{-Alfonse-}

He was really starting to reconsider his choices.

While he would appreciate the silence, Enn didn't seem to and talked nearly on end. He was pretty sure he also saw her pulling more things from her satchel than it could realistically hold. When he asked about it, her only answer was "I have mad packing skills." And, though likely unintentional, she mentioned having a brother around Sharena's age (and that her sister, Ellie, was fifteen) and Alfonse immediately understood why Sharena had never mentioned the family before. He kept it to himself, though, so Enn didn't notice.

Enn started walking backwards in order to see him. "Not a talker, huh?"

"Not quite," he answered simply.

"Strong, silent type, then? I can see that. You look pretty dependable. I bet tons of people trust you. Isn't that overwhelming, though? I can't think on something for too long or else it gets really complicated and occasionally depressing—Ellie's the over-thinker, not me—so it's got to be overwhelming, right? Like, what if you make the wrong decision?" Enn stepped around a bush just before she was going to trip on it.

Alfonse shrugged. "I just have to ensure that doesn't happen."

"You are a total downer," Enn remarked bluntly. "I keep getting then losing how you two are close. I know that you're a super awesome, dependable, open-minded kind of guy. But you're also really quiet and secretive and I think you take stuff too seriously. Judging from what I heard about you and from, like, my morning of observation, of course."

"When, exactly, was the last time you actually talked to Sharena?" It wasn't exactly his favorite thing to admit, but he could think of a reason in mind for Enn's confusion. "Before the party."

She turned back around. "Hmmmm…well, I got Feathers when I was eleven, that meant Ellie was seven, Sharena's two years older than her, so…about eight years ago? The last time I did, anyway. Her and Queen Henriette visited pretty often so she and Ellie talked a lot, but I wasn't there because I was helping Dad."

"I've found your problem." Alfonse debated for a minute whether he should continue. "Well, why you're confused. A lot's happened in the past few years and we're closer now then we were back then." There. A good portion of it left unexplained, but it was practically useless information to anyone who didn't need the whole story.

"Oh, yeah! That Zacharias kid, right?"

A little shocked, he nodded. She couldn't see him, though, since her back was turned to him once again. "Yeah."

Enn pulled a lollipop from her satchel and waved it around a little. "He was a pretty popular subject for a while in the smaller villages. Him and the…Order of Heroes, I think? I thought they were pretty cool, actually, doing all that stuff with nothing to gain from it. Aren't you and Sharena still there? Admittedly I don't pay as close attention to these sorts of things as I probably should."

"For six years," he confirmed.

"I'm right! I thought so but I didn't know for sure." Enn put the lollipop in her mouth for a bit. She then pulled it out and looked over her shoulder at him disbelievingly. "Wait, six years? That's…a long time."

"It went by quickly," Alfonse said honestly. "A lot of things happened for better or worse, but…I wouldn't change a thing if I was able to." That, though, was a lie. He could think of a few things he wished would've turned out differently, but he knew better than to spend too much time on the past and what couldn't be changed. Didn't exactly stop him from the bit of regretful longing, though.

"Haha! We're bonding! At first, I really thought you didn't like bonding. But here you are! Saying more than a few words! Progress!" She victoriously plopped the lollipop back in her mouth.

"Well…I don't normally do bonding." Though he kind of wished it wasn't the reason, he only got close to Fauna by accident—and out of obligation. He hadn't meant to, and would even admit to being reluctant to it at the beginning, but now that he actually knew her, he couldn't believe he'd thought that; she was sweet and selfless, not to mention well with animals (Feh, especially), and her quirky personality was definitely something the Order had needed.

Enn went back to walking backwards. "Thinking of someone cute?"

"No."

"Oh. Really thought you were doing that face people do when they're thinking of someone cute."

"No, it's just a friend."

"'Just a friend' or just a friend?"

"Just a friend. Someone from the Order."

"Lady friend or guy friend?"

"The first one." He actually felt a little odd to describe Fauna as a "lady friend." What he'd heard it in reference to was nothing like their relationship. They were close and he did like her, but in a purely platonic way. That fact, however, seemed to be ignored from quite a few people who only ever saw the two from a distance.

"Ah, okay. So you really are just friends. I know you're gay. Don't worry, though—your secret's safe with me."

"What?"

"Gay. You know, when someone's attracted to another person of the same—"

"I get it, can you please stop talking now..?" Though he didn't think anyone was nearby, it was weird hearing that statement out loud. It made him feel like he was somehow doing something wrong in one way or another.

She smiled. "I've found your weakness! So who's the lucky crush? Is he cute? Aww, is he gay, too?"

While he was, at first, just not going to say anything, he thought of something better. Now to hope it'll work. "I'm only going to tell you if you drop the subject until we're done."

"You tricky dastard!" Despite this, Enn smirked. "But I am as curious as hell and I dunno if I can wait that long but I'm totally up for the challenge. You're on!"

(A/N: I love how the thing Enn explains is the definition of "gay.")