"It's so hard to forget pain, but it's even harder to remember sweetness. We have no scar to show for happiness. We learn so little from peace."
― Chuck Palahniuk

Tommy dresses in his costume. He is used to the weight of armor across his shoulders, but the airiness of his skirt-like fustanella (as Ravager called it) reminds him that he is in a costume. He starts winding the golden thread around his arms, wondering if it will agitate his scars. He decides to wear them, anyway, since a big element of Theseus' story is the golden thread given to him by the princess, Ariadne. Tommy continues wrapping the string around him in accordance to the picture on the bag of the costume. When he's finished, he slides a dagger into a holster around his thigh. He grabs hold of the blindfold he left on the nightstand. He ties it tightly and places Theseus' helmet over his golden hair. His field of vision is slightly obscured with the helmet, but Tommy reminds himself he isn't going out to fight.

Tommy steps into the field of his mirror's reflection. He turns around in slow circles, keeping his eyes on the figure looking back at him through the interwoven black cloth. Tommy finally stops spinning. He attempts a heroic pose, but his eyes are only drawn to the ugly red lines on his forearms, particularly around his wrists. He looks down at his skin, flexing his fingers as he turns his arms around. Everyone is going to be able to see them. Not just the Syndicate members, but other festival goers, too. No one will know why he has them, but he can imagine the sort of thoughts that would cross their minds. Since Serenade apparently didn't tell anyone about the chains, he wonders what the other members of the Syndicate will think.

Tommy glances back up at the mirror. Although hidden in shadow, the scars along his jaw will also be viewable if he were to stand in the light. Tommy frowns, tilting his face to make the light enter through the 'T' shaped opening. The scars along his jaw are not as angrily red as his arms, and they appear to have been made by someone other than Tommy. The blonde huffs, playing with the golden thread around his upper arm. He pulls at it slightly like someone picking at their wounds, mainly because pulling one side makes the other sides restrict painfully. The flesh between each spiral turns bright red as Tommy subconsciously cuts off the circulation until he sighs, releasing the golden thread. It falls loosely, and Tommy is forced to redo the whole thing to make it all tight enough to stay on.

Tommy turns his attention to his nightstand instead of thinking about his pain. He lowers himself onto his knees, tugging at the bottom drawer. There is a white box inside the drawer with a lovely blue ribbon. The box was a gift from Serenade since Tommy was unable to buy one while going through the underground market with Dyscardia. Tommy accepted the gift, realizing that it has been a long time since he's been given a proper gift without having to beg for it first. He just mentioned he wanted to get a box, and Serenade noticed by himself that Tommy didn't get one. It was a kind gesture entirely unexpected and unprompted. Looking at the box brings Tommy immeasurable happiness, though he refuses to let the villain know that.

Tommy unties the blue ribbon. He lifts the lid up, setting it beside him with careful hands. The interior of the box holds Tommy's prized possessions, the few things he would risk his life in order to save. The top is loaded with all the letters from Ravager that Crowfather brought him. Tommy tucks each one away as soon as he finishes reading it. He wants to preserve their quality. He can't risk anything spilling across the paper, and he really doesn't want Serenade to get ammunition from reading through Ravager's private musings. Tommy knows that Ravager isn't telling him anything special, but it feels... Tommy doesn't know. He just keeps the letters in the box.

Tommy pushes the letters aside to grab the item that he really would sacrifice anything to keep. A newspaper article's main picture framed. Tommy runs his fingers along the glass, his fingerprints creating smudges. He wipes the picture off with the end of his fustanella. When he's done, he sets the picture down in his lap. His family, perpetually trapped in poverty and happiness, forever together in this single capturable moment. Tommy wonders if they would like the festival. Eret and Wilbur would love dressing up. Tubbo and Jack would play at the game booths set up for people to win prizes the entire time. Niki would love the food, and Fundy would enjoy the parade. If this was when Tommy was younger, he would enjoy watching the fireworks. Now, Tommy would just want to spend the day with his family.

Tommy hears someone knocking on his door. He hurriedly shoves the picture into the white box. He puts the lid on, hastily tying the ribbon. He tells himself that he will tie it better later when he gets back from the festival. For now, he pushes the drawer shut. He scrambles to his feet. He opens the door a little quickly for it to be natural, but his excuse dies on his lips when he meets Serenade's eyes. Tommy's entire expression shifts as he takes in Serenade's costume, the one Tommy picked out.

Serenade wears a tight pair of iridescent blue pants with gray fin-like pieces of cloth hanging from the sides. This leads into his crop-top similarly made from blue and gray material. There are painted scales on his stomach, forearm, and cheeks. He wears a masquerade mask over his face. Instead of brown eyes like normal, his eyes are a glowing green with tinted sclera. Around his ears, there are little flaps that Tommy recognizes as being from phantom hybrids. It adds to the costume, but it presents Tommy with the knowledge that Serenade is a hybrid. Tommy didn't know that previously, but then again, most hybrids hide their animalistic traits on purpose, especially with the Red Army hunting hybrids right now.

