Blurred Memories

When Lillie woke up that morning, not only was she greeted with more snow than there had been from last night, but also a message sent to her phone. Wondering who it could be from, she looks at the display and feels a sudden bout of excitement upon seeing the name attached to the message.

Her feelings of excitement only increases as she reads through it, and by the time she’s done, she can’t help but let out a delighted giggle.

[ to Kyle ]: The snow is really pretty, isn’t it? Especially coupled with those city lights that come on at night~ it’s like Altelia has become some kind of winter wonderland, almost! 

[ to Kyle ]: Oh yeah, totally! We should definitely hang out again~ with all this snow, a free day probably won’t be too far off… why don’t we plan something now? c:

After she sends the messages, she can’t help but wonder about his comment about the sunshine. How could he really miss it if it was sunny only just yesterday? That seemed a bit weird to say… unless, he meant…

…N-nah, couldn’t be! That would definitely be a big leap for her mind to take. There was no way he would use some kind of metaphor like that! W-what would be the point of doing something like that, anyway…!? Ahaha…

Smooth.

[ to Lillie: ] Don’t worry, I won’t hog your free time. I was thinking... do you want to exchange gifts on Christmas? :) I’m sure you have your family to be with at that time but maybe we can hangout for a little bit. Lucina misses you a whole lot, you know~ we’re decorating the house! It’d be nice if you could see the fruit of our efforts.

        He decided to skim around, only stopping when he sees his own name and... Cecilia? That girl from the cafe? While she was certainly cute, he hasn’t done anything along the lines of what this piece of gossip was implying.

Stage One: Amusement

        Upon reading the first line about Lillie being cute, Kyle silently agrees and automatically imagines the weather girl getting flustered over being talked about like this. Part of the reason why she’s so damn cute, actually.

Stage Two: Irritation

        Then, he reads on and realizes there was an ulterior motive here. It went on beyond just thinking: ah, she’s a cutie. This person wanted to get her contact details and talk to her some more. Probably get overly friendly and– 

Stage Three: Denial

        –nah. And even if someone does take interest in her, it wasn’t in his place to intervene. While he has the urge to flaunt one of his many weapons around when near Lillie just to get certain unwanted eyes away, he definitely wouldn’t do that. There’s no reason to. Absolutely none. 

        He repeats this piece of gossip in his head for the rest of the day and goes on an excruciating debate with himself just to convince himself of the many reasons why there was absolutely no reason at all he would or should be jealous.

When he starts speaking again, she looks back up to him and is surprised to see a beautiful dress in his hands. She had totally neglected the paper bag in his hands, what with her being distracted by, well, him. She blinks as she listens to his explanation, her anxiously flustered expression gradually growing into a genuinely warm smile the more he spoke.

“….Thank you so much! I, um, I really love yellow, yeah– and I really love this gift, too!” Her cheeks flush slightly and she laughs awkwardly as she begins to fiddle with her fingers. “You’re a really great guy… always so good to me. U-um… I got some stuff for you, too, but it’s probably nowhere near as awesome as this dress. I really tried, though…!” She smiles at him sheepishly before stepping aside to let him in. “Please, come in. I wanna put the dress up, and give you your gifts, too.”

Too embarrassed to look at him head on, Lillie turns on her heel and walks deeper into the apartment, hurriedly moving towards the table where she placed his wrapped gifts.

        “It’s not that awesome... but it will definitely be on you.” Or so his mind thinks when he imagines her wearing that dress. As always, she’d look pretty cute in it. Sometimes he wishes she was more reachable and more of his level so he wouldn’t feel so guilty for taking her time and attention too much. And she even got him a gift... he doesn’t know what he did to deserve that kindness, but curiosity already got him. “Gifts...?” He repeats simply in response, stepping inside as he wondered what she got him and noting the plural tense. Honestly, her presence alone for the day was a gift enough. But that may have been from the deities. 

        When she does come back with the gift and he takes it eagerly to check out, he finds a bandana. It wans’t like the one he wore since it was more traditional, but this one actually looked more wearable than his old ones. Maybe she thought it was getting too old and tacky so she spared him the trouble of getting another lame one? Or maybe she just really wanted to give you a gift, asshole. Stop twisting everything. 

