Netizens are vampires? !

The next moment, Edward's face changed, and he knelt down on his knees, pressing on "Yate"'s lower abdomen, making him unable to move. With a twist of his arm, he held Yate down in a grappling position, and his other hand was instantly stuck on "Yate". on his neck.

All of this is like lightning and flint. The long life of vampires gives them countless time to learn a lot of things, and their extraordinary physical conditions make the learning effect not bad.

Edward's fighting skills may not be as good as Jasper's from a military background, but under the sudden exertion of force, the "Yate" who has just changed for a long time is definitely not his opponent!

The voice that was still gentle and teasing just now has gone cold in an instant, piercing the flesh: "I think this posture should not prevent you from telling how Art is, right?"

In the bathroom, the sound of splashing water was still incessant. All the water pipes were turned on, so the sewer was unable to pass through the water, and it flooded a shallow layer on the ground.The relatively spacious bathroom has long been filled with thick white water vapor, and every time you take a breath, you can feel the abundant water vapor enter the chest and abdomen along the respiratory tract.

Edward's short reddish-brown hair was already covered with drops of water, sticking to his forehead strand by strand. The violent movements caused the drops of water to splash and fall, and some of them slowly slid down along his deep facial features. A different kind of masculinity.Those golden eyes that looked extremely gentle and affectionate every time they looked at Yate were already full of fierce anger at this time.

"Yate" was slightly taken aback, but even so, he still raised his eyebrows without worry - not just because of the vampire's immortality.It can only be said that the more angry Edward is, the more he can't hurt Art.

So, he laughed, almost provocatively: "Do you want to try and kill me? Twist my neck and throw it into the fire. I don't know if the body of a half-vampire is as strong as a vampire!"

"Bastard! Ow—" Edward cursed anxiously, and slammed his raised fist on the floor tile next to the opponent's head.The floor tiles fell apart in an instant, and Edward had to stop, because he was afraid that other vampires would find out what was going on here—if he was in a hurry, he didn't know if the other party would drag Art to his death.

An irritable beast-like grunt kept coming out of his throat. After a long time, the sound gradually disappeared, replaced by Edward's constantly bullying chest.

"Yate" looked at it playfully, and then heard Edward grit his teeth and growl: "What the hell are you going to do?!"

"Well, then you're going to stump me." "Yate" frowned as if in embarrassment, and after a while, he tilted his head and smiled, "No, don't worry, it's rare for me to come out once, don't be too disappointed Ah! Ah, by the way, didn’t you just say you wanted to fuck me? Do you want to give it a try? Yes, compared to him, I think I will be a better partner in bed!”

"Fuck!" Edward finally obediently punched "Art" in the face with his raised fist, and then grabbed the opponent's arm and threw him against the wall hard, resist!

At this moment, Edward was like an enraged beast, those golden eyes that were as bright and beautiful as the sun had darkened like surging rust, dull, irritable, and furious, but there was nothing he could do.

"Bastard bastard bastard! Give me back Art! Give me back!"

"Yate" who was pressed by him on the wall looked straight at Edward. After a long while, a trace of blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. He hissed and smiled: "Obviously I am exactly like him, but you just don't like it. You can't blame me for that." gone."

"Damn it! How could it be the same!" Edward wanted to punch him again, but the calm look on the other side's jaw shattered his plan.Edward could only struggle in vain like a trapped beast, suffering from internal injuries.

"Ah, how can you be so picky!" "Yate" yelled as if afraid of Edward's fierce gaze, "Well, since you don't want to, it's easy." Edward froze with a familiar smile.Edward shook his head, and the other party immediately seized the opportunity to escape from his confinement, and rushed to the other end of the bathroom like a loach.

"Hey, hey! Don't get excited! Even if you catch me, you can't do anything to me, right? This is indeed Art's body! So, calm down, you brainless lion! Scholarly family" The other party was confident He reprimanded Edward, and Edward had to retract a leg he had just raised—he had to admit that the other party was right.

"What on earth do you want!" Edward felt that he had never been so useless before, but the sudden big smile on the other side made him feel a strange feeling in his heart.

"Yate" slid and sat on the ground carelessly, and now he was not worried at all about him running over and twisting his hands to press his stomach or punching his stomach.

