"0"
The white light flickered, and the countdown changed to a black-and-white sketch, clearly hand-drawn.
A simple office with a sturdy desk as the main focus, behind which shelves framed a title written in cursive, Wayne Enterprise.
At the sight of this, the murmurs that had ceased when the lights went out slowly resumed.
"Is this a presentation?" A man raised an eyebrow from his seat a few rows away from the stage.
Was this the supposed 'killer' of the theater? A simple presentation?
An indignant snort followed, "The publicity was too good not to be a scam."
"You stayed up all week for this? Seriously, Otto?" With a few gray hairs adorning her brown bun, a woman in her 50s looked at her husband somewhat wearily.
Had he chosen his best and most expensive clothes for this?
On another occasion, she would undoubtedly have been upset at being left home alone for so long. But the money the man brought home after finishing his project killed any complaints she might have had.
The weight of her new amethyst earrings was just a bonus.
The creator of the projector, Otto, raised a hand and motioned for his wife to lower her voice, a cheesy smile on his face.
Otto settled into his seat to get a better view of what was coming while whispering excitedly, "You don't have to worry, Rosalie, this is just the introduction!"
"Introduction? Is it really a presentation?" Intrigued and interested, Rosalie tried to get more information out of her husband, but he just laughed.
At that moment, amid the murmurs of the crowd, a sound rose above the voices.
The turning of a page immediately brought all eyes back to the podium.
With that sudden sound, the office on the curtain had changed slightly.
The table, which had been black, was now a soft brown. It was a minor change, but one that left the audience confused.
The sound of the page turning echoed through the room again. With all eyes focused on the curtain, everyone saw a 'sheet' being turned, showing the same office, only now the seat behind the chair was red.
Any remaining murmurs died away instantly.
The page turned again, this time faster, adding more color to the office. This was repeated several times until only the wall was left blank.
On the next flip of the curtain, the wall was painted a soft blue.
A symbol 'melted' in black on the wall, a combined H and W formed, accompanied by a soft and calm melody.
As the soft notes gradually faded away, the symbol on the wall quickly changed to another. This time, it was written in bright yellow.
'The Adventures of Mickey Mouse and Goofy'
Heavy footsteps echoed, followed by a slight crack.
The 'curtain' scene shifted, revealing another perspective that showed the office door closing as someone walked in.
At the sight of who had just entered, the confusion that had already taken hold of the room rose and took center stage.
Standing on two legs like a person, a yellow-skinned turtle with a dark green shell entered the office. It wore white four-fingered gloves. Its eyes were half-closed, as if it were about to fall asleep at any moment.
It seemed to be a… male?
"Hum~ Hum Hum~" A quiet humming came from him as he walked and took his seat at the desk.
He closed his eyes and relaxed for a moment, taking in the comfort before raising his head and opening his eyes in surprise.
"Oh? But what do we have here?"
The turtle leaned forward slightly, his gaze suddenly taking on a gleam of anticipation.
"Ohoho! New visitors! New visitors!"
Suddenly, the creature shouted with immense joy, leaping from one corner of the office to the other in ridiculous acrobatic movements.
Boing Boing!
All without ever getting up from the chair, which seemed to twist and stretch in nonsensical ways, following the turtle's rhythm, accompanied by a strange "boing boing" sound.
From one corner to another, the turtle bounced over and over again, like an overinflated ball.
"Hahahaha! Finally! How long has it been? Months? Years?!
"It doesn't matter now! I have an audience again!
"Hahaha!"
Boing! Boing!
The talking turtle bounced a little more before its laughter suddenly stopped.
"What am I doing?!"
Squeeeek!
In midair, the bouncing chair stopped with a loud, ridiculous squeak. Smoke came out of the wheels.
"But where are my manners?" In a calmer voice, the turtle stuck a finger in the 'hole' in the neck of its shell and adjusted it.
Slowly and elegantly, the chair descended to its original place behind the brown desk.
"I apologize for that, ladies and gentlemen. It has been a long time since I have had visitors here... Let me introduce myself..."
Out of nowhere, a medium-height black hat appeared on his head. He grabbed it and placed it on his chest in an elegant bow.
"I am The Troubadour, a pleasure to meet you."
Unlike at the start of the performance, when the audience's murmurs and criticism were obvious, now their unblinking eyes showed nothing but disbelief as they tried to understand what was happening before them.
