MW03 said:
Help me remember...
I'm trying to think, but I believe Varys appeared in Meereen after the Sons of the Harpy tried to gank Dany in the fighting pit and she took off on Drogon. He was with Grey Worm, Tyrion, and Missandei after that, but Dany was gone. Right before Dany shows back up, Varys has taken off for Dorne after recruiting the red priests.
So when did Dany and Varys actually meet for the first time? On the ship to Dragonstone?
correct....they were never even in the same city that we know of until just before sailing for Westeros
Dany early on stayed in the home of Illyrio who is Varys close friend but he was not there. Varys was in Westeros except briefly when he smuggled Tyrion over to Essos but we saw no meeting at that time.
Varys turned up in Mereen to help Tyrion just after Dany had flown off on Drogon and went to the Dothraki.
Varys left just before she returned to go solicit help from Dorne with Olenna and Ellaria. He was not there when Dany met with Tyrion, confronted the masters or when Theon and Yara were there.
So Varys presumably came back in the interim but was unseen before they sailed for Westeros/Dragonstone. I would assume they met before they boarded but who knows.