It had been three years. Three years since Manhattan, since Tagruato had taken control of the lives of so many. All of them had been changed by it. There was no stopping the memories of what they had seen, accomplished, lost.

Ashe hadn't seen any of them since. Dalmasca was a busy place, and she had a kingdom to care for before worrying over visiting old friends. It was Larsa who finally convinced her to step out for a day or two. Assurance from others told her that they really would be fine without her, and she reluctantly agreed to pay a dear friend a long overdue visit.

Sado had changed since the last time she had seen him. He had matured from his awkward seventeen-year-old self, and she was sure she must have looked different as well. Three years was a long time, after all.

They didn't speak much. There were little discussions here and there about what was happening in their own world, how others had fared since they had all been sent home. Most of the time was spent in comfortable, familiar silence. There was no need to speak, really, so much as sit and smile and relax and remember.

If given the option, she would have stayed forever in those few hours.