Drawings that moved and talked? Projections with sound?!
What was going on?!
When was this invented?!
Rosalie leaned toward her husband, her eyes trembling with excitement.
"Otto, what is this?" she whispered in wonder, barely able to take her eyes off the screen.
Drawings moving by themselves, with their own voices and music... It was incredible!
The inventor smiled knowingly, "This is an animated film."
The Troubadour turtle straightened up and, as if nothing had happened, threw his hat aside, completely forgetting about it as he laughed a little.
"Well, I hope I haven't disturbed you. It's been a long time since I've had the opportunity to talk to anyone."
With that, he opened a drawer and took out a large, old book with yellowed pages. The cover was covered in dust.
A melancholic smile appeared on the turtle's face. He blew hard, and the entire screen darkened with a gray cloud.
Amidst the dust, the turtle's voice echoed once more.
"Why don't we hear this story once more? For old times' sake?"
The cloud slowly faded away. The book's cover slowly opened.
"I'm sure you already know this one, but why don't we give it a little spin? Ha... Let's see...
"Once upon a time, in a gutter in old Intis... Three young orphans..."
The dust covering the scene faded away, revealing the old book cover in its entirety.
The Three Musketeers
At the sight of the name, several cries echoed through the room—alarm and disbelief at what it meant.
"One of Emperor Roselle's stories?! Can that be done?!"
"Isn't it illegal?!"
With that last question, Saul turned to look at Vivian at his side with a raised eyebrow, a piece of popcorn slowly entering his mouth.
"Is it?"
"Argh..." Letting out a small grunt, Vivian shook her head while waving her hand half-heartedly.
"It's been over 100 years since The Three Musketeers was published, so it's in the public domain. There's no problem."
Amidst the murmurs, the scene quickly shifted from the book's title to a dark alley. The crimson moon hung high in the black sky.
Leaning against one of the walls, two creatures rested. From their appearance, they were a white duck and a kind of dog. They were children, considering their sizes.
These two stared with bright eyes at a black mouse standing on two legs in front of them, who held a broken stick in one hand.
"Goofy, Donald! Get up! It's still light out, so it's time to train!
"At this rate, we'll never become musketeers!"
"Mickey, do we really have to do this now?" The one that looked like a puppy complained in a strange voice.
"Yes, it's very late already." The duck nodded, his voice even more ridiculous and nasal.
They were wearing torn shirts and pants, with old shoes that were clearly too big for them...
On the private balcony, the redhead's group was doing their best to contain their bewilderment and surprise.
The only people who knew about Adryan's secret project were Flora and Vivian, as they worked closest to him on this film. None of them were ready for the spectacle of 'moving pictures', let alone the lively voices and music that accompanied them.
At some point, Fors had taken out her book and pencil, scribbling away and filling multiple pages while glancing at the film. Her desire to use the 'movie' to sleep was completely forgotten and buried.
"Using existing stories but twisting them to create a new one, why didn't I ever think of that?!" Cursing her lack of creativity, the Trickmaster quickly turned to a new page and continued writing.
Xio gave her friend a sideways glance, unsure whether to take it as a good or bad thing.
"How come they're so expressive? It's as if someone is really doing all that," Opera asked the redhead a few seats ahead, amazed at what she was seeing.
Whether it was the conversations between Mickey Mouse and Goofy, Donald Duck's strange way of speaking, or the ridiculous way their bodies moved, they really seemed like real people, not talking cartoons, no matter how ridiculous it sounded in her mind!
Laughing a little, Adryan looked over his shoulder, "Secrets of the trade~"
When you have soldiers who can perfectly imitate the appearance and voices he can remember or create on the spot, the best voice actors were at his complete and total disposal.
And without paying anything! A colossal production saving!
"Shhh." Sasha placed a finger over her lips, her brow furrowed in annoyance.
"Be quiet!" She growled through clenched teeth. Nathan was next to her, covering his face with his palm.
"Sorry, sorry," The redhead waved his hand apologetically and settled back into his seat.
Opera cringed apologetically and smiled shyly, "Forgive me, Miss Sasha."
The giantess snorted slightly, but seeing the sad face of the Planter, she could only sigh and shake her head, "It's okay."
