Chuckles escape Lloyd as he watches Zelos' excitement, a dopey smile stretching across his face as he does. Zelos is so cute, honestly, with his lively mannerisms and his wide grin. Red blooms across Lloyd's cheeks and he bites his lip as Zelos coos over the carving, pleased to know he likes it but bashful at the compliments, completely at a loss for what to do with himself. Eventually, he settles for scratching at the back of his neck, looking away enough from Zelos to reorganize his thoughts best he can. "I-I'm glad you like it, man. Carving's a big hobby of mine, and uh. I guess I was inspired?"

This reaction is not what Lloyd thought he was going to get out of Zelos: best case, he had hoped for a dumb line about admiring him or something, something Lloyd could brush off and respond back to. This is genuine, this is honest, and it's making Lloyd's heart pound so hard he's left starry-eyed. Don't fuck it up, Irving. Don't fuck it up.

Dropping his hand, Lloyd looks back at Zelos, hoping the blush isn't too obvious in the dark. Why is Zelos so fucking cute, this is so hard! "Thanks for the kind words, and uh - I mean it's yours to do as you see fit with, but if you need me to drill a hole in it or something I can do that too."