Closed It's been a minute

[Elio Zephyr]

Elio had purposely not told anyone that he and Rowan were back in New Zealand. Partly because it felt so surreal to be back that he didn't know how long it would have taken him to merge himself back into the reality that was his home growing up, but also because it meant that he could take him time reuniting with his friends, without expectations. It had been four years since Elio had been in New Zealand, and he felt as though he'd lived an entire life in the time he'd been away. After seeing and doing so much, he wasn't quite sure how he would fair settling back down, but it had been something that he and Rowan had always planned to do, and now it was upon them.

Almost as soon as Elio had left for Europe, one of his best friends had told him she was going to be working in a bookshop, plus how much she'd wanted the cute little flat above it. Elio hadn't seen this bookshop, nor even his best friend since around the time of graduation. Harder still, Elio hadn't even completed his seventh and final year at Hogwarts, and with Ava away during their sixth, it had been even longer since the pair had had a real chance to spend some time together. The former prefect knew that his dropping in unannounced was bound to surprise her, having not even mentioned yet that he were back in the country, but he was more excited than nervous to see Ava again.

Opening the door to the store as carefully as he could, Elio hoped he would be able to find Ava in there before she realised he wasn't just another customer. The place was easy enough to find, as it was everything he thought Ava had described, and it very much suited her style. Dressed just in a plain shirt, dark jacket and some jeans, he tried to move quietly through the store until his eyes found the blonde amongst the shelves. "Do you have any books on renovation?" he asked, trying to keep the excitement out of his voice until Ava could turn round and see who exactly was standing behind her.​

 

[Avaria Lockwood]

-godmods approved-

Ava had decided to help Emily out in the bookstore that day. The twins were with her parents, and other than feeling a little queasy that morning, she was bored around the apartment. She hummed as she put away books, lost in thought. She was thinking about everything and nothing all at once, when a voice startled her from her thoughts. She yelled, jumping out of her skin, and spun quickly, book raised in defense.

She stared wide eyed at the intruder for half a moment before she spoke. "Zephyr?" She lowered the book slightly for a moment, before raising it again and smacking him in the arm with it. "Zephyr!!" She squealed, dropping the book completely and pouncing on him for a hug, forgetting immediately that she was supposed to be mad at him for his long silences. She giggled, hugging him tightly.

 

[Elio Zephyr]

Elio had expected that Ava would be surprised, but not that he'd almost immediately be battered by one of his best friends. He was about to protest but given how little contact with Ava, he wondered if maybe he actually deserved it. That didn't stop him grinning at her though, and pushing the book away, wrapped his arms round her waist and lifted her very slightly off the floor in a huge hug. He'd stopped growing at some point during his fifth year, but that didn't mean he'd stopped growing in strength. These days he wasn't much a climber, but he and Rowan had been very active on their travels, and his arms were as strong as ever. Elio didn't want to be sorry for not writing more often, he didn't want to apologise when he knew perfectly well the reasons behind his absence weren't something he could change, and he didn't want to feel as though he was being insincere. "I missed you," he said truthfully, squeezing her tightly before finally lowering her back to the ground.​

 

[Avaria Lockwood]

Ava snuggled into Elio, sighing happily. "I missed you too!!" She told him, pulling back to get a look at him once she was on her feet again. "You should come up for tea!! I have sooooo much to tell you," she chattered, reaching up to hold his face. "And you have to tell me all about your travels!! We can swap stories!" She giggled, holding out both of her hands for his.

 

[Elio Zephyr]

Elio was honestly just glad that Ava was glad he was back, although he wasn't sure why he was too worried, he knew that deep down they'd be able to pop back to just the way they'd been around each other once before. He held her hands, letting her do whatever she wanted to him, and grinned straight back at her. "Well there will be plenty of time for things like that, because we're back baby! Setting up shop here in New Zealand again, so you'll have to deal with me being around a touch more often," he winked, knowing that wasn't going to be a problem in the slightest but he was still excited to tell her. "I've got so much to tell you too!" It was true, there were a many numbers of stories that Elio and Rowan had gained from their ventures, and it had been much too much to write in any kind of postcard.​

 

[Avaria Lockwood]

Ava giggled, motioning for him to follow her through the shop and up the stairs. She yelled to her sister that she was heading up, and quickly went to mix a few of her cocktails for them. She didn't even look to see if Elio had followed her, chattering away happily. "So I live with Vader now, he broke up with Jigoku, my old friend D'Artagnan came and found me, Vader has his photography business, Onyx got married!! That was soooo much fun, and I've got an apprenticeship at a tattoo shop under this super great artist and I'm mixing at the Hogs Head for some extra money! Oh, and I have babies now! Twins, Nico and Aurora, they're almost a year old, I got drunk one night and I woke up alone so I don't know the dad but that's okay I don't need him anyway," she chattered away, finally turning back with two cocktails for them and setting them on the island counter.