Autumn
She glances to her side as she lifts her hand up to catch one of the orange streaks of color falling from the branch above. "I've never watched the leaves fall before."
He looks into the fading sun, swinging his leg as he lies back on the wide branch, his arms behind his head. "I did, once."
"I should have." She catches the leaf, spinning the stem in her hand. "I was in the right places, I just never had the time to sit and watch."
"Neither did I. But I did it anyway." He grins, shielding his face from the bright light of the sun.
"It's weird to watch things change color." She lets the leaf fall from her hand to continue its descent to the forest floor.
"Yeah. Most places, nothing ever changes."
"They do. But you just can't see them." She looks at him, basking in the sun. She's glad the breeze is warm, still.
"I never have time to look." He reaches one arm out, catching the leave that she let fall.
"You should do it anyway." She grins, watching him as he twirls the leaf in his fingers. "Just like you are right now."
"It's not everyday you pop in to see me, you know."
She smiles and leans back, steadying herself in the tree. "Maybe I'll pop in more often. Force you to have time."
"Maybe. Maybe I won't let you."
"Sure you won't." She wraps her scarf tighter around her neck.
He lets the leaf go and pushes himself up, looking at her. "Why did you pop in to see me, by the way?"
"I was in the area." She smiles down at him and shrugs. "Thought I'd come to annoy you."
"You don't annoy me." He climbs down the tree, dropping from the last branch to the ground without much effort. "Only when you're with the other two. Then the giggling gets to me a little."
She laughs as she lithely drops onto the branch that he was occupying previously. "I don't know. I think I annoy you more than you say."
"Nope."
"Sure." She climbs down, dropping from the trunk with a smile. She trips as she hits one of the roots that stick out from the ground, and falls back on her rear.
"Way to go!" he laughs, taking a few steps closer.
She wrinkles her nose, sitting up from the ground, leaves in her hair and dirt on her pants. "Owie…"
He offers a hand to her, still chuckling. "You alright?"
"Yeah. My butt might turn colors tomorrow, though." She takes his hand and he pulls her to her feet. They both grin at each other.
"Like the leaves?"
"Yep. Just like the leaves."
"Maybe I'll make some time to watch the colors change, this time," he says, winking at her as he pulls leaves out of her braids.
She brushes the dirt from her pants and sticks her tongue out at him. "No way!" She laughs as he pouts.
"And if you stop by more I'll even watch everything go back to normal."
"On my butt."
"…yep."
"You'll make time to watch the colors change on my butt."
"Yep."
"…nope." She laughs and begins to skip away down the path. "C'mon… let's get back before I trip on my own two feet again."
He follows her with a laugh, shaking his head. "You do have to make more time to stop in and see me, Cid's girl. You're always good for a laugh."
"I don't have more time!" She turns to wait for him, and they walk slowly together down the path, back to the temple and the waiting airship.
"You should do it anyway!" He says, pushing her arm playfully.
She shrugs and giggles, pulling her scarf tighter around her neck again. "Yeah."
"Yeah?"
"You know I will."
He smiles and picks a leaf from the ground, spinning it in his fingers again. "Yeah. You will."