Epilogue. Asher

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Asher Skolder awoke in a dark and musty room and realized quickly that she was no longer in her home. The air was stale, the floor was made of stone, and dust covered everything. This was certainly not the well-kept four-bedroom, two-bathroom residence with the spacious fenced-in backyard and a swimming pool that she'd grown up in.

It was someplace far older, more poorly maintained, and colder as well.

Asher didn't approve of these mysterious circumstances she'd found herself in. She was a person who possessed reasonable expectations for life. When she went to sleep in her bed, she expected to wake up in her bed. Reality not conforming to those expectations was simply unacceptable.

She stood up and brushed her clothing off, noting that she was still dressed in the pajama bottoms and white T-shirt she'd gone to bed in. It was unfortunate that she was barefoot. Whoever had kidnapped her could have at least provided her with a pair of slippers to walk around in. In cold weather, one's body heat was mostly lost through the head and the feet.

Discourteous. Absolutely discourteous.

"Hello?" Asher called out. "Is there anyone out there? If so, could I request a meeting? I'd like to talk about why you've abducted me."

Asher thought she saw movement in the corner of the room as though something had snapped into alertness at the sound of her voice. Hoping it was another person, she continued speaking.

"If it's for money, I'm afraid my parents are drowning in debt and likely facing bankruptcy. My mother's had a crippling shopping addiction for years that she refuses to seek treatment for, and my father is living in denial while slowly succumbing to alcoholism. They're both wonderful people but unless kidnapping is covered under my dad's workplace insurance, you're not likely to make much for your efforts."

The figure came closer to Asher. As her eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, she realized the person she was speaking with was far smaller than herself. Barely three feet tall, if her guess was accurate.

"Ah, my apologies. I appear to have been addressing a small child. Are you also a victim of this odd conspiracy? If so, would you like to come with me? I believe I'm going to make a daring escape and confound the schemes of these mysterious strangers."

The small figure didn't reply with words but instead, let out an ominous noise that sounded very much like the growling of a furious animal.

"Are you concerned for them?" Asher wondered. "That's very generous of you. I personally will bear no grudges if this is a moneymaking effort spurred on by economic hardship. In times as uncertain as these, one does what one must to support themselves. Even if it's illegal. Although kidnapping is a federal offense and inconvenient as well, I won't hold that against them. If a criminal has the right to remain silent, then I have the right to remain magnanimous."

The growling figure drew nearer. That was when Asher noticed two things. The first was that the small figure possessed an extremely unpleasant smell. The second was that it was holding a curved dagger.

"Well," she said. "I appear to have mistaken you were a fellow victim. You're apparently one of my captors. Would you like to explain yourself, then? As I've already explained, I'm of limited potential value—oh, dear."

The small creature that Asher had assumed was a small child, possessed green, mottled skin, large batlike ears, a mouth filled with crooked yellowing teeth, and dim red eyes that reflected animal cunning. It was a familiar figure popularized in many fantasy stories and video game franchises.

This was a goblin.

When Asher realized that she was dealing with an actual monster, she didn't hesitate to act. Asher rarely hesitated to do anything once her instincts took over. This was clearly a precarious situation, wherein an obviously dangerous individual with sinister intentions was encroaching upon her personal space.

As a civilized person, Asher believed in the power of words. Communication and civility were two key components to a functioning society. Asher preferred it when society functioned. It was convenient for everyone.

However, Asher also acknowledged that there were places where society's reach was nonexistent and the rules with which it governed held no sway. She never expected to find herself in such a place when she was only fifteen, but apparently, such was life. As her father once explained to her, you could plan for anything except what came next.

With that in mind, Asher launched a perfect football style-punt right beneath the goblin's chin, sending it flying backward and sliding down a wall. While it was stunned, Asher calmly dragged it into the center of the room by its feet. Then using her knee, she dropped on the center of its abdomen and forced all the oxygen out of its body.

As its head lurched up while gasping desperately for air, Asher quickly used its own dagger to slit its throat. Then she dropped down on its abdomen again which caused blood to jettison from its body at high speeds.

The goblin soon lost consciousness and then died.

Asher nodded to herself. Death was the appropriate reaction in a situation such as this. "Sorry for having to do that," she said to the corpse. "I'm a person who reveres life and spurns all violence. But I'm also a person who hates being bothered and becomes violent when provoked. In that sense, you flipped a coin when you decided to approach me while brandishing a weapon."

