Falling Upwards - Arknights

Chapter 3: Guys and Gals on the Go

"Mostima?" Bison asks.

"You see that candy store?" Mostima asks both of them.

"It's really more of a stall than a store." Bison comments.

"I agree with him on that. I swear, there's more stalls in Lungmen than there are actual stores." Torrent gives his own thought, although both his and Bison's are ignored.

"Hm. It is pretty old." She comments. "I came here on a trip to Lungmen years ago. Back then... I didn't have any Lungmen dollars on me. Honestly, I must've looked the sight. But still. I found myself drawn to the candy." Mostima says to them. Knowing it was the time when she just left him and the rest, Torrent stops himself from reminding both of them of that very topic.

"O... kay." Bison manages to spew out, not really catching on to what she meant.

"That's what a Messenger does. We get into trouble in our long and arduous journeys." She explains to Bison. "C'mon. Let's take a look."

Mostima brings the two to the candy stall which is being run by an old man who she as well as Torrent recognized as Lin Grey, the Rat King. He soon notices them.

"Did you want something? We've got these lovely Victorian gumdrops. Real imports. And they come with a candle for Sauin." The old vendor tells them.

"Hmm... We're in no hurry. The night is young." Mostima replies as she browses the goods.

"Ho ho. And so are you. You three must be here for the downtown carnival." The vendor guesses while Bison whispers to her asking who the old man is.

Torrent recognized the old man to be his first link to Mostima aside from Exusiai for when he first arrived here after his previous company's dismemberment.

Other than being the Rat King under the guise of a vendor, he was the same person who told him about how Mostima first arrived in Lungmen herself and how she looked like during her first year as a Messenger.

It was one of the reasons why he agreed to work with him in the first place.

"Do come again when you have time." The disguised Rat King says to Mostima as their conversation seems about to end.

"Yeah. Of course." Mostima replies as she and Torrent left with Bison.

They continue walking for a little while until they arrive at a bridge.

"The Carnival, huh? I heard it's the biggest festival event for Lungmen in years." She says.

"Lungmen has had it hard just recently. They deserve it." Torrent comments.

"... Bison?" Mostima questions the heir as they haven't heard him talk since their encounter with the disguised Rat King.

"Sorry. Just had something on my mind..." Bison tells them. The other two already know what he's thinking about.

"It's pretty obvious about what you'd be thinking about at a time like this. But boy do you love thinking too much. Just go with your guts sometimes." Mostima tells Bison.

"My gut... I can understand Torrent's case since he's not exactly one... but even a Messenger like you says to trust your gut?" Bison questions her.

"You play it case by case. Like right now, were up here in a bridge, and there's a cargo ship passing down below us." Mostima says.

"Okay?" Bison mutters, not understanding where she's coming from.

"And we got three disguised mobsters coming at us from both directions." Mostima casually finishes. Obviously, this shocked the young Forte, again.