Secrecy

Chapter Ten – Zazie

WARNING: May contain curses.

DISCLAIMER: Kleia does not own Letter Bee—only her OCs.

"No no no, try adding more emotion. And make your voice louder. And be more happy and kind and not emotionless." Mia instructed, her eyes gleaming in frustration as she waved her arms around, her hand holding the script for the play they were practicing.

The Hive defined its name as Bees were scattered around the workplace, streamers and other decorations in hand—it was, indeed, swarming with busy Bees. Whilst the speedy decorating of the place, the ones who were chosen to participate in the play were practicing their roles, and unfortunately, Emi was forced to be someone she wasn't. She could also tell that Zazie didn't like what he was doing as well. All he did all day was grunt and frown and scoff and be alone. Not even Sylvette nor Connor went a meter near him.

"But it's hard," Emi explained, a tad tired from all the acting she had done. She eyed her script once again. She was supposed to act like a bubbly and kind girl that everyone loves. And it was incredibly hard for her personality. She knew she wasn't the type to smile at every moment, and she knew more that she doesn't go around energetically either. Acting about it made it even worse. She kept in a sigh.

She felt Mia's eyes on her. "But maybe you should try. Smiling and being energetic, I mean. It gets kinda annoying when you're so gloomy and emotionless the whole day, you know." Mia bluntly said with a frown as she pursed her lips afterward. Emi just eyed her and nodded. She knew how people disliked people who don't smile so often, that was why some of the outcasts were gloomy and lonely people. But she couldn't force herself to be someone else. Smiling isn't something she does so often. She couldn't even imagine herself smiling.

"Let's practice," Mia suddenly said, snapping Emi out of her reverie about smiling. She snapped her pair of gray eyes on Mia's emerald ones. "I mean… let's practice smiling. You need it in life, one way or another. So let's do this." She sternly said. "Put away your script for a while. We won't practice your lines unless you get your smiling checked." Mia instructed, nodding her head to the script in Emi's hand. "Put it away." She ordered, hands on her hips. Emi meanwhile obeyed and walked to the nearest place she could place her script on, and when she did, she instantly strolled back to where Mia was.

"Okay, so," Mia began once Emi was a meter away from her. "Try stretching your lips like this," she inculcated, her index finger pointing to her lips as they curved upward in a usual small smile. "We're gonna practice smiling without teeth." She added as she nodded at Emi, signaling that it was her turn to try grinning.

Emi coached her brain to work her lip muscles and stretch them like how Mia stretched hers—and she felt her lips slowly and awkwardly curving upward in an attempt to smile, but she felt like a perverted girl who wanted to kill an innocent kid. Albeit the strong urge to bring her lips back to normal, she knew Mia wasn't satisfied, because she was simply pursing her lips and staring at her, slightly shaking her head.

Mia then slightly brought her head forward and once again pointed at her lips, stretching them even more upwards. "Like this, like this," she said, her voice seemed to be frustrated. "Think of happy thoughts. Anything funny." Emi then played with her lips for a short while, she thought of happy memories and funny moments with her mother and herself, and she finally felt her muscles work on their own as the curved upward, hopefully forming what seemed to be a genuine smile after a long while. She felt a sense of accomplishment rush through her veins.

"Yes! That's it! Okay we're done so go call cat boy over there." Mia said in an obvious rush, motioning her head towards Zazie, who apparently looked as if he didn't want to be in the Hive all day—sitting on a random chair, chin in the palm of his hand as his eyes looked on beyond what they all see. Emi found herself strolling to where he was blankly, her smile gone.

"Zazie," Emi called out once she knew she was in a safe distance away from Zazie. An audible 'hm?' escaped from his closed lips as he turned his head to where Emi stood, features showing apparent curiosity and annoyance, eyes gleaming in an uninterested shine. "Mia's calling for you… it's your time to practice now." She indifferently said, and watched Zazie scowl and stand up, walking over to where Mia was waiting, not even acknowledging her presence. Her eyes followed his retreating back, and she thought about how Zazie seemed to act like a cat.

