I chuckle at her eagerness, "Alright then. I called this one The Modern Age."
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"Can you drive any worse?!"
"I can if you want me to!"
"Screw you! I vow to the lord himself I will never work with you again!"
"Ha! Good luck with that, God isn't re-
*Beep*
"Arrived" We hear through the car speakers.
"Finally." Vigna says hopping out of the car, "I know Rhodes Island employs pretty much anyone, but damn these guys are annoying."
"And to think they'd be willing to send them on a mission with other people, as the drivers no less." I say following her.
"Yeah, must suck for you." Vigna says, "Your first ever Rhodes Island mission is taken alongside two grown men yelling at each other the whole way through."
"Might as well get it over with." I say popping open the trunk, "At least I'm with someone I know. Texas was left with 3 antisocial supporters who couldn't hurt someone for their life."
Vigna grabs some packages, "Y'know, Rhodes Island is generally a really good place, but they make mistakes like those way too often. I mean, they don't know that we know each other, so from their perspective, your first ever mission is made up of two grown men arguing while driving a car, and a barley-adult redhead sarkaz who uses a weird weapon."
I sigh and grab the rest of the packages, "At least the job is easy, just deliver some packages and disarm anyone in opposition."
"Wasn't that literally what your job was before joining Rhodes?"
"Yup"
...
"Well, at least they got something right..." Vigna says, dropping the packages at the stone house's porch.
I follow her with my boxes. The drivers are still arguing.
Vigna walks back to the car, and rather than grabbing the last couple of boxes, she heads towards the front door.
"HEY, YOU TWO!" She yells, "YOUR DRIVING IS HORRIBLE, WE GET IT, NOW DO WHAT YOU DROVE OUT HERE TO DO IN THE FIRST PLACE!"
...
The two men shut up and place the rest of the packages on the doorstep.
I hop in the driver's seat for the ride back.
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"I'm still mad about that." Vigna says while plugging in her amp, "The guys had the audacity to even call us bad teammates at the end of the trip."
"They're just losers who get mad easily, nothing to worry about." I say, checking the distortion, "Besides, they can't play guitar, so who's gonna become famous in a couple of years?"
"We're gonna be famous!" Vigna similes at me, "Not them."
She sighs, "But if we're gonna be a famous band, we should probably have a drummer."
"And a bassist." I say.
"Well I would say that but it just makes us sound even bleaker, a band without a drummer or bassist." Vigna comments, "I don't think any band in Terra has gone mainstream with that sort of arrangement."
...
I play the guitar melody from Is This It.
Vigna silently joins in.
"We could mention we're in a band that needs a drummer or bassist next time we go on a mission." I say rather than the lyrics.
"And hope that someone we're placed with would fill one of those spots?" Vigna asks.
"Yup." I say, "We could advertise ourselves as needing a drummer or bassist, but tha-
"Looks really stupid." Vigna finishes my sentence before a sigh, "If only a drummer could walk in the studio randomly."
"And that drummer knew a bassist who is willing to join a band." I join in.
"If only..." Vigna says while looking at the door, almost trying to will a drummer to appear.
...
Obviously nothing happens.
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9:28
I arrive back at the Penguin Logsitics dorm.
I hear shouting from the other side of the wood door, but I have to go through to get to my dorm, so...
*Creak*
"LEARN TO DODGE DUMBO!" Croissant yells.
"YOUR SPAMMING THE SAME STUPID AOE ATTACK I LITTERALY CAN'T DODGE IT!" Exusiai yells.
"Oh hi Az." Mostima calmly says, "Having a good day?"
"HAHA, I GOT YOU-"
"Pretty good day, got some good guitar pratice in." I answer her.
"OH NO YOU DIDN'T-"
"My first mission was made up of two annoying people, but otherwise it was fine." I finish answering.
"COME ON JUST DIE ALREADY-"
"Well you heard what happened to Texas." Mostima says, "Two annoying people seems pretty tame compared to them."
"I WON'T DIE UNLESS YOU COME DOWN WITH ME-"
"She did seem to have it rough." I take a long yawn, "But i'm just gonna go sleep for right now. Is Sora here?"
"OH DON'T YOU DARE-"
"Yeah she's back at the dorm." Mostima says, "Wanting to see her?"
"GET AWAY FROM ME FREAK-"
"Mhmm." I mumble to her while walking to my room, "Seeing her just makes everything better."
"N-NO, DON'T-"
"I get that. G'night." Mostima says.
"AHHHHHHHH"
"Goodnight." I say.
"LOOK WHAT YOU DID, WE DAMN TIED-"
I close the door and spare my ears from their onslaught.
...
"Hey darling." I hear Sora say from her bed, "I heard about your first mission being accompanied by two assholes."
How did she hear about that? I've literally not mentioned it once... You know, who cares? I love her, I'll give her a pass.
"Yeah, it was pretty good after that." I say, "How'd your first go?"
"Horrible." Sora says with a straight face, "I couldn't fight for the life of me, and the guys around me definitely knew I was an idol, but they were too scared to ask, so everything was extremely awkward."
"Did they not put you with any of us?" I say, slightly pissed, "I get putting me and Texas with random people, but we're fighters. They did it with you? A famous idol who's still learning the ropes?"
"Yeah." Sora says defeated.
"That's just..." I calm myself down, "Really stupid."
"It is..." Sora says while scooting to open another spot on her bed, "If only I had someone to cuddle with to make it all better."
...
I look at her.
...
"That wasn't even subtle." I say, hopping right beside her.
