Chapter Twelve

You and Quince made your way back into the house. The two of you stopped in the kitchen for some food, since neither of you had eaten in a while. You were hungry. As you led Quince to the fridge to get something to eat, you realized that the room was not totally empty.

"Hello," Dianna stood from her chair and made her way to you.

"Hi, Dianna. We're just getting something to eat," You smiled as you rummaged through the drawers of the fridge. You settled on some leftover pasta dish and a salad you could share.

"(y/n), I was hoping to spend some time with you," Dianna requested. Quince took a step closer to you, and you tried not to be intimidated by the two of them. I suppose I've gotten somewhat used to Dianna, you thought.

"Maybe you can hang out with both Quince and me?" you offered. Dianna nodded at the suggestion while Quince shrugged nonchalantly.

"If that works for you then it works for me," she sent a wink your way.

"You're a little flirty, but it's sort of subtle, huh?" you pointed out bluntly. Dianna simply chuckled. It's charming, you thought with a smile. "What do you normally do, Dianna?" you asked as you munched on your salad. The stool you sat on was just tall enough that you could swing your legs contentedly.

"Me? I suppose I usually find little projects to occupy my mind. I took up sewing for a time before I realized how droll it was. Recently I've taken to studying maths. There is some comfort in the ability to find a solution and see a clear and direct answer in something," Dianna's golden eyes often wandered to the ceiling as she thought about her words, but her gaze routinely made it back to you. "Did you ever like math?"

"To be honest? Not really," you laughed between bites. "I can see how it would bring some sense of truth, though." You hadn't expected such a thoughtful response from the girl.

"I prefer to study philosophy and the human condition, myself," Quince added.

"The human condition?" You raised an eyebrow. These two are so smart in their own respective ways I'm not totally sure I can keep up...

"The human condition is something many analyze and consider from multiple points of view," Quince offered. "In short, though, it's used to consider the meaning of life or moral questions."

"You brought this up just so you could talk about it," Dianna accused with a slight frown.

"Yeah, and?" Quince smiled smugly. "Philosophy is more fun because it can be a conversation. It's much more interesting to see how people work than to see if we can use numbers to figure out how far I can throw a paper wad."

"But in philosophy, there's rarely a direct answer. You can disprove and disagree with nearly everything because everyone has a unique perspective on life," Dianna pointed out.

"But with philosophy, more people can be included in the conversation. Even those who have never picked up a book of theory can contribute to a debate about morals. The same is not always true of math," Quince argued. You had to admit—talking about philosophy was certainly a bit more up your alley than talking about math (even though you can't say you're nearly as well-read as Quince is).

"This is a silly debate," Dianna sighed.

"That may be true," Quince smiled. "I think I'm going to spend some time in my room. You two have fun," He stood to leave. You glanced at him, He didn't stay very long. Maybe I can use this to get to know Dianna? You stood to put your plate in the sink.

"Would you like anything to drink?" You offered as you poured yourself some juice.

"I have tea, but thank you," Dianna smiled, and you rejoined her at the table.

"Can I ask about your life on earth?" You questioned. Even if our time on Earth is over, it's still the only existence I've really known until now. Knowing about what Dianna used to be like will probably help me understand her now, was your reasoning.

"I don't know, can you?" Dianna glanced to you as she sipped her tea. Your eyes narrowed in annoyance, although if anyone in this house would pull something like that, you supposed it would be her.

"So that's how it is, huh?" You played along. "May I ask about your life on earth?"

Dianna smiled, "Sure. What do you want to know?"

"Hmm," you thought for a few moments. "Where did you work?"

