The moment they stepped inside the arcade...
They were hit by light.
Music.
Laughter.
Electronic chimes.
Rows upon rows of machines stretched across the enormous building.
Claw machines.
Racing simulators.
Shooting galleries.
Rhythm games.
Virtual combat arenas.
Children laughed as tickets poured from prize machines.
Adults competed over racing games.
For a brief moment...
Gamma Squad simply stood there.
Taking it all in.
June slowly turned in a circle.
"..."
"...I think..."
"...I've died..."
"...and gone somewhere beautiful."
Lucian folded his arms.
"...It's an arcade."
"It's paradise."
Nyra laughed.
"I forgot how loud these places are."
Mira smiled.
"It smells like popcorn."
Castiel quietly looked around.
"...I've never seen so many recreational machines."
June slowly turned toward him.
"...You really weren't kidding."
"...No."
David looked around the room.
He had never seen anything like it.
Children.
Families.
Friends.
Everyone...
Simply having fun.
He smiled.
"...So..."
"...What do we do?"
June stared.
"...David..."
"You've never been to an arcade either?"
David rubbed the back of his neck.
"...No."
June looked toward the ceiling.
"...I have so much to teach you."
Split into pairs
June clapped once.
"Rule number one."
"We split up."
Lucian frowned.
"...Why?"
"So we can cover more arcade."
"...That's not how arcades work."
"It is now."
Nyra smiled.
"I think it's a good idea."
Mira nodded.
"We'll meet back here in an hour?"
Lucian thought for a moment.
"...Alright."
June immediately pointed around the room.
"I'm taking Lucian."
Lucian sighed.
"...Was that my choice?"
"No."
"I thought not."
Mira looked toward Castiel.
"...Would you like to explore together?"
He nodded once.
"...I'd like that."
That left...
David.
And Nyra.
Neither of them spoke.
June looked between them.
Then smiled.
"...Well..."
"...That worked itself out."
David looked at Nyra.
She smiled warmly.
"...Come on."
"I'll show you around."
For a few moments...
No one moved.
The arcade buzzed with music, laughter, and flashing lights.
Then—
June clapped his hands together.
"Alright!"
"Operation Maximum Fun is officially underway."
Lucian sighed.
"...I'm already regretting this."
"You always regret everything."
"I've found it to be an effective survival strategy."
June pointed toward an enormous row of claw machines.
"I see destiny."
"I see a waste of credits."
"I choose optimism."
"I know."
Before anyone could stop him...
June marched straight toward the largest claw machine in the arcade.
Inside sat an enormous crimson dragon nearly the size of a child.
June stopped.
His jaw slowly dropped.
"..."
"...He's magnificent."
Lucian folded his arms.
"It's stuffed."
"I can fix him."
"No."
"You can't."
June inserted his credits.
The claw descended.
Missed completely.
The dragon never moved.
June blinked.
"...Practice round."
Lucian said nothing.
The second attempt.
Missed.
The third.
Missed.
The fourth...
Actually grabbed the dragon...
Before dropping it two inches from the prize chute.
June froze.
"..."
"...He's mocking me."
Lucian couldn't help it.
A small smirk appeared.
"I believe he is."
June turned dramatically.
"You saw that."
"I did."
"He let go on purpose."
"The machine?"
"...The dragon."
Lucian shook his head.
"I'll be over there."
"Abandoning me?"
"I'm preserving my dignity."
"I can respect that."
Across the arcade...
Mira and Castiel wandered quietly through the prize section.
Unlike June...
Neither felt the need to rush.
Mira stopped in front of a claw machine filled with tiny plush animals.
"...These are cute."
Castiel looked inside.
"They appear statistically easier to retrieve."
She smiled.
"...That's one way to look at it."
She inserted a single credit.
The claw descended.
Perfect.
A tiny rabbit landed in the prize chute.
Castiel looked at the machine.
"...Interesting."
Mira blinked.
"...What?"
"You calculated the claw's swing before pressing the button."
She looked surprised.
"...I guess I did."
She played again.
Another prize.
Then another.
Three attempts.
Three victories.
June happened to look over from across the room.
He slowly watched another plush disappear into Mira's hands.
"..."
"...No."
Five minutes later...
He stood beside her.
"...Teach me."
Mira hugged the little rabbit.