Even though he's learned some vital information, Tommy breaks down laughing. He wraps his arms around his stomach, trying to keep himself from collapsing with how much he's laughing. Tommy wipes the tears from his eyes, looking into Serenade's green eyes. Tommy smiles even wider when he notices how unimpressed Serenade is. Tommy reaches a hand to touch the villain's upper arm. "You look so fucking stupid, Serenade."

"Must I remind you that I am not Serenade? Today, I am Siren and you are Theseus," The esper states, barely glancing at Tommy's casual touch. Tommy draws his hand back slowly. He doesn't know why he did that, so he instead focuses on the villain's words. Of course, he would be someone who got really into these things.

"Alright, Siren, we need to get a move on or we're going to be late," Tommy tells the villain, pushing past him to enter into the hallway. He starts heading towards the door, and he can hear Serenade's footsteps behind him.

"Ravager told me this was your first time going to the festival," Serenade comments as they step into the elevator.

"Fucking good for Ravager," Tommy shrugs, not knowing where that particular conversation was supposed to go. "You didn't tell Ravager about my sleep-walking."

"I didn't think it was my place to tell anyone," Serenade admits, surprisingly genuine as the elevator doors slide open. Tommy and Serenade step into the lobby, as empty as it was the first day Tommy came. The blonde is starting to doubt that they have neighbors. If they do, they are very silent and elusive people.

"I don't give a fuck who you tell. Ravager was scared shitless when he found me standing on the balcony railing," Tommy tells Serenade. He's grateful that Ravager saved him in time. Tommy usually wakes up right before he dies, but apparently, that time, that moment, he really was going to fall. Tommy wonders if he's grown too comfortable with having someone watch over him while he sleeps. He doesn't really want to go back to sleeping with the chain, though, and honestly, he doubts Serenade will let him only sleep when he needs to.

"I didn't think it was going to become an issue. The only Syndicate member you ever sleep around is me," Serenade explains softly as if excusing his behavior. There is nothing to excuse, though. Tommy isn't upset about Serenade not telling anyone or for not thinking that maybe Tommy would sleep around other members. There was that time with Dyscardia, but since she was in the bed with him, she probably kept him from walking away. Plus, who would have ever thought he would sleep in the same apartment as Ravager? Despite their letters, Tommy still thinks Ravager will slaughter him in his sleep one of these days.

"You fucking left me in Ravager's care, mind you. You should have fucking told him when you learned who I was with," Tommy says. Tommy remembers a little bit of what happened while he was drunk. It gets a little fuzzy around the edges. He can't remember the words he said, but he remembers what he was talking about. He remembers Serenade leaving without an explanation, leaving behind most of his stuff and a mess for Ravager to clean up. Tommy doesn't get why Ravager did anything. Someone from Las Nevadas would have eventually called Ultraviolet to come pick him up. If he was unlucky, they would go straight to Croupier. Tommy would get collected by someone from the security force, and he would deal with lecturing while nursing a hangover. It would not have been fun, but it would have been an issue Ravager didn't need to personally involve himself in.

"I'm sorry about that. Something came up. I didn't think I would take long, but it sort of got blown out of proportion. By the time we were done, I was too exhausted to even think that something bad would happen," Serenade apologizes again. Another fascinating development, all things considered. Serenade's reputation precedes him, and he is not an esper of apols.

"I already told you I don't fucking care. Do whatever shit you need to do for the Syndicate," Tommy tells him. "I'm sick of talking about this. Tell me about that shitty song you were singing last night at the top of your fucking lungs."

"Hey!" Serenade calls before launching into an explanation about how his song was not 'shitty' and Tommy has 'uncultured' ears. Tommy's helmet hides his smile as he keeps goading Serenade into the argument. Their debate and laughter makes short work of the walk from Paradise Apartments to the bus stop. Although everyone on the bus is wearing a costume, they do a double-take upon seeing Serenade. Even without his usual get-up, most people seem able to recognize the danger this esper exudes naturally. No one gives a cursory glance to Tommy, which is probably for the best. He can't afford anyone recognizing him- though, he understands that they probably won't. He's saved a few lives before, but he isn't the most popular hero. He doubts most people know who Vendetta is.

Their conversation continues until they are deposited on the main street of Prime Heights. The festival is already in full-swing. The street is bustling with a thick crowd. There are booths along the sides and spilling out from the alleyways. Tommy notices a few heroes intermittently in the crowd. They are signing autographs and posing for photos, but Tommy knows most of them are on duty right now. The guild pays a fair bit of money for anyone willing to take up guard duty. Other than the heroes, members from the Moderator's Guild, Enforcer's Guild, and... are those members of the Mercenary's Guild? They are an unofficial guild, built around making a mockery of the other guilds. Tommy has spoken to Saffrie, the head of the guild, once, though he hasn't done anything for the guild. They don't like mixing with other guilds, after all.

