Shono scratched the stubble that had grown on his face. He needed to shave. It'd been a while since he'd last had a chance to take a bath, too. He peered at the Captain in silence. Karabell closed his eyes and let his head rest on the table. Shono's features hardened. Couldn't he do anything to help him? The look in Een's eyes told him that he was also experiencing the same feeling of uselessness. Ever since they'd left the Lower District, they'd been faced with so many difficult choices. And Karabell Ress, had been the one forced to make all those decisions. Because he was their Captain. Shono noticed a small movement out of the corner of his eye. Lyra was waving a hand above her head, trying to get his attention. She gestured towards the door, stealing nervous glances in Alice's direction. Luckily, she seemed to be lost in thought. Shono immediately understood what Lyra wanted, and a mischievous smirk flickered across his lips.
"I'm starving," the man said as he rose from his seat. "I'll go prepare lunch. Those guys're probably busy too, looking after the children. Lyra, will you lend me a hand?"
"You don't have to ask me twice." She grabbed Een's wrist and dragged him after her. "You're coming with us," she added with a laugh.
"Alright, I get it. I get it, so you can let go of my wrist," Een complained, but didn't attempt to escape. He scratched his nose, a little embarrassed by what had just happened. He couldn't help but feel guilty. Had that sounded rude? But Lyra had taken him by surprise... Still, it wasn't like him to get flustered over something like that. Maybe he was just tired. That had to be it.
"Right. Sorry, I don't know why I did that," Lyra apologized stiffly. She stepped away from the bed and made a hasty exit. Een and Shono followed her without uttering another word.
And, just like that, they were gone. Karabell had watched the whole scene unfold, completely baffled. Alice didn't seem to understand it any more than him. Why had they left so abruptly? Was lunch that important? No, that probably wasn't it. Maybe they'd wanted to lighten to atmosphere a little.
"Well, that was a bit awkward," Alice finally said after a few minutes.
"Do you think..."
"Those two like each other? I'm not sure, but I doubt it. Well, Een probably wouldn't be aware of it even if that were the case. My brother's incredibly dense when it comes to stuff like that, so I bet he'd just end up getting shot by Lyra." Alice burst into laughter, and Kar joined her.
"Seriously, though," the Captain argued. "They look good together. Look at me, trying to play Cupid. I should be more worried about what's going to happen next. Creating a world in which humans and Aberrations don't have to kill each other... How're supposed to do that? Considering what we just learnt, it might actually be impossible. And, despite everything I said, I still want to lend those guys a hand."
Karabell looked at her, a little frightened, as Alice closed the distance between them in two huge steps. Out of a sudden, she leaned in and pressed her lips against his. Karabell was so taken aback he almost fell off his chair. Alice immediately whirled around, squeezing her eyes shut. Her face turned redder than her hair, and Karabell's jaw dropped. His brain failed to comprehend what Alice had just done. But he was definitely happy. Ecstatic, even. So that meant that... No, maybe he was overthinking it. But Alice surely liked him. Right? She wouldn't have done that otherwise. He blinked nervously a few times, not sure how he should react.
"At least say something..." Alice said, almost whispering. She wrapped a curl around her finger, unable to hide her embarrassment. "Just so you know, I've never done something like that, so I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do."
Karabell cleared his throat before managing to say, "That felt... surprisingly pleasant. Thank you, Alice."
"What do you mean surprisingly? And why're you so formal all of a sudden?" the girl shouted, flustered. Karabell winced in anticipation as she twirled to face him. Alice let out a sigh, and her shoulders slumped. "That was my answer," she continued in a calmer tone. Don't tell me you've forgotten."
"Like I'd ever forget something like that. So..."
Alice responded with a bow of her head, her lips curved into a gentle smile. "I love you, Kar. And we'll fight for that world. For everyone's sake, we'll make that dream come true. Together. I hope you'll finally come to realize that."
Karabell rose from his seat. He took Alice's hand into his, staring into her eyes. His heart was pounding. The Captain closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He had to calm down. But how could he possibly do that when she'd finally said the words he'd wished so much to hear? Another flush crept up Alice's face.
"You're right. But for now, we need to take it easy. Japan's Ringleader is done for. Even if not all of them will forgive humans that easily, Aberrations are part of our world now. More bloodshed will likely come in the future, but we're slowly moving towards peace. The Agency's job is far from over. I wonder what Frederick would say if he were here..." he trailed off. "What I meant to say is that we'll take things one step at a time."
Alice couldn't have agreed more. It looked like Kar was finally starting to get it. As she leaned in for another kiss, the door banged open and slammed against the wall. Alice and Karabell watched, dumbfounded, as Lyra strode into the room, carrying a tray full of food. Kei, Shono and Een were right behind her. Water dripped from the little girl's hair and clothes, forming a small puddle at her feet. Supposedly, it'd started to rain. And Kei looked less than thrilled.
"Finally!" Lyra exclaimed after setting the wooden tray on the table. She looked down at their intertwined hands and smirked. "Took you long enough."
"I'm sorry for barging in like that, Captain. I tried to stop them, but..." Shono tried to explain, waving his hands awkwardly.
"You were just as curious as us, Shono. Admit it. And it looks like things turned out perfectly. So, what's the plan now?" Een asked, plopping himself down on the bed.
The Captain let out a sigh as he slowly let go of Alice's hand. He already wanted to go back to sleep. Still, he couldn't get mad at them. Lyra had dragged the other two out of the room for their sake. No matter how dense he was, he'd at least figured that much out. Shono leaned against the wall, and his face lit up. Karabell could feel the weight of everyone's gaze on him, but he didn't find it unsettling. They'd gone through so many things together. They'd all been thrust into a world of destruction, nut they'd learnt to survive. To live. They'd fought restlessly, refusing to give in. And they all cared about each other more than they wanted to admit. Karabell couldn't help but smile. His team really was the greatest.
"We'll take today off. We all deserve it. Sorry, but your training will have to wait a little. Plus, it's pouring outside," he quickly added, noticing Kei's glare.
"Captain's right. We'll worry about everything else tomorrow. It's fine," Een said with a yawn. "We're the AAD's toughest soldiers, aren't we? And our Captain is none other than Karabell Ress." He stared keenly at the food. "Without further ado, let's dig in! We can continue this conversation later. A hungry belly has no ears, you know?"