A long silence filled the room after Robin had told his story; I was at a complete loss as to how to respond, as this wasn't my forte—it was Alice who was skilled at keeping a conversation going.
"So... What happened to your village and your other friends?" I asked, but it seemed as if I had merely rubbed salt into the wound; the man simply fell silent, saying nothing, as though trying to steel himself. "You don't need to answer if—"
"My village lies in ruins, nothing remains," Robin answered before I could ask him not to reply if it hurt too much. "And… my other friends were defeated by the village's troops, so I had to bury them myself."
He struggled to appear resolute, though unbeknownst to him, I could see deep beneath the surface—I'm not someone who pays attention to small details like Alice, nor can I read minds like Holmes, but I could sense his desire to release all those pent-up emotions.
I remained silent, letting him continue his story; I could see his eyes were filled with hatred and anger that were plain to see—seeing him like that made me feel as though I were looking into a mirror. "Is this what Alice usually feels..." I muttered to myself.
"I slaughtered every soul in the village that attacked mine as an act of vengeance…" Robin continued before falling silent for a moment, "But after that, I felt empty"
"So the reason you came to London was to fill that emptiness inside you?" I tilted my head, and my question was answered by a nod from him.
"I also stole from the rich and gave it to those in need," I was taken aback by that, "because they reminded me of the people of Loxley, who sometimes still struggle to make ends meet."
We were silent for a moment as I needed time to think about how to respond. "That must be hard for you. I'm not great at comforting people, but all I can say is—keep on living." I said, breaking the silence.
"Keep doing what you believe is right, and when there's time—I'll teach you how to be a great Fable." I said, and that took him by surprise; perhaps he hadn't expected such words to come from someone like me. "I know you'll still feel a bit awkward, but you'll get used to it."
"I am not Marian and I don't want to be seen as her—I am neither your lover nor the person you hold dearest—I am still me, and I'm willing to be a friend you can talk to, to pour out your heart and thoughts."
"Though I'll still make fun of you till the cows come home when you say something stupid—I make no exceptions," I couldn't help but grin, and hearing that stirred up mixed feelings in Robin's heart.
"Lastly, don't blame yourself for something you couldn't have seen coming, and don't beat yourself up for failing to save her—because now, you mean a lot to the many people you've helped."
"And if I were Marian, seeing you help the poor would be the greatest pride I could have"
Robin didn't reply and tried to take in everything I'd said; his hands began to clench tightly and his teeth gritted as he tried to remain strong
"...You... you really are unique, aren't you?" His voice began to tremble, "Saying all of that to your former enemy, who could very well betray you at any moment..."
"Let the past be the past," I said, even though I had no right to say it because I still wanted to take revenge on that scoundrel. "You're my teammate now—we're Team Pyxis, aren't we?"
He couldn't answer a word now, and the tough, grown-man mask he'd been holding up all this time began to crack and was about to shatter any moment. "...Thank you, Red… But, could you please not look at me for a while?"
"As you wish," I turned my head the other way and immediately heard the sound of sobs that finally broke through; he'd been holding it in all this time because he felt ashamed and thought a man's pride must not be shattered in front of a girl like me.
But I think that's wrong; that man is also a human being who can grow weary and break down. They're still human beings who want to vent their emotions without being seen as weak, and for anyone who thinks otherwise, it just means they haven't understood what it means to be human.
Far away across the seas from that mansion, on a street in London—a girl was walking alongside a detective; the detective felt uneasy because the girl was giving off an extremely powerful, unsettling aura.
As a grown man, he had to calm the girl down because who knew what she might do if she saw Gilles's face, "Alice, calm—" before he could finish his sentence, a blue light appeared in front of them.
The light slowly formed a rectangle and as it vanished—a door of expensive-looking blue timber materialised.
As the door swung open, a man stepped out and at that moment he saw a bearded man with a blue beard. "Hello—" before he could greet him, a giant hand made of stone hurtled towards him.
"Wow," he made a gesture as if unlocking a door, and a doorway materialised beneath his feet—he leapt down into it, causing the stone hand to smash only the standing door, which was now shattered to pieces.
"Come on, don't be so aggressive, " teased the man walking behind him. Alice turned and was immediately annoyed when she saw he had conjured dozens of doors all around them.
Alice clicked her tongue before whispering, "Mr. Holmes, please find a door leading to his mansion that is safe or carries the least risk." All the doors opened, allowing them to see where each one led.
"I was already looking for it before you asked," said Holmes, who was quickly peering into all the doors.
Meanwhile, Alice had to deal with Gilles, who was walking through the doors at his leisure, leaving her thoroughly baffled.