Ezra hadn't meant it like that, exactly - or at least not consciously. But now that Garth'zel's phrased it like that out loud, something inside him squeezes tight, lodging just inside his throat with a longing that almost hurts.

"I..." Words fail him for a moment, caught in uncertainty. Leave Lothal? Maybe never come back? He looks down, fidgeting with the edge of his shirt. "But... mom and dad... What if...?" He swallows. It's a hope he hasn't given voice to in a long time, mostly because he's grown more and more sure they're dead.