Chapter 50: A blanket to bond us
Cass felt a little bit better after visiting the clothing boutique, while Lord Vespertine seemed to have a lot on his mind.
Cass was sure he had a stupid smirk on his face. He couldn’t believe he’d gotten one up on the damn man, especially since he knew that Lord Vespertine set some of the trends that happened in the capitol. He didn’t find that out from the book, but from the newspapers that he read to get more information on this world. If he wore his design, it would be an instant hit.
He would never ask that of the man. He would never ask him to do anything for him. Maybe he could phrase it as doing something for the town? Turn this town into a city? Would that be enticing?
Cass wasn’t sure.
Lord Vespertine thought it was the perfect time to eat, and he finally let Sam come closer to him. Sam, who had apparently been watching from such a far distance that Cass couldn’t even sense him, was super nervous as he approached. He checked Cass from head to toe, making sure he was okay. He felt more like a nanny than an aide, and that also made Cass laugh.
Lord Vespertine flinched when he heard Cass laugh, then turned away to speak to his aides. Jeez. What shit in his cornflakes this morning? Was laughter such a bad thing? Up until the reveal that Cass could do some tailoring, Lord Vespertine had been so clingy and gross so far, but now he was flinching when Cass laughed?
Fuck him then.
Sam still had the food that he’d brought with him, and in fact had Sir Forsythe carrying it around like it was a sacred artifact. Cass would have laughed if that didn’t feel like it was too close to home. Cass would starve today if anything happened to that food.
Speaking of, Cass wondered what Lord Vespertine would eat if they took a break for lunch. What could a man like him eat? He didn’t want to ask, since it would appear that he knew more than he let on, but he had been quite surprised that he’d drank the tea offered him by the boutique.
...Or maybe he shouldn’t have been so surprised. Lord Vespertine had been eating food the whole time he’d known him, which didn’t go with what he knew about what he was. Was it different here? Or did he throw it all up once he was done? Was he some kind of hybrid? Or were they classified differently here?
He had no fucking clue. He was practically just an interloper. He was here for a short time, hopefully not a long time.
Lord Vespertine came back after speaking to his aide and began to lead Cass to an area where they could sit down and eat. It wasn’t quite...isolated from the parts of town, but it wasn’t a cafe or anything either. Cass wondered if, like in his world, cafes didn’t allow outside food.
He didn’t think that food laws had advanced that much, but who was he to say? That wasn’t his area of expertise, and he didn’t notice anything mentioning food in the newspapers he read.
The area that Lord Vespertine led him to was a soft, sloping green area with lots of paths and shrubbery. It had a beautiful fountain, practically in the middle of the town, and it was well taken care of. Cass wasn’t an idiot. He could tell this was a classic dating spot from all of the romance novels he read, and his suspicions were even more confirmed when Lord Vespertine had his aides lay out a blanket for them and several other things that had Cass’ good mood sour.
He wasn’t...no, he couldn’t.
"Lord Vespertine, what is this?" Cass asked as they came to a halt. Cass may be calling him a lord, but his tone was anything but respectful as he stared at the scene before him.
A beautiful handmade blanket, laid out perfectly. Several small flowers and candles were placed around, even though it was the beginning of the afternoon. A wicker basket sat nearby which probably held something for Lord Vespertine to consume, along with two beautiful metal cups of silver, a few plates, and if Cass wasn’t wrong, he could hear the soft sound of violin music in the background.
Lord Vespertine smiled at him, his blue eyes warm under the brim of his hat.
"Why, I thought we’d take a rest here for a moment if that’s alright with you, Lord Cassian?" Cass wanted to strangle him.
"This does not look like this wasn’t planned, Lord Vespertine. You wouldn’t have had anything to do with the lack of a carriage this morning, would you?" Cass asked, his body tense and Lord Vespertine placed a hand over his heart, looking genuinely upset.
