Tanjelavi

Ree

Unable to comprehend Rods's motives (maybe he really found out about everything and it was some sort of his last goodbye before reporting me to the nearest police officer?), I tried avoiding him the entire day through—only to hear his footsteps coming closer, closer to me, when the workday was finally over and absolutely no one was around...

"Hey, why are you avoiding me? Why are you so afraid...?"

The last phrase was pronounced with such a sorrow, a sincere and deep sorrow, I couldn't help but look up and see him raising his head with his eyes fixed on me, as if trying, desperately wanting to magnetize me to him, at least a little bit closer: just a little bit...

"Let's start all anew then", sighed he and smiled. "Wanna see my collection again? I haven't yet explained you everything, and he stretched his arm forward, waiting for me to take it"

After a moment's hesitation, I did take him by the hand and he approvingly looked back at me, having turned around, and smiled wider as we went to his office again

There, he took each prototype of his, one by one, and told me in detail how the idea to construct this particular one occurred to him, how he made it to build it, how he found out about the plus, the minus sides, how it all worked... He kindly encouraged me to bombard him with even more questions than the day before and was shining with delight whenever I asked him a question myself... His patience both astounded and frightened me, I wanted to run away like yesterday, but seeing him so passionately telling about his prototypes, the glare in his green eyes whenever my supposition was right, his delightful smile at a question of mine he thought was good magically made me stay I even dunno what for...

Why was he doing all this? Has he noticed I was... And so was trying to help me...?!

That doesn't make any sense: he is supposed to report me as a criminal, not help me with my crime!

Better to think he hasn't yet—bruh, he isn't stupid, of course he must've figure it all out long time ago! I'm not Arsène Lupin—and he's neither Herlock Sholmes nor Sherlock Holmes though...

Several hours passed by like this and we had to go talk to our humans, but as I opened my mouth to apologize and go away, he said, "I know... Es wird schon Zeit1..." Then he added, "The time's running out..."

I closed my opened mouth with difficulty and was about to go away as he approached me and asked, "See you again tomorrow?"

His hand was again stretched out to me and it took me a minute to figure out what I was supposed to do with it—a minute all of which he was patiently waiting through... After that, I finally stretched my arm to his and we shook hands. As I slowly was getting out, he threw a glance back at me and winked: all with a happy smile on his face...

1. The time has already come...