"Theseus!" Someone calls out. Tommy blinks in surprise, noticing that someone other than Ravager is calling him by that name. Instead, a short boy wearing a bee costume bounds towards Tommy with a bright smile on their face. Tommy smiles back. Jolt wears a pair of tinted yellow glasses- similar to the ones Vendetta wears- but he isn't wearing his gas mask. Tommy is able to actually see Jolt's smile for the first time instead of just guessing that Jolt was smiling because of the wrinkles around his eyes. The experience is jarring, and Tommy's heart begins to ache for some reason. The smile is familiar, he supposes, though he can't tell where he's seen it before.

"You look so cool!" Enderwalk says, joining Jolt and Tommy. The esper thought Jolt and Enderwalk would go in matching costumes, but instead of dressing up like honey or maybe a bear, Enderwalk wears a bright red suit. There is a flame-like mask around his eyes.

"And you look hot," Tommy responds, and then he realizes what he just said. His face flushes bright red as he waves his arms around. "Hot like red-hot, like fire, like... fuck."

Jolt bursts into laughter as Tommy rushes to correct himself. As Tommy continues sputtering, Serenade and Enderwalk join into the laughter. Tommy's face is entirely scarlet as he rushes off, refusing to be around those three anymore. He tries to calm himself down, breathing in heavily as he joins the rest of the group. Argonaut- he assumes- is dressed up as a pirate with a black overcoat and a red sash tied around her waist. Half her hair is white and the other half is brown, all of it as curly as springs. It is easy to see her red eyes with how her sunglasses are situated low on her bridge.

Thermoculus and Dyscardia are wearing matching outfits. Thermoculus wears white pants, and Dyscardia wears a white skirt. They both wear white shirts marked with a red letter 'R' with long black gloves. Dyscardia has her gloves over the white sleeves of her shirt, up to her elbows, but Thermoculus is wearing his sleeves over the gloves. They have turtle-neck collars. Dyscardia wears her hair back. They both have masks on. Thermoculus covers the upper half of his face, and Dyscardia's mask covers the lower half. There are lenses put into Thermoculus' mask to stop his powers from activating.

Although his outfit doesn't seem to match in any particular way, Sneeg wears a costume like a calico cat with dark ears and light brown boots. He even wears a collar with the red 'R' on Thermoculus and Dyscardia's outfits.

Red Dragon is wearing a sparkly red-black overcoat over a black shirt and pants. There is a golden sash tied around his waist, matching the golden crown situated on his dark hair. He wears iridescent red and black boots with pink and white sparkles slowly moving across the surface. With how brightly his eyes are shining behind his glasses, Tommy assumes he's dressed like a starborne. He has a similar shifting pattern around his face that Ultraviolet has, and he's a hybrid of the night. Tommy even wonders if Red Dragon is a starborne. No one said that transformative esper abilities had to fall in accordance with hybrid traits.

Phil seems to be dressed as an emperor of some sort wearing regal blue and white clothing. There is even a fuzzy lining to his cloak. He does not wear a mask like the others do, but he doesn't have an identity to hide.

The most interesting costume, however, is Ravager. Instead of some hulking beast or a creature from Ancient Builder mythology, Ravager is wearing denim overalls. An orange and green carrot is sewn across the front pocket. He wears a pink and white plaid button-up underneath, and there are fake pink bunny ears protruding from his hair. He wears a rabbit mask, completing the entire look. If he wasn't absolutely massive with more muscles in one arm than Tommy has in his entire body, Tommy would even dare to call Ravager cute. As it stands, though, Tommy does not like being in pain, so he isn't going to call Ravager 'cute' to his face. Or behind his back. Or in a fifty-mile radius of the esper.

Warden isn't there. He, apparently, is spending the festival with Briar. Tommy did not inquire as to what the relationship there was. Ankh won't be with them, either, though he was only at that first meeting because Croupier sent him. Tommy doubts any of the Aces or their Dealer will be at the festival. Even though the main festivities are held in Prime Heights, there are plenty of events all around the city. Croupier will be making sure everything goes smoothly at his version of this festival. Tommy knows because he's been in Croupier's office while the Jester was manually observing every report that hit his desk during the festival day. Croupier encouraged Tommy to join the festivities, but Tommy was content to play with children's toys with Slime. Although Tommy was too old for most of the toys, he never got to play with them when he was a child, so he used Slime as an excuse to get a small remnant of his childhood back.

"Do not believe any slanderous rumors you hear about me," Tommy announces his presence to the group, not caring that he's interrupting all of their conversations. They look over at him as he approaches, and he crosses his arms over his chest. "Whatever those three fuckers say simply isn't true. They are misunderstanding the situation like the dumbasses they are."

"I'll believe the libel instead," Ravager says.

Tommy narrows his eyes, putting his fists up. Ravager raises an eyebrow at Tommy, but he obliges the esper's antics by putting his own fists up.  "Alright, bunny boy, we can fucking go right now."

