Inside one of the rooms at Vanessa's flower shop, the atmosphere was much quieter than outside. Vanessa sat on one side of the table while Kevin sat opposite her, and Queen Buzzara rested calmly on the table between them. Her royal guards and the other members of her delegation remained outside, where they were working to save whatever flowers could still be recovered.
Small groups of chocobees moved from one plant to another, carrying pollen and carefully working around the healthier flowers. Others inspected the plants that had already begun to wilt, trying to determine which ones could still be saved.
Vanessa occasionally glanced through the window at them before looking back toward Kevin.
"Barry still isn't here, but he should be here in just a few minutes," she said. "He told me earlier that he had plans today."
She then looked at Queen Buzzara before turning her attention back to Kevin. "Can you now tell me why you're here?"
Kevin nodded. "Of course."
He leaned back slightly in his chair before explaining everything that had happened. He told Vanessa about the situation with the bees, the consequences that had begun appearing after Barry's court victory and the reason Queen Buzzara had personally come to Springfield.
He also introduced the Queen properly, explaining that she was the ruler of the Chocobees and that her hive had its own relationship with the wider bee population.
Vanessa listened quietly.
The more Kevin explained, the more uncomfortable she became.
"So that's why the flowers are dying?" she finally asked.
Kevin nodded.
Vanessa lowered her gaze. She already knew the answer as she had seen the decline herself.
For the past couple of weeks, her shop had slowly gone from being filled with colorful flowers to becoming an empty room filled with dying plants.
It wasn't just her shop.
The entire city was beginning to suffer. Queen Buzzara remained quiet throughout Kevin's explanation, occasionally looking toward the window at the bees working outside.
Vanessa looked at her but before Vanessa could say anything else, the door suddenly opened.
"Vanessa, I'm her—" The voice stopped.
A bee wearing a yellow sweater, which covers up most of his black stripes stood in the doorway.
Barry's eyes immediately moved around the room.
He saw Vanessa, a man, and then a bee with a different color. He slowly looked toward the window and noticed the dozens of bees outside.
"So this is why there are other bees outside," he muttered.
Vanessa immediately stood.
"Barry, this is Mr. Harlan, and this is Her Majesty Queen Buzzara." She then gestured toward the newcomers. "Everyone, this is Barry Benson, and this is Adam Flayman."
Adam gave a polite nod. "Nice to meet you."
Kevin returned the gesture. "Likewise."
Barry, however, remained focused on Queen Buzzara.
He had heard enough about the different bee communities to know that a queen arriving with such a large delegation wasn't something that happened casually.
Queen Buzzara looked directly at him. "So you are Barry Benson."
Barry straightened slightly. "And you are?"
"I am Queen Buzzara"
For a few seconds, neither of them said anything.
Vanessa looked between them nervously. Kevin finally broke the silence. "We're here because of what's happening to the flowers."
Barry crossed his arms. "I already know about that."
"Then you know why we're here."
Barry frowned. "I know that things aren't going the way people expected. But that doesn't mean the decision was wrong."
Vanessa looked at him. "Barry…"
He turned toward her. "What?"
Vanessa hesitated.
Barry's expression became more serious. "I fought for the bees because we were being exploited. Humans were taking our honey, selling it and making money from something that belonged to us. We were expected to work without having a say in any of it."
He looked toward Queen Buzzara. "The court finally recognized that. Bees became free."
Queen Buzzara listened without interrupting.
Barry continued, becoming more confident as he spoke. "So why are we suddenly treating that freedom like it was a mistake?"
Kevin remained silent.
He wasn't there to immediately tell Barry that he was wrong. He wanted Barry to reach the conclusion himself.
Queen Buzzara finally spoke. "Freedom was not the problem."
Barry's expression changed slightly. "What?"
"The freedom of your people was not the problem," Queen Buzzara repeated calmly. "You were right to object to being exploited. You were right to demand that your people have the ability to decide their own lives."
