“You’re under arrest.”

“I'm sorry, little one. Orders are orders.”

“Huh? Huh???”

While pulling the mana crystal receiver away from her ear, Janus stretched, raising her shawl above her head and feeling a satisfying pop in her joints that helped alleviate a fraction of the tension in her body. She wanted nothing more than to dip into a hot scented bath that would melt away the rest, but down here in the dark, dank underground it was little more than a pipe dream.

A mixture of regret, some self-loathing and a healthy dose of boredom brought out a sigh from her that carried throughout the lamplit chamber of the catacombs, the air thick with the stale odor of unwashed bodies and years of dust that coated every surface.

Shadows danced across the stone walls, casting eerie silhouettes that made the place feel unnerving even in its abandoned state. Weaker people would cave to anxiety and paranoia, she thought, believing there to be monsters or ghouls lurking in the dark. But she knew better.

Nothing was as frightening as reality, and in her experience, the things that were really out to get you were always human.

The others seemed to feel the same, as they shuffled about the spacious room with little regard for the many tombs surrounding them. Janus yawned loudly and stood from the bumpy stone slab that had served as her seat for the last few hours, rubbing the ache from her backside as she joined the throng of bodies.

Her gaze swept around as she pathed through the crowd of men and women; some checking the contents of their packs, a few of them sitting around the perimeter and talking amongst themselves in hushed whispers, and others still sneaking leering glances her way. The dead lay in rows of unadorned caskets along the walls around them, a library of lids, each one unmoving and ignored. Janus too paid them no mind as she made for a side room on the opposite end of the chamber.

Past the doorless entrance was a small antechamber with a single large coffin set up on a platform beneath a hanging lamp. From what she could tell just by looking it was made of some pretty nice wood; relatively clean compared to the others and trimmed with gold and silver. Probably the resting place of someone of great importance; a lord or politician or some other bureaucrat. Currently though, it was being used as little more than a makeshift examination table.

Janus crossed her arms at the elbows and rested her weight against the doorframe, watching silently as the bearded chemist worked while hunched over the masked teen with brows knitted beneath his bowler hat. He was moderately tall and wiry with thinning gray hair, but despite that he still showed an impressive amount of dexterity. His hands moved with expert precision as he inspected the panting girl lying on the coffin, monitoring her condition.

“Kisling.” She drew his attention and earned a hefty glare in the process. She sneered it right back at him through her veil.

“You know,” he started, returning to his patient, “half the troupe were bemoaning you finally putting on some proper clothing after we came all the way out to Norith.”

Janus cocked her head at that. She assessed her dancer's top, cleavage out and proud for the air to caress when she moves about. Her flat tummy, laden with ornate markings and symbols that ran all along her arms and legs, sat below the obstruction but just as exposed. A standard slitted skirt about her hips, though translucent, gave just a bit of modesty to her lower half, leaving only a thin green cloth to shield an even thinner thong underneath.

She was covered, just not covered enough to be considered modest. But then, Janus never claimed to be modest. “You know how I am. This northern chill is barely a breeze. I'd be an oven stuffed in all those coats and stockings the women here wear.” She gave a quick expert jangle of her hips, jewelry ringing a lovely discourse and falling silent. When she shifted her attention back on her cohort, she caught him not just glancing. He noticed her noticing him notice her, and rolled his eyes exasperated at having been so blatantly caught and the earned wry smile of Janus.

“Your wind chimes are distracting,” he tried, returning stiffly to the girl lying prone and feverish on the coffin. She allowed it, thoroughly amused by their usual song and dance, but discarding it given there was another matter that needed dancing around instead.

“How's she doing?” she asked him, stepping further into the room.

“It’s Mana Depletion, so what do you think? Heightened pulse, labored breathing, increased perspiration and muscle spasms. She'll be fine after some rest,” he answered in a tone as sour as his face.

Janus sighed. “Poor thing. She really overdid it with her Ability last night. That sure was some awful luck, running into Lennart Brightwind of all people right off the bat. She’s lucky to have escaped with her life, especially after kicking the hornet’s nest so emphatically.”

Kisling snorted, looking down on the teen and shaking his head. “Funny, because I seem to recall a dashing, young chemist predicting almost this exact turn of events from the start. And what was it again you were saying? ‘We should trust the judgment of our glorious leader; Mr. Disappear always knows what to do and would never lead us astray.’ Well, if you ask me, I'd say you have a problem with your intuition, dear Janus.”

The topic of Mystic Menagerie's leader brought the woman’s arms to a cross, though she masked her knitting brows with a lopsided smirk. “Hey now, do my ears deceive me, or is the infamous Anton Kisling against taking a risk? I must say, that’s not very like you, doctor.”

Watching his face instantly sour as she prodded him with his former title brought Janus immense satisfaction, and it took all of her willpower not to burst into a spat of twisted laughter at his expense. Instead, she stifled it as a giggle with her hand, knowing full well that what she’d said had been like nails on a chalkboard for the man, and held up her hands in surrender.

“I give what I get,” she told him. Kisling seemed to accept that it was pointless to quip back at her and responded seriously.

“Risks are fine. What I'm against are needless, stupid, senseless risks that put us all in danger. Last night’s operation was a disaster, and owing to that, we’ve been forced to improvise and make use of a suicidal backup plan that offers three of the troupe’s generals up on a silver platter.”

