Location- Sun Blossom City, Card Creationist Association, Auction house, West Wing Hall
“So, What are you doing?” Agatha asked me from my shadow.
“Can’t you see?” I replied while making a few changes to the cards I bought in the silent auction.
“All I can see is you are staring at your grimoire,” Agatha replied.
“I am busy customizing the cards I just bought from the silent auction,” I answered.
“Wyatt, I got to say, sometimes I envy you. While I was your age, I struggled to get a decent card, and here you are customizing the cards that you won at a silent auction without care of losing them in case the card creation fails,” Agatha reminisced and said, “This brings back memories about the first card I that owned, it was six months after I became card apprentice. I had to work 3 jobs to gather enough money for an F-rank Leg enhancement card. I was so happy that day.”
Agatha was not envious of the boy but seeing his life she could not help but think what if? What if she was as talented as him, would her childhood have been better? Would she not go sleep hungry in a cardboard box inside a dried-up clogged ditch? Agatha could not help but wonder if her life experience would have been different if she was as talented as the boy. Everyone has things they would like to change in their past and Agatha was no different. And those thoughts could not help but surface seeing an orphan just like her with a slightly better upbringing become the center of attention in any room because of his talent.
“Wait, you bought your first card? Did your high school not hand out three basic cards?” I asked as whenever a card apprentice graduates high school the school authorities award them with three basic cards along with their course completion certificate.
“Nope, back in those days, peace was not available in every district. Especially where I lived, the Mangrove District,” Agatha responded.
“Agatha, Are you sure we are close enough to conversation?” I like Agatha after all my life depended on her vigilance but were we close enough to share childhood stories, I don’t think so.
“Sure we are. Since so we are going to enter a business venture together this much is okay,” Agatha took the hint that I wasn’t interested in hearing her past and said some words to save face.
“Yes, you are right. Since you have already shared something it is my turn. When my parents died I was helpless, broke, gave up trying, attempted suicide, and failed but it scared me straight into the man I am today,” I shared a little about the young Wyatt with Agatha because I felt my remark earlier was too rude and I did not want Agatha to hold this against me.
I mean that woman shared some sensitive personal information about herself with me and me telling her that I don’t care about that to her face was cold. Now that was something people would hold against somebody. And I did not want to be that somebody for Agatha so I joined in on her sharing and shared a little true but false information about myself.
“About the suicide attempt, I did not read about it in your file. But that explains the sudden change in your behavior, it is as if you are a new man. Interesting, I never knew that the fear of death could bring so much change in a person’s day-to-day life,” Agatha blurted. Having lived on the street Agatha had her share of brushes with death they did manage to affect her so much that she had become an entirely different person but none turned her into a genius born once in million years.
“Wait, what file? Do you have a file about me? We just meet a few days ago, who gave you the data about me, did you have someone investigate me?” I was not surprised that Aba and Agatha did a little background check on me before coming to recruit me into Aba’s mercenary group. But I acted as if I just found it because it was a good conversation-ender.
“File? Sorry, I miss spoke. *cough* *cough* I will leave you alone with your card customization,” Saying that Agatha went silent.
“Oh no, come back, explain yourself, what do you mean you miss spoke…” I barely held in my laugh as I spoke these words.
With Agatha no longer disturbing me I finally could focus on the customization of the cards I bought in the silent auction. These cards were nothing compared to the broken runes that Anna had sent, I could not wait for my clone to return to get my hands on them. I was looking forward to what rules the broken runes were made of, I could just have my clone open the storage card to check on the types of broken runes Anna had sent but I had a feeling that it would not be safe. When I was controlling my clone I had a feeling that someone was watching me. I would have used the ‘when you see me, I see you’ ability of gigamite physique if it were my original body but I was out of luck so I could only ask my clone to return as soon as possible.
I was not sure about this feeling of somebody watching but just to be on the safer side I decided to speed up the plan. I was going to strike the circle’s sun blossom branch before midnight. According to Roy, almost all the members of the circle were gathered at the headquarters. Since the goat was already at the butcher’s mercy, he should swiftly end its life and not let the goat’s fear ruin its meat. Once I get my hands on the broken runes the operation was a go.