There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)
Chapter 287 - 279. Pictures

Chapter 287: Chapter 279. Pictures

"That kind of announcement like you were thinking about is made for the public," Bassena explained as they walked through the electronic aisle. "The government will announce it through a press conference, and the ’contract’ will be signed in front of the camera, along with handshake and whatnot."

"So that’s what the invitation is for?" Zein huffed. "Felt anti-climatic."

Bassena laughed at the way Zein had been annoyed about the announcement. It was so abrupt and died down just like that. A letter of invitation came and Radia called an emergency executive meeting. Once again, they would have to keep their silence until the official announcement tomorrow before breaking the news to the rest of the guild members.

"Well, it’s just like the time when they announced about the project itself, right? The guilds who participated already knew from a closed-door conference, and the rest of the population only knew about it after the candidates had already been chosen," Bassena shrugged.

"Hmm..."

Bassena chuckled and nudged the guide with a grin plastered on his face. "Isn’t it good that we have a bit of free time because of it?"

Zein glanced at the esper and smirked. "You like it because you don’t have any more TV shows after this,"

Now that they had a confirmation that the project was in their hand, Trinity stopped every non-raiding activity going forward for those who were included in the project. They would finish what they had promised so far, but there wouldn’t be any more new work from now on. All their activities would be focused on the final preparation before they marched to the Deathzone in early summer--which was the estimated time Mortix production line could finish the latest version of the purification device.

Thanks to Zein’s communication with the shard, the lab team could decipher the way it broke down the miasma more effectively. They could even find a way to utilize the shard by making a mobile pedestal for it so they could establish a small safe-zone base in the Deathzone--one that would be even larger than its original radius before they took it away from the underground city.

Anyway, it would mean Bassena only had two more jobs left, and he could stay in the guild training the espers, and seeing Zein whenever he liked.

"Wrong! I like it because I don’t have to be away from you anymore," Bassena smiled widely, not even hiding how delighted he was for having time for a nice little date.

Although the supposed date ended up happening in a department store.

"Just don’t suddenly pop up in the training ground, you’ll make them nervous," Zein patted the esper’s cheek and stopped in front of a recording device section.

"Why?"

Zein curled his lips and recalled the dread filling the guides when Bassena came in the middle of the training session yesterday. "They’ll think I bring you to train them."

Bassena raised his brow and smirked. "I can do that," he remembered that Zein sometimes asked some espers to help train the guides’ reflex and reaction time. "Wouldn’t it be fun to get them all under [Nightfall]?"

"Huh...that doesn’t sound bad," Zein tilted his head, smiling so deeply that even though Bassena was the one who suggested it, he was also the one who felt sorry toward those poor naive guides. "Anyway, I don’t know people in higher zones also use this."

Zein picked up a camera; something he was familiar with because of that one time the twins brought it home from next door to take their picture. The only picture Zein had of them together. It had been hidden all this time, tucked between notebook pages at the bottom of a rusty metal tin; Zein’s only treasure from Araka.

Down there in the red-zone, people couldn’t use commlink because there was no beacon for signal, so no one had it. The only way people could make visual documentation was through the camera, which did not require electricity or a net signal.

Of course, the one in his hand now was way better than that crude camera in the red-zone. Looked more advanced, with a lot of options, and certainly way more expensive.

"Commlink is convenient because it can do a lot, but we can’t pack the best quality in such a small device," Bassena took another camera and pointed the lens toward the masked guide. Looking at the beautiful shade of blue captured through the lens, he continued. "Taking pictures with a camera provides much higher quality, and it is still usable even in remote places."

Bassena clicked the button and smiled as he watched the result on the screen--but immediately erased that so it wouldn’t get saved into the system’s memory. He wasn’t going to let people get free access to Zein’s face--even if the blurry shot of the guide’s bare face during the black gate had already been circulated.

"It’s also thanks to these cameras that we could have proper documentation about what happened during the apocalypse and the beginning of the New Era," Bassena added.

"What about this?" Zein lifted another camera that was much smaller and rather square in shape. He looked at the papers stacked beside the showcase, and it was actually photo papers with photographs there.

"A polaroid," Bassena picked up the sample photographs and chuckled at the various people trying the camera right then on the aisle. He glanced at the guide who looked at the camera keenly. "Do you want to buy a camera for them? It’ll be fun, I think--"

Bassena blinked as he heard the sound of a click, and the next thing he knew, the Polaroid had already let out a soft whirring sound as it produced the small photograph. Zein took the paper, and even through the mask, Bassena could see the guide slowly smiling as the picture started to show.