Physically, he looked as if he was a cat reincarnated into a human—if that was possible. Pupils shaped like a cat's slits, and canine teeth that was formed to look like that of a cat's—who wouldn't think he looked feline? Plus, his behavior gave off points as well. How he was often moody and hard to get and mysterious in a way it all seemed so—

"Why the hell do I even need to act like this! It's freakin' pointless and stupid!" Zazie's comically enraged voice echoed throughout the halls, snapping Emi out of her thoughts as she turned to see what was happening between the two, seeing Zazie angrily throw the script away in a somewhat funny manner. ("It's not my fault." Mia nonchalantly said, shrugging casually as she eyed him coolly.) It was expected they'd get along poorly because of Mia's brusqueness and Zazie's short temper. ("What do you mean it's not your fault! It sure as hell is, you stupid woman!" he shouted, his back slightly arched forward as he gritted his teeth at Mia, who continued to eye him indifferently.)

"They're like cat and mouse, huh?" Sylvette said in a fond manner, causing Emi to turned her head to her, and glance at the two, who were still fighting. Emi blinked and continued to eye Zazie and Mia, and how uniquely they got along. Indeed, they were like cat and mouse. "How they fight… it brings a little life to the Hive, don't you think?" she added, and only then Emi noticed the small circle of Bees that gathered around them, laughing at Zazie's temper and hooting for Mia's logic and bluntness, though the latter didn't seem to care about the noises the other Bees made.

"I'm not here often, but I could tell how quiet the Hive was before. And with you new Bees," Emi whipped her head to Sylvette, who was eyeing her softly. "You brought a little energy here." She said, which caused Emi to simply nod and revert her attention back to the two. ("Alright, fine, I'll practice my stupid part…" Zazie said in defeat, back facing Mia, as he sheepishly lowered his hat to touch his shameful eyes, lips in a frustrated frown. "But just because you asked for it!" he added.)

"Sylvette," Emi called out, eyes still glued on Zazie and Mia. ("I didn't ask for anything…" Mia indifferently said. Her lips slowly curved into a grin. "But okay, let's practice!" she exclaimed.) "Why is Zazie acting so moody today?" she asked, without thinking better of it. "I mean, he's always moody. But… today…" she added, scrambling up her words. She decided to let Sylvette decipher what she meant.

"Zazie wasn't really fond of acting," Sylvette stated, her voice coated with fondness, it was hard to miss it. "But because he's always chosen for the lead roles every year, he couldn't escape from it. Sometimes I actually feel guilty for picking him, but we had a limited choice, and he was the best one. Or maybe we just didn't want to try another boy for the lead role…" She seemed sad now, Emi noted. "It's amazing this year, he managed to control his temper and calm down a bit."

This caught Emi's attention. She snapped her head to Sylvette, eyeing her curiously. "What do you mean?"

"In the previous years," Sylvette began, eyes glued on Zazie in a motherly sense. "Zazie dreaded acting that he had to stay in his house all day…! We even had to pull him out—literally, on the collar or both arms, just so he could come to the Hive and practice. We would always make a scene in front of the townsfolk during those days. It was actually worse than having to see Dr. Thunderland Jr." She stated, slightly giggling.

Emi threw her a baffled yet amused expression as she eyed Sylvette. She knew that—it was pretty obvious—that Zazie hated acting and plays. But she didn't know that he disliked it to the point of hiding in his house and being pulled out of it. It must've been humiliating—being dragged to the Hive with all the people staring at you in incredulity. The image of Zazie causing a tantrum and struggling against their grasps as they dragged him to the Hive suddenly popped in her mind, and a small smile made its way to her lips. It was amusing. She wished she was there during those days—

"Emi! Get over here please!" Mia's voice boomed across the room.

Emi snapped her head to where Mia was, and once again turned to look at Sylvette, who nodded at her—signaling that she should go. Emi then walked towards Mia and glanced at Zazie, who looked as though he wanted to be swallowed up the ground, one hand covering his face in what seemed to be embarrassment as his head was tilted upwards. Her grey eyes travelled to Mia, who had a small smirk plastered on her face. Emi blinked as she stopped an arm's length away from the two, silently asking what they needed from her.

