Lust for Power
III In the Four Letter Lie

He saw the owner of a bag he picked a wallet from. It was a theft he did earlier, just moments after dismissal, it was obviously a girl’s bag, pink and had some designs that supported the speculation. It was a theft he thought so easy, for the wallet could be seen from outside the bag, and the whoever owned the bag was not around, and taking advantage since there weren’t much people as witnesses, took his prize, without use of magic.

He was right, the owner of said bag was female, and in her own simple way was actually beautiful, light brown skin that seemed fair enough, black, slightly wavy hair that fell to her shoulders in a carefree manner. She was obviously not in the rich class, like Faye who was undoubtedly wealthy, and had the wealth in her personality, though this girl Aer stole from made him feel something.

The clock was going six, he observed the girl from a safe distance, where Aer sat from a bench around the square, a good fifty feet from the gate where the girl was asking the school guard for help after she had realized what was missing. The girl was in a sort of panic, but controlled it well, she would be weeping in a while but stayed her tears to think rationally.

Aer took a closer look, he pretended to head home slowly passing the hallway where he knew the girl would pass by to head back to the places where she would probably be searching for her wallet, which Aer had just in his pocket, the girl bumped him lightly. “I’m sorry, I--” “No its ok I-- Oh, its you!”

Aer recognized the girl from a certain day wherein he was walking around the slums to see the old magic man, the girl called him from a good distance and to return his wallet to him, which he accidentally dropped while reaching deep in his pockets for some cigarettes, probably the ambience was to blame for why he didn’t notice the noise his wallet probably made when it hit ground, he was deeply irritated with himself for making such a clumsy mistake, but thanked the girl with all sincerity that day, he knew he would not have done the same for anyone else, probably with the exception of Terrence.

Aries said “I remember you, that was quite sum time ago, you handed me my wallet back, right?” despite her situation “Huh? what I--, oh yea, that was you huh? Well yea. Hey, I’m sorry but I think I left something here and I really gotta find it, bye!” She was briskly walking away when Aer “Wait! I got time, Let me help.” Then he paced up to the girl who paused for him to catch up. “No really, It’s ok, I--” she said it in the sweetest sincerity a girl could naturally manage, but Aer cut “No really, let me do this to repay you for that onetime” She was about to insist Aer to just not mind her, and thought better, since Aer looked pretty honest about helping. “Well, ok, I lost my wallet, I dunno how, it was just in my bag, I mean, someone might’ve picked it...” “Yeah, but maybe ya did just drop it..” So Aer asked her questions like where she last had been, what she was doing at where, when. They now headed to the hallway where her wallet did part from her bag...

“Ok, this is where you left yer stuff when you went to the restroom?” “Yeah, kinda dumb huh?” “Yeah, you should know better, be careful here in Dealtwell, lots’a theives around” She looked thoughtful, then “I really gotta find my wallet, by the way, what’s your name? Just call me Senna.” accompanied with the sweetest smile Aer thought he had ever gotten from a girl, it had a stong underlying sadness that subtle people could not miss. However more dominant was Aer’s primal sensations about the females, he knew that he would have something new to fantasize of later once he got home, but for now. . . “Yeah, Senna’s a pretty name, fitting I guess. Uhmm I’m Aries, but Aer is just fine. Anyway ok, you search there” Aer indicated the rooms she said she’d entered earlier that day “I’ll check here...” He indicated the long hallway with benches, and tables and such, where, someone who might’ve dropped something could overlook things on the ground. When Senna was safely away checking the open rooms and such, while Aer was out of her sight, he pretended to look under some seats that might’ve had stuff under it, a five foot long bench, two wide, and lots of space underneath, at a corner. He planted the wallet under just in case, When Senna was now in sight, Aries pretended to look somewhere else before heading back to where he planted the wallet. He looked under, there was alot of trash and gums under the seat, he was amused. “Hey Senna, this yours?” He took the wallet and presented it in an innocent manner like he thought maybe it might’ve been someone else’s. “Oh, huh? how could it get under there? Thats just weird, yea thats mine” She obviously seemed to be thanking her gods, and thanked the kleptomanic-sociopath just as much. “I dunno how to--” “Yea, really no prob, just had the time, and yea...” He let it trail off, how Aer usually spoke, he trailed off somewhere at the end of a common sentence he got too lazy to finish.

“Oh, look at the time” observed Aer, it was already going seven at the evening. “It’s kinda dangerous round here y’know, so where ya live?” Aer asked. It was also true, life was dicey on the city streets of Rendston “Yea, but I got no choice, I can take a cab somewhere past the bridge, not a lot of cabs from here reach to St. Magdalene.” “You live there? Uhn, ain’it kinda dicey livin’ there?”

It was more or less around the slum areas where he met the old man, It had alot of those small-time criminals who were the products of poverty and an oppressive atmosphere, the circus chose the area because their illegal rackets flourished there, and their performers such as the old man who was a local resident of the area, offered the deadlier locals a sense of escape from the hardships of daily life, the magicians, freak-shows, gamble houses, prostitutes and drug lords, seemed to have their own way of steaming off the pressure from the potentially dangerous residents of the area, they were very much accepted in the area.

“Nah, its ok, the people there are ok, well I’ve gotta head home now, bye, and really, thanks again Aries, take care” “Wait, I’ll come with you, just up there across the bridge, till ya get a cab...”

Senna and Aries got along, Sen was first to open up about a few things, it was a long enough walk to get to the cab terminal that side of town, but they just walked casually despite the time, they talked about how odd Senna’s wallet disappearance went, and how it was a coincidence that they had already met in the past, just not that they really got to talk then. Aries felt a little guilt about what he had just done that day, he didn’t normally feel guilt, but he almost felt like he had done some good, when in actuality he knew he hadn’t. But he tried to make the girl’s day better cause he believed she was a nice girl, that she was sweet, and honest, and decent, and he hadn’t known a lot of girls like Senna. Aer also asked about the old magician Mansell, and she actually did know him. Overall, Aer found out that she had only recently enrolled at Dealtwell, she was at the other section, and speculated that she didn’t know who he was yet, otherwise she would have definitely been more wary around him. Though, he showed her some card tricks, coin tricks, and a levitating ring, she was much entertained, Aer felt very light when he saw her smiles and hearing her cute laughter, sort of made him forget about all his self-loathing and world-hatred and such. He was making some corny jokes and occasional wise-crack on the way, and also told her about how he was actually a friend of the recently deceased Mansell, he did however omit much detail. They had arrived at the terminal.

“Well, take care then Senna, hope your dad understands, heh, see you tomorrow then, have a safe trip” said Aer, “Yea, thanks again Aer, its ok, no worries, stuff happens, yea, see ya tomorrow...” They both waved goodbye as Senna got in a cab, Aer took a good look at the driver, seemed decent enough, memorized the plate number, then it took off, Aries felt a concern he knew he didn’t have to feel, he was starting to feel something he had never felt before, he was uneasy about it, then he was suddenly aware of the amulet he wore underneath his school uniform, it felt odd, he didn’t know what was going on, but he was suddenly aware of its presence as if it had a consciousness, as if disagreeing with his bearer. Aries took at look at the black amulet, stared; there was no purple glow or anything of the sort. Nothing. He dismissed the notion. He started off heading home by foot, it wasn’t a very long walk, at least not for him.

It was half an hour past seven, he lost himself in memories.

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