"Don't worry, Art is fine, he just fell asleep drunk. Believe me, no matter how bad his drinking capacity is, he will definitely wake up tomorrow morning. Speaking of it, it's very rare for me to come out once, so I want to talk to me ?"

"What?" Edward felt that his head was starting to get dizzy—could it be that the other party just wanted to talk to him about the stars, the moon, poetry, songs, and philosophy of life?

"Yate" coughed, turned his head to one side, covered his face with one hand, and made a look of unbearable sight: "Hey, if you don't mind, you can put on your clothes first, I think, facing Me, you won't be so eager. Of course, if you can, you can give me a set of clothes, it would be even better. "

Only then did Edward feel naked. Although a vampire wouldn't feel cold, it still made him uncomfortable.After taking a look at "Yate", he was convinced that the expression of "promise to be obedient" on the other party's face did not seem to be fake, so he ran out as fast as possible, took two sets of clothes, threw one set to "Yate", and the other Putting it on his body in a hurry - the other party's gaze as if he was about to peel off something made him feel hot even if he was naked.

"Yate" was not in a hurry, and even tidied up in front of the full-length mirror in the bathroom after putting it on—even though it was already full of fog.

Edward felt more and more weird—the atmosphere between the two suddenly turned so good.

However, when the other party showed exactly the same expression as Art with the same face as Art, even if it was only for a moment, the poor vampire couldn't help but obey the orders of the other.

Well, the other party was not malicious, probably.Edward could only comfort himself in this way.

And "Yate" who was dressed also turned around and showed a meaningful smile to Edward: "To be honest, you have a good figure."

Edward's face turned black instantly - he can guarantee that Art would never say such words with such an expression.

But at the same time that it was dark, he still recalled the figure of the other party in his head - he knew clearly that it also represented Yate's figure.

The other party sat on the toilet seat with a smirk, and looked at him with his legs crossed: "Okay, don't be so nervous, dear. Hey, don't stare at me, I and Art are one, and it doesn't matter to call you dear." Wrong?" He smiled treacherously, "Or, you don't want Art to call you that?"

Edward raised his hand, helplessly but had to surrender: お稥 "Okay, you won, but I warn you, you'd better get Art back immediately. I can't do anything to you, but it doesn't mean no one can do anything to you, The dark talents of vampires are all kinds of strange things."

"Art" shrugged: "That's right, I don't doubt this at all, so this is probably the last time I appear."

"What do you mean?" Edward raised his vigilance slightly.

"Yate" touched his chin and looked up at him: "Ah, it means that Yate won't need me anymore."

Edward saw some kind of regretful expression on his face, but the other party showed a carefree and indifferent look.

"Although Carlisle is a doctor, he is not a psychiatrist after all, so, I think, your understanding of me is not as comprehensive as you imagined, right?"

Edward ignored him.

"Hey, can you chat with me? No one in the world knows Art better than me. I think you must be interested in this."

Edward still didn't speak, but he had to say that the other party was right.

Seeing Edward's appearance, "Art" also became interested. He changed his legs and turned up, looking excited: "Come on, come on, I don't mind breaking the news at all. There were a lot of stories about Art when he was young. Speaking of it , Little Yate has you now, and you will protect him, but, a half-vampire, his childhood was not as easy as you think!"

"Children, no matter how smart you are, you will always show a lot of lies when you are young. Perhaps none of you care about his bird-speaking talent? Because vampires are always full of messy talents. But, our poor little Yate I didn't know I was a vampire at first!"

Edward was stunned for a moment, and "Art" still danced and gestured while speaking in his enthusiastic tone.

"Clairol is a good mother, but she can't be with Art all the time. Of course, no parent can be with a child all the time. I don't mean to slander Clairol."

"Hey, don't look at me like that, Edward! Well, I'm not as mind-reading as you, but your thoughts are written on your face right now - you win! Yes, that's when , he has me."

"Our little Art hadn't had a single friend before that, of course, because no kid likes a lying, shut-in, chattering monster—don't stare your eyes out, I'm not afraid You, I didn't say a word of these."

"Think about it, our little Yate has no friends, and no one can share his secrets with him, even the friends he finally found, because every sharing can only be exchanged for ridicule. The parents of those children even came to The school came to him and warned him not to spoil their kids. So maybe you should thank me, shouldn't you?"

"Art" said something that Edward didn't know in a cheerful tone, and the tone made the young brown-haired vampire feel more and more distressed after being shocked.