"No one is fighting anyone," Phil stops both of them with a stern look. Ravager puts his fists down easily enough, but Tommy points two of his fingers at his eyes and then at Ravager. The villain smiles, tilting his face so Tommy can see it despite the rabbit mask Ravager wears. "V- ah, Theseus, do you have anything you would like to do?"

"Nope. I just came to have fun," Tommy admits sheepishly. He barely knows what happens at these festivals other than a whole lot of problems that leave Croupier pulling his hair out.

"That can be arranged!" Thermoculus says. He grabs Tommy's arm without any hesitation, ignoring both the scars and the golden thread as he pulls Tommy through the crowd. Tommy goes with him, no hesitation in his steps as he chases after the villain, trying to keep his arm attached to his shoulder with how hard Thermoculus is pulling.

"Where are we going, Ther-"

"James! You have to call me James, Theseus," Thermoculus calls over his shoulder, interrupting Tommy's question. It isn't as if he needs to answer it, though, since they stop at the location a few seconds later. Tommy stares up at the dark, gothic style house with a line out the door. Tommy can hear groaning and growls from inside the front door, and there is occasionally a scream followed by laughter. Music meant to cause dread spills from the windows along with a thin fog.

"A... haunted house?" Tommy questions. He does not get an answer as Thermoculus shoves him through the door. Tommy turns around to glare at Thermoculus, but he stills when he notices a skeleton sitting in the mudroom. Tommy waits for the skeleton to move, and he turns away when he realizes that the skeleton is fake. As he turns to enter deep into the house, he notices something standing right behind him. Tommy squeaks as he makes eye contact with a monster, and his fist is up before he has time to remember that the monster is a person in disguise. Luckily, Thermoculus grabs Tommy's wrist before his knuckles can make contact. Thermoculus twists them around, keeping a firm grasp on Tommy's trigger fist.

The foyer is dark with more of the smoke. Tommy coughs slightly, waving a hand in front of him. As the mist disperses, he finds a mirror hanging on the wall. He glances at his face. As he stares, he notices something odd in the glass. He reaches a hand out to wipe the mirror, and a ghost as white as a sheet appears in front of him. The ghost flies through the reflection, and Tommy jumps back to avoid being attacked, memories flashing to Reaper's spirits. The ghost turns out to be nothing more than a hologram or an esper ability as it passes through Tommy. The blonde backs into someone, and he whirls around to find Thermoculus shakily laughing.

"Come on," Thermoculus says over the music. They walk through the mist and step into the brightly illuminated kitchen. There are people inside. There are two people wearing regular clothing and blood-stained aprons. They have blood around their mouths and a wild look in their eyes. There is a human body on the kitchen table. One of the people is standing over the body's open chest with a knife, and the other one is collecting the internal organs, bringing them over to a cutting board and a boiling point. There's another person tied to one of the kitchen chairs. The person tied up screams, begging for help and fighting their restraints. Tommy reaches a hand to help on instinct, but the chef with the butcher knife slams their weapon onto the table. Both of the chefs stop cooking to glare at Tommy and Thermoculus. The one holding a bloody heart in their hand. Tommy reaches for the dagger strapped to his thigh.

"We were just leaving!" Thermoculus states, grabbing Tommy's hand and leading him through the kitchen. Tommy continues to make eye contact with the person tied to the chair as the kitchen door closes behind them. Tommy swallows thickly, feeling helpless and upset for some reason. He feels Thermoculus squeeze his hand, and he looks up at the man. Thermoculus smiles at him. "It's all fake, Theseus. No one is actually getting hurt. You can relax."

Tommy hesitates, but he ultimately nods. He doesn't let go of Thermoculus' hand, mainly because it stops him from punching people or drawing out his dagger. The comfort it brings him is entirely secondary. Thermoculus and Tommy start to walk down the hallway, and a scream erupts from behind them. Tommy jerks to a stop, needing to remind himself that it's all fake. He ignores the pictures hanging on the wall around him that shift from normal portraits to freakish monsters. Those don't scare him as much as that scream unnerved him.

"Come on, we should-" Thermoculus says, tugging on Tommy's arm. He cuts himself off, looking somewhere behind Tommy. The blonde looks over his shoulder. The door at the end of the hall that leads into the kitchen is wide open. The person was tied to the chair on the floor, a pool of blood around them. One of the chefs stands at the door, their knife dripping with blood. Thermoculus eloquently says, "Shit, shit, shit!"

Thermoculus and Tommy break into a run down the hall. The chef follows after them. As they approach the end of the hall, hands shoot out from the walls. Thermoculus screams, pressing though even as the hands start to grab onto his clothes. Tommy dodges the hands as best as he can, but one of them grabs onto his ankle. Tommy trips forward, landing flat on his stomach and releasing Thermoculus' hand. He hisses in pain, looking over his shoulder to see the chef quickly approaching. Tommy struggles to find his dagger underneath his stupid skirt. He freaks out when he feels someone grab his shoulders, but they drag him out of the hallway through the threshold of the door. Thermoculus wraps an arm around Tommy's head. His other hand goes up to his mask, ready to remove the protective filter. Thankfully, the chef stops at the threshold. They turn back to the kitchens. Tommy notices that the blood puddle has been cleaned up, and the person who was tied to the chair is being tied back up. It was all fake, just like Thermoculus said it would be.

