The Razor's Edge [[Feitan x Reader]]

17: The Auction - part 2

   It was like nothing I'd ever experienced. Unbelievable rarities were being auctioned off before our eyes. Pieces were being bought into private collections, not likely to be seen by the public again (until their new owner's death, of course).

   I couldn't believe how much money the attendees were willing to spend on these items. Honestly, most of the high-ticket items didn't even seem that great to me. I guess I just didn't get it.

   Eventually, after the auctioneers sold a particularly ugly vase for more money than I'd be likely to see in my lifetime, Phinks jabbed me with his elbow. "We want this next one."

   The auctioneer announced that the bidding was open for a video game called Greed Island.

   "A video game?" I asked. "What's so special about it?"

   "Treasure," Feitan answered.

   "Lots of it," Phinks said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and shaking me so hard you'd think he were trying to scramble my brains.

   Though it went unnoticed by Phinks, Feitan was glaring across me at his comrade. He apparently didn't appreciate him being all buddy-buddy with me. Honestly, neither did I, but at least it was better than Feitan's refusal to trust me. It felt like he'd shut me out any time I thought we were getting closer. I wondered if he'd ever really consider me one of them.

   The auctioneer went on to explain that anyone wanting to play the game had to physically enter it, risking their own life in order to win, and so, therefore, no one should take their bid lightly. She opened the bidding at 900 million jenny.

   Despite how interested Feitan and Phinks both claimed to be in this game, neither of them were making bids or anything. I watched the number climb higher and higher, waiting in anticipation for one of them to join in.

   "Aren't you going to bid for it?"

   They both had a confused expression on their face as they looked at me.

   "Is that a joke?" Phinks asked.

   "Going to steal it," Feitan clarified.

  Oh. Right.

   "Then why'd we even bother coming to the auction?"

   Phinks looked around at the crowd. "Well, we need to see who we're gonna steal it from."

   It was a smart plan. The man who ended up winning Greed Island was older and had no discernible aura. I figured he'd be an easy enough target.

   We slipped out of the auction early, waiting in the lobby so that we could disappear into the crowd once he came out of the main auction hall. We followed him to where the buyers were sent to pick up their prizes, keeping our distance to be sure we weren't caught.

   Hiding around the corner, we overheard him talking to two young boys about a screening process he'd be using to let people play the game for him. The longer I listened, the more familiar their voices seemed. I couldn't help it—I peeked my head around the corner and was shocked to find the man talking to the two boys from last night. I turned back to Feitan and Phinks.

   "He's talking to those kids we took hostage! They're here at the auction!" I whispered in shock.

   "Yes," was all Feitan said.

   "We saw them while you were touching up your makeup," Phinks explained.

   "And you didn't tell me?"

   He shrugged. "Didn't seem like a big deal. We aren't going after them anymore or anything."

   I was surprised at how calm they both seemed about the whole situation. While we might not be pursuing them, I didn't think we could necessarily expect the same from the chain user. It was clear by our previous encounters that he had a strong desire for revenge.

   "Well," I sighed, "they know who we are, so they won't let us get that game without a fight.

   "Unless we wait for them to leave," Feitan pointed out like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

   Phinks was deep in thought about something that the man had said. "Screening. . ." he said to Feitan. "What's the plan?"

   "You even need to ask?"

   There was no way Feitan would be willing to go through the screening—and the same could be said for Phinks. They weren't the kind of people who felt the need to prove themselves to others. They knew they were good enough to win Greed Island, so they'd just take the game for themselves.

   We waited until the old man's two bodyguards collected his copy of the game and kept them in our sights as we left the auction hall, watching as they got into a car outside of the building.

   "They're getting away," I said.

   Phinks shook his head and chuckled to himself. "No, they aren't. Come on."

   He took off running down the sidewalk, followed closely by Feitan. They were both incredibly fast—like, inhumanly so. I was struggling to keep up, even after taking off my heels.

   When the car had turned down a couple of side streets, putting a considerable amount of distance between itself and the auction hall, we made our move.

   "Take the tires out with your nen bullets!" Phinks called to me over his shoulder.

   I did as he said and snapped one of my bracelets before aiming the beads at the spinning black rubber. The tires exploded and the car spun out, flipping over before skidding to a halt across the pavement.

   The two men crawled out of the car, narrowly escaping before it burst into flames. They looked a little worse-for-wear—one of them gripped his arm, clearly injured while the other had blood running down the side of his face—but they still had the game with them, remaining focused on their mission despite everything they'd just been through. I had to admire that sort of dedication.

   Feitan and Phinks were quick to approach them, killing the man with the injured arm before the other had a chance to realize that they were even under attack. Once he saw his comrade's limp body, he started pleading for his own life.

   "You don't have to kill me! I'll forget your faces!"

   The two spiders drew closer to him. When he realized the futility of his actions he turned to me, hoping I might be a bit more merciful—probably just because of my gender. If anything, it annoyed me.

   "Please, can't you stop them? You must have some sense of compassion. I don't know what I've done wrong." When playing on my emotions didn't work he changed tactics. "Maybe we can work out a deal? Did someone hire you? If it's money that you want then I can get you double whatever they're offering!"

   "We don't care about money," Phinks said, lifting him up by the collar of his shirt. "We just want that game you're holding."

   "This? Oh." He hesitated, weighing his options. "If you talk to my boss he might be willing to—"

   He was cut off by the snap of his own neck.

   Feitan was quick to grab the game before the man fell to the ground, handing it over to Phinks. "We're bandits," he said as he and Phinks turned from the scene, heading back to base. "We steal."

   "Let's return to the base and play."

   As I went to follow them, I thought I saw a familiar face watching us from a nearby alley. It was the briefest flash, but I could have sworn it was him. Had he found me already? It only took him a couple months to find out I was in Yorknew. Still, I couldn't feel his presence.

   "Y/n!" Feitan called, growing impatient with how long it was taking me to join them. "Will drag you back to base if I have to."

   "I'm coming. You can fucking relax."

   It couldn't have been him. And even if it was, I'd be safe with the troupe. Especially since it didn't seem like Feitan would be letting me out of his sight any time soon.