Janus scoffed at that. “Oh, don't be such a drama queen. Be thankful you’re not the one who has to put your ass on the line. Instead you get to relax here, safe and sound where even the big bad Circe lady won’t find us easily. And even if the plan does go south, which it won’t, the troupe will get out just fine. Either way, for now all you have to do is keep an eye on poor Abby here and make sure she recovers fast enough to play the decoy again. Now doesn't that sound like a nice, easy time?”

Kisling stared her down.

Janus stared back, smiling.

The contest lasted for only a few long moments before Kisling sighed and shook his head.

“If we're done with our banter,” he growled. Janus smiled wider. “I think it’s about time you said what you came here to say. Is there an update to the situation?”

Her answer was to hold up the mana crystal receiver for him to see. “The Regalian Military’s investigation is proceeding relatively according to plan. They got real lucky though — they picked up the shopkeep on only the first day. Still, I have a general idea of the situation and of who’s on the investigation team. The opening act may have been a failure, but we still have the advantage. All thanks to our clever little bug.”

She couldn’t help a smirk as she eyed the tiny crystal in her palm, the image of its linked crystal being carried around by Aurelia Brightwind herself a bittersweet irony that never failed to bring an amused smile to her lips. To all of them, that suspicious playing card Abigail left behind was important evidence, but in reality it was little more than a monitoring device that had allowed Janus to spy on the investigation’s progress from the beginning.

‘Gotcha’, indeed.

“Nngh!”

A sharp grunt rang out and the two adults turned to find Abigail trembling and trying to curl into herself. Kisling kept her still and straight, but her body seized for a moment, going rigid.

“Relapse?”

“No. The tonic’s effect is wearing off faster than I predicted. I’ll need to increase the strength of the dose and see how it affects her. Keep her still,” he instructed, rolling up one sleeve of his sleek business coat and tugging off the glove.

His impassive tone sent warning signals through Janus’ head, and she took a menacing step his way. “Kisling, I swear if you’re just using this as a chance to experiment on her—”

He waved off her concerns with a derisive snort. “Wow, impressive. I was almost convinced you were actually concerned for this girl's wellbeing. Relax, dear Janus. I've no interest in spoiling your ticket to the good graces of our esteemed leader. If the dosage is too much, I can make adjustments. The only thing at risk is her recovery time.”

She watched him closely, eyes of disparate hues narrowed and searching his face, but there was nothing in his expression to indicate he was lying. Deception was his forte though, and had he not been ousted from his career as a physician at a prestigious Westran noble academy, he’d likely have gone on to ruin the bodies and minds of many more students and staff with his twisted experiments.

Well, she knew there was more to the story than what the public had been told, but it didn’t change the fact that he never quite let go of that scientific curiosity of his when it came to the dodgy substances (or as he called them, “miracle cures”) he could produce from his body.

Anton Kisling was, at his core, an opportunist just like the rest of them, but he was also a man of science and research who cared only about expanding his own knowledge and understanding. That was why she needed to be sure he wouldn’t try anything that would harm the girl, regardless of his claims.

“...I already said we need her up as soon as possible. Can’t you guarantee anything?” she muttered, going around the teen’s other side to press her shoulders down.

“What I can guarantee,” Kisling told her as he took up a flask, “is that this will work.”

Before her eyes, a yellowy fluid began to ooze from the pores on his hand, pooling and congealing to form a liquid glob. The scent of sulfur and honey tickled Janus' nose, and she grimaced as it dribbled from his fingers, steadily filling the flask with the viscous substance.

“What… the hell is that supposed to be?”

“A mixture of chemicals, including elements of the numbing agent used in the poison I produced before. When combined with a stimulant and a mana accelerant, they will serve to alleviate her symptoms and help her sleep while accelerating the recovery of her depleted mana. By tomorrow morning she should be back on her feet.”

“Okay... and how will all these different drugs affect her in the long term?” she asked, watching with a frown as he wiped the residue away with a handkerchief and set the flask down on a tray beside a set of other instruments, including a small beaker that he proceeded to fill partway with a spurt of clear water from his fingertip.

“They won't,” he answered flatly as he then poured the substance from the flask into the beaker, swirling the solution together and bringing it up to his face to examine. “She's in no danger, and I've accounted for the effects the different compounds will have on her body and brain chemistry. The worst that will happen is a slight addiction if she's given the medicine repeatedly. Nothing that can’t itself be treated.”

“Hm. Well, I suppose that's fine then.”

The liquid had taken on a pale shade of orange, and he began to shake the beaker gently, careful not to spill any. “She needs to ingest this. Do you mind?”

Janus glanced over the girl. Even as she lay still on the coffin, all facial features hidden by that inky white mask of hers, she was breathing heavily beneath it and clearly suffering in her current state. Despite herself, Janus felt a twinge of sympathy form in her heart. But it was quickly smothered as she put on a smile for the girl.

“How you feeling, Abby? I know it hurts, but you need to sit up so you can take Dr. Kisling’s medicine, alright? Can you do that for me, sweetheart?” she whispered soothingly, recalling the days when Abigail was small enough to be treated so tender. The ink blots on her mask began to vibrate and shift with activity, but formed no coherent images as Janus eased her up while stroking her back.

Chest rising and falling with each breath, she made no other sound than the occasional hiss of discomfort, and Janus could feel her trembling from the effort to not react more strongly. “Good. You’re doing great.” With her free hand, she reached over to touch the girl’s cheek gently. But before she could even attempt to touch her mask, a gloved hand slapped hers aside with force.

Janus blinked in surprise as Abigail angled her head to face her, the blots warping to form a hateful glare. The message was clear.

