Transparency

Chapter Eighteen

Frankly, Mesonii had been right- the Splat Charger had been put into a lost-and-found box, completely untarnished. As Sankra picked it up and inspected it for any sort of wear, the mint inkling browsed around the shop.

She took a peek at weapons made by the Deco Company- often considered the "crutch" weapons by her fellow turfers alike. The .96 Gal Deco automatic shooter, the Carbon Roller that could splat with one hit- she never took interest in this artillery. Things were alright the way they were with her and her Splash-O-Matic.

"Taking up interest in that brand, I see?" A small horseshoe crab sneaked up to Mesonii's feet. "Based on the battle reports my colleagues have peered at, I believe you're in a good place right now with your weapon. But you do know, change isn't a bad thing!"

Mesonii turned around and noticed Sheldon, the owner of the shop. "No, my friend actually left something here, so we came to get it back."

"Aha, I see. Still, what's a trip like this without a little surprise?" Sheldon ran behind the desk and grabbed a box of files twice the size of his body. Almost immediately, he twiddled his fingers through the folders one by one, quietly whispering up names of people Mesonii didn't know.

"Hold on for a second. M, N, P... Parker, Parler, Partenby, Pelican, Physalis, Planceta- no, that's the wrong way!- Peel, Pestogenovese. Mesonii Pestogenovese. Yep. Here is your official Turf War résumé!"

As Sheldon handed Mesonii the sheet, her mind went to the negative. Pestogenovese. She always thought of the name as a mouthful, just like the worst catfish burger she had ever had, like all that water gargling in her mouth when she nearly drowned. She hid those thoughts, though, with a somewhat fake smile. What mattered was the stuff on the paper- she only got this once every month or so and it was good reads.

She held the record in her hands and glanced at each statistic.

Ammo Knights Sanctioned Experiment TW-15 Progress Report #38 for
PESTOGENOVESE, MESONII
Current Level: 31
Total Battles Since Last Period: 239
Number of Wins: 133
Number of Losses:  103
Number of Splats: 97
Number of Times Splatted: 110
Weapons Used: Splash-O-Matic (134,249 P), Splatterscope (23,437 P)

The collection of papers, three pages long, had additional statistics listed. With what little time they had, Mesonii decided to pocket it for later so as not to leave Sankra hanging. But, frankly, Sheldon wasn't done, and he continued to stretch his hand into the humongous box until he got to the section labeled 'E'.

"Your friend, I believe, has been taking part in our little experiment for two months, as of today! Sankra Emerit, yes? Here is your Turf War résumé!"

Sankra perked up like a dog up at the sound of her name, and, with her Splat Charger in hand, walked over to Sheldon's desk. "That's real?"

"It's as real as what I'm about to tell you both!"

While Sankra's eyes browsed through the records, Sheldon ducked under his desk and retrieved a clipboard and a pen.

"You two currently have the opportunity to participate in a squad!"

Once again, Sankra's eyebrows raised in confusion. "I-I'm only a level twelve, though. At least said by this. Isn't that a little, well, weak to be in a squad?"

"Of course not! Think of it as a learning experience. If you mess up, you can try again later, much unlike certain choices you make in your lives." Sheldon looked at a nail in the wall and had to jump to hook the clipboard to it. "At least, that's how I think about it."