The Guild's main hall was filled to the brim- every table, chair, and space along its dark stone walls was occupied by Lathos' most elite and deadliest Assassins. The ale was flowing from its own tavernkeep's personal stock and serving maids were ushering food from the closed-off kitchen to each table. The smells, both sweet and foul, infiltrated every one of her senses.

Cassandra never felt more at home.

Buried deep underneath the city, only those who needed to know were aware of the Guild's existence, and its network of tunnels, chambers, quarters and halls webbed its way beneath just about every residence and building within the urban area. Baz once told her it was because there was a former king who believed he needed to have access to every one of his subjects, if they consented. Whether that king had any connection to the Assassins, she didn't know, and didn't ask.

She carefully wove her way through the mass of bodies as she made her way towards the front of the room, laughing, joking and teasing with those who had become her friends in the time they had allowed her entry through the Guild's doors. Though they were playful and flirtatious, none of the members dared lay a hand on her, for they knew Baz would take that hand from them the moment he found out, as soon as she cut off their balls.

Perhaps that added to the thrill of it all, being where she was, doing what she was doing. Lilia, even though she was their Second, never made a personal connection with them like Cass had, save one, and he was already seated at her table.

Taking her usual seat at the table closest to the open front floor, she normally shared the space with Baz, Wil, and Lilia had her sister been present for the meeting. Having her sister's seat remain empty for these last few months was like a festering sore, but no one dared fill it, or remove it, during her absence. And with each day the seat remained unoccupied, the infection of that wound spread throughout the Guild. Even Cass felt as though there was a ghost staring at her from the vacant chair, and she quickly shook the feeling from her mind before she allowed it to bring her down further.

No, not tonight.

Wil was already sitting at his usual place on Baz's left of the round table, but as for the Leader of the Guild of Assassins, he was nowhere to be found. Cass craned her neck over the crowd in search of him, but Wil knocked on the wooden table, grabbing her attention back to him.

"It's a shame you passed the Trials, Cass," Wil mused with a wicked grin once she turned to face him. "Oh, the plans I had for you."

Cass glared slightly in return. "I'm so sorry to have ruined your plans, Wil, but I preferred to keep my dignity, and my neck, intact more so than your personal agenda."

The Third gave her a knowing smirk as he leaned in, bracing his arms against the table. "Oh, you and I are going to have some fun while Baz is gone."

Cass moved closer, mimicking his movements. "You have no idea..."

Before he could respond, a hush fell upon the crowded room as a door opened along the front wall, and Baz casually sauntered out to meet his gathered Assassins. He always had an uncanny ability to capture a crowd, Cass observed as she watched him, and she knew it was that same aura that captured her heart.

His dress was casual for the evening- a loose white shirt, untied at the top to show his muscular chest beneath, tucked into tight black trousers with black leather boots that rose to his knees. His blond hair was swept back into a tail at the base of his neck, and he wore a dagger on the belt at his hip, though Cass knew he more than likely had additional blades hidden upon his person. Even among his own Assassins, Baz trusted no one.

She felt her breath hitch as she watched him move. How he had the innate ability to take her breath away every time she set her eyes on him, Cassandra would never understand. But, she supposed, that was what made him who he was.

Baz walked across the front of the room, knowing every set of eyes was upon him. Cass also knew he thrived off that attention- that arm of power and control he exuded over his audience. He had worked hard to achieve his position, both within and outside of the Guild, and there weren't many within that room who knew the true extent of his efforts- only those who now sat at the front table.

She, Wil... and Lilia.

Their Leader leaned against the table pushed against the front wall to clear space for the meeting, his arms crossed against his broad chest as he watched the anxious room before him. The meeting wasn't planned, but there wasn't a single Assassin within that Guild who wouldn't jump when an emergency summons was received. Not only out of fear of the wrath of Baz, but also out of sheer curiosity as to what could require such urgent attention.

He also thrived off of the drama that his presence created, and Cass rolled her eyes slightly as he took that extra awkwardly silent minute to survey the anticipated tension of his Guild.

"It's so wonderful you could find the time in your busy schedules to join us tonight," Baz finally addressed the crowd, a smirk upon his lips.

An uneasy rumble of assent rolled across the room, but Cass kept her amusement to herself. It was always a game to him, the unease he created.

"Let's not waste any more time, then," he announced as he pushed off the table, taking a few steps towards the room. His eyes met hers from where she sat, and he smiled slightly. "First, I want to congratulate Cassandra Cortova on successfully completing her final Trial."

He bowed to her slightly with his eyes remaining on her, and she felt a rush of heat rise to her cheeks as the room erupted in applause and cheers around her. She smiled slightly but didn't dare stand or draw any more attention to herself, especially after noticing the smirk on Wil's face across from her.

The crowd quieted as Baz straightened, returning his attention to them rather than her. "The Initiation will commence within the month, but for all intents and purposes, Cass is a full member, one of us."

Baz allowed a glance to pass in Wil's direction, and he continued. "As rare as it may seem, I am going to take on a mission that will bring me away from Lathos for an undetermined amount of time, and we will need the Guild to remain stronger than ever during my absence."

Discord erupted around them, but Cass kept her eyes on Baz. She knew this was coming- he had warned her about it just that morning. It was a rarity for him to leave, and as Leader, he did not need to disclose to the Guild what his mission was- the only one who truly needed to know was him. That Cass and Wil were made aware exemplified the severity of the task at hand.

Lilia had indeed deserted.

Cass kept her hands folded on the table in front of her and suddenly found them more entertaining than the disgruntled shouts around her. Baz would give them a moment, she knew- they needed to air their grievances before it erupted further. The Leader of the Guild could take on missions, but to leave the Guild behind was unprecedented.

