It wasn't long that the school bell rang out.

 

Keros and Booker weren't in a rush though, so they took their time. Even though they had just made a good amount of Credits and were eager to go shopping, Keros' training always came right after school and before free time.

 

Before they made it through the school gates they heard a high pitched, childish voice yelling out to them.

 

"KEROOOOS, wait up!" Catherine yelled as she weaved through the crowd of students leaving the school.

 

She was followed by two girls who the boys recognized but didn't know the names of. They were often with Catherine, likely friends of hers.

 

"Let us walk home with you guys." Catherine said while huffing a bit

 

Keros didn't reply, but he waited on them to catch up and steady their breath before starting home. Keros often walked his sister home, with the only exception being when his neighbors or the siblings of friends would walk them home. Even with all of the people on the streets, it could still be dangerous for the young if they were alone, and since he was the older brother he felt obligated to protect his sister even if he didn't enjoy her company.

 

Truthfully, he knew he couldn't provide much protection. He was still just a kid himself after all, and many things were out of his capability. It was common for accidents to happen, and there were times that students were injured, lost their lives, or even went missing on the way to and from school. The streets were rife with chaos at times, and it was easy to be part of the collateral damage. The best thing Keros could do was to help them navigate the chaos and act as a buffer for any threats. 

 

-

 

Booker observed Keros' expression. Once again the difference showed. Normally Keros wore a brooding expression after school which displayed his displeasure of what was to come, however, today Keros seemed almost apathetic. He was even more patient with his sister, though not much more.

 

"Meditation really changed you so much?" Booker asked questionably

 

"Well, partly... Some of the change came from an argument I had with dad." Keros replied. He knew why Booker was so curious, after all, he was acting differently in many ways. The fog lifting wouldn't suddenly make him enjoy training nor did it increase his patience, instead these changes were actions he took after realizing some of his faults. He was trying hard to change but such changes wouldn't come quickly, and the best he could do right now is to display a facade.

 

The group became a bit quieter, even his sister and her friends seemed to be curious.

 

"A fight with uncle J? What happened?" Booker asked

 

"He asked me if I was upset at all of the training he made me do, and the difficulty of it all... He was more calm than usual and I kinda became a bit arrogant." Keros said with a slight blush of embarrassment

 

"I started complaining and at some point, I started yelling at him. I told him everything that had been upsetting me... I also said some things I shouldn't have and things got out of control." Keros continued

 

"How so? I imagine it couldn't have been too bad since you're still alive and came to school." Booker jested

 

"It wasn't bad. It's not like we started fist fighting or anything. Dad just said some things that made me realize I was wrong." Keros said

 

"Is that why you had that breakthrough with meditation that you told me about earlier?" Booker had an understanding expression

 

Keros nodded, he was sure that must be why.

 

Catherine was a bit surprised. She had heard the yelling last night but wasn't able to make out what was said, so she only knew that something happened. She didn't know that the training was forced on Keros, but even knowing that she believed her father had a good reason for forcing him. Keros must just be stupid if he didn't understand that. Before long though she lost interest and started up her usual mischief

 

"Look, it's a daisy necklace. It's so pretty!" Catherine exclaimed as they were walking by a crafts shop. She broke from the group to check out the shop

 

"Catherine, don't run off on your own!" Keros said sternly, quickly following her. Booker led the other two girls over as well.

 

Catherine grabbed the daisy necklace and studied it for a moment. It was a wooden pendant carved into a daisy and painted with purple petals and a yellow head. It had a loop at the top that had a piece of thin leather tied to it. It wasn't very detailed, but it was smooth and colorful which gave it a simplistic attraction. Soon Catherine's attention was drawn to other things around the craft store and she went around exclaiming loudly about anything that she liked, the necklace in her hand the entire time.

 

Keros sighed. He just wanted to make it home, and though he wasn't in a rush he did want to finish his responsibilities sooner so he could go shopping. His sister frequently slowed them down by running off on her own and causing them to chase after her. She was always so curious about everything and her attention changes easily. The cashiers would always make things worse by showing off more items, hoping the girl would buy something on a whim. Unfortunately, Keros would have to bear with it for now since rushing his sister out would cause more problems then it would solve.

 

"Keros, do you have any credits, I don't have enough." Catherine said

 

it had been thirty minutes since they entered the little craft shop, and after finally seeing everything that interested her she still decided she wanted the daisy necklace. Unfortunately, the cashier wanted more for it than Catherine had.

