The notebook was too small.
I understood that before I reached the workshop. I had bought it anyway because the cover looked sturdy and the seller had called it suitable for a swordswoman's observations.
The seller had probably never watched Liora describe an exchange. She used her whole arm. The page would barely accommodate the opening insult.
I stood outside the food stall with the notebook in one pocket and Kara's collection slip in the other, considering whether returning the gift would make me late.
It would.
I kept the notebook.
The wrapping had already begun to come loose at one corner. I pressed it flat against the counter while the cook checked Kara's slip. A line of print showed through the paper, advertising something the shop sold by weight. I turned the parcel over. Liora would probably notice either way.
"Is that going with the food?" the cook asked.
"Separately."
