Wanna be a bee?

The passage of time was a unusual to her, like most things were. According to the month they were in the weather should get colder as winter approaches, but the weather stayed sunny, breezy and humid. From what she was been told by the locals aside from sandstorm season and occasional rain the weather stayed this way.

'Maybe that's not a bad thing.' She thought as she finished her morning swim, climbing up the stares, existing the warm sea water. The sun isn't up yet, the public swimming area is empty except for her.

She passed by the pool and gym in her apartment complex, in the way to what the call an elevator. A strange door which teleport her to the flat.

"Morni'n, how's the swim?" A woman with the green mullet greeted. She was the landlord? Manager? Well the person who gave her the key when she bought the apartment.

"Good morning." She simply greeted back awkwardly.

"We have a pool here you know, you should try it."

" The sea is more thrilling."

"Well sure it is." The woman laughed, patting her on the shoulder.

"Well try the gym at least, we have woman only and mixed gyms. The sauna will be ready to use soon." She waved to her and entered the elevator.

'Sauna... oh master had one of these. What's fun about steaming one's self like a dumpling?' She thought.

Before going to the apiary she reviews her notes on the love monster, her handwriting didn't improve but her understanding did.

Two months had passed since the first encounter with the love monster. Luck enough they didn't cross paths since she avoided wandering in that part of the city.

She scanned voices of those she interacts with every now and then as a precaution.

'Even Yasmin, who interacted with Momo a lot wasn't brain washed.'

'Well, I'll investigate more tonight.'

Before walking out of the building she blushes upon the unintentional peak on the men only gym.

'Mamma mia, wait..I'm attracted to other men... am I cured?'

At the apiary she was splitting a beehive supervised. It was her last month at the apprentice training.

hive splitting

"Job well done today. "

"Thank you!"

She rushed home when she saw the clock.

7 o'clock was the best time to eavesdrop on the love monster.

' When I finish the training I will follow her in the day. Although I don't think she do much.'

She looked at the notes, Ai didn't study further than primary education. Couldn't work much because of her chronic anemia.

Which was confusing to say the least, maybe it was a cover to something else but the evidence supported against that. After pondering about it for a week she decided to ask her smoking buddy about it.

"Yeah, anemia we can't treat that."

"Sir.. you're out of a pancreas surgery.. I'm sure you can make the body make good blood cells with a magnetic something."

"Spleen and pancreas surgery." He corrected. " And we genuinely can't cure anemia."

"Last week you did a lung replacement surgery. It's like telling me someone can run a marathon but can't take a walk."

"Yeah, it drove me crazy when I was a student."

' Aside from her three minions she didn't have much of a social circle as well. She had a lover and many guys proposing to her but none of them were brain washed. Is she even aware of her abilities to begin with?'

She slammed herself on the matters and decided to call it a day. Eyes where closing on their own.

'I shouldn't ignore it just because there is no immediate danger. Screw it, I will ask that glittery boots monster later. Momo mentioned has her.'

After inspecting a hive for mites for preparation for the practical exam patitcha was observing her.

"Do you want a harder challenge?"

"Sure." She replied after a moment of indecision.

They walked out of the station the northern part of the city was far from the sea, less humid by nature.

"An apiary here was neglected after the owner needed a surgery. It became quite a mess." Patitcha told while unlocking the stiff key of the property fence.

The vast land had a lot of untrimmed shrubs and trees that had gone wild. She recognized the near sound of distressed buzzing.

"Wanna clean some burr wax?" She asked, wearing her protective gear. Karaza sadly reached to wear hers. They recently allowed her to do some tasks without gear or gloves.

'These bees seems aggressive, and a proper beekeeper isn't reckless.'

Patitcha opened the hive and demonstrated on one frame, they stepped aside and gave verbal instructions.

The bees weren't provided with a foundation to build wax on so, instead of the wax honey being neatly build on a flat frame the bees made a labyrinth of honey comb.

Karaza cut the comb with a non sharp tool, one looking like a huge metal ruler. she cut on the trace of the original frame.

"Scrape the frame edges too, or the bees will build wax on the trace of the old angle."

When the trainee seemed to get the hang of that Patitcha went to check the other four hives.

"One collapsed, the other will soon without a queen. Another one is overheating and we also have a mite infestation." She told Karaza on her break. Which Patitcha forced her to take.

"What should one do first?" She quizzed.

"Introduce a queen to the queenless hive."

"Then?"

" It depend on how bad the mite infestation is, if it's too bad I will help the other hive cool itself then I'll deal with the mites."

"That's a good start."

"Um, Isn't this a private property? Should we mess around here?"

"I have a permission from the owner." She looked at the other woman, who looked like she had questions but didn't ask.

"Family business. This place produced great honey back then. Till they fought between each other."

"The owner asked for someone to salvage anything, but no one want to work here, too much work for the pay."

Karaza looked at the hive she's cleaning, a hive of eight large boxes. And the one she cleared.

"Well, that's all I can do for today."

Patitcha looked at the time.

"Can I stay longer?" Karaza said, squeezing the comb she took through a sifter to salvage as much honey as possible.

"..Sure."

Patitcha hesitated at first, but ended up giving her the key, told her where extra smoke was. Bee smoke.

"Use a lot of smoke so they won't sting ya. And make sure to close the fence." She said before leaving.

