Having previously dismissed the ragamuffin and the spinster as a most uninteresting couple, various other patrons had now turned round to regard Arven's pet ferret with surprise or intrigue; but he and Madam Cramming paid the onlookers no mind. As they made their farewells, Arven got to his feet and Virgil scampered up to perch neatly on his shoulder.

"I couldn't have hoped for a kinder audience and friend for the afternoon, Madam Cramming", he replied with a smile that reached his eyes. The circumstances of their meeting were quite forgotten, though later he would go back to wondering if he had really been poisoned the other day... before dismissing it as a suspicion untold and returning, as ever, to living in the present.

"I am sure we'll meet again. Especially if you find yourself with some spare moments this time next week; then perhaps we can convene here again and share some more stories", he proposed warmly. Madam Cramming was an interesting woman, and a wit; he was most curious about her.

With that, Arven left the tearoom, paying for his and Madam Cramming's refreshments on the way, and stepped out into the sunshine and into another story.

-end!- <3