"So I had a brilliant—"

"More like stupid…"

"Shut up Zazie," Mia quickly and sharply said, throwing him a glare filled with sharp knives and daggers. Her emerald orbs then traveled to Emi, and returned to its calm stare. "Anyway, I had a brilliant plan. At the end of the play, some random Bee would act as if she's lost because, you know," she wiggled her eyebrows at Emi, who nodded, knowing the gesture. "And you, as your role, will snatch her from behind, drag her towards the curtain, then someone will scream, then the end. In case you didn't get it, Zazie'll show you what you're supposed to do." She snapped her head to Zazie, who looked as if he wanted the ground to suck him up. "Zazie, will you please?"

Emi felt her heart in a sudden run as her eyes were glued to Zazie, whose cheeks were slowly being painted a lovely shade of pink in each passing second. His head was turned to the opposite direction as he closed his eyes tightly. "Why am I supposed to do it? You could do it yourself…" he sternly said, head still turned away from them.

"I thought you agreed to it." Mia bluntly said, folding her arms over her chest.

Zazie snapped his head at Mia, eyeing her with his deathly glare. "Alright fine, whatever! Let's just get this over with…" he agreed, in which his voice was filled with boredom and defeat, as his eyes began to once again avoid the eyes of Mia and Emi. After a moment of silence, Emi caught him glancing at Mia, then finally, his eyes landed on hers. For a split second. Then he faced ahead once again. She wondered what he was thinking about. He inhaled a deep breath, then he glanced at her once again. She felt her eyebrows raise.

"Don't freak out, okay? Or something…" He said, eyeing the floor. His eyebrows were narrowed slightly, and his nose was touching the tip of his scarf. Emi blinked. Was this his way of showing shyness? She found it quite endearing. In some way unexplainable.

"Okay, Emi, act like you're lost or looking for something." Mia ordered, smiling lightly at her.

Emi did what she was told. Acting wasn't her forte, but she tried her best to act as if she was lost in a world unknown to her. She looked to her left and right, eyes scanning the room rapidly, until she felt a hand on her right shoulder, and before she knew it, she was roughly being spun and pulled to somewhere she didn't know. It felt warm. It was breathing. Her hand was planted on something that felt like cloth. Then she felt something click inside of her—it was Zazie.

His breathing slightly warmed up the top of her head, his hand was still resting on her shoulder, his head was slightly tilted downwards and she could lightly feel his chin on her head. She felt roses slowly blooming on her cheeks. The vibration of his heartbeat was very faint, but she felt it nonetheless. It was calming—

"Alright that's enough, you two. It's taking too long," Mia interfered, in a tone that made Emi feel like she was being teased.

His hand was slowly removing itself from her shoulder, his chin and breathing and faint heartbeat disappeared, and Emi was already facing thin air. She looked up and found Zazie looking at her in a bored expression, but she never mistook the blush that painted his cheeks. He turned his head away from her and shoved his hands in his pockets. He's shy again.

"Zazie's got the hots today!" Mia teasingly exclaimed, causing Zazie to snap his head to her and throw her a menacing glare as a blush once again crept to his cheeks.

"Shut up!" Zazie exclaimed, aggravated at Mia's teasing. His shoulders were comically hunched forward and his eyes were shooting daggers at Mia, who was laughing evilly and uncontrollably. "We're done now, are we? I'm going home!" He shouted, turning his back and—

"You still have to fit your costumes!" Sylvette cried, walking briskly to his way.

Zazie snapped his head at Sylvette, eyebrows furrowed and eyes once again glaring. "To hell with costumes! I'm going home and none of you are going to stop me!" He finalized and once again turned on his heels and walked away—

"Oh so a little bit of changes in the script won't stop you?" Mia intervened, causing Zazie to stop in his tracks. Emi stared at his back, then at Mia, who was smirking evilly. "Like, romantic scenes?" She continued, and Zazie turned his head at the mischievous Mia, eyebrows comically twitching, much to Emi's confusion.

Zazie squinted his eyes at Mia. "What are you saying?"

Mia's smirk widened, and Emi simply stared at the two in confusion. "Oh, I'm just gonna add some parts where you'll do this—"

"Alright shut up, fool!" Zazie interrupted, slightly blushing. "I'll fit my stupid costume! There, happy?" he exclaimed, and Mia happily nodded at his answer.