Don’t you dare.

Janus pursed her lips, arms crossing at the elbows as she met Abigail’s challenging stare. It seemed she had no intention of playing along with her sisterly act, and Janus had a feeling she knew why.

“Ah, could it be… you don’t like me?” she asked pointedly.

Abigail didn't reply.

“I see, so you knew the whole time what I was after… That’s rather troubling. After all, I've been helping take care of you since the very first day you joined the troupe. It’d be a problem if you didn’t like me.”

Still no reply.

Janus huffed a sigh, facing Kisling. “Where did Disappear even find a creepy kid like this in the first place? She hasn’t said a single word in the ten years we’ve known her, and she’s always wearing that same weird mask with no eye holes. How can she even see out of that thing?”

“Regardless, I advise you not agitate her more than you have. It could cause complications to her recovery. Just keep her still and expose her mouth so I can administer the medicine,” he told her, approaching with the solution in hand.

“Kisling, she’s being difficult,” Janus complained. “What am I supposed to do with a brat who won't let me touch her?”

He deadpanned. “For one, you can drop the false pretense of compassion and stop trying to manipulate her into seeing you favorably at every given opportunity. If she’s aware of your intentions, it makes sense that she wouldn’t want to even so much as touch you, don't you think?”

“Manipulate?” Her hands found her hips as she leveled a glare his way. “Now that's just rude. I've only ever done right by her.”

“And what exactly is 'right' to someone like you, Janus?”

The accusation caught her off guard, and Janus was silent for a long moment.

Because no matter how she thought about it, the answer was obviously, ‘Whatever pleases him’.

Her gaze fell to the floor, and she felt something inside of her that was bitter and dark and ugly rear its head.

That was how she was, after all.

How she always had been.

Even before she joined the circus and gained a new 'love'.

Even before she was found, starving and alone, and claimed as someone else's 'love'.

Even before she was toyed with and thrown away by her first 'love'.

She always needed others.

It was how she survived.

In the end, she would do whatever it took, be whatever she had to, for someone else's sake.

For their happiness, for their pleasure, for their dreams. For their 'love'.

That, to Janus, was 'right'.

“...Fine. I give up,” she told him, and Abigail stiffened in her grasp.

“—!”

“Janus—” Kisling warned, but she didn't let up, pinning the girl down forcibly as her right eye — pink in color unlike the brown of her left — began to glow. As if reacting to the phenomenon, the markings that ran all along her body lit up as well, shimmering a bright orange. A sharp *hiss* echoed through the antechamber as thin trails of smoke rose up from the point where the woman’s fingers made contact.

“It's fine. I understand now. No matter what I do or say, this girl will resent me right? So in other words, it was all useless to begin with,” she explained dispassionately. The ink blots shifted rapidly across the surface of Abigail's mask, reflecting something like fury or panic or something else maybe. Janus no longer cared to puzzle it out.

Instead she took hold of the mask itself. Abigail's arm came up instantly, but was stopped short of the 17-inch blade piercing Janus' neck and slammed back down, a small puff of flames bursting out at the impact. Janus met the girl's silent, rebellious rage with cold indifference. “This should be enough, right Kisling? Hurry up and do it.”

Kisling watched on from the side, a passive spectator to the impromptu scuffle. He seemed surprised that Janus had raised only the bottom of the mask instead of removing it entirely, but ultimately decided to comply with the order.

“Alright. I apologize for the trouble,” he said. Abigail thrashed harder as he stepped forward and brought the beaker to her exposed lips, which Janus pried open despite the teen's attempts to bite down as hard as she could. It seemed even her jaw was too weak to apply any significant force in her current state, but Janus didn't give it any more thought than that.

With the girl's mouth open, Kisling emptied the beaker's contents, and Janus kept a tight hold until the girl's throat had reflexively swallowed it all down. Once the medicine had been administered, she backed off, then immediately hopped back further as Abigail sprang up, ignoring the steaming burns left from Janus’ touch and attempting to slash her again. This time Kisling interfered, grabbing her shoulder.

“Easy now,” he said. “It'll be dangerous to move in a few moments.”

“Hrrk!”

Abigail spluttered, covering her mouth as the concoction settled into her system. She aimed another weak swipe at Janus, who evaded, and collapsed back against the coffin, panting.

“How's she looking?” Janus asked the doctor, who had fixed the girl's mask back in place and returned to examining her.

“She'll be fine,” he answered. “Thank you for your assistance.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Janus waved him off, shutting her right eye and allowing the markings to dim while throwing another glance at Abigail. The inkblots on her mask had returned to swimming around formlessly. “Anyway, there's one more piece of business I need to talk to you about. It's something I noticed while listening in using the receiver.”

“Oh? Did you find out something of interest?”

“Not sure,” Janus replied. “It's just something I overheard that I couldn't quite make heads or tails of. Remember that kid who arrived at the Brightwind estate yesterday? The acquaintance of Aurelia Brightwind?”

“The girl with the long scarf. I believe her name was Micah?”

“Right, her. The thing is, she's also participating in the investigation along with Aurelia, and this morning she tipped them off about the troupe's involvement in this whole thing. I know we predicted they might catch onto us eventually, but for it to be brought up almost immediately by this random girl stood out to me as odd; I mean it really came out of nowhere. She claimed to know about the Menagerie from rumors due to having grown up with Westra, which makes some amount of sense, but... I have a bad feeling about it. I don't know why, but it seems like she's on our trail somehow.”

