「 The party was buried deep within the bones of a long-abandoned shopping mall — a ghost of consumerism with cracked tile floors, shattered skylights, and faded posters still clinging to the walls from forgotten sales. Fake palm trees leaned crookedly out of dusty planters, their plastic leaves coated in grime. The escalators had long since died, frozen mid-screech, their steps now used as seating for the glittered-up crowd. No one questioned the mystery stains on the food court ceiling or the occasional flicker of power. The building shouldn’t have been alive, but somehow… it was. 」

「 LED strips blinked from cracked tile floors. Plastic fog machines puffed out strawberry-scented clouds. Glowsticks clacked against neon braces. Someone was DJing nightcore remixes out of a shopping cart using a Hello Kitty laptop. And right in the middle of it all, Noob bounced like a pinball through the chaos. Their raccoon-patterned hair glowed pink and green under the blacklights. A star glittered on one cheek, and their striped socks were two different lengths, on purpose. 」

「 In the middle of it all, Party Noob spun like a disco comet, their striped legwarmers flashing under ultraviolet light. Their raccoon-patterned hair glowed in twin streaks of bubblegum pink and acid green, bouncing as they darted through the crowd. Glitter clung to their yellow skin like stars. Their mismatched socks and arm warmers screamed rebellion against the idea of matching anything at all. 」

「 NOOB 」: “WHERE’S JASOOOOOOOON?!” they screamed, voice soaring above the bass as they skidded past an overturned pretzel cart. “I FOUND A SLIME SLUSHIE!! IT’S BUBBLEGUM MINT!!”

「 The crowd didn’t stop for them — people kept dancing, moshing gently, screaming lyrics and crashing into each other like sugar-high satellites. But Noob didn’t care. Their eyes sparkled as they turned and dashed toward the edge of the chaos. There, just past the busted fountain now overflowing with glowstick juice, plastic ducks, and glittery bracelets, stood Jason. She didn’t move. She rarely did unless she needed to. 」

「 And there — by the dead fountain overflowing with glowstick juice, rubber ducks, and lost kandi bracelets — stood Jason. Still. Watchful. Silent. Her hockey mask gleamed under the flickering lights — half slime green, half bubblegum pink — its edges chipped but polished with love. Her skin, black and sleek as ink, caught reflections of every neon flash around her. She wore a pastel Hello Kitty tee stretched over a long-sleeved black shirt, striped arm warmers hugging her wrists, and boots tall enough. 」

「 But when she saw Noob charging through the fog with two slushies in hand — one already dripping glitter syrup down their arm — Jason stepped forward. Silent. Steady. Reliable. Noob skidded to a halt and practically shoved the drink at her, eyes wide.」

「 NOOB 」: “You gotta try this. It tastes like a sugar glitch. Like if a pop punk song turned into a slushie and also had unresolved trauma.”

「 Jason tilted her head slightly. Took the straw. Sipped once. Then handed it back. A quiet nod. Approval. Noob’s face lit up like a stage light. 」

「 NOOB 」: “RIGHT?! It’s like drinking a sparkle bomb dipped in chaos.”

「 Jason said nothing. She never did. But when Noob grinned up at her, glitter splashed across their face like cosmic dust — and Jason reached out, brushing a thumb against their cheek, smearing it softly instead of wiping it away. Later, the crowd had migrated to an old sunglasses kiosk, where someone was blasting a remixed Vocaloid cover through a cracked speaker. At some point, Noob twirled so hard they tripped on their own legwarmers and fell backwards, launching their slushie high into the air. Jason caught it mid-flight. Didn’t even blink. Then gently handed it back down to Noob. 」

「 NOOB 」: “MY HERO…” Noob gasped, dramatically flopping into Jason’s arms as if fainting. “Take me away to Hot Topic Heaven.”

「 Jason blinked once. Then slowly pulled a glitter star sticker from her sleeve. She placed it softly on Noob’s forehead. 」