The Carnival is in full swing at night. There are rides and games everywhere. People are running around the streets, enjoying their time together. Some of the children are playing with dolls and cars. Some of the adults are having fun in the arcade. Many couples are walking down the street. One of them happens to be the two girls that were in the cafe the day before.
They walk together, giggling together, talking. They haven't had this much time to speak since they graduated.
"Didja get everything?" Annie asks excitedly.
"Everything I needed to get," Hilde says, holding up the bag of chocolate money.
Annie laughs. "I'm glad." She says quietly.
"Me too. And I'm sure you'll enjoy this," she adds as she pulls out two pairs of gloves. "It's freezing out tonight, so you should cover your hands before you get inside."
Annie quickly puts on the gloves and wraps them around her knuckles.
"Oh wow! Look at them; they're so pretty." Hilde gasps in shock.
The gloves are red and white in color with hearts in between the words 'Merry Christmas!' on the tops.
Annie grins proudly and flexes her hands, causing Hilde to giggle.
They reach the attraction of the carnival. The skating rink is already filled with people, which means that the line will soon start to form.
"Ahh~ I love rollerblading." Annie says, a happy smile on her face, taking a small step forward towards the entrance.
Hilde follows along.
"Me too." She says in a simple tone.
"Well, good luck, 'cause I am definitely going to win," Annie says with confidence as she steps forward.
Hilde stands right next to her. "Okay, let's go," she says.
They step forward onto the ice. It's a little slippery due to the thin layer of snow on the ground, and when they step on it, they lose their balance, falling backward.
Luckily, Horus is there to catch them.
"Thanks..." Hilde thanks the lurker. Horus nods.
'Eh? I forgot this wheel was here.' Annie smiles and tugs on Hilde's sleeve.
They head down and onto the skate ramp, where they skate down to the edge of the lake. Hilde keeps glancing behind them every few seconds, ensuring that Horus is still loitering around.
She glances back at Annie, who's staring at the water.
Hilde stops abruptly and grabs Annie by the wrist.
"What's wrong?" Annie asks, confused, looking at her puzzled.
Hilde doesn't say anything, only pulling on Annie's arm and pulling her close to the edge of the lake.
They stand there and watch the water, both waiting patiently for something to happen. Neither saying a word nor wanting to break the silence between them.
"Is there something you'd like to say?" Hilde finally breaks the silence.
Annie lets go of Hilde's wrist and shake her head.
"No, nothing," she responds.
Hilde nods. "Okay..." she says quietly. "I guess we better get going; we have to hurry, or else we'll miss our flight."
Annie looks up, nodding.
******
Annie takes her seat on the plane while Hilde sits beside her, looking out the window.
"So, Uhm... how did the mission go?" Annie asks; she's shifting around, feeling uneasy…
Hilde smiles slightly, knowing how nervous she feels.
"You didn't have to go with me," Hilde replies.
"What?" Annie exclaims. "What kind of partner would I be if I didn't go?" she asks, glaring at Hilde.
"The kind that doesn't put their own lives in danger." Hilde retorts. "And someone's working with me." she looks to Horus.
Annie scoffs.
"How stupid are you? He's no threat! You said yourself that he was hurt, remember?"
"Well, he's alive. That counts for a lot." Hilde argues.
Annie rolls her eyes.
"All right, fine. Whatever you say."
Hilde sighs and turns to see that the flight attendant is walking towards them.
"He's pathetic." Hilde brushes her off.
"You're pathetic." Annie retorts.
"Excuse me?" Hilde frowns.
"You've been treating him like a dog since you found out that he's the kid of the man that kidnapped you!" Annie exclaims.
"Why do you care?" Hilde snaps at her. "I just picked him up.
"You're a mean girl," Annie mutters under her breath.
Hilde gives her an irritated glare.
"I'm going to treat this as a vacation," she mumbles as she looks out the window.
*******
Walking inside the room, it starts to get a bit warmer. Hilde looks over at Annie, who seems to be shivering.
"Come on, let's settle down," Horus says. He opens a thermos and pours out hot milk.
"Hilde, you need to keep warm," he says as he passes her the mug.
Hilde puts the mug to her lips and sips the drink, trying her best not to spill any of it. Once the glass is finished, she sets it down on a table.
"There you go," Horus says.
Hilde looks at Horus weirdly.
"Don't be too weird; go and do your thing." Annie sits down on Hilde's bed and watches him work. A couple of minutes later, he comes out of the kitchen wearing a huge black hoodie.
"What's that for?" Hilde asked.
"To warm you up, silly goose."
"But you do know how cold it is outside, do you?" Hilde opens her Laptop and starts typing up a report.
"Oh, Hildie, can you tell me about your job?"
Hilde turns her chair around to face her.
"It's very boring... I spend most of my days writing reports and doing some paperwork," she answers.
"Wow. You have no fun at all."
"We look for clients and do what they want. We also look for people who can do it and split the earnings with them." Horus says without turning his head to look at them.
"Really?" Annie asks curiously. "Then does it pay very well?"
"Not really, no," Hilde says softly. "It makes us a bit rich, but it doesn't make us very comfortable financially."
"I see. I'm sorry to hear that."
"Don't worry. Most days, it's okay, though; we don't complain too much." she shrugs.
"Good for you guys. I hope I can help somehow."
"Please. Help by keeping me sane." Hilde smiles sadly at her.
"Oh. Well, I'd love to help if I could."
After dinner, the three friends entered the living room, where a huge TV was placed. Dinner is on the table, and they start eating. After eating, Annie decides to take a bath. Hilde and Horus stay in the living room watching a movie.
"I'm helping you out," he says.
"That's sweet of you, but I can do it myself."
Horus raises an eyebrow.
"Sure you can."
Hilde huffs and pushes him away again.
"Hey, I told you to stop!" she says, annoyed.
"Let me help you; I can help. I'll give you everything I have!" Horus says quickly and pulls Hilde against him.
Hilde freezes; her face goes completely red, and her eyes widen.
A few seconds pass, and she tries to move away, but he won't let her.
"Horus... please. Let go of me," she whines, her voice getting quieter and quieter the more she struggles.
Horus finally let go, but not before grabbing her hand, so he could hold onto her tighter and continue holding her hand.
"Are you angry?" he asks in a soft voice. "Did I do something to make you upset?"
"No, it's not that," she answers, looking away embarrassed.
"It's just that you're pathetic and creepy! I'm going to take everything you have; I'm going to squeeze you dry! So be prepared!" she stammers.