Sunspire Mountains Waiting for a friend

"Oh, that's unfortunate," Birk said with sympathy, even though he thought that in this situation he was the one, who benefitted. Had the friend come, he would not have had a chance to talk to her. And that would have been a loss, indeed. He hoped, that whoever the guy she had met had been, it would not show his snout here now. 

"I can be your friend, if you wish so?" he offered without much thinking. It was an impulse of a moment that he said so. What he meant - a friend for this particular moment - not the long-term commitment, that required hard work, mutual trust and understanding. He loved his freedom too much to form strong and permanent bonds with anyone here.