“So… now what Mr. Grate Higen?” Ozwald asked me, so I smiled and passed the card through the reader, like Niko taught me the machine illuminated and asked us to take soft mallets as rodents in brown fur came out of their homes “Come on don’t just look, hit them!” Oswald was confused at first but after a moment he started to get into it “This is fun!!!” he wowed and bashed the rodents until the time was up, the machine spurted some tickets, when I went to the clerk I noticed that the doll I wanted to give Ozwald was seven thousand and fifty tickets, there’s only like ten in my hand so I have a long way to go.

“what are those for Higen?” he asked me as I put them in my jersey pocket, “don’t worry about it, which one do you want to do now?” he pulled my arm and dragged me to all types of games we at least try everything in the arcade once, but I was still short one hundred and fifty tickets, “but if it isn’t Banna and the pipsqueak” and now Carter and a girl joined the mix, I growled when he got close to Ozwald “Higen is fine” he whispered “I don’t have the staff and you are here so I can handle anything he throws at me” I love to see him more confident, “Ozwald is that you?” the girl said I… wasn’t aware that Ozwald knew any girls.

“Donna? What are you doing here?” the girl came and give Ozwald a hug, meanwhile, Carter and I stood with our mouths open, “well I came here often with my boyfriend, do you know Carter?” he glared at him so I reached for my gloves in case I need a light weapon to humble him, but Ozwald grabbed my hand to stop me, “yeah he and Higen are on the football team, we… have seen each other sometimes” “am… Ozwald who is your friend?” “Oh right, Higen this is Donna, she is in the team of track and runs” She extended her hand at me, “Nice to meet you Higen my name is Donna, Ozwald has told me a lot about you!”

I shook her hand “Oh really now?” Ozwald swallowed hard “Say what has he told you about me?” she looked at him “Sorry I’m duty bound to keep the secrets of my adorable teammates, you know how it is, right?” blast it she is smart, I do know not to brake a duty, “wait a second!” she said, “didn’t you said that today was your birthday Ozwald?” “Oh yeah that’s right, actually that’s why Higen brought me here” she pulled her card from her purse “okay come on you are picking your present from the gallery” Oh no this is the worst possible scenario, “wait are you sure? The prices aren’t cheap I wouldn’t want to take your hard work.”

Carter laughed “Ozie, she has like sixty thousand tickets on that card, she can buy anything on the gallery” Donna smirked “They don’t call me the Dance, Dance, infiltration queen for nothing” I could only watch as Donna got Ozwald the doll I wanted to give him, “but would you look at that, seems like your friend and my girlfriend are getting along, isn’t it sweet?” I growled again “Bite me Marten” he smirked at my reaction as they returned, “Thanks Donna, I love it” “don’t mention it Ozwald happy birthday” They hugged again and I for some reason felt jealous of this seen, “…Hey Donna, do you want to play a round of dance, dance, infiltration before we go?”

Carter spilled some of the soda he got from a machine “Higen what are you doing?” Ozwald asked me “Ohjojojo a challenge I see” Donna passed her hand through her long brown and pink hair, “I´ll have you know that this queen doesn’t run from a challenge, bring it baby” This game wasn’t one I tried whit Niko but I have issued a duel and I have to do my best, my honor has been challenged “so let me explain the rules mostly ´cos I’m not sure New Zeeland has this machine” she started.

“We will dance to the same song, the first person that runs out of stamina loses and the winner gets… are we betting something or are we doing this for fun?” she asked me “For fun, for fun!” Ozwald called “party pooper” Carter complained, “Oh I know; however, wins will get a hug from the birthday boy!” she pointed her manicured finger at me “So you in Banna?” I nodded, “Hey wait a second why am I the price?” we all ignored Ozwald as we walked to the machine.

“Higen, you don’t have to do this, what´s gotten into you?” he whispered into my ear, he is right I am competitive but why am I this upset? Is it because Donna gave him the doll, I wanted to give him? or has my honor as a knight been challenged by her unknowing actions? Or there is another reason beyond my comprehension, whatever the case might be I won’t back down from this challenge.

