‘  crowded  ,  isn’t  it  ?  ‘  he’s  clearly  less than  pleased  ,  having  been  shoved  in  a  booth  with  the  other  man  .  it  was  loud  ,  hot  ,  and  he  was  set  across from  a  stranger  without  any  forewarning  .  perhaps  it  was  to  be  expected  with  it  being  the  weekend  ,  but  he  wasn’t  going  to  be  happy  about  it  .

           his  posture  stiffened  ,  eyes  narrowing  at  what  lay before  him  .  this  was  not  what  he  had  expected  when  he  had  been  summoned  to  conduct  negotiations  with  a  neighboring kingdom  .  he  had  expected  someone  regal  ,  not  .