It's Never Been About the Bees

It didn’t take long after their heart-to-heart for Leila and Amber to finish up their business and join them back in the living area, but it was long enough for Mitsu and Ren to insert some of the mundane into their conversation, and that was almost as comforting as the cup of tea that Leila placed in his hands.

After she handed Ren his cup, a cute pink one painted with lilac flowers, she also placed a few pills in his palm. “Your medicine,” she explained. Ren nodded, slipping the pills into his mouth before taking a careful sip of the hot tea. He exhaled slowly, and Mitsu wondered if the soreness he felt was really as minor as he made it out to be.

Satisfied after seeing him swallow the pills, Leila sat in one of the two upholstered chairs opposite them, picked her own cup of tea off the coffee table, and crossed her legs. She tapped her sharp, claw-like nails against the ceramic cup, and even after taking a sip, it didn’t seem to relieve her moody expression at all.

"Just a warning," she said slowly, as if tasting the words, "but I’m seriously putting myself at risk having so many humans in my shop, so expect something to happen tonight.”

Mitsu glanced at his blonde companion, her cup of tea warming in her hands but still untouched. “Amber mentioned that the Ike get ridiculed a lot. Is that why there’s so much hostility here towards humans?”

“Ridicule?” Leila’s purple ears twitched almost violently as she sent Amber a cutting look. Mitsu was impressed when she didn’t so much as flinch.

“You can’t say I’m incorrect for saying so,” Amber said. “Though it’s certainly not just ridicule that the Ike people suffer through.”

“The only reason I tolerate you is because ya can at least admit it,” Leila said gruffly. “Most of the people of Lovey appreciate that about ya too. I’ve even heard some hush-hush going around that some people are actually supporting your nomination. That’s really something, ya know?”

Amber’s eyes fluttered as she took a sip of tea, and the sound she made as she drank was rich. “I’m sorry if I end up disappointing you.”

Leila waved away her concerns. “It’s fine. We’re used to it. At least you’ll do better by us than previous Royal Beekeepers have.” She turned back to Mitsu. “But I’m getting sidetracked. To answer your question about our relationship with humans Butt Cheeks—”

Ren snorted into his fist.

“—the humans hate us because of a tradition our ancestors followed.”

“What-uh, kind of tradition?” Mitsu asked, coughing lightly in embarrassment.

Leila’s ears flattened. “Eating honeycombs,” she said. “It was something my people did a long time ago. The problem is that honeycombs tend to have itty bitty bees growing in them.”

Mitsu couldn’t imagine eating a whole honeycomb raw, but it sounded like a practice from the distant past—everyone had to try to survive somehow, he thought.

Leila shrugged. “The larvae were a good source of protein, so we Ike didn’t think much of it, but it caused a huge rift between us and the humans.”

“It’s illegal to prepare and eat the honeycombs like the Ike did in the past,” Amber explained. “It has been for generations—although a few foolhardy types may try. Despite that, there’s still lingering stigma against the Ike because of it.”

Leila sighed wearily and rubbed her temples. “We still can’t have a hive of our own, so we’re always strapped for honey. On top of that, not having a hive is considered a huge ill omen. People avoid doing business with towns that have lost their hives. Or, in our case, never had one at all.”

Her frustration was understandable. The Ike had been forced to move past that part of their history, and yet the humans of Ferris distrusted them—resented them. Even the law was against them. Mitsu was surprised Leila had opened her home to humans like them at all.

Amber was one thing since they seemed to have a working relationship...but Ren? Even if he tried to save her shop, she didn’t seem like the type to feel indebted to a human being regardless.

After witnessing the kiss between them, Mitsu wasn’t quite sure what to make of their relationship. He knew Ren probably wouldn’t appreciate him prying into it too much, but then again, he was used to Mitsu’s persistence.

Amber swished her tea in her cup in thought. “You know,” she said, “ever since I met Mercy, I’ve always been bothered by how people react when a town loses its hive.”