"Holy shit," Tommy murmurs, letting his head fall back. He realizes his head is lying on Thermoculus' knee. Realistically, he should be more scared of Thermoculus than the cannibal chef, but he finds himself relaxing. He is certain Thermoculus will protect him for some unfathomable reason. Tommy decides not to question it.

"That was crazy," Thermoculus notes, looking down at Tommy with a bright smile on his face despite the fact that his skin is still rather pale. Tommy laughs at Thermoculus' dumb expression. He sits up. Thermoculus rises off of his knees, helping Tommy to his feet. They finish the haunted house, but nothing was as terrifying as that encounter with the cannibal chefs.

They step onto the back porch where a woman is asking people how their experience was and promoting the real haunted house they run. She is busy talking to other people, so Thermoculus and Tommy walk past her. Tommy notices Argonaut and Dyscardia standing in the backyard. They are in the midst of conversation, but when they notice their friends, Argonaut lifts up some snacks she bought for them. Dyscardia's eyes crinkle with a smile, asking, "How was the haunted house?"

"Fucking shit," Tommy says. Tommy shakes his head, tearing off a piece of buttery bread Argonaut had been carrying around for him. "But it was pretty fucking fun. Thermoculus screamed like a little girl."

"And you squeaked like a dog toy," Thermoculus glares at Tommy, eating an ice cream sandwich. The vanilla ice cream melts across his fingers, and chocolate smears across his lips.

"I fucking did not. You are wrong," Tommy argues.

"I clearly heard you."

"No, you did not."

"Yes, I did."

"Both of you are brave boys. Can we find the others now?" Argonaut tells them, crossing her arms over her chest. Thermoculus and Tommy share a sheepish look before the four of them start moving back to the main street. Dyscardia hands Thermoculus a napkin, and he uses it to hold his ice cream sandwich instead of cleaning himself up.

"What am I supposed to call you guys?" Tommy asks, finishing with his roll. It seems that everyone in the group is going by some sort of alternate name. Tommy should have expected since the villains wouldn't want everyone knowing they were active at the festival. It would cause unnecessary fear and move the guild members into action. The entire festival would be ruined, and wouldn't it be Tommy's luck that the first festival he goes to is shut down because he went with the wrong people?

"You can call me Captain!" Argonaut chirps, tilting the tricorne hat she wears towards Tommy. She hands Tommy another piece of bread, and he eagerly eats it piece by piece.

Dyscardia and Thermoculus share a look. "Prepare for trouble!"

"Make it double!" Thermoculus calls after her, falling in step with her as they walk. Tommy stares at them strangely, eating his roll. Argonaut giggles under her breath.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all the people within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"And Sneeg would say, 'Meowth, that's right!' after that," Argonaut informs Tommy as soon as Dyscardia and Thermoculus- Jessie and James, apparently- are finished with their shared poem.

"How long did it take you guys to memorize that?" Tommy innocently asks.

Dyscardia sighs, and Thermoculus' eyebrows knit together in pain as he answers. "Too long. It took us way too long."

The four of them unite with the others. Jolt and Enderwalk are holding stuffed animals and plastic toys, and Red Dragon seems very pleased with himself as if he won all of them. Serenade is annoying Ravager about something on his communicator. Phil and Sneeg are nowhere to be seen, but he assumes that they are doing their own thing like Thermoculus and Tommy did. Tommy's assumption is proven right when Ravager explains, "Here they are. Let's go meet Emperor and Meowth for the parade."

Tommy guesses everyone is going by nicknames, even those that don't strictly need to. Tommy walks in the back of the group with his piece of bread. He should eat actual food more often. He's started to since being with the Syndicate, and he doesn't exactly regret it. Although he often sings the praises of the gray powder, he will be the first to admit that its lack of flavor is annoying. He just worries that eating too many good foods will worsen his guilt. Even though he's surrounded by the Syndicate, Tommy doesn't feel as guilty as he used to. It isn't gone. He can't even say that it has lessened. He just doesn't notice it as much these days. Tommy can't tell if that is a good thing or not.

Tommy hears a guitar strumming. He looks up, and he finds a group of performers sitting on the street corner with instruments. A crowd of people have surrounded the performers. They all get into position to start dancing with one another. Tommy has very little thoughts as he reaches for Serenade's hand. He jerks the villain to the side. Serenade makes a startled sound, but he follows Tommy all the way to the street performers. They join the crowd. Serenade laughs when he realizes what Tommy is trying to do. It isn't a malicious laugh, though. It is one of enjoyment, and Tommy finds himself joining in as he takes Serenade's other hand. They spin around a little more recklessly than the other dancers, but no one is having more fun than they are. Their quick movements encourage the street performers to play an upbeat song. Tommy smiles so largely that it hurts his face as he goes around and around in tight circles. By the time the street performers are done, he feels warm and sticky with sweat, but he can't wipe the smile off his face.