 

"How much is it?" Keros asked

 

"500 Credits. I have 135." Catherine replied.

 

'500 Credits for a piece of wood?' Keros thought to himself. How ridiculous. They were given 150 credits a week for food, and only a little bit would be left over for fun like drinks with friends.

 

"Those credits are for your food for the week, you can't spend them on a necklace just because you think it's pretty! I'm not giving you mine for it." Keros scoffed. Sure he had just over 5,000 credits, but he earned those himself and he already had plans for them.

 

"Come on, it's just 500 credits! You get some from helping neighbors so don't be so stingy and let me borrow some!" Catherine begged

 

"I said no. 500 Credits is a lot for just a colorful necklace. Now put it back and let's go home." Keros said with a hint of irritation in his voice.

 

"NO, I WANT IT!" Catherine screamed at him.

 

She was throwing a tantrum. She was so used to getting what she wanted and became a brat when she was told no. Of course, she wouldn't act like this with their parents, but any time Keros didn't let her have her way she would cause a scene and annoy him to no ends. She wasn't even thinking about how to explain to their parents why she needed more money for food.

 

"Well good luck paying for it, and good luck telling mom and dad why you don't have money for the rest of the week!" Keros said crossing his arms

 

Catherine huffed and puffed for a little while longer, unable to find an excuse to continue her tantrum. Eventually, she put the necklace back and left the shop with a red face. Keros was relieved that it was over, as was the cashier who had been getting angry at the commotion driving away business.

 

The group left and continued on their way home, and Catherine was working extra hard to annoy Keros in retaliation. Her friends were quite the help in her endeavor, but at least they were good enough friends to have her back in such a situation Keros thought.

 

-

 

Keros followed the three girls into the house. Apparently, the girls weren't going home but instead coming over to their house. Their parents were already home, in the kitchen making snacks. Catherine briefly spoke to them asking if her friends could spend the night before leading the girls to her room after she was told yes.

 

Keros got a glass of water before looking to his dad

 

"Are we sparring again today?" he asked

 

"Yes, in fact, I'll be joining you to train today. We have some things we need to talk about. Put away your school bag and meet me in the backyard." Jack responded before leaving the room.

 

Keros put his things away and changed into his training clothes before going out back. His father had already swapped his clothes and had begun stretching, so Keros joined him.

 

"Me and your mother will leave tomorrow, and we will probably be gone for a while." Jack said

 

"You guys are usually gone for a while. Will it be longer than normal?" Keros asked, he already had a guess

 

"Yes. When won't be home for long when we do return." Jack said

 

"I'm guessing even shorter than normal too." Keros responded

 

"That's right." Jack said.

 

They continued stretching and began working out in silence for a while until Jack spoke up again

 

"We don't know how long it will be like this, but for now we assume it will last indefinitely." Jack said

 

Keros didn't respond. They were used to their parents being gone for a couple of weeks at a time, and only spending at most a week home in between assignments. Surely it wouldn't be much different.

 

They continued, eventually finishing and preparing to spar.

 

"Since we won't be home as much, I'm going to spend some extra time tonight teaching you some things I won't have the time for in the future. You'll need to take care of your sister while we are gone, and don't neglect your training." Jack said while wrapping his hands before continuing

 

"I know you do these things normally but this time will be different. I need you to grow up a bit and take on more responsibility. You need to take these things more seriously since we won't be around as much and we can't expect our neighbors and friends to help so much." Jack said with a sigh.

 

Jack thought that this was a bit much to ask of Keros especially after last night, but he needed to rely on Keros. There would be a lot more work than normal and their neighbors and friends were already doing so much to help them as is, they couldn't ask them to do more. Keros was the Oldest of their children, and he was less than a year from entering preliminary adulthood. It might be early for them to put such responsibility on him but they had no one else to ask.

 

"The other things are fine, but are you sure Catherine will listen to me?" Keros asked

 

"Your mother is going to talk to her about it tonight. She'll know that while we are gone she needs to listen to you. You have the authority but with it also comes the responsibility. You need to protect her and make sure she takes care of her responsibilities. If something happens, we will take it up with you first since we left you in charge." Jack said his tone firming up as he talked.

 

"Alright, I get it." Keros replied.

 

They didn't have much time to talk when they began sparring. They had to focus more, and it was more taxing on Keros making it hard to talk between labored breaths.

