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Waves ebbed on the sandy shore, slight breeze ruffled banners held from light posts, lights from the resort settled to a light glow as the vast majority of visitors slept. After days of swimming, shopping and activities, most people were ready to settle in for the night. Zane Ro'meave was not one of them. Zane had slinked out of his and Dante’s shared room while the idiotic man slept. He needed a minute, a breather, a pause. The entire trip had been so short notice. There was no time for preparation, emotionally or otherwise. The living room was unusually empty and the entire villa was cast in shadows. Since they had arrived,, it would be a rare sight to see the common arrears so lifeless. Zane carefully tiptoed out into the balcony and could see just how still the entire resort was, not just his house for the summer. From his pocket, he felt his pack and pulled out a single stick. He placed it between his teeth, lit the end and inhaled. From out his lips, the smoke bled out. His mind wandered as the wind carried the fumes away.
While all of his friends slept inside their rooms in their large resort villa, Garroth’s little brother smoked alone. Moonlight cascaded a blue hue over the black-haired man. Smoke from his cigarette filled the air around him as he tapped the stick on the edge. The ash and embers fell the many flights down as the wind carried them to the ground. Zane worried there were people below but as he checked a nearby clock and saw in bright red the numbers “3:05”, his worries ceased. No one else was up, no one else was out, it was just him. He was silent as his breath seemed to force its way out. His eyes seemed contemplative as they surveyed the dormant park. The man was alone out on the terrace as in a nearby room, a young girl was just waking up.
Her pink hair splayed across the pillows, the blanket half on the bed, her leg poked out from under the covers. The girl’s snores came to a close as her eyes blinked open and she came into life. Groggily, she rubbed her eyes. Carefully, she sat up and through blinks surveyed her room. Lucinda still remained asleep, just as the pair had been for the majority of this vacation. Clothes were strewn about the room, suitcases were half-emptied, and the moonlit crept from behind the blinds and illuminated sections of the room. Nana threw herself up and planted her feet on the floor. The linoleum was cold beneath her feet as she carefully tried to stand up. Her body rocked forward as she tried to regain balance. A hearty yawn escaped her mouth as she glanced at the time. “3:01 am,” The blaring red lights told her. Despite the early hours, the young woman made her way out of her bedroom slowly.
Blue light from the moon and long shadows filled the empty resort room as the young woman stepped out. There was not a sound to be heard, except for adjacent snoring from Garroth and sleep mumbles from Katelyn. From downstairs, Nana could see an additional long shadow. She eyed the point of origin and all she could see was a pair of slippers attached to feet. The girl carefully tiptoed down the stairs and slinked into the kitchen. From behind the island, the figure was more visible. He was smoking and leaning over the railing. Who could be up at this point? Nana squinted at the figure and tried to make out any identifying feature. Disappointed in the normalcy of the shadow, Nana just turned to the fridge and as silently as possible, poured herself a glass of water. It stood still on the countertop as she stared. Her eyes still adjusting to the dark of her surroundings she reached for the cup but missed by a large margin. The water spread everywhere and eventually dripped onto the floor, making a large crash as it did. The figured head snapped around but as quickly as it did, it went back to its cigarette. From the floor, Nana could see the red embers at the tip of the cigarette flicker as the mystery man inhaled. She dried up the spilt water and cautiously approached the man. The scent of cigarette smoke filled her nose, the sounds of his breathing and the wind outside became apparent and the figure became more visible until it revealed itself to be …
“Zane ?”
He coughed his smoke up as he heard his own name being called through a sweet voice. His blue eyes fell upon the person now in front of him. There Nana stood, her arms behind her back, her legs crossed, only a sleep shirt on and messy hair. She looked cute. Slowly, she moved right next to him. Arms now crossed along the railing of the terrace, she also looked out over the moonlit park.
“It's so quiet,” Her voice spoke with such subtlety, that Zane wasn't even sure it was Nana’s voice coming out of her body. She was always so loud, energetic, and kind of annoying. “What are you doing out here Zane ?”
Zane’s eyebrow raised. This was not the girl he was accustomed to. There was o “chan” at the end of that sentence. No peppy tone. She’s actually speaking to him. Looking at him, standing with him, and talking with him. She was actually there. It felt so out of place for the two of them to be out here on this dark night, but to the clinically alone man, it felt right. He was as confused as ever but alas, he answered.
“Ah, just couldn't sleep I guess. It's hard for me to fall asleep in new places when I'm not fully adjusted,” His stern voice blurted out. His eyes darted down to his dart. The cigarette was just barely a quarter done. It felt as if he had been out here, facing the world alone, for hours but barely two minutes had passed. The girl next to him inhaled and made a perplexing face. “I can put it out.”
Her hand went up in opposition and her straight line of a mouth upturned into a quaint smile. She batted away his suggestion. The burnt smell of a cigarette, its ash, its familiar shape and colour were well known to the woman. It made no difference if this roaming Ro’Meave smoked one.
“Please don't! It's really fine. My older brothers smoked a lot growing up so I'm pretty used to it by now.” Nana assured.
She had brothers. Plural. Zane had never stopped to think of this pink-haired girl's home life. Everyone has a family but Zane knew nothing of hers. It felt like growing up, the entire world knew who Zane’s was and they made sure he knew of their knowledge as well. Zane stared subtly at Nana after she spoke. It was odd to him how she could be so … glum. Putting the tube to his lips, Zane took another deep inhale, letting the smoke fill his lungs and then pushing it out into the open air. It danced around in front of the odd pair like clouds, producing a giggle out of Nana. A very cute giggle.
