Aldo/Ted for Shiruberu!I guess you could take this as a prequel to Inspiration or something like that, but it really wasn't intended to be that way.
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Aldo had been stuck alone in the woods for a long, long time, and he found himself starved for attention when he had placed himself willingly into the arms of the Silver Sea and her crew. He knew that he would find friends there, as everyone was nice and appreciated his talent with the bow just like how he always wished people would, and then one day he happened to run into Ted.
Someone had mentioned Ted to him off-handedly, saying that he was a new, quiet member of the crew. Aldo hadn't thought anything of him until they ran into each other several days later, and Aldo swept hastily to his knees to help Ted pick up the books Aldo had helped remove from his grip.
"Sorry about that! I wasn't paying attention!" Aldo confessed modestly, retrieving an open book from the floor. "Were you reading?" He asked, peeking at the cover.
But before he could let his eyes fall on the title, Ted removed the tome from his hands, fixing him with what might have been interpreted as a dirty look. "Thank you," he said, creating a stack of books in his arms and standing.
"Hey, why so hasty?" Aldo asked, opening his arms to the younger-looking boy as he walked away to board the elevator. "You're an archer too, aren't you?" Ted hesitated and looked at Aldo over his shoulder. Grinning, Aldo held out his hand. "My name is Aldo!"
Ted stared hard at Aldo's hand, as if scrutinizing it. "Ted," was his response as he continued toward the elevator and pushed the button to descend to his room.
"Nice to meet you," Aldo said with a sigh, defeated.
"It's not like me to be forward like this, but..." Ted began, but hesitated. "...no, nevermind. I don't want to know."
"What?" Aldo asked, opening his arms. "Come on, Ted - just do it, for once."
"In that case, I'm definately not going to ask you," Ted said finally, once again turning his back to Aldo as the two of them walked the streets of Razril. That's what their relationship had ended up becoming - a one-sided game of chase.
Aldo's initial intent was simply to open Ted up, and he began to wonder how long the boy had been on that mist ship. He could empathize with seclusion to a degree, and he could understand how a person like Ted might become introverted like that, but Aldo had kept himself far from that reaction. He had pined for human company, and he theorized that Ted felt that way, too... but he had stuffed it away just like everything else.
When he was stranded on that island, the only thing he could think of ever doing was getting off and doing something productive - anything. He thought of buying a ship... maybe just becoming a trader or something... but then he discovered himself leaving the Silver Sea on the same stop as Ted, and he realized his goal had become a lot simpler than he imagined when he wasn't paying attention.
A reaction. That's all he wanted anymore. One of these days, Ted's facade would falter. A smile. Something. Anything... That was what Aldo was going to live for.
After being distracted momentarily by the objects lain out on a market table, Aldo turned to catch up to Ted only to find the other archer looking after him, and then turning swiftly away only to continue walking.
Aldo realized he had just experienced that something, but he couldn't stop now. Sooner or later, Ted would slip... And Aldo would be there to see it. He would just have to follow after him until he did.