Kisling nodded in agreement. “A mysterious girl claiming to be an old acquaintance of Aurelia Brightwind, arriving at her family's estate all alone on the same day we planned to break-in, then participating in the subsequent investigation and even possessing the necessary knowledge to inform the Regalian Military of our involvement. No matter how you look at it, it's a rather peculiar set of coincidences.”

“Right? If you think so too, then you're also thinking what I'm thinking, aren't you? That girl, she’s most likely…”

Kisling nodded. “...an agent of Circe. Yes, I agree. It’s quite plausible. And if that’s so, then we made a major oversight in not investigating her before carrying out the operation.”

Janus crossed her arms, tapping her bicep with her finger. Mr. Disappear had been the one who insisted on pushing forward. “We were pressed for time. We’re vulnerable enough as it is from having just set up shop here, and the longer we wait, the more likely it is we’ll be discovered. Honestly, if what we’re saying about this Micah kid is true, then the fact that she even went to the Brightwind estate at all is proof that Circe was onto us from the beginning. If she knew that much, then it’s also possible she knows what we’re after, and in that case we had no choice but to send Abby in as soon as possible to try and get to it first.”

“...We don’t even know what we’re after,” Kisling retorted, throwing a sidelong stare her way. He said nothing to address any of her other points, making Janus realize how talkative she’d been just then. She felt her cheeks warm and quickly cleared her throat.

“That’s true, but Disappear and Abby do. Plan A might have been a bust, but it’s possible she might have seen something important last night while sneaking around. That’s another reason we need her back on her feet to report on what happened,” she explained.

“And what of this Micah character? She’s a rogue element in all of this, and we still have Aurelia Brightwind herself to deal with too.”

“Solomon’s on top of it,” Janus replied confidently. “Okay? So relax. Things are still going according to plan, we just have to account for one more now. I’ll step in myself if I have to.”

Kisling shook his head at that.

Janus raised an eyebrow. “What?”

The chemist frowned and said nothing.

“What is it? If you have something to say, spit it out.”

After a moment where it seemed like he wouldn't answer after all, he suddenly turned his head to look her dead in the eyes.

“Tell me something, Janus. If that man’s obsession with grandeur and flair were to ever lead us toward ruin, would you still follow him blindly? Would you be able to stand there at his side and not blink an eye, even when faced with death itself, just because he was the one telling you to do it?”

The question had Janus blinking her own eyes at him, surprised the old chemist would ask her such an uncharacteristically pointed question.

“Where's this coming from all of a sudden, Kisling?”

Kisling shook his head. “Curiosity. Nothing more. You don't have to answer if you feel so inclined.”

Janus raised a brow at that. But after a moment, she turned her head and stared off into the distance, mulling over his words while watching the others go about their business in the next room.

She thought about it.

She thought about it seriously.

But no matter what, her answer was still the same.

“...Yeah. Yeah, I would. In a heartbeat.”

“Why?”

“Why else? Because it’s ‘right’.” Janus' smile was small and tender — almost sad — and carried no hint of her usual flippancy. She was serious, and she wanted Kisling to know that.

“...I see.” The man's feelings were muted, his expression unreadable, and he didn't press the issue further. Having expected as much, Janus was already moving to leave, stopping only when she heard him say one last thing.

“That's unfortunate.”

She paused at the door. But only for a moment.

Without so much as a backwards glance, she left the antechamber.

-----

Micah found it hard to describe how she felt entering the holding area of Regalia’s detainment center for the second time. On the one hand, she was glad not to be the one being detained this time, but on the other, it was hard not to wince when Shani — who'd been confused, but docile during the entire ride — suddenly turned blue in the face and began to scream and thrash when the intimidating walls of the infamous maximum security prison came into view.

Burgundy ended up having to use both hands to keep her under control (Since Micah and Aurelia were just small enough to share the passenger seat, they decided to let Burgundy hold her in the back), and the rest of them just sort of sat there awkwardly, trying to ignore her terrified wails.

Aurelia seemed the least affected, though still had her arms crossed just a bit too tight with her gaze fixed firmly out the window. Micah couldn't really tell how the redhead was feeling, and wasn't sure if she should try and ask.

“{Why are you doing this to me?!} I do nothing bad! Let me out! LET ME OUT!”

Judging by the sheer panic in the poor girl's voice, Micah could only assume Shani was under the impression she was going to be locked away forever, or even executed, for reasons she couldn't understand.

It was an uncomfortable thought, but Micah had no idea how she could console the girl, and it seemed no one else was interested in trying to explain the situation to her. Instead, they all sat quietly as the shopkeep's desperate cries filled the inside of the car, growing louder and more frenzied the closer they drew to the prison.

The Regalian Military had already made prior arrangements to house any potential suspects since the investigation began, so there were no delays in checking the group in and taking Shani to a holding cell to await interrogation. Thankfully Micah was able to at least convince Aurelia to send word to Commander Reed before going any further, for fear of what her friend would do without a superior authority in the room.

And so, the next half hour was spent waiting in a horrifying silence punctuated first by Shani's pleas for an explanation, then her insistence that she'd done nothing wrong and there must have been a misunderstanding, then finally with her broken sobs as she appeared to accept that there was nothing she could do to escape her fate.

What’s worse is that more than half of her words had been in Ahalma too, meaning Micah was the only one who could discern the true extent of her anguish. That plus the sight of her curled up, clutching her legs to her chest and trembling like a frightened child made Micah honestly start to doubt any suspicions that had risen up regarding the extent of the girl’s involvement in this whole thing. But even so, she wasn’t quite so soft-hearted as to disregard the very real possibility that Shani was allied with the Mystic Menagerie, either through a bribe, intimidation, or by being a member herself.