"Pretty good question, my work was basically my whole life," she set her teacup on the table. "My father worked in a business that he cared for immensely. He encouraged me to get an education so that I could follow in his footsteps and join the company, Melvin Industries. Just a general corporation that was in charge of various products, but I desperately wanted to make my father proud. I got the education I needed, and I joined the company as quickly as I could." She paused for a moment to sip tea again, and you nodded for her to continue. "I was doing well, I figured that if I worked very hard, I was bound to succeed eventually. I would let very little stand in my way. Truthfully, the end goal was to eventually become CEO," a spark of passion grew ablaze in her eyes. "I would surpass my father and crush him like the insect he is."

"Woah, that took a turn," your eyebrows raised in surprise.

"I won't pretend we weren't competitive. I wanted him to regret encouraging me to pursue his dreams."

"What stopped you?" you asked.

She stared blankly at you for a few moments. "You mean besides my death?" Dianna deadpanned.

You blushed in embarrassment, "Oh yeah, I mean. Sorry..." You trailed off. She didn't seem to upset, but you still felt a bit dumb. "Do you like it here better, without the pressure of work?"

Dianna's features softened sadly at the question, "I can't say that I do, honestly. My life was like a game, in a way. If I worked very hard, I could succeed, and if I succeeded, I was a winner," she grinned lightly before her face fell again. "Now, even if I can find ways to occupy my time it's hardly ever as thrilling. There's nothing to gain here, nothing to lose."

"That's not true," you pondered for a moment. "You could lose me, or anyone really."

"I could lose you?" She questioned.

"Well—I mean, if we were to become very good friends, it's possible that you could lose me as a friend if you did something that upset me, or if you and I had an argument that couldn't be resolved. Perhaps still not as thrilling, but there are still things you can lose here," you smiled softly at her, hoping that your words would comfort her. If anything, we have to count on each other to enrich our lives.

Dianna stared at you wide-eyed for a moment before smiling, "You're right, there are things to lose," 'and to gain' she added to herself. "I hadn't thought of it that way."

You were glad she seemed happy at your suggestion, but in the back of your mind, you hoped you didn't allude to relationships between people being a game. Honestly, I wouldn't consider work a game either, though. You got lost in your thought before Dianna placed a hand to your cheek and brought your attention back to her.

"What about you, sweet (y/n)?"

"Me?" you gestured to yourself as Dianna slowly lowered the hand that held your face.

"Yes," she nodded. "Do you prefer life here?"

"Oh," you thought for a moment about the time you spent here. "I suppose in some ways it's a lot less stressful. All of my bills are gone, my house has no leaks. I have people to talk to, and I don't have to hunt for a job," you smiled to yourself. It was undeniably easier here. "There are things on earth that I miss, but this certainly isn't bad, you know?"

Her eyebrows furrowed a bit at your statement, "Your house had leaks? It sounds like you had a hard life."

"My apartment," you corrected while laughing. "My story is common; I wouldn't be surprised if most of the other people here had a similar life story. I was lucky for what I had. Not that much of it matters now, though. That life is behind me." You smiled.

Dianna seemed to contemplate your words. She frowned again. "I suppose I had known that not everyone was as well off as I was, but it is still weird to hear about it." You looked at her. In your mind, you had to decide not to discuss your distaste for capitalism and the class system since your opinions would do you no favors here. Maybe when you two were close and you felt more secure in sharing 'controversial' opinions. There's no capitalism in the afterlife, you tried to remind yourself.

Before you had a chance to continue the conversation, Jason entered the room. You looked at him. He walked towards the two of you without a word and took a seat next to you before finally speaking, "I've been looking for you!" He chirped.

"You have?" You questioned. Now that I think about it, most of our time together seems to start with him seeking me out.

He nodded. "Yes, I was hoping to take you away for a bit," He spoke while gently grabbing your wrist. "Would you come with me?" It sounded a lot more like a gentle demand than a question, but you didn't really have any qualms with it. You had spent a decent amount of time alone with Dianna, so leaving her wasn't a disservice to either of you. Still, you looked to her to try and gauge her opinion on the matter. She simply raised her eyebrows when you made eye contact, which you interpreted as a neutral 'go ahead.'