"Lord Cassian, how could you accuse me? I had no idea you were even going into the town today. And maybe I just always have a spare blanket in the carriage, hmm? I like to be prepared. If you had remembered that from our travels, you would recognise this blanket." Cass blinked, before he sighed. Fuck. He was fucked.
Cass ran his hand over his face, Lord Vespertine looking at him expectantly, and Cass groaned.
"I don’t...I don’t remember that." Cass muttered quietly and Lord Vespertine gasped, covering his mouth.
"You don’t-how cruel, Lord Cassian. And I was always the one to lay it out. You would always show up so late and join us on it, ignoring our...offering of food..." He trailed off, his eyes widening as he realised why Lord Blackburn had arrived so late every time, and turned his nose up at their offered food. Cass coughed. Lord Vespertine motioned towards the blanket. "Well, there is no time like the present to get used to it. Come, sit. I’m sure your aide is preparing your food as we speak." Lord Vespertine wouldn’t move until Cass did.
Awkwardly, Cass found himself sitting down on the blanket, Lord Vespertine a ray of sunshine next to him as he rustled through the basket next to him. He pulled out a small sandwich wrapped in what appeared to be some kind of paper product and a bottle sealed with a cork and wax.
Lord Vespertine waved his hand, and the wax melted off, the cork popping out and into his waiting hand. Cass wouldn’t lie and say he wasn’t impressed, but he needed to school his facial expressions. He couldn’t behave as if he was surprised by magic. Lord Vespertine was the other main magic user in the group.
Cass jerked his head away, even though he wanted to watch him more. Lord Vespertine chuckled, and Cass glanced at him. The liquid he was pouring into his glass looked suspiciously dark, but Cass said nothing. In fact, he realised that Lord Vespertine drank almost exclusively out of silver cups.
"Is that your favourite drink or something?" Cass asked carefully and Lord Vespertine smiled.
"Something like that." He told him, and Cass swallowed. Hurried footsteps had him looking and he found Sam approaching, a determined look on his face.
"I’ve brought your meal, my Lord!" Sam was practically shouting, and Cass felt his eyes widen before he let out a snort of laughter.
"Oh, thank you Sam. And Sir Forsythe. I hope you’re okay being bossed around like this." Cass teased and Sir Forsythe gave him a tight smile.
"I would never protest such a pleasure, my Lord." He replied dryly and Cass chuckled. He could feel Lord Vespertine watching him as Sam set about laying out the plates of food that he had prepared. It was a veritable feast, and Sam seemed quite proud of his work.
Cass stared at the food like it was a challenge.
"You...really outdid yourself, Sam." Cass told him and Lord Vespertine started coughing beside him. Sam beamed.
"Thank you my Lord! I got up extra early and made sure that I put away everything that I could! I wanted to make today special for you." Cass felt his shoulders relax at the open and honest way Sam smiled at him. Cass looked over the dishes, his stomach churning, but he knew he needed to eat.
"Thank you for your care, Sam." Cass said, a smile on his lips and Sam beamed.
"We shall be over there if you need us, my Lord." Sam told him, and Cass looked at where he gestured. Cass nodded and the two bowed and left and then it was just the two of them. On a blanket, with their respective meals before them.
"Well, shall you crack open that bottle that...Sam brought you and toast with me, Lord Cassian?" Lord Vespertine asked, and Cass turned his attention back to the man who was looking at him with fond and calculating eyes. Cass sighed, knowing that he was too far in this to escape at this point. He might as well eat now, and try to escape in the afternoon.
"Alright." Cass muttered, grabbing the bottle and he was grateful that it wasn’t fully sealed. It was warm, too, and when Cass opened it, he found steaming, warm black tea inside. Cass blinked as he poured it into the silver cup offered to him, a smile on his lips. Lord Vespertine seemed impressed.
"He really takes care of you." He muttered and Cass smiled.
"I don’t know why he has such loyalty to me, but it is appreciated." Cass said quietly, ignoring the way that Lord Vespertine was watching him. The two men clinked the edge of the goblets, and took a sip of their respective drinks, before they began to eat quietly.