The warm sunset was gradually fading into a dark twilight and the wind was getting chilly despite the generally warm summer throughout the season. There was no one in this little quiet corner of town and Franklin was pleasuring himself in the serenity alone. He screamed a little bit as he jerked his body towards the sound. After a short moment, he saw a familiar face gazing at him intently. It was James Blake, as lovely and angelic as ever, in front of him. 

He wore a dark blue uniform with several medals on his breast pocket as he stood at ease not too far away from him under a flickering streetlamp. His head cocked to the side when he saw Franklin looking as pale as a ghost. "I thought there was nothing left in this ghost town. I guess nothing much changed. Weirdos still hang around here," James shrugged lightly. "I don't think you of all people need any change, right, Franklin?"

As detailed in the letters, James' shoulder-length hair framed his features elegantly with a few loose strands falling onto his face. He managed a smile and offered Franklin some napkins to wipe the thick sauce away. He wiped the food stains tenderly and carefully.

"I thought there was someone suspicious around here," he muttered over the noise from his walkie-talkie. "I'm sorry. I got some complaints from the two people who still live here." He finished wiping and turned the device off as Franklin had begun to speak. 

"It's quite alright, my dear!" exclaimed Franklin, quickly regaining his composure. "It must get dangerous out here! Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Well, not really. Thanks for asking, though," James replied with a smile, as his attention focused on something else.

Franklin noticed and laughed heartily, "Would you to try? It's delectable!"

A look of surprise came over James and he was suddenly embarrassed. The idea of a gentleman eating such a messy thing was astounding! He was not disgusted, he was not that kind of person, but it was interesting. The contrast between a neat and classy person wolfing down a pie that looked so barbaric and messy was amusing. James nodded after a few moments and took a bite of the highly-esteemed Pizza Pie and he quickly nodded in approval as he moved a lock of hair behind his ear.

"A true delight, isn't it?" Franklin asked breathlessly with a warm glow in his voice. "Let's head back into town! I'll buy one for you!" He offered.

"Yes, but... I have something to look for..." James sighed softly, his eyes downcast and a little dull, though his cheeks were light pink. He rolled up his sleeves to avoid looking at Franklin directly. When he finally did, he confirmed my suspicions brought up by the account of Mr Flint previously. "Well, more like someone. A little girl named is Anabella, my niece. She's been gone for some time now... I miss her," his voice cracked a little bit, releasing some warm emotion. All of a sudden, he seemed more real and attached to this world than ever before.

Franklin frowned, a little upset but he failed to understand why. Maybe it was because he never felt that kind of love to another existence before or maybe he was just too absorbed into eating his greasy and heavy Pizza Pie to think about it. James' expression deepened as they subconsciously walked together along the abandoned street as his eyes reddened from thinking about it. A few tears appeared as he faced Franklin bravely, his expression suddenly serious and intimate. Franklin's heart began pounding in his chest.

"If you see a little girl around three feet and looks like this, please tell me!" James pleaded sincerely. "I'll appreciate it, thank you!" James fumbled around his pockets and gave Franklin a crumpled photograph. Franklin generously gave it to me as we ate breakfast together. It was a little girl with blonde hair and bright red cheeks peppered with freckles. She wore a quiet smile as her front teeth were chipped while holding her stuffed bear. I assume she's around eight to ten years old based on her plump shape. Franklin and I agreed that she's adorable.

Franklin smiled tenderly as James adjusted himself. He placed the photograph delicately in his wallet next to his credit cards and made the promise that he would help when he can. James seemed eternally grateful. An authentic smile appeared and he began to glow slightly like dull sunshine after a rainy day. He whispered a genuine thank you a few moments later as they continued walking together in silence down the street.

As they approached the dimly lit outskirts of town, James' eyes widened slightly at the hustle and bustle in town. With Franklin's insistence, they walked into the bright town together. What struck James more than anything was the bright neon lights that flashed everywhere. Despite being a relatively small town, it gave its residents a slice of the busy city life and its luxuries. When I frequented the area, I'd go to a convenience store to buy some coffee before the night shift began (I just make tea now).

