⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰familarity ♡ ｡˚⸙͎۪۫⋆ ༄

*̩̩̥͙-•̩̩͙-ˏˋ⋆ 𝑰: reunion ⋆ˊˎ-•̩̩͙-*̩̩̥͙

it had been about two years since the group had last seen each other. while living and exploring with the naacals, esteban had of course started to be bored of this life, often pondering to his best friend and to how he might be, ignoring the soft smiles coming from his girlfriend. obviously, this didn't shine any kind of good fortune as he seemed to become uninterested in his relationship, leaving zia to fall out of love with him. she found their relationship to becoming something more of a friendship where the two have way too much time together than two lovers who get to spend eternal paradise together. she knew he'd want to see tao again, but if he told her that he had been yearning to see their naacal friend again, she would definitely jump to conclusions. after about half a year of noticing this strange behavior, she decided it was better for them to let go of each other and stay friends, i mean that was basically their relationship at the moment, wasn't it? -look. esteban? im sorry but i don't think this will work out very well, you seem rather distant. i understand this might hurt a little, but i just want to stay friends. please? i think it's better for the both of us.- she spoke so timidly, like as if she was expecting some sort of outburst from esteban. he, of course, would never snap at her for something like that, but he isn't the type to often take responsibility for himself, especially in distressing situations like this. -i... alright zia. i'll listen to you, that was my promise before we left after all... let's stay friends!- his shockingly bittersweet tone made the young girl shocked as she seemed to expect a more emotional and upset reaction, like he was a toddler who just got told no. obviously, esteban wasn't thrilled over this rather gloomy news, but didn't take it as horribly as he thought he would. perhaps it was the knowledge of their long-lasting friendship continuing, or perhaps this distance the girl spoke about was him falling out of love. however, why would he be falling out of love with such a flawless girl? he refused to believe the latter of the two and kept quiet about his feelings, acting like as if nothing ever happened. because if it doesn't affect him negatively, why should it affect him at all?

about 6 months later, he found himself looking off into one of the many cities of "gold". the one he made with tao and zia, where tao pushed them to working hard and never giving up, reasonably so since it was going to save the world. there he is, yet again, having his friend's face and voice spiraling around in his head, never letting him free. -what is it that bothers you, chosen one?- one of the elder ones spoke softly, standing over the child of the sun after having walked (seemingly as quiet as a mouse) to the brunette who sat alone. -just thinking of my friends...- a half lie, he was thinking of his friend, but not necessarily all his friends. he was thinking of his naacal, his best friend that criticized him in a fun way, his friend who was probably out there with that girl from india, what was her name again? it felt bizarre to himself to see how he was acting, this wasn't something from before. was he just ignoring it before? it's definitely affecting him negatively now so what should he do? he felt similarly for zia all the way back when he was still 13. could this be love, or just a reminiscing loneliness? -it has been what would be a while for you since you've last seen them, hasn't it?- the wise woman spoke, making sure not to do any sudden movements to scare the brunette, like he was some kind of forlorn baby. -it has. i wonder how they are doing right now...- he pondered for a little bit, mind straying from tao for a bit to think about mendoza and laguerra, sancho and pedro... even pichu. he wonders what has changed while he was gone, and he would do anything to see them once again, to see him once again. there tao is, crawling back into the corners of his mind and eating away at his brain. why is this happening? why couldn't he just push these feelings aside? -i believe it's time for you to visit again. i'll go get zia, you stay here.- the elder turned rather quickly, keeping her confidently soft sound going, like as if she was comforting him in a "there, there" sort of manner. she swiftly walked away, leaving the child of the sun there alone, to look over all the cities of gold they found. he had always found sûndagatt the prettiest, after all it is the one they found underwater of all places. at that city tao was still down from ambrosius's betrayal, he seemed as distant as ever. as he realized that the black haired boy flood through his mind again, he took a deep breath, embracing the wind that blew gently through the brunette's strands of hair, as he looked up towards the sky, basking in it's glory. his name means "child of the sun", which in his sense is true in a way as he has an ability to call the sun down. it takes a bit of effort and true raw emotion, but he can absolutely do it. but what good does that have in this land of constant sun? he wondered what the weather was like back where his friends were. -esteban? esteban!- zia yelled in her endearing tone, from the first listen you wouldn't be able to tell that they broke up. in fact, saying they broke up to tao might be harder than he originally thought, i mean, how can explain why they broke up without making himself seem like a dickhead? he turned towards zia, wind making his face look a little bigger than it truly is, but still keeping him good looking to his own weird standards. -hey zia, ready to go?- esteban gave his usually bright smile, a true simple gleaming smile he only gave to his friends. -absolutely! we haven't seen tao and the others in so long! how do you think indali and tao are now?- well, at least he knows that indian girl's name now! -hahah! yep! im so excited to see them again!- how could he not be? he's seeing his father figure, his friends and (hopefully) his father. -alright now chosen ones. off you go, we'll see you again, i believe?- the naacal spoke almost angelically, making esteban's head go a little fuzzy. -yes ma'am!- zia giggled at how lost her friend seemed, reasonably so since this was definitely overwhelming for someone who's struggling to figure out his emotions. he never truly ever did get a chance with how busy his travels have been, and his time spent here has definitely been the occasion to reflect. -have fun children.- and with a gentle smile, she showed them the one that went straight to patala. the chosen ones waved towards the elder, watching the elder wave back to them, nodding slightly as they turned and left.