Since Jason had started taking contracts, Rufus, Gary and Farrah had been increasingly busy. They each had their own projects, and in-between they were taking bronze-rank contracts from the jobs hall. One of their key reasons for coming to Greenstone was the chance for some independence, after all. Between the Vane Estate contract going wrong and Jason’s training, their own adventuring had moved down the list. Now Jason was a full-fledged adventurer, they were back to adventuring themselves.
While they were all busy, Jason was seeing a lot less of the trio. He was unsurprised, then, that evening found him alone in his room at the inn. He decided to go out and see if there was anything on at the concert hall, seeing as it was so close.
Although there wasn’t anything on the scale of the grand magical symphony, there was a string section recital taking place. He thought it might be interesting to see it from the main floor, given that he usually watched performances from the Geller’s private viewing box. He was looking for a ticket box when Cassandra Mercer had spotted him wandering about.
“Mr Asano,” she called out as she approached.
“Miss Mercer,” Jason said. “Fancy meeting you here.”
“You seem a little lost.”
“Well, I’ve never actually purchased a ticket before. I’ve been meaning to sign on to the patronage program with the Musical Society, but I’ve been a bit busy.”
“The life of a new adventurer.”
“Mostly,” Jason said. “I did spend the afternoon working in a dumpling restaurant.”
“You got a job in a dumpling restaurant?” she asked incredulously.
“I didn’t get a job there,” Jason said. “I just worked in the kitchen for the afternoon. I wanted to learn to make dumplings with local ingredients.”
Cassandra invited him to view the recital from the Mercer family’s private box.
“Thadwick won’t be there, will he?”
“Thadwick treats culture like catching a cold,” Cassandra said. “You can't always avoid it, but you can take precautions.”
Jason laughed. Cassandra explained the reason Jason hadn’t found the ticket box was that it was on the other side of the building. He had been looking where he usually entered, which he discovered was for patrons, private box holder and their guests.
The patron lounge was a place for concertgoers to engage socially before the performance and during intervals. They took drinks from the long bar and sat down in a pair of comfortable seats. Jason had a tall glass filled with rainbow layers of liqueur, while Cassandra took a neat measure of amber spirits.
Jason wasn’t used to drawing a lot of attention at such events. He was usually an adjunct to groups with Rufus and Danielle Geller, who were much more interesting to high-society mavens. Being the solitary companion to Cassandra Mercer proved very different.
“How is it that you were having an evening out unaccompanied?” Jason asked. “I have to imagine people falling over themselves to be in your company.”
“There’s a difference between company and engaging company,” she told him. “The men in this town are a little simple for my taste.”
“You like a sophisticated gentleman,” Jason said.
“Sophisticated is good,” Cassandra said. “Complicated is better. As for the gentleman part, I can take it or leave it. What about you, Mr Asano? What are you looking for in a woman?”
“Evil genius,” Jason said casually.
“Evil genius?” she asked, eyebrows raised.
“Why not? Smart, confident, assertive, driven. What’s not to like?”
“The evil?” Cassandra ventured.
“That could be a problem long-term,” Jason acknowledged. “Maybe what I need is a naughty genius.”
He thought it over for a moment as an impish grin took over his face.
“Yeah,” he said, voice purring. “That sounds exactly right.”
As they continued to chat, several people attempted to join their conversation, usually young men. Jason admired Cassandra's ability to send them off with diplomacy and tact.
“You’re very good with people,” he complimented.
“You are as well.”
“No,” Jason said. “I’m good at people; there's a difference. Usually, in how angry they get once they realise what just happened.”
She laughed.
“Is something odd going on this evening?” Jason asked, looking around the room.
“What do you mean?”
“There’s a lot of adventurers here.”
“Patronage isn’t cheap,” Cassandra said. “People of means tend to be essence users.”
“I don’t mean the attendees,” Jason said. “There are people in the shadows.”
He nudged his head in various directions, pointing out the people discreetly placed around the room. Cassandra frowned as she let him lead her gaze.
“I didn’t notice at all,” she said, with self-recrimination. “Perhaps I rely too much on my aura sense. All these essence users are aura camouflage.”
“I wonder what they’re up to.”
“Oh,” Cassandra said, realisation dawning on her face. “They must be here for the open contract.”
“There’s an open contract?” Jason asked. “I must have missed it while I was out in the delta.”
“Yes, there’s actually been some excitement. Two rather brazen robberies.”
“Robberies?”
“Yes. The first was in the theatre district. Someone snatched a rather valuable piece of jewelry right off the neck of someone attending a play, then made a run for it. It was some cousin of the Duke of Greenstone, no less.”
“That’s certainly bold.”
“That’s only the beginning,” she said. “A man was attacked right here at the concert hall. He was out on a balcony during the interval when he was attacked and robbed of all his valuables. I know the man in question and he rather had it coming, but still.”
“The same thief?”
“So it would seem,” Cassandra said. “In both cases, it was a woman dressed all in black. The interesting part is that, given the people involved, they were able to get a sense of her aura. She only has a single essence, yet managed to escape both times.”
“That seems wildly reckless,” Jason said. “I can’t imagine the reward to be commensurate to that kind of risk.”
“It certainly does raise questions,” Cassandra said. “The Duke of Greenstone had the Adventure Society put out an open contract for her capture, but the Adventure Society director restricted it to iron rank.”
“Why?”
“It’s the long-standing policy of the Society to send appropriate measures to deal with appropriate problems, and it is one person with only a single essence. That’s a widespread policy, not just here in Greenstone. Of course, the local powers have never had much time for Adventure Society strictures, and have been vocal in their displeasure. They don’t like that the director worked her way up from poverty instead of coming from the established families. They’ve also learned that pushing her does not tend to go well.”
“I see.”
“Have you met Elspeth Arella, yet?”
“I have,” Jason said. “In fact, it was just before I met you.”
Lucian Lamprey stormed through the grounds of Clarissa Ventress’s estate. The silver-ranked Director of the Magic Society practically blasted away her guards with the power of his aura, using it to announce his arrival. Ventress came out to meet him in the garden, sending her people off with a gesture. She grimaced as she fell under the suppression of his aura.
“To what do I owe the pleasure, Director Lamprey?” she asked, voice strained.
“She’s meant to get caught,” Lamprey said, “not cause a huge ruckus and get away.”
“Director, I can assure you that this is the way that meets both our needs.”
“Do you realise how many eyes are on this now?”
“With respect, Director, I think you may be missing the point,” she said. “You need to start attending more social events.”