Zazie was always someone who'd never change their mind on decisions. No means no, and yes is yes. Sure, he wasn't as heartless as to not change his decisions on something apparently important. But he didn't know just why he agreed to fit his costume just because Mia threatened him to do so. It wasn't like he wanted to try on his get-up to see what he'd look like, but it wasn't also like he wanted some new—not to mention romantic—scenes to their parts. It was none of both, yet here he is… grudgingly peeling off his uniform to try on his costume (which mainly consisted of ragged clothing).

"Gah! What am I even doing?" he muttered angrily to himself as he slipped on his dirty and ragged pants, teeth clenched and eyebrows furrowed.

He fooled around with the garter of his pants for a moment, lips carved into a frown as he did so. He then huffed, unconsciously shoving his hands to where his pockets were, but they just met in the middle of his tummy. He instantly looked down to find the dirty, ragged, and patched shirt he was wearing. "Damn it," he breathed, ruffling his disheveled auburn hair in frustration. He had an irresistible urge to punch something, but he tried his hardest to keep himself from doing so.

He released yet another frustrated cry as he ran a hand through his hair roughly. "Let's just get this damn thing over and done with." He sternly and dismissively said, finally stomping out of the room, lips pursed and eyes profoundly gazing at the floor as he walked past some Bees.

When he was sure he was in the right place, he ceased walking and waited for orders. As he stood by the tall window, still annoyed at his thoughts and emotions, he thought about his role, how he would do, why he even got the role, and the play and Emi. She was soft. And she smelled good. She smelled like a bunch of flowers combined with another round of different aromas he couldn't mention by name but even though, she smelled good and mild and it didn't make him wrinkle his nose. He felt like he was in a garden filled with different kinds of flowers. And she was soft. Were all girls that soft to hold? Whatever. It was none of his concern.

He thought about what she thought when he did what he was told to do. Did she hear how fast his heart was? Hopefully not. Why was it even beating so fast during that time anyway? He couldn't fathom how his emotions ran. This was one of the times he felt something in his heart other than malice, anger, or sadness. It was none of the three. It felt so new. Like how you try something you don't normally do and you find out you have a knack at doing it. That feeling that overwhelms your insides and eats all the negative feelings away and replaces it with something familiarly unfamiliar. What was that feeling anyway?

"Zazie!" Mia called out, snapping him out of his train of thoughts. His eyes traveled to hers. "Have you seen Emi? She's not in the dressing rooms!" she frantically asked, clearly because of the preparations for the play. He shook his head no. Mia looked at the floor forlornly. She then looked at him in a way that she pleaded. He was preparing himself.

"Could you please look for her?" she asked, to which he forcibly nodded to, in fear of threats and teases. She grinned. "Thanks! You'll find me everywhere when you do find her." And with that, she dashed off to a new place, much to Zazie's irritation.

He ruffled his hair for the umpteenth time this day and he turned his back and started walking to where he knew—and he was sure of it—Emi was, Wasiolka tailing behind him. Having his hands swaying on his sides was something he wasn't accustomed to, let alone how he was walking with a pair of slippers instead of his usual thick ankle shoes. His feet felt light and every step he took was like stepping on sponges. With only a ragged shirt and pants, he felt cool. No scarf around his neck, no thick blazer.

But his thoughts were spinning in his head, and he couldn't understand why. The feeling of aggression was rising up once again, it shot through all parts of his body. The tempting urge came back. In and out. It was like a door. And the knocking of that certain emotion was driving him crazy.

He pursed his lips as he fastened his pace to where Emi was. He didn't care how he looked he didn't care if people looked at him funny. All he cared about was that he needed to find Emi and take her to Mia. So he pushed his thoughts away and proceeded to the library.

Zazie arrived to his destination in a short amount of time since he locked all his thoughts away. He lightly sighed and planted his hand on the handle. On the other side is where Emi is. He turned the handle and peeked in. Once he saw the familiar shade of golden hair she possessed, he immediately stepped in silently and made his way to her. She was reading. It was obvious. He sneaked up behind her and tapped on her shoulder, watching her lightly jump on her seat and snap her head to him, to which he smirked at. She eyed him in slight irritation.