“Sorry Ozwald but I must do this, once a knight issues a duel there is no backing away” Once at the machine we paid for the round and Donna selected the song “Oh I forgot to ask, what level of intensity do you want?” she told me as she looked through the songs, “the hardest one!” Ozwald has given up on making me reconsider, “Oh feeling daring are we then…” She pressed the song and grab the railing behind her, I give Ozwald my jersey as the countdown started “Kick his butt babe!!!” Carter cheered for Donna, “Am… you can do this big guy?” it was nice of Ozwald to say something as the music started.

“Yay, I win!!!” Donna jumped up and down as the song ended, her stamina bar was still full while mine was depleted for my wrong movements, the song was difficult to follow and the motions for me to press the plates proved to be too much, “that’s my girl!!!” Carter lifted Donna in his arms while I looked down at the ground defeated “Hey!” I felt Donna´s hand on my back “No hard feelings, right?” I lifted my head “yeah… you won fair and square” “You were more than a worthy opponent, is this really the first time you play?” I nodded “The Mechanics of the Heart is a very difficult song to dance to, I’m surprised you didn’t lose after the first part.”

Donna and Carter left after the match, they despaired amongst the machines and when I looked at my phone, I saw what time it was, “hey… you okay big guy?” Ozwald asked me while giving me my jersey back, “yeah… sorry I am not sure what got into me, I wanted to give you that doll but Donna beat me to it” I admitted bitterly, “Don’t worry, if you want to give me something we can go to the gallery, you work hard for those tickets, come on” we walked to the desk at the price galleries, Ozwald looked at them and pointed at something, the clerk took it out of its places and I managed to see what he chose.

“What on earth is that?” I asked, Ozwald was holding a keychain of some kind of character, it had an animal costume but inside of the mouth was the face of a person, “that’s a limited edition key chain of “Zoofice” the clerk answered “Is a popular series on T.V, that one is one of the main characters Tobby the Tanuki” Ozwald smiled “I haven’t seen the series but Niko showed me some funny pictures and” he pointed to the charm “it kind of look like you on your pajamas, so now I can have a tiny Higen in my pocket, thanks for my present I love it!” he give me a hug and I felt bad for getting angry at Donna.      

After the movie we started to walk back home, it was already dark when we got out of the mall, “it was a fun day thanks for convincing me to go out Higen” “…” I was lost in my thoughts, so I didn’t answer as we were on the elevator to our floor, Ozwald looked for his keys to open the door, “sorry…” I managed to say, he stopped inches away from the keyhole, “For what?” I looked at the ground ashamed of my actions from earlier “For ruining your birthday and challenging people to dance duels, I just wanted to make everything special for you, so you don’t feel bad for not being near your family and I… I ruin everything without a script, maybe I’m not cut out to be your friend” he placed his hand on my shoulder and looked at my eyes.

“Are you nuts?” he asked “Higen today I had the most fun I have had in years, I loved every second at the arcade… well maybe not the part of being treated like a price again, but still, you went out of your way to make this day one of my happiest, thank you so much for caring for me Higen, now let’s enter I’m starv…” he didn’t get to finish his sentence as he opened the door the light turned on and all of the people we knew from school were there “HAPPY BIRTHDAY OZIE!!!” they yelled, cheered and clapped as a cloud of confetti covered us, Ozwald looked at me, eyes wide open and throw himself at my arms, “still afraid of loud unexpected noises?” he nodded and returned to his place.

“we know is difficult to be far away from home” Niko started and he brought the cake I described on a plate “But Higen made sure to save one last surprise for the day, look we even got your favorite cake” he leaned his head on my arm, as Niko cut the cake for us “I´m so lucky to have you as my best friend, Higen you are the best!!!” he is wrong the one who is lucky is me for having him as his best friend.