The goblin said nothing because it was dead.

Asher nodded.

"I suppose I didn't have to kill you, but on the other hand, in circumstances such as these, I think it can be fairly argued that killing you was a natural response to your unwarranted hostility. The phrase you'll catch more flies with honey than with vinegar comes to mind. Anyway, since you died and I didn't, I'm going to assume that you've ceded the moral argument to me. I graciously accept victory and wish you well in your future endeavors as a moldering corpse."

Asher tossed the knife aside and began looking for a way out of the room.

The killing she'd just committed had been an interesting experience. She'd never done it before. In fact, before this day, she'd never even considered doing such a thing. Sure, she was partly responsible for the deaths of countless animals due to the American agricultural industry's reliance on factory farming, but there was a difference between enjoying the taste of unethically sourced bacon and beating someone into unconsciousness before slitting their throat.

She wasn't surprised to learn she was good at it. Asher was good at anything she put an effort into. Unfortunately, that wasn't a very long list; Asher found the very notion of effort distasteful. Trying was something she scorned. As an intelligent member of humanity which was the product of millions of years of evolution, Asher believed that learning new skills was an offensive waste of time.

Her reasoning was thus: foals can stand mere moments after being born. So could giraffes.

That was due to their natural ability. Therefore, natural ability was all that anyone needed to do be successful at anything. Whatever necessities your circumstances called for; a person should be able to do on their own. Today her circumstances called for killing.

That was all.

"If you've ever heard of situational ethics, that just means adjusting your beliefs to reflect the values of whoever you're with at the moment," Asher said to no one in particular.

"Many people consider such a philosophy disingenuous, but I appreciate the value of such a mindset," she continued. "It's said that in combat training, adaptability is the most desired aspect a soldier can have instilled. If that's the case, then clearly sticking to an ethical position is only admirable in a peaceful setting. But it's often said that verbal violence counts as a form of intimidation. After all, you're not allowed to threaten the judge overseeing your sentencing hearing, are you? It's a legitimate crime! Well, if everything can be put to potentially violent use, then doesn't that mean all ethics are situational?"

Asher stumbled upon another Goblin and quickly killed it as well.

She couldn't say that this killing had been an improvement over her first one. Yes, it had taken less time, but that really wasn't proof of anything. Goblins were small and weak.

"Hmm," she said to herself as she stepped into the corridor. "There's an excellent possibility that I'm no longer on Earth. Goblins are creatures that only exist in generic fantasy stories. They're entirely fictitious. So, for them to be up and about and attempting to murder me would suggest that I'm no longer in an environment that prevents them from existing."

Asher looked at her arm and frowned. There were now several ugly cuts on her skin from where her last victim had desperately clawed at her before she finished breaking its neck.

"Well, I guess I haven't been reincarnated, as is typical of the protagonists of such tales. I certainly haven't been struck by any vans or delivery trucks. Whatever prompted this involuntary rapturing occurred during my sleep. I can't say I'm pleased by this situation…but I suppose I can adapt."

She certainly could. Asher had never been an inflexible person. Going with the flow was basically what she did best.

A shout from down the hall alerted her to six furious-sounding goblins now speeding directly towards her. Seeing them run was amusing. It was the way they moved on their hands and feet like feral dogs.

"Ah," Asher said to them with a smile. "All right then. I mean, if I'm required to kill a few people, there are certainly worse targets than actual monsters. I think so, anyway."

With that in mind, she strode into the midst of her attackers and began destroying them.

It wasn't very difficult.

===

As Asher continued her journey throughout the strange dungeon, monsters continued to appear from within its depths to challenge her. Obviously, none of them succeeded in killing her, but she was quickly growing aggravated with their constant attempts on her life.

She really wished they'd just give it up.

Asher was of the belief that one of the major reasons that so many people suffered in life was because they were too prideful to admit they couldn't achieve something through willpower alone. It was an affliction she'd read about known as toxic positivity: the unreasonable belief that any hardship could be overcome just by trying harder and believing in yourself.

To Asher, the belief that hard work was all it took to overcome any challenges life placed before you was sheer idiocy. In fact, the very notion of it was self-destructive. The fact of the matter was that there were just some things a person had to endure. Not everything could be fought. Not every opponent could be defeated. Believing otherwise in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, just meant you were a foolish person.

