The sky was of a velvet-purple color.

It had not occurred to Isabelle that the Roulette masquerade would take them deep into the day. The pair had decided to spend the night in the forest, of course on Edward’s own accord and quietly hid above ground in the natural shelter that was the topography of the massive forest. They had much to talk about. But it was not only the lightness of the morning sun that aroused Isabelle’s suspicion of how long they had spent wandering in the forest, and the exhaustion became apparent in her restless movement. Indeed, the deductionist and the woman had gone through a sleepless night, but what was more was that they hadn’t eaten a bite of food since this entire masquerade began and it began to show in the sloth that became of Isabelle.

“How much further is it?...”

Her voice tended to fade towards the end.

“If my calculations are correct…” the detective followed the hazel jungle pass till it opened to a vast plain.

“We should be just about …” The plains materialized into greater detail, until you could make out the peaks of buildings and the hustle of the streets.

“Here” Isabelle limped behind but eventually grasped the magnanimity of civilization in her view. Just above the horizon rose a copper colored sun, which shone with just the right intensity that you could make out its bright flaming outlines against the cool lavender sky.

“W-we made it!!” All of her enervation seemed to vanish into thin air. She trotted down the side of the forest till she was greeted by a stone path walk that faded into the busy city.

Edward walked with circumspection, seemingly cautious of what lie ahead.

As Isabelle treaded closer, her eyes caught a stall on the edge of the town. A billboard hung proudly over the hackneyed counter and read:

ITEM CARD - EXCHANGE

She turned back to meet Edwards contemplative look.

“I can’t believe it.” She carefully produced the blue-rectangular plastic card from her back pocket. “You were right…”

She approached the counter, upon which sat a metallic chime-bell. Without much thought, she proceeded to give it a ring.

Almost instantaneously, as if she had been waiting for the sound of the bell, a woman emerged from behind a rustic door. She was dressed in a lilac hostesses’ dress of the most royal attire, her hair was tied behind her head in a fashionable manner that emphasized her wisdom, but at the same time gave her a surprisingly young look, she couldn’t have been more than twenty-five. In contrast, Isabelle stood enervated in a torn-up hospital gown that was browned to hell by all the time they had spent in the forest.

The bellhop answered with a sweet, almost autotuned voice:

“Congratulations on making it to the item card exchange shop! Here you can trade your respective Items Cards for any substance of your choice. But remember…” She paused to take a good look at Edward and Isabelle’s unkempt attire.

“Once you make up your mind, you can’t go back on your choice”