"Mia's looking for you. And how did you come here dressed in your costume?" he asked, his eyes scanning what she wore. It was probably from Sylvette's wardrobe. It was girly and short and it revealed a lot of her skin. He wasn't used to it.

"You came here dressed like me too." She innocently answered, pushing back her chair and slowly standing up, leaving the book on the table. Unlike Mia, who always sounded so blunt when she says stuff, Zazie thought as he watched her iron her skirt, the way Emi says stuff is kinda innocent. "You look…" he blinked and she titled her head lightly to the side. "Sad…? Annoyed…?" she primly and pointedly said. Well that caught him off-guard.

The moment he made eye contact with her innocent and curious eyes, he knew he was done for. He placed his hand on his eyes, keeping them from looking at her. He cocked his head upward. "It's just that…" he began, keeping in his irritation. "Ever since that happened, I've been getting pissed off at everything and because I couldn't understand why, I get pissed off even more!" he exclaimed, unaware that where they were required silence. Therefore, the librarian hushed them and continued on with her reading.

"That?" he heard her say. He still had his hand on his eyes yet he could feel the innocent obliviousness in her voice.

He nodded. "You know… the thing Mia made us do earlier."

"Oh," she said finally after a long moment of pause between them. He removed his hand from his eyes and looked at her. She was staring at the marbled floor. "You seem to have a lot of thoughts too." She said. Too? He questioned himself as he carried on eyeing her. "I feel like my mind is about to burst too." She admitted and he said nothing and did nothing but look at how sad and troubled she looked.

She then looked at him. "Sorry for saying something like that all of a sudden," she abruptly said, running her hand down her cheek.

"I'm not… really paying attention anyway," Zazie said suddenly, without thinking better of it. She blinked at him and then her eyes traveled down to the floor, looking sadder, which made him feel like a criminal. That got her down, he thought. "I mean… it's okay. You don't have to worry 'bout it." He said in a slightly audible voice. That's not what I wanted to tell her… he dejectedly thought.

"Zazie, you're nice." Emi suddenly said, and once again, it caught him off-guard.

He lightly perked up. "Wha-what're you saying? That doesn't make sense…" he said, his eyes darting around the room.

"No," he eyed her, "it makes sense. You're nice, Zazie." He observed how her eyes softened as she said those words.

He didn't know what to tell her, so he just said: "Le-let's just go find Mia…" and turned his back and started to walk towards the door. He felt something pang rapidly in his chest and despite his light and cool clothes, he felt warm. Roses were scattered on his cheeks and just everywhere around his body. Damn what is this? He thought to himself as he opened the door and closed it and discreetly waited for Emi by the door. Once he heard the handle turn, he instantly scrambled to his feet and didn't look back.

You're nice, those two words echoed inside his head. What's with that girl? Everything she says seems to always shock him. He couldn't predict her actions. Sometimes she talks, sometimes she doesn't. Sometimes she shows even a bit of emotion, and sometimes she's like a gaichuu—heartless. She's a hard nut to crack.

"By the way, why were you even in the—" he turned around and instantly, his words were cut off from his tongue. Emi lay on the floor unconscious. Wha—how… she was still talking a while ago! He exclaimed in his thoughts as he frantically rushed to her. His eyes were open wide and his eyebrows were creased in anxiety. "What the hell happened—" he planted his hand on her shoulder and he hissed as he jerked his hand away. He heard her faintly groan. "Ah shit you're burning! Why didn't you tell us you were sick? Ah never mind that I need to take you somewhere!" He said in a panic as he gently scooped her up from the cold floor and carried her bridal-style. "Where where where…" he muttered, turning his head to his left and right.

Then something clicked inside of him—he had to take her to that damn Thunderland Jr. The one who stole his cats away from him only to find out he was feeding them as well! That cruel doctor. Even though that happened, he will never forgive that sorry excuse for a doctor!

"Agh whatever! I'll just take you to him and it's done!" he exclaimed as he ran through the halls of the Hive. "Hang in there, you hear me, Emi?" he told her. It was a good thing that most of the Bees were busy helping in the preparation for the festival, and those who remained were out on deliveries. He didn't want to be seen in such a silly get-up.