The Yate he sees is always happy, no matter how difficult the front is, he will live seriously and happily, no matter what others treat him, he will try his best to see the good side, he never Knowing that such a child who is like the warm but not scorching sun in spring actually grew up in those indifference, ridicule and hostility.

"Yate" turned to look at him and smiled: "Okay, don't worry, isn't he like this? Be careless, and soon forget about being bullied. Since no one cares about him, just follow yourself Talk; the kindergarten classmates don’t play with him, so they happily look forward to going to elementary school; the elementary school classmates also give him pointers when they hear about his kindergarten, and he just waits for himself to grow up. Speaking of it, He has always wanted to be a pure man, but he thinks a pure man is very strong! By the way, he doesn't know that it is me who is listening to him, but you don't need to tell him about this."

Suddenly there was an inexplicable feeling in Edward's heart, "Yate" turned his head over in a funny way: "You don't think it's strange, do you? Dual personality, in fact, from a certain level, it is to create another self. Like Art - create a person who can be friends with himself, and can tell each other all the happy and unhappy things. There is no closer friend than this. Well, I have such expectations Appeared!"

Edward saw "Art" smile, the corners of his mouth curled up, that smile was so familiar, just like what Edward thought before, it was warm, soft and full of life.

"Yate is such a person, optimistic, cheerful, always running forward with his fists clenched, no matter how much he loses, he will definitely smile and say that he has a whole world - those birds, that is his new world. Even though those ridiculous little guys are always bullying him and always causing him a lot of trouble, they are indeed all his friends! The little guys often go to avenge him, rushing up in a swarm, bullying him Shit on children, tearing other people's books and so on, these birds are the best. Of course, the little ones always do bad things with good intentions-for example, because of this, those children don't like him even more, Kate is still happy."

"Art" paused, turned his head, and stared at Edward with complicated eyes: "You don't know how happy he was when he met you. In a sense, you are his first A friend. No, not me, because, all the while, he didn't know I existed."

Edward didn't speak, but he felt that the facts were not what the other party said—because he knew, because he had no less expectation of Art than Art.

They are like two missing circles, going around and finally getting together.

"Yate" stood up, and immediately shook his body. Edward gave him a hand with complicated emotions. "Yate" smiled at him, rubbing his forehead in distress: "ah, my head is still a little dizzy. To be honest, I didn't know that I was so bad at drinking. Who made Yate a good boy? He is not an adult I didn't touch any wine before."

However, both "Art" and Edward knew that this might be because Art did not have the kind of friends who could invite him to drink.

"However, don't worry, you'll be fine when you sober up." Seeing that Edward was still looking at him, "Art" spread his hands in distress, "Okay, okay, I promise I will never show up again, regardless of Art How much to drink."

"What do you mean?"

"Art" hooked Edward's neck unceremoniously with his arm, and looked at him with a smile. Edward didn't hide, and was pulled by Art's ear and said every word: "It means, in the future, I will never There is my existence."

"He needs a friend, someone to listen to, and someone to share his grievances, so I appeared. But now, he has a father, a lover, and so many vampires who love him, I no longer need to exist The fact is so wonderful, I was originally a fictional personality, and when the power of this fantasy fades away, I will no longer exist. It's as simple as that. So, you don't have to be so nervous at all, dear."

Edward looked at the familiar eyes, frowned, and then smiled: "No, maybe, it's more because one body can't bear the existence of two spirits?"

"No matter how strong the body becomes due to the change of the vampire's power, it will never be so easy to be mentally strong. If you continue to exist and continue to obtain spiritual power from Ater, Ater will one day become stronger and stronger. The weaker you are, the more likely you will become a real vegetable. In other words, you are exchanging your own death for Ater's survival."

"Ah! From what you said, I suddenly feel that I am so great!" "Art" smiled and hung on Edward's body. Then, he raised his head and put a kiss on Edward's lips. "Well, the most important reason is that I entrusted him to you, and I believe that you will not betray him. Good night, Edward." He looked at Edward with a smile, and a trace of imperceptible regret and dissatisfaction flashed in his eyes She, and then slowly closed her eyes, and her body slid down softly.

Edward put his arms around him and heard Art's slow breathing in his arms.

