*A day and half went by after those who were kidnapped had been rescued. Dust was sent back to the hospital to rest and have check-ups. He is sitting up in his bed reading the newspaper*
(Dust): Well it looks like the mission was a success. Everyone who was kidnapped has been safely returned home and the human supremacists were all caught including Don Castle himself. All in all, a happy ending. So why are you here?
*Dust lowers his newspaper and sees Jin looking at him. He wore a red snowcap, dark brown sweater, blue jeans, and brown boots*
(Jin): Because it’s not a happy ending. This whole event has pretty much rocked the kingdom. On the surface everything is fine, but underneath things are bad. I can’t believe the damage those supremacists caused to the kingdom. This is worse than when Blood Moon attacked.
(Dust): Racism goes both ways, rookie.
(Jin): I know. I’ve seen it in the past and felt helpless. But now here I am as a knight and I still feel helpless. Gael, Fei, and Keanu are my friends and they were all captured because of some stupid prejudice. Not to mention you got hurt as well. You were all close to me and I couldn’t do anything to stop it. I’m mad at that those supremacists for kidnapping and hurting Gael and the others. And I’m mad at myself for not being quicker to save them and see what was happening in my own kingdom. I’m supposed to be a protector and yet I couldn’t prevent this.
(Dust): Rookie, take a seat.
*Jin sits down in a chair near Dust’s bed*
(Dust): I get where you’re coming from. Believe me you’re not the only one who’s feeling like this. Did you know I was actually investigating the supremacists and working with the White knights.
(Jin): What? No, I had no idea.
(Dust): Yep, I was looking into local gangs and supremacists hotspots for clues. If I had been more thorough and quicker we could have prevented this from ever happening. But unfortunately I wasn’t and here I am lying in a bed because of a high fever. What made it even more frustrating was I couldn’t go up there to the lodge to punch at least one of those supremacists in the face. But you did. You may not have been able to prevent the kidnappings, but you prevented people from dying and rescued your friends in the process. That’s something you can be proud of. Being a knight doesn’t mean weren’t gods. We can’t see or hear everything. We’re going to make mistakes and be late to prevent crimes from happening. It’s what we do after they happen that matters.
(Jin): So what should I do now? I’m worried about Gael and the others. What can I do for them?
(Dust): You’re their friend. Be there for them. Things are going to be tough for a while, but they’re strong and they’ll need you there to remind them that they don’t stand alone.
*Jin hears a ping on his phone*
(Jin): Huh, what’s this?
(Dust): I asked Hibana to send you something for a job well done. Be sure to use it wisely. Now get it out of here and let me enjoy my hospital pudding.
***
*At Tiger Plaza, Rowen was sitting in Korone’s office while his mother was on a video call talking to Korone. Rowen’s mom had black hair and pink eyes*
(Rowen’s mother): My decision is final! Rowen is quitting effective immediately.
(Korone): With all due respect Judge Harp that’s not your decision to make. Rowen is 18 years old which means he is a legal adult. If he wants to quit the order I need to hear it from him.
(Rowen): Mom, I understand your concern, but I need time to think this over.
(Rowen’s mother): What’s there to think about? The order failed to protect you and it’s clear to me has citizens and commanders who don’t value your efforts.
(Rowen): That was uncalled for mom. Commander Korone has been good to me. You know that she and the rest of the order did everything in their power to find me.
(Rowen’s mother): Yes, but after you were kidnapped. Do you have any idea how worried we all were for you? I just want what’s best for you. Please do the same for yourself.
*Rowen’s mother ends the call*
(Rowen): Commander, I apologize for my mom’s comments. She doesn’t really mean what she said. She’s just really emotional right now.
(Korone): It’s alright. She has every right to be upset with me and the order. This incident was the biggest blunder in the history of the order. I knew the supremacists were planning something big and yet I still let them bite us like a snake. All I can do is just apologize and beg you for another chance to prove that the order wants to protect the citizens. Now, the matter of your resignation. Like I said the choice is yours. I’ll give you until tomorrow morning to decide what to do. Dismissed.
