Umano Underground Slums

Damn, she already knew. Though he figured she might... He shut his eyes sighing softly, but managed a light smile in return, a front as well. Inside he was hurting, and even hearing her say he shouldn't be sorry for it didn't change that he felt guilt.

"...I love that about you. Even during things like this, you try to stay optimistic, something I can't really do." he glanced to the side for a moment before making eye contact, looking just as tired as her, his eyes still bloodshot from crying so much. "But even as you say I shouldn't be sorry, I still feel guilty. I put an end to more than just you. ...Two others, Flonne and Amatsuki." he shut his eyes halfway glancing down, struggling to find the right words for it. This was almost as nerve wracking as asking a girl on a date, that felt like the best comparison in his mind.

"I can see why you and others got a second chance, but since I learned about... Seyer... Me, I can't help but wonder why I was given a second chance." he looked up at Aoi again, then back down. He wasn't trying to be depressing. As it stood, Aoi was honestly the only person he felt he could really go and open up to. "I'm sorry if I'm wasting your time with my worries... I just... ...I decided, maybe I should just let myself disappear. I'm a monster, a killer. I didn't deserve this second life and yet I got it." damn, he was losing it. He bit his lower lip to keep himself from crying again, drawing a bit of blood in the process. This wasn't how he wanted it to go honestly. But this is how the conversation went. He'd always had a bit of trouble expressing certain feelings. Now he could probably guess why.

"...What?" Carlos was surprised by Haruka's response. "Haruka, I know we don't know where are the drones at the moment, but we can investigate. They shouldn't be far from this city. If we don't do something we could end up losing more than we can afford". The new commander then told him that, even though he appreciated his concerns, it was better to stay put instead of blindly chase them. "B-But... I don't want to stay put! I want retribution! W-We need to attack first if we-!" He then noticed he was starting to raise his tone while Haruka was asking Bashiro for his cooperation in the upcoming battle.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Just... Let me try" He begged Haruka. "I'll go out, ask here and there, locate them and, if I manage to find something useful, I'll come back right away. Just... Let me help, commander. I don't want to stay here doing nothing when I could be useful in some other way...".

"I don't deserve my second life either", Cyan replied to Aedan after listening to his guilty woes, feeling the sins crawl at his back as he killed more than just her. Flonne and Amatsuki... The Seeds suffered horrific fates, then had nowhere to go in the prime timeline. Seyer was a murderer, and Cyan was a failure of salvation. "I don't know why Chronojet had any of us come back, but I don't think it was to just disappear. I don't think Chronos is expecting that either. I think... No, I don't really care why we're back. All that matters is we're here, and we have to make our own reasons for still being here."

Aoi walked closer to the remorseful reincarnated, gently wrapping her arms around him to offer some kind of warmth she still had after standing in her cold tundra for so long. Just... to offer him something, anything. He isn't a monster, "You're not a monster". She can't speak for the other two, but she wanted to die then to end the distortions she caused, and she did. Aedan saved her and others in the prime timeline.

"It's really hard to be optimistic but..." Cyan reached out to a conveniently placed box of tissues for his bleeding lip, giving him one. "Standing still... wondering why we were born again... That'll just hurt us all again."

"Mitsuki?" Jellal was shocked to see his younger sister before him once again. It was a little surprising considering all that had happened and him regaining his memories, he wouldn't think to see her here but he's been proven wrong before. "Ehh my sleep was alright, thanks for asking." Jellal stepped forward to his sister and embraced her softly in his arms. "It's nice to have family around." he thought to himself peacefully.

Haruka firmly grasped it.

Bashiro's hand, anyways.

"Look, it won't be a fun thing. No matter what your goal is, revenge or closure, I'm backing you up and so is everybody else here. Just as you got my back."

Haruka gave a solemn grin, trying to lighten what remaining mood was there to savor. He plastered what feel good emotions he had to his face and called it a day. However Carlos was not about to stand down... Haruka wasn't very upset by this mini manhunt, he was just worried.

"Tell you what Carlos. If you want to search, I'll authorize it. But the very second you find any of them, contact either me or one of the other guys you know with bangles in the area. Don't alert them. We'll use the element of surprise. No foolhardy actions, you hear me?"

He wanted the full, satisfactory respect of Carlos with his decision. If Haruka was going to let this slide, he damn well expected the utmost caution when doing so.