Edward hugged Art horizontally, and when he turned around, he kicked the shower head that fell to the ground. The water sprayed from the shower head hit Edward's legs, soaking the jeans he just wore.

Edward hugged Art tightly, and put a kiss on his lips, he whispered: "Good night, dear."

This is a wonderful fate, and he cherishes it very much.Therefore, he will not say sorry to that personality, because even if it happens again, he will still choose that personality to die without hesitation.

Good night and may you be at peace.

The author has something to say: the text is over.As for H and Mimi, let's see you in the episode.

After the extra episode is over, I will start custom printing, and I will also put in the evil content you want to see.

Well, actually, I really like writing side stories.

happy New Year to all!

PS: I wrote chapters 52 and 53 because I suddenly took out a second personality. After I finished drawing, I found it a bit abrupt, and everyone didn't accept it. So, I want to throw these two chapters here, and wait until I write a special episode , replace these two chapters.

Well, those who bought V don’t have to worry about wasting money, because if you replace it, the number of words can only be more or less.

Let me think about whose story to write first.Do you think Jacob's or Dmitry's?Or Electrolux?Oh, I got the Electrolux for Mother C's second son.Someone said that Caius was rationed, which I find very interesting.I guarantee that as long as Caius dares to show the slightest sign, Marty, who has the dark talent to see through other people's relationships, will definitely rush up and beat him madly.Hahaha~

53

53. Extra Story·Alice 01...

A foggy morning at the Santa Maria Mental Hospital in the suburbs of Mississippi, USA.

When Old John arrived in a hurry through the fog, several middle-aged women with thick waists and round arms were impatiently cursing the screaming patients in the mental hospital. If it weren't for their clothes, probably no one would have thought of them It turned out to be the staff of this mental hospital.

Old John smiled wryly and shook his head.

There is no way around this. The United States has finally been involved in this world war. Although the war did not start in the United States, there are still many young people who set foot on the battlefield with excitement or fear or desire for the future. A strange atmosphere gradually spread in this young country. Many people seem to have begun to forget the economic crisis that made everyone fall into the quagmire, and become eager to try.Corresponding to this crazy mood, more and more people were sent to mental hospitals, although Old John knew that some people were not really sick.

Yes, John Sr. called America "the young country," because his age was not much younger than this country.

He is a vampire, an unknown vampire who tries to hide in the crowd and live secretly.

He was not young when he became such a monster, so he was neither ecstatic like those crazy vampire worshipers nor cynical like religious people.His age and experience allowed him to face this sudden change calmly, even the most frightening thing like life and death did not make him lose his indifference.

Although he must drink human blood, in such a chaotic age, there is never a shortage of blood, whether it comes from the battlefield, or those who are forced by life to die unwillingly in the dark alleys of the United States.

Old John didn't think he was so evil. His only regret was that he could no longer be exposed to sunlight, which made him have to come to the mental hospital every day when it was still dark or foggy.He even had the idea of ​​living here, wondering if the dean would take pity on him, a lonely old man, and agree to his request.

It's a very normal day, except that the (first) World War is breaking out in the world, Old John thought, completely unaware that he was wrong, until he greeted the big women and entered mental hospital.

He smelled a sweet smell, very sweet.Old John froze in place all of a sudden.

Annie, the blonde among the fat women looked at Old John in surprise, and then giggled: "Hey, Old John, what are you doing? Are you going to join our conversation?"

The women looked at each other and laughed together.Forty women are the age of wolves and tigers. What they were talking about just now was about men. Old virgins like Old John who are not only pale and cold, but also old and frail are not their targets.

Old John turned his face in embarrassment and asked, "Is there a new guy today?"

Annie finished laughing, and thought for a while: "Oh, yes, a little guy was sent last night. I heard that he was always crazy and said he could see the future, but when I looked at that little girl, there was nothing unusual—oh, Of course, you have to get rid of her disabled eyes." Annie giggled again, which made her plump breasts throb, like a kangaroo's pouch, "I threw her in the room at the end of the second floor Oh, what a nuisance, another freebie, and it looks like he's going to spend an extra piece of black bread today, damn it! Don't think I don't know, that's what those stingy bastards intend..."

Old John didn't listen to Anne's complaints, he walked straight to the room at the end of the second floor step by step.

He has worked here for several years, and he is planning to leave here in a few years to find a new place to live, so he knows Santa Maria's dilapidated mental hospital like the back of his hand.