Still, the beasts of this labyrinth refused to give up. They kept showing up to kill her, and in return, they kept dying meaningless deaths.

"This really is silly," she sighed to herself. "I can't fault you for your fearlessness, but I do find it sad you don't place greater value on your own lives."

It wasn't that Asher was ethically opposed to killing the monsters that attacked her. In fact, she preferred the simplicity of bypassing negotiations and cutting to the chase. Violence and the threat of violence ultimately decided the outcome of all possible disagreements. Verbal confrontations were just a pretext to either avoid or engage in it. At its core, everything came down to blood and one's willingness to either shed their own or spill their opponent's.

So, in that sense, she respected the monsters for being honest and forthright with their intentions. Like the large bipedal wolf-thing that now approached her, with its razor-fanged maw dripping with blood-red saliva.

"You're a pretty imaginative design, aren't you?" Asher said admiringly to the grotesque beast. "I think any ordinary person you encountered would be trembling with terror at the sight of you. Sadly, I seem to be above that which can be considered ordinary. Still, I think you look very cool. I'm willing to spare you if you'll just go away. It's a great opportunity to continue to live and I honestly think you should consider it! What do you say?"

In response, the beast leaped at Asher with movements that were almost too quick to be seen by the naked eye. From Asher's perspective though, it was considerably slower than she was. She sidestepped its pounce without much effort and then plunged her hand through its flesh, deeply into its side, and removed something from it. An organ of some sort.

In response, the beast shrieked in agony and collapsed to the ground, howling in mindless suffering, until Asher put an end to it by stomping on its head until its body stopped spasming.

"Hmm," Asher said to herself. "I apologize for that. I should have gone for your neck. It's not in my nature to be needlessly cruel. Behavior like that takes a sadistic mindset and a desire to inflict mental harm as well as physical anguish. I lack the imagination and desire for such acts. I think I might be a boring person."

Having said that, Asher lifted the organ she'd removed from the wolf creature and gave it a curious lick.

"Salty," she said. Then she tossed it aside and continued her journey.

Asher wasn't certain if she'd apologized to the monster out of sincere regret for her behavior or from habit. She didn't question her own motivations very often. She simply did things that seemed appropriate at the time but could quickly adjust her actions depending on what her present circumstances demanded.

In other words, she excelled at being an individual but was a very unreliable companion. Asher might very well be the worst sort of human being imaginable.

=====

If it was possible for one's existence to be both a blessing and a curse, then that would certainly be the way to describe the entity known as Asher Skolder. She was the fortunate child of misfortune. Someone like her could be called the epitome of opposition. Something that all right-thinking people would be correct to despise to their very core.

Asher had a lot of enemies, but it wasn't by personal inclination. She wasn't actively hostile towards anyone that she knew of. In fact, she was quite a friendly person. She didn't particularly want any friends, but she didn't shun them either. Maintaining relationships was exhausting for her, though.

Instinctually, it wouldn't be far off the mark to think of her as something that only happened to be human, in the same sense that a star and a black hole both happened to be celestial bodies. But that would be discounting the fact that she was also completely, absolutely, beyond all doubt, an ordinary human being. You could even say she was the most human of beings to have ever drawn breath.

It is as natural to hate her as it is to draw breath.

Many people have liked Asher Skolder, but no one has ever loved Asher Skolder. She was that sort of person.

She didn't mind. People should be free to form their own opinions and draw their own conclusions. Love was a major commitment of resources. It shouldn't be entered into haphazardly.

If at all possible, wouldn't it be better not to feel love at all? It never seemed to bring lasting happiness to those it affected.

"They say love enriches our lives immeasurably, but that seems like flowery rhetoric to me," Asher said to herself since there was no one else to speak with. "If love were a prescribed medication, then the list of side effects that they'd have to quickly mention at the end of the advertisement would be comically large. Warning: Stop feeling love and contact a mental health professional immediately if you feel the following: Jealousy, insecurity, irrationality, anger, depression, euphoria, an urge to kill, an urge for suicide, happiness, an inability to feel happiness, a desire for expressive language, an inability to express yourself with language, etc.…"

Asher had seen how often love could be weaponized during her childhood. Her parents showered her with affection whenever she did something they approved of and withheld it when she didn't. They also did the same to each other. It eventually occurred to her that love wasn't something that necessarily involved other people. It was more about how it made an individual feel.

