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A needle flew through the air, struck Malbee in the neck, and bounced off harmlessly. Malbee’s stern frown remained. Her would-be assassin groaned, and a second needle followed, this one just a bit too far left, bouncing off the wall beside her. Malbee was utterly unfazed.
With a growl, four more needles whizzed through the air in short succession. Only one of them struck Malbee, and none of them penetrated any surface they DID strike.
Vi huffed and picked up the fallen needles, gripped all of them in one hand, and jammed them right between Malbee’s stupid, goggled eyes.
It was a lot less satisfying when her crude drawing couldn’t react to the attack with anything but the same stoically unmoving frown.
The little bee fell backward onto her bed, adding up the berries she’d earned that week in her head. She was so close to freedom, she could almost taste it. She’d already saved up enough to travel to the Ant Kingdom, and purchase a new, easier-to-use weapon (because, as much as she loved throwing needles, she couldn’t deny she needed more practice before she could take them into a serious fight). Just a few more weeks, and she’d have a safety net large enough to comfortably keep herself afloat a few months, if getting registered as an explorer took longer than she’d expected. Just a few weeks, and she’d never have to put up with Malbee, or any other stuck-up, snooty bee in the hive.
The state of her room in the hive testified to frugal budgeting she’d done to get this far: not one piece of clothing beyond winter wear or equipment required for her job, minimal furniture, and practically none of the luxurious tech that had defined the Bee Kingdom in the modern era. The only art she owned, whether paintings or books, had all been birthday gifts from her sisters in the hive. All but two of them given before she’d told them she was serious about making her dream of joining the Explorer’s Association a reality.
The other bees had tolerated it when she was little, always whispering about how “she’ll grow out of it,” whenever they thought she couldn’t hear them. But as she grew older, and her dream persisted, it was met with increasing dismissal, concern, or, in the worst cases, laughter. At this point, she was pretty sure the only ones who said anything nice to or about her were being sarcastic.
Her connections outside the hive were looking much more promising. While Xic, the self proclaimed “master of all poison,” like so many others, had mistaken her for a child on their first meeting, he made it clear that as long as she had the money, and didn’t snitch, he’d grant her the same respect any bug would get. He’d even gone so far as to share the password of a hidden tavern in the Ant Kingdom with her, where she could get top of the line weapons, no questions asked (as long as she asked no questions in return). There’d even been rumors of the more “legally flexible” members of the Explorers Association drinking there from time to time, giving her a potential “in,” if she got lucky.
And once she had her “in,” she’d be ready to get out there, see new places, fight off strange beasts, and, of course, to find long-lost treasures, allowing her to go wherever and do whatever she wanted in her leisure time. Perhaps she’d even be the lucky bee to find the fabled Everlasting Sapling, and become immortal! Then they’d all see who had the last laugh, the whole hive growing old and withering away, while she remained young and cute forever. It’d be the ultimate proof that they were wrong, and she was right.
A knock on the door interrupted her power fantasy.
“Vi! Are you in there?”
Recognizing her closest sister’s voice, Vi sighed and sat up.
“Come in, Jaune.”
The door opened, and Jaune stepped through, the paint on her stinger-brush still wet.
“I heard about what happened at the factory,” Jaune said. “Are you okay?”
Vi groaned. Word traveled too fast in the hive.
“It was FINE,” she huffed. “A couple pallets of honey and a Bee-boop got broken. Nobody got hurt.”
Not that you'd know from the way Malbee was shouting , Vi thought.
“Oh thank goodness,” Jaune wrapped her arms around Vi. “I'd been so worried. So many things can go wrong in the factory.”
“Well, good news,” Vi said. “A couple more weeks, and I won't be working there anymore.”
“Really?” Jaune said. “I guess, if Malbee really is that much of a pain to work with, maybe it'd be better to find some place else. Still, you were born a worker, I'm not sure if there are many other open positions in the hive you're qualified for. Are you thinking of taking a position at one of the shops in Defiant Root? I noticed you've been heading down there more often, lately. They rarely pay as well as facotry work, but you might be able to make a decent living anyway.”
Maybe she could tell a lie and say yes. Jaune had never exactly been supportive of her desire to become an explorer. But at the same time, Jaune was her closest sister. They'd been together since they pupated. She was the only one that still seemed to give Vi the time of day. If there was any bee she could get to take her seriously, it would be Jaune.
Vi shook her head. “Nope! I'm moving to the Ant Kingdom.”
Jaune frowned. Predictable, but Vi thought she could still salvage this.
“I've almost got all the money I need. I've been saving and scraping wherever I could. I've been working for this like no other bee has! And once I'm there, I'm finally gonna become an Explorer! I'll never be 'just another worker' again!”
