[Likewise, Dion finds himself smiling through any other residual emotion. It doesn't surprise him that Joshua was a bookish boy — that much had been clear at the Remembrance Ceremony. And considering everything else that had followed, of course he would need to be well-read to stay ahead of whatever machinations Ultima had been up to.]

Indeed. Long though I knew I would one day be out in the world, I knew the context would not be the same. [His fond expression falters.] The cliffs of Ash, and the hills of storm would always be marred by war when I came upon them. It was nice to understand them as they were.

[Joshua has the right idea when it comes to Dion's fondness for planting. He averts his gaze, finding his fingers briefly tightening against Joshua's own before relaxing once more.]

I know that Wyvern Tails have cursed a great many. Their poison is a vicious one. But surely it may yet have its uses. And I suspect the savage cruelty of the woods will lend itself well to their natural beauty.

[The last thing he wants is the pristine, sanitized white of the Sanbrequois variant.]