(Sebastian's POV)

Contented purring is all that can be heard from the pasture as Balla hugs the black panther. He shakes his head at her, carefully extracting himself from her grasp and conversing with her in growls, mews, and purrs.

His face goes from affectionate to confused to furious as the two talk. He finally stands and faces us. "Alright, which one of you has been upsetting Balla?"

"Alexander!" Balla's eyes go icy as she reprimands her cousin. He flinches, looking back at her with more than a little fear in his eyes. "Calm down. Geez, if it was any of them, do you think I'd stay here?"

Alexander nods his head in assent. "You do have a point there..."

Balla shakes her head at him, touching his ear with her nose, before padding up to us. She sits in front of Ciel, curling her long tail around her paws. "Master Ciel, the well-meaning, hot-headed idiot is Alexander. I don't know how he's here," Balla's eyes shimmer excitedly. "But he is."

"Hey, I take offense to being called a hot-headed idiot." Alexander flicks Balla's ear with his tail before bowing to Ciel. "I apologize. I jumped to conclusions. I am Alexander Hamilton, Lord Ciel."

"So you are the one who fought by Lady Cantheway's side." Ciel regards Alexander with a bored blue eye. "Follow me so I may have confirmation of her story. Sebastian." Ciel motions for me to follow, Alexander trailing behind us.

(Baldroy's POV)

"Miss Balla," Finny looks from Alexander's retreating form to Balla and back. "Who is Alexander?"

Balla flicks her tail playfully in the direction of the panther. "That's Alexander."

"So," Mey-Rin blinks confusedly at her. "Is he like you? Can he use magic, too?"

Balla nods, amusement shimmering in her eyes. "Yes, Mey-Rin. He's a magic user, as well. Everyone from Ethera was."

"And this guy has somehow defied death." I roll my eyes, drawing circles in the air with my pointer finger. "Whoop-de-doo."

"So, you're saying," Balla regards me seriously, but once again the depths of her eyes betray the playfulness lurking in her expression. "That surviving an explosion that wiped out an entire city, not estate, not town, a city, is not special?"

"I'm saying anybody could miraculously survive a huge disaster." I cross my arms, huffing exasperatedly.

"I survived the explosion, too." Balla pouts. "Am I not special?"

"Eh?! What- no, I never said-" I fumble over my words.

"Hey, now!" Alexander's head pops out of Master Ciel's window. "Who the the hell is upsetting Balla?!"

"No one! No one, sir!" I facepalm as Mey-Rin and Finny duck into the stables. Balla rolls on the ground laughing, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Tanaka, I think you're the only sane one here at the moment." I look at the man from between my fingers.

"Ho, ho, ho!" He takes a sip of his tea.

"And, with that, I take it back."