Bryony's return smile was a little uncertain. She didn't want to admit how long she'd been waiting - she knew her sisters wouldn't have put up with this kind of treatment and would have left or found a new companion far quicker. On the other hand, she didn't want to give a false impression so she shrugged a little. "I don't think he's coming," he said, not meeting Genie's eyes. "So none of that will be necessary."
She tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling in her stomach, the sick shame of being not-good-enough. Instead, she reached into her handbag and pulled out a pen for each of them. She always had a decent assortment of pens, pencils and quills with her. "I've got a quill and ink, if you'd prefer that," she said. Some people still did, but Bryony found pens quite convenient. Her own drink was near-finished so Bryony nodded. "The bar's not too crowded. I'll go up and get something before the quiz starts."