You say that this wasn’t in your plan WHO Brent Lawson OT Simon Tam WHAT A chance encounter results in another interesting revelation for Brent WHERE Loaf Around WHEN Thursday, September 29, 2016; 2 PM RATING PG
For the better part of the past two weeks, Brent had spent his time getting familiar with the ins-and-outs of normal life in Havenwood, when he wasn’t sending his daily anonymous messages to get under Emma’s skin. It afforded him a measure of cover; he had memorized traffic patterns, daily schedules, the habits of the town’s normal and supernatural citizens so that if he needed to disappear, he knew the best way to do it.
So far as he could tell, other than the wild-haired barista who had been conspicuously absent immediately before, during, and after the full moon earlier in the month, the Loaf Around bakery and café seemed to be under the control of a normal human. He wondered as he stepped inside if they knew the truth about one of their employees being a monster and likely killer. Perhaps it was something he’d reveal in time, or use to leverage the barista into working for him before he found a way to dispatch of her without violating the treaty.
This time of day there was usually a line, as parents arrived for their midday pick-me-ups before picking up their children, and teenagers arrived after their classes let out for the day. Brent didn’t mind the line that much; it was more opportunity for him to study the people who chose to live here, and wonder how many of them knew the truth about their neighbors.
As he inched closer to the counter, he busied himself with examining the menu until the man standing in front of him happened to turn in profile - one that Brent immediately recognized. Simon Tam, older brother of River Tam, one of the most critical assets the Order had lost. And here he was, waiting in line for coffee and pastries, like nothing was out of the ordinary.
A moment of cautious triumph flashed across Brent’s face; after all, he had the advantage of knowing who Simon was. And where he was, his sister was surely close by. There was no way he would have left River anywhere else. The escape of River Tam had been a dent in Brent’s otherwise sterling reputation as commander, one that had drawn his credibility into serious question. For that alone, he was eager to make the Tams pay. But bringing them both back would go a long way in restoring his status with some of the senior members, along with showing just how fortuitous this trip had turned out to be.
“Hey, sorry to bother you,” he said with a soft, self-deprecating chuckle, gently tapping Simon on the shoulder. “It’s just, I’m having the hardest time deciding on a cheese danish or a croissant. You wouldn’t happen to have an opinion on which one is better, would you?”
He flashed his usual, charming - but not overly-so - smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he worked to put Simon at ease.