A clearing of his throat hushed the crowd again, and Baz's eyes remained on his Assassins as he continued.

"In my absence, there will be temporary replacements for leadership in this Guild."

She knew he turned to their table, and Cass stared at the clenched fists before her. She wasn't even Initiated—the Guild would have a troublesome time accepting her in any position of power, but Baz's word would be their Bond. They would need to follow it, or death will fall upon them. Severely. So, she let loose a breath as she waited for him to continue.

"We must not show weakness, and we must not appear disconnected. Therefore, it will be Cassandra Cortova who will sit at my seat, taking charge of the Guild in my absence, with William Debrosia to her right as her Second."

Cass' head shot up as Wil barked an incredulous "What?" over the sound of his chair crashing to the ground. The other Assassins around them didn't dare utter a word as the weight of Baz's announcement fell upon their ears.

Cass couldn't move. She clenched her fists tight enough to show the whites of her knuckles as she stared in shock at Baz.

He merely smirked, nodding slightly, as if that was answer enough.

"What's the meaning of this, Sebastian?" Wil demanded from where he stood.

"The meaning, William," Baz snarled as he turned to the Assassin across from her, "is that I have made a decision for the best of the Guild, and you will accept it, or see yourself out."

Cass watched the two face-off. There was a sorted history between the two, ever since the day their paths first crossed, and the tension between them seemed to grow deeper the longer Lilia was away. But Wil knew the consequences of challenging Baz's order. Yes, Baz would let him walk out of the door, but he'd have Assassins trailing him before he made it to the end of the block.

Wil silently held his stare a moment longer, but with a slam of his fist that made even Cass jump in her seat, Baz's Third set his chair straight and returned to it, avoiding the stare of his Leader. Cass did well to avoid the same.

"Are there any other objections?" Baz asked the crowded Assassins, his annoyance clear in his tone, and it seemed as they, too, did their best to avoid his gaze.

There would be objections, of course- never had a woman truly led the Guild of Assassins, and that had been Lilia's biggest gripe about the organization. Cass also knew it was the greatest point of contention between her sister and Baz in the past, so much so that it cleaved a chasm between the two, ripping a tear in their friendship that had never truly mended.

But those objections would never reach Baz's ears, at least not within the hall, and not directly.

"Good," their Leader finally assessed. "Then we're dismissed."

The room was a shuffle of chairs and tables as the Assassins moved to reconvene with their companions about the news that was thrown upon them. Cass allowed a glance towards Wil, and he matched her with a vicious stare.

"Don't you dare think I had anything to do with this," she growled.

Baz's Third- now her Second - merely snarled back at her as he pushed himself from the table and stormed away.

Cass allowed herself a glance around the room only after he left the table, but soon came to realize many of the Assassins within her proximity were already watching her, as if they were waiting for something.

She found she was waiting for something as well, but when she turned towards the front of the room, Baz was nowhere to be seen.

Glaring at the side door to the hall, the same one from which Baz had entered, Cass stood from her own chair - the Lord of the Guild of the Assassins would not escape that easily.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Cass demanded as she entered Baz's personal quarters, shutting and locking the door behind her. No one was going to interrupt them while they had this conversation, even if they were stupid enough to dare.

Baz glanced over his shoulder from where he stood at the small table in the corner of his room, surrounded by plush chairs and holding a carafe, from which he was already pouring two glasses of wine. As if he was expecting her.

Of course he was.

"Hello, Cassandra. Please, come in," he drawled as he turned to face with the glasses in hand.

"Don't," she demanded as she walked over to him. Even as she took a glass from his hand. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking about how wonderful of a job you'll do as my temporary replacement," he smiled as he sipped from his own goblet.

She drank from her own as well, but her eyes didn't leave his. "That wasn't the plan, Baz. I'm not even Initiated-"

"Not yet. But you will be."

"You said assisting in leading the Guild - you didn't say acting as your Second."

"Being Second is leading," he grinned. "You're just leading more."

She scowled at him for that before continuing. "And a woman has never led the Guild."

"Until now." His smile deepened.

She blinked at him for a moment. "This was your plan all along, wasn't it?"

He continued to smile.

"Wil is not going to accept this," she sighed, shaking her head as she took another deep sip of her wine.

"Wil doesn't have a choice," he corrected, this tone low as his gaze turned dark. "You have been a member of this Guild for longer than he has, and whether or not you realize it, you were training under your sister for much longer than that."

She glared at him for the mention of Lilia, groaning as she finished her wine.

"Not to mention," he went on after a sip from his own glass. "If you're going to be my wife, you're going to need to learn how to accept a leadership role sooner rather than later."

Cass almost choked on her wine as his words rung within her ears.

"What?" she finally coughed out hoarsely, the word burning her throat.

He gave her yet another arrogant smile.

No- this was his plan all along.

"I have a bid in for the Summer Solstice this year, and I've been told I'm quite favorable to win." He took a step towards her, a gentle hand brushing at her cheek as his tone grew softer. "I thought a celebration around the bonfire would be quite fitting for the wedding ceremony."

Cass didn't know what to say- she wouldn't have been able to get the words out if she did. Instead, she just looked at him, knowing her face flushed under his touch.

"I don't need an answer now," he assured her as if he could read her thoughts, his fingers grazing down to gently grip her chin. "You can give me your answer when I return."

"Baz, I..."

But his lips were on hers before she could say anything further.

And as he took her to bed - while made her moan out and scream his name so loud she was certain all Lathos could hear her - Cass's thoughts drifted. Between the actuality of being Lord Sebastian Gaylen's wife, and the consideration of what her sister would do to him - to both of them - when she found out.