Alice started by throwing three cards at the officers; the cards began to smoulder, and upon seeing this, they instinctively fired at the cards hurtling towards them. The bullets pierced the paper, and when one struck a card that looked perfectly ordinary, it exploded, releasing a smoke bomb that immediately obscured their vision.
Unlike Alice, my senses are not like those of an average human. Even in smoke like this, I can see them quite clearly. I slid in and shot the man in the knee, causing him to scream in pain and fall to his knees. As I managed to slide past them—I didn't waste this opportunity and immediately shot them all from behind.
Blood splattered and even hit my jacket, but luckily for me, as this jacket is red, the blood won't be clearly visible—"Where are those amazing senses you boast about?!" Alice's shout snapped me out of my daze; two pairs of cards whizzed past me and instantly I could hear cries of pain.
I turned immediately to see a man wielding a spear, pinned and trapped by roots on the wall of the corridor. And that wasn't all; I saw an aerial shield protecting me. The girl in front of me let out a sigh of relief before speaking. "I know you like doughnuts, but do you really want to become a doughnut yourself?"
I fell silent for a moment before replying. "I was just a bit off guard earlier, I'd have dodged it in an instant before he—"
An index finger pressed against my lips, silencing me. "Instead of making excuses, let's sort this mess out."
"I don't want to be banned from this place under any circumstances," Alice shrugged. "And wipe the blood off your jacket! You'll arouse Rae's suspicion, you know?"
The finger on my lips stayed there longer than it should have—"IT HURTS!" Alice screamed in pain as I bit her finger. "You git! Is this your revenge for me not buying you a snack last night?!" Alice protested angrily whilst I turned my back on her and ignored her rant.
There was a long silence in the corridor before I broke it with a question. "You really care about her, huh?"
Alice raised her eyebrows before chuckling. "Why? Are you jealous, perhaps?" She laughed until her eyes watered.
"Don't worry, nothing can replace you as a tracking dog except the tracking dog itself," she continued sarcastically.
"Like hell," I retorted and turned, facing her now. Alice then took out a card and placed it on the man's body; a rather large root emerged and began to spread, holding them in place.
"Well… I feel that if I can help her—I can give myself some good feeling," Alice said in a soft tone, as if she didn't want me to hear her.
Alice tilted her head in confusion because I just stood there in silence and didn't respond with the odd retort she'd expected.
"Eh?"
She saw me facing an increasing number of people, one of whom was Rapunzel's own mother, Margaret. "She's the one who tied me up, sir! Arrest her, and the girl behind her must be her accomplice!" Margaret pointed, her face full of irritation and frustration.
"Next... As for tying people up, just use your roots, shall we?" I turned slightly backwards, gripping my shotgun tightly.
"Red! Let's get out of here—this place is too cramped for a fight; let's go back!" Alice shouted from behind; I nodded and turned straight around.
"Stop!" Margaret took a step forward but stopped immediately as a bullet landed an inch in front of her foot.
Alice then threw two cards which stuck to the wall; roots began to sprout, forming a barrier between us and them. We immediately ran back into the theatre, and as the doors opened—we saw all the audience members staring at us.
The commotion outside must have caught their attention and made them curious about what was actually happening out there.
But there were still some in the audience looking towards the stage—and to be honest, the sight on the stage startled Alice and me more than Margaret's sudden appearance had. Because up on stage, Rapunzel was already standing with a look of pure delight on her face, and a man looked utterly bewildered—it was the person we had been searching for, the teacher and the man Rapunzel loved.