Chapter 14: Let me tell you about my best friend

POV: Sizuru Jr.

So, it's been a few months since we met that terrifying family. Zac and his sisters scared me far more than Vnexi or my mother ever could, especially Quinn. We saw the climax of the fight she had with Etife from our home, hell I'm sure half the city probably saw it. I'd have to admit it was pleasing to see the look on Etife's face when the two of them came back. I'm glad that cocky Artificial finally got what was coming to him.

After that day, I thought it would be great if I never saw Zac, his sisters and that Aonani girl again. So why was it that,

"Hey Brick, what are you daydreaming about?" I heard Zac's voice enter my ears. He had been calling me Brick for a while now.

"Just stuff. Zac, um, why do you keep calling me Brick?"

"Because you're built like a Brick shit-house, my man. Look at you! You're huge, very solid, like a boulder." Zac said, and I could feel the corner of my mouth arch up a bit. Zac was a lot more approachable than I thought. At the very least, he was a lot more fun to be around than,

"And you're about as dense as a pile of bricks too." Vnexi chimed in as she looked at me rolling her eyes. Aonani, who was walking next to her, shook her head in agreement. Neither of them seemed to be fond of me. However, their presence was made far more bearable with Zac around.

"Leave Brick alone. He's an alright guy."

My mother told Vxeni that it would be best to get as close to Zac as possible. I think she had intentions of trying to get the two of them together. What was strange was that Vnexi didn't seem to be against it. I guess it made some sense, he was A Gteju, and he could kick Vnexi's ass, and he was awesome. What was weird was that he started to take a liking towards me. Although at first, it seemed more like he looked at me as a pet rather than a person. Over the past few weeks, that feeling has started to change.

In the beginning, he terrified me; over the weeks that followed, he just started to seem like a fun guy, a fun guy that happened to be a primordial monster, but a fun guy nonetheless. It also helped that he got rid of that eyesore for me. My poor dear cousin was too talented for his good but had no sense for business. Talent means nothing without connections; I hope you're watching while everything you desperately struggled for is handed to me.

"Why are we here again?" Aonani asked, ignoring my existence. She could keep that cocky attitude all she wanted. Once Zac gets tired of her, we'll see where all that confidence will go.

"It's time for me and Zac to present ourselves to the Black Market since both of our families have strong ties with them. The sooner the Council is made aware of us, the better. Why you're here, Aonani, I'm not sure."

Vnexi said as she glared at Aonani. She didn't care much for her; Vnexi didn't seem to care much for anyone. She only seemed interested in Zac, but most of the time, the 2 of them were arguing, but they never seemed to want to be too far from each other. Maybe it was some weird Gteju mating thing.

"You sound like Quinn. She's my plus one, so cut it out." Zac responded with an annoyed look in his eyes.

"Plus 1 for what? This event isn't a party."

"Well, I mean, technically it is," Zac responded to Vnexi, with a playful smile on his face. Aonani seemed to be enjoying the moment as Vnexi and Zac continued to argue. At that moment, a voice called out to us from one of the shops we passed,

"Hey, Zac! When are we going to hang out again?" An attractive human woman said with a smile on her face. Zac smiled back at her, giving her a wave, but no answer as we continued to walk through the upper-level shopping area. Aonani tugged on Zac's arm a bit and then asked,

"Zac, another one? Who is that?"

"A friend that I have made. I'm a very approachable guy. What? Do you think I'm gonna wait around all day for you to make a choice? Child, please." Zac said with a chuckle. The look on Aonani's showed that was what she was expecting. It was a surprise to her that not every male thought the world revolved around her. Good, it was time she learned her station; she was an above-average street rat, but street rat nonetheless. Zac was right; he was very approachable.

Aunt Vnexi seemed to repeal those around her with just her presence, to the point that people wouldn't even look our way. On top of that, my imposing size didn't help much. It was hard to meet anyone who didn't have hostile intentions. When I've come to the shopping district before, the crowd will split, and people will try to avoid eye contact. It came with a feeling of power and prestige that my mother seemed to enjoy, but it felt lonely.

