"It is unlikely that many will last until dawn; I do not think your age, whatever it may be, is particularly relevant in this case." Yes, Aspel was certainly older, but she neither knew nor cared to know by how much. She seemed young and able enough.
Perhaps the question was uncharacteristically serious, for it seemed to take Aspel some time to realize exactly what Ari had asked. "My mother had a china tea set, passed to her by her grandmother," Ari said, with the ease of someone accustomed to telling stories. "It was rimmed in gold and painted with pale pink roses, the china so thin that the light near shone through it. She would not serve tea from this tea set, you understand, for it was for special occasions - although no occasion in my recollection was deemed special enough." She refilled her cup before continuing. "One day, the maid was dusting in the china cabinet. I'm sure you could imagine what happened next - she lost her balance, and knocked into it as she fell, and all that lovely rose china came crashing to the floor in one spectacular clatter. My mother, who had looked so forward to using the tea set, never did get to drink from one of those cups, for nothing at all was left." She shrugged. "I tell you this story only as a precursor to this: do you ever feel as though you might have missed something because you were too occupied... waiting?" She smiled, a little sheepish, and said, "Perhaps I venture into territory which is none of my business. It is only that there is very little in this world that cannot be replaced, and those few things that are truly fleeting... they may be worth having for the course of their brief existence." Sometimes, it seemed to her that Aspel was a contradiction - and contradictions often waged internal battles. Of course, it was entirely possible that she had completely misread the situation.
She laughed then, shaking off the serious mood and putting the cheerful nonchalance back on her face. "Or perhaps I am simply an incurable hedonist who firmly subscribes to the belief that you should take what you want. Philosophy was never my strong suit, I was far better at poetry."