"Thank you. I bought tickets for every train departing in the next month. I'll probably head to the Kingdom of Cheslan in the south. I hope it's a little more peaceful there."
"Oh, and this is a false address. You can send mail to there if you need to."
As he spoke, Jenkins reached into the inner pocket of his coat, hastily tore a page from his notepad, and used Psychography to jot down the mailing address provided by the Pig's Head Pub.
"Address it to Miss Fabry."
"Understood. Once I'm settled in the south, I'll send you my new mailing address as well."
He showed no surprise that Jenkins's alias was female. Removing his own hat, just as Jenkins had done, Mr. Black Cat took a step forward and extended his right hand.
"Farewell, my friend, Mr. Candle!"
Jenkins smiled and extended his own hand to clasp it.
"Farewell, and I wish you a safe journey, Mr. Black Cat!"
The two parted ways on the bridge. Jenkins stood where he was, hands in his pockets, watching Mr. Black Cat descend the bridge and vanish into the distance.
"I hope I get a reply from him soon..."
He muttered under his breath, preparing to face his own chaotic life. He scooped up the impatient Chocolate from the ground, then pulled the monocle he'd just pocketed from his coat. At this point, he was completely unfazed by such occurrences.
"What could this be for?"
After fiddling with it for a mont, he absorbed it into his body, letting it settle quietly within his spirit. Now wasn't the ti for research.
He set off in the opposite direction from which Mr. Black Cat had left. At the next intersection, he hesitated. The three roads led to his ho, the church, and Pops Antique Shop, respectively.
"I'll go to the antique shop. I hope Papa is there."
Nolan City was exceptionally quiet tonight. The wind lifted an old newspaper from the alley, and Jenkins caught it instinctively.
He ignored the headlines and glanced at the date at the top. It was still Saturday, November 24th—the day he had disappeared.
"It's so crisp. This must be today's paper, right?"
He guessed, imnsely relieved that the ti flow in that strange realm was roughly the sa as the outside world.
He barely encountered anyone on the streets. Aside from ducking into the shadows of an alley to avoid two patrolling policen, the way was clear. It was only later that he realized he had no reason to hide from the police; after all, he hadn't used any of his identities to engage in illegal activities tonight.
If his pocket watch was still correct, he should be arriving at the antique shop around eleven-twenty. The shop was, of course, dark. He stepped back onto the main street and looked up; Papa Oliver's second-floor residence was dark as well.
"It's so late. It would be rude to shout, wouldn't it?"
He thought for a mont, then patted Chocolate's head. The cat let out a very reluctant "ow."
"Could you climb up there and get Papa's attention? I'll draw you so ice cream when we get back—vanilla flavored!"
"ow~"
The cat finally nodded but didn't move imdiately. It brushed the tip of its tail against Jenkins's wrist. Seeing his owner's hand extend again, it curled its soft tail around Jenkins's pinky finger, as if sealing a promise, before it leaped contentedly from his shoulder.
"Has Chocolate... beco so kind of spirit?"
The cat nimbly scaled the drainpipe attached to the brick wall beside the antique shop, reached the second floor, and then used a decorative ledge to scramble onto the roof.
He had no idea how it found a way in, but a few minutes later, the cat's small face appeared behind the glass of the street-facing window.
"ow~"
It let out a sharp cry to get Jenkins's attention, then shook its head.
"Papa's not there?"
"ow~"
That seed to be a yes.
He guessed that Papa Oliver had probably reported his disappearance to the church and was now waiting there for news. He called Chocolate down and set off for the church.
It was very late, and though the ti for receiving believers for prayer was long past, the church doors usually remained unlocked. As he walked in through the main entrance, pulling his hat down, the two guards at the side greeted him loudly.
"They don't seem surprised... Does the church not know I was missing?"
A flicker of doubt crossed his mind, and he subconsciously quickened his pace. After traversing the long corridor, he was wondering where he might find Miss Bevanna—she had never ntioned where she lived—when he turned a corner and ran right into Captain Bincy.
"Ah, perfect, Jenkins. We were just about to head to your house to find you. Two knights from the Church of Sun and Justice just ca to the church asking for help. They said they ran into a Mysterious Realm and were attacked by a unicorn. Ha! For a second there, I thought they'd gone mad!"
Captain Bincy, far from being concerned, was grinning with amusent.
"Oh, alright. Do you know where Miss Bevanna is?"
"She's stargazing in the east tower. She's still annoyed about the last ti the followers of the Sun acted so rashly, so she doesn't want to see them. I'm sorry to trouble you this late. Actually, you don't have to be *too* thorough with the healing..."
After asking Captain Bincy to fetch Miss Bevanna, Jenkins trotted over to the room where Miss Knight and Mr. Kreide were waiting. They had certainly been quick, having co straight here after exiting the Mysterious Realm.
"This is Mr. Williatte. This is Miss Knight and Mr. Kreide, followers of the Great Blazing Sun."
A nun who was attending to them made the introductions in a low voice. Jenkins reached out and shook Mr. Kreide's hand.
"I'm so sorry to disturb you this late, Mr. Williatte. You arrived so quickly."
"It's no trouble. I was feeling a bit uneasy tonight and decided to co to the church to pray. It must be a fortunate coincidence."
He rambled, his mind elsewhere, then asked with forced patience, "So, who is injured, and where is the wound?"
If there wasn't anything else pressing, he wouldn't have minded trying to probe them for their reasons for staying in Nolan during the treatnt. But he was in no mood for that now. He summoned the Life Pearl to assist his healing, letting the swirling green aura envelop the small wound left by the unicorn's horn, and then hastily took his leave.
He t Miss Bevanna in the garden behind the church complex. Chocolate was still as fond as ever of the Fantasy Flower seeds; sotis Jenkins felt the cat treated them as its personal property, standing guard over them every ti they visited.
"Did either of you see Papa today?"
"Papa Oliver? No. What's happened, Jenkins?"
Miss Bevanna had on a fitted, short ladies' jacket. Though he didn't know her age, her style always leaned toward that of an intellectual, mature woman.
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