Kassandra watched her friend once he stood. Ever mindful that sometimes it took him a moment or so before they would be on their way.
Walking through the Palace was always an exercise in mastering her expression and temperament. It was difficult not to shoot a glare at the people who couldn't be bothered to be quiet enough or who scampered unceremoniously out of the way. It wasn't just that Val was still a noble, it was just so...
inhumanly rude. It rankled Kassandra on a person-to-person level. The lack of understanding and empathy everyone had for someone they believed to be cursed and a person wrapped in misfortune bothered her more than any curse really would. Like there wasn't a single good person in the entire place that had any sort of compassion.
It ruffled her something fierce.
Her friend deserved to be around people who wanted to help, not people who thought he was a problem that needed to be shoved off somewhere or hidden away.
If he had a problem.
Once they arrived at the map, Kassandra stood back some to take it all in. A reminder that the world was far more vast then she thought about. Bigger than the narrow minds of the people in the Palace. Surely someone, somewhere would be able to help set things right. Were that the case, Kassandra would help Val go anywhere, if it were within her power to do so.
When he gestured toward a path, she nodded a little. "I can always ask about the trade routes from here and where they might go. It won't seem so odd coming from me."
@quaggan