II
"She's not coming back, you know."
"Crooked Warden, Jean. I know that. Sabetha said she was off again, to do her own thing, and I'm sure she is."
Jean looked at his friend, shaking his head gravely. There weren't words to describe what Locke was feeling, any more than there were words to describe how he could go about solving his friend's problem. He'd tried fixing Locke up with a prostitute or two to make the wait easier, but they were blondes, and Locke had no interest in blondes. Doña Salvara was clever enough to have interested the Gentleman Bastard, and knew about their scheme, if Locke's report from his meeting had been correct. But not even she had drawn Locke's attention away from Sabetha. Jean had even caught him mumbling in his sleep about her, and then had promptly tried to forget it.
A glance out the window told him Falselight was spreading through Camorr, all the Elderglass surfaces glowing with an unnatural sheen. Jean Tannen had always felt a little uneasy about the way that the city looked in this pretend twilight, and preferred to spend this hour indoors, reading a book or a play. He would much rather have waited until the eeriness of Falselight drew back and was replaced with true night and lanterns. Now, though, he had to get Locke out in the city, in this weird hour of not-quite-night.
"Do you remember when we were boys, Locke, and Chains sent Sabetha away after she broke out something awful?"
"He said it was because of the plague." Locke was distracted. "I never thought that was the truth."
"Whatever it was about doesn't matter," Jean said. "You need to stop thinking about her. She'll be back in due time, and things will be just as they were."
Locke scoffed unpleasantly. "And that's why we haven't seen her since last year."
"Regardless, if you keep thinking about her, it'll seem five more years before she reappears. Wherever she is right now, Locke, she isn't here, and that's what matters." Jean mused, leaning over his knees thoughtfully. "There's a quote from a work by Lucarno – "
That was enough to get Locke to rise to his feet. "I'm going out. Fuck Lucarno, Jean."
Jean only smiled at Locke's sudden urge to flee his company. "Listen to the Sanza brothers, Locke. A girl would take the edge off."
"I don't want 'a girl,' Jean. I want her."
Jean smiled sadly. "You'll be waiting a long, long time."
Song: "In This River," by Black Label Society.