Torre Proibita

A New World

As the two of them rode away from the tower, Elio looked around in wide-eyed amazement while Aria looked down in regret. She didn't mean to ruin the bond between Cassio and Elio, especially since she was mostly honest in her answer, but what happened simply happened. It was a little hard at first due to how shaken up they were from what happened, but they soon eased back into a casual conversation.

"Thank you for taking me with you, Aria. I'm sorry you had to see my father like that, but... to be honest, I've never seen him that angry in years."

While he recalled how the last time he saw Cassio that upset was when he first asked for a friend, Aria wondered why he opposed Elio befriending or falling in love with anyone, and that's when she started wondering if Cassio was Elio's real father. It was at that moment when she felt Elio's hand caressing hers, keeping those thoughts in the back of her mind before she thanked him for the gesture. Seeing how the sun was starting to set in the distance, Elio asked if they could look for a place to spend the night, and she nodded before they started searching.

Once the two of them found a clearing, Aria helped Elio dismount from Canio before she started making a fire for them, all while helping him unload her saddlebag. As soon as everything was set, Aria was about to give her some of her food supply when she noticed that she was running low, which led her to giving him everything she had left. Despite Elio's protest, Aria insisted that he have something to eat, since she could survive with some berries and clover for the moment. With that, she went off to get some food for herself, and she soon came back to find Elio dividing his food between them. Touched by his actions, she started crying before he threw his arms around her and held her close.

As soon as she felt better, Aria thanked Elio for the food and the hug before she embraced him back, making him chuckle a little as his smile grew. After that, Elio sat beside Aria as they finished her food rations before she taught him how to eat clover, glad that it was a gateway for wilderness food. Once the food was done, Aria put out the fire and helped Elio get ready for bed, after which she laid beside him before giggling when he kissed her cheek. Not wanting him to be left out, she smiled and leaned over before kissing him on the lips, and he chuckled before they fell asleep. It was the best night of sleep Elio had ever had in years, and even though it felt odd to be away from Cassio for so long, he was so happy to be with someone as sweet and caring as Aria that he didn't care. He even wondered if he was falling in love with her, unaware of how having such feelings was one of the reasons Cassio locked him away.

Once both of them were awake the next morning, Aria decided to go into the nearest town and buy some food, and Elio was eager to go with her. Knowing that she couldn't leave her special friend behind, she giggled and worked with him to pack her belongings before she helped him mount her horse again, and they soon set off towards the nearest village.