TBATE: A Hero's Return

Meeting Each Other Again

Tessia was extremely excited to meet her childhood friend after so many years but was also incredibly nervous about the potential meeting. It had been many years since they last met each other, and he had been engulfed in a new culture on a foreign continent for much of the time.

She still vividly remembers the sheer despair and desperation she felt when Scythe Cadell held Arthur by the neck, a wicked victorious glimmer in his eyes. Arthur on the other hand looked dejected, defeated, and completely exhausted both emotionally and physically as if he was simply done with life. For the first and only time since she knew him, he had given up. And she wasn't strong enough to support him and help him during his lowest moment.

Now, she was in the corner of the Helstea Estate, watching Arthur hug his family and crying with them after so long. She desperately wanted to go over, hug her friend and the love of her life tightly, and tell him how much she missed him. Yet, her feet felt like cinder blocks anchoring her in place. She couldn't bring herself to approach him, butterflies in her stomach stealing away her confidence as she looked at the love of her life from afar.

There is a phenomenon that some people talk about known as the "soldier's eyes." When a veteran of war comes back home, their friends and family seem to note that something not describable is different about their eyes. It is as if the trauma and unspeakable horrors they had to witness left an undetectable scar on their eyes, forever marking and changing their worldview as a result.

Tessia had seen it on many of the soldiers that had come back supposedly unscathed from battle, even on her own grandfather. None of them seemed to have it as bad as Arthur did.

But she also noticed the light fill his eyes again as he saw his family. She smiled to herself. Her childhood friend was traumatized from his time in the war, but she also knew he would easily do it all again in an instant if that was asked of him. He clearly found it all worth it.

She sighed to herself, looking down at the ground as she thought about how pathetic she was for not even being able to say hi to him.

Arthur on the other hand was keenly aware of her presence this whole time. He chuckled to himself as he looked at her, thinking that no matter how old she got, she was always the same bumbling, awkward girl he knew.

"I missed you, Tess."

She looks up wide-eyed, the nails of her fingers digging into her palms behind her back. The sight of her childhood friend smiling brightly at her stunned her. She didn't expect him to have realized she was even in the room. His face blurred from view as tears threatened to escape from her eyes.

"You dummy," Tessia said before wiping her eyes.

She choked back a sob as she ran into his arms. She pressed her arms into his back, pulling him closer to her. She immediately realized under the thin fabric of cloth under her fingers that he had a gruesome scar on his back. Her heart sank at the knowledge. She couldn't stand the fact that he had struggled and been in pain in the time since they last saw each other.

"I missed you too."

After greetings, hugs, and lots more crying and tears of joy had been shed, everyone convened at the couches in the main sitting area to talk. Everyone gave knowing smirks when Tessia sat right next to Arthur. Tessia blushed in response while Arthur appeared blissfully unaware.

They discussed a variety of topics ranging from fond memories from the past to current relationship statuses of friends and those close to everyone. Arthur was especially surprised to learn that his mentor and older sister figure Jasmine now had a boyfriend, an old friend of the Twin Horns back from their adventuring days named Aaron. He made a mental note to meet the guy at some point in the future.