Chapter 190 - 184. Chocolate and Marshmallow
"Should we go sunbathing?" Bassena suddenly said.
Zein, fresh out of a shower, blinked at the unexpected invitation. "Now? On the last day of November?"
"Why not?" Bassena shrugged. "The sun is calling," he said with a laugh.
Zein stared outside the window. Bassena was right; the sun had been stubbornly shining unperturbed since morning, as if trying to show off its prowess before winter was coming. It did seem nice, taking some fresh air to clear his mind. And gained some courage, hopefully.
"Sure," he said, and Bassena responded by draping a whole comforter on him.
"Go first, I’ll make you some hot chocolate," Bassena smiled, and before the esper could disappear behind the door, Zein called out.
"Do you have those...little marshmallows?" the guide asked, prompting Bassena to blink and grin merrily.
"Sure, I’ll give you lots,"
Zein watched Bassena walk out of the room, and he still stood there staring at the door even after the esper was gone. Only after a minute or so drowning in his erratic heartbeat, Zein gripped the comforter tightly around him and dragged himself to the balcony.
It was afternoon, and the sun had tilted slightly to the side. But he could still feel the sunlight, warming up the chill air. He looked at the swing chair on the small patio and the patch of grass on the balcony. Without hesitation, he stepped into the grass, feeling the sharp edge tickling his bare feet. The sunny day had prevented the grass from getting damp, and Zein comfortably took a seat on the green bed, staring at the sky while waiting for Bassena.
Vaguely, as the comforter enveloped him, he could smell a familiar scent. Leather and sandalwood. The scent was on the comforter and the sweater that he borrowed. It was on his skin, and his slightly damp hair. It was in his memory, of every time he was standing close enough to Bassena. And he recalled it faintly, the first time he smelled that scent; a small sentry box in the face of the Deathzone.