Rachel nodded, her fist up to her chin as she surveyed the scene. “Not a lot of alibis for that time,” Rachel muttered, and then raised an eyebrow at the vial that Oliver brought out. “Some kind of fluorescent agent?” She asked, and watched as a drop of the solution was dropped to the mound of snow. The mound of snow crystallized into clear ice, and Rachel gasped at the silhouette at the bottom; it was a footprint. “What…How did you do that?” She turned to Oliver, baffled by his discovery. “Nevermind that, why is there...” She looked up at the branch, and an epiphany hit her. “The culprit must have missed this spot thanks to the dropped snow!” She brought out her Beacon communicator, and snapped a picture of the footprint. “I’ll have the girls at the lab analyze this. Well I suppose you aren’t a complete rookie at this.” She turned to leave, but before she did, she gave one last look at Oliver. “I suppose I’ll be seeing more of you. But don’t make it a habit.” She then left, leaving those words drifting in the cold breeze. [hr] [color=8dc73f]”A souvenir?”[/color] Kimble asked with a finger to her cheek. [color=8dc73f]”Oh ,you mean like a gift! Oh, I know just the place!”[/color] She took Alicia’s hand. [color=8dc73f]”I bet Amanda’s place has something! Let’s check it out!”[/color] And so they went for the summer islands for one last gift shopping spree. [hr] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/4c0MzYG.png[/img][/center] [color=fff200]”Oh?"[/color] Lily’s sulking abruptly ended when she heard Connie raise her voice in the hall, and with a curious expression she listened to what she had to say. She then smiled brightly, and raised her hand up. [color=fff200]”I would love that, Connie! And of course, you’ll be coming too, Alex!"[/color] She wrapped her arms around Alex, and kissed his cheek. [color=fff200]”Merry Christmas!"[/color] She then looked back at the empty corner where Justine disappeared with a reassuring nod. [color=fff200]”And a happy new year…For everyone."[/color] And so, Lily decided to believe in Justine, and moved on to celebrate the holiday at Connie’s place. [hr] “Gotta say, knowing your skill set, I’m still impressed you managed to pull it off.” Two darkened figures walked through a dimly lit corridor, and passed by a metallic security door. An advanced surveillance camera popped out of a wall socket in response to the arrival of the two. “I heard the mirror was guarded by both the LF and Pedersen. Did they cause you any trouble?” The taller, bulkier figure swiped a card key, and the metallic security door opened, revealing a hall resembling an advanced laboratory beyond it. “We did have some changes to Viper’s initial plan after a particular mishap, but we managed to utilize it to our advantage,” the shorter, slender figure answered. “I predicted the probability manipulation inherent in one of the guests to land the coin exactly where I needed it to.” The laboratory hummed and whirred with various devices and contraptions, some of them glowing with magical energies. One of the scientists approached the two, a man dressed in a white suit with a black doctor’s coat over it. His face was covered by a white mask. “Ah, hello, mister Scarpe. I see you have arrived just in time.” Scarpe stepped into the light, about to lit a cigar when the scientist raised a hand. “Ah, smoking is not permitted here, sir. It could damage the sensitive equipment.” “Bloody-!” Scarpe grumbled, but then tucked the cigar away. Sonia, who stepped into the light, gave a roll of her eyes. “Wanted to see the mirror myself, since I happened to be in the area. You got it looked at yet?” The scientist laughed awkwardly. “Yes, we imaged the arcane properties of the artifact and mapped the structure of the ley lines. However-” “Alright, let me see it then.” Scarpe shoved the scientist and walked past the machinery to the central containment unit…Only to find it empty. “What the hell? Where is it?” He turned to the scientist, who shook his head. “I-It’s not our fault! It was moved away…Surely you heard, right?” Scarpe grit his teeth; he realized what he was talking about. “Damn…I hoped this wouldn’t come to pass…” [hr] At the end of the long day, Mariette returned to her hideout, with no more information about the whereabouts of the Mirror. However, this wasn’t the end of surprises for her; as she opened the door to the living room, she saw it standing in the middle of the room; the Black Mirror itself. Was it an illusion? A trick? But as Mariette approached the object, she couldn’t deny the aura of Asengav’s corruptive magic emanating from the infinite reflections that she glimpsed from the mirror’s surface. She even saw that the wooden frame had been chipped, alarmingly matching the piece she found at the crime scene. Then she knew it wasn’t by coincidence that the Mirror ended back in Mariette’s possession; the tracker was on the floor before it, crushed like a stomped bug. But most alarming was the propped up letter on the table next to the Mirror; it was colored gold, with bright red cursive writing and marked by an elaborate heart symbol. [i]Merry Christmas, Mariette. I look forward to your journey down the rabbit hole. The Queen of Hearts.[/i] To Be Continued...