She took off the protective veil, though the bees where buzzing louder at the disruption of the hive.

Not wise thing to do, but she preferred the freedom of movement over safety.

' I got stabbed and cut like no one's business and a bee sting is what will get me? Wait if many stung me at the same I can die...eh, whatever.'

She took the gloves off as the burr comb got harder to extract, she also had to make sure not to squish bees which made the task harder with gloves.

She cut around the frame, extract comb, shook the bees on it, took straight pieces to be used in a frame and squiggly ones to the sifter. The large size of the frames itself made her wonder how much time this hive stayed without management.

It was getting darker, she put foundation in the three clean bee boxes and stacked them in their place.

'Well, gotta finish tomorrow. I don't wanna deal with a trespass charge in a privet property.' She locked the fence and went to the station.

In order to use the transporting doors she had to swipe to another page in her hexagono. Which for some reason didn't land on. It didn't help that Patitcha swiped for her when they come.

'Screw it.' She went to s stall in the station bathroom and pulled a seed from the golden apple.

Although her face was dumbfounded when she realized she didn't specify the location.

Soon she fell on the flower field, the one the golden apple took her to in the first use.

' How did I manage to stay alive this long?' Asking herself while checking for injuries.

' You take two seeds and specify a location. If you take one a random location is it. And each seed takes 47 hours to recharge and appear again.' She repeated to herself in the internal tone of a frustrated teacher.

The scenery was lovely like the last time, some bees were on the flower too. She decided to indulge herself, summoning her axe out of reflex and following the bee to the hive with soundless steps, axe down.

Lagging behind the little flying bee till the edge of the forest.

A substantial hive hanging on a branch of a big old tree. Its size of a big watermelon. The bee entered the hive. Soon after she approaches with cautious curiosity.

The bees of the wild had a more vibrant yellow stripes, almost golden. Her eyes followed the few ones flying near the hive, realizing the buzzing sounded different.

One bee flew in circles around her head. Its buzzing in particular was different, had more harmony to it.

'Could you fetch us some pollen?'

'That would be appreciated!'

The buzzing morphed into thoughts, her eyes had the stillness of hypnosis. She was about to sink deeper, only for the vibration of the axe to shook her back to consciousness.

She let a gasp.

" Forgive me. But a proper beekeeper doesn't over manage the bees." She told while tip towing away quickly.

'Stingy human.'

'So the bees of the wild can do that. It sounded benign thought, should I fetch them some? No, they don't need it. I'll fail as a beekeeper.'

She strolls between the evergreens and the flower field. Then she remembered.

'Oh, I skipped spying on the love monster today.'

Strangely her mind traveled to the new job.

'I'll have to stop that anyway, I have a lot of work in that apiary... If I accept that first.'

Her eyes jumped between spots on the ground, doubting.

'Is that even possible for me?'

She looked at the far away horizon, where the karabora and other things laid sleep for now.

' Should I even pursue normal life. Is it possible after all what happened?'

'I'll probably stay stiff and awkward, taking time and help to get mere conversations.'

She took a long sigh.

' All I know that I want to finish cleaning that hive with burr wax.'

A clashing sound made her alertness spike. She tightened her grip on the axe and picked closer sounds. Voices got recognized immediately.

Henry was blocking the attack of a distorted skeleton of some shape with his sword while the young master was searching in a torn leather bag for something.

"Young master!" The knight yelled, trying to mask the disparity under urgency.

" Just a little more!" He hastily sorted through some ginger in his hands.

The knight bend his knees more to harness any strength left in him. Unsure how a rusty metal bones can be this overwhelming.

The head the was attached to the assumed place of shoulder blades. It slid to the chest like rails were under it. Omitting a warning glow in the knight's face. Who couldn't run or attack.

Karaza crashed into the skeleton, cleaving it with one swing to the torso. Cutting the enemy in half and kicking the remains for a safe distance.

The knight clenched his grip on the sword, not aiming at her per say, staying ready rather.

"I got it!" The young master announces happily.

"No shit." Karaza says, earning the aim of the knights sword for that. Not recognizing her.

The young master stood there for a moment before walking to her.

"Cherry blossom!" He hugged. She dropped the axe for safety.

"Looking healthier! How are you? Whatch doing here?" He bombarded her while squeezing her cheeks and ruffling her hair.

"Young master! Please don't be this close with strangers." Henry scolded.

He looked at him dumbfounded. Karaza pretended her eye didn't twitch in pain at that.

"It Cherry, Karaza. She worked in the mansion." He stepped away and made introducing hand gesture to her.

"I'm not blind young master. Karaza-donno had a pink hair. " He said with his chest.

"You know about dyes exist right?"

"And it was... " He looked at her straight silver hair. The plain shirt and pants didn't help with the recognizability.

"Curly? my man, hang out with a woman once in a while. It's good for you."

"It's actually remarkable that you recognized me, young master. And Please don't go in adventures in the wild." She asked with low energy, she knew damn well he will do it again anyway.

"Well you know, gotta hunt for gifts sometimes." He picked the vibrating axe, the shine of the metal reflected in his eyes. A faint smile barely reaches his eyes.

" And I'm not your young master anymore." He joked, handing her the axe.

" You will always be my young master." She stated, taking it.

"Gotcha." He laughed after a pause.