The town was bustling with music and gleeful voices echoing through the streets each day of the festival. People danced and laughed, ate and drank, and perused the wares of the vendors.

The Sabertooth Guild celebrated harder than anyone, grateful to have another great year as the "new and improved" Sabertooth. Many of the guild members manned special stands for games and the like, wanting to give back to the townsfolk in whatever way they could, while the more popular members including Orga, Rufus, Yukino, Sting, and Rogue would sign autographs and pose for pictures.

Senna and her staff didn't get much time away from The Rocky Grove with business booming, but they would shut things down for an hour or two periodically throughout the day in order to recoup, enjoy some of the festivities, and get ready for the next rush. It helped that Senna had come up with a system that allowed for a certain number of people to reserve a table during a specific time frame in order to ensure that she and the others didn't get too overwhelmed. During the breaks, Senna decided to walk about town and see how the festival was doing. It brought her great joy to see everyone so happy, but her smile would fade and she'd turn away whenever she saw Sting- even whenever they made eye contact.

Sting would see Senna every now and then in town, but he never got a chance to speak with her. She'd either disappear into the crowd, he'd get pulled away by tourists and townsfolk, or he'd see her turn away any time they'd make eye contact. He wanted to make sure that she was alright, but he couldn't figure out a good way to do so. He would keep thinking "I'll catch up with her later," but later never seemed to come. That changed, though, when the night of the party finally came.

The Sabertooth Guildhall was decorated with banners and paper lanterns to keep with the theme of the rest of the festival. Food and drink stations were set up buffet style with enough food and drink to feed every member of the guild and then some. Mona, Nadia, and Ely manned the stations while Senna dealt with the majority of the cooking- per her request- and they were thrilled to be able to take part in the festivities alongside their new friends. Amelia had even tagged along to lend a hand while she was still in town, eager to repay the others for taking care of Senna when she couldn't be there. And once all of the food and drink backups were finished and the desserts had been placed in the cooler until they were needed, Senna decided to take a break and join the others.

She was happy to see that everyone was having lots of fun. Even Amelia was having a blast, but that was no surprise to Senna; Amelia was always the party animal. After a while, though, Senna's heart began to ache and she stepped away for some fresh air.

"That feels nice..." she muttered to herself, leaning against the stone exterior of the guildhall as a pleasant breeze drifted through town from the mountains. She stood there for a few moments, her eyes closed- grateful for a bit of peace and quiet.

"Hey, you good?"

Senna looked over and saw Amelia joining her, offering her a bit of Hollion. "Yeah, I just needed some fresh air. Thanks."

"So what's up?"

"Nothing, why?"

"Come on, Senna, we've been friends since we were eight. I know when something's on your mind."

Senna sighed, sipping the Hollion. "I can never hide anything from you, can I?"

"Nope! Now come on, tell me what's on your mind?"

"Nothing major, it's just that everyone here seems so happy together and acts like a real family."

Amelia's shoulders sank a bit. "Something you've never really had..."

"I envy Sabertooth, having something so worth fighting for and protecting- like a loving family."

"You know you can have that, too, right? It's not too late, Senna."

Senna stared down at her drink, a pained smile on her face. "You know why I never try, Amelia... I don't want to go through that heartache again... I don't want to suffer another abusive hell like before..."

"Senna, no one else around you is as bad as your father. I haven't met a single person that makes me fear for your safety and well-being. These are good people who can give you what you've been longing for, but you have to give them that chance." Amelia sighed. "I know you're scared and no one is going to force you to do anything, but you should at least try, right? I mean what about your brother and your grandfather? You know who they are, yet they don't even know you exist! How long are you just going to watch them from afar? How long are you going to keep torturing yourself?"

"And what if they're just like my dad, hmm? Why would I set myself up like that? I don't need more heartache and suffering, I just want to live a life that I can be proud of and I have that here! When Mom died, everything she left to me went into building The Rocky Grove and setting myself up for a decent future. I've been on my own for so long now that it's all I really know. And I hardly ever get to see you! It's all I can do just to survive, Amelia..."

Amelia wasn't sure what to say at that point and looked down in defeat.

Senna sighed and downed the rest of her Hollion. "I'm just gonna get back to work... thanks for the drink..." She walked past Amelia, then headed back towards the kitchen. As she walked back in, though, she hadn't noticed Sting leaning against the wall with a sullen expression.

After a moment, Amelia came through the door and spotted Sting. "Oh, um, hey."

Sting looked at her. "Hey."

"So... can you do me a favor?"

"Uh, sure."

"Take care of Senna, will ya?"

Sting wasn't sure what to say, so he simply nodded. When Amelia excused herself, Sting decided to head off to the kitchens and see if he could talk to Senna. 'Will she even make time for that, though..?'