The detective and his friends were grouped together, just like always. They were all smiling, talking and laughing loudly, just like always. The brunette girl was lecturing the noisy males while the fox made his own, quieter comments, just like always. And just like always, I wished that I could join.

They were playing a game in our current hotel room this time. It was a simple, human game that even the orange-haired idiot could understand. Just from watching a few rounds, I had already picked up the rules, but how difficult could a game called 'Go Fish' really be? The game itself wasn't what had caught my attention though.

The thing that had captured my focus was how open everyone was. They all spoke their minds, made jokes with one another, and would even poke fun at the others' expense. There was a genuine smile on each of their faces, something that I still couldn't fully understand. All of them were relaxed, not even the slightest hint of a defense.

After a decent amount of time, the detective asked if I would like to play too, holding out his hand in an inviting manner, just like always. The others also tried to convince me to join them, just like always. Even the giant oaf attempted to get me to play by saying ridiculous things, like he would win and that I was scared, just like always. And just like always I turned down their offers, told them that I had better things to do than play a silly game, and promised myself that next time I would accept.

But what was another broken promise?

End