Bastion was enchanted by the charms, for their aesthetic value alone. He let out a vaguely effeminate giggle when she finished her rhyme, and took her advice for a long magpie to heart. "I will certainly do it straightaway if I chance upon one!" He promised, solemnly. It was easy to fall into the lull of an interesting conversation, and forget how comfortable one could get. When she asked him about his freedom, it hit him with a sudden nostalgic pain. He dropped back, sitting on his rear as he considered the question.
When was he not free? And had he ever considered his life a prison, until that very moment?
"My childhood was very, ah, protected." He hedged, trying to soften the edges. "Noni says it has to do with us being bad omens, but I was always told it was for my own good. I suppose I believed them. I suppose I might still believe them now, but I do not agree. No, never that."
He fiddled with the edges of his vest, as he thought about his family, truly thought about them, for the first time since their deaths.
