A middle-aged man and a teenage girl walk side-by-side down a semi-busy street. Their neck-length orange hair slightly sways from the gentle night breeze.
"Dad, this is so boring! Surely, we can do something better than this?"
"Thena, I told you already that I am here to take care of business–not to have 'fun'. You're the one who pestered me to bring you here."
"But what other choice did I have? Aisha is somewhere out of the country, and mom was gonna make me study for my math exam even though I told her that I already studied like 13 times!"
Upon hearing his daughter exclaim such a statement, the man rolled his eyes.
"Skimming over the same worksheets and notes for under a minute does not count as studying, you know."
"Maybe not for you, but it works for me."
"And your grades are what exactly? Please remind your old man."
"Tch, who cares! You're making this trip even more lame, dad…"
Thena unfolds her crossed arms and takes a sip from the bottle in her hand. After drinking the little amount that remained, she tosses it into a nearby public garbage can, missing the mark. Without turning around, her dad stops in place.
"Thena, did your sweet tea bottle land in the trash?"
"Of course it did."
"Did you check?"
"Don't need to…"
"Thena…"
"Okay, fine. I'll turn around and check."
Being unable to resist her father's authoritative tone, Thena turns around to look at the garbage can. Right beside it lies an empty bottle of sweet tea. She picks it up and properly disposes of it before sprinting to return to her father's side.
"You missed, didn't you?"
"I was close, just so you know…! Hey, are you trying to hide your smile?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Yeah, right. Shouldn't we keep going now?"
"Let's do it, but no more of that, you hear?"
One of these days, I swear I will throw a bottle into the trash without looking! It must have been the wind; it is a bit windy tonight.
"Anyway, in regard to our trip, you should look on the bright side. You are getting the chance to visit a neighboring country on a school night without doing any homework. You don't get these opportunities often, so shouldn't you be grateful?"
"I guess…"
"Cheer up sweetie, do you think that I have nothing awesome planned for you?"
Thena's eyes lighten up, her expression fails to conceal her increasing curiosity. Her father, realizing this, grins.
"I'm listening…"
"You are out in the real world instead of the textbooks. I'll show you a glimpse of the average workday of a professional treasure hunter."
"Eeeh? But we haven't done anything but walk."
"Well, how else are you going to find treasure? You have to become familiar with various places outside of your hometown and make connections with people. This is also why history classes are important for treasure hunters."
"Tch, I can manage completely fine without that woman!"
"Now now, don't talk about your teachers like that. Come on, we'll be at our destination soon. It's already night, and it's only going to get darker. Stay close to me so we don't get separated as easily."
"Dad, I'm not a baby anymore, you know."
"Are you sure about that? You'll always be my little baby girl!"
Her father puts his arm around Thena's body, bringing her close to ruffle her hair. She swats his hand away, though the damage is done.
"Knock it off dad, we're still in public; I won't forgive you if you make my hair look like a bozo's. At least save that kind of thing when we're at home."
"Haha, yes ma'am."
Compared to Gannet, this country sucks. Nah, it sucks even without comparison. What kind of treasure would be in Avarice anyway? If such a thing exists, I doubt it's here in the capital.
Thena and her father continue to walk forward, steadily approaching their destination.
"This way, Thena. This is the place where I must meet someone."
"This is where we were heading all along?"
Thena asks her question without bothering to hide her disappointment in her voice. She faces the building and analyzes it.
A small two-story building that has the name "Crawley's" plastered on the window. Is this some sort of shop? I wonder what kind of business is so important for dad to come all the way here for.
The father-daughter duo entered the shop. Inside, there are several glass cabinets that contain various trinkets, jewels, crystals, jewelry, and the like. The mere scent of the valuables is captivating to even the greatest of treasure hunters.
"Hmm? Dad, it looks like nobody's here."
"Perfect, then he must have been waiting for me. Hey Crawley, I'm here!"
"Coming!"
A faint voice can be heard from upstairs. A man comes running down the stairs, in a hurry to greet his visitors. He waves at them, flashing a bright smile.
"Yo, nice to see ya, Mr. Tackle. Who might this young lady be?"
"That's my daughter, Thena. Thena, greet Mr. Crawley."
"What's up?"
Thena's left cheek is slightly pulled by her father's hand. She rubs her now pink cheek in mild annoyance.
"Is that how I taught you to greet adults?"
"It's okay! I don't mind the casual attitude at all. Makes me feel young again, haha. Anyway, you and your father look alike, Thena–I can see the resemblance now. I didn't expect you to bring your kid to work like this."
"Me neither, but she insisted. It's hard to say no to my little princess!"
"Haha, I see, I see. Well, shall we get started?"
"Absolutely."
There's no way I'm listening to more of their cringe conversation!
"I'll take a look around the shop. Later!"
"Is that okay, Crawley?"
"Of course, enjoy yourself!"
Thena takes her leave to the other side of the store.
I'll admit, there are more treasures here that I am unfamiliar with than I initially thought there would be. Mom and dad have such a vast collection, so I never expected for a shop like this to have this many attractive items. Maybe that Crawley guy bought these from other seasoned treasure hunters.
Regardless, it's all worthless to me anyway. I'm a treasure hunter for crying out loud–there's no sense of accomplishment buying treasure someone else already found.
"Sigh, I'm dying to hunt for something so bad…"
"By the way Mr. Tackle, have you heard of a particular peridot pendant?"
Suddenly, Thena could hear Crawley's voice from across the room as if she were standing right in front of him. She stands still, careful not to miss a single word.
"A peridot pendant, you say? No, I can't say that I have. What about it so suddenly?"
"Oh, nothing much. It's just been something weighing on my mind lately. I have a suspicion that it has hidden value that most people would overlook. But my eyes never deceive me!"
What did that guy just say? He has knowledge of a treasure that has secret value? That sounds perfect!
Thena inches closer, trying to get a better ear of the conversation while remaining discreet.
"Where have you seen such a thing? None of my intel has mentioned this as far as I'm aware. Perhaps it's local to this area?"
"I'm not completely sure myself, but I think it could be at the Rapacy's palace or at least close to it. The other day, I saw an exchange between a merchant and one of Lord Olan's maids. Among the goods the merchant traded, that period pendant caught my eye. I doubt it had any special value to the maid or any of the noble family, so it could have been thrown out by now for all I know. But I just can't get it off my mind…"
"Ah, treasure that seems to be within reach, but still unobtainable. Trust me, I know how that feels. I personally wouldn't even bother if it risks encountering nobility. They tend to have steep exchange requirements for even the most mundane goods."
"You're right, I suppose. If only someone could obtain that pendant from them. I'd envy a person capable of doing that."
"Ahem, excuse me dad. I'm going to step outside for a while to get a breath of fresh air."
"Oh, I understand. Crawely and I still have much more to discuss, so you can step out for a bit. Just don't get lost or cause any trouble, okay?"
"Okay, sure. Bye!"
As Thena leaves, her father and Crawley watch her in amusement. Crawley waves, a smirk spreads across his face.
This is my chance…
Thena looks north, a towering palace that's well-lit can be seen in the distance. She puts her hand on her hips, standing proudly.
"That pendant will be mine!"