There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)-Chapter 55 - 54. Riverside Night

"Good evening, my dear Guide,"

Zein stared at the charming smile that reminded him of the billboard’s ads, and swung the door close. "Try again."

In a swiftness befitting the Saint-class title, Bassena grasped the door to prevent it from closing, forcing his head between the gap with a twitching grin. "My bad, my bad, I won’t do it again."

"What won’t you do again?" Zein held the door handle, no longer pushing it close, but also not releasing.

"Umm...calling you ’my dear Guide’?" Bassena grinned, but upon Zein’s deadpan expression, immediately thought of another. "No? Uh—what then?"

With his free hand, the guide reached out and pinched the esper’s cheek, pulling the tough skin with a bit of magic energy until Bassena winced. "Ah—what? What?"

"Don’t use that smile at me," Zein said dryly, before letting go of the door and walking inside.

Bassena blinked and stood still for a few seconds, before smiling widely—a silly smile one couldn’t help but make in front of someone they liked, unlike the artificial one he use in commercials. He closed the door and followed the scent trail of fresh soap, eyes trailing a bead of water dripping from the dark hair.

Ah—it was the first time he saw the guide’s nape unprotected. Zein hadn’t worn his choker/mask yet, and with only a long-sleeved shirt, the expanse of fair skin available for Bassena to feast on got him gulping.

He put his hands inside his pocket, preventing any urge to reach out and touch. He stroked a conversation just to distract unnecessary thoughts. "Do you like your room?"

"What’s not to like?" Zein replied nonchalantly while retrieving his choker and putting it on. Sure, he was in the green-zone already, and wearing a mask here would just look weird and paranoid, but he had been wearing it for most of his life, and Zein found it uncomfortable to go out without wearing one. It felt like his blanket, his hiding space from inquisitive eyes.

And the Trinity didn’t question it, which he appreciated.

"Well, I’m glad if you like it. Is there anything more you want to add?" Bassena looked around, seating himself on the backrest of the sofa. Although he was the one who requested the adjustment, he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes.

But imagining Zein walking about in casual clothing between the plants and flowers, leaning on the balcony railing with a coffee mug in his hand was truly a pretty picture.

"I’ve only stayed here for two hours,"

"Still..."

Zein crossed his arms, eyes scanning the room briefly. What else would he want? It wasn’t like he would spend a lot of time here, probably just for sleeping. He never had personal belonging in the first place, never had time or chance to be interested in something. He hadn’t even begun to learn what he needed to do to all these plants.

"Hmm...like a fish tank?" Bassena offered a suggestion.

That got Zein paused in his step, blinking at the esper. That...actually sounded nice? A nice, small tank filled with water, and a few colorful fishes he saw once in his brother’s schoolbook ages ago.

"Oh, you’re interested~" Bassena narrowed his eyes, a wide smile adorning his face.

"You sound like Han Shin,"

"Ugh!" that effectively shut Bassena up, the esper shivering in dread to be equated with the healer. "Let’s just go..."

Activating his mask to hide his smirk, Zein walked out of the room with a dejected Bassena. Even as the sky darkened, the sixth floor was still empty, and no sign of life force could be sensed. It was nice—rather than wondering where those people were, Zein preferred not to bump into too many people.

"You’re not wearing any outer?" Bassena asked suddenly, as they reached the elevator, looking keenly at Zein’s thin shirt.

"Mm," Zein replied simply. He didn’t bring many clothes—and by that, he only brought a pair of extra jeans and three long sleeve shirts. He didn’t think he could wear the combat jacket that he’d been wearing throughout the journey for several days, so he put that one in the dorm’s laundry service.

At that, he felt a thin coat draped over his shoulder, and realized it was the one Bassena had been carrying in his hand. "It’s quite chilly during the night there, so wear this."

"There?" Zein questioned as he took the coat and wore it properly while entering the elevator. The coat was light, but it was warmer than he thought, and the bigger size actually felt nice, since Zein mainly used bulky clothes for protection.

He looked at the esper after, waiting for an answer. But Bassena just smiled deeply without telling him anything, and Zein just shrugged—it wasn’t like he’d know even if Bassena told him.

The elevator came down to the basement level, and Bassena brought Zein toward a sleek black car that even though Zein knew nothing about, looked absolutely expensive.

The most luxurious car Zein had ever seen was probably an ’antique’ sedan that the Umbra Guildmaster had—which probably meant it was old. When Bassena opened the passenger door for him, and Zein dazedly seated himself, he felt like he didn’t mind even if he was told to sleep there.

Zein knew how to drive...roughly. He drove a truck before, and a bulky car with a mischievous engine belonged to Alma and Zach. But looking at this car and how Bassena operated it, he felt like looking at a very different machine. The car drove smoothly, with barely any noise. The digital indicator on the dashboard was enough to steal his focus from the road.

"Wanna try driving it sometimes?" Bassena asked with a chuckle after a while.

"Are you crazy?"

"I can teach you. It’s not like you can’t buy one for yourself later with the money you earned," the esper shrugged.

