"It's been a while, Julian..." he murmured, his voice barely carrying through the whistling wind.
Julian stopped a few meters away from him. The winter breeze rippled his coat, but he did not seem to feel the biting cold. He looked at Klein and Jasper in turn, before fixing his gaze on his former comrade.
"Looks like you've changed a lot, you bastard," Julian remarked in a tone meant to be light, although his voice lacked its usual warmth.
Klein could not help but let out a small cynical laugh, his newly thrust hands shoved into his trouser pockets.
"You've changed a lot too, Julian," he replied in the same tone of acidic banter. "Looks like you've become a real mage-warrior. Guess chasing all the girls in Skycity didn't stop you from training seriously."
Julian sketched a smile, but it was only a facade that failed to hide the tension in his muscles. He turned toward Jasper, who remained impassive, his bow still in hand but lowered.
"And you, elf?" Julian asked.
