As if an illusion, an electric current crawled through Ed's back.
He hated the feeling of rain and wetness, and the black fur coat of the Bureau of Investigation was stained with mud, but Ed had no time to think about these things now——
At this moment, Quinn was almost pressed against his body.
Wherever he looked, there was a face that he could see at any time but never dared to take a closer look at:
Slightly flushed from alcohol, the skin has a smooth, childlike complexion that will never leave wrinkles, scars, spots or acne marks.
The pine needle green eyes rippled like water waves, seeming to be equally surprised by the current situation.
Until the water droplets dripped along her hair and onto Ed's cheek, he suddenly realized that he and Quinn were eye to eye.
"Ahem..." Ed pursed his lips slightly. He suddenly thought of hundreds of witty words that could alleviate the embarrassing atmosphere at hand, but they suddenly flew away from his mind.
"That's the key to hide-and-seek - as long as you follow the hunter quietly, you'll never be caught."
Even the drunken Quinn seemed to notice Ed's current predicament. She smiled and let go of her right hand that was holding Ed's collar, and lay sideways in the mud with him.
"Is this the latest healing method, moss therapy?"
Ed didn't hesitate to sit up, because he knew that he would probably be pushed down again.
"Look, the rain has stopped." Quinn pointed out.
As the eyes moved, a few stars were rarely revealed on the long strip of blue-gray night at the entrance of the alley, and the moon disk hung among them, as if growing in the cracks of the city.
"yes……"
Ed just echoed softly, as if any extra words would tear the night sky apart at this time.
"Until I was thirteen years old, I never dared to look up at it." Quinn slowly opened and closed her right palm toward the sky until she completely grasped the moon. "I have always hated the moon. I hate it. I hate its bright spots, its imperfections, and even more its perfection.”
"After that, why did you dare to watch it?" Ed asked.
"Eton once told me that moonlight is just a reflection of the sun's rays, and after that I didn't feel so scary."
As she spread her palms, Quinn released the incomplete moon in the sky again, her eyes sparkling:
"It's weird, isn't it? The sun's rays are so warm, but the reflection it leaves on the moon is crazy... Even just seeing its reflection on the water makes my scalp tingle."
Ed also stared at the moon. This planet with its noble light seems to be moving statically, like a wriggling cell, leaving a circular silhouette in the sky:
"Maybe it's because the moon is closer to mortals than the sun." He suddenly said with inspiration.
"Why do you say that?" Quinn looked at him in surprise.
"The sun is always the same, and remains perfect and bright from sunrise to sunset; but the moon is elusive and unpredictable, and will become incomplete if it is perfect for a moment -"
Ed took out the small yellow gold coin from his pocket and replaced the moon in the night sky:
"Maybe it's the instability that's unsettling. And, by the way, it's the money you win."
He handed over the gold coin.
Quinn didn't take the coin. She pondered for a moment and finally sat up. "I have something to tell you."
"What's the matter?" Ed also sat up when he saw this.
Quinn didn't answer, just unbuttoned her cufflinks and rolled up her cuffs——
On the outside of the wrist, a scarlet tree bud broke out from the flesh, exuding the fragrance of despair. The translucent, blood-vessel-like buds wrap around the leaves with clear veins, as if they are about to stretch and bloom.
A branch made of flesh and blood grew on her arm.
OMG…
"When did it start?" After a long silence, Ed asked as calmly as possible.
"I don't know, maybe yesterday, maybe the day before yesterday, this has never happened before..."
Quinn looked at the branches sprouting from his arms, and his eyes gradually fell into a trance:
"There was just a moment when I really wanted to kill you."
"It's nothing..." Ed comforted, "It's just a passing thought. Anyone will have more than a dozen such thoughts every day."
"I don't know what's going on, it's like there's another voice in my head telling me to do something else..."
Quinn grabbed the collar around her throat, trembled all over, and continued:
"These days, I always think back to the old man from the bookstore. And what he said -"
"Delores..." she repeated, "actually I know what that means."
"I'm not like my father, nor my mother, nor Olivia..." Quinn's voice gradually dropped.
"No, Quinn, you are very similar to them. Think about it, you have worked in the Bureau for seven years and saved countless lives, including mine. This is an amazing achievement."
Ed stood up and took out the Volcano pistol that had been hidden inside from the holster of his coat. The slightly weathered light yellow ivory handle is still strong and moist, and the gold and silver wrapped gun body is engraved with memories of the past.
"Father's gun?" Quinn said hesitantly, as if he couldn't believe it.
"Miss Olivia asked me to give this gun to you, because you are her sister, Christopher's daughter, and a descendant of the hero who protects Silvermist City."
"You are Quinn Forrester, a comrade I can trust with my life, and a hunting dog of the Divine Bureau. It's absolutely true."
Ed held the volcanic pistol "Dandelion" in both hands, waiting for Quinn's response.
Quinn's fingers carefully touched the inscription on the gun body, and then retracted as if being electrocuted:
"Can you do me a favor, Ed?"
She looked at Ed, her eyes regaining their former determination.
"Hold it for me. If one day I really lose control, please use this gun to kill me."
"Quinn, actually..." Ed wanted to say something else.
"Please swear." Quinn demanded firmly.
"..."
"I swear." Ed hesitated for a while and finally agreed.
"By the way, lend me your tie."
"What?"
While Ed was still puzzled about untying his tie, Quinn had already pulled out the butterfly-wing folding knife and cut the branch on his arm to the skin, causing blood to drip from his arm.
"hiss--"
She directly pulled off Ed's sewage-stained tie and tied it to the wound casually, as if she was not worried about the wound infection.
"...Okay, let's go back."
While Quinn turned around, Ed quietly picked up the flesh and blood branch.
"It's okay, just tie your shoelaces." He shrugged.
"By the way, please keep the matter about the branches a secret for me, okay? Don't tell anyone."
"no problem."
"you swear."
"I swear."
Ed answered simply this time.