Sora cutely chuckles, "It dosen't have to be."
...
"I'm still going to talk to someone about our squad placement." I say.
"Well you can do that later." Sora says, "For now, let's just enjoy ourselves."
I look into her eyes.
I give her a kiss.
"Alright then darling."
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"Heya! I'm Blaze and I'll be the leader of this mission!" The dark-haired feline, or Blaze says, "I see we have a couple new recruits with us, so I'll be happy to show you the ropes. We all start from somewhere... Y'know, I never picked up my weapon of choice until I was already a year into Rhodes? Isn't that craz-"
Vigna whispers to me, "Does she not know that you probably have the ability to level a city if you wanted to?"
I whisper back, "Guess she didn't get the scouting report."
"We'll she be in for a surprise." Vigna smirks.
"Hey! You two!" Blaze gets our attention, "I know you Vigna, but you... recruit... are new. I know you have some nice weapons, but as my mentor always said, 'It's not the weapon, it's the fighter.'"
Did she just forget my name?
"My name's Azrael by the way."
"Oh, it is?" Blaze says, "Once second let me..."
She whips a notepad and writes what I can only assume to be my name down.
"Anyways, nice to meet you recruit!" She says with a smile, extending a hand.
I shake her hand from my seat.
"Alright! I've already learned someone's name, today is going well!" Blaze says before her face lights up, "Wait, you other recruits, tell me your name!"
...
Well isn't she a character.
Wonder if she knows a drummer.
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"Are you watching recruits?! This is how you fight!" Blaze says while mowing down some mercenaries.
I just nod and cross my arms.
Blaze pouts, "C'mon, at least gimme something!"
She continues to ruthlessly kill the next couple mercenaries.
...
"Alright, now it's time for you to show me your skill." Blaze says wiping the sweat off her brow, "We have to climb up a pretty big hill and destroy an originium-smuglling thing at the top of it. All I want you to do is head up that hill and incapacitate or kill anyone you see, got it?"
"Mhmm." I nod my head.
The other recruits slowly nod their head after me.
"Alright, show me what you got." Blaze steps back.
I start walking forward as the other recruits don't move.
Blaze raises an eyebrow, while Vigna just smiles.
...
*Step*
*Step*
*Step*
*PEW*
An arrow flies my way.
But it's just a wooden arrow.
*Snap*
The arrow is broken into two.
I run to the now-exposed mercenary.
They try to reload another arrow, but a fist of ice comes crashing into their jaw first.
...
They fall to the ground, unconscious, but not dead.
...
I'm able to walk up the mountain without any other distractions after that.
...
...
...
"Well... that was something." Blaze said, "Uhh, sorry for thinking you were just a recruit."
"It's all good. Not your fault you weren't given a report on me." I reply.
"Yeah! Definitely..." Blaze says, "Anyways, how long have you been fighting? For curiosity's sake."
"16 years." I say.
...
"What" I hear everyone say.
"WHAT!" Blaze says again, louder, "16 years?! That's almost double my experience!"
"I know you've been fighting for a long time, but that long!?" Vigna says, "That is literally 16 times my experience!"
"That's infinite times my experience..." One of the recruits says.
...
"Anyways... How?" Blaze asks curiously, "Like, do you do anything else outside of combat?"
"Yeah, I do plenty." I answer while looking into the originium-smuggling house.
The people inside the house are currently shaking looking out the window.
I wave to them.
"I love going out into Lungmen and just enjoying the views, I love going crate-digging for old music, and I love making music." I tell Blaze.
"Making music?" Blaze says, "Like writing the lyrics, melody, rhythm, and then performing it?"
"Mhmm." I say, "Vigna and I are even in a band together, we just don't have any other members."
Blaze's ears perk up after hearing that, "Do you have a drummer?"
"No." Vigna speaks for me, "We've actually been looking for one, so if you know any we'd really apprecia-
*PEW*
*CRACK*
"Ah, Christ!" Vigna says as a block of ice appears in front of her.
"Damn it! SCREW YOU DAMN MERCENARIES." Someone from the house says.
"TRY TO BLOCK THIS BASTARD!" He says while throwing what seems to be a grenade.
"Crap, everyone take cover!" Blaze says as I throw up another directly in front of the grenade, pushing it back to the house.
*BOOM*
...
"Holy crap Az." Vigna says, "You really have been fighting for 16 years."
"What! What just happened!!" Blaze says, "Is everyone okay!"
She then sees me with my hand in my pocket, and a half-broken house behind me.
...
She just sighs and looks over to the other recruits, once she's made sure they're okay, she looks up to the sky, "Alright! Mission Sucessful!"
Me and Vigna just look at each other and smile, this mission was a lot better than the last.
...
"Anyways, about your band not having a drummer." Blaze says getting our attention, "I may know a person..."
(Well, welcome back? I don't really know what happened. Completely gave up on ever writing again, then I started playing Persona 5, had the urge to write a Persona 5 fanfic, so I did, and that reminded me that I can actually have fun writing, so now I write this. Now, this is technically a chapter that has already been posted, but I extended it and fixed a really big problem that there was before. Will this mark the return of Living the Dream? Dunno, but I will try to start writing again. Anyways, about the Christmas special... you'll just have to wait another 12 months I guess, sorry. Anyways, with that bleak note, I'll end it off, and Thanks for Reading :)
Also, check out my Persona 5 fanfic if you want. I really enjoyed writing the first chapter.
Uploaded on January 22, 2023. 2050 Words.