I take a seat, calm myself, light a cigarette, and watch the pre-festival activities while waiting for the others to come into view.

...I haven't felt this calm in a long time.

All the lights shining perfectly, the distance faces of happy Lungmenites, the sounds that are just barely hearable past my headphones.

It just all fits together. It really is a scene out of a dream.

...

"There you are." I hear someone say behind me.

"Texas." I reply, getting a look, "Are you hurt anywhere?"

"No, I'm fine. Have you seen anyone else?"

"Not yet." I respond, "Just looking over the skyline, reflecting on old stuff."

"Hence the cigarette?" She asks.

"Hence the cigarette." I confirm.

She sits on a pile of trash across from me and joins in the crowd watching.

...

A breeze sweeps through, carrying silence with it.

...

"Az!"

Someone yells, getting our attention.

"Texas!"

They call out again.

"Exusiai!"

I finally recognize the voice.

"Anyone!"

Its Sora.

"Over here Sora." I call out.

The yells turn into footsteps as Sora approaches our location.

She comes within sight of us, and a look of relief washes over her alongside a smile.

...

"I was in a random alleyway by the time the sand got out of my eye." She says walking over to me, "I was worried that I lost all of you."

She quietly laughs at herself before taking a seat next to me, resting her head on my shoulder.

...

"So what do we do now?" Texas asks while Sora closes her eyes and takes some deep breaths.

"Do you know if Exusiai or Croissant have begun carrying their phones on them during missions? Calling them would be easiest." I ask Texas.

"Exusiai brings her phone about a quarter of the time, and I don't think Croissant has ever brought her phone to a combat mission, always saying something about possibly damaging it."

I sigh, "I'll just give Exusiai a call and see if she picks up, we'll go from there."

...

I get out my phone and head to my contacts and call Exusiai.

*Ring*

*Ring*

*Ring*

*Ring*

Finally, Exusiai's voice comes through the speakers.

...

"Hello! I'm away right now so please gimme a voice memo, thanks!"

...

And it's a pre-recorded message.

"So, do you want to go find them or have them find us?" I ask the two.

"I don't care, whatever you guys choose I'll do." Sora says first.

"I think that we could wait just a bit more, then we could find some high ground and try to scope them out." Texas replies, giving us a plan.

"Alright, we'll give ourselves 10 more minutes here, we can begin searching after that's passed."

Texas nods and Sora gives an "Mhmm" of acknowledgment.

...

Yet again the breeze lightly swoops in.

Texas and I resume people-watching while Sora looks about halfway to sleeping with her eyes closed, slow breathing, and a comfortable position.

She begins lightly shivering, the wind most likely bringing coldness along with it.

She curls up into me, and I cover her with my jacket.

She stops shivering, a subtle smile appearing on her face.

...

...

...

"Hey! You guys!" We hear someone scream and look over to see some lungmenites to our right.

"Yeah you guys, you keep causing ruckuses over in these parts!" The same guy screams.

"And we're gonna pay you back in full bastards!" Another lungmenite says from the left of us.

Squads of people come from both sides as we three get up.

"We're surrounded. An ambush right in the slums." Texas says.

"They don't look to be with the mobsters, are they just normal people?" I ask.

"I think they're just normal people. Really, really, really annoying normal people." Sora says before grumbling something to herself.

Forming a circle around us, one of the lungmenites says, "Dai Lo says teach them a lesson." And rushes in.

The horde of people follow them.

...

"Do they know what they're doing?" Texas says, annoyed.

"They don't even have weapons..." Sora points out.

"...Just, don't kill them alright? Knock out the big ones and the rest will run off." I tell both of them.

...I sigh to myself...

The hardest part of this fight will be not fighting too much.

"They knocked out John!" Someone screams as I smash a brick of ice on someone's head, knocking them out as well.

"They got Ali as well!" Someone from the left says looking at the unconscious body I just caused.

Some of the people begin to back up from me, obviously scared.

I take a single step forward. In response, they take about fifteen steps backward.

"Are they that scared of me?" I mutter to myself. I thought it would take maybe about five or six knocked out people, but apparently two will suffice.

I make myself an ice sword out of thin air and get into a stance, saying without words, 'If you don't move, this will make you.'

...

They quickly file away, some screaming, some tripping over each other, and some pushing through each other as if it was a game of pinball.

...It's an interesting sight to say the least.

I follow them a bit, making sure they're out of the picture entirely before I head back to the group.

...Eventually I lose sight of them. Their screams fade out a little bit afterward.

I take it in for a second before lighting another cigarette and starting a walk back to the group.

I finally reach the clearing where the group is.

I walk past the last building, "Are you done Texa-

"Ere' he is!" Croissant meets me.

"We were waiting for you." Texas says before taking a seat, "Exusiai and Co. decided to show up while you went chasing after them."

I take a seat myself, "Sorry for that, I just wanted to make sure that the guys were out of the picture before heading back."

"You're all good." Exusiai says before turning to Texas, "Sooo... Whaddya think we do now? Mostima Mostimia'd so we don't have to worry about her for the time being."

...

Nothing is said as Texas seems to ponder for a second.

She seems to make up her mind after a second, and opens her mouth to say-

*Ring*

Her phone goes off before her words.

"Wait! Why are we accepting this so quickly!?" Bison screams while being shoved into a car.

"The boss is called the boss for a reason." Texas says first, "And we didn't have anything else to do, I was just going to say that we should call the boss and see what he has to say."

Emperor had called Texas, saying that he will make an appearance at the festival Texas and I have been watching from the distance this entire time.

He's enlisted us to "Watch his back" and then "Scoop up all the wannabes chasing after us."

Hearing this, we all popped ourselves in a nearby car and began driving downtown.

Well... We would be driving downtown if Bison wasn't experiencing extreme whiplash currently.

...

"Just get yerself' in the car and move it!" Croissant says to Bison.

"It'll be fun! Festivals are always nice." Sora pitches in.

He looks over to the driver's seat, Texas meeting him with a death stare.

He freezes for a bit before grumbling and taking his seat in the car.

Texas sighs and starts up the engine.

...

Wait, doesn't the game describe Texas's driving as-

*BOOM*

We launch from the slums at a speed I'd never thought I feel in a car.

I grab the seat to make sure that I don't get flung, Sora grabs me while Bison just goes flying.

"SLOW DOWN PLEASE!" Bison screams after finally stabilizing himself.

...

Texas does not slow down.

(Originally) Uploaded on July 3, 2022.