He even clearly remembered that there used to be a boy who liked to wear red clothes living in that room. That boy always thought he was a girl, so he always tore up all the clothes his parents prepared for him, even if he was naked. Compromise, unless you give him a red dress.Later, he was sent here, and later, when the economic crisis came suddenly, the food here began to be reduced to a piece of black bread and a glass of water a day, the boy's body gradually couldn't support it, and finally died.

Old John remembered that it was more than two months ago, so the room was vacant.

The luscious smell guided old John out of the last room, and he saw the rather delicious little girl.

The room is very cramped, of course, there is no way around it.But it is still good, each room has a small dilapidated iron window, although this only allows a little sunlight to penetrate into this crumbling mental hospital, it does not allow any mental patient to violently hurt others.

In fact, compared to a mental hospital, Old John felt that it was more like a prison.He used to work in prison, and there is not much difference between here and here.

There is only one wooden board in the room, with a little old cotton batting and newspapers on it to serve as the bed board.Curled up on the bed was a thin figure with short, messy black hair.

Old John glanced at the record on the door, which read, "Name: Mary Alice Brandon. Age: 16."

She is so small, she looks like she is only twelve or thirteen years old.Old John sighed, the voice was actually very soft, but the girl heard it.

She raised her head from the torn cotton and looked in the direction of Old John: "Who are you?"

Old John's heart skipped a beat, because he saw a pair of completely ruined eyes, so abruptly inlaid on a delicate but thin face, it seemed inexplicably terrifying.

Old John liked the smell of this girl. He hadn't smelled such a good smell in many years. Although it made him want to bite the girl's neck very badly, it had been too long for Old John to become a vampire, whether it was When he was a human or a vampire, he was a calm and self-controlled person, so he was not bewitched by that smell, instead... he had a feeling of closeness, as if there was a special connection between the two .

Old John suddenly felt a little emotional. He even thought that when he was in an accident, his granddaughter was probably younger than her, right?Has it been so many years?

Oh, how long has it been since he recalled his memories of being human?

Old John took out the key and opened the door of the room. The rattling sound of the door lock made the little girl a little nervous.Old John smiled, his voice was surprisingly nice, with a rustling feeling, but it was not rough: "Mary? May I call you like that? Oh, let me introduce myself first, I am the staff here, they all call me You may call it that, old John, and I don't mind, sweet girl."

Mary's eyes couldn't see, it was obviously artificially blinded, but this didn't prevent her from turning her face in the direction of old John, although her movements didn't look very skilled.

"Okay, you can call me Mary, they all call me Mary." She said this, but her tone was a little sad.

Old John knew who she was talking about, her parents, but they sent her to this place with their own hands, and although Old John dared to swear on his own eternal life, the girl was absolutely sane and free from any related diseases.

"Hey Mary, since everyone else calls you that, shouldn't I call you something else? Like... How about Alice? Oh, it reminds me of Alice in Wonderland, my little girl." Old John Sitting next to the little girl, he touched the little girl's head.

"Alice? The little girl who went down the rabbit hole? Well, although I haven't met Mr. Rabbit." The little girl tilted her head and agreed with him. Then, after thinking for a while, she asked cautiously, "So... Mr. John, can I touch you? You know, I can't see, but I think we're friends now, and I should know what you look like," she added hastily.Obviously, being sent to such a place suddenly made her terrified, and she wanted to catch even the inexplicable kindness.

"Of course, it's my pleasure, my little friend." John let her hand touch his face.

"It's so cold on your body." Alice smiled, but when she touched his face, she still couldn't help complaining.

Smelling the sweet smell, Old John approached him, thinking that fortunately he had eaten enough last night, so he said jokingly, "Your body is no better than mine, little Alice."

Alice laughed.Old John was right, it was morning, the sun had not yet risen, and she only had a light coat on, so the room was indeed a bit cold.

Old John heard Alice's exclamation again. This blind girl was unexpectedly optimistic. Even though she lost her eyes, she was still using her hands to discover miracles every moment: "Oh, old John, you have a chin. beards, they're as stiff as porcupine hair, and they're thorny!"

"Porcupine? Have you seen that thing?"

"Of course! But it was a long time ago." Alice lowered her voice regretfully.

Naturally, from that day on, Old John had a child.