----

Sera sat there, trying his best to not the music get to him too hard. While he adored Aoi's singing and wanted to carry her around on his shoulders for a job well done, she seemed heavily occupied and wanted to keep his attention on Okuri.

"Like it? She sings good, yeah?"

Sera, grammar. Learn it.

He ran his fingers through Okuri's slightly fluffier fur as the rain was starting to dry up a bit finally.

"I miss them too. All of them."

His words were... Simple. Direct. But they held the emotions of a man whose lived for no less than three months in a human body and had more heart than most of the soldiers in this base combined by now.

She told him that she didn't deserve a second life either. She told him that he wasn't a monster. He didn't sigh, push her away, or tell her that she was wrong. ...What could he say? He didn't understand why, why she was trying to make him not feel worse... He actually didn't understand that what he did saved the prime timeline, even with Seyer's memories. He could only see that he killed.

When hugged, he hesitated a moment before returning it. He didn't deserve this kindness and yet he accepted it. Maybe there was some light left in the world after all, even if they were meant to disappear. Wait tissues? ...Oh right, he bit his lip and drew blood. "T-Thank you." he applied the tissue to his lip to stem the bleeding.

"Even in light of all this, your optimism is inspiring. I'm sure if he had met you, maybe he wouldn't of turned out the way he did." he shut his eyes. Smooth, talking about things like that, even if you were trying to cheer yourself up.

"Honest I'd be almost tempted to ask you on a date, if I didn't think your friend would string me up." he made a joke, trying to still cheer himself up, and maybe help Aoi cheer up as well, though the joke was probably in bad taste... Though it was possibly a good sign. Some of the old Aedan was showing through thanks to her. "That being said, we'll make it through this. ...Even if you're just saying it to make me feel better, you're making sense. ...It doesn't matter why we're back, just that we have to make our own reasons for living." he shut his eyes, thankful he had a friend like Aoi. "You're the best." he gave a warm smile, trying to cheer up even more... if not for himself but for her.

Okuri managed to stand after Aoi concluded and Sera commented on it. His fur was only damp at this point and the mud that had clung to it was beginning to cake over. He wasn't quite as wobbly anymore but he still looked like a mess. It crossed his mind Sera had been petting him quite a bit but he didn't mind it. He'd gotten quite accustomed to a friendly touch because of... Jessie once again. It had a sad tinge to it now with that thought but he still appreciated it.

"I should probably try to get some rest or something. My body and mind are both spent. Thanks again Sera." he said as he shook himself a little bit. Not nearly enough to dislodge the dirt or anything like that. He looked around the area. Little groups of conversation had formed. Aoi was busy with some others as a new singer took the stage. Then his eyes fell on Haruka, Bashiro and Carlos. His heart sunk to see Haruka with no Yukino by his side but even more so to see Bashiro with no Jessie close at hand. He had wanted to speak to Bashiro but looking at him even was enough to get his eyes watering up again. His gaze lingered for a few seconds but he turned his head aside quickly to avoid making eye contact.He wanted somewhere to sleep or so he told himself.

He walked off from out of the main gathering of people and stood out more in the process. His legs weren't carrying him to the barracks and the beds available. Instead he could tell he was going to the side of the building he'd been sleeping at when he first met Jessie. When the boy disturbed him in his sleep and helped get his leg treated. It only seemed right for the moment, however painful.

Bashiro got up from his chair wiping away the tears with his gloved hand. "Yeah man, of course." Bashiro sniffled again, the brawler staying away his crying. Haruka's got his back, and he's got Haruka's. Good, because the thug isn't going in expecting much. Revenge, closure, forget it. Whatever Jessie wants, and whatever he's personally sick of. Some God in Heaven blessed him with insanely powerful fists to smash apart Reaper skulls, and goddammit, he's going to blow apart at least one more before anything else can happen.

That was his silent vow to his commander - his friend. And his vow to Okuri in the distance who he saw, feeling just as devastated.

"You take the rest of those if you want, buddy." He motioned to the drinks.

Aoi giggled, putting on a cheerful smile. "Eheheh... Yeah, Fubuki would probably freak out about that. She can get really jealous, I think!" The pep in her voice returned, despite how cold it still was on top of slippy and frozen terrain. Even so, not thinking about Chronojet's reason and helping Aedan helped her power through it. Cyan can still save someone. There's more people to help too, and Fubuki might light up knowing she was alive. Yes... smiles inspire people to be strong.

