"Well, I certainly wouldn't call you insignificant," Claude stated firmly. Then he paused, scratching his chin. "But maybe just plain 'Dias' is best. I mean, he'll always be that no matter what he is to you, so it's probably good to keep things simple." Dias seemed like the kind of guy who liked simple anyway.

Claude wasn't sure if he liked the way Ashton sounded about the outfit stuff, but he could let it slide. His Federation uniform wasn't exactly the trendiest thing around, and it probably seemed awfully alien to anyone not from Earth. Besides, trends on Earth and Expel were pretty different as it was.

Still, it looked like Ashton got his main point, and that was what ultimately mattered anyway.

He shouldn't have been surprised when Ashton pressed about this "experience" Claude had mentioned. The blond paused, looking a little startled. "Well, I mean...I never officially dated anyone on Expel or anything, but, you know, back when I was on Earth, a lot of people actually wanted to date me." That might have sounded conceited, which Claude certainly wasn't, but it was the truth, even if they might have been more interested in his father than Claude himself.

"Naturally I cast the bait and tried to fish for something a little lasting." He leaned over the table, grinning a little in spite of himself. "So, yeah, you could say I have a bit of experience here and there."

Not that he'd ever found anything lasting, of course. The few steady relationships he'd pursued back during his academy days hadn't ended all that well, but Ashton didn't need to know that. He didn't want to ruin his credibility, after all. Experience was still experience!