Of course, this didn't bring any real help to Alice.Old John was just an old and frail staff member in the mental hospital, and it is God's blessing that he didn't lose this job not long after the economic crisis passed. There is no way to feed.

But fortunately, old John didn't need food, so he brought it to Alice, and some old newspapers from the garbage dump, which he would read to the little girl, even though the news might have passed It's been several days.

This girl is the strongest girl he has ever seen, who likes to laugh, likes to ask a lot of questions, likes to touch different things with her hands.He is old, and he always wants to stay with such a strong and lovely girl, which makes him feel full of vitality.

Facts have proved that, just like Alice claimed, she can indeed see the future, although the power is not under her control, and even destroyed her eyes - she once saw a car accident by accident, but unfortunately, At that time, this young girl didn't know how to protect herself. The sudden disaster made her use her own efforts to save innocent lives without even thinking about it. She didn't know that the things she said before were never believed. It has even caused many people to hate her, after all, no one wants to hear bad luck all the time.

And soon, the car accident really happened, but the other party was annoyed by Alice's words and did not accept her suggestion.So, naturally, Alice who spoke out about the car accident was also regarded as a disaster by the crazy survivors.

Sometimes, people are like this, maybe they don’t understand that it’s not the other party’s fault, but when the mistakes they committed cannot be forgiven, how can they control the fear and fear in their hearts if they don’t find someone to replace their sins? What about remorse?

Alice's eyes were stabbed blind in this way. At that time, she was only 14 years old. For the first time, the great pain personally taught this cheerful and beautiful little girl that she should keep her mouth shut.And for the next two years, she did just fine until...

Until she saw that the person who had the disaster was her father, and she was sent here after being beaten all over by her hysterical mother.

"If only I could prove to them earlier that I can really see the future." For this, Alice said to the old vampire.

When he said this, the old vampire was already very familiar with Alice, and they were used to finding topics of mutual interest in the loud roars of peripheral neuropathy.

It was noon when Old John brought Alice food and a ragged cotton jacket he found somewhere.

Faint sunlight came in from the purposely left skylight, and old John's body shone brightly, like a diamond.

Alice was sitting right in front of him, but she couldn't see, so Old John didn't care, the rare, relaxed warmth of sitting in the sun fascinated Old John.

"Thank you, Mr. John," said Alice to Old John, as she picked up her food.

Old John froze for a moment, Alice giggled as if she knew it and said, "Well, thank you Old John for preparing the food for me!"

Old John coughed lightly in embarrassment: "I thought you didn't know."

Alice stuffed the dry bread into her mouth cherishingly, and put her other thin hand under her chin to prevent any food residue from falling on the ground.

Her mouth was stuffed with dry bread, and she had to take a big sip of water to feel her belly comfortably.

Old John looked at the empty broken bowl, thinking that Alice would always hide some leftover food in the past, so that he could secretly eat some food when he was hungry, his eyes suddenly flashed: "Someone took your food? Is it Who? Those blood-sucking leech-like staff?"

Alice was keenly aware of the cold aura on Old John's body, and stopped touching his belly: "John?"

"No, it's nothing." Old John smiled, bent down, took out a ball of fluffy things from his arms, and carefully put them into Alice's arms, "Look at this, my little girl."

"Oh my God!" Alice screamed and jumped up in shock from the sudden plush touch, and Old John leaned forward and backward: "Haha, my girl, don't be so afraid, come on, guess what it is?"

Alice carefully picked up the fluffy thing, and when she touched the pair of long ears, she exclaimed in surprise: "Rabbit! It's a rabbit! I know this!"

Old John blinked, although Alice couldn't see it: "Of course, now, our Alice also has her Mr. Rabbit. Oh, but it's a pity, this rabbit is female, maybe it would be more appropriate to call her Miss Rabbit? You know, with old arms and legs like me, it's good enough to catch a rabbit, but there's no time to see if it's sir or miss."

Alice giggled. She had never been so happy at home.She hugged the shivering Miss Rabbit, squeezed the poor Miss Rabbit to her face and rubbed it several times, then suddenly leaned over and kissed Old John's cold face resoundingly: "Thank you, Mr. John."

Old John's face, which was always pale, turned red rarely. He looked at the smiling Alice, stretched out his hand, tried it, and finally, it landed lightly on top of her head, and patted: "No, You are welcome, my dear Alice."

"But... I