This time around, the crowd did split; with me walking in the front, they'd have little choice in the matter. However, there were many more stares and smiles than before. There were also the people who came to greet Zac. What they say about Iwon's charisma must be true, along with their flirtatious nature, as another "friend" of Zac came to say hello. Aonani and Vnexi looked at Zack with a frown,

"What?! She's my neighbor; I know her brothers too!" Zac said as he defended himself.

"You're like sand, aren't you, Zac?" Vnexi said with a smirk.

"Sand? What do you mean?"

"You're rough, annoying, and just get into everything, don't you?" Vnexi responded,

"The hell you talking bout? Getting into, oh, bitch. That was a good one. I'll give you that one." Zac chuckled, and Aonani laughed a bit herself. I, on the other hand,

"I, I don't get it," I asked,

"He gets INTO everything. She's saying he's a stud." Aonani explained further.

"OOOHHHH, he is like sand. Hahaha, Sandman Zac." I laughed, finally understanding.

"Calm down, Brick. Where is this place you're taking us anyway." Zac said, trying to shift the topic of conversation off of himself. I looked up ahead,

"We'll be there in a bit. Would already be there if we just took the craft." I grumbled to myself.

"Using crafts in the shopping district is prohibited; you already draw enough attention with your big ass. We don't need to be drawing more by flying a craft through here." Zac said as he slapped me on my back. I did nothing but chuckle a bit. He had a point. Even if this was just a shopping excursion, we did have a lot of eyes on us. Our sisters' business adventures took off rather quickly, so they were now drawing a lot of attention from other members of the Black Market. Some good, a lot of it bad.

"I thought Black Market members aren't allowed to harm each other?" Aonani asked,

"They aren't, but we're technically aren't members of the Black Market, are we? It's an effortless way to put rivals in check. The sooner Zac and I have the Market's protection, the better. " Vnexi responded,

"Seems rather silly to me. Why stop the progress of your own? Doesn't new success strengthen the whole?" She asked with a mocking tone in her voice.

"That's surprisingly naive, coming from you," Vnexi said, looking at Aonani mockingly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She snapped back at Vnexi with a frown.

We all stopped walking, and Zac slowly slid over to my side as he looked on smiling. I had no idea what he was thinking, but it was clear he had no intention of stopping the two of them from fighting.

"Really? Don't you know what I mean? Zac may turn into an idiot around you, but I see exactly the type of person you are. Stop pretending." Vnexi calmly said, not even looking in Aonani's direction. I looked over at Zac, but all I saw on his face was a smile that didn't reach his eyes, looking at Vnexi and Aonani. I couldn't figure out what was on his mind; I don't think anyone could.

"I'm not any kind of person, and this discussion is best saved for when we're not in the middle of the platform."

Aonani said as she glanced around at the people looking in at our group, no doubt expecting a good show. Zac chuckled and then motioned for me to continue leading the way. As I started to walk, I asked Zac,

"How does it feel to have two women fighting over you?"

"Poor, big, dumb ass Brick. They ain't fighting over me, my man."

"What do you mean?" I asked

"There wouldn't be a need to, you see. There's plenty of me to go around." Zac said with a big smile on his face.

"Shut up!"

"Fuck off!!"

Both Aonani and Vnexi shouted at Zac, Vnexi being the more aggressive of the two. All of our laughter soon accompanied their shouting. Zac was good at that. I don't know if he did it on purpose, if it came naturally or if it was just one of the benefits of being Iwon, but he could control the group's mood with just a few words. What was an intense moment was not only back to normal but more cohesive than before.

My mother told me to try to learn from Zac, even if she hadn't told me I would've tried, but he didn't seem all that special at first. At least the things that made him unique couldn't be taught, so I'd just have to settle for being his friend. It wasn't a bad feeling, being friends with a Gteju. I could feel a bit of pride well up as I guided Zac and the other towards our destination.

"We're here," I said as we arrived at Gabriella's. It was a simply named fashion boutique, run by a human woman named Gabriella. It was one of the most famous in the castle, certainly the most famous on this planet. In-person, orders are rarely allowed, and only a unique few visitors, like my mother, could come. Gabriella is a significant contributor to the Black Market, as well as old friends with my mother.

