No matter how unnecessary

[Aion Zephyr]

It was the first week of the holidays, if Aion could even call them that anymore. It was the first week of the rest of his life. He wasn't used to considering himself a graduate, and it was going to take time to adjust to not needing to spend so much time studying. Nevertheless he had a lot to look forward to, especially over the next month or two, so long as he could get through the visit with his mother. Aion didn't have any problems with either of his parents, in quite fact the opposite. They got on well when they spent time together, but finding that time was the main difficulty. With his mum and dad in full time jobs that took them around the world, it had never been unusual for the man to see them once a year, especially once that was combined with his time off school. At least now Aion had less of an excuse not to seek them out, but it just happened that a few days after his graduation, his mum would be in New Zealand.

Aion sat in his car, a personal early 18th birthday and graduation present to himself, looking at the front window for any sign of the woman he hoped to recognise. It had been a little over a year since he'd last seen her in person, and it would have been a lie to say he wasn't slightly nervous. He pulled down the sun visor, the small mirror showing his reflection back at him. The blue from his hair had almost faded completely now, leaving in its place his regular natural brown. It had been fun while it lasted, and no doubt would let Cyan experiment more in the future with it, but for now he was content with letting it just do it's own thing. He caught sight of the thin piece of cord that had lived under his shirt since September, and only now did he reach to grab hold of it, looking at the pendant's details in the mirror. Why was he still even wearing this? After a moment he had it untied, and looked down to see the metallic hammer resting in the palm of his hand. At one point he wouldn't have traded it for the world, but now it seemed a lifetime ago that it had the depth of importance to him. He quickly slid the necklace into a pocket in between the two front seats, knowing that later he'd have to figure out what he wanted to do with it.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a figure moving outside, and closed the sun visor to the roof of the car as he prepared to meet the woman he hoped would spare him a few precious minutes of her time.

 

[Martina Moretti]

After long, hard negotiation with her client (and his frankly tiresome wife), Martina had finally managed to schedule in a visit to see her son. She owed it to him, really, considering she'd missed his graduation, and several other important milestones of his life. Working all around the world could be incredibly burdensome at times - not to mention lonely. Most of her free time was spent catering for clients, half of whom weren't sure exactly what it was they were demanding, while the other half seemed to be under the impression that just because Martina was a witch, she could conjure miracles. The stress of the job, on top of being so far away from her husband and son, had really begun to wear the tough woman down; it was visible in the creases on her forehead and the dark circles under her eyes, though she'd done her best to conceal the latter under a heavy application of make-up. She didn't want Aion worrying about her, after all - he had his own life to think about now that he was a fully grown adult.

Martina sighed as she triple checked her hair in the mirror. Had so much time really passed? Only yesterday it seemed she'd been hiring nannies to take care of him. Now he was more likely to be taking care of her. Taking a fistful of floo powder from the cup beside the fireplace, Martina vanished from her living room and stepped out into the bustling town of Obsidian Harbour, on the outskirts of which she had arranged to meet Aion. She wasn't sure why she couldn't just meet him when he came home, but after all the times she'd let him down, she'd decided just this once not to question it. Apparently, he'd gone and bought himself a car - for what purpose, she could only imagine. At the end of the road, a lone four-by-four idled on the kerb; Martina's step quickened to reach it sooner. Spotting her son in the driver's seat - goodness, he'd grown - she grinned and waved, jogging the last distance and opening the passenger door to get inside. "I'm so sorry I missed your graduation," she said, as soon as she'd settled into her seat. "Did you have a nice time? I've got an hour, by the way, before I've got to run - Mr. and Mrs. Vinciguerra will be the absolute death of me, I swear it. Oh, I've missed you - look at your hair! Is it blue? This Maddie had better not be a bad influence - you're going up in the world! Just look at the size of this car!"

