless. He couldn’t stop himself from being attracted to her no matter how hard he tried.

Maybe it’s not such a great idea to get drunk tonight, he cringed at the thought of losing his inhibitions and making a move on Iris. Not wanting to make her even more uncomfortable than his father already had, he internally vowed to pay attention to how much he drank, so he wouldn’t do anything he would regret later.

“Someone had to,” he shrugged at her grateful words. “If my dad doesn’t have any pushback, he tends to just steamroll over everyone. I didn’t want to watch him do it to you too.” His brown eyes flicked to her blue and then away again, and he cleared his throat. “Anyway, I need a drink. The bar is over here.”

Leading her down another hallway, Cas brought Iris to a room that had been designed to look reminiscent of a sports bar with flat screen TVs scattered around the walls and plenty of seating in a variety of barstools and booths. If it had been filled, it would have made an enjoyable spot to watch games with friends; but like the rest of the mansion, the space was empty aside from the bartender, who scrambled up from the booth he had been lounging in to take his place behind the counter at the first sight of his prince.

“So, what do you think?” Cas turned to her with a grin. “Great place to unwind after sitting through an entire dinner with my dad, am I right?”

Cirque du Sombre [Siaya Dragalorn & Summer]

It's no problem at all ^^ How's the move going?

I should be able to get an IC post up for you sometime tomorrow or Wednesday!

~Bonsoir~

My lord, it's taking me an eternity to write back for you. So sorry! This has been the busiest week I've had in a long time. Two parties over the weekend, a presentation to prepare for, and a bunch of other general responsibilities I've been putting off. I don't think I can get a post done today, but I'll have one for you tomorrow for sure! ^^

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Thanks! I just can't wait until it's done xD

That's good! Hopefully that means you don't need to see the dentist.

Glad you liked it ^^ And no worries, I've been really busy. I'm also not sure if I can get a post up today or not because I'm having people over later and I need to clean the house. We'll see how fast I can get everything done!

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

I hope so too ^^; I have a presentation tomorrow, so I'd rather not be sick for that.

Hopefully not! Tooth issues are the worst.

Also, I finally got my post done! It took me a lot of effort to focus, since I'm tired xD Hope it turned out fine!

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

From the start, Cas had known that dinner with his father would be uncomfortable, but this time, the line had been crossed from tense to miserable. He was chagrined that Atlas had reprimanded him so openly in front of Iris. It had been completely unnecessary, especially since his father hadn’t even disagreed with him. All the king had done was force him to keep quiet so he could be the one to tell her she was welcome to stay with them instead. It had been a power move and nothing more.

He focused on finishing his food—and downing the rest of his wine when his father wasn’t looking—since Atlas clearly didn’t want him to interrupt his discussion with their guest. He had determined by now that when his father had said he was going to eat with them, he’d really meant he was going to interrogate Iris while his son was expected to sit patiently off to the side. He supposed he should have known how the meal would turn out before it had started though. It wasn’t the first time he’d been hushed when the king had been more interested in the other people sitting around them. He was only the center of Atlas’s attention when he was studying the skills he needed to take over as the next monarch.

“Good,” his father nodded approvingly when Iris confirmed that she had been told about the rules she was expected to follow. “I trust that they will be simple enough for you to follow without any issues.” Like always, he was at his most content when he was being shown respect. Sometimes Cas wondered if he invented some of the more outlandish laws in the country just so the citizens would have to prove their loyalty to him more often. It wasn’t out of character for him to do something like that.

The table lapsed into heavy silence when the king ran out of questions to prod at their guest with. Cas sat back in his chair with his brown eyes fixed on his polished plate, waiting for his father to finish eating his portion so they could all leave. Even though he had practically chugged his glass of wine, he couldn’t really feel the effects of the drink alongside the hearty dinner he’d just consumed. As soon as he was free from the dining room, he intended to go straight to the bar to have something stronger.

It took about ten more minutes before Atlas finally set his silverware down and rose from his seat. He had only finished about half of the pasta and three quarters of the lobster tail, but that was to be expected since his medication stifled his appetite. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Iris,” the monarch said, though his face displayed no mirth. “If you regain any memories of importance, I expect that you will tell me right away.” He stepped away from the table while a servant hurried over with his cane. “Caspian, don’t forget that you have another session with your tutor in the morning.”

Cas cursed inwardly, knowing his father had caught on to his plan already. “I won’t,” he assured him. It was honest enough. He wouldn’t forget about his lesson; he just might not show up in fit condition to learn.

Atlas departed from the room, and the prince sank down in his chair with a groan. “Sorry,” he apologized to Iris, dragging his fingers through his hair in a stressed manner. “He’s always that high-strung.” A few more servants appeared to clear away their dishes, and he got up from the table as well. “I completely understand if you want to turn in early, but if you’d rather, I’m going to get a drink at the bar and you’re welcome to join me.”

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Yeah, we napped a lot which was nice xD

It's been good although I might be getting sick. I can't tell for sure, but I've been more tired than usual lately.
How have you been? ^^

Okay! Can't wait

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

It's so uncomfy xD

I ended up hanging out with my husband for a while today, so I was busier than I expected. I finally got my post up though!