So when Reed finally made his appearance, looking exhausted, but with hardened resolve in his weary features, all Micah could think about was how relieved she was to finally get this over with. Shani was still sniffling in the corner of her cell, and Aurelia looked more eager than ever to get down to business too, not even bothering with a greeting.

“This is her, Commander,” she said, pointing into the holding cell where Shani was still seated on the floor, not seeming to register the arrival of her captors. Her tears had long since dried up, leaving the brown-skinned girl to simply sit there hugging her knees, her face twisted in what looked to be… anger?

Reed walked up and crouched before the clear screen door, tapping his knuckles against it a couple of times to garner her attention. “Excuse me. My name is Commander Reed, I’m the one heading this investigation. Do you know why you’re here?” he asked calmly.

“{Fuck you!}”

Everyone flinched as Shani threw herself against the screen, glaring hatefully at Reed. The commander blinked in surprise, startled by her sudden aggression.

“Huh?”

“{Fuck you, you stupid wrinkle! How dare you do this to me! I did nothing wrong!}”

“Er… What is she saying?” he asked, glancing around helplessly. Aurelia shook her head, also clueless, and Burgundy followed suit. Inwardly sighing, Micah scratched her neck and decided to speak up, if only to move things along faster.

“She, uh… She’s basically saying she didn’t do anything wrong,” she informed them while purposefully omitting her vulgarities. Hearing such a cute little girl spout curse words was a bit of a shock, but Micah sort of understood her position (better than most actually), so she couldn’t really blame her for being pissed off either.

“You speak Ahalma, Micah?” Aurelia's brows went up in surprise.

“A-Ahh... More or less,” she admitted, her brain working to establish a believable story. “I um... M-Ms. Richter made me do a bunch of studying, so... I can sorta understand? I've never had to use it before, so I can't really speak it myself, but—”

“Even so, that's better than what the rest of us can do. It saves us the trouble of bringing in a translator as well,” Reed responded. “Do you mind talking her down a bit? I just want to ask her some questions, and it would help if she spoke in common.”

“Y-Yeah... sure thing.” Micah stepped forward to address the fuming girl, and tried her best to be friendly. “Uhh, hey Shani. You’re not in any trouble, so can you just talk to this guy? He won't hurt you, I promise. He just wants to ask you about the person you sold the card to.”

“But— But I know nothing about—!”

“I-I know, but can you just talk to him anyway? Please? That person was friends with someone who hurt Aurelia's dad. He might die if we don't find out who and where they are. So please, it'd really help us out if you did this…”

Micah's voice grew smaller as she explained the situation. After listening to the whole thing, Shani glanced toward Aurelia, who kept her arms crossed with a half-scowl on her face, her eyes averted to the side. Under the younger girl's attention though, the redhead's expression softened with a mixture of guilt and remorse, and soon she shut her eyes entirely, sighed, then walked up beside Micah.

“I... apologize for my earlier behavior, Shani,” she began, and even though Shani seemed to be struggling to follow her words, it was clear she was making the effort to speak slowly and clearly. “I was upset, and desperate and— um, lashing out, so to speak. I wasn't thinking, and ended up taking my anger out on you. It wasn't fair, and... I'm sorry.” She knelt down to look the shopkeep in the eyes. “But please, if you know something about the people who hurt my father... Anything at all... I'm begging you to help us. Please.”

Aurelia still seemed to be having trouble reigning in her emotions, as her apology came off stiff and awkward, but honest, and for a moment it looked as if the girl would be stubborn and ignore her. But eventually Shani faced her with a hesitant look.

“...Your papa?”

“Y-Yeah. My... papa, he's really sick now. That card... knife? Whoever bought it from you could make him feel a lot better. Can you help me find them?”

Shani stared at her for a few moments, probably thinking about her own father being in the same situation. After a while of deliberation, she eventually turned her gaze up to Reed and frowned. “I-I really... really know nothing about customer. Just... Ask for funny card knifes. Gives much money. Papa makes. I sell. Good business…”

“But, what about their name? Their face? Anything you can remember would be a big help, no matter how small it might seem.” Both Micah and Aurelia stepped away to make room for Reed, who had a notebook and pen ready to jot down any information he could.

Shani seemed to genuinely think hard before speaking again. “Um... Um... Customer was woman. Tall lady, pretty.”

“H-Hold on," Aurelia interjected. "Didn't you say before that they were a man?”

“Eh? But customer was woman. I never said?”

“You did! You said the customer was a man back at the weapons shop!”

Shani just looked at her, confused.

“Hey, Aurelia," Micah said, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder. “Let's hear what she has to say first, alright?”

“...” Frowning, Aurelia gave a reluctant nod, and Reed gestured for the girl to continue.

“Pretty lady, okay? Tall lady, with big hat. Hair was {blonde}, erm... yellow? Yellow color word? Um... Wearing white, like... how to say... Dress? Yes, very long dress. And…” She gasped, her eyes lighting up. “And biiiig boobies!”

“Big boobies?” Micah echoed.

“Yes, very boing-boing boobies!”

“I see, boing-boing boobies huh…”

“Indeed. If it’s a tall blonde lady, it could only be boing-boing boobies.” Burgundy nodded in agreement.

“Why did you both fixate on that part?!” Aurelia snapped at them, looking red in the face.

