Those words doused Reinette's anger like a bucket of cold water. She realized there was little point in losing her temper with Miss Fortune. Alice wasn't someone she could communicate with normally; she might as well speak to someone who could keep Alice in line.
Reinette gave Alice a long, searching look. Her figure began to fade, about to vanish on the spot. Alice froze for a moment, then hurriedly unfurled a silver river before Reinette could disappear completely.
Within the river that looped back on itself, the objects scattered by the wind returned to their places. Alice gave Reinette, who had reappeared, an apologetic smile and blinked at her.
"I was just tidying up... It would've been more troublesome to put everything back after you left."
That night, aboard a passenger ship traveling from the Southern Continent to Dixi.
Running into the Black Emperor on the return voyage was undoubtedly bad news. But as a newly advanced Trickmaster, Klein thought it was a good opportunity to practice acting.
Over the past few days, Klein had begun looking for chances to practice the Acting Method, mainly by scaring people. Now, for instance, he had made a marionette in the shape of a cardboard man, only slightly thicker than a sheet of paper. When the marionette stood aboard the Black Emperor, Klein couldn't help muttering to himself:
"It doesn't really look much like a standee..."
Reinette Tinekerr appeared at that moment. Her figure, carrying four heads, materialized in the cabin, and the air instantly turned cold. Klein looked toward the source of the chill and saw one of her heads open its mouth and spit out a gold coin.
Klein was bewildered. He glanced at Reinette, then at the coin rolling across the floor, unable to understand what she meant.