It wasn't long before Zazie had spotted Hunt and ran up to him, panting as sweat trickled down his forehead, cheeks, and neck. (He hoped it didn't land on Emi.)

"Zazie!" he exclaimed, in an obvious shock. "Is she alright?" he asked, eyeing her with his mask that only covered his two eyes.

Zazie shook his head no. "She's sick and she just collapsed on the floor earlier." He informed, earning an understanding nod from the doctor's assistant. He eyed Emi and noticed how she was covered in sweat and that her cheeks were flaming.

"Follow me, we'll let her rest for a while." Hunt said and ushered Zazie to follow him. He'll probably take her to where they let him stay when he got injured because of the Abusa. "Maybe she's just too tired from all the tasks given to her. She's new to it after all." Hunt told him, to which he nodded to.

The trip to the room was a silent one. Neither of them talked nor started up a conversation. But Zazie liked it that way. He wasn't in the mood to talk. He felt too tired anyway. Hunt might also feel tired. Zazie didn't know much about Hunt. He thinks that most people feel the same too. Hunt was mysterious in a good way. And maybe his wife, Sarah, is the only one who solved his mystery. But at least both of them are living a peaceful life.

"We're here, Zazie," Hunt suddenly said, opening the door to a room where Emi could rest. Hunt opened the door wider and ushered Zazie in first, and when he was inside, Hunt stepped inside and gently closed the door. "Just place her on the bed. I'll call the doctor so he'll check up on her." A shiver ran through Zazie's spine at the mention of the doctor, but he shrugged it off and did what he was told do to. Hunt had left already, and it was just the two of them.

Zazie made sure Emi was lying in a comfortable position, and he planted a blanket on her. He then spotted a chair and carried it to the side of her bed. He sat on it and watched her sleep. It was nostalgic—like how he waited for his parents to wake up with a bowl of soup in hand. Only this time, it was certain she had a lot of heart in her, and that she was just slumbering. He planted his forearms on his knees and clasped them, getting a closer view of Emi.

He then slumped back to his seat, crossed his legs so that it formed a 4, placed his elbow on the armrest and laid his chin on the palm of his hand. He felt like he needed to do something. At least a small deed so that she'd heal quicker. And something lit up inside of him—Mana's aromatherapy. Emi said she had a lot of things in mind, he thought sharply as he stood up, maybe Mana's aromas would help her. And with that, he walked out of the room to go to the one and only aroma therapist of the Hive.

The journey to the Relaxation Lounge was a quick one as Zazie basically ran to go there. Now, he was standing in front of the door with his hand clenched against the smooth wood of the door. He released a breath and knocked thrice. He needn't to wait long before Mana showed up in front of him.

"… Zazie, what are you doing here?" she asked him as she gestured him to go in. When he did, she closed the door. "You smell like… sweat. Have you been running?"

Zazie had always admired Mana's sharp sense of smell and hearing. "Well, yeah, I was," he answered her, making his way to the supple sofa of the room. He couldn't even believe there was a sofa that soft. He reluctantly collapsed on it, lightly bouncing due to its softness. "Been practicing for the play for the incoming festival." He added, and he sniffed the relaxing air. "That smells good and relaxing…" he complimented, resting his arms on the top of the backrest of the sofa. Mana had always helped him in relaxing, just by entering the room after or before a delivery, all of his stress would be gone, and he would even think why he was so agitated in the first place anyway.

Mana smiled, her pink-tinted glasses shining against the light. "Why, thank you, Zazie. It's a new creation I just made."

"Ah, speaking of creation, Mana," he started, catching her attention. "Could you please make something for ease of thoughts and something that could easily heal sicknesses?" he requested, eyeing her curiously and pleadingly even though he knew she couldn't see.

"Oh, yes. Let me go get it." She said and headed off to a small room where she gets all her herbs and dried flowers for the aromas she makes.

Zazie took a deep breath of the soft yet minty smell of the potpourri, which was enveloping the whole room. He could fall asleep in no time. His eyelids already felt heavy, but he kept himself from taking forty winks. It just goes to show how Mana works wonders—her aromas always take effect, no matter what happens. It was a good thing they built this Relaxation Lounge too. He could relax and push away all of the thoughts which bothered him.