        He held out the dark blue bandana, observing the pattern some more before giving it a go and wearing it on his head now. Sure, it didn’t match his outfit all that much, but he wanted to fit it right then and there. He really shouldn’t get sentimental over a bandana... but it was a gift. From Lillie, no less. And after all that’s happened and is still happening today? It just really warmed his heart. 

        Once the bandana was on, he didn’t need a mirror to tell him it fit perfectly fine on his head. He liked the feel of it, and he liked the fact she picked it out solely for him. A delighted smile forms on his lips and he couldn’t help letting his gaze fall back down on the pretty brunette responsible for letting him escape his negativity, even for just a moment. He really was a lucky bastard sometimes. 

        Acting before actually thinking, he leans over towards her, holding her tightly in place. How can someone express gratitude for something like this? How can you tell someone they made your day, despite it being such a fucking mess? He fails to answer his own questions, so he speaks without giving it much thought, knowing too well thinking would just lead to disastrous thoughts. “...been having a terrible day, Lil. And this is just... something I really need right now. Thank you.”

Lillie chuckles. “Diamond in the rough, eh? Haha, I like that! It’s definitely fitting.” When he agrees to the sale, she claps. “Oh, yay~! Thank you very much! I can’t wait to get my hands on these– they’re from your farm, after all, so I’m sure they’ll be delicious and rich in quality.”

At the mention of a discount, however, Lillie gasps and shakes her head. “Oh, a-are you sure? I appreciate it, but you really don’t have to!” And that was the whole point of setting up a bazaar stall, wasn’t it? To get a sale for his farm? She wanted to support him as much as she could, so she had absolutely no problem paying full price!

She then pauses and blinks as she thinks about what she said, his teasing tone earlier, and realizes– “A-ah, but about the partner thing, I d-don’t mean it like that!” The brunette yells, face red and hands flailing. “I mean, not that you would make a bad, um, partner or anything! I’m sure you would be a wonderful one, but this…! This is strictly p-professional and I… I’m… just going to shut up now…!” She lets out a small squeal as she covers her face.

Goddess, if she was good at anything, it was always making herself look like a complete, bumbling idiot in front of this guy. Always him, too…! Lillie squirms for a little while longer before stopping at his change in tone. At this, she slowly removes her hands from her face and watches on worriedly as he continues to speak.

When he mentions monsters, Lillie subconsciously bites her lip. After that one time in the mine, it was something that frightened her terribly, but… Kyle told her that he would look out for her, and she believed that with all her heart. She also believed that it was time for her to take action herself. Being protected was all well and good, but she didn’t want to just… sit by all helplessly while other people did all the work for her. She wanted to protect people, too.

She gives him a solemn look, to show that she is serious about this as well. “I promise I’ll work my hardest. I admit that the monsters are a little… scary… but I’ll just have to face and overcome those fears. I won’t be a burden on you, and I’ll do my best to be the best partner I can be for you, so please let me do this.”

At the mention of magic, she raises a brow – even with all the incidents in town it was still such a foreign concept to her – but smiles a bit at the mention of swordplay. Her, using a sword… how weird would that be? Lillie Springfield, aka newscaster, weather girl and swordswoman? Definitely an interesting addition to her list of achievements… what would her mom think, she wondered? Or her dad and sister for that matter? Guess she would have quite the surprise for them at the next family get-together.

        He already told her his terms. What this would imply... and what he could offer her in return. And since she seemed determined to stick with it-- to stay with him-- then he already decided on keeping her as a partner. Strictly professional. Strictly. Maybe with a dash of teasing here and there... heh. “You know, you’re really, really weird. Ha ha!” He chuckles heartily, enjoying her determined look and high hopes. “One of the many reasons why you’re so damn like-able. You got me, Lil. You’re hired.” 

[ to Kyle ]: Hm? Of course I responded, silly~! We did make plans, after all… I wouldn’t just go back on something like that :o

[ to Kyle ]: But, um, yeah! :D Can’t wait to see you!

After sending the texts, Lillie goes to wrap his gifts, humming cheerfully as she pulls out some leftover red wrapping paper she had from last Christmas. Of course she had other colors too, but he seemed to have a fondness for red things, so that’s what she would go with! It would definitely make the gift more appealing– as silly as it might have sounded, she knew she would definitely be more interested in opening a present wrapped in yellow over any other color! 

