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[right]In collaboration with [@Obscene Symphony][/right]
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Alex was midway through a discussion on smash character balancing, when a strange lady pushed her way up to them, touching all of them. One of the guys he was talking to got quite upset, pushing her away, while half shouting a [color=fff79a]"What the hell lady?!?!"[/color] 

Alex stepped in between, trying to defuse the situation.[color=f26522] "Hey hey hey, no need for that."[/color] As the guy seemed rather upset still, Alex turned to the lady and said [color=f26522]"Um, let's just go over there, right?"[/color], pointing to an area of the room with fewer people, trying to lead her away before the situation escalated. God he hated things like this. 

As soon as the man started showing aggressive behaviour, the dog accompanying the woman bared teeth, a surprisingly deep and intimidating growl escaping him. The push earned the man a sharp bark and a warning snap, but the woman snapped her fingers at the dog and signed a command to calm him before the situation could escalate. Still, she looked far from pleased as Alex escorted her away. 

Tossing a murderous look at the man, the woman then turned to Alex, blue eyes practically simmering and hands forming a clearly irritated flurry of signs in front of her. In Alex’s ear, the signs were translated into a woman’s voice, clearly annoyed. [color=baa7c7]“What did he do [i]that[/i] for?! Isn’t that the whole [i]point[/i] of this event?”[/color] 

Alex winced at the dog barking, and baring fangs, and was very glad his owner managed to calm him down. Why did he choose to get involved in this mess? The woman's question only further exacerbating the issue[color=f26522].”Well, in a sense I suppose. But I don’t think most people enjoy being touched randomly. And a lot of people here aren’t only looking forward to reuniting, it’s a mixed bag for many. Besides, we have all week, plenty of time to take it a bit more slow, right?”[/color]

[color=baa7c7]“If they didn’t come to Reunite, what did they come for?”[/color] The woman replied quickly, [color=baa7c7]“If I were them, I’d want to Reunite as quickly as possible so I could get out of here.”[/color] She tossed her hair and took a long breath, visibly calming as she took a second to stroke her dog’s head. After a moment, she signed again, and the voice in the translator was noticeably more relaxed. [color=baa7c7]“But I’m being rude, I’m sorry. My name is Alicia. It’s nice to meet you, mister...?”[/color]

[color=f26522]“Alex. Nice to meet you, Alicia.”[/color] Alex sighed heavily.[color=f26522] “I suppose there are many reasons. Meeting people in the same situation, getting a break from normal life with a free vacation, seeing new places and meeting new people. Reuniting is part of it for most, I’m sure, but I don’t think it’s the only reason, least not for everyone.”[/color]

Alicia still looked unconvinced. [color=baa7c7]“Seems a little scummy to take advantage of a free vacation without honouring the hosts’ wishes, but I suppose it can’t be helped,”[/color] she sighed. [color=baa7c7]“I just hope that if my soulmate [i]is[/i] here, I won’t miss them. I’d hate to think I was [i]this[/i] close—”[/color] she interrupted her signing to make a gesture Alex would better understand, pushing her hands together until they were almost touching, [color=baa7c7]“—to finding them, only to have them pass me by, you know?”[/color]

It was a bit strange to see someone signing, and hear a translated voice in his ears. Alex briefly wondered where the camera for the translator was, and what would happen if it was covered up. Also, how did it translate it to her? AR? Anyway, he didn’t quite agree with her outlook, had to be more than fair to accept an invitation, even if you weren’t as gung ho as Alicia was.[color=f26522] “Well, I think it’s more about offering an opportunity, than it is a pure focus on reuniting as many as possible. And if they did have that pure focus, they could just have a handshaking event sometime during the week.” [/color]Alex paused for a second, scanning the crowd.[color=f26522] “I think part of what they’re trying to do, is give everyone an opportunity to approach this their own way, on their own terms, as well as just giving people a chance to talk to like minded people.”[/color] Alex paused for a few seconds, pondering, then shrugged[color=f26522] “Though a lot of people would probably prefer much less grandeur and pomp, so I might be off the mark entirely.”[/color]

As Alex spoke, Alicia relaxed further, even managing a giggle at his “handshaking event” comment. [color=baa7c7]“I suppose you’re right,”[/color] she conceded, [color=baa7c7]“but I still won’t let the opportunity pass me by. Must be that wannabe lawyer inside me, they do say we’re all pragmatic to a fault.”[/color] She laughed again, a surprisingly musical sound, her former irritation long gone. 

[color=baa7c7]“Speaking of going about things your own way though, how do [i]you[/i] plan to spend the week?”[/color] Alicia asked, open curiosity blooming on her face. [color=baa7c7]“Are you just here to talk to other Fragmented? Or are you going to look for your soulmate?”[/color] 

Asking the real questions, huh? That’s the second time today. Though, he supposed that was to be expected. A large part of him wanted to just avoid the question, but he decided to answer. Though he was visibly uncomfortable doing so. “[color=f26522]I… I don’t really know. I never really decided, i guess. But I did decide that I was going to enjoy myself, no matter what happened.”[/color] Alex did that thing where you breathe out heavily through your nose as a half laugh, half scoff (often at yourself) “Or try to, at least.” 

Alicia nodded her understanding, growing a little more solemn. [color=baa7c7]“That’s fair enough. I do hope you’re successful.”[/color] She offered him a sincere smile, before perking up again. [color=baa7c7]“Like I said, I’m grabbing this opportunity by the balls, so I guess I’ll get back to it!”[/color] She gave him a cheerful grin and a wave, turning away. [color=baa7c7]“Good luck!”[/color] 

Alex gave a faint smile, and wished Alicia[color=f26522] “Good luck.”[/color] Once she was a bit away, Alex sighed deeply. As nice as Alicia seemed, he was glad to have this whole ordeal over with. Alex tried to take a sip of his drink, only to find his glass yet again empty. Which was a shame, because he could really use a drink right now. He started walking over to the closest bar, but stumbled a bit, nearly bumping into someone. ‘Or maybe not’, he whispered to himself. He still made his way to the bar however, but decided he’d probably had enough alcohol for the night. [color=f26522]“Could I get a virgin Tom Collins, or something like that?”[/color] 

The man behind the bar gave him an understanding smile[color=fff79a] “Naturally. I could just make you a virgin Tom Colins, but we also have this lovely cocktail that uses a distilled non-alcoholic spirt. It’s not quite a Tom Colins, but compared to a virgin one, it has a bit more body and richness to it. Would you like to try it out?” [/color]

Alex shrugged. [color=f26522]“Sure, sounds good.” [/color]Alex found that the barkeep was pretty much spot on. He’d have probably preferred a regular Tom Colins, but compared to a virgin one, it was clearly better. He gave an approving nod to the barkeep, before stepping away from the bar. He considered going back to the previous gang, and talking more about video games, but decided to just relax for a bit, watching the crowd. He noticed a couple, clearly recently reunited, based on their happy expressions, though luckily much much less physical about it than the other one he’d seen tonight. The man seemed to be trying to convince the woman to move in with him. Bold move for a ‘first date’. Then again, one of them pretty much had to move in with the other, didn’t they? Alex sighed, staring blankly into the crowd, thinking about what that would mean to him, should he be so lucky.