Cassandra walks back to the courtyard after the encounter of the mysterious black rocks. She looks around at the mess, thinking back at the past events and how the disaster formed. All because of that silly doctor. She can't help but scowl at the thought of him and his ridiculous, judgmental look.

"Can't believe things went south," she scoffs. "All because some quote, unquote, 'experienced' doctor couldn't keep his hands to himself. Seriously, who hired that idiot? Sheesh!" She kicks at a rock, watching it fly to a nearby puddle.

She rolls her eyes, a small 'tsk' coming from out of her mouth. "And he was going to scold ME for not protecting his pathetic a- you know what? I won't say it. But seriously, who does he think he is?! How dare he not listen to Varian?!" She begins to snicker at the thought. "A kid more experienced than some old guy. Oh, that's hilarious."

She continues to mumble to herself, checking every nook and cranny of the courtyard for the young alchemist. She thinks back when she was following him with Rapunzel to show her the black rocks growing at the village. She shivers at the thought, the rocks seeming more of a dangerous threat than they initially appeared. But she grins later on, remembering overhearing the doctor rambling.

"'Oh, I can't believe that guard! What sort of guard doesn't choose ME instead of a little brat?!'" She proclaimed mockingly, repeating the doctor's words. She places her hand on top of her forehead in mock sorrow, leaning against a table.

"'Doesn't she know the consequences if I got hit harder by that machine?! All the bones in my body could've been broken!' Get outta here, doc, as if your actions didn't cause a massive vortex that could've sucked the whole kingdom in..." She murmured bitterly, looking down to the ground.

She looked around, her head turning from side to side as she continued to search for Varian. She can't help but feel worried. She doesn't know why, but she does. She rethinks on the events before the vortex incident. She broke her promise. She can't help but feel guilty.

She leans her back against a pillar, crossing her arms and looking down. She lets out a deep sigh, closing her eyes for a moment to think clearly. All she can see is Varian's disappointed face as he reassures her about the job she got. She feels saddened at the thought.

"Oh, Varian..." She sighed, looking down with a slight ashamed look on her face. "I'll make it up to you, I promise." With a determined glint in her eyes, she pulls herself off the pillar and continues to walk.

-

Varian was picking up a few broken pieces of Fernanda's 'invention'. Should he even call it an invention at that point? Or a drag show? He couldn't tell. All he knew was he was the only one picking up someone else's trash when they're busy whining to win something.

He grumbles to himself, unable to express his dislike for that so-called "inventor". What was her name again? Fernanda Pizzaro? Pizzaza? He couldn't care less. He's just upset he has to clean someone else's mess without their help.

"Hey, kid!" A familiar voice called out, making him jump and drop the stuff he was holding. "Shhh...shoot,' he mumbled to himself.

"Oops! Sorry, Varian. Didn't mean to scare you," Cassandra said, popping out from behind him.

"Cass! Nice seeing you here!" Varian exclaimed excitedly, his spirits now up after seeing her.

She gazed to the mess in front of him before looking at him with a curious look. "Why are you cleaning this all on your own? Wouldn't it be better if you got some help?"

Varian nods, rolling his eyes slightly. "Yeah, it would be, but that Pizazzo inventor decided to try to convince Doctor St. Croix to keep her win, and leave me to it..." He mumbled, looking down at the broken pieces of his elemental remogrifier.

Cassandra sighs, shaking her head slightly. "Well, scootch over, I'm helping!"

Varian's eyes widen, looking at her with a surprised look on his face. "Wait, what? You are?"

Cassandra smiles at him as she kneels beside him, picking up a few pieces of metal. "Yeah, of course I am! I did say I would help you out earlier, didn't I?"

Varian nods, looking sheepish for a moment before smiling. "Yeah, that's true! Although, I may have forgotten after showing you and Rapunzel the black rocks, heh..."

Cassandra chuckled softly, patting his shoulder. "Ah, don't worry. I almost forgot as well before I saw the mess here."

Varian grins, waving his hand dismissively. "All I can say is my bad. Half of it was my fault..."

Cassandra nudges him, smirking at him. "Now, now... This wasn't your fault. It was that... doctor who decided to fiddle with your invention. He could've sucked us all in, for all I know!"

Varian chuckles, taking in her words. "I guess you're right. He did try to mettle with it..."

Cassandra grins, a determined look on her face. "Alright! Let's do this! The sooner we finish this, the better!"

Varian beams, picking up debris from the floor faster. The two begin to clean up the mess in the courtyard, sharing words whenever they can.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Varian was cleaning broken glass off the floor, carefully sweeping the broken fragments to a dustpan and ensuring to handle it with care to avoid any further issues. Cassandra is beside him, picking up larger pieces by hand.

Varian smirks at Cassandra, playfully nudging her shoulder. "Maybe we should add 'cleaning up after experiments' to the list of our Co-Ladies in Waiting' duties."

Cassandra chuckles in response, nudging him back. "It wouldn't hurt. At least it keeps things interesting."

They continue to clean the mess, the glass slowly disappearing from the area. Varian looks around, a small smile on his face. "You know, I appreciate you helping me with this. I don't think I could handle it alone."

Cassandra smiles back, ruffling his hair and emitting a giggle. "You know what they say, kid. Teamwork makes the dream work."

As they talk, Varian accidentally knocks over a pile of papers, emitting a playful swat from Cassandra. They share a laugh and pick up the scattered papers.

Varian turns his head with a grin, looking at Cassandra. "Who knew cleaning could be so much fun?"

Cassandra shrugs, staring at him with a teasing glint in her eyes. "Just wait until the next expo if there is one. If Doctor St. Croix is there, then we'll have a bigger mess to pick up."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Varian and Cassandra move around each other seamlessly, each anticipating the other's movements as they tackle different sections of the courtyard.

Varian grins widely, twirling a small piece of metal on his finger. "Looks like we made good progress!"

Cassandra smiles, watching him pick up the final pieces of the debris. "Definitely. With you handling the small and me taking care of the big, we'll be done in no time."

There's a moment of silence, the only sounds being heard are the metals clicking in the garbage bags and sweeping of the floors.

Varian looks thoughtful for a moment, glancing at Cassandra for a moment. "You know, I never expected to find a partner in cleaning crime when I first thought of participating in this expo."

Cassandra chuckles, winking at him. "And I never expected to become an expert in post-experiment cleanup, besides being a lady-in-waiting. Life is full of surprises, isn't it?"

Varian smiles brightly at her. "It really is!"

-

They place the final bags in the bin before leaning against a table, panting heavily. Cassandra wipes a droplet of sweat from her forehead, taking a moment to breathe before turning to Varian.

"That took a bit longer than I thought it would," she chuckled. Varian smiled back.

"Yeah... Although, it could've been worse. I could've done it alone for all I know," he breathed out, wiping some sweat off his face.

Cassandra smirks, nudging his shoulder. "No worries. That won't happen as long as I'm here!"

Varian chuckles at her remark before offering her a soft smile. "But for real, Cass. Thanks. I couldn't have done it without you."

Cassandra smiles back, patting his shoulder. "You're welcome, and I'm sorry I broke my promise earlier today..."

Varian cuts her off by placing his hand on top of hers, a reassuring look on his face. "Don't be. I know you meant well. Being a royal guard is your dream. You deserve to take that chance after trying to convince your dad for so long."

Cassandra smiles widely in response, touched by his words. "I'm glad you understand. Still, it was wrong of me. I promise I won't let it happen again."

Varian's eyes glimmer for a bit before he looks up at the sky, noticing the rising moon. "I've got to go back home. I don't want my dad worrying any more than he should," he mumbled softly.

Cassandra chuckles, squeezing his shoulder before letting go. "Go ahead, Varian. You deserve some rest after a day like this. See you tomorrow!"

Varian smiles brightly, waving goodbye as he walks away. Cassandra waves back, walking the opposite way.

Her hand moves subconsciously to the necklace on her neck, grazing her fingers against the purple gem. A smile graces her lips as she continues to walk.

"Cass!" A voice called out, making her flinch. It was Rapunzel holding her journal.

"Oh, Raps," she muttered. "What are you doing here?"

"I saw your conversation with Varian, that's what!" She beamed. "It was really sweet! Turns out you do have a soft side underneath that tough exterior!"

Cassandra chuckled in response, walking towards her. "Maybe I do. I guess it's just hard to find."

Rapunzel giggles, lightly punching her shoulder. "It sure is. But, hey! Once it's found, it's a completely endearing side!" She wraps an arm around her, smiling. "I'm proud of you, Cass."

Cassandra laughs softly, a tired yet happy look on her face. "Thanks. And frankly, I grew fond of the kid."

Rapunzel beams, and the two walk back inside the castle for the night. Things can end up differently after all.