A year had passed since the events of Manov Mistree's murder. Much had occurred over the course of twelve months; between a new set of hands had joined Trucy, Trucy herself graduating from high school, the Wright Anything Agency's resurgence in the legal world, and most importantly Apollo's departure from the very law agency, it was nearly too much for one to take in at times, and it went double for someone whose home had essentially been the Wright Anything Agency. At times, one would need an outlet to relax themselves from the harshness of the world.
And that would be where stage magic would come in.
"Bonny, are you ready?"
Above Trucy was her assistant, Bonny de Famme. In one hand, she held a clump of rose petals while another was gripping a steel beam. From the latter's point of view, a small section of the floor appeared to be slightly dislocated, but appeared to be perfectly normal to the audience.
In Bonny's ear was a transceiver. She flicked it open and sent a signal to the recipient, along with a message of "Are you ready, Betty?"
The response was quick to arrive. A slightly annoyed voice answered, "Yeah yeah, don't worry about me, Bonny."
"Um, ready!" A hint of uncertainty was present in the magician's voice, but she managed to cover it up well enough.
A clicking sound could be heard, and in seconds much of the backstage was enveloped in smoke. From above, a scattering of petals descended onto the stage. Not long after, a laughing sound could be heard from below, followed by the sound of a trapdoor opening and a costumed figure emerging from the smoke.
The harlequin-like figure unsheathed a sword from its scabbard, and took a fighting stance. Its crimson eyes told only of malice and brashness, and its pose only served to heighten its ferocity. While it was abundantly clear who was posing as the masked jester, Trucy would be lying if she said that it was partially intimidating. Bonny appeared to share the same sentiment, if one were to interpret her wide-eyed gaze as one of fear.
"Who dares to release the Masked Harlequin, Taker of Lives?" the figure said, its eyes piercing into the blue-clad magician's gaze. At the same time, Trucy unsheathed her own blade; a smaller, thinner one that had its handle coated in a shade of blue, with a golden 'T' emblazoned on it. While the whole scene was merely a product of an unfinished script, it was intriguing enough for Bonny to start watching the two more closely.
"And dare I ask who raised you from your grave, villain?!"
A period of silence followed after Trucy's statement. Their gazes were locked, the Masked Harlequin's was marked by a ferocious and unforgiving stare, while the Alice of Gramarye-Land was defined by that of the same level of ferocity, yet it was also accompanied by a sense of confidence and valor. Their stances too were polar opposites to each other; the Masked Harlequin appeared ready to lunge at her opponent, sword facing directly at her foe, while the Alice of Gramarye-Land took a more defensive pose, one arm stretched out to her right, while her rapier was set in a way to block any attack from the villain.
Yes, it was abundantly clear that some artistic liberties had been taken in adapting 'Alice in Wonderland' during the production of 'Trucy in Gramarye-Land' and its unnamed incomplete sequel, and while some people raised an eyebrow or two at the concept of such a magic show, the general public adored it and had clamored for more. Bonny could easily attest to both.
After the success of 'Trucy in Gramarye-Land', it had become a hit success, and plans of a sequel were being taken into consideration by Trucy. A TV station by the name of 'Los Angeles Hits' had agreed to fund the sequel, with Trucy herself and the de Famme twins being the forefront of the writing staff behind the transcript, alongside a few members of Los Angeles Hits. Arguments and disagreements did form within the development of the magic show, mostly between Trucy and Betty, but the majority of development went smoothly.
The allure of the scene was quickly lost, however, when the Masked Harlequin gave a not-so-subtle sigh. It was then followed by the masked figure removing its mask and picking up a nearby script, flipping through its pages in a timely manner.
"Wait wait, are you sure this is how the scene is supposed to play out?" Betty grumbled, her eyes darting here and there throughout the script. Whatever playful spark that had resided in Betty had died out before long, and Bonny couldn't help but feel a little disappointed at the sight. It was rare seeing Betty as a playful individual without any kind of underlying malice beneath it, and her sister thoroughly enjoyed those moments, if she were to be honest.
In the same vein as her opponent, Trucy dropped her rapier and went to view said script. A minor squabble broke out, and not long after Bonny had come down from the upstage to see what was wrong.
