65. Curious Urges

Jason dresses for the symphony with Rufus, Gary, and Farrah, joining Danielle Geller and Humphrey in a private box. During the first intermission, Danielle quietly directs Jason to a meeting. Jason follows instructions to a conference room and finds Elspeth Arella, the Adventure Society’s Greenstone director.

Elspeth demonstrates influence by stretching the intermission and notes Jason’s heavy contract pace. She orders him to pause board work, promises to assign appropriate contracts from the jobs hall, and dangles a likely second star if he performs. She rebukes the Magic Society’s attempt to reach him through her office. Jason agrees, trading barbed courtesies before returning to the box.

In the second intermission, Jason wanders the hall’s art displays and meets Cassandra Mercer. She tests him with aura suppression and pointed questions; Jason parries with sly, provocative remarks and leaves first, unfazed by her pressure. Their exchange establishes mutual scrutiny without commitment.

Cassandra reports to Thalia Mercer in their private booth. They discuss Jason’s training under Rufus, rumors that Rufus’s Vane expedition was saved by a stranger with dark powers, and a Purity priestess, Anisa Lasalle, who left after that stranger joined. Cassandra advises keeping Thadwick away, calls Jason dangerous, and puzzles over his composure. Thalia frames vulnerability as a weapon of seduction, cautioning that Cassandra herself might be at risk.