The cold winds of the spring drifted through the grayish streets of Irio. The snow had mostly melted, but there were still some piles of snow on roadsides and in shaded areas that had yet to thaw completely.
Through the airport's sliding doors, a warmly dressed pair of young men stepped out with bags in hand.
"Cold…" Julian shuddered and zipped up his jacket tightly. "This is nothing like the World Seas!"
"Right, I forgot that you're from the warm area." Kiernan said. "Swording Port had never snowed, right?"
"Never!" Julian said. "I don't think it was ever chilly either, really!"
Kiernan whistled for one of the yellow cabs to stop, and it slowly rolled to a halt in front of them.
"Need help with the bags?" The cab driver rolled down the window and asked.
"No thanks, just open the trunk, please." Kiernan said, and after the trunk popped open, they tossed their bags inside.
Julian rubbed his frozen hands together, and then his gaze moved to one of the billboards on top of the airport. He couldn't believe his eyes.
"Yo, Kiernan. I didn't know you were famous ."
"What do you mean?" Kiernan opened the cab door and turned around.
Then he saw Julian's gaze was fixed on the huge billboard, and as he turned around to look, he saw his own face staring back at him.
[The Future Nationals Champion - Karuza High's Kiernan Hunter]
The bold-fonted text was below the image of his face on the billboard.
"I don't remember seeing that billboard before." Kiernan said. "It looks like the city is hyping up the next nationals. So ruthless to put such heavy pressure on my shoulders."
"You and pressure don't go hand in hand." Julian said. "You're never nervous, right?"
"You clearly don't know me well. I am always nervous."
Kiernan said and climbed inside the cab with Julian, then closed the doors to close off the cold air from entering the vehicle.
"Really? You're lying." Julian said.
"I am not lying," Kiernan said. "I'm just good at hiding it so that my opponents can't use it against me."
"Where to?" The cab driver asked.
"24th Cloudy Street."
The cab then started to roll forward and soon drove off the airport, heading down the grayish streets of Irio.
It was all new to Julian, so he kept his gaze out of the window, looking at the surroundings like a kid during his first visit to a candy store.
The streets looked pretty depressing with the dull colors, but there was a certain charm to it. The snow added beautifulness to the scenery that he couldn't help but appreciate.
Pedestrians, with their families, finished the shopping. The school was starting tomorrow. Thus, they finished their late school equipment purchases in a happy mood.
The cab headed deeper into the housed neighborhoods passing by rows of charming houses decorated with twinkling holiday lights.
After a short while, they arrived at Cloudy Street, and the cab came to a slow halt in front of one of the charming, yet modest-looking houses.
It had a nice white picket fence, but there was also some snow still mixed with the grass of the yard.
"Thank you, how much is it?" Kiernan asked.
"It's free for you!" The cab driver said with a laugh. "Destroy everyone in the nationals for us. That shall work as payment!"
"Ah, you knew me?" Kiernan wryly smiled.
"Who doesn't?" The cab driver shook his hand and laughed. "Welcome back to Irio!"
Kiernan and Julian then left the cab, took their bags from the trunk, and after closing it, the cab started to drive away.
"This is the place?" Julian looked at the modest house. "Charming, but I expected you to live in some kind of mansion."
"How come?" Kiernan asked.
"I don't know, I just imagined you living in a big house." Julian said. "I like these houses better, though."
After opening the white small gate, they walked to the front door, and dinged the doorbell.
Footsteps soon sounded, and the door was opened in a hurry.
"You sure like to make your old man worry." Karma wryly smiled.
"I am home." Kiernan hugged his father briefly.
"Who is this?" Karma asked with a puzzled expression on his face as he looked at Julian.
"Julian Noah, it's nice to meet you, sir." Julian firmly shook his hand.
"A friend I befriended during my time in the sea." Kiernan said. "Things happened, but can he live with us for some time?"
"Oh?" Karma looked surprised. "Well, this is sudden, but if you're a friend of Kiernan's, please come in."
Julian and Kiernan took off their shoes, hung their jackets from the coat rack, and followed Karma inside.
"Are your parents alright with you staying here?" Karma asked and led the two upstairs.
"I don't have parents." Julian said with a choked voice.
Karma heard the choke on his voice. It was clear that something must've happened not too long ago. He didn't pry deeper into it since it was clearly a sore subject.
"Well, we have one extra room. It has been used as guest room."
Karma said and opened the door next to Kiernan's room.
"You can have it as long as you stay here."
"I appreciate it, thank you!" Julian entered the room and looked around.
It was pretty modest with one bed in the corner, a light dangling from the ceiling, and a wardrobe. It had blank, white-painted walls and a small window that let in a sliver of natural light.
"Kiernan, can we have a word?" Karma asked.
"Sure thing." Kiernan tossed his bag inside his room and followed his father downstairs.
They got seated in the living room.
"Your friend, how long will he stay?" Karma asked. "If it's a long stay, I might have to do some fixing on his room then. The heating system there is kind of broken and might be cold during the night."
"I think for the next two years, maybe." Kiernan said. "He wants to finish his studies in Irio."
"Swording Port," Kiernan said. "A tragedy happened there a few months ago. Everyone died. He is the only survivor there."
"That's horrible." Karma said in a serious voice. "Sure, he can stay as long as he wants."
"I can see it in your eyes, father." Kiernan said. "You want to ask about mother."
"…" Karma sighed, and nodded. "How is she?"