"She asks for silence, and now she's shouting... Sigh..." Hazel sighed, sitting a few seats away from the clown and boxer couple.
Charlotte, who was sitting in front of her, nodded discreetly. Sipping his drink, he leaned back on the comfortable pillow in his seat.
Adryan suppressed a small smile at all this, shaking his head amusedly, 'Knowing Charlotte, I'm surprised he chose that seat. It seems that apart from their thirst for power, they also share that lone wolf streak.'
Levels separated the seats, so it didn't matter if they sat in front of someone; they wouldn't block their view of the movie. The number of seats also helped in that regard, as there were still many empty seats. Everyone had chosen where and with whom to sit.
Charlotte was in front of Hazel, and the noblewoman was near Nathan and Sasha. Xio and Fors were somewhat apart to one side, while Opera, surprisingly, was sitting next to Sharon and Maric, who were watching the movie without blinking.
Likewise, Jerry had chosen to sit to his very left, after grabbing some food and drinks that one of his human soldiers had brought.
Something he found quite cute.
His eyes moved from the drama behind him to his side, quite interested in seeing the little girl's reaction.
Yet, upon seeing her, his brow furrowed a bit.
The little girl's gray eyes were fixed on the projection on the screen, shining with a slightly crystalline luster. A small smile adorned her face, followed occasionally by short giggles.
The popcorn bowl lay in her lap, the salty, butter-filled treat forgotten at some point during the movie.
The girl watched the movie smiling, her shoulders shaking, and her eyes somewhat teary, looking beyond what was happening.
"Hehehe."
A pair of scarlet eyes watched this without emotion.
'She must have remembered something about her father...'
If he remembered correctly, it had been two months since Tom passed away.
'Neither Opera nor Sasha mentioned anything unusual about Jerry these days... But for a Spectator, hiding how they feel is normal...' The redhead sighed in his heart, feeling as if another decade had been added to his age.
'It's easy to forget because of how she acts, but Jerry is still a child. Spectator or not, grief affects everyone. Even more so for someone as young as her…'
And that's not counting everything that had happened to her...
Maybe that's why she decided to play poker earlier? To distract herself?
With that going through his mind, his left hand rose and he gently stroked the little girl's head, his spirituality leaving the point of contact at a slow pace.
The trembling of the little girl's shoulders stopped, and her gaze rested on him for a moment. Complicated emotions passed through her eyes, her whites turning slightly pink.
Smiling and with soft eyes, Adryan whispered, the powers of Conspirator slipping with his voice.
"Are you okay? We can go outside and get some air if you like?"
The tension in the little girl's shoulders relaxed. A warm feeling washed over her, and the whispers in her mind faded as the man's comforting voice filled her ears.
Jerry pressed her lips tightly, not wanting to cause a scene or draw the attention of the others.
Warm memories flooded her mind again, nights in East Borough that, although difficult, never felt cold because her father always managed to cheer them up in his own way.
Although his salary did not allow him to buy books with colorful pictures, he made them himself. With some colored pencils, old newspaper pages, or notebooks from his factory job, her father created stories and tales that, while they would never win a prize, always brightened her dreams.
She may have often gone to sleep with her stomach aching from hunger... But she had never slept without feeling her father's warm love.
'Now I sleep in my own bed, with warm, new sheets without any patches or loose threads. I always have food on the table, and I've even started studying and speaking a new language... I have everything I could ever dream of... So why?'
Why did she feel so guilty?
'Because for you to enjoy all this, Daddy had to die.' A sudden thought struck her mind, and Jerry froze in her seat. The words echoed horribly in her soul with bitter truth.
Her father spent his entire life fighting tooth and nail to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads. And now she was here, enjoying the life that had to come at the cost of the blood of the most important man in her life.
Was it really worth that price?
A sharp pain shot through her cheek, her teeth clenching hard on the soft flesh, but she didn't care. The needles digging into her heart and soul were much worse, and even those couldn't compare to the horrible question that was echoing louder and louder in her mind.
'Do I deserve this?'
Jerry rubbed her eyes somewhat roughly with her palm before nodding and turning her attention back to the movie, slowly eating her popcorn again.
"I'm fine... My mind is playing tricks on me," she said with crystal-clear eyes.
The Reaper narrowed his eyes internally, recognizing that look.
