• Aria looked up with wide grey eyes at the person who walked up to her, only to grumble in frustration and put her head back down on her knees when she saw Zack.

    “Hey now, what’s with the cold welcome?” Zack teased and plopped down on the ground next to the upset witch. His bright blue eyes sparkled with a curious gleam. He swung his legs over the edge and swung his feet happily, looking out at the rolling ocean. He then stopped and looked over at his friend, his happy expression quickly changed to a face of worry. “What’s wrong? Aren’t you used to Tazi yet? You’ve been here for almost a month.” He asked, reaching out his hand near her shoulder as if to touch her.

    Aria shook her head and turned away from him. “It’s not that simple. Just because I’ve been in one place for a while doesn’t mean I’ve adjusted to it. I… I miss my mom.” She whispered and looked down. Her eyes and part of her face were hidden by the fringe of her bangs so it was impossible for Zack to tell what was going on in her head.

    Zack bit his lower lip whilst he thought. He was never very good at comforting people and always tended to say the wrong things. He ran a hand through his messy black hair and huffed in exasperation. Aria didn’t bother to even look up. Zack opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it. This continued several more times and gave him the appearance of a gawking fish. Finally, he grumbled something to himself and pinched the bridge of his nose.

    “Look, I know it’s hard. I missed my home life too when I first got here. But you get used to it, trust me.” He said in a happy tone and smiled at Aria, attempting to brush some of the hair out of her face. The little witch looked up slightly from under her bangs at the goofy expression plastered on Zack’s face. Her face pressed against her knees again as she tried to stifle a laugh, but it forced its way out as a muffled giggle, followed by a snort. Aria's head shot up as she clasped her hands over her mouth in horror. Zack only laughed. “It’s fine. Besides, it was funny. The look on your face was priceless!” He chuckled. The laugh earned a hard punch from Aria. Zack let out a small whine and rubbed his now sore arm, giving her the kicked puppy look.

    The raven-haired girl stuck out her tongue in response. “That’s what you get for laughing at me.” She said and crossed her arms whilst unfolding her legs. It was clear that she was feeling better than she had earlier. Zack laughed again and flopped backwards so he was lying down, his arms folded behind his head. He let out a rather loud, exaggerated sigh.