It's not as hard as it looks.

Aedan gave a grin shutting his eyes. She wasn't wrong. "Maybe she'd just get used to it?" this was obviously a joke. He wasn't going to try to force an idea on anyone ever.

He was happy though. Happier than he had been. ...Maybe, just maybe he could forget about his past and forge a path forward together with everyone. "...Seriously though Aoi. ...If you need me for anything, don't hesitate to ask alright? I'll come runnin' to help you, like you're helping me." it was true. She was pretty much the only other person who tried to help him since he got here, other than Haruka and Haruto. And he hadn't seen Haruto in a long time and Haruka... ...He was out of touch with the new commander, but he knew that the man was going through some rough times.

Still though, it felt nice having someone help support him, even though they were going through the same thing... different experiences.

"It looked like you were getting ready to leave though. I don't wanna have you keep whoever you were going to see waiting...I also wouldn't mind going with, but that'd be kinda rude of me." he laughed a bit, still smiling, staying close. She did look cold though... "If you need a better jacket by the way I can lend you mine, dunno how well that one works, though I don't remember seeing you with a jacket before... Anyway, furred hoods are pretty awesome." he scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

Right right... "Yeah, sorry I shouldn't hold you up any longer..."

Carlos couldn't believe it. Haruka authorized the 'Drone Hunting' (Oh, I love how it sounds!). He was authorized to carry out the mission! "Thanks Haruka! Thanks!" He said, hugging his friend out of happiness. "I won't disappoint you! I'll be the best spy/operative/whatever I can be! And of course I won't face any of them alone! I'll contact you right away! But don't expect me to not engage if I see that beautiful blonde that's helping the invaders". He then winked. "Nah, I'm just kidding... I think". Realizing the situation, he released Haruka from the friendly grip of friendship (Trademark pending). "Eh, thanks a lot... Commander".

Then, it was time to talk to Bashiro who recently got up from his chair. Even though he was struggling to hold back his tears, he told Haruka that he could count on him. "Bashiro..." Carlos said to the thug. "Good to see you, man. Look, I don't know if you want to hear this, but I will say it anyways. If you need something, anything, you can count on me. Just let me know and I'll be there" He finished, holding his fist in front of the thug and waiting for a traditional fist bump. "And I don't want any of those drinks. I don't want to end sleeping in a bench with green lipstick on my face again".

After a while of Darren training the recruits and Resistance members, he stretched his body out as he said, "Nice job, guys! Next time we'll turn up the gravity, see how you handle fighting under pressure." He grinned as he walked out of the training room. Most of the Resistance members inside were either on the ground in sweat or holding themselves up on the walls while panting. Darren had done intensive training since being freed of the Reverse, so it was another workout for him.

He stepped outside to look around the base. It looked like Haruka was with Bashiro and Aeden was talking with Aoi. That's good for them. They had things to sort out so best that it get taken care of. Having the memories of the Seeds he had become one with had its good and its bad. He understood the experiences of those individuals but at the same time he also felt their pain. It was another reason he wanted to fight so hard. The tragedies of the fallen worlds needed to end. This place wouldn't be the same.

With that said, what more could be done? He looked at his deck, a particular card. A new power among his units. I should probably be practicing with this unit.

"We never know when the enemy is watching. This is a fairly public area. Its best to wait for now."

"If its not broke, don't try fixing it. We can do fine as we are right now."

"Still not sure how you even got this," Darren said to the two. "Is this why you were gone for so long?"

"Yusha was scattered all over Cray, especially the United Sanctuary. It wasn't easy moving through that place without a few units questioning me. They've been on edge with all that's been happening."

"The Sanctuary may have suffered the most, especially with Blaster Blade now gone. We have to do all we can to protect it along with the rest of Cray in his place."

"Yeah, you're right..." Darren said as he was in thought for a moment. "Yuki was using Blaster Blade and Alfred, right? Does that mean they're both gone now?"

"I'm pretty sure the King's still around. I didn't really have time to check. Its still enough to put the army into a panic."

