Her face took on a confused look as they walked down the aisle in the library. "Ten years ago I was in the hospital…"
"Right…. With your tumor…" Flynn sucked a breath in whilst flinching. Jones, Baird, and Stone turned to look at her. Confusion, surprise, and a bit of horror were evident in their expressions. Jones looked away for a moment, seeming to be very upset about something, before turning his eyes back to her like the others.
Flynn continued to explain how he had deducted the horrible truth that Cassandra had hoped to hide.
"How… big is it?" He asked, his shoulders shrugging a bit as he tried to put it delicately.
"It's about the size of a grape." She responded in a small voice. She saw no point in trying to deny it. She smiled awkwardly.
"Which I really wish they hadn't told me because I used to really like grapes." She said in an attempt at a joke, Jones looked a slight bit hesitant but asked,
"Are you… ?" She cut him off,
"Not yet." She paused to smile at him sadly, but he looked down, avoiding her eyes. She seemed to accept that, as if it happened often, and continued,
"Someday... sooner then I'd like, but… not yet." She clasped her hands and filled in the awkward silence surrounding her by cheerily continuing her discussion on the shortness of her life, wanting to finish it and change the subject,
"But I lived long enough to know magic exists! So that's pretty cool!" Flynn put his hand out towards her as if saying that he'll agree to the subject change.
"Very cool!" He agreed.
They journeyed onward through the library; Stone explaining he didn't go to the library due to already having a work placement. Jones in turn telling them he assumed the letter was misaddressed, claiming that no library would want a thief working for them. Cassandra privately disagreed and felt distressed by what he said, thinking anyone would be glad to have someone as bright and creative as him. She felt some sort of connection to him but tried to dissuade it due to the fact she had just met him and with her tumor there was no opportunity to feel a connection with a man she had recently met.
But ye gods did she want to, she thought as he grinned and winked at her while making a joke to annoy the others as they walked through the hallway after deciding to go to Europe.