(Rowen): Yes ma’am.
*Rowen bows his head, gets up, and leaves the room. As Rowen exits the room, Katherine comes in to check on Korone who had turned around in her chair and wasn’t facing Katherine*
(Korone): Is that you Katherine?
(Katherine): Yes. I just wanted to remind you of Don Castle’s interrogation this afternoon. Constantine is set to conduct it. Is everything okay?
(Korone): Yes. It’s just heavy.
*Katherine couldn’t see Korone’s face, but she could tell that Korone was tearing up from the crack in her voice*
(Katherine): That’s what it means to be a commander. Don’t give up on yourself. We all know how much you care about this kingdom. I know this is selfish of me to say but please don’t waver. If you do, then who can we trust to lead us? Things are bad now, but I know you can pull us through this. Just know that, you’re not alone in this fight, and I will do my part to help you.
*Korone was silently crying as Katherine was also shedding tears trying to comfort her commander and friend*
***
*Outside of Tiger Plaza, Rowen was walking with the resignation letter in his hand. He wore a grey coat and light blue scarf around his neck while wearing some navy blue jeans and grey boots. He took a sigh and began to think about his future and what he was going to do*
***
*At Sanada’s house, Gael and Sanada were sparring with each other at the request of Gael while Raika watched them. Sanada’s house was very unique. It was once a dojo before it was closed down by the sensei and brought up by Amarti. His plans were to originally tear it down but once Sanada saw it he asked Amarti he could move and make the place his home as it reminded him of home in the eastern part of Rein. Even though he was passing up on a potential money-making opportunity, Amarti conceded and allowed Sanada to live in the dojo. Sanada was currently blocking all of Gael’s attacks with his sword while Gael used his bo staff to go on offense. Even though the two weren’t going all out it was still an intense battle between the two and a magic blast pushed the two away from each other*
(Sanada): Okay. Let’s take a break.
*Sanada sheathed his sword*
(Gael): Oh come on. It was just getting good.
(Sanada): Now. Now. You’re breathing heavily. We can continue after our break. I’m glad to see you aren’t rusty after missing some days of training.
(Gael): Ha! I don’t have time to get rusty. I’ve got to get stronger for BOSR.
(Raika): Well first you’ll need to qualify for the tournament. Now come and eat.
*Raika offers him a ham sandwich and he grabs it*
(Gael): Thanks, sis.
*Gael takes bite out of the ham sandwich and savors the taste*
(Raika): So, how are you feeling?
(Gael): Sis, you keep asking and I keep telling you, I’m fine. I was in Blood Moon remember? I’m not shocked or surprised to see humans share their hatred for demihumans. They roughed me up a little bit but it’s nothing I couldn’t handle.
(Sanada): She wasn’t asking how you were doing physically. She meant mentally.
(Gael): What? Mentally? I’m fine. Never better.
*Gael laughed as he reached for his water bottle. As he did, Raika noticed the bruised marks around his wrists when he was handcuffed as well as the one on the back of his neck*
(Raika): Gael, your wrists!
*Raika grabbed his wrist to examine it. As soon as Raika grabbed him, his eyes went bloodshot and he used his free hand to smack her hand away. Gael then broke out into a sweat and began to breath heavily as he shuffled away from Raika*
(Sanada): Gael, are you-
*Gael sat there and growled at Sanada who tried to approach him. Sanada saw Gael shaking and stopped when Raika held out her arm. Looking up at Sanada, Raika shook her head silently. Sanada understood and stepped back while Raika lowered her arm and slowly crawled over to Gael who was still shaking, sweating, and growling in a low tone*
(Raika): Gael. It’s okay.
*Hearing his name, Gael turned his attention to Raika and saw her slowly crawling toward him. He tried to back away but his back was to the wall*
(Raika): Gael. I won’t hurt you.
*Raika could hear Gael breathing heavily as she approached him*
(Raika): I won’t hurt you. You’re safe.
*Raika continued to crawl toward Gael and managed to reach him where she wrapped her arms around his head and hugged him. Gael was still shaking but his sweating had stopped his breathing was starting to return to normal*
(Raika): I won’t hurt you. Not now. Not ever.