"There's a way to undo the Deletion... but I was never really sure of the details.." Darren gave a sigh at the thought. The first thought that came to mind was altering the Akasha Records, but only Tomato Head and Chronojet Time Lord could do that. For Chronojet to come out to try now would be bad. Harbinger had the records close to her and he would have to expose himself to even attempt it. "Maybe things can be set right when we finally take her down..."

Darren stopped walking, looking up at the sky with a light smile. There was a way to make the future brighter. He would fight to find that way. He owed it to the world he almost doomed to do that.

After this fight with Darren, Neo had a few more cardfights with the other members and then decided to go out for some fresh air.

Hopefully one day.. We can all enjoy a beatiful day like this when the war is over. Neo said

Neo then peaked over his shoulder and saw Darren. Even though its a distant memory, Neo still remembers the days when Darren was Malice. He even remembers those painful cardfights he had to go through when the damage felt real.. Neo has gotten past that because hes in the same boat, he was reversed and did bad things too. Neo then walked up to Darren.

Enjoying the fresh air? Neo asked

Darren heard a voice behind him. He didn't fear it, though. If there was danger, he either would have sensed it or the Dimensional Robos would have told him about it. He really did feel more relaxed now that he had his normal deck. He wasn't just Malice trying to do good. He was Darren Shurensei once again.

"Something like that." he responded. He raised his hand slightly to give a wave to Neo without turning around. "Thinking to myself, you could say. Things look like they'll be going smoothly here. Since that's the case, I can do whatever I feel like I need to do." He spoke as if he was preparing to leave.

Yeah. Seems like that for now Neo said

Neo had alot on his mind but he didnt want to bother Darren with any of it. It was stuff only he could deal with.

Im gunna head back down, maybe go to the training area or something

Darren gave a nod, then turned to Neo. He had a hand in his pocket as his mind was still thinking about what next to do. He didn't exactly have options. If he left the base, it would be difficult for anyone to inform him if anything happened. Was there something more he could do here to help? Nothing came to mind.

"Do what you gotta do, Neo," he said as he knew Neo had a lot on his mind. They both did, but Darren wasn't ready to talk much about all of the things on his mind right now. The only one that even remotely knew what he was going through was Noel and she was busy with the Resistance, rallying support. "If anything comes up, I'll be around." In the end, Darren really couldn't leave. If he did, he would miss whatever happened next.

Jellal's hug was a surprise, Mitsuki did not expect that. She blushed a bit and asked if her brother was alright. Though after such an emotional turmoil, anyone would break down, but then isn't her brother's memory...lost?

"Brother, could it be that you've regained your memories back?" Mitsuki asked as she tilted her eyes upwards to question her towering brother. She knew all along Jellal had a blank gap in his memories.

Suddenly she heard a chatter between two men, Darren and Neo so she avoided the topic even before Jellal could answer and dragged him towards the two. It would be nice if she could train and witness her brother's skill if his memories had actualy return.

"Sorry to disturb you, but I thought it'll be really nice if someone could fight my brother" she hastily said, throwing all responsibilities to Jellal and leaving Darren and Neo puzzled. 'Sorry' she whispered to her brother as she awaited response.

Darren turned to the girl that mentioned her brother wanting to fight someone.He saw brother, though he didn't know the male personally at all. Anything her was or had done in the past was a mystery to Darren. He then looked back at the girl and gave a light smile.

"I don't mind having a fight or two," he said as he picked up a deck case to show to them. "The more we train, the better we'll get. We'll need it for later. Besides, no reason we can't have a little fun." He then looked up at the mysterious male and said, "You sure you okay with this? You don't really look like you had a choice before now."

Neo saw Mitsuki and Jellal walk up to him and Darren with Mitsuki asking one of them to cardfight Jellal. Neo smiled when he saw Darren accept the challenge.

Darren Vs Jellal?! This should be good! Ill sit back and watch this one! Neo said with energy

"I'll make sure to come to you, but you can come along, if you want!" Aoi responded to Aedan's willingness to help her out whenever necessary and wanting to come along to where ever she had to go. She needed to speak with Xat, get to Fubuki, and wanted to talk to Master Haruka at some point. "Don't worry about the jacket, I think I'll still be cold either way, but I don't think I need to wear two of 'em."

Putting on Aedan's jacket and Darren's jacket would probably look more hilarious than needed.

