When Argis called a greeting to Sabine, the figure her friend was conversing with turned around. The man revealed a strong jawline and dark hair tied up beneath a hat, but it was his intense green eyes that stood out most against his complexion. Argis didn't recognize him, and she was familiar with all Sabine's friends.

“Good morning to you as well, mister…?” Argis paused, waiting for a name.

“Call me Ashiel. Ashiel Shire,” he finished for her.

Argis repeated the name, and he nodded. "I'm Argis. Pleasure to meet you."

The man returned her formalities, then tipped his hat to Sabine and excused himself from the conversation. The two girls watched as he disappeared into the crowd.

When they could no longer see his hat bobbing through the crowd, Sabine grabbed Argis’ arm and pulled her in the opposite direction the man had gone, toward the cafe doors. She ignored the protests of her friend and shouldered her way into the growing line.

“Argis, what timing! You interrupted a conversation with the most handsome man I think I have ever met!” Sabine exclaimed. She sniffed and raised her chin. “And you were late to our meeting, too.”

If Argis had been sorry, she would have apologized. Rather, she retorted, “Well, I don’t believe you knew his name before I approached. Did you?”

A blush from Sabine confirmed that she hadn’t asked. Aware of the throng of people around them, the girls waited until they were seated with warm drinks to continue their conversation.

“And how did the two of you meet?” asked Argis.

“Since you were late, I was waiting outside by myself. I was waiting to eat with you, but it appears that you have already eaten.” Sabine pointedly looked at the mango juice that had dripped on Argis’ cloak, but was ignored. “He approached, as he was also waiting for his friends.”

Sabine motioned to a bar across the street. “Do you remember the time we tried to go there?” she asked.

Argis certainly did. It had been Sabine’s birthday, and since she was finally of the legal drinking age, they had decided to celebrate at a bar together. However, when the guard examined Argis’ magical identification, he hadn’t allowed the two to pass because Argis did not yet meet the age requirements. Despite the fact that Argis didn’t want to drink, they were denied entry and had to go elsewhere.

“Yes, I remember that bar,” Argis replied. “You don’t need to remind me of the story.”

“Well, his friends were drinking,” Sabine continued. “See, Ashiel has an aversion to alcohol, so he waited for them outside. But then he saw me, and struck up a conversation.”

“I should like to get to know him,” Argis remarked. She was quickly met with a look of disdain from Sabine.

“I met him first, so I should have the first chance,” Sabine complained. The two squabbled for a bit, but as old friends do, soon made up. In a city as large as Ather, the chances of meeting a stranger again were slim anyways.

They digressed from the subject of the man and began speaking of other topics. They spoke frequently enough that there was little news to catch up on, but rather enjoyed conversation about the speculative and abstract.

“Oh, if only I could go somewhere besides Ather,” Argis complained. “What wonders I would see!”

Both of the girls jumped when a familiar voice sounded next to them.

“Perhaps I could be of use to you.”