A RATHER FAMILIAR SITUATION

BEFORE Astrid could even turn around. Someone had already hugged him from behind. The person behind threw his body at him with so much force that it almost felt like a cannon ball had hit him.

He didn't have to fully turn around to see the person behind. He just had to turn his gaze down a bit to know who it was.

What he first saw was a head full of silver hair. The eight-year-old boy raised his head and his sapphire blue eyes twinkled as he looked at him.

"Brother Aster, I missed you!"

Astrid unknowingly smiled. Although he quickly noticed the gaze of the people around focusing on them, and they would most likely recognized, or at least have a clue as to which family he was from, in a minute or so, he didn't care as much as he should have.

He crouched down a bit and gave the boy a quick, tight hug. "It's been too long, Nikki." He let go of the other and he acted like he was measuring his height. "Did you get taller?"