Well, it wasn't as if it hadn't cost him a change in his own heartbeat, now decidedly faster as he gently let go of her hand so that she could return to her tasks.

"You're welcome," he uttered softly, the answer overly simple to describe how he truly felt. The blond tried not to read into it too much, in any case, as he let his attention be promptly stolen by the chocobo's musical number.

"That's correct." The cadet nodded, recalling the circumstances regarding her discovery with a sad smile. "She's not from around here. I found her, abandoned, during our exploration of the southern regions, so perhaps the colour of her feathers serves to reflect the change of climate." After all, it was not a common sight to spot a chocobo of any colour other than regular, sunny yellow braving the Calm Plains forests, and he couldn't recall having ever come across a red one before.

"... Say, do you have any ideas?"