Hearing a tragic story about a girl who suffered the cruellest punishment of her life made my heart ache just from hearing it. "…And is that why you hate us?" I tried to ask for confirmation, and the policewoman sitting opposite me nodded in response.
My hand was no longer inside the mouth of that strange wooden puppet, and using a handkerchief I'd taken out of my card—I wiped my left hand clean of any bacteria that might have stuck to it. "Then, I told this to one of my friends named Felix; you might know him," she still didn't dare to look me in the eye, and she seemed more like she was daydreaming.
Felix Purrington—he was one of Mother's acquaintances who'd helped us fight Midas and Caesar that day. "And he told me that… It's only natural for me to be angry at the Fables, but it wouldn't be right for me to keep hating you lot," the words came out hesitantly, as if she didn't want to say them.
"So what, are you going to apologise?" I tilted my head slightly, and Ciel didn't utter a single word; she was probably too proud to say it directly. "Krampus the Devil, eh… I think I know who that is."
Hearing that, Ciel immediately lifted her head; her face looked utterly incredulous at what she'd just heard. "So… you really do know him?" she asked, and the way she seemed to be looking straight into my soul made me feel uneasy.
"I've never actually met him at all, but from his name alone, it's clear he's part of The False Epilogue," I replied, and Ciel looked as though she was trying to recall whether she recognised the name of that organisation or not. "The False Epilogue is an organisation that claims to know how this world will end."
"They want to change the end of the world to suit themselves, and before you ask, I have absolutely no idea what the end of the world they know is."
Ciel tried to take it all in, and he looked very serious as he pondered the matter. "Have you ever met any members of this organisation?" His face was now filled with curiosity he couldn't hide.
"Hm? Actually, yes—I've even killed one of them."
"Oh, I see… HUH?! You've killed one of them?!"
"Yes, and he was incredibly strong; his abilities were a real nuisance—it took four of us to defeat him."
For some reason, I can't remember the last time I had a proper conversation with him without it being overshadowed by an atmosphere of hatred—perhaps I can't remember because there simply never was one. "This organisation also has a small team that was set up, and as of now there are only three people left," that caught Ciel's attention again, though he wasn't quite as worked up as before.
The atmosphere remained tense and, little by little, I found I couldn't stand it any longer; if Red had been here, the tension would have broken ages ago because she'd have blurted out something so daft that we'd have been left speechless by what he'd just said. "Well then? I'm still waiting for your apology, you know," I teased, and that made Ciel's eyebrows furrow and her eyes fix on me sharply.
"It seems you've got the wrong idea, Fables," he said, standing up and slamming his fist down on the table quite hard, his bright blue eyes locking onto mine. "I still don't like you lot; I'm just being a bit more tolerant of you."
Having said all that, he still asked, in his usual nonchalant manner, "So, do you know where this organisation's headquarters are?" I was desperate to lie to him, but I was at a loss as to what ploy to use to deceive him.
I recalled Jones's words about him being a creature straight out of hell, and that sparked a brilliant idea to play a prank on him. "In hell," I replied, leaving Ciel utterly stunned as he tried to work out whether I was being serious or not. "I mean, vile and terrifying creatures like that come from hell, don't they?" I gave a little chuckle and flicked a card against the wall.
"What are you trying to do—?!" Before she could even finish her sentence, I stood up and slammed my fist on the table just as she had done moments earlier, flashing a sly smile that left her both bewildered and on her guard.
"Ciel, I'm proposing that we work together to defeat Hansel and Gretel, because they aren't ordinary Fables," I suggested, and this left Ciel even more bewildered, yet also curious as to what I meant by saying they weren't ordinary Fables. "They've been elevated to the rank of Fairytales—beings far more powerful, perhaps even on a par with the Krampus you told me about."
"What's in it for me?" Ciel tried to read my plans, but unfortunately, she wasn't a Fable with that sort of ability.
"You might find out where this Krampus is, because Hansel and Gretel are a small team formed by the organisation 'The False Epilogue'."
"The choice is yours, and if we meet again, I hope it's in a lovely café."
I gave a wink before a thick cloud of smoke billowed out from my card and began to fill the room, leaving Ciel unable to see anything but the dark smoke obscuring her vision. "Don't go, you bastard!" she shouted, but it was all in vain, as it only caused her to trip over a chair I'd deliberately knocked over to block her path and prevent her from chasing me.
As I walked past the other police officers, they seemed surprised that I wasn't accompanied by the female officer who was trapped in the smoke-filled room. "Looking for Ciel, are you? Why don't you go and give her some fresh air; she might end up owing you one," I said, walking along whilst skipping a little; I was really pleased to be able to play a prank on that woman again.
I walked out of the police station and, using the card I'd stuck firmly under my shoe, I immediately soared into the sky and enjoyed the air brushing against my skin. "I'd better get a move on before they come after me," I chuckled to myself and looked back; before long, the police station had disappeared from view.
I could faintly hear a voice calling my name; my body came to a halt and hovered in the air—my blue eyes glanced down and saw a familiar figure waving both hands; I squinted, trying to make out who it was. "IT'S ME, ROBIN! PLEASE COME DOWN, THERE'S SOMETHING I WANT TO TELL YOU!" he shouted from below; whether he realised it or not, he'd already attracted the attention of plenty of passers-by.
"You shameless blighter," I clenched my fists tightly—I desperately wanted to land a punch right then and there, but I held back. A bluish light appeared, forming a rectangle, before two cards materialised behind it. I floated down, and just as I could see Robin's face—a mixture of relief and guilt—he raised both his hands.
Without her expecting it, I gave her hands a quick pat, startling her, and left a message. "Follow me," I commanded. Robin immediately stuck the card to the sole of her shoe and shot off, doing as I'd asked, following behind me.
I then stopped right on top of the clock tower, before slowly descending and sitting atop the tower, which told everyone passing by the time at that moment. I gazed out at the endless horizon, and before long a man in a green beanie sat down beside me.
An awkward, prolonged silence hung between us; I didn't want to speak first because he'd been the one who'd said he wanted to tell me something important. "So… Alice," he called out, but I didn't give him so much as a glance, letting him continue. "I'm sorry, okay?"
I looked up and my blue eyes met his black ones. "Ooh? Do you even know what you've done wrong?" I asked, and Robin replied with a nod.
"I actually brought up something I shouldn't have…" Robin let out a deep sigh; he really did look like a criminal cornered by a group of police officers, with nowhere left to run.
"And do you regret it?"
"I deeply regret it!"
I rolled my eyes. A long silence fell once more, but this time it wasn't filled with awkwardness—rather, a sense of comfort in each other's company.
I turned my head to the side and raised a finger at Robin. "I'll forgive you if you do one thing!" I said with complete seriousness, catching the man off guard and making him curious as to what I was demanding.
"And what's that?" Robin tilted his head; he must have been thinking of all sorts of expensive things I might want to drain his wallet, as he assumed that was the appropriate repayment I had in mind. "Don't forget compassion, please?"
"Ice cream."
"Eh?"
"An ice cream cone. Don't you understand such a clear request?"
"Is that all…?"
"Yes, that's all."
Robin, who had been gaping for far too long, finally let out a long sigh; he felt as though he'd never felt so relieved before—he gazed up at the blue sky, which had never looked so beautiful to him. "Thank you, God," he said, watching the clouds drift by ever so slowly.
"But I want top-quality ice cream from a posh restaurant, you hear, Greenie?!"
"MNGH—?! I'll do my best..."
Although Robin can be a bit of a pain at times, he's the only person I can really trust right now, because, after all, I'm well-suited to being paired with someone like him.