'She went into spectator mode to control her emotions...' Knowing that this could become a bad habit, Adryan didn't beat around the bush.
"I see," he nodded, "Remember that you can use cogitation to deal with that, okay? The spectator state, while useful, is better to avoid relying on it for this kind of thing."
Pausing his caress of her head but keeping his hand on it, Adryan's smile softened a little more, "Of course. If that's not enough, you can always talk to me."
The spectator mask trembled for a moment but remained in place, and she nodded subtly, "...I know, Mister."
A slight chuckle escaped the man's lips.
The hard way it is.
In one swift motion, his hand moved down from the girl's head, and with two fingers, he gently squeezed her cheek and stretched it.
"Hihi- Hey!" The cheek puffed out in a pout. Jerry tried to push his hand, but failed even to move it.
"Remember what Sasha said~" Adryan teased, playing with her cheek.
At this, the telepathist's eyes lost their clear look and began to shine with annoyance.
"That's no faa" Jerry whispered harshly, but her words came out slurred.
"Uh uh." Amused, Adryan playfully restrained the little girl, who, realizing she couldn't break free by force, had no choice but to give up.
Lowering her hands, she looked at the red-haired man with her cheeks puffed out.
Seeing that he had won, Adryan nodded with satisfaction and finally let her go.
"See? It wasn't that hard."
Rubbing her cheek, Jerry shot him an annoyed glare, "Don't do that again."
"I don't promise anything," Adryan winked, pulling his hand away.
Seeing that he had finally stopped teasing her, Jerry snorted a little before turning her attention back to the front.
"By the way, I was serious about what I said."
Her shoulders tensed; her gray eyes turned back to look at the redhead, who was looking at her calmly yet warmly.
"I'll always be here if you need someone to talk to.
"And if it's not me, there's Sasha, Opera, even Flora, hehe." A short chuckle accompanied the last part as he looked over his shoulder.
Flora glanced sideways and nodded slightly before returning her attention to the movie.
While appearing disinterested, Jerry could easily tell that the woman was paying attention to what was happening beside her.
In fact, now that she was looking at her, it seemed like she had been doing so for a long time.
'How did I not notice?'
Her train of thought was interrupted by the man's voice as he continued talking.
"We're here for you, Jerry, don't forget that, okay?" With eyes shining softly like a blanket, Adryan smiled.
Speechless, Jerry looked lost at the man, her eyebrows touching her hair.
She could sense a strange understanding coming not only from his words, but also from his body language and intentions, which had never been as clear as they were today.
He really cared.
For a brief moment, the man's long red hair turned short brown. But as quickly as it appeared, the red color returned.
"...I—hic..."
Unable to control herself, a hiccup escaped the little girl, who quickly covered her mouth.
Pausing to regain her composure, Jerry bit the inside of her cheek hard and lowered her head, "I'll remember."
Following the recent advice, she closed her eyes and entered a state of semi-cogitation.
Once her emotions were under control, she reopened her eyes and sighed, raising her head.
A faint smile touched her lips, her eyes slightly red, "Thank you, mister—"
Tap
A slight twinge struck her forehead, and Jerry covered it with both hands in pain, "Ouch"
"Don't mention it." Lowering the finger he had used, Adryan laughed a little and placed it in front of his lips as a sign of silence.
"Now let's be quiet, this part is good~" He whispered with a wink and then looked ahead with satisfaction.
Rubbing her forehead and wondering if she would get a bump or not, Jerry stuck her tongue out, "Bully!"
Almost no one on the team noticed what happened. The way they were seated and their somewhat distant locations meant that the team's full attention was on the marvel moving by itself on the curtain.
The cartoon mouse raised his rapier, the red moonlight reflecting off the thin blade, the knight's huge eyes shining as brightly as the blade.
"All for one, eh! All for one and one for all!"
Mickey Mouse's determination was easy to see; she could even feel it through the projection and read it with her abilities.
'One for all... All for one...' Repeating it a few times in her heart, Jerry couldn't help but laugh at this.
The mouse's serious expression and knightly pose contrasted sharply with his strange, cocky voice, so she couldn't help but laugh.
Although part of her also wanted to shout in agreement with those words, following the musketeer mouse on his adventure to save the princess.
"...heh"
Slowly and gradually, the corners of her lips rose.
