Chương 178: Chapter 164-Chosen Packing

Packing. I hate it. Now, you might be asking why I would hate packing. The answer is simple. I hate doing a lot of things. I'm also a complainer. Complaining is like second nature to me. Well, second only to [Stealing] and [Lying] and I guess [Cooking]. Anyway, hand me a bag of gold and I'll… Sorry, got distracted by the thought of a bag of gold. The weight of it. The smell. The richness. What was I talking about? Oh, yeah, packing. The real answer is that it reminds me of how little I actually own.

My gaze lands on my suitcase. We have my clothes, which technically belong to the school. So, what I really have is Baggy, Stovey, Picky, and of course Stabby. That's all I own, and Stovey is the only one that's actually going in the suitcase. So, my suitcase is just Stovey and clothes. That's it. This is honestly a tad bit depressing. Maybe I need to [Steal] more things. I need more things. Kat pats me on the back.

"Still thinking?"

"Only in circles. So, are the two of you going to be fine without me? I am going to be gone for about a month, maybe longer," I say to Kat and Mateo. Mateo kicks his legs as he sits at my desk.

"We'll be fine. We might actually have some peace and quiet without you around, Horned One."

"That is so rude, Kid," I say, feigning shock.

"The Pipsqueak is just trying to cover up how much he'll miss you," Kat says as she sits on my bed.

"Am not."

"Ah, that's sweet. I'll miss you too," I say as I ruffle his hair so hard that it leaves it lopsided.

"Still, are you sure this is a good idea? You do remember why we didn't take you with us to the Southern Isles, right?" Kat asks with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm going to be on an island at the farthest tip of the Southern Isles. I doubt anybody is going to recognise me there," I say with unfounded confidence.

"If you say so, CJ, but I'm not going to be there to bail you out this time," she says with a knowing look. Mateo hops off the chair.

"Why didn't you bring him?"

"You want to tell him, or should I?"

"I'll tell him. You always exaggerate it," I [Lie] with a sigh. Closing my suitcase, I try to remember the exact details of what happened that day. I mean, I remember most of it. Well, at least the important parts, but some of the details are a bit… fuzzy. Damn, the heat is making it hard to think.

"Basically, I may or may not have taken something from someone who didn't deserve it. That same somebody may still be looking for me," I say without a single [Lie]. Mateo looks over at the disappointed Kat.

"He fails to mention that what he took was worth 500 Gold and who he took it from was the Pirate Lord Dread Hook. The same Pirate Lord whose territory spans half of the Southern Isles. It's also the same one who put out an 888 Gold bounty on, and I quote, 'The Purple Bastard'."

"Well, when you put it like that, it sounds bad. I'm sure he's forgotten by now. I mean it's not like what I [Stole] was his anyway," I [Lie].

"It was his hook," Kat says with a hint of exasperation.

"You stole his hook? Why?" Mateo asks.

"He might have been wearing it, but it wasn't his. I beat him at poker fair and square," I [Lie] as I close the window.

"This is one of the many reasons why he isn't allowed to drink," Kat whispers to Mateo.

"I heard that. Sure, the drinks were flowing, and I may have been… a tiny bit inebriated, but I know that I won that hook. Not my fault that he was such a sore loser," I say with a hand wave.

"What did you do with the hook?"

"Yes, CJ, why don't you tell him what you did with the hook?" Kat asks with a bemused smile.

"... I [Threw] it into a volcano." Kat shakes her head as Mateo looks between the two of us.

"You're kidding, right?"

"I wish he was. Did it right in front of the Pirate Lord, too. If he finds you, he is going to string you up by your toes," Kat reminds me.

"And like I said. He isn't going to find me. I'm going to have a nice and relaxing vacation. Don't be jealous, Kat. Doesn't suit you." Before Kat can say anything, Hopper hops through the open windo- Oh, wait… I closed the window earlier. A thud sound echoes through the room, interrupting our conversation.

"What was that?" Mateo asks.

"It sounded like somebody hit something," Kat says as her cat ears twitch, "I think I hear groaning."

"Pay that no mind. Probably just a bird. Happens all the time," I [Lie]. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"Well, we'll leave you to pack. Don't do anything crazy while you're gone. And that includes breaking Rule 4," Kat reminds me as she gives me a hug.

"Yeah, yeah. Rule 4 is perfectly intact. Now get out of here. I have some packing to finish up," I [Lie]. Kat rolls her eyes as she leaves the room with Mateo. The moment they clear the door, I look around in a panic. Okay, I have to think quickly. With swift movements, I open the window, grab a book, and jump into my bed. The second my head hits the pillow, the door opens to reveal a limping Hopper.

