[Amane presses his cheek a little into her shoulder as she ruffles his hair, like a cat leaning into a pet, not caring how much of a needy little kid he looked like at the moment. He let's out a small noise of... reluctant acknowledgement, maybe, at her correction, before making another swipe at his damp face. Technicalities or not, he was still here crying on her not even a week after he moved up in ranks, so that had to be a new record for messing around and finding out, probably.
There's a cold, uneasy feeling prickling in his chest at Ai's offer, however, just for a moment, and the very presence of it gives him pause. An opportunity to go exploring with her would normally leave him excited-- ecstatic, even-- but instead, that eagerness is tempered by something a bit more apprehensive. Ai has been doing this Dreamer thing since well before he was born, so it goes without saying she knew how to handle herself much better than he did. But... what if something unexpected wound up happening on this Excursion together? What if they ran into a Torment or Nightmare they couldn't escape, and he wasn't able to watch her back? He never really worried about stuff like this before, having had enough confidence in Ai's skills and his own, but-- the very idea of possibly seeing her get seriously hurt or even ejected from the Dream Sphere left him feeling unsettled. Of all the people Amane wanted to keep safe as a Dreamer, Ai was at the top of the list.
... Of course, no doubt she probably had gotten into scrapes and mishaps WAY worse than this during her time as Ai-Doll, so perhaps stressing over this was a moot point. Still, that sliver of doubt had wormed it's way in there, and he's afraid of even bringing it up lest the powers that be somehow turn his worries into a possibility. So instead, he offers her a smile back, unable to resist the sunshine in her grin even in this state of his, though it's a bit more muted and reserved compared to his usual ones.]
... yeah. Let's do that, then.
[Even his voice, which he was trying to keep light and agreeable (despite the slight creak that came along with his tears), was a bit lower in energy then one would expect from such an offer. He was grateful for it, and maybe once he got back on his feet again, these worries would vanish, but...]
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There's a cold, uneasy feeling prickling in his chest at Ai's offer, however, just for a moment, and the very presence of it gives him pause. An opportunity to go exploring with her would normally leave him excited-- ecstatic, even-- but instead, that eagerness is tempered by something a bit more apprehensive. Ai has been doing this Dreamer thing since well before he was born, so it goes without saying she knew how to handle herself much better than he did. But... what if something unexpected wound up happening on this Excursion together? What if they ran into a Torment or Nightmare they couldn't escape, and he wasn't able to watch her back? He never really worried about stuff like this before, having had enough confidence in Ai's skills and his own, but-- the very idea of possibly seeing her get seriously hurt or even ejected from the Dream Sphere left him feeling unsettled. Of all the people Amane wanted to keep safe as a Dreamer, Ai was at the top of the list.
... Of course, no doubt she probably had gotten into scrapes and mishaps WAY worse than this during her time as Ai-Doll, so perhaps stressing over this was a moot point. Still, that sliver of doubt had wormed it's way in there, and he's afraid of even bringing it up lest the powers that be somehow turn his worries into a possibility. So instead, he offers her a smile back, unable to resist the sunshine in her grin even in this state of his, though it's a bit more muted and reserved compared to his usual ones.]
... yeah. Let's do that, then.
[Even his voice, which he was trying to keep light and agreeable (despite the slight creak that came along with his tears), was a bit lower in energy then one would expect from such an offer. He was grateful for it, and maybe once he got back on his feet again, these worries would vanish, but...]