Ah, nice tsukkomi.

“A-And you! H-How crude can you be?! Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is to hear a child say such vulgar things?!”

“Eh?” Shani blinked at her, surprised. She brought her hands up to her own chest for emphasis. “But, but, she really have boing-boi—”

“AHHHH don’t make that kind of gesture!!! And we get it, so knock it off with the sound effect already!” Aurelia cried as she tried to shield her eyes, getting even more flustered. Shani just tilted her head, not really getting it, and the redhead looked ready to pop a vein. “M-More importantly, that description couldn’t be more different from what you said back at the weapons shop! You could barely give us a single detail not too long ago, so where did all of that come from?!”

That was certainly true, Micah thought. No matter how you look at it, going from a vague man that was too average to properly describe to a tall blonde lady dressed in white was too much of a difference not to find strange.

I mean, in the first place, a woman in white is…

…Wait. A woman in white?

“Shani,” Micah called, her face starting to sweat. “D-Did this woman happen to be carrying around a parasol?”

“Huh??? A purse?”

“No no, like an… like an umbrella. Something like this?” She tried to pantomime it out for her.

“Ah!! You mean {umbrella!} Yes yes, boing-boing lady has it! Think it strange, because no raining that day yes?”

…

…

…Well shit.

What the hell? That chick was involved in this whole thing too? What connection did she even have with the Mystic Menagerie to begin with? Other than…

A brief flicker of recognition flashed through Micah’s mind as she recalled that Abigail, the intruder, had a white porcelain mask on her face when they encountered each other during the break-in. At the time, she was reminded of the woman in white somewhat, but to think they actually had some relation…

But wait, Shani didn’t mention anything about a mask just now, so did that mean the woman exposed her real face? It made sense when you thought about it; after all she’d look way more suspicious walking around with a mask on her face than without.

But then, why dress similarly to what she wore while in Zaoth? That would just make it easier for someone affiliated with the Hero Association to recognize her. Was she banking on the fact that most Heroes would be down in Zaoth by the time her involvement here was uncovered? That’s still such an unnecessary risk though…

Micah really wanted to grill the girl for more info, but being too insistent would risk revealing that she even knew the woman to begin with. For the sake of her cover, she needed to avoid giving away anything that could place her in Zaoth during the Zaothern Forest Incident.

To be honest, even asking about the parasol was suspicious, but a quick glance revealed that thankfully neither Reed nor Aurelia seemed to have noticed.

“Haa… Can we please not make this ‘boing-boing’ crap a normal thing?" Aurelia grumbled, looking exhausted.

“...Kuhum. Yes well, in any case, we've at least narrowed down the description some,” Reed finally spoke in an attempt to get the conversation back on track. He glanced over what he’d written in his notepad. “We’re looking for a tall woman in a white dress with blonde hair, wearing a large hat and carrying a parasol.”

“And boing-boing!”

“...It’s a good start, but that’s not exactly an uncommon manner of dress for people around these parts,” he finished, ignoring Shani's interjection. Aurelia shot the shopkeep a dirty look, which the poor girl was oblivious to. “We could go around interrogating every woman that fits the bill and end up wasting precious time if we're not careful.”

Aurelia nodded, putting a finger to her lips. “And another thing. Her father’s been gone for three months, right? Since he made the cards, that transaction could only have taken place at least three months ago, in which case it’s pretty much a long shot whether she’s even still in the city or not.”

“If she’s with the same group as the intruder, I’d say there’s a good chance. It’s hard to believe she’s acting alone in all of this, after all.”

No, Circe wouldn’t have missed someone like that in her investigation of MM. I don’t think she’s directly affiliated with them, but Circe confirmed they only arrived here about a week or two ago. If she really did buy their gear that long in advance, then it’s safe to say she knew they’d be coming here later, meaning she’s at least in contact with them somehow.

But why would she be helping them out like this? Why show up here, now, after all this time? It’s been a year since the Zaothern Forest Incident… God, and what was she even doing down there in the first place? I thought she might’ve wanted to seal [Baphomet] herself, but she beat it up a bit after unsealing it and then just… left.

It doesn’t make any sense. Gah, nothing about that woman makes any goddamn sense! Haa, I wish I’d asked more about her when I had the chance…

While Micah was busy lost in her thoughts, the conversation between the others and Shani continued, though they seemed to have hit a bit of a wall in their discussion.

“Isn’t there anything more you can tell us about this woman? Facial features, identifying marks, accessories she wore, eye color or even a name?” Aurelia pressed her, arms crossed.

Shani's head shook from side to side. “Sorry… Only remember that much.”

“What about her voice? What did she sound like? Did she have any sort of accent or a unique dialect while speaking?”

“Eh? Eh?? Um, uh…”

The shopkeep looked like a deer in headlights, struggling to keep up. Aurelia's insistent tone didn't let up though.

“Think harder! There has to be something you can give us!”

“Aurelia…” Micah placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, frowning. The redhead's frustration was beginning to boil over again, and it was hard to blame her. Every new discovery they made felt like it led to more dead ends, and the one real lead they managed to get wasn’t nearly substantial enough to guarantee results in the time they had left.

In the end, Aurelia wasn’t the only one feeling the pressure. Reed let out a sigh as he closed his notepad. “This isn't going anywhere. I think we’ve gotten all we can out of her for now. We need to get back to the investigation.”

“You really think this is enough to go on?” Micah asked.

