you're real enough to me

On Tuesday evening, as arranged, Mordred is settled at a table in Three Sheets, waiting for Alex to show. By now the place is almost familiar, by now most of the staff recognizes him: Alex's latest thing, a little standoffish but never any trouble.

While he waits he's studying the paper he's brought with him, handling it carefully for all that it's cheap copy paper, the kind Gaheris uses for his constant offhand sketches. It is a sketch, a girl with masses of curly hair, an upslanting glance; he took it for more of Morgause at first. (He's avoided too much talk with Gaheris, since that last disquieting conversation; he's going to have to figure out what to do about that.)