"Will people please get over my ankle? Look, I'm over it," Nida said, and yeah, that was a joke. Laugh would you? Because he thinks it's funny enough. And a deflection. How insane their conversations had gotten, with all this avoiding topics while trying to pin the other down on one.

"You don't know what I know, which is that you didn't do that," he offered, his voice soft. "I have the reports. I have Edea's word. I have yours. Well, an older you, and apparently it took Squall a long time to pry it loose, but there you go. So maybe I'm still fighting my ghosts. No reason to believe, so close to Ultimecia's actions as you are, that you aren't fighting your ghosts. We're just at different points on that hopeful progression of healing. Of accepting ourselves. Of accepting each other."

It wasn't personal? Yeah, well Nida can accept that. He smirks at Seifer, looking at him once again.

"In a way, I was thankful for it, Seifer. You were one of so few people to ever notice me. Even negative attention serves to reaffirm that you're actually there."