"Oh, I've been here before," Zac said with a curious look on his face. It wasn't surprising, his sister was Quinn, the Black Markets golden girl, and his laid-back attire seemed to be Gabriella's style.

"Ooooooh, I've been here before… sssssss," Zac spoke in hushed tones sucking in the air. He seemed to be dreading something. Before I could ask, a pleasant, familiar voice echoed behind us,

"Zac! You're back already, huh? Couldn't keep away?" A tiny attractive human girl with soft light peach skin, and long black hair, greeted us at the door. She was Gabriella's granddaughter, Juniper. She and Gabriella could have been mistaken for sisters if you were unfamiliar with the two. Her full lips parted to give Zac a welcoming smile. She was barely at his chest as her green eyes stared at him.

"Zac, really?!" Aonani was the first one to protest, and Vnexi just shook her head.

"It's not like that." Zac defended himself.

He was right; it wasn't like that. I've known Juniper for many years; she had no sexual interest in men or women, and she only lusted after profit. The way she responded to Zac, he must have gone on a shopping spree the last time he was here.

"You wore me out the last time. I can't tell you how excited I am to see you again. I'm shaking just thinking about it." She grabbed Zac by the arm and started to walk him inside.

"Can you not phrase it like that, please?" Zac begged.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Juniper winked at Zac and looked over her shoulder at Vnexi and Aonani.

"Ladies, if you'd please follow us inside. Chowderhead, you know the way." She said, not sparing me a glance. I was a regular, one of the few allowed into the shop, and a friend. I've spent plenty of money here, but she still wasn't the biggest fan of mine for the longest time. I didn't understand why. Deep in thought, my head bashed against the top of the entranceway, taking a piece of it with me. I heard Juniper let out an annoyed sigh.

"How hard is it to adjust the size of your doors?!" I shouted,

"How hard is it to tilt your chowder-filled head?!" Juniper barked back at me. I wanted to break the little thing in half, but I knew I would never hear the end of it from my mother. I held back my rage as the other guests there stared at me.

"My apologies, Jun."

"It's Ms. Juniper; we ain't friends."

"Miss Juniper." I fumed through ground teeth as I corrected myself. Are we not even friends now? Bitch...

"That's better! So Zac, what can I do for you today?"

"We're here to buy clothing for a banquet." Vnexi interrupted.

"Oh ho! OOOOOH, That banquet! Yes, I've been kicking around some ideas in this noggin, and I know a couple of designs that would look great on you guys. Including you, Chowderhead." Juniper seemed rather excited as she ignored the other guests, leaving them to be tended to by the other workers in the shop. She guided us towards her station at the back, which was being tended to by several helpers.

"I also want to finish our conversation from last time," Zac said with a smirk.

"I'm all ears."

"I have an idea for an AOS tool, a set of gloves, to be exact. However…"

"You want them stylized, right? Form and function," Juniper interjected.

"Exactly."

"Send me the concept. I'll see if it will be worth our time to..." Before she could finish speaking, Zac made a motion, and both of their communicators lit up, along with Juniper's eyes.

"Zac, my love. My perfect man, my walking credit dispenser. This is a game-changer!" She must've liked what she saw. I looked over at the two women in our party; Auntie Nex didn't seem to care too much. On the other hand, Aonani looked uncomfortable. Hehe, served her right, playing all these games.

"Grandma doesn't need to know about this. I can handle this myself. Hehehehe." Juniper was all but caressing the communicator necklace dangling from her neck as she smiled at Zac.

"Why not tell your Grandma? Shouldn't she be the one handling this? What if something goes wrong?" I asked.

Mother was always the one to handle things like this in our family. If I ever came upon something interesting, I'd always tell my mother. It was even the same with Aonani. She seemed different, and I wanted to get my hands on her, but I doubt I would have had any chance to get my hands on her if I didn't tell mother. Even now, she was working to make her mine, with Auntie Vnexi's help.

"This is why I can't stand you, Chowderhead."

"I don't understand."

