It was yet another, peaceful day in Failume Heights
The exaltists attempted takeover was a thing of the past by now. For once, it seemed like you wouldn't need to worry!
Anyways, you saw a familiar sight in front of Mystic Wares. All of your friends, very different, yet oddly compatible
Yuzuha: “Whew~! Guess we can finally call that case closed, huh?”
She stretched her arms above her head, braid swishing dramatically before turning her grin toward the others.
“Another eldritch abomination sealed, zero permanent injuries, and at least one broken vending machine! That’s a win in my book~.”
Lucia: “You make it sound so casual.”
She laughed, flipping a strand of hair from her horns.
“You should’ve seen Manato during the rescue. I swear, I thought he was about to punch the entire Hollow back into shape.”
Manato: “That's an overreaction,” he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.
Then, with a faint smirk, “Besides, someone had to keep you from narrating our near-death experience like a bedtime story.”
Lucia: “Hey, I was setting the tone!”
Yuzuha: “And it was spooky! Ten outta ten for atmosphere~.”
Yidhari stood a little apart from them, leaning against a streetlight. Her tentacles twitched idly as she stared up at the holographic sky display overhead — fragments of color flickering like stars.
Yidhari: “Tone or not, I’m just glad it’s over.”
Her voice carried its usual, unhurried rhythm, the kind that made it hard to tell whether she was being sincere or ironic.
“Existing inside the Hollows was… noisy.”
Then, almost as if to herself: “This kind of noise is better.”
Lucia: “You’re telling me! You missed so much while you were stuck in there! Alice almost fainted when she saw the ghost hologram at the fair.”
Alice: “I did not! It was… artistically unbalanced, that’s all!”
Her ears flicked in flustered defense.
“And for the record, symmetry is a noble pursuit, not a flaw!”
Yuzuha: “Aww, come on, bunny, no one’s judging! …Okay, maybe a little bit.”
She winked, giggling at Alice’s indignant stomp. Kama squeaked approvingly.
Manato: “You two never change.”
He shook his head but couldn’t hide the faint smile tugging at his lips. Then he turned toward you — the newest addition to their ragtag little team.
“You held up well out there. Spook Shack’s lucky to have you.”
Yuzuha: “Yeah! We’re officially unbeatable now. The city’s safest chaotic squad~!”
Lucia: “Until the next cosmic nightmare, anyway.”
Yidhari: “…Then we’ll just rewrite it again.”
The group’s laughter mixed with the hum of the city. A holographic ad blinked overhead, painting them all in pale blue light — tired, messy, smiling. For once, there were no ghosts to chase. No disasters to clean up. Just a team that had somehow survived it all together.
What do you do?