Though she spits his given name, frigid and hostile, Cid finds himself warmed by hearing it nonetheless. No one calls him that, not anymore. Where it would have sound authoritative coming from anyone else, it's a familiar and fond name coming from her.
... Certainly less fond now, but no less familiar.
"Never said I was innocent. Though I think my infamy has more to do with the eyes on me, less so the things I've done to earn it." Cid has a good deal he's guilty for, most of it having happened in his time as Barnabas' Lord Commander. But the things people tend to whisper among themselves about him have to do with the Mothercrystals and liberating Bearers. The actual sins he's committed and the blood on his hands -- no one's taking him to task for that.
If she truly has nothing to say to him outside of a few snarky remarks, then Cid knows to leave her alone. But there's plenty left unsaid between them. Those unsaid words only seem to metastasize with each passing year, and try as he might, Cid never feels very at peace with it. "Nothing we must, but quite a lot that we should, I'd say," he rebuts.
She must already knows this; the way their lives diverged was sudden and painful, and Cid could take a lot of the blame for that. To him, Leaving Waloed wasn't an option. He couldn't stomach another day of being the King's military lackey -- the bells and whistles of the Lord Commander title didn't make the role any less egregious. It wasn't something she was ready to hear or believe at the time. And it was why parting ways was unavoidable.
He's sure that Benedikta is going to refuse, perhaps fling a few choice expletives his way before storming out. But Cid is pleasantly surprised when she acquiesces, even if she's going to be a little haughty about it. He's always liked that about Benedikta; her attitude. He can handle her barbed words and sharp tongue just fine. Sitting across from her, Cid attempts to make himself comfortable in the wooden chair. Not much is comfortable about his body as a whole anymore, and he's sure his discomfort is at least a little obvious.
A wide grin breaks out on Cid's face at her comment. He's not offended, only amused at her bluntness. "Aye, things have certainly caught up with me," he admits, shrugging his shoulders. "Thank you for your candor, as always." He looks her over in kind, searching for signs of major difference in her, but she's hard to read. It wasn't always that way. He can see a difference in how she carries herself though, as if she's a different person in the world now.
"Can't say the same for you," he comments, "You seem a little different, but you look great, as you always have." It's a genuine compliment, one he hopes she believes despite whatever she's endured between their last meeting and now. "What's been going on in your world of late? If you don't mind me asking, that is."
Cid can't imagine a version of Barnabas that would keep Benedikta around if she didn't have access to Garuda; it's her utility that matters to him, not her humanity. It makes him wonder if she's still based in Waloed or finds herself living elsewhere.
