To each their own

At the usual bench Karaza stopped breathing mid exhale, frozen in time as she was a group of muscular shirtless sailors passed by them.

"Santa came early this time..." She murmured, blushing and still bewildered.

"Oh, the holidays are coming." Her smoking buddy commented while igniting his pipe.

"...Holidays? Thought there's zillion holidays here." She recalled how there's always someone on leave in the warehouse since every culture and such had their own celebrations.

"We have an unofficial official holiday of the land...it is...less than a month." He looked at his hexagono to fitch the date.

"Unofficial official holiday?" She looked at his like a diligent student.

"A proper just enjoys their time, you don't have to do anything special."

Another group of sailors passing by them begged a more important question.

"...Navy men don't like shirts, don't ask me why." He sighed.

"Navy? thought they were sailors."

"Same thing. They never agree on what they're called. Even military supervisors get confused."

"I see, typical." She blurred before clocking the information.

"You were in the military?"

"As a medic, not a shirtless sailor."

"I gathered that much." She said flatly.

'Bummer.'

"Your thoughts are obvious.." He raised an eyebrow.

"I'm a pervert, leave me alone." She sighed with some shame.

She took a quick but thorough at him, he's still somewhat see through and more tensed up than usual.

She was afraid of asking the wrong question so she occupied herself with her pipe.

"Say...Your feeling for that guy, when did they started?" He asked, words coming slowly from his mouth, like he's ready to stop at any moment. But her unbothered expression made him get through the question.

"Uhh, four years maybe? Shit it's almost five." She counted and that unsettled him.

"But they're gone now right?"

"Not really, but I'm thinking less about that, you know with the warehouse and the apiary and stuff." She cut herself off, thinking about what the conversation insinuated.

"Wait...you're in love?"

His troubled expression was enough conformation.

"Welcome to the club!" She laughed, patting his back exactly twice.

"Fuck no." He choked on smoke, covering his face.

'Oh, that's why he was bothered. He don't know how to ask her out.'

Her mind accelerated to find the right advice or encouragement to say but he asked again before she can land on anything.

"So nothing can make these feelings vanish?" He asked with a frown that melted into a serious face, converting the light bros conversation into an unpleasant one.

"Distance is the best you can do, I guess?"

His look told her that he's doing that already.

"And don't overwork yourself to forget."

He replied with an affirmative hum.

"And don't start a relationship with someone else to forget. It doesn't work." She added, tone more stern with this one.

"You did the legwork didn't you?"

"You're seeing me in my best behavior. Used to be feral."

Their refills finished, he was about to go home after a double shift. She realized that their convo was too much for a proper citizen at six in the morning.

"Thanks though, can't talk about that with anyone else." He waved awkwardly, a little embarrassed to admit.

"Any awkward stuff and I'm your gal." She waved back.

She walked to the apiary thinking about their talk, something not adding up.

'So he love someone but doesn't want to confess? Is it a men pride/ bullshit thing?'

'No, he's better than that.'

She placed a new queen in the start hive, waiting for the bees to accept or reject her.

After the smooth acceptance she went to check on a previously infected colony, she took one frame cautiously only to be rewarded with the healed interior.

She looked at the increased number of hives. The colonies she cleaned of burr wax once are growing in order now. The frames are not full of wax yet but it's getting there.

A sense of accomplishment washed over her, she opened the hive again to soak the progress more.

Engulfed by the warm emotions until some shouts snapped her back.

Even without her ability she heard two men shouting outside the apiary gate, Patitch's effort to clam them down took time to kick in.

She took a shallow breath, preparing herself for anything if they enter, but they parted away.

Patitcha entered alone, she greeted Karaza with a tried smile.

She recalled how the apiary got to this state because the owners had some problems or fights or whatever.

She handed patitcha the mushroom coffee she liked, with some english cake she was given from the warehouse.

"Thank you kid." Patitcha sipped her coffee, looking at the hives.

"That's a huge progress." She commented.

"You can tell?" Karaza asked, genuine happiness and surprise semi hidden in her voice.