*Gael looked up at Raika giving her the most innocent puppy dog eyes ever*
(Raika): You will always be safe with me.
*Raika signal for Sanada to come over and he also hugged Gael*
(Sanada): I won’t hurt you either. No harm will ever come to you as long as I’m around. I swear it.
*Sanada and Raika continued to hug Gael as if he were their own child. As they continued to hug him, his phone rumbled and Jin’s name came up*
***
*At the Wall, Keanu was busy training. He was alone as none of the human knights wanted to approach him. They didn’t know what to say to him. Should they apologize? Should they try to relate to his situation? Was there anything they could say? What could they do. As everyone wrecked their brains, Robbie and Trey approached Keanu*
(Trey): Hey Keanu, up for a little sparring?
*The human knights were shocked at what Trey asked. Did he really ask to fight Keanu given what’s happened to him*
(Keanu): Sure. Glad someone isn’t afraid to fight me.
*Both knights took up a fighting position and prepared to spar. Keanu made the first moved and charged directly at Trey who hadn’t drawn his rapier. He just stood there. Keanu leaped into the air prepared to deliver a wind slash attack but missed Trey on purpose and landed behind him just as the wind slash brushed past Trey’s head*
(Keanu): You son of a bitch! What the hell are you doing? Fight me!
(Trey): Free shot. Come on. I’m sure you still got some anger over what transpired these last few days, so get it out of your system. I won’t hold any grudges over it.
(Keanu): There’s no point in beating you up. My gripe isn’t with you. It’s against the supremacists.
*Keanu sits down and gets joined by Trey and Robbie*
(Robbie): *Sigh* Sorry. This was my fault, I suggested it. There’s just been this dark cloud around you and we just wanted to do something to cheer you up.
(Keanu): Honestly, I really don’t want to beat up the supremacists. You know what the worst part about being mixed raced? Both sides reject me. The elves say I’m too human while the humans say I’m too elf. There’s no compromise and both sides refuse to accept me for who I am.
(Trey): That’s rough. I had no idea you were going through all this. I’m sorry. I should have been a better friend.
(Robbie): Same. I should have picked up on this.
(Keanu): It’s okay guys, really. If anything you’ve been the best friends I’ve had in my entire life. Race has never been a thing between us. You’ve been nothing but good friends since the day I met you. I know I said it before but thanks for coming to save me. I owe you one.
*Trey and Robbie smile*
(Trey): Oh please. You would have done the same thing for us.
*Keanu stays quiet*
(Robbie): Right Keanu?
(Keanu): Eventually. Time moves slow for us elves. A day for you might as well just be an hour-long nap for me.
(Trey): *Chuckles* You’re a minq (dick) you know that?
(Keanu): Such language. I’m going to tell your mom.
(Trey): You better not tell my mom! I’ll say I learned from you.
(Keanu): Not if I get to her first.
*Keanu leaps and makes a run for the exit as Trey chased after him. Robbie got up laughing as he watched his friends run off and went after them*
(Robbie): Got some things to work out but we’ll get there.
*The human knights who witnessed everything were speechless at what just happened*
***
*Out on the streets of Brister, Kazuma was doing some parkour on the rooftops. He was wearing his Red Vermillion Order tracksuit except this one was mostly black with red lining and a red bird on the back. He was given a few days off from active duty to rest but he couldn’t sit still and decided to move his body. Not wanting to make things awkward with everyone at the Wall, he choose to go out to do some training. As he jumped from rooftop to rooftop feeling the cold hair, he stopped when he heard a cry for help. Looking down into an alleyway, he saw three demihumans, all male who were deer with antlers. They were closing in on a man who was carrying groceries and cowering behind him were a small boy and girl who were on the brink of tears*
(Kazuma): Knight time.
*Sliding down a nearby pole, he jumped off it and landed on an AC unit before leaping to another pole and then jumping off that to land on fire escape ladders which fell down and he landed on the flipping over to put himself between the humans and demihumans*
(Kazuma): Hey, what’s going on here?