 

[Aion Zephyr]

Aion gave a small smile as the woman flung open the door and hopped inside. She never failed to busy herself, and it came as no surprise to him that it wouldn't be long before she had to return to her work. Grateful however that she'd made the trip to come out to visit him, he was quick to dismiss her apology. "Don't worry about Graduation. It was all over pretty quickly actually, you didn't miss much" he gave a small laugh. It had been a turning point for him and he was glad he'd had Cyan to share it with, but it would have been more difficult for him to enjoy himself if his mom or dad had shown up. There was a level of closeness that their relationship lacked, and while as a child he'd yearned for more attention than either of them could have ever given, he'd grown to realise all he needed to do was fill his time with solving problems, and keeping his mind occupied. Aion absent mindedly ran his hand through his hair a little at it's mention. If only she'd seen it when it was fresh, she would've had a heart attack. His mom was nothing if not a professional, and her approval on such outgoing behaviour hadn't gone amiss.

Despite writing to both parents at least once a month, there were apparently still a few minor details that escaped his moms memory. It wasn't her fault, she had a lot on her plate after all. "It wasn't Maddie" he gave a nervous laugh, not wanting her to feel embarrassed at the realisation of her mistake. "I've not spoken to her for a couple of months now. No, this was Cyan" he grinned at her, recalling their evening in the back of his mind. He'd brought up his newest best friend to his parents in almost all of his recent letters, and unlike the Hufflepuff he'd not needed to stretch the truth when speaking to them. "I think it will work you know" he added, glancing around the interior of his new vehicle. It was sturdy and reliable, and Aion had high hopes that it was going to live up to its expectations. He looked back at his mom, wondering if she knew. He sighed silently to himself, knowing it was more or less pointless asking her to keep up with the details. He pushed on, keen to keep some form of attachment with the woman, even if it was about her own career. "Does Mr Vinciguerra still require the entirety of St Leonards to be present at the bonfire, "just incase"?" he laughed, knowing how much his mom tried to please her clients and their unusual demands. He'd wanted to show his mom his favourite shop in Obsidian before lunch, but with only an hour to spare it looked as though it was one or the other. "Are you hungry?" He asked her, his eyes studying her face. She looked slightly more overworked than when they'd last met, perhaps she wasn't prioritising health over her job, not that that was anything new.

He let her talk as he started up the engine, listening intently as though he needed to cling onto every word that was directed his way. It had been a year since he'd passed his driving test, but it felt perfectly natural to lead the machine towards the village, much more so he imagined than apparating ever would. For now Aion was just content with being somewhere warm and dry and in the company of someone he could talk to, even if it was to be short lived.

 

[Martina Moretti]

Martina smiled gratefully at her son, touching his arm. He was a good boy, he really was. Unfortunately, she knew that had very little to do with her; but at least it reflected well on the family, for whatever that was worth. She liked to boast about her son's achievements to anyone who'd listen, omitting the details she was slightly less fond of, and embellishing those she was. Didn't every parent do the same? Though it had been a hassle, Martina truly was glad she'd managed to find an hour to spend with him.

"Cyan?" she said weakly. "Oh... sorry, Adam." Well, she couldn't be expected to keep up with every new girlfriend, could she? There were too many important things in life to remember. Unaware she'd slipped up, Martina smiled, glancing around the interior of Aion's car. It was all a bit... flashy for Martina's taste. What did he need such a great big car for, anyway? Men and their toys! She laughed, touched Aion had remembered what she'd told him about her clients. Then again, she did harp on about them, which probably made it difficult to forget. "If he could have it, I'm sure he'd ask! Last week, he asked me if he could have the guest invitations delivered by eagle. Honestly, where does he think I'll find three hundred eagles in time for for the end of June?!" She shook her head, still unable to shake her disbelief. Some people wanted the entire world - and when they couldn't have it, they threw a fit!

At the prospect of lunch, Martina glanced at her watch. "Lunch? Are you sure we've got time?" But Aion had already started up the car and pulled away from the kerb. "All right," she said nervously, hoping Mr. Vinciguerra wouldn't be in a foul mood when she returned. "Lunch it is! How exciting. You'll have to tell me all about this girlfriend of yours. Siân, did you say her name was?"

 

[Aion Zephyr]

His mom was the only person he'd ever known to forget on occasion that he'd changed his name from the one he'd been given at birth. Obviously she had an attachment to his former forename, but it took all his strength not to show in his face that he was uncomfortable. He hated it, and everything to do with it, but Aion knew his mom only meant well, and it wasn't said with any disrespect. Adam would slip into conversation every now and then with her and she'd rarely even realise her error.