 

They finished sparring in about an hour and a half. They went to wash up, and afterward, Jack told Keros to get ready, that they would be going out on the town tonight.

 

"Can we swing by and pick up Booker? We planned on going out tonight anyway." Keros asked, to which his father agreed.

 

-

 

Keros pushed a button at the apartment building. A buzzing sound went off for a bit before the screen lit up showing Mr. Red who quickly called out for booker.

 

"Hey bro, you ready?" Booker asked with an excited grin

 

"Yea, my dad is coming out with us this time." Keros said

 

shortly booker came out of the apartment building dressed in nice clothes with a bit of pep in his step.

 

"Hey uncle J! what's made you come out on the town with us?" He asked as he gestured for a high five, Jack held out his hand and received it.

 

"I just need to show Keros a few places and introduce him to some people." Jack said with a light smile before leading them off.

 

He went quick, Keros and Booker almost struggled to keep up with him. They spent quite a while running all over the district. Jack introduced Keros to a bunch of people and places that he would need to know to take care of the new responsibilities he would have starting tomorrow. He also introduced him to some people who could help out if there was trouble, as well as a few that would hire Keros should he need a bit of extra money.

 

After they were finally done Jack didn't separate from the boys. They had spent enough time out that before long they would be heading home anyway so he decided to stick around and walk them home after they finished what they wanted to do.

 

"What do you two plan on doing?" Jack asked

 

"We want to go check out a commlink and see if we can buy a few!" Booker said with excitement

 

"What? Comm links aren't cheap you know, and I doubt you have enough to buy one, much less two." Jack said with an eyebrow raised.

 

"hehe, we made some Credits today! Maybe we won't get the best ones but I think we can find a couple we can afford!" Booker responded with pride.

 

"How much did you each make?" Jack asked, his expression hid a couple of different feelings.

 

"5,000 Credits each." Keros spoke up, also with pride.

 

jack didn't respond immediately, instead, he gave Keros an odd look.

 

"5,000 Credits each huh. You know, I heard from your mother that you and Daisy got in a bit of an argument earlier over a necklace." Jack said with a questioning tone, seemingly asking even though he already knew.

 

"The necklace was 500 credits! It was just a piece of colored wood. Besides, I earned these credits myself, is it my responsibility to buy it for her?" Keros asked a little defensively. He understood that his father was hinting at him having had so much money and that he could have just bought it for her.

 

Jack sighed

 

"No, no. You're right. You earned those credits on your own, and it isn't your responsibility to buy things like that for her.. 500 Credits does seem like a lot for something like that anyway. I was just curious about learning more about the story, and your reasoning for refusing to lend her the money." Jack said with a wave of his hand as he leads the way

 

'If he isn't saying that I should have bought it for her, there is probably some other reason he brought it up.' Keros thought to himself. Maybe he was trying to point something out to Keros in a roundabout way.

 

"I already had something I wanted to buy and I don't know how much it will cost. I wouldn't be lending it to her either, she couldn't pay me back. Do you think I should have bought it for her?" Keros said, pressing the topic hoping that he would understand.

 

"Hmm... Well, it's your money to spend how you like, and I'm not going to admonish you for doing the responsible thing and not buying an overpriced necklace that she didn't need. You're also right that your sister probably wouldn't ever pay you back. If you're asking what I would have done in your position, knowing what I know at my age, I might have bought it for her." Jack said after thinking for a moment

 

"Really, why? You just said what I did was the responsible thing to do." Keros said, confused.

 

"While yes, not spending 500 credits on a low-quality necklace can be considered smart, and it could be considered responsible to not loan your sister 500 credits. However, did you think about how much it would have meant to her if you had bought it for her? Sure, she might have enjoyed it for a few days before getting bored and throwing it in a drawer to gather dust. Maybe though, she would wear it every day and cherish it until the color and detail was worn away." Jack said, pausing at the end before continuing.

