Once they had depleted the contents of the second bottle, opening the third one she turned to Ravenessa.

 "Those two have been gone a few hours now. When should they return?" 

"I never time it, or i'd spend the whole time worrying about my soul mate. There's never really a set time."  She explained, taking a long slow sip from the chalice. 

"It may be another fifteen minutes or it could be at the rise of daylight." She continued, sipping down the drink.

"Then I'm glad you're here to wait with me...Otherwise i'd worry myself into an enchanted coma." She joked and the sorceress giggled like a little kid. 

The empress sipped at the wine, having a blast with her friend the sorceress.

"Don't worry Stergis will find out what the deal is with the dark critters." She soothed.

The empress nodded, filling up the glass again.

"I get why you came here with your mate, but why did Jim volunteer?" Ralvania asked.

"You really don't know?" She responded eyes wide.

"No I don't." The empress responded.

"Oh wow." Ravenessa replied shaking her head.

"What do you mean wow, what?" She asked swaying from the wine.

"I can't believe you haven't figured it out yet." She teased.

"Would you just tell me?" 

"Jim likes you. I mean romantically." She informed the empress.

"I thought he might but I wasn't sure."  She confessed downing more wine.

"How do you feel about him?" The sorceress asked.

"I don't." 

"Nothing at all?' She asked confused by the answer given.

"I haven't spent time alone with him, ever. So I don't know one way or the other." She explained.

"So It's just that you don't know him?" 

"I'm not exactly looking for a man, but I'm not dead set against it either." 

"Oh good. Jim is more the quiet, shy type but more so when he's around you." Ravenessa told her.

"I don't mean to make him nervous." The empress told her.

"Oh I know you don't. It isn't you honey." The sorceress told her.

The minute she finished that very sentence, Jim and Stergis walked through the office door.