It doesn’t take long for her to box the bandana and wrap both it and the boxes that the cakes and other sweets she bought came in. When she’s done, about ten minutes have passed, and Lillie finds herself with nothing else to do until Kyle arrives. In the thirty or so minutes it takes for him to get to her apartment, the brunette occupies herself by playing with her rabbit Floofsie and watching reruns of sitcoms on TV. By the time the second episode is at the halfway point, her phone suddenly rings out, obscuring the sound of the TV.

With a little more enthusiasm than necessary, Lillie flops over to the side of the sofa and reaches for the phone that had been sitting on the lamp stand next to it. Grabbing the phone – and almost dropping it in her haste – she reads over the message and can’t help the grin that breaks out on her face. There was no need for him to apologize… she made him wait for way longer, after all.

[ to Kyle ]: That’s tooootally fine! I’m not at all upset about it c:

She giggles and wonders if he was close by or already at the apartment complex. Lillie didn’t mind waiting for him, of course, but she would like to get things started soon… the more she waited, the more anxious she got. Like, was she really sure about this? She’s never really dated anyone before… would she know what to do? Or how to act, or–

Three knocks interrupt her rapid train of thought, and she jumps a bit at the sudden sound. The movement startles Floofsie out of her sleep, and Lillie gives the fluffy rabbit an apologetic pat as she gets up and approaches the door. It doesn’t take long at all for the weather girl to be standing in front of the door, staring at it anxiously as her nerves start to get the best of her. Ooooh, look at her…! This dress was totally unflattering on her, and the gifts– he wouldn’t like them, would he? M-maybe she should have gotten more? What she had now was nowhere near as much as he deserved! She–she–

–She shakes her head, slapping her cheeks to get rid of her currently troublesome thoughts. If she started thinking like that now, then things would turn out badly. Today was Thanksgiving, a day of cheer and thanks! Thinking optimistically was the best thing to do on a day like this. On any day, honestly! Things were what people made them, after all, and if she wanted a good, positive date, she had to be positive!

Releasing a heavy breath, Lillie braces her nerves as she opens the door and is met with the sight of a Kyle who looked quite… different from usual. Not only was he not wearing his usual bandana, but he was actually wearing a suit– an actual suit! Not that she had any problem with the way he usually dressed, since it kind of added to that boyish charm of his, but this just made him look so much more handsome than usual!

If her cheeks weren’t already red from slapping them earlier, she was sure they were now. Not wanting to take any chances and assume she wasn’t blushing profusely, she covers her mouth and cheeks as she speaks, her voice coming out slightly muffled, but still clear enough to be understood.

        When the door finally opens and Lillie comes out-- Lillie not quite looking like Lillie-- he couldn’t help but gawk a little. The bubbly weather girl was so happy-go-lucky and cheerful, Kyle couldn’t help but think of her as, well... a girl. She was cute and adorable, but sometimes, she was more of that kid sister you take everywhere with you because you get along so well and she’s fun to be with. Lillie all dolled up like this was the same Lillie that he knows-- a drop of sunshine mixed with all sorts of adorable elements. The only difference was she-- as evidenced by the light blush that reddens his cheek-- more of a woman than a girl. 

        “...hi.” He says simply, blinking a few times as he runs a hand down his messed up mop of red hair. She was assessing him... that much he was sure. Her eyes were scanning her and not long after, she... was she restraining herself? And what was it that she was supposed to say??? He was what???? He tried looking for an answer by looking her in the eyes, hopefully finding a clue to her unfinished sentence but she looked away and moved the conversation along.

       ...Yep. She definitely things he looked like trash, not even the kind that was neatly stored in a garbage bin but the kind of unwanted trash out in the streets, thrown out by some asshole that just couldn’t wait until the next block and avoid littering. Biting the inside of his cheeks for a few moments, he tried not let his feelings show, coughing into his hand to clear his throat some and get a firmer hold on how he acted. He was already feeling terrible before, now? He already died and was resurrected just so he can suffer more. Thanks, Harvest God. “I think we’re good to go. Unless you’d rather stay and call it off? Ha ha... kidding.” Or not. Kyle knew if she wouldn’t feel about it and wasn’t as kind as she is, she’d ditch him. 

