There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)
Chapter 112 - 108. A Hot Topic

Chapter 112: Chapter 108. A Hot Topic

"No," Bassena flatly declined.

The producer’s lively face sagged sadly then. "But...I haven’t..."

"We don’t accept a sudden change in an established contract," Bassena said with a smile, but Zein could see it didn’t reach the amber eyes.

"Oh, but can we just make a separate contract?" the producer insisted with a rather desperate voice.

"Our guide does not like media appearances," Bassena insisted back, and Zein finally understood what they were talking about.

The producer made a sulking face, putting on a sad expression and trembling lips that Zein could tell was fake. And then, he shifted toward the guide with those sparking eyes that seemed to be glazed with pleading tears.

Unfortunately for him, if Bassena was unfazed, then Zein was downright cold. "No," he said, with no smile beneath the mysterious mask and eyes like a pair of icebergs.

"Ugh--" the producer staggered back, as if he was about to collapse; half because he was getting rejected twice, and half because hearing Zein’s voice made him desire the guide’s participation even more.

And then, knowing he wouldn’t be able to change their mind, he stopped acting and stomped his feet with pursed lips. "Why would you bring along a hot topic if I’m not allowed to use it?"

Bassena laughed then, and patted the man’s shoulder light-heartedly. "To rile you up, James."

"Hey!"

Bassena pulled Zein away then, leaving the sulking producer that still looked at them with dreamy but regretful eyes. While walking toward the dressing room, Zein finally asked the significant thing.

"What kind of show are you in exactly?"

Bassena couldn’t help but cackle then, tilting his head and looking at the guide with a hopeless expression. "So you’re finally showing some interest now?"

Zein shrugged, and just replied nonchalantly. "I never watch TV,"

"That screen in your room is just a decoration, huh?"

"It kinda makes a nice mirror too,"

Again, Bassena’s low laughter filled the hallways, to the point that people would pause and take a look. Fortunately, they arrived at Bassena’s dressing room soon, so they could stop garnering even more attention.

"So? Are you going to answer me?" Zein asked again while casually walking toward the couch, didn’t care much about the large mirror and vanity table, or the stylist crew who stood awkwardly beside it.

"Good morning," Bassena greeted the crew while chuckling. They finally unfroze and bowed down to the esper, before starting to move, taking off Bassena’s coat and readying the chair.

Lex, who was following them inside the room--unlike Jock who stayed by the door--was the one who answered the question. "It’s a weekly discussion panel about dungeons and raiding, mostly," he explained, like the proper assistant that he was. "For this one, they would use one of Trinity’s dungeon recordings as a reference, so Sir Vaski is there as a representative."

"Ah..." Zein took a seat on the comfortable couch. He really didn’t think much about what Bassena was up to outside of raiding.

He knew the esper was in some commercials, mainly high-end fashion brands and Mortix’s body armor line, based on the billboards Zein had seen. He also heard from Han Shin that they occasionally gave general lectures for esper cadets in the academy as community service. But aside from that, Zein had no idea.

Zein only knew Bassena sometimes shoot for TV appearances, but he had no idea what kind. The guide also had never turned on the screen to check on it. Why would he, if he could meet Bassena face-to-face? If he could just press the call button and hear the esper’s voice?

Also, Zein had thought Bassena’s show would be leaning on the entertainment side, so he didn’t really care about it. He had an aversion to Bassena’s prince charming persona the esper used for his commercial.

But this kind of show seemed fitting for Bassena too. Unlike his fancy appearance--which he liked to dub as his working uniform--Bassena was an educator. Since he used to train espers in Trinity, he was experienced in explaining things to other people.

"Well, I don’t blame James for wanting you there," Bassena commented as the crew started to do their things and fix his appearance. "We generally don’t take guide’s opinion regarding dungeon raiding," he looked at Zein through the mirror, smiling at the guide’s raised brow. "You’re being here must have sparked some ideas for him."

"I still wouldn’t do it,"

Bassena just smiled at that impassive tone and replied with a soft voice that almost startled the one putting on the moisturizer on his face. "I know,"

Zein looked up and stared at the dressing room ceiling in contemplation. While he didn’t like the idea of appearing in the media himself, that kind of show wasn’t actually bad. More so if it could put guides in more light.

Just not him.

"You can ask Nadine about it in a few months after she gains more experience," Zein shifted his gaze toward Bassena again, before adding with a scoff, "That is, if they really want a guide’s opinion," the blue eyes narrowed as he remembered what the producer said earlier. "Not just some hot topic."

Bassena smirked at the sharp voice that somehow still sounded melodious even while it dipped low and cynical. "Heh, I’ll make sure to convey that."

Zein hummed, and then tilted his head while looking at Bassena’s reflection and all the procession that the crew did. "What are you doing anyway?"

"Getting my makeup and hair done?" Bassena responded with a question mark too. Wasn’t it obvious already, with one of them styling his hair and one of them doing his makeup?

But then, he remembered that Zein wouldn’t know the concept of beautifying oneself like this--not only because he was already too pretty even without all of that, but because it was a silly concept for a hardcore end-zone frontliner like him.