Barry looked confused. "Then what's the problem?"
Queen Buzzara gestured toward the window. "The problem is what happened afterward."
Barry glanced outside as the chocobees continued working.
Queen Buzzara continued. "You wanted freedom for the bees. You received it but you forgot that bees do not exist separately from the flowers that sustain them."
Barry frowned. "We can still live without humans controlling us."
"That is not what I said." The Queen's tone remained calm even though she was slightly irritated. "You thought the only relationship that mattered was the one between bees and humans. You forgot about everything else."
Barry looked toward the dying flowers outside.
Queen Buzzara continued. "Flowers depend upon bees. Bees depend upon flowers. Plants depend upon pollination to reproduce, and countless other creatures depend upon those plants. When you suddenly changed the way the bees interacted with the world, you did not simply change the lives of humans and bees."
She pointed toward the window. "You changed the entire system."
Barry's eyes followed her gesture. He still looked unconvinced. "But humans can plant more flowers."
Queen Buzzara shook her head. "It isn't that simple."
Barry looked back at her. "Why not?"
"Because planting flowers is only one part of the problem." She explained that bees weren't merely creatures that consumed nectar and pollen. Their movement from flower to flower was part of a much larger natural process. Their pollination allowed plants to reproduce, which in turn supported other plants, animals and ecosystems.
When the bees suddenly stopped performing those roles on the scale they had before, the effects began spreading. It wasn't immediate.
That was why Barry hadn't understood the problem at first but after enough time passed, the consequences became visible.
The flowers began dying.
Then gardens suffered, farms began struggling and eventually, the problem could spread much farther if nothing changed.
Barry remained silent.
Adam shifted uncomfortably beside him.
Vanessa looked down at her hands. "I didn't know either," she admitted.
Barry turned toward her.
Vanessa took a breath. "I supported you because I thought I was helping. You told me what the bees had been going through, and I believed that giving them freedom was the right thing to do."
Her voice became quieter. "But look at my shop."
Barry glanced around.
The wilted flowers surrounded them. "I don't even have flowers left to sell."
Barry's expression fell.
Vanessa continued. "I wanted to help the bees, Barry. I really did. But I didn't understand what would happen afterward."
Barry looked toward the window again. The bees outside were still trying to save the remaining flowers.
For the first time since entering the room, he didn't have an immediate argument.
Kevin finally spoke. "Barry, nobody here is asking you to give up the freedom you fought for."
Barry looked at him.
Kevin continued. "What happened to the bees before the court case was wrong. Nobody should be forced to work simply because they're bees. But freedom doesn't mean you have to abandon every responsibility that comes with living in a larger ecosystem."
Barry stared at him.
Kevin leaned back slightly. "You don't have to accept a solution today. But you should at least understand what happened."
Barry slowly walked toward the window. He stopped beside the glass and looked outside.
The sight was difficult to ignore.
Flowers that should have been bright and colorful were wilted and brown. Several plants were barely alive, while the bees were desperately trying to save whatever remained.
He looked toward the flower shop again. For the first time, the confidence he had carried into the room was gone.
He lowered his head.
"I…"
He stopped.
Nobody interrupted him as Barry took a slow breath.
"Maybe…" His eyes remained fixed on the dying flowers. "Maybe I didn't understand what would happen."
Queen Buzzara watched him silently. Barry finally turned around.
"I thought I was helping everyone." His voice was quieter now. "But maybe I made a mistake."
Barry looked toward Queen Buzzara. "I don't want the bees to lose their freedom."
Queen Buzzara nodded. "Nor do I."
Barry looked toward Kevin and the queen "Then what do we do?"
Kevin gave him a calm smile. "That's something we can figure out."
Queen Buzzara nodded slowly. "Then perhaps it is time we discuss a new arrangement."
Barry looked at the Queen for a moment before nodding. "Alright."