"Your Majesty!" Deuce marches forward. "We have news."

Riddle looks at him expectantly. "Have you found her?"

"N-no Your Majesty, but-"

"Don't twiddle your fingers." Riddle scolds. "If you haven't found her, why are you here?"

Deuce frowns but stands up straighter. "Because we believe we found something worth noting."

Riddle raises an eyebrow. "Continue?"

Deuce takes a deep breath. "Sire... we found a half-eaten Mont Blanc in her bedroom."

***

"Giddyup, Sparky!" You yell as Grim goes under another bush and sprints forward.

"They'll never catch us now!" He hoots. "Piece of cake!"

You clutch to his fur tightly as adrenaline pumps through your system. You were almost in the clear, you just had to make it back to the rendezvous point and you were home free. You grin and duck closer to the spunky monster as he bounds under another bush.

This was the most bizarre heist you had ever been on.

Eventually, you arrive in a clearing and slip off Grim's back, taking out a spare piece of your tart and nibbling at it cautiously. Once you were back at your original height, you gave a piece to Grim. Then you pocketed the remaining tart for later- you never know when it might come in handy.

"See?" Grim gloats. "Whaddid I tell ya? You can always count on the Great Grim! Myah hah hah hah! I'll be a great mage in no time!"

"Yeah." You smile at the little monster. "Thanks, Sparky."

His ears flatten and he whines. "It's the Great Grim! And give me some more of that stuff, I wanna be taller than my Hench-Human!"

"Then you've gotta do your time like everybody else, Sparky." You tell him and pocket the tart. "Now, all that's left is to wait for-"

"Meow to arrive?" A lonesome grin asked, and then its head faded into view. You smile.

"Good job! Do you have it?"

Che'nya grins and his body materialises, holding the Crown of Roses. He gives you a humorous bow and presents your prize, which you take gingerly into your hands.

"We got it!" You practically squeal in excitement, smiling from ear to ear. You hadn't felt this happy since...

Your mood was ruined.

"We got it." You repeat, more sternly this time and squaring your shoulders. "Thank you both for your help. Now, we had better get going before Riddle's guards find us."

Che'nya raises an eyebrow and tilts his head. "Head back to where?"

"Home." You tell him offhandedly before turning to your furry companion.

"C'mon Grim, let's go."

"Where is your humble abode?" Che'nya asks, attempting to follow. You ignore him.

"It's been nice meeting you."

"Cats not very nice." He pouts. You had been so open before- he was sure that telling him your plans for the heist must have been far more dangerous than telling him this now. He had so much fun with you. "Aren't we friends?"

You pause and stiffly turn back to him. "We are. But we do have to leave now. We're... late."

Che'nya tilts his head and his grin disappears. "Will I see mew again?"

You stop and stare at him with eyes like a deer caught in headlights. Then, you swallow and give him a broad smile. "Of course you will. Until next time! Bye, Che'nya." Then you left him, running around a hedge and out of view.

"Yeah. Bye!" Grim yells to him as he chases after you. Around the corner, you pull off your necklace and hold it up to the light.

"Ready to go?" You ask Grim, forcing a smile.

"Why did you tell Che'nya we'd see him again?" Grim asks, staring up at you curiously. You take a moment to answer.

"Because sometimes... you need to decide between an ugly truth and a beautiful lie."

You hold the necklace up to the light, ending room for all further discussion. The refraction falls on the floor beside you, and (after giving you a look,) Grim goes into the light. You take a deep breath to calm yourself. Then, you follow him through.

You are relieved to step back into the mirror room and scan it for Crowley. Not seeing him you rush out of the room, unnerved by the mirrors. You can't help but picture some strange monster entering through their silvery pools. You shudder on your way out.

You thunder down the stairs, Grim at your heels. "Crowley! Crowley! Crowley! Crowley!" You jump off the third step from the bottom and land on the floor with a loud thump.

Crowley wheels around the corner. "You're back. Welcome!"

You hold up the crown with a grin. "Look what I got~!"

Crowley's eyes widen and he scurries over to take the crown from your hands. He holds it up to the light to see it better in the dark room, observing it carefully. "Remarkable! Well done."

You clasp your hands behind your back. "Truth be told, I had a bit of help."

"Oh?" Crowley looks over at you. "Who?"

"Me!" Grim jumps out from behind you and stands in front of Crowley, puffing out his chest and crossing his arms. Crowley steps back in surprise, seemingly noticing the little monster for the first time. "Never underestimate the Great Grim!"

"...pardon?"

"He's telling the truth." You nod seriously. "My plan would never have worked without him."

"...pardon?"

"Nyeeheeheehee!" Grim giggles proudly. Crowley looks down at him sharply.

"Why were you on the opposite side of the mirror?!"

Grim's ears flatten and he turns back towards you pathetically. You sigh.

"He followed me through it."

"He did what?"

"But he was helpful." You acknowledge. "He wanted to impress you with the crown so you would take him on as an apprentice."

Crowley raises an eyebrow. "Do you believe I should?"

You stop short, but make the mistake of looking down at Grim's big, pleading eyes. You sigh. On one hand, Grim was nothing but trouble. However, he had played a vital part of your plan- a part that without assistance would have most likely ended in your demise.

You look up at Crowley and nod.

"Well then," Crowley says and looks at Grim. "You can assist Y/n on her next heist."

You go stiff. "What."

"If you truly believe him to be an asset, you should have no issue putting your money where your mouth is," Crowley tells to you merrily. "If he successfully assists you with completing the remainder of your heists, I will take him on as a student. My, aren't I generous."

"Whoa-whoa-wait." You wave your hands frantically.

"Ha!" Grim hoots, jumping for joy.

"Did you not say you thought I should bring him under my tutelage?"

"Well, yes-"

"Then it's settled." Crowley put his hands on his hips as he looked between you and Grim. "You will receive assistance with your tasks and he gets to validate his competence. What a stupendous development!"

"Wait." Grim stops, the entirety of the situation catching up to him. "I'm not getting any credit for helping her with this?"

"Well, yes and no." Crowley reasons. "Your reward is the chance to showcase your abilities!"

Grim's ears droop. "This guy..."

"And you're working hard correcting my papers, yes?" You butt in. Crowley bristles.

"Ah, yes, of course I have! But it has only been a few hours."

"Wait, what?" You do a double take. "What do you mean? I left yesterday!"

Crowley stares. "Ah, I see. In the mirror, time flows differently. You were only absent for a couple hours, though I anticipated it would take you much longer. It's quite a perplexing phenomenon."

"...oh." You were unsure how to digest that.

"Anyways, how was your debut heist?" Crowley moves on, going back to inspecting the crown. "I take it things went smoothly?"

Oh yeah. "Why was the Queen of Hearts a King?" You fail to keep the accusing undertone out of your voice. However, Crowley's expression seems genuine.

"Pardon?"

"Yeah! And the card soldiers weren't cards at all. And the Cheshire Cat was just a guy with ears!" Grim jumps in.

Crowley holds his chin and frowns. "That is strange- I'd like to question you further. Shall we get some food to discuss this over with? I'm sure you must be famished."

You nod, baffled. "Sure. And can I open the shutters? It's really dark in here." You gesture to the windows, where only a sliver of sunlight peeks in through the cracks. Crowley grimaces. "No. And perhaps we should discuss that first."