"Of course you don't. In our social circle, people like to compare the two of us frequently." Juniper stared me up and down.

I don't get how they could; we were nothing alike. Outside of relying on our family's names.

"Nepotism is a disease, Chowderhead; a disease people don't sympathize with, and the reason the Galdents will eventually crumble. You hug your mother's leg, waiting for her to drop the world in your lap, just like she did with her mother."

"Our family is doing fine now!" I shouted proudly, staring down at Juniper.

"Because your mother found a girthy tree stump of a leg to latch to!" Juniper retorted, looking over at Zac.

I could say nothing. Juniper wasn't incorrect. We were on the upswing solely because of the cooperation with the Zym family.

"Your family picks who will lead based on birth, not skill. You never had to work for anything in your life. I have benefited from Nepotism, and I wouldn't have had the chance to be here if my grandmother didn't own it."

"So we are the same."

"Wipe that stupid grin off your face, Chowder. There is a big difference between the two of us. I got here because of my grandmother; I stayed because I had the skill to do so. Do you think she would leave this place so often if I couldn't handle it? I had to deal with the constant stares and chatter from the other workers; I had to prove myself." Juniper's tiny body turned to the workers that were assisting her at the moment.

"You're damn right! Grandmama got me here, but I have more skill and talent in my pinky toe than any of these bitches have in their entire body, and I had to prove it. Remember that!" Juniper said as she got on her toes just to poke me in the chest.

"So are we the same, Chowderhead?"

"No…" I said softly.

"At least you're smart enough to see that." She sighed.

"I'll handle this commission if you don't mind, Zac."

"By all means, knock yourself out. Tell me when you have something to show me." Zac smiled at Juniper, who excused herself as she walked into the back room to get her materials ready. As she disappeared into the back, we all took our seats around the luxury cafe table. If there weren't clothes on display, you'd think this was an upscale brunch cafe, not a fashion boutique. The chair I chose creaked as it bared my weight. I sighed, standing back up, not wanting to break something else in this place.

"It's ok, big guy. I don't think she hates you as much as she says." Zac said with a mouth full of muffin that one of the helpers presented the table.

"I don't know Zac; it looks like she doesn't like him. For a good reason, I'd say." Aonani chimed in. That beautiful voice, somehow so grating at the moment.

"No, I'm serious. I think Juniper's more disappointed than actually hating you. How long have you two known each other."

"Forever, my mother has been friends with her Grandma for a long time."

"Yeah, she's just disappointed. Maybe she saw potential in you or something, and instead of living up to it, you lean on your mom for everything?"

"You think so?"

"Brick… I don't know. I'm just trying to make you feel better, man. She got into your shit." Zac started laughing, which seemed to infect the whole group, including myself, as I let out a chuckle.

"Seriously, though. I don't think Juniper hates you. Just stop relying on your mother for everything; she won't be here forever. Eventually, you'll have to learn to do things yourself and might as well start now."

I looked at Zac for a moment, and he was right. Even though he seemed to rely on his sisters, it felt like he was making every effort to be independent. I doubt he even shared whatever that AOS tool he's designing with them. Juniper was the same, wanting to take the opportunity presented to her to spread her wings. They had terrific people to lean on, but they wanted to walk on their own. They didn't only want to make connections but be the connection. So why couldn't I do the same? Mother said I needed to learn from Zac. Maybe this was what she meant?

"You're right." I had my decision, and I was going to move on my own, or at least try.

At that moment, Juniper came from the back with several large rolls of fabric floating behind her and a glowing… What the hell was that in her hand?

"Is that a pen?" Zac asked with a curious expression on his face.

"A man of money and culture. Yes, my dear, it is a drawing pen, and the world is my canvas. The threshold to the shop took all of your measurements as you walked over into the shop. So all you need to do now is enjoy the show."

She said as she began to flick her wrist through the air. As her pen moved through the air, the fabrics began to dance with its motion. I had bought plenty from this place, and everything needed resizing, but this was the first time I've seen something made custom from scratch. It was beautiful to watch, and I could feel a bit of shame filling up in my gut. She was correct; we were nothing alike at all. What have I been doing with my life?

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