(Deer demihuman #1): Nothing much. Just killing some time with these humans.
(Kazuma): You guys must be new around here. We don’t tolerate this kind of behavior amongst citizens. I suggest finding something else to do. Might I recommend the karaoke club.
(Deer demihuman #2): Ohh~, and is the little bunny going to stop us?
*The third deer demihuman reaches for Kazuma who bats his hand away with his foot and then delivers a superkick to his chin to send him flying into a dumpster. The remaining two demihumans charged at Kazuma who delivered a kick to the shin of the first demihuman causing him to bend over as he grabbed it. Kazuma jumped off the back of the demihuman to deliver a high dropkick to the second demihuman to send him flying into some garbage cans. He returned his attention to the first demihuman. Kazuma got a running start and then spun around before delivering a heel kick to the demihuman which knocked him out. The kids cheered with joy at what Kazuma had done*
(Kazuma): Nothing to worry about folks. Just a bunch of hooligans messing around. Enjoy your day.
(Man): Thank you.
*The man and his children exit the alleyway and return to the streets*
(???): *Chuckles* Impressive.
*Kazuma heard the voice and looked around trying to find out where it came from*
(???): You have quite the talent in those kicks.
*Kazuma continued to look around before he spotted blue eyes on one of the walls*
(Kazuma): A chameleon demihuman.
*Kazuma calmed down and put his hands in his pockets as the chameleon removed herself from the wall. Her whole body the same color as the reddish-brown wall. Her body returned to normal as she was wearing a skintight black bodysuit and her hair was long and purple*
(???): Hey there, cutie. The name’s Carmen and I’ve got an offer for you.
*Unzipping her bodysuit, she pulls out a flyer and hands it to Kazuma*
(Kazuma): Church of Mori’s Garden?
(Carmen): That’s right. We’re a new group of demihumans fighting for the rights of demihumans everywhere.
(Kazuma): So, you’re basically Blood Moon.
(Carmen): As if. Blood Moon only fought for the selfish ambitions of one demihuman. The Church of Mori’s Garden fights for the ambition of the goddess herself. Where Blood Moon fell, the church shall pick up where they left off and fight for the equality of demihumans everywhere by any means necessary. We’re in the process of looking for new recruits and I think you’d be a perfect fit for us. What do you say cutie?
*Kazuma looks at the flyer and Carmen before crumbling the flyer into a ball and shooting it into a trashcan*
(Kazuma): No thanks. I recently had an experience where I came face to face with extremists following their own warped beliefs. They used the same methods as those of Blood Moon. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from this ordeal, it’s that fighting one extreme with another extreme is never the right answer. If you truly want to help demihumans and make this world a better place for them and all races, then try to reach common ground with them peacefully. Because an agreement built on fear and violence is doomed to fail.
*Kazuma walks past Carmen and leaves her in the alleyway to return to the streets proud of what he said and prepared to move forward with his life*
***
*In another part of Brister, Fei is walking down the street. She’s wearing a white coat, white earmuffs, and tan boots with white fur on them. She had a sad look on her as she walked down the street*
(Fei): *Sigh* What was I expecting?
***
*Flashback*
*A few hours ago at Brister’s jail, Fei was sitting in the call area waiting for a prisoner. A door opens on the opposite side of Fei and in walks an officer holding the door open. Motioning her hand, Mary walks in wearing a brown prison jumpsuit with numbers on them and handcuffed. She saw Fei and sat down at the station opposite of her. Mary picked up the phone on her side along with Fei on her side*
(Mary): Well this is unexpected. You’re the last person I thought would come visit me.
(Fei): Well to be fair I’m not supposed to be here, but I have to know. Why? Everybody who was kidnapped got kidnapped because of a personal grudge a supremacist had against them.
(Mary): I didn’t place the bounty on you if that’s what you’re asking. Someone else did. I was just instructed to set you up. And before you ask, no, I don’t know who put the bounty on you.
(Fei): Okay. Then why help them? What have I ever done to you to make you hate me so much that you would want to see me dead?
(Mary): Nothing.
