103

The rest of the night passes by relatively uneventfully, and you leave the nightclub with a pleasant buzz in your head. On the other hand, Alejandro is completely wasted, having drank too much. At least he didn't drive today, and Lamesha didn't drink as much as well. She volunteers to drive him back home and you nod, telling her that you'll just head on home yourself. "Are you sure?" she asks in concern. "It's pretty far from here, Wendell Dumein."

You shrug and tell her that you don't mind taking a walk back home. It'll let you get some sights and sounds of Zawame as well as see what has changed while you were gone. She nods her head hesitantly before she goes to help Alejandro to her car. You help them as well and watch as they leave the nightclub in her car. You sigh a little and start to walk off, stretching your arms as you slowly make your way back home.

The first thing you notice about Zawame on your walk back home is how much it hasn't really changed. True, there are new buildings and businesses where there was something else before, but otherwise, the atmosphere still feels the same to you: it feels like Zawame is busy but somehow relaxed at the same time, that despite all of the hustle and bustle, everyone still has time to enjoy life and are able to take a step back from everything if they need to.

You stop by a 24-hour convenience shop and buy yourself a drink (non-alcoholic, of course). Once you pay for it, you open it and drink it down slowly, taking your time as you step out of the store and look around the city before you start to make your way back home. Your mind wanders once more, though this time to a more pleasant thought: that it's nice to be home again, where nothing dangerous happens and you can just—

A slight sound reaches your ear, and you turn your head in its direction. You believe that it's coming from down an alley that's a little dark and lonely-looking. As you stare down it, you think you see something move in the darkness.