“Thank you!” Anise cheered as if that had been a victory in itself, and with a light giggle, she plopped down into the space next to him. It was hard to tell if he appreciated her being there, but at the very least, he seemed to have excellent manners – which was a very good sign in Anise’s book.

Not wanting things to fall into quiet awkwardness, Anise went on to ask the man a few questions, hoping to get the wheels of conversation rolling. “So, what’s your name? I haven’t seen you around that much… Are you new?” Maybe she could use some of her veteran knowledge to keep him interested.