"What do you mean 'the script ends there'? Are you telling me that you didn't plan anything afterward, Trucy?!" said Betty, whose voice was quickly turning irritated over the unfinished script. In return, Trucy attempted to wrangle the wad of papers from her assistant's grasp, though the taller girl was able to easily keep the transcript out of Trucy's reach.
"I didn't think it would be a problem. Now, hand that over, now!"
"So you set up rehearsals without a complete script? Some magician you are," snarked back Betty. Despite the caustic remarks she was throwing out, she appeared to be having fun with messing with Trucy, if her grin and twirling around the younger magician were to be taken as fact.
"That isn't the point-", Trucy stated, her sentences broken between attempts at recovering the script. "I thought you and Bonny wouldn't notice it, but I guess I was wrong."
"You 'thought' you could hide it? Ha! You should know better, Trucy."
A grunt could be heard from Trucy as she tried to reach the transcript, to no avail.
Bonny stepped in before anything could get out of hand. She managed to snatch the transcript from her sister's clutches while the latter was busy bickering with Trucy.
Betty, being the far more quick-witted & assertive of the de Famme twins, quickly noticed that something was amiss. A second attempt at getting the script was initiated by her, which was promptly shut down by Trucy grabbing her by the shirt.
"Hey! You should know better than to swipe things out of my hands, Bonny!" the irate magician barked. The younger twin ignored her and turned her attention to her 'boss'.
"Trucy, did you really not finish this before today?" Bonny asked while flipping through its contents. As it turned out, the transcript was indeed not finished, as it reached only the third act before it abruptly cut off.
Trucy released her grasp on Betty upon hearing that. "Well, as I said before, I wasn't expecting anyone to notice it, and I was planning on ending practice right about where it ends. But I didn't expect Betty to make such a big deal out of it."
"That's because you said that it was finished. This new show is set to premiere next month, you know."
"Yes, you're right, Betty, but I couldn't think of how to continue with the current script, and since you suddenly called and demanded to practice our magic tricks tomorrow…"
Whatever Trucy was about to say was suddenly cut off by Betty with a cry of "If you hadn't finished writing the script, then you should've told us to wait instead of going in with something that incomplete!"
As if by instinct, Bonny stuck herself between the two, pushing Trucy back while placing her hands on Betty's shoulders. In these sort of situations, the young woman had become something of a mediator for her sister, oftentimes preventing a nasty fight between a friend, a family member, or someone else. Apparently, she was known as Bonny 'Mediator' de Famme within Betty's circle of friends, as stated by Betty herself.
"Betty, please don't start fighting now." The statement was accompanied by a cross of pleading and sternness, something which Bonny found her voice to be increasing of during the past year. It appeared that Betty had gotten the cue, as she backed off rather quickly.
Returning to the matter at hand, Bonny refocused her thoughts on the transcript. She turned to the incomplete page, her finger tapping on the blank section.
"Trucy, if you want we can end our practice section right now and focus on completing the transcript."
"Yeah, take the day off for today and focus on completing that," Betty said, who was jotting something down on a miniature notepad, which had been tucked away in a breast pocket. "We'd be fine with whatever excuse you give us. I for one would be happy to take the day off."
When the two had finished speaking, they noticed that Trucy was staring into the wooden floorboards, as if she was pondering about something. From the corner of her eye, Bonny spied what looked like a silver diamond-shaped object protruding from the palm of a hand, and what appeared to be the outline of a top hat engraved on it. An audible clicking sound could be heard, though it did nothing to reveal what was inside the object.
Her mother always taught her not to stare at people's personal accessories, but Bonny found herself intrigued by it, for some reason. Trucy wasn't the one to wear jewelry, and while she did sport the occasional necklace or bracelet while donning a costume, she was never seen outside with one beside her iconic brooch. And it looked rather fancy, too. It was clear that effort was put into this silvery object.
Then it hit Bonny. What if this wasn't for Trucy, but someone else? It didn't take long for the gears in her mind to start turning at the thought of that. Bonny wasn't much for gossip herself, but the idea that her 'boss' had a loved one was too tempting to resist.
Both of them were snapped out of their trances when a particularly loud 'HEY!" pierced through the air, courtesy of Betty. Their reactions differed; Bonny stumbled back and nearly tripped over nothing, while Trucy let out a yelp and quickly turned to face the twins, with whatever she was holding having disappeared. And while Bonny was visibly shaken by Betty's sudden outburst, Trucy was more or less the same, aside from an 'O' shaped mouth for a split second.
