Unlaughing (3)

Tea Town.

The sound of horses at full gallop rang out from afar, and the townspeople and the merchants scrambled out of the way with their carts to make room for the riders.

A group of men and women in black athletic robes dashed frenziedly down the street. Taking the lead were two elders with heads full of white, but armed with fierce and extraordinary weapons on their backs.

Each of these people had a varied number of red fish prints embroidered on their robes; the least among them were double-fish, while the highest among them were even five-fish.

As for the two elders in the lead, their robes bore the embroidery of a white whale.

These more than ten riders disappeared from the streets in a flash, as suddenly as they had arrived. Only then did the merchants and townspeople regain their senses, chatting amongst themselves and trying to identify the people who had zoomed past.