"CJ, what did I say about closing the window?" Hopper asks as he plucks a branch out of his disheveled hair.

"Hey, Hopper… What happened to you?"

"What happened to me? I smashed face-first into the closed window, then fell into a tree where a squirrel attacked me, and then to top it all off I landed in some freshly placed fertilizer," he says, pointing at his back.

"Oh, yeah, that looks bad. Are you sure you didn't hit your head?" I ask as I flip the page in my book.

"No, I didn't hit my head. Why do you ask?" he says with anger dripping from his every word.

"Well, the window is open."

"No, it… You opened it," he accuses.

"And why would I do that? I was just sitting here, reading my book in peace, when I heard something hit the edge of the window. If I had known it was you, I would've at least checked. Do you really think me so callous as to ignore my friend when he could be injured?" I ask as I [Lie] my ass off.

"I want to say yes, but you're so oddly convincing. Wait a minute… What's the name of the book you're reading?" he asks.

"I don't like the tone you asked that in."

"That's not an answer, CJ. What's the name of the book you're seemingly halfway through?"

"... Runes and Glyphs," I [Lie] without looking down at the pages. A bird call echoes through the open window. Hopper stares me down. A gentle knocking comes from the door. I very carefully close the book to reveal the title, Nova Empire Dictionary. Nodding, I carefully place my hands together. Another knock comes from the door. Hopper attacks.

"You asshole! How many times have I told you not to close the window!?" he yells as he tries to force me into a headlock.

"Well, maybe if you used the door, you know the thing we're supposed to use, we wouldn't have this problem!" I yell back as I grab him by his bunny ear. In retaliation, he knees me in the face.

"Not the ears, you fucker!" Another knock comes from the door.

"Hey, all's fair in a fight," I say as I knock my horns back into his chest, sending us into the nearby desk.

"Oh, you want to play like that? Fine!" Hopper slithers out from my grasp and hits me square in the chin with his foot. That fucker knocked the taste out of my mouth. As he goes to kick again, I dodge and [Throw] the dictionary at him, hitting him square in the head.

"You think you know how to play dirty? You're lucky I haven't gone for the crown jewels yet," I say with a devilish smile. The door suddenly opens to reveal Penelope.

"I have been knocking for minutes." Hopper stops as his foot is a mere hair's breadth away from my chin. I slowly let go of his ear. We look at each other and slowly come out of our fighting stance.

"Hey, Penelope. Fancy seeing you here. Please, come in," I say, gesturing at the chaos that is our room.

"I leave the two of you alone for a couple of hours, and you devolve into brutes. By Relat's light," she says with a sigh.

"We were having a conversation," Hopper says as he wipes some fertilizer on my back.

"Yeah, just a friendly conversation," I say as I give him a hearty slap on the back. Penelope shakes her head in disappointment.

"I don't know what I expected," she says under her breath.

"Anyway, Professor Stargazer wanted me to give you these." Hopper and I take a pamphlet each from Penelope's hand.

'What you will need for Iseparar Island.' Huh, I guess this is the place that Abrigon was talking about earlier.

"Iseparar Island? Never heard of it," Hopper says as he reads through the rest of the pamphlet. With a wave of my hand, I begin to [Clean] the room.

"It's an island on the farthest tip of the Southern Isles. It's also the place where we are going to study up on chants and magic circles," Penelope explains.

"Not that I'm complaining about going to a tropical island, but why are we going there? Couldn't we just do it in the Whisperwood Forest or even here?" I say as I put the dictionary back on the desk.

"If we were only learning chants like the rest of the First Years, probably, but we're also going to be training with magic circles," she explains. Hopper nods along.

"When Helia taught me to make a magic circle, she did warn me that if I did it wrong I could end up involving the entire arena."

"So, what, we're being shipped off to an island because the Advanced Class might blow up the school otherwise?"

"Basically, and the University already has facilities down there," Penelope says with a straight face.

"Splendid. When do we leave?" I ask as I pull out my already packed bag.

"Three days' time. It should be enough time to get everything we need in order… Why do you already have a bag packed?" she asks as I [Throw] the pamphlet amongst my stuff.

"In case of emergencies. Never know when you have to skip town in a hurry," I [Lie] with a wink.

"I thought that was what this bag was for," Hopper says as he pulls another bag out from under my bed.

"That's my backup backup bag. Can never be too prepared," I [Lie]. Penelope gives me a suspicious stare.

"I honestly can't tell whether you're being serious right now. On one hand, I think you're lying. On the other, I fully believe that you're the type of person to have two backup bags."

"Believe whatever you want to, Penelope. The truth doesn't change," I say with a devilish smile.

"With you? I wouldn't be so sure."