She finished, and I listened. My world had been stacked and rebuilt around from the beginning, as if a new woman I'd become. Those memories and events were never mere coincidences anymore. That gentleness had come from somewhere I could not imagine.
I sat close to her, criss crossing my legs, while she sat almost kneeling on the mossy carpet of greenery. A wistful smile tugged at my lips, and I whispered while my gaze drifted downwards, being clouded with sorrows.
"Thank you, Zerius, for telling me...."
"Most welcome, my dearest."
"I'm curious. Have you been watching over her all this time?"
"Yes!"
"Then the party as well?"
"That's a given."
"No wonder you knew me."
"I know everybody. Specially the outspoken one caught my eyes."
"Why?"
She burst out, midway laughing, and tried her best to add her words.
"Because I mistoke him for my greenery."
"Pffttt"
A genuine laugh bubbled up from within me, and it definitely took me a minute to stop myself. Although, I wasn't the only one snickering away.
My eyes locked with her again, and we mimicked each other's smile, and I continued.
"I hope you will continue to look after us then?"
"I surely would."
"How do you watch us anyway?"
Zerius drew up her cloak and rose elegantly, her feet carrying her to a wall of emerald vines and interlaced branches. A touch of a finger on the wall from the pipette body of her, flickering and coming into sight, a clear vision of the outside world enclosed from her domain.
"Atua...."
A green bubble, nearly the size of a balloon, fluttered its tiny eyelashes and met my gaze. It felt like a spirit born from the soft scent of greenery, carrying the simple, untainted innocence of a child. A whisper of a snicker wandered from my lips, laced with a strange mixture of joy and amazement. My eyes blinked shut and open in quick succession. The faint radiance on the spirit's face glowed with soothing mana, and for a heartbeat, it resembled a gentle man with long ears and emerald eyes.
Thankfully, I had laid my gaze on it. The vision came sooner, of my friends chatting and running around with Ororon on their arms. A giggle surged from me, and my desires bubbled. The desire...to go back home, a new place I belonged, alongside them.
"Zerius..."
As if to read my emotions, she gently pronounced.
"Goodbyes aren't forever, my dearest, I'll await your coming."
I shared my smile with her. It was all I had to give, but she took it graciously and gifted me one in return.
***
"Aniel!? Where have you been?"
Her worry was expected. She began observing my face in a hurry and checking my well-being.
"Haha, calm down, Kyoko, I'm fine..."
She studied my face for another minute before the aroma from me entered her nostrils. Her eyes shot open immediately, concern and unspoken questions unfurling within them. She gave me a face, and I only retured a pathetic smile, perhaps infused with guilt and pity.
"Aniel..."
His voice vibrated through me next, sending pins and needles racing across my skin. For some reason, I couldn't meet his radiant emerald eyes or his boxy smile.
I'd grown accustomed to meeting his eyes… but this time, I couldn't, and I didn't know why.
Still, I bestowed a simple glance at him, feeling the sheer coldness from him.
Another masculine voice echoed through the evening, his demeanour that of an old noble-class man indulging in the speech and mannerisms of historical figures. He acted as if performing a play, reciting a foreign language from across the world, all to present himself as a gentleman in his top-hatted hat to the people present near the estate of the Demi Rabbits.
"Mademoiselle! You've returned, you haven't a clue how much I seeked for you."
"Still with the awkward speaking." I said as I rolled my eyes at him.
He chortled at my comment, tipping his top hat again with his white gloved hands. To confess, I was more comfortable with a man I met two days prior to a man I had known for a year. Somehow, an awkward rift came between Dermis and me, haunting our every attempt to maintain distance. It's as if we couldn't speak of each other unless it was in the form of a monologue.
Dermis took a stance and took a few steps towards me while I studied his body language. The straight back fell with guilt and a walk pressured with stress. He seemed to gulped down lumps of saliva before letting words escape his pink tainted lips.
"I... was worried..., good to see you again."
His eyes curved along with his gentle smile that lingered in my chest. As usual, I retured the gesture and followed with a thank you. Vague yet subtle.
"I'm home...Dermis."
"Welcome back, Aniel."