        “I’m not sure if you’d rather bring this along, though... I got you something.” He tries to think of something else and braves himself to show her the dress he got from Sonata Tailoring. It was still in its paper bag since he couldn’t get himself to personally wrapping it, and while he still had doubts about whether or not she’d like it, he’d rather it be thrown out now than later. He looks directly at her and ignores the world, searching for something to say, While it was easy to drown in one’s own thoughts, focusing on one person and letting them be the inspiration for your words could be enough to save himself from his miserable mind, even if for just a moment. “Was browsing around this clothing store for a gift and this dress looked like something you’d like...”

Her grip tightens on the plush in her lap, and she looks down at it, opting to focus on the stuffed animal rather than the man next to her. She was so ashamed… what if she had offended him or hurt his feelings…? She didn’t like hurting people like that… ohh, why couldn’t she think about things before she spoke…!?

Caught up in her own thoughts, she barely notices him getting up and moving over to the closet, only looking back up when she hears him speak again. When she does, she catches sight of the cutest panda plush, and stares at it with wide eyes.

It… it was adorable! So precious! How could something be so cute, it wasn’t fair! Shouldn’t that have been like, illegal or something!?

“Awww, its so… adorable….!” She mumbles, covering her mouth to hold in her squeal. The fact that he seemed to be unaffected by her comment and was willing to give her more of his prizes reassured her some, and she flashes him a small smile. “Better than like– I love them, thanks~!”

        Somehow, he wasn’t surprised when she expressed her fondness for the panda, considering she already showed an incredibly positive reaction from the other stuffed animals. “You do? That’s great-- otherwise I’ll just have to find someone else who’ll love em...” She was looking at it with such awe and adoration that it was almost too sweet to see. Appreciating the simplest things in life was kind of his way of thinking, and seeing someone be completely excited over something like a stuffed animal was refreshing. She was too precious. Posting that request was the perfect opportunity to meet interesting people like the brunette he was with at the moment. It was a shame he had to take her home so soon. 

»— Right before the storm hits, Kyle was thankful some of his crops were ready for harvesting. It was a good choice to just focus on potatoes and carrots for this season, but what he didn’t expect was to have a special harvest among his ordinary ones. Kyle was in the middle of harvesting the last batch of potatoes when, to his surprise, he dug out a golden potato!

        Something was already off when light seemed to be shining from the ground, but he never really thought something like a golden potato could be buried in the soil. He brushed off the soil and scurried off along with the rest of his harvest, placing all but the golden potato in the shipping bin. What else can he do but sell it, right? But it didn’t feel right to simply throw it in with the rest of the harvest. Right after placing everything in the bin, he decided to store it and sell it when the weather clears up. And surely enough, when it did, Kyle sets up a small stall for himself.

Golden Potato (1,300G) - a shiny, golden potato! (1 left!)

Milk Crate  (1,200G) - several wooden crates, each containing half a dozen bottles of large milk, fresh from a rare cow!  (5 left!)

Egg Crate (800G) -  several wooden crates, each containing a dozen eggs, fresh from a rare chicken!  (5 left!)

As she walks deeper into the plaza, she catches sight of red hair and a familiar bandana, beaming as soon as she realized who it was. With an enthusiastic wave, she approaches the redheaded man. “Heyyy, Kyle! Surpised to see you here~”

Once she reaches the booth he made, she looks curiously over his items– immediately recognizing them all as farm products. Huh. Well he was a farmer so she guessed it made sense for him to sell the fruits of his hard labor~ or… whatever people called it, hehe. Milk, flowers, eggs and– wha…!? What was that!? A golden vegetable…?

With wide eyes, she looks back at Kyle and points at the potato. “Oh… omigosh, is that a golden potato!? I heard those were super hard to grow…! They also make really good ingredients for cooking…” If she had this, she could totally use it to make a super delicious dish! She couldn’t just use it at any old time though… there was no guarantee she would get the chance to buy a golden vegetable ever again, after all! If she was going to use it, it had be for something special.