Love was an inspiration.

In other words, a drug.

To hell with that. Drugs were bad for you.

Once Asher realized that she didn't need to be loved or to feel love, she became her current self. A kind of magnetic shape of charisma occupying a human-shaped void in the world. She was very pretty with her piercing green eyes, and somber expressions, and was often silent for long periods of time, which greatly intrigued many people.

But once they began to understand what lurked beneath her exterior, they became repelled by her. And then they began to hate her. Interestingly, they also began to hate themselves. Finding yourself drawn to a wasteland like Asher could make you question yourself. It could and frequently did make someone wonder who they were when they were alone in the dark.

By that logic, the monsters attacking Asher weren't truly hostile at all. Her very existence was an assault on their dignity as aberrations. If a monster is something that exists outside of the will of the gods and victimizes their creations, then what was Asher Skolder? A monster who attacked no one yet left countless victims in her wake.

She didn't see it that way, personally. But she could understand how others could reach that conclusion.

Because she (didn't) respect the right (not) to choose (what/who/if) you believe(d).

Asher Skolder cared about everything while simultaneously not caring about anything at all.

And that dichotomy was toxic to the substance of reality itself.

=====

Asher hoped that she had now reached the lowest floor of the labyrinth. She sighed in relief, happy at the prospect of finally being done with this place. She hadn't bothered keeping track of the hours she'd spent making her way down, but she was certain that she'd been forced to invest a considerable amount of time here. She held no grudges, however. Why bother being angry? Anger meant investment and she wasn't invested in any of this. She'd just been here, doing things and now he wished to go home and do other things.

That was completely reasonable, wasn't it?

"It is, right?" she calmly asked the Arachne before she tore her head off.

Wait. Why had she bothered asking the creature a question if she was going to kill her before she could respond?

Heh, that was kind of funny.

"Invader! Trespasser! Stop murdering our sisters!" shouted another Arachne after she tossed the body aside.

Asher frowned at the spider-woman's unfounded accusations.

"If I'm a trespasser, then I sincerely apologize for it," she said. "But it didn't happen intentionally. It was totally unintentional, in fact. Regardless, from your perspective, it's probably completely true. However, I don't think it's fair to label me a murderer! You people, if people are what you're considered, have been making a sincere collective attempt at my life. Judging by the number of conspicuously humanoid encasings hanging from your webs, I'd even say you were planning to make a meal of me."

The Arachne hissed and charged at her, rearing its spider-shaped hind legs before attempting to skewer her with its spear. Asher retaliated by snatching the weapon from her hands and throwing it through her skull.

"Hissing isn't debating. It's animalistic irrationality," Asher retorted.

The Arachne had begun attacking Asher as soon as she appeared on this floor. Attractive women from the torso up, hideous spider creatures from the bottom down. It was a good thing she wasn't an arachnophobe or she might have felt uneasy in their presence. She quickly began culling their numbers as they mindlessly attacked her, whittling them down to the remaining handful that now guarded the exit.

"I think we've established at this point that you're no match for me," she said to them with more politeness than they deserved. "You can't impede my progress and you're wasting your lives with this pointless attempt. I'm going to walk through door exit and escape from here. Anyone who gets in my way is dead. Sorry for putting it so bluntly, but it is what it is."

Asher began walking to what she hoped would be the final exit from this place. The five remaining Arachne watched her go, glaring at her back with hateful intensity as she took her leave. But none dared to approach her, which was a relief, because she thought their blood smelled terribly.

These monsters were far more unclean than a spider's reputation would suggest. Or perhaps these creatures had inherited their slovenliness from their human side? Either way, she wanted nothing more to do with them.

"Who are you?" demanded an ominous voice that emanated from the empty hall she now stood in.

This place was cavernous. The sort of area a dragon might sleep in atop its many treasures. But the only thing inside of it aside from Asher herself, was a sword embedded into an anvil. Curious, Asher approached it. "Sorry, were you the one speaking to me?" she called out.

"Obviously, I am," the sword replied, which surprised her. Swords weren't known for speaking, after all. "Long have I slept here in this forgotten chamber of kings, awaiting the arrival of the fearless knight who would retrieve me. Are you the one? Are you the aspirant whose hand seeks endlessly glory and the renewal of this fallen kingdom?"