"Alright," you nodded as you stood and pushed in your chair. "Where to?" Jason stood and took your hand in his and he led you out of the room. This was a little odd. "Jason?" you questioned when the two of you had left the room. Why hadn't he answered your question?

"Sorry (y/n), I'm just not comfortable with you being alone with Dianna," He hastily explained. At this point, you recognized that the two of you were heading towards the hallway with all the bedrooms. You furrowed your eyebrows.

"Why would that be a problem? We were just talking," you retorted. His distrust made you a little frustrated, honestly. Who was he to decide who you got to hang out with?

"She's good friends with Ryo," was all he said as he pushed open the door to his room. You dug your heels in and refused to walk any further.

"Jason, seriously? How are any of us going to get along if we can't trust each other?" Your gaze was hard, but you meant what you said. He bit his lip as he looked at you, trying to think of a better excuse.

"I just don't feel comfortable leaving you alone with them, is all. Dianna's time on earth was... less than savory," He explained. Jason had to hold back a grin, that was a pretty good excuse to come with on the spot. It was vague enough to plant a seed of doubt in your mind while not saying anything specific enough to ask her about.

"Really?" you said. Your eyebrows had shot up at this and you no longer felt angry. Now you were just curious.

"Really," He answered and pulled you into his room. As you entered his living space and took a seat, he watched you. It was cute how easily you were swayed by just a few words. Jason genuinely smiled. "I wouldn't ask about it. I don't know any specific details because the last time it was brought up, she locked herself in her room for an extended period of time. She almost broke the first rule." In your mind, you tried to remember all the rules of the house. With the context clues, you remembered: Rule number one- No going any more than seven days without seeing at least two other occupants.

"Oh... that's terrible!" you exclaimed. "But how will we know whether seven days has passed or not?"

"Any time one of us gets close to breaking a rule, Quince is instantly notified. At 6 days, the higherups told him," he explained. You nodded, that makes sense. Jason was glad that even though he was slowly getting you to spend less time with Ryo and Dianna that you didn't seem to have any issue spending time alone with him, in his room of all places.

"So, did you want to do anything? Or was that just a dramatic 'Operation: Save (y/n) from a nonexistent threat because I'm overprotective'?" You asked teasingly. Jason pouted playfully and slumped on his bed without a hint of grace.

"Is it wrong to hang out with my friend?" He asked, and you smiled. It's always nice to be called a friend.

"I guess not. Have you ever been to the garden? I was just there with Quince earlier, it's beautiful!" you beamed. Jason couldn't hold back the blush that settled across his cheeks "(y/n) is too cute for her own good" he thought to himself.

"Once or twice, sure. It's kind of hard to find. You like plants?"

"Yeah, absolutely!" you nodded. "Plants make everything seem a little more real, and a little more ok."

"That's funny, I feel the same way about you," Jason looked earnestly at you, but all you could do was laugh.

"You're such a flirt!"

"Is that a bad thing?" he asked.

"No, I guess I just wouldn't have expected it from you. To be honest, I think I want to take a nap. It's almost sleeping time for most everyone, right?

"Yeah, but you woke up late. Are you really sleepy?" He seemed disappointed. As if to prove your case, you yawned.

"Yeah, I really am. I might wake up while everyone is asleep and then I'll be off balance, but I'm really tired! We can hang out tomorrow?" you offered as you stood up.

"Only if you let me tuck you in!" He exclaimed while also standing up. You raised an eyebrow.

"If you want to? Sure...?" you both laughed at each other and walked towards your room.

You relaxed on your bed and Jason pulled the covers over your shoulders. It was almost too sweet to bear, friends are really the best. He leaned forward and pressed a chaste kiss to your forehead. You blushed. He walked to your door and flicked off the light, "Goodnight, (y/n). Rest well."

"Goodnight, Jason," you replied as he shut the door. I haven't been tucked in since I was a child, you thought before drifting into a sound sleep.

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