*Fei sat there stunned at what she just heard*
(Fei): Now you’re just pissing me off.
(Mary): What? It’s the truth? You’ve done nothing to me. I think you’re cool. You were a fun partner in my book and a good knight. The issue I have is that you’re a demihuman. I kept thinking to myself, how could someone as cool as you be born a demihuman? It’s totally unfair. Why couldn’t you have been born a human like me? If you were human everything would have been perfect. Hell, I probably would have fallen for you even though I don’t swing that way.
(Fei): So you’re saying my ears and tail is what led you to betray me?
*Mary was silent and looked to the side to avoid eye contact with Fei which made her even more angry*
(Fei): You’re an idiot. And a coward afraid to face the world.
*Fei hangs up the phone and storms out the room*
*End of Flashback*
***
*Fei continued to work down the street still upset about Mary and wondering what she should do next when all of sudden she heard the sounds of someone playing a shamisen*
(???): Great wide ridge~, oh great ridge~, buzzing with the sounds of critters far and wide~! But the pesky snow, has come down. Turning it into a blink and empty valley~.
*Listening to the sound of the shamisen, Fei ran to find where it was coming from. This was the first time she heard that instrument in this area and was worried something bad was happening*
(???): The critters scattered to find shelter~ to escape cold and harsh winter~. The king went to the gods, begging for warmth to return the ridge~. His request was granted and warmth return. The valley sang with glee~. Yet before long, another disaster struck the ridge~.
*Fei continued to follow the sound of the shamisen which led her to just outside Jade’s temple*
(???): The ridge became too hot for food to grow and water dried within the ridge~.
*Walking up the stairs, Fei approached the temple’s door and pushed them open to see Mumen sitting on the steps of the temple playing a shamisen*
(Mumen): The critters stomach growl with hunger and tears dry from the great hot sun~.
*Fei began to approach Mumen as he finished up playing his song and sat up*
(Mumen): I reckon I’ve got a feeling why you’ve come here, child. The goddess came to me in a dream and said my singing would attract a stray cat. But I didn’t think she would mean that literally. The gods truly do work in mysterious ways. Please, come inside, I’ll lend ya an ear to your troubles.
*Fei was confused by this series of events but could sense no ill will from Mumen and decided to take him up on his offer and enter the temple just to escape from the cold if nothing else*
***
*Back at Tiger Plaza, Constantine was in an interrogation room with Don Castle. He sat across from him handcuffed to the chair and unable to move*
(Constantine): Just tell us who placed the hits. It’ll make your sentence a little lighter.
(Don): Like I told you all yesterday. The hits were all anonymous. Aside from the small bounties, I don’t know who placed the hits on your knights or why they did it.
(Constantine): Don’t know or don’t want to tell are two different things.
(Don): Even if I did know, I wouldn’t tell you because of how dangerous they are and how scared I am of them.
(Constantine): Well you must know something about them. There’s no way a guy as smart as you would take money blindly.
(Don): I tried, but they’re very smart at covering their tracks and sent me a warning that if I tried to do it again I’d meet a very terrible fate. You’re playing a dangerous game, detective. You and the whole kingdom are unwilling participants, and you don’t know the rules.
(Constantine): Certainly seems that way, but I can at least remove one of their pieces from the game. Not only are we putting you away for abduction, but after investigating your house, we’re charging you for first-degree murder.
(Don): Ah~, so you searched the basement, and found my artwork.
(Constantine): You call the mutilated bodies of an elf and demihuman artwork? I always wondered why we couldn’t find the murderers of your wife and child. It honestly felt like they disappeared without a trace and now I know why. The men you described in your testimony never existed.
(Don): They did, but not the way I described. It took a week but I managed to track down the elf and demihuman who killed my family. Hanging out at a dive bar with a bunch of other filthy animals and long-ears. I could have killed them right then and there but I knew they needed to suffer for what they did. So I abducted them, brought them to my house, and then began to subject them to every horrendous torture I could think of, but kept them alive to live with the pain I had inflicted on them. I still remember each of their screams and how they begged for mercy with tears in their eyes.
(Constantine): So this was your idea of justice?