        “I hoped for sunshine today and I got it~ hey, Lil.” He greets her back and rests his chin at the back of his hand, leaning forward as he sits by his stall. He couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him when she started fangirling about the golden potato, pleased someone actually wanted to buy it. “I know!!! Pretty cool, huh? A diamond in the rough, I say! You interested?” The answer to his question soon follows, and his already grin widened, matching her grin. “All yours. The crates, too! Let’s see here...” 

With an elated grin, she heads to her room and sets her things down on her desk, while laying the dress she ended up buying across her bed. Putting her hands on her hips, Lillie stares at the dress with adoring eyes, marveling at how pretty it looked. She was a pretty plain gal herself, so hopefully she would be able to do the dress justice. This was her first time actually going on a date – that’s what he called it, so that’s what it was, right…? – on Thanksgiving day, or in general if that one arcade outing didn’t count. This was a special occasion, so she had to look her absolute best!

The weather girl giggles as she picks up the dress and holds it up to herself, twirling around with it for a bit before realizing how silly she was being. Why was she acting so giddy? She was just hanging with Kyle, and it’s not like she’s never done that before… he did call it a ‘date’, but surely that couldn’t be too different from what they usually did?

Well, whatever it was, she couldn’t deny the fact that she was pretty darn excited about it. Things have been so depressing lately, so a fun night with a friend would be just the thing she needed to lift her mood!

She takes the dress and hangs it on a nearby door, letting out one more giggle before heading off to get ready.

The brunette stands in front of her bedroom mirror, scrutinizing her appearance. The dress was still as beautiful before, and she was happy to say that it actually fit her quite nicely– she felt kind of like a princess, or proper lady, almost! It was a pretty weird feeling, but definitely not an unwelcome one.

Along with the dress and heels she bought, Lillie decided to fix her hair up from its usual style. Her regular do was cute and all, but definitely not fitting for the image she was trying to go for tonight. Lillie fusses with her hair and clothes for a bit before finally finding a look she was satisfied with. Her lips involuntarily pull back into a huge grin, and she finds herself beaming brightly at her own reflection. Today would be great, she just knew it~!

Her heel swivels as she turns towards her desk, where her phone and gifts were currently sitting. She had gotten him a new bandana while she was out earlier, along with some sweets, since she remembers him mentioning his fondness for them. If she had more time she would have gotten more, but… oh well. Hopefully he would like the things she did manage to get.

She then glances at the clock. 4:56… great! Just in time! Lillie bounces – or bounces as much as one could in heels – over to her desk, picking up her phone to send some messages Kyle’s way.

[ to Kyle ]: Hello, hello~!  🎶

        At first he thought he was just imagining things, but later in the day, Lucina started becoming more aggressive towards him. He knew Lillie would love to see the wolf (more than him, probably) so he tried to get her nice and cleaned. She wouldn’t approach him though. And if she does, she’d be showing off her fangs, reminding him that hunter wolves were monsters and that he was fucking unlikeable by even his pets and monsters. Kyle would just have to go alone today.

        After the nth time of looking in the mirror and judging himself, his phone finally beeped and he felt some excitement rushing back to him. She... actually replied and wanted to go out. He was having some doubts earlier since, well, who’d want to go out of their way and spend a supposed cheery holiday with him? Lillie was an angel for tolerating him for so long. Even if she’s busy, she still finds the time to entertain an oaf like him. A small smile was forming as he was about to reply, cheer almost returning-- almost. 

        “She pities you.” He says to himself as he erased the message he was about to send. No way in the world this was all because she wanted to go.

▼ [  to Lil ] You are? :) No problem at all, I’ll be right over~ ▼ [  to Lil ] Wasn’t really expecting to you respond., so thanks. Be there in a bit.

        He rans a hand up his hair, messing it up once last time before trying to pat it down in hopes of making it look decent. It was absolute shit, and he wasn’t used to seeing himself without a bandana. Then again, he can’t even tie the damn thing right so fuck you. He took the gifts that he ended up just leaving in the paper bag from Sonata Tailoring. As for the necklace he bought her, he places it in his shirt pocket, saving it for later. Heck, he even brought along the other necklace he got from the mail so he can return it to the post office, or maybe give it to Lillie as a third gift? To make up for his unfortunate presence? But considering he has terrible taste in, well, everything, she’d probably be disgusted by his choices. “Yeah, well you’re not any better. You chose to spend today with me.” He answers his own thoughts as he leaves the farm, ignoring the growls from Lucina. 