"I win!" Tommy informs Serenade, leaning against his shoulder as they peel off from the crowd to rejoin their group.

"I'm pretty sure I was the winner," Serenade argues as he squeezes Tommy's hand. Although neither of them know what the stipulations for winning were, they argue about who won the entire time they walk. No matter how much they go back-and-forth, though, Tommy can't stop smiling. He even wonders if Argonaut has any more bread. He'll have to ask where she bought it from. It might be nice to dip into his private funds to purchase it. Or he'll get Croupier to buy it for him. The Jester of Las Nevadas has always been on Tommy's case about eating proper food. He'll be more than willing to indulge Tommy if the blonde agrees to actually eat the bread. Croupier might not be happy if Tommy eats the bread with his gray powder, though, which is Tommy's plan.

The others are situated around the street curb. Phil, Sneeg, and Red Dragon have foldable chairs they are sitting in. Argonaut leans on the back of Red Dragon's chair. Thermoculus and Dyscardia are squished together on an overturned crate. Ravager stands behind them. Jolt and Enderwalk are sitting on the curb. Tommy releases Serenade's arm and hand to join his two friends. He sits on the curb beside Jolt, not looking back to see where Serenade ultimately ends up sitting.

"The parade is starting," Enderwalk says, pointing towards the end of the road. The first people to come through is a marching band. They are playing a loud song that seems to incorporate all sorts of instruments. Tommy watches the color guard members throwing their chromatic flags into the air. They always catch the flag, twisting them around as if the wind itself is compelling the movements of the fabric. Tommy rests his elbow on his knee, putting his chin in the palm of his hand.

When the marching band passes, the first float rolls across the street. It is designed like a giant robot crawling forward with the signature mustache of Mayor Mumbo Jumbo. The man is standing on the float, waving at people. There are heroes on the float on him, and Tommy recognizes Watcher and Arid. The latter looks at Tommy for a moment too long, but the smile on his face never wavers. Instead, he waves a little more enthusiastically. Tommy waves back, ignoring the fact that Watcher is now looking at him. Tommy looks away, dropping his hand. Thankfully, the float passes quickly. Tommy hopes Arid only recognizes Tommy. Preferably, though, he didn't know who Tommy was at all and just thought his costume was cool.

The next few floats are other important members of Mayor Jumbo's administration. Tommy doesn't know who any of them are. After those floats pass, there are floats representing the guilds. The Hero's Guild is a recreation of the tower, and some of the most popular heroes are standing on the terraces. Tommy knows vaguely who all of them are, and he finds himself waving when the float passes because Tempestarius is hanging off the back. His wave is tiny and his form is unassuming, so he doesn't understand how Tempestarius knows to look his way. When she does, she smiles and waves back. She doesn't seem to recognize him, and that's for the best. He doesn't want her getting any weird ideas about their relationship. They aren't friends, no matter what Thermoculus thinks.

Since their agents don't wear cool costumes or share their codenames, the float of the Moderator's Guild needed some sort of theme to resonate with the crowd. This year, they chose to do a circus. There are performers doing stunts and cool tricks around a smaller version of a big-top tent- though it is still plenty big.

The Enforcer's Guild is in much the same boat as the Moderator's Guild, but they go with the theme of hunters and mystical animals every year. Tommy's eyes widen when he notices that they even have a cage filled with Mobs at the certain of their float. Tommy has never seen a Mob up close, but he recognizes a few of the creatures the Enforcers brought with them: a Creeper, a skeleton without a bow, and a rotting zombie. There are two other cages on the upper part of the float. One of the cages has Nether-born Mobs like a Piglin and a sputtering Blaze. The other cage houses a singular Enderman.

"What the hell?" Jolt whispers to himself, reaching a hand to grab Enderwalk's hand. Tommy glances over to see Enderwalk's wide eyes pinned on the Enderman who stands listlessly in their cage. Since there are no attempts to teleport, Tommy thought the Enderian person agreed, but it is strange how despondent the Enderman seems.

Tommy looks over his shoulder at the others. Thermoculus seems uncomfortable, and Dyscardia is holding his shoulder and whispering to him. Ravager is gripping the back of Phil's chair with enough strength that he breaks it. Serenade reaches a hand up to direct Ravager's attention to him instead of the float. Tommy looks away, realizing that he really doesn't understand what's going on. Are they hybrids? That might explain it, but up there, only Piglins and Endermen have any form of sentience. Tommy didn't think there were any Piglin or Endermen hybrids in the Syndicate. Then again, he didn't know Serenade was a phantom hybrid, so maybe he's missing a lot of things.

