An Excellent Find

--AZOUF--

When the platform rolls to a complete stop my siblings and I waste no time in walking off.

Rahoul practically makes a beeline for the rows of axes in the middle lacking the green glow.

Rieka takes her time. Prowling the whole arena row by row.

Ylfa lets a small smile grace xir face when xey make eye contact with me. I smile back.

I walk around the arena as well, at least making an effort to see if any weapon piques my interest.

-- 10 MINUTES LATER --

The twins have used up all 10 of their chances, Ylfa has used 6, Zev has 5, and I can't even decide on one. It's preposterous really. Just as I am about to head back to the platform I see a wave at the corner of my eye and turn to see Zev flagging me down.

He gestures behind him at the back wall where a few different bows hang and I mentally face-palm. How did I miss that? At the same time I can see how I missed it. There are only twelve on that wall, all crowded together. I immediately make my way towards him and he stands making a big show of contemplating the difference between two spears.

I finally reach him and he grins at me. I whisper a thank you to him and he just waves it off.

"Those two look good," he mutters lowly, nodding at an emerald engraved longbow and artfully crafted crossbow.

I nod at him and make my way towards them.

I take the crossbow down first. One look at it had me putting it back. It was too light for my tastes and had a shorter drawstring than normal. I grasp the longbow next and frown at it. It was quite heavy, but mainly it glimmered so much. If I thought it would blend into the forest, I was sorely mistaken.

I shake my head and sigh.

I look for the hook to hang it back when one gem's light bounces off of something in the corner. I follow the light with my eyes and am pleasantly surprised. A mahogany coloured bow hung in the corner. I drape the green monstrosity of a longbow back onto the wall and wander over to the bow.

As I neared it, I saw simple yet beautiful green vine designs curling around its handle and up the bow itself.

I gently lift it from its perch and hold it in the sunlight. Its weight was decent, a tad on the light end but certainly within my range. I position myself and draw the string back.

I grin to myself slightly and lower the bow before glancing back at its original perch.

"Where is your quiver?" I ask the bow softly.

When nothing appears I wonder if they heard me. Undeterred I try again.

"Would I be able to examine your arrows and quiver?" I ask at a reasonable volume this time.

Another moment goes by and I almost open my mouth again to ask when finally, an equally amazing quiver shimmers to life on the wall. I carefully extract an arrow and breathe a sigh of amazement.

This person either has a naturally astounding shifted form or has brilliant focus and ability to manipulate themselves in such a way.

"Thank you," I say to the bow.

I quickly rearrange every piece back into the order that it came in and hang the bow back on the wall. As I dig the key out of my pocket I take a more careful examination of the wall and frown.

I raise my hand and give a little wave, honestly, not quite sure who I am supposed to wave at this point, but no one except me needs to know that.

Mother notices me.

"What happens to be the matter?"

Her voice echoes through the stadium and causes the crowd to stir. Most aren't sure where to look, but end up finding me sooner or later.

"There seems to be a lack of square surrounding this recurve bow mother. I am uncertain as to what must be done," I answer, pointedly gesturing at the wall.

This actually seems to startle her.

"Odd," she states before looking at the door near me.

"Keeper!"

A disgruntled man with silver hair, and quite the scruffy beard ambles through. He nods in mother's general direction before asking, "what seems to be the problem ma'am?"

I hold back my grin at his subtle, or not so subtle misuse of title.

Mother does not say anything about it though it looks like she wants to. She then waves her hand at me.

"There seems to be a lack of square surrounding that particular individual. Do take care of that."

The man scoffs, but his voice is so gravelly that it sounds more like a garbled version of some form of acknowledgement. He ambles towards me and I take a quick sidestep out of his way.

He practically, no, definitively growls quietly at the weapon hanging on the wall.

"Brat. Couldn't choose a proper spot like e'reybody else huh. Just had ta be difficult. Can't e'en work these bloody panels."

I could barely make out his low mutterings let alone decipher them quick enough before he's turning towards the door and striding towards it, barking louder than necessary.

"Panel assistance required!"

He disappears through the door and comes back a few minutes later. Head down and rifling through, quite a large duffle bag. He passes me and pulls out a tablet of sorts. He taps the screen a few times before tapping the wall.

Immediately a square lights up and he nods satisfied. He turns away and walks back to the door.

I take one last look at his face, a 'thank you' at the tip of my tongue when he glances back and nods before I can say anything. Then he's gone.

Odd.

I raise the key up to the square when a thought strikes me.

Did his beard-

No.

I shake my head. I must be imagining things since I couldn't see his entire face.

Focusing back on the task at hand, I give the square a tap with the key and watch in satisfaction as it lights up blue.

I take a look at the platform and see that most of my siblings have made it back. Zev has tapped another square near the center and he gives a wave. I wave back and tap a few more squares along the wall as I walk back to the platform.

May as well give a few more people the chance to compete.