Lucas walked out of the class, his face dry and exasperated. 'I'm ten billion percent sure Ren knew exactly what he was saying.'
Lucas headed back to his dormitory, he still had a few more hours until his next class started.
He brushed his hair back gently, tying into a neat ponytail as he sat on his seat. His face turned serious and earnest as he drew a sheet of paper.
His fingers glided softly alongside the curves of the pen, spinning it in circles. His hand propped up his face as he glanced straight ahead, his eyes dim.
Lucas scribbled on the paper, drawing vague figures of cards and psyons. Time passed like grains of sand in an hourglass, fast but slow.
Lucas's brows furrowed, shifting against one another as he jerked back against his seat in frustration, 'Jesus fucking Christ, why is this so hard. You know what, I'm going to get a drink.'
He slid open his door, the ground softly rumbling against his steps as he made his way towards a sort of broker.
He exited his building—Golden Rat, a fitting place for him. Lucas was still a rat, no better yet, a cockroach.
Small, despised, and easily crushed. He was nothing but a speck of dust when compared to the average person at Lock.
But even a cockroach can survive what others cannot as long as they are tenacious and willful. That unyielding squirm of struggle made him greater than others.
Even dust could gather, settle and form soil in which something greater would be able to rise. Lucas didn't deny he was pathetic, but he surely wasn't going to continue shackling himself out of ignorance and laziness.
Lucas climbed the wooden staircase of the Horned Sheep building, each step causing a slight rattle and thump.
Upon reaching the second floor, he took a sharp left, crossing three rooms in an instant. Lucas made his way to the fourth last room in the corner,
He rapped his fist, creating a small shockwave. Within moments a small voice came from the other side of the door, "Welcome to Sunny's Brilliant Emporium! To what do I owe this pleasure too?"
A cheerful voice resounded in the small space, Lucas tilted his head, befuddled, "You aren't letting me in? I thought we conducted the business inside and I could stay here for the 'gathering'."
The boy chuckled mockingly, as if this question was way below his league, "The gathering costs extra." He said shortly.
Lucas nodded his head indifferently, "Yeah alright, I'm looking for something strong to quench my thirst."
The boy hummed upon hearing his words, the sound suddenly ceased as a voice beamed from the other side, "I think I have exactly what you're looking for. At least I think I have what you're looking for, either way I don't care. Take it or leave it."
Lucas shook his head, expecting nothing else from a person selling 'whatever you desire' from his dorm room.
He surprisingly didn't have to wait long, moments after the voice fell the door creaked open, scratching softly against the wooden floor as a weak and pale hand shot out.
Lucas stared at the bottle in his hand, taking in its peculiar appearance. It was small and rectangular, the glass tinted a murky amber that seemed to devour the light glimmering from the corridor.
The surface was slightly uneven, as if handmade, with faint bubbles trapped in the glass. Its cork was stubby and worn, barely fitting snugly into the neck. The label looked like it had been scribbled in a hurry—ink smeared, letters uneven, some almost illegible.
He tilted it gently, letting the liquid inside shift. The amber gleam was mesmerizing. Lucas uncorked it, and brought his nose closer, with a slight inhale a sharp, sweet scent flooded his nasal passage.
Lucas shook slightly, his body shivering and straightening up.
"It's strong. Stronger than anything you've had before. Not for the weak-stomached or faint-hearted."
For some reason, Lucas felt the boy was grinning behind the door, proud of creating whatever this was.
Lucas let out a small laugh, "Don't worry about me. I'm no amateur."
"It's 120 U." The boy declared, Lucas narrowed his gaze, it was expensive. It was enough to buy six to seven days of luxurious meals from the cafeteria.
The boy seemed to sense his hesitation, his voice sleazed out, "Hey, I know it's a premium but do you know anyone else who sells all of this? It's pretty hard to smuggle this in and moreover this alcohol is quite tough to acquire."
"Yeah yeah." Lucas echoed unenergetically as he took the boy's number, transferring 120 U in a few moments.
'This is such a profitable endeavour, it's a shame I didn't think of this first.' Lucas thought with a pout.
Soon a sharp sound echoed from beyond the door, reminiscent of a phone chime. Suddenly the boy's voice pricked up, "No tip?" He asked curiously.
Lucas let a soft chuckle escape his mouth, "My ass."
"..."
Lucas locked the door behind him, he pulled his phone from his back pocket, the sleek black phone softly whirred to life.
Seeing that there was only twelve minutes until class started, Lucas couldn't help but groan. He walked over to his wardrobe, placing the amber bottle in between his clothes.
'I'll finish the class, train for an hour or so and then reward myself with this!' Lucas thought with a smile.