88 The Happy Degenerate

"I been wonderin' if he can forgive ya'."

"What if I change? I can hold back next time!" Zuna sounded as if she were pleading.

"See, he don't want a 'next time'." Jeffery looked her way, conveying his helplessness as he lamented. "He's tired, Zuna. He's gotten older."

"He's not that old, he's still in his thirties, isn't he?" Arius spoke before he remembered that people often finished having kids at Tibet's age. Moreover, Zuna couldn't expect him to stay immature and reckless like her.

"37." Jeffery suddenly gave a rueful smile. "He won't ever marry or raise his own if he don't do somethin' soon."

Jeffery and Tibet had almost a 10 year difference. They were close, but it wasn't exactly correct to say they grew up together.

"Then, I won't do anything! Just, please get him to come out for tonight. It's Saturday..." Zuna looked distraught, but then her eyes light up slightly as she thought of something, "I'll even find him a wife if he comes!"

There was a loud bang as Tibet rushed in, as if having just gotten news of the beginning of the end. "Please don't! Any women you find, I fear!"

"Tibet!" Zuna's expression became many times brighter. Arius felt aggrieved.

"Can't you leave me be?" Tibet looked resentfully at her.

"You're trying to break a rule." Zuna reasoned, sounding as if what she said was unarguable. "First rule, no missing Saturday!"

"Don'cha know? One'a these day I'll need a walkin' stick. But you'll not ever change." Tibet wasn't actually that old. He still had many years ahead of him. "It hadn't just been the pranks. I'm not able to keep up very much longer."

"I know." Zuna looked bitter. "I don't care. I just want to hang out with you and Jeffery for as long as I can!"

"Zuna!" Jeffery began whipping away fake tears to dramatize himself. "You're a great friend! Ain't no one can compare!"

Arius felt rather amused by this act, and even more so after noticing Zuna's pose. She followed Jeffery's example, looking gratefully at him with a hand over her heart. "Jeffery! Only you understand!"

"Nothin' changes with you two." Tibet gave them a derisive glance. They could really change the tone of a room with a few words.

"Are ya' coming for Saturday then, bro?" Jeffery smiled at him.

"Yeah, I'll come along." Tibet sighed. He was no pushover, but it simply didn't feel right to not go.

Jeffery raised his eyebrows as he looked to Zuna and pointed at Arius. "He coming?"

She sighed, turned to Arius, and then grabbed his shoulder with a sympathetic look. "One of the rules doesn't allow others to join in on Saturday! Nothing personal, bud."

'Bud?' Arius raised a hand to her face and pinched her cheek. "Is this the same girl that cried into my embrace?"

Zuna was about to flare up at being pinched, but swiftly fell into embarrassment. Covering it up with a grin she said, "Nope, you got the wrong person! I've been framed."

Arius smiled. He felt that what he had now was good. "Alright. Go have fun with your friends." He let go of her.

He wouldn't get in the way. She could do want she wanted, and in the end if she needed him to, he would clean up her mess. It was good like that.

He didn't want everything to stay the same, but he thought that perhaps certain moments with her should last longer than they do. He was glad to have the rest of eternity to know her.

"Wait. You're not going to beg to come along?" Zuna's eyes widened.

"What do you take me for?" Arius sighed.

"A degenerate!" Zuna smiled, as radiantly as ever.

"Of course you do..." Arius didn't know how to get rid of that title.

"Alright. Come on!" Zuna called for them as she walked out. "You too, degenerate!"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It had been dark for a while when Arius received a message from Asrael. He wouldn't be home that night.

No matter how many times the word was used, 'home' always felt cozy. The term helped distract Arius from the worry he had concerning what it was that Asrael was up to.