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[There’s a brief moment of silence before this particular newcomer speaks up. Though he’s generally familiar with Traverse Town (and may be a familiar face to some of those already present), he takes a moment to carefully choose his words before he speaks. First impressions are important, after all, and more so in somewhere relatively unknown.]

I would be interested in knowing more about this realm. The moogles have already mentioned the Nightmares; is there anything else I should be aware of?

In addition, I would like to offer my services in dealing with the same, should anyone have need of such things.

[Dream Eaters or no, he knows better than to assume everyone is willing to get into combat, and if his strength can offer something of a shield, surely that’s better than nothing.]

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Of course he would, and generally Aeleus is perfectly willing to let Even keep whatever distance he believes necessary. Still, with them so newly restored to all they are, things are bound to be unsettled. Thus, physical contact to help ensure and reinforce the same bonds that had once brought them together.

He makes no effort to move, much less remove his hand from Even's shoulder. He'll remain as long as it takes for Even to decide he's ready let go. Anything less would be a disservice to them both.

"I will."

It takes an active effort of will to uncurl his fingers from Aeleus's tunic, but Even does so. He's not a child; he doesn't need to cling. It would take, however, a greater will than his to brush away Aeleus's hand. He's still not entirely certain that he isn't about to wake up in his little shop, alone. The indisputable realness of the contact helps with that.

"Well," he says, more to fill the silence and manufacture an excuse not to step away than for any real reason. "I trust you will adapt to this place as well as always."

Aeleus was always the quickest to settle into a new routine, to select what habits of an old life to keep and what to discard.

Aeleus wouldn't dream of considering him a child. All the same, he can understand the urge to cling, for all that Even no longer is. It's not the first time his presence alone has served as sort of stabilizer, and he highly doubts it will be the last. He certainly isn't aware of Even's fear, but it's largely irrelevant in light of what he can read by body language alone.

"I'm sure I will, with such capable people willing to stand beside me." True, there are perhaps a few still missing from the number they'd once been, but it's already been proven that the three of them can function quite well as as unit, and that is easily enough for Aeleus.

There's a gentle smile in his words; he means every bit of what he says.

In an event approximately as common as major seismic shifts, Even genuinely smiles. Aeleus's sincerity is affecting: no matter how much he is intellectually aware that circumstances have not drastically changed, that one more person does not make that much of a difference, it feels different.

This whole heart business is not scientifically rigorous at all.

He will deny vehemently being in the least misty-eyed.

"As typical of you as that is, there isn't as far as I have been able to ascertain thus far anything to stand against, unless perhaps the realm itself, and as odd as it may sound, I've decided to save destroying the world for last this time, since it clearly didn't work out very well last time." Babbling? Him? Surely not.

It's a welcome sight, and all the more so for its rarity. In fact, Aeleus is of the opinion that Even could stand to smile more often in general, although he isn't about to tell Even so. It would be counterproductive at best and so he simply keeps those thoughts to himself.

If Even is particularly misty-eyed, Aeleus similarly makes no comment on it. No doubt it's been a emotional enough day without him remarking on something so far out of Even's control, and something still too new to truly be accustomed to it besides.

"Then we can stand together. Surely no one can complain about that much."

"I wonder... You've seen, I expect, that Riku is here. And Sora, and gods know who else. Nothing but Keyblades as far as the eye can see. They can probably complain about anything we do."

This is said without any particular rancor. He's finding it difficult, just at present, to be as bitter as usual; besides, it wouldn't be irrational of them. Just annoying.

"I've seen." So far he isn't much inclined to do more than keep a tentative eye on the both of them, but Riku had at least seemed willing to believe that he bore him no further ill-will. What was yet to come of that, he didn't know, but surely it was a decent start.

"However, they seem to be less immediately hostile at the moment for all they might find reason to complain."

"It wouldn't take much to be less immediately hostile, considering - " Some bitterness can pierce his oddly pleasant mood.

"Ienzo told me Riku killed you," he says abruptly. There was probably a better way to put that.

There probably was, but Aeleus had long since grown accustomed to Even's bluntness. Besides, he'd been expecting the matter of his death to come up sooner or later.

"Not Riku," he corrected, in a surprisingly matter of fact tone of voice. "The shadow he bore." Riku had been simple enough to subdue, but an echo of the Superior's power, coming when he'd least expected it? That he'd been all but helpless against, and he'd found himself fading before he'd really been able to process everything that had happened.

There were no words for how little Even felt like making the distinction. His expression said most of them anyway.

"Nevertheless. I find this fact...distressing. As a matter of safety." (He found it rather more than merely distressing, for reasons he couldn't have articulated had he wanted to try. Aeleus's strength was part of the nature of the universe. And then, there was repetition to dread. That would be worse than Aeleus never being here at all.)

That much, Aeleus understood. If it hadn't been for his general preference to assign blame to the correct being, he might have been similarly inclined to not make the distinction. As for the matter of repetition, he generally preferred to believe that matters would at the very least be inclined to not require him to get into quite that sort of fight.

"Riku's presence here will provide no further threats. Had it not been for the shadow he bore, we would have had him. In addition, I believe he is no longer interested in physical combat of that nature.

Even was significantly less certain on this point, but Aeleus was better when it came to both judging people and judging physical combat. His opinion, therefore, took precedence.

Mostly. Even saw no reason to abandon suspicion entirely.

"If you say so, I suppose. It's not as though there's anything I can do about it, either way." Except try to sell Riku a potion spiked with something unpleasant, but that would be puerile. And Riku wouldn't take one from Even, anyway.

Of course not. Even wouldn't be himself if he abandoned suspicion entirely and so Aeleus has grown used to simply taking it in stride. For now, he would content himself with the grudging acceptance that had already been offered and trust that matters would slowly resolve themselves over time.

"I do."

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