"Why did she do this?" he asked himself about 3 times. "Oh my god, why, why, why Mitsuki?" he turned and gave her an innocent yet menacing glare for being forced into a situation. He turned back from his sister and saw Darren and Neo standing in front of him. Jellal wasn't too sure what to expect from him, so he approached while reaching his back pocket for his cards.

"Sorry if you guys were doing something, it seems my sister felt the need to um..." he was nervous and couldn't think of what to describe this situation. Though deep down, he knew she must've had a reason for it, probably knowing that she wanted him to make new friends. "But if you're still up for a fight, I'll be happy to play." Jellal said calmly revealing his deck case to his soon to be opponent.

"Sounds good to me," Darren said as he pointed to the nearest table. The holographic fight table would have been nice, but no point in going all the way back to the Training Area just for one fight. A simple table would be fine.

Darren's Dimensional Robos battled Jellal's Revenger army!

The battle was a fierce one. Darren began with strong attacks, one even having trigger power added. His opponent fought just as fiercely. On his Grade 2 turn, Darren was able to use Kaiser Greater with Kaizard to combing into "Super Dimensional Robo Daikaiser!" The unit appeared stronger than ever and struck with a double critical one turn after, giving Darren a clear lead. Jellal answered back with the power of Raging Folm Dragon, activating his Limit Break to ride it again standing and with increased power. Thanks to a Stand Trigger and a well placed Daishield, Darren survived the battle.

On his turn, Darren used the power of Goyusha to activate Trans Dimension once more, the ability to transcend dimensions and combine his units to form a new power. Through it Ultimate Dimensional Robo Great Daikaiser was formed. Its power attacked for 31000 with an extra critical and three drive checks, the same as any Stride unit. This was the power Darren obtained to battle Stride, and there was more to it than just this.

Jellal used a Perfect Guardian. Darren realized that if he checked a single Grade 3 unit he would likely win the match, but he could never let a battle like this end just because his opponent didn't understand the skill. He asked, "Is that all you guard with?" Jellal became confused and cautious from the question immediately. He placed down most of his hand and even intercepted. Darren checked his Drives.

Great Daikaiser!

The unit came forth and struck the Perfect Guardian down, negating it defense. Jellal was shocked, and rightfully so. The idea that a Perfect Guard could lose to anything was almost unheard of, but the Dimensional Robos found a way.

Great Daiyusha!

The Dimensional Robo appeared and struck down a critical trigger from the guard circle. If the third check had been a trigger of any kind, the match would have gone to Darren then and there, but that just wasn't the case. He ended his turn with that.

Jellal struck back with Revenger, Phantom Blaster Abyss. He used it to preform Legion. Darren was surprised. A fighter that didn't know Break Ride but knew of Limit Break and Legion. It showed he skipped an era of time. Darren's deck was technically a relic of that particular era so it only made sense. Darren knew of Phantom Blaster Abyss well. By retiring 3 allies, he could attack once more with an attack strength of 22000. Darren was in Crossride, 13k to defend him. However, with only 5 cards in hand, he couldn't defend against 4 battles.

He blocked the first, since it only asked for one unit from his hand to guard. The second met with Daishield. A critical appeared. He made the right choice. The critical went to the rear Blaster Dark Revenger, not Abyss. Three units were retired and it stood again. Darren had another Daishield as well as a Great Daiyusha to discard, but Blaster Dark Revenger would hit with 2 critical. Better to take the Vanguard and hope for a heal. Jellal did not see another critical in his checks, but Darren saw no heal. The battle ended there.

As Darren shook hands with a worthy foe and a new friend, he mentioned hopes of reuniting with his clan, the Aqua Force as well as his first partner unit Blue Storm Dragon, Maelstrom. Darren's mind flashed back to Cyan, the Seed who had that unit. That person was now Aoi and had full memory of her time as Cyan. It would make sense she would know something about Maelstrom, especially since she still used Aqua Force now.

"Find someone named Aoi," he said to Jellal. "She'll probably know something about it." He hoped that information would be helpful to Jellal, but there was no way to know until something was done. One thing was sure, if he was to compete with the Reapers, the power he was using now likely wasn't enough. Then again, Jellal and the Revegers were strong in their own rights, and the battle was a fun one. No reason to worry yet.

Jellal stood on one side of the fight table where he and Darren were about to fight. Being put on the spot wasn't something he had intended for but he was curious to see how Darren played. "I'll get you later for this Mutsuki." he noted to himself before placing the deck on the table.