        The walk down towards her apartment was particularly long. He hasn’t been feeling too fine since earlier so he ended up walking to Sunshine Apartments, walking away, and then walking right back. It was already a quarter before 6PM when he finally decided to just suck it up and disappoint her. He probably already has, anyway. 

▼ [  to Lil ] Sorry I’m a little late, I was getting something. 

        He lied as he waits outside Room A101, unable to get himself to knock just yet. He probably should have gotten a replacement while he was hesitating earlier though, at least he would have done something good for her today. Maybe a taller guy who doesn’t wear bandanas and smells like Buffamoo. At least he took a shower before he came here... then again, his default scent might be just as terrible, if not worse. 

[ to Kyle ]: Noooo…! :’( That’s not what I meant, and you know it!

She waits as the next few texts come in, snickering at how silly they were until they finally stop. Seeing the last message, she assumes that his side of the conversation has ended – for now, heehee – and she sends some messages of her own before she resumes her work.

[ to Kyle ]: Aww you sweeties~! ❤ And I’m not worried… Luci will get used to me yet! I’ll get her to love me. ;)

[ to Kyle ]: Well, I think 5 sounds alright? But it’s not final– just giving you a general time range to go by ;) when I’m totally ready I’ll definitely let you know!

[ to Kyle ]: Oh? Interesting… I can’t wait to find out what you mean by that then, ahaha!

[ to Kyle ]: See you~ 🎶

She then sets the phone down and stares at the paperwork set out before her, sighing. And now… to work. Lillie usually wouldn’t have minded working, but she was so excited for the… d-date… tonight that she found it really difficult to concentrate on anything else but that! Oooh, it was his fault for being so vague!

The weather girl pouts, crossing her arms on the desk and laying her head on top of them. Honestly, she could just put all this work off until later… she was the boss, after all, and it was a holiday, too– she actually didn’t have to be here. But… she couldn’t do that. Before anything else – even herself – she had a duty to the city. This news, these investigations… they wouldn’t solve themselves, after all. The sooner Lillie could solve all of these mysteries, the safer Altelia would be. That was what she wanted most…

…For the home she grew up in to be warm and safe again… for her friends, family and loved ones to move towards a bright, hopeful future, as opposed to one full of uncertainty and fear.

        Kyle stared blankly at the now vacated carpet, surprised at himself for thinking so negatively. He shook his head rapidly and pinched his cheeks. Now was not the time to think about that-- what was he going to do again...? Right, gifts. He picks himself up from the floor and diverts his attention to the two gifts he wanted to give Lillie. First was that beautiful yellow dress and the gold necklace with pink diamonds. They both suited Lillie and hopefully she’d like them-- she better, they cost a fucking lot. 

        “....” Still confused about his own strangeness, Kyle decided it was best to just... stay away from the gifts first before he was tempted to do something terrible. Perhaps this was just anxiousness. He hasn’t really asked anyone out to dinner or something similar-- and Lillie and him usually did random things together, not plan a date? Yeah, this was definitely a date. A date you’re going to turn into a train wreck.

        “That’s enough thinking for the day.” He says to himself and turns right back around-- he maybe just needed some air. Yes, some air sounded perfect right about now.

        “Well, this is as good as it gets, you piece of shit.” Kyle grumbled in front of the mirror and threw away the sunglasses that came with his attire. Hell, he doesn’t even need that watch too. Why does he need the time for, to check how long he’s been making himself suffer by going out in public?! Tch. Keeping the vest on was a miracle enough, and even if he somehow managed to fold his sleeves decently, he couldn’t help but squint at the image before him. He looked like shit.

        It wasn’t even 5 yet, and he was already dressed and ready. Sure, make it seem like you’re eager. Eager to make her hate you for ruining a day of thanks and festivities. Thanks, Harvest God. Thanks for a very shitty day, love Lillie Springfield.