(Don): And why shouldn’t it be? What were the knights going to do? Send them to rot in jail and give them a chance to escape. No, I found those bastards and made them suffer for what they took from me. I delivered justice to them. The justice that they deserved.
(Constantine): Alright. I think we’re done here.
*Constantine gets up from his seat and walks toward the door before stopping*
(Constantine): By the way, what you did to them wasn’t justice, it was vengeance. You fell as low as the men who killed your family. It was never about them, you just wanted to inflict pain on others.
(Don): Is that so wrong? Who’s to say those knights of yours won’t do the same thing and seek vengeance as well.
(Constantine): They won’t. Because unlike you, they’re strong and have others who care about them.
*Constantine leaves the room*
***
*At Jade’s temple, Fei was sitting at a kotatsu while Mumen handed her some hot tea*
(Mumen): So, tell me Miss Fei, what seems to be on your mind?
(Fei): A lot. These last few days bad things have happened in Brister and someone I thought I could trust betrayed me just because of my race. I don’t know what I should do going forward. Who can I trust? What if I make the same mistake again and what if this time it leads to my death or the death of someone I care about?
(Mumen): You sound like my roommate. She always used to think she had to do things on her own. That it was her job to take on the struggles of others and not ask anyone else for support. For the longest time she thought this way until she came across a group of interesting people who showed her that she didn’t have to shoulder everything alone and that it was okay to rely on others. I have read about what happened to demihumans in the kingdom and it is a terrible thing. It is alright to be scared, confused and angry. But we don’t have to face these things alone. To better understand those feelings and how to respond to them is what I feel is most important right now. Getting betrayed by others is tough but we should not forget who we are and be proud of it. At times like this it is important to remember who you have around you that you trust and talk to them about how you feel so that they can support you.
(Fei): That sounds scary.
(Mumen): Yes, it is. Baring your soul and making yourself vulnerable is always scary but when others reach out and respond to those feelings that’s when you truly know that they are a friend you can trust and who will always be there for you. Give it a try with someone you still trust and I’m sure you’ll be happy to see how they love and care for you. Not me of course. I just met you after all so I can’t say I love you.
*Fei laughs and smile*
(Fei): So you’re roommate. What is she working on right now? She sounds interesting.
(Mumen): She is working on brokering a peace between two sides. It’s stressful and a lot is hinging on these talks, but she knows that she doesn’t have to do it alone and I will be here for her in anyway I can. Whether it be offering her spiritual advice, a cup of tea, or a good song.
*Mumen strums his shimasen*
(Fei): By the way that song you were singing earlier. What was it about?
(Mumen): The song is about two extremes. Going to one extreme to defeat another extreme never works. It’s about coming together and finding that middle ground. If the king of the ridge I simply asked the god to balance out the cold and hot days then everything would have been fine for the people.
(Fei): Finding a balance and putting myself out there. Good lessons everyone should learn.
*Fei finishes her team and gets up*
(Fei): Thank you, Mr. Mumen. You’ve given me a lot to think about.
(Mumen): Feel free to come back any time. I think you and my roommate would get along quite nicely.
*Fei leaves the temple and makes her way to the stairs where she walks down feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She began to skip down the street smiling only to stop when she came to a crosswalk and saw Gael on her left*
(Fei): GAEL!
(Gael): Fei? Were you just skipping?
(Fei): No! I was just jumping over a pile of snow. So, how you feeling?
(Gael): Okay. I guess. What about you?
(Fei): I’m. . .alright. Actually, no, I could use a friend right about now.
(Gael): Say no more. What can I do?
***
*Fei and Gael were in playground that had a swing set, a slide, a jungle gym, and sandbox. There weren’t any kids playing due to the weather but there was a snowman. In that park the two sat there on the swing set talking to each other and opened up about what they went through today*
(Gael): Damn, I’m sorry that happened to you. Just hearing about it pisses me off.
(Fei): I’m fine, really. It just makes me wonder if it would have been better if I was born a human.