"...No."
"...Please?"
She smiled sweetly.
"I think it's more fun watching you try."
June looked genuinely betrayed.
"I thought we were friends."
"We are."
"Then why would you do this to me?"
She laughed.
"...Because it's funny."
Even Castiel's lips twitched upward.
A little farther away...
Castiel stopped.
Music echoed from a brightly lit rhythm game.
Colored lights flashed across the screen.
He watched another player finish.
The machine chimed.
"Would you like to try?"
Castiel looked at the controls.
"...Certainly."
June happened to notice.
He leaned toward Lucian.
"...He's going to get destroyed."
Lucian looked over.
"...Probably."
Castiel selected Beginner Difficulty.
Thirty seconds later...
The machine announced—
PERFECT COMBO
The screen exploded with lights.
NEW HIGH SCORE
The arcade erupted into applause.
Children nearby stared.
One teenager looked at the screen.
"...How?"
June slowly walked over.
Looked at the score.
Looked at Castiel.
Looked back at the score.
"..."
"...You're banned."
Castiel tilted his head.
"...From what?"
"The arcade."
"I don't believe you have that authority."
"I should."
Lucian actually laughed.
A real laugh.
Quiet.
Brief.
But unmistakable.
June immediately pointed.
"There!"
"I heard it!"
Lucian's expression instantly returned to normal.
"...You imagined it."
"I absolutely did not."
Mira smiled.
"...I heard it too."
Castiel nodded once.
"...Confirmed."
June threw both hands into the air.
"I HAVE WITNESSES!"
Meanwhile...
David and Nyra wandered much more slowly.
Neither of them seemed interested in rushing from game to game.
Instead...
They simply looked around.
Children laughed as tickets poured from machines.
Parents cheered for their kids.
Teenagers competed over racing simulators.
David watched it all quietly.
Nyra glanced sideways.
"...What are you thinking?"
He smiled.
"...I think this might be the happiest place I've ever been."
She looked at him for a moment.
"...Really?"
He nodded.
"...Everyone's smiling."
"...No one's worried."
"...For a little while..."
"...Life just... stops."
Nyra smiled warmly.
"...That's why I like arcades."
She gently bumped his shoulder.
"...Come on."
"We still haven't played anything."
David laughed.
"...Lead the way."
She grinned.
"I was hoping you'd say that."
Together...
They disappeared deeper into the arcade.
David followed Nyra deeper into the arcade.
The noise gradually faded behind them.
Not because the arcade became quieter...
But because the crowds thinned.
The games became smaller.
Older.
More traditional.
Nyra slowed.
"...This is my favorite part."
David looked around.
Shooting galleries.
Ring toss.
Coin games.
Strength testers.
Classic carnival games lined the walls.
Nothing flashy.
Just...
Fun.
David smiled.
"...You came here a lot?"
She nodded.
"My dad used to bring me every year."
She laughed softly.
"I wasn't very good at most of them."
David raised an eyebrow.
"...Most?"
She pointed ahead.
"Except one."
David followed her gaze.
An old-fashioned shooting gallery stood against the far wall.
Wooden animals moved slowly across a painted forest backdrop.
Above the prize counter...
Rows of stuffed animals lined the shelves.
Dragons.
Bears.
Owls.
Foxes.
Cats.
Then...
David noticed something.
A small white fox.
Its fur was bright white.
Soft.
Its ears tipped with silver.
Blue eyes stared out from beneath a tiny stitched smile.
Nyra stopped walking.
She looked at it for several seconds.
Without saying anything.
David noticed.
"...You like that one."
She looked away.
"It's cute."
"You want it?"
She smiled.
"...Maybe."
David looked toward the shooting gallery.
Then back at the fox.
"I'll win it."
Nyra blinked.
"...David..."
He was already walking toward the counter.
The elderly attendant smiled.
"Prize?"
David pointed.
"The white fox."
The man looked up at the shelf.
"A good choice."
He handed David the wooden rifle.
"Five shots."
"Hit every target."
"It's yours."
David nodded confidently.
"...Got it."
Nyra folded her arms.
"I suddenly have concerns."
David laughed.
"...How hard can it be?"
The targets began moving.
A bell chimed.
GO.
David fired.
Miss.
The wooden duck kept moving.
