"Well, I suppose it's fortunate that I do not often crave quiet," Ari said with a sigh. "Though depending on when he decides to interfere, we may have to have some words." Perhaps they could strike a bargain of some sort; there were moments when a voice in her head would certainly be a particularly unwelcome third wheel. A rumble in the back of her mind, something about humes assuming the most trivial things were relevant to anyone's interest.
Which was, she thought, equal parts curious and comforting. She supposed she would have to discover just what he did consider relevant to his interest.
At the sudden stiffening of Aspel's posture and her words, Ari had to blink. "I... see," she said. She didn't, actually. After all, Aspel had invited her to dinner. Now that she thought of it, they had been drinking together on dozens of occasions, but she could never recall Aspel eating anything in her presence. Admittedly, they were rarely keeping company during mealtimes - or at least, they hadn't been previously - but even that time they had gone out of town, Ari suddenly recalled Aspel turning down dinner.
It was, she thought, probably complicated. "Would you like to tell me why?" she asked after a moment, turning her attention to her own food, hoping that Aspel would be more comfortable eating if she didn't watch her doing so. There had probably been enough revelations this evening, but she couldn't deny her curiosity, though she was prepared for a nonanswer.