Unbreakable Bond(Elisa\Open)

[Aramis]

(Thread reboot)

The far off horizon was reflecting in the elder gypsy`s dark gaze, a gentle breeze gracing his worn features with a light caress.
The wanderer had at last found home, and ironically that home turned out to be just the one he left.
Yet, he was seeing his childhood`s town in a way he hadn`t imagined he would; from the bird`s point of view the very top of Notre Dame offered.
"I`ll have to admit it son, the view alone is worth the tour" Aramis let his admiring praise be known, to Quasi`s humble joy.

The disfigured redhead joined by his father`s side, a smile deep within his blue eyes.

"When it comes to beauty, you sure have a magnificent home" Aramis returned the smile.
Fate, god, or whatever force (mis)guiding each step taken in a man`s life, had been kind at last; allowing these two pieces of a puzzle to come together as one, as they were meant to be.
Now only the third piece who`d complete the picture was still missing..

Without knowing it, both men`s thoughts had touched upon the same subject. For Aramis, the loss of his wife still tore his heart, even after so many years the memory, the pain, was still persistent.
Quasi, on the other hand, had no memory of his mother, only a heart full of questions.
The bellringer let his mind drift, pushing it so far back in time he could. Perhaps if was lucky a shred of memory of the woman who`d given birth to him had survived still?
Blurry images went through his mind; of the gargoyles, Frollo`s looming presence. How he`d always striven to earn the affection of his guardian, but there`d always been a cold distance between them.
..He was too small to pull the ropes on his own, lucky the gargoyles was there to help.. Master wouldn`t be pleased with him if he erupted the mass in such a pitiful way..

And then? Cold.. snow.. winter? No, he couldn`t grasp it, but the cold had crept under his skin, threatening to freeze his very bones.Only sensations, no images or sounds had attached itself to it. Or, they`d withered and died a long time ago, forgotten forever..

"It surprises me how well you`ve taken to this" his father`s voice interrupted Quasi`s thoughts, not unwelcome.
The boy had kept his sanity under conditions that would`ve driven any other gypsy mad; these were Aramis thoughts, he couldn`t but admire such patience and courage.
"You were born a wanderer, like the rest of us, not for a life in captivity" he voiced his bitter thoughts. Curse over Judge Claude Frollo!

Quasi lowered his gaze, uncertain of how to respond. Faced with the wise elder; in which a gypsy`s free, untamed spirit very much ruled, how could he explain the fondness for the quiet world within this cathedral. It was characteristic for his people to fear being trapped, stated in the well known saying; A gypsy doesn`t take well to stone walls.

Ironically these walls were actually made of stone, yet despite the heritage connecting him to the aforementioned kin, the hunchback had adapted so well, the cathedral was a part of him as much as he was a part of the cathedral as well. It was no longer his prison, it was his home.
The bells, the gargoyles, his own artwork, not to mention the beautiful masses and soothing Latin chants from the priests and monks.. What was there not to love?

Placing a gentle hand comfortingly on the youth`s shoulder Aramis spoke again, in sudden insight, or perhaps just as a vague apology.
"No, forget what i said. You`re different simply because you`re meant for something different."

"Besides" he laughed in self irony. "Who can say that i`m much different, myself?" His "home" on the island had had it`s limits as well, much like a prison, the ocean being the walls surrounding it.

[~Elisa Maza~]

Despite the fact that most Parisians had accepted the existence (not to mention the right to live) of the bell ringer of Notre Dame, they still viewed him as something of a status quo. He had the right to live, yes, but it didn't mean they had to be happy about it.

It was this manner of thinking that caused Elisa to keep to the shadows whenever she came to visit her shy, disfigured friend. She cared for him as family, and as such, was very protective of him, and didn't wish to cause any unnecessary trouble for Quasimodo. And seeing a young woman from America walking up the stairs to the bell tower would raise questions.

Elisa finally came to the top of the staircase, a smile crossing her face as she saw Aramis had come to see Quasi too. The pair had quickly made up for lost time, and were as close as one would expect a father and son to be, despite the twenty years of lost time between them.

The biggest change she noticed was actually in Aramis. When she first met the old gypsy, she'd noticed that he was showing his age, the years of loneliness visible on his face. Now though, he seemed to be years younger than before.

"I'm not interrupting, am I?" She asked with a friendly smile, making her presence known.

[Aramis]

Indeed, Aramis wasted no chance to familiarize with his son; a fragile bond just starting to strengthen between these two only living relatives of the other.
The process had not been without tension, though.
Once the first meeting`s daze had settled, curiosity, or rather a necessary need was bound to lead to questions not easily answered.

Quasi`s briefly speculated roots connecting him to the gypsies had at long last been confirmed; the proud blood of two tribes, as Aramis had put it. The seafarer had been overly sensitive in questioning about his life, fearing the answers he might get.
It didn`t take a lot of imagination to picture Frollo`s methods to raise a child to be inhuman at best.
What he did learn on the subject, did nothing to put the judge into a more positive light.

In turn, it was Aramis lot to tell those essential truths naturally sought for by a child growing up not knowing its parents or other blood relatives.
Needless to say, both`s demons had been faced on some level, Aramis being the one to struggle the hardest battle.
But in the end, the memories of a lost wife and mother that only had caused pain bound the two closer than anything else might have. It was only the realization that neither of them were alone, no more.

But as covered in today`s recent`s conversation, Quasimodo still had a long way to go to become a gypsy.
And Aramis had every intention to see it happen, looking after the boy every step on the journey. Literally; the journey, as the gypsy way could hardly be taught by staying put in Paris forever.

A familiar voice filled the break in the conversation, pleasantly chasing the silence away.
"Elisa!" A smile gracing his features, Quasi turned to the future century detective, ready with a beaming welcome.
A glimpse of humor twinkled in Aramis` eyes at the sight of the much appreciated visitor.
"What are you going to do if i said you were?" A small grin tweaking his lips did nothing to add to a stern grimace as the gypsy approached his friend in the manner of a grumpy old man.
However, Quasi had already made it crystal clear she was welcome here, the youth doing nothing to hide his fondness upon greeting an old friend.
"It can seem as i`ve been outnumbered" he stated, at last granting Elisa a smile of his own."

"Only fair i suppose. I still owed you a favor."