Location: The Streets of Lowtown (Walking back to Smile Mart)
Time: 11:30 PM
The adrenaline had faded, leaving only exhaustion and hunger.
Squad 1 and Squad 4 walked together in a loose formation under the flickering streetlights. They looked like a parade of the damned. Kai's pristine white uniform was stained with green slime. Jinx was carrying her minigun like a purse. Benji was still vibrating from the stress.
"So," Silas broke his usual silence. His voice was raspy, like he hadn't used it in days. "You guys... eat this stuff?"
He was holding a bag of Spicy Squid-O's that Sora had passed around.
"It's an acquired taste," Dante said, adjusting his umbrella on his shoulder. "Like despair."
"It tastes like burning rubber," Silas noted, but he kept eating.
Up ahead, Roxy and GiGi were walking side-by-side. The air between them crackled with static electricity.
"You missed a spot on your boot," GiGi pointed out, her mouth full of gummy worms. "Right there. Scuff mark."
Roxy looked down at her massive platform boot. There was a microscopic scratch. Her eye twitched.
"It adds character, hæ?!" Roxy snapped, flipping her hair. "Unlike your jacket, which adds... homelessness."
"This is vintage!" GiGi hissed. "It's distressed!"
"It's distressed because you sleep in a dumpster!" Roxy shot back.
"I sleep on a freezer!" GiGi yelled. "There is a difference!"
Dante sighed, watching them bicker. He felt a tug on his sleeve.
It was Roxy. She had fallen back to walk next to him. She looked surprisingly small without her combat aura flaring.
"Hey, Crow," she mumbled, looking at the pavement. "Nice assist back there. With the vacuum thing."
"You softened him up," Dante said, looking straight ahead. "I just took out the trash."
"Yeah, well..." Roxy kicked a pebble with her platform boot. "Most guys would have run away when the giant mouth opened. You didn't."
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, pink, star-shaped sticker. She slapped it onto Dante's black hoodie, right over his heart.
"Gold star," she grinned, her voice dropping the aggressive tone for a second. "Don't lose it."
Dante looked at the sticker. It clashed horribly with his goth aesthetic. It was sparkly.
"Thanks," Dante whispered, touching the sticker. He didn't take it off.
Location: Smile Mart (District 9)
Time: 12:00 AM (Midnight)
The automatic door screamed its greeting. "GYYY-URRR-KHHH."
"My ears!" Kai winced, covering them elegantly. "Does it always do that?"
"It's part of the charm," Sora said, walking in first. "Welcome to the VIP Lounge."
The two squads piled into the cramped store. It was chaos.
Jinx stood motionless in the aisle, scanning the Ramen selection.
"Query: Which flavor contains the most sodium? I require salt."
Benji ran over to her, blushing. "Oh! The Spicy Miso has 200% of your daily value! I can... I can make it for you?"
Commander Vane stood by the magazine rack, looking disgusted. She ran a finger over a shelf and checked for dust.
"Higashiyama," she barked. "This place is a health hazard. How do you train soldiers in a pigsty?"
Sora was already microwaving a burrito. "We build immunity, Vane. Germs make you stronger. You should try licking the counter."
Vane looked like she was going to have a stroke. "I hate you."
"I know," Sora winked. "You still owe me twenty bucks from the Academy, by the way."
"I paid you that money in 2008!" Vane shouted.
At the front counter, Dante and GiGi sat on the floor, leaning against the register. They were sharing a box of Choco-Bricks. They didn't need to talk. Dante handed her a piece; she took it without looking. They moved in sync, like two halves of the same tired brain.
Roxy watched them from atop the slushie machine. She narrowed her starry eyes.
"They're close," Roxy muttered, sipping a Blue Raspberry slushie.
"They're twins," Kai said, leaning on the counter and checking his reflection in the plexiglass. "Not by blood, obviously. But by... vibe."
"Vibe?" Roxy asked.
"Tragic backstory vibe," Kai nodded sagely. "It bonds people. Like us, Roxy. We bond over being beautiful."
Roxy threw a straw wrapper at him. "Shut up, Kai."
She hopped down and walked over to Dante and GiGi. She stood over them, hands on her hips, trying to look imposing despite being 4'10".
"Scoot over," Roxy demanded.
Dante looked up. "There's no room."
"Make room!" Roxy said. She shoved herself between Dante and GiGi, sitting on the floor with a thmp.
"Ow," GiGi complained. "Your boots are sharp."
"Deal with it," Roxy said. She snatched the box of Choco-Bricks from Dante's lap. "Tax."
Dante sighed, but he leaned back, letting his shoulder brush against Roxy's. She didn't pull away. She just aggressively ate the chocolate, glaring at anyone who looked at them.
For a moment, the war with the Dominion felt very far away. There was just the hum of the refrigerator, the smell of cheap coffee, and a bunch of kids hiding from the world in a convenience store.
"Hey," Dante said softly, breaking the silence.
"What?" Roxy and GiGi asked in unison.
"Someone has to pay for these snacks," Dante said. "I'm not clocking this out as shrinkage."
The entire room groaned.