“It has to be. I'll call for a sketch artist, and we'll see if Shani can remember anything else after we give her some space. In the meantime, I'll put together a team and have them start searching for people who best match the description. If this woman did indeed commission the weaponized playing cards, then she's most certainly involved with the break-in in some way. This is without a doubt our biggest lead yet. Thank you for your cooperation, Miss.”

“Yeah, thanks a bunch Shani! You really helped us out this time.”

“...With this, my father's life might be saved. You were a big help, Shani.”

“Thank you very much!”

The four of them offered her grateful bows. Shani simply shrugged, pursing her lips.

“Can go home now?”

“Oh, er…” Micah glanced up at Burgundy, who glanced at Reed, who looked to Aurelia. The looks on their faces showed that they were all thinking the same thing, but no one wanted to be the one to say it aloud. In the end, it was Reed who eventually had to sigh and break the silence.

“Unfortunately, we can't let you go just yet.”

“E-EHH?!”

“I'm sorry, but it's just a precaution. You've given us some helpful information, but until we confirm its veracity, you're technically still under suspicion.”

“But— But—”

“On the other hand, if it turns out you really were tricked into supplying weapons to a criminal organization, there's a strong possibility they may try to silence you to prevent an information leak. In that case, it would be safer to keep you here for the time being anyway. I do apologize, but we'll need you to cooperate with us for a bit longer.” He lowered his head slightly.

“S-Still not understand... I do nothing wrong, yes? Then I go!”

“Why not keep her at the mansion for the time being?” Aurelia offered. “That's basically the headquarters for the investigation anyway, so there'd be plenty of soldiers around. We'd have easy access to her for questioning, and the servants can look after her there too.”

“Nope, not an option,” Micah immediately cut in. “I know it might seem like the best solution on paper, but that's what has me a little worried. Abi— er, the intruder's objective in coming to the mansion is still unknown, right? If she was after your or your dad's lives, then I don't think it's a good idea to bring suspects back there, even if Shani's an important witness.”

She was basically suggesting that this kid was not only putting on an act and playing them all, but also capable of slipping past halls of patrolling soldiers, navigating a huge mansion without being seen, and assassinating Lennart who is under 24-hour observation, but regardless of whatever reason she gave, it was definitely NOT a good idea to bring Shani to the mansion.

Micah knew the Mystic Menagerie's real goal was to find something they believed was located inside the Brightwind estate, and if Shani really was aligned with them then this entire sequence of events could be seen as a massively convoluted ploy to get her in there.

Sure she'd be under supervision the whole time, but Micah had no doubt the girl could probably slip away unnoticed at some point, either on purpose or by accident, and who knows what might happen if that occurred. It was just too much of a risk in regards to her mission, so she quickly thought up an excuse to keep that from happening.

“Micah has a point,” Reed agreed, thankfully. “In order to maximize Lord Brightwind's safety, we'll need to make arrangements for her to be kept here for the foreseeable future. I'll put someone on it right away.”

“What?! But I help! I tell you about customer, about boing-boing lady!” Shani protested, looking more confused and panicked than ever. “Let me go, I want go home! Shop is—!”

“Regarding your shop, we'll have to consider it a place of interest in relation to the investigation. I'm sorry, but I’m afraid it won't be opening for a while. I'll send word to your father once we're able to find him.”

“Oh yeah, and about that whole thing with your father,” Aurelia noted. “I'll admit, I had a hard time believing it when you first told us. And with all that's been going on, frankly I'm even more skeptical.”

“It true!” the girl cried. “Papa gone for business in Eastra, yes. Very much true!”

“Well, we have no way of confirming that at the moment, so you'll just have to stay here for now. We'll come back when we have more questions for you,” she replied, putting on a smile for the girl. “Look, just relax, okay? This is for your own safety too. I do appreciate your help, and if it turns out you are innocent, then there's nothing to worry about. Everything will clear up once we've caught the actual culprits.”

“{Bitch! Stupid red hair! I helped you and you're still keeping me like an animal! I hate you!}”

Aurelia recoiled, a bead of sweat rolling down her cheek as she no doubt felt the venom behind Shani's words even without understanding them herself. Rather than arguing the matter further though, she simply lowered her head, muttered out one last apology, then turned on her heel and started walking away, leaving the others to trail after her.

By the time they got outside the prison, the sun was already starting to set, the sky painted in bright orange. Micah raised her arms over her head and stretched, biting back a yawn. It had certainly been a long first day, but they'd gained some extremely valuable information.

“So, what's the plan now?” she asked. “Now that we have a description and all.”

“What else? We're going to comb the city,” Aurelia replied, not missing a beat. “First thing tomorrow we'll start a manhunt for this supposed woman in white. I have some questions for her regarding her past purchases, and how they ended up in the hands of that masked girl.” She held up the weaponized playing card, inspecting it for a moment before letting out a sigh. “For now though, we should head back. I want to check on my father's condition.”

“I concur. It's about time I made a report to the council as well,” Reed added, sliding his sleeve up to check his wristwatch. “Take the motor carriage back to the mansion and get some rest, both of you. You've certainly earned it after today's contributions. Once more, I'm finding myself astounded by your capabilities. Despite your age, it's become completely normal for me to rely on you two as I would any other soldier or subordinate.”

“Aw, c'mon, no need for all that Commander. I mean, between me and Aurelia I'm the one pulling all the weight here anyway.” Micah grinned, earning an eye roll from the redhead in question.

“Yeah, okay,” she scoffed, a small smile tugging at her lips. Reed too let his features soften as he patted both of their shoulders.

