[There is a bit of a surprise when she starts patting her head, and the confusion shows on his face... But he doesn't pull away as she does it either. It certainly wasn't a bad thing. In fact, it felt kind of nice. Beat laughs, smiling back at her as she does it.]

Heh, I like the sound a' that. Kinda makes us some kinda dream team, don't it?

[It's not instantaneous that he realizes that what he says could be taken another way, but when it does dawn on him, a light blush spreads across his cheeks. Before, he might've looked away in embarrassment, but he didn't shift or look away from Futaba.

Not this time.]

I dunno what lore is but if it is what I think it is, then I'm just glad she wasn't like that to you back home.

[He knew all too well how it felt to have parents who didn't care for you. Maybe even resented you as their child. Beat wouldn't wish that on anyone. And he felt he should return the trust in kind.]

My 'rents... they was kinda like how your mom was when we was fighting her. They was always gettin' up on my grill, I was always pissin' them off. Ran away from home a coupla times 'cause of it.

[Futaba had seen the dream before, hadn't she? Of some fantasy that only existed in his mind. It was hard to admit that he still wished that at times. Even if he doesn't look away, his leg starts to shake, bouncing up and down, foot against the ground as he spoke.]

So I thought it was like that for you, too. And that shit is jus' messed up, you know?