Amelia looked back at Zarha when the young woman spoke. "Used to? What happened to him?" she asked, kindness in her voice, but not in a coddling way, or a tone that dripped of sympathy.

She then mentioned that she respected how mysterious she was, which made Amelia laugh softly. "Is that so?" she asked, a rhetorical question really, slightly raising an eyebrow. Then she shrugged. She didn't have anything to add to the observation. Maybe that was even more mysterious, but Amelia just liked to keep to herself.

"Friends?" The raised eyebrow remained, but her face was friendly. "That's a big word after a drink and some semi-idle chatter outside a tavern." She didn't decline the offer to be friends, but did state the obvious, because Amelia wasn't one to consider someone a friend so quickly.

Amelia didn't say anything, just nodded. Fair enough. She wasn't owed an explanation.

In response to her taking about friendship, Zarha said she'd like to hang out more. 'Hang out'. Amelia smiled, amused by the wording. It sounded so informal, and she wondered if Zarha didn't understand that she eas of a much higher rank. "Are you always so straight forward, or is it the alcohol talking?" she asked, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

Amelia grinned. "You're in Nevermere, you should learn how to handle your alcohol", she said, not unkindly. "Pave yourself, there's plenty of time in the evening for all kinds of drinks." She looked at the woman. "People who drink this quickly are looking to get drunk. Either because they are looking for a good time, or because something is troubling them. What's your motivation for getting drunk?"

Her response amused her, and she laughed. "That's fair enough", she said, but it did honestly surprise her. A lot of people drank heavily in Nevermere, nobility and commoners alike. Nobility drank for fun and commoners to forget reality.

And apparently Zarha was drinking for the second reason. She nodded slightly. "Something you wish to talk about?" she asked.

The corner of Amelia's mouth lifted into a half-grin, half-smile. "And so we find ourselves on the topic of men again. It seems like they're the start and end of our problems, always", she said, trying to keep the air light and funny.