The door opened and the red-eyed girl saw a simple yet cosy room; it had been ages since she'd set foot in a room like this. She slowly stepped inside, still looking around her. "Make yourself at home, Red," said the old woman behind her.
Red then followed her advice; she tried to make herself comfortable in this new environment, approaching the sofa before sitting down on it. "Oh, Red, why don't you have a bath first?" Mother suggested, and this immediately caught Red's attention. It had been a very long time since she'd had a bath, as before that she hadn't needed one. "And let me wash your clothes," Mother added.
Red was bewildered by the kindness shown by the elderly woman she'd known for less than a day. "Why are you being so kind to me?" She couldn't contain her curiosity; hearing this made Mother unable to resist smiling.
"Because I consider all the Fables in this world to be my children," Mother explained, which made Red even more surprised and confused. "It's not for no reason that I'm called 'Mother' by the Fables here."
"What if the Fables are the ones misusing the Everalter?" she asked again, and hearing her mispronounce 'Everafter' made Mother chuckle slightly.
"I'll regard them as naughty children who deserve a punishment," said the old woman before leading Red towards the bathroom. "Just as Santa doesn't give presents to naughty children, they're not entitled to my love unless they change their ways."
Red then opened the bathroom door and began to undress before stepping into the bath. The warm water touched her skin and she couldn't help but let out a contented sigh; it had been a very long time since she'd felt this sensation.
All her fatigue seemed to wash away into the bathwater, and at that very moment, Mother was washing the girl's clothes before preparing the outfit she would wear.
After her bath, Red stepped out, wrapping herself in a towel, and looked around for a place where she could get dressed. "Red, come here," came a voice from her left, and when she turned, she found Mother beckoning her to approach.
Red followed the source of the voice and saw a room containing a pair of bright green pyjamas with a tree pattern. "Your clothes are still wet, so just wear these for now," said Mother, and Red nodded in agreement before removing her towel and putting on the pyjamas.
Once she'd finished dressing, she looked at her reflection in the mirror wearing the pyjamas. She felt a little strange in them, but Mother's compliment suggested otherwise. "They suit you perfectly," Mother said, and hearing that made Red reconsider his thoughts.
After that, Red was sitting whilst Mother brushed her blonde hair. "Your hair's rather coarse, isn't it?" Mother commented.
"Is that a bad thing?"
"No, you still look lovely."
Red felt nothing from the compliment; she then asked the elderly woman, "So, could you explain what 'Fables' and 'Laterafter' are?" She'd misnamed the weapon again.
"The correct name is Everafter," Mother said before beginning her explanation. "Everafter is a weapon you obtain in the moment when death is imminent; this weapon is used to save you from that death."
"However, when you obtain Everafter, there is one thing you must sacrifice as payment. In your case here, it seems you sacrificed one of your eyes, didn't you?"
Red didn't reply.
"Could you tell me how you came to have that Everafter?" Mother asked, but Red still didn't say a word. "If you'd rather not, that's fine. I'm sorry for asking about it."
A long silence was broken only by the ticking of the clock, before Red finally spoke. "My memory is a bit hazy…" she began, and this immediately caught Mother's attention.
"All I remember is… When I fled from the man who had killed my Grandmother, I found myself lost in the forest and there I met a man."
"…That man then pushed me to the ground and aggressively groped me, but I fought back at the time—however, that just made him slap and beat me until I couldn't move."
"He continued with those vile acts, but just as I was losing consciousness—a red light appeared and before I knew it, my hand had pulled the trigger."
"And that left the man dead on the ground."
Hearing this truly shocked Mother; she quickly embraced Red from behind, overcome with guilt. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have made you recount such a painful memory, should I?"
Red was startled by the sudden touch, but she didn't try to pull away and let Mother hold her for as long as she wanted. "That's old news; it doesn't affect me anymore," she said, after which Mother slowly let go of her embrace.
Then there was another long silence; Mother was still brushing Red's hair before the girl asked, "…What should I call you?" The question warmed the atmosphere again, and that made Mother feel relieved.
"I'd be happy if you called me Mother," she said, and Red nodded before asking another question.
"What sort of jobs do you usually give your Fables?" This question had been weighing on Red's mind ever since she'd arrived at this house.
"There are many; I assign tasks according to their abilities and skills," Mother explained, before giving an example. "With your Everafter, I'll give you tasks such as catching criminals—though at the start of your work, I'll give you easier tasks first, such as rescuing a cat that's got itself stuck, for instance."
Mother stopped combing Red's hair; her tousled hair was now no longer visible. Red then turned round and found herself face to face with the elderly woman sitting in front of her; she remained silent for a few moments before finally speaking.
"…I want to hunt down the man who killed my grandmother, and I don't want to die before I've avenged her."
"Is it possible that one day, if I work with you, I might come face to face with that scoundrel?"
Mother, faced with the question, fell silent for a moment, searching for the right answer—because she didn't want to give her false hope; that would be very painful. After considering it for quite some time, Mother finally replied.
"Most likely, yes."
Hearing this, Red immediately nodded and replied straight away. "In that case, I'll work with you." Mother immediately took the girl's hands in hers, and Red could feel the warmth in her hands.
"I'm so glad to hear that!" said Mother enthusiastically. "For the time being, stay here; I'll treat you like my own daughter!"
Red nodded slightly hesitantly; she was puzzled as to where Mother's great enthusiasm came from. "By the way," Red began before looking at herself in the mirror, "do you think I'd look good with short hair?"
"Hm? I think you'd look good with any hairstyle. Why are you suddenly asking?" Hearing this from Mother made her turn back to the elderly woman again.
"Well, I've been thinking about cutting it for a while," she said, running her fingers through her blonde hair, "With short hair, perhaps I'll be able to move about more freely."
"I could cut your hair if you'd like?"
"Huh? You can?"
"I can do plenty of things," said Mother before standing up, walking over to a cupboard and opening it. She took out a pair of scissors; as soon as Red saw them, she turned round, and Mother sat down behind her. "Shall I start, then?"
Red nodded, and Mother began cutting her hair. As the room was filled only by silence and the sound of the scissors snipping away, Mother asked a question. "May I ask you something, Red?"
"Go on."
"Is your name just Red?"
"Huh? Why are you asking that all of a sudden?"
"Your name sounds unique; I've never heard a name like that before."
"But it's a really cool name, isn't it?" From the tone of her voice, Mother could tell that Red really wanted her to say yes.
"It's really cool!" said Mother without hesitation, as the blonde hair fell to the floor and Red's new hairstyle began to take shape. "But I can't help wondering—is that really your only name?"
The final snip fell into Red's hair, and she immediately walked over to the mirror, trying to view her new hairstyle from every angle. Her blonde hair barely reached her shoulders now, and the length of time she spent gazing at herself made it clear that she loved this hairstyle.
"My real name is…" Red began, offering her real name as a token of thanks for having her hair cut.
Mother remained silent; for some reason, her heart was beating faster simply whilst waiting for the girl's real name to be spoken. Red turned fully towards Mother with her new hairstyle before resting her hands on her hips.
"Redelle Woods"