The first time he heard Fiora had never had chocolate in her life, Kent was surprised. But when he remembered Ilia's overall poverty, he understood why and felt sorry for her and her sisters.
The next day, Fiora found him outside her room at the inn, holding a white box tied with a green ribbon.
"Kent?" She smiled. "You know my birthday isn't for another two months, right?"
"I know," he said. "But I got this for you anyway." He handed her the box, and she opened it to find an assortment of the chocolate truffles she'd only ever seen in shop windows before. Her eyes widened, and she was just barely able to hide a blush.
"For me...? Oh, Kent, this is so sweet of you, but you didn't have to, really," she gasped.
"I wanted to." He smiled. "I had more than enough money in my personal funds after we visited the arena."
She closed and retied the box, carefully placing it in her pack.
"Thank you, Kent. You're quite possibly the most thoughtful man I've ever met in my life," she said, and he blushed.
"Well...we're comrades, right?" But he was standing so close, and she was leaning up as if to kiss him...instead, she pulled back and reached out to shake his hand.
"Yes, comrades!"
A small, awkward silence followed.
"Shall we go, then?" she asked, grabbing her pack. He nodded; she took his arm and they went to meet the rest of the army.