"You heard what we said, right? Take the day now or tomorrow, we don't mind. Or we're you too bored with examining the floor to notice what we said?" muttered an increasingly caustic Betty. Her sister slightly stepped away from her, as if to avoid incurring the wrath of the elder twin.
Trucy placed her finger on her chin, seemingly thinking about something again. Though it didn't take long for her to give a smile once more as she put her arms behind her back, as if she were ready to perform a magic trick.
"Or, instead of canceling practice for today…" Trucy said, taking out a dark green notebook and three pens to accompany it from the incomprehensible depths of her clothing. "…we work on it right here. No canceling practice required!"
Bonny's eyes seemed to widen, as if she had never considered the idea before. Meanwhile, Betty ripped a page out of her notepad and crumpled it into a ball. 'So much for a day off', Betty thought.
"O-Oh yes! Of course, we can write in here! There's a desk somewhere in here, I'm sure of it! Give me a minute, I'll find it!" With that, Bonny sped off, the oddly enthusiastic aura of the room seemingly going along with her.
Afterward, Betty noted that Bonny seemed to be a bit more enthralled with Trucy, and could only mentally roll her eyes at that. She hated it whenever her sister acted dumbstruck by anything Trucy did, and now that they were stuck with her, Bonny would be fawning over her much, much more.
Or, on second thought, Bonny could have perhaps been simply enamored with the magic trick Trucy had done. The possibility eased a nerve or two, but it wasn't enough to quell the annoyance residing within the older sister.
The sound of heels clicking on wood quickly shook Betty out of her thoughts. Shortly after, Bonny came in, clutching a folding table with both hands. By the sound of her panting and shaky legs, it was easy enough to deduce that Bonny had rushed for the table, for whatever reason.
Betty took another look at the materials that rested in Trucy's hands and pinched her nose. Writing wasn't her strong suit, but it was worth a try. She just hoped a headache wouldn't occur from this. Or, at the very least, have a comprehensible script by the end of the day.
She was the first to grab a pen and the notebook, with Bonny and Trucy following suit. She gave a barely audible sigh, flipped to where the script ended, and set her sights on the blank page, pen in hand.
"Alright girls, lets get a move on."
Five hours. It had taken five hours to complete.
But it was finally finished. And that was all that mattered to Betty de Famme.
It had reached dusk before the trio had finished writing up a draft of the transcript. A few weak spots had remained, but they were mostly inconsequential and could be dealt with tomorrow afternoon. Lines and lines were filled with words upon words, some having been crossed out while others had been sloppily injected, which were marked by a circumflex that went to an empty spot. It was like a trophy in that sense; a sign of what one could achieve by pouring their time, effort, and heart into anything.
Others, however, were just happy to have this over with.
The first to lay down her pen was Bonny, who gazed at the notebook with satisfaction. The second was Trucy, who instead dropped her pen on the table and wiped her eyes. The third was Betty, who slammed her face into the folding table outright.
"Dear God, this took way longer than I thought. I should've bought something to drink after all…" groaned an exhausted Betty.
"It wasn't that bad, Betty," said Bonny, who put her hand on her twin's shoulder. "You just wasn't expecting it to be this long, that's all."
In a flash, Betty rose from her position and swatted Bonny's hand, who was now sporting a scowl on her previously sullen face. "Don't pity me," Betty growled through clenched teeth.
'Oh right. I forgot Betty hates being pitied…' Bonny thought, herself having been somewhat discouraged.
She got over her initial discomfort rather quickly, though, and began to pack her things, including the transcript.
"We have a printer at the apartment we're renting," Bonny said to Trucy with a reassuring look, as if she didn't want the younger magician to misunderstand. "I'll take this and print a copy, and then I'll send it to the writing staff to see if they have anything to say about it."
Betty rose her head at the sound of that. She too got her accessories, only that she was much faster than her sister, and made a beeline for the door.
"Well, lets get going, Bonny. It's already around eight, and frankly, all I feel like doing is going to bed."
"Betty?" came from a quiet voice. The magician turned around and saw Trucy Wright, and if the young magician was being honest, she entirely forgot that she was still there. It reminded her of times when she would leave Bonny at a nearby coffee shop or park, and would only remember a few minutes after she left.