Well...that too, was true. Just with the down payment, Zein could buy any car he wanted, provided he could drive it of course. And it was also a nice thought, being able to go around on his own. Assuming that he would need to commute to Mortix’s lab too...

Hmm...he didn’t need anything too grand or expensive, just a properly functioning and inconspicuous one.

Bassena glanced at the guide, whose blue eyes narrowed in deep contemplation. He looked so serious that it was damn adorable. "That being said, I prefer it if you don’t have one, though..."

"Huh?" Zein lifted his gaze from the dashboard, looking at the esper in slight annoyance. "Why?"

"Because then, I won’t have any excuse to drive you around," Bassena answered with a mischievous smile.

Zein threw the esper a deadpan look and asked dryly. "Are you that idle, vice-Guildmaster?"

"Why are you mentioning my title, Guide Luzein?"

"I wonder if there’s a driving school near Trinity..."

"Ha ha ha—why would you waste money to learn how to drive, how ridiculous. Let’s schedule a session when we are both free and I’ll show you around my trusty showroom,"

"You better,"

Bassena let out a slight chuckle. Right—the one who fell in love would always lose.

* * *

The sky had darkened, but even then, as Zein watched the flowing water reflecting the night sky, he knew that it was clean. Perhaps not as clean and pure as the lake of the fragment, but it was still a different world with the muddy ravine of the red-zone.

In his position, inside the private dining room on the high floor of a restaurant atop a hill, he could see the river flowing toward the outer wall, where it joined the one surrounding Althrea.

The blue eyes still staring keenly at the flowing river even as the meals were brought in and laid on the table between them. Of course, it wasn’t the first time Zein saw a clean body of water. But different from the fragment’s lake, which he couldn’t see anymore until the reclamation project, he could see this river every day if he wanted to.

Just an hour’s drive from the Trinity compound, and he could bask in a nice, refreshing body of water. How much nicer it would be under the bright sky?

"We’ll drive closer to the riverside later, so eat first. I don’t think you have any meal at all today," Bassena’s statement made Zein conscious of his stomach suddenly.

Now that he thought about it, the day was so hectic that he only got to fill his stomach with candy, iced chocolate, and mocha something. He didn’t really realize it since involuntary fasting was a normal thing for him, but once he remember, Zein couldn’t help but feel famished.

Especially as his eyes feasted upon various plates of food spread out on the table.

"This can’t be for two people?"

Bassena just smiled and put a soup bowl in front of Zein. "I ordered a lot so you can try various things. Just eat what you like and leave out the rest—but have this first to ease your stomach,"

In a slight daze, Zein ate the creamy soup in front of him, and the dinner became a taste test instead. Bassena would take a part of some dishes for Zein to taste, and only plates with the food that managed to light up the blue eyes stayed on the table while the rest was taken up by the standby waiters.

Even while being dumbfounded, Zein ended up eating a bowl of salad, a meat dish, two poultry dishes, and a grilled fish—all which names he couldn’t remember. Not because they were particularly difficult, but because he simply forgot everything once the desert came.

A chocolate cake with a melted center and ice cream on the side? Something like a firm cream with sour sauce?

What did it matter if Zein felt so full before? There was always room for sweet things!

Being busy devouring the food made Zein miss the soft, tender gaze that a pair of amber eyes had as they watched him eat with gusto. Bassena himself didn’t eat much, but he felt an undescribable joy just by seeing the blue eyes sparkle.

That sparkle, however, slowly dimmed as spoon after spoon entered the pretty mouth. At some point, Zein paused, his face obstructed by his hand perching on his forehead as he looked down and stared hard at the plate.

"What’s wrong?" Bassena asked worriedly. "Are you feeling sick?" perhaps he ate too much? Bassena was about to get up when Zein held up his hand.

"No—I mean, yeah, probably..." Zein replied softly, with a little tremble in his voice that told Bassena he was lying.

But the esper stayed put. Zein was a straightforward person, just like how he said he didn’t like seeing Bassena’s smile earlier. So if someone like that lying about something, it meant others shouldn’t pry further.

Despite saying he felt sick, Zein didn’t stop until the plates were empty, although he seemed to eat it like a man going into a fight. During that moment, the blue eyes looked blank and...heavy. But when they got up to leave, as if he left those feeling behind on the empty plates, Zein returned to his usual self, and the blue eyes stayed deep and firm like always.

As they drove toward the riverside in peaceful silence, Zein unconsciously held his pendant, rubbing it mindlessly. It was enough for Bassena to understand what was probably going on inside the guide’s head.

Guilt.

The heaviness of living a good life with a comfortable bed and delicious food all by himself. Even though he made a promise to let them experience it.

It was probably that promise and guilt and his inability to fulfill it that made him stay in the Borderland even if he could easily gain a decent life somewhere else.

And Bassena, as someone who was involved in convincing Zein to move up, felt a piercing sting in his heart as he saw the persistent sorrow in those blue eyes.

