parce que je fais qu'est-ce que c'est que j'veux
The Condor's Last Flight Chapter 1: Futures ”I just wish it could have lasted longer, you know?”
At that, Zia looked up a little. Staring ahead, looking at someone she couldn't see.
“What do you mean? It's still lasting.”
"...you know what I'm talking about.”
She did, of course. Yet it wasn't very easy to talk about. Every time they've tried, it had felt like sticking their hands into boiling water, and none of them would handle it very long. Save for Esteban, of course; but he was the only one without hands, in this situation.
May they be metaphorical or literal.
“I wish we could keep going on adventures.”, he continued, his voice sounding in a corner of Zia's head. “I wish we could keep flying over the world. Maybe we can resume our quest...”
“You're still onto that, aren't you?”
“I can't help it. I hate the frustration of unfinished work, you know it!”
“I know it. And I'm sorry.”
She sighed slightly, pensively running a hand through her hair. It was so short these days, but she was used to it by now; it felt like a needed change.
“But...we've grown up. All of us, even you. It's not right to stay in the same place forever.”
Esteban knew that, of course. He knew it, and it felt selfish to deny it. But what could he do about his own feelings?
“So...that's the end, then?”
“It's not the end, and you know it.”
“It feels like it. So much is changing, I can hardly keep up! Are our old times really over?”
“It's only been ten years. That's only natural that things change.”
Ten years since they've stopped their quest. For Esteban, they've passed as quick as a good night's rest. It seemed like the whole...process had warped his perception of time altogether, and he hated the idea.
“So...what will you do?”, he asked. “Will you settle down?”
“That's the idea. Tao and I have thought about returning to his homeland, and making something of it. Maybe we'll build a house, I'm not sure yet.”
She chuckled a bit.
“Knowing him, that's definitely what he has in mind.”
“I could fly you there. It wouldn't take a day, I bet!”
He could feel from her hesitant voice that there was something she wasn't telling him, and he dreaded to know.
“You see...we thought that it would be best to go by ourselves. We've...we've got a ship ready to go in the morning.”
She seemed to sense the tension in the air, for she immediately added:
“It's nothing against you! I swear. It's just...well, we thought that maybe you...you wouldn't want to bear witness to excessive honey-sweetness.”
If Esteban still had a throat, he would have chuckled.
“I'm used to it by now. You two do your thing, and I'll be your steed, who's not in the best position for jealousy. But...it's nice that you thought about it.”
Zia smiled, and slowly stood up. Carefully, she put a hand on the golden beak, feeling the warmth of the metal caressed by the falling sun. Esteban couldn't feel it very well, but he let it happen, reveled in the softness of her touch. How he would miss it…
“We'll come back.”, she promised. “And you can come to see us whenever you feel like it. If...whenever you feel ready.”
“I'm going to miss you. We've been through so much...I can't believe it's ending!”
“It's not ending, Esteban. It's...merely a pause.”
She looked up at him, at his purely decorative eyes. Silence reigned for a moment, during which none of them knew what to say. How could they be sure of how long this would last? What if one day they simply stopped being friends, and forgot about one another?
No, Zia thought. She'd never forget him. He who had been her first friend, her first crush, her first insight into the secrets hidden from them. She'd never forget him, not now, nor ever.
"There's something Tao doesn't know yet. And...I would like you to be the first to hear it. You deserve it.”
At the warmth of the orichalcum beak, she could feel his interest being perked up.
“I'm expecting our first child. I'm sure of it now. He and I have talked about it for a while now, and...I suppose the time has come for us to start a family.”
She saw the light bounce and ripple over the Condor's body, spread like waves on a pond under the force of Esteban's excitement. She couldn't help a smile as the light focused in front of her, and sprouted out to give form to his usual, child-shaped projection.
“This is amazing!”, he smiled wide, wriggling his fists. “Can you imagine? Oh, I can already see his reaction!”
And the light changed its shape, now copying Tao's silhouette and voice.
“'I'm proud that you're keeping up the lineage of our ancestors! Really, Zia, I didn't expect any better of you! Now come here so I can kiss you all day long like the sappy mess I am!'”
And he mimicked some gross kissy faces that made Zia laugh out. She batted away at the light with her hands, and it melted like a puff of smoke before reforming Esteban's usual form. That of a fourteen-year old child, the same as on the day of his fall.
Ten years have passed, and yet he hadn't changed.
"...I can't wait.”, he said more calmly. “It's so weird...you'll get to build a family, now. With a house, and children and everything...”
“It's part of life. And we have to celebrate these changes.”
Slowly, she put her hand over his'. His light was not burning anymore, he's learned how to control it. Now it barely felt hotter than a freshly-brewed cup of Arabian coffee, and it made her feel a little tingly. But that aside, he was still the same as ever.
“I'll pass on the medallion of the Sun. Maybe when our children grow up, they will get to pilot the Condor. And you'll help them.”
“Of course I will.”
Zia smiled, and looked at him with fondness. In the brightness of the light, it was hard to make up Esteban's face, but she knew he was smiling too.
Slowly, she leaned up, and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek. It didn't felt like anything, except like a warm sunbeam over her face. He was so young, and she was a married woman now; it didn't feel like greeting a friend, but like comforting a child. If Esteban was aware of it, he said nothing about it, and closed his eyes to let it happen.
The sun was going down, and his light was starting to dim. Zia pulled away, and looked at Esteban as he was disappearing little by little. She knew he couldn't stay here forever, and it ached at her heart, but such was the way of things. She let go of his hand, and for a moment he tried to hold onto it; but he eventually let go, knowing it'd be futile.
"...see you someday.”, he simply said.
“See you too. Give my regards to your mother, from us.”
He nodded, and watched the sun as it set beyond the horizon. It then felt as if he couldn't stay awake any longer, and he had to go to bed; so he closed his eyes, and let himself fall back into the Condor's body. His light gleamed over it for a second, before dimming down for the night. Zia stayed next to him for another minute or so, until she heard Tao and the others calling for her. So she got up, and returned to them, her heart still a little heavy.
Come morning, the Golden Condor had flown away.
~~~~~
The bell rang to the relief of the students that were already making their way to the door, in a flurry of zipped-up bags and pencil cases and closed notebooks. Quickly the classroom filled with chatter and footsteps on their way to recess, happy to find the end of a long two-hour History class. Such was the usual routine of eight-graders on Tuesday morning, when class was starting to wake up to the rhythm of school yet not exactly quite there yet.
Except that Tina wouldn't exactly adhere to this routine, today. Holding her freshly-graded test in hand, bag over her shoulder, she made her way to the teacher's desk with slow feet, already knowing what would happen. If the red chicken-scratch angrily peppered through her dissertation was of any indication as to what could have caused the teacher to want to meet her after class, she sure didn't want to know the details of it. At least it'll be over soon, she told herself as she awkwardly stood by the desk while Mrs Fermonte finished putting her papers together. How she hated that moment when she wasn't sure she should say anything! But after a good minute, when the footsteps and voices had disappeared into the hallway, the teacher removed her glasses and looked up at the young girl.
[...]
Read the rest over at https://archiveofourown.org/works/23790 ... s/57152173 
) mais le jour viendra! En tout cas, la video c'était 
et ton petit dernier dessin aussi. Good feeling, smile on my face.