135: Fun Text Messages

Gideon, with a slight smile tugging at his lips, slapped the dashboard a couple times. “This baby’s outfitted with a new audio system—a surround sound system with seven individual speakers. The more important part though, is the glass is reinforced, multiple layers, the tires can keep running even if they’re popped, and the body of the car is actually made of quite an expensive metal, one that’s strong enough to deflect most conventional ballistic weaponry.”

“What if they pull out a ballistic missile,” Titus sat up a little straighter to get a better view of the hood. “I don’t think this car is surviving a ballistic missile.”

“Well, yeah, if they pull out a ballistic missile, I think we have bigger problems on our hands,” Gideon’s momentum halted, his body wilting a touch. “Like why are we fighting against the army? Anyhow, guns won't do a thing to this baby. Just know though, if we’re in a car accident, this car is not crumpling at all, so we’re feeling every bit of that impact.”

“So, we’re dying,” Nyssa pursed her lips as Gideon turned the key to start up the car. “Not because of the villains, but because you’re gonna accidentally get into a car accident with an eighteen-wheeler truck.”

“Pretty much, glad you got the gist of it,” Gideon nodded, easing his way forward and out of the parking lot. Though still moving at a leisurely biking pace, the car’s engine groaned for life, letting out sounds akin to a dying whale as the car accelerated down the road. “Alright kids, ready for a nice day at the mall?”

“Yes, dad,” Nyssa smiled, slipping into character. “Can we also get lunch at the dumpling shop? I’ve heard they opened recently and they’re really good.”

Choking on his own spit as Nyssa’s tone of voice changed, Titus turned to Nyssa, his face a mixture of surprise and laughter. Nyssa, with her face portraying nothing but excitement for the upcoming trip, did not match her body as she gave Titus a light punch on the arm. “What are you looking at? Am I too good-looking or something?”

“... Su... Sure,” Titus shook his head before turning back forward to look outside. While his eyes searched for the other cars in their group, he backed up Nyssa. “I’d also like to go to the dumpling place if possible. A friend in my class mentioned that she found it quite good.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Gideon chuckled.

He, of course, had no complaints. A unique edge of happiness edged into his voice as they drove through the bustling streets. After all, he had a guild credit card sitting in his back pocket. With company dime funding the entire shopping spree, he felt his wallet burning. The wallet whispered to him, asking to be spent, begging for him to buy clothes. In fact... he felt a phone upgrade would be very... very in character for this father...

---

After another twenty minutes on the road—their route lengthened by a traffic jam in the middle of the city—they pulled into ANOTHER line of traffic. As the car came to a stop once more, they basked in the sun as music filled the car. Yet, as the song came to a close with a voice crack, no one could hold a straight face.

“Your playlist was ass,” Nyssa channeled her best sibling insult. “How do you still listen to that softboy music...”

“I’m just a softboy, what can I say?” Titus smirked. “What are you going to do about it? I pull more than you anyway.”

Nyssa opened and closed her mouth a couple times. Unable to think of a quick retort, she huffed, turned away, and crossed her arms. With her fake outburst, the conversation in the car came to a quiet ending. Music filled the car. The singer’s gentle voice rocked each occupant in gentle embrace as her voice quivered with the melancholy of unrequited love.

“Among the singers you’ve played, this one’s my favorite,” Gideon murmured as the song came to a soft ending. “What’s her name?”

“Hmm, I believe she usually sings in a different language since her name is foreign...” Titus checked his phone once more. Swiping up on his screen, he read it out. “Ruyun Xia...? I think that’s her name. I found her on a pretty underground website, and she doesn’t get talked about much.”

Nyssa, who had just nodded along, pulled out her own phone and took a picture of the song’s information displayed on the dashboard. While Gideon pulled into the parking lot, she opened her messages and sent the photo to Celeste. [I think you might enjoy this song, the singer matches that playlist you have.]

As she sent off the text, she looked up to see the car pull into a parking spot. With two clicks, Titus and Gideon undid their seatbelts before opening their doors in unison. Following them out, she stretched, yawned, and began sweeping her eyes over the area.

A massive parking lot greeted her.

A massive, near-empty parking lot greeted her.

“Is anyone really going to come after us on a day like this? No one goes to the mall on a random weekday...” Nyssa murmured, jabbing Titus with her elbow as she walked. “It’ll fill up later I know, since it’s Friday... but still. This seems a little ill-thought out.”

In the distance, a smattering of different black cars pulled into different parts of the parking lot. Out of which came the other team members dressed in their various disguises. Titus, with an exasperated smile, just shrugged. “They made the plan, not us. Let’s just take today as a free day. I’m not expecting much to happen until the third or fourth shopping trip anyway.”

“True...” Nyssa mirroring Titus with a shrug of her own. As they walked forward, she scanned around before transforming her appearance. Her hair shifted to match Gideon’s brown, her height increased by just a touch, and her facial features became a touch sharper. A handsome look compared to her usual appearance. Checking her appearance over with her phone while she walked, she shook her head. “I should’ve done this in the car, it was a bit careless of me. Remind me in the future, will you?”

“Will do,” Titus hummed.

Snapping a picture of herself after murmuring a quiet “thank you” to Titus, Nyssa sent the photo off to Celeste with a joking caption: [Hey babygirl~]. She made the text while tilting her phone towards Titus, and once she hit the send button, she turned to him and raised her eyebrows. “What do you think?”

“I mean... I’m not into women, as you know. But I do get the humor.” Titus smiled, patting Nyssa on the back in true older sibling fashion. “Let’s catch up to Gideon though. We’ve been walking a little too slowly, he’s almost already at the mall’s entrance.”