Tommy looks back at the floats, noticing belatedly that Jolt took his hand, too. Tommy doesn't know why- he isn't as upset as the others. He doesn't let go, though. He closes his fingers around Jolt's hand, not looking at the costumed bee as the rest of the floats move by.

Each float has some sort of theme. Tommy understands each one, even if he doesn't know all the institutions making the floats or the people standing on them. He just enjoys the music playing softly from each moving piece and the colors swirling together. The people around them cheer, and while Tommy does enjoy the show, he doesn't make a sound. After a few more floats, Dyscardia comes by with meat skewers for the three sitting on the curb. Tommy reluctantly lets go of Jolt's hand to take his meat skewer, but he doesn't regret his choice. He enjoys his savory snack, deciding that he'll need to get some water or juice after the parade ends.

And it does end, despite how long it takes. When the last float moves to the next street, going on a route through Prime Heights, Tommy wipes his hands together, standing up. He glances at his friends as they come to their feet. He asks, "What sort of trouble can we get into?"

"There's going to be a firework show later! We could go find somewhere to watch from," Enderwalk exclaims happily. Tommy knows about the fireworks. It was the one part of the festival he was able to experience. He would sit at his window, watching the colorful bombs explode in the sky. The booming was unfortunate, but Tommy didn't mind it too much. The scent of gunpowder did put him on edge. It reminds him of the night he returned to the collapsed warehouse. It reminds him of the morning he woke up standing at the precipice of the crater. In both instances, he wasn't too far away from death.

"Or we could go mess with the fireworks," Jolt presents an alternative with an innocent smile on his face.

"I'm willing to be a terrorist," Tommy concedes, much to Enderwalk's visible displeasure. Tommy and Jolt work together to convince Enderalk to go with them to the fireworks, laughing at Enderwalk's exasperated expression as he huffs. He eventually ends up laughing. "I think-"

Tommy stops. There is a makeshift stage made just for the festival built near city hall. It will be where Mayor Jumbo will give a speech about the prosperity of the city later, but there is a pretty thick crowd starting to form around it earlier than usual. As Tommy approaches, he realizes that the guildmaster is standing on a makeshift stage. Tommy darts into the crowd, pushing his way near the front where he can see. Tommy stops when the guildmaster begins his speech into the microphone. "Citizens of Essempei, I am XD, the guildmaster of the Hero's Guild. Recently, a group of villains known as the Red Army has been kidnapping hybrids. Members of the Red Army have been causing mass panic, destroying public and private property, murdering, pillaging, and other heinous crowds that stand in opposition to the peace this city promises you. The responsibility of bringing in the Red Army was given to the Moderator's Guild. As they have made little leeway, the mayor's administration and the guildmasters have discussed better solutions. In the end, we have decided to put someone new in charge of this case. Their strength and determination will see that this case ends swiftly before more damage can be brought upon us. Before I introduce them, I want to reassure everyone that the leaders of the city have thought long and hard about what we should do, and we did not come to this decision lightly. We have weighed every option, and this will be the best for everyone."

XD shifts to the side, letting someone walk on stage. The crowd goes silent and rigid as they realize who is standing beside XD. The guildmaster continues. "For good behavior, we have allowed him to take this case as a sort of parole. Should he succeed within the time limit, he will be granted temporary freedoms and enlisted into the Hero's Guild to continue making up for all the wrong he has done to this city."

XD steps aside, letting the esper take the microphone. The crowd is a graveyard. The villain opens his mouth to start his speech, "Hello, Essempei. If you don't know me, I'm Minotaur. I would like to personally greet the survivors of Manberg, if there are any. I know there's at least one of you... But this isn't about that. This is about the Red Army. A lot of things are going to change around here now that I'm in charge of the case-"

That's all Tommy hears. The blood rushes through his head, making him feel like he's listening to a raging river. He stares down at his hands. He's shaking so much. Blood drips from his skin, thick and heavy, pouring from several cuts and tears and bruises and burns. He can't breathe, something is pressing against his chest. A foot, maybe, but he isn't on his back. He's standing up. At least, he thinks he is. He feels so off-balance. He can't tell which direction anything is. He closes his eyes tightly. See no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil... isn't that it? If he doesn't see or hear Minotaur, he can't be there. He's still in prison. He sees no evil and he hears no evil and he...

"Tommy." The blonde's eyes fly open. Tubbo is standing several feet away from him. There's a grim expression on his face. As the crowd jostles, Tubbo is swallowed up by the masses.

There's a weight on Tommy's shoulder. He whirls around, using his arm to knock the other person's arm off of him. He jumps back when red eyes narrow at him. Is it anger or concern? Tommy doesn't know. He doesn't care to know. He darts away, letting the crowd swallow him like it did Tubbo. Tommy is looking for something, but he doesn't know what. Safety? An explanation? Tubbo?

