"L-long time no see…" replied Valyr after taking a deep breath to calm down his emotions.
Then, after looking around a bit to see where he had ended up, he looked back at the being in front of him and asked, "Would it have been a problem for you to give me a heads-up beforehand?"
"No." The being shook its head, the smile on their face now carrying hints of teasing. "But seeing your reaction to it has made that decision worthwhile."
At those words, the young man could only let out a sigh.
"Is this perhaps your way of getting payback from me not coming here the moment I reached the peak of Rank 4?" asked Valyr, getting the feeling that this was the reason. "I'd understand if that were the case, Serpent Maiden."
"Oh?" Yet, rather than respond to the question, the Serpent Maiden continued to look at him with a teasing smile. "Now what makes you think that's the case, Valyr?"