Would it help her mine faster? Longer? Get higher quality loot? Stop her from falling down holes and encountering dangerous monsters, possibly…? At this she bites her lip. The thought of the monster she encountered last time prompts her to look into the mouth of the cave with apprehension, her grip on her hoe so tight that her knuckles were probably getting pale.

She knew this was a different cave, and that there should be nothing to worry about, but the possibility was still there. If there was a monster – or dangerous creature or whatever that had even been – in the Garmon mine, who’s to say there wasn’t something similar in here…?

Lillie’s eyes widen in realization when she remembers that Kyle is standing behind her. Oh no, he couldn’t see her acting all… cowardly and scary like this! Maybe it was a good thing she was turned away from him now… he couldn’t see how nervous she was that way. Hopefully.

Well… either way, they had some mining they needed to get to. It’s what she called him here to do, after all… she couldn’t just have him end up wasting his time after he went through the trouble of coming to help her!

A deep breath, and then, “Allllright~!” She cheers, spinning on her heel and flashing him a grin, pointing towards the entrance of the cave as she does so. “Let’s get to it! I’ve done this before, as you have so correctly guessed, so I won’t be too helpless, haha!” His last few words causes her bright grin to fall into a softer, more genuine smile. “…Aww, thanks~ and if I find something that fits you, I’ll do the same!”

        “Mmmhmm. I’m counting on that, Springfield~” He walked towards her, pushing her lightly forward before matching her steps so they can walk together. For a normally cheery and perky girl to feel frightened, it must have been something that irked her a lot. “You know, just a random thought--” He says casually, keeping his eyes forward to save her from being too embarrassed, if she ever did find the reason she was so tensed embarrassing. “--but I won’t let anything happen to you. You know that, right? So don’t worry too much.”

“Aha… seriously! We’ve gotta do something about our communication skills.” She chuckles lightly and clasps her arms behind her back, subconsciously shifting her weight from one foot to another as she addresses him. “And a good evening to you, too, Kyle! I hope you had a nice day~”

At his gesturing, she smiles, wasting no time in following him into the inn room. Seeing as how his arms were preoccupied, Lillie takes it upon herself to close the door behind her. As she turns to face him again, she hears what he says and abruptly freezes in her tracks. Wh… what did he just say!?

…Love. Love. L-love…!? He loved seeing her? What did that mean? If he just enjoyed seeing her he wouldn’t have used such a strong word, would he? Did… was he implying something with that…?

…No! No no no no– she needed to stop thinking like that! She was just getting carried away again… there was no way some guy she only met a while ago could l-l-lo… ahhhh! No. Bad Lillie. She had to stop thinking about that…!

Thankfully she was still kind of turned away from him, so he couldn’t see the full freak out. Her red face and constant head shaking probably would clue him in, though. Just maybe.

        “There’s a free seat over here you know, take a seat, Lil!” As for that request she mentioned, he honestly forgot about that one since no one seemed to show interest in taking it. And even if she did mention she would, Kyle just thought she was saying it to be nice. After all, if she did happen to see that request-- “And are you sure? About that request of mine? I mean, you’re awfully kind for keeping your word, but are you sure you want to commit to being my partner~?”

She waits as he presumably approaches the door, and smiles brightly as he opens it, her cheery expression an amusing mirror of his. “Yep, it’s me!” She responds. “Hi there, Kyle.” She notices his gaze travel down to the two baskets she was holding, and she momentarily wonders if he would think if it as weird for her to bring presents. All of those worries are squashed, however, when she sees his positive reception. It may have just been her, but it almost felt as if seeing the gifts made him happier…

She chuckles as she walks inside. “Well, don’t mind if I do! And yeah– kinda? Gotta give housewarming gifts, after all, and I’ve been meaning to give you something for a while, anyway– ah!” She yelps out in surprise as she trips over one of the scattered boxes, thankfully managing to regain her posture before she took a nasty tumble. With a pout, she stares down at the offending box and wonders how she couldn’t have noticed something so… huge and obstructive.

        While he was closing the door, Lillie seemed to have tripped over a box. He chuckles lightly and offers her a hand as she gets up, taking one of the baskets as he did, “--or I could just make sure you don’t trip. Ha ha! Kitchen’s cleared so let’s just put them all there?”