Ayrie smiled brightly when he opened the door, excited to see him. Noticing the bandages she frowned, and when he explained how hard it had been her frown deepened.

"That bad, huh?" She sighed, setting the food and wine on a table. "I'm glad you were able to get them out, and make it back with them safely. I know you gave that foreman what he deserved, but I wish I could have thrown a few punches at least."

Her eyes flared as she thought about the conditions the children had been in, conditions that the church had allowed the mines to keep them in just for the sake of profit. She looked back at Asran and shook her head with a smile, wanting to move on to a brighter subject.

"I'm glad your message was so scrambled though, it showed a side of you I hadn't seen in a while." They hadn't spent much time alone since the night she kissed his cheek, though they had spent time together before he left. They had gotten quite close as friends, but nothing had happened to take them further. "If I'm being honest, I missed it. Though, I suppose that means I like it when you're exhausted, so that's probably not good..."

She stopped speaking before she could babble herself into a corner she didn't want to be in, and looked away blushing. [i]'Why am I so nervous?'[/i]