you were all i ever longed for

He was grateful, at least, that she was glad to see him. It was in a typical Asha way though - she'd never been overly sappy and if he'd seen her get that way he would've been rather taken aback. Everything always seemed to come naturally to her, even now as she stood and joked with him, as though hardly any time had passed at all. He found himself feeling envious that she seemed so collected when he felt like he could come undone at any moment, flooded with memories and nostalgia. Still, he tried to keep his composure, tried to seem normal even as strange as this felt to him.

But she really was the same Asha he remembered, and as she batted at his face he ducked away from her and let out a snort of laughter.  "We'll see about that," Zephyr retorted quickly, but playfully.  "Hopefully time hasn't made you too squishy." He wondered then where she had been all these years. Had she looked for him? For anyone? Or had it been a good escape from all that embarrassment that her banishment had brought her? His brows pulled together as his demeanor shifted, a bit less joyful now.  "I've been.. okay,"  he offered tentatively.  "Surviving. I honestly never thought I'd see you again. Or anyone, really." It'd been an intensely painful realization, but one he had come to terms with and had learned to cope with. But now he didn't know what to expect.