The night slipped by in a blur, quiet and uneventful, with nothing of note disturbing the darkness. The streets lay hushed beneath the dim glow of flickering streetlights, while raccoons prowled in the shadows, rattling lids and digging through every trash can they came across in search of food.
Aside from the soft scrape of paws on pavement and the distant hum of the city at rest, the world seemed to hold its breath until morning.
....
creak… creak… creak
Just outside a fairly worn-looking door, slow footsteps could be heard approaching.
A moment later, the door creaked open and slowly swung inward as a figure stepped inside, their long black hair swaying with each movement as they entered the room.
They approached a young lad who seemed freshly roused from sleep and called out to him,
"Hey, brother."
The young lad turned to the lass before him, elegantly dressed in a fine gown, a neat hat perched on her head, and glasses that lent her an even greater charm.
"Oh… hey," the lad said, swinging his legs off the bed. "You're heading out already?" A smile spread across his face, peeling back the fatigue to reveal the person beneath, Kevin, also known as Jack.
The lass flashed a smile.
"Yes, and I'll probably be back later today. So… what do you think? Does this dress suit me?"
Jack nodded. "Yeah, but you know what?" He paused, stepping closer to the lass with a teasing smile. "Your makeup's a little off today." Gently, he lifted her glasses from her face.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"You look more like yourself than Dolly," he said, adjusting her eye makeup with careful hands. "But don't worry bout it—I'll have it fixed in a jiffy."
A short moment later, he was finished, and she now looked just like Dolly, only with her hair neatly styled instead of the messy bedhead she'd had when speaking to the detectives the other day.
"There, all set. Now you can go out without a care who notices you," he said, adjusting her glasses with a small smile.
She nodded and began to leave the room, a smile on her face, until Jack's voice stopped her. "Wait a second… watch out for those two guys from yesterday. They might be keeping an eye on you, and don't do anything that draws attention."
Later, after Dolly had left the bungalow, Jack was in the bathroom, brushing his teeth before heading out himself.
Though the bungalow was furnished with elegant bookshelves, decorative mats, and other touches of refinement, the bathroom was in stark contrast, a complete mess. The sink bore cracked edges, as if something heavy had been slammed against it repeatedly.
Even the mirror had suffered; Jack's reflection was barely recognizable, fragmented into countless small shards that distorted and scattered every image it tried to reflect. The overall effect made the room feel chaotic and abandoned, a jarring contradiction to the otherwise orderly bungalow.
I should be ready in about five or six minutes...
But come to think of it, did those two really come from another country?
That man... what was his name again...? Declan. Yes. Wasn't he speaking the same language we speak in this country?
Was it just a coincidence, or something else? Even his accent was surprisingly good, unlike his partner's.
Jack pondered quietly as he continued brushing his teeth, then took a sip of water, finally finishing his routine.
A second later, the corners of his lips slowly lifted into a grin. He couldn't help but smile; he had grown bored of doing the same things over and over until it stopped being fun. Now, luck was on his side, and all that remained was to seize it before it slipped away.
"Ehehe… this is gonna be fun," he muttered to himself, his blue eyes fixed on the broken mirror. His grin widened as the clear image formed in the shards before him, just at that moment before it went back to normal.
He suddenly paused.
"Get yourself together." He murmured as the grin slowly vanished.
....
It didn't take him long to get ready. He messed up his hair even more, making himself look more like Jack than the young, wiry Kevin. He even wore the same clothes as the other day, adding to the illusion, though this time he carried a brighter air. Today, a smile curved his lips as he made his way to the bazaar.
"What's this all about?" The seller asked as Jack entered the workshop, a smile still edged across his expression.
Jack paused for a second before replying.
"What do you mean?"
"Ya are acting stranger than usual, are ya okay?"
"Of course, I'm just excited, that's all," Jack replied.
The seller remained silent for a moment, watching him go about his usual routine, slicing the meat into precise, even cuts before letting them rest on her work shelf.
"Excited?" The seller murmured with a curious low voice. Then she added. "Oh, I nearly forgot, some detectives were asking for ya yesterday."
"What did they want?" Jack asked, though he already knew the answer. He was merely playing his part, acting like Jack, the clueless one, oblivious to the happenings in the city. Unlike Kevin, who knew every alley, every corner, and every secret as if the town itself were in the palm of his hand.
"Nothing special, they just looked interested in ya. Did ya do something?"
"Hmm... I can't seem to recall. Maybe they wanted someone else." He responded.
A second later, while adjusting the blade he was using to slice the meat, he suddenly froze mid-motion, noticing that the blade he was using wasn't his but someone else's.
"Hmm…" he murmured, surprise flickering across his face as he studied the blade, then lifted his gaze to the seller behind her workbench.
"Is anything the matter?" The seller asked as she stacked some meat on a pile next to an open space.
"...Nothing, I thought I saw something on my blade."
"What?"
Jack didn't respond. He only smiled and returned to slicing the meat with the swapped blade. He knew exactly who had taken his knife; the last time he'd set it down was after returning from the bazaar the day before.