 

"If the latter were to be the case, then the value of the necklace would have been worth the 500 credits spent, right? Though what would likely make it so valuable would be the thought behind the necklace. For example, how would you feel if someone important in your life gave you a gift? It would mean more to you, right? To be honest, credits don't matter much when it comes to a gift. The gift could be expensive, or it could be inexpensive because the important thing is the thought behind it." Jack said, explaining his reasoning

 

"When someone puts thought into a gift or anything concerning someone, it shows that they care enough to give up their valuable time to make someone happier. That is a truly valuable gift. Showing that you care for someone can do a lot for both parties. It can mend or deepen relationships, and it can make up for mistakes and arguments. It doesn't have to be a gift either, just like this morning when you apologized and thanked me. To me, that showed that you had put thought into what happened last night, and that shows me that you cared." Jack stopped and rested his hand on Keros' shoulder

 

"I'm not at all saying that you should have felt obligated to buy your sister that necklace. I just want to give you a different perspective of the situation." jack finished with lightly squeezing Keros' shoulder before letting go and resuming their walk

 

they walked a short while in silence. Keros was thinking over what his father had said, and who knew what was going on in Booker's head since he remained silent.

 

"How did you guys manage to get 10,000 credits anyway?" Jack asked, seeming very curious

 

The two boys explained the situation, how the nobles had acted arrogantly at the examinations and the teacher had proposed and 'incentive'. As well as how they performed and their ranks.

 

"Haha, well done both of you. Be careful though, Some nobles get upset when their pride is hurt and in turn, they can become vindictive." Jack said, sporting a rare grin

 

shortly after their conversation they arrived at a shop that built, refurbished, repaired, bought, and sold electronics. Jack had led them there and was familiar with the shop owner. The shop is small, with shelves crammed with various electronic parts and boxes that were packed with parts littered the floor. The counter is transparent and filled with many different types of electronics, organized into groups.

 

The owners' name is Frank and he has a good relationship with Jack, seemingly old buddies. Frank is a small man, just a little taller than Keros. His hair is a bit greasy, and he was ungroomed. He is quite scruffy and pale as if he didn't go outside much.

 

After a short conversation with Jack, Frank addressed the two boys

 

"So ole Jack's kid is lookin to get a commlink huh? How much ya got boys?" Frank asked

 

"We each have 5,000 credits." Keros responded

 

"Failure. Lesson one my boy, Never let the seller know how much ya got on ya." Frank said with a snort

 

"Know what ya want and how much it costs on average before you even enter a shop to buy something. Crooks will drain you dry in mere moments otherwise." Frank said before walking through a door behind the counter. He returned shortly shouldering one case and carrying another one on his other arm. He put both on the counter before opening them up and swiftly taking out a bunch of commlinks

 

"These are the commlinks I have in your price range that will fit you. Do either of ya notice any of them? What can you tell me?" Frank asked with an expecting expression

 

Neither responded and just donned embarrassed expressions. They had been too excited to bother thinking about doing the research beforehand.

 

frank soon understand that both of the boys were completely ignorant and were just enticed by the thought of the commlink. While he might seem a bit rough, he was a pretty good guy and took the time to explain the major differences between the models before waiting on the boys to pick a couple out.

 

Booker saw a red one, and though it was a tad bulky, he immediately wanted it. He pointed to it with a shine in his eye.

 

"Wouldn't be my first choice, but I see you have your reasons. 3,500 credits young one." Frank said

 

Keros, on the other hand, seemed indecisive. From what they were told there wasn't any huge difference between these commlinks, but the high prices and small differences made him worry if he would make the right choice.

 

"Ah, he is indecisive I see. If you would boy, let me make a suggestion." Frank grabbed a medium-sized one.

 

It is mainly grey, with electric blue accents. The screen wasn't huge like on some, and it only just covered the top of his forearm. It was made of mainly polymer materials and highly durable. It has a black forearm sleeve with grey straps.

 

"This one is a good choice for a few reasons. First the size and shape of the module, It's practical for you. You're going to grow significantly soon and since this module is flat and medium-sized you'll be able to have it altered to fit well even if your arm doubles in size, which is a service I offer. Next is the aesthetics, it's simple but beautiful. It won't draw too much attention, which is a good thing when you think about the risk of being robbed. Also, I believe that while men should be stylish but they should never be gaudy, and this model is the perfect mix in my opinion. Finally, there is a lot of room for accessories and upgrades. This model already has many features and capabilities, but it comes with enough expansion ports that will make it easy for even the ignorant like you to install upgrades. Overall this is just a great, well-balanced model, and worth every credit that it costs." Frank said, accurately detailing the most important reasons that he recommends the device.