June's voice echoed somewhere behind them.
"...OH NO."
David fired again.
Miss.
Nyra pressed her lips together.
Trying not to laugh.
Third shot.
Miss.
David frowned.
"...They move."
The attendant nodded.
"...That's generally how targets work."
Fourth shot.
He finally hit one.
A tiny bell rang.
David smiled.
"There we go."
Final shot.
Miss.
Game over.
The white fox remained exactly where it was.
David slowly lowered the rifle.
"...I may have overestimated myself."
Nyra couldn't hold it anymore.
She burst into laughter.
Not polite laughter.
Real laughter.
The kind that made her bend over holding her stomach.
David couldn't help laughing too.
"...It's that funny?"
She tried answering.
Only another laugh came out.
Finally...
She managed to breathe.
"...You're..."
"...You're terrible."
"I've never done this before."
"I know."
She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.
"I've never seen anyone miss the first three."
David looked genuinely offended.
"I hit one."
"You hit one."
"...Eventually."
The attendant smiled.
"You've got spirit."
David sighed.
"I'll try again."
Another game.
Five more shots.
Miss.
Miss.
Hit.
Miss.
Miss.
The attendant nodded thoughtfully.
"...Consistent."
David looked at him.
"...That's one word for it."
Behind them...
June had quietly gathered an audience.
Lucian stood beside him.
Arms folded.
Watching with obvious amusement.
June leaned toward him.
"...Think he'll get it?"
Lucian answered immediately.
"...No."
"I believe in him."
"I don't."
David tried a third time.
The result...
Somehow became worse.
Nyra laughed so hard she had to lean against the counter.
David finally set the rifle down.
"...I'm done."
"You surrender?"
"...With dignity."
June immediately spoke up.
"I don't think that's the word."
David looked over.
"...How long have you been standing there?"
"Long enough."
"How much did you see?"
"Everything."
Lucian answered.
"Unfortunately."
David rubbed the back of his neck.
"...This is never going away, is it?"
"No."
Four voices answered at once.
David sighed dramatically.
"...I figured."
Nyra stepped forward.
"My turn."
David looked at her.
"...You know how to play?"
She smiled.
"My father taught me."
She accepted the rifle.
Everything about her changed.
Her laughter faded.
Her shoulders relaxed.
She stood comfortably.
Naturally.
Like she'd done this a hundred times before.
The attendant noticed.
"...Take your time."
Nyra nodded.
The bell rang.
GO.
First shot.
Bullseye.
Second.
Bullseye.
Third.
Bullseye.
Fourth.
Bullseye.
David blinked.
"..."
Fifth shot.
Bullseye.
Perfect.
The machine exploded with lights.
BELLS RANG.
PERFECT SCORE
JACKPOT
The white fox dropped into the prize chute.
June's mouth slowly fell open.
"..."
"...What."
The attendant laughed warmly.
"I had a feeling."
Nyra reached down.
Picked up the little fox.
She smiled at it.
Brushed a thumb across one of its ears.
Then...
She turned toward David.
He smiled.
"...Congratulations."
She nodded.
"...Thank you."
She looked at the fox for another second.
Then...
Without a word...
She placed it in David's hands.
He blinked.
"...Nyra."
"You won it."
"I know."
"...You should keep it."
She smiled.
"I didn't win it for me."
David looked at her.
"...You didn't?"
She gently shook her head.
"I won it..."
A tiny smile crossed her face.
"...For you."
Silence.
David looked down at the little fox.
Then back at Nyra.
He smiled.
A real smile.
The kind that reached his eyes.
"...Thank you."
She smiled back.
"...You're welcome."
Behind them...
June slowly looked at Lucian.
Then at Mira.
Then Castiel.
Finally...
Back at David.
"..."
"...Did she..."
"...Just win him a stuffed animal?"
Lucian nodded.
"...Yes."
Mira smiled warmly.
"I think that's adorable."
Castiel looked at the little fox.
Then at David.
"...I believe it suits him."
David looked at the fox.
"...Really?"
Castiel nodded once.
"It appears dependable."
June blinked.
"...That's the nicest thing you've ever said about a stuffed animal."
"I've never been asked."
Everyone laughed.
David carefully held the little fox against his side.
For some reason...
He already knew...
He wasn't ever going to throw it away.