(Gael): I don’t think so. I can’t imagine myself as anything else and I don’t want to be anything else. I’m proud to be a demihuman and I’m glad you’re a demihuman as well.
(Fei): Thanks. That makes me feel better. You’re really lucky, you’ve got great mentors watching over you. I wish I had that.
(Gael): I’m sure you have someone in your life you can always depend on to watch over and guide you.
(Fei): Yeah, my sister. My sister and I were raised in an orphanage just outside of Brister. When she got older she left the orphanage to become a knight. Her busy was schedule, but she always made time to come visit the orphanage and send credits.
(Gael): Sounds like a cool gal. What’s she doing now?
(Fei): She’s missing. Remember how I said I became a knight to find someone? She’s the one I’m looking for. She stopped visiting the orphanage about two years ago but we still receive money. It keeps coming from an anonymous contributor but I know that’s her. She’s alive and I’m sure she’s here in the kingdom. I just don’t know where in the kingdom she’s hiding.
*Fei was on the verge of crying until Gael stood up and placed a hand on her shoulder*
(Gael): Buck up. We’ll find her.
(Fei): We’ll?
(Gael): What? I told you I’d help you find them. Remember?
(Fei): But I can’t trouble you with this.
(Gael): We’re friends. Meddling in each other’s problems is what friends do.
*Fei smiled now realizing what Mumen was talking about. She had found a true friend. Just then, Gael’s phone rang*
(Gael): Hello. Oh hey man. Sorry, I got distracted. I’m on the way.
*Gael hangs up*
(Gael): Come on, we’re late.
(Fei): Late for what?
(Gael): You’ll see. Trust me.
*Gael smiled at her. Fei didn’t know why, but she felt completely safe trusting him and followed him*
***
*A few minutes later, Gael and Fei reached a three-story building and went inside. Where they saw Jin, Alita, Scarlet, Robbie, Keanu, Rowen, Kazuma and Trey*
(Jin): Hey! You made it! Fei?
(Gael): Hope you don’t mind me bringing a friend.
(Scarlet): Not at all.
(Fei): So, what’s going on here?
(Jin): We’re having a little party. I know things have been rough lately, but I just want you all to know you don’t have to face them alone. We’re all friends so let’s help each other out and take a night to forget about our worries and just enjoy ourselves.
(Keanu): Well, it certainly beats moping around all day. What did you have in mind?
(Jin): When you’ve got a lot on your mind there’s only one way to stop thinking about them. Karaoke.
(Robbie): My time in choir will not go to waste.
*Everyone walked over to the front desk kiosk*
(Kiosk): Welcome to Cici’s Karaoke. How can I help?
(Jin): Hi. I have a reservation under Jin Hephateus.
*Jin pulls out his cellphone and pulls up the coupon he received from Dust and Hibana. The kiosk scans the barcode and drops a key*
(Kiosk): Welcome Jin Hephateus and friends. Enjoy your time.
*Jin takes the key and the group goes to their room. Once inside they saw all kinds of food and drinks already there for them. It didn’t take long for everyone to settle in and start singing, eating, and drinking. Everyone was having fun and enjoying themselves. As the night of festivities continued, Rowen stepped out to use the restroom. After using the restroom and washing his hands, he takes out the resignation letter he had in his pocket and rips it up before tossing it in the trash. He then goes back into the room and sings a city pop song*
Author’s Note: And this brings an end to the Hunting Season arc. This is honestly one of my favorite chapters. After all the fighting is done and the criminals have been captured, it’s time to deal with the aftermath of the situation. I’ve seen a lot of shows or stories that usually skip the aftermath or just rush through it, so I wanted to make sure I addressed the situation and showed how everyone dealt with the aftermath. We see regret, anger, sadness, confusion, trauma, resentment, loneliness, and resolve from each of the characters in this chapter and ultimately learn that they don’t have to face this issue alone. They can rely on each other in these situations and I feel that’s the most important thing here. I’ve felt these things before and I’ve learned that I don’t have to face it alone and encourage anyone who is facing discrimination of any kind to reach out to a trusted friend and tell them how you feel. We’ll be starting a new arc next week. Look forward to it. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time.