Atani's guess was right. Zane didn't know why he had such a hard time admitting that. Perhaps it was just part of his greedy, noncommittal nature. Thinking of Atani certainly helped push that nature back however. "Ah. I see why you don't want me around her now!" Zane remarked in his head, Beelzebub letting a hum in return. "Indeed. I've no intention to stop you now, however. This is a mistake I once made as well. You will most certainly learn a lot from this." Zane tried his best to ignore Beelzebub's words. Atani wouldn't just be some sort of stepping stone for him. He'd prove that stupid fly wrong.
"Yes..." Zane closed his eyes, the tiniest of blushes on his cheeks. It wasn't like him to blush. He was usually the one makings OTHERS blush, it be through genuine charm or just second-hand embarrassment. "Much more than I expected from a friend." Atani seemed to have softened on him now given the changes in her demeanor. Telling the truth could be important sometimes. He still liked lying better, but for Atani he'd at least try to speak honestly...
"Oh." Zane opened his eyes at Atani's words, his face a bit blank. He had finally connected the dots. "In other words you would've been just fine if I had only told you..." Zane slowly slumped his shoulder a little bit. He was indeed a genius, but his occasional bout of next-level stupidity really was depressing. Perhaps this wasn't even an issue of intelligence. Perhaps, like Atani said, it was one of trust. Besides Beelzebub, did Zane truly ever trust anybody? Hell, did he even trust Beelzebub? He liked acting like a clown, but did he often take it too far? Straightening up his posture, Zane crossed his arms and tapped his foot. He needed to work on his trust, huh?
"Atani. You really are smart." He'd remark, a wide smile coming on his face. He was starting to look more like himself again, though this time not as zany. Zaney, if you will. "I think I finally see what my problem is! My biggest weakness! Not just when it comes to pursuing you, but for my life in general." It was clear by his facial expressions that some sort of grand idea was popping into Zane's head. But what was it? His eyes scanned the area, the thoughts racing through his mind. Until, finally, it arrived. "You need to see me scared." Zane came to that conclusion thanks to the very town they were in. "Samhain has a million different ways someone could scare themselves half to death, right? It's half the point of this town! So..." Zane held out his hand towards Atani. There was always something special about the way he held hands with her. Ever since their first date back in Hargeon he always could communicate with her through holding her hand, though he still hadn't realized it himself. His body was sometimes more honest than his mind. "Will you head there with me, Atani? Oh, and if there's anything else you wanna ask - anything at all, even like, the color of my underwear - I'll trust you and answer honestly."