Seeing that the little girl was finally enjoying the movie again, Adryan's smile grew a little.
At that moment, an almost imperceptible sound reached his ears, barely louder than a sigh.
"... Marshmallow heart."
His lips tightened for a moment, and out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at his companion without much expression.
Flora Jacob watched the movie with a slight smile, her gaze never straying from the screen. Like the little girl, she also had a bowl of popcorn on her lap, which she ate lazily. Her gloves were tucked away to avoid getting them dirty.
Sighing a little, Adryan rested his cheek against his left palm, returning his attention to the movie.
"Are you comfortable?" he asked without much interest, no sound coming from his lips.
As a 'modern' person, he knew how annoying it was to talk in the middle of a movie. Not wanting to ruin the experience for others, he didn't say anything.
Of course, this would never be a problem for a Marauder who already had experience reading lips.
"You're a good pillow," Flora whispered flatly, still leaning against his shoulder and quietly eating her popcorn.
Her tone was loud enough for the hunter's ear next to her to hear, but low enough for the prisoners not to. She didn't do it because she didn't want to disturb the others; she simply had no intention of drawing attention to herself when she was so comfortable.
She had heard and noticed the brief exchange between the princess and the little girl, deciding to let the redhead deal with it.
'I'm not good at calming children,' Flora shrugged internally, part of her attention shifting away from the movie and focusing on the little girl.
She liked the girl, and keeping an eye on Jerry wouldn't be a bother.
At that moment, Flora felt a gaze on her, one she could practically feel the amusement in. But she just ignored it, not giving the man the pleasure of letting him know.
As she went to grab another piece of popcorn, it slipped from her fingers and fell. Her gaze dropped slightly to the floor, a raised eyebrow soon turning into a flat expression.
Floating in the air was the piece of popcorn.
It moved a little higher, bouncing along until it disappeared into her companion's dark mouth with sharp canines.
"Fufu~" Adryan winked a bright eye, "share a little, will you?"
Rolling her eyes internally, the white-haired woman turned her attention back to the front, "Do whatever you want."
At that reaction, the redhead chuckled softly to himself. Another piece of popcorn fell into his mouth.
'Now this is a movie experience.' Adryan chuckled to himself, thoroughly enjoying the moment.
With another piece of popcorn falling into his mouth, he glanced sideways as Jerry laughed from time to time with tender giggles, which she sometimes failed to control.
This calmed and gladdened his heart.
'If even someone like Jerry can't help but laugh and smile when he sees her, then my efforts were worth it.'
The adventures of Mickey Mouse and Doofy had fulfilled one of their many purposes with flying colors.
Winning the hearts of the little ones.
Why?
Isn't it obvious?
What better way for adults to hand over their wallets on silver platters than through the joy of the little ones?
'Of course, once they start with the merchandise and toys, they'll curse themselves for doing so.' His eyes narrowed slightly with pleasure at that thought, already seeing the profits it would bring.
Something so colorful, new, and "creative" will attract the attention of all young people who want to see it.
Every good parent knows that children need all these various things as they grow, and among these, colors are the most important for their proper mental development.
That is why he was not satisfied with the film being only in black and white and went the extra mile to make it very colorful…
It was cheaper than he thought it would be.
'Buying in bulk helps...' Smiling a little, the redhead sank back into his seat.
As the film progressed, the corners of his lips gradually dropped, but the smile did not disappear.
It may have been a little different, but the familiar taste of home was still recognizable despite the different language and plot.
'Ah, I had forgotten what it was like to watch a movie... I guess this is as much for the kids as it is for me, huh?' Inwardly, Adryan couldn't help but laugh in a melancholy manner.
Something inside him felt both satisfied and sad.
It was like when he made pastafrola or his terere. Although he lacked the ingredients to make them as he remembered, and they were clearly different on the palate, they still had that taste and warmth of home.
It didn't fill him up, but it brought back good memories.
'...'
His red gaze moved to nowhere, to a place in the room where someone was sitting...
A certain detective.
His soul brother was in the room, and one of his soldiers notified him of his arrival as soon as he crossed the threshold.
'Do you feel that way, too, Zhou? That thirst to feel the warmth of home, was I able to quench it a little?' Sighing internally, the redhead pushed those thoughts aside for now.
He could always ask for the detective's opinion this Monday.