[ ...She's right. He knows she is. If...if there's any sort of future for him and Alisaie that's more than just friendship, then it's probably better they have this conversation now, than further down the road, when standing on opposite sides of the issue could hurt even worse. It's a very real fear. Friends had disappeared and gone home, Ignis had disappeared and gone home, and losing those connections hasn't been easy, either. Has he stopped to consider just how greatly it might affect him if it was Alisaie who went home?

He knows his answer — he's too much of a hopeless romantic for that to change. But still, maybe if he spends more time actually considering that instead of feeling sorry for himself for being rejected in the first place, he'll know what to say when he finally goes to talk to Alisaie again.

After a long moment, a breathless laugh shuffles out of him, and he manages a crooked smile. ]

Guess I don't need all the calories going right to my thighs, anyway. [ And then, more serious: ] So...you guys decided it was worth the risk, huh? To give it a shot in this place.

[ The more perspective he can gain about this, the better. ]