[Cloud, outwardly, would never seem all that affected by all of those little gestures. In the past, he'd have smiled. Laughed too, gave so much more of a reaction than what he'd give now. He'd changed, in the years he'd been on his own. In the years he'd not. Irrevocably so.

Whereas in the past, he'd been free with his emotion, even naive with it- now it's tightly wound. He's careful with it. Even around Zack. Even if he knows that above anyone else, Zack can be trusted. There's one thing that hadn't changed though. The fact he clung to each tiny little gesture. Light shoves. Hair ruffles. That stupid bump of their forearms they did so long ago. Everything.

...Whether it was shown or not. They still meant everything.]

No idea.

[A straight answer for a straight question. He looks up from the ground to Zack as he answers, clearly curious as to why it was asked. And to explain...]

I feel it. I don't feel enough to know names, though. Or anything about 'em. Just what they are.

[And, as they walk...]

So... apparently, there's words you gotta say when the bonding spell's cast. [It runs through his mind what he'd said to Aerith. That this time was different. That... ]

...It's just words.