Welcome to Gaia! ::

Caedus seemed surprised when Paris offered him the capelet. Hesitantly, he accepted. "Are you sure?" he prompted uncertainly. He held it carefully, as if it were some great treasure, though did not move to put it on until he had permission.

"What is holding you back from being a good knight?" he asked after a moment. "You are only a page—you are fairly new to this, yes? I do not think you can blame yourself. You are learning. You must find your own path. It takes time to settle into the role of someone before you, particularly so if there is no one to guide you. You are doing an amazing thing, though. You are taking on the mantle no one has worn for…far too long, it would seem. And you are doing it without the help of a mentor. It will be a struggle. Each Knight had their own sacred place to protect, tethered to a piece of 'the Code'. Each place was different, and granted different powers. I think."

His brows seemed to furrow beneath the shadows. "I do not know, though. I used to have books. When I return home, I will look for them. Perhaps I can find something to help you."

Caedus hesitated for a moment, and then he nodded slightly and drew the capelet close. "I will treasure this. I will not keep you if you have other things to tend to, but do not doubt when I say that I have appreciated your company. I should like to give you a token. Of friendship," he said, moving to hold the capelet over one arm. He reached into the folds of his robes and withdrew a tattered old bag. He seemed to hold it delicately and was careful not to spill anything or handle it roughly.

Fishing around for a moment, he finally pulled out a small, completely round and entirely smooth little orb. It was not immediately clear what it was until after he'd tied his bag shut and hidden it back under his man layers—and held it out for Paris.

It was only a little bigger than a marble—and seemed almost certainly just a marble, except it seemed to glisten with some strange, internal radiance. Upon closer inspection, it was clear it was just a trick of the moonlight, but the clear crystal had swirls of purple and blue, with glistening specks of some lustrous crystal inside.

It looked like a tiny galaxy, and when the light caught it, it looked as though it glistened with life.

"It is not much," Caedus immediately began, "But I was fond of it. I thought it beautiful. But I would like for you to have this one."

"I am very sure," Caedus said, seeming a bit surprised. "I try to think very hard about all of my actions, and I know very much that I want you to have this. You are correct, though. It is important to me. But I want you to have it. At the very least, I hope you can look at it and remember that you, too are important. I hope you do not feel bad about receiving a gift. I am…quite sorry to hear that you do not receive gifts often. You are sweet, and kind. You seem like you would be a valued friend."

If Caedus' face was not hidden in shadow, perhaps Paris might have seen him smile. But there was a benefit to keeping his appearance hidden, and Caedus did not deem it wise to remove his hood just for such a purpose. Instead, he nodded. "The pleasure was mine, Paris. Take care of yourself. I hope to see you again."