"No," Asher said. Then she noticed an exit and turned to leave.

"Hey. Hey!" shouted the sword. "HEY! What do you mean by no? Didn't you come here seeking to prove your mettle? Aren't you the one whom I've waited for these many centuries?"

"I'm afraid not," Asher said apologetically. "I woke up in this place a few days ago and have been making my way down the levels ever since, trying to find an exit. I really don't think I have anything to do with you."

"You awoke within the labyrinth? You didn't come seeking to best its challenges to win me, Providence, the sword of heroes?"

"Nope," Asher answered with blunt honestly.

"Well, that's utter bollocks, isn't it?" the sword said in outrage. "I'm the blade of destiny! Whoever wields me has the authority to rule this world! I belong in the hands of the chosen one!"

"I sincerely hope your wait ends soon," Asher said with a bow. Then she resumed her walk towards the exit.

"Hey, hold on, wait!" the sword said desperately. "Just wait! Listen, you're here right now, aren't you, girl? Well, whatever the circumstances were that brought you here, you've surely slain all the brutes and Hellspawn that attacked you, yes?"

"Yes, I certainly did," Asher said with a nod. "I didn't really want to, but everyone in this place was so insistent on picking a fight! I really would have gotten out of here a lot sooner if they'd just stopped bothering me."

"Bothering you?" Prominence asked in surprise. "The werewolves and goblins, and dark elves, and Arachne, and all the rest? They were just a bother to you. A hindrance? A minor nuisance?"

"Oh, that's a good word," Asher said in agreement. "Yeah, that's it exactly. A hindrance! That's what they were. I very much felt hindered by them."

"So, you killed all of them?"

"Well, I was at first," Asher said. "I figured since this was some sort of fantasy world, then maybe I could level up or something if I cleared out all the floors I was on. So, that's what I did for the first eighty floors. I was very thorough. No survivors! But I also didn't feel any stronger despite all the effort I was putting into it, so I gave up."

Asher tapped her chin and furrowed her brow in concentration as she recalled her actions. "Hmm. Perhaps clearing the floors entirely was the reason it took me so long to get here? I finished the other floors much more quickly when I let the survivors run away or surrender. Food for thought, perhaps."

"Are you some sort of a monster?" Prominence asked her.

"No. I'm a perfectly ordinary human being," Asher replied.

"Are you certain? You don't have any drop of god's blood in you or anything like that? You're just a regular, every day average human being?" asked Prominence with doubt in its voice.

"I'm afraid so," Asher said earnestly. "If I were something interesting, I think someone would have told me."

Prominence carefully considered this new development. On the one hand, this girl was either a liar or she severely underestimated her own capabilities. The sword wasn't certain which was true. On the other hand, the sword had been trapped alone in this room for centuries and was desperate to escape. With the situation being what it was, perhaps now wasn't the time to be picky about the person who could potentially liberate it.

"So, what's your name?" the sword asked the girl.

"Asher Skolder," replied Asher.

"Asher, would you perhaps be willing to take me with you?" Providence asked her hopefully. "I've been down here for a long time and I'm eager to see the sky again."

"Okay, sure," Asher said noncommittedly. She then grabbed the sword by its hilt and attempted to pull it free from the anvil it was lodged in.

At that moment, Prominence felt its hopes begin to sink. For Asher to be unable to release it from the blessed steel of the anvil meant that the girl possessed none of the qualities required to be a chosen hero. She truly was just some lucky fool who'd blundered her way into this room.

"Well, all right then," Providence said forlornly. "Thank you for making the attempt, Asher. If it's not meant to be, it's not meant to be—"

"Sorry, just one moment," Asher said. Then she smashed her foot into the anvil, shattering it completely. Afterward, she brushed the ruined bits of steel off the sword and wiped it clean on her shirt.

Providence was free.

"How in the name of the gods did you do that?" it asked the girl incredulously.

"How'd I do what?" Asher asked with honest confusion as together, they passed through the exit.

Later, the sword grew so curious that it could no longer keep quiet.

"Asher," it said to the girl. "I don't want you to think I'm casting doubt on anything you've told me so far, but I really find it impossible to believe that you're an ordinary human being."