"Ah..." Zein exclaimed softly as the car stopped at the riverside. Bassena pulled the car window down to let Zein breathe the scent of water and night wind. It calmed the esper’s heart as he saw the blue eyes sparkle a little bit at the sight of the river, erasing that vacant, dark shadow they carried earlier.

Retracting his mask, Zein leaned into the window frame, using his arm as a cushion, and staring absentmindedly at the flowing water. He listened to the soft sound of ripples, as well as vague conversation from other people who enjoyed the night river scenery. The dark water looked like a mirror reflecting the colorful light of its surrounding, from the buildings to the billboards.

It somehow felt lively and peaceful at the same time. Yes...no imminent danger. A secure place.

Again, it reminded him of how different the situation between zones was. His neighborhood wouldn’t be able to afford much electricity, so the night was truly dark, and people chose to go sleep rather than waste fuel. The red-zone always felt like a cemetery during the night—nothing lively, nothing peaceful.

Zein suddenly remembered his new salary, and it made him think about how much wealth these people had. Why then, did that wealth never reach the red-zone?

"What are you thinking about?" Bassena finally asked after a long silence.

"Just useless things..."

"Such as?"

"Money," Zein muttered to the night air, "Like how much money would it need to fix a place like the red-zone..."

There was an accusation in his low, dry voice. The unspeakable question derived from frustration. The only reason why he wasn’t uttering it blatantly was that he had grown numb.

Zein himself realized what his tone would sound like to Bassena, and he knew the esper definitely caught it, but Bassena responded easily.

"A lot," the man spoke surely, as if reading a mission report. "An astronomical amount," Zein turned his head, staring at the side profile gazing far through the window. "The amount we’ve been pouring into the purification device."

Ah...

Zein leaned back on the seat, and after a period of silence, felt like laughing.

Yeah. There was no use in pouring money into the red-zone without solving the root causing all of that pathetic lifestyle and extreme poverty—the miasma levels. Even if they injected funds into the red-zone, most of it would be siphoned by the rogue guild.

In the first place, red-zone wasn’t a land where people should dwell in. The one who settled there first was the criminals, the exiled, and people who were allergic to the law. It wasn’t until mercenaries came there that civilians could live in the red-zone too. They were mostly outcasts; people who had lost their homes, jobs, and residential right. Their descendant, thus, never saw the bright sky of the upper zone.

The government and the guild let the red-zone be as containment; as long as those rogues reigned in the red-zone, they would usually rather stay there as a king, and minimize their presence in the safer zones.

"It’s complicated," Zein sighed in realization, feeling the refreshing breeze that wouldn’t be available in that barren land.

It wasn’t like he didn’t know it before. He just...made wishful thinking after receiving money. Zein didn’t even think he was the charitable and sympathetic type—it was just the frustration of an ex-dweller.

"We’ll get it someday," Bassena assured him, just like three months ago. "We’ll probably get it faster since you’re with us now."

Zein turned to look at the warm amber orbs and the firm smile, feeling his lips stretched slightly. "Heh..."

"Feeling better?"

Looking at the calm river and the colorful lights, Zein answered with a soft, lighter voice. "Yeah,"

Yeah—surprisingly, the heaviness on his chest became a tad bit easier to swallow. No, it didn’t turn lighter, just that Zein felt he could face it better, with a calmer mind.

"I want to take you someplace else..." Bassena suddenly said while Zein was closing his eyes to bask in the sound of rippling water. "A lake that looked just like your eyes," the esper sounded like he was disappointed about his inadequacy. "But it’s quite hard going there, so I’ll have to ask for your patience,"

Zein chuckled silently, sighing at the end. "It’s not like I’m the one requesting it,"

"True," Bassena let out a small laugh, "but I’ll still take you there one day."

"You don’t have to do that kind of bothersome thing," Zein sunk himself into the car seat.

It was a nice thought, to see a beautiful lake, perhaps like the one created from the fragment’s core. But it felt ridiculous that someone busy like Bassena Vaski would waste his time with such trivial thing.

"Do you feel it’s bothersome?"

Zein opened his eyes at the dry, rather cold tone that Bassena used. He turned toward the esper, and found the man was leaning to him, arm stretched to perch at the window on Zein’s side. "Not to me, but..."

"But?"

Zein stared at the hovering face in front of him, at the amber eyes that blazed hotter with every passing second. "Aren’t you supposed to be..." the face came closer, stopping just a few inches away in front of him, so close that Zein could see his reflection inside the amber orbs even in the darkness, "...busy?" freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

Vaguely, Zein could hear the sound of the window rolling up, but most of his senses were robbed by the heavy presence of the esper. It wasn’t even hard to think about; what Bassena wanted to do.

Zein could feel it, the thin wall of air between them, and his fingers unconsciously gripped the leather seat.

"Shove me away," the low, husky voice tickled the surface of their lips, carrying the unspoken words.

’Shove me away and I’ll stop’

Zein knew if he simply turned his head, or pushed lightly on the man’s shoulder, Bassena would retreat. He could do that.

But he didn’t.