S3E2: Asking but Receiving Nothing (Sorta) / Reminiscing
1700 Words
“So, our esteemed Supreme Leader hasn't awakened from his unconsciousness yet,” laments Darby.
“But even with him out of commission, we can all still act,“ Priscilla assures her mates, “especially with the fact that our civilian friends also survived and are recuperating in both Villa Villa and L'Remerville.”
“Now then, onto the matter at hand,” Rosalind segues appropriately. “It is known that there is no known lair belonging to The Movement here in Sarbacutta – or even any known factory of the dancespores. But still, we all must be on our toes for sleeper agents who may be operating their own little cells in any of the three towns.”
“They've learned their lessons from Dillingtonlandia and Shurilesia, alright,” echoes Kaylee.
“And thus, we at the Ishi-shiro must employ a succinct three-point strategy to outsmart them,” Wilbur suggests. “Improvise, adapt, overcome.”
“Well said!” Angelino finalizes. “Now our plans are all set!”
In the underground shelter they all reside, the next move has already been decided.
***
Five days have elapsed, and we eight are all cleared for discharge.
We all just have to sign the appropriate forms... and done.
Freedom at last!
We all slowly yet triumphantly get out of Nightingale Memorial Hospital.
We can easily spot a fountain that not just spouts fancy water from its many tubes, but also has a flashy light show that goes with the water spouts, which is reminiscent of RGB light shows commonly found on gaming PCs.
Of course, the presence of the fountain alone is enough to make us all feel refreshed and relaxed on this clear and sunny morning.
We all decide to just sit on several benches that surround the fountain.
“I've been meaning to ask this, Christian,” I initiate the conversation. “The last time when we set foot on Sant-Diegol, there were no Guardias Civiles in sight, despite the presence of the dancespores. I wonder why.”
The big guy never hesitates to answer.
“Actually, I asked the same question to Portocarrero over the phone yesterday. She actually had an answer for that. The Guardias Civiles we've encountered are actual Shabou Sharraf gangsters in disguise, as they wanted to muddle the situation by posing as ferocious guards who patrolled the entire town in the old days. In fact, after we'd defeated Ms. Quintana, the Ishi-shiro did some more clean-up work and discovered Guardia Civil uniforms in the Unity Power Coalition HQ, and even in the mansion of Don Joaquin Iñigo Baquero in Splendido – because the gang of bandits had an extensive network of spies and agents working for both parties, not just the Unity Power Coalition.”
“Man, they do know how to play dirty.”
We just sit silently for the next few minutes, staring at the fountain and taking in the fresh air CJ desperately needs after the dancespore chaos she endured.
“Well then,” I declare as I stand up, “let's ask the people here the exact whereabouts of our other fellows.”
The rest nod in agreement.
We start to navigate the entirety of the town and ask every L'Remervillian resident about recent developments regarding our buddies.
We know they all survived, but where are they now in the two other towns, exactly?
The first relevant place to hit for all those questions and more is Merl Leisure House.
This place is where society's crème de la crème decides to pursue opulent pleasures such as massages, saunas, billiards, chess, and even hookahs.
Once we're in the lobby, we're immediately greeted by the establishment's proprietor, Manguskan Tonyon.
“Oh, hello to you, adventurers! Are you all here for the finest pleasures in life that are provided here?”
I answer, “Nope. We just want to know where exactly our other fellows are in the two other towns here in Sarbacutta.”
“Sorry if I'm not gonna dispense exact answers; but according to my rumor mongrels, who are my loyal customers Atlas Avanti and Johnny Flavor, some of your friends from the Ishi-shiro are currently hiding somewhere safe in Pateropolis, and the Supreme Leader of said paramilitary organization as well as a sage who name escapes us are currently confined somewhere in Villa Villa.”
“Well, it's not like the three towns are densely populated, so finding our friends shouldn't be like finding needles in a haystack.”
“Alright. Even my little bits of information should be helpful to you guys. And should you visit this place again, I'll give you all a nice discount! Especially with the fact that an actual living breathing princess is among you!”