Unlike Franklin and I, James never had such a "city" experience of his own despite working in one. Franklin savoured the experience as he played tour guide, pulling on his hand and taking him everywhere.

"Would you like to try some?" Franklin asked gently, touching James' arm each time he asked. James would shake his head in return after snapping back from his world.

"No, thank you," James replied kindly as his eyes were focused on something else far away from either of them. Franklin would grin in return and nod; he quickly got used to the quietness. He resolved himself to learning more about him. What did he like? What kind of flowers would he like in a bouquet? What foods would he enjoy most? Those are the trivial yet heart-stopping things Franklin was obsessed over throughout the night before they went home with flushed faces.

"So, is this what people find exciting?" James asked sceptically at one point with a charming arch in his eyebrow. He held onto a bobble-head figure of the small-town mayor. He poked its head until it jerked and made a strange noise. "It's so strange," he giggled. James continued entertaining himself by poking its head and watching it make a strange robotic sound as it "sprung" to life. Franklin noted that his heart began swelling with each passing minute and a stupefied smile appeared on his handsome face. James caught him staring once and returned his stupefied smile with a genuine one of his own. 

I briefly stopped reading this account and looked up at Franklin. His eyes were still bright red, lacking in much of the life he used to have in his account. He solemnly sliced into his eggs, the yolk dripping out of it onto the plate. From time to time, he'd look down and blinked at nothing. This might've been my perception but if I reached out and touched his hand, my hand would slip through the gaps and land on the table.

"Have you wondered who James was as a person?" I asked inquisitively.

"What!" exclaimed Franklin with an abstracted expression as he knocked into everything.

I repeated my question, a little more serious now.

"Aaron... Perhaps you don't understand," Franklin leaned forward again and wiped some egg yolk away from the corner of his lip. He drank coffee and looked at me with a smile full of thoughtful sadness. "What was I supposed to think of him, anyhow?"

"Not to be harsh but, what if people found out you were romantic with a unicorn?" I asked, not intending to be threatening. "Not only that, but you have fallen in love with him. What would the UEC think about that? Was James concerned about your position? You wanted to trick him-"

"Aaron, this trivial talk exhausts me - you remind me of my father- Sorry but listen, I- James is a beautiful human being and I had to like him as much as I did," Franklin stood up and wiped his face with a napkin and cleared our plates. He quickly vanished into the kitchen, only to come back with a damp towel to wipe crumbs away. "Besides, there's nothing wrong with accepting someone for who they are deep down. James is one of the few people, apart from you, whom I adore so much. I was devastated when I knew that he was gone..."

Then all of a sudden, his voice became quiet and hesitant. "I couldn't apologise to him for not showing that side of me more to him," he barely uttered the last sentence before another tear streamed down his eyes and after a few minutes, my "office" was the cleanest it had ever been in a while. Franklin paced around the corridor for a little while longer before resorting to lying down on the sofa like how he did that fateful night, crying about his lost love uselessly.

Before I indulge you with my thoughts, allow me to explain why I made it a particular point to ask Franklin about his position with James. I'll keep this short, don't worry. There was a very fair queen who'd often hold grand balls where she would go from one social group to another, talking to the people with a bright, delighted smile. She was a humble woman because of this. I would've admired this quality of her's if I met her personally.

In one of these balls, she met a unicorn - the first one she had ever seen! It was rare to see a unicorn at all, and so she was thrilled to share a conversation with her. They became friends quickly and the queen made it a point to talk to the unicorns more and include them in her politics.

However, a tragic series of unfortunate events happened to the beautiful queen. She was assassinated. The culprit was never known. In the public eye, people suspected the unicorns in the court as they were strange, awkward creatures who were in the minority. People accused them of nasty things and because of the mystery, the discrimination persisted relentlessly until today. That was something Franklin needed to consider as soon as he can, especially when they began to become closer throughout the story.