"If you need three hundred eagles, there's a breeder down on the coast of the British Columbia that could probably help you" he mentioned, his eyes never leaving the road as he turned the corner. Training as a Magizoologist had it's benefits, and given that Aion had spent a large part of his free time looking up places of interest, including various breeders, he could certainly name a few destinations off hand. Why anyone however would want invitations delivered by eagle was beyond him; think of the mess. It didn't envy his mother, nor the path she'd chosen to take. If anything she was an inspiration to the former Ravenclaw. She'd worked so hard during her life to turn dreams into reality, that he hoped he would have just an ounce of the determination and willingness for her role that she'd known throughout his life.

"Cyan." He clarified, pulling into a smaller road that would eventually back onto Obsidian Harbour. "Like the colour". No doubt after his mom met her, colour would never leave her mind. They'd been together for less than ten minutes, and Aion's patience with the woman though was already wearing thin. He was outright shocked to hear his mom mention Cyan as his girlfriend, "Mom, no she's not. Not even close" He didn't need his parents fussing over him about who he was dating, and of all people, Cyan was the last person he considered a pairing with. A few people at school had had expressed a similar thought though, and while Aion thought her to be cheerful, supportive, pretty and one of the most entertaining people he'd ever met, he certainly didn't see her in that way. It was infuriating the number of people who believed they were more than friends, as though that was an impossible situation. He pulled up and parked outside the restaurant, and sliding out his seat he closed the door behind him with a little more force than he anticipated.

 

[Martina Moretti]

"Don't indulge him," Martina said, shaking her head. "The last thing that man needs is to think he can have what he wants!" Actually, it was more likely to be the last thing Martina needed, but she wasn't going to tell Aion that. She'd spent three weeks preparing for that forsaken bonfire; changing any of the plans now might have finished her off for good.

Martina sighed as they pulled into a narrow road. "Cyan," she repeated, with a nod. "You know what I'm like with names, sweetheart. You know, just a few days ago, a client bumped into me and asked about... some sort of wedding do, I think it was - anyway, we must have worked together on something before, because she knew who I was - but do you think I could remember her name? You'd think I'd make more of an effort, after all these years of embarrassment. I'm a hopeless case, aren't I?" She smiled at her son, wondering whether he was really listening. Probably not. "Listen to me, going on about work. It's your special day! Lunch is on me - I insist. It's the least I can do."

Unbuckling her seatbelt, Martina got out of the car. It had been some time since she'd had the opportunity to go out for lunch, and she was quite excited about it, despite the niggling fear of running late. They went inside and found a vacant table, settling into it and ordering their food. As the waiter disappeared off to the kitchen, Martina smiled. "You are coming home soon, aren't you? I've missed you, dear. Gave me a fright when I saw you - haven't you grown! I thought we could celebrate your graduation at my client's bonfire. It would be fun, wouldn't it? I hardly ever get to attend these functions as a guest, as well as an organiser."

 

[Aion Zephyr]

Aion shrugged, his mom would do what she thought was best and it had been a long time since the man thought he was capable of changing her mind. He gave her an empty smile when she mentioned names. It was true, they weren't a fact that particularly stuck, but it would be nice if she could recall those closest to him or even his own name for that matter. Growing up he'd not had too many friends either, and now that he actually was trying to talk to this woman about someone he cared for, he couldn't help feel a little hurt at her quick dismissal. He should have expected it, after all it had been a similar scenario with Maddie, and while he'd been dealing with the issue for a number of years now, there was still a small part of him that remained a tad disappointed.

"Yes. I'll be home towards the end of July. I just have a few things to do first" Aion clarified, knowing how difficult it was going to be to return to the place he grew up in. He'd spent only a week or so a year at the house in California since starting at Durmstrang eight years ago, but the memories he held for the building weren't exactly the happiest. He was due to be meeting his dad towards the end of the year in New York though, and he looked forward to be able to get out the house and catch up with him too.

