When Iris said that Jacob had probably helped her because he believed in him, Caspian reddened slightly. He hadn’t thought of that. Reflexively assuming he hadn’t done anything worth being respected—he fumbled often when he attempted to take over his father’s responsibilities, he’d allowed himself to be fooled and captured by the rebellion, and he’d even helped a known and wanted rebel escape from the military—he was surprised that she thought the guard looked up to him. He was also flattered that she said Jacob believed in him “like she did.” Though he was still uncertain where they stood on a romantic front, it brought him pleasure to know that she still thought he was going to be a king worth following.

[color=#b97703]“Maybe,”[/color] he murmured, shuffling his feet bashfully.

When Iris told Miles she didn’t like his ideas, the high born gawped at her incredulously. “Why? It’s customary to pop a bottle of champagne when you’re celebrating something. If I didn’t offer, it would be bad manners.”

[color=#b97703]“It’s less about that and more about the fact that you just offered after getting all of us trashed a week ago,”[/color] Cas clarified dryly.

“So?” Miles stared at him uncomprehendingly. “I think it’ll be fun, but I guess I just come from hardier stock than you do.”

[color=#b97703]“I mean, I was the one who was taken by the rebellion, beaten almost to death and managed to come back alive,”[/color] Cas reminded his friend with a wry smirk. [color=#b97703]“But sure, you can say you’re hardier than me if you want to.” [/color]Despite the gibe, he knew his tolerance to alcohol couldn’t match a lot of other high borns his own age. With nothing better to do with their time, most of them spent their nights drinking and doing drugs at wild parties around the city. He participated when he could, but even then, he didn’t often indulge as much as the people around him. Because of that, he wasn’t able to wreck his liver and bounce back the next day like they could. It was just a matter of exposure.

“Alright, you got me there,” Miles relented, throwing up his hands. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, tapping away at a text message. “But if you two aren’t gonna join me, I’m inviting Jay over to do the fun stuff.”

[color=#b97703]“You do that,”[/color] Cas laughed. When Iris said they could decide on a restaurant, he pondered their options, deciding that he could be the one to pick, since Miles and Jay were going to be content with their sinful pleasures. If they were getting high, he knew they would eat whatever he put in front of them without question. [color=#b97703]“We could order from that pizza place I told you about,”[/color] he suggested, glancing at Iris with a smile. [color=#b97703]“We can’t go out because the city guards could recognize you, but they deliver. I think I owe you a meal from them anyway.”[/color]