"Here it is, Zazie," Mana suddenly said, causing Zazie to spring up from his seat and take it from her as she presented it to him. It was already placed in a small container, and in it were different kinds of dried flowers and herbs. Zazie said his thanks, but he was reluctant to go, so he decided to stay for another minute or two. "May I ask what it's for? Or who?" she innocently asked in her prim voice.

"Ah it's for Emi," he answered, eyeing the potpourri in his hands. "She just got sick a while ago and she's resting now. She told me how full her mind was before that."

Mana smiled at him. "That's thoughtful. But who is this Emi?" she questioned, making her way to the sofa. She sat down and patted the space beside her, signaling Zazie to sit beside her. "Is she a new Bee?"

"Yeah," Zazie answered and sat down beside her, slumping on the backrest of the sofa. "She's really silent and she doesn't really show a lot of emotions." He continued.

"It's not normal for someone to not show any emotions. Maybe she does, but she doesn't do it in front of many people," Mana hypothesized, clasping her hands on her knees. ("… I guess…" Zazie dubiously answered.) "But Zazie, why are you doing this for her?" she asked, head faced ahead of her.

That caught his attention. Why is he doing this? Well he doesn't know. He's doing it as a friend—friends always help each other, right? But did Emi even help him in any way? Maybe during their long delivery. She helped him through listening to him. But maybe that's it.

"A woman told me during the Bee exams, after she signed Emi's recipient slip… she told me to take care of her," Zazie explained in a low voice, once again remembering the woman's gentle voice. He told this to Sylvette once, and he's starting to feel like he's lying though he doesn't know why. "I don't know why I'm following what she told me. I mean, who knows anyway… she might have sent some people to see if I really am taking care of Emi or something. I don't know!" irritation started to boil up inside of him. But he inhaled a deep breath and gritted his teeth. "I—I'm doing this… as her friend, too…" he quietly said.

His ears perked up once he heard a giggle escape Mana's lips. He snapped his head to her. "What?" he asked politely, but instead it came out sounding annoyed.

"Nothing, it's just," Mana said in between laughter, "you're kind, Zazie." She lovingly said, her laughter being replaced with a soft smile.

That got him. Once again, he felt himself getting warmer and warmer by the running seconds and he didn't know what to do and how to respond so he was forced to just sit still and he didn't say a thing. Not even a syllable. But then something clicked inside of him:

"I don't like her, okay!" he suddenly exclaimed, without thinking better of it. And instantly, he regretted it, because Mana started laughing once again. ("I wasn't saying anything!" she defended, struggling to die down her laughter.)

When she ceased laughing, Zazie said: "It's just that… I don't know! Maybe I kinda know how Emi feels deep inside…" he said. I feel like my mind is about to burst too, her words echoed in his head. "Emi and I… are kinda similar but we're both different too. I guess… that's how to put it." Did that even make any sense? He asked himself, feeling embarrassed. Suddenly, he felt like he shouldn't have planned to go to Mana in the first place.

"I—Anyway, I should go…" he lowly said, slowly getting up from the couch. He turned to Mana, who was standing up as well. "Thanks, Mana." He gratefully said before striding towards the door and leaving after he and Mana said their goodbyes.

He now stood on the other side of the door, holding the handle with one hand and the potpourri in the other. He sighed heavily. You're kind, Zazie. Mana's words resounded in his mind. Somehow, he felt good about it.

He smiled a small one to himself.

And he went back to where Emi was.

A/N: Okay maybe Zazie was a little OOC here, or is it just me. Hopefully he was in character, and more hopefully that the way Zazie thinks is like a guy's mind. (I should ask my guy best friend on how he thinks about stuff like these…)

Anyway, summer vacation has already started from where I am, so almost regular updates! (Because writer's block, laziness, and summer workshops are in a pile over there.) Oh by the way, my WiFi's not really working and I'm just borrowing my mother's portable WiFi. So be warned. I took a really long time in writing this chapter because I didn't know what to write—like how to type in the words and sentences even though I knew the idea of the chapter. Seriously a writer's block. I hated that feeling. But I hope you liked it!