“This again?” Jaune sighed. “Vi, please, be realistic. Most bees that choose to live outside the hive permanently are miserable.”
“Are they miserable because they left the hive,” Vi countered, “Or did they leave because the hive was making them miserable?”
“Vi, every bee has her place here,” Jaune said, “some just take a little longer longer to figure out how to fit in than others.”
“Well, maybe the ones that already figured out how to fit in should make a little wiggle room so the others can fit in too!”
“You can't expect the whole world to change just to fit you. That's another reason why becoming an explorer is a terrible idea.”
Jaune stood up.
“If you were a guard or a soldier that would be one thing. Then you'd have some natural fighting ability. But you're a worker, Vi! Do you think bandits, chompers, wolf spiders, or primal weevils are going to sit there politely and let you fumble with a spear until you eventually luck into piercing one, just to let you live your dream? You're going to get yourself killed!”
“There are more weapons out there than spears, you know! I've been doing a lot of practicing in my free time,” Vi huffed. “And yeah, I know the world isn't going to go easy on me. That's the one useful thing the rest of the Bee Kingdom taught me.”
Jaune turned her head to the picture of Malbee with a fist full of needles lodged in its face. “I can see you've been practicing.” She sighed, and pulled the drawing off the wall. “You know, Vi, I know you don't get along with Malbee, but maybe fewer bugs would mistake you for a child if you stopped acting like one.”
“Shut up!” Vi shouted, before almost reflexively adding “I'm not a kid!” Jaune KNEW this was a sore spot for her. Why would she bring it up?
“Then why are you trying to get a job chasing a fairy tale? The Ant Kingdom's whole 'Explorer's Association' was founded because one queen just couldn't accept she would die some day, so she spent who-knows-how-many other bugs' lives in her search for the everlasting sapling and immortality. In the end, she couldn't change anything. She died the same as any other bug, and decades later, nobody is any closer to finding that plant now than when they started.”
Jaune shook her head. “Do you want to know what the life of an 'explorer' is, Vi? If you're lucky, it means getting paid a pittance for fetching stuff clumsy bugs lost, or catching criminals, and making just enough berries from the bounty to pay for your hospital bill as you heal up from the fight. If you're unlucky, you get sent out on a wild midge chase, and die in some horrific no-bugs-land, eaten by ferocious lesser bugs, accomplishing nothing as you chase a dead queen's stupid dream for her! Is that what you want Vi? Does that sound glorious to you? Because I think it sounds like a waste of time! The whole association is a waste!”
“And what do you know about 'wastes of time,' huh?” Vi retorted, standing up and marching toward her sister. “If you ask me, finding someone's lost stuff sounds way more useful than spending hundreds of berries on rare paint just to make pictures! When's an artist ever done anything nearly as useful as stopping a criminal, huh?”
Jaune was startled, apparently not expecting Vi to start firing back like this.
“Hey, great art can touch hundreds of bugs' lives, across ages, even if they never meet the-”
“Great art can touch hundreds of bugs' lives,” Vi repeated sarcastically. “Funny how I only ever hear artists saying that. You know, I think a lot more bugs would be 'touched' by bugs who actually cared what other bugs wanted,-”
“I do care, that's WHY I-”
“Not that you'd ever 'touch' any bugs' lives. That's for 'great' artists!”
“What's that supposed to mean? I paint for some of the most important bugs in Bugaria!”
“That just shows that snooty bugs have terrible taste! Your art is horrible! It looks like a weevil drew it!”
Jaune gasped.
“My art looks like-”
“Yeah, like a weevil drew it!” Vi stamped. “Not that it matters! Art's just a way for bugs with too much money to get pictures of themselves that are easier to look at than a mirror! The whole job is a waste of time and money.”
Jaune clenched her fists.
“Fine then, if you think I’m so useless, then clearly, you don't need me to stick around.”
“I won't! Thanks!”
Jaune stomped back toward the door, turning around just before closing it. “Have fun out there on your wild midge chase! I'd tell you not to come back, but I know you better than anyone. Mark my words, the second you meet any real danger, you'll run away again with your stinger between your legs. I feel sorry for any poor soul you’d get paired with, if you somehow manage to qualify!”
And with that, the door slammed shut behind her.
Suddenly, Vi wasn't so sure she really needed two more week's pay in that safety net. No amount of berries was worth putting up with these bees.
With a huff, Vi got up, and grabbed her bags. One benefit of frugal living was that it didn't take long to get packed.
She'd show them some day. She wouldn't be just another bee! She'd pull the weight of four bees if that's what it took. She'd get rich and famous, and come back and laugh in all of their faces. She'd prove all of them wrong.