am-books Chapter 4: Tristan's PP grows
Chapter 4: Tristan's PP grows
Without a car, it was a long way to the dingy flat Tristan called "home".
Although Tristan had changed drastically in the last couple hours, the place that met him was exactly the same as he left it: a tiny studio with peeling wallpaper, leaky faucets, and crumpling furniture.
And even that cost him $1500 a month!
The thought reminded Tristan painfully that today's robbery was supposed to pay for his next month's rent.
Tristan went for a stash behind a pipe, where he hid his savings. There was $500 left, which wasn't enough for anything much.
He had to earn that money quickly, and he also needed money for lessons. Learning was the simplest way to get system points.
But learning without a teacher was much slower than on your own. Besides, Tristan knew he would need a microphone and a guitar to record himself later.
'And new clothing,' he thought, looking with distaste at his second-hand jacket. 'I can't become famous in a jacket like that.'
Tristan yawned.
'Tomorrow I will think about something.'
While he brushed his teeth, Tristan stared long and hard at his healed face again. It was like a stranger's face, but also something dear returned to him from the past.
As he went to sleep, Tristan remembered to put his earring back on to change identities. He didn't want anyone to become suspicious of a strange person coming out of his apartment.
***
Next day.
'Money makes the world go round,' Tristan thought, walking down the street.
In warm July, plenty of tourists and locals were walking in this area, moving from one cafe to another and stopping near the souvenir shops. Many of them had their pockets or phones stuffed right in the back pockets of their pants, just begging to be swiped.
This place was one of Tristan's favorite work haunts. It wasn't so popular that some gang claimed it as his, but still let him earn enough for life. And Mark's gang didn't come here often.
Tristan strolled the street, putting low the hood of his jacket by the force of habit.
When he spotted a target with a low-hanging wallet, he casually strolled towards him, then as if "by accident" bumped the middle-aged man's shoulder.
Especially women. A few threw him flirtatious glances as Tristan walked by, but he didn't pay them much mind.
[Pickpocketing skill increased by 1. Reward: your PP increased by 10.]
[Pickpocketing skill increased by 1. Reward: your PP increased by 10.]
[Pickpocketing skill increased by 1. Reward: your PP increased by 10.]
After five hours of pickpocketing, Tristan's skill improved by 3 more points. He also earned around $300 in cash, as well as three phones that he could sell to a dealer he knew. While before, he'd feel lucky to earn $150!
Not to mention that a few times people got suspicious of him and even called the police.
As he counted his earnings, Tristan considered his options.
'If I practice my Pop-star skills now, I can improve my pickpocketing and earn even more. Pickpocketing on my own will be riskier than when Mark could look out for me, but it will be worth it.'
However, this required some investment.
Tristan walked into an alleyway, made sure that no one was watching him, and took off his earring. He felt safer in an identity that was a clean sheet with no criminal records attached.
Then Tristan went to the place which before always brought pain in his heart when he walked past it.
This was a musical instruments store. Guitars, violins, and flutes were put on the window display. Their price tags were actually very cheap and affordable compared to the price of instruments Tristan was used to. Only $900 for some of the instruments at the front, while Tristan's old guitar cost $3000.
This was a store aimed at casual musicians first, not a high-end luxury brand place.
The reason for Tristan's pain were his fingers, which were too fragile to let him play a guitar.
But now...
He walked into the store, looking around. There were acoustic guitars, bass guitars, ukuleles...
"Do you need something, mister?" the cashier asked, approaching him. He was an elderly man with a kind smile. "Are you a newbie? We have some self-learning manuals for flutes and guitars."
Tristan looked at the cashier, then remembered how much cash he had. He really hoped this was enough...
"How much is your cheapest electric guitar?"