Bernadetta and Noel stepped into a quiet alleyway. They had left the theater via the back door, the same way they had entered. Noel had arranged this when booking their tickets, as he wanted to avoid the attention and the commotion that was sure to come with it.
A horse-drawn carriage awaited them on the main road at the mouth of the alley. They’d finished everything on their faux-date agenda, so now the two of them were set to head home.
“I had such fun today,” said Bernadetta with a smile. “Thank you so much.”
Noel eased into a smile of his own. “No, no, thank you. A few more dates like this and we’ll have your father fooled. All you have to do then is inform him that I’m a bad fit for marriage, then call things off.”
“That much is fine, but even if the dates are fake, I’m not sure what to make of you taking naps during them. If you’re tired, I would hope you’d at least tell me.”
“I wasn’t taking a nap,” Noel snapped. “I was awake the whole time.”
Bernadetta blinked. “Y-you were asleep! Why deny it?”
“It was your imagination. I did no such thing.”
“But I saw you! You were sleeping!” Noel refused to budge, which infuriated her. “I don’t suppose you’re embarrassed, are you?”
“What?! Not in the slightest!”
“Stubborn, aren’t you? You realize that being so insistent isn’t helping your case?”
“Shut your trap and quit it with the high-and-mighty lecture. I said I wasn’t napping. Are you deaf or just stupid? And if I was napping, do you even have proof?”
“Erm, p-proof?”
Bernadetta felt a flush of panic at the sudden aggression in Noel’s attitude. He had far too short a fuse…if he even had a fuse at all. The gentleman who’d accompanied her all day had suddenly vanished, replaced by someone openly and willingly confrontational. Noel crossed his arms and glared daggers at Bernadetta.
“If you think I’m lying, ask me about the play. Anything you want. I bet I can answer.”
“What is this? Why must you be so belligerent?!”
Noel’s hostile tone wore at Bernadetta’s nerves. His beautiful brows furrowed with annoyance.
“Wait a second. You’re the one who criticized me. I have been humble, modest, and a complete gentleman. Then you come at me with this worthless accusation?! You’re getting to be a real pain in the ass.”
“You were sleeping! I was just warning you about it!”
“And I told you that I wasn’t! Listen to me, you idiot!”
“Who are you calling idiot, you runt?! Boys your age are so impudent!”
If there was ever an example of getting what you give, this was it, and Bernadetta’s own speech took on an edge to match Noel’s.
“You’re the one who picked the performance!” she shouted. “So there’s every chance you already knew what it was about! Answering questions doesn’t prove anything!”
“Oh, okay, so you’re saying you can’t prove I was napping? Then you’re criticizing me for something you can’t even prove. Ugh, people like you are the worst!”
“Proof! Prove! Are they the only two words you know?! You’re like a damn parrot!”
“Don’t call me a parrot, you flat-chested hysteric!”
“Flat-chested hysteric?! Don’t move a single step, whelp! I’m going to rearrange that pretty face of yours right this instant!”
Just as Bernadetta stomped toward Noel, fueled by her rage, a peculiar magical energy flickered through the air—and it was decidedly inhuman. Noel noticed it immediately, and his eyes grew wide with shock.
“Get down!” he shouted.
Bernadetta cried out as Noel threw himself on top of her. The deafening boom of an explosion pierced their ears. Something had been bombed, and all around them, hunks of building hurtled through the sky. Noel’s quick reaction meant that Bernadetta was uninjured, but some of the falling debris was easily as big as a person’s head.
When things settled, Noel stood up and held a hand out to Bernadetta.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Y-yes, thank you.”
Clouds of dust surrounded them. It was only when Bernadetta took Noel’s and rose to her feet that she noticed the blood on his face.
“Did you get hit?!”
“I’m fine. This is nothing,” he told her.
“But it happened because you protected me…”
“You’re an investment. I can’t let you get damaged.”
A wry grin grew upon the Talker’s face and he gestured to the main street with his chin.
“Go,” he said. “I’m going to find out what happened.”
Bernadetta nodded, and they walked through the debris and out of the alleyway. The main street was filled with the wailing of the injured. Many had been hurt. The carriage that had been waiting for them had also been hit by flying debris, warping its shape.
A quick look around revealed the building that was most likely ground zero. It wasn’t far from the theater, and though she remembered it being five stories when they went in to watch the performance, it was now only three. Plumes of black smoke wafted up from where the remaining two floors had been.
“You have to go home,” Noel said, lighting a cigarette. “From what I can see, you’re unharmed, and you can make it on your own, yeah? I’m going to stay here and help the first responders. My Talker buffs should provide some support in this hellscape.”
She managed a nod. “Okay, but be careful.” After that, she turned and left.
A sour feeling sloshed inside her. That, without a doubt, the explosion had been Malebolge’s doing. She didn’t know why it had happened, but she had felt the beast’s magical energy. At first, Bernadetta had assumed Malebolge was targeting her, but the attack was far too forgiving. Even as a threat, it was noncommittal.
Whatever the true reasons for the attack were, Malebolge was behind it. Bernadetta did not want to linger on what the creature had wrought. A peaceful section of the city had crumbled in an instant, leaving many people broken, bleeding, and suffering. Bernadetta had even seen mothers clutching their babies among the wounded, crying and wailing. She looked away and left as quickly as she could.
“Is this what it costs?”
The words turned her heart bitter, but they were lost among the screams that filled the air.