Chachanji couldn't help but smile a little when Aiden brought forth the ideas of great quests and dangerous foes, his own memories of childhood daydreams coming to mind much more quickly than he'd openly admit. All those thoughts of rescuing princesses and saving the downtrodden that flitted through his mind when his mother was trying to impress upon him such fascinating topics as market flow and supply and demand. The smile faded quickly enough, though, when Aiden dropped himself down to the little Lalafell's level. Had he been in front of a mirror when he had ungoned his own self-reflection, he might've recognized that look in the Hyur's eyes. As it was, he just knew the farm-raised fellow was going to be saying something important - either for Chachan or himself.
As such, he reminded steadfastly quiet as Aiden went on a more... personal tirade. As the youngest Gegenji had long felt, the man's heart was certainly in the right place. He just seemed to be trying to be a one-man wrecking crew against all that was evil - something Chachanji himself had imagined himself being more than once. Maybe it was merely his - albeit equally childish, if not more so - belief that he could turn the bad guys to the side of good that kept the Lalafell from going on "evil-crushing crusades" like the Midlander. It was certainly brash, but Chachan wasn't quite sure about the naive.
Despite the dour tone in which it was presented, Chachan's lip curled slightly upward when Aiden spoke of going out and helping the refugees. Inwardly, he had been worried that the Hyur would have given up on his goals entirely, that his dream had been shattered beyond repair. Knowing that he would continue to fight the good fight, even in his own way, and hopefully find his way in doing so... it was a comforting thing. The Lalafell could've done without the fatalist "never return at all" part, though. He had been upset enough with the prospect of Leanne retreating to La Noscea for an undetermined amount of time.
Happiness, sadness, thoughtfulness... and soon surprise was added to the list of emotions evoked during this chance encounter outside the Quicksand. It was surprise that had the little Lalafell stare dumbfoundedly at the proffered gift, at being referred to as Aiden's friend. Inwardly, he had thought himself as such and hoped the Hyur had considered him on as well, but there was something different about it being put into words. With a gentle touch, Chachanji took the book.
"A'course, Aiden. My friend," he repeated with another, extra-genuine smile as he gazed at the words scribbled on the cover. As he did, his eye wandered to his own hand and down to his wrist, where one of a matching pair of bracelets rested. His mind flitted to the day his brother stormed out, to when he had found the other half of his brother's Cactaur earrings resting on his nightstand. The earring he wore now and refused to take off whenever necessary. And he found inspiration.
"Someone once told me," he sad as he slipped off the leather bracelet strapped to his right wrist. "That ya don't hafta be a Paladin ta halp people. Asked me why I wanted, why I needed that distinction. I'm still workin' on my answer, but th' path has been an enlightenin' one."
He took the larger fellow's hand in his own, and pressed the bracelet into it. His fingers flitted briefly on the details etched into it, of branches and sakura petals, as was the style back in his homeland. It could give away his Doman heritage - something he still wasn't entirely comfortable about revealing wholesale quite yet - but at the moment, he found it hard to care about that. Smiling, he closed the Hyur's fingers around that memento of his homeland, and of their friendship.
"Hopefully yers will be enlightenin' too."
As such, he reminded steadfastly quiet as Aiden went on a more... personal tirade. As the youngest Gegenji had long felt, the man's heart was certainly in the right place. He just seemed to be trying to be a one-man wrecking crew against all that was evil - something Chachanji himself had imagined himself being more than once. Maybe it was merely his - albeit equally childish, if not more so - belief that he could turn the bad guys to the side of good that kept the Lalafell from going on "evil-crushing crusades" like the Midlander. It was certainly brash, but Chachan wasn't quite sure about the naive.
Despite the dour tone in which it was presented, Chachan's lip curled slightly upward when Aiden spoke of going out and helping the refugees. Inwardly, he had been worried that the Hyur would have given up on his goals entirely, that his dream had been shattered beyond repair. Knowing that he would continue to fight the good fight, even in his own way, and hopefully find his way in doing so... it was a comforting thing. The Lalafell could've done without the fatalist "never return at all" part, though. He had been upset enough with the prospect of Leanne retreating to La Noscea for an undetermined amount of time.
Happiness, sadness, thoughtfulness... and soon surprise was added to the list of emotions evoked during this chance encounter outside the Quicksand. It was surprise that had the little Lalafell stare dumbfoundedly at the proffered gift, at being referred to as Aiden's friend. Inwardly, he had thought himself as such and hoped the Hyur had considered him on as well, but there was something different about it being put into words. With a gentle touch, Chachanji took the book.
"A'course, Aiden. My friend," he repeated with another, extra-genuine smile as he gazed at the words scribbled on the cover. As he did, his eye wandered to his own hand and down to his wrist, where one of a matching pair of bracelets rested. His mind flitted to the day his brother stormed out, to when he had found the other half of his brother's Cactaur earrings resting on his nightstand. The earring he wore now and refused to take off whenever necessary. And he found inspiration.
"Someone once told me," he sad as he slipped off the leather bracelet strapped to his right wrist. "That ya don't hafta be a Paladin ta halp people. Asked me why I wanted, why I needed that distinction. I'm still workin' on my answer, but th' path has been an enlightenin' one."
He took the larger fellow's hand in his own, and pressed the bracelet into it. His fingers flitted briefly on the details etched into it, of branches and sakura petals, as was the style back in his homeland. It could give away his Doman heritage - something he still wasn't entirely comfortable about revealing wholesale quite yet - but at the moment, he found it hard to care about that. Smiling, he closed the Hyur's fingers around that memento of his homeland, and of their friendship.
"Hopefully yers will be enlightenin' too."