WTBFCY Chapter 14

When Noah and Regina descended the stairs, the man removed the glasses from atop his head. With the frames gone, his face—half-hidden until now—revealed itself: handsome, sharp-featured, with an edge to it.

"Noah, it's been a while. And who might this charming young lady be?"

"Hello. I'm Regina Evelyn."

Evelyn Barony lay far from the capital. Regina thought it unlikely anyone here would recognize her name, so she introduced herself without hesitation. But Noah merely regarded her in silence before turning his head the other direction. He didn't mind if her identity was exposed. He saw no reason to stop her.

"Ah, a noble lady then. I'm Maverick. What brings you here? And traveling with Noah, no less..."

The man introduced himself as Maverick—reddish-brown hair, dark eyes, a smile that suggested friendliness. Yet his hand, hanging at his side, gripped a revolver. The veins on the back of his hand stood taut, ready to pull the trigger at a moment's notice. Noah noticed and opened his mouth.

"We're just traveling together for the time being. There's a reason for it. Don't worry about it."

Maverick stiffened. He'd been watching for an opportunity to kill—recognizing Regina as something inhuman—but Noah's words stopped him cold. The Noah he knew didn't let black fairies live without cause. Noah hated the black fairies as much as he did, if not more.

Maverick hesitated, then lowered the gun back onto the desk.

"That's a new design, isn't it? The glasses?"

Noah gestured toward the frames Maverick had been wearing. Whatever principle governed them, it was clear they'd revealed Regina's true nature. Maverick nodded, running his fingers along his latest invention.

"Yes, but it's still imperfect. Needs refinement. It's quite heavy for everyday use."

"Wow! So you really are an inventor?! Did you make all of this?"

Regina, oblivious to the death that had nearly claimed her, beamed up at Maverick with unshadowed delight. To him, it was like watching a rabbit grin contentedly before a starving wolf. His expression twisted into something uncertain.

"Everything here is dangerous. Come over here and stay quiet."

Noah's head throbbed. He scowled, grabbed the back of Regina's neck, and pulled her toward himself.

"So you came for weapons, I take it? Since you're here... could I take some blood? I've exhausted my previous supply."

"Fine. And show me the new revolver. The break-action you gave me last time—the barrel was too weak. It shattered. Ditched it."

"That's their weakness in close quarters, true. But they reload smoothly enough, don't they? They're in fashion these days."

Noah removed his coat and sat in the chair Maverick indicated. Regina didn't follow the conversation and lost interest quickly, looking around instead. The room overflowed with machinery—mechanisms of unknown purpose packed into every corner.

"I'll roll up your sleeves so the blood doesn't stain."

"All right."

Maverick drew out a syringe and extracted blood from Noah's arm. The narrow research space flooded instantly with the scent of it. Noah always gave off something sweet—a familiar fragrance—but blood was exponentially more intense.

The scent was thick enough to coat the tongue, made it tingle. Regina's gag reflex kicked in. She pressed her hand to her mouth.

"Ugh... why draw blood? Are you hurt?"

She remembered her own physician, bloodletting to cure her of sickness. Noah looked perfectly healthy, so she asked. Maverick answered instead.

"Noah's blood can kill black fairies. Through research, we've discovered it's ordinary to humans but lethal poison to fairies."

"...I see."

This man really is toxic. Regina's shoulders jerked. She stepped carefully away from Noah. She kept her composure, but her gaze remained fixed on his blood. It was tantamount to declaring herself a black faerie outright. Noah let out an involuntary sigh.

"I'm developing weapons from Noah's blood to eliminate black fairies. These bullets are the prime example."

While the blood accumulated, time passed. Maverick walked to the desk and opened one of several organized boxes, extracting a bullet the color of dried blood. He showed it to Regina.

"Remarkable—you've actually weaponized it! Where I come from, black faerie stories were just superstition for children. I didn't even know they existed until days ago."

Regina flinched at the sight of the bullet, but quickly straightened. She couldn't let Maverick discover she wasn't human. She forced her face into an expression of amazement and clasped her hands together. The performance was overwrought—Noah felt embarrassed watching it.

Maverick glanced back at Noah, gesturing toward Regina with one finger as if to ask: Shouldn't you tell her I've already figured it out? Noah shook his head: Leave it.

Regina kept talking frantically to maintain the charade until Noah's blood was collected. The moment Maverick stood to remove the needle, she exhaled silently in relief. She'd nearly retched while speaking over the scent of his blood.

"All right, this is sufficient. Three months of research, at least. Ah—and your bullets made from Noah's blood, plus the new revolver. Will four guns be enough?"

Maverick carefully stored the blood-filled vial in a preservation box, satisfied. Noah pulled down his sleeve and stood. Maverick handed him a box containing revolvers and ammunition.

"That'll do. But give me another box of bullets."

"Of course. Though try not to waste them. Making bullets costs quite a bit of Noah's blood."

The extraction had left Noah even paler than usual—his face now a sickly white. But he dismissed Maverick's concern with a wave, shoving the box into his bag. Maverick didn't press further.

"Then we'll be going."

"Yes. Until next time."

Maverick replied with a laugh, saying he wouldn't go far. Noah nodded.

"It was good to meet you, Maverick."

As Noah climbed the stairs, Regina hurriedly gathered her things. She turned back to Maverick and bowed before rushing after him.

"...Yes, young lady."

He wasn't sure why Noah was keeping her alive. But they'd never meet again. He was certain of it. A black faerie that had endured starvation had never existed before.

The thought of her innocent face transforming into that of a ravenous monster left him melancholic. Once Noah and Regina disappeared and silence reclaimed the workshop, Maverick approached the desk. He pushed aside the scattered clutter carelessly. An old frame emerged.

"Polina..."

His wife's bright smile looked back at him from the photograph. Longing filled him. He brushed his fingers across her face as if drawing over it. He saw both versions at once: her beautiful smile and her face streaked with blood, tears streaming down.

Click.

Eventually, unable to bear it, he covered the frame. Since losing his wife, his life had lost time too. He sat at the desk again, forcing focus back into his work.