"Bring on the bling, baby," Esme drawled and winked at him. "Though purple fur is so ... hm... old school? Let's go with animal print and I'll be purrrr-fectly happy."
Asher couldn't help but laugh because Charlie was laughing. One caused the other, it seemed, and his grin stretched broadly across his face. "Then enlighten me, oh worldly one, what sign should I use?"
"Certainly," Esme said, making a mental note of it. "Do you want to pick it up, or I can use Asher's owl to send it to you." This seemed to be a normal enough occurence, as Asher made no form of complaint or protest.
"Okies," she chirped as he went to the other room. She immediately slid over closer to Asher and lowered her voice a bit. "I definitely approve, luv," she told him quietly. "Best person you could have found for a friend."
He was both pleased and wary about the expression of approval. "But?" he said, sensing one lurking in the background.
"He's got a girlfriend," she said.
"I've noticed. It's not an issue."
She looked skeptical but smiled gently at him, leaning close to hug him. "I'm glad you have another friend," she said simply.
Asher grinned at Charlie when he came back in, relieved that the conversation with Esme cut off before it could get truly uncomfortable. "Desperately," he deadpanned. "Thought I'd die if you didn't get back soon." Esme giggled at his dry humor.