With a sigh, I plop down next to Haseo on the edge of a small hill, in a sunny field. We'd just cleared the place of monsters, boss included, and I insisted we rest here a little while before going back to Mac Anu.

We almost always went to fields or dungeons with either Gaspard or Atoli, but with a few extra healing items, I had assured Haseo we could clear this one on our own. It was really nice to spend some time alone with him, for once.

"Haseo," I say quietly, one leg dangling off the hill while the other was propped up, my arm resting on it. "Now, isn't this nice?"

"No," Haseo snaps. "I could be in another field right now, gaining more experience."

I smile lightly. "You have to stop pushing yourself so much, you know."

Haseo sighs and leans back, lying down on the grass, folding his arms behind his head. "Yeah, whatever. You just gotta stop looking out for me so much, Silabus."

My smile widens as I turn to look at him. "Where would you be if I didn't?" Haseo just grunts and closes his eyes.

I like to think that Haseo and my relationship has grown a lot over the past while. The arena kind of forced Haseo to get used to me, and to trust me a little more, but even outside of that…Haseo asks me to a bunch of areas, a lot more often than others on his member address list.

And while I love doing things with Gaspard, there's something different about spending time with Haseo. Gaspard always wears his emotions on his sleeves, but with Haseo, it's kind of like a puzzle. Like now, even though he snapped at me, and is brushing me off, I can tell he does appreciate both the time we're spending now, and me constantly making sure he's safe.

Falling backwards, I lie against the grass next to Haseo. The pixilated sun in the sky washed the field in an orange glow, and it almost actually felt warm. This was my favorite kind of field – the bright morning ones had a clean feeling, but Haseo always complained the sun glared too much. And I hated those dark and dreary nighttime thunderstorm fields Haseo always liked; you can barely see where you're going.

Haseo sighs gruffly, and turns so his back is towards me. I scoot over so I can put my chin on his arm, and look at his face. "Are you tired, Haseo?" I ask, upon seeing him curl into himself a little, his eyes still closed.

"Y'think?" he mumbles, shrugging me off of him.

Smiling, I squiggle closer to Haseo so I'm leaning up against him. "Hm? Isn't it a good thing I made you take a break for once?"

"Ugh," Haseo moves away and shifts to sit up. "I should just log out and get some real sleep."

"Haseo, I'm only kidding with you," I say, though my smile is still set upon my face.

"…" Haseo looks down at the ground, before sighing and standing up. He holds a hand out for me, but he kept his eyes trained on the floor. I take his hand and allow him to pull me up, but he (I think, purposefully) uses too much force, and I stumble, and fall against his chest. He doesn't even budge before wrapping his arms around me.

"Thanks for – you know, always making me slow down," he mutters, his lips right next to my ear.

"U-um," I blush a little, my hands lying flat against the front of Haseo's armor. "No problem, Haseo."

He pulls back and smiles, a small, but truly genuine smile. He warps out of the area, leaving me alone, and I immediately slouch forward a little, shocked by his sudden kindness. Once I collect my thoughts a little, I straighten up, and smile.

You know, I always knew Haseo could lighten up a little, even if it takes him a while.