Watermelon 2

Chimera and princess looked at each other. The candle flickered between them. The boy toyed with the rest of the coffee. She looked very confused. He looked very uncomfortable.

"I don't understand," said the princess. " Do you want me to ask you about something?

He clicked his tongue.

"No. Is not like that." He started to say. Then, he stopped again. "I just don't know where to start. I'm ... I'm not used to talking about myself."

Amelia nodded and the chimera kept spinning the drink. Among them, there was Rezo's notebook. It remained silent. Lurking.

"May l?" She asked, pointing to the book.

He made a gesture and she reached out and opened the tome. Instantly, she frowned. The book had no words. No ink. The pages were full of little raised dots. They looked like half-baked music sheets.

"What is this?"

"It's braille," He replied.

"Can you read it?"

"It took me a bit," He said with a sigh. "But yes. It's from when Rezo started experimenting with chimeras. It's full of references to failed tests, deformed chimeras, and humans who had lost the ability to reason. He also talks a lot about blindness and, well, about everything.

She listened in silence. His voice pronounced "everything" as if it was loaded with stones as if it was dragging. When the boy finished talking, he rested his head on one of her hands. He had stopped avoiding her gaze. Now he looked at her, occasionally.

"So you've read something unpleasant," she ventured.

He made a face.

"No?

"Yes and no. It's complicated."

Zelgadis fiddled with the mug some more before continuing with the story.

"I haven't read anything new. Rezo was a jerk and he loved to experiment with others. His lab was full with the remains of that hobby. Just thinking of all those eyes" his hands tensed a little. "Those screams that… but, no. That wasn't it. In fact, what pissed me off was remembering the first time Rezo paid me a compliment."

Amelia's brow furrowed again and he smiled.

"I already told you it was complicated. Actually, I don't really know how to explain it. It's ... Agh! It's frustrating."

Silence settled between them as Zelgadis searched for the right words. Unfortunately, he did not find any of those and, in the end, he just said:

"I don't know. I think it makes me angry or maybe it infuriates me. Yes. I think that describes it better. It infuriates. It burns me to feel something positive for such a despicable man, for the person who did this." Zel pointed at himself as his tongue clicked. His lips curved. "Because get this, it turns out that he was the same person who did that also prepared me coffee every morning. And he was also the very same man that praised me when my spells worked.

The chimera reached for air and sighed. "There are nights where I can only remember those moments. On those nights ... I don't know."

"You do not know...?" She urged him.

"Leave it. It's nothing."

The princess gave him a friendly tap on her shoulder. He grimaced. For an instant, his stone skin cracked beneath his just knuckles.

"What do you mean nothing?" I don't think it's anything, Zelgadis. In fact, you seem to be very concerned about it. Look," Amelia continued, "I'd understand if you don't want to talk to me about it. But I do think you'd feel a lot better once you talk this out."

He rubbed her shoulder, then drew a long breath.

"Vey well, but it's strange to put into words. How to explain it…" He stopped and waved his hands, trying to grasp a concept.

"On those nights, I begin to review my memories of Rezo. My brain starts to blurt thought after thought and I just can't stop wondering. I wonder about Shabranigudu's influence on my grandfather. I wonder about Pokota; about Taphorasia. I wonder about the coffee and the compliments. Lastly, I wonder about all his magical discoveries. I think about all that and, I know it sounds bad, but in those moments...I just can't really seem to hate him."

-Then...

"I know he's a terrible person." He marked. "I know that. And I know that he was moved by selfish reasons. All just to cure his eyes, by that stupid obsession. But these thought keeps creeping in and I… I feel like shit about it."

"Do not worry. Then I'll just hate him for both of us"

Zel's gaze lifted from the table. His eyes met the princess and there was a hint of a smile.

It was easy to talk to her. With Amelia, there were no second intentions, no grays. You could see her intentions behind her gestures. Now, the chimera saw his tight lips and his determined gaze. She was thinking of Evil, in capital letters, and she was thinking of JUSTICE(™). It was the same Justice that it was pronounced with a mouth full of Truth, that it was served with a generous portion of exclamation marks.

"Harming others for selfish reasons is evil," she said in her princess tone. "To experiment with others, to manipulate them, to deceive them! All that is despicable. I know that he's related to you and I am sorry but, it's not right! It's unforgivable! So yeah, I'll hate him for you if you can't.

She went silent and the chimera responded in the most eloquent form of all:

"Ah."

To be honest, he was a bit relieved. No. That was not the word. He felt… happy? Why? Zel frowned and then, he frowned again. Once he was done, he turned the cup over as he studied the feeling.

Maybe it was because of how people reacted when they heard the word "Rezo" As soon as they heard the priest's name, they spewed secondhand praises and myths. They've all had a cousin who had seen this; a sister had done that ... Alas, that was all they talked about.

Zel grimaced. Maybe that's why people wrinkled their faces when he tells his version. Their expressions usually turned sour and then, they turned sourer. They didn't want to hear anything about "experiments" and "chimeras". Instead, they preferred to fill their mouths with phrases like: "Liar, Rezo wouldn't do that" and, his favorite: "I'm sure you'd done something to receive that punishment."

The chimera continued to ruminate and, in the same room, the princess gave another meaning to his silence. She was now twisting her hair behind her ear and looking at him, nervously.

"Sorry, maybe I shouldn't have been so rude."

"No. Thank you, Ame. I think It was what he needed to hear."

A small smile crept up her face. Ame. The princess savored the diminutive. It sounded flirty, even affectionate. Color rose to her cheeks.

"Are you feeling better?" She asked between smiles.

"A bit. Yeah."

"I'm glad," she said. Then she looked around the darkened room. She stared at the books, at the empty coffee cup." Do you want another coffee? We can go up and have it in the garden."

The chimera looked at her for a moment. He seemed to be thinking about it. When he finished, he put away his smile, he let out a breath.

"Not yet," he replied. "I think I'm going to stay a while".

"To continue reading?"

He nodded and reached for the book. The princess watched the gesture and she carefully pushed the book a little further.

"Amelia?"

"Hold on. First, promise me that you'll call me if you feel down again, okay?

He fell silent and the object moved a little further away.

"Promise me," the princess repeated.

"Okay, Amelia. I promise"

The princess put on a bright smile and then she gently tugged the book towards him. She jumped from the chair and, lastly, she turned one last time to her friend.

"Good night. And ... Zelgadis?"

"Yes?"

"I think I like Ame better."

That said, she disappeared among the books and shelves. It all happened fast. So fast, that neither could see the other's smile.