Lip Balm

With the map in Ren’s hand, they arrived at their first destination quickly, and Mitsu wasted no time fighting his way to the front of the crowd. He gripped the wooden fence separating him and the bees in awe.

Amber hadn’t exaggerated their size or their mild-mannered temperament at all. People lined up in a neat row to the side of the fenced-in area for the chance to pet their fuzzy sides, and they honestly seemed to preen at the attention. It really betrayed their overall look, considering their deadly sharp mandibles, but it was a pleasant surprise nonetheless.

Of the trio, it was Leila who ultimately chose to brave the line and wait for her chance to pet one for herself.

“I thought she hated bees,” Mitsu said.

“She does,” Ren answered. “Although after talking to Amber, I think she decided to try to change her thinking a little.”

Ren laughed as Leila stood on her toes to catch a better glimpse of the bees from behind the tall people in front of her. He sounded so captivated. “Could she get any cuter?”

When her turn finally came, and she giggled as she rubbed her face in the bee's fuzz, Mitsu elbowed him good-naturedly and said, “I think she just did.”

After Leila finished petting the bee, the earlier tension that had stifled her every movement finally started to ebb away. By the time they arrived at the spot where the beeswax sculptures were on display, Mitsu could tell she felt much more at ease.

Displayed on stumps in the area with the best shade in the city, it almost felt as if the wildlife had collected the wax and sculpted the pieces themselves. There were roses, horses, foxes—and, of course—plethoras of bees. Rather artless man that he was, Mitsu couldn’t fathom the level of skill it required to produce something so intricate.

As he weaved his way through the array of art, he noticed that they were selling beeswax candles off to the side in the same likeness as the sculptures. Mitsu wondered if Amber had ever made anything using beeswax before.

“Has Amber ever mentioned making candles before?” Mitsu asked Leila, who was also perusing the collection of wicks curiously.

“Hm? Not that I know of. She likes to design clothes, though.”

“Ah, that’s right!” Mitsu exclaimed. “Mercy mentioned something about that back at the inn.”

Leila’s lips curled into a small smile. “She likes to gift me some of the designs she creates every once an' a while. They’re…nice,” said, her voice almost a whisper.

“I’ve seen one of her designs before,” Mitsu said with a smile. “They’re really gorgeous, aren’t they?”

Leila nodded. “I wish she’d make me more.”

“Should I ask her for you?”

Leila tilted her chin high. “Hmph, no need. I got my own mouth, thanks!”

Mitsu laughed. “Fair enough.”

Ren leaned down in the space between them, startling them both.

“Ren-Ren!”

“Dude!”

“Sorry,” he said, seemingly amused. “Just wanted to let you know that I found the lipstick.”

“Oh.”

Ren took them both by the shoulders and shuffled them a couple stalls down. “Here. All the lip balm you could ever ask for.”

The shopkeeper perked up as she looked at them. They didn’t ask much about her wares for the festival—she was happy to explain anyway. The process of making balms, the consistency, the benefits, the different flavors. She even offered them some free samples to try.

Leila decided to try a bit of the cinnamon-scented one. She swiped a small dollop of it onto her ring finger and rubbed it on her lips. She puckered her mouth and smoothed her lips together as she tried to coat it evenly.

“Mm, it’s nice,” she commented. Leila offered the little tin of lip balm to Ren. “Ya wanna try some?”

He accepted the tin and said, “Sure.” Leila squeaked as he leaned down and kissed her instead, savoring the balm on her lips before pulling away.

“Mm, you’re right,” he said, swiping a thumb across his bottom lip. “It is nice.”

A myriad of emotions swept across Leila’s face. Ultimately, it settled on embarrassment. “Would it kill ya to warn me before ya kiss me?”

Ren whistled innocently, his hands in his pockets as he cheekily walked away.

After watching their interaction, Mitsu couldn’t help but dab a little lip balm on himself; if he wondered how it would feel for Amber to kiss it off of him the same way, well. He’d just keep that to himself—at least for now.

As for Leila, if she bought a set of six different flavors before they walked away, neither Ren nor Mitsu commented on it. He was just happy she had some money on her because Ren and Mitsu? They were currently otherworldly, penniless vagabonds.

Still, window shopping was still shopping, so they continued on down the line of stalls without worry. Eventually, Mitsu caught a glimpse of something that else that interested him—some amber jewelry, just in the corner of his eye. 

Although, maybe saying he was interested was an overstatement. In reality, it was only his helpless thoughts of Amber that drove him to scan the artisan’s offerings.  

He wondered where she’d gone.

It was while browsing some brilliant amber bangles and bands that he found his answer. “I’m back," Amber called, placing a hand on his naked shoulder.

He turned around and looked at her. Her eyes were far more gorgeous than any jewelry on display anyway. “Welcome back. Did you finish up what you needed to do?”

She smiled thinly, almost like she was carefully biting back her words. “It took longer than I would have liked, but yes.” She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “I also already let Leila and Ren know where we’d be. I know you wouldn’t want them to worry.” 

She held out her hand, and he stared at it uncomprehendingly for a moment. The shifting of the trees casted amorphous shapes across her skin. "Come on," she said, unphased by his confusion, "the bees are waiting."

Unlike their first meeting, he accepted her hand with nothing short of reckless abandon.  "Please," he said softly, “lead the way."