"Stand Up, Judgebau Revenger!" Both fighters revealed their clans: Shadow Paladins vs Darren's Dimension Police. It had been a while since Jellal last fought Dimension Police. Ironically enough, he first fought them here in Umano, against Hikaru Nagisaki. However, the Dimension Police looked like giant robotic warriors rather than galatic beasts. The fight was going steady, Blaster Dark was front and center and attacked. Although, Darren changed the pace and rode his grade 3 first with the Trans Dimension ability, summoning forth Super Dimensional Robo, Daikaiser from his deck. Jellal rode his ace, Raging Folm Dragon and mounted a counterattack, pushing Darren to four damage. Darren attacked Jellal who was at two and with a double critical check, Jellal was in a negative position but he was also beginning to unleash the true power of his deck. He superior rode another Raging Folm Dragon from his hand due to Raging Folm's limit break ability. Darren was pushed to five but survived to unleash a devastating combination of his own: another Trans Dimension ability, which triggered the effect of his vanguard causing a "Break Ride" as well as crossriding onto his Vanguard's advanced form: Ultimate Dimensional Robo, Great Daikaiser. With a power of 31,000 and 2 Critical, Daikaiser activated yet two more abilities, one the ability to do an additional drive check and the second to retire units in the guardian circle by drive checking key cards. Jellal dropped most of his hand including a perfect guard: 2 grade 3s and a trigger were needed to end the game. Darren checked the two grade 3s, breaking off the Perfect Guard and a Critical Trigger, but without the trigger, couldn't break through Jellal's defenses. In a last ditch effort, Jellal rode a familiar face from the past: Phantom Blaster "Abyss" and used his skill to legion with Blaster Dark "Abyss". After shuffling numerous times, Jellal called a full field with the rest of his hand and attacked. Phantom Blaster Abyss restood much like Raging Folm and launched a second attack with the sacrifice of 3 of their allies, and ending the match in their victory.

During the fight, Jellal mentioned that he was searching for his old partner, Blue Storm Dragon: Maelstrom which led Darren to point Jellal to seek out Aoi, a name that was mentioned by Neo before when he questioned the Narukami player about any information regarding the clans whereabouts. Jellal accepted this information and extended a handshake to a new friend. Jellal's also mentioned that his preference for Limit Break units comes from the ideal of getting stronger and reaching beyond his limits, which is something Darren also shared as noted by his units.

"Aoi, huh?" he said to himself as he went in pursuit of Aoi.

Mitsuki watched the whole game as her brother's Shadow Paladin beat Darren's Dimension Police, it was nonetheless a very intense and close game. During the meantime she realized and eavesdropped onto Jellal's and Darren's conversation about 'Aoi' which made cleared her suspicion earlier. Straight after Jellal left in pursuit for Aoi, she bid farewell to her brother then walked up to the training table and placed down her deck.

"Mr. Neo, Mr. Darren, sorry for the intrusion earlier. My name is Mitsuki Kisaragi, Jellal's younger sister and it's my pleasure to meet you. Though it seems that you know a tad bit about my brother's memory too so would you mind sharing some of it?" Mitsuki said as her tone changed immediately. It was a more serious and demanding tone, almost threatening compared to her playful and cheerful facade she put on when her brother was around. She placed a card down onto the center of the table and gazed into Darren and Neo's eyes.

"Anyone up for it? It'll be nice to have a nice long conversation whilst training" she said in a fake cheerful tone with a fake smile.

Darren raised a brow before he grinned and placed his own deck down. She was interesting. It was clear she was hiding something but she wanted to seem cheerful and kid-like. More than anything, if she was Jellal's sister, he wanted to know how she fought. One more battle could confirm if his deck from the past was really too old to do things. If so, he might need to work with his new power.

"I'll give you a fight," Darren said with a smile of his own. "Let's see what ya got, Mitsuki."

Aedan was allowed to tag along? Yay. He didn't have to be alone now. Smiling and nodding, the Seed put his hands into his jacket pockets. At the mention of the cold though... He didn't know how to reply. Why was she so cold, and to the point jackets wouldn't help? "Wish I could do something to help out with that." he scratched the back of his head for a moment before returning his hand back to the pocket, glancing around once. It seemed things were getting lively again.