"What is it?"
"Well… I'd like for Bonny to stay here, if that's fine with you."
Out of everything Trucy could've said, this came as a surprise. Yet it didn't do much to stir up any surprise inside Betty. Perhaps it was the fatigue that was finally getting inside her. Or perhaps that she was simply too tired to care about any idea that came up inside of Trucy's mind.
"Sure, go ahead. As long as I get to go home, that is."
Trucy nodded as a reply. "You go on. This only concerns Bonny, in any case."
Betty left without much fanfare, leaving Bonny and Trucy as the only two living souls in the building.
Bonny turned towards Trucy, an inquisitive look now on her face. During the twins' time with their newfound 'boss, very rarely did this happen, and the few moments it did, it was mainly for discussing the aspects of the upcoming magic show or to restore the backstage for use. Bonny speculated that whatever Trucy had in store for her, was related to the silver object she spied in the latter's hand.
Bonny was the first to reply, her voice filled with uncertainty and curiosity. "So, what do you need, Trucy? Is it related to the show or Betty?"
"No, this isn't about either of them. It's about something… else." Trucy said, her eyes shifting elsewhere as she reached the end of the sentence, which her assistant took note of.
"Trucy, I wonder… is there anything wrong? You seem worried about something. Is it related to what you're about to tell me?"
"No no, it's nothing like that. There's something I want to give you."
Bonny had a good idea of what it was already, but she decided to play along. "Alright. What is it?"
A bit of rummaging later, Trucy pulled out the silver object Bonny had gotten a look at, only this time, its shape made it clear that it was a pendant. Engraved on its backside was the image of a top hat, not unlike Trucy's.
Trucy cupped the pendant in her hands and held it out to Bonny. "Here. Take this."
Shock could not adequately describe what the young woman was feeling at the time. She, Bonny de Famme, receiving a gift from no one other than Trucy Wright herself? The very idea was fantastical in itself.
Yet no matter how impossible it seemed, it was really happening. This was reality, and Lady Luck was smiling at her that day.
However, while Bonny was celebrating such an occasion mentally, her face betrayed any emotion she may have wished to hide, with surprise and a pair of flushed cheeks appearing instantly on Bonny's face.
A hand reached out for the pendant, feeling its surface and texture as the violet-haired magician took it from Trucy's hands. There was no doubt about it; this was very much delicately made for this day, with no imperfections or marks on the object. Elegant, charming, flawless… much like its owner.
"I-It looks amazing, Trucy," Bonny mumbled, her eyes still glued to the sleek shape of her gift. "I don't know what to say, honestly."
"I had it specifically made for you, you know. It took a lot of work, but I'm happy with how it came out."
"It's beautiful. I wouldn't have it either way."
Silence followed after that. When Trucy spoke, Bonny could detect a hint of hesitation in her voice.
"Bonny, I'd like to give you something else."
The sound of the latter's voice made Bonny look up. "Hm? What is it, Trucy?"
The next thing she knew, Bonny was pulled in, and the two girls' lips were locked together in a kiss.
If receiving a pendant from Trucy seemed imaginary, then receiving a kiss from her made her wonder if she was outright dreaming or not. Even after spending a minute locking lips with Trucy, her incredulity just wouldn't go away. She was certain she was seeing things. It had to be.
I have to be dreaming. This isn't real, Bonny repeated to herself.
But no, the kiss was very much real, and once she got over her initial disbelief, Bonny relished every moment of it. Trucy's lips were so soft, so warm, so incredibly mesmerizing… it was a dream - no, fantasy - come true.
Bonny didn't care that her cheeks were growing redder by the second, or that the intensity of the kiss was steadily growing stronger. She didn't care if Betty or someone else had stopped by and was secretly peeping in at them, snickering to themselves. It was just her and Trucy in an isolated spot, where no one would dare to come in. The euphoria of the kiss would more than make up for anything that would try to come in Bonny's way.
The kiss was then suddenly broken by Trucy. It was then that Bonny realized how much the look of elation was present on herself, and swiftly covered her face with her hands. The sound of something falling could be heard.
"I-I still can't believe that happened," Bonny muttered, her voice a blend of ecstasy and downplayed surprise. In some obscure part of her mind, Bonny worried that this particular quirk of hers would somehow turn Trucy away from her.