“You mean the ringmaster o’er at Reverb?”

Amber nodded. “Do you know her story?”

“A little,” Leila said. “Her town lost their hive, right?”

A prickle of surprise rippled underneath Mitsu’s skin. “They did?”

Amber leaned over to place her cup on the coffee table and began fiddling with the hem of her sleeve, a habit Mitsu knew Amber often fell victim to when she was feeling uncomfortable with the topic at hand.

“They didn’t tell the bees about the death of the beekeeper in her village, and so they left because they weren’t put into mourning,” Amber explained with a solemn air. “In the end, business dried up and the town was abandoned. Reverb Inn is all that’s left of it.”

Mitsu had sensed Mercy’s struggle to fight for happiness; he just couldn’t have known the reason for her loss. How could an outsider like him have known the very same bees that helped her create her magnetic and captivating shows with honey every night also indirectly caused the ruin of her hometown?

“It’s not uncommon,” Leila said, her words sour like grapes. “Bees seem to ruin people’s lives all the time and no one cares even a ‘lil bit.”

“They don’t ruin people’s lives,” Amber said, suddenly becoming heated. “Bees are a gift. They’re a cherished part of our communities!”

Leila scratched a claw against her teacup, creating a pale, thin line through the painted design. “Then tell me, Amber,” she said, rising from her seat and tossing her empty cup on the floor, “who is ruining our lives? Huh?”

Amber stood and glared down at her, her fists clenched firmly at her sides. Mitsu had never seen her like this before. “Bees aren’t some kind of good luck charm. They’re connected to us, just like we’re connected to each other. If they leave, that means there’s something wrong with us. Not them."

Amber looked away, her voice lowered. "They’re a sign that something has gone wrong—they’re not the disease.”

Leila continued to glower at her but strangely said nothing. Mitsu chanced a glimpse at Ren’s face, only to find it as impassive as ever.

“The truth was, Mercy’s town was already going through its own woes before the bees left. They fought over food. They fought over power. They fought over honey. By the time the beekeeper passed away, it was their own selfishness that drove people to give up and leave.”

“That’s a pretty way of explainin’ everything away,” Leila growled. “But what about me? What about what I’ve gone through because of them?” she said, her voice crackling with emotion. “Are you saying I brought it all onto myself? Because if you are…”

Amber faltered, but only slightly. “The tradition has long passed,” she said. “The royal family knows this. They could give you hive rights back if they wanted. They just don’t want to because they’re afraid of what will happen when they do.”

Amber took Leila’s wrist gently, rotating it back and forth as she examined her claws. “The Ike are a proud warrior people. They want to limit your access to honey, and they don’t want you to regain your spirit.”

She released Leila's wrist, and it fell back to her side. “You know the truth, don’t you?” Amber whispered.

Leila closed her eyes, and her expression was painful. “I know,” she said, voice hoarse. “I know.”

It’s never been about the bees.

Amber’s eyes began to water, salty and sweet. “I’ve always wanted to be the Royal Beekeeper. It’s my dream,” she said with a chuckle. Mitsu’s heart twisted like a pretzel as her eyes flickered toward him. “But it’s not just that anymore.”

“What are ya trying to say?”

“I still want it for me—I wouldn’t lie about that,” she admitted. “But I also want it so I can influence change in Ferris for the better.”

Amber hugged Leila closely, nuzzling her nose in her cute purple hair. “We’re friends,” she said reassuringly. Amber stroked her hair slowly, her touch soft and her voice gentle as she murmured, "I don’t want my friends to suffer.”

Leila made a choking noise, and as Amber squeezed her tighter, Mitsu noticed her eyes fill with tears. She slowly lifted her arms, letting them hover over Amber’s back with trepidation. Eventually, her small hands met the white cloth of Amber’s robes. She squeezed her back just as tightly, sniffling slightly as a tear fell down her cheek.

“Mm.”