"I can, I really can." She said, with some troubled sadness in her tone.

They snaked in comfortable silence until Patitcha glanced at her with worry. Karaza prodded her with a slight head tilt.

"Listen kid, gotta be frank with you. I'm sorry but I don't think this apiary will survive...they're probably gonna sell it."

The ex mercenary had a complicated expression on her face, she didn't understand the feelings in her circuit. She got stabbed, poisoned, faced pain and death but nothing rendered her with this sadness, not even Henry.

She stayed silent as her supervisor continued apologetically.

"It's gonna be alright, there's plenty of beekeeping jobs out there, I know you're not ready yet to work as a part of a team, you can work alone, gathering stray beehives in public spaces. It's gonna be fun."

Karaza sat there, slouching a little, guilty she's troubling her supervisor.

"So...When they gonna sell it?" She asked hesitantly.

"I don't know, they're still arguing between them. The brothers almost made up till one of them decided it was the perfect time to merry outside their category." She let a long frustrated sigh only to recollect herself quickly upon Karaza's confused expression.

"Sorry kid, didn't mean to let my frustrations on ya."

"Umm, pardon my prying but..." Karaza paused, but the inviting raised eyebrow of Patitcha prodded her to continue.

"Aren't you like...A supervisor in the government, why you're involved with..." She didn't know how to phrase it, only looking at the gate where the two shouting men stood before.

"Ah, my friend was a partner in this commercial apiary. She volunteered a lot, just like you so I saw her often and became friends. She entrusted me with her share in the apiary before she was went away." She gazed away in nostalgia.

"My condolences." She lowered her head.

"Went away to search for a family member..."

"Oh.."

"And I'm stuck now." She poured herself more coffee.

After work Karaza walked aimlessly in the city, thinking about stuff she didn't know.

'Unofficial official holiday, marrying outside category, my smoking buddy acting like he shouldn't be with whom he love...I still don't know squat about this land!'

Neat a grocery store Roxy took a nervous gulp as the human handed her many bags full of groceries.

"How..many things you need to learn?" A drop of sweat traveled down Roxy's chin.

"I'm not proud of seeking your help either..."

"This place has many unspoken rules. Will get to them in this lesson."

In a manga café Roxy wore her funny glasses, a pointer stick in her hand pointing at a small white board she brought with her.

Karaza was confused by the structure of the café, the vast bookshelves with the tiny rooms was a funny dichotomy.

"First unspoken rule, keep it to yourself."

"Are those standers or you made them up?" Karaza interrupted.

"They're my keen observations, and raise your hand before asking questions."

She raised her hand.

"What?"

"Can't you just tell me normally?"

"I. Need. Theatrics."

"My fault."

"Kay kiddo, let's resume...Now what." She asked as Karaza raised her hand again.

"Don't call me kiddo. Here you're younger than me."

"...I'm gonna cry."

"Okay okay sorry! Continue."

"So, The land isn't a country or a nation. By that definition we can't have an official holiday, but once a year the weather gets chilly, less blazing sun and no sandstorms in the horizon. And the government give time off if one asked in these days. Hence it's an unofficial official holiday. It's also know as the bane of my existence."

Karaza just gave a flat nod.

"As for marriage and category..." She took off her star shaped glasses.

"It's a sensitive topic so don't bring it up if you can, especially with people your not close with."

Karaza leaned forward.

"There are people from every background here, some don't wanna merry outside their culture, religion, extra. Other people don't mind."

"That's pretty normal everywhere, and I didn't live that much between humans."

"Really? Make sense I suppose." She made a mental note before continuing. "Well now add orphans, fertile and infertile to the list."

Karaza registered the new information in a moment of silence.

"Now why this can be a sensitive topic?"

"Cause humans can be finicky?"

"Girl you're a human...Anyway back to our first rule, keep it to yourself. One is allowed to have preference as long as it's not harmful to others."

Karaza nodded seriously again.

"Well that's pretty much it." Roxy folded her pointer stick.

In her flat Karaza ate with her lemons and snowman. Not sure if she's more informed or more confused now.