In contrast, Trucy seemed not to care one bit about Bonny's shyness. In fact, it appeared to endear her to the rookie magician, if her giggle was any indication.
"Oh, Bonny, there's no need to be so shy about it. There's no one here to see us. You can show me how happy you are and I wouldn't say a thing!"
That seemed to reassure Bonny somewhat, but she maintained an embarrassed look on her face, nonetheless.
"I-I know, I know, but still, it's just embarrassing to show this much emotion towards anyone, or anything. That's what Betty told me ever since I was a ki-"
Abruptly, Bonny was cut off by Trucy, who clasped her hands around her face and pulled the young woman in. While her face retained her signature playful look, there was now something resembling seriousness in that very expression she gave Bonny.
"Bonny. You don't have to listen to everything Betty tells you. She might be your sister, but that doesn't mean everything she says is true."
"I, um… I guess you have a point. It's just that I've always seen Betty as smarter and more accurate, and she's my sister, so…" Bonny realized how pathetic she must've sounded, and so her voice trailed off, eyeing the girl next to her as she slowly deflated in confidence.
Trucy's expression, while never exactly hardened in the first place, softened up a good deal once she heard that. She wanted to sympathize with her, or relate to her at some level, but she couldn't find anything to say. It wasn't as if she had any siblings of her own, anyway. No living ones, in any case.
An awkward bout of silence fell upon the two for some time afterward, and with that, the almost-magical aura in the room died dropped dead. Bonny's eyes were deadset on studying the floorboards, while Trucy's were on the former.
Bonny was the first to break the silence, her sights now on Trucy. While still shy, it was considerably less so.
"…Wanna do it again? The kiss, I mean."
The blue-clad magician could only flash a broad smile at that. A smile grew on Bonny's face as well.
"I'd be delighted to."
Soon after the second kiss was done and over, the pair parted ways and left the Penrose Theater. Both were exhausted after the long day, and Betty would only have more to work with as interrogation material for Bonny, but those two kisses managed to make up for it.
While on the way home, Bonny stopped to buy a coffee from a nearby cafe. On the other side was a small eatery, a favorite location for young couples.
Once she got to her and Betty's apartment, the young woman began to make plans to visit the very eatery. It was the perfect location to take someone for a date, after all.
"And that's the whole story."
After she finished talking, Bonny glanced at Roger, half-expecting him to have fallen asleep at some time during her story. She was pleasantly surprised to see him awake and focused on her, though his eyes seemed to taken a look of grogginess in the meantime.
"Amazing," he said, his voice dripping with boredom. "Is that the end of it?"
"Yes."
"My my, you certainly know how to drag a story on for hours and hours. You'd make an excellent orator, de Famme."
"Err… thank you."
Nothing came out of either person's mouthes during some time after that. A few attempts of generating chit-chat were made by Bonny, but they proved to be fruitless, however. Eventually, she too found nothing noteworthy to talk about. And what she did have to say were things that Roger most likely was disinterested in.
And so, she picked up her purse and turned towards the door.
"I need to get going, Mr. Retinz. Visiting hours will be closed soon."
And at that moment, something compelled Roger to speak. Perhaps it was his better conscience that had briefly taken control of him. Even after the words came out of his mouth, his impulsive actions continued to be a mystery to him.
"Hey, Bonny. Wait a minute."
Bonny turned around to face Retinz. "Yes?"
"…Don't turn out like me. You're young, cute, full of optimism, and most of all, you've got talent. Don't walk down the wrong path… if you know what I mean."
For a moment, Bonny remained still, thinking about what Roger just said. Then she turned back towards the exit. On her way out, she gave a parting message to the convict, and one that would keep him up at night.
"Don't worry about me, Mr. Retinz. I wouldn't kill someone in the name of revenge."
With that, the door closed, and Smith Tenfan accompanied Roger back to his cell. His mood certainly hadn't gotten better since the visit, and the two parted without much fanfare once the latter reached his cell.
Once inside, Roger went straight to his bed. His mind was a blur, both from the boredom of having to endure a painfully long tale and Bonny's last question, and what he wanted above all else was to rest, but one thing had made itself crystal clear. Something that he couldn't deny, no matter how unwilling and stubborn Roger usually was.
He deserved everything he got. And no matter how hard he tried to develop himself, he was still the rotten piece of garbage that killed another man.