The Bright, the Burning, and the Wicked

Six

Casimir Alarie

Baze didn't appear until the following day, looking annoyed per usual, but his eyes gleamed with something Casimir could only define as relief. Casimir took a sip of his tea as Baze pulled up a chair beside him. 

"I take it it went well?"

Baze sighed and collapsed into the chair. "It took some persuading but he'll grant us passage. It won't be easy, mind you."

"Hardly a problem. We're not doing this for easy." His life had been so filled to the brim with difficulty that 'easy' was now a foreign concept. 

"Must have taken quite a large amount of persuading, considering you don't have a coin left." Casimir quipped as Baze returned his emptied velvet coin pouch. 

"Trest Kief drives a hard bargain." 

Casimir raised a brow as he noticed a new pair of leather gloves that Baze had certainly not been wearing the day before. "Lovely gloves." 

Baze smirked, leaned back and admired his new gloves that could have only been afforded with part of the money Casimir had given him. "They were quite expensive."

"I have no doubt." 

Baze hummed, clearly pleased with himself and said, "We leave at seven." Then his eyes flittered quickly across the tavern, in search of something. Or rather, someone.

"She's still sleeping."

"I didn't ask."

"You didn't have to."

Casimir hadn't slept at all that night, though it hardly bothered him anymore after so many restless years. Instead, he had wandered around town and left Juniper in her room, knowing she wouldn't so much as bat her eyes closed as long as he was in there with her. He even gave her the room key to give her some sense of assurance that he wouldn't enter, though they both knew he could easily pick the lock. 

The tea was tasteless, despite the heaping spoonful of sugar he had stirred into it. Casimir put it down with a look of distaste. No one ever had good tea anymore. He poured some for Baze to partake in his suffering, though Baze didn't seem to taste it as he gulped down the scorching liquid. He didn't seem to care that it was near boiling.

"Doesn't that burn?"

Baze looked at him in surprise and tensed. He looked down at the tea in his hands, as if realizing for the first time that he had just drunk a cup of scalding tea.

He looked up with unease. "I have high tolerance to heat."

"I see."

Baze stood up quickly, his tall height nearly causing his head to graze the low ceiling of the tavern. "I'm going to go wake her up. The last thing we need is to be late because she overslept."

"Be gentle with her, she's had a rough couple of days." Casimir called.

Baze snorted and kicked a chair out of his way with his usual roughness. Casimir clicked his tongue. Knowing him, Baze would most likely flip over the old cot Juniper had fallen asleep on and douse her with cold water. 

He finished his horrid tea and set the cup down, watching as the moisture stained a ring on the wooden table. He waited and eyes flickered up towards the clock, watching as the time ticked bye. How strange for Baze to be taking his time. Perhaps he really had taken a gentler hand with Juniper. Just as the thought crossed his mind, Casimir scoffed. That couldn't be it.