Aion wasn't convinced he'd grown that much, and wasn't that something parents said to fill a void in conversation? He'd grown more mentally than physically, not that he expected Martina to realise that of course. "Sure" he nodded along at the invitation. At least he'd be able to spend another day with her. He would relish those chances even if they were short lived and full of mistakes. She was trying and Aion appreciated that. Taking a seat opposite his mother, and with food on the way, he knew he had a few minutes of uninterruptible discussions ahead of him. He hated small talk, and since there was a part of him that felt as though his moms previous lack of acknowledgment was offensive, he used the time he had to press a particularly important issue. "Cyan & I will be going away for a while. She's still got another year remaining at Hogwarts but since we have the holidays we're going to make use of it." he explained, taking a sip of his water. He was trying to emphasise that Cyan was a name she was going to need to remember, and besides, it would also be great if she could recall his future career title.

 

[Martina Moretti]

For some reason, Martina had expected Aion to decline her invitation to the bonfire, so when he instead accepted, she looked briefly startled before breaking out into a nervous smile. Spending so much time with her son was so unusual, it almost felt unsettling. Plus, she could never quite shake the fear that she didn't know her son as well as she ought to - a fact she sought to perpetuate, rather than amend, lest he realise what a distant mother she'd been. He'd deserved better than that, really, but Martina had been preoccupied with work, always dashing out the door to meet with a client or to scout the latest functions. By the time she'd realised what she'd done, she'd decided it was already too late to fix.

"G-going away?" Martina stammered, trying to look interested, though her face openly betrayed her sadness. The notion was ridiculous, but she couldn't help wondering whether he simply didn't want to come home. No - that couldn't be it. She vaguely recalled her son mentioning a desire to travel, but couldn't for the life of her recall any details. "Well, that's lovely. That's fantastic. But... where will you go?"

 

[Aion Zephyr]

The former Ravenclaw nodded, and smiled gratefully when the waiter brought him his serving of Enchiladas. They were hot and spicy but had a large scoop of sour cream to balance out the taste - easily the best he'd found around here. As he dug in, he began to try and explain what he meant "Well, this summer we're going to Spain since that's where her grandmother was from. Then I'll come home for a couple of weeks before I make the transition to travel full time" he could have sworn his mom was already aware of all this from his letters, but it didn't hurt to reiterate. "At least I have the car now. Sure I can apparate but that doesn't keep you warm at night" he chuckled to himself, taking a bite of his lunch.

"Once I start full time work as a Magizoologist in September I'll probably be moving about all over the world." He was looking forward to seeing new places, and even more so when Cyan could join him for the trips. He would come back and visit friends and family when time was permitting, but at this point after all his studying he just wanted to get straight into it. "First stop is just around the corner from here actually. I'm going to try to find a Antipodean Opaleye" he announced proudly. It would be great to see one up close. Taking the chance to talk to one of the women he knew had the best decisions when it came to work loads, he wasn't going to waste an opportunity. "So how do you do it? Balancing family and work?" He genuinely wanted to know what he needed to do, and while he wasn't going to trust her opinion 100%, giving the state of their relationship, it was a good starting point to figure out what he should and shouldn't be doing.

 

[Martina Moretti]

The words hit Martina like punches to the gut. Aion wasn't coming home. He was going to travel, indefinitely. What did that mean for her? She'd hoped perhaps that she could make up for lost time between them after his graduation, but those plans were slipping through her fingers faster than water. Had she missed the only chance she'd had to get to know her son?

"Oh," she said, feebly spearing a leaf of spinach with her fork. She'd known he had plans to travel at some point, but she hadn't realised just how serious he was about it. This was a career for him, not just a gap-year. Martina forced herself to smile. She was genuinely happy, but it was difficult not to allow the regret to overpower her pride. "That's wonderful. I - I had no idea you had so many ambitions! You'll have to keep writing, when you go." Admittedly, Martina had only been skim reading his letters recently - she'd just been too busy, and figured the only thing her son had to talk about was who he was taking to the Yule Ball, and what he wanted for Christmas. "Oh, you don't want to hear about that," she said, giving a weak wave of her fork. As she did so, she caught a glimpse of her watch, and her heart plummeted. "Crap. You know, I'm probably going to have to head off twenty minutes early - I've just remembered I've got this stupid errand to run for Lilith. You won't mind if I run just after this meal, do you?"