Today, like every other

Tulio had grabbed a couple of red apples from the kitchen before he walked outside.
Finally out, he stood there a long while, simply just breathing in the fresh air, closing his eyes to listen to the nature around him. It amazed him how the wondorous views of the world could amaze him every single day, even after all these years. It amazed him even more, how people could grow used to these environments, taking them for granted.
He smiled up at the rising sun and slowly opened his eyes as he threw one of the apples towards Ping.
Taking a bite of his own apple he smiled. The day was perfect, like every other.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" he said, truely amazed.

He had followed him, trying with all his strenght to don't think and calm down, breath regularly and forget the sensations, look around and don't think of Meg... he managed to stay calm, and when Tulio passed him an apple he bite it, realizing how hungry he was: with all that happened the night before, he didn't eat anything.
At Tulio's question he tilted a bit his head "I guess so..." he replied: even Jane kept to say it. Beautiful. It was a word that he had listened so few at home... and never by the people that had an important opinion... what was 'beautiful'?

"Don't you think?" he asked as he laid down on the grass, looking up at the bright sky, crossing his legs and letting his head rest on his arms. Closing his eyes, he once again focused on just breathing.. just feeling the grass and the air...
Picking up a white flower beside him he held it out for Ping with a smile.
"How can you not see it?" he asked gently, studying the flower he held out for him.
Such grace and beauty, and yet so easily killed and forgotten about.

Ping looked at Tulio lay down on the grass and relax, and once more he did the same, but still... he couldn't understand. When he gave him the flower he tilted again his head. He still didn't get it "W... why is it beautiful?" asked he naively

He looked at him with a sad expression, honestly disappointed that he could not see. It was nothing he could tell him, nothing he could explain, nothing he could teach him. It just... was.
"Because it is," he said simply, looking at it once again.
How did you describe beauty? How could anything so grand be described by words?

He sighed, layed down once again and closed his eyes. It seemed just to be something that he couldn't get. Probably it wasn't for him...

It pained him to see Ping like this. It physically hurt in his chest, and he had to breathe in deep to keep his calm.
"What do you see?" he asked curiously as he pointed directly to the rising sun.

"The sun, i guess..." he replied once he had opened his eyes, looking at the rising sun.
The he sighed, he had understood that Tulio wanted more, not only the object that he was seeing: he didn't like much to talk, and he wasn't used to di it more then the strictly necessary time, but with the boy he felt... freer.
"I see that around us is quiet, that at our back we have the tree and it's unluckily be attacked from there, but in front of use we have the jungle and animals can come. I see that the birds are quiet, so luckily there's no imminent danger. I see that around us there are some rocks, big enough to be used as a weapon if we should be attacked, since i don't have my lance nor my sword here." then he shut up and looked down

He sighed looking at Ping slightly disappointed, and a bit surprised. He hadn't expected that from the kid.
"Stop analyzing," he said in a sigh and scooted over closer. He laid his hand over Ping's eyes.
"Don't look," he said, a smile apperant in his voice even if Ping did not see it. "Just feel."
He removed his hand when he was confident Ping had closed his eyes.
"Feel the sun on your face, the breeze on your skin, the grass on your back and the air in your lungs.. I don't want you to see the sun, I want you to see the light and warmth.."
It was unusual for Tulio to speak like that, he never had any close friends to share with.

Ping was surprised and in the first moment his first idea was to jump back when Tulio approached him again, but he stayed quiet and, even if it was difficult for him, he obeyed and kept his eyes closed, listening to the man. He could quite understand what Tulio meant: the warmth on his skin, the breeze, the smell of the grass... he had been thought to use even the other sences, he could fight even blinded, but... nobody had never tought to him to use the sences in that way... well, nbody gave any importance to it! He just nodded to Tulio, focusing on those new sensations.

Tulio closed his own eyes as he laid his head next to Ping's to whisper.
"The grass will never feel the same as it does now... the winds will always change.. every day is different Ping, every moment is worth treasuring. Every sensation is new and beautiful," he smiled with his eyes closed.
"Every day you have the chance to do something different.. to do anything you want."
He leaned in closer to Ping's ear and whispered under his breath:
"Open your eyes, tell me what you see."

Ping listened to him, understanding his point of view: it seemed charming and beautiful. It smelt of freedom, of happiness. Every day do something difficult, do what you want... he had never been free, never felt free, he wasn't free even in that moment, on that lost island. His duty, his honor, his family and his lies were his chains: he wasn't free. When he whispered again to open his eyes he obeyed and turned curious toward him, to answer at his question with a simple "you" and a little laugh: it had to be the most spontaneous thing that Tulio had seen from him.

His eyes widened in pure surprise before he bursted out laughing together with Ping.
"You're silly kid," he said as he sat up and looked around.
"Cute, but silly." Tulio didn't know if that was the right words to describe Ping, but he was trying.

"Cute?" he asked still laughing and sat up as well "Neither my mom called me that way... well... my sisters did..." he finished the phrase in an almost desperate sigh: he loved those girls, but it was being in a war that spend time with them...

"I like you," he said smiling towards the sun.
"I don't say that to people often, but I do," he laughed as he stood up and reached his arm out to help Ping up as well. He was restless and wanted to go somewhere. Wanted to do something. Wanted to explore.

He couldn't help but smile at his phrase, in a way he felt really honored by his words
"and i'm comfortable with you. And this happens..." he stopped a bit to think, to finish them with an honest "never..." when Tulio reached his arm to help him to raise he took it and raised up, waiting for him to decide what to do, because it was clear that he wanted do something...

He smiled. Tulio had always been a loner, but he was oddly fond of the kid.
"Wanna go swimming? The waterfall is really beautiful," he said with a charming, crooked smile and a sly spark in his eyes. He knew Ping hadn't been there before, so he was dying to show it to him.

He seemed a bot surprised at the beginning, then he replied uncertain "I don't like swimming... but i can come with you 'til there, if you want"

"Either way, it's really beautiful, trust me," he said and winked at him before he started walking.