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Victor eyed the vehicle. “I-I don’t know... I have a deposition in a couple days that I haven’t finished prepping for...”

Oh? Hmm. “Let me think. As I recall, your boss is... Senator Leoric, no?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’m sure she will understand if you need to take some time off, right now. In fact, she might well force you to do so.”

“Ah... I very much doubt that, sir.”

The Prince tilted his brow. “Truly? I’ve heard the stories about her, but surely, she is not that much of a...” The words on the tip of his tongue were ‘slave-driving witch,’ but he changed them in favor of some new ones. “...Of a stern boss. Time off should be a matter of course after something like this, no?”

Victor gave him a look. His lips didn’t move, but his face said everything.

David didn’t force him to elaborate. “Well, in that case, you absolutely must come with me. You can make use of the embassy’s facilities to conduct your prep work, and if they prove insufficient, the greater castle around it has plenty more to offer. Including some quite luxurious spots, I must say.”

Victor still wasn’t saying anything, but his expression spoke of temptation.

The Prince started toward the car and opened the door, offering to let Victor get in first.

The kid looked like he was finally about to say something, but then he just hopped in.

David followed suit, told the driver their destination, and then they were off.

The tinted windows offered a now-very-familiar view of Andeyal, the Intarian capital city, as they sped down the road. The highways here very much lived up to their name, rising so far up into the air that entire office buildings could fit beneath--and often did. Many of the skyscrapers that filled the cityscape were nestled up right alongside the elevated roads, sometimes offering a surprisingly clear view into their mid-level offices.

The boy was still being quiet, so David had to be the one to revive the conversation. “These Intarian buildings of yours are something else,” he said as he craned his neck, staring out the window. “Every time I find myself on these roads, I’m tempted to bring a pair of binoculars and do some proper snooping. Perhaps try to discover exactly how many floors up we are.”

“...Depends on the building,” said Victor, “but this area’s about thirty. Highest I’ve seen was about fifty, I think.”