"I want to buy this," Zein muttered, before adding; "For myself."

He looked at the picture again, feeling the bitterness of regret about having so few memories of people who mattered most to him. Just a piece of low-quality photograph and a wedding picture.

But he didn’t have to stay like that going forward. He had tasted the regret of not having Bassena’s picture and video saved in his commlink when he was in Araka. He realized how nice it was to have a visual reminder, especially because he wasn’t really good at remembering things.

"It would be nice to take a lot of pictures like this when we’re going to the East later," he put the small camera back into the showcase and slipped the picture inside his pocket.

Just then, Zein felt a warm hand on his own; as warm as the amber eyes staring at him. "I want to kiss you," the esper whispered quietly, looking so adorable that Zein almost relented to the request.

But he felt like they wouldn’t be able to stop with a mere kiss, so Zein just patted Bassena on the cheek to appease him. "Later, baby."

With Bassena pursing his lips in disappointment, they proceeded to ask a store employee more about the cameras, and Zein ended up purchasing two sets; the polaroid that he wanted, and a set of a high-quality camera and a video recorder for the wedding gift.

They didn’t come home immediately, however, and went down to the grocery section since they were at the store already, and Zein had the privilege to choose what he wanted Bassena to make him.

"Have you told the kids who’ll come?" Bassena asked while standing in front of the meat section. Hmm...choosing his own meat proved to be quite complicated since Ayya always brought the ingredients for him.

"Not yet," Zein shrugged, tilting his head confusedly at the arrays of red and pink colors. "We have to be fair, no?"

The rooster for the espers would be out once the Federation gave an official public announcement, and Zein decided to just wait until then before making his own announcement. He did tell some about it; Abel, of course, and Alice knew since she was the one who typed it out. "I told Nadine and she was kind of upset."

"Because she has to stay?" Bassena smirked, finally decided on which piece he would purchase.

"Yeah," Zein chuckled and shook his head. "Imagine having people upset because they’re not getting sent on a suicidal mission."

"Isn’t that good?"

"Good...or they just yet to grasp the horror of that place," Zein sighed and stepped back as Bassena pushed the cart away. "Ah, I meant to ask about Arlo."

"We decided not to send the rookies," Bassena told the guide while looking over the fresh vegetable section. "Perhaps later, after we already set up a base and established a stable system of attack. After all, it’s not a sprint. It’s a marathon with relays."

Why else would the government give them a five-year timeframe? They all knew it would be a time-consuming campaign. Just securing a base of operation inside the Deathzone itself might need months, or even a year. And they still needed to look for all of the shards.

"I see..."

Bassena glanced at the guide and leaned closer to whisper. "You’re relieved, aren’t you?"

Zein did not deny it. While he was one of the people who wanted this reclamation project to go at all costs, he didn’t want to sacrifice the young generations.

"He’s still too young," he muttered. "He just started to enjoy his freedom, so I don’t want to cut it short," the blue eyes dimmed for a bit as his gaze fell onto the bead pendant on his chest. "No matter how much we carefully plan everything, no one can guarantee people’s life and death."

"Well, you’re right," Bassena smiled softly. He already knew how much Zein cared about those who were younger than him. The guide just quite so often forgot about one thing. "But we are also still young, you know..."

Zein paused and raised his brow, staring at the bright ambers and mischievous smile before nodding in agreement. "Right, you’re still young," he said while tapping the esper’s cheek again.

"Ugh--I didn’t say it so can treat me like a child," Bassena pursed his lips.

"It’s because you’re cute," Zein chuckled and pushed the cart further because Bassena was just standing still trying to hold himself back from groaning in public.

When Zein finally reached the cashier and proceeded to take out the groceries, he noticed the employees--not just the one stationed in this particular row--were looking at him unblinking. He stared back at the cashier so their groceries could be processed, and the girl stuttered in response, asking him nervously.

"Ex...excuse me, umm..."

"Yes?"

She gulped hard and Zein could see her colleague grabbed her arm tightly as if giving her emotional support. "Umm...are you...are you and the Serpent Lord really...umm...in a relationship, Sir?" she asked in a choked whisper. "I...I mean...romantically?"

Zein stared at the cashier and her friend, who seemed to look at him while holding their breath. He could hear Bassena finally catch up to him after controlling his urge to pounce on Zein in public, and Zein smiled behind his mask, giving the girls an honest, firm answer.

"Yes."

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