 

"How much is it?" Keros asked, seemingly sold on it already

 

"4,000 credits. Believe me, when I say that this is a good deal, Ole Franky won't do ya dirty." Frank said with a creepy grin

 

"Ok, I'll get it then." Keros replied while taking out his Credit badge. He would still have 1,000 credits left which is more than he had thought he would have.

 

Frank typed on his commlink for a minute before pressing a button. The totals for both comm links were projected as a hologram, then he swiped over each card. This was caused by an accessory that could be installed onto a commlink, which allowed you to display commerce information as a hologram for customers to see.

 

"Alright, give me your electronic IDs." Frank said holding out his hand.

 

Both boys handed over their IDs, and Frank disappeared into the back once again. A short time later he re-appeared with two small clear chips, with copper lines running through them.

 

"These are your ID chips. I've already registered them so they are good to go. You might not know this, but they can be used for more than just connecting your commlink and they are very important and personal. Take care not to lose them or let them get stolen!" Frank said, before showing the boys where and how to install them in their commlinks.

 

"Alright, all set. Congratulations on your purchases, and be sure to return whenever you need any other tech. Ole Franky has all kinds of good things!" He said with a prideful smile while thumping his chest

 

Keros, Booker, and Jack left after a short conversation.

 

-

 

Keros and Booker spent a lot fo the time fiddling with their new commlinks, learning how they worked and adding each other's contact information. Jack showed them the features they had access to and a few tricks that would make general use easier and more comfortable.

 

By the time Keros had finished messing with his commlink, he realized they weren't far from home. Oddly enough they were fairly close to that little crafts shop they had been to earlier today.

 

'If they are still open, I can get that necklace.' Keros thought. He still had 1,000 credits leftover and while that was a lot, he realized that there wasn't much else he wanted right now that could be bought with 1,000 credits. He would likely just end up spending it when splurging on food and drinks occasionally. Surely his dad was right, and the overpriced necklace would bring his sister more joy than the 500 credits could bring him right now.

 

As they came closer, he noticed that the lights were still on. He told Booker and Jack to wait on him for a moment and went into the shop. He returned with a little flimsy box. Jack smiled once again today was a good day for him.

 

A short while later they bid Booker bye and walked the short distance home. When they went inside they found Jessica, Catherine, and the girls sitting in the living room chatting.

 

Keros greeted his mom, before telling his parents that he was going to bed. Before he left the room he pulled the box out of his pocket, called out to Catherine, and tossed her the box. He disappeared toward his room right after. Jack took a seat beside Jessica and watched Catherine expectantly.

 

When she opened the box and saw the necklace her face lit up with joy. She truly did want this necklace, because it was pretty and it was carved into the same flower that she was nicknamed after. She quickly put it on and found a mirror to look at herself in. It suited her, and with a little altering to the strap, it would be perfect in her opinion.

 

"Thank you, daddy!" She exclaimed

 

Jack chuckled lightly

 

"I didn't buy it for you. Keros did." Jack replied

 

"What, why? He wouldn't lend me the money earlier today." Catherine asked, confused. She had thought that Jack bought it for her and made Keros give it to her because of earlier.

 

"I guess he thought that it was worth the credits if it made you happy. He had some credits left over after what he bought what he wanted, and on the way back he disappeared into a crafts shop for a bit and came out with that box." Jack explained, knowing that Keros likely wouldn't want to.

 

Catherine wore an odd expression for a short while, then smiled. Even she knew that 500 credits could be considered high for such a simple necklace, but the liked it very much. She didn't want it to be sold before she could save up the credits to buy it, and she was upset that her own brother wouldn't lend her some credits so she could buy it.

 

"I'll pay him back soon!" Catherine said with her smile still beaming

 

"How are you gonna do that?" Jack asked with a playful look

 

"Well, I'll save up and work as Keros does." Catherine said

 

"It will take a long time for you to save up a little extra every week Daisy, and you're not strong enough to do the same type of work as Keros. That is why he didn't want to lend you the credits because you can't pay him back and even if you did you would have had to sacrifice too many meals to save up." Jack said before continuing

 

"That's why he bought it for you when he had found out that he had enough leftover instead of 'lending' you the credits." Jack said in a calm and soothing voice.

 

Catherine thought about it for a short while, before nodding. She was curious as to what Keros bought, and how he got so many credits. Jack slightly bragged in Keros' sted about what had happened at the exam. Everyone in the room showed various expressions, needless to say, they all showed quite a bit of interest in the matter.