"Rem," he repeated after her, wanting to see for himself how the name would feel like on his lips as he likewise glanced down at the crimson ball of feathers. "She's fond of you already, I'm almost jealous." His declaration broke into soft laughter that should have been enough to dispel the girl's worries, if she had any. Ace knew he would be seeing both of them often enough.

Although it might have been on purpose that didn't specify who exactly it was in their arrangement that he referred to.

It wasn't long before he started feeling the subtle chill brush against his skin as the room gradually grew colder, understandably so given it was not meant to ensure the same protection from the cold as the rest of the house. Blaming his own vulnerability against low temperatures, the cadet stubbornly refused to give it any priority as he pulled his sleeves over his hands in a quick and secretive manner. After all, it hardly seemed worth leaving his current spot.

Eventually, he followed with sliding off his shoes and lightly pushing them to the side with his feet, which he then lifted onto the couch, carefully, so as not to disturb the little chick. Now that he found himself curled up against the melodist's side, it... felt like a decisive improvement that could perhaps allow him to postpone the search for blankets for the time being.

Even though he looked dangerously close to nodding off any second, his attention remained sharp when he spoke. Every second spent here mattered, especially so if it had been just like she said, and so many months had passed for her since they could last spend a while together so freely.

Every second, huh? It made him think. "Tear," the boy pulled his knees a bit closer to himself, "would it be all right if I invited you on what, for all intents and purposes, could be considered—..."

That felt like way too many words. He shifted slightly to look at her, well-aware there was no masking the faint blush covering his cheeks.

"—a date?"