tacerevatum:

    _{A shake of the head. An instantaneous response to any refusal he had ever received. Truthfully, there weren’t many times he offered up his own things, unless they be his notes for class, but there weren’t many found interest in anyway. He had books and bags, and well he supposed he had uniforms, but why anybody would ask to borrow those went over his head. Still, she claimed it was too much, so he had to talk its value down, like any salesperson would do.}

    _{“Naminé, it’s a bag. If I gave you a diamond, it would be too much. This is something with a practical use.“ He reminded her as he brought his own hands back to his sides. It was true, as odd as it was, though he also hoped she never needed him to get her a diamond. He wouldn’t have a clue where to find one, after all! Ace walked away from her, though, leaving his answer and solution final in opting to cradle the child in the room again.}

    _{Chirifuda scuttled and waddled away as if teasing him, though as he outstretched his arms. Eventually, palms captured the bird’s sides before lifting it up and moving it to sit comfortably in the bend of his elbow. There were a few squeaks and noises of feigned disinterest, but unfortunately, he did know his pet better than it thought.  When he turned back to the young woman, pools of ice blue wide and interested to see what topic of conversation would be brought up next, he realized he’d left the cabinet open, and once again left her immediate vicinity.}

    _{With a nudge of his shoulder and his back pressed against the door, it closed with a thud. It was followed by a latching sound, as well as the blond’s nod in approval, but otherwise he lingered by the container for just a moment. His mind had wandered, however, and brought back memories of another place, one he had only been to once and probably would never see again.}

    _{“Hey Naminé, what’s it like in Twilight Town lately…?”}

         _{With a sigh she knew that the battle was lost and there was no way that he was going to let her give the bag back immediately. Well then, she would simply have to return it to him at a later date, once she was finished with his books—that wouldn’t be so hard, and then it would only be the temporary usage of the bag that he had so graciously lent her. Really it was just a bag, not a diamond—though why he would ever give her a diamond she did not know—but it was still something, and it was something rather nice at that.}

         _{As a sign of her surrender she set the bag on top of the books that she opted to borrow from her friend before turning to him again and smiling faintly out of pure amusement as he went to go pick up his baby chocobo. The thing really was rather cute, and it was nice to know that Ace definitely had some sort of company, albeit not human company, but it wasn’t like she was human either. Not that he knew that or had to know that, but that was against the point.}

         _{Eyes occupied themselves with other things as ears heard the door click shut and latch itself locked and she glanced at his other book titles, wondering if this was truly the best way to know Ace. After all, so often it seemed that he had a book in hand, or a book in front of him, or at least a book on the mind—not that she actually knew whether or not he did, but she could estimate. Yet thoughts about books were dragged away from her at his question and she turned to him, surprised by the sudden subject, but willing to speak of it anyways.}

                  _{”Twilight Town is the same as always,” she said in response with a slight shrug of her shoulders, glancing away from the blond for a moment and trailing her fingers over a shelf on the bookcase, mulling over her words for a moment. Truly it was the same as it always was, the residents moving through their daily lives content and happy and sometimes drama filled, the town still bathed in oranges and pinks and reds. Everything was… the same. Well, maybe not the same.}

                           _{”There’s a new Struggle champion this year, apparently,” the blonde offered jokingly with a faint smile, looking right at Ace again. Twilight Town really was a quiet sort of place, simple but pleasant, and certainly a place where one could settle down and enjoy a peaceful life—yet inside of it she always felt trapped. It was too simple, too little for her, and sometimes she found herself yearning for more. ”The Heartless have diminished in number, somewhat. They are less constant, at least.”}

                                             _{A pause.}

                                                      _{”How are things here?”}