Monarch. Tommy sees Monarch's red cape because of course the hero would be on duty during a festival involving Minotaur. Tommy reaches Monarch, grabbing hold of the cape and realizing that his vision is incredibly blurry. He forces himself to breathe, trying to make his vision steady. Tommy grabs Monarch's upper arms, forcing the hero to look at him. "What the fuck, Monarch? Why the hell is he here? What the fuck did you guys do? Why- I can't- this isn't- Monarch?!"

"Calm down, Vendetta. Take deep breaths," Monarch responds. They reach up to peel Tommy's hands off their upper arms. They take Tommy's hands into their own, squeezing gently and exaggerating their breathing to assist Tommy in calming down.

Tommy yanks his hands out of Monarch's hold as if he's been burned. He narrows his eyes at the hero. "I will not fucking calm down until you tell me what the hell Minotaur is doing here!"

Monarch sighs, shifting uncomfortably on his feet. He explains slowly and gently like Tommy is a child. The blonde doesn't have the energy to take offense, not when he's getting answers. "Despite his drinking habits and excessive use of violence, Minotaur is highly strategic and powerful. He will deal with the Red Army, allowing the guilds to allocate our resources elsewhere. Since no one has been able to do much, we needed someone else to take up the charge."

"Why does it have to be fucking Minotaur?" Tommy says. There are so many other people that could continue the fight against the Red Army. Even if it had to be a villain, there were way better options. But it had to be Minotaur. Tommy reaches his hands up to hold his upper arms. He starts pulling on the golden thread again. The pain centers him. It brings him into this moment. Monarch's face twists with worry when they notice Tommy's self-destructive habit, but they are in position to tell Tommy what to do. They never were, but especially not now.

"It is like a form of parole. XD wasn't wrong. Minotaur has been surprisingly good while in prison," Monarch explains.

"Minotaur hasn't fucking changed. He is still an abusive asshole waiting to take power from anyone stupid enough not to dig their fucking claws into it. He just wants to be the leader of a borough again, and which one are we going to sacrifice? He let the fucking Syndicate blow L'Manberg up!" Tommy argues angrily. Minotaur was a corrupted politician who decided he would rather take his private assassinations onto the streets to prove how powerful he was. L'Manberg suffered under his control because he was more concerned with retaining power than helping the people. He only assisted those who could help him, and unfortunately, Tommy and his little homeless could do nothing for Minotaur. All they had to offer him was Tubbo, Minotaur's son, but none of them were willing to do that, especially not Tommy. Not after Tubbo told them what Minotaur did to him.

"Everything is going to be fine, Vendetta. I have to go, but if you're still upset, come find me later at the guildhouse," Monarch promises. They run away, having found something more worth their attention than arguing with Vendetta about something neither of them can change. Tommy remains where Monarch left him. He can't bring himself to move other than grabbing his knife for his protection. He wonders if Minotaur will try to get revenge on him. No, Tommy knows Minotaur will. The only question is how. Tommy suspects Minotaur will use a roundabout way. He will undermine Tommy's position with the guild. He'll find a way to sever Tommy's connections. He might even deliver Tommy to Reverie on a silver platter. He doesn't want Tommy to die- he wants Tommy to suffer. He must because that's Minotaur's way of doing things. Ever since he rose to power, that was how he worked. Five years in prison is a lot of time to think, to plan, to plot.

"There you are! Everyone was worried when you ran away. I saw what happened. I'm so sorry, Theseus. I don't know what the guild is thinking. I know Minotaur, and I know what he'll do once he's out," Argonaut calls from behind Tommy. He looks up, but he doesn't turn around. He's in an alleyway. He found Monarch in an alleyway. He's still in Prime Heights, not too far from the guildhouse. Argonaut continues, noticing his silence. "Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry," Tommy whispers, tilting his head around. Argonaut is close to him. She's reaching out for him. She would probably hug him, if he let her.

"What for? You didn't cause any of this to happen," Argonaut says slowly. She reaches her hand to touch one of the golden strings that came loose with all of Tommy's tugging. "Why are you sorry?"

Tommy whirls around, bringing his knife up. The blade slices through Argonaut's cheek. She jumps back immediately, landing in a defensive position. Her eyes widen in surprise. She reaches a hand up to wipe the bubbling blood from the cut away. Blue energy dances along the wound, sealing it before the blood can even spill over. Tommy brings his knife up in an offensive position. Argonaut's eyebrows knit together in confusion when she realizes what situation she's in. Tommy proclaims with glaring eyes, "The deal was that I don't the Syndicate and the Syndicate doesn't hurt him. The deal's off now."

"What...?" Tommy hears from behind Argonaut. The rest of the group is there. He doesn't know for how long, but they must have heard his proclamation.

"Vendetta-" Argonaut says, reaching a hand towards him. Before she can get closer, Red Dragon slides between her and Tommy. He looks over his shoulder, staring directly into Tommy's eyes. "Go!"

Look, Vendetta, if you want out of this deal at any time, just go. I'll support you no matter what choice you make.

Tommy takes the opportunity, not looking back as he races down the alleyway. His feet already know the destination, and his fingers clench tighter around his knife.