Astoria smiled to herself as Blaise touched a hand to her side. She'd always loved that about him. His little signs of affection were a nice change from the behaviour of the other young men their age. They were all either too formal, acting as if they had just stepped out of Tudor-era England, or they acted too brazen, assuming she'd want to be crushed in a hug. It wasn't common for Astoria to be openly affectionate (she was usually a little subtler about showing people how she felt about them), but close friends like Blaise always brought out that side of her.
"Always the charmer, aren't you?" she said with a soft chuckle. "The occupants leave much to be desired, yes, but the privacy and the good food is enough to keep me coming back anyway." The little restaurant they were sitting in wasn't shabby by any means, but it wasn't the most upscale place to eat either. But the day Astoria had stumbled across it last fall hadn't been a good one and the quiet, welcoming atmosphere had been exactly what she needed. It quickly became her favorite spot, though she hadn't taken any of her other friends or family there, and it grew into something like a refuge when she needed space from the world. Some people had a favorite spot in the park or a favorite room in their house to escape with their thoughts. This was that place for Astoria and she was surprisingly content at the idea of sharing it with Blaise. Perhaps he just had that affect on her. They'd known each other for so long that it was impossible for her to feel anything but comfortable with him.
"I'm glad you're well. I thought about you when I read the Prophet and hoped that you were alright," she said, careful not to say too much about the matter. It wasn't that she didn't want to talk about it, but after reading the article, she was left feeling like she couldn't, or at least shouldn't. Her father had taken the time after reading it to make eye contact with her and not-so-casually mention that it's a matter best left undiscussed outside of the privacy of their home, as if she might need the reminder that neutral meant having no opinion on it.
"I'm doing well. Home is a bit lonely with Daphne in Greece, but other than that, I'm just fine," she answered, bringing her cup up to her lips to take a sip of her now lukewarm tea. "I come here a few times a week. Sometimes for breakfast and other times for lunch or dinner," she said with a graceful shrug of one shoulder as if it was nothing of importance. Truthfully, she was struggling to listen to her father's request that she not go out unnecessarily while things in the Wizarding world were so uncertain. She wasn't the type that did well being stuck in one place for too long.