"Why's that?" Asher asked as they continued on their way. "I don't see anything too different about myself compared to others. If anything, I'm pretty boring. Definitely extra vanilla, as others have said about me. I don't know. I don't devote much thought to it."

"Do you put a lot of thought behind anything?" the sword asked somewhat sarcastically.

"Oh, yes, lots!" Asher said brightly.

"Okay," the sword said. "What?"

"It's sort of private," the girl said regretfully.

"I understand," the sword said. "Over the ages, I've been wielded by people who've been forced to keep important secrets. Dire secrets, even. Statecraft can be a terrifying thing. When thousands of people live or die due to the decisions made by a select few, the pressure can be immense. It's an important thing to be able to keep the truth known only to those who are worthy of it."

"Yeah, sounds good," Asher said. "I completely agree."

"Asher, what I'm saying is, no matter what you tell me, I'll keep it in the strictest confidence. You have my word."

"Okay. That's cool. Thank you," Asher nodded. "I appreciate it."

"Trust doesn't come easily to you, does it?" the sword sighed.

"Huh? No, I trust you. I do. Sort of. But we only just recently met. It would be weird if I started sharing every little thing about myself with you, wouldn't it?"

"That's true, I suppose. But if we're going to be partners, we should get to understand each other a little more."

"Are we going to be partners?" Asher asked the sword. "I'm still not quite certain about that. My mom says partnerships are for people who are too timid to take it all for themselves."

"That's an appallingly selfish viewpoint," the sword said. "What an awful lesson to teach a child! Cooperation is the best means by which to get what you need. Why take something for yourself when you can earn it fairly?"

"I can see the merit in that," Asher said. "I don't mind cooperating with others."

"I'm glad to hear that," the sword said. "What kind of person is your mother, anyway?"

"Uhhh," Asher said thoughtfully as she tried to sum up the best word to describe her before finally settling on, "Evil?"

"Asher, that's a terrible thing to say about your mother," the sword scolded her.

"I agree with you," Asher said. "But that's the description she'd insist on. My mom's a tyrannical monster who secretly rules the world. I find it kind of annoying, so I avoid discussing her career with her. I think she intimidates my dad because she makes so much more money than him but still forces him to pay for everything."

"Why does she do that?"

"Dominance issues. She has to control everything," Asher said.

"And…are you like her in any conceivable way?" The sword asked her.

"Nah, we're as different as night and day. I think I'm a disappointment to her."

"What's her name?"

"Everly."

"Hmm. That's a pretty name," the sword said. "And was she the one who named you Asher?"

"Eh, that's actually what I call myself. My full name is a little embarrassing," Asher admitted.

"How so?"

"Well, my mom can be a little dramatic at times. When I was born, she gave me a name that I don't think really fits me very well."

"And it was?" the sword asked.

Asher sighed. "Bringer of Ash and Ruin."

"Your mom named you that?" the sword asked in alarm.

"Yeeeah. I really think I'm lucky I turned out this well."

"I'll say," the sword agreed. "Honestly, your mother sounds like a very complex woman."

"I don't understand her at all," Asher said bluntly.

"Well, generations can differ in their interests, Asher. Sometimes it can be difficult to find common ground. When that happens, what helps is remembering the ways in which we're most alike and downplaying our differences."

A large reptilian monster exploded from its hiding place beneath the brush and came charging down the road at Asher, determined to tear her apart and make a meal of her. When it was bare inches away and about to begin shredding her flesh, Asher lashed out with a powerful blow to its head, knocked its clawed hand away and then plunged her fist into the monster's chest to seize its beating heart and crush it within her grip.

Killed so quickly that the surprise was frozen on its face, the creature collapsed onto the dirt road. Asher carefully wiped her hand on the side of its body before continuing on her way.

"I think you make a very good point, but trying to figure out the ways in which we're alike could take me all night," she said wistfully.

"Well, if everything in life were easy, there'd be no lessons left to learn," the sword said.

"Wow, that sounds really profound," Asher said admiringly. "You are a pretty smart sword, aren't you?"

"Well, I try to stay humble, but yes, I've acquired a considerable amount of wisdom over the years. And I'm only too happy to share it with you."

"I appreciate that," Asher said with a smile.

And so, off the new pair went. Each one of them glad to have met the other.