“It’s difficult not to be curious about you.” The solemn silence shared by the two was broken by a quick interjection from Nana. Her hands gripping the railings and toes lifted her off the ground ever so slightly. The gorgeous and soft-spoken voice just rolled out a quote all too familiar for the one-eyed man.
Through stutters and stammers, missteps and mis-wordings, Zane muttered out. “That… those words, they're from Suspiria. You know horror movies ?”
Nana's face lit up. Her mouth became a smile and a short chuckle came out of her. A look of excitement and acknowledgment filled her eyes as her body turned directly facing the man she knew so little about.
“Of course I do. I love horror. It's a serious guilty pleasure of mine.” Her voice sounded deeper, still excited but more guided, and more … her. Zane’s eye lit up. He would have never thought this bubblegum come to life girl he barely knew through Aph would know let alone like something he had found such macabre comfort in.
The small flame on the tip of his cigarette had been covered in ash before Zane tapped on the railing once more to bring it off. The flame breathed and became faster in its consumption of the paper wrapper it clung onto. Much like how Zane wanted to cling to this moment with this stranger.
“I… I didn't know that. I would have never guessed you like such films based on your… you know,” His hand gestured up and down her body. Such a sweet and seemingly innocent woman would rarely be into such a grim genre of art. A small laugh escaped from Nana’s mouth as she understood what he was gesturing to. “I'm not trying to offend, it's just kind of confusing.”
“Oh, I can imagine the confusion. I don't know. Sometimes I don't even know why I like it so much. It's so bloody and gruesome and hard to stomach but the girl usually gets away in the end you know? She’s lived through so much, her friends and boyfriend are probably all dead, and she's traumatised beyond belief but she gets to move forward. She gets to live. It's inspiring almost. They are not limited. Not by their circumstances, their society… not by themselves. It's something I aspire to. To just let myself be limitless. ” Her giddy explanation came to a quick end. Her hands released from the railing and she took a step back. Too much was said.
The once peaceful silence now had an awkward air to it. Zane didn't know what to say so he said nothing. Nana knew what she said and spoke too much. The man took another puff off his cigarette and blew it out again. He understood all too well what she meant by limits. He understood why she loved seeing those blood-soaked girls hop in a truck to freedom in the movie's end. He understood her more. He tapped out the ashes of his cigarette and approached her. A cold chill blew in from the park outside. Nana shivered a tad as her empty eyes stared out at the park. The man was right next to her. They were face to face. His hand touched her elbow in an awkward form of assurance.
“I get it. Final girls kick a lot of ass.”
She laughed. A good laugh. A laugh of release. A relief from all this awkward tension. He was ok with her oversharing. He understood that what was shared out here tonight, was only for tonight. He understood a part of her. Zane let loose and giggled with her. The pair's conversation was coming to a close and they both could recognize that. Nana wiped away a small tear and regained her broken composure. This had been a good conversation with a man she had barely any dialogues with previously. Moonlight striking him at a certain angle, the shared feelings of the night and a new recollection of one Zane Ro’Meave made him seem all the more appealing to a young woman who had known so little of the elusive creature, and she liked this new information. With a small shake of her head and a deep yawn, Nana decided to pack back up for the night.
“Zane, this has been a strangely nice conversation but I'm tired. I'm gonna go back to sleep. I'm so sorry to cut this short but my bed is waiting.” Nana backed up from the black-haired boy a small bit and began to turn to head back inside.
“How can your bed be waiting if you’ve been sleeping in it for the past however many hours? I'm not sure you or Lucinda have taken a step onto a single slide here yet.” Zane laughed out as his elbows rested on the railing and supported his now leaning body weight.
Nana shot a wink at the man and with a small wave, turned into the villa’s main room. Zane watched her as she went up the stairs but as she got to the top landing, she turned back around at him. Her arms made an X motion overtop her bare legs. Zane, this entire time, hadn't realised Nana was not wearing any pants. His cheeks turned bright red and his entire body shot back around to face the parks. With a giggle, Nana skipped the rest of the way to her room and slowly closed the door. Peeking out the ever-closing entrance for one last glimpse of the moonlit former mystery man. The woman tiptoed by Lucinda’s bed as she made her way to her own. She slipped under the warm covers and lay her head back onto her newly fluffy pillow. Her eyes closed but no sleep would come. No counting sheep, no breathing method or layer of blankets and comfort could send Nana Ashida away to slumber. Only one thought crossed her mind as she eventually wound down for the night …
Zane Ro’Meave took one final puff of cigarette before placing the remnants in his unused ashtray and letting out one final smoke-filled exhale. He hadn't expected such an eye-opening conversation with Nana Ashida of all people on this night, but he didn't hate it either. She has more under the surface, more to her than Zane had previously thought. His stubborn self couldn't help but want to unearth more secrets about the pink-haired woman upstairs. He had no clue why but that night, he couldn't take his mind off of her. As Dante snored the night away, only her hair, her smile, her laugh and her taste were on the blue-eyed man's mind. No matter how long it took him to fall asleep, the only image in his mind was of Nana on that balcony talking to him. She gave him the time of day… well night and told him about herself. Something he could gather, no one else here knew. Maybe it was the feeling of the night, the new connection shared between the two or Zane just being in a more familiar mood but something about Nana had changed in his eye.
Plus, he thought she looked really cute in just her shirt.