#moltara

Harlis Benne-Neyhbol may have been one of the buffest Grarrls in Yooyuball, but the moment someone got him talking about his wife, the lightest breeze could knock over the lovestruck fool. The Moltara team had always known this about him, of course. He’d been talking about his partner, Wila, nonstop since the moment he joined the team, but as he chatted about their honeymoon and shared dozens of almost identical photos of Wila in different places around Terror Mountain, Tulah’s patience grew thinner and thinner.

The molten Acara loved her teammates, but between this, whatever was going on between their two defenders, Zax and Vere, and Captain Alrdic’s affectionate stories about his husband Neeraj, Tulah couldn’t take much more. She was incredibly happy for them all—heck, she was practically the one who introduced Aldric and Neeraj—but the lovey-dovey mush was getting to be too much.

She knew a lot of it probably stemmed from jealousy. Not of the romance stuff—that sort of thing had never interested her—but more of the old team dynamic. And it wasn’t like she’d ever tell the team that; they were allowed to find joy however they’d like. But perhaps she could at least politely excuse herself from this onslaught of Puppyblew love.

As Harlis presented yet another photo of Wila in the Ice Caves, Tulah slammed her hands on the stone table.

“For lava’s sake, is this ever going to end?”

The photo slipped from Harlis’s hand, and Aldric shot his signature worried glare at her. She scoffed and stood up so fast her chair toppled over, then stormed out of the building. That went well.

Thankfully, Team Moltara’s training centre was near a small exit to Neopia’s surface, so that they could train on different terrains. Tulah climbed out and sat on the ground, letting the cool night air clear her mind. Just her and the constellations, shining from above.

She recalled the first time she’d ever seen the night sky. She’d been in awe of the sheer number of stars. Though they burned so beautifully, they’d also made Tulah feel small. Insignificant. She always hated feeling small.

Surprisingly, Aldric had been the one to convince her to sneak out from their molten home that night, and not the other way around. In those early days, life had felt so big, and her tight friendship with Aldric had been at the very core. The two of them, discovering Yooyuball. Forming the team. Forging friendships. It was all so… perfectly normal.

Her mind wandered back to that fateful first night outside. Aldric, ever the Kougra, was laughing and jumping all over the nearby boulders. But the longer Tulah stayed out in the open, the heavier she felt. Her head swirled, and her heart beat faster.

She remembered wanting to return home, but Aldric had looked so happy, and she didn’t want to be the one that made them leave. So she fell deep into her own thoughts, until Aldric bounded over, asking something. At first, she didn’t register any of his words… and then she realised how brightly she was burning, unknowingly competing with the stars. Her flames had caught onto the surrounding fauna, and the world around them quickly began to burn. Their attempts to put it out only worsened the fire. In her panic, she instinctively bolted—and ran headfirst into a Water Zafara. Neeraj.

Everything was bound to change after that. Even though Aldric and Neeraj had barely spoken a word to one another that night as they quelled the flames—too young and shy to realise how perfect a pair they made—some years later, they would meet up again, fall in love, get married. Tulah usually enjoyed taking credit for their meetcute, but tonight…

“You okay?” It was Aldric’s voice, snapping her out of darker thoughts once again.

Tulah looked up, worried her flames might’ve leapt into a nearby bush, and relaxed when instead she saw Aldric’s outstretched hand. She batted it away as he sat beside her.

“Is Harlis still gushing over his beloved?”

“When is he not?”

This made her chuckle, just slightly.

“I’m sorry I snapped back there,” she said, not taking her eyes off the stars.

“Still as fiery as ever. Even with no tournament to train for. It’s admirable, in a way.”

It had been the first time in a long time she wasn’t fully honed in on practicing, trying to be the best she could be. She’d always been hot-tempered, but she’d never taken it out on the team. It felt like she was burning again, unsure where to put all of her energy.

“I—I miss us. I miss playing together,” she said softly.

“I know,” said Aldric, matching her tone. “But there’s more to life than Yooyuball.”

“Like honeymoons to Terror Mountain or gardening with your husband?” she said with more bite to her voice than intended.

“Haha, no. I know that’s not something you want.” He put an arm around her shoulder. “But there’s all sorts of things in this world to be passionate about.”

“I’m happy for you, really. I just feel like I used to be your best friend. And now...”

“Hey—you’re still my best friend!” Aldric leaned back to better face her. “Things may be different now, but you’re a core part of my life—we’ll always have each other.”

He paused, then: “It sounds like I could do a better job showing that, though.”