"Why would you wear makeup?" the confusion ran deeper than before, prompting not only Bassena, but the styling crew to pause for a bit.

"...I don’t know if that’s supposed to praise me for already looking good," Bassena smiled drily with a sigh, "...or you’re just clueless,"

"I’m just clueless," Zein answered without hesitation, and Bassena pressed his lips to stifle a laugh.

"Haa...too bad," the esper shrugged with a fake disappointed face. "But it’s important to look good in the recording. Viewers don’t want to see ashen faces or pale lips,"

"Hmm..." Zein tapped on his arm, wasn’t really convinced that looking pretty had anything to do with the program.

But eh, what did he know?

Looking at the guide’s doubtful face, Bassena chuckled and added. "Not everyone is blessed with flawless skin and ethereal beauty like you, Mister Guide,"

The styling crew raised their brows and stole a glance toward the guide because of that, but the esper simply cleared his throat and they were back on taking care of Bassena, thinking that perhaps those rumors about the two held some truth after all.

Zein, on the other hand, rolled his eyes in response, "What nonsense..."

"Ah, I kind of wondering though," Lex, who had been sitting silently on the side, suddenly chimed in. "Why do a lot of guides have good skins and nice features?"

That...also wasn’t something that Zein ever thought about. After all, he felt like his ’beauty’ as people called it, was more of a curse than a blessing. And regarding other people...he cared more about what was below the face.

Rather than calling it having good skin and features, Zein just thought guides were more delicate than the espers, which he thought was a given, since espers were continually exposed to harmful substances. Wasn’t it natural for guides that rarely went inside a dungeon--or not at all--to look better than the espers?

But it was also true that most guides still looked better than civilians.

"...how would I know?" Zein muttered a reply, which prompted Bassena to snort in response.

"Pfft--it’s because of their cleansing process," the esper gave an actual answer this time, and both Zein and Lex, who asked about it, looked at him in confusion.

"Huh?"

"Guide’s ability is to cleanse the miasma that they absorbed into their own system and purify it," like a seasonal lecturer this he was, Bassena immediately gave an explanation. "But since it’s basically a detoxification process, it also cleanses the impurities inside the guide’s body," the amber eyes glance toward the masked guide on the couch. "At least, the one who guides skillfully."

"I see...so more than a decade of skillful guiding," Lex nodded his head and turned to look at Zein. Even with the mask on, his nicely shaped eyes and deep blue orbs framed with long lashes already spelled beauty. "No wonder..."

Bassena shook his head though. "Zein is just naturally pretty from the start," he said, not just because he was infatuated with the guide’s already, but because he already saw Lucia’s picture.

"Don’t flirt," Zein threw him a look through the mirror, and Bassena smirked in response. "Why do you know about this anyway?"

Bassena raised his brow and tilted his head then. "Why don’t you? It’s in the first volume of the guide’s theoretical book..."

They stared at each other without blinking for a while; Bassena realized that Zein might never read the book for real. But Zein was suddenly pressing on his commlink, and the blue eyes were quickly in motion.

After a while in silence, Zein finally open his mouth. "Oh, you’re right."

"Pfft--did you just purchase it?"

"No," Zein replied nonchalantly. "It’s been in the library for two months," it was there ever since he started to purchase all the books about guiding he couldn’t get before. "I just haven’t found the time to read them."

"Right, you were busy making your own textbook," Bassena nodded in reply, remembering the survival guidebook that had been circulating in Trinity. The civilian workers and even some espers liked it so much that they were considering official publishing. "Well, it must’ve been a boring topic for you anyway."

"I’ll just read it now, since I have nothing to do anyway," Zein leaned back and took a comfortable position at the corner of the couch.

Bassena watched the blue eyes staring at the screen, and pursed his lips playfully. "Shouldn’t you look at my face since you’re here to watch me?"

"I see your face enough already," Zein replied nonchalantly while swiping the screen in front of him, without even sparing the esper a single glance. "Or do you want me to get bored of it?"

"Ouch?"

With that, Zein truly focused on his commlink from then on, while Bassena continued getting fixed by the crew, and the room was quiet then, aside from occasional conversation between Bassena and the crew.

The quietness was being broken, however, with a sound outside the door, and not long after, it was opened by Jock.

"Sir Vaski, the producer is here," the man informed briefly, and the producer from earlier wasted no time wedging himself inside.

"Sir Vaski--"

Bassena interjected quickly. "If you want to ask for Zein again--"

"No! That’s not it--.but can I?"

"No."

"Okay, that’s not it!" the man shook his head, as of telling himself to focus. "There’s...umm...a bit of a change,"

Bassena paused and turned his chair to face the producer. The man looked quite agitated--like half worried and half excited. And it didn’t sit well with the esper.

"...what change? Is it the segment or..."

"No--it’s...the panelist," the producer stopped to manage his breath, before continued. "There’s a sudden additional one, and I can’t reject it because it came from the higher-ups."

Bassena raised his brow, and glanced at Jock, who nodded his head and stepped out again. "Alright," he shifted his gaze to focus on the producer again. "So who’s this addition?"

"It’s...Miss Senia Azra..." the man fidgeted with his fingers, and Zein lifted his face from the book he’d been reading. "From Celestia."