THE MOMENT
"Thanks for coming by," Aurelio shook Astra's hand. Then, he walked around the glass display counter. Dozens of individual cards lined the inside of the case, each on a tiny stand. Astra bursting at the seams; but, trying to keep her cool. She was giddy when he invited her to visit his shop. Oz voiced concern when Aury asked Astra to visit alone. He was on board once Astra and Barley explained that Aury was the reason Ballisea couldn't kill anyone for a year.
Astra expected Aurelio's shop to be similar to Jenny's. But, it looked more like a collectible hobby shop with cards, figures, and posters on display. She decided to bring Ruin by to shop for upgrades when she had a chance.
"I don't want to keep you from your team for too long so I'll make this quick," Aury reached down and slid open the display case from inside. He reached for the most expensive card Astra had ever heard of, then placed it on the counter in front of Astra. Her eyes went wide with hope, but she did not want to make any assumptions. The card was slightly larger than a standard node; but, it was just as transparent. Astra recognized the silvery-blue glow that traced around the edges of the card; and, the display stand that read: "Blank Slate" helped. She'd heard of players trading entire Servers for the Ability.
"Jenny doesn't want to get involved," he shrugged; then, pushed the card closer to Astra. "But, someone's gotta look out for you."
"You're giving this to me?" Astra asked. She picked up the card just to hold it for a moment in case Aurelio changed his mind. "Why?" she asked when he nodded.
"I don't know...," Aurelio chuckled. Then, he sighed. "I don't know what it is. But, right now your team has everyone's attention. Ballisea, Peppermint, Sharp Development, and even Chroma Corp." Astra's eyes widened in surprise but she did not interrupt.
"What I do know is all your teammates picked up some powerful Flair and I didn't want you left behind. Whatever Melody's got planned, this will help your game. Uh.. unless... you change Specs I guess. Go ahead and come back if you want to try something different. I've got gear for Soul Survivor and Beast Hunter Specs too."
"Whoa.... THANK YOU!" Astra dashed around the counter to hug Aurelio. He endured it for a moment, then gently pushed her off.
"And, aren't you heading into high school this Fall?" Aurelio asked. Astra nodded.
"Yeah, why?" she asked.
"There's someone else that's taken an interest in you," Aurelio said. he held his hand out with the palm face up. Astra grabbed his hand, and a pulse of purple light passed between them. Astra felt a new frequency tingle at the back of her mind. "You should visit."
"Where's this?" Astra asked. Aurelio smiled.
"Regal would prefer we use the name Nexus Academy; but, everyone else likes the name, Toku-high."