Sounding it out
Brindran sighed as he waited for Cassandra. He wasn’t worried about her, but she was beyond an hour late and he was hungry. At what point, he wondered, did he just accept she was not going to join him? It seemed unlikely that she had spent more than three hours dropping off the requisitions and negotiating prices with merchants over her supplies. She was very efficient about such things. Her impatience with small talk had the effect of silencing merchants when they tried to charm her into paying a higher price than she felt the goods were worth. Their patter quickly dried up under the full force of her blazing glares and wordless disgust. She intimidated most people into backing away from any form of conflict with her. The idea that he should be concerned for her welfare was ridiculous. Even so, he found himself becoming increasingly uncomfortable with killing time when he had no idea where she was. Le Masque du Lion was always sincere in their welcome to the Inquisitor, but a lone elf could still make himself feel uncomfortable occupying a table for well over an hour without ordering. He sighed and looked for her approach one last time. He discreetly beckoned to the waiter and exchanged a few quiet words with the man, who returned minutes later with a tray holding a half bottle of Ghislain Rosé and two open packages which he presented to Brindran for approval before folding them closed and tying them securely with pale blue string. Both were lined with vine leaves to prevent the contents from transferring grease spots onto the sturdy paper, one contained four miniature fruit tarts that resembled little flowers, the other a small selection of fine cheeses and charcuterie.
He paused outside the cafe, deciding where to search first. If she had started at the merchants near the docks, she would have passed through the main part of the Summer Market on her way to meet him. It was possible she could have stopped at an armorer or a sword-smith, but he didn’t believe that would have distracted her to the point of not sending word that she would be late, it didn’t seem likely to have taken enough time to make her late at all. He looked the other way, up towards the courtyard, it seemed the best place to start, especially since he had a strong idea of where she had gone.
As he walked towards Wilvan’s shop he spotted Cassandra under the arbour at the back of the gardens. She was completely wrapped up in a new book, one of several, judging by the bundle at her feet. She had probably meant to just peek at the first few paragraphs but had been drawn in to read at least the first hundred pages. He circled the plaza so he could stay out of her direct line of vision as he came closer. He slowed and quieted his steps as he came near before startling her by pushing the packages next to her. She jumped up, stared at him and made an inarticulate squealing noise as words died in her throat, it was somehow much better than her usual disgusted grunts and growls. It was hard not to laugh, he clapped his hand over his mouth to stop himself.