“Aw, you must not flatter me,” CJ replies. “My title is not just for show, you know.”
“Alright, alright. If you have no further business here, just a mere thank you from me will suffice. Farewell.”
We all then leave the leisure house, all heading towards the next relevant place – Allebagne THX Cinema.
As we make our way into the theater, throngs of people – and the majority of them are women – are emitting high-pitched screams as they come across a matinee actor, Justin Sinas.
It turns out we are walking into the premiere of his latest film, My Controversial Account.
We eight try our very best to not get caught in the stampede that may occur.
That goes double for Christian and CJ.
Three minutes later, the crowd dissipates, and we all breathe sighs of relief.
There are a few people scattered within the cinema lobby, and we politely ask them the same question.
But their responses are anything but substantial.
“Uhh... your friends? They're all still alive, right?”
“Why are you asking this type of question in a place where we're all supposed to relax?”
“Hey, are you a reporter for DNN?”
Crud! Looks like we've come to the wrong place!
So there. We asked but sort of received nothing in terms of exact answers.
We understand, as we are still vigilant for sleeper agents of The Movement.
Our plans may be hampered, but at least we know what to do next.
Search every nook and cranny of Villa Villa and Pateropolis for our friends.
We all decide to temporarily stay in Valet Compostelle as we all get ready to undertake a brand-new quest.
Within the scope of a much larger quest, that is.
Night then falls.
As I lay my weary body on a fluffy bed within a group suite after dinner, just as the others are also having their own quality naps, I reminisce something.
My childhood, to be exact.
I still vividly remember the event where I fought the monster clown back at the now-destroyed Maryam Quintana's Castle.
Specifically, the moment where I awakened to the power of the “busy bee” and became the Jolly Warrior for the first time.
Yeah, I already know why that happened in the first place.
I am one of the many children in America who are the victims of a failed marriage.
In fact, 50% of American children will witness the end of a parent's marriage.
To add insult to injury, it is proven by science that children of divorced parents are more likely to get sick, more likely to seek some kind of psychological help, and more likely to drop out of school.
But fortunately, I persevered throughout that rocky marriage and managed to graduate from high school.
My guideposts for my perseverance are my past... and my future.
Speaking about my past, especially my fond memories of the “busy bee”...
My mother used to bring me to the family restaurant with the bee mascot, especially on special occasions like my grade school graduation.
She also sent me to that same restaurant on some mundane occasions, like the one where she would bring me there after a trip to the amusement park.
My fondest memory of that park was the one where I soloed the coin-operated helicopter ride at the park's arcade section.
It was simply pure joy.
In that restaurant, we would feast on my favorites, especially the burger steak and the french fries.
My father also sent me to the same exact restaurant, especially at lunchtime before the periodical exams.
He told me that if I stuffed myself with quite a huge meal – particularly a bigger version of the burger steak – my brain would be fed adequately to ace all the questions.
I naturally inherited that belief myself, and now I'm doing it before jumping in any task that requires heavy use of my brain's functions, such as memory recall.
But then... due to allegations of a******y on my father's part...
My parents had to part ways, and I was left to my own devices, though I would still get financial support from both of them.
That bitter divorce taught me one thing...
...that I must stick to one woman all my life.
I admit I'm currently loveless, and I've had some crushes on some of my classmates back in middle and high school, but that doesn't stop me in my pursuit of true love.
Especially with the fact that 50 of us classmates – maybe even more – are trapped in this game.
I still have fond memories of the restaurant in recent years.
For one, I take advantage of discount coupons for items such as their spaghetti meal, their hotdog sandwich, and their one-piece fried chicken and rice meal.
And also, the day before I was sucked into the game...
I bought a transformable toy robot that is provided with their kids' meal.
Yeah, it's silly of me as a teenager to buy meals meant for kids – but I collect what I fancy, and that's that.
All those fond memories of the restaurant helped me shape into what I am today – and consequently, my fighting prowess as an adventurer.
My reminiscing ends just as my body gradually gives in to sleepiness.
Alright, it's good night for me.
- Writer
