Inside a clothing store.
The smell of fresh clothes and strong perfume filled the air. Lynx stood perfectly still in the center of the room. A massive pile of colorful shirts, formal coats, and shiny pants covered his arms, reaching all the way up to his chin.
Lucia ran back and forth across the aisles, pulling out more clothes. "That black assassin jacket won't look good for the ceremony! We need something formal!"
Rey popped out from behind a rack of shiny belts. He held up a bright pink silk shirt."Bro, wear this. It will bring out the eboy vibes in you."
Lynx stared at him with dead eyes over the mountain of clothes. "If you put that near me, I will strike you with a hanger."
Rey laughed and threw the pink shirt away.
{Why am I doing this?} Lynx thought, his right eye twitching slightly. {I woke up after three days, just an hour ago. Now I'm a coat rack.}
Despite his negative thoughts, a strange, warm feeling settled in his chest. It had been years since he experienced something so normal. It felt confusing. He didn't know how to react to people actually caring about what he wore.
Lucia came back holding a dark grey formal coat with black accents, paired with a clean black shirt and dark trousers. It matched his usual style but looked much cleaner.
"Try this one!" Lucia smiled brightly, pushing the clothes into his chest.
Lynx sighed, walking into the changing room. When he stepped back out, the dark suit fit him perfectly. It gave him a sharp, serious look.
"Perfect!" Lucia clapped her hands together.
While Lynx was paying for the clothes at the front counter, he noticed Rey staring at a different suit on a mannequin. It was a deep navy blue formal coat with silver lining, much better than the standard blue suit Rey was currently wearing.
Lynx walked up behind him. "That looks better than what you have on. Go try it."
Rey turned around, his eyes shining like a proud father. "You really think so? I knew my fashion sense was rubbing off on you!"
Rey rushed into the changing room. When he came out, the navy coat made him look surprisingly cool, even if his personality was still completely weird.
"It suits you," Lynx said bluntly.
A few minutes later, Lynx noticed Lucia standing by a rack of dresses near the large window. She was already wearing a white elegant outfit, but her eyes were glued to a beautiful white gown with light gold patterns, which looked strangely similar to the gold accents on Lynx's assassin clothes. It looked lighter and much easier to move in than her current dress.
She noticed Lynx looking and quickly looked away, feeling a little shy.
Lynx walked over and picked the dress off the rack, handing it to her. "This one would look good on you."
Lucia pushed his hand away. "I have a lot of clothes."
"Shut it, your old clothes got dirty from the arena dust. Go change," Lynx said, closing his eyes as a rare, genuine smile appeared on his face.
Lucia's face lit up with a huge, positive smile. "Thank you, Lynx!"
After all three of them changed into their new outfits, they stepped out of the clothing store. They looked like a proper, high-ranking team. They had spent an hour just picking out clothes.
With another hour left to kill, they stood by the side of the bustling road.
"Where to now?" Rey asked, stretching his arms.
"I am hungry," Lucia replied, holding her stomach.
"Hey look it's them!" A kid shouted as a group of children ran toward them in excitement. "You guys were so cool!"
Rey began to yap with them, instantly catching all of their interest. "Did you know I once slayed a dragon that eats planets?!"
Lynx took a few steps back, and Lucia noticed it right away. "Do you not like children?"
Lynx narrowed his eyes looking away. "Nah, they are pure and precious little things. It's just... I don't want them to copy me and become something everyone hates. That isn't something I want."
"I don't see anything dirty in what you do." Lucia held his hand and pulled him toward the kids.
Seeing him step closer, one of the kids quickly shifted his focus away from Rey and looked directly up at Lynx.
"My mom said you are smart! And that I should never give up like you!"
"Oh, yeah, that's right. Even if your path seems destroyed, you should keep walking. Nothing is beyond fixing." Lynx kneeled down to face the boy on his own level. "What's your name?"
"I'm Ethan!"
For a while, they just enjoyed themselves. Lynx taught Ethan a few basic fighting stances, Lucia talked and laughed with the girls, and Rey was busy demonstrating how to 'aura farm' using completely ridiculous, strange poses. After that, their stomachs started growling, so they decided to go eat something.
They walked down the busy, decorated streets until they reached a familiar old restaurant near the corner. It was the exact same old granny's restaurant they had visited before the tournament had even begun.
They sat down at a small wooden table in the corner. The old granny smiled warmly when she saw them and quickly brought out plates of hot food and wooden cups filled with water.
Rey instantly began stuffing his face with meat skewers, making weird noises of satisfaction. Lucia ate gracefully but with a very happy expression, talking excitedly about how crazy the tournament finals were.
Lynx sat quietly, taking small bites of his food. Once he finished his plate, he reached out to grab another piece of meat from the center plate, but Rey's eyes were already locked onto it as well.
Lucia watched the two of them argue and laugh over a single piece of meat. It was annoying, but the moment was too genuine for any of them to actually care.
{In a life where I only expected betrayal and pain,} Lynx thought, staring down into the water rippling inside his wooden cup. {I accepted that my path was going to be completely dark. Yet... here I am.}
A small, genuine smile appeared on Lynx's face. He quickly hid it by taking a drink. {I should enjoy this moment... while it lasts.}
Rey suddenly choked on his water, looking up at the large clock hanging on the restaurant wall.
"Bro!" Rey slammed his hands on the table. "The ceremony starts in 15 minutes!"
Lucia gasped, dropping her fork. "We are going to be late!"
Rey quickly threw a few silver coins onto the table. "Run!"
The three of them bolted out of the restaurant doors, rushing through the crowded streets together toward the stadium.