“Anyway, just go back and rest up. Tomorrow will be another busy day, and I'll need the two of you ready and raring to go.”

“Yessir!”
“We will.”

Micah offered a mock salute, while Aurelia nodded respectfully. With that, the group split up, with Reed boarding the horse-drawn carriage he'd used to arrive while the girls and Burgundy climbed back into the car and prepared for the ride back to the Brightwind manor.

With Shani no longer with them, Micah and Aurelia once again sat side by side in the back seat, and it was only after the Thorncroft scientist started up the engine and began to pull away that Micah decided to try and prod her friend again.

“So! You feeling better now?”

“What do you mean?” Aurelia asked, glancing away from her window.

“I mean, when we got here you were kinda… uh, tense. And impatient. And kinda short-tempered. I was just wondering if maybe that talk with Shani helped a little.”

Aurelia sighed, sinking a bit lower in her seat.

“Well… yes and no. While I certainly regret how I acted in hindsight, I still think it's the correct decision to have her detained as a suspect rather than a witness. There are too many things about her circumstances I find auspiciously disadvantageous, so it's worth following up on if this woman in white angle doesn't pan out.”

Micah smiled. “I agree, and that's all well and good, but it's not what I asked. Are you feeling better? Like, personally?”

The redhead blinked, her eyes drifting down to her lap.

“...Honestly? I’m pissed off. We made an incredible breakthrough — more than I could have hoped for in just one day — but it feels like we’re still two steps behind. Whoever is behind all of this is playing their cards close to the chest, and it's frustrating not knowing whether something we're doing is a waste of time or not. The intruder, the Mystic Menagerie, Shani the weapons shop clerk, this woman in white, it's impossible to tell whether these pieces are all really connected, and if not, which ones to pursue. We don't even know if this woman actually exists, or if Shani is leading us on a wild goose chase. There just isn't enough time to investigate everything before... before my father dies.”

“Right…” Micah murmured, nodding along. Aurelia was right. It did feel like they were getting somewhere, but with no way to verify anything they’d learned, it was anyone's guess how far they'd actually gotten. Even if Micah knew that the woman in white was indeed real, the chances of running into her were still slim at best.

The Menagerie seemed to have a plan going into all this, and if even Circe was having a hard time finding them, then it was safe to assume they wouldn't let themselves be caught so easily.

It was all up in the air, and with every passing moment Lennart Brightwind’s fate was becoming more uncertain. But they knew that going in, so Micah let the matter go and shifted her focus to something else.

“Well, one thing’s for sure. Shani definitely said something worth remembering back there,” she mused, snaking her arms behind her head.

“What's that?”

“...”

Aurelia stared at her expectantly for a few moments, watching as Micah's smile started growing into a knowing smirk.

“...Don't you da—”

“Boing-boing.”

“UGH, I knew you were going to say that!”

Exasperated, the redhead sighed and turned away, doing her best to ignore Micah's chortling laughter while staring out the window as the city streets rolled by.

“Oh come on! You gotta admit that whole thing was pretty funny.”

Aurelia shrugged off her attempts to slide up against her, trying and failing to stifle a smile of her own. “Shut up. That's not the issue. Besides, don't you think it's a tad inappropriate to derail an interrogation with dumb jokes just to try and make me feel better?”

With her every attempt to get close being rejected, Micah eventually settled for just taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. “Nah, not really. You looked like you needed the laugh, and I bet we got you to stop thinking about your dad for a second, so that's a win in my books.”

“You're an idiot. You're all idiots.” Aurelia chuckled softly, craning her neck to ensure Burgundy knew he was included. “I can't believe you just naturally joined in like that!”

“Hahaha! It seemed fitting, so I did,” he laughed. “Normally, my job is only to ensure the young Lady's safety with these fists, but I couldn't call myself a man if I willfully ignored your inner suffering as well! Therefore, as your bodyguard I did the only thing I could in that situation: Lend my strength to lighten the burden weighing down your heart.”

“It seems like I missed quite a bit. What's this about a 'boing-boing'?” The scientist inquired, sounding genuinely curious as he joined the mirthful atmosphere with a playful smile.

“Oh gods, not you too…” Aurelia groaned. Burgundy burst into laughter again, and the car became noisy as the redhead fought to keep him from explaining things properly.

From the side, Micah watched the scene silently. There wasn’t any point in worrying about things now, so for the time being she wanted Aurelia to forget all that and relax. Seeing the girl finally loosen up even just a little after all of the stress she’d taken on today, a warm, fuzzy feeling enveloped her in that moment, and she knew there was nothing more that needed to be said.

She squeezed Aurelia's hand a little tighter, a happy smile on her face. But inwardly, her mind was working a mile a minute.

So, the woman in white Ellie and I fought during the Zaothern Forest Incident last year is back in the picture… This whole thing really is turning out to be like one big reunion. And for Shani to suddenly mention her despite the lack of details the first time, there’s definitely something going on with her too that I can’t quite put my finger on yet.

She turned to stare out of the window, her thoughts churning as she considered all of this new information while idly scanning for white dresses and parasols in hopes of a lucky break. Compared to how peaceful things were just a day or so ago, she hadn’t quite been expecting all of this when she’d been tasked with simply staying by Aurelia’s side. So much was happening so fast, and Micah had a feeling there was